Mr. Kieslowski: [blows whistle] Eyes on the balls, guys! Be water! Be-

A boy got hit in the face from one of the dodgeballs thrown from the other team.

Currently, Mei and her friends were on the same team, playing a game of dodgeball in the school's courtyard. She was having a talk with them about how it went convincing each of their parents.

Mei: That presentation was bomb.com! I cited all my sources. I had sparklers. [throws dodgeball furiously] And she still said no! She even made Adler say no!

Priya: [dodges several dodgeballs] My parents said I could go when I'm 30.

Abby: Mine called it stripper music. What's wrong with that? [Wario-bites a dodgeball]

Miriam: Mine said yes, but I have to buy the tickets. Who the heck's got that kind of cash? [dodges a dodgeball]

Mei: I know my mom, and probably Adler, are worried, but sometimes she's just so... so...

Miriam: Wacko?

Miriam pointed outside the school fence and they saw Ming's car with her inside. She was watching Mei with shades and a pair of binoculars. Malik then came running at her.

Malik: Ma'am, please!

Ming drove off quickly.

Malik: I'm sorry, Mrs. Lee! I see you!

--------------------

Ming, after being spotted by Mei and Malik, drove away and dialed Adler.

Ming: Adler, how are things going your way?

Adler: Pretty well. I've got this covered, Ming. Don't you worry.

In the school, Adler had found a spare set of janitor clothes and had dressed up as one of them. The shirt and pants were blue with black shoes and a blue field cap. He was now walking around the halls, pushing on a cart.

Ming: And what if she sees you?

Adler: Then there's nothing I can really do. Adler out.

Ming hung up the phone and sighed. She hoped that Adler would make sure Mei was okay.

--------------------

After what happened, Mei and her friends diverted their attention towards Tyler, who had began laughing and pointing at Mei.

Tyler: Little momma's girl. No wonder Mei is such a loser.

Mei began turning red in embarrassment, then in anger as she clenched tightly onto the dodgeball she had been holding. Miriam and the others started to look concerned. Mei then screamed as her arm turned into a red panda arm and fiercely threw the dodgeball at Tyler. It was as fast as a bullet fired from an M60 light machine gun. Tyler screamed and ducked under it as it crashed through the music room's window. However, the dodgeball had also shaved a part of Tyler's hair off.

Mr. Kieslowski blew his whistle.

Mr. Kieslowski: Illegal throw! You're out, Lee.

Mei: What? But, Mr. K, he-

Miriam and the others dragged Mei away from the court.

Miriam: Mei, chill. Let's go, let's go.

Two other girls looked at the four leaving, realizing something.

The three girls then dragged Mei to the girls' bathroom, passing by a certain "janitor" in the halls. Adler looked back and shortly followed them.

The girls entered the girls' bathroom with Mei in tow, who was grunting in anger.

Miriam: Calm down, Mei.

Priya: Dude, keep it together.

Mei: I can't. We need to see this concert. Why doesn't my mom get that? I never ask for everything. My whole life I've been her perfect little Mei-Mei. Temple duties, grades...

Abby: Violin!

Priya: Tap dancing.

Mei: Yeah. We've been so good. If they don't trust us anyway, then what's the point?

Miriam: Wow! Who are you? I love it!

Abby: Fight the power!

Mei: Yeah. Yeah. This isn't just our first concert. This is our first step into womanhood. We have to do it together.

The door to the bathroom opened with a janitor rolling a cart inside. Mei and the others turned around in confusion. The janitor had his head down, hiding his face from the girls.

Mei: Uh, do you mind?

Miriam: We're in the middle of something.

Adler: Like planning to go to the concert without your parents knowing?

Abby: That voice...

Priya: It's...

Adler lifted his head up, revealing his presence to the girls.

Adler: Hey guys.

All 4: Adler?!

Mei: How did you get in?!

Adler: [rolls the cart outside and comes back in] I have my ways. Remember. I'm CIA.

Miriam: What are you doing here? Wait, don't tell me. You're working with Mei's mom, are you?

