I do not own "Jackie Chan Adventures".
Chapter 1: The 12
Within the city of San Francisco in California, USA, there was rumbling going on within one of the city alleys at night. It revealed itself to be a gray dog with a white underbelly and tail tip and green eyes. He was searching through the garbage looking for anything that he could eat. After some digging, it turned out that his search was fruitless. Sighing in disappointment, he began his way back to the wooden crate he called home. As he was making his way, he caught sight of a moving truck looking like it was built like a vault.
Within this vault, there was a protective case holding twelve octangular stones. Each with a different animal carving on them. Up in the front seats of the truck were two men as guards.
"Why does the Dark Hand want these old Talismans again?" the driver asked his partner next to him.
"Apparently, they're supposed to hold some ancient magic or something."
"Oh great. So now we're believing in magic?"
"I know, right? Who would go out of their way to steal these old rocks over something like that?"
Little did they know, a helicopter was following them. The door slid open to reveal someone. A man with pale, grayish skin, and red hair with old-fashioned sideburns, and wore a 70's white disco suit over a pink long-sleeved, button-up shirt, black-blue shoes, and a golden pendant around his neck. And in his hands was a rocket launcher pointed right ahead of the truck.
"This is your stop," he said before firing it ahead of the truck.
The launched rocket impacted the road. The resulting explosion caused the truck to be sent flying. Tumbling over itself, receiving damage all over. When it finally stopped, the doors had swung open on their own, revealing the case inside.
Seeing the damage caused, the dog ran over as fast as he could. When he got there, ignoring the pooling leaking gasoline, he looked inside the vehicle, he could see the two men were injured but still alive. As he clawed against the window, he began barking, trying to get anyone who was around to show up and help. A rope ladder dropped down nearby, but what came down was not help. It was the red-haired man from earlier with two other men.
One was above average in height, with grayish-green skin and short, spiky, black hair and a bandage worn over his nose. His outfit consisted of a long-sleeved, collared, white shirt under a black dress coat, with a light red tie. He also wore black slacks and dress shoes.
The other was of Chinese descent with black, spiky hair and was the shortest of the trio. His eyes were covered by a pair of orange sunglasses. Unlike the other two, his dress was more casual with a grey T-shirt and black jacket with black pants and shoes.
"Let's grab the goods," said the red head.
As they made their way over to the truck, the dog ran up to them and started growling at them, instinctively knowing they did not mean well.
"A dog?" asked the bandaged nose.
"Beat it, rover. We don't have time to play," said the Chinese man as they walked past him. In response to this, the dog bit down and started tugging on the bandaged nose's pants leg.
"What the? Hey! Beat it!" The man responded by kicking the dog away, knocking him back with a yelp. As he got back up, the dog planned on getting back in there, but they all stopped at the sound of engines running.
They all turned to see a whole squad of cars rolling in. Upon arrival, a whole squad of men walked out with big guns pointed at them. At the head of them was a bald man that wore a dark long coat over a maroon turtleneck with charcoal pants.
"Get those men out of that truck!" he shouted. Sending some of his men to go retrieve the two from the truck. Seeing that the injured men were receiving help now, the dog felt now was the time to take his leave.
"Aw, talk about rotten timing," said the tall man as he and his companions raised their hands.
Unknown to anyone there, the crash had caused all the talismans to fall out of the case and into the growing pool of gas, which was approaching a loose sparking wire from the truck.
"Sorry boys," said the bald man, "but the Dark Hand won't be-"
He was cut off by another, even bigger explosion from the truck. It had caught everyone off guard as they looked in horror at the flaming wreckage. Their attention was soon drawn to the sight of odd bits of stone scattered everywhere. The bald man looked down at his feet to see a stone fragment with yellow carvings of a dog on them.
"Captain Black, the Talismans…" one of the guards said to the bald man, now known as Captain Black.
"I know. Destroyed."
"Oh boy," said the Chinese man. "Valmont's not gonna like this."
Their sights were all taken by a bright light that was shining brightly from within the flames. The shine then erupted into a pillar of light that shot up high into the atmosphere, where it turned into twelve commits of lights all heading in different directions.
"Whoa Nelly…" the bald man said in awe at the light show. The three criminals were in equal amazement.
"Dude…"
"Cool."
"Pretty."
At a small antique shop in Chinatown, an old man was watching the light show happen from his window. From behind him, a small 11-year-old Chinese girl walked up, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she squinted into the brightness.
