Part 41: Trouble in Chinatown
Jump City was not one of the most normal cities of this Earth. How could that be? Well, for starters, it had its own team of teenage superheroes defending it as well as various super-villains committing crimes. It was not a normal city at all, but the Titans made sure that it safe. Because of all the strangeness that happened which rivals a place in Japan called Nerima, the citizens were not all that weirded out. Therefore, seeing a giant green Chinese Dragon flying through the air did not cause unwanted panic, unless said dragon was causing chaos of course. The citizens of the city were used to things like this anyway. Riding upon the dragon were 4 people: 3 teenagers and one pre-teen.
"Are you sure this is the place, Dojo?" a boy with yellow skin and a round bald head asked the dragon. He was dressed in a red shirt and black pants with black sandals. His name was Omi.
"Listen, kid," the dragon replied back. "Tracking down newly activated Wu is easy. Going after Wu that's been stolen is not so easy. So pipe down, okay? I'm trying my best."
"I really can't believe it took us this long to track down the Wu," said a Brazilian boy with tanned skin, brown eyes and hair. He wore a white shirt with green sleeves and an orange long sleeved shirt underneath with brown pants. His name was Raimundo.
"We were busy training and tracking down new Wu to care about the Wu that was stolen. It was a good thing that Cat-girl didn't take ALL the Wu," said a Japanese girl with black hair pulled back in a braid, a blue tank top, red jeans and blue sneakers. Her name was Kimiko.
"Fat lot of help that did," grumbled a big blonde Texan wearing jeans, a blue cowboy shirt, brown cowboy boots, a red scarf and a brown cowboy hat. His name was Clay. "Spicer and his bots nearly thrashed the temple the last time he tried to get to the Wu. It was lucky that we still had our Wudai weapons at the time.
Omi scanned the city and saw something that caught his eye. "What is that?" he pointed. It was a Tower on an island. The Tower saw shaped like T. "Quite an unusual looking building."
Kimiko, the Japanese girl, said, "That's Titans Tower, home to the Teen Titans."
"Teen…Titans?" Omi scratched his bald head. "Who are they?"
"Superheroes, Omi," Raimundo clarified. "Like the ones in comics."
"Wouldn't I like to meet them fancy heroes," Clay whistled at the sight of the Tower.
"Focus, guys!" Dojo called. "We're here Wu hunting and not sightseeing."
Not too far away, at ground level, another group of people were looking for something in the city.
A tall Chinese man in a blue shirt and yellow pants asked an old Chinese man wearing a white shirt, yellow vest and blue pants, "Uncle, are you sure this is the place?" The old man, Uncle, slapped him. "Ow!"
"Do not doubt Uncle," Uncle snapped. He was holding what looked like a glowing lizard. "This tracking spell senses the Talismans. They are here."
"Good, so whose butt do we kick!" said a young Chinese girl who was wearing an orange hoodie with a white long sleeved shirt underneath add blue jeans. Her hair was chin length.
The Chinese man chided, "Jade, violence never solves anything."
"But, Jackie…" Jade whined.
"No, Jade."
With them was a man in a trench coat who wore a red mask (El Toro Fuerte), an attractive Chinese woman in a black jump suit (Viper), and a large Japanese man in a white shirt and black overalls (Tohru). Oh, there was also a young boy that was Jade's age in a green shirt and brown pants.
"Capt. Black wants us to go after this thief who stole the Talismans, correct?" asked the masked man. He had a Mexican accent.
"Yes, El Toro," Jackie nodded.
"You think it's the Dark Hand?' the beautiful Chinese woman asked.
Jackie shook his head, "I'm not sure, Viper. It could be but that girl seemed too young to be working for someone like Valmont or anyone else for that matter. Besides, Valmont's broke and in jail as are the rest of his henchmen. Right now, our orders are to retrieve the talismans and bring the thief to justice."
"I have to admit that I'm impressed that a girl was able to break into Section 13," Viper said with a smirk.
"The Talismans are close," said Uncle.
Paco, the young Mexican boy accompanying them, looked up and said, "Is that a dragon?"
In Slade's lair, to be precise his monitor room, Copycat was watching all the monitors with great interest.
Copycat, also known as Neko Katherine Hasuma, is a Japanese girl who possesses the Zodiac Power of Mimicry. That power would be dangerous in the wrong hands and she, unfortunately, is a Knight of Evil. Her jealousy drove her to the darkness and she has never looked back. She is evil through and through, or so she thought. Kat apparently has a bit of a softer side. Once living with the Titans after a fight with Rose, her girlfriend and Slade's daughter, she showed great heroism by rescuing a child from a burning building. Such behavior would be strange as she is a villain, but she just couldn't let the child die. Unfortunately, she is still an enemy of the Titans despite all that. Her biggest rival is Draco, her very own twin brother.
