A/N: Now, it is getting good…Tajeri Lynn the Extremo Luchadore once again propels the cast of "Jackie Chan Adventures" into more crackling adventure. JCA is presented to you live from the Toonami Dome by Kids WB and Sony Television Entertainment. Now let's tag in the J-Team!

The Life Before the Party

Chapter IX: Alliance

Jackie Chan sighed as his eyes peered towards the horizon from all sides. The sun was already giving way for the moon to arise, signaling the end of the third day of chaos, in record time, so it seemed. Chan and his five acquaintances had barely survived a reckless onslaught on the roads of San Francisco. It only took an hour, and within that period it took every ounce of energy off of them. But what was even more shocking was that a sixth acquaintance, one he only met for a day, had abruptly appeared in the passenger seat of a terrifying automobile, next to an even more terrifying driver.

"Ohh..Ohhh..." a girl's soft voice broke Chan's concentration.

"Xu Lin!" exclaimed Jade in relief.

Jackie smiled and turned to see Xu Lin resort back to her senses. Normalcy had conquered all. The little girl had been resting on El Toro Fuerte's firm, comfy lap, since the minivan would have been a potential target should Kenzo strike again. Jade had been pacing back and forth as if doing so would appease spirits to spare Xu Lin's life. Tohru and his mother were resting idly by the bridge, as the bay remained the only sign of peace left in the area. Meanwhile, Dr. Kepler, donning oversized goggles, was picking wires in the minivan as it had burned its fuse severely during the chase of the fast and the furious.

"Yeesh," exclaimed Kepler as sparks flew smack dab onto the goggles. "Darn these irksome particle arrangements."

"Where...am I?" Xu Lin rubbed her eyes as she looked upon the unfamiliar American surroundings.

"Please, stay down, senorita", spoke El Toro Fuerte in a fatherly tone. He slowly turned to Jackie with a look of resentment. "Those attackers are no luchadores. They dare attack us from behind, and leave poor Xu Lin under their wrath."

"No!" screamed Xu Lin as she held her head in deep, head-numbing intensity.

"Xu Lin, what's wrong?!" said Jade. She had known very well what Xu Lin had been capable of, but could she still have that power within her?

Xu Lin frowned deeply and her eyes were on the verge of tears. "Even if I am away from them, you are still not safe."

"Them? Who is them?" asked Jackie.

"I...can not remember all their names. There are four of them. I think one of them is Kenzo. Oh, it hurts to remember!"

"Xu Lin, please", Jackie knelt down in front of her and held onto her shoulders. "I know that this is a very rough time for you. But we first have to know why you were with them, and if you can, what they are trying to do. Please, help us stop them."

"I will, Jackie", Xu Lin spoke in between her stressful gasps and her eye rubs. She settled down,  and everyone around huddled to hear her story.

"It all began when I was in China, after I had been freed from the curse of the Lotus Temple. I met El Toro Fuerte and Paco, two wrestlers from Mexico who were moving all across Asia. Paco was a nice boy. So energetic, so light, so free. I wanted to be like him, but over the days he and I met, that like became love."

"You actually saw something in Paco?" exclaimed Jade. "He is so full of himself."

"But Paco's very brave, like his master El Toro Fuerte."

El Toro beamed a gargantuan smile in pride. "How right she is, nina Jade."

"Well, in case you didn't know, Jackie's been doing way better."

"Nuh-uh. El Toro is as strong as the ox."

"Jackie."

"El Toro."

"Jackie."

"El Toro."

"Jackie."

"El Toro!" exclaimed Xu Lin as she raised her innocent tone to its extreme volume. Amazingly, she actually forced Jade to cower away from the conversation in astonishment.

"Okay, okay," began Jade as she evenly tiptoed back where she was. "For now, Xu Lin, you win. But it's only because I don't want you to go all sub-zero on me."

"Jade!" scolded Jackie Chan. Jade smiled and raised her shoulders up innocently. Jackie slowly focused back to Xu Lin. "Please go on."

"Paco and I became the best of friends. But strong as Paco was, I wanted to be strong too. I wanted to make myself the equal he deserved.

"El Toro Fuerte then told me and Paco that he was going to America, and that we should follow him soon after. As I was walking down to the village where Paco was packing for the journey, a coated man came up to me and offered to make me strong. All he needed, he said, was for me to meet him by the edge of the island."

"This already smells fishy to me," added Jade.

"Jade!" scolded Jackie again.

"I decided that it was worth trying. Then I could surprise my love when we came to America. But....", Xu Lin wiped her dry eyes as if anticipating wetness, "it was a trick. The coated man didn't help me, he...he...made me a monster again." Xu Lin fell down and began sobbing in puddles.

