"So, why are we doing this again?", Din asked.
It was early morning so hardly anyone was up and on their usual rooftop, Din, Li Na and Long (in his wish dragon form) had gathered there after Long had that mischievous glimmer in his eye.
"I've been thinking about giving the whole superhero vibe a little spice.", Long answered straightening his whiskers, "We got the basics down so I thought we'd add a bit more."
Li Na looked on board right away.
"Man, I can't wait to-"
"Guys.", Din said firmly, "I know you both like that wish, but we can't just dress up every time we feel down and run around performing acts of heroism all willy nilly. Didn't we agree that we'd only use those in an emergency?"
Long didn't look worried.
"Hey, even superheroes just want to relax and wander around.", he stated cracking his knuckles, "Now, I'm thinking along the lines of Doctor Strange on my part since it ties into my magic while-"
"Long!", Din said firmly, "I think having the basics is just fine."
Li Na didn't look so sure, but she had an idea about how to get Din on board.
"Hey Din, how about a fresh set of superpowers for one day and if we want to keep it, then it will be permanent?"
Din looked interested.
"Like a trial run?", he asked.
Long looked confused.
"What's a trial run?", he asked, "Is that some kind of magical ritual?"
Din rolled his eyes comically.
"No Long, it's like doing something for a certain time limit. Like the time I wished to be rich for a day?"
Long brightened.
"Oh, I get it now.", he stated looking more at the ready, "So, what kind of powers are we aiming for?"
Din and Li Na both looked thoughtful.
"Well, I'm leaning towards Spider-Man.", Din answered, "He seems pretty cool."
"And Marvel's Black Widow sounds fun to me.", Li Na added.
Long's smile got bigger.
"And with me parodying Doctor Strange, we'd be quite a trio. Just say the word kids."
That was all Li Na had to hear.
"Okay Long, I wish that Din, you and I could temporarily have the powers of the Marvel superheroes for a trial run."
"And it shall be so.", Long said proudly as he snapped his fingers making the trio's original superhero costumes appear before them, "And now, a little change is in order."
/
The trio appeared at breakfast looking chipper though Long had also shifted into his human form before he showed up.
"So Din, what got you up so early?", Mrs. Song asked as she handed the trio their fried rice.
Long saw that Din was feeling a bit nervous so he stepped in.
"That's on my part Mrs. Song.", he answered, "I was hoping to get in some extra training with Din and Li Na before breakfast. A sensei's job is never done."
Mrs. Song seemed to accept that though Mr. Wang seemed interested.
"Mr. Zhu, can I ask for a favor?"
"What's that Dad?", Li Na asked.
"I can't seem to find some special herbs for the kitchen. Would you mind running to the market to see if it's available?", Mr. Wang asked as he placed a list on the table.
"Sure Mr. Wang.", Din answered, "We got time."
Long pulled Din to the side as the trio started heading out and lowered his voice.
"Din, I thought we were going to do our trial run."
"We will Long.", Din answered, "Just give us a while to do our errands and we'll do it."
Long rolled his eyes and then he looked thoughtful.
"Din, mind if I try something?"
Din looked his way curiously.
"Like what?"
Long snapped his fingers once the trio was outside and instantly, he was wearing his Doctor Strange outfit and smiling. Din looked around to see if anybody was around, but luckily nobody was.
"Long, what are you doing?", Din asked.
"Conjuring Mr. Wang's herbs so we don't have to waste the day.", Long answered as he moved his arms making glowing pink runes and lines appear in the form of a mythical looking dais.
A flick of the wrist and the dais spun, and a bag of herbs appeared out of nowhere as Long dusted his hands.
"Done and done.", he said proudly, "That wasn't so bad."
Unfortunately, the herbs in the bag burst out and grew into large veggie monsters which grabbed the trio's attention.
"This is why you don't use magic to solve simple problems.", Din answered.
Li Na jumped out of one herb's barbed needles and found herself wearing her Black Widow suit which prompted her to take out her handguns and open fire. Din was then wearing his Spider-Man costume and looking determined.
"Okay, time to see what we can do."
/
Mr. Wang and Mrs. Song were tidying up when they heard a ruckus outside.
"What do you suppose that is?", Mr. Wang asked.
Mrs. Song got a spoon as they went to the door which opened to show Din, Li Na and Long (in his human form) standing there with a bag of groceries and looking a bit battered.
"What happened to you?", Mrs. Song asked.
"We..had to beat the morning rush to the farmer's market.", Li Na answered quickly.
Mr. Wang looked more confused as the trio gave him the bag of herbs he asked for.
"By the look of things, you three had to fight a crowd rivaling a Black Friday sale."
As he and Mrs. Song headed off, Long pulled Din and Li Na to the side looking eager.
"That was so cool.", he said eagerly, "The way I used the magic, Li Na's skill with the guns and grenades, and not to mention Din with the webs."
Din raised an eyebrow.
"Long, you didn't conjure those monster herbs just so we'd do our trial run did you?"
"Me?", Long asked looking a bit offended, "Not at all. I had no idea that Doctor Strange tapped into other dimensions so it kind of surprised me too."
Li Na however didn't look worried.
"Don't worry Din, it's our day off and we have an entire universe of superheroes to go through."
Long looked nervous.
"A whole universe?", he asked.
Din saw the look in Li Na's eyes and he caught on.
"Yeah Long, those three were just a few of the heroes of Marvel. Now I'm wondering what it would be like to be Thor."
"And I'm leaning towards Firestar.", Li Na added.
Long looked a bit unsure, but quickly shook it off.
"Guys, I thought this was a trial run."
"Well, it's our wish and not yours.", Li Na answered, "And the trial is still on."
Long looked annoyed.
"Fine, but when this is all over, you two pick a set of superpowers and stick with it."
