The Demon Bull King, a powerful demon set on conquering the mortal realm. When he attacked, no one could stand in his way. No one could stop him, until the monkey king appeared. He defeated the Demon Bull King and sealed him under a mountain using his staff that no other being could wield.
"Yeah, I don't see the appeal of this guy." Said Taro, wearing an azure blue jacket with a black tree drawing on the back; half zipped-up over a black undershirt, black pants and azure blue boots as well as an orangish yellow scarf and cap over his pink hair, with a frown as he crossed his arms.
"What?! B-b-but! He's, like, the coolest person ever!" Exclaimed MK in shock before donning a betrayed expression. "And I thought of you as my brother!"
Inside of Pigsy's noodle shop, MK, Taro and Tang sat in front of the counter chatting about the legendary monkey king himself, Sun Wukong.
"Doesn't mean I have to like him." Deadpanned Taro rolling his eyes with his arms crossed. "He's just a monkey with a big stick."
MK gasped in shock. "You take that back!" He exclaimed with a serious expression.
"Hmm," Replied Taro putting a hand on his chin before shrugging nonchalantly. "no."
"Maybe this will change your mind." Said MK cheerfully as he pulled out a notebook filled with drawings. "I got his whole life documented extensively in this unauthorized autobiography of Monkey King. Written and illustrated by yours truly. Like I knew he was born from a stone, and live behind a waterfall with his sweet little baby monkey friends! And- and-"
"Ah, pearls of wisdom dripping from my lips." Added Tang with a smile at MK's knowledge about the Monkey King.
"I thought that was noodle broth." Deadpanned Taro, causing Tang to glare at him before the man turned to MK.
"Well, you know the deal: one story, one free bowl of Zha jiang mian. Hmm?" Tang tried to reason for free food.
Taro sweat dropped upon hearing MK agree to bring the free noodles as if it was the most normal thing ever before plugging his ears. Not a second later, Pigsy stormed into the room yelling angrily about not giving free noodles and something about growing his noodle empire. Before Taro unplugged his ears, MK was already out of the building to deliver some noodles leaving him and Tang in front of Pigsy.
"Oh, Taro!" Exclaimed Pigsy cheerfully, noticing Taro's presence. "You're here for noodles?" He said before ripping a bowl of noodles from Tang's cold grip and happily putting it in front of the peach boy. "Here you go. On the house."
Tang gasped in shock. "B-b-but I thought you said no free noodles!" He uttered in utter bafflement.
"Because he ain't no freeloader. He helps MK deliver noodles and works hard helping around the shop when he doesn't work here." Replied Pigsy, giving Tang a stern glare.
Tang turned to Taro and glared at the peach boy and his free noodles before Taro chuckled. "Thanks, but I'll have to pass. I've got some work at the hotel that needs to be done. Definitely next time though." He said getting up from his seat, ignoring the noodles, and heading towards the door with a bright cheerful smile. "Bye, Uncle Pigsy."
And without another word, Taro dashed out of the shop with great vigor. His bright smile quickly degraded into a furious frown as his eyes, glowing pink with power landed on an orange bird flying far away into the sky.
xxxxxxXxxxxxx
At the Wood Temple Hotel.
Taro found himself in front of his home after a few seconds of rushing and quickly opened the door, taking his shoes off before rushing upstairs.
"Hi, Taro." Said Cedar spirit as the peach boy passed him by before donning a confused expression.
"What's up, Ru?" Asked Apricot spirit as Taro passed her by at lightning speed much to her surprise.
Taro couldn't think to greet his fellow spirits as he rushed to his room with a serious expression. He gripped the handle of the door taking a deep breath, preparing to tell his friends the news. But the moment Taro tried to open the door, it slammed open as all his companions crashed into his body.
As painful as it was having a dog, a monkey and a pheasant slam into you like cannons, Taro couldn't help but laugh at his friends' antics. "I'm not even gonna ask what that was." He said wiping a tear away before his companions sighed in relief. They then tensed up when they saw Taro's expression become dead serious. "I sensed him at Pigsy's shop, the Monkey King."
The three Z's quickly donned serious expressions of their own. How could they not? Their greatest enemy has appeared once more after disappearing.
.
Suddenly, Zi chirped in a serious tone. "For centuries we were bound and now for vengeance we shall hound. We train with blood and tears until that scoundrel's death we hear!"
Zao and Zuzu turned to their friend with disappointed expressions before the monkey spoke. "You're still into that weird hobby?" Zuzu asked raising a brow.
