Hi. Its time for another fun and exciting chapter! Enjoy!

The Raccoon, the Panther, and the Divine Gods

Chapter 11- Chases and Jokes

Day 5, 12:00 pm: Michael, Jade, and Prince were exploring a forest near the Himalaya Mountains, no doubt searching for the next Zodiac Gem. They have been searching for hours and found nothing. They decided to rest by a nearby creek. Jade turned to Michael. "Michael, are you sure this is the right place to look?" she asked. Michael nodded. "I'm sure, Jade. The map said: "To find the Rabbit Zodiac Gem, search in the forest near the great mountains to the north". The mountains the map referred to are the Himalayas, and this is the forest closest to them. Therefore, the Rabbit Gem has to be here. We just need to keep looking." "But we don't know what we are looking for," said Prince. "Each of the gem temples is hidden in an obscure location. How will we find this one?" Just then, they heard a rustling noise in a nearby bush. The trio was startled for a second, but they relaxed when they saw it was only a small brown rabbit.

"Aw, it's so cute!" Jade said. At that moment, the rabbit hopped the small bridge of rocks that stretched across the creek and turned around to stare at the group. The rabbit made a strange gesture with its ears; they were pointing to the woods ahead. Michael and the others were confused. The rabbit continued to point with its ears until Michael realized it. "Guys, I think that rabbit wants us to follow it!" "Why would it do that?" asked Prince. "Maybe it works for the Rabbit Guardian, and it's trying to show us the way," Jade answered. Michael smiled. "That's it! Let's go!" They immediately ran after the rabbit, which disappeared in the woods. Michael and the others were trying to keep up with the little bunny, but it is hopping very fast. They turned left, then right, then right again. For several minutes they ran after the rabbit until they finally caught up with it in a clearing.

The rabbit was standing next to a small hole in the ground. At that moment, Michael could have sworn the rabbit winked at him before hopping down the hole. They walked to the hole and looked down; they couldn't see anything. "Looks like we have to go down that hole to find the Rabbit temple," Michael said. Jade shook her head. "But that hole is too small for us." Prince then spread out his arms and smirked. "No problem, Jade. I'll just make the hole larger with my magic." His eyes had then glowed golden and the hole instantly became large enough for everyone to fit in. "Thanks, Prince." said a smiling Michael and Jade. The young wolf nodded in appreciation. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Michael asked as he and the others immediately jumped in the hole. Right after they jumped in, the disguised figure from before appeared out of the woods. "What fools they are, those children. They have no idea what shall befall them once I take what is meant to be mine!" The unknown villain laughed insanely as he once again vanishes from sight.

Down in the hole, Michael and the others landed on soft ground and looked around. They were in an ancient temple with a rabbit statue far in front of them. "You were right, Michael, following that bunny rabbit was a good idea." said Jade. Michael smiled back at her when another figure popped in front without warning; they all screamed! The figure was an old, female white rabbit wearing a light violet robe and had sapphire colored eyes. The guardian bowed to them. "Please forgive me for my sudden appearance, sometimes I just can't control myself!" the guardian said as she laughed. Once they all calmed down, Prince asked if she is the Rabbit Guardian. "I am indeed, young one." she answered. "I'm glad you followed my companion to my temple, otherwise you would be looking for weeks without a lead." The Rabbit Guardian laughed again. When she noticed that Michael and the others were not joining her, she immediately stopped and cleared her throat.

"I see that you are not in a humorous mood today, well fine! If you are still interested in the Rabbit Gem, you will have to do a simple task: Catch me! If you can manage to capture me, then the Rabbit Gem is all yours. Feeling up to it?" They all nodded. "Then let the chase begin! Oh, by the way Prince Sly: Your magic will not work on me in this temple, so don't try to." After she saw the disappointed look on the wolf's face, the guardian then moved in front of the statue and just stood there. "This is going to be easy." said a cocky Michael. "But, Michael, the Sheep Guardian told us that the next challenges will be more difficult," replied a concerned Jade. Michael pointed at the guardian. "Look at her, she's got to be centuries old! How fast could she be?" Michael ran to the guardian, hands opened and ready to grab her. However, just before his fingers could take hold, the old hare sped away in a flash! Michael was stunned and confused. "What the heck!? Where did she go?" He heard a whistle and turned around; the rabbit guardian was standing against the wall on the other side. "Sorry, too slow! Ha, ha, ha!" The guardian was laughing at the raccoon.