Slade's monitors could see all that was happening in Jump City with hidden cameras planted nearly everywhere in the city. There were no secrets to Slade as he knew who was doing what which supplied plenty of blackmail material. Not all businessmen were clean and they performed shady business deals and not all politicians were clean as some of them had dirty little secrets that could cause a scandal. Slade had cabinets full of tapes that had a near unlimited supply of blackmail material. Stuff like that could be useful at the right time and could be sold for the right price.
Copycat, being Slade's apprentice, was required to collect secrets; the kind of secrets that could lead to great wealth and power. This was part of her training since she would be required to be a spy if the occasion called for it.
Copycat was wearing her armor, minus the helmet. Her hair was unbound and she still wore that little black bow ribbon. Her goggles were on her forehead. Her eyes narrowed as her lips curled into a smirk, revealing a small portion of her sharp canines.
"So, they're here," she spoke, "Took them long enough." She let out a chuckle. Slade walked into the monitor room and stared at his apprentice.
Slade is a criminal mastermind who is also the Titans greatest enemy. He has tried to make both Robin and Terra his apprentices but failed. The latter caused his death but he was resurrected by the demon Trigon to carry out his orders, which he hated. It was at this time that he discovered Copycat and he saw the perfect apprentice. Unlike Terra and Robin, Copycat did not have much of a conscience and Slade had no reason to blackmail or threaten her seeing that her drive to be the best was enough for him to warp to his whim. At first she didn't respect him but soon began calling him 'Slade-sama' out of respect for him. Apparently, Copycat sees him as a father figure and cares for him.
"What interests you so, Katherine?" Slade asked.
Copycat looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Slade-sama." She turned and bowed before standing straight. She pointed to the monitors. "Just saw something interesting. Apparently, some people have come here to reclaim what they have lost."
"Oh?" Slade said as he looked at the monitors. "Ah, yes, the Xiaolin Warriors and the J-Team."
Copycat scoffed, "The J-Team? Who came up with that? A child?"
"Actually, yes," Slade replied coolly.
Copycat looked at him, "You're joking, right?"
"I never joke."
Copycat blinked and then chuckled.
"So, what will you do now, Katherine?" Slade asked, although he knew the answer from the look in her eye.
"I think I'm going to entertain myself for awhile," she said before summoning her helmet over her head again. She then, like all Zodiac Knight, leapt into a nearby mirror portal and into the Mirror Dimension.
In the giant T-shaped structure Omi had been admiring, the Z-Titans were just chilling out in the living room. It was already lunch time and Draco was at the stove cooking a meal for his friends and teammates. Since Cyborg and Beast Boy had left with the original 5 to fight the Brotherhood of Evil, there would not be any "Meat VS Tofu" arguments that would cause everyone to starve. Brimstone was at his feet, his tongue hanging out as Jinx stood next to him, admiring his handiwork. Her Scarab Inzecter was perched on her shoulder as her Scarab Belt was gleaming around her waist. Her boyfriend had a pot of something cooking and Jinx sniffed in the aroma and sighed.
"That smells heavenly," the pink haired sorceress purred.
"It'll taste good too," Draco added as he used a spoon and took a sip. He smacked his lips and then reached for some spices before sprinkling them into the concoction. "5 more minutes and it's done." There was also a rice cooker nearby cooking, well, rice.
"Good, coz I'm starved," spoke Renia, also known as the Crystal Alchemist. Silkie the pet mutant silkworm was resting on the couch as Renia was playing videogames against Mortuary. They were playing a racing game and were getting really into it.
"I'm gonna win this time, Ren," Mortuary said.
"You think so, don't ya, Morty?" Renia countered. She pressed a few buttons, "Well eat my dust!"
"Hey, no fair!"
"Too bad, so sad," Renia mocked. "WHO'S BAD?" she shouted out victoriously.
"Damn it," Mortuary grumbled, "Seems like my skills are rubbing off on you."
"Heh, if I was rubbing off on your skills I'd be losing," Renia said before noticing the scowl on Mort's face. "I was just kidding, geez"
"I thought so," Mort said with a cocky smirk.
