Mordecai, Rigby and Pops were being led by Finn and Jake towards their tree house. Once they reached it, they stopped at the door step.
"Alright you guys can chill here until Jake and I come back." Finn said. "You can use the TV and take a snack or two out of the fridge, but no touching my Finn cakes!"
"Trust me, you don't want to touch his Finn cakes." Jake said, waving his hands in front of his face.
"Thank you for welcoming me to your home." Pops said. He began to yawn, "Mind if I take a nap somewhere?"
"No worries," Finn said, "you can use my bed! When you get inside you'll see a ladder. Just climb it up and BAM, instant shut eye!"
"Thank you kindly! Good luck on your quest!" Pops entered the tree house and proceeded up the ladder inside the room and layed down in it. Soon after, he was fast asleep.
"Hmm he's actually quite a nice guy!" Finn said. "Anyways, see ya later! We'll be back in a bit!"
"What?" Mordecai said. "We aren't going with you?"
"Dudes," Finn said sternly, "you guys are cool, but you don't know how dangerous this man is, and you aren't really fit for combat."
"This is totally bogus!" Rigby shouted. "I wanted to punch that old guy in the face!"
"Sorry guys," Jake said, "we just don't think you're ready. You'll slow us down."
"Well I'm also sorry," Mordecai said, "but we are not just going to sit here knowing that some weirdo is messing with our friends. We'll do whatever it takes!"
Finn stroked his chin. "Let me ask you boys this, are you willing to endure the treacherous, but glorious path to being a hero?"
"If it means we get to come along and kick that old guys butt with you, then yes!" Rigby said, "Hero us up baby!"
"What Rigby said!" Mordecai said, clenching his fist in front of his face.
"Alright! Then prepare to take on…" Finn began.
He unsheathed his sword and raised it in the air while standing on a large rock.
"THE FIVE TRIALS OF HERO ASCENSION!" Finn said as thunder roared behind him. He got down off the rock and put away his sword.
"Okay, first trial is to test your agility," Finn said. "cause if you're slow, you're dead. So let's see how fast you guys are!"
"Oh we fast alright" Mordecai said, "Lets get 'em Rigby!"
"You're going down dawg!" Rigby boasted.
"…And… GO!" Finn shouted.
Jake dashed off on all floors. Mordecai and Rigby quickly followed behind. After a bit of running, Mordecai caught up with Jake and lunged forward, but Jake dodged his capture and Mordecai fell to the floor. Jake ran passed Mordecai who was groaning on the floor and Rigby laughed at him then his focus returned to Jake and he sprinted after him. When Rigby got close to Jake he reached out, but Jake used his stretchy powers to scale the tree house all the way to the top.
"Aww what?! That's totally cheap dude!" Rigby said.
"Not really," Finn corrected "if you were quick enough you would have caught him, but its not to late! Get climbing!"
Rigby took a deep breath, and ran inside the house. He climbed up the ladder into Finns room, tip toeing through as to not disturb Pop's sleep. He stood on a nearby window sill and started scaling the tree's exterior. He sat on a branch and looked around, but when he looked down his eyes widened when he saw that Mordecai caught him.
"Haha! Gotchya!" Mordecai exclaimed "The dog is no longer let out!"
"No fair! I was running away from Rigby!" Jake grumbled.
"Says the person who stretched his way all up to the top in seconds."
"Touche."
Mordecai released Jake, and Rigby climbed down the tree to join the others.
"Well done guys!" Finn said, "Let's regroup over yonder to discuss the next trial."
"Kay." Mordecai said.
"Nice interception ma man!" Rigby said.
"Thank you, thank you. Good job giving him quite the chase. I'd consider you the agile one here!"
"As much as I would like to take the credit, we just make a heckin' good team!"
"And I wouldn't have it any other way, bro!"
Mordecai and Rigby exchanged a high five and proceeded to Finn and Jake.
"Your next challenge is going to be based on team work."
Mordecai and Rigby looked at each other.
"Hm! Hm!" Mordecai said.
"Hm! Hm!" Rigby replied.
They both continued to exchange a few 'hms'.
"Uhh Finn," Jake said, "what are they doing?"
"I don't know man." Finn said. "Must be a buddy thing like how you and me fist bump all the time."
"Well that is fun to do, not gonna lie!"
Finn walked up to Mordecai and Rigby "You guys ready?"
"You bet we're ready!" Mordecai said.
"So ready!" Rigby said.
"Okay!" Finn exclaimed, "You two are going to work together to move that large log onto that 'X' painted on the ground."
Finn pointed to a large log on it's side then to a red 'X' painted on the ground not too far from it.
"We just gotta move some dumb old log?" Rigby asked. "Man this trial is going to be a piece of cake!"
"I agree." Mordecai said. "Brrrrring it on lllloooog!"
Mordecai laid his hands on one side of the log and Rigby on the other. They began rolling it with ease. Eventually the log stopped moving.
"What the…?" Mordecai said.
"The log must be wedged or something." Rigby said.
The log then began rolling the opposite direction, pushing Mordecai and Rigby backwards.
"The log is possessed!" Rigby shouted.
Mordecai looked over the log to see Finn and Jake were rolling back the log.
"You thought this was going to be easy did you?" Finn said.
Mordecai looked at Rigby with a smirk. He did a quick head nod and Rigby smirked back. He let go of the log and dashed off.
"I'll have to say guys," Mordecai said, "you guys are pretty strong."
"We're toots strong!" Finn exclaimed.
"Yeah, and I'm not even using my powers!" Jake said.
"Well guess what." Mordecai said.
"What?" Finn asked.
"Duck."