"Of course!" Exclaimed Zi cheerfully in response as he struck an elegant pose. "An individual as magnificent as I surely must have an equally enamoring vocabulary and manner of speech. And what way to present such qualities if not through delightful poetry?"
"Get a real hobby." Replied Zuzu boldly before grinning. "Like being a master of pranks or a world record holder for several video games!"
"Don't you cheat with mystic powers in both?" Deadpanned Zao causing Zuzu to freeze.
The monkey glared at the dog and spoke. "Well, at least my hobby isn't just extra training!" He exclaimed crossing his arms.
"I like exercise." Was all Zao said in response.
"Guys! Guys! Focus!" Said Taro in a serious tone that got his friends' attention. "We need to figure out what our next move is. Wukong is moving and there has to be a reason for that. If we find that reason out, we could catch him."
Silence descended upon the room as everyone inside tried to think of what the monkey king was doing and how to catch him. Zuzu put a hand on his chin with a hum as Zi and Zao contemplated silently. "Maybe it has to do with MK." The monkey said calmly, causing Taro to tightly clench his fists and frown.
To his three companions, Taro looked anxious. Believing him to be worried about their future battle to the death against the monkey king and they understood his worries.
"Oh, take off that frown. We'll beat that dullard, Monkey King no problem."
"IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MONKEY KING!" Snapped Taro before letting out an exhausted sigh. "I'm sorry, Zi. I'm just anxious of MK and our friends because I know they'll be against us killing him! I don't want them to think of us as some group of...evil demons!"
The three went silent. They looked at each other before nodding. "Then we just have to do it without them finding out." Zuzu declared with a smirk. "Besides, it's not like you'll have to fight any of them. None of them can fight at all!"
Taro flopped face first onto his bed and screamed into his pillow. "...it still feels bad." He said dejectedly as he took off his hat. "And even saying it out loud makes me feel bad. Killing someone? Just awful."
Zuzu heard this and climbed onto the boy's bed before snatching a lock of the boy's hair that turned into a peach. "You're too sweet for your own good." He said shoving the peach into Taro's mouth. "We'll solve it when we get to it."
Taro sighed before taking the peach out of his mouth and taking a bite as he glared at Zuzu. "I'd be mad at you for shoving my hair in my mouth if I wasn't so dang delicious." He said before swallowing the bite he took.
Taro paused before sitting on his bed and donning a serious expression. "Alright. Zuzu, shrink yourself and Zi. You two will stay my pockets while Zao will walk with me. Get ready for a fight."
"Wait! Why isn't Zao staying in the pockets too?" Asked Zi in displeasure.
"Because a dog draws less attention than a pheasant or a monkey. Plus, he'll be tracking down the monkey king." Replied Taro with a smile. "Now that we've got our plan in place, LEGO(let's go)...apologize to the others for ignoring them on my way up! Then we hunt down the monkey king."
And with that, our crew set their sights on their revenge unknowing of the troubles ahead.
xxxxXxxxx
Later, at Pigsy's noodles.
"Monkey King's staff!" Exclaimed Tang upon witnessing MK accidentally breaking a table with Wukong's staff by elongating it. "I knew it all along! The legendary weapon that only he could wield to seal away evil! Wait a minute. Why do you have it?"
Taro's heart sank as his eyes landed on the familiar staff in the boy he considered to be his little brother's hands. It took a lot to make sure his true feelings don't show on the surface, but he couldn't let MK know of the truth.
"You should probably throw it away; it could be cursed." Suggested Taro worriedly as he remembered it was sealing away a demon. "I mean, it WAS trapping an ancient powerful demon of the netherworld for a few centuries."
"No. We have to deliver it back to Monkey King so he can use it to beat up the Demon Bull King again and save the city!" Countered MK cheerfully before turning to Taro for affirmation with starry eyes. "Right, big bro?"
Taro sighed dejectedly. "I guess." He said as Zao tried to comfort him by brushing his fur against the boy's leg. He didn't want to appear suspicious, as much as he wanted that staff gone.
"All right, I'll bite. If the staff is here, then where is the demon punk now?" Asked Pigsy raising a brow with his arms crossed.
"He's at the shoe store." Mei chirped in, holding her phone.
Everyone, including Taro, was confused by this before Mei showed them that DBK was trending. Taro's mind quickly fell into a dilemma. Monkey King or DBK, which to go after? The one that wronged him or the one that's hurting innocents? He couldn't even think about how he couldn't fight the monkey king near MK and the others.
