"Once a year, this city becomes more than a city." A voice says. Engines roar in the background, as race cars rev their engines. "Once a year, these streets..." The camera pans through Megapolis, showing off the track. "Become more than just streets. This year...the winner will become...immortal!" the commentator shouts, as the camera shows off a giant trophy as the Peach of Immortality.

Mei and MK gasp as they watch the TV, eyes sparkling and practically vibrating with excitement. "A Peach of Immortality!" MK squeals. Pigsy and Chen were watching the news in the background behind the two. "Uh, Peach of what now?" Pigsy questions, crossing his arms. Chen unconsciously mimics, shaking his head at his naive father's question. "Oh no, Pops. You just set the nerds off." he cackles, almost in pity as he slides away from his father.

Mei and MK gasp dramatically, offended that the chef didn't know what the Peach of Immortality was. They start ranting, fumbling over their words as they scold him for not knowing what the peach was.
Tang clears his throat, quieting down the youngsters. "If you'll allow me." He pulls out a book, fixing up his glasses to make himself look more wise and mystical. Chen just rolls his eyes, shaking his head with a small smile. How did he become friends with these dorks again?
"Legend says there is a sacred field of trees which grows in the Heavenly Realm, protected by the gods themselves." he explains. "Every few thousand years, these trees bring forth the Peaches of Immortality. Against the wishes of the Heavenly Host, the Monkey King took them all, making himself immortal!" Tang finishes, showing Pigsy the book.

Pigsy holds up his hands. "Hold up. I thought Monkey King was already immortal." he says. Mei shakes her head. "Piggy, you're missing the point! Whoever wins this race will..."

– – –

"Live forever!" Red Son claims excitedly, as he holds out a poster for the Great Wall Race to his parents. Seeing that they weren't even paying attention, he turns to them with a glare. "A-Are you two even listening?!" he sputters angrily, the tips of his hair burning.
His father didn't even look his way. Princess Ironfan looks up from checking her nails, raising a bored brow at her son's ranting. "Uh...something about peaches?"
Red Son growls, and his mother rolls her eyes at his behaviour.

"Look, your schemes are quaint, but I never much cared for stone fruit." she explains, hovering toward him. The red-haired demon stares at her in disbelief. Was she being serious?! "But...the peaches are powerful!" he exclaims, holding up the poster once more.

"Like the Weather Station was powerful?" Ironfan cuts her son off, turning to him with a sharp glare. He shuts up, expression dark as he looks toward the ground.
"Why don't you just run along, hmm? Can't you see mommy and daddy have important business with an ancient power source." she gestures to the Bull clones mining away, as her husband watches over their work silently. She turns to join him by his side, completely ignoring the red-headed demon.

Red Son growls, scowling at his parents. "Fine!" he spat. His father turns to face him at his outburst. "You two stay here in your hole digging your "mysterious power source". Ugh, I am going to win the race, and when I get that peach, I'm not sharing!" with that, he storms out, leaving his two parents alone with their work.

DBK growls menacingly, watching him leave. "Foolish boy." he mutters. "If I were to race, I would crush him!"
Princess Ironfan hums in thought. "It would be wrong of us to shatter our son's ambitions. That's far too cruel! Even for demons." she jokes. At that, the two laugh devilishly.

– – –

"This is huge! Those other racers won't even stand a chance!" MK says excitedly. He was watching Mei and Chen clean their bikes, preparing for the race. Chen had the black bike with red and gold stripes that he (stole) BORROWED from the Sea-Crate HQ.
Every few minutes, he and Mei would shoot each other a competitive look, both determined to win this race.

Mei grins at Mk's comment, holding a cloth in her hand. "Right? I know the track like the back of my hand! The back alleys, the front alleys, the sideway alleys. All the alleys! I was made for this!"
"You're talking like you're the only one that knows these streets." Chen points out, not even looking over his shoulder. Mei throws her towel at him, and it hits the young man in the back of the head. "Hey!"
MK grins confidently, running a hand through his hair. "Yep! I'm totally gonna win this thing." He says matter of factly.