"Uncle? What is that?" she asked the old man.
"Something that is just the beginning, Jade. Something that will change…everything."
As he said that last part, the dog from earlier noticed the ground around him getting brighter. He looked back up and his eyes widened in shock as one of the twelve lights was heading straight for him.
-/-
As the dog regained consciousness, he saw that it was now morning. He found himself in the middle of an ally, where he remembered the events from last night. He wondered what it was all about, but decided to think about it later as he made his way back to his small wooden crate home.
Deep underground of the city, specifically within North Beach, Capt. Black was with the little girl, Jade, and the old man, who went by Uncle. He and Jade were currently watching as Uncle dropped a white powdery substance on the ground in the shape of a very large circle with twelve holes at the outer rim.
In the brighter light, it could be seen that Jade was 3-feet tall and wore a white long-sleeved shirt covered by an orange short sleeved hoodie, blue high-water jeans, and red sneakers, as well as grown-out black hair and light brown eyes.
As for Uncle, he was of average height and skinny build. His gray hair appeared to spike in many directions. His outfit consisted of a white polo shirt under a yellow polyester vest, blue jeans, and brown dress shoes. He also wore small, round armless glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"So, care to fill us all in on what you're doing, old man?" asked Capt. Black.
"Does it have something to do with that freaky light show last night?" asked Jade.
"Do not rush Uncle!" he said in response. "One more thing! Do not ask about light last night yet, because Uncle does not want to repeat himself."
Black and Jade looked at each other in confusion at that last part and merely shrugged their shoulders, not understanding what Uncle meant. When he was finally done, Uncle came up to in front of them and sat down before the circle. He then pulled out a jade-green bottle.
"Stand back," he said before he began chanting.
As he chanted, he poured the green liquid inside onto a trail of the white powder that began to cause it to glow green. He continued his chanting and soon the whole circle was glowing a mystic green, aweing everyone there.
"Wow," said Jade. "And I thought coming to America from Hong Kong would be boring."
"Someone talk to me," said Black. "What's happening?"
The green light began to intensify. As it did, off in the alley where the white dog was, the same green light began to surround him, catching him off guard. It wasn't just him either. All over the world, eleven other animals were experiencing the same thing. As the light got brighter, it soon showed that it was a transportation spell, sending them all from their individual places to one specific location. When the light faded, Black and Jade looked to see that in place of the white powder circle, there were now twelve animals.
As the dog regained his bearings, he looked around at his new location and saw the other animals that were there. Starting from his left and going in a clockwise direction, there was a pig, a large white rat, a yak, a white tiger, a white rabbit with blue eyes, a cobra snake, a white racing horse, a ram, a monkey, and an orange rooster with green tail feathers and wingtips.
"Wow. Instant petting zoo," said Jade.
"Hm. Odd. There should be twelve of them," said Uncle. That is when Black and Jade noticed the large serpentine figure behind the other animals.
"Uh, would that twelfth animal happen to be…that?" Black pointed towards it. Uncle and the other animals looked back; the animals having widened their eyes at the sight. About the size of a bus, a long Chinese dragon with aqua scales, deep blue hair running down its back, white antlers and underbelly, and green eyes.
"Ah, there it is," Uncle said like it was natural.
"Um, Uncle," Jade said in nervousness and fear at the sight of the mythical creature. Before anyone else said anything, the animals began to glow with a green light.
"It has started," said Uncle.
"What? What's started?" asked Black.
"Do not ask yet. Just watch."
Suddenly, there was a huge flash, temporarily blinding everyone. If one could look through the light though, they could see that the animals began to change. As the light faded, everyone's eyes were still recovering, but they could hear new voices.
"Argh, what was that?"
"I feel weird."
When everyone's sight began to return, they looked at the animals and were shocked at what they saw. As the animals looked at themselves, they too were shocked at themselves. Each of them had transformed into anthropomorphic versions of themselves. Each of them was examining themselves and each other in shock.
"Aiya!" exclaimed the dragon.
"Nani?!" cried the monkey in Japanese.
"He bhagavaan!" exclaimed the snake in a female Indian accent, and who instead of legs, still had a snake tail. Giving her a lamia-like look.
"Good heavens!" cried the horse in a female British accent.
"Apa?" cawed the rooster, who looked at his wings which now looked like they were half arms, gesturing to his green wingtips that now looked similar to fingers.
