Fun fact, Zuzu is based on the golden snub nosed monkey. He's just reddish copper as to not have the same fur color as Wukong while still maintaining the gold silver bronze theme of the three companions. The blue skin remains however.
Enjoy.
xxxXxxx
The next day.
Taro, sleeping in his bed was breathing heavily as he writhed around desperately in a panic. Suddenly, Taro sprung up panting in fear and his eyes opened wide.
"Phew, just a dream." Muttered Taro with a sigh of relief.
"What kind of dream was it?" Asked Zuzu cheerfully from atop Taro's head, scaring the boy.
"Well; since I'm sure you're all dying to know, I was dreaming of me gallantly storming through hordes of vile demons with my brilliant golden wings!" Zi cut in proudly only for a piece of cloth to magically wrap around his beak, causing him to freak out.
Zuzu, the culprit in this situation, giggled as Zao pretended to sleep before the monkey turned to Taro. "So, what was that dream about?" He asked cheerfully.
"I dreamt that I was back home and that celestial guy was my school's principal...and every teacher." Replied Taro with a deep frown. "...and my mom for some reason."
Everyone shivered at the horrifying thoughts Taro's dream gave them as the peach boy slowly made it off his bed and out of his room. The three Z's followed him diligently as he walked around camel ridge until they found Azure and his brothers training.
Azure quickly noticed the boy and greeted him with a smile. "Taro! You're up early." He said cheerfully.
"I had a weird dream." Deadpanned Taro. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Why; training, of course." Replied Azure cheerfully as he turned to his brothers training with a smile. "We have to stay sharp, after all."
Taro's eyes shined in awe of the training Peng and Yellow Tusk were doing. The graceful moves and the magical attacks were a sight to behold. But this got Taro thinking. He turned to Azure and curiously asked.
"Hey, if I train like that can i get strong enough to take on that celestial guy?" He asked with a determined expression.
Azure was confused for a second. "Celestial guy?...ah! You must mean Nezha, The Lotus prince." He quickly said in realization. "Uhm, he...might be a bit much for a human."
Taro expression became disheartened quickly before he realized something. "I'm not human!" The peach boy exclaimed quickly before he rushed to a nearby boulder and lifted it with ease. "Can a human do this?"
Azure blinked in surprise. "Oh." He said in astonishment.
"Then what are you?" Asked Peng as they landed behind Taro from nowhere, scaring the boy.
Taro let out a nervous chuckle as he slowly stepped away from Peng only to bump into Yellow Tusk whose towering figure only fueled the boy's unease.
"And you still haven't answered why the lotus prince was after you." Added Yellow Tusk calmly, which was terrifying from the height of a toddler.
"Brothers, stop. You're scaring the boy." Azure cut in with a serious expression as he stood in front of the boy. "I'm sure young Taro here will explain everything when he's more at ease. So for now, let's get back to Taro's training. We can't always protect him and we have the time, so why not mentor him during his stay at Camel Ridge."
"Not just him. I sense power coming from those three as well." Added Yellow Tusk eyeing Taro's companions. "If they were to fight together against the lotus prince, they would all need training."
"They're really smart, so training them wouldn't be a problem." Taro chirped in, trying to put in a good word.
Azure put a hand on his chin with a smile. "Then let's split the work. I will train Taro since we both use swords, Peng can train Zi-" said Azure cheerfully before Peng and Zihao immediately glared daggers at each other. "And Yellow Tusk can train Zao and Zuzu."
Peng frowned. "Why do I have to take on the chicken?" He asked crossing his arms with a hmph.
"Indeed! It is an insult to someone as beautiful as I to be paired up with someone as vile as them!" Added Zi looking away pridefully.
Taro and Azure stared at their golden winged avian friends with chuckles held back in their throats. Yellow Tusk could almost understand that Zi was insulting Peng back while Zuzu was giggling at the interaction, contemplating fanning the flames with a small prank. Zao, however, was glaring at Azure and his brothers with great vigilance.
Alas, with each one of the peach quartet paired up with a mentor...the training had begun.
xxxxXxxxx
Taro and Azure's training started in the middle of a decently sized arena as they both held their swords forwards ready to fight. Azure held a soft smile while Taro nervously gulped.
"Shouldn't we, like, use wooden swords or something?" Asked Taro with a nervous smile.
"Nah! Don't worry! I'm skilled enough to not harm you and you don't have no where near enough strength to best me." Replied Azure cheerfully before he dramatically twirled his sword in a circle. "So go all out."