Renia suddenly had a strange feeling whenever she looked at Mort's eyes and she was always wondering why. The answer hit her like a ton of bricks 'Oh man, am I crushing on Mortuary?' she thought. Renia then shook her head 'He's like three years older than you, besides he's probably not interested in a relationship of any kind. I mean, if I were in his shoes I probably wouldn't be either. He's not like the other guys here, he's a rebel. He's got a whole different look to him; the raven black hair, those bright blue eyes' Renia shook her head one last time 'Ok, time to stop thinking about the Necromancer like that'
Mortuary noticed Renia's strange behavior, "Is everything ok, Ren?" Mort asked
Renia nodded quickly, "Yeah, yeah, everything's fine"
"Lunch is ready!" Draco announced as he poured the contents of the pot into 9 plates of already scooped out and steaming rice. Wait a minute…9?
Why 9?
To answer that question, let's go to the garage, shall we?
"You've got it all wrong!" yelled Pluto, the Titans' resident mad scientist. "This goes in there!"
"And I said this goes in here, dog-face!" countered a bald boy wearing a black Smart Brain jumpsuit. This is Gizmo, a nasally voiced and short boy that used to be a villain. Now he works in Smart Brain JC in Research and Development. He's a genius, but not big on manners. The only person he listens to is Jinx.
Both of them were fixing up Draco's Jetslinger and were arguing over what parts went where. Often times, they would stop and argue…Actually, this was pretty much a frequent thing since these two were forced to work together.
"What did you say, shortie?" Pluto glared.
"Want me to write it down, drool-face?" Gizmo glared back.
"That's it!" Pluto's hands crackled with electricity. "It's on!"
"Bring it!" Gizmo activated his back pack and laser blasters came out.
Pluto, like I said before, is the Tower's resident mad scientist. He is also one stubborn dog. He won't accept the fact that he might be wrong even a little bit. He is a little self absorbed because of his genius and is oblivious to the damage he can cause with his mostly faulty inventions. Despite all this, however, his inventions do work…sometimes.
"Oh boy," Blackfire, Pluto's girlfriend, groaned. "You want to break this up or should I, big guy?"
"You do it," the large man grunted. "I did it yesterday." This large individual is Mammoth. He has orange hair and REALLY BIG muscles. He's dressed in a Smart Brain jumpsuit too but with the sleeves torn off and with his old boots and bracelets. He used to be a criminal but now works as a bodyguard for Smart Brain JC's CEO, John Worthing. He's all muscle, but he's really sweet inside. He's friends with Jinx and Gizmo and listens to the former since she used to be team leader during their villainy days.
"Fine," Blackfire sighed. "Hey! Puppy! Gizmo! Break it up!"
Mammoth shook his head and smiled, arms crossed. Never in a million years would he have thought to go straight but here he was now with a job and making an honest living. It beat getting hauled off to jail and this time he could beat up guys and not get sent to the dog house. It was honest living plus his paycheck was bigger than any amount of money he had ever stolen.
When he got that call from Shadow he felt frightened. After leaving the HIVE Five with Gizmo since Jinx joined the Titans, Mammoth had watched the news and saw the guy in action. In front of Mammoth's own eyes was Shadow using his powers and he was REALLY scary and Mammoth was not the type to be easily intimidated, he was always the one doing the intimidating. He gulped and answered and Shadow said 5 words that meant more to Mammoth than anything, "Would you like a job?"
Mammoth began questioning him and Shadow had told him that Jinx recommended both of them for their skills and Shadow also explained the perks. Both former HIVE students rushed to the chance. There was no interview. They were already in as Shadow, one of the CEO's of Smart Brain Corporation, had recommended them and that was enough. All they needed to do was to demonstrate their skills and then use them for the good of the corporation.
That had been so many months ago and neither Gizmo nor Mammoth regretted it.
CRASH!
BANG!
BOOM!
(Sigh…)
Gizmo was pulling at Pluto's hair while the Dog Knight was stretching the midget's face. Gizmo blew raspberries at Pluto as the Dog Knight tried to restrain himself from shoving his sword up his-
"BREAK IT UP YOU TWO!" Blackfire roared and Pluto immediately dropped Gizmo.
"Okay, Blackfire!" Pluto responded.
Gizmo snickered, "Whipped." Pluto glared, his hands crackling with electricity but the glare he got from Blackfire forced him to disperse the spark.
"Don't you two remember what Shadow said?" Blackfire asked. "You two are supposed to work together. The vehicles need to be repaired and you two are the only ones with the technical know-how to do it," she placed her hands on her hips and she narrowed her glowing violet eyes. "So there's no time for senseless bickering. It's been a week and you should be getting along now."
