Hi everyone, thanks again for waiting. So now we continue where we left off with J-WITCH as the Guardians had their first rumble with the Dark Hand, and Valmont has stolen the Heart of Kandrakar, but for what purpose? Well, let's find out right now as we are introduced to some more JCA characters, both friend and foe alike.
J-WITCH Meets The J-Team!
Valmont and his goons sat in a warehouse along the docks as the crime lord held the crystal pendant known as the Heart of Kandrakar in his hands as his four Enforcers looked at the glowing crystal with amazement.
"Oooh, pretty." Ratso looked at it with a smile.
"So, this thing's the source of those Fairies' powers?" Chow asked.
"From Hak Foo's observations, yes." Valmont confirmed.
"So, what do you wanna do with it, Big V?" Finn asked.
"Those so-called fairies had the demeanor of children." Hak Foo said. "However, if we were to harness their power for ourselves…. Just imagine the devastation we could unleash!"
"Does that mean we have to wear those skirts?" Ratso asked.
"Don't worry, we won't be using this crystal's power." Valmont revealed, much to the surprise of his Enforcers.
"That's a bit of a surprise." Finn said.
"Yeah, you're usually on-board with getting magic powers." Chow noticed.
"Yes, that is until we meet that pestilent lizard, Shendu, and he drove our syndicate into the ground searching for his Talismans and the portals for his demon brethren!" Valmont exclaimed. "This clearly has powers, but I much rather avoid getting into another ridiculous magical squallier; the Talismans we have may be magic, but that is as far as we go!"
Each of the Enforcers knew Valmont made a good point. Arguably, meeting Shendu was what set the chain of events in motion that led to the ruin of the Dark Hand, best to avoid that sort of scenario if they want to rebuild their organization.
"So, what will we do with this crystal?" Hak Foo asked.
"We'll sell it along with the other artifacts we've proceeded." Valmont said. "And since these fairy-girls are affiliate with Chan, he'll be too busy trying to locate it once it's sold, giving us more time to resurrect the Dark Hand. So, is everything prepared?"
"All set Big-V." Finn said. "I sent the word out when we got back, and we already got some pretty big buyers coming in tonight. By the time we're done, we'll be rolling in dough!"
"Dough? Are we making cookies?" Ratso asked, causing everyone else to groan in annoyance as Valmont looked toward the Heart of Kandrakar with an evil smile.
Silver Dragon
"What do you mean you lost the Heart of Kandrakar?!" Caleb shouted as he, Jackie, Cornelia, Jade, Irma, Uncle, Taranee, Hay Lin, Tohru, and Yan Lin all looked towards the shocked Will as it looked as if she was about to have a panic attack.
"I completely turned my room upside down!" Will exclaimed. "I flipped over my bed, my desk, I tore apart my closet, but it just wasn't there! I know I put it away on my desk before I went to bed but now… OW!"
"How could you have lost Heart of Kandrakar?!" Uncle exclaimed after dope-slapping Will. "Crystal is source of your powers, and you are keeper of Heart! You are bad Guardian!"
"That is quite enough." Yan Lin put her hand on the old Chi-Wizard's shoulder. "Panicking and blaming one another will not find the crystal."
"Miss Lin is right." Jackie nodded. He turned towards Will as she hung her head.
"I'm sorry… I just…"
"Will, no one is blaming you." Jackie began.
"I am." Caleb raised his hand only to get elbowed by Cornelia and Jade in the side. "Ow!"
"I need you to calm down." Jackie continued to speak to Will. "Take a deep breath." He took his own deep breath for emphasis. Will did the same and this managed to calm her down a bit. "Alright, now did you notice anything odd when you woke up?"
"Maybe someone broke into your room last night?" Taranee asked.
"My window wasn't broken." Will said.
"Was anything else missing?" Yan Lin asked.
"No… just the Heart." Will replied.
"So whoever is responsible was looking for the Heart specifically." Tohru assumed.
"Maybe one of Phobos guys? Like that evil wizard?" Hay Lin guessed.
"Impossible." Uncle pointed out. "Uncle would have had the willies if Daolon Wong appeared."
"Yeah, because everyone trusts the old guy's goose bumps." Irma muttered sarcastically.
"Even if it was one of Phobos' henchman, I doubt they would have just settled with taking the Heart." Caleb pointed. "Will would have also likely have been captured or killed in her sleep if that was the case."
Will didn't like the idea of being kidnapped again or killed in her sleep, but Jackie put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
Jade snapped her fingers in realization. "What if it was Valmont!?" That got everyone's attention. "Think about it, he probably saw our fight, and he wanted the Heart's power for himself. So, he used the Talismans to sneak in, grab it, and run off with it!"
"That… actually makes sense." Cornelia said.
"Who is this 'Valmont' person?" Caleb asked.
"Oh, just your typical crime lord bad guy." Hay Lin gave the short of it.
"Valmont is a very dangerous man." Jackie explained. "A dangerous criminal whom I've dealt with several times."
"You know… now that I think about it…" Will remembered something. "My window wasn't broken. But it was opened, and I know I closed it last night, and the lock was melted."
"So, he used the Dragon Talisman to melt the lock; and the Snake Talisman with the Monkey Talisman to shapeshift into something small and turn invisible to grab the Heart and leave without making a ruckus." Jade said.
"How'd you figure that out?" Taranee asked.
"Lucy guess." Jade shrugged.
"So, if this Valmont has stolen the Heart, let's find him and get it back." Caleb stated.
"Unfortunately, Caleb, it's not that simple." Tohru said. "Valmont is a very resourceful man and he is exceptional when it comes to hiding. He could be anywhere in the city."
"And Heatherfield is a pretty big town, so it's gonna be like looking for a needle in a haystack." Cornelia said.
"Perhaps I can help."
They all looked toward the main entrance of the restaurant to see Captain Black walk in with a bag over his shoulder. Caleb immediately took a combat stance.
"Who are you!?" He demanded, but Jackie and Jade quickly blocked his path.
"Whoa, hold on Rebel-Boy, he's a friend!" Jade told him.
"Caleb, this is Captain Black." Jackie began. "He's a personal friend of mine, and the head of Section 13, a law enforcement agency in our world." He turned to his friend. "Captain Black, this young man is Caleb, he is the leader of the rebellion in Meridian."
"A pleasure." Captain Black offered his hand for Caleb to shake, which he did.
"Same, and sorry about earlier."
"No harm done."
"Captain Black, sir, you said you could help us find the Heart?" Will asked.
"I think I may have a way." Captain Black responded before turning to the elderly woman, Yan Lin. "Is there any place private we could speak? These are rather classified files that I have."
"Yes, right this way." Yan Lin lead everyone into the basement so they could speak privately.
Everyone sat down at a table as Captain Black took out a file folder and handed Jackie a set of photographs showing multiple jade statues.
"Oh, I recognize these pieces, some of the finest pieces of Emperor's Jade ever to exist." Jackie said.
"Until they vanished." Captain Black said as Jackie put the photos down and several of the girls, even Uncle, looked at all the pictures.
"Wow, look at this stuff." Taranee said. "I've never seen jade this fine."
"Hmm, most impressive indeed." Uncle seemed to agree.
"Wow, didn't know I was so impressive." Jade smirked.
"I think they're talking about the stone, not you Jade." Irma pointed out.
Captain Black meanwhile continued to explain. "As you know Jackie, the collection of nearly a dozen Chinese Museums have been hit over the last decade; and the thefts have the same thing in common."
"No prints, no tracks, no suspects." Jackie stated.
"Until now." Captain Black placed a photo of an elderly Taiwanese man with a prosthetic hand made from jade. "Section 13 agents have been tracking the movements of Taiwanese billionaire Bartholomew Chang."
"I think I've heard of that guy." Cornelia said. "My dad read some newspapers about him. Isn't he some kind of big philanthropist?"
"What is a philanthropist?" Caleb asked.
"Basically, a rich guy who donates to charity and does other good things." Irma gave a crude summary.
"However, Chang is one of our primary suspects for all these thefts." Captain Black said.
"I would think so to." Tohru said. "I used to work for Valmont, and I have heard him making deals with Chang before, but I've never met the man face-to-face."
"So, he's like a billionaire who pretends to be a good guy but is really a bad guy? Sounds like a real kingpin of crime." Cornelia said.
"Hey uh, what happened to his hand?" Will asked looking at a photo of Chang that showed his jade prosthetic.
"Iron fist competition." Captain Black answered.
"What's that?" Hay Lin asked.
"You know those karate moves that let you slice through bricks with your hands?" Jade answered motioning her hand to chop through the table. It didn't take long for the five girls to put two-and-two together causing them all to wince.
"Ouch." Irma winced.