"De los dioses," gasped the rat with a Spanish accent.
"This is weird," said the yak.
"You think?" asked the pig.
"Floss me flees," the sheep bleated in a Scottish accent.
"Wow," the rabbit gasped as he looked at his feet.
"What's going on here?" asked the dog as he looked back at the humans.
"Yeah, I'd like to ask that myself," said the female tiger before she roared at the old man. "You mind telling us WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!"
"I'm with the tiger," said Jade as she continued to stare at the animals in shock.
"Mr. Chan? Care to explain?" Black finally managed to bring himself to ask, despite the great disbelief.
"The return of something from age long past," the old man said.
Off somewhere else in San Francisco:
At the top floor of a tall skyscraper, the trio of criminals from last night were reporting. Where more than just their boss was waiting for them.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" cried out a demonic voice. Inside the boss's room, a stone statue of a dragon was wrapped up in a swirl with its head in the center. Its eyes were glowing red as it spoke. "You mean to tell me that the Talismans have been DESTROYED?!"
The three henchmen were cowering in fear at the anger of both the dragon statue that was apparently alive, as well as their angry looking boss.
Said man was tall and athletic, wearing a green suit over a black shirt and yellow tie. He had small gold earrings, blue eyes, a medium-tan skin tone, and shoulder-length, flaxen blonde hair kept tied in a ponytail.
"Hey, it wasn't our fault," said bandaged nose.
"Yeah, that truck totally blew up all on its own," said orange glasses.
"We swear, Big-V," the red head added, "we never meant to-"
"I don't want to hear it!" yelled out the boss in anger. "Do you realize that this blunder of yours has cost us the Lost Treasure of Ching Xi Hung?!"
"No, Valmont," said the dragon statue. "The search is not over. Rather, this development has given rise to something. Something that will make this quest much more difficult."
Back at the underground hideout:
After getting some pants for all the male animals and some skirts and chest covers for the female ones, Uncle stood before everyone as he explained to them.
"Many centuries ago, China found itself on the brink of great chaos unlike anything before. Overrun by merciless bandits and corrupt nobles. Not being able to bear this injustice any longer, the Jade Emperor decided to act. He searched for twelve animals with pure, noble hearts and called on them. The rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the pig. He asked them for their aid. Said he would grant them all magical powers of their own. In exchange, he would entrust them to return order and balance to China. To protect the people and bring back hope for peace. The animals agreed. The Emperor gifted them the promised magic, transforming them into warriors."
"I know this story," said the dragon. "This was the beginning of the Zodiac. I had always thought it just that. A story. I never would have believed it true."
"Like ancient superheroes?" Jade asked in excitement.
"That actually sounds pretty cool," said the rabbit.
"Do not interrupt Uncle! With the Zodiac's help, order was restored, and China had many years of peace. The people revered these great and noble heroes. But as their time came to an end, where their powers should have been passed on to their descendants, they were instead stolen by a great evil. Because of this evil, the magic was stored within twelve Talismans."
"But the Talismans were destroyed last night," said Black.
"Aiya?!" the dragon gasped in shock.
"Talismans can be destroyed, but the powers they contain cannot. When the Talismans were destroyed, the magic had been set free. Scattered to the winds. With no vessels to contain them, the powers returned to their rightful owners. The twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac."
"Hello, the Chinese Zodiac is way ancient," said Jade.
"The kid's right," said the pig. "Those guys are long gone." Uncle responded by using two of his fingers to whack the pig's forehead. "Ow."
"Pork cut not listen? When they met their end, their powers were to be transferred to their descendants."
It took a few seconds of thinking, but realization soon dawned on everyone's faces.
"Us?" asked the dog.
"Yes. With your ancestors gone, the magic has been drawn to noble animals. Those most worthy of their regal ancestry. Twelve living animals who, of all the original Zodiac's descendants, have been chosen as the most worthy to each have received an extraordinary gift and carry on their ancestor's duty. A new Zodiac."
"Bow wow," was all the dog could say.
-/-
The animals each took their own seats as they tried to process what it was that happened to them.
"What's got all of you down?" asked Jade. "Can you not see how awesome this is?! You guys are, like, magic superheroes now!"
"Which we didn't ask for," said the tiger.
"Try to underssstand, bachcha," said the snake. "Thisss isss all…a lot to take in."