/
By the time lunchtime rolled around, Din and Li Na were sitting down breathing heavily.
"That was…quite a trial run.", Din huffed.
"No kidding.", Li Na wheezed.
Long looked amused as he hovered nearby.
"So, had enough trial running?"
That was when an explosion went off and drew the trio's attention. A cackle filled the air and something fast went by as another small looking sphere landed near the trio.
"Look out!", Din screamed.
Long got them out of harm's way just as the sphere exploded.
"What's going on?", Li Na asked.
"Well, you guys wanted to have a trial run remember?", Long answered, "And after we had a hero build up, I conjured us some supervillains to make it more interesting."
Din and Li Na looked alarmed.
"Supervillains?!"
Li Na quickly looked thoughtful.
"Okay, what was the first three we did?"
"Spider-Man, Black Widow and Doctor Strange.", Din answered.
Long smiled.
"So the villains we're going to fight are Green Goblin, Taskmaster, and Dormamuu."
Din sighed.
"Well, we better suit up for the task."
Long nodded and in less than a second, Din and Li Na were back in the outfits they started in.
"Now, let's go get those creeps.", Li Na said firmly.
Long waved his hand and a portal appeared as if out of nowhere.
"Hey, I think I'm getting this whole Doctor Strange thing down.", he said cheerfully as the trio went through.
Once they were, they found themselves at what looked like a bridge and several portals opened up to let out what looked like huge boulders crudely shaped like humanoids.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about the minions some of the villains might have.", Long said looking a bit embarrassed, "My bad."
Din and Li Na both sighed.
"Let's just get it over with.", Din answered.
/
Above the whole fray, the four holy beasts burst into song as a montage got underway.
"A day off from work is now cancelled.", Tigress started, "Now the trio have a superheroes' fix."
"But is it all worth it?", Kiran added, "Every super move and trick?"
"The lives that they must put on the line.", Phoenix put in, "And all while letting nobody know."
"About the ones behind the masks.", Tortoise sang, "Otherwise their whole gig will blow."
Then the four holy beasts sang the chorus in unification.
"It's all a Marvel based life. It's all a job and it's a fix. The thrill of fighting and travel, but still the trouble sticks."
"They take down three and still so much to go.", Kiran stated, "Does the day just never end?"
"It's got it's perks and it's woes.", Phoenix added, "But where does the middle blend?"
"Now the heat's building up.", Tigress sang, "And confusion is on the rise."
"Soon makes you feeling worn.", Tortoise sang, "With all the time that flies."
The four sang the chorus again and the moment they were done, Din, Li Na and Long had collapsed on a bench all looking worn out and beat up.
"Did we get them all?", Li Na asked.
Long looked at a list of all the villains that they had faced and nodded as the list vanished away.
"Yeah, that's the last of it."
Li Na looked amused.
"Guess that takes "Be a Marvel superhero" off the bucket list."
Din nodded.
"Yeah, but I miss our original superpowers. Sure it was basic, but we had each other, and less supervillains."
Li Na looked on board.
"I agree."
Long smiled.
"Then I guess our trial run is done?", he guessed.
Din and Li Na both closed their eyes in exhaustion only to feel better instantly. They awoke to see they were still near the family restaurant when they chose to take another swing at the power swap only it seemed later in the day and the skies were darkening. Other than that, Din and Li Na were in their usual clothes, Long was in his wish dragon form and after Long got them up high enough to look around, they saw that Shanghai wasn't even touched.
"I used the second wish to make the superhero thing an illusion.", Long admitted, "What we experienced would seem like it was just a dream and it doesn't require you two to use the last wish to make everyone who saw it forget it happened."
"Nice touch.", Din said looking amused.
/
Once the trio returned, the neighbors had arrived for their usual visit, but dinner was just about ready.
"Oh Din, where'd you and Li Na go off to?", Mr. Wang asked as he and Mrs. Song noticed.
"We were out playing Marvel.", Long answered, "We thought about what superhero we would be and pretended it was real."
Mrs. Song rolled her eyes comically.
"Long, sometimes I think you have an imagination as big as Din's"
As dinner and communications got underway, Din and Li Na were relieved that the whole thing had been over and Long could tell. Still, it was kind of fun to go through so many types of superpower combinations and with his new best friends. Once dinner had concluded and the while group settled for the usual soap watching, Din and Li Na slipped away with Long to be outside in the night air before bed.
"Well, all's well that ends well.", Din said.
Li Na smiled.
"If I had to save one more hostage while fighting a lunatic, I would've lost it."
"So, I guess we've learned to leave the Marvel thing where it belongs.", Long put in.
Din looked the former emperor's way with a smile.
"Long, thanks for making this a great day."
Long smiled back.
"Hey, that's what friends are for."
Li Na looked thoughtful.
"So Long, can you make it so that every time we use magic to have fun or make mischief, people who saw or experience it would forget?"
Long raised an eyebrow.
"Quick question, if I used magic for another trial run and the illusionary world, would that count as two?", he asked.
Din looked like he agreed so Long took that as a "yes".
"Thought so.", he said before noticing Din and Li Na yawn, "I'd say that it's about bedtime."
Long carried Din and Li Na back inside through the bedroom window before shifting into his human form and the trio soon had their teeth brushed, their pajamas on, and getting into bed.
"You think Mrs. Song and Dad know we went to bed already?", Li Na asked.
"I'll let them know.", Long answered, "You two go get some rest. It's been a long day."
Long left for a minute to tell Mrs. Song and Mr. Wang like he said and when he got back, he found Din and Li Na sound asleep. Smiling, he got the light before getting into his own bed while above looking in, the holy beasts looked content before they turned to see Theo return looking confused.
"Hey, what'd I miss?"