Adler: Yes and no. She wanted me to look after Mei, but I came here on my own accord. I want to help you girls with the concert tickets. I've heard how important 4-Town is to Mei. And the rest of you. So I want to make that possible. So what do you all say?

"This is not gonna end well, Adler."

Miriam: I'm in. [to Mei and the others] We'll say it's a sleepover at my house.

Abby: The perfect crime.

Mei: Yes! My mom will never know. Now we just got to raise the money for tickets. Come on, girls, think!

They all thought for a moment.

Adler (mind): There's gotta be a legit way to make money for the tickets...

"How about rob the nearest bank? There's lots of money there. Nobody knows who you are."

Adler (mind): Like I'll ever do that.

After thinking for several more seconds, they came up dry.

Abby: Know what'll help me think? A little panda.

Mei: Abby.

Abby: [excitedly] Come on, Mei. It'll clear my mind. Just a little hit! It's so cute!

Mei: Ugh. Fine.

Mei extended her arms and Abby clung onto her chest. Mei closed her arms around Abby and took a deep breath, using her imagination to let her red panda out. After a few seconds, Mei squealed and turned into the red panda.

"What do you think Mei was thinking about?"

Adler (mind): Probably 4-Town.

"Ugh, that's disgusting, Adler."

Mei: Happy?

Abby: [relaxed] Oh, yeah. That's the stuff.

???: O-M-G.

Everyone looked behind Mei and saw Stacy and her two friends standing in the doorway.

Mei: [panics] Aah! Go away!

She ran into a bathroom stall and locked it. Miriam, Priya, Abby, and Adler moved in front of the door to block it from Stacy and her friends.

Stacy: That was you in the bathroom! I didn't imagine it!

Miriam: Yeah, you did.

Priya: Get lost, Stacy.

Stacy then noticed Adler.

Stacy: And who are you? And why are you even here?

Adler: Russell Adler, CIA. And it's a long story.

Stacy and her friends: CIA?!

Stacy's Friend #1: [goes back on topic] But she's, like, a magical bear.

All 5: Red panda!

Mei peeked her head over the top of the stall and quickly went down once Stacy and her friends saw her. Miriam and the others braced for Stacy and her friends' reactions while Adler had his hand on his concealed 1911 tucked in behind his shirt.

Stacy: You are the cutesy thing ever!

Stacy's Friend #2: Come out please!

Stacy's Friend #1: Yeah, yeah, yeah! Please!

Mei turned back to human and came out of the stall.

Mei: Wait. So, you like the panda?

Stacy's Friend #2: Like it? I love it! I'll give you anything! Money?

Stacy's Friend #1: My kidney!

Stacy: My soul.

Stacy and her friends began squealing in joy and started flapping around Canadian dollar bills in their hands. Mei and her friends all had money signs in their eyes.

Mei: Yes! We'll take it!

Adler: Mei, can I talk with you for a moment?

Mei: Huh?

Adler: Follow me.

Adler had Mei follow him outside the girls' bathroom and stood by the cart. Mei was confused, wondering what Adler needed.

Adler: Are you sure this is a good plan?

Mei: Yeah, totally! You said you'll be helping us, didn't you?

Adler: Making money legitimately is one thing, but using your red panda powers to get free money is another. What would happen if your mother found out?!

Mei: It's fine, Adler. My mom's never gonna find out. Just trust me in this, okay?

Adler: [sighs] Alright, kid. But don't make me regret this.

"You'll regret it, all right."

--------------------

After Adler left the school and went back home and after school had ended, Mei and her friends gathered in an empty classroom to start their money operation. They messed around for a little until starting with a presentation.

Mei: Operation 4-Town Shake Down is about to commence.

Miriam, Priya, and Abby took out their pens and opened their notebooks, ready to take notes.

Mei: The boys are coming to the SkyDome, May 18th. Our goal, four tickets. That's 800 bucks! Step one, neutralize the empress and recruit outside help.

Phone Call between Mei and Ming/Adler

Ming: Mathletes? Isn't it a little dangerous to join an after-school club now?

