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Here we are with "Episode" 3 now, enjoy.
TW: Thank you for the review and glad it was nicely done.
Chapter 3- The Protector
Few years ago, K'un-Lun
Danny looked at the center of the room, then at Lei Kung, who simply stood, hands behind his back, watching the center with a fixed gaze.
"So…what exactly am I supposed to do?"
"Like I said, fight. That is all. If you truly are a fighter, you will adapt in time, figure out their fighting styles, and come out on top. Like water, you must change your form, adapt to any challenge you face. Shapeless, as you flow around your enemy, then crash like a wave."
"….Right. Thanks, sifu", Danny muttered before looking at the center of the arena once more.
"I also told them to fight with the intent to kill. Good luck", Lei Kung added with some humor in his tone, making Danny do a double take.
"Wait…..intent to what?"
That was when he heard footsteps, and turned to see a giant of a man, about 7 feet 5 inches, walking into the center of the building's room, looking down upon Danny, who looked like a kid in comparison to him.
Danny gulped, while looking up at him.
Iron Fist intro plays and is shown, displaying a shadowed figure doing martial arts with a dark-greenish background, and it ends with the title screen.
Present Day, New York City, Chikara Dojo
"Well, what do you plan to do next?" Colleen asked Danny as she, Claire and Danny himself sat on the ground, Danny looking ahead.
"I guess all I can do is try to hunt them down", Danny told the two women. "They have attacked me twice, and I know they will do it again."
"Sounds risky", Colleen pointed out.
"Well, so is hunting them by myself, it is going to end in a big fight either way", Danny retorted, and Colleen nodded, conceding his point.
"While I've encountered them, can you tell us more about them?" Claire inquired of Danny.
"Not too much, I just know that they are enemies of K'un-Lun", Danny explained what he knew to her. "They want the great power that exists in the mystical city, and I, the Iron Fist, am their sworn enemy, being the guard to K'un-Lun-"
"Which you aren't doing right now", Colleen noted.
"-long story, but anyways", Danny continued telling them both. "Since I am the Iron Fist now, they will want the power that flows within me, and they will try to destroy me to get it."
"What exactly is the Iron Fist?" Claire inquired, as she still didn't think she really got it.
"Protector of K'un-Lun", Danny shrugged, as if it was obvious, and Claire sighed.
"Well, never mind that then", she told him.
"At the end of the day, it is my destiny to fight and defeat them."
Colleen looked down, wondering what to do. She had tried to keep him away at first, but had then been told who he was and had decided to keep an eye on him.
But…the kind of guy he was, he was pretty good, and sweet, plus appreciated martial arts the way she did, even if their philosophies about it differed.
But then…The Hand were not bad, were they? The thing with Claire and her friend could just have been a really big misunderstanding.
She knew The Hand, they were the good guys. But…..Danny seemed like a good guy too. So, would she be able to stand against him?
Maybe he had been brainwashed by K'un-Lun, and just needed to be shown the right path when the time came eventually.
Rand Enterprises
Ward was walking out, Joy walking next to him, trying to appeal to him. "Come on, Ward, it will not be any-"
"I said no, and it means no!"
"I should get a say in this!"
"We're just two people, so we will just stay at an impasse then, huh?"
"Better than you blowing me off!"
The two were almost outside now.
"Because I know that he is not Danny!"
"You know everything, just like the problems with our funding, right?"
Ward paled on hearing her bring that up.
"Did you look into it?"
Before Ward could come up with a response, the two siblings were out of the building, and to their shock, the many media people were there, holding those big mics as camera flashes went off every few seconds.
"What the hell is this?!" Ward snapped angrily. "Who called you all here?"
One media person asked. "Is it true that Danny Rand is alive and came back here?"
Ward's eyes widened in shock, as Joy ran a hand through her hair, quite surprised by this turn of events herself.
Ward tried to ask. "Who told you tha-"
Another one then suddenly asked them. "Is it true that you'd security throw him out when he came here?"
Ward shook his head. "No, I just asked him to get out and he did."
That made another one ask. "So, he is alive then?"
"No, that is not what I-"
Taking the opportunity, Joy spoke at that point. "Yes, he did come to us. While we did not believe him at first, I have good reason to believe that he is the same Danny Rand we used to know, we were just trying to handle everything is all. But I think its time to let Danny back into our lives."