Absorbed in this problem, Taro didn't notice his friends gathering inside Pigsy's food truck until the pig demon snapped him out of his trance. "Kid? You comin' or not?"
Taro paused with a frown before a calm smile made its way onto his face. "No. I'll stay here and try to help whoever I can. You guys get that staff to Wu- I mean, the monkey king. Let's keep in touch with a video call." He said pulling out his phone and video calling Mei who gave him a thumbs up before Pigsy's truck dashed into the horizon.
Taro's eyes glowed pink before suddenly, two flashes of pink light burst out of Taro's pockets and onto the ground to reveal Zi and Zuzu. "I suppose that shines an iridescent light on our objective." Said the pheasant calmly.
Taro nodded before extending his arm and opening his hand. Out of nowhere, through a magical pink light, Taro's pink bladed sword fell into his hands. The peach boy twirled his sword then took a deep breath before dashing into the city towards the Demon Bull King with his phone in his other hand.
Finding DBK had been a breeze. The demon was almost intentionally drawing attention. Taro had complete vision on DBK from atop one of the nearby buildings "don't attack him until I say so-" he said before Mei cut him off.
"What was that, Taro?" She asked innocently.
"Nothing!" Exclaimed Taro nervously, praying Mei didn't notice his muttering. "How are things going at your end?"
As Taro asked this question, a chunk of a building started flying his way only for the peach boy to slice it into tiny bits instantaneously; letting the debris fly past him on Mei's screen.
"Woah, things are looking are looking intense over there." Commented Mei, thinking DBK was the one who caused all the debris. "Good thing we're making progress. We-"
"That sword!" Exclaimed DBK glaring at Taro after witnessing his sword's feat. "It must rare enough to grant me immense power! Child! Give me that sword!"
"Who's he talking to?" Asked Mei curiously.
"Probably some nerd with a limited edition toy sword or something." Replied Taro with a nervous smile. "Being stuck under a mountain for centuries can drive anyone crazy, hehe."
DBK seemed to hear what Taro said and it made the Bull King huff angrily. "I'll rip it from your skeleton then!" He said before dashing towards Taro only to be met with the indestructible wings of Zi.
"Hey! Big ugly! Over here!" Yelled Taro quickly before turning to Mei on the phone. "I'm getting his attention. If the screen starts shaking a lot, it's because I'm running away. So, tell me about your situation"
"What is this?" Asked DBK in shock at Zi's defensive capabilities before he was met with a pink beam of energy from above that sent him to the ground on his feet more angry than before. Taro glanced at the the demon before dashing upwards and slashing the air multiple time, sending several arcs of energy DBK's way.
"Pigsy took us to this really nice guy called Sandy who has a boat and he's taking us to Flower Fruit Mountain. And he likes animals just like you." Replied Mei cheerfully before rushing to a buff blue skinned man with ginger hair and mohawk. "Say hi, Sandy!"
"Hi, new friend." Said Sandy cheerfully through Taro's screen.
"Name's Taro. You seem really nice." Taro said with a smile as DBK climbed the building he was on. He quickly gestured for his companions not to act as DBK clasped his hands together and raised then in the air before slamming them down on Taro's location. When the dust settled, Taro was unharmed and standing on DBK's arm. "Y'know? I should probably focus on running away. Anything else before I go?"
"JUST HOLD ON, TARO! WE'LL GET MONKEY KING AND DEFEAT THIS DEMON BEFORE YOU KNOW IT!" Taro heard MK through the call, though he wasn't on the screen as DBK charged a beam of energy through his mouth to blast the peach boy away.
The moment DBK fired, Taro lowered his body to the back as if playing limbo with the demon's attack; letting the blast harmlessly pass by him. "I will! Thanks for looking out for me, lil bro!" He exclaimed cheerfully before ending the call. "Zao!"
The moment Taro spoke, the manic silver dog dashed into DBK's abdomen; sending the large demon flying. Suddenly, a boy with red hair and glasses entered the scene staring in shock at DBK flying through the air.
"What?! Who dares-" the boy couldn't finish his sentence before DBK rose from the crater Zao left him in glaring at Taro.
DBK roared into the sky angrily before dashing towards Taro with the fierceness of a wild beast. But as the demon got closer, his eyes widened as Taro took a deep breath and raised his sword.