Michael growled in anger. "Oh yeah, I'll show you who's too slow!" He ran towards her as fast as he could and jumped to get more distance. He planned to land on her. What he landed on a moment later was the floor, not the guardian as Michael crashed with a big thump! Once again, the guardian had zoomed away before Michael could get close to her. "You'll have to do better than that if you want the gem!" she yelled at him in glee. Soon, all three were trying to catch her. But no matter what tactic they used, the guardian seemed to always be beyond reach. 'How could someone that old move so fast?!' Michael thought as he came up with a new plan. Really pissed off now, Michael asked Jade and Prince to surround her so she would have nowhere to run. The rabbit guardian just stood there, waiting for their next move, completely unconcerned. Once they have her at all sides, Michael gave the order to move in. 'Let's see her get out of this one!' he thought as all three ran towards her. They were a mere inch from catching her, and then…CRASH!! Michael, Jade, and Prince hit each other's heads at the same time and fell to the floor. The rabbit guardian had hopped very high at the very last second and landed halfway across the temple.

As the group was massaging their heads, the rabbit guardian was laughing at all of them now. "Ha, ha, ha! I haven't had this much fun in centuries! I am so glad I decided to stay in shape for this challenge, otherwise I'd be as slow as you three are!" she said as continued to laugh. The three now were extremely pissed off. Prince turned to Michael. "This just isn't working. No matter what we try, she is always one step ahead of us! There is no way we can catch her." "Don't give up, Prince, there has to be a way," replied Jade. Michael agreed as he heard another laughing voice: the little bunny they followed earlier. Suddenly, Michael came up with an idea. "Hey guys, I think I found a way to grab her…" They huddled and whispered so that the guardian could not hear them. When they broke apart, Prince's eyes glowed again and instantly the little bunny was in Michael's hands!

Just as they predicted, the guardian had stopped laughing and looked outraged! "Hey, put him down this instant! He is not part of this challenge!" "He is now!" Michael said as he threw the bunny in the air and began to fall. Terrified, the rabbit guardian zoomed to where the bunny was going to hit. Unfortunately, the little guy disappeared before she could grab him. "Where is he? Where did he go?" Michael pointed to Jade, who was holding the rabbit. The guardian ran towards Jade in almost blinding speed. However, the bunny vanished again before she could get him. He was in Prince's hands now. Prince had used his magic to teleport the bunny from one person to the next in light speed. This process kept going for an hour, and the guardian is starting to tire out. When she tried to get the bunny back, which was in Michael's hands at the time, she once again missed and accidentally fell on him. Panting hard, she was getting back up when Michael wrapped his arms around her! "Ha, got you!" he shouted.

At that moment, the bunny ran back to its master, completely unharmed. Michael then released the stunned rabbit guardian and picked up the little bunny and held it tight. She looked back Michael and his friends. "Well, I must admit, you young ones are very clever, if not very fast! Well done!" She then walked towards the statue and pulled out a small violet rabbit gemstone, which she then gave to Michael. "Here is the Rabbit Zodiac Gem, you definitely earned it! Good luck in obtaining the others." As the trio began to leave with their newest gem, the guardian stopped them. "Oh, one more thing before you go. You youngsters need to work on your sense of humor, because you weren't in a humorous mood earlier. Those stuffy attitudes of yours won't help you in the next gem challenge." The rabbit guardian and her little friend vanished. "What did she mean by that?" Prince asked. Michael shrugged. "Maybe the next challenge is a joke contest or something."