"It's one thing to learn the story was true," said the dragon, "but to learn that I am of direct descendant of the original Zodiac…"
"It's more than just that," said the dog. The others looked over at him, wondering what he meant by that. "Look at how that magic changed us. As long as we look like this, we can't go out in broad daylight anymore."
"He's right," said the rooster. "We'd be seen as freaks."
"Well, I suppose I won't be competing in any more races," said the horse.
"I could probably still pass for the team's mascot, right?" asked the rabbit.
"Stop whining!" said Uncle. "You are all magic now. Time to accept it, before forces of darkness come after you."
"Qué?" asked the rat.
"Your powers were stolen once. They can be stolen again. You all must learn how to gain control of them, before evil can return and steal from you again."
"Didn't you say that evil was ancient?" asked the monkey.
"Does not mean it is gone. Why you think criminals attack for Talismans last night?"
"He's right," said Black as he walked up to them all. "Listen, I know that none of you asked for this, but if this was gonna happen to you, then there's no better place for you to be right now then here."
"Oh yeah? And how do you figure that?" asked the pig.
"Follow me."
They all did as he said and soon were shown many people in suits working machines that looked difficult to manage.
"Zodiac, welcome to Section 13," said Black.
"Bow wow," said the dog at the sight.
"That's some team," said the rabbit.
"Are you guys spies or something?" asked the tiger.
"Law enforcement, stripes," said Black. "Elite special forces."
"Ok, before anything else, my name's Sasha."
"Named huh? Now that we're at it, the rest of your names?" he asked the rest of the zodiac.
"I am Neha," the cobra snake said to the rest of the Zodiac. "I am sssorry for the late introduction."
"Nice to meet you," the yak said. "I'm Jamyang."
"The name's Bob," said the sheep.
"I go by Haiku," said the monkey.
"Royal Medicine, but please do feel free to call me Royal," said the horse. "Charming to meet you all."
"I'm Lucky. What's up?" said the rabbit.
"You can call me Mordecai," said the pig.
"I am called DaLong," said the dragon as he bowed in politeness.
The dog, rooster, and rat hesitated before answering.
"I'm afraid I don't have a name," said the dog.
"I don't have one either," said the rooster.
"Sí, I am afraid I am nameless too," said the rat.
"I can help with that," came Jade's voice. They all turned to her as she walked up to the three. She started by looking at the rat. "You look like you could be a…Mickey."
"Mickey?" asked the rat. "I suppose that could work. Gracias."
"And you," she said to the rooster. "I'm thinking Eggbert."
"Eggbert? Terima kasih, but I can't see that fitting. Perhaps Aryan. Where I come from, it means noble."
"Great, Aryan it is. And you?" Jade said to the dog. "I already have a name in mind for you. From now on, you're Scruffy."
"Scruffy?" he asked, taking note of the snickers coming from some of the others.
"I think it sounds cute," said Sasha, causing Scruffy to smile.
"Great, everyone named and introduced now," said Uncle. "On to business. Must find the dark forces next target."
"What next target?" asked Bob.
"As I feared," said Black.
"Uh, Cap? Care to fill in the late comers here?" asked Scruffy. Black walked over to a computer and began typing.
"Section 13 was founded to investigate large scale international crimes. Crimes which, it seems, can often be traced to a syndicate called the Dark Hand."
"Because the Thieving Hand made them sound like ordinary thieves?" asked Haiku.
"They're far from being ordinary, Haiku. The Dark Hand has connections to nearly every criminal activity in existence. Their leader is this man. Valmont." He showed them all a picture of the thieving master's face on the screen.
Dark Hand HQ:
"You're telling me we may be dealing with animals turned magical superheroes now?" Valmont asked the dragon.
"This is of no laughing matter, Valmont. The Zodiac were the protectors of all of China. If their heirs choose to embrace this duty and realize the full extent of their newfound abilities, then I fear no dark force on Earth may be able to stand up to them."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"I was able to steal the powers of the Zodiac before, I will be able to again. But to do so, I will need the Totems."
"Totems?" asked Valmont.
"The magic artifacts I used as conduits to focus the Zodiac's magic into me. However, I had them scattered across the world in hopes that hiding them would prevent them from being used against me. Fortunately, I sense that one of them is near, within this very city."