Few years ago, K'un-Lun
The big guy threw a punch as Danny dodged and threw a kick which barely affected him. He dodged a few more blows, then tried to kick but the guy deflected with his elbow. Then he grabbed Danny by the throat, and threw a punch, but Danny used his elbow to defend himself barely.
Then, putting his hands on the guy's fingers, Danny used some of his human chi to empower himself, and removed the fingers painfully, making the guy yell and push Danny off towards the wall.
Danny then ran up the wall and leapt at the guy to kick with both feet, but he blocked, only for Danny to punch with his human chi empowered fist, making the guy stagger back and fall down with a groan.
Danny did a flip and brought his knee down on the guy's chest, making him yell, before he pushed Danny off as Danny leapt and landed, while the guy got back up. The giant guy threw a kick as Danny deflected with his own kick, then he dodged two punches, before leaping onto a table, glaring at the guy.
Then, he leapt and gave three swift kicks to the guy, sending him staggering back, before landing and rolling away behind the guy when he tried to kick. Then Danny spun into the air and kicked the guy's face, sending him back.
As the guy threw another kick, Danny slid on the ground and kicked his feet, making him fall forwards as Danny rolled away to avoid him.
Then, climbing over the guy, Danny grabbed his neck in a chokehold, trying to keep his grip tight until the guy finally passed out.
At that moment, the guy empowered himself with his own human chi and threw Danny off, and as Danny got up, the guy rushed him and grabbed him before pinning him down, grabbing his face and trying to crush it.
Danny grunted, trying to free himself, and finally, freed his hand and poked the guy in the ear, making him let go as he rolled away, then got up, while Danny got up and threw a kick which was blocked. Danny spun and tried to strike again but the guy grabbed him in a chokehold instead.
Danny raised his foot really high and managed to kick the guy on the head, making him let go, and then freed himself while spinning and kicked his head once more with his chi enhanced foot, dropping the guy onto the ground finally.
He panted, looking around, and saw Lei Kung just staring impassively, before looking ahead as he saw another figure walk out of the shadows.
Present Day, New York City, Rand Enterprises
Danny walked into the meeting room, where both Ward and Joy were sitting, waiting for him, and he smirked, looking at Ward. "Didn't think I'd get a call from you."
"Sit down", Ward simply told him.
"Sure", Danny shrugged, and sat down, looking between both the siblings. "What happened?"
"Apparently, someone told the media that Danny Rand is alive and walked into this building", Ward said to Danny matter-of-fact.
"Well, it wasn't me if that's what you were thinking."
"Its not about that", Joy assured him. "And don't worry, I know you won't do that, Danny."
Danny nodded, as Ward, looking like he'd swallowed a really bitter pill, said. "Because of the media glare upon us now, we've no choice but to acknowledge that Danny Rand is back."
"I am back, and I can prove I am who I say I am."
"Well, good luck with that. But either way, you've to make a media statement."
"Whatever", Danny shrugged as he got up. "Will do it later."
"Yeah, about that", Joy cringed, making Danny look at her, then Ward, as he started realizing what was going.
"Ward, what did you do?"
"I called them the moment you came inside."
"So, I have to make the statement right now, don't I?"
"Yep, best to save our asses right now."
"Got it", Danny sighed as he walked out and got into the lift with the two of them, waiting for it to come down, and when it opened up, he walked outside with the two Meachums behind him, seeing the news people were all there, waiting for him to make his statement.
He looked between them all, his heart thumping against his chest. Frankly, he'd rather face the Dragon again than go through this little circus, but he didn't really have much of a choice.
"Well…..hello everyone", Danny said, walking to the mics. "I am Danny Rand, which I guess you all knew."
"Where have you been all this time, Mr. Rand?" One reporter from the Bulletin asked Danny.
"Away, in a monastery near the place where the plane crashed", Danny told the media people, deciding not everyone needed to know of K'un-Lun, but he'd still tell a version of the truth. "I stayed there with the monks for a while."
"How did you return?"
"They helped me come back now", Danny told all of them. Now this was a lie, but the truth of him having a fake passport won't really fly now, would it?
"Do you plan to take back control of your company?"
"Is that why you returned?"
"No, I did not return for my company", Danny told the media. "I returned because I wanted Joy and Ward back in my life, and I believe now I will. They have been my friends since I was a child, and now, I am hoping we can reconnect and be friends again the way we used to be."