Still confused, Prince used his magic to send them all back to the surface of the forest. After telling Bentley they got the Rabbit Gem, the group disappeared in blue light. When they returned at the Safe House, they were greeted by Bentley, Murray, and Panda King. "Nice job, guys! Another Zodiac Gem in the bag!" said Bentley. "Man, you guys are on fire on the Zodiac Gem hunt!" said Murray. "The three of you continue to impress me, and you are one step closer to finding Shangdi's weapon," replied Panda King. "We all are a step closer," said a pleased Michael as he put the Rabbit Gem with the others in a small vault hidden under Michael's bed. "We just have to find 5 more, and then the weapon is ours." said Bentley. "And then we finally go after Neyla," replied Michael. Once they had a quick lunch, Michael checked out the map again.

A minute later, he saw the map's next clue. "Okay, here is gem #8: "To find the Monkey Zodiac Gem, look in the place where crowds have the most fun." At that moment, they all came up with the answer at the same time: "The Circus!" A smiling Panda King said that there is a circus that takes place every year in Beijing, and it happens to be in town tonight at sundown. "Awesome! We can look for the gem and have a blast at the same time! Let's all go!" They all cheered at the prospect of going to a circus; it had been a while since they all had good fun together. "Then it is settled, we shall attend the circus tonight." said Panda King. As they all talked about what activities they want to do there, Michael looked out the window and wondered what Neyla was doing now.

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Cairo, Egypt; 12:00 pm: The sun was blazing in the country of Egypt, particularly inside its ancient pyramids. Inside one of them is a certain beautiful yet evil tigress bent on power and world domination. Neyla was standing in front of a statue of Ra, the sovereign god of Egypt. It resembled the one in the Paris museum, but this one was larger and more life like. Neyla was smirking with overconfidence. "Alright Ra, it is time to claim the last of the Big Immortal 3!" Suddenly, the statue's eyes glowed red and began to move. He moved forward and stared down at Neyla. "I have been anticipating your arrival ever since your capture of Zeus and Odin. I assure you, wicked one, you will not ensnare me as well." Neyla laughed at the god. "You have no idea what I have become, do you? I am so powerful you can't possibly defeat me!" As she said this, Neyla grew to Ra's size!

Not intimidated, Ra drew out his twin swords while Neyla drew out the sword that Odin once wielded. They clashed blades at once, and Neyla was the one pushing Ra back. Stunned by her power, the Egyptian Immortal refuses to back down. With determination, he pushes Neyla back and slashes her waist. Neyla fell on one knee, and then she healed it with her hand. Pissed, she got back up and clashed again. Neyla was using all sorts of combos with her blade, but Ra's defense was impressive; she could not get through! She then teleported behind him and tried to take him by surprise, but Ra had vanished himself before the blade could strike him. Ra then reappeared behind Neyla and hit her with a beam of intense sun light and she started screaming. While she was stunned from that attack, Ra did an uppercut, two side kicks to the head, one in the stomach, and finally a powerful twist kick in the chest! At last Neyla fell down and shrank back to normal size and Odin's sword vanished.

Ra shrank to her size, put away his swords, and approached her. Neyla appeared to be unconscious. He had a look of pity and disgust. "You brought this down upon yourself, mortal. No mortal should ever wield the power of one god, let alone 3. Now, it is time to set things right." He then reached down to pick up the Immortal Crown from Neyla's head. Before he could grab it, Neyla's eyes flashed open and grabbed his wrist. Ra was shocked that she managed to remain awake after that onslaught. Before he could do anything else, Neyla pulled him in for a kiss. The moment their lips met, Ra felt his power being drained into the crown. He could not pull free; he was powerless. After a flash of red light that filled the whole pyramid, Neyla stood back up with a triumphant look. All three gems in the crown were now glowing faintly due to the fact that the three gods are trapped inside them.