"However, we cannot make any moves to arrest Chang without absolute proof that he is behind all of this… OW!" Captain Black felt his forehead where Uncle dope slapped him.
"We are looking for Valmont not jade-thief!" Uncle exclaimed to Captain Black. "How is this supposed to lead us to Heart of Kandrakar?!"
"I'm quite certain that Captain Black was getting to that, Jin." Yan Lin calmed the elderly man down. "Please continue, Captain."
"Thank you." Captain Black nodded. "As you all know; Valmont and his Enforcers were previously based in San Francisco, but after stealing the Talismans, they went cross country, hitting multiple banks and museums along the way. Many of the artifacts stolen are made from Emperor's Jade as well."
It didn't take long to figure out where Captain Black was going.
"So, Valmont is going to try and sell this stuff to Chang?" Jade figured it out.
"That is indeed our assumption." Captain Black nodded. "We have also confirmed that Chang has landed in New York early this morning around 3am. However, we have since lost track of him. Odds are, he is here in Heatherfield trying to find and meet with Valmont. Wherever he is, I believe that this Heart of Kandrakar will be as well."
"Alright, so where do we find him?" Caleb asked.
"That is the problem." Captain Black said. "While we still believe that the Dark Hand is hiding somewhere in Heatherfield, we do not know where exactly. In addition, there are several more complications."
"What sort of complications?" Jackie asked.
"I do not like where this is going." Will gulped.
"Valmont may be hosting an auction soon, where he intends to sell the artifacts that he has stolen." Captain Black explained. "And it's not just Chang who will be attending." He pulled out three photos from his file. "Recently; three dangerous criminals have escaped from prison and we have managed to track them here, but we do not know where exactly they are. Jackie, I trust you've already met them."
He handed his friend the photos as Jackie's eyes widened and ha gave an audible gasp as he did recognize them all. One was an elderly bald man with a white beard and a red outfit; another was a tan-skinned woman with long blonde hair and a red trench coat; and the last one was a middle-aged Japanese man with black hair and a purple robe.
Jade looked over Jackie's shoulder and looked in surprise at the people in those photos. "Whoa."
The five Guardians all looked a bit confused. "Uh you gonna tell us what you're so surprised over or what?" Cornelia questioned.
Jackie put the photos on the table for the girls and everyone else to see "These people are very dangerous, and I would not recommend anybody facing them."
"Who are these people?" Caleb asked as they all looked at the photos.
"Dr. Ashby Necrosis." Captain Black began to list them all. "A mad scientist, also known as the Kingpin of Techno-crime. He has a proclivity for creating 'doomsday devices'. Vanessa Barone, an international mercenary and relic hunter who is more than skilled at hand-to-hand combat. And finally, Kuniko Kasahara, alias 'Origami', arguably the most dangerous of them all. He possess the ability to transform into living paper and shape is body into whatever form or weapon he chooses."
"Yeah but Jackie fought and put them all away before, this shouldn't be too hard." Jade said.
"Wait hold on; I get the mad scientist and treasure hunter, but a paper man?" Will asked. "That doesn't sound all that dangerous to me."
"Have you ever had a paper cut, Will?" Jackie asked, to which she nodded. "Well this man can make his paper-body sharp enough to cut through solid steel. So, you would be lucky if he did not cut off your limbs."
Will gulped, instantly regretting underestimating this Origami guy.
"So; basically, we got a crime lord with henchman armed to the teeth with magic Talismans, a billionaire bad guy obsessed with jade, a mad scientist, a treasure hunter, and a real-life super villain with magic powers?" Cornelia listed.
"Man, talk about a real Legion of Doom." Irma said.
"This will certainly be difficult." Tohru nodded.
"And without the Heart of Kandrakar we can't transform and use our powers. We're at a total disadvantage here!" Taranee exclaimed
"I know." Captain Black said as he walked up the stairs that led out of the basement. "Which is why I called in reinforcements who have dealt with this sort of thing before, whom I know that you are also familiar with Jackie."
Jackie looked in surprise as large grin formed on Jade's face as she knew who exactly Captain Black was talking about.
"Oh yes!" Jade smirked just as Captain Black opened the door to reveal three people who just joined the party. One was an attractive young woman with tan skin and long black hair wearing a dark grey cat-suit; another was a large man wearing a black and yellow wrestling outfit and a red mask with the insignia of a bull at the forehead, and right by his side was a boy around Jade's age with a green shirt, brown pants, and sandals.
Jade smiled to her friends "Guardians of the Veil, meet the J-Team! El Toro Fuerte, luchador wrestler extraordinaire! Viper, former super-thief and mistress of akido, karate, and krav maga; and El Toro's sidekick, Paco." She introduced the last one with less enthusiasm than the others.
"I am El Toro's protégé, Jade!" The young Mexican boy exclaimed.
"Wait… J-Team?" Taranee voiced in confusion.
"Uncle Jackie, you got your own team?!" Hay Lin beamed excitedly.
"Is that big guy a Mexican Wrestler?" Irma asked.
"Is she supposed to be Catwoman or something?" Cornelia questioned.
"Everyone, please calm down." Jackie began to explain to the girls. "These are personal friends of mine; as Jade has already introduced, El Toro Fuerte is a professional Mexican wrestler and Viper is a former thief turned security consoler."
"Hello senoras." El Toro bowed his head respectively. "A pleasure to meet you all."
"Likewise." Yan Lin bowed her head. "I've heard much about you as well from Jin's letters."
"So, these are the WITCH girls that Jade's told me about, huh?" Viper looked around with her usual grin on her face.
"Wait, Jade told you about us?" Will asked in surprise.
"We're pen pals." Viper patted the younger girl's head. "I'm also glad she's making more friends."
"So, these are some of your world's best warriors?" Caleb asked Tohru.
"They are more than capable of handling themselves and even have experience battling the Forces of Darkness alongside us." Tohru responded.
"Senor Black has informed us of the situation already." El Toro revealed. "We are to track the Dark Hand and retrieve this 'Heart of Kandrakar' as you call it before it sold to the hands of criminals."
"And kick plenty of bad guy butt doing it!" Jade exclaimed excitedly.
"Of course, it'll be El Toro who will be kicking the most butt, Jade." Paco told her.
"I think you mean Jackie." Jade argued.
"El Toro!"
"Jackie!"
"El Toro!"
"Jackie!"
"Um excuse me!" Taranee got everyone's attention. "This is great and all, but does anyone here have any idea how to find the bad guys?"
This caused everyone to look towards each other in confusion as very few had an idea where to start. "I already have Section 13 looking through satellite surveillance…. OW!" Captain Black felt his forehead where Uncle slapped him.
"Can your 'satellite surveillance' track magic? No!" Uncle exclaimed. "Uncle will devise locator spell!"
"Actually, I think I already have an idea." Jade walked to the corner of the room where a large trashcan was located before she kicked the can down and spilled its contents, including a certain Passling.
"Ah! Why wake Blunk up!? Blunk not steal anything!" The Passling known as Blunk wined.
"I didn't know toads grew so big in America." Paco pointed out as most of the group simply looked annoyed or unsurprised while Captain Black, Viper, and El Toro were just confused.
"Eh… what exactly is that supposed to be?" Viper pointed in minor disgust. "And why does it smell worse than fish guts?"
"This is Blunk." Jackie explained. "He is a creature from the realm of Meridian called a 'Passling'."
"And he can sniff out magic." Jade added.
"Which could lead us to the Heart of Kandrakar!" Will's eyes widened in realization with a smile. "Jade, you're a genius!"
"I know." Jade smirked with crossed arms.
"We must hurry!" Uncle exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. "While the Heart may be in Valmont's possession right now, it may only be a matter of time till the Forces of Darkness learn what has transpired as well."
However, while everyone in the large group began to discuss their plan; they all failed to notice that there was indeed someone listening on their conversation. Just outside the window of the basement, out near the sidewalk and close to the alleyway outside the building was another Passling that looked similar to Blunk, but quite different. He appeared to be somewhat bigger than Blunk, with a red shirt and black pants, grey skin, and long white hair off the side of his bald head.
This Passling snickered evilly once he heard this news. He had followed Blunk through a portal into Earth early this morning, hoping to find something worth selling, but never could he have imagined that the new Guardians would lose the Heart of Kandrakar. Oh, he was going to be handsomely rewarded for this. He went into the alleyway and turned one corner where a portal was still open, he jumped through and made his way back to Meridian.
Phobos' Castle – Throne Room
"The Guardians have lost the Heart of Kandrakar?!" Prince Phobos exclaimed in surprise as he stood up from his throne. Both Cedric, in his human form, and Daolon Wong were at the sides of his throne and looked with interest as well.