At his words, Mei and Chen turn to him, confused. "Wait, what?"
"You're not racing." Mei points out, walking toward him. Chen nods, glaring down at the young man. "We're racing, MK. You've been watching us train for months!"
"This shouldn't be a surprise for you!" Mei exclaims. MK looks at them, eyes widening slightly. "Oh, yeah, uh, I just thought you guys were doing that stuff for me." he says, smiling sheepishly.
At this, the two glare down at him menacingly, and he back pedals. "But upon reflection, that doesn't make much sense."

Mei growls, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "How would you even- ugh! There is no way you'd beat me!" she states with a huff. Chen turns to her, a smirk on his face now. "Sorry to disappoint you, Mei, but your future champion is standing right in front of you." he says smugly, gestruing to himself.
Mei glares at him, fuming at his cockiness. "You're gonna eat those words when I beat you."

"Uh, I could beat both of you!" MK points out, feeling left out of the conversation. "I'm a delivery boy, pretty sure I know how to drive real good." he states, pushing himself between them to get there attention. Chen laughs, wiping a tear from his eye. "Are you forgetting who you work with, Monkey brain? Mei and I know how to get through these streets with both speed and accuracy. We're the better drivers here!"
"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that!" MK shoots back, and the two butt heads.

At that moment, Tang leaves Pigsy's Noodles with a flag for both Mei and Chen. The trio quickly approach him. "Mr. Tang, who's the better driver? Mei, Chen or me?" MK asks, leaning on one of his shoulders. Mei leans on his other shoulder, grinning. MK notices the flags he has, and gasps dramatically, offended that Tang had no faith in him.
The man looks between the three kids awkwardly. "This is very uncomfortable." he mutters, running away from the trio. MK grumbles, cheeks tinted red. "Whatever! I'm absolutely gonna win!"

Mei yells out in exasperation, getting annoyed now. "How? You know you need a vehicle to race, right?" she points out the obvious. MK laughs, a plan forming in his mind. "Oh, I've got a vehicle." he replies, rubbing his hands together excitedly. Chen rolls his eyes, finding Mk's confidence amusing. "This is gonna be good."

– – –

A commentator clears his throat, looking down at the start of the racing line. "We're now just minutes away from the start of the race as the drivers make their final preparations!"

Mei and Chen sit on their respective bikes. The young man was wearing a suit similar to his bike's colours, with a pattern of golden flames on his sleeve. A black helmet sat on his lap, as he ties his hair into a ponytail.
As they wait for the race to start, a loud crash sounds out, and a tuk-tuk lands beside them. MK smiles as he turns to face them. "Oh, hi guys. Didn't see you there." he says smugly, leaning on his vehicle.
Mei and Chen give him a look, as the young girl rolls her eyes. "You're really gonna do this? You're really gonna try and race me?"

"Yeah! And so are we!" the trio turn to the new and unfamiliar voice. Chen sees that there are two (unknown to him) demons sitting in their own race car. "Monkie Kid! It's your worst enemies, Jin!"
"And Yin!"
"The Gold and Silver Demons!" they say together. Chen places his helmet on, ignoring the two demons all together.

Mei growls. "You don't even know the track!" she yells. MK scoffs, leaning through his window. "I got Monkey King powers! I think I'll be fine!" he shoots back. Chen cackles at his boldness. "You'll be fine powder when we crush you and win the race." he exclaims. MK turns to him angrily, but before he could say anything, another voice groans.

"Can you peasants be quiet?! I'm trying to get in the zone!" Red Son shouts from his racecar. Chen whips around, glaring at him. "What the heck are you doing here, Flame head!?" he points accusingly. Red Son laughs. "I'm here to win the race and become immortal!" he exclaims with a grin, revving his engine to drive the point home. Chen deadpans, staring at the red-haired demon. "Hate to break it to you, princess, but I'M gonna win this race."
"No you're not! I am!" MK points out.

The ground shakes, and a huge dump truck arrives at the track, scaring the other competitors off. DBK and Princess Ironfan sat in the driver's seat, wicked grins on their faces.
Chen looks up at the large vehicle. It was large, and wouldn't be able to make turns easily. He smirks. This was going to be a piece of cake.