Neyla laughed like a hyena being tickled. "YES!! THE THREE MOST POWERFUL GODS IN THE WORLD ARE MINE, ALONG WITH THEIR POWER!! NOW NOTHING CAN STOP ME!!!" She continued to laugh as she vanished in another flash of light.

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Beijing, China: Yearly Circus. Day 5, 9:00 pm: The whole gang was having fun at the circus. Bentley, Murray, and Panda King had to wear disguises to not be recognized by the cops patrolling the area. Only Michael, Jade, and Prince could explore while being themselves. There were all sorts of sights: A huge Ferris wheel, fun looking rides, good food stands, and lots of game booths. Unfortunately, the young three can't play…yet. They still have to find the Monkey Zodiac Gem. They were looking everywhere for something unusual, but the problem with a circus is that nearly everything is out of place. "How are we going to find the Monkey Guardian in all this commotion?" Prince asked. "I'm sure monkey boy will find us, somehow." Michael answered. They then heard an offended voice. "Who are you calling "Monkey Boy"? I ought to throw a banana cream pie in your face!" They turned around and saw a young, brown monkey wearing a clown outfit. The instant they saw him, he hit Michael in the face with a pie! "Told ya I would!" he said with loud raspberry. Jade and Prince laughed at this scene, but only briefly. They could feel that Michael was about to blow.

After Michael had wiped his face clean of pie, he became very pissed. "What's the big idea, chimp?! I wasn't talking about you! I was talking about some other monkey!" The clown crossed his arms, looking very offended. "Like maybe the Guardian of the Monkey Zodiac Gem?" They all became shocked by his statement! "Hold on, banana breath. You are the Monkey Guardian?!" The chimp nodded furiously. Jade approached him. "But, all the other guardians were so old…" Then the guardian put his face inches from her own. "What, you expected an old, broken down, hairy primate eating only bananas and drinking prune juice? Do I look ANYTHING like that, missy?! I happen to be the youngest of the Zodiac Gem Guardians, and I'm quite proud of it! I could have aged like the rest of them, but then I wouldn't be the funny, lovable clown you see before you!"

"I don't think you're funny and lovable," Michael mumbled. The monkey guardian snapped at him. "What did you say, Big Shot?" "Nothing," Michael lied. Prince approached him next. "Listen, Monkey Guardian, we don't mean to offend you. All we want is a chance to claim your gem to help us in our quest." The guardian studied him for a little, and then seemed to finally calm down. "Alright, alright, follow me. Once we are under the Big Top, I'll tell ya what you gotta do." Michael and the others followed him, with Michael still mad. Jade walked next to him. "Don't be mad at him, Michael. He was just having a bit of fun." Michael just grumbled. "At least be polite, otherwise we might not get his gem." Michael turned his head towards Jade, still looking peeved. "It's not my fault he's pissed at me. How was I supposed to know the Monkey Guardian was a little circus clown?" Jade shrugged. "That goes to show you, life is full of surprises."

When they finally entered the back stage of the biggest tent in the circus, the young guardian turned to face the trio. He looked serious. "Okay, here's the deal. You want the Monkey Gem, you'll have to do something so difficult, so down right dangerous, that you may not live through it." Michael and the others were looking a little nervous now as they gulped. "What is it?" Michael asked. The guardian hesitated, and then he answered. "A practical joke." They all fell down instantly! After getting back up, Michael felt like strangling the little hairball. "A practical joke? You said it would be dangerous!" The guardian grinned. "I lied." Michael became very red in the face. "Why you little..!" Just then, Jade held Michael back to prevent him from attacking. "So sorry, Monkey Guardian. He has a hard time controlling his temper." He monkey shrugged. "Yeah, well, not everyone's got a sense of humor."