"Yes. Jeek heard everything." The Passling identified as Jeek answered as he bowed to Phobos. "Guardians get help from Earth warriors to find Heart. Heart in hands of man named Valmont."
Wong snickered. "Too loose the source of their own power so carelessly. These girls really are novices."
"And this Valmont character seeks to sell the Heart?" Cedric asked Jeek.
"Yes, yes, to other Earth criminals. But Guardians and Earth warriors want find it first!" Jeek stated.
"My prince, I can easily locate the Heart's power and bring it to you." Wong told Phobos.
"Perhaps it is best you simply tell me its location Wong, and I'll retrieve it personally." Cedric addressed the Dark Chi Wizard who glared at him.
"Only for you to fail? This requires precision, but blunt force." Wong replied as the two glared at one another.
"Enough!" Phobos exclaimed, ending their argument. "Cedric, Wong, you will both go to Earth. Purchase the Heart if you can, but if not, take it by force and bring it to me."
"Both of us, my liege?" Cedric asked, not liking the idea of working with Daolon Wong who didn't seem to keen on the idea himself.
"You are both my greatest assets, and even though the Guardians may be powerless right now, they will undoubtedly have the aid of Jackie Chan and his associates." Wong said. "I underestimated that warrior before, it will not happen again. You will work together!"
The two glanced at each other angrily before bowing. "As you wish." They both said simultaneously.
Phobos smirked. "Excellent work Jeek." He told the Passling as he took out a sack filled with jewels and gold. "Take your reward." He threw the sack at Jeek who caught it and snickered evilly.
Earth – Evening
Thanks to Blunk's ability to 'sniff' out magic, the combined group of heroes had managed to track the Heart of Kandrakar's location to a large warehouse located at the docs. Already, both Jackie and Viper we're on the move as they were both dressed in black and followed Blunk onto a rooftop of one warehouse. They ran quietly and jumped onto the next one over before climbing up a series of poles onto the largest building in the area before Blunk led them to a skylight.
"See! Blunk can smell! Blunk find Heart!" He pointed into the skylight where they could see Valmont standing on a makeshift stage alongside his four Enforcers.
"Huh, for some magic-alien-toad, he could give bloodhounds a run for their money." Viper commented.
"Good work Blunk." Jackie told the Passling as he reached into a small sack.
"Blunk lead Jackie to Heart, Jade promise Blunk something called doughnut."
"Right here handsome." Viper gave Blunk a pink doughnut which the he ate instantly just as Jackie pulled out a small hand-held camera.
"Mmmm, doughnut." Blunk moaned with a smile as he drooled like an animal.
"Captain Black, are you seeing this?" Jackie asked through a communications device as his camera turned on.
From within a large surveillance van just outside the docks; Captain Black had managed to get the video feed from the camera onto a screen.
"I got it Jackie." He said as Will, Jade, Taranee, Uncle, El Toro, Hay Lin, Paco, Cornelia, Tohru, and Caleb were all in the van that was thankfully large enough to contain all of them, though it was still a bit of a tight squeeze.
"Now I know what sardines feel like." Will said, feeling a bit cramped.
"Yeah, that's what we get for sharking space with a sumo and Mexican wrestler." Irma said.
"Sorry." El Toro apologized while Tohru offered an apologetic smile.
"Move over, I wanna see which bad guys showed up!" Jade tried to get in close to Captain Black along with Caleb and Paco to see the video screen of who was attending this auction.
All the people present were those whom Captain Black had previously identified along with some extra personnel. Bartholomew Chang sat on a chair accompanied by three body guards; two large men, one with orange hair and one with blonde hair, and a brown-skinned woman with dark brown hair and fat buns on the sides of her head; all three wore white karate outfits. Dr. Ashby Necrosis also sat on a chair with his loyal henchman Hoyle; a man with a long purple jacket and magenta scarf. Vanessa Barone sat by herself, guess she was so confident in her own skills that she didn't feel she needed a bodyguard. Origami was present as well, though he sat by himself, no need to explain why he didn't have any bodyguards. However, there were two additional people who sat near the back that caught everyone's attention.
"Wait, who's that?" Caleb pointed to the two mysterious personnel.
"Jackie, zoomed in on the far-left corner." Captain Black contacted through the communications device in his ear. The video feed zoomed in on the pair; though one appeared to be a tall man, he was unrecognizable due to the green hooded robe he wore, but Jade recognized the shorter, more elderly man that was next to him.
"Uh oh, Dark Wizard alert!" Jade exclaimed.
Uncle saw the feed and gasped. "Daolon Wong!"
Everyone else saw the video as well. "But who's that other guy with him?" Hay Lin asked. "Can't see his face."
"Maybe someone else working for Phobos?" Taranee assumed.
"My gut's telling me it's Cedric." Caleb glared.
"Who is Cedric?" El Toro asked.
"A giant snake man working for the bad guys." Cornelia answered.
"He doesn't look all that giant to me." Paco pointed out.
"Cedric is a shapeshifter." Tohru explained. "He can change in-between his monstrous form to that of a normal human. Though we have never seen his human-appearance before."
"Forces of Darkness know criminals have Heart of Kandrakar." Uncle stated.
"Well duh." Cornelia rolled her eyes.
"Everyone keep it down!" Captain Black told the group. "It's starting."
"Good evening everyone…" Valmont's began to speak
Warehouse
"… Thank you all for coming." Valmont spoke to the villains gathered, including the listening Jackie, Viper, and Blunk from the roof whom he didn't notice as his Enforcers brought out several large crates and boxes. "It feels so good to see so many familiar faces." He spoke, glancing towards Chang who nodded in his direction. "Even some new ones. Now, without further delay, let us begin."
From that point forward; Valmont began to show off many of the artifacts he 'procured' from the museums his Enforcers hit while making their way here from San Francisco. He presented pretty much everything from statues, to vases, to ancient jewelry, even several paintings. He sold nearly every artifact he presented at reasonable prices ranging from five hundred thousand at the lowest to one million at the highest so far. Origami had purchased most of the paintings, most notably those from the Far East; Necrosis appeared very selective about his acquisitions, mostly looking for something that he could either sell himself or incorporate into whatever doomsday device his deranged mind could conceive. Vanessa's purchases were mostly jewelry and gems, while Chang was also very selective, purchasing only what few Emperor's jade artifacts Valmont had with him. Wong and Cedric purchased nothing as they were here for one thing only.
"…Sold! To the lovely Vanessa Barone." Valmont had sold one golden necklace with an opal at the center as Finn handed her the necklace.
"Here's number to, if you're interested." Finn winked as he handed a piece of paper with his phone number the attractive woman before walking away. Vanessa merely rolled her eyes before throwing the paper away.
"And now, for the final piece of the night." Valmont began as Hak Foo presented a briefcase. "A very unique artifact, unlike anything seen in the world."
Everyone was listening to him; including Phobos and Cedric in the back, along with Jackie, Viper, and Blunk on the roof, and everyone else listening from the surveillance van outside as they all paid close attention as Valmont opened the brief case and pulled out the glowing crystal pendant known as the Heart of Kandrakar.
"This mysterious little gem may seem small, but I assure you, it has more value than all the treasures I have sold to you all tonight combined!" Valmont eagerly presented it to all the criminals and villains as listened with interest. "Its origin is unknown, but it is said to contain powerful and potent magic inside. While that may sound rather fantastic, I'm quite certain that nearly everyone present has seen plenty to make them all belief in the impossible. So, I will open the bidding at five hundred thousand dollars…!"
"Seven hundred thousand!" Vanessa immediately got on board, that treasure could help her to locate even more artifacts than ever thought possible.
"Nine hundred thousand!" Origami raised his hand, already thinking on using the power inside the pendant to increase his own.
"One million, two hundred thousand!" Dr. Necrosis stood up. Something like that could potentially power a hundred doomsday devices.
"One million, five hundred!" Origami challenged.
"Two million!" Vanessa exclaimed.
"Three million!" Dr. Necrosis bid even higher.
"We have in our possession, twenty pounds of gold and gems rarer than you would find anywhere in the world." Cedric finally spoke up as Wong held a large bag in his hand.
"Hold the bid!" Valmont paused the auction for a moment. "How much did you say?"
Hak Foo quickly did a jump from the stage all the way to the back of the room to take the bag from Wong before flipping back on stage. He opened the sack as Valmont and his Enforcers looked in shock at the shinny artifacts present.
"Whoa!" Finn exclaimed.
"It's so shinny…" Ratso smiled.
"That's a lot of treasure right there." Chow pointed out.