"Did they really kick you out when you came here?"
"They did not believe me, and to be fair, why would they? I've been thought dead for years, then I suddenly pop back up? They just needed time to process this, and now that they have, they've welcomed me back with open arms."
Danny backed off from the mics as Joy whispered to him gratefully. "That was way kinder than we deserved." Ward scoffed at that, then moved to the mics himself.
"All right, that's it, no more questions please."
"Thank you for doing this", Joy said to Danny as the two of them went to the side.
"Well, didn't have a choice, did I?" Danny asked with a raised eyebrow, and Joy sighed, conceding to her point.
"Fair point."
"Well, I will come around to visit from time to time, if that's okay with you."
"I think it is. I wanna know where you've been all this time, what you've been doing."
"Sure, I'll tell you sometime", Danny said, before a middle-aged, beautiful woman walked up to them, and Danny felt there was something familiar about her.
"I'll leave you now", Joy said as she walked off, while the woman held out her hand to Danny.
"Hello Mr. Rand, my name is Jeri Hogarth."
Danny's eyes lit up as he shook her hand. "J-Money?"
On hearing that, Jeri suddenly had a smile on her face. Not a greedy or vindictive one, rather a genuine one, her eyes showing affection for once.
"Walk with me, Danny."
The two started walking together as Danny started. "How have you-"
"Tell me, when I interned at Rand Enterprises, where was my office?"
Danny smiled at her. "You didn't have an office. You had a table next to the copy machine."
That made Hogarth look at him in what was almost recognition. "Where did I put the files?"
"Under the table leg because the floor was uneven."
"What did I call the secretary?"
"You called the secretary Margaret a 'hatchet-faced bitch', and I heard that, so you paid me $5 to not tell my parents. That's why I started calling you J-Money."
Hogarth put a hand on his shoulders, looking delighted.
"You really are Danny, aren't you?"
"I am, and it is good to see you again, Jeri."
"You too, Danny. Now, walk with me. I've some things I'd like to talk to you about", Jeri said, and she and Danny then continued to walk together.
Harold sat on his chair, as a shadowed figure sat on a chair from across him, Kyle just absorbed into his computer at the corner, trying not to even look in the direction of Harold and the shadowed figure that he was speaking to.
"Now everyone knows that Danny Rand is alive, courtesy of Kyle's leak here", Harold said to the figure, while gesturing to Kyle who felt a chill run down his spine, then continued to type. "And I will have my son keep him on a leash. He will be under my control very soon, and you will get what you want."
The figure, while shadowed, made a movement, and Harold knew that it was a nod.
Few years ago, K'un-Lun
Danny watched as the next fighter took his fighting stance in front of him, and Danny took his own fighting stance in response, ready to fight back against him.
The fighter moved back his foot a bit, then charged at Danny, aiming a fast punch which Danny dodged, then he dodged again before blocking his next few blows, and backing and ducking to avoid some more, including some spin-strikes.
Danny blocked another strike, then leaned away to avoid another, before blocking some more, and moving his feet back to avoid a kick, before blocking a kick which still staggered him back, and then he side-stepped to avoid another kick that was chi-enhanced, and that one got the wall instead, forming a huge crack in it, breaking a small portion.
The fighter leapt at Danny with a chi-enhanced punch that Danny dodged, as it broke another small portion of the wall, the fighter leaping with more kicks that Danny ducked to avoid, and then he threw spin kicks that Danny blocked as well.
His opponent threw more quick punches which Danny blocked, before the two grabbed each other's hands, now in a deadlock. The fighter then kicked Danny's foot before throwing him off into the other direction, only for Danny to do a flip and land on his knees, enhancing himself with his human chi briefly to cushion the landing.
Danny then kept his hands on the ground while looking up, and the fighter charged with kicks, Danny simply moving his hands out of the way to avoid those, or ducking, before he leapt and spun in the air to avoid a spin kick and stood back up, backing off to avoid a double flying kick, only to get decked and kicked on the chest, which sent Danny staggering back.
Danny steadied himself, and saw the fighter taking another fighting stance. Slowly, Danny walked towards him, until they were inches apart.
The fighter tried to punch as Danny grabbed his wrist and made him hit himself, before blocking his next few strikes, then grasping his elbow during one strike, and trying to use his feet to strike the guy, though the fighter kept moving back while freeing his elbow and trying to punch, but Danny blocked his strike once more.
