Hi everyone, welcome back! Before we begin this next chapter however…
I want to observe a moment of silence for the unfortunate passing of Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman from the DC Animated Universe starting with its very first show "Batman: The Animated Series" all the way to "Justice League Unlimited" and various other works of media, notably the Batman Arkham video game series. Kevin made such an iconic role for the Dark Knight, especially for those that grew up watching those tv shows, such as myself, that many even consider him the best animated voice for Batman of all time. It's so sad to hear of his passing, but we'll always remember him. Rest in peace Kevin Conroy… you are vengeance… you are the night…. You are Batman!
Okay, now we're back with the hunt for the Demon Chi, but you'll find this episode is slightly different from the canon. You'll see right away. With that said, let us begin.
Rigging the Games
"Hey guys." Elyon walked into the Chan family shop with Caleb, Alchemy, and Matt right behind her; the girls of J-WITCH were watching TV while the adults were doing research.
"Sup Elyon." Jade waved.
"Matt, what are you doing here?" Will stood in surprise.
"What? A guy can't say hi to his girlfriend?" He said in a joking sense before kissing her on the cheek, causing her to blush while the other girls merely snickered.
"Hi Cornelia." Caleb waved to her in a friendly fashion, while she just turned away.
"Caleb." She acknowledged coldly.
"Oooh, cold shoulder. Ouch." Irma winced while Caleb simply looked away.
Just then, a certain commercial popped up on the television. "On the next International Island Challenge two more teams will meet on the Polynesian Island of Bora Bora in a grueling test of mental and physical endurance." The commercial showed people competing in events such as jumping from boats to floating pads in the water, eating live bugs, and swinging from vine to vine. "Which five-man team is tough enough to be called the best?" The host of the show asked as he showed the potential prizes. "And take home the prize package including two all-terrain vehicles, and this limited edition 80 inch 4K television with built in 3D and surround sound!"
"That's a big tv!" Hay Lin noted.
"What do the amount of Ks and Ds have to do with it?" Caleb asked.
"It's an Earth-thing, I'll explain later." Elyon said to him.
"Which team will avoid elimination by earning this Amnesty Idol?" The host held up said idol in his hands, which bore the shape of a gourd.
"Aiya!" They all heard Uncle's cry from the other room as the elder Chi Wizard came in, holding the glowing Chi-omatic in his hands, Jackie and Tohru right behind him. The device seemed to be acting on its own, with Uncle merely holding to it. The built-in compass' needle pointed directly to the TV that the kids were watching, specifically the idol on the screen.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant.
"Well, that's a first. A Demon Chi with its own series." Jade commented.
A magical projection shined to life from the Chi-omatic, showing an image of a certain aquatic female demon that the Chan Clan recognized immediately.
"Now that's one ugly mermaid." Matt observed.
"Bai Tza. Water Demon Chi has been activated." Uncle stated as the projection shifted from the demon herself to the Idol they just saw on the TV.
"And that's a… zucchini?" Hay Lin asked in confusion.
"It's a gourd." Tohru corrected. "The Immortal Relic used to defeat her thousands of years ago."
The projection shifted again to show the Relic's location, the island where International Island Challenge was being hosted.
"And now, it's on national television." Jackie said seriously as the projection vanished.
"Okay, I kinda got an idea of what's been going on with this Demon Chi, but you have more experience than I do." Caleb said to the Chan Clan. "What kind of power are we dealing with, exactly?"
"You remember Shendu?" Jade explained. "Well, he's got a whole bunch of siblings that are every bit as nasty as he is. That's the power of his cranky sister who… by the way… almost sank all of San Francisco by causing a flashflood to trigger the San Andreas Fault."
"Bai Tza can control any body of water that she happens to be nearby, as well as summon any that she may need if she is on dry land." Tohru added. "Out of all the Demon Sorcerers, she is arguably one of the most dangerous next to Tso Lan and Shendu himself."
"I'm sure I can take her." Irma grinned. "Water Guardian and all."
"How about we focus on getting the Relic so we don't have to worry about fighting a Water Demon?" Will suggested.
"A Relic that just so happens to be on a small island surrounded by miles of the very element that Drago and the Knights of Vengeance can weaponize if they get to it first." Taranee added. "Yeah, this is gonna be a tough one."
Hay Lin snapped her fingers. "Hey, I've got an idea! How about we all go and compete on International Island Challenge and get the Relic!"
Everyone looked to girl in surprise. "Hay Lin, we are not going to compete…" Jackie tried to say.
"No, just hear me out!" She explained. "They said two five-man teams, right? So, ten of us could enter the contest and compete with each other. They'll hand out the Idol to whoever wins the first game, but since we're all really working together, it won't matter which one of us wins, cause Uncle can just drain the Demon Chi either way! We'll go in, get what we came for, and have a little fun! Maybe even get that giant TV! Three birds with one stone!"
"That's…" Will thought about it for a moment. "That's actually not a bad idea."
"So, we get to compete in the games and kick evil butt? I'm all for it!" Jade grinned.
"Um, Hay Lin… slight problem." Cornelia pointed out. "What makes you think Drago is gonna care about any of that? He could just go in, wreck the place, and get the Demon Chi!"
"That's why we'll have Jackie and the others on standby, to run interference for when Drago and his buddies show up. I'll even call Grandma to come and help." Hay Lin replied. "Plus, if both teams are all on technically on the same side, wouldn't that mean there's less risk of innocent people getting dragged into it?"
"That makes sense…" Taranee nodded, seeing the logic in it. "The less people caught in the crossfire, the better."
"So… two five-person teams, huh?" Irma did a quick count. "Including J-WITCH we got Caleb, Alchemy, Elyon… that's only nine. We'd need one more."
"Ahem." Matt got their attention. "Matt Olsen, reporting for duty." He saluted with a grin.
"What? Matt, no! This is way too dangerous!" Will protested.
"Um… I seem to recall helping you in taking down two demons all in the same day." Matt reminded.
"Yeah, he was the one who took down Tarakudo." Alchemy remembered. "And helped with the spell to bring down Shendu."
"Yeah… but…" Will still didn't like the idea. She looked towards Jackie, hoping he would say something.
"I don't like this either." Jackie replied. "But… at the same time, we can't run the risk of innocent people getting dragged into our affairs. That being the case… Matt, are you really sure about this?"
"Totally." Matt nodded.
Will sighed with reluctance. "Fine."