Pluto pointed childishly, "He started it." Gizmo stuck his tongue out at him. Blackfire placed her left hand on her face, her Fire Bracelet gleaming from her wrist. The Fire Inzecter flew around over her head before perching itself on her shoulder, making a few beeps. She was turning into a babysitter for these two. Well, at least they had Mammoth if anything went too violent.
Draco's voice announced from the Tower PA system. He said, "LUNCH IS READY!"
"Finally, I'm starved," Pluto rubbed his tummy, licking his lips.
"Why don't you chew on a bone?" Gizmo mocked.
"Why don't I have some baby-back ribs?" Pluto growled. He was then pulled away by Blackfire.
"C'mon, Yoshi. We better go before lunch gets cold," Blackfire said as she flew to the elevator with him.
"C'mon, Gizmo," Mammoth said as his pint-sized friend followed him with his arms crossed.
"Yeah, yeah," Gizmo rolled his beady eyes.
Copycat watched them, hidden in the Mirror Dimension and watching them with her red eyes. The Xiaolin Warriors had just landed in a hidden part of town and their dragon had shrunken down to the size of a gecko. Not too far away, the J-Team were stopping at a café and having lunch. The Xiaolin Warriors also decided to have lunch at the same café.
Perfect.
Both groups were in the same place and out in the open. She would strike quick and fast and without hesitation. They were an obstacle and obstacles were to be eliminated. Behind Copycat were her Zodiac Beasts, Techno-Panther and Psycho-Rogue, and they were both starving.
Copycat's lips curled into a cruel smirk behind her mouthpiece. Oh, this was going to be so…delicious.
Terra was outside of the city, in the desert, doing some training. She was using some of the 'Earthbending' moves that Draco had shown her. Moving her body into fast, firm and quick punches, jabs and kicks, she manipulated the stone and sand around her to her whim. She was barefooted since Draco suggested that Earthbending worked better when a person had direct contact with the Earth. She indeed felt closer to the Earth when her toes dug into the sand. Strapped to her right forearm was her Cutter Glove. The green and yellow armguard was gleaming under the hot sun as she wiped the sweat off her brow. Her communicator beeped and she heard Draco's voice saying, "LUNCH TIME! COME QUICK!"
Terra smiled, her stomach grumbling. She put her socks and shoes back on and put her Red Wolves jacket back on. She summoned a boulder and jumped on it, riding it towards the Tower as she made it fly.
She looked down at the city as the wind swept through her blonde hair. It took a very long time for the citizens to trust her again since the incident several years ago. She smiled as the Tower came into view. She heard clicking and looked down to see her Cutter Inzecter clicking its mandibles. She picked it up and the little robot crawled onto her shoulder. She giggled as her Inzecter tickled her.
Renia had been back for a few months and Terra was happy that her adopted little sister was around and she was also glad that Ren was getting along with Craig. Shadow was away in England, attending a week long conference with the other CEO's of the branches of Smart Brain Corporation. Their meeting place would be Smart Brain HQ in London where Shadow's father was owner and President of Smart Brain Corporation.
The week had been slow, just a few robberies and muggings that the Z-Titans stopped. Of course, they nearly had to restrain Renia when one of those criminals said something that ticked her off. Three guesses what it was.
Terra neared the Tower and smiled. First she was going to take a shower and change her clothes. She had sand in her hair and needed to shampoo it. The Cutter Inzecter clicked its mandibles and she giggles again as the metal tickled her cheek.
She missed Beast Boy, really she did, and hoped that he'd return to her…Then they'd get 'reacquainted' if you catch my meaning (wink, wink).
She was almost starting to tear up when she remembered Craig's confession about his condition. She'd known Craig for the longest time and loved him like a brother. She stopped herself from crying and simply repeated, "He can never die. He's too strong for death to handle."
The Z-Titans sat around the table where they usually ate their meals. Mammoth and Gizmo had joined them. In front of each of them was a plate of rice with the curry Draco had made. For some reason, Draco's curry was, well, glowing. This was the type of curry that would need a tub full of cold ice water to quench the heat. This was Draco's Volcano Curry.
"Itadakimasu," Draco spoke as he scooped up some rice with his curry on it. He looked to his friends. "Well? Dig in."
His friends looked uncertainly at the glowing curry. It looked almost like lava for some reason.
Gizmo whispered to Mammoth, "You sure this is safe?"
"How should I know?" Mammoth whispered back. "I've never eaten THIS before."