Taro was nervous about entering the sword fight, but took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. It didn't work, but he still had to do this. "C'mon, don't freeze like last time." He muttered trying his best to collect himself before he charged at Azure with a large swing.
Azure saw this and nonchalantly parried the swing, flinging the sword out of Taro's hand and onto the arena's floor. Taro's shoulders dropped dejectedly as he realized he lost so easily, Azure saw this and without missing a beat put his hand on the young boy's shoulder.
"Don't be discouraged, losses are just lessons rearranged." Said Azure cheerfully.
"...lossens?" Replied Taro raising a brow, causing Azure to go silent and blink in confusion. "Lossesn? Lonsses?"
Suddenly Azure burst into laughter. "Let's go with the first one." He said happily as he brushed away a tear from his eye. "But yes. Each loss contains a lesson to learn. Now, I need you to practice this move while we train."
Taro nodded, prompting Azure to pull out his sword and twirl it in a circle like a hurricane. Taro couldn't deny that the move looked cool, but-
"Twirl my sword? I get it's a cool move, but... shouldn't I learn some fighting moves or something?" He asked in confusion, tilting his head.
"I'm glad you asked, little Taro!" Replied Azure with a smile as he put his hands on his sides as if proud that this question was asked. "It has another purpose other than looking cool and being fun. On the battlefield, your weapon is your most important asset. Losing it is akin to losing your life. If you can twirl your sword around like me without dropping it-"
"-then I wouldn't drop it in a fight." Taro finished the sentence in realization.
"Exactly!" Exclaimed Azure happily. "Now, follow my lead and remember to give your sword a twirl: make sure it's tight in your grip."
Taro nodded before Azure struck a battle pose. Taro felt a sense of excitement seeing Azure's pose. It was an odd feeling considering the situation, but it wasn't bad. The peach boy then turned to his hand and frowned as he flexed it, feeling uncomfortable doing such a dexterity intensive task with this new...fingerless hand. He took a deep breath and slowly twirled his like Azure, making sure he doesn't drop the sword even if it meant the twirl was wonky before turning to the warrior for affirmation. Azure gave the boy an encouraging nod before Taro mimicked Azure's pose.
And so, this mentor and student duo started their training.
xxxxXxxxx
Meanwhile, with Peng and Zihao things weren't as smooth.
"Alright, chicken. You just sit right there like an obedient little animal while I take some time of, hmm?" Said Peng nonchalantly as they took a nap on a bench.
A vein popped on Zi's forehead as he glared at Peng. The furious pheasant leaped onto Peng and landed precise peck to the eye, snapping Peng awake.
"SQWAAA! YOU LITTLE!" Peng cursed out as they glared at Zi hatefully. "Fine then, you want training, let's train. How about... endurance training."
Peng quickly pulled out his Ji spear and raised in the air before stabbing down at Zi with great power. But alas, Zi shielded himself with his wings that not even Peng could break through.
"You rotten eggling!" Muttered Zi angrily, gritting his metaphorical teeth as he kept his guard up.
Peng glared at the pheasant before they flew into the air with their golden wings before they rained down magical feathers of energy on Zi. The feathers fell onto Zi's wings without mercy only to disappear into the wings the moment they made contact.
Both Zi and Peng were confused by the situation, but Zi was curious about this. He still felt the feathers in his wings. He tried flicking his wings to get them out and accidentally fired them back at Peng.
Peng blocked them with ease using their golden wings, but they were surprised and angry by this development. Zi, on the other hand was delighted. The true battle had just begun.
And from that moment, the two idiots with unbreakable shields pointlessly tried to kill each other to no result.
xxxxXxxxx
In another location in Camel ridge, Yellow Tusk sat in front of his students with a scroll in his hand. While Zao glared at the elephant, Zuzu was curious as to what Yellow Tusk was reading and telekinetically slipped the scroll out of the elephant's hands.
Zuzu eyed the drawings in the scroll in confusion. He couldn't make heads or tails of anything in there. As he scratched his head confusion, he noticed a giant shadow wash over him and froze. He turned to see Yellow Tusk towering over him with a menacing expression.
"Oh no." Muttered Zuzu in fear.
"Get back!" Yelled Zao angrily as he quickly leaped in front of Zuzu protectively before growling aggressively at Yellow Tusk. Seeing this, the elephant calmly sat down in front of the two.
"Are you curious of the mystical arts, little monkey?" Yellow Tusk asked the reddish copper furred, blue skinned monkey in a friendly tone.
Zuzu tilted his head in confusion. "Mystical what now?" He asked curiously as he grew less vigilant of Yellow Tusk.