Azure Lion. DBK could almost see the visage of his sworn brother next to the boy; both swinging their swords in perfect sync. DBK was so shaken that he only barely blocked at the last moment.
DBK then noticed a mystic circle next to him with a smiling bronze furred, blue skinned monkey in its middle. Its purpose became clear when DBK tried to move his legs. They were stuck in the ground below him, no doubt the monkey's doing. Just as DBK was about to break out, he saw the dog dashing towards him at high speed once again.
He quickly raised his arms to try and take down the hound before it could attack him, knowing how hard that dog could hit. But the monkey and the dog reminded him of another of his sworn brothers, Yellow Tusk.
But DBK's attack was suddenly stopped by Zi's golden wings. The demon naturally made the connection with the pheasant as well. Same golden wings, same pose while blocking. He could almost hear even the same laugh from the pheasant's crows. It was all so much like his sworn brother, the Golden Winged Peng.
It was confusing to DBK that these four were so similar to his sworn brothers. They have been trapped for centuries, how could they have any relation to a child and some animals? He intended to find out the hard way. Except he couldn't.
The four were too overwhelming together. Even his own son couldn't spend a second against them before he knocked out. And the worst of it, DBK noticed that the boy and his companions weren't trying to defeat him. They were trying to stall him.
DBK paused, not even trying to move or attack as he glared at Taro and his companions and they did the same. Before either side could attack, however, a powerful gust of wind made its way between them. Taro's hat flew off his head and into the air from the wind, prompting the boy catch it as a lady appeared from said wind holding the staff of the monkey king.
Taro couldn't even hear what she was saying to or doing with DBK as he focused on that staff. "MK?" He muttered anxiously. In this trance, he failed to act as the lady put the staff inside the core on DBK's chest.
Taro could feel the power surging through the Demon Bull King. He quickly turned to his companions and spoke. "Scatter! Evacuate as many people as possible and don't you dare fight or try to play a prank on that guy! Zao, Zuzu, I'm looking at you." He said as DBK grew to a Kaiju level size.
The three nodded before they all scattered, taking away any people still in the city and giving them to Zuzu who teleported them away. Taro himself, however, glared at the lady before dashing towards her with a slash of his sword.
A clang resounded in the air as Taro's sword met what looked to be a large fan in the lady's hand. "Not bad." She said with a smile.
"What did you do to MK? The one who had the staff." Taro asked angrily.
The lady, also known as Princess Iron Fan raised a brow. "The noodle boy?" She asked in confusion. "Let's just say he won't be delivering anymore noodles."
Taro's eyes glowed pink as he glared at PIF with fury. His sword's pink glow grew exponentially until PIF felt herself being pushed back. Before PIF could be defeated however, she and Taro were separated by a road shattering punch that forced both of them to dodge.
Before Taro could take one more swing at Iron Fan, he suddenly felt a familiar power. One just like the monkey king's. MK's.
"The little thief returns." Said DBK, affirming Taro's hopes.
Taro smiled before turning to Princess Iron Fan. Zi, Zao and Zuzu appearing behind him in a flash of light.
"Took you long enough!" Exclaimed Zao angrily.
"Hey! Try teleporting so much yourself if you can do it so good!" Countered Zuzu angrily. "Maybe if Zi didn't try to make heroic speeches all the time-"
"What's WRONG with my heroic speeches?!" Snapped Zi angrily.
"Guys!" Yelled Taro in frustration, getting his companions to all focus.
PIF saw the matchup she was against and frowned. She couldn't defeat them combined, from what she heard from her husband and she didn't want to burden her husband with her safety and so she did the sensible thing. She teleported away in a gust of wind.
Seeing this, Taro lowered his blade and turned to MK's location to witness a spectacle that struck horror into his heart. MK defeated the Demon Bull King. And at that moment Taro knew that to end The Monkey King-
He'd have to cut down The Monkie Kid.
xxxxxXxxxxx
Extra random bit I couldn't add due to personal issues:
"Mei, can you stop trying to pet my dog? He will try to bite you again." Said Taro with a frown. "He bites everyone!"
"But I just wanna pet his cute widdle fwuffy head." Said Mei extending her hand to pet Zao.
The moment before Mei's hand made contact with Zao's head, the dog quickly moved in and bit Mei's hand, causing her to scream in pain. Taro would later bandage her hand himself.
xxxxXxxxx
Also, fun fact. Taro bought Zi a personal thesaurus that the pheasant uses to find new fancy words to use.
Toodles