Hello all Storm here with a new chapter! Now before we start I just wanna say this chapter… this chapter is rather depressing and sad partway, which you'll understand once you get to that part, all I can say is I hope you'll read the entire chapter through and read the AN at the bottom. So, without further ado.
I own nothing
Standing in the courtyard, Akane and the Enforcers were awaiting Shendu to show up, so they can go to the next demon portal. It wasn't long until the Dragon showed up along with, to Akane's surprise, Bai Tza floating beside him.
"Why is she coming?" Akane asked, having thought the Water Demon would want to stay in the Black Lake and continue bringing the aquatic creatures under her control.
"She wishes to see the release of our brother and ensure that nothing goes wrong. Now let's go, we have a plane to catch." Shendu said, with the Enforcers and Akane looking at him in confusion, given all the other times they've traveled, he always just used the Rooster and Rabbit Talismans to get there.
So, to hear that they were taking a plane was confusing.
"Uh, you sure that's a good idea, considering we might be spotted on camera." Akane said, while motioning to herself and the Enforcers.
While she might be a known variable, since she's sure that at least one camera saw her in San Francisco and in Rome, the Enforcers were well known and that could alert those that are trying to stop Shendu. It seemed kind of strange that Shendu would risk them being seen on airport security and someone coming after them.
Shendu merely smirked, having his own agenda besides freeing another of his siblings. He knew taking a plane to the next portal was a risk and would no doubt draw Jackie Chan to them, and that's exactly what the Demon Sorcerer wanted.
It was time he finally rid himself of that human once and for all.
*Timeskip-Two Days*
After a two-day flight to Pamplona the group consisting of Akane, the Enforcers, Shendu, and Bai Tza, the latter two back in their true forms after they had left the city, and now stood outside an empty building.
The Pan'ku Box glowed in Akane's hands before floating into the air, and like what happened with Bai Tza's portal, a beam of energy shot out and transforms the doors lock into the symbol before the box flew into it. Immediately a portal opened up and Akane's eyes widened the giant demon that came out, looking like a mix between a stone lion and a minotaur.
'This is a new one.' Akane thought in amazement.
"So good to see out and about Dai Gui." Shendu said while smirking, as Dai Gui looked at Shendu in shock at seeing him in his true form again
When Bai Tza and Hsi Yu had told their siblings about Shendu managing to escape the Netherworld to free them, they never mentioned the fact he could regain his body. They'd all just assumed they cast a spell to bind Shendu to a human host he possesses as leverage to make sure he does free them.
"What's the matter brother, you look like you've seen a ghost." Shendu said, while looking down at Dai Gui, as with his true form, the only one that'd be able to tower over Shendu is his sister Po Kong.
Growling, Dai Gui refrained from attacking; as at his full power, Shendu is the strongest out of all of them. Even with his brutish nature, Dai Gui knew it'd be a fight he would lose.
Looking around, Dai Gui scowled when he saw the flowers.
"Too many flowers, Dai Gui does not like pretty." Dai Gui growled before smashing the flowers, the symbol of the immortal that sealed him.
Bai Tza chose that moment to reveal herself, surprising Dai Gui that she's already freed.
"Greetings burliest of brothers, it's good see another of our family freed." Bai Tza said, with Dai Gui merely grunting, still annoyed that Shendu's power was back.
"My kingdom is submerged beneath the earth." Dai Gui said, before looking at the Enforcers and Akane.
"Don't just stand there, start digging!" Growled Dai Gui, believing they were brought here to help raise his kingdom.
"All in due time brother. For now, if you would take on a human form, we will help you get refamiliarized with the world. And with three of our family's strongest being free once more, we will also be dealing with some humans that Shendu believes would be potential threats to us." Bai Tza said, getting Dai Gui's attention and interest, especially hearing of these individuals that Shendu believed could threaten them.
"Very well, Dai Gui is interested to find out about these…humans that could threaten us." Dai Gui said, before shrinking down into a human form.
Dai Gui now had the appearance of a tanned muscular man with a buzzcut, a goatee, burgundy eyes, wearing clothing similar to what he wore in his demon form. Shendu and Bai Tza also transformed into their human forms as well.
"Let's go." Shendu ordered, while smirking darkly.
Now it was just a matter of time before Jackie Chan shows up, hopefully with the rest of his annoying allies, so that he could kill them all at once.
'After all, vengeance truly is the most satisfying thing in the world.' Shendu thought, while imagining all the different ways to kill Jackie Chan.
*Timeskip-Three Days*
Exiting the plane, Jackie sighed in relief that they have finally arrived in Pamplona. With him was Uncle, who had brought a large amount of ingredients with him to use in various types of Chi Spells, given they didn't know just what they were walking into. Thanks to Section 13's resources and contacts, they had discovered that the Enforcers, and the girl that was seen with them, had been sighted in Pamplona. Which can only mean Shendu was here as well.