He almost punched the guy, only for the fighter to block at the last moment, then punch Danny a few times in the chest, sending him back. Danny blocked a blow, before being kicked so hard he was sent flying off and falling down.
Danny flipped back up, then turned to look at some people watching, including Lei Kung.
"True mastery of power, including the Iron Fist, required balance. Only those who can conquer their inner Demons can learn to use that power."
Nodding, Danny turned back towards the fighter, who charged, only for Danny to leap with a kick that sent him flying back and falling down.
Getting back up, he took a fighting stance, as Danny took his own, the two circling each other, and then, with a roar, the fighter threw many punches and strikes that Danny managed to dodge before jumping back. The fighter charged again but was decked in the abdomen, then on the face and chest a few times before being decked so hard his head crashed into a wall.
As he recovered, Danny punched his chest again, and when he tried to strike, Danny dodged and punched his abdomen hard, before punching the back of his head, sending him staggering forwards now.
They took fighting stances as Danny charged with a punch that was dodged, and the guy charged with a kick that was dodged. Then the fighter threw more punches and kicks that Danny avoided in some way or the other by dodging or ducking.
Then he blocked some blows and decked the guy, sending him back. He charged to strike a few more times as Danny blocked and side-stepped while blocking a flying kick. Danny then backed off while blocking two punches and dodging a kick before decking his abdomen hard.
After that, Danny threw a high kick which was blocked but then he kicked the fighter's chest, sending him back. The fighter looked down at Danny's feet, before throwing a kick up which Danny blocked, as he tried to kick one foot of Danny but he lifted up, only for him to strike Danny's other foot, making Danny fall down.
Danny quickly rolled away and stood up as the fighter leapt with a kick, Danny backing to avoid before the fighter spun and struck his foot, only for Danny to flip and kick the side of his face, making him stagger away and fall down.
He staggered back up, taking his fighting stance while Danny walked to him, taking his own fighting stance. The fighter threw a kick which Danny blocked with his own, then kicked up as the fighter blocked, and tried to throw his own kick but Danny kicked his abdomen faster, sending him back.
After that, Danny leapt and gave a double flying kick to the fighter's chest, making him fly back and hit the wall, breaking it and falling down, knocked out.
Danny flexed his body and cracked his neck, waiting for the next fighter.
Present Day
Ward groaned as he saw it was a call from his father, and picked it up. "Look, I can't keep an eye on him and deal with him secretly because the media already knows about him somehow! So-"
"Do not harm him now, Ward."
Now Ward paused, sure he'd misheard.
"W….what?"
"Do not harm Danny, that is my instruction to you, son."
"But before this, you'd said-"
"Forget that now, things have changed, son. Try to keep Danny on a leash, we need to control him and keep him at our side. Good luck, son."
With that, the call was cut as Ward scoffed. "Guy can't even decide what he wants! First something else, and now something else!"
"Which guy?"
Ward paled, then turned to see Joy standing there with folded arms. "Would you tell me that?"
"Its fine, Joy, really", Ward said while raising his hand, making her raise her eyebrow as he turned around and walked out of the place to get another flask for himself, while Joy scoffed angrily.
"Its not fine, and if you don't tell me, I'll find out myself", Joy said, and Ward stopped for a just a second, before continuing to walk, Joy shaking her head sadly as she wiped a tear she did not realize had started rolling down her cheek.
Madame Gao turned around as four men literally appeared out of the shadows, and on seeing her, they kneeled, looking down at the ground, Gao nodding.
"The four of you are skilled in the shadows as he is in the chi of the Dragon. Battle him and see how far his power truly goes."
They bowed to her, before walking backwards, and disappearing into the shadows.
Colleen was waiting for her students to finally arrive when her phone rang, and she noticed who it was. She quickly accepted the call.
"Hello sensei, what is it?"
"I see your friend is famous now."
"I noticed. But do not worry, I will keep an eye on him, sensei."
"I know you will."
Colleen hesitated a little, then voiced her doubts. "I want to ask something, sensei."
"Please do ask."
"He said The Hand are his enemies, and he seems like a good man to me. One of my students had a run-in with The Hand too, so are-"
"We are a noble and righteous organization, my child! You know that better than anyone, especially compared to someone like him, our sworn enemy."