"C'mon, guys," Draco pleaded, "The curry's great. There's chicken, beef, carrots and potatoes. I also added some of my special herbs and spices. It's perfectly safe."
Pluto stared at it and said, "It is?"
"Brimstone's having some," Draco pointed out.
"No offence, but Brimstone's a demon dog from a hell dimension," Mortuary spoke.
"What's your point?" Draco asked Mort.
"Never mind," the Knight of Aries sighed. He had known about Draco's cooking style. When he cooked anything else it was okay. But, when it came to anything hot and/or spicy…
Well, I think you get the point.
"Well, if you cowards don't mind, I'm gonna eat some," Renia said boastfully as she scooped some of the rice and curry and put it in her mouth. She chewed and smiled. "Hey, this isn't so bad."
"Arigatou, Renia-chan," Draco smiled.
The others looked at each other and shrugged. Taking scoops of the rice and curry with their spoons they then put them in their mouths.
Their eyes bugged out, steam escaped their ears and their faces went red as they immediately rushed to the sink.
"OUT OF MY WAY!"
"HOT! HOT!"
"MY LIPS ARE BURNING!"
"MY TONGUE'S BURNING!"
"OH MY GOD!"
"DEAR X'HAL!"
"MY THROAT'S ON FIRE!"
Various shouts were being released from them as Draco, Brimstone and Renia looked at them, blinking.
"Wonder what's wrong with them?" Draco asked Renia, oblivious. Renia shrugged.
Suddenly, the alarms blared.
T.I.T.A.N. announced, "Trouble in Chinatown!"
"TITANS! LET'S GO!" Draco shouted.
"IN A MINUTE!" They were still fighting at the sink for the water. Draco sweatdropped.
"What are these things? Jack Spicer's robots?" Omi asked as she used his martial arts against a humanoid robot. "Wudai Neptune! Water!" He fired off a powerful blast of water that shorted the robot's circuits out.
"They look too advanced to be Jack's!" retorted Kimiko as she too fought some of the robots. "Wudai Mars!" Fire!" She, in turn, created a powerful flaming attack that incinerated the robots.
"Whatever they are," Raimundo began as he ducked under a claw swipe, "They're getting on my nerves." He shouted out, "Wudai Star! Wind!" He blasted the robots away with a gale.
"They're more relentless than a buffalo in a rodeo," Clay quipped. "Wudai Crater! Earth!" The cowboy covered himself in rock and smashed through the robots.
Jade and Paco stood at the sidelines, watching the Xiaolin Warriors do their work. "Woah, look at them go!" Jade said but then added, "But Jackie's better!"
"No, Yade," Paco shook his head, " El Toro is better."
"Jackie."
" El Toro."
"Jackie!"
" El Toro!"
Uncle pulled them to safety, "Aiyah! Uncle too old for this!"
Both Tohru and El Toro worked together and crushed the robots' heads with their fists after discovering they were merely machines. Tohru smiled and said, "Feels like old times!" he then tackled a few.
"Agreed!" El Toro nodded as he elbowed a bot in the head before performing a German Surplux. He then jumped up and did a double-footed kick in one's chest.
Viper and Jackie were forced back to back. They used whatever martial arts training they had to take care of these bots.
"Who sent them?" Jackie said as he ducked. "They don't seem magical." He kicked one away.
"Looks like somebody doesn't want us around," Viper said as she ducked and punched one in the gut. She flicked her wrist in pain. "Ow."
"You alright?" Jackie asked.
"I think-" She was kicked to the side by a Slade-Bot.
Copycat was still watching them, studying their moves and memorizing them. She had seen the Wudai Warriors fight before but never like this. It would be quite an interesting match later on.
"BLADE OF THE NEBULA!" Raimundo's Wudai Weapon changed from sword to a pair of nunchakus connected by a tornado. He swung his weapon around and blew the opposition away.
"BIG BANG METEORANG!" Clay threw his Wudai Weapon and it split into several boomerangs that sliced the bots apart.
"ARROW SPARROW!" Kimiko also threw her Wudai Weapon and they destroyed the Slade-Bots by going right through them.
"SHIMO STAFF!" Omi spun his Wudai Weapon around, letting it turn into a Halberd before slicing apart several enemy robots and then turning it into a double-headed mace to do the same.
Several more Slade-Bots were being destroyed by the J-Team.
Copycat smirked and flinched at the robots' destruction. However, they were just cannon fodder, nothing more. The real threat would come soon and she would strike them at their weakest.