Valmont straightened himself out. "Yes well, twenty pounds of gold however is only worth just under five hundred thousand and we already have a bid that is six times the amount…"
"What if we offered a powerful magical artifact as well." Wong offered as he pulled out what appeared to be a crystal skull and levitated it towards Valmont who took it in his hands. "That skull will grant you powers unlike any human has ever had before. You would be unstoppable."
Valmont raised a skeptic eyebrow. "Is there a catch? Would I have to sell my soul or strike a deal with a demon to obtain this power?"
"Oh no, just a drop of your blood will do, and you will find yourself truly invincible." Cedric assured with an evil smile.
Valmont liked the idea. As long as he didn't have to deal with a sentient evil creature like before, he could handle another magical item of power in addition to the Talismans. "Very well. We have the bidding at twenty pounds of gold and diamonds, and this rare artifact. Going once, going twice…"
"Five billion dollars!"
Everyone, both hero and villain, in present and affair, found their eyes traced towards the man who just made the largest bid made tonight. Chang, who sat cross-legged and comfortably in his chair with a raised prosthetic-jade hand and a casual smile.
"Five billion bucks?!" Finn, Ratso, and Chow all exclaimed at the same time.
"Now that's a ton of dough!" Finn stated.
"What about that magic skull thing?" Ratso asked.
"We already possess the Talismans; such a thing is trivial." Hak Foo said.
"So, what's the plan boss?" Chow asked Valmont who stood up straight, considering the bid before making a decision.
"We have the bidding at five billion. Going once… going twice… sold! To the generous Mr. Chang. And with that, this auction has come to a close, I thank you all for coming." Valmont said as he slipped the crystal skull into his coat for safe keeping, he'd be taking it anyway.
While Chang smiled almost evilly, Cedric and Wong glared in his direction.
On the rooftop; Jackie, Viper, and Blunk had heard and seen everything they needed to. "Well, good to know that thing is worth so much." Viper tried to put in a little humor.
"We must retrieve the Heart as soon as possible before Wong or Cedric…" Jackie was about to say something, but Blunk pulled on his shirt.
"Wait! Pretty man has crystal skull! Crystal skull bad!" Blunk pointed to Valmont as he walked off the stage just as everyone was standing up and preparing to leave.
"You know what that thing is?" Viper asked Blunk in mild surprise.
"Yes." Blunk nodded. "Blunk seen bad wizard use skull on soldiers. Crystal skull make big armor, hurt rebels very bad."
Jackie looked in surprise before accessing his communications device. "Uncle, did hear that? The artifact Valmont has…"
"Aiya!" Uncle exclaimed over the earpiece, causing Jackie to wince. "Crystal skull not important! Heart of Kandrakar is! Chang may possess Heart now, but Cedric and Daolon Wong will try to take it by force. You must retrieve Heart before Forces of Darkness do! Go now!"
Chang was led to a limousine outside by his three bodyguards as he opened the brief case he held, the pink light from the Heart of Kandrakar shinning on his face and illuminating his evil smile. "This will do me great wonders."
However, before he could enter his limousine, the door was quickly closed by the sudden appearance by the hooded Cedric as he glared at the crime lord, while his three bodyguards stood at the ready.
"Can I help you?" Chang questioned.
"You have something that we desire, so we will be taking it." Cedric said.
"I purchased this fairly sir." Chang rebutted. "If you feel that is not just, perhaps you should have offered more than simple gold."
"Oh, but you misunderstand." Daolon Wong suddenly appeared behind him. "We are not asking." Right as he said that, Cedric's eyes became reptilian slits and he transformed dramatically into his hulking humanoid snake form; startling Chang as his guards surrounded him protectively.
"Gan! Ren! Chui!" Wong had summoned his Dark Chi Warriors who immediately leapt to dispatch Chang's guards. Gan punched the blonde man, Ren kicked the woman, and Chui lifted up the other man and threw him into the water off the docks with the rest of his guards just as Cedric had picked up the surprised Chang by the back of his shirt and pried the case containing the Heart of Kandrakar from his hands.
"At last!" Cedric hissed gleefully. "The Heart of Kandrakar is…" Suddenly the case was telekinetically pulled from Cedric's massive hand and straight towards Finn, courtesy of the Rooster Talisman as he stood with Valmont, Ratso, Chow, and Hak Foo.
"What's all this then?" Valmont questioned as Cedric casually tossed Chang over his shoulder and into the water.
"Uh… is that a giant snake or what?" Ratso pointed out.
"At this point, nothing surprises me anymore." Chow sighed.
"Mortal, you will give us the Heart of Kandrakar now!" Cedric warned.
"'Heart of Kandrakar', so that's what it's called." Valmont mused with an intrigued grin.
"You have no idea the power that holds." Wong stated. "Return it to us or suffer dire consequences." He warned as his Dark Chi Warriors drew their respective weapons and Cedric hissed.
"Oh, I have a dire consequence for you as well." Valmont sneered. "Boys?"
Finn shot a pair of heat-beam eyes while Chow blasted a stream of fire from his palm, curtesy of the Pig and Dragon Talismans respectively; each one hit Cedric hard and sent him crashing over the dock and into the river. Ratso suddenly zoomed over and delivered a quick sweeping punch to knock all three Dark Chi Warriors back; but Wong was able to shield himself with a wall of dark magic. The Dark Chi wizard looked in surprise.
"You possess the Talismans of Shendu!"
"Ah so you know of the Talismans, do you?" Valmont still had his smile as he held the briefcase in his hands. "Then I trust you know what will happen to you if you should try to steal from us." Suddenly however, a whip appeared and ensnared the handle of the box, snatching it from Valmont's hands much to his and his Enforcers' shock.
The whip belonged to Vanessa Barone as she grabbed the case for herself as she stood on a pile of crates. "Sorry love, but as they say, no honor among thieves…. AH!" She felt her shoulder as an elongated streak of paper sliced the side of her arm, forcing her to drop it where it fell into another elongated streak that recoiled and drew back to Origami.
"I believe that this artifact would be better suited in a vault as opposed to the grubby hands of an insolent treasure hunter." Origami sneered as Vanessa glared at him. However, Origami quickly folded his body into a thin sheet of paper to avoid some incoming razor-sharp cards thrown at him as the briefcase he was holding was pulled away by a magnetic force.
The case was then retrieved by Dr. Necrosis as he held a magnetic-device in his hand while his henchman Hoyle held his card-weapons in his hand. "Looks like you fellas lost this hand." Hoyle smirked
"You fools don't realize that this artifact contains great power. And what good is power if you don't use it?" Necrosis stated.
"Whoa, everyone's wanting that Heart-thing." Ratso voiced in surprise.
"Must really be something else." Chow stated.
Valmont growled and glared at each of the individuals who just tried to steal it from him; but everyone's attention was caught by Cedric who burst out from under the docks with a roar as Wong re-summoned his Dark Chi Warriors.
It was an intense stare-down as Valmont and his four Enforcers glared at everyone present; Wong held his glowing staff at the ready as his Dark Chi Warriors wielded their respective weapons while Cedric hissed. Vanessa cracked her whip, Origami's arms converted into paper-blades, Hoyle held his razor-sharp cards as Necrosis put on a gauntlet-like device. Even Chang pulled himself out of the river and onto the docks to glare at the villains all present.
After a minute of intense staring; it was on. "Attack!" Valmont and Wong ordered at the same time. Every villain present yelled as they all charged and clashed at each other. Hak Foo roared as he leapt into the air to deliver a flying kick to Cedric's face; Vanessa cracked her whip at Gan who parried it with his staff; Chui swung his hammer at Ratso who used the Rabbit Talisman's speed to zoom around it; Finn and Ratso fired eye-beams and combustion blasts respectively at Wong who shielded himself with dark magic, leaving them open for Ren to toss his shuriken weapon at the two Enforcers, forcing them to duck. Hoyle threw his razor cards at Origami who used his paper-arm blades to slice through and parry them while Necrosis used his gauntlet to fire a laser beam at Cedric who held Hak Foo by his foot to blast him back.
As chaos ensued all around the docks and outside of the warehouse; Jackie, Viper, and Blunk had slid down the side of the building and were a safe distance away.
"Well, so much for the stealth option." Viper commented.
"We should have Captain Black call Section 13 and gather reinforcements as soon as possible." Jackie said.
"Yeah, probably a good idea." Viper agreed.
"Uh… why Jade running to battle?" Blunk asked.
"What?!" Jackie questioned as he saw Blunk pointing towards Jade sneaking around a corner, close to Necrosis, who hadn't noticed her presence yet
Jade was so close to the case that Necrosis continued to hold but couldn't think of a way to get it without him noticing or drawing the attention of the other villains. That is until, she spotted a stray card from Hoyle lying on the ground. She smirked as she picked it up.