"Well then, it seems we'll be on a scavenger hunt." He turned towards red-head, bandage nose, and sunglasses, addressing them respectively. "Finn, Ratso, Chow, given your blunder last night, I'll have someone more qualified handle this. Tohru."
The three soon heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see the mountain behind them.
"Uh oh."
"Whoa."
"Wow."
It was a large Japanese man with a sumo wrestler's build, a downward-pointed nose, thin eyes, small ears, and stood taller than anyone else in the room. His outfit consisted of a white T-shirt with gray overalls and brown sandals. He had black hair in a chonmage hairstyle.
"Tohru, see to it that this Totem is retrieved," said Valmont.
"While your Tohru impresses, Valmont, the Zodiac are not to be underestimated. He shall need the aid of…the Shadowkhan."
Shadows then began to move around the room. From those shadows rose ninja wearing black suits with dark red and blue accents that covered most of their bodies and faces. They also had dark red belts, as well as grayish-blue skin and glowing red eyes.
"As you wish, Shendu."
In Chinatown, sunset:
With Uncle at his antique shop, called Uncle's Rare Finds, he was reading through an old book, trying to find anything he could on the Zodiac.
"Well, Uncle? Anything?" asked Jade.
"Do not rush Uncle. Finding knowledge from nearly one thousand years ago is…Ah." He paused and got up. Walking over to a crate he had, he opened it to reveal a rusty red statue, about the size of a soccer ball, of a Chinese dog on a little stand.
"What's that?"
"Something that could cause very much trouble."
Their attention was caught by the sound of a car rolling in. They were able to glimpse outside, seeing a large sumo of a man coming towards them.
"Jade, take this and run," Uncle said as he handed Jade the statue.
"But Uncle…"
"Do not argue! Go!"
Jade, not liking it, still chose to do as told and ran out the back door. As she ran, the door was opened, revealing the large man.
"The Totem," Tohru demanded.
At Section 13:
The Zodiac were gathered, wondering what they would do. It was hard to process everything they were told in the short amount of time they were there. In the last short 24 hours, their entire lives were completely changed. Capt. Black was off to the side, wondering what he should say to them.
"Capt. Black!"
They all turned to see Jade running toward them with a statue in hand.
"Jade? What'sss wrong, bachcha?" asked Neha.
"Big sumo guy! He came to our place! Uncle said to take this statue and run but…!"
She was not able to finish, but she did not need to as Neha pulled her into a hug. While she did, Capt. Black pulled out his phone and dialed the landline to Uncle's Rare Finds.
"Mr. Chan?"
"Mr. Chan is fine for now, sir. But every hour I do not possess the Totem…"
"I got it," he said before hanging up. "It seems the Dark Hand has already made their move."
"Uncle…" Jade said in worry. Scruffy saw the way she was distraught. He looked down for a moment before getting up.
"Scruffy? What are you doing?" asked Royal.
"I'm going to get Uncle back."
"What?!/Nani?!/Shénme?!/Apa?!/Qué?!/Kya?!/Gachai" Everyone said the same thing in their own languages.
"You crazy, pooch!" said Mordecai.
"Scruffy," said Mickey, "I know that we've been chosen as the new Zodiac, but-"
"This has nothing to do with the Zodiac." Everyone was quiet at that. "Someone's in trouble. A little girl's family member is being held hostage by criminals. I can't just stand by and do nothing."
All who were present were surprised by Scruffy's declaration. They then remembered what Uncle said about the animals being noble.
"The magic was wise to choose you, Scruffy," said DaLong as he placed a claw on the dog's shoulder. "You speak the truth. We cannot just ignore this evil."
Sasha smiled at them as she walked up to them.
"You guys know they're right, right?" she said to the other Zodiac members.
The others all looked at each other before nodding and standing up as well.
"I can see why the magic chose them," Black said with a smile. "Well, if we're gonna save Uncle, we're gonna need to find him."
"That shouldn't be a problem," said Scruffy. He walked up and sniffed the statue before sniffing the air for a bit. "Got it. I may not be a bloodhound, but I've still got my nose."
"Useful. Now then, before heading out, we should probably have a plan."
-/-
The Zodiac had followed Scruffy as he followed Uncle's scent. The trail continued until they reached a tall, Chinese-themed building.
"Uncle's up there, huh?"
They all turned around to see Jade had followed them there.
"What are you doing here, lassie?" Bob asked.
"He's my uncle…I think. It's a distant relation, but we are family."