"But-"
"K'un-Lun has clearly brainwashed him."
"That is what I believe, sensei, so perhaps we can talk to him and bring-"
"We do not have any chances left to attempt something like that, Colleen. He is our enemy now, and we will be battling him soon."
The call was cut, Colleen abruptly keeping her phone away as she sat down. She had raised her doubts to her sensei, hoping he could clear them all.
He had not.
Danny and Jeri were walking in Chinatown by now, as Jeri said to Danny. "So, this is my plan to prove you're legit and get you your company back."
"It's a pretty solid plan", Danny had to admit. "Thanks Jeri."
"But after this, I want my firm to be put on a retainer by Rand Enterprises."
"You got it, but…."
"But what?" Jeri asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I appreciate the offer, and I will take it, just not immediately is all."
Jeri scoffed. "If this is about adjusting, you can do it comfortably in your building."
"Its not just about that, Jeri", Danny told her, but decided not to elaborate further. "Just some stuff I've been dealing with is all. But I promise, I will take your offer when the time is right, and do what you need me to do in return."
"I look forward to it, pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Rand", Hogarth said as she held out her hand, and Danny shook it, before she turned around and walked off, Danny watching after her for a few seconds.
Then, he started walking away, his hands in his pockets.
Suddenly, he sensed something, and leaned forwards to avoid an arrow that had been fired at him, then looked up to see no one. From two more directions, a kunai and a shuriken respectively flew at him, but he leapt into the air to avoid those, before landing on the ground, and saw no one on any rooftops nearby.
So, Danny started running forwards, and in the middle of street, some kids were blowing bubbles, and Danny leapt right over them, catching a kunai aimed at him before rushing forwards. Then he leapt over some small tables and a stall, running over it while throwing the kunai away and catching an arrow, some people watching him in shock.
He then ran to the road where a truck was approaching and managed to leap over it, and then over a cyclist, who looked up in awe, while Danny continued to run forwards.
Then, he flipped over a sitting man, and ran up another stall, before leaping ahead and through two glass panels while catching another shuriken aimed right at him, and then he continued to run ahead.
Few years ago, K'un-Lun
Danny rushed ahead when his third opponent kicked him back, then looked up to see the man had energy claws extending from his hand using his human chi. The man attacked a few times, Danny trying to block, but his shoulders got sliced, and when he tried to kick, his thigh was sliced too.
He tried to bring his energy claws down on Danny who grabbed his wrists, only for him to free them and strike Danny's shoulders, then grab the back of his neck, making him scream as he bled, while the fighter pulled him forwards as he walked back, and kicked his knees twice.
Then Danny kicked his knees twice, then grabbed his arms while spinning around and pushing him forth, before kicking his abdomen twice, then kicking his feet as he flew up and went down. The man got up and leapt at Danny with his energy claws out but Danny leapt over him and struck his back, making him fall back down while Danny got on his other side.
After that, Danny grabbed his feet and started dragging him back, before he freed his feet and flipped up, trying to kick Danny who just dodged. At that point, he slid between Danny's feet and got onto his other side, before leaping up and holding onto Danny, trying to strike with his claws as Danny held up his elbows, enhancing them with chi to block his strikes.
Then Danny kneed his thighs and grabbed his hands as he tried to strike, before spinning around really fast a few times, after which he grabbed the guy and flipped him down, then grabbed his hands and picked him up, before making him slice himself a few times at quick speed.
Then Danny leapt up and kicked him hard on the chest, sending him flying off, only for the next fighter to flip over that one and kick Danny with both feet, sending him flying and falling down.
Looking at him, Danny flipped up and ran towards him.
Present Day, New York City
Danny ran before flipping through the open windows of a truck, getting onto the other side of it, and slid underneath a machine, before running out, and then he saw an unusual shadow rushing towards him from the front, causing him to parkour up into the air, and onto some stairs, as he ran ahead, slowly getting an idea of how these people were chasing and attacking him unseen.
Then he leapt over two ledges, and ran upon a rooftop, seeing a wall of dark chi blocking him in the front. Danny leapt, enhancing his entire body with chi, and leapt through the wall, and the window, before smashing into the Ninja who'd made the wall, the two rolling away before Danny's body hit the doors, opening them up, and he got up and rushed forth.
Danny then ran to rooftop's edge and enhanced his legs with chi, making a jump and landing on another rooftop before rolling, getting up and rushing forth.