Mei: What's dangerous is an academic record with a lack of extracurriculars. And Adler will be there to help us.

Ming: Oh, really? Is that right, Adler?

Adler: Yeah. I excelled in math when I was in college.

"Are you sure about that?"

Ming: Hmm... Huh.

-------------------

As Adler came into the classroom, Mei was explaining the second step.

Mei: Step two, spread the word.

Abby's Classroom

When the teacher wasn't looking, Abby passed a note to Stacy that had a picture of a red panda and the numbers "202" on it. Stacy took out her Jokia (obviously a parody/reference of Nokia) flip phone and messaged her friends about it. Soon after, everyone in the school was informed about the panda pics in Room 202.

Later that day

Abby opened a door, letting in several students into Room 202.

Mei (voiceover): And step three, hustle the panda and squeeze every last penny out of those kids.

Mei waved at the students and poofed into the red panda in front of the students. They all squealed in excitement and crowded around her. Adler set up a photo taking booth with a Canadian flag in the background and lights pointed towards it. Students had to pay before taking a picture with red panda Mei. In the corner of the room, Adler had also created a chart where there was a drawing of a red panda with a bar showing how far they were from their goal, $800.

At one point, after taking a photo, Mei tripped and fell onto Carter, leaving a paw print on his shirt. He saw this and gave Mei a thumbs up. Seeing this, Adler got an idea.

A few days later, Stacy walked into the girls' bathroom where Mei and her friends revealed a collection of panda merch, originally designed by Adler himself. After Stacy left the restroom with panda merch on, more students rushed in to buy whatever merch was left.

The next day, Tyler showed up in the line outside Room 202 with his money. However, he was denied access by Abby, who showed him a sign that read "No Tylers". A student pushed Tyler out of the way as the rest of the line went into the room.

One day, Ming decided to stop by with dumplings she had made for the girls as snacks. Abby was busy counting money when she saw Ming approaching the room, waving back and knocking on the door, signaling for Adler and Mei to start clean-up to hide their secret operation. As Ming opened the door with the dumplings, she saw Adler reviewing the concepts of the quadratic formula to Mei, Miriam, and Priya. However, Malik went behind Ming, making her drop off the dumplings and leave. Malik then popped a dumpling into his mouth before leaving. Abby gave them the thumbs up, meaning that the coast was clear. The girls in the room sighed in relief.

The days went by, and Adler knew that he wouldn't be returning back to his time, but nevertheless he had enjoyed his time in the future with Mei and her friends. "Stitch" only talked with his mind occasionally now, meaning that his numbers programming was deteriorating each day that passed by.

Business was indeed booming.

--------------------

It was lunchtime at the school, and almost everyone at the school had red panda merch on them. The four girls were sitting on the benches near the courtyard, making more panda keychains. A few boys were playing basketball in the court below.

Miriam: Check out number 12. He's got delta for days.

Abby: Forget that. I need lunch. I'm starting to black out!

Abby pretended to faint on the bench.

Priya: I think I'm getting carpal tunnel.

Mei: No pain, no gain, Priya. Come on, chop chop.

Miriam: Girl, relax.

Abby: Yeah, we're doing our best.

Mei: It's not enough!

Mei's panda paws, ears, and tail suddenly poofed out.

Mei: The concert's this Saturday and we're still a hundred short! I knew we should have charged more for photos! [moving erratically] Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Miriam went over to Mei and hugged her.

Miriam: Don't worry Mei, it's in the bag. Adler will eventually help us get that hundred. What's the point of getting to the concert if you're too exhausted to enjoy it? Now, take a break and help me appreciate some boys.

Mei: Okay, okay, okay.

Mei's red panda parts poofed out of existence as Mei and Miriam sighed, looking at the boys playing down in the court. Several of them noticed the girls watching them.

Boy #1: Hey! What's up!

Boy #2: Mei!

Boy #3: Hey, Mei, what's up?

Priya and Miriam whooped.

Miriam: Looking good!

Abby: Nice calves!