The Slade-Bots kept coming and coming and despite their skills they were still quite human.
Copycat's Cat Deck glowed. She growled. That could only mean…
"TIGER MOTORSMASH!"
"CALL OF THE HERD!"
"FROZEN HUNTER!"
The Knights arrived, fully armored, and using their Final Vents to finish off some more Slade-Bots. Scrap and burning metal littered the street from the assault. The Wudai Warriors and the J-Team watched them in awe. Uncle, upon the look on his face, knew who they were.
"Zodiac…Knights…?" Uncle said slowly.
"Wow," Raimundo looked impressed. "Who are they?"
"I dunno, but I'm glad for the assist," Clay said, tipping his hat.
Dojo's eyes narrowed. He knew that Zodiac Knights existed in this era, but to see them again was not something he would ever dream of. Dojo also had a strange look of familiarity when his eyes fell on the Knights, especially the Dragon Knight.
"Da…Shi…?" Dojo spoke slowly.
The girls, Mammoth and Gizmo also joined in. Mammoth, like El Toro and Tohru before, used his incredible brute strength to rip Slade-Bots apart one by one.
"You have great strength, young one," El Toro complimented.
"Thanks," Mammoth said. "Hey, who are you?"
"I am El Toro Fuerte."
"Friends call me Mammoth."
"I can see why."
"Mammoth!" Jinx shouted, throwing hexes, "Stop making small talk and fight!"
"Yeah, ya big hairy ape!" Gizmo shouted as he fired missiles and lasers while flying around with his jet pack.
Terra summoned up stone hands and bashed them on the robot soldiers while Blackfire swept in and fired her blackbolts.
Renia created a crystal spear and did a come hither motion. 5 Slade-Bots charged. Jackie, seeing Renia, was ready to help but was stunned when she effortlessly impaled the Slade-Bots with her spear. She smirked and then placed her hand on the ground. Blue lightning traveled from a newly formed transmutation circle and Slade-Bots caught by it were turned to crystal. Those who saw this shattered the crystallized bots to nothingness. Other Slade-Bots were impaled upon crystal spikes that shot out of the ground.
Draco was using his ice powers to freeze the Slade-Bots before Mortuary shattered them with quick elbow strikes, knee strikes and kicks. Trained in Muay Thai, he was a killing machine and both Draco and he made a good team as they did a pose. This caused Jinx and Terra to sweat drop.
"They've been hanging out with each other WAY too much," Jinx said.
"Agreed!" Terra stomped her foot and impaled a Slade-Bot behind Jinx with a stone spike as Jinx hexed a bot behind Terra, blowing it up. Another stomp of her foot sent several Slade-Bots flying as the ground exploded under them and making them easy targets for Blackfire who shot at them like flies.
"Thanks," the two girls said to each other and saw the Slade-Bots surrounding them. The bots charged but were then forced back when the Scarab Inzecter flew around and forced them back before flying into Jinx's awaiting hand. The Cutter Inzecter crawled over to its master and leapt into Terra's hand.
"Thanks," Jinx said to the robotic bug before sliding it onto her Scarab Belt. Terra threw off her jacket and attached the Cutter Inzecter to her Cutter Glove armguard.
Blackfire, in the air, saw this and summoned her Fire Inzecter and then attached it to her Fire Bracelet.
The girls said in unison, "Henshin!"
"HENSHIN!" The Inzecters announced loudly.
The Inzecter suits encased the girls, much to the J-Team and Xiaolin Warriors' surprise. Jinx, Blackfire and Terra, now enhanced by the suits, went on the attack.
Jinx's hex powered punches and kicks destroyed and took the Slade-Bots apart on contact. She then went into a flip kick that knocked one bot's head off before going into a sweep kick and following up with a hex wave that sent the bots sailing.
Blackfire was flying through and smashed a few Slade-Bots in her way by using her fists. Her blackbolt blasts were also powered up, flying towards their targets like burning death.
Terra was shooting at the Slade-Bots with her Vulcan cannons, making sure as not to hit any of their allies. She also smashed her foot on the ground and sent a wave of road at the Slade-Bots which sent them sailing into the air. She then aimed up and fired several dozen successful shots at them, destroying them.
Pluto shouted, fighting off the Slade-Bots with his sword, "Girls, Cast Off now!"
The day the girls had received their individual Inzecters several months ago, they had been properly instructed on their suits' strength, weaknesses, functions and capabilities by Shadowcobra. They knew how to transform and use their suits effectively since they'd practice and trained in their suits to get used to them since the day they first donned them. They had also made connections with their Inzecters once they realized that the robotic bugs were sentient. The girls, right now, were going to reveal another feature of their Inzecter suits.