At that moment, one Hand Ninja literally emerged from the shadows just as Danny ran over those, and then he elongated the shadows to try and reach Danny.
Danny got to the rooftop's edge and saw an arrow coming at him, so he did a double jump and landed on the next rooftop, before getting to its edge, and climbing down via fire escape. Suddenly, the structure started disintegrating so Danny just leapt off of it, and came down, running across a narrow path, avoiding the people in his way, and he came onto the road where a car came in way but Danny flipped over it and got onto its other side.
After that, Danny ran ahead when four kunais blocked his path, and he looked up to see four Hand Ninjas standing up on the roof, so he turned and ran the other way instead, the four leaping down and chasing him.
Danny saw a truck coming at him and leapt on top of it, before leaping onto a taxi in the front as the Ninjas swung after him. Danny leapt onto a rooftop, ran across it, then leapt down onto a car before leaping up when one of the Ninjas rammed into him and they ended up smashing into a fire escape, but Danny climbed up on it, and got onto the rooftop, before running across it and leaping across various rooftops, the Ninja seemingly chasing him.
From the edge of one more rooftop, Danny dropped down into an alley, only for the four Ninjas to surround him now.
Danny looked between them all, then took a fighting stance, ready to fight them all.
Few years ago, K'un-Lun
Danny was on the ground as the fighter tried to kick but Danny rolled away to avoid and got up on his knees, blocking some kicks before getting up and throwing punches that were blocked as well. The fighter then punched Danny, then kicked his side, sending him back into the wall, after which he threw some kicks that Danny blocked.
Danny threw a knee which was blocked and the fighter kicked him twice, before being kicked back. He threw another kick at Danny which he spun to avoid, and the kick broke the wall due to being enhanced with chi, and then the fighter spun to kick Danny again, Danny blocking with chi-enhanced elbows as he was sent into the wall.
The fighter then ran up the wall and kicked Danny away. Danny's hands bled, and his face was bleeding too. Then he panted, and with a roar, charged at the fighter.
The fighter spun and deflected one punch before throwing a kick which was blocked, and he blocked a kick of Danny too, after which Danny spun and kicked his face before leaping back to avoid a kick.
The kick fight continued, Danny leaning back to avoid kicks or blocking those, before kicking the fighter's chest again, only for the fighter to twirl and kick his chest as he was sent staggering back. The fighter threw another kick but Danny grabbed his thigh, elbowed it, then his abdomen before punching him twice and gave him an uppercut which sent him back.
Then Danny elbowed his chest again and punched his knees, before blocking a strike and elbowing him back, after which he spun to strike as the fighter blocked, but Danny drove both elbows into his chest as he was sent back. He grabbed Danny's wrists but Danny spun to avoid and pushed him back and as he tried to strike, Danny dodged and punched him three times, pushing him forwards, and punched his back, before pushing again and leaping as he kicked the fighter's face with both feet in a spin motion, sending him falling away.
The fighter staggered up, only for Danny to kick his chest with his chi-enhanced foot, making him fly up and fall down a few feet away. As he staggered up again, Danny ran forth and flipping, kicked his chest once more as he was thrown back.
Then, Danny leapt and kneed his chest, causing him to go down as Danny jumped and then landed upon him, pinning him down to the ground, the final fighter finally knocked out.
Danny panted, before getting off of him, and looking at Lei Kung, who gave him a smile.
From a distance, Master Khan watched the scene, having seen all four of the fights, and smiled at Danny's victory.
Present Day, New York City
Danny rushed the four fighters, flipping and kicking one of them who backed and blocked, as another tried to spin kick but Danny dodged and kicked him back, before punching him away. The third one threw some punches that Danny dodged, then punched him on the face as he was sent staggering away.
The fourth one charged with punches and kicks that Danny blocked, before leaping with a kick which was blocked, but as he came down, Danny kicked his chest, sending him back. The previous one rushed into him again but Danny grabbed him and spun, making his feet kick away the other rushing fighter.
Then Danny kneed the one he'd grabbed, making him let go, and punched him, before throwing quick punches to his abdomen and kicking him away. Then Danny charged the first one, who dodged his punches and blocked his kicks, before Danny kicked him back, and tried to spin-kick but the guy dodged and kicked him back.