"Hey, I mean between J-WITCH and the Chan Clan, it'll all be fine." Jade assured her best friend, putting an arm around her shoulder. "We'll get the Chi and get out before Junior even knows what hit him."
"And I've got way more control over my powers now." Elyon added as she shined a ball of energy in her hand. "If the Knights of Vengeance do show up, I'm more than capable of putting up a fight."
"Atta girl." Cornelia nudged her own best friend along with Alchemy.
"I'll call Captain Black and make the arrangements immediately." Jackie already pulled out his phone.
"I shall gather the spell ingredients." Uncle said. "Tohru, assist."
"Yes, sensei." Tohru nodded.
"Looks like we'll be working together again, huh?" Caleb said to Cornelia with a smile, who only turned around with crossed arms.
"Only because the fate of the world is at stake. Don't get the wrong idea." The blonde told him, much to his disappointment.
"Let's just keep the drama to the side for now." Taranee suggested.
"And hey, while we're at it, we can score some cool prizes." Irma put in.
Meanwhile, as Scruffy ate some dog food in the kitchen, Blunk was going through the trash underneath the sink when he happened to hear the whole conversation.
"Cool prize? Demon power? Sounds like job for hero Blunk!" The Passling boasted to himself as he stood proudly, his hands at his hips.
Meridian
The Knights of Vengeance continued to dwell in their cave hideout, many waiting impatiently for their next move.
"Why must we continue hide like cowards?" Hak Foo questioned. "We should be out there, crushing our enemies!"
"We have tried and failed three times already." Raythor told him. "At this point, we cannot afford to underestimate the Guardians, Chan, or their other allies."
"Especially since they control Earth and Meridian." Even Miranda, currently in her spider-form, agreed. "In both worlds, were on the defensive."
"Exactly." Raythor nodded. "So, until we have a solid plan, we wait here."
With reluctance, the other Knights backed down and continued the torturous wait. Frost crushed a rock in his hands with pure strength alone. Sandpit merely shifted between different forms, if only because it too was bored. Gargoyle fell to sleep with Crimson up by its side. The Tracker sat down and scratched Sniffer under the chin.
Drago too had been sleeping on a higher perched ledge in the cavern before his eyes shot open with a gasp. He was struck with a vision, one that showed his aquatic aunt in the depths of the ocean before seeing the gourd, now an idol, that contained traces of her own Demon Chi, now awakened and ripe for the taking. And it was all located on a small island on Earth.
The young demon got up with a grin. "Bai Tza." He leapt down to get his Knights' attention. "We got Demon Chi!"
"Finally." Hak Foo grinned.
"Then it is time to go." Raythor stated.
"Not quite yet." Nerissa appeared. "I'm afraid that a majority of you will have to wait here for now."
"What?!" Frost exclaimed. Even Gargoyle and Tracker growled, not liking this decision either. "Explain yourself, sorceress!"
"I apologize for the delay, but upon seeing how our enemies are capable of stripping the Demon Chi from you, it occurred to me that we'll need to take precautions." Nerissa explained. "That being the case, I've prepared a spell, specifically for you three…" She gestured to Raythor, Frost, and Hak Foo. "So that the Chi Wizard in their ranks cannot take the power that Drago has granted you."
"Only Drago's power?" Miranda questioned. "Why not cast a spell on all of us so that we cannot lose the Demon Chi we acquire."
"It doesn't quite work that way." Nerissa replied. "I would need to cast the spell once that power has entered your body. It will not work if there is no Demon Chi present whatsoever. That being the case, Drago… you will go and scout the location of the Relic. If you must, take the Relic before Chan and the others do, otherwise stay out of sight. Once I've finished my spell, I will send the other Knights to your location."
"Sounds like a plan." Drago accepted. "But I'll be taking Sandpit with me. A small island filled with sand should make recon easier for the two of us."
"Very well." Nerissa nodded.
"Why not simply come with us?" Raythor asked her. "I understand if stealth is a necessity, but wouldn't it be easier if we were all together and in one place?"
"Because the enemy Chi Wizard and I have a history, and I can't exactly afford to reveal my presence to him. At least… not yet." Nerissa answered.
"If that is what you wish." Raythor accepted.
"Then it's time to go." Drago used his ring to open a Fold. "Sandpit, let's go." Drago walked into the Fold with Sandpit turning its body into a swirl of sand and following him just as the Fold closed.
"Now then, let us begin shall we." Nerissa aimed her staff at Raythor, Frost, and Hak Foo. "Keep in mind though, a spell this intricate may take a while to fully cast, so please bear with it. Ya Gaa Mee Mo Ya Gaa Mee Chi Wa. Ya Gaa Mee Mo Ya Gaa Mee Chi Wa." As she casted her spell, bolts of magic shot from her staff and encompassed the trio that had been previously infused with a portion of Drago's power; all while Miranda, Tracker, Gargoyle, and their pets continued to wait.
Earth
The group had flown out to the small island of Boru-Boru where the International Island Challenge competition was taking place. Thanks to Captain Black pulling some strings, the ten kids comprised of Will, Jade, Irma, Hay Lin, Cornelia, Taranee, Elyon, Alchemy, Caleb, and Matt were able to enter the contest. Jackie, Uncle, Yan Lin, and Tohru would be there to officially act as supervisors and would not compete in the event, while unofficially keeping an eye out for the enemy, while also waiting to drain the Demon Chi from the Relic the second either of the teams would get their hands on it.
Right now, the ten kids stood on set before the show would start and were divided into groups of five. Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin were in one group, wearing red jerseys, while Jade, Matt, Caleb, Elyon, and Alchemy were in the second group as they wore blue jerseys.
"Okay, everyone remembers the plan." Will got the group's attention. "It doesn't matter which teams gets the Idol, the moment we have it, Jackie and the others will drain it's Chi. I'll then open a Fold to send them back to Section 13 to safely store it away."
"We're basically rigging an international television competition to save the world." Irma summed up.
"It's a good plan." Taranee nodded with everyone else.
"And while they put the Chi away, the rest of us duke it out to get that awesome 4K TV!" Jade grinned.
"Jade, focus on the mission." Cornelia told her.
"Hey, just trying to have some fun." She replied. "Killjoy."
"Yeah, we're in the competition, might as well go all the way." Alchemy said.
"Does it matter who even wins since we're all technically on the same side." Caleb questioned.
"Again. Fun." Jade repeated.
"Hey, if this Drago-guy is as dangerous as you say he is, what's still to stop him and his pals from just crashing the party?" Matt asked.