Yin's voice speaks through the microphone, the two demons now gone from the starting line. "Oh! It looks like we've got some last minute scratches as DBK and Ironfan join the race!"
"Yeah, and totally unrelated, we're the new commentators!" Jin adds. "And to spice things up, we've gone ahead and altered the race track!" he cackles. Mei, Chen and MK look up at the screen in shock. "What?!"

"That's right! Here's your start line. Here's your finish line. Get there any way you like!" Yin says, showing the racers a map of the non existent track. "On your marks!"

"Hold on!" Mei freaks out, her grip on her bike handles tightening.

"Get set!"

"Wait, what?!" Red Son starts to panic.

"GO!"

DBK races pass the rest, knocking them over. Princess Ironfan laughs. "Sorry darling! We'll meet you at the finish line!" she cackles, accelerating the truck. MK, who was close behind her, grins at his friends. "Yeah! I'll see you at the finish line!" he mimics in a high-pitched voice, laughing hysterically.
Chen growls, straightening up his bike. "Oh you're DEAD MK!" he shouts, speeding after the disappearing tuk-tuk and truck.

He reaches DBK's truck and MK, taking over them both easily. He stays in front, until Mei comes up from behind, speeding pass him.

–

"And it's become immediately apparent that some drivers are better than others." Yin points out, gesturing to MK's terrible driving. Jin nods, taking a sip of his hot beverage as they watch the race.

–

Chen glares at the young girl, about to accelerate when MK bumps him from behind, almost throwing him off. He turns to shout at him, lifting up the visor. "MK!"
"Sorry! Didn't see you there!" he says apologetically, straightening up his vehicle.

"But I did!" Red Son cackles, driving dangerously close next to Chen and almost knocking him over. Chen slows down, and everyone is able to speed away from him. "See you later, Rat!" the red-haired demon laughs, disappearing from view. Chen growls, pulling off his helmet and throwing it away in a rage. "Stupid helmet with its stupid blind spots!" he shouts through gritted teeth, speeding after Red Son and the others.

He reaches the dump truck first, and he pulls up on its right, his hair miraculously still in its ponytail as it whips back and forth in the wind. He turns to the driver, DBK, giving him a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. He could see Princess Iron Fan was next to the large demon bull, and she turns to Chen with a scowl.
However, her scowl quickly changes to one of shock. Her eyes widen, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes in recognition. "Niú fēng?" she whispers, cupping a hand over her mouth.
Chen raises a brow, confused. What did she just call him? Was that supposed to be an insult? Shaking his head he speeds off, leaving the couple behind.

Princess Ironfan watches him go for a moment, before looking away. She tries hard not to cry, as she places a gentle hand on her husband. "Love..."
DBK looks down at his wife, concerned for her. "Yes? What's wrong?" he asks, noticing the tears starting to spill down her cheeks. Princess Ironfan's shoulders begin to shake, and she swallows the lump in her throat long enough to speak. "I...I just want to leave...please, my love..." she whispers.

DBK doesn't hesitate. Slamming his foot on the pedal, he speeds up the truck at an upcoming turn, crashing through the barrier and driving right through the mountain. Everyone gasps and "Oohs" at the sight, as DBK and his wife disappear from the race.

–

"Ooh! DBK and Princess Ironfan are out of the race! And the Missus does NOT look happy!" Jin points out. He covers the microphone as he turns to his brother. "Seriously, is she alrigh'?" he says in a whisper. His brother shrugs, just as confused as his sibling.

–

Meanwhile, inside Pigsy's Noodles, Pigsy and Tang, who were watching the entire race, stare at the screen. Pigsy is wringing his hands, watching the race anxiously.
Tang turns to Pigsy, noticing his distressed expression. "Is something wrong?" he asks. Pigsy shrugs. "It's...it's nothing. I think." he hesitates, not looking Tang's way.
The racing camera was fixated on Chen at the moment, who was looking over his shoulder at Ironfan and DBK's abrupt exit.