Mei: Are you a triangle? 'Cause you a-cute!

The girls all laughed at Mei's pun until they heard a familiar voice from underneath the benches.

Tyler: You guys are so weird.

The girls peered behind the benches and saw Tyler standing there, who was using a toothpick to pick his teeth.

Miriam: Hey!

Mei: Are you spying on us?

Tyler: I wanna talk to you, Lee.

Mei: Forget it.

Tyler: Fine. Wonder if your mom knows her precious little Mei-Mei has been flaunting the panda all over school with that CIA agent's help.

Everyone gasped as Mei stormed off, turned into the red panda, and went behind the benches.

Mei: [angrily] That's none of your business.

Tyler: [screams]

Mei walked towards Tyler menacingly as the boy backed away.

Tyler: [takes out his flip phone] One more step and I'm telling her everything!

Mei stopped.

Tyler: Now, put that thing away and hear me out.

Mei growled as she turned back into a human.

Mei: What do you want?

Tyler took out a poster from his pocket. It was a poster that had his face and Mei's panda form's face on it.

Tyler: I wanna throw a sick birthday party. An epic one.

Mei glanced over to her friends who all shrugged their shoulders.

Tyler: It's this Friday. If you're there, everyone will come. Simple as that.

Mei: A party.

Tyler: Look, I've done you a favor keeping my mouth shut. All I'm asking for one is back.

Mei looked at the paper and stroked her chin, thinking about it. Then, she reached a decision.

Mei: Hmm. I'll... do it. But, it'll cost you one- no! Two hundred bucks.

Tyler: [unamused] Okay.

Mei's panda tail suddenly poofed out.

Mei: Uh, hold, please.

Mei ran back to her friends at the bench as they huddled into a group circle.

Miriam: Are you serious? You can't trust him.

Abby: It's a trap!

Priya: This sounds like a boy-girl party. Are we allowed to boy-girl parties?

Mei: Guys! Two hundred bucks will put us over the top! We have to do this. We'll meet at Tyler's, I'll do my thing, and then we'll bounce. Easy-peasy.

Miriam: Dude, what about your mom and Adler?

Mei: Forget my mom. I'll be back before she even knows I'm gone. And Adler's gonna cover for us, won't he?

Miriam: But-

Mei: [to Tyler] Hey, dorkbag. We're in. But you only get the panda for an hour. And we are not bringing any presents.

Tyler: Deal.

The two shook hands, finalizing their deal.

--------------------

Sometime between July 23rd, 1984 and July 30th, 1984
Verdansk, Soviet Union

Hudson, Mason, and Woods traveled to Verdansk, the last known whereabouts of Adler before he disappeared. They searched several buildings until finding Adler's supplies of explosive devices.

Mason (radio): Mason here. Found some of Adler's stuff.

Woods: Copy that, Mason. [to Hudson] Adler should be around here.

Hudson: Down this hallway.

Hudson and Woods went down the same hallway where the mysterious red door was located, the two finding it later.

Hudson: Think Adler's in there?

Woods: If he is, he'd better explain what crap he's doing here.

Woods opened the red door, revealing static and floating red numbers behind it. The two were stunned in surprise.

Woods: Holy crap...

Mason came back to the two.

Mason: What'd you guys find-

He saw the floating red numbers, and a bit of his brainwashing came back to his mind.

Reznov (flashback): ...Kravchenko... must die...

Woods: Should I check it out?

Hudson: [nods] Be careful.

Woods jumped through the portal and returned a few minutes later. He came out with a petrified face, shocked at what he saw on the other side.

Mason: Woods, what did you see?

Woods: If I'm not tripping, I think I went to the future.

Hudson: That's not possible.

Woods: Well, it is now! There were these kind of cars, phones, things I've- we've, never seen before! I also saw Adler from afar. He was walking with some kind of kid. A girl.

Mason: So Adler's there?

Hudson: Even if he is there, we should wait here until he comes back. Whether it'll take days or weeks, we need to apprehend him.

Woods: [chuckles] Oh, we'll be waiting for him.