The guardian then cleared his throat. "As I was saying, you guys will have to do a practical joke, any kind you can think of. If you three can get me to laugh with one of your jokes, then I'll hand over the Monkey Gem. Otherwise, just scram!" Prince and Jade agreed, but Michael proved to be very stubborn. "Why does it have to be a practical joke?" he asked annoyingly. "Because I say so, you party pooper!" "Michael, please, we have to do this. There is no other way." Prince said. Michael still hesitated. Jade stepped in front of him. "Please Michael; won't you do it for your parents? Won't you do it for me? Please?" Michael stared into Jade's beautiful eyes. He just can't resist those eyes of hers… "Alright, I'll do it." Jade then hugged him. "Thank you, Michael. I knew you would." She then let go of him, and Michael blushed a little bit.

The guardian noticed and smirked. "Ah, I get it. You're only cooperating because your girlfriend asked you to?" Michael and Jade turned to him instantly, both blushing now. "WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!!" The guardian backed off a little. "Okay, okay, sheesh. I was just kidding." He then sat on a big chair, watching the trio. "So, what are ya waiting for? Let's see some comedy!" At that moment, Michael and the others started to plan some practical jokes that would surely get the guardian to laugh. First, Prince used his magic to create a kitchen and then he and the others would try to cook a cake. When they took it out of the oven, it exploded! Batter went everywhere, especially all over their faces! Unfortunately, that only made the guardian yawn. So they tried something else: Slap Stick! Prince used his magic again to change themselves into clowns and did all sorts of pranks to each other!

They did a clown sit com, in which Michael came home from a hard work day teaching at clown school, and the wife, Jade had "accidentally" left a banana peel right in front of the door. When Michael came in, he slipped and fell on his butt, which contained a whoppie cushion. Jade helped him get back up and apologized for the peel, and Michael said he understood, right before he hit her with a pie! A few minutes later, their next door neighbor, Prince, came over for some extra water, his plumbing broke again. Michael said no problem as he rolled out a huge hose from under the sink and unleashed a big blast of water at Prince, causing him to fly out of the house. Jade scolded him for being so careless. Michael apologized to her while showing her a flower he recently bought on the way home. As Jade lowered her head to smell it, she got a full blast of knock out gas! After she collapsed, Michael said that accidents can happen, especially if you are a clown! As their sitcom ended, they were again disappointed by the guardian's reaction: He was picking his ear with one of his fingers.

"Boring! I've seen elephants do better pranks than you three! Show me something to really laugh at!" Michael became angrier at the guardian. "Man, what's it going to take to make that brat laugh?!" They all thought about for a bit, and then Prince came up with an idea. "I know what might work." Michael and Jade listened as Prince told them of his plan. When they broke apart, they were ready. Once again, Prince used his magic to change the scenery into the last thing the Monkey Guardian had expected: A Bar. There were lots of other characters. Prince was in ragged garments and looked like he was drunk. Michael looked like a walking tuna and Jade resembled a canary, both looked drunk too. Everyone was dancing and singing. The drunken Prince then took to the dance floor and danced with the tuna-like Michael. They seem to be enjoying themselves. As he threw down Michael, he spotted the canary like Jade. He danced with her next. Then Michael joined back in the fray. Everyone was watching them get down with their bad selves. When the music stopped, they sat down at the bar and asked the bartender for something to wet their whistles.

After they got their drinks, the ragged Prince turned everyone's attention towards himself. "Wow, that was quite a show, wasn't it?" The whole place screamed with delight. Then Prince said the punch line. "Great, I danced with a feather duster and a sardine! Now I just have to find a girl to dance with!" The whole bar filled with intense laughter. Just then, the canary Jade got the drunken wolf's attention. "I thought I was a girl?" Everyone laughed even harder! But not nearly as hard as certain young simian in clown attire. The Monkey Guardian was laughing his head off! After Prince changed everything back, including his, Michael's, and Jade's appearances, the guardian gave them two thumbs up! "That was the funniest practical joke I have seen in centuries! I never saw anything close to that level of comedy! How in the world did you come up with that one?" They all smiled as Prince answered. "To be honest, Monkey Guardian, that was a joke my father told me when I was little."