Tang's brows furrow. "Are you gonna tell him where he actually came from?" he asks, gesturing to Chen racing on the TV. "Maybe there's more to his history than we realised, and Princess Ironfan might know something-"

"No! No, not yet. Th-there's already so much on the kids plate at the moment. I don't want to bother him with that just yet." he mutters, looking down at his hands.

He was lying. He just didn't want to lose him.

Tang sighs. "He's not a little kid anymore, Pigsy. He's a grown adult with his own life. When are you planning to tell him?" he queries. Pigsy stares at the screen, not meeting his eyes.

"...soon." he finally spoke, in a tone suggesting he was done talking about the subject.
Tang stares at him a moment longer, before shrugging. "Alright. But just remember, Pigsy. With things like this, if you leave it the truth is bound to come out the hard way." he states, as he turns his attention back to the screen.

Pigsy, however, was now too distracted to focus on the race. He tries to just enjoy it, but after that moment with Princess Ironfan...he couldn't help but feel like something bad was going to happen.

–

Chen glances over his shoulder, having just seen DBK and Ironfan disappear into the mountain. "That was weird." he mutters. What was that about?
Shrugging, he returns his concentration to the race.

He spots Red Son, MK and Mei up ahead. Revving his bike he speeds up, pulling up next to Mei's vehicle and keeping pace with her. The two send each other competitive glares. MK was currently in the lead, a fair distance ahead of the three racers.
"Get out of my way, Noodle Boy!" Red Son shouts to MK, who retaliates with a "NEVER!"

Mei zooms past MK first, followed by Chen and Red Son. MK is left behind in the distance, staring after them in dismay. "Hey! No fair!" he yells. Chen laughs, as he keeps pace with Red Son.
Mei was now in the lead, the two men were catching up fast. But Mei laughs, accelerating her bike to full speed, and disappearing within seconds. Chen and Red Son's jaws drop. The dragon girl was now too far ahead of them.

–

"And at this point, the only way Mei's not going to win is if some sort of flying fool were to crash into her from above!" Jin states into the microphone.

–

Chen growls, speeding up. Red Son follows his lead, and the two keep close. They shoot glares at each other, but both knew that if either of them were going to win, they needed to catch up to Mei first.
That wasn't a problem for long, for as they rounded a corner, they see Mei and MK laying in a wreckage of their own vehicles. Chen cringes as he zooms past them. "Sorry, guys!"

Red Son cackles, as he passes them, heading toward the finish line. "Victory is mine, peasants!" he declares victoriously
Chen revs his bike, a determined glare plastered on his face. "Not if I can help it, Flare Head!"

The two fight for first place as the finish line comes into sight. Red Son grins. "May as well give up now, Rat, while you still have dignity!"
Chen laughs. "As if I'd back down from a challenge!" he spat back, revving his engine once more and speeding up. Red Son does too.
The two are tying neck and neck, getting closer to the finish line.

All of a sudden, there's a rumble in the distance. A cloud of dust quickly approaches down the track they'd just come from, drawing closer and closer.
Then from around the bend, zooms Mei and MK in a brand new vehicle. Chen's jaw drops once more. "WHAT THE- HOW?!" he yells.

As the two approach, he realises they weren't stopping or slowing down. He quickly swerves his bike out of the way, just as Mei and MK crash into Red Son's vehicle, destroying both.
But midair, MK uses his staff to retransform their vehicle from the wreckage, and they zoom toward the finish line. Realisation dawns on the young man, and Chen glowers at the duo. "Of course..." he mutters dejectedly.

MK and Mei cross the finish line, winning the race. The crowd cheers wildly, going down to congratulate the two winners. MK and Mei hold up the golden peach trophy, as Chen gets off his bike and walks over to them.
He scowls, and holds out his hand to Mei and MK. "Good race, Mei. MK. Congratulations on winning." he says as calmly as he could. But it was evident in his tone that he was holding back his frustration.