"Jade, thisss isss no game," said Neha. "Ssstay here while we deal with thisss."
She stood there and watched as they all made their way into the building.
"Psh. Like I ever listen to anyone."
At the top of the building, the Zodiac arrived but took a moment to catch their breath.
"So why…did we take…the stares?" Jamyang asked through his pants.
"Did those…elevators…look big enough…for all of us?" Sasha answered.
"It's times like this…when I wish I could fly," Aryan added.
On the outer deck, Toruh was waiting with Finn, Ratso, and Chow while he kept a large hand on Uncle's shoulder, whose hands were tied up. Their eyes widened with amazement at the sight of the Zodiac as they walked out before them.
"Wow. It's true," said Ratso.
"Freaky," said Finn.
"It's like something straight out of a cartoon," Chow added.
The Zodiac groaned at the way they were being stared at.
"The Totem," said Tohru, regaining his bearings.
"Right here," said Scruffy as he held up the dog statue in his hand. "What do you want it for anyway? I thought you guys were after the magic we got."
"That is not your concern."
"Yeah. Seeing as to what's happened to us in the last 24 hours, I'd say it probably is our concern," said Sasha.
As they talked, Scruffy looked over to the entrance to the stairway and saw Jade had followed them, now hiding behind the doorway. He nudged his head towards the enemy, sending her a message. After taking a quick look, she gave him a thumbs-up. He then nudged DaLong with his tail, getting his attention.
"Get ready," he whispered before turning his attention back to the Dark Hand. "Alright then. You want the Totem? Fetch!" He threw the Totem high up towards them.
They all widened their eyes in surprise and raised their hands readying for the catch.
"I've got it!"
"No, I've got it!"
"I got it!"
Finn, Chow, and Ratso were scrambling to catch it. That is, until DaLong came flying in and caught it just as it was about to land in Tohru's hands.
"Too slow," he said as he flew back to the others.
"Fool!" shouted Tohru. "Say sayōnara to the old man!"
As he was about to punch though, he saw that Uncle was gone. He looked up to see Jade had grabbed Uncle's hand and was running off with him.
"They duped us," said Chow.
"Not bad for a bunch of animals, huh?" asked Scruffy.
"If I were you, I'd start leaving," said Mordecai. "You may have a sumo on your side, but you're way outnumbered."
"True," said Tohru. "We'd best call in…reinforcements."
Before they knew it, the Shadowkhan were leaping in from out of nowhere and had them all surrounded.
"Me and my big snout," Mordecai groaned.
"Hey look at that. Sumos and ninjas. A two for one Japan deal," Haiku stated.
"That's some team to bring," Lucky added.
The others were all thinking the same thing. This was not good.
"Now then, the totem," Tohru repeated himself.
After saying that, one of the ninjas charged towards Scruffy. As it threw a punch at the dog, as if on instinct, Scruffy dodged the punch with a back flip before delivering two quick punches to the ninja's face, sending them flying back and landing on their back. Everyone froze at the sudden display of skill.
"How did you do that?" asked Jamyang.
"I don't know. I just…did. Like it was muscle memory."
"Our ancestors," DaLong said in realization. "Uncle said they were warriors. Perhaps we've inherited more than just their magic."
"Wait, do we know kung fu?" asked Mordecai.
Sasha looked at her hands before looking up at the ninjas. Letting her body take control, she placed her right hand on her open left palm before sprinting towards one of the ninjas and delivered a powerful palm strike right to the chest, sending them flying so far back they fell off the roof.
The Zodiac all looked at each other at this before smiling. With that, they went to battle. It went on to show that, just as DaLong said, they each had become proficient martial artists capable of taking on an army of ninjas that had them outnumbered.
DaLong redirected one ninja's attack before striking them in the face and delivering a hook kick to another one. Next, he delivered a series of quick jabs to them before swatting them away with his tail. "Weak," was all he said.
Bob managed to use his wool as a sort of buffing armor as he blocked their attacks before countering them with a swift blow. "Sorry, lads," he said before headbutting one in the face, making them fall over. "Why don't ya take a quick kip?"
Mickey started by delivering a double punch to one, followed by a quick kick to the gut. This was followed by a roundhouse kick and ended with him sweeping the feet of another, sending them down. "Buenas noches," he said, punching the downed ninja in the face.