Despite not being able to understand Zuzu, Yellow Tusk could guess what the monkey wanted to say. "The mystical arts are the arts of manipulating the world to your desires. It is to move from one realm to another in but a moment, to seal a mountain into a bottle, to wield and control great power." Said Yellow Tusk dramatically. "However, this power is gained through rigorous studying and hard work and I'm no lenient teacher."
"Stop looking at him all stupid! Don't listen to what he's saying!" Exclaimed Zao angrily with a growl.
"But imagine all the ways I can piss off Zi with this power!" Countered Zuzu with starry eyes, practically drooling, entranced by the idea of having such power before he leaped towards Yellow Tusk eagerly. "I'm in! Teach me your ways, wise elephant!"
Yellow Tusk flinched slightly at the sight of his monkey student being so eager to learn, a memory of the monkey king flashing in his mind, but quickly calmed down before he turned to the silvery white dog glaring at him.
"And you, I'm sure i could teach you too if you give me the chance." Said Yellow Tusk calmly as he reached out to Zao.
Zao didn't even reply in his own language, all he did was rabidly growl at the elephant. Yellow Tusk saw this and pulled out his hammer and withe speeds Zao couldn't react to, he smashed the ground next to the dog. Zao froze as he understood he was outmatched. If Yellow Tusk chose to end him and Zuzu, they would've been dead a long time ago.
"Zao, was it? You're a protector, aren't you? But you can't protect anything if you're weak. If you wish to protect your friends from threats like the Lotus prince, you must seek more strength." Said Yellow Tusk in a serious tone. "Impeding your growth is not wise."
Zao grit his teeth in anger and frustration. He thought back to the fight against Nezha. He remembered how was defeated so easily, how he couldn't protect anyone.
And so, for once, the manic dog lowered his head to someone... asking for strength.
And with that, Yellow Tusk began teaching his students.
xxxxXxxxx
Later that night.
Taro, Azure and their friends sat down around a large empty table. Yellow Tusk and his students were trying to find a way to converse, Peng and Zi were discreetly attacking each other while Taro and Azure were happily sitting together.
"Hahaha, I've never seen this place be so lively before." Said Azure cheerfully as he stared at the his brothers and Taro's companions bonding. "Thank you, Taro. Truly."
Taro giggled happily under the compliment, unable to figure out what to say. He hoped the rest of his days in this world would go like this. But Taro frowned as he knew this peace wouldn't last forever. Nezha and the celestial realm was still after him and he would just be a burden to Azure and his brothers if a fight were to happen.
He quickly shook his head, trying to get the negative thoughts out of his head. He didn't want to sour the good mood of everyone here. And at that moment he felt a fuzzy feeling inside him. It was the power he felt before, coursing through him. Realizing this, Taro quickly turned to Azure and spoke.
"Hey, Azure. Can I talk to you...alone?" He asked calmly.
Azure raised a brow and nodded before he and Taro headed to an empty part of Camel Ridge. Taro took a deep breath before Azure asked. "So...what did you want to talk about?"
"I thought that since you're gonna be training me, you should know about my powers and where they came from...and why that celestial dud- I mean, Nezha was after." Said Taro with a nervous frown, prompting Azure to pay extra attention. "You know those immortality peach trees in the celestial realm?"
"Oh, those. Don't worry if you stole a couple of those peaches. I ate a fair share of them back in the day too." Azure reassured Taro with a smile.
Taro winced. "No, it's not that. It's that I'm sorta...one of those peach trees." He said awkwardly as he cut a lock of his hair and held it up to Azure as it turned into a peach. Azure blinked silently in confusion as Taro continued. "The celestial realm thinks I stole the missing tree which is kinda true, but not at the same time and I'm-"
"Just hold on a second. You're a WHOLE peach tree? How did they not see you?" He asked in shock. "Or did you get that form first?"
"...did you think I was just awkwardly moving through the celestial realm on my roots like they're legs?" Asked Taro narrowing his eyes as Azure looked away in embarrassment. "Trees can't walk, Azure."
Azure cleared his throat, making Taro sigh before the boy continued. "Anyway, I feel some sort of power inside me that I want to control." He said dejectedly. "I don't want the celestial realm to take me back and make me a tree again or something and I don't want Zi, Zao and Zuzu to get hurt because of me."
Azure smiled softly as he kneeled down the boy's level. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to raise into a hero not even the monkey king himself can mess with."