"Because I'm here." Elyon said. "Pretty sure they're smart enough to know they can't take all of us, and me, in a straight-up fight."
"Yeah, but Drago's really scary smart." Hay Lin commented, already feeling nervous. "What if he's already on the island and has his own plan?"
"Nothing we can do about that. We just have to focus our job and let Jackie and the others keep an eye out for Drago." Will said.
"Producer's coming! Everyone, get ready!" Taranee alerted the group as the two teams broke off and went to two sides of the stage.
"Hey kids, Ricky Roffman, producer, nice to meet ya. Thanks for coming out." The producer said in a tone fit for a show's producer. "Now if you could all sign these wavers before we start." His assistant handed each of them sheets of paper, which they all signed. "Good, good, now let's get this ball rolling."
"Um… why are we signing these?" Caleb asked as he signed his name on the paper he held.
"It's basically saying we can't sue them if we get hurt on their show." Matt explained as they handed their papers back.
"Sue?" Caleb didn't quite understand what that meant.
"Just go with it, dude." Jade told him as the teams made their way to the podium.
Meanwhile, from a reasonable distance in the forest foliage just outside the show's set, Jackie and the others watched via their respective binoculars as Jackie spotted the Idol.
"There's the Relic." He spoke out.
"No sign of Drago yet." Tohru added, looking around with his binoculars.
"Chi-omatic and draining spell ready." Uncle reported, holding the device in his hands.
"I still don't quite like this." Jackie said.
"It's the quickest and surest way to retrieve the Relic." Yan Lin told him. "Once they get it, we'll remove the Demon Chi with little issue."
"I know… but I just can't help get this bad feeling something is about to go wrong." Jackie said as he kept his watch over the kids.
At the same time, on spot closer to the beach, one away from the set, a small Fold was open as Blunk tumbled out and into the sand. He pulled his head up and spat some of the sand out. "Ugh. Blunk hate sand. It's so… sandy." Blunk shook his face to rub some sand off before scurrying up the nearest palm tree to avoid being seen. "Girls and friends deal with Demon Chi. Blunk see no problem with assessing value of prizes." He hid in the tree leaves once more.
All the kids were at the main stage and divided into their respective teams as the show was just about to begin.
"…And we're live in three… two… one!"
"Welcome to International Island Challenge!" The host began. "Let's meet our two teams… We have Red Team and Blue Team, so nice to have you kids here! Welcome to the show! But, only one team is going to be taking home this fabulous prize package! Which one will it be? If they're going to win the prize, and the title of International Island Champ, they're going to need… this!" He presented the item they all came here to retrieve. "The all-important Amnesty Idol!" Both teams exchanged knowing eye-contact once they saw it. From their spot, Jackie's group kept a very close eye on the Idol as well the surrounding area for any unwanted visitors. "Win this, and your entire team lives to see another day! Lose, and you'll be voting one of your teammates off the island for the rest of the competition! So, if you're all ready, let's get ready with a little… Fruit Punch!"
"That's an Earth drink, right?" Caleb asked Elyon.
"Yeah, but I don't think this is the same thing."
True to her word, both teams were led to the first challenge, which featured a large ravine with non-lethal slime at the bottom. Both sides of the ravine were connected by a single balance beam with a large tarp erected on one side, while a platform was built in the other direction in the middle of the ravine filled with catapults and other similar devices made to launch various fruits, all gathered in buckets around the catapults. Currently the Red Team was on one side of the ravine, while the Blue Team was on the platform.
"Remember, to win this game, each teammate must make it across the balance beam without falling into the slime pit." The host explained the rules. "Red Team, you're up."
Will was the first to step onto the beam, being careful not to lose her balance.
"Heads up, Will!" Matt playfully warned his girlfriend as he and Blue Team began to launch their volley. Mangos, apples, and other forms of fruit were launched her way. She tried to quickly make her way across the beam, ducking and swerving as best as she could before she ultimately made it to the other side with little issue.
"Go, bestie." Jade grinned.
Irma was next as she just made a run for it, somehow not losing her own balance even as Blue Team continued to shoot their fruit at her in rapid succession. Taranee seemed to be having a little more difficulty, trying to maintain her own balance and barley dodging all the juicy projectiles, but was still able to make it across. Cornelia didn't have as much trouble as Taranee, but she almost did lose her balance near the end and looked like she was about to tumble into the slime but angled herself so that she fell and landed on the ground on the other side, much to her relief. Hay Lin was last, being far more agile and nimble than the other girls, flipping and dodging every single fruit before landing on the other side.
"And Red Team has made it across with no casualties!" The announcer commentated, resulting in all five girls sharing a high-five. "Blue Team, it is your turn!"
"Hey, why didn't one of us just take a dive?" Taranee asked. "I mean, it really doesn't matter which team gets the idol, right?" Most of the girls had blank and stupefied expressions on their face as that honestly didn't occur to any of them.
"I… just got caught up in the game." Hay Lin said.
"Well, I'm not falling into a pit of slime." Cornelia said as she waved her hair. "You cannot slime this!"
The two teams switched positions as Red Team was now at the launchers while Blue Team was ready to cross the beam. Jade was first. Much like Hay Lin, her own natural agility made it simple for her to make it across the balance beam without getting shot down by the fruit.
Matt went up next, and had some difficulty himself. In fact… when a coconut almost grazed his face… he almost lost his balance and looked like he was about to fall into the slime as he waved his hands desperately trying to regain his balance. Will looked with genuine concern, but Matt was able to stabilize himself before jumping to the other side, causing Will to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Okay, compared to that leadership challenge, this should be a piece of cake." Caleb said as he was ready to cross.
"Caleb, you're not doing this just to show off to Cornelia, are you?" Alchemy asked.
"What? No! This has got nothing do with her!" He quickly replied.
"Then just take a dive so the others can get the Idol." Elyon told him.
Caleb scoffed. "And dishonor the game? I don't think so." He then sprinted on the beam.
"He's totally trying to show off to her." Alchemy said to Elyon, both looking unimpressed.
"Oh yeah." The young Queen nodded in agreement.
Caleb swiftly dodged around each fruit that Red Team launched at him and even made the effort to make it look as easy as possible.
"Someone's getting cocky." Taranee commented.
"Of course, he's making it look easy." Irma snarked. "Rebel leader and all."