"Looks like I got a trump card." Jade whispered to herself as she tossed the card at Necrosis' leg, forcing him to fall to his knee and grab his scratch, while consequently dropping the brief case he held, which Jade was quick to snatch without anyone noticing before running back into the alleyway.
Jade had made it a safe distance away when both Jackie and Will came in from separate directions. "Jade, why'd you just vanish like that?!" The red-haired girl questioned, causing Jackie to look in surprise at Will's presence.
"Will!? What are you doing here?!"
"Jade just disappeared from the van so I went to find her and…" Will tried to explain.
"Talk later, right now, it's time to Guardian up." Jade opened the briefcase to reveal the Heart of Kandrakar, much to their surprise.
"You got the Heart!?" Will exclaimed.
Jade scoffed. "Like I was just gonna sit back and do nothing." She glanced behind her uncle and friend. "And it looks like the whole gang showed up."
Jackie and Will turned around to see their friends and allies; Tohru, Irma, Cornelia, Hay Lin, Taranee, Uncle, Viper, Captain Black, El Toro, and Caleb all gathered together, even Paco and Blunk we're all present.
Jade smirked. "Avengers Assemble. Will, will you do the honors?"
Will looked a bit unsure as she took the Heart in her hands, still reeling over how she lost it earlier, but Jackie put a hand on her shoulder as he smiled and nodded. This simple gesture was enough to renew her confidence as she smiled and said two simple words.
"Guardians Unite!"
With a bright flash of pink light; all the fighting among the villains came to a halt as they all looked in shock at the glowing light coming from the alleyway. When it subsided; all five Guardians of the Veil had transformed and hovered in the air above the eager J-Team as they glared at all the villains.
"This madness ends now!" Jackie declared.
"Yeah, what he said!" Irma exclaimed.
"The Guardians!" Wong and Cedric shouted in surprise at the same time.
"Chan!" Valmont, Vanessa, Origami, and Hak Foo all exclaimed.
"Agent Tag." Necrosis glared at Jackie, still mistaking him for his secret-agent-nemesis.
Chang saw how everyone was glaring at the combined group of the J-Team and WITCH and quickly took advantage of everyone's mutual hatred as he climbed onto his own limousine. "Destroy them!" He ordered as nearly every villain charged at the heroes who all charged in response as well.
As they clashed, Chang hopped off his limousine and opened the trunk to reveal a container which he opened to show an assortment of other prosthetic hands shaped into fists and open hands for various uses. He removed his jade-prosthetic and put on a black one that had blades coming out of its fingers.
Jackie and Will found themselves surrounded by all three Dark Chi Warriors, as well as Hoyle, while Tohru clashed with Cedric, locking hands as they pressed their own strength against one another. Irma flew and landed in front of Ratso who quickly used the Snake Talisman to turn invisible, much to her frustration before he quickly grabbed her in a bear-hug. El Toro found himself face-to-face with Origami who transformed his whole body to take the form of a paper-warrior, but El Toro stood his ground as he readied himself for Origami's onslaught of paper-blade attacks. Taranee backed up towards a wall and flew up to avoid a punch of super strength from Chow, who used the Ox Talisman before he tried to use the Dragon Talisman to shoot her down as Taranee responded with her own fire attack. Viper jumped and landed in front of Vanessa as the villainess cracked her whip and flailed it at Viper who cartwheeled back to avoid it while Vanessa went off in pursuit.
"Payback time!" Finn exclaimed as he flew with the Rooster Talisman and shot heat-beam eyes at Hay Lin who flew in the air to avoid them while Finn pursued her.
"Flying Dragon Corkscrew!" Hak Foo exclaimed as he jumped and spun his body with his arms outward for a spinning attack straight at Cornelia who flew in the air to avoid it as Caleb ran and charged him, but Hak Foo was ready. "Iron Gorilla Fist!" He threw a punch at Caleb who gasped as he couldn't avoid it and was sent flying and crashing into the crates.
"Oh, you're gonna pay for that!" Cornelia flew in and delivered a flying kick to Hak Foo's face to knock him down.
Captain Black had a gun pointed at a certain mad scientist. "Dr. Necrosis, you are under arrest."
"I think not, Captain." Necrosis fired a laser beam from his gauntlet at Captain Black, forcing him to roll out of the way as he fired his gun, but Necrosis' gauntlet activated an energy shield to block the bullets.
Daolon Wong glared at the battle, specifically the Guardians, Chan, and their allies who just arrived. It wasn't supposed to be like this, if it weren't for these fools, he and Cedric would already have the Heart; of course, Valmont and all the other criminals all had a hand in it as well with their own greed.
"I will destroy you all." Wong snarled.
"Hey Uh-gah-leee!"
Wong turned toward the furthest end of the docks to see Uncle glaring at him while holding his titular blowfish. Wong vanished in a puff of dark blue smoke before reappearing five feet in front of Uncle. They both glared at each other before they shot blasts of their respective Chi-Magic at one another, resulting in a beam-clash.
Meanwhile; Jade, Paco, and Blunk watched this large battle royal ensuing from a nearby alleyway. "Now this is a fight!" Jade exclaimed in joy as she motioned punches.
"For once Jade, I agree." Paco said. "I even got popcorn!" He brought out a bowl from seemingly out of nowhere.
"Oooh!" Blunk took a piece and ate it before Jade and Paco ate some of it as well while watching the show.
Will had flown Jackie back as they tried to avoid the flying cards, shuriken, and hammer tossed at them by the Dark Chi warriors and Hoyle before coming towards a small building.
"Will, put me down." Jackie told her, causing her to let him go and land on the ground where he picked up a steel pole, while Will took a chain off the wall just as the Dark Chi warriors were already on Jackie. He parried the pole against all three of their weapons while Will spun and flailed the chain like a whip to block the cards Hoyle threw in her direction.
Jackie paired his pole against Gan's staff before putting one end to the ground and using his feet to lock it down before striking Gan in the face with his pole; he ducked to avoid a toss of the shuriken by Ren but apparently didn't see Chui coming in from behind with his hammer, but Jackie noticed his large shadow and turned around to block the hammer in time, but the large hammer was able to bend the pole beyond recognition, but Jackie still used it to bend himself backwards to pull Chui down where he used his feet to push and kick Chui back into Ren and Gan and knock them down.
However, Jackie didn't have time to celebrate as he noticed Valmont trying to make a break for it. "Valmont is getting away!"
"Go, we can handle this!" Will told Jackie as she still used her chain to beat back Hoyle's cards. Jackie nodded and ran off after Valmont.
Will flew up into the air and was able to avoid the cards that Hoyle threw at her, she got close enough to try and flail the chain at him, but he rolled out of the way. "Pick a card, any card!" He used his magnetic gloves to shoot out an entire deck of cards that quickly surrounded Will and spun at a pace so rapidly that one could almost see electricity from friction generated by their intense speed. "Sorry sweetie, but I still have my ace up my sleeve."
Will rolled her eyes. "And I thought Hak Foo was annoying."
Hoyle laughed but was caught off guard by Jade who came flying in with a kick to his stomach to knock him down and lose control of the card-cage he kept Will trapped in. Hoyle got up and glared at Jade, but couldn't react in time to avoid Will's fist to his face, which was enough to knock him unconscious.
"Thanks Jade." Will said to her friend.
"No problem… Look out!" Jade warned Will in time as she moved out of the way from a slash of Chang's bladed prosthetic hand. He took a combative stance to show his bladed weapon as Will took her own Kung Fu stance that Jackie taught her and made a hand gesture to bring it on.
Valmont had managed to run out the backdoor of the warehouse and make it to a helicopter, which either Vanessa or Necrosis piloted to get here, but it didn't matter to him for it would serve as his escape route. However, Jackie suddenly leapt in front of him, blocking his path to the helicopter.
"Going somewhere, Valmont?" Jackie glared at him.
The crime lord glared at his nemesis briefly before he put on a casual smile. "Long time no see, Chan. I certainly didn't expect to see you here, or among fairies it would seem. These young ladies must be something truly special if you're associated with them. Tell me, what exactly is it that makes them so special? I doubt it's solely that 'Heat of Kandrakar' trinket everyone is so obsessed with."
"They are not your concern." Jackie told him. "The only thing you should be concerned with is which prison will you be locked up in."
"Well, if that's the case, then how about one last fight. For old time's sake." Valmont stood firmly as he held his cane and made his own combative stance. Jackie was the first to attack with a series of punches and kicks that Valmont blocked and paired with his cane and arms. Valmont responded with a punch, which Jackie avoided before delivering multiple kicks towards Jackie's chest to knock him back. But Jackie got back up with a flip to deliver a roundhouse and knock Valmont down.
