Jade Chan Adventures
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters
A/N: Thanks for reviewing! The past two chapters were warm ups, but this one gets the action going.
"I'm late!"
"But you haven't packed your lunch yet!" called Jackie as his niece made a mad dash for the door, nearly knocking over an antique vase in the process. He hastily caught the wobbling porcelain before it could fall of its pedestal. "Honestly, if you would stop staying up late to play video games…"
"Er, no time to talk–gotta run! Bye!" waved Jade as she sped out, leaving a puff of dust in her place.
"Aiyah! No running in Uncle's shop!" shouted the old man from the balcony, waving a bony fist like a flag. Jackie only shook his head.
"Oh man, oh man, oh man," panted Jade as she vaulted over a fence. "Mrs. Carter's going to kick my butt if I'm late for another test!"
I have to find a shortcut, she thought. The brunette quickly zigzagged through the alleyways until she came out on the other side of the street. Soon enough, the old junkyard came into view. Jade smirked. Aha!
"Now I just gotta–" she froze. Something was appearing in the sky. It looked like a red tear.
Suddenly, a figure dropped out of the portal and landed on its feet amongst the mounds of steel and rust. It cackled.
"Drago?!" gasped Jade, backing into the wall.
The demon's back stiffened. He slowly turned around to face her.
"Ah, how quaint that I happen to run into my favorite person," he exclaimed, grinning. "Hey there, Jade…miss me?"
The brunette slowly edged toward an open exit as the dragon advanced on her.
"What happened to you?" stuttered Jade. "You look all…normal."
"Glad to hear that my good looks are up to your standards, Chan," scoffed Drago. He suddenly smirked and gave her a once-over. "Can't say the same for you, though."
Jade bristled at the insult and felt the familiar banter rise with her ire.
"Oh yeah? At least I don't have a scaly skin condition, lizard lips!" she shot back. Big mistake.
Drago's eye twitched.
"Skin condition this!" he shouted, opened his mouth, and blasted a huge fireball at her. Jade gasped and leapt out of the way just as the blaze hit the wall behind her, creating a gaping hole.
"Ehehe, maybe math test can wait," Jade chuckled nervously before immediately deciding to book it for the shop.
"Look out, world! Drago's back in town!" he exclaimed, shooting fire into the air.
Jade slammed the antique shop door open, panting.
"Jade? You're back already?" asked Jackie. He took in his niece's state of disarray. "What's the matter?"
"Guys, we need to–" she began, but was thrusted forward by a huge explosion. Behind her, Drago stepped out from the middle of the dust and fire, grinning madly.
They gasped and immediately dashed behind a large stone table as he shot another fireball at them.
"Jade, what happened?!" shouted Jackie above the explosions. "Why is Drago back?"
"More importantly, how did gecko teen lose all the powers of immortal demon chi?" questioned Uncle.
"Uh, guys? Now doesn't seem to be the best time for chitchat," said Jade. She made a grab for her pack where her net gun sat.
"Jackie!" yelled Uncle. "Keep dragon teen distracted. Tohru, get Uncle ingredients for spell!"
Tohru nodded. "Yes, sensei."
"Yes, Uncle," said Jackie. He turned to his niece. "Now, Jade you–"
Jade was already gone.
"Hey gecko boy!" shouted Jade, aiming her net gun at him. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
"Jade!" yelled Jackie. He hopped over the table.
She pulled the trigger, launching a capsule at him. Drago deftly swiped his claws at the incoming object, slicing the net in two.
"You missed," he growled. Jade smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
"Oops?"
Drago darted forward, only to have Jackie's foot connect to his side, sending him flying onto his back. He shot back up, tail sweeping from side to side.
"Chan," the fire demon grinned, baring his sharp fangs. "Long time no see."
"Unfortunately not long enough," scowled Jackie. He aimed a punch at Drago's head, which the dragon blocked before reciprocating with a leg sweep. Jackie jumped out of the way and grabbed his tail, swung it around and slamming him into the wall.
"How did you get out of the demon realm?" demanded Jackie. The dragon hopped back on his feet with a grunt and mirrored Jackie's fighting stance. They began to circle each other slowly.
"Got bored of that dump," responded Drago briskly. "I have bigger fish to fry."
He opened his mouth and blasted a fireball at Jackie, who yelped and leapt out of the way. Drago breathed another wave of fire, knocking the older man onto his back.
"Bad day…" moaned Jackie weakly. He glanced up to see Drago looming over him like an ominous shadow.
"Say goodbye, Chan," he smirked, flames licking at the corners of his lips.
Suddenly, he was thrust backwards onto the ground by dual blasts of green magic.
"Goodbye?" said Jackie. He turned to smile gratefully at Tohru and Uncle, who wielded their signature dried lizard and blowfish.
"That's it! You're all toast!" shouted Drago, pushing himself back on his feet for the third time in a row. The fire demon brought his hands back, only to have a thick net engulf him, locking his arms against his sides.
"Gotcha, cowboy," smirked Jade. She blew invisible smoke from the tip of her net gun.
Drago growled, struggling to get loose while maintaining his balance.
"Now, why are you back? Are you planning on unleashing demons on earth again?" demanded Jackie.