Looking at Uncle, Jackie couldn't help but wonder out loud.
"It's strange, they were first spotted in Rome, but left before we could secure a trip. Now they're here in Pamplona, with two new additions, who I'm guessing is Shendu in human form and possibly another demon. Uncle, what do you think Shendu is up to and why he's staying here longer than in Rome?" Jackie asked, still worried about what it is Shendu is planning.
"Uncle does not know, Uncle did not have time to do proper research to understand Shendu's motives. Having only stayed in Rome for a day and now staying here for a few days, it's very likely we are walking right into a trap." Uncle said, as knowing Shendu's grudge against Jackie, the dragon would want to kill them both, but will be smart about it this time.
His words did nothing to ease Jackie's nerves.
"Then we have to be on guard at all times, who knows what Shendu has in store for us." Jackie said.
"Don't worry, we've been hairy situations before and got out them easy. This'll be a piece of cake." Said an all too familiar voice that made both adults sigh in resignation.
Looking over with deadpan expressions, they saw Jade had once again followed them, wearing her usual cheeky grin.
*Later*
"Ah come on, why am I being placed in solitary confinement?" Jade asked with a pout, as Jackie watched over her while Uncle was moving around the room chanting.
He was placing locking spells over any and all possible locations Jade could sneak out of; windows, doors, vents, anything big enough for Jade to get through and escape out of had a spell placed on it. This time, Jackie couldn't risk Jade following after them like all the other times, this time there was real danger.
Sighing solemnly, Jackie knelt down and placed his hands on Jade's shoulders, with the girl not liking the look on her uncle's face.
"Jade, things are going to be even more dangerous here than ever before, more so than any other time, including when first Shendu returned. This time… there's a chance me and Uncle might not come back." Jackie said, with Jade looking at him in shock and horror.
"Bu-bu-but that can't happen! You managed to beat the Enforcers plenty of times, along with anyone else, you even beat Shendu and you can do it again! And you have Uncle with you! There's no way that overgrown gecko could beat the both of you!" Jade said as her idolization for Jackie came out in full force.
Hearing this, Jackie smiled sadly, while Jade could sometimes get on his nerves with her antics, he did love her and even enjoyed it whenever she spoke so highly of him, seeing him as a hero. And knew if anything happened to him and Uncle, it'd devastate her.
"Jade, despite what you think, I'm not invincible. I'm still a human, who has gotten lucky with most of the things I've done." Jackie said, knowing that while he's a skilled martial artist, he was still only human.
"Then let me come with you, I helped defeat Shendu before to and even sent him back to wherever he came from!" Jade said, refusing to stay here and do nothing, especially if something bad could actually happen to Jackie and Uncle.
Uncle, meanwhile, had finished placing a spell on the room itself, ensuring no Shadowkhan or any other of Shendu's minions could get in, should this indeed be his and Jackie's last day.
"And that is exactly why you cannot come Jade. Shendu was overconfident and didn't expect you to jump in and help Jackie. This time, he will be watching for you to arrive and will deal with you as well. In fact, Shendu might hold a bigger grudge against you than with Jackie, as it was you who destroyed his physical body with his own Dragon Talisman." Uncle said, shooting down Jade's argument.
The girl couldn't refute the logic and sat down on the bed, while looking down sadly at the fact that she couldn't help.
Uncle and Jackie prepared to leave the room, with Jackie looking at his niece.
"I already called Captain Black and Tohru, letting them know that you are here and to come get you should…should anything happen." Jackie said with a solemn expression and tone.
While he could accept that he might die today, that didn't mean he wasn't terrified at the prospect.
Closing the door, Uncle casted one last locking spell on it before they both left, leaving Jade in the room alone.
"Please come back." Jade whispered sadly.
*Later*
"I swear, I know Pamplona is famous for something, but I can't remember." Ratso said, as the Enforcers and Akane walked down a street.
Ratso had been trying to remember for the past two hours what Pamplona was famous for, with each of his suggestions being shot down by the others.
Akane, meanwhile, looked up at Hak Foo with a knowing look.
"You do realize we've been followed for a while now, right." Akane stated, with Hak Foo grunting in response.
"Yes, you know what to do." Said Hak Foo, with Akane nodding.
"Well, while you try and figure out what this place is famous for; I'm going to look for Shendu and ask when we can leave." Akane said, while giving them a short wave.
"Piñata's!" Ratso said, believing that's what Pamplona was famous for.
"That's Mexico, you idiot." Hak Foo replied.
Walking away, Akane traveled to one of the bad parts of town, with her wand in her hand, in case she runs into any unsavory characters. Though soon she arrived at an abandoned lot and sighed in resignation, knowing what's coming next.