However right as Valmont got up both he and Jackie backed away to avoid a certain large shuriken thrown in between them before it returned to the hands of the Dark Chi Warrior Gan who jumped in along with Ren and Chui and surrounded the pair.
"Perfect." Valmont said sarcastically. "More uninvited guests."
Back at the docs; Tohru continued to press against Cedric as they continued to grapple. But Cedric turned his body around to flail his tail at Tohru and send him crashing into a warehouse. Cedric approached a pile of debris, but Tohru's fist shot out of the pile into Cedric's face to stagger him back as Tohru stood up and picked up two large pieces of stone debris in his hands and ran at Cedric to punch his make-shift weapons into Cedric's body and face before raising his hands and sandwiching the rocks into Cedric's head; crushing the rocks, but also doing some damage to Cedric before Tohru ran and tackled him off the docks and into the water below.
Captain Black was forced to take cover behind some boxes to avoid the energy blasts of Necrosis' gauntlet. He tried to shoot back with his pistol, but the gauntlet's energy shield was able to block all the bullets. Captain Black took cover again as Necrosis retaliated. He searched inside his coat pocket for anything useful and happened to find a can of knock-out spray. Though he couldn't get close enough to actually use it, it did give him an idea. He threw it over the boxes, Necrosis shot it, thinking it was a weapon; but the blast spread the anesthetic gas over the area, also creating a smokescreen to blind Necrosis as the mad scientist coughed and covered his mouth wile closing his eyes. But this left him open for Captain Black to punch him in the face and knock him out just as the makeshift smokescreen began to vanish.
"Knock out spray, never leave Section 13 without it." Captain Black commented.
Viper reeled back to avoid a whip attack from Vanessa that seemed to snap and crack open a box. Viper was quick to grab a broken piece of wood and use it as a makeshift shield to block the whip, allowing her to move in closer and deliver a kick to Vanessa's hand, forcing her to let go of her own whip and shoving the wooden plank up into Vanessa's face, blinding her and letting Viper punch through the wood into Vanessa's face, dealing twice the damage and sending her siding back onto the ground unconscious.
"I win." Viper tossed her hair back.
El Toro was put at a distance to avoid the paper-lashes from Origami's arms. This was not good for El Toro, due to being a luchador, he was a close-distance fighter; but Origami had an advantage with long-distance. El Toro grunted in pain as a paper slash grazed his arm, causing a bleeding cut. He glanced behind him to see Taranee in a fire-clash with her own fire powers against Chow's Dragon Talisman. He quickly got an idea.
Taranee had landed on the ground to face Chow when she heard El Toro call her. "Senora!" She turned around to see El Toro running toward her. "Tag team!" He slapped her hand to exchange opponents as he ran and tackled the surprised Chow. Taranee turned around to see Origami and smiled as she figured out what El Toro was trying to do.
Origami lashed at Taranee with his extended paper arms, but Taranee flew in close and created a fireball in her hand. "Hey, you know what happens when paper meets fire, right?" She warned with a somewhat sinister grin; causing Origami's paper face to form into one of worry as Taranee approached him and he backed away out of fear of being burnt up to ash in seconds.
With fear fulling his body, Origami folded his own body into a paper-origami bird to take flight with Taranee flying after him as El Toro squared off against Chow. The wrestler pulled Chow into a bear-hug, but Chow used the strength from the Ox Talisman to not only break out of his grip but also lift El Toro's larger body into the air.
"Me strong like Ox!" Chow joked and insulted El Toro before throwing him all the way at a wall, causing it to crack from the impact.
Blunk and Paco winced as they saw that. "Mask man in trouble!" Blunk exclaimed.
"Yes, El Toro needs our help! Come on!" Paco grabbed Blunk's hand and ran toward the battle.
El Toro groaned as he picked himself up to face Chow once more as he pointed his palm with the Dragon Talisman, ready to blast him. El Toro took his titular wrestling stance, if he was going down, he was going down fighting!
"El Toro Fuerte!" The wrestler looked behind Chow to see Paco and Blunk holding a long rope, both the boy and passling pulled from opposite directions to stretch it out. El Toro smiled at his protégé's message before he ran at high-speed past Chow, much to his confusion. El Toro ran into the rope, turned his body around as it stretched back and he sling-shot himself at Chow and slammed his head into the surprised Chow to send him flying and crashing through several boxes near the warehouse.
El Toro laughed. "Good work Paco." He patted his protégé on the head. "You as well, Blunk."
Blunk laughed as he held the rope in his hand. "Trade mask for rope. Good deal, yes?"
"El Toro Fuerte never removes his mask." The wrestler said his code with pride, much to Blunk's dismay as Paco ran to Chow's unconscious body and picked up the Dragon, Ox, Monkey, and Rat Talismans.
Irma looked all over for the invisible Ratso. "Again? This is getting annoying!" She then pulled the water out from under the docks and began to spray it all over just like before, this exposed Ratso as his invisible form was covered with water; allowing Irma to come in with a punch and knock Ratso down. "I'll be taking these to." She reached into Ratso's coat and pulled out the Snake, Rabbit, Horse and Sheep Talismans. No way she was forgetting about all that again.
Will backed up to avoid the lashes of Chang's clawed prosthetic. Jade was quick to run to the open trunk of Chang's limo and saw the other prosthetic hands inside. "Will could use some helping hands." She turned to her friend who just ducked over a slash, before Will gave a spinning kick to knock Chang down.
"Will, catch!" She heard Jade call her name as she tossed her two prosthetic hands, one was a fist and the other was an open palm. Will looked curiously before a spoon popped out of the fist-prosthetic and a toothbrush out the other hand. Jade laughed nervously. "Always brush after soup?"
Will's eyelids lowered but was brought back to reality as Chang lashed at her with his claw again; but she used the spoon-hand to block and parry his claw before shoving the toothbrush into Chang's mouth. She pulled it out and looked in confusion as she just realized she could fly and had super strength.
"Oh, why do I even need these?" She told herself before throwing them away, she was able to clap her hands to catch a vertical strike from Chang's claw. He tried to pull away, but Will's grip was too strong. "By the way, Freddy Krueger called. He wants his weapon back!" She used her wings to hover in the air and spin her body, while consequently spinning Chang at a speed that seemed to look like Will was making a tornado before finally letting go and sending him flying and crashing into a large set of boxes.
"Nice one." Jade gave a friendly point to Jade.
"Thanks." Will smiled back but both looked in surprise to see Tohru trying to climb back up onto the docks from the water, but was suddenly pulled back in by Cedric.
"Tohru!" Jade exclaimed with worry.
"I got him!" Will immediately flew and dove into the water.
She swam as fast as she could to see Cedric holding Tohru in a strong grip with his arms and tail; the giant snake-man was trying to drown and squeeze him at the same time; but Will's own swimming talent, plus her enhanced physical abilities as a Guardian helped her to not only catch up to them at high speed but even deliver a punch to Cedric's face, forcing him to let go of Tohru. Will was quick to grab Tohru's hand and fly back up as fast as she could.
They made it to the surface as Will helped Tohru to catch his breath on the docks while Jade quickly ran up to him. "You okay?" Will asked her.
"I am…" Tohru said in between breaths. "Thank you, Will."
"No problem, it's what friends do." Will smiled, causing Tohru to smile back.
"Thank each other later! Snake guy's back!" Jade pointed to the water as Cedric emerged from it with a roar. He was about to lash out when Viper came in with a kick to his face before landing on her feet.
"Guys like you give snakes a bad name." Viper glared at Cedric who hissed in her direction before howling in pain as Captain Black came in with his pistol, shooting Cedric multiple times. Though the bullets did penetrate enough for the snake-man to bleed, it wasn't deep enough for any permanent damage.
He hissed with a glare as he faced Will, Tohru, Jade, Viper, and Captain Black; all of whom looked ready to fight him with everything he had. "Perhaps there are too many." He said to himself before diving back into the water for a strategic retreat.
"Yeah, get lost you cowardly snake!" Jade blew raspberries in the direction Cedric retreated. "Uh… no offense Viper."
"None taken."
Hay Lin continued to fly in the air as Finn continued to chase her, blasting eye beams the whole way. As she flew, she also noticed Taranee flying after Origami in a paper-bird form while the Fire Guardian threw blasts of her own element at Origami, which he was able to avoid. An idea popped into her head as she flew closer towards Taranee's chase.
"Hey Taranee, throw a bunch of flames at me!" Hay Lin called to her, causing the bespectacled girl to look in surprise.
"What?! You wanna get burned?!"
"Just do it! Trust me!" Hay Lin exclaimed. Taranee shrugged before generating a large cluster of flames in her hand which she launched at Hay Lin who began to spin her body and generate a powerful wind current that she created a large tornado around herself. The flames were pulled into the tornado and a flaming vortex began to form around Hay Lin.