"Wha—?" Finn exclaimed. "Rigby lunged toward Finn tacking him towards the ground and out of the logs way. Jake turned to his side to see what happened, taking one arm of the log.
"What the heck man?!" Jake said.
Jake then looked down, he noticed his legs were getting caught under the huge log. Mordecai kept pushing the log over Jake slowly flattening him.
"Woah woah woah woooah!" Jake exclaimed.
Mordecai kept pushing the log until it was placed above the 'X'.
"Wooo! We did it!" Rigby said.
"Yey-yaaaaah we did!" Mordecai said.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!" They both said in unison.
"Well, well, well," Jake said sternly initially, "that was a nice display of team work to sabotage Jake and I like that!"
"For future reference," Jake said, sounding slightly muffled, "no one turns me into a pancake without my consent!" He turn himself back to his regular shape and size.
"Heh, sorry about that dude." Mordecai said.
"Alright trial number three will be a test of wisdom." Finn said. "What has red eyes, likes to destroy things, wears a two-two, has a long neck, and wears golden rings."
"Uhhh…" Mordecai wondered.
"A robotic, aristocratic giraffe that likes to dance." Rigby said.
"What the heck?!" Finn exclaimed, "how in the world did you get that so quickly?
"Wasn't it obvious?" Rigby asked.
"Alright," Jake said, "We know you're smart, but we still gotta test bird man over here. Mordecai, hat is one of my favorite foods?"
Mordecai thought to himself. He recalled his visit to Tree Trunks and how she said she liked making pies for people that passed by.
"Apple pie." Mordecai said.
"Maaaaaaaan, you guys are crazy smart!" Jake said. "Guess it's time to move on to trial number four!"
Finn and Jake gathered a bunch of smooth rocks and laid them next to them in a pile.
"The next trial is about studying your opponent." Finn said. "The Ice Kings primary ability is firing freeze rays out of his wrinkly hands, so we are going to use these rocks as substitutes."
"What if those pelt us right in the head?" Mordecai said.
"What?!" Jake said.
"What if the rocks hit us in our family jewels!" Rigby shouted
"Sorry can't here ya!" Jake shouted, "One, two, three, go!"
Jake started throwing rocks at Rigby but he quickly dodged each one while panicking and screaming. Finn was throwing rocks at Mordecai, hitting him in different places of his body. First his arms, then chest, then in the vulgar region, causing him to place his hands there and kneel down groaning.
"Come on man! You can do this!" Finn encouraged, "if dodging isn't working try deflecting with your sword!"
"Okay…" Mordecai said, slowly getting up. "I'll try!"
Mordecai unsheathed his sword and Finn resumed throwing rocks. Mordecai swigged his sword in all directions, but still didn't manage to hit a rock.
"Mordecai you just gotta believe you have the skill to deflect!" Finn said. "Think ninja pig!"
"Ninja pig?" Mordecai asked "What the heck are you talking about?!"
"Just do it!" Finn shouted as he continued throwing rocks. "Think ninja pig!"
Mordecai closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them. He began skillfully defending himself from the rocks Finn threw. Finn had one more rock. He threw it and Mordecai got into a stance. He swung his sword deflecting the rock towards Finn hitting him in the chest and making him fall over. Mordecai walked over to Finn helping him up. Rigby and Jake approached the two.
"Oink, oink!" Mordecai said. "Ahem, I mean how did we do?"
"You did guys did great! Trial four dominated!"
"Alright!" Mordecai and Rigby said, exchanging a high five.
"Jake and I are just gonna go over there to discuss the details of the fifth trial."
Finn and Jake walked a few steps away from Mordecai and Rigby, huddled and started talking.
"I can't believe how well we did in those challenges." Rigby said.
"I know! Guess we're heroes now!" Mordecai said.
"'Now? We saved the park numerous times from all sorts of crazy stuff! If you ask me, this title was loooooong overdue!"
"Well yeah, but we kinda caused most of those disasters."
"Oh yeah, true."
Finn and Jake came back to where Mordecai and Rigby were.
"Alright guys." Finn said. "Hate to say it, but based on your current progress, we think you won't be able to handle the fifth challenge, thus cannot join us to kick the Ice Kings butt."
"What?!" Mordecai exclaimed, "After we've come so far?!"
"Yeah man! that's whack!" Rigby said. "I thought we were awesome so far!"
"Well that's what you think, and this is what we think." Jake said. "Sorry bros."
"Hang out in the tree house until we get back." Finn said. "Let's go Jake."
Finn and Jake dashed to the direction of the Ice Kingdom. Mordecai and Rigby went into the living room of the tree house. Rigby sat down at the kitchen table.
"Man this is totally bogus!" Mordecai said. "We did so well and they just refused to take us?! That's so lame!"
Mordecai opened a cooler behind him and grabbed a cup cake that bared the shape of Finn's head.
"Umm Mordecai." Rigby said. "I think those are the Finn cakes Finn told us not to eat."
Mordecai developed an angry expression and ate the cupcake regardless of what Rigby said.
"I can see that you're frustrated." Rigby said.
Mordecai threw the cupcake wrapper on the ground and proceeded to the exit of the living room.
"Hey where are you going?!" Rigby asked.
"Look Rigby," Mordecai said. "I'm not going to sit here doing nothing knowing some sicko is messing with our friends! He messed with us, and it's up to us to make him pay! Now are you with me or not?"
Rigby thought for a moment and got out of the chair of he was sitting in.
"Let's make that old dude chill the heck out!" Rigby said.
Mordecai and Rigby fist bumped and dashed out of the house. Mordecai took out his map and they started heading for the direction of the Ice Kingdom.