The girls, nodding, placed their hands on their respective Inzecters. Jinx used her thumb to push a button on her Scarab Inzecter. Terra pulled the mandibles of her Cutter Inzecter back. Finally, Blackfire twisted her Fire Inzecter a bit on her bracelet. Parts of the armor plating, mostly the ones covering the head, the torso and arms, expanded out as electricity surged through them and detached as steam escaped from the gaps and joints.
"Cast off," Jinx said before the Scarab Inzecter split open completely to reveal some sort of miniature energy generator
"Cast off," Terra said before she pulled back the mandibles of her Cutter Inzecter all the way back.
"Cast off," Blackfire said before pressed her hand on her Fire Inzecter and spun it around, 180 degrees, on her bracelet so that the back end of the firefly-like Inzecter was facing forwards like her fist.
"CAST OFF!" The Inzecters announced again before their respective suits exploded off them and revealing sleeker versions of their armors. The armor that blew off was like shrapnel and smashed into several Slade-Bots, taking them out of the battle.
"CHANGE SCARAB BEETLE!" The Scarab Inzecter announced. Jinx's body armor was purple with matching gauntlets. Her helmet was still black with a pair of purple eyepieces that were originally hidden under the visor and two small horns on top. Her eyepieces flashed. Her armor was modeled after a Scarab Beetle.
"CHANGE FIRELY!" The Fire Inzecter announced. Blackfire's armor had a red and black trimmed chetsplate that looked like a beetle's carapace, like Jinx's, and her helmet was red with a pair of black eyepieces and antennae. Her gauntlets were black with red a trim. The eyepieces flashed. Her suit was modeled after a firefly.
"CHANGE LEAFCUTTER ANT!" The Cutter Inzecter announced while the mandible blades on her back moved up to her helmet to create mandible horns. Terra's armor was green with a yellow trim. Her chestplate was green with yellow horizontal stripes. Her gauntlets were green with yellow trimmings. Her helmet was also green with a pair of blue eyepieces and mandible horns and antennae. Attached to her shoulder guards, where her Vulcan cannons once were, were a pair of katana swords with serrated edges and resembling ant mandibles. The blue eyepieces flashed. Her armor was modeled after a leafcutter ant.
Jade said, "Cool…" Paco nodded in agreement.
The Inzecter suits were not just the next generation of Smartrooper suits, not at the least. They were Smart Brains' attempt to create their very own team…of Masked Riders. And it looked like the SB Corporation was pretty much successful.
The Inzecter Troopers were here in their true glory. They had Cast Off from the bulky and powerful Strong Modes to the sleek and agile Speed Modes.
Pluto, seeing his girlfriend's armored form, said, "Wow, she's hot."
Draco nodded in agreement as he saw his girlfriend's armor too. He also whispered, "My kawaii girlfriend…is a Kamen Rider…Like me…" Not exactly a Kamen Rider, but she looked nearly identical to one to be one. 'Kamen Rider Jinx? No…Kamen Rider Scarab…' he mused mentally, thinking of all the evil they could fight together.
Terra removed her Cutter Katanas from her shoulders and began slicing the Slade-Bots apart while Jinx fired hex beams. Blackfire's fists were glowing like hot flames as her fists melted through the Slade-Bots.
"Okay, girls!" Jinx ordered. "Just like we practiced!" she shouted out, "Clock Up!" She slammed her hand on her left waist pad.
Terra and Blackfire shouted out, "Clock Up!" too, hitting their left waist pads.
Pluto and Draco, who were already in Excel Mode, after seeing this also shouted out while pressing the faces of their Excel Watches, "Clock Up!"
"CLOCK UP!" Was the unanimous announcement of the Inzecters and Excel Watches.
Mortuary shouted out, "Timefire!" his armor turning to its red Timefire setting before he jolted.
The Knights and Troopers went full throttle, using Clock Up (Timefire in Mortuary's case) and sped up to obliterate the remaining Slade-Bots who appeared to be moving like snails to their vantage point. They were moving so fast that, to Mammoth, Gizmo, Renia, the J-Team, and Xiaolin Warriors, they appeared to be blurs.
In the viewpoint of the Clock Up and Timefire users, however, everything else appeared to have stopped completely since they themselves were moving at hyper speed and were nearly undetectable by the naked eye. They struck at each of the Slade-Bots with precise hits, powerful and effective enough to cause damage.
