Episode 8: Invasion of the Yokai
Life had returned to normal back in the House of Mouse, no chances of villain activity or any other incidents. Even the Z-Team was allowed in seating normally, though Zack himself got a special table with his group, and ordered some spicy food to keep his strength up, since that was what he favored the most. No one else would order food like him.
However, that was sooner not to be, behind the nightclub in some alleyway, five Shadow Monks grouped outside, each carrying two dark teleporters with them. They secretly entered the rear of the building, knowing that was best to carry out their secret schemes, and then proceeded into the balcony area, keeping a low profile to remain undetected. The activity was normal below them, one of the Shadow Monks kept a close eye on Zack, knowing that he had all the knowledge and ability to sense the evil with his shades and threat detector. One show was about to be over, when Zack himself sensed something wrong in the building, dropping his slight smile. From his vantage point, through his shades, he could see some spectral activity happening all around, his other team members sensed Zack knew something was wrong as