Cornelia knew exactly what he was doing, especially when she totally saw him wink in her direction. 'Trying to show off, huh?' She loaded a coconut in her catapult and launched it. When it looked like Caleb was about to dodge it, Cornelia subtly used her own telekinetic powers to change the coconut's direction so that it struck Caleb in the leg, causing him to trip up and fall face-first into the slime below.
"Oooh, belly flop. That's gonna leave a mark." Jade winced.
Cornelia smirked at her shallow victory, but she soon noticed her teammates looking at her questionably. "What? We still win either way."
Both teams gathered together at the top as the host handed Will the Relic. "And Red Team wins Amnesty! As for Blue Team…" He turned in the team's direction as Caleb used a towel to wipe the slime off his person. "…I'll be seeing you tonight at the Ejection Ceremony where one of you will be voted off the show."
"You okay, man?" Matt asked Caleb.
"I'll be fine." He wiped his face.
"Told you not to show off." Alchemy said to him, causing Caleb to grumble.
From their spot, Jackie's group had seen the whole event. "Will's group has the Relic. We'll drain it's Chi by sundown." Jackie said to the rest of the group.
Meanwhile, in another spot within the tropical foliage, what appeared to be a large rock, was actually the solidified form of Sandpit, hiding Drago inside, keeping a small hole open to allow the young demon to see what had transpired as well.
Drago could feel Sandpit shifting, as if he was ready to move in and attack. "No, wait." Drago stopped him. He got a good look at the Amnesty Idol, but he felt no power. "I'm not sensing any Demon Chi. That's not the Relic."
Blunk had followed some of the show's staff into a small building via air vent on the roof. He looked out from an air duct that was near the ceiling of one room as he saw some of the staff leave before jumping down to the floor.
"Hmm. Where would prize be?" Blunk looked around and happened to spot a closet on end of the room. The Passling opened the door with little issue but gasped at what he saw.
There were over a two hundred identical looking Amnesty Idols.
"Uh oh…!"
Later that evening, Jackie and the other adults met up with Red Team at their cabin, in which Blue Team had just arrived via a Fold, courtesy of Elyon.
"Whoa, since when can you open Folds?" Irma asked.
"The Mage has been helping me in better understanding my powers." Elyon explained. "So, are we ready to drain this bad boy?"
"One Amnesty Idol about to be Demon powerless, coming right up!" Will held up the Idol, and Uncle aimed his Chi-omatic at it, but there was no reaction, much to everyone's concern.
"Uh… maybe it needs time to warm up?" Jade guessed.
"Demon Chi not here." Uncle revealed, much to everyone's surprise.
"What?!" Jackie questioned. "But where could it have gone!"
"Could someone else have accidentally taken it?" Caleb asked.
"Or did Drago manage to beat us here?" Tohru asked as well.
"Pretty sure we would have noticed something like that." Taranee said. "There are no tidal waves or monsters nearby. So, I don't think someone has the Water Demon Chi."
"Then the likeliest explanation is that this is not the Relic." Yan Lin said.
"But… the Chi-omatic reacted on the TV, remember?" Alchemy recalled.
"Um… Blunk might now." The group turned around to see none other than their Passling friend as he climbed in through the window.
"Blunk, what are you doing here?" Hay Lin asked.
"Probably helping himself to the prizes." Cornelia assumed.
"Blunk admit. Blunk want to look at cool Earth stuff." The Passling admitted. "But Blunk knows why you no find Demon Power." He pulled out two Amnesty Idols to show them to the group.
"What?" Jackie took the one that Will had and looked at it along with the two Blunk currently held. "They look exactly the same!"
Jade then smacked herself in the forehead. "Duh! Reality show! Of course, they got extras! Just in case it were to get lost or something!"
"Okay, let's not panic." Matt tried to ease the situation. "Let's just drain that Demon Chi stuff from the real one. How many can there be? Five? Six?"
"Uh… Blunk count over hundred." The Passling winced.
"Are. You. Kidding me?!" Irma questioned. "Why the hell would you have that many extras?!"
"Blunk, are they all in the same place?" Jackie asked to which Blunk nodded. "Then take us there. We will find the real Relic and drain the Chi quickly."
"But what if it's not there? What if the host-guy already took it for the next round tomorrow?" Hay Lin asked, starting to sound a bit worried.
"Drago and Knights of Vengeance will be here soon." Uncle said.
"Isn't that all the more reason to get the thing, now?" Caleb questioned.
As the group tried to think of their next step, Elyon thought for a moment herself before an idea came to her. "Hey, I got something! Why try to settle with only the Demon Chi when we can try to catch Drago and the Knights, too?"
"What do you mean?" Will asked.
"I think I have a plan." Elyon began. "Our team is at the ejection ceremony, right? So, vote me off."
That took all of them by surprise.
"Elyon, what?! No! That's crazy!" Cornelia protested.
"You're our big gun!" Irma added. "When Drago and his pals…"
"Exactly!" Elyon explained. "Drago's probably being careful because I'm here. If I'm not here anymore, he might let his guard down. So, how about this? Instead of us trying to find out which Idol is the Relic, we let him find it for us. One of the Knights will absorb it's power, then I use my Folding to come back, and we all gang up on them! All our powers combined, we can take on the Knights of Vengeance, even if they got the Demon Chi. Uncle can drain it, and we may even capture them! We can end this whole thing right here and now!"
"And without Drago or the Knights, we won't have any competition in getting the other Demon Powers." Jade saw where she was going. "That's genius! I'd say we go for it!"
"Yeah… and even if we don't catch Drago, we can still get the Demon Chi." Taranee added. "It's a win-win either way."
Everyone else thought about it for a moment, and one-by-one, they all seemed to understand the logic in Elyon's plan. Best case scenario, they could capture Drago and the Knights, but even in the worst case, they could still capture the Demon Chi with everyone working together.
"Alright." Jackie nodded. "Blunk, you stick with us. But Elyon, are you sure about this? This is a rather risky plan."
"I'm sure." Elyon confirmed.
"Okay. You guys all head out, we'll meet you all tomorrow… and that's probably when it's all gonna blow up in our faces." Will said.
Later that night, Blue Team gathered around a campfire at the Ejection Ceremony for the show. The host currently explained the terms to them.
"As you know Blue Team, this is the Ejection Ceremony. Meaning one of you will be going home tonight. The process is simple, the person with the most votes must leave the island immediately. Let's begin."
Each of them was given a single coconut and a pen to write the name of the person they were voting off. Exchanging brief eye-contact, the five knew what to do. Jade, Matt, Caleb, and Alchemy each wrote Elyon's name on their coconut, while Elyon just wrote Caleb's name for appearance's sake.