"You can come out now, I know you're following me!" Akane called out.
Jackie and Uncle revealed themselves and looked at the girl in confusion, still not knowing why she was helping Shendu.
"So, you're the famous Jackie Chan. Shendu talks about you, mostly about all the different ways to kill you." Akane said.
"Why are you helping him? Is he forcing you to help or controlling you?" Jackie asked.
Akane looked down, wondering if she should tell them, but then shrugged, not seeing the harm in them knowing.
"My name is Akane Uzumaki, I was a student at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, a First Year. I'm what's known as a muggleborn, someone with magic born to parents without magic. I was excited and intrigued to learn everything I could about this new world that was opened up to me, but it was my curiosity that got me into this. It was about halfway through my first year that an older student had left a book on Teleportation Magic out in the library. I saw it, and I was just curious enough to want to try it myself. I picked a simple enough spell to teleport me to a chosen location, but something, I don't know what, went wrong and rather than going to my designated location, I ended up in the Netherworld where I met Shendu. Originally, he planned to kill me, but something else happened that bound us together, making me his Familiar, since then I've been helping him, even if I don't want to." Akane explained, with Jackie and Uncle looking at her shocked to hear everything she just said, but they also felt sad that this happened to her.
"Come with us, we can help you and find a way to free you from Shendu." Jackie offered, with Uncle nodding while in deep thought, since it could potentially take months or even years, but they could eventually severe the bond.
Akane smiled sadly at their offer, and part of her was tempted to take it. But Akane knew, even if by some stroke of luck she was freed from Shendu, she might as well throw herself off a cliff. After everything Shendu has done in the Magical World, what she helped him do, she would become someone hated and hunted by witches and wizards everywhere. She'd be lucky if a lifetime sentence to Azkaban would be all she gets. The only thing that kept her safe and alive was the fact Shendu needed her safe and alive.
Like she told Potter, she's accepted what's happened, and is still in one piece because of it.
"Better the devil you know than the ones you don't. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that this has to happen, but no one can stop him anymore." Akane said with a sad and apologetic smile.
Immediately, the Chan duo were surrounded by Shadowkhan with weapons drawn, then immediately lifted into the air while Shendu, Bai Tza, and Dai Gui, appeared in their demon forms, having been invisible with the Snake Talisman.
"I believe the humans nowadays would say, this was overkill brother." Bai Tza said as she crossed her arms, while Shendu just scoffed.
"I made the mistake of underestimating these humans before, I refuse to take any chances with them again." Shendu said as he walked up to them with a sadistic gleam in his eyes, while both Uncle and Jackie kept a neutral expression, knowing what was coming next.
"We meet again for the last time, Jackie Chan. Before I kill you both, out of all the mortals that have opposed me, you are among the ones that I hate most; and it's for that reason I'll tell you both now, before your deaths. When I'm done, this world will be ours once more and I hope they remember you, as examples of what happens to those that cross me!" Shendu roared, before unleashing the power of the Pig Talisman.
With a single blast, Shendu looked at the scattered ashes of the only people that stood a chance of stopping him.
Snapping his fingers, Shendu sent the Shadowkhan back to the Shadow Realm while he, Bai Tza, and Dai Gui assumed their human forms again.
"Now what?" Akane asked, not feeling horrified or scared at seeing Shendu kill the two, now she just felt numb.
"Now we'll stay here for another day, before returning to Hogwarts, along with making plans to stop by San Francisco and collect the Chi Wizards archives as spoils of war." Shendu said with a smirk, while feeling better than he has been in centuries.
"Why are we staying here?" Asked Akane.
"So that idiot Ratso will finally shut up about what Pamplona is famous for." Said Shendu, knowing they'll soon learn what Pamplona is famous for.
*Meanwhile*
The Enforcers continued walking down the streets of Pamplona, before noticing a group of people running pass them
"So that's what Pamplona is famous for!" Ratso said in excitement, before his expression turned to dread as he looked over his shoulder.
Behind them was a stampeding heard of bulls, as he and the rest of the Enforcers look on in fear.
"The running of the bulls." Ratso muttered in resignation, before they took of screaming in hopes to outrun their horned pursuers; or at least find a place to duck for cover.
So, what did you think, good. Yeah…I killed Jackie Chan and Uncle…well before any lynch mobs are formed allow to explain why. When I first had this idea I knew that I'd have to do something with Jackie and Uncle, given Shendu was going to triumph this time around, and along with how I've written Shendu as being more pragmatic and taking care of any and all potential threats against him, the more I realized the only option was to kill them, as Shendu wasn't going to take them prisoner and risk them escaping or being freed. So yeah, I had to kill them off. So, review if you liked go away if you didn't.
Storm out