The guardian continued to laugh. "Well, wolf boy, your dad sounds like quite the comedian! Ha, ha, ha! I think I'm going to split my sides!" After that long fit of laughter, he approached Michael and gave him the brown colored Monkey Zodiac Gem and another banana cream pie. "Here, Michael Cooper, this one you can eat! My treat for you and your friends for accomplishing this task." As Michael took the pie, he smirked. "Thanks, Monkey Guardian. And you're right…" He then threw the pie in the monkey's face! "That was your treat!" Michael said as he laughed. Jade and Prince were surprised, and the guardian wiped his face clean. Soon, all of them were laughing. "See, guardian? I can be funny too!" "Oh yeah, you're funny alright!" They continued to laugh as they left the tent and rejoined with the rest of the group. When Michael told them everything, they were laughing as well.

"I can't believe you had to go through all that just to get a magical gemstone!" said Bentley. "Ah, man! I wish I could have been there; I would have given that Monkey Guardian a real comedy show!" said an excited Murray. "It appears that this evening has become quite…humorous," Panda King replied. Bentley checked his watch. "Hey, we still have some time before the circus closes. Let's find some games to play together." They all agreed as they played all the fun games and activities in the area. Later on, Michael and Jade rode the Ferris wheel together. While they were still riding it, the ride suddenly stopped. Michael and Jade were right on top. "Sorry, folks, we seem to be having some technical difficulties. Stay calm, we'll get it working again in a minute." While the tech workers were fixing the wheel, Michael and Jade looked at one another.

"Sorry this ride is on the fritz right now." Jade shook her head. "I don't care; I know I'm safe with you around." Michael blushed. They were staring at the sky for a few minutes, and then Michael turned back to Jade, still blushing. "Hey Jade, remember when the Monkey Guardian said that we were a couple, and we told him we weren't." "Yes, I remember. What about it?" she asked. Michael was blushing more by the second, and it didn't help that the circus music changed to some soft, romantic tunes only couples listen to. "Well, I kinda wish that, well…" He hesitated. Jade was growing impatient. "Well? Well what? What have you wished for back there?" Michael turned back to her. "I kinda wish I hadn't said that." Jade was stunned; she didn't expect to hear that from Michael. "Why wouldn't you? It was the truth, wasn't it?" Michael shook his head.

"It's not that, Jade. Its just that I…I, uh…" Jade was really agitated now. "For heaven's sake, Michael, if you have something to say, just say it!" Suddenly, Michael couldn't hold it in any longer. "Alright, I'll say it! I love you, Jade! I am totally and madly in love with you, happy?!" Both of them stared at each other, completely taken by surprise by what Michael just said. 'I can't believe I said that out loud!' Michael thought embarrassingly. 'I can't believe he said that out loud!' Jade thought in shock. For a long moment, neither one said anything. Michael turned away from Jade, not wanting her to see the embarrassment on his face. Then without warning, Jade took Michael's hand and put it in both of hers. He turned back to look in response, and he was shocked that she didn't look angry or offended. She looked happy and joyful. Michael was really unprepared for what she said next.

"I love you too, Michael. I am totally and madly in love with you too, happy?" Jade said sweetly and playfully. Michael found himself smiling and felt very happy himself. "You mean that?" he asked nervously. Jade then pressed her lips against his, and engaged in a passionate kiss. When they broke after a while, Jade said, "Does that answer that your question?" Michael nodded with the most stunned expression in his whole life! Jade laughed, and soon Michael was too. He then pulled her in for another kiss, one that lasted a lot longer. The moment their lips had locked again, the circus' fireworks had started. It was the perfect ending to the near perfect day of their lives. Neyla, Shangdi's weapon, the Zodiac Gems, none of that mattered now. Now, there was only Michael Cooper and Jade Summers, the happiest new couple in the world, making out like there was no tomorrow.