Sasha, being a tiger, had no trouble adapting to the fight. She delivered strong punch after punch and strong kick after kick. She even went to use her claws to tear up some of the ninja. "What do you know? I'm actually enjoying this," she said.
As some of the ninja leaped at Jamyang, he caught one and held them up in the air rather than punch them. "I'd rather not make you suffer, so I'll make this quick." He then threw the ninja at some others, knocking them down like bowling pins. He then proceeded to punch or clothesline any other ninjas that came at him.
Royal used her horseshoed hooves to deliver a series of rather painful kicks to the oncoming ninjas. As one of the ninjas tried to punch her face, she used her arms to block it and delivered a spinning back kick right to the chest. "Smashing."
Lucky was delivering his own kicks to the ninja. Though he involved more hopping around and grappling them, like a wrestler. One of the ninjas, he grabbed by the clothes before kicking them in the stomach, sending them flying up into the sky. He went on to jump up high enough to be above them. "He makes the shot," he said before flipping and delivered a somersault axe kick to the ninja, making him fall right on top of his comrades. "Touch down!"
Haiku kept his arms held at an angle as he crouched down. He then leaped into the air and delivered quick jabs before delivering a roundhouse kick. When he landed, he kept up the playfulness as he continued to perform unpredictable movements. "Now you see me…" He paused to stand on his hands and deliver a series of punches with his feet to the ninjas' faces. "…now you're unconscious."
Neha was slithering forth, using her hands as spears as she thrusted them at her opponents. When she wasn't thrusting them, she swiped her hands across like they were blades. "Who knew handsss could be ssso ussseful," she said as she smashed her tail into several other ninjas.
Aryan swept his arms out, wielding them like they were fans. With his feathered arm wings, he was able to distract the ninjas before either delivering a knife hand or using his taloned feet to deliver a painful kick. "Alright. I'm only gonna say this once. Hebat!"
Even Mordecai was able to help. He threw in his weight as he delivered a palm thrust, sending one of the ninjas back into some others. He followed with a side kick, then a hammer fist and uppercut. He ended it with a spinning back kick. "Yeah! I can get use to this!"
Wrapping it up, Scruffy delivered a punch to two more ninja before delivering a double punch to another. He then delivered a kick to another's face, causing them to fall back into several others, before catching a ninja's kick and throwing them away. They flew right into the wall next to Jade and Uncle before sliding down to the ground.
"Cool," was all Jade could say with a grin as she watched the show.
"Most impressive," Uncle commented.
"Wow," said Finn as another ninja was thrown over their heads off the building.
"They're good," Ratso said.
"Shindu wasn't kidding," Chow added.
"Fools! Now's not the time for that. Get the other two!" Tohru pointed towards the Chans, sending him and the other three after them.
"Jade? I think we'd best leave," Uncle said when he noticed them.
"Aw, come on. This is getting good," Jade whined. Uncle wouldn't have it, though, as he grabbed her and dragged her down the stairs. As they did that, the four members of the Dark Hand used the elevator.
"They're going after the Chans!" Sasha called out when she noticed.
"Sasha, DaLong, with me! We're going after them!" Scruffy said as he kicked away another ninja. "Everyone else, keep these ninjas off our tails!"
"Leave it to usss," Neha replied as she took down another one.
As they ran, though, the ninjas soon started to ignore the others and go after the leaving three.
"Where are they going?" asked Mordecai.
"Ah no," said Mickey. "DaLong! They are after the Totem you have!"
The dragon looked down at the Chinese dog statue in his hands before looking back.
"Bob! Catch!" he shouted as he ran. Throwing the Totem back to be caught by the sheep.
"Much obliged, DaLong," the sheep smiled. That smile quickly disappeared, though, when he noticed all the ninjas were staring directly at him now. "Uh oh." True to their nature, some of the ninjas pulled out throwing stars and let loose. Bob did his best to dodge them all. "Easy, lads! I'm not looking for a sheer here."
"Bob! Hand off!" Lucky said as he ran past. As he did, Bob passed to him the Totem. "Follow the rabbit, ninjas." They did as such, trying to keep up with Lucky's zigzag movements and quick turns. When they had him surrounded though, they found he wasn't holding the totem anymore. To that, he just smiled and shrugged.
"Gomen, fellas," came a voice. They turned to see Haiku was holding the statue over his head. "This chimp made some chumps out of you all." The monkey just laughed as he ran off onto the lower roof tiles with the ninjas fast behind him. He noticed they were beginning to catch up though. He looked at the others and formed an idea.