With the announcement of, "CLOCK OVER!" The Knights and Troopers reverted to normal speed, watching as the Slade-Bots were destroyed. There were still many more, however, but both Draco and Pluto had it covered.
"SURVIVE!"
Transforming into Survivor Mode, the Dog Knight and Dragon Knight then activated their Final Vents.
"SURVIVOR FINAL VENT!"
Dragonrizer appeared, much to the surprise of Dojo and the Xiaolin Warriors.
"Now that's a dragon," Raimundo spoke up, gasping in shock.
"That is the moooooooost magnificent creature I have ever seen," Omi said with eyes sparkling as Dragonrizer roared.
Dojo crossed his small arms and snorted, "He's not THAT hot."
Darkraider also showed up. Both Pluto and Draco leapt upon their respective Zodiac Beasts and, bringing more surprises to the J-Team and Xiaolin Warriors, the monsters transformed into their motorcycle forms.
"Nice bikes," Viper complimented.
"I bet my sis Jessie would like one of them fancy bikes," Clay said in agreement.
"DARK TORPEDO!"
"DRAGON METEOR FIRESTORM!"
The Knights destroyed the remaining Slade-Bots as they rammed into them through and through, not letting any one of them survive. Seeing Dragonrizer shoot out fireballs made Kimiko smile.
"THAT'S hot!" Kimiko exclaimed. Dojo scoffed jealously.
Jackie had seen a lot of weird things, but this just takes the cake.
The Inzecter Troopers saw only three Slade-Bots left. It was time for them to test out their finishers on the field. Jinx pressed the leg buttons on her Inzecter in a straight order. "1, 2, 3," the Inzecter spoke up as the respective buttons were pressed. Blackfire pushed the thorax button on her own Inzecter as well. Terra put her Cutter Katanas together to form a pair of scissors.
"Scarab Smash," Jinx said before the Inzecter exclaimed, "SCARAB SMASH!"
"Meteor Fist," Blackfire said and her Inzecter exclaimed, "METEOR FIST!"
"Mandible Cutter," Terra spoke before the Cutter Inzecter exclaimed, "MANDIBLE CUTTER!"
Electrically charged power flowed from their Inzecters and raced through their suits. Their eyes flashed as the charge up was complete.
Jinx jumped up and did a perfect tornado kick that slammed into her Slade-Bot. Blackfire ran forward and executed an uppercut that sent her Slade-Bot flying. Finally, Terra held tightly to her Ant Katanas and combined them to form a pair of large serrated scissors, or ant mandibles, before slicing the Slade-Bot in half at the waist. The Slade-Bots were destroyed as they blew up from the Triple Trooper finishers.
Copycat had seen enough and vanished. This did not escape Draco's attention, however, but he chose to ignore it…for now.
The heroes immediately congratulated one another, complimenting each other. When the Knights and Troopers' armors disappeared (the Inzecters flew away, crawl in Terra's case), Kimiko and Draco looked at one another.
"Ryu-kun, is that you?" Kimiko asked in shock.
"Kimi…Kimi-chan?" Draco asked back.
Jinx looked between the two, "Um, you know each other?"
Suddenly, to the heroes' surprise, a pool of darkness formed in the street. Uncle was ready to cast a spell to 'disperse the evil' but was stopped by the Titans when they saw it was only Shadow, clad in his uniform. He looked at the mess and then to the Titans before asking, "Alright, what did I miss?"
To Be Continued.
The Z-Titans, J-Team and Xiaolin Warriors will get acquainted in the next chap. I hope you're ready for this crossover insanity. I know I am. Oh and Jackie Chan Adventures, the Teen Titans and Xiaolin Showdown do not belong to me. Jeffrey helped out with this chap a bit, though.
The Inzecter suits have two modes. The first mode is Strong Mode in which defense and strength is emphasized more by the heavy looking combat armor. The secondary mode is activated when the Strong Mode outer armor is Cast Off. This secondary form is known as Speed Mode since the user of the wearer of the suits can only use Clock Up in this form. The reason the Knights were testing out the Axel, Dash On and Clock Up systems was to create these Inzecters in the first place.
Okay, Terra is the only one with any weapons in her Inzecter suit, both in Strong Mode (her Cutter Vulcans) and Speed Mode (Cutter Katanas). Should I give Jinx and Blackfire weapons too? If so, what should they be?
BTW, it's been a few months since Renia came back and the girls received the Inzecters meaning. The core Titans have been gone for nearly 5 months fighting the Brotherhood of Evil.