Hello everyone, happy (late) Christmas! I hope you all have enjoyed the holiday as best as you could, given the trying times we all face. But while we can agree that 2020 was not the best year, let us take solace in the fact that it's almost over, and 2021 might be better, and hopefully we'll be over this pandemic (I know it's not going to happen overnight, but we are looking toward a brighter future with the vaccines starting to come out). If many of you didn't have as festive a time as you had hoped, hopefully this update to J-WITCH will raise your spirits a bit. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you all enjoy this story.
Black Magic
The Hanafuda Cards had shown the location for the fourth Oni Mask in North America's northern western region, at the base of the Cascade Mountains. Jackie, Caleb, and the six girls of J-WITCH, already in their respective Guardian forms had arrived at their destination, which was a large totem pole at the edge of a cliff that hung over a flowing river.
"Why do people make wooden poles of animal faces? Seems kinda weird." Caleb wondered as he looked at the totem pole alongside Jackie, Taranee, and Will; while Irma, Jade, Cornelia, and Hay Lin flew around it to try and find the Oni Mask.
"It's called a totem pole, and it usually depends on the type of tribe that designs it; but typically, they are meant to pay homage to the animal spirits they worship." Jackie explained.
"Spirits on Earth take the form of animals?" Caleb asked.
"According to certain mythologies." Taranee explained. "Other ancient societies even viewed animals as symbols of gods…"
"Hey, about a little less nerd talk, and a little more mask-seeking!" Cornelia urged as they continued to search the totem pole.
"We've already been over this Cornelia, Jackie's can't climb cause he's too fat." Jade joked, causing Hay Lin, Irma, and even Will to chuckle, while Jackie just rolled his eyes.
"I said I am too heavy to climb the totem pole without risk of damaging it, Jade." Jackie reminded her.
"Eh, same thing." Irma shrugged.
"Alright, that's enough." Will stated. "Let's find the mask and hopefully get out of here before it ends up on anyone's face this time."
"Found it!" Hay Lin beamed as she found a large green mask that had large dark yellow eyebrows and a beard of the same color with a set of fanged teeth and purple eyes. Hay Lin held up the Hanafuda Card showing the illustration of the mask to make sure. "And he looks just like his picture."
Suddenly, the trees behind the group all broke apart as the massive form of Cedric shot out of the forest, alongside Daolon Wong and Miranda in her spider-form. "And he shall look all the more menacing upon one of our faces!" Cedric hissed as the heroes turned around and prepared for battle.
"Gan! Ren! Chui! Zen!" Daolon Wong summoned his four Dark Chi Warriors. "You three shall fetch the mask!" Wong instructed Finn, Ratso, and Chow before addressing Hak Foo. "You shall assist us in finally eliminating this woeful Guardians!"
"As you wish." Hak Foo leapt into the air and straight toward the heroes. "Dragon Smashes Fairies!" He fell and slammed his fists onto the ground just as the heroes scattered to avoid the crushing impact that had already shaken up the entire area and sent the entire totem pole tipping over. It would have fallen into the river below had it not caught itself in-between the cliffside as well as the mountain on the other side.
Cedric roared as he shot straight towards Jackie, lashing out a series of powerful punches, which Jackie avoided by leaping backwards and up onto the branch of the nearest Evergreen tree; leaving Cedric open for Caleb to slice at his side with his katana, causing Cedric to roar in pain before Jackie leapt down from the tree branch to deliver a kick to Cedric's face and knock him down. Wong erected a dark magic shield to protect himself from the cyclone of wind shot by Hay Lin as well as the fireballs thrown by Taranee. Once the attacks subsided, Wong retaliated with blasts of dark chi from his scepter, which the girls where able to avoid easily enough.
Meanwhile Cornelia and Irma both came face-to-face with the Dark Chi Warrior of Hak Foo. "I've been told the powers of these masks… to summon legions of Shadowkhan that'll obey however the wearer commands! You will relinquish the mask to me so that I may become truly invincible!"
"Dude, you're already OP enough as an orange-boy, and you wanna get a demon mug for a face?" Irma questioned.
"Sorry, but you're more of a handful to us now and we're not eager for anything else!" Cornelia stated as she shot her hands to the ground to shoot a large rock-spike from the ground underneath Hak Foo and shot him into the air; but he quickly flipped mid-air and fell back to the ground reverse-superman style with his fist shot out; forcing Cornelia and Irma to fly and avoid the shot.
Jade was about to fly directly toward the Oni Mask, but she unfortunately got struck in the back by a strand of webbing from Miranda, who stuck to the trunk of a tree before she pulled Jade back toward the ground. As Miranda tried to shoot more webbibg at Jade to pin her further to the ground, Jade quickly created a dome of shadows over her body to protect herself before shooting out of it to land a solid punch at Miranda and knock her off the tree.
"You know, every spider I know shoots web out of its butt." Jade smirked to Miranda. "What does that say about your face?"
That did not sit well with Miranda. "Oh… you are in for a world of pain little Guardian!" She shot more webbing at Jade, who flew over the stream before flying down to land a kick at the giant spider-like shapeshifter.
As Finn, Ratso, and Chow tried to get closer toward the totem pole; Will landed in front of them, blocking their path.
"Look kiddo, make it easy on yourself." Chow told her.
"We just want the mask." Ratso added.
"Sorry, but you gotta get through me first." Will took a Kung Fu stance and would not budge an inch.
Meanwhile, Captain Black drove his van down the trail as fast as he could with Uncle in the passenger seat, while Tohru and Alchemy were in the back working on the mask-removal potion.
"Tohru, Alchemy, is mask-removal potion ready?" Uncle asked.
"We're working on it!" Alchemy answered as she tried to pour some green liquid from a vial into the one that Tohru held, but both of them shook in their seat as the van hit a literal bump in the road.
"So, what's the deal with these Oni Masks anyway?" Captain Black asked Uncle. "This is the fourth one you guys found, right?"