Taro smiled. He didn't know much about the monkey king, but he understood Azure's gesture. But then the boy remembered something. "Wait right here. I'll be back in a sec!" He exclaimed before he ran off somewhere before coming back with his sword. "An old lady gave me my sword and it felt magical, do you think you can tell me what it does?"
Azure took Taro's sword and stared at it intently before he let out a gasp. "It's just an ordinary sword." He said as bluntly as a sack of bricks making Taro choke on air.
"What?! B-ut I swear I feel something magical coming from it!" Taro replied in shock.
"Yes, it seems that it was enchanted. But that seems to have faded away. This sword is just...a normal sword now." Said Azure giving Taro his sword back.
Taro felt some disappointment, but he wasn't going to throw away the sword.
Little did he know that that old sword would serve him well for the rest of his life.
xxxxXxxxx
Day after day at Camel Ridge, Taro and his companions trained and grew closer to the Camel ridge trio.
Taro learned how to use his powers to heal and strengthen and with every day, the wastelands of Camel Ridge became slightly smaller. The large dining table which used to be empty slowly started having more and more plates of food as Taro's power grew, as the peach boy brought life to the wastelands of Camel ridge.
And like this, months passed. The good times seemed as if they would last forever...until one fateful day.
Taro, now wearing blue clothes with yellow accents with black shoes and a yellow scarf given to him by Azure as well as a scabbard holding his sword that was part of his belt, tended to a small, yet beautiful garden inside Camel Ridge with a smile as Yellow Tusk approached him cheerfully.
"Tending to the garden again, I see." Said the elephant calmly.
"Yeah." Replied Taro happily as he caressed a flower in his garden. "Y'know, I never knew gardening could actually be fun. I always thought it was just a chore to make things look pretty."
Yellow Tusk nodded in agreement as he approached Taro's garden. "Yes. Seeing the wastelands of Camel Ridge healing does bring a sense of joy."
Taro sighed. "What even made that wasteland? It doesn't feel normal." He muttered with a pout. "The more I use my powers to heal it, the more i feel like everything here is perfect for life, but something happened and just killed everything."
Yellow Tusk frowned dejectedly as he glanced at Taro before sighing. "It was to build Camel Ridge." He said calmly. "Such a monumental required great power and so we borrowed from the land arou-"
Yellow Tusk couldn't finish his sentence before he noticed the horrified look on Taro's face and went silent.
"Without it, we wouldn't have been able to build this place. Build this paradise." Yellow Tusk quickly added.
"Paradise? What part of this looks like a paradise?" Asked Taro in a shakey voice before he stood up with an angry expression. "I have to ask Azure about this."
Taro quickly rushed out to meet Azure. Yellow Tusk was about to stop him, but the elephant stopped himself instead. Somehow, it felt like the right thing to do. He picked himself up and followed Taro to see what will happen.
Meanwhile, Taro rushed towards Azure's location at speeds hard to follow until he found the lion warrior at an edge overseeing the wastelands of Camel Ridge.
"Azure!" Exclaimed Taro with a desperate expression.
"Taro! What-" Azure exclaimed cheerfully before noticing Taro's expression.
"Please tell me it isn't true." Taro asked desperately. "Please tell me you didn't zap the life out of everything to build Camel Ridge!"
Azure paused before sighing. "We had to. It was to build our paradise after the celestial realm had-"
"I don't care about the celestial whatever! You've KILLED everything around here and for what?! A fancy building?!" Snapped Taro angrily.
Azure sighed. "You'll understand when you're older." He said calmly. "Sometimes, we have to make sacrifices to do good."
"That's stupid! Doing good is making sure NO ONE gets sacrificed!" Exclaimed Taro angrily. "And who's this sacrifice helping exactly?!"
Before Azure could reply, Yellow Tusk, Peng, Zi, Zao and Zuzu all made it to the scene wondering what was going on. "What's all the noise about?" Asked Peng with a frown as they cleaned their ear.
"I think that's enough, Taro." Said Azure sternly, raising his voice as he crossed his arms with a frown.
Taro frowned. "You don't care about what I say, do you?" He said dejectedly as he turned around to leave.
Azure was taken aback by the statement. "O-of course, I do!" He said quickly.
"Then do me just one favor." Said Taro in a serious tone before pointing at the wastelands around Camel Ridge. "Look over there without coming up with excuses for what you've done and tell me if THAT'S the paradise you wanted to make."
And without saying another word, Taro walked away. His three companions saw this and immediately followed him, leaving Azure with Peng and Yellow Tusk to ponder Taro's request.
"Just forget it, all brats act up." Said Peng with a frown. "It was only a matter of time."