Taranee saw where this was going and threw even more flames at the vortex; causing it to become much more powerful before Hay Lin exploded her arms out to send a large burst of flaming winds all around the sky; hitting Finn at full force and blasting him towards the docks while a wave grazed Origami's flying form, already causing his body to catch fire.
Origami screamed as he flew and dived straight towards the water to put out the flames. He popped out of the water in his humanoid form and could not access his powers while wet and only looked in fear as Taranee hovered triumphantly over him.
"Yeah, wet paper. It's a real drag isn't it?" Taranee teased as she grabbed Origami's wet paper body and began to crunch it up into a wet ball, much to Origami's dismay.
Finn hit the ground hard. His suit was charred a bit and he was covered in some minor burns while also semi-conscious. Hay Lin landed near his downed body. "Sorry, but since you're immortal you should live. Speaking of which, you won't be needing these anymore." She reached into his coat pocket to pull out the Rooster, Pig, Dog, and Tiger Talismans.
Cornelia used her earth-powers to telekinetically pull together multiple boxes to take the form of a large humanoid beast; similar to what she did with the wooden table back in Meridian, but on a larger scale. She motioned for the box-monster to try and punch Hak Foo but he leapt into the air to avoid the strike.
"Angry Crow takes flight!" Hak Foo took to the air and stuck out his foot to kick the 'head-box' off the box-monster, causing it to fall apart as he landed and struck Cornelia across the face to knock her down. He was about to come in again with another punch, but Caleb brought a crowbar up to block his fist as he smiled cockily at the Black Tiger.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you it's not nice to hit a lady?" Caleb used the crowbar like he would a sword to strike Hak Foo, but he blocked and parried with his fists alone.
"Octopus Fists of Fury!" Hak Foo unleashed a volley of rapid punches to knock the crowbar out of Caleb's hands and knock him down. "Guillotine kick!" He tried to bring his foot down, but Caleb moved out of the way just in time. "Gorilla snaps frail twig!"
"Um excuse me…" Cornelia tried to pull herself up, getting Hak Foo's attention. "But what was that last one…?"
"I said… Gorilla snaps…!" He didn't finish as this distracted him long enough for Cornelia to throw a large box at him and knock him back.
"You talk too much." Cornelia smirked as she brushed her hands off before offering Caleb a hand up, which he was quick to take with a smile.
The only fight still going on was Uncle who shot multiple Chi blasts from his blow-fish to counter the Dark Chi blasts from Daolon Wong who waved his staff to create a wave of his dark magic, which Uncle was able to cancel out with a wave of his own Chi magic. The two seemed to be evenly matched.
"For a novice, your skills are impressive." Daolon Wong granted. "However, you are a fool to think you can defeat me alone."
"Good thing Uncle is not alone." Uncle pointed behind Wong, who turned in surprise to see Caleb, Tohru, Viper, El Toro, Captain Black, even Jade and Paco glaring at him, with Blunk on top of Tohru's shoulder. They were joined in by Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin who hovered around him.
Wong growled as he knew he couldn't beat everyone present. "You may have won this battle, but the war has only just begun!" He waved his staff to create a dark blue smokescreen. When it vanished, Wong was gone.
"Man, I hate it when the bad guys pull a last minute get-away." Jade commented. However, none of them seem to notice Finn, Ratso, and Chow, were each enveloped by the same kind of spell by Daolon Wong and vanished when it disappeared.
"Well, at least we won, right?" Hay Lin voiced.
"Did you get all the Talismans?" Uncle asked, getting to the point.
Hay Lin, Irma, and El Toro showed that they each had four of the Talismans, bringing the total to Twelve.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve! Yep, we got all twelve!" Jade counted to see they were all there.
Before anyone else could celebrate, Will's eyes widened in realization when she realized someone was missing from their group. "Wait… where's Jackie?!"
Back at the helipad, both Jackie and even Valmont were put on the defensive from the Dark Chi Warriors they were still fighting, despite their master having fled the battle. Jackie dodged and ducked under Chui's hammer swings and Gan's staff-strikes. Valmont tried to parry his cane against Ren's bladed-weapon, but it easily cut through and grazed Valmont's chest; knocking him down and forcing the Crystal Skull that he had stored in his pocket to fall onto the ground.
Valmont felt his bleeding wound on his chest when he saw the skull, and his eyes widened when he looked at his palm to see there was some blood present. Didn't that hooded man say that blood was needed to activate this skull's power? With Gan looming over him and no time to think, Valmont placed his bloody palm onto the skull; causing it to glow a bright blue color. This glow caught Jackie's attention as well as all three Dark Chi Warriors.
The glow changed from a bright blue to a vibrant red color as the glow enveloped Valmont and he was suddenly engulfed by a bright flash of red light. When the glow subsided, Jackie gave an audible gasp at Valmont's new appearance.
He stood at least twelve feet tall with a large hulking appearance. His body appeared to have been completely enveloped in a large red skeleton made almost entirely out of energy with glowing purple crystal eyes. Inside the skeleton, Valmont's form was still normal except for a red aura around him, and he appeared to be controlling the skeleton-armor with his body inside. He bent his arms and fingers, and the skeleton armor did as well.
"Well, I'll be damned." Valmont chuckled evilly as he looked at his newfound stature. "I've never felt this kind of power since the Talismans! It appears it was wise to keep that skull."
The Dark Chi Warriors drew their weapons again as they leapt at Valmont, but his armored hands were able to catch Gan and Chui before smashing them into each other and causing them to vanish into smoke. He raised his hands and smashed both onto Ren, causing him to vanish into a puff of smoke as well.
"Well, I'd say that was a good warm up. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Chan?" Valmont cracked his armored knuckles as he approached Jackie menacingly.
"Bad day." Jackie uttered as he dodged a punch, which created a large crater on the ground. Jackie maneuvered under the juggernaut's legs and tried to get some distance but Valmont grabbed the helicopter and lifted into the air before throwing it at Jackie. He was able to barley dodge it as he fell to the ground and let it pass over him where it crashed and exploded in the warehouse.
Jackie was suddenly pinned underneath the foot of the armored giant as Valmont raised another fist. "Oh, how long I've waited for this! It's a shame though Chan, I'll truly miss our periodic get-togethers." However Valmont was blasted back by a large blast of fire; courtesy of Jade with the Dragon Talisman.
"Keep waiting, Valmont!" Jade exclaimed as she shot another blast at him. The Guardians joined in the fray as Taranee, Irma, and Hay Lin shot blasts of fire, water, and wind respectively to add with Jade's own fire power. Cornelia used her powers to pull large rocks out of the ground and telekinetically threw them at Valmont. Captain Black, El Toro, Tohru, and Viper even ran in as well while Uncle, Will, Caleb, Paco, and Blunk came to help up Jackie.
"Jackie, are you okay?" Will asked him.
"Yes, I am fine. Thank you"
"What the heck is that!?" Paco pointed in surprise at the giant glowing skeleton that Valmont was controlling as it waved its arms around to swipe back everyone surrounding and attacking it.
"Uncle, please tell me you've seen this before." Jackie hopped.
"No, Uncle has never seen glowing skeleton before." Uncle replied.
"I have." Caleb began. "I read about in a legend; the Armor of the Crystal Skull. Add a drop of your own blood to it, and it becomes a near unstoppable armor of solid magic that no normal weapons can destroy."
"Blunk seen Phobos place skull in vault in castle." Blunk said. "Never seen it use before."
"So, how do we stop it?" Jackie asked.
"The legend says, you can destroy the armor if the skull is removed. But it would take an immense amount of strength." Caleb said.
"Good thing. Ox Talisman of Strength, very handy." Uncle said as they saw everyone trying to fight.
Valmont waved his arms to shoo away the Guardians surrounding him. He heard El Toro giving is titular yell as well as Tohru yelling as they both ran towards him. Valmont raised both his arms to smash them, but El Toro caught his right fist with little effort, courtesy of the Ox Talisman he was using while Tohru used his own muscle but had much more trouble than El Toro. This let Valmont lift Tohru up and send him smacking into El Toro as well as Hay Lin and Taranee who were nearby; knocking them down.
Valmont felt several blasts on his back and turned to see Jade and Captain Black shooting blasts of fire and eyebeams as they each had the Dragon and Pig Talismans respectively. This only seemed to irritate him as he ran up to try and smash them back; but Viper had managed to climb on top with the Snake Talisman rendering her invisible. She reached into the rib cage in the back to try and pull Valmont out by the shirt. However, he was able to reach behind and grab her before throwing her at Cornelia and Irma, knocking them down as well.