Their coconuts were then placed in the mouth of one large totem to be counted. They already knew what the result was and Elyon was led away from the ceremony.
"Sorry guys. Good luck for the rest of the game." Elyon waved as she walked away, while the rest of Blue Team waved her off, each of them exchanging knowing smirks.
Elyon got on a motorboat which was driven away off the island, all of which was being witnessed by Drago as Sandpit kept him hidden in a pit at the beach.
'I see what they're doing.' The young demon thought to himself. 'Trying to get me to lower my guard and blunder into their so-called trap, huh? Clever. Well, might as well take their bait.'
"I'll be back." Drago said to Sandpit. "Stand by, we'll be making our move soon." He opened a small Fold before leaping back to Meridian.
"Ah, sorry kid." The driver of the boat said to Elyon as they drove away from the island. "We can't all be winners. Don't worry, you'll be back to the mainland soon."
"It's alright." Elyon said as she focused her own magic on the helmsman, using the same method she unknowingly used on the Rebels when Phobos was deceiving her, which the Mage helped her to better understand and master. "So why don't we take the long way around? As in, on the other side of this island?"
Under the influence of her magic, the helmsman changed the direction of the motorboat. "Sure thing. Hang on."
'Sorry to pull a Jedi Mind Trick on you, but lives are at stake.' Elyon internally apologized as the boat made its way to the opposite side of the island.
Meridian
Within the Knights' cave, Nerissa had finished casting the spell on Raythor, Frost, and Hak Foo. "Now, it's finished. The Demon Chi within each of you is now bound to your very essence. The only way it can be removed is for Drago himself to remove it, so I would suggest you do your best not to make him regret his choice in lending you his power."
"He will not, and you won't regret your decision either, Nerissa." Raythor bowed his head. "Thank you, for everything."
"Think nothing of it." She replied in false sincerity.
"But why? Why do all this?" Hak Foo questioned. "Each of us have our own personal vendetta with Chan and the Guardians, but what of you?"
"I've been curious about that myself." Miranda spoke up as the other Knights set their sights on Nerissa. "What do you gain from this?"
"Do you also have a vendetta against them?" Frost asked as well.
"Something like that." Nerissa answered. "As I said, I have a rather… tumultuous history with the Chi Wizard. But, I'll admit that I have no personal enmity towards Chan and the Guardians, I have plans of my own, and they would stand in my way. Their deaths would serve my goals. This gives us a common enemy, does it not?"
"And once we've eliminated this common enemy? What then?" Miranda asked.
"We may go our separate ways or continue to work with each other. Whichever you see fit." Nerissa said.
"What about Drago?" Frost asked. "He says he's not seeking revenge for his father, and he wasn't part of Phobos' old regime, so why is he involved?"
"He has his own personal vendetta, and the destruction of our enemies would serve his purpose as ours." Nerissa answered.
"Whatever is necessary to finally destroy Chan and rip those children to pieces!" Hak Foo declared as Tracker and Gargoyle all roared in agreement as well.
"Glad to see you're all on-board." They heard Drago's voice as he entered the cave, getting all their attention. "Cause it's time to move. We have Demon Chi to claim."
Earth
The next day, Red Team and the remainder of Blue Team gathered at a table for their next event, one that featured plates and bowls with living bugs all in front of them.
"Okay everybody! New day and new opportunity for amnesty!" The host began to explain their current challenge. "So, who's up for a quick bite? Because each teammate must eat everything on their plate, but if one of you loses their lunch, your team loses the competition. So, open wide and down the hatch!"
Most of the girls on Red Team winced in disgust, especially Cornelia. "Uh… can we take a dive for this one?" She communicated to her teammates via Taranee's psychic link.
"Someone doesn't look like they're enjoying themselves." Her attention turned to Caleb on the other side of the table as he ate two bugs with little issue, much to everyone's surprise and disgust.
"Dude just chowed down like it's nothing." Matt said in a whisper.
"Well he and his Rebel buddies have been surviving a war for about a decade… so I guess he took what he could get." Jade assumed with a whisper.
Caleb gave a smirk towards Cornelia as he chewed with little issue.
"Oh, it is on." Cornelia growled as she picked up a grub and winced before forcing it into her mouth.
"So much for throwing the event." Irma communicated with her fellow Guardians also through Taranee's psychic link as they had no choice but to help themselves to the bugs in front of them, along with their friends.
Matt put a handful of ants into his mouth and struggled to swallow but was able to do so. Alchemy picked up a worm and slurped it like a spaghetti noddle much to her disgust while Jade bit into a cockroach. Will forced herself to swallow some grub while Irma next to her ate a handful of crickets. Taranee looked in disgust before chowing down on a few beetles as Hay Lin looked sympathetically towards a caterpillar but ate it as well. Cornelia looked to her grub in disgust but noticed Caleb's smirking face as he chewed three bugs before swallowing. She glared at him before forcing the grub into her mouth
"Is the Idol even the one we're supposed to be looking for?" Taranee wondered as she saw the Idol in the host's hands.
"Hang on, we can check." They heard Elyon's voice, much to their surprise.
"Elyon?! How did…?!" Hay Lin wondered aloud, doing her best not to actually voice it and blow their cover as she forced down another caterpillar.
"I circled around the island and used Folding to meet up with Jackie and the others." Elyon explained through their link. "Uncle's pulling out the Chi-omatic now."
"Yeah but… how are you hooked to our psychic link? I thought it only worked with us Guardians." Will replied.
"I'm guessing it's because I have the Heart of Meridian and it's connecting to the Heart of Kandrakar or something?" Elyon guessed. "I don't know. I looked and heard you guys talking to each other and I guess I hooked in by accident."
"Well, can you at least tell if this Idol is the real deal or not?" Jade questioned as she swallowed another cockroach. "Cause Cornelia's trying to show off and I don't know if she can take much more."
"Says you!" She was already looking green as she struggled to keep the grub from climbing back up her throat.
From their hiding spot, Uncle looked at the event with a pair of binoculars as he aimed the Chi-omatic in the general direction, the compass needle was already beginning to glow, indicating this was indeed the Relic they were searching for. Jackie looked towards Elyon with a nod.
"Yep, that's it alright." She confirmed.
"Can you drain it from where you are?" Will asked.
"Hang on… Uncle, can you get the Demon Chi from here?" Elyon asked the old Chi Wizard.
"No. Too far. Must be closer." Uncle replied.