"Tch, now it's just not fun if I just tell you, would it?" sneered the dragon. He shrugged his arms, breaking loose from the binds.
"Later, Chans!" he shouted as he escaped out the hole in the wall.
The Chan clan gathered together in the middle of the wreckage.
"Where do you think he's going, Uncle?" asked Jackie, and was immediately smacked by Uncle's fingers.
"Do not ask questions Uncle don't know the answer to!" shouted the old man, pointing at the direction where the teenage dragon left. "We must follow Drago and find out his purpose!"
"Aw yeah," grinned Jade, fist pumping the air. "Finally some action!"
Tohru groaned.
The group eventually managed to trace Drago back to the old junkyard, where they found him sitting atop a tall pile of wreckage, appearing to be deep in thought.
"Figures this is where he ends up going," scoffed Jade. She recalled this was where they had first met the overgrown handbag all those years ago when he first arrived from the future. The dump had remained Drago's hideout while he was hunting demon chi as well.
Jackie whipped out around, a finger over his lips.
"Jade! I told you to stay in the car!" he whispered, hands on his hips.
His niece only blinked innocently.
"Which one?" she asked cheekily.
"Why do I even bother?" sighed Jackie in defeat. They both turned back to peer through the mounds of metal.
Drago took a deep breath. The stuffy San Francisco air felt fresh compared to the arid demon realm he was trapped in these past few years. He was finally free.
"Home sweet home," he smiled, eyeing the familiar mounds of junk cars and tires. He leaned back, linking his claws together behind his head. It felt great to be back in the human world again where there was noise and buildings and people, all the things Drago once thought he despised.
The dragon's grin slowly faded.
He had not expected to see the little squirt and her meddlesome family again so soon. Only, the "little squirt" was not so little anymore. Jade appeared to rival him in age in human years now and her height almost reached his eye level. In a way, the fire demon almost missed their old bantering.
Not that he would ever admit it.
Still, Drago could not deny the thrill and relief he felt when squaring off against the Chans earlier. Anything was better than the infinite silence and boredom he endured in the Netherworld.
Which reminded him of the reason he was here in the first place. His aunts and uncles had allowed him to return in order to awaken his demon kin.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's give this a go."
Drago closed his eyes and concentrated on meditating for a few minutes.
Nothing.
He sighed impatiently and scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe this isn't as easy as it seems."
He briefly closed his eyes again.
…only to hear the distinct buzzing of a cell phone.
Drago's eyes flashed open. With a snarl, he opened his mouth and blasted a large fireball at the direction of the intruding sound.
An old truck exploded, revealing a surprised Jackie and Jade, the latter whom was holding the offending device.
"Um, hold please," Jade said nervously.
With a roar, Drago sent a barrage of flaming orbs their way. The uncle and niece both screamed and ducked as the metal around them melted from the heat and flaming debris blasted every direction.
"When are you Chans going to get tired of following me around?" he shouted in rage.
"Quiet! Uncle cannot perform spell with all this racket!" yelled Uncle. Tohru quickly pulled out his dried lizard and aimed it at Drago.
"Jade! Stay back," the sumo warned. He began chanting and the preserved reptile soon blasted a powerful ray of green magic at the fire demon, who swiftly dodged it.
Jade hopped off the mound as Jackie frantically searched for a makeshift weapon. She quickly glanced at her caller ID and placed the phone against her ear.
"Hello?"
"Hello Jade, did I catch you at a bad time?" asked Captain Black on the other line.
"Uh, everything's peachy keen," lied Jade. She quickly covered the mouthpiece as an explosion rang in the background. The seventeen year old ducked off to the side.
"I'm just a little busy," she said. "Can it wait till later?"
"Unfortunately, no," replied Black solemnly. "Words of a disturbance around your area had just reached Section 13. I think Trent is planning on sending a troop to go investigate soon."
"What! No!" cried Jade. "I mean, it's just a little accident with Tohru's potions. You know how it is, Capt."
"I'm afraid that won't stop him from paying you all a visit soon." said Black. "I think he's planning to personally investigate all these supernatural occurrences."
She could hear Jackie yelling in the distance.
"Gotta go! Talk to you later, bye!" Jade said quickly before stuffing the phone in her pocket. She swung herself over the cars just in time to see Jackie deliver a swift kick to Drago's chest, sending the latter reeling back into a mound of tires.
"Give it up, Drago!" panted Jackie, shifting back into a fighting stance. "You're not going anywhere."
The dragon in question groaned and rubbed at his aching head.
Suddenly, he froze.
Red mist clouded his vision and soon the image of Xiao Fung, the wind demon, appeared. He soon disappeared and in his place stood a gangly young man wearing baggy pants and a vest. His image, too, vanished in a moment and replaced by a stretch of landscape that revealed his whereabouts to the teenage fire demon.
Drago grinned, reaching behind to grab hold of some tires, and flung them at Jackie who fell back in surprise. The dragon shot up and dusted himself off.
"As much as I'd like to stay and catch up, I have a family reunion to plan," he said. "Catch you later, Chans!"
With a grunt, he launched himself over a pile of metal and disappeared from sight.
Jackie shot Uncle a confused look from the ground.
"What was that all about?"
Tohru shrugged.
Please read & review! To be continued...