Then suddenly, shadows stretched out of nowhere, to Danny's horror, and grabbed his arms, trapping him in place, Danny unable to move. After that, they all beat on him together, Danny's face starting to bleed as he spat out blood when kicked on the chest one time.
At that point, Danny empowered himself with his chi, breaking free of the shadows, which faded away, and he ducked to avoid a kick, before pushing his foot backwards to kick one fighter away, then kicked the other's knee when he was trying to kick and kicked him away, and he grabbed the arm of the third before twisting, making him gasp.
Danny flipped him away before kicking the previous one who was attempting to get up, only for the remaining one to attack from a side, throwing kicks at Danny who backed and blocked them.
Danny blocked his strikes, then side-stepped while dodging another one, before spinning to his other side and blocking more strikes. As he threw a punch, Danny blocked and pushed him off, before trying to strike but the Ninja grabbed his arm and decked his side, before throwing him down, and stomping on him, as the rest did too, their dark chi spreading over Danny's body as he was almost paralyzed by the power now.
But then, Danny empowered himself with his own chi and grabbed one Ninja's foot, making him fall down, and got up, blocking another one's kick and striking him twice, before dodging a few of his punches, only to get punched back.
Danny looked ahead as the four Ninjas stood in front of him, and one of their shadows rose up, taking form as a fifth fighter. Seeing that, Danny leapt up and ran ahead across the side, the five chasing him.
He threw a brick at one, and kicked a bucket at another, sending them both back, only for one to leap and spin kick his chest as he was sent back. Danny suddenly found a janitor's broom near himself, and picked it up, trying to strike as the Ninja blocked with his feet.
Then Danny struck his chest and spun, striking his feet with the handle as he went down. At that point, the fourth one leapt over that Ninja and kicked Danny's chest, sending him back. Danny threw the broom at him and ran, kicking a dustbin at one of the Ninjas, before kneeing and decking him, though he blocked all times.
Danny then elbowed his face before kicking him from the other side, making him fly and fall down. Seeing the others, he rushed and leapt ahead when the shadow appeared before him. Danny blocked its kicks and punches, ducking to avoid some, and leaned back to avoid many more, before being punched as he staggered back.
However, he pushed his foot back, enhancing it with chi as the shadow was struck and staggered back. After that, he leapt back down, blocking punches from one before being kneed back, then blocked strikes from the next, and grabbing his arm, kneed him and kicked him back.
Then the previous one and one more attacked together, trying to punch and kick as Danny blocked, only for the fourth one to leap and kick him back, while he ducked to avoid one of their spin kicks, before punching the shadow back and spin kicking another away. After that, he punched one away, kicked the shadow back, then kicked another and blocked another's blows before ducking and punching his feet, and punching him away, only for one of them to punch him back, and another to punch so hard he went down on his knees.
He decked one's stomach and pushed another back before being kicked hard on the face as he started turning a sickly pale, his veins darkening just like those of the four Ninja operatives due to their usage of dark chi.
The four Ninjas and the shadows stood around him, looking satisfied and smirking as they'd finally gotten him.
Few years ago, K'un-Lun
"The reason I had you do this was because I had faith that you could do it", Lei Kung said to Danny, who was wounded and kneeling before him. "And you did do it."
"Thank you, sifu", Danny thanked him with a bow as Lei Kung nodded.
"I believe you are a step closer to acquiring the Iron Fist, because only true mastery of it requires balance, and only those who can conquer their inner Demons, find peace amidst the chaos, can unlock its true power."
Present Day, New York City
Danny's veins lit up with his own chi, to the horror of the Ninjas, and the black veins faded, color returning to his skin, after which he punched the shadow hard, staggering it away, and then punched it again before another grabbed him but Danny punched him off before striking the shadow really hard, then decking its face, before his fist lit up with chi, to their shock, and he decked the shadow so hard it dissipated into nothingness.
After that, he elbowed the other one back a few times, as one more grabbed him from behind but Danny elbowed him away too, then punched the one in front with his normal fist before spin kicking him out, and turning around, spin kicked the other one out as well.
As the next attacked him, Danny struck his face with his Iron Fist, sending him flying off as he was knocked out. Danny noted he hadn't accessed its chi fully, but he was close enough.
There was only one left as Danny dodged his kicks, then spun away to avoid him as he threw a kick which was blocked, and then he spin-kicked Danny twice, and he threw more kicks which Danny jumped back to avoid, and as he leapt and kicked, Danny blocked with his Iron Fist, before jumping back to avoid a spin-kick.