Mei has a smug grin on her face, much to Chen's annoyance. "Aw, is my best fwiend holding in his temper to congratulate me?" she coos. "That's so sweet!"
Chen's eye twitches, and he takes a deep breath before responding. "Mei, just shake my hand." he mutters through gritted teeth.
Mei doesn't take his angry tone seriously, and she pulls him into a hug. "Aw, you did great today too, Chen!" she says.
The young man growls, trying to push Mei off of him. "GET OFF!"

Mei laughs, holding him tighter. "But you're too gosh darn cute when you're grumpy!" she points out. Chen face palms. "You better PRAY that tea will be saving you today!" he growls.

A fiery blast goes off, and the crowd scatters as Red Son screams. "NOODLE BOY! You insufferable-THAT PEACH SHOULD BE MINE!" he screeches, setting himself aflame.
MK hugs the golden peach trophy close, giving the demon a hiss. "Ha! You're never getting this fruit!" he claims, and bites into the trophy. His teeth shatter, and he falls off the pedestal in pain. "Ah! Ah! Ow! I don't think it's ripe yet..." he whimpers.

Chen cackles, his mood lighting up considerably as Mei takes the trophy. "Wait, wait, wait, you thought it was real?" he asks, looking down at MK and Red Son with a raised brow. Mei lifts up the trophy for the two to see, a wide grin on her face. "It's just a trophy! We don't really get a peach of immortality." she explains.
MK and Red Son pull out their posters, shocked. "What? But...but...but the poster says-"
"It says right there on the poster!"

Mei and Chen's laughter interrupts the two, and Mei points to the screen above them as she wipes a tear from her eye. "It says you get immortality by having your picture projected on the great wall!" The picture above them shows MK biting into the trophy, with Mei laughing behind him.
MK and Red Son were speechless, as the young man took a closer look at the poster. "Oh, so...the peach is a metaphor?" he asks. Chen pulls him into a side hug, grinning. "Of course it was, ya dingus." he states, flicking MK's forehead. The young man pushes him off. "Hey!"

"I knew that!" Red Son shouts, cheeks tinted red from embarrassment. "You think you're so...ugh!" he disappears in a fiery tornado, reappearing behind the trio.
"Peasants!"
Chen smirks. "Flare head!" he calls out after the demon. The red-head shoots a glare over his shoulder one last time, before once more disappearing into a fire tornado.

Mei jumps off the pedestal, joining her two best friends on the ground. MK turns to her, confused. "Wait. But what about the real peaches? Where are they?"
Chen and Mei shrug. "I dunno."
"No clue."

"We better get going." Chen points out, letting his hair fall out of its ponytail. "Pigsy and Tang will be waiting for us back at the shop."
"Oh, yeah! Race ya there, Chen!" MK shouts, as both he and Mei get in their new racecar and speed off. Chen sputters as he gets back on his bike. "Ey! Get back here!" he chases after them, as the crowds begin to disperse.

– – –

Red Son stomps into the factory, where the bull clones were still working. Muttering curses under his breath, he kicks a rock, oblivious to his two parents who were sitting quietly by their thrones. DBK was holding Princess Ironfan's hand, the woman holding a hand over her face. She was pale, like she'd just seen a ghost.

From her point of view, she just had.

"Stupid Noodle Boy, Stupid Rat, Stupid Dragon Horse Girl!" Red Son hisses, hair set ablaze as he paces. "Making me look like a fool! They'll pay for this!" he spat out angrily, stomping his foot.

DBK turns to his son, eyes glowing green as he glares at her. "Quiet, boy!" he growls. His tone silences the red-haired demon, who in turn finally looks to them in confusion. "Can't you see your mother is upset?!"
Red Son brows furrow, now concerned. "Mother? What happened?" he queries.
Princess Ironfan, who'd been quiet the entire time, slowly lowers her hand. "I just saw Niú fēng." she says simply.

Red Son's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "But...but how is that possible?" he asks once more. Princess Ironfan finally gets to her feet, DBK taking a step back. "I don't know. But that demon is going to pay for stealing my baby." she snarls out, summoning her fan. "We will get him back."

A/N: Btw YES Chen knows he's adopted. It's been obvious throughout his childhood that Pigsy isn't his biological father.
Anyway shit's bout to go down for Chen in the next few chapters