"That's a negative." Elyon relayed to her friends.
"Then we'll just have to throw the match." Will communicated. "Cornelia…"
"What…? and lose to…" Cornelia felt her cheeks bulge, which was especially true as she looked towards Caleb as he continued to eat like it was just a normal lunch, all the while he maintained his smirk and even chewing somewhat loudly. "No… Keep it down…! Keep it….!"
She couldn't hold it down any longer. Cornelia got up from her seat and ran past the host, through the exit, where they all heard her vomit rather loudly.
"Huh, guess it didn't agree with her." Caleb commented cockily as he just ate another bug.
"Dude… you have a gut of steel." Matt commented.
However, right before Red Team could be claimed the victory, Alchemy felt her stomach. "Ugh… guys I… I don't feel so…" Her own cheeks bulged too she turned around to puke her guts out, much to everyone's disgust.
"Gross." Jade winced.
Irma sighed. "This was supposed to be an easy thing. Why does life always have to prove us wrong?"
"But since both teams lost, who gets the Idol?" Hay Lin wondered.
In direct response, both teams were led to the beach at a starting line where their next challenge would take place.
"Because neither team could keep their breakfast down, you'll have to compete in a tiebreaker round." The host explained as he held the Amnesty Idol in his hands. "The ultimate tropical test of physical strength and endurance."
"Okay, this is it." Will stated. "It doesn't matter who finishes this, we're getting that Idol and the Demon Chi."
"Speak for yourself." Cornelia said as she glared at Caleb, who glared back at him.
Jade rolled her eyes with a groan. "Can you two please just skip the drama? It's starting to become less entertaining and more annoying."
"Tell that to her." Caleb pointed to Cornelia.
"On your mark…" The host got the event ready as both teams took starting positions. "Get set… Go!"
With that, both teams ran as fast as they could. They made it to the first obstacle: swinging from vines to a series of platforms and repeating the process till they reached the end. Cornelia was the first to make it for Red Team, but she saw Caleb already swinging to the second platform with little issue. This sort of obstacle was child's play for him. Growling, Cornelia swung herself and channeled some of her own Earth Powers into the vine to increase the swing of the speed and get her to the next platform faster. Their teammates weren't that far behind, but they were starting to become annoyed and concerned with the growing competition between their friends.
The second challenge was crossing a balance beam, blindfolded, all while avoiding swinging stacks of hay tied by rope. Naturally, Cornelia and Caleb were first for their respective teams. Caleb had issue with the blindfold at first, but he was able to quickly adapt his hearing to the sound of the incoming haystack. Using his own agility, Caleb flipped and rolled along the beam, ducking under the second swinging stack, running and sliding to avoid the third before making it across.
"Ah." The host and cameraman both looked very impressed with Caleb's performance.
By the time Caleb took off his blindfold, he saw Cornelia struggling in the middle of her balance beam. "Ugh! Stupid blindfold!" She was tempted to take it off so she could use her telekinetic powers, but that would get her disqualified. She was suddenly hit on the side by a haystack and knocked into the water below, much to Caleb's amusement and irritation of everyone else on both Red and Blue Team.
The third challenge was making it over another ravine, leaping from a series of vertical and narrow platforms that could tip in either direction. Caleb was already there first for his team, with Cornelia catching up from behind. He leapt to the first platform, which shook a bit, but he was quick to stabilize himself before leaping to the next platform just as Cornelia made it to the first. She even saw him leap to another one and land on his hands, making a perfect hand-stance and giving her a wink in her direction.
That tore it. As she jumped to the next one, she waved her hand to use her telekinetic powers to push the platform that Caleb had leapt to forward, causing him to miss his target and slip into the water.
"Try and keep up." She gloated to him as she made it to the other side just as both their teams had caught up.
Meanwhile, at the studio inside the main building, a trio of workers were maintaining the camera feed to be recorded and broadcasted later that night for all the viewers back home. It seemed to be going smoothly for the most part.
"How's camera seven?"
"Looking good."
"Check the angle on number nine."
"Adjusting now."
They seemed so caught up in their work, they didn't even notice a certain sorceress walking in from behind as she waved her hands to cast a spell, which caused them all to suddenly fall asleep.
"You all have worked so hard, why not take a break?" Nerissa gloated before she pressed the main power button to cut the feed on all the cameras, causing all the screens to turn to static. "Can't have outside parties see this now, can we?" She chuckled.
Cornelia was the first to cross the finish line, making it to the beach and where the Idol waited on the pedestal. "Ah yeah! First place, baby!" She celebrated. "Please, hold your applause." She was about to walk up the podium. "Now for the winner to claim her prize…"
Suddenly, a stream of fire was shot down in front of her to knock her back as she looked up in surprise to see a certain demon perched on a totem pole.
"Don't you mean our prize, little Corny?" Drago grinned.
Suddenly, the sand below her exploded outward, forcing Cornelia to run backwards just as the rest of her friends had arrived on the scene. They all looked in shock to see Gargoyle rising from the massive hole in the sand, courtesy of Sandpit, with Raythor, Hak Foo, Miranda, Frost, Crimson, Tracker, and Sniffer all standing on top.
"Your little competition is over, as the Knights of Vengeance have arrived to claim what is rightfully ours!" Raythor declared. "Sandpit, bury them!"
As per Raythor's orders, Sandpit's entire body turned into a massive sandstorm as it encompassed all the kids in front of him, blinding them and preventing them from interfering.
"Miranda, now!" Drago ordered as he leapt toward the Idol with Miranda leaping to join him in her spider-form. Using his own dark powers, Drago tore the Demon Chi from the gourd, which took the form of dark blue energy before sending into Miranda, absorbing it into her body.
In the middle of Sandpit's storm, a glowing pink energy could be seen from the center before its entire form was blown away. "Guardians Unite!" When Sandpit reformed with the other Knights, they looked to see that the girls of J-WITCH had already transformed into Guardians, with Caleb, Matt, and Alchemy standing behind them.
"Wait… is it a good idea to transform on national television?" Alchemy wondered.
"Take a look!" Matt pointed around them, showing that all the host, employees, technicians, even the head producer, virtually everyone who worked on the show had been put to sleep.
"What happened to them?" Caleb questioned.
"Sleep spell." Drago said as he joined at the head of his Knights. "Don't want outside parties getting a whiff of this." He and the Knights of Vengeance cleared the way to reveal Miranda was undergoing her own transformation, after absorbing the Water Demon Chi.