Then the Ninja leapt and kicked the side of Danny's face, before throwing more kicks that Danny blocked, but he punched Danny in the face, and kicked him back twice, before kicking again but Danny struck his foot with the Iron Fist, staggering him back.
Danny punched him back with his normal fist, then easily dodged his next few kicks, and punched him back again, before blocking his next two kicks, and grabbing him by the head, leaning in closer to him.
"Send my message to your masters. I'm coming for you. All of you."
Then, he punched the Ninja very hard with the Iron Fist, sending him flying off and knocking him out as well, before panting as the chi left his body, and he staggered away.
Later, Chikara Dojo
The students had just left, and Claire was about to leave, when Danny staggered in, and her eyes widened on seeing his wounds, as did Colleen's.
"Oh boy!" Claire muttered as she and Colleen ran to Danny, supporting him and helping him lie down.
"Same stuff as before?" Colleen asked Claire, who nodded, so Colleen ran away to get the items.
Later
Danny lay down, Claire just having finished bandaging him up. "This fight of yours with The Hand is really getting you into a lot of trouble."
"Like I said, I'm their enemy, so it is up to me", Danny said while panting.
"Yeah, but you've only heard of them, I've seen what they can do", Claire revealed, Danny now giving her his undivided attention. "They'd kidnapped some kids, and were doing something to drain their blood."
Danny's eyes widened. "Damn! That is…oh boy!"
"Yeah", Claire nodded, then continued. "The kids were really out of it. One of them killed his own father, then they attacked the hospital to get the kids away. That friend I'd mentioned fought them and they….." Claire's voice broke as she held back a sob, "…they killed my friend. I killed one of them angrily, and then later, during the autopsy, I could see he already had an autopsy done on him. The hospital covered it up."
"Claire", Danny said sadly, looking at her as he sat up. "I'm…I'm so sorry for what they did to the kids and your friends."
"My point is- I've seen just how dangerous they are", Claire told Danny. "You need people to help you in this fight. My friend who fought them can help, and others too." She thought of Luke Cage, who was in prison but was working on getting out to return to Harlem.
And to her.
"I appreciate the offer but…" Danny shook his head. "This is not their war; I won't let anyone else get pulled into it. No one should have to risk their life."
Claire groaned. "You are just like him." That made Danny chuckle, and Claire chuckled too, Colleen watching from a distance, having just come downstairs, her face showing her conflict.
Madame Gao sat in her shadowed room, watching as a bearded man walked out of the shadows, looking at her.
"So, what is the assessment?" Bakuto asked Madame Gao of the Iron Fist.
"The skills of the supposed protector of K'un-Lun are impressive, but he is far from mastering the power as of now", Madame Gao told Bakuto. "But, it is not just him we have to think of, there is K'un-Lun too once the path is open to us."
"We will take what is truly ours", Bakuto said to Madame Gao. "With that power, no one will be able to stand against us."
They looked at a map of New York City, the areas under their control marked on it, and shared a look.
Ending credits play.
With that, "Episode" 3 is done, and now Harold has leaked the bit of Danny's return to the media, so the Meachums are forced to acknowledge him, but Danny doesn't want to get into the company as of now, since he needs to battle The Hand.
Madame Gao's faction of The Hand can use dark chi, which is basically perverted versions of chi techniques used in K'un-Lun, and these four Hand operatives used shadow moves.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for all the fight scene suggestions. The first flashback fight was from 'Legendary Assassin' with Wu Jin, and the second was from 'Fist of Legend' with Jet Li, then a fight from 'Fatal Contact' starring Wu Jing, and the last one was the following fight from the same film.
The chase scene paid homage to Tony Jaa's 'Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior', and then also used a chase scene from Season 7 of 'Hawaii Five-O', and then from TMNT 2007, while the final fight was 'Rope A Dope - A Groundhog Day Battle' by Eric Jacobus on YouTube, thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for all the suggestions.
Hope all fights were enjoyed.
The stuff with Ward and Joy gets worse, and Danny meets Jeri Hogarth. I liked her genuinely emotional interactions with him in the show, so I kept those.
Colleen's doubts increase, and Madame Gao meets with Bakuto. Then there is Harold doing his thing.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.