"Insects! All of you!" Valmont exclaimed with evil glee. "Bow before the master of the Dark Hand, and the soon-to-be master of the world!"
"I think not, Valmont." Jackie called to him with a challenge.
"Chan, even now you still defy me?! Even after witnessing my power?!" Valmont exclaimed.
"Those who depend solely on power Valmont, find themselves defenseless without it." Jackie said in a wise tone.
"Spare me your fortune cookie nonsense. I will squash you once and for all!" Valmont ran after Jackie who lured him away from the group.
"Come on, we gotta help him!" Jade was about to run after him, but Uncle and Caleb stopped her.
"Jade wait, you're Uncle has a plan!" Caleb told her.
"But…" Jade tried to protest.
"Listen to rebel-boy, and trust Jackie." Uncle stated.
Will flew down and put an assuring hand on Jade's shoulder. "Don't worry, Jackie and I got this." She turned to a certain wrestler. "Hey El Toro, you still got the Ox Talisman on you?"
Jackie had managed to run, jump, and parkour over several boxes and through an alleyway to avoid the relentless onslaught of Valmont's strikes with his skeletal armor. He had made it back towards the dock where the fighting all took place and found himself with nowhere left to run and the water behind him as Valmont approached him menacingly.
"It would seem Chan that you have finally ran out of tricks." Valmont sneered.
Jackie however wasn't the least bit intimidated. "You're right Valmont. I may have ran out of tricks…"
"But I still got some!"
Will suddenly flew straight down and grabbed the skull-head of the armor.
"What?! Get off me at once!" Valmont tried to reach up, but Will had already began to pry the skull off. Her own strength as a Guardian alone was amazing enough, but with the power of the Ox Talisman, her physical strength had shot through the roof. With a powerful heave and a yell, Will was able to pull the skull off the armor; causing its glow to vanish as Valmont could already feel the power draining.
"NO!" He exclaimed as the red glowing bones around him, as well as the red aura surrounding his body, completely vanished before Valmont himself fell onto the ground; only to be confronted by Jackie with crossed arms and a smirking Will who held the Crystal Skull in her hand.
"You lose." Will smirked.
"You said you'd miss our 'get-togethers' Valmont, but I certainly won't." Jackie said. "But I'll be sure to visit you in your prison cell."
Valmont glared as he reached into his coat pocket. "Not today, Chan!" He quickly pulled out a black sphere which he threw into the air before it exploded in a flash of light; forcing Will and Jackie to shield their eyes and giving Valmont an opportunity to dive into the water and swim away.
The flash vanished, as did the crime lord who unleashed it. "What the?! Where'd he go?!" Will looked around. Jackie however could only sigh as a part of him expected this.
Less than five minutes later; multiple police units, including Section 13 units, all came in to make multiple arrests. Several boats also patrolled the water to find anyone that may have tried to swim away. Chang, all three of his bodyguards, Vanessa, Necrosis, and Hoyle had been led into a police-van in cuffs while Origami had been placed in a box of bullet-proof plexiglass that he couldn't cut as he was led into the van via a dolley-cart before the door closed and it drove off.
Captain Black spoke with some police officers and his own agents before turning and walking toward his own open van where Jackie, Will, Jade, Taranee, Cornelia, Viper, Uncle, Irma, Hay Lin, El Toro, Tohru, Caleb, and Paco all sat. The Guardians have since transformed into their human forms.
"Necrosis, Chang, Barone, and Origami have all been detained along with any henchman they brought." Captain Black told them. "However, we have combed the entire area. No sign of Valmont, his Enforcers, or that giant snake and the old wizard."
Jackie sighed. "Somehow I'm not too surprised."
"I can't speak for Valmont; but I'm assuming that Cedric and Wong have returned to Meridian by now." Caleb assumed.
"So, if the Dark Hand is still at large…" Will looked worried. "I mean, Valmont already knows where I live, since he stole the Heart…"
"Don't worry." Captain Black assured. "I've already assigned Section 13 to have all your homes under surveillance. If Valmont or his cronies even sneezes in your families' direction, we'll be there with a hanky and a pair of handcuffs."
That the five girls, as well as Jackie, to sigh with relief. "Thanks Captain Black." Taranee told him.
Captain Black nodded when he realized someone was missing. "Hey, where is that toad-thing?"
"Passling left in sewers." Uncle dismissed.
"Blunk probably returned to Meridian as well." Tohru guessed. "Or the nearest dumpster."
"Okay, Blunk aside, I'm still psyched out at you guys!" Irma turned to Viper and El Toro. "I mean seriously; you guys don't have any magic powers and you still kicked serious butt!"
"Oh man, the J-Team is so amazing!" Hay Lin exclaimed in joy. "I so can't wait for our next mission together!"
"Yeah, we could really use the help." Cornelia agreed.
Caleb also smiled and nodded. "I have to admit, between you and this Section 13, Earth doesn't seem to be short of impressive warriors."
Viper and El Toro both smiled. "Keep the compliments coming." Viper said almost smugly. "But not for much longer, we gotta go."
"Huh? You're leaving already?" Will looked in surprise.
"Si. I have a wrestling match in a few days." El Toro confirmed.
"And I have a job to get back to." Viper added. "But don't worry, next time you kids are in a pinch, Jade knows who to call." She gave Jade a wink, causing her to smile.
"Well Jade, El Toro may be the best…" Paco began.
"And Jackie may be better…" Jade continued.
"But WITCH and the J-Team are the greatest!" They both stated at the same time causing them to high-five; with laughs and smiles shared among everyone.
Meridian – Phobos' Throne Room
Cedric, in his humanoid form, and Daolon Wong had returned and bowed before the dark prince. "Prince Phobos, though it pains me to tell you, but we have failed to retrieve the Heart of Kandrakar."
Phobos glared. "How disappointing."
"However, my lord." Wong began. "We did manage to acquire something of a consolation prize." With a wave of his staff and plum of dark blue smoke; Finn, Ratso, and Chow had suddenly appeared and fell flat on the ground.
"Oh man…" Finn groaned with his friends as he stood up.
"Where are we?" Chow looked around in surprise.
"Looks like Count Dracula's place." Ratso stated.
"Who is this?" Phobos questioned; causing the three to look towards him in surprise, having just seen this person for the first time.
"They call themselves the Dark Hand." Cedric revealed. "They were the ones who stole the Heart of Kandrakar in the first place."
"And as they are of the Earthly realm, their knowledge could prove useful." Wong added.
"Yo, who's the kid?" Chow asked.
"Oh, I know! He's Dracula's kid!" Ratso raised his hand excitedly to give his answer.
"I am no child!" Phobos stated as he stood up and walked down the stairs from his throne. "I am Prince Phobos, ruler of the realm of Meridian! And as of now, the three of you serve me. Now, bow before your Prince!"
The three Enforcers looked to each other questionably before Finn glared at him. "Finn don't bow before no…!" Suddenly he and his friends were engulfed in a yellow glow, courtesy of Phobos' own magic as he forced them on their knees to bow their heads to him.
"As I said, I am your master now." The Dark Prince reminded firmly. "Though it pains me to ally myself with such lower men, your knowledge of Earth should help me in my quest. So you will assist me, or you will suffer!" Phobos generated a surge of lightning-like magic in his hand for dramatic effect; which was big enough to scare the Enforcers.
"Got it!" Chow straightened up out of fear.
"We're swinging to your beat!" Finn added, putting himself in the same posture.
"All hail Prince Phobos!" Ratso saluted him, even though that was the wrong gesture for this type of occasion.
Lightning flashed around Phobos' Castle in Meridian. Though he didn't get the Heart of Kandrakar, he may have found the tools necessary to help locate his sister and gain her power for himself. This was only the beginning.
Done!
Wow, this chapter turned out to be much larger than I thought; but then again, a lot has happened, and we had plenty of characters here.
So, J-WITCH has now officially met the J-Team and will count them and Section 13 as their allies in their battle against Phobos so that's good news.
The heroes have also managed to secure all twelve Talismans and even that Crystal Skull. (The Skull wasn't seen in either JCA or WITCH, it's my own original artifact; but don't expect to see it again anytime soon. It'll be placed in the vault in Section 13)
Bad news; Valmont managed to escape, and Hak Foo is going to be with him for the time being. So you can expect him to give Jackie and the girls some trouble as he'll act like a secondary antagonist with his own goals in mind.
Funny news; Phobos has forced Finn, Ratso, and Chow into his service. Though them helping him will be bad in the sense that it will help him to locate his sister; but it'll also be funny because… come on, it's Finn, Ratso, and Chow, they screw up in pretty much everything they do, and it is hilarious. LOL
So, once again, thank you all for your support and patience. Happy early Thanksgiving to you all!