Her black fur had turned aqua-blue as a mermaid-serpentine-like tail grew from her rear, all four of her arms had grown larger with scaled armguards and webbed hands, and aquatic tentacles around the front of her face as all four of her eyes turned from blue to blood red.
"Bad Day…" Hay Lin winced with everyone else looking in shock or disgust.
"Here I thought spider-girl couldn't get any uglier." Jade commented.
"I can feel the power…!" The demonically transformed Miranda sneered as she created four large spheres of pulsating water in each of her hands. "The power to command the very oceans themselves!"
"Too bad you're not going to get that far! Take em down!" Will ordered as the Guardians charged forward to engage the Knights of Vengeance in combat.
Miranda was the first to attack, bringing all her arms together to generate a massive stream of water and shoot them at her enemies, but Irma flew in her path and used her own aquatic powers to halt her attack and re-direct it back at Miranda, sending her crashing through the set.
"I'll take the water-spider. You guys handle the rest." Irma said to her friends as she engaged Miranda, both blasting streams of water at one another, clashing the opposing streams together as they glared at each other.
Drago shot a blast of fire from his mouth toward Will as he jumped to tackle her to the ground, Raythor drew his fire-sword and clashed it against a shadow-katana generated by Jade, Frost rode Crimson toward Hay Lin, and Tracker flailed his mace at Taranee.
"Dragon Soars Through Skies!" Hak Foo leapt toward Cornelia, who looked ready to take him.
"Look out!" Caleb tackled Cornelia out of the way before Hak Foo could land his attack.
"Hey, what's your problem?!" She pushed Caleb off.
"My problem?!" He questioned. "I was trying to help you!"
"I can take tiger-boy, no problem! Guardian powers, remember?" She argued.
"Rebel soldier with years of experience, remember?" He shot back in an equally spiteful tone. However, their argument came to a halt as the massive Gargoyle loomed over them, raising his club-arm before bringing it down toward them. However, an energy barrier was quickly erected to protect the pair and just as Gargoyle's attack made impact, he was struck with the same force of his own attack that sent him flying and crashing back into several trees in the jungle behind them.
"Hey, focus you two!" Elyon scolded. "Demons and monsters to fight, remember?!"
"Eh… right." Caleb was snapped out of his funk, as was Cornelia.
"Yeah." The blonde also nodded as they split into separate directions to engage different enemies; Cornelia attacking Sandpit with a column of her own sand, while Caleb rushed to ram his shoulder into the Tracker as he had ensnared Taranee. However, Sniffer ended up pouncing at Caleb to try and bite at his throat with Caleb struggling to hold him back. Taranee was able to break free from the Tracker's chains before generating flames from her body to blast Tracker away.
Frost continued to ride Crimson as he snapped his whip at Hay Lin, which tied around her ankle. He used his dragon enhanced strength to easily pull her out of the sky and slam her onto the ground. Crimson charged to try and trample her, but Tohru quickly appeared to grab the charging rhino and halt its advance, the sudden halt of momentum forced Frost off his steed and onto the sand. He pulled himself up and was ready to attack, only for Hay Lin to encompass him in a tornado, one strong enough to pull him off his feet before she sent him flying into a stone totem.
Jackie had also appeared onto the scene, only to hear a familiar battle call from behind him. "Black Dragon Slashes Villager!" Hak Foo attacked with such insane speed that Jackie was barely able to block all his punches, the force of his attack was enough to knock Jackie down. Hak Foo raised a clawed fist, ready to strike him down and finish him off, only to get zapped in the back by a Chi spell, courtesy of Yan Lin as she held a jar in one hand and a blowfish in the other.
"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao." The former Guardian tried to use a removal spell to deprive Hak Foo of his power, only for the green aura around him to be repelled by a dark blue aura that blew the spell away, much to Yan Lin's surprise.
"No one will ever take my power again." Hak Foo said as he turned his attention towards Yan Lin, but this left him vulnerable for Jackie to go on the attack, delivering an airborne roundhouse to knock him down.
"The removal spell didn't work?" Jackie asked Yan Lin in surprise.
"Something interfered. A counter-spell made specifically to repel this one." Yan Lin replied as they saw Hak Foo recover and face them both with an evil grin.
Jade and Raythor clashed their shadow-katana and fire-sword respectively, parrying each strike before locking blades. "You're good." Raythor granted. "But I'm the more experienced soldier."
"Yeah? Well, I'm more experienced with magic. Didn't Mommy ever teach you not to play with fire?" Jade waved her hand to nullify the flames, extinguishing them from the sword, much to Raythor's shock before Jade sliced her shadow-katana to break the sword at its handle. "Or with sharp things?" Jade snarked before she extended her free hand to blast a column of shadow-flames at Raythor.
Will flew to avoid the fire-blasts that Drago shot at her from the ground before leaping up to meet her in the air, grabbing her and tackling her to the ground. He grabbed her arms and pinned them down as he was ready to unleash an inferno on her point-blank…
Only for a large rock to strike him in the back of his head, thanks to Matt holding said rock like a weapon. "Back off, dragon-boy!" Matt told him as he slammed the rock into Drago's face to force him off Will. As Matt tried to bring it down again, Drago threw his fist out to smash the rock to pieces, much to Matt's surprise before grabbing him by the collar and pulling him in close with a growl.
"Let's see how you like having your skull caved in." Drago pulled back a fist but was blasted back by a surge of pink energy.
"Get your claws off my man!" Will stood protectively in front of Matt, both her hands surging with Quintessence energy.
The demonic-Miranda wrestled with Irma, her upper hands locked with Irma's as the Water Guardian hovered in the air while the shapeshifter fueled by Water Demon Chi kept herself on equal level via water vortex from the ground. Miranda aimed her lower arms to blast Irma back with a stream of water to push her to the ground. Once she hit the ground however, Irma caught the blast with her own powers before exploding it and taking control over the hundreds of water droplets and shot them all at Miranda like a series of bullets. Miranda tried to shield herself with her arms, but the force of the onslaught was able to knock her down onto the sandy beach. She then spotted the ocean and tried to shoot herself closer to it… only for the water itself to be pushed back before she even made contact.
"Yeah, like I'm gonna let that happen." Irma hydrokinetically pushed the ocean-water further back as she flew down straight to Miranda to slam her fist into her face and knock her back.
Miranda gave a demon-like roar in fury. "I will not be denied my revenge!" Suddenly, she was hit in the side by a Chi-spell, courtesy of Uncle as he held a blowfish in one hand and the Chi-omatic in the other.