Jackie's face distorted in frustration that Xu Lin had suffered more than enough, before asking an urgent question. "This monster, Xu Lin. Can it be stopped?"

Xu Lin's hands were still locked on her face, but she can still speak softly. "When it feels great pain, it will go back to sleep. But it will always wake up and I will become the monster. The coated man told me that if I did what he wanted, then he would remove the curse. He wanted me to enter America to steal a talisman. So I did."

"Urr..!" said Jade, as she packed her magical know-how. "Xu Lin, that man had a lot of nerve. He pulled off another trick on you! He didn't tell you that the talisman you stole could've removed the curse off of you."

Xu Lin gasped, and held her head and squinted in pain. "Why does nothing ever come out right?!" she bawled.

El Toro hesitated to speak in front of a scorned girl, much more a girl he knew as a friend. "....Xu Lin, I apologize for any rudeness, but El Toro must also know where Paco is. Why hasn't he tried to speak to me? He has been quiet these past three days."

Xu Lin bowed her down as if in defeat. "Paco......was captured."

"WHAT?!" yelled Jackie, Jade and El Toro Fuerte in unison.

"The coated man took in Paco and a dark-skinned woman when they entered into his place. He wasn't happy, and he had them placed behind a big metal door. I fear they are gone."

"Dark-skinned woman?" pondered Jackie, before realization struck his mind. "AHH! Viper!"

"Viper's been kidnapped? The master ex-thief? No way!" said Jade.

"Did you hear that?" El Toro motioned his hand toward Mama Tohru. "Viper is the thief of the J-Team, not me."

"Hah! Easy for you to say. Your words may mean much to you, but they are nothing to me! When we see this Viper, then we will see who is the better thief!"

"Better thief? Urrgh!" replied El Toro as he resigned from the conversation, deciding instead to check how Kepler was doing with the mini-van.

Returning back to Xu Lin, Jackie began. "Don't worry, Xu Lin. We will find Paco and Viper. Until we do, we must hope they are alright. It won't be good to admit failure after all we've gone through."

"I...guess you speak true, Jackie."

"But we will need help to find our friends. Do you remember where the coated man's location was the last time you met him?"

"Yes; it was by a port called San Pedro. But he has thousands of guards along with him."

"That is good."

"Why?"

"Because it would take him a while to relocate those men. He may still be there in the base, waiting for Kenzo to report the news. And if the base is empty, I will ask Dr. Kepler to find Kenzo's whereabouts. So far, Kenzo is the only one besides you who we can learn more about the coated man.

"Until then, you should get some rest. You too, Jade."

"Oh, but Uncle Jackie, when can I help you whup some coated butt?" Jade bemoaned.

"You can whup all the butt you want in your dreams," Jackie assured with a wink.

"Urrr..! But all I ever dream about is kicking Hsi Wu where the sun doesn't shine!"

"Wha! Jade, watch your language!" Jackie waved an index finger and shook his head warily.

"How can nina Jade watch her language, senor Jackie?" said a confused El Toro Fuerte. "She can only speak it, can't she?"

"Wha...But you...There is....Arrgh!" Jackie rubbed his rubbery face in different angles. English was indefinitely America's strangest property.

"Well, it is evident some individuals are incapable of the logistics of human speech," sighed Kepler as he shut down the front hood of the car, "So let me simplify this. The vehicle is good to go. We can resort back to the tenement."

"That is very good," said Tohru. "There is a marketplace nearby where I should get more grape soda. My feet ache worse when I don't drink it."

"You hear that, everybody?! My boy needs more grape soda! What are we waiting for? Let us go!" encouraged Mama Tohru as she and Tohru went back inside the minivan.

Jade jumped into the vehicle, and El Toro followed with Xu Lin resting as he was carrying her with his massive arms.

Jackie walked right behind El Toro and poked the luchadore's shoulder, so the luchadore can hear his statement. "El Toro Fuerte, I will book a flight for the both of us to San Pedro. The sooner we leave, the better it will be for Paco and Viper."

"You know I will always be there, senor Jackie, especially now that the situation has become very personal," El Toro spoke silently as not to wake Xu Lin. He went into the back seat of the minivan, rocking the mini-van under his 400 pounds.

"Yes, it is very personal", Jackie said to himself as he went inside the mini-van. As the vehicle drove off, all the doors fell onto to the side of the road, scraping the concrete and shattering the silence of the night. But to those inside the vehicle, their minds were locked in thought over what had happened hours before, and those noises became stubbornly muted.

To Be Continued.......

A/N: Not much? I know. But it's going to take me more time to finish "SBTW", you know. Adios Amigos, and I'll tag you in later!