"Royal! Soccer to the chicken!" he called out as he threw the statue into the air.
"Care for a boost?" Jamyang asked Royal as he cupped his hands together.
"Why thank you, my good ox," Royal said. She then leapt into Jamyang's hands and was thrown up towards the statue coming towards them. "Catch, Aryan!" she said as she kicked it towards the bird.
"Terima kasih, guys," he said before taking off.
He slid down the roof until he reached the edge, where he started running again. When he was cut off from around the corner, he jumped up and gilded outwards, landing on a large spike that jutted out. He looked back to see that he was cornered by the ninjas. His comrades were fighting their way to him, but they were too far away and there were just too many.
"Aw mentah," he complained as he looked down to see the twenty story drop below him.
"ARYAN!" came Jade's voice from below. Aryan looked down to her with Uncle, Scruffy, Sasha, and DaLong.
"Toss it down, buddy!" called Scruffy.
"Heads up!" Aryan said as he tossed down the Totem. Just when it seemed like it was finally out of danger though, more shadowkhan came swooping in on wingsuits, swooping in and catching the dog statue and flying off with it.
"Hey!" Jade cried out.
"Since when do ninjas fly?" asked Sasha.
"Apologies, Zodiac," came a voice. They turned to see Tohru and his companions. "It would seem you have much to learn." With that, the four of them took their leave as well.
As they left, the other Zodiac members still on the roof looked to the remaining shadowkhan present. Seeing as the mission was complete, some of them took out smoke bombs and used them to get away. Once they were gone, the animals soon had their attention taken by the strong winds and the sound of helicopter blades. They looked up to see Black had arrived in a helicopter.
"I can see why the old Zodiac were called heroes," he said into a speaker.
Later, they were all gathered on the ground in front of the building.
"You alright, Mr. Chan?" asked Black.
"Uncle is strong. He will live," the old man responded.
"Great, but I've gotta ask, why was the Dark Hand after the Totem?" Scruffy asked. "I thought they were after the magic we got?"
"You mean the magic to be kick-butt, crime-fighting, superheroes?" asked Lucky, which got him a finger whack from Uncle. "Ow."
"Na. Kick-butt skills not important. The unique magical powers inside each of you is."
"Esperar, you mean…we can do more?" asked Mickey.
"Of course you can. But now we must work to reclaim the Totem."
"Don't need to," Jade said.
One of Black's men walked up carrying the dog statue.
"Always make sure to have a plan," said Scruffy.
Dark Hand HQ:
Tohru, Finn, Ratso, and Chow had arrived in Valmont's office, where Tohru knelt and presented the Dog Totem.
"Master," was all he said.
Valmont smiled as he reached for the statue. He stopped, however, upon the sound of Shendu's voice.
"Tohru."
"What?"
"Why is it that I sense no magical essence within this Totem, which I can only assume to be a counterfeit?" This news changed Valmont's smile into a frown.
"Tohru."
"Uh…"
With the Zodiac:
"So, this ancient evil was able to steal the Zodiac magic from long ago, because of these Totems?" asked Scruffy.
"Yes. One more thing. This Totem is the Dog Totem. Used to steal the magic of the Dog. There are eleven more Totems where that came from."
"And my gut tells me the Dark Hand's gonna be after them too," said Black. "You on board, Zodiac?"
"You mean travel the world on a scavenger hunt of a race?" Royal asked with a smile.
"Making who knows how many new friends?" asked Jamyang.
"Protecting others?" asked Neha as she looked down at Jade.
"Get to see the world?" Aryan added.
"Write our own legend?" asked DaLong.
"Have some laughs?" Haiku mentioned.
"Experience who knows what?" Bob looked intrigued.
"Kick some bad guy butt?" Lucky pleaded.
"Learn new things?" Mickey hoped.
"Live a life some people could only dream of?" Sasha asked excitedly.
"Be the new greatest animals to have ever lived?" Mordecai added with his chest puffed out.
"So…I'll take that as a yes?" Black asked with a raised eyebrow.
Scruffy looked at the other Zodiac members for confirmation. They all smiled and nodded to him. A smile he returned before turning towards Black.
"What's next?" he asked.
"Best. Day. Ever," Jade said with a smile.
-Reposted after correcting spelling typos. Leave a review and tell me what you think.-