Azure went silent with a frown before he turned around to the wastelands and stared at it intently, honoring Taro's request. With every second, his brain came up with a new excuse as it was second nature. For once in his life, Azure brushed aside the excuses and saw the direct result of his actions. A wasteland with no life or light. An empty land of death.
"...what have I done." Muttered Azure before he rushed towards Taro desperately, but he couldn't find him in his room.
He scoured all of Camel Ridge in hopes of finding the boy. Room after room, but the boy was nowhere to be found. Azure thought the worst before he heard quiet sobs coming from one of the hallways and rushed to it before seeing Taro crying as he was comforted by his three companions. The moment Taro saw Azure, the boy brushed away his tears and turned away from the warrior as his companions glared at Azure.
"Taro, I... I saw it." Azure said dejectedly as he sat next to Taro. "You were right. I made a mistake, a horrible one."
Taro didn't reply and turned to Azure with a glare, making the lion warrior stare at the floor in guilt.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brushed your words aside like that. You trusted me and i broke that trust." Said Azure dejectedly as he stood. "I'll understand if you don't want to speak to me again."
As Azure was about to leave, he felt a small tug on his cape. He turned around to see the peach boy with a conflicted expression on his face tugging on his cape. A small smile made its way onto Azure's face before the warrior sat next to the boy.
"So what now?" Taro asked dejectedly.
"It's up to you." Said Azure calmly. "I can't force you to fix my mistake. Especially when you're still a child."
"Maybe when I get older I can magically...peach tree power heal... everything?" Replied Taro dejectedly.
"There's never been a peach tree like you, so who knows? Maybe you'll be even greater than that." Said Azure with a hearty chuckle.
Suddenly, without warning, Peng entered the hallway in a panic. "Azure! Wukong and his new friends are attacking!" They exclaimed.
Azure's eyes widened before he turned to Ta confused Taro. His hair stood on end as he realized the danger Taro was in. He grabbed the boy by the shoulders and spoke.
"Taro, this is important, I need you to run away without looking back. Run as far as you can!" Azure exclaimed in a panic. "Don't let them find you."
Taro was afraid and began to panic. "W-wait- what about you, Peng and Tusk?" He asked with his body shaking.
"They're here for us, for the mistake we made, not you. Don't try to come back. If we win, we'll find you." Replied Azure in a serious tone. "Just promise me that...if we don't, you'll be better than me. Be the hero I always wanted to-...no, the hero i SHOULD have been."
Taro slowly nodded before Azure turned to Zuzu and spoke. "Take him as far away from here as possible."
The little monkey nodded before he telekinetically drew a mystical circle on the floor that teleported Taro and his three companions far far away from Camel Ridge.
xxxxXxxxx
Later, at Master Subodhi's temple.
The pilgrims looked around them in confusion, wondering how they got here as Subodhi approached them.
"Hey! What the heck, old man!" Exclaimed Monkey King grumpily as he glared at his old master.
"Master Subodhi." Said The great monk in surprise.
"There's no time, there's something you must know." Said Subodhi with a frown. "Something about Azure Lion."
"Too late. Already put him in the underworld myself along with Peng and Yellow Tusk." Deadpanned Wukong. "So if you'd excuse us, we have-"
"But you didn't do anything about his student." Subodhi cut him off calmly, confusing everyone before a mystical circle appeared in front of everyone and in that circle appeared a young boy with peach colored hair crying under a tree. "THIS is Azure's student."
"Hmm? It's just a kid?" Said Zhu Bajie raising a brow. "What's so special about 'em?"
"This child is someone with potential that even surpasses that of the Monkey King. Every day he is left unchecked he will grow more powerful and skilled and should he ever choose to avenge his master, he will destroy everything and no one will be able to stop him." Subodhi replied calmly.
The pilgrims all went silent in shock until Wukong decided to break the ice. "So what do you expect us to do? Kill the kid? Seal him with Azure?"
"Wukong! No!" Exclaimed the monk with a frown. "It's just a boy. There has to be another way, right?"
Master Subodhi went silent, shocking the great monk.
"Right?"
xxxxXxxxx
Azure with Taro: He is my son now.
Yellow Tusk with Zao and Zuzu: they are great students who are eager to learn.
Peng with Zi: I've been trying to kill this godforsaken chicken for the past month and it just won't f*@#ing die!
Also, the bit with forcing the pilgrims to deal with Taro like he's a world ending threat despite him being a toddler was inspired by "The Horse and The Infant" song that I saw a lot of LMK amv's of.
Toodles.