"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao." As Uncle chanted, the Removal Spell did its work. Streams of dark energy, the pure form of the Water Demon Chi, was extracted from Miranda's body and pulled directly into the Chi-omatic like a vacuum. It wasn't long before Miranda lost her transformation and turned back into her normal spider-form as she fell backwards onto the beach.
Miranda would soon be joined by the other Knights of Vengeance as they found themselves backed up together by not only the Guardians, but also the Chan Clan, Caleb, Matt, Yan Lin, and Elyon, who hovered in the air and channeled raw magic power into her hands for intimidation.
"It's over." Jackie told them.
Drago growled. "We're just getting warmed up." He waved his ring to create a circular Fold around himself and the Knights, causing them all to vanish and retreat from Earth.
"Looks we couldn't get them after all." Taranee said.
"Maybe not, but we did get what we came here for, right?" Will looked toward Uncle.
"Water Demon Chi is contained." Uncle revealed as he held the Chi-omatic, the containment jar revealing the dark projection of the gourd safely stored inside.
"Two down, six to go." Jade said.
"What about all the workers?" Hay Lin asked.
"Over here!" Alchemy waved as she looked after the sleeping host as well as everyone else near him. "I think they're all just asleep."
"Did any of that get caught on camera?" Tohru asked.
"I don't think so." Will said as she looked towards one of the on-set cameras. "I think they're all 'asleep' too."
"You can talk to electronics?" Matt asked in surprise.
"It's a recent development." She summed up.
"So, nobody saw us. That's good." Cornelia breathed in relief with everyone else.
Irma then noticed a certain Passling was not among them. "Hey, where's Blunk?"
The Passling in question had managed to find his way to the prize-room where he climbed over one of the all-terrain vehicles to 'inspect' it while looking at his own reflection on the nearby 4K television. "Hmm. No gold? No jewels? Only fancy mirror?" Blunk spat his tongue in disappointment. "Earth has weird prizes."
Everyone was already heading to the plane that would take them back home as their prizes were loaded up in the back. After Uncle used a spell to wake up everyone who was put to sleep, Blue Team decided to forfeit the competition, causing Red Team to win by default. In the end, it really didn't matter who won as the heroes got the Water Demon Chi, and they would end up sharing the prizes either way since they were all technically together. Blunk would return to Heatherfield via Folding with his Tonga Tooth.
"Oh man, we're gonna watch so many movies on that TV." Jade grinned.
"Who's up for a Star Wars marathon!?" Hay Lin beamed.
"Before we return…" Jackie turned his attention to Cornelia and Caleb. "This is the second time you two have disagreed with each other and it interfered with our mission." That caused the two to look down in shame. "Listen, what sort of relationship you form with each other is your own business and we have no say in it. But, when you let your issues take priority over work, not only does it distract you, it also puts lives in danger; yours, your friends', and innocent bystanders. So, from this point forward, any tension between you two comes second. Put it to the side until the mission is complete and then you can argue as much as you want. Can you do that?"
Cornelia and Caleb exchanged ashamed glances with one another as they knew that Jackie was right. They let their animosity get in the way and it interfered with their work.
"Yeah… I think we can manage." Cornelia accepted.
"It won't happen again." Caleb agreed.
"Glad to know those two are at least seeing straight now." Alchemy said to Elyon.
"Yeah, but it still sucks the Knights got away." The Queen of Meridian said.
"Eh, we'll get em next time." Irma brushed off.
"Sensei, Miss Lin, how is it we were able to remove the Water Demon Chi from Miranda, but we were unable to do the same with Hak Foo?" Tohru asked the elderly pair.
"There was… interference." Yan Lin tried to explain. "Some other form of magic shielded Hak Foo from the removal spell. And I can only assume Raythor, and Frost have the same kind of protection."
"A protection spell against a removal spell?" Taranee asked in surprise. "Who could have whipped that up?"
"Maybe it was Drago?" Matt guessed. "Didn't you guys say he gave those powers to his flunkies in the first place?"
"His dad is a Demon Sorcerer, emphasis on the Sorcerer part." Jade pointed out.
"Demon Sorcerer, yes. But protection spell too strong and complex." Uncle replied as they all boarded the plane. "Uncle suspects someone else was involved."
"Someone else?" Hay Lin asked.
"Hey… speaking of…" Will got everyone's attention. "When all the electronics came back on, I heard some of the main stations talking about seeing someone."
"Still not used to you talking to tech." Irma said.
"Who?" Jackie asked the leader of the Guardians, getting serious.
"They said it was an old woman. Someone was inside the station to shut down the camera feed so that nobody could see what was happening." Will answered. "They didn't get her name or anything though."
"So there is somebody else out there helping Drago." Tohru said as the plane began to take off.
"Well, whoever it is, J-WITCH will be ready to knock em down a peg." Jade said confidently, with grins and smiles shared by everyone else. All except Jackie as he couldn't help but look with concern out the window. The idea of an unknown player didn't quite sit well with him, but he was determined to find out who it was, because his instincts told him that this 'old woman' was dangerous.
From the island's jungle-like foliage, Nerissa saw the plane take off with a sinister grin. "Slowly but surely my time is coming. Enjoy these coming victories my old friends, for you and our so-called successors will understand just how wrong you truly are. How rotten and sick this universe truly is… and what is necessary in order to save it."
She gave a cackle before creating a Fold in front of her and vanishing from the face of the planet for the time being.
Done.
So, the heroes have secured the Water Demon Chi, and six more remain at large. I decided to change up the episode a bit because the heroes' job is supposed to be kept a secret, so the whole event being broadcasted on national television definitely made it difficult for them. That's why they more-or-less rigged the games so there was less likely a chance of innocent people getting swept up in all of it.
If I'm being honest, the canon episode was among my least favorite of the season. I'm not saying the episode was bad, just that it didn't quite feel the same kind of adventurous the other episodes had. I hope this chapter was to all your liking.
Also, the heroes have also managed to learn that somebody else is helping Drago, but they don't know her identity (yet). And don't you worry, Nerissa is taking every precaution to keep her identity a secret till the time is right. She's even cast a spell that'll keep Raythor, Frost, and Hak Foo from having their respective Fire Demon powers removed, with only Drago being capable of removing it.
What's next for our heroes? Find out next time on J-WITCH!
Once more… Rest in Peace Kevin Conroy. You will always be our Batman.