"You worry about driving; let Uncle worry about masks!"
Back at the sight, while her friends were busy fighting their respective opponents, Will seemed to be holding her own quite well against Finn, Ratso, and Chow; blocking and parrying each of their punches and kicks with relative ease. She ducked under Chow's kick and caught his foot by his ankle before using her Guardian-enhanced strength to spin and throw him into his friends and send them rolling across the ground, near where Jackie and Caleb continued to battle Cedric.
With the three out of the way for the moment, Will quickly flew over the totem-pole and pried off the mask before making her way back right as Jackie and Caleb were thrown on to her to knock all three down, close to the cliff; fortunately, Will still held the mask close as Cedric loomed over them.
"The mask, if you please?" Cedric hissed in a feign polite tone. However, before either of them could make a response or a gesture to fight back, the van driven by Captain Black rolled onto the scene, getting everyone's attention while also knocking down several trees, running over Finn, Ratso, and Chow, causing them to poof rather instantly before ramming directly into Cedric to send him rolling down.
However, the centripetal force from the sudden stop caused Tohru and Alchemy to accidentally spill their potion-contents onto Uncle from behind. "Aiya!"
"It… jostled!" Tohru quickly stated while Alchemy smiled apologetically.
Uncle gasped. "Ingredient for mask-removal spell was very rare!" He then dope-slapped Captain Black on his forehead.
"Ow!"
"Who told you to drive like hotshot?!" Uncle chastised before getting serious. "With no potion, we must ensure that no one wears mask!"
"Will do." Captain Black stated as he got of the van while the fights between the Guardians, Jackie, and Caleb against Wong, Hak Foo, Cedric, and Miranda resumed. Cedric had already gotten up and swiped his tail at Jackie and Caleb to knock them down while also back-handing Will, while she was airborne, to knock the mask out of her hands.
"Look out!" Hay Lin warned everyone as they all, including Captain Black, looked up to see the mask land directly on to the face of Captain Black himself.
"Captain Black!" Jackie exclaimed while everyone else looked in shock.
"Sorry! I should have said 'get out of the way'!" Hay Lin apologized.
Captain Black groaned as the mask molded itself around his head before merging with his face, right as Cedric shot at him.
"The mask is mine!" Cedric tried to quickly grab the mask before it stuck, but it was too late as the newly transformed Captain Black grabbed the large humanoid-snake by his wrist with little effort.
"Guess again, snake-boy." Oni-Black smirked. Cedric tried to lash out another punch, but Oni-Black quickly maneuvered under him and, with his newfound strength, was able to lift Cedric with both his hands, much to everyone's shock, before throwing him toward the cliff. Fortunately for Cedric, he was able to grab onto the totem-pole before he fell; unfortunately, however, it looked like it was about to break as it could not support his weight.
Miranda tried to shoot a strand of webbing at Oni-Black's right arm while Wong used his dark magic to encase his left arm. However, Oni-Black was far too strong for Miranda's webbing as he need only flex his muscle to snap it before quickly grabbing the strand and spinning around to slam her into Wong and send them flying onto the totem pole as well.
"Demon Battles Demon!" Hak Foo yelled as he tried to charge Oni-Black, but Oni-Black had already leapt over him to land behind, grab Hak Foo by his ponytail and fling him over his shoulder to send him also on to the totem pole.
When it looked like it was about to snap from the combined weight of all four villains, Oni-Black smirked. "Happy trials." He gave a finger salute as the totem pole snapped in half; causing Hak Foo, Cedric, Miranda, and Wong to scream as they fell into the river below.
"Whoa…" Irma breathed as all the heroes looked more than a little shocked.
"Oni-Black's got game." Jade said in equally amount of awe.
"Hopefully not the evil kind." Will gulped as Jackie cautiously approached him.
"Captain Black, are you… alright?" Jackie asked.
Oni-Black turned around with a smile. "Never better."
Down below, Wong had casted his dark magic to create a sphere of the same energy to pull himself, Cedric, Miranda, and Hak Foo out of the river before he froze a patch of it like a make-shift raft of ice to set himself and his cohorts down as Cedric and Miranda transformed back into their human forms.
"Well, that could have gone better." Miranda stated sarcastically.
"Another mask lost to us." Cedric growled in frustration. As he looked at the reflection of his face on the ice-patch, the reflection shifted to take the appearance of Tarakudo as the Oni-King appeared on the surface of the ice before hovering in the air above them.
"What happened this time?" Tarakudo questioned.
"The mask was within our reach!" Hak Foo exclaimed.
"However, it ended up on the face of one of the Guardians' allies." Wong added.
"Which one?" Tarakudo asked.
"The one called 'Black'." Cedric answered.
"As in Captain Black of Section 13?" Tarakudo asked again, causing all four to nod in confirmation. "Then we now have a man on the inside."
The heroes made it back to Section 13 as quickly as possible, but once they did, all the agents gave gasps of shock once they saw the transformed face of their leader.
"Whoa…"
"Captain Black…?!"
"You're face…!"
"Relax, it's only a mask." Oni-Black assured his agents.
"Does it… come off…?" One agent asked nervously.
"Why would I want it too?" Oni-Black replied before leaping up to the top of the nearest monitor, landing on one hand and performing pushups with just one hand, and his feet straight up.
While all the agents looked in shock; the group consisting of Jackie, Will, Jade, Irma, Hay Lin, Cornelia, Taranee, Uncle, Tohru, Alchemy, Caleb, and Yan Lin all looked with concern.
"Someone's got a lot of energy." Hay Lin observed.
"Not enough to summon his Shadowkhan, thank god." Taranee muttered.
"To be honest, freaky-demon looks aside, he doesn't seem all that different." Irma said.
"Because Captain Black's inherit goodness is keeping the dark forces within him at bay… for the moment." Uncle replied.
"How long until the mask begins to take control?" Jackie asked.
"Based on our research of the Oni, not long." Yan Lin explained. "The mask feeds off negative emotions, such as anger, fear, or even greed, which it in turn, amplifies in order to gain control over the host."
"These Oni-Masks are starting to sound more like parasites than anything else." Caleb stated with a look of clear disgust on his face.
"Yes, I suppose that is one way to describe." Tohru seemed to agree.
"So, we just whip up some more mask-removal spell and we're all good, right?" Cornelia asked.
"Eh… Tohru and I accidentally spilled the potion during the fight… and the ingredient is rare so…" Alchemy winced, causing everyone else to look in shock.
"We can't make more?!" Jade exclaimed.
"Calm down Jade." Tohru stated firmly. "Yes, we can make more potion. But we need to find the key ingredient very quickly."
"What is the ingredient anyway?" Will asked.
"Japanese seaweed." Uncle answered.
"Um… do we really have time to fly across the world and get seaweed?" Cornelia questioned.
"Or we can just pop by the nearest Japanese restaurant and see if they have some." Irma suggested.
"Don't worry about it, I've got plenty back at the Silver Dragon." Yan Lin revealed, much to everyone's surprise. "I'm trying my hands at a new dish, seeing if we can get more customers."
"Alright." Jackie nodded. "Uncle, Yan Lin, Tohru, Alchemy; the four of you will work to make more mask-removal potion. How long would you need to make it?"
"Not long." Tohru answered. "At least an hour or two."
"One more thing." Uncle pointed out. "While we are away, it is essential that Captain Black not learn the full extent of the mask's magic. He must not summon his Shadowkhan."
"Leave it to us." Will said as Uncle and his group left the base.
"So, what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Cornelia asked.
"Maybe play some board games or watch a movie?" Jade suggested.
"That might actually be a good idea." Taranee said. "If we keep Captain Black distracted, we might keep him from summoning his Shadowkhan."
"Alright, should be pretty easy." Irma said confidentially. Suddenly, an alarm sounded throughout the base, much to the group's surprise.
"Code Blue!" The agent at the console announced. "Three dozen citizens have been taken hostage at the docs!" With that, all available agents prepared to mobilize; but Oni-Black leapt from the monitor before landing in-between the agents and the exit.
"Take five, boys. I'll handle this one solo." Oni-Black was prepared to leave until Jackie stepped up.
"Uh… maybe that is not such a good idea." Jackie said.
"Why don't we come with you?" Will suggested. "If it's magic-related, you might need back-up."
"Thanks for the offer, but I can handle it." Oni-Black assured. "You heard the old-timer; magic must defeat magic. Let's see how the bad guys handle a little Black Magic." Oni-Black smirked before leaving, causing the group of eight to look with worry.
"So much for easy." Caleb muttered.
It didn't take long for Oni-Black to get to his destination; an abandoned warehouse, one he was easily able to enter by leaping all the way to the broken window on the third story. Unbeknownst to him, however; Jackie, Caleb, and the girls had followed him and hung around the corner as Will shined the Heart of Kandrakar over the map.
"Doesn't look like there's a portal here." Will reported.
"But that doesn't mean it's not Phobos or his goons." Caleb replied.
"Agreed, Tarakudo has proven to be able to cross the veil without a portal and bring some friends along for the ride." Jackie said.
"Which is why we're here." Jade stated. "We see the bad guys; we kick their butt before old 'Black Magic' accidentally summons some 'back up'."
"Easier said than done, Tarakudo's no picnic." Taranee said.
"Then let's find his royal pain in the butt before the Oni-Captain does." Irma stated as the group made their way to the warehouse.
"Help us…. Help us…" Captain Black heard a faint voice as he walked through the warehouse, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of trouble. "Help us… Help us…" He heard the call again coming from the other side of a nearby door, which he quickly opened, only to reveal it to be none other than Tarakudo faking the cry for help.
"Oh, Captain Black." The Oni King acknowledged. "We've never been formally introduced. I am Tarakudo, King of all Shadowkhan. You may bow."
"The only king I bow to is Elvis." Oni-Black replied, crossing his arms. "And I don't see you wearing blue suede shoes."
"And I don't see you wearing your mask at full throttle." Tarakudo replied as his whole body, or just his head, grow exponentially. "And I can help you unleash its true potential."
"No sale, helium-head." Oni-Black refused.
Tarakudo sighed in apparent disappointment. "Ah well, Plan B." His head shrunk to reveal Daolon Wong, Cedric, and Miranda, both shapeshifters in their human forms, as well as Hak Foo.
"You better cook up Plan C." Oni-Black said, not looking very impressed. "I already ate your goons for breakfast."
"I wouldn't be so certain." Daolon Wong readied his scepter while Hak Foo cracked his knuckles.
"Wait for it." Tarakudo muttered before using his psychic powers to pry a steel pipe from the ceiling and quickly ensnare Oni-Black.
"Too easy." Cedric smirked, but he and everyone else failed to realize that Jackie, the Guardians, and Caleb had all arrived on the other side of the room.
"Not yet." Tarakudo stopped them from attacking. "Now watch as the good captain gets in touch with his dark side."
"Uh oh… Will!" Jade exclaimed to her friend.
"Already on it!" Will had pulled out the Heart of Kandrakar and was about to say the magic words, but Oni-Black had already pulled out his communicator.
"This is Black! I need back-up! Now!"
However, that appeared to be all that was necessary for him to summon the tribe that was connected to his specific Oni-Mask as multiple shadows moved across the walls and ground and encircled the trapped Oni-Black before they emerged from the floor to take the shape of massive, twelve-feet tall, and overly muscular masked creatures with red eyes, clad completely in black save for their massive arms.
"Shadowkhan…" Jackie muttered as he, Caleb, and all the girls looked with wide-eyes and dropped jaws.
"Big ones…" Hay Lin squeaked in fear.
Oni-Black looked in mild confusion, but soon the massive Shadowkhan turned around to face the group of villains with a set of glares before stomping forward; prompting Wong, Cedric, and Miranda to step back. However, Hak Foo leapt forward to attack.
"Dragon Devours Ninja!" Hak Foo called out as he threw out a punch, but his fist was caught by the front most Shadowkhan before throwing him straight up through the ceiling and high into the sky.
"Holy crap…!" Irma exclaimed with widened eyes as her friends were more than a little surprised.
Oni-Black saw that he had control over these massive Shadowkhan as he took out his communicator. "Black here, cancel that back-up."
"Looks like he's got them under control." Caleb observed.
"Let's hope they stay that way." Will replied as the group ran onto the scene just as Tarakudo vanished, with the massive Shadowkhan freeing Oni-Black from his restraints, while also restraining Wong, Cedric, and Miranda who had already raised their hands to surrender.
"You have the right to remain busted!" Jade mocked the villainous trio as they were comically dragged off.
"Jackie." Oni-Black put his arm around the man's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me I could summon these shadow-guys? They're gnarly."
Jackie chuckled nervously. "Must have slipped my mind."
Meridian – Castle Throne Room.
"So, not only does yet another Oni Mask escape our grasp, but it ends up under control of one of Chan's allies… and three of my most powerful minions have been captured?!" Phobos exclaimed in anger as he stood up from his throne to face the hovering Tarakudo. "This is no different from when you tried to corrupt one of the Guardians' friends, only to have her become a Guardian in the process!"
"Calm down." Tarakudo told him in a calm, yet firm, tone. "This actually works in our favor."
"How? Explain it to me, Tarakudo!" Phobos demanded.
"You seem to think that those who wear the masks, become the masters of that specific tribe of Shadowkhan." Tarakudo began to explain. "But that is not truly the case. No, the real leaders of the tribes, are the Oni generals that are sealed within the masks. The wearer of said masks can control the Shadowkhan for a brief time, but once they summon their minions, the demon inside slowly begins to take over, feeding off the negative emotions of the wearer inside until their chi is completely corrupted; and the demon fully takes over." Phobos continued to listen as Tarakudo made his final remark. "You see Phobos, by summoning his Shadowkhan, Black has effectively sealed his promotion from captain to demon general. And that's not even the best part."
"Oh? And what is the best part?" Phobos questioned.
"Black is the head of Section 13, the facility where the other discovered Oni Masks are kept." Tarakudo answered. "Three uncovered masks, three tribes of Shadowkhan… and three captured allies." The Oni King finished with a smirk.
Phobos was able to catch on to Tarakudo's plan. "By bringing Wong, Cedric, and Miranda directly into Section 13, they'll gain the other masks, which will in turn give us control over four Shadowkhan tribes!" He chuckled. "Tarakudo, I apologize for my earlier outburst, this plan is brilliant."
"I have my moments." Tarakudo smiled.
Earth – Section 13
The entire base was filled with the massive Shadowkhan as they walked down the hallways, worked the consoles, and even cleaned up the bathrooms with mops. They accomplished each and every task with machine-like efficiency. Ordinally, such efficiency would be a good thing, if those that were working weren't minions of darkness. Seeing such a sight was rather chilling for Jackie, Caleb, and the girls.
"That's… a lot of Sumo Khan." Hay Lin observed.
"Sumo Khan?" Taranee questioned.
"Well just look at them!" Hay Lin stated. "They look more like sumo-wrestlers than ninjas!"
"Yeah, sumo wrestlers on steroids maybe!" Cornelia replied.
Irma had just hung up and put her cellphone away. "Okay, I just got off the phone with my dad… apparently, every police officer in Heatherfield has just been laid off."
"Every police officer?!" Jackie questioned.
"Everyone!" Irma confirmed. "From traffic cops to those fancy SWAT guys!"
"But why? And where are all the Section 13 Agents?" Will questioned.
"Mandatory leave of absence." Oni-Black answered as he walked onto the scene, now sporting a long black trench coat. "Meet the next generation of law enforcement, my friends."
"Uh Earth to Captain Black, their Shadowkhan!" Cornelia pointed out. "You know their bad news!"
"True, all the old Shadowkhan were a headache; but these are my ninjas, obeying my every command." Oni-Black replied. "Loyal, efficient, tireless… and the best part, completely expendable. I think you'd find it's a much better alternative than sending mortal humans into life-threatening situations. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. rebel leader?" He asked Caleb specifically. "Wouldn't you want an army like that? So, you wouldn't have to constantly send your friends on missions that would cost them their lives?"
"Maybe, if the power didn't come from an evil demon like Tarakudo!" Caleb stated.
"But like I said, these are my ninjas, not his." Oni-Black repeated. "Even as we speak, they're out there, cleaning the streets of scum." The group heard a cell door open from the brig. "Hey, we got another one."
"I just stole a wallet!" A random guy stated as a Sumo Khan thrown into the cell with several other people. "I'll give it right back! I promise!" He said in fear as the cell door was shut.
"Don't waste your time, fool." Wong told him as he, Cedric, and Miranda sat in their own cell.
"Good work, men." Oni-Black congratulated his Sumo Khan
"Um… what did all these people do?" Taranee asked.
"Thieves, pick-pockets, and other guys like that, but… it's what they didn't do that got them locked up." Oni-Black answered.
"I… uh… what?" Taranee asked in confusion along with her friends.
"They're not one of us." Oni-Black spoke in a whisper.
"How do you know?" Will asked nervously, getting a bad feeling where this was going.
"The mask tells me." Oni-Black continued to whisper. "It knows who's naughty and nice, it tells me who to punish."
Will, Jackie, Jade, Caleb, Irma, Hay Lin, Cornelia, and Taranee all tried to put on innocent smiles, doing their best to hide the obvious fear in Oni-Black's hidden message before he walked away.
"Where is Uncle?" Jackie asked in a hushed mutter.
Uncle's Rare Finds
"We're working as fast as we can, Cornelia." Alchemy was on the phone while Uncle, Tohru, and Yan Lin worked on the spell. "Turns out all this chi-magic stuff is a lot more complicated. Makes science class at school look like first grade spelling. Now I know how Harry Potter feels."
"Aiya! Too much seaweed!" Uncle exclaimed as the cauldron caught fire. "We needed three stands with eye of salmon!"
"Oooh, I hate fish." Tohru muttered while Yan Lin tried to put out the fire.
"I gotta go, just… just hold down the fort. We'll be there as soon as we can!" Alchemy hung up before running into the back to help out.
Cornelia just got off the phone. "Spell's not ready yet." She said as Jackie locked the door to the training dojo so that the team could speak in private.
"If the mask keeps 'talking' to Captain Black, who knows what it'll tell him next!" Jackie stated.
"Talk about having a voice in your head." Irma said.
"We have to keep Black and his Shadowkhan from leaving Section 13 until that spell is ready." Caleb said.
"Those Sumo Khan are like brick walls." Taranee said. "They threw the super-charged Hak Foo around like a rag doll. Will our powers even work against them?"
"Every type of Shadowkhan we've faced is vulnerable." Will stated. "I'm sure these guys are too."
"So, we keep Captain Black in Section 13 till Uncle gets back." Hay Lin said. "I mean, if we just keep him distracted, maybe pretend we're on his side or something…"
"I got a bad feeling he's probably listening more to that Oni voice in his head than with us." Jade said.
"Well, what's the worst that can happen?" Cornelia asked. The group was silent for a second before they all came to the same realization with horrified gasps.
"The other Oni Masks!" They all shouted simultaneously.
Caleb smacked his hand against his forehead as he grunted in frustration. "So that was Tarakudo's plan! Turn Captain Black against us so that he can personally deliver him and Phobos the Oni Masks that we've already captured!"
"So, let's get the masks and get out of here until Uncle has that spell ready." Will said.
"Easier said than done." Jackie replied. "Section 13 is crawling with his Shadowkhan 'police'. We must act like nothing is wrong."
Jade suddenly got a chill. "Guys…" She glanced at a shadow underneath the desk, with everyone looking in that direction before they all saw a pair of red eyes before they vanished into the darkness. Each of their faces paled as they realized that their entire conversation had been eavesdropped.
"Bad day…" Taranee gulped.
Knowing they had to move quickly; the group of eight quickly and quietly made their way toward the vault. However, as they rounded one corner, Jackie and most of the girls gave gasps while Jade and Caleb slid back around the corner leaving Jackie, Will, Irma, Hay Lin, Taranee, and Cornelia to face Oni-Black and a group of Sumo Khan.
"And where are you folks going?" Oni-Black questioned.
"Um… nowhere in particular." Will said nervously, trying to come up with a lie.
"Just going to get some fresh air…" Cornelia also lied.
"We're actually going out for lunch. You want anything?" Hay Lin added. "Pizza? Chinese?"
"Hmm, or maybe to… the vault?" Oni-Black questioned further as he walked closer, causing the group to back up, only to back into a set of Sumo-Khan that emerged from the shadows in the ground to block their path, not noticing Jade and Caleb hiding around the corner.
"What? No. Of course not. Why would we do that?" Irma tried to feign innocence, but Oni-Black wasn't falling for it.
"Jackie, Jackie, Jackie." Oni-Black shook his head in disappointment. "I thought I could trust you, I thought we were friends."
"We are friends!" Jackie stated, getting serious. "That is why you must listen to me! The mask is turning you into one of Tarakudo's generals! You must resist it!" As he grabbed Oni-Black by his jacket, he quickly snatched the keycard to the vault before sneaking it to Irma, who passed it to Cornelia, who discreetly threw it back around the corner into the hands of Jade, right before she and Caleb both nodding to each other before running to the vault.
"Jackie's right, Captain. The mask is evil! It's parasite corrupting you!" Will added.
"It's like one of those Alien Facehugger things… only you don't have a monster bursting out of your chest." Irma quickly said.
"Look, the point is, you're not yourself!" Taranee told him. "You have to let us help you!"
"Nonsense." Oni-Black stated. "The mask lets me see things clearly, like how all of you want to betray me!"
"We're trying to help you!" Hay Lin pleaded.
"You got a freaking demon talking in your brain! That is not normal!" Cornelia exclaimed.
However, Oni-Black didn't seem keen on listening. "It seems that I was wrong. You're not one of us, so…" He quickly grabbed Will by the shoulders and snatched the Heart of Kandrakar from her before throwing her back into a Sumo Khan which wrapped its arms around her like a bear-hug, just like the others. "I'll be holding onto this, while you go join the others." Oni-Black said as he put the Heart of Kandrakar away while the struggling heroes were dragged away against their will.
"Please! Listen to me! Not to the mask!" Jackie pleaded as they were all dragged off. However, as Oni-Black put the Heart away, he noticed that the keycard was also missing, just as he noticed two other individuals were missing from the group. He then growled upon realizing he had been tricked.
"Come on, open up!" Jade muttered as she slid the card in the lock, opening the vault door for her and Caleb, while incidentally setting off the alarm.
"Oh Jade!" They heard Oni-Black call to them as the pair ran into the vault. "Don't go and make Captain Black mad! Black, a fine name, the color of darkness." He said to himself as he and a trio of Sumo Khan marched to the vault, which Caleb promptly closed.
"That should hold them, but now we're trapped here!" Caleb stated.
"It won't hold them at all, haven't you been paying attention?!" Jade exclaimed to him as a set of shadows slid through the cracks around the vault door before surrounding the duo as the three Sumo Khan from outside solidified around them. "They're shadows! Duh!"
"Oh… right…" Caleb muttered, mentally kicking himself for forgetting that before quickly drawing his katana and swinging it at the nearest Sumo Khan, only for it to grab the blade in-between its fingers before flinging Caleb over him to slam him against the wall while another one opened the vault door from the inside and allowing Oni-Black to step in.
"You weren't planning on stealing my masks, now were you Jade?" Oni-Black asked in near sadistic fashion as the Sumo Khan trio plucked the three Oni Masks from the wall as Jade helped Caleb to his feet.
"And how do you plan to use these masks?" Caleb questioned as the Sumo-Khan trio melted back into the ground with the masks. "You only have one face!"
"But three partners in darkness, itching for a make-over." Oni-Black responded, referring to Cedric, Miranda, and Wong in lock-up.
"The Captain Black I know would never do that!" Jade exclaimed as Oni-Black was about to walk out, but briefly turned around.
"The Captain Black you know, is on permanent vacation." Oni-Black said with a low growl.
However, that gave Jade an idea as she set her eyes on the Talismans, specifically the one with a tiger on it. "Well, he's about to catch the next flight back!"
Jade quickly snatched the Tiger Talisman and aimed it at Oni-Black, blasting him with a beam of white energy which began to split him into two halves; the good half who didn't wear the Oni-Mask, and the bad half who did.
The good Captain fell to the ground near Caleb and Jade as they checked to see if he was alright. "You used the Tiger Talisman to split his good and dark side apart?" Caleb asked before a smirk fell on his face. "I gotta admit, I'm impressed."
Captain Black groaned a bit as he regained his senses. "Haven't been feeling quite myself."
"Your other self isn't quite yourself either." Jade pointed to Black's 'evil' twin, who still bore the Oni-Mask.
"Whoa nelly!" Captain Black exclaimed upon seeing his corrupted half.
"So, you've gone and yanked my Yin from my Yang." Oni-Black said with an evil smile before leaving. "Feels like a burden's been lifted." He closed the door behind him, trapping the three.
"Great, you freed Black's good side, but now we're all trapped!" Caleb stated in frustration. "And his dark half has the masks!"
"Well…" Good Black reached into his pocket to pull out a certain Jewel. "We got this." He showed the Heart of Kandrakar, much to the duo's surprise. "This thing is good magic, right? Must have got stuck with my good side when you used the Tiger Talisman to separate us."
"And all we gotta do is give it to Will, and it's butt-kicking time! J-WITCH style!" Jade said enthusiastically.
"Great plan, but how are we gonna get out here to pull it off?" Caleb questioned.
"Uh, hello?!" Jade pointed to the other Talismans as if the answer was obvious.
With a single punch, Good Black sent the vault door flying. "Hey, the power of an ox in my pinky." He said with a smirk as he wielded the Ox Talisman. Jade meanwhile held both the Heart of Kandrakar as well as the Snake and Pig Talismans, while Caleb carried the Rabbit and Dragon Talismans.
"Jackie and the girls are all behind bars…." Jade began.
"Tohru, Alchemy, and the old people are working on the potion…" Caleb continued.
"So, it's up to us." Jade smirked.
"Let's go kick my ass." Good Black said as they moved out.
Meanwhile, as Jackie, Will, Cornelia, Taranee, Hay Lin, and Irma were trapped in a cell; Cedric, Wong, and Miranda were in the one across from them as the supposed-girl smirked at the heroes.
"It's quite sad really." Miranda began. "First Elyon, then Jade almost loses it, now your precious Captain Black has turned against you. At some point you have to asks yourselves, is it them? Or is it us?"
"Keep talking, my foot's gonna end up where your mouth is!" Cornelia growled.
However, Oni-Black appeared on the scene with a duo of Sumo Khan. "Folks, I come bearing gifts." He said as he and his Sumo Khan presented the three Oni Masks, much to the heroes' shock and the villains' delight.
"Excellent." Cedric hissed, his eyes turning into slits.
"All according to plan." Miranda smirked.
"No!" Jackie exclaimed as he and the girls tried desperately to pull their cell door opened.
"At last, the reign of darkness begins." Wong lulled as he, Cedric, and Miranda held out their hands. However, right before the masks could be given, a blur shot past them to swipe the masks, much to their shock, which was revealed to be Caleb with the Rabbit Talisman, as well as the masks in hand.
"Looks like this reign just came to an end." Caleb smirked.
"Catch him!" Oni-Black ordered.
"I'd like to see you try." Caleb challenged as he used the Rabbit Talisman to zoom away, leaving all the Sumo Khan in the area to meld into the shadows in the floor and give pursuit.
Oni-Black was about to give pursuit as well, only for an invisible force to trip his feet and knock him to the ground. "Now you see me…" Jade revealed herself before slamming a bucket onto Oni-Black's head. "Now you're seeing stars."
Good Black then walked up to the cell containing Jackie and the girls before he used his Ox-powered strength to pry the cell door off its hinges. "Looks like you folks made bail."
"Captain Black?!" Most of them all exclaimed in shock.
"But how… aren't you…?" Taranee looked toward the downed Oni-Black to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
"Tiger Talisman." Good Black gave a brief answer. "Brought out the best in me. And Will…" He took out the Heart of Kandrakar from his pocket. "I think this is yours." He threw it toward the aforementioned redhead, who caught it with a smirk of her own.
"Let's get this show on the road. Guardians Unite!" In a bright flash; Will, Jade, Irma, Hay Lin, Taranee, and Cornelia underwent their titular transformation from normal girls into the full-fledged Guardians of J-WITCH. With that, Jackie and Good Black ran out of the brig with the six Guardians flying right behind them.
As Oni-Black regained his senses, pulling the bucket off his face, Cedric had transformed into his massive snake form to break out of the cell, allowing himself, the transformed Miranda, and Daolon Wong to step out as well. "Get up!" Cedric ordered Oni-Black as he pulled him up by his coat. "Do not allow those fools to escape!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, did you forget who's base this is?" Oni-Black said in a low growl as a group of Sumo Khan emerged from the floors and walls around the group, much to the villainous trio's surprise. Oni-Black then pulled himself from Cedric's grip and sent down on the ground. "Now, you three are going to help me get my base under control and retrieve my masks, or I'll snap your necks right here!" He stated as one Sumo Khan cracked its knuckles for emphasis.
Wong gulped as he, Miranda, and even Cedric looked more than a little nervous. "Of course,…" Wong said in a somewhat humble, yet frightened tone. "You shall have our assistance."
"That's more like it." Oni-Black sneered.
Caleb ran all throughout the hallways of Section 13 with the Rabbit Talisman, keeping the three masks in his possession and out of that of the villains, with the Sumo Khan giving pursuit in shadow-form across the floor. However, two Sumo Khan emerged from the floor to block his way, but Caleb showed no signs of slowing down.
"I don't think so." Caleb ran alongside the wall as he drew his katana, moving at super speeds that he easily decapitated the Sumo Khan, causing it to vanish in a puff of smoke, right as he aimed the Dragon Talisman and blasted the second one to obliterate it before resuming his run with other Sumo Khan still in pursuit.
Meanwhile, J-WITCH, as well as Jackie and Good Black were in Section 13's main control room where they found themselves surrounded by multiple Sumo Khan as well as Miranda, and Cedric.
"Get them!" Cedric ordered as they went on the attack, forcing the heroes to scatter.
"Will, catch!" Jade threw her the Pig Talisman, which Will caught and blasted a pair of heat-beam eyes point-blank at a Sumo Khan, causing it to vanish before she flew down to blast several more. Jade, meanwhile, conjured a whip-like weapon made of shadow-magic, which she used to ensnare a Sumo Khan around its neck before she flew behind it and used her own strength as a Guardian to tug and pull down the Sumo Khan over the edge and onto a second, causing them both to vanish.
Taranee threw a series of fireballs at one Sumo-Khan to keep it at bay, but didn't seem to notice a Sumo Khan emerge from the ground behind her, which grabbed her in the form of a bear-hug. "Bad move, pal." Taranee stated as she generated fire around her body, which she then exploded outward to blast back and vaporize the Sumo Khan that held her, before trapping the one in front of her in a literal cage of fire, which she brought closer to it, until she burnt it alive, causing it to disintegrate as well.
Cornelia shot her hand to the floor and created a series of roots plant tendrils from the ground, which ensared two Sumo Khan together, but she didn't stop as she tightened the bindings around them, until they were so tight, the Sumo Khan vaporized. However, Cornelia's feet got stuck to the ground, courtesy of Miranda who crawled on the wall next to her.
"Now you're trapped, and helpless." Miranda sneered as more Sumo Khan appeared to surround the Earth Guardian.
"You sure about that?" Cornelia said with a smirk as she used her earth magic to pull herself from the floor, carrying two slabs of the ground that were still stuck to her feet via webbing and quickly flew to the shocked Miranda to deliver a roundhouse kick to her face, shattering the slab of ground attached to her foot, and knock her down. "How'd that foot taste?" Cornelia mocked before flying down to another Sumo Khan and slamming the other slab of ground on her other foot onto its face to knock it down as well.
Jackie, meanwhile, found himself being chased by Cedric and two Sumo Khan, but Jackie ran toward a steel support beam and ran up the beam before leaping to deliver a kick to Cedric's face and land behind him. As the two Sumo Khan attempted to ambush him, Jackie pulled on Cedric's tail to trip up one and send it crashing into the other. But Jackie didn't have time to celebrate as Cedric was already back up, forcing Jackie to retreat as Cedric roared and went on the attack again.
At the same time, Good Black used his enhanced strength to lift up one Sumo Khan and threw it at the wall to destroy it. "I'm as strong as every one of you bruisers." Good Black challenged as he found himself surrounded by five additional Sumo Khan. Though he was more than willing to fight back, Hay Lin suddenly flew in and picked him up by the shoulders.
"Go for it, Irma!" Hay Lin called to her.
Irma used her control over water to pull out streams of it from the sprinklers in the ceiling to completely soak and drench the five Sumo Khan. "Time to cool em off, Hay Lin!" Irma called back to her friend, who inhaled and blew a cold burst of air to completely freeze all five Sumo Khan solid.
"You're up, Captain." Hay Lin dropped him back in the middle of the frozen Sumo Khan. Catching on to their plan, Good Black smirked as he used his super strength to deliver solid punches to each Sumo Khan and shatter them.
"Nice job, girls." Good Black gave them a thumbs up. "But we're not done yet." He told them as Irma and Hay Lin flew down to join him in facing a new trio of Sumo Khan.
As the Water and Air Guardians dealt with the Sumo Khan, Good Black was about to aid them until he heard a familiar voice call to him.
"Oh, Captain Black!" He directed his attention to Oni-Black, who stood at the top of the railing in dramatic fashion on an upper level before jumping down to meet his good counterpart. "I don't think Section 13 is big enough for the both of us."
"Then I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave." Good Black accepted the challenge as they leapt at each other, grappling and pressing their strength against one another.
At the same time, as Will fired more heat-beams from her eyes, she came back-to-back with Jade, who wielded a pair of dual shadow-whips in her hands, which she snapped to keep the approaching Sumo Khan at bay; but it wasn't long before they were both surrounded by at least six of the massive Shadowkhan.
"Hurry Uncle." They both muttered at the same time.
Outside
Uncle led Tohru, Alchemy, and Yan Lin to Section 13's secret entrance, the phone booth. "Quickly, we must enter base!" Uncle stated as he held a vial of the completed mask-removal potion.
"Um… I don't know if it's going to fit all of us." Alchemy winced, glancing at the small phone boot, and the large man next to her, who chuckled nervously.
"No time! We must get potion to Captain Black, now!" Uncle urged as he pulled Alchemy in.
Yan Lin glanced up to Tohru. "Just think thin." She told him as she got into the phone booth as well.
"Think thin, think thin, think thin." Tohru said repeatedly as he attempted to squeeze into the phone booth, which was almost completely full with Yan Lin, Uncle, and Tohru already inside. Fortunately, he was able to squeeze himself in completely before the booth was pulled underground and into the base.
"AIYA!" Uncle exclaimed as they were pulled down.
Back inside, Caleb continued to run with the Rabbit Talisman's speed to keep the three Oni Masks in his possession out of the wrong hands, using his katana and Dragon Talisman to slice and/or blast down any Shadowkhan that attempted to stop him, almost like a meteorite with blades. However, Daolon Wong appeared at one end of the hallway to cast a dark chi spell on the floor, causing it to liquify before Caleb ran on to it. When he hit the liquid floor, Caleb immediately lost traction, tripped and dropped all three masks on the ground.
"Ah, thank you young rebel." Daolon Wong was about to reach and grab the masks.
"No!" Caleb immediately brandished the Dragon Talisman to blast Wong back with a point-blank fire blast. However, that did not stop a Sumo Khan from emerging from the ground behind him and picking him up by his foot, forcing him to drop the Rabbit and Dragon Talismans as well while another one arrived to pick up the masks.
Back in the control room, Good Black and Oni-Black continued to duke it out, exchanging punch after punch, blocking and parrying each of their strikes; but it seemed the pair were evenly matched. Good Black's strength was enhanced by the Ox Talisman, but the strength provided by the Oni-Mask gave his Yang counterpart an equal edge.
Good Black threw out a punch, which Oni-Black blocked and parried before reaching out to grab him, but Good Black grabbed him by the wrists and wrestled with him. However, a fist belonging to a Sumo Khan emerged from the ground to trip up Good Black and knock him down, allowing Oni-Black to pin him to the floor, causing Good Black to drop the Ox Talisman and loose his super strength.
"Weakling." Oni-Black spat in disgust.
Jackie, who had managed to knock down Cedric, saw the predicament his friend was in and was about to rush in and help, but a Sumo Khan emerged from the ground in front of him to grab and hold him in the form of a bear-hug.
"Jackie!" Jade exclaimed as she flew in alongside Will, with the later about to shoot more heat-beams from her eyes, but a pair of Sumo Khan emerged from the ceiling and dropped down to land on both Guardians, crashing them to the floor and knocking the wind out of them.
The other Guardians weren't faring much better as Cornelia threw one large piece of the floor at one Sumo Khan to destroy it, but another one appeared behind her to grab her as well. Irma and Hay Lin were in a similar predicament as they came back-to-back, only to be literally squeezed together by three Sumo Khan that tried to sandwich them together.
"Think I found… my least favorite sandwich…" Irma muttered as she and Hay Lin were both trapped.
Taranee appeared to be the only one left as she prepared to blast more fire, only for her hands to be suddenly webbed together by Miranda, who hung over her via a web. She then shot more webbing down to begin binding and cocooning Taranee from the neck-down to restrain her and allowing a Sumo Khan to get a hold of her without being burnt.
Oni-Black smirked behind at seeing Jackie and all the Guardians being subdued before looking down at Good Black, who attempted to leap up and grab him, only for Oni-Black to leap up even higher and land a solid kick on his face, knocking Good Black down to the ground as blood oozed from his noose and mouth.
"I'm embarrassed that we're even related." Oni-Black said in disappointment before he noticed Daolon Wong and two Sumo Khan enter the control room; one keeping a firm hold on Caleb, while the other held the other three Oni-Masks. "Ah, my masks."
Good Black groaned as he attempted to pick himself up. "Psst." A certain someone got his attention as he handed Good Black the vial of mask-removal potion, which Good Black took with a smile. This person was none other than Tohru, who had his backside stuck in a dislodged phone booth, with Uncle, Yan Lin, and Alchemy stuck inside as well.
"Jackie!" Uncle called, getting everyone's attention, hero and villain alike. "I told you! Do not allow Captain Black to summon Shadowkhan!"
"Captain Black doesn't live here anymore, old man." Oni-Black smirked.
However, Good Black stood up behind him, his hands glowing with good magic as he had a smirk of his own. "Guess again, sparky!" He then decked his Oni-half across the face to knock him down, allowing Good Black to pin him to the ground and try to remove the mask.
"Stop him!" Wong ordered as he, Cedric, and Miranda attempted to stop Good Black, but it was already too late. Good Black had managed to yank the Oni-Mask off the face of his counterpart, causing all the Sumo Khan to vanish.
Cedric, Wong, and Miranda stopped in their tracks as they found all the heroes, even Taranee whom Jade was able to cut free with a shadow-blade, all glaring down at them, taking either a martial art stance or readying their respective elemental power.
"Get out of my base." Good Black said with a glare at the villainous trio. Daolon Wong snarled as he waved his scepter, casting a plum of dark smoke around himself and his shapeshifting associates before they all vanished.
The other half of Black groaned as he picked himself up when Good Black walked toward him. "Look, I know we've been at each other's throats but… friends?" He offered his hand to shake, which the other Black accepted just as Good Black let the Tiger Talisman slip down from his sleeve. The second their hands made contact, both halves merged together into the one and only Captain Augustus Black.
As the Guardians, Jackie, and Caleb collected the other three Oni Masks, Captain Black walked up to them. "Girls, you may want to add this to your collection." He handed them the green Oni Mask, which Jade was quick to take.
"Good to have you back, Captain Black." Will smiled and nodded.
"It's good to be good." Black nodded with a smile as well.
"And we're all glad, but we could use a little help right now!" Yan Lin called out to them as she, Uncle, and Alchemy were still stuck inside the dislodged phonebooth, which was still stuck to Tohru's backside.
"We must find phonebooth removal potion!" Uncle stated.
"Tohru, please tell me you didn't eat any beans today." Alchemy hoped as Tohru merely groaned in minor annoyance.
Done.
So that chapter was a lot of fun. I know that compared to some of the other Oni-Mask missions, this one seems like a near carbon copy of the cannon one, but this was one of my favorites and I felt like it didn't need that much changing. I personally had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you all had as much fun reading it.
Merry late Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you! I'll see you soon with the next update. Until then, stay safe and warm out there. 2020 is almost over, and hopefully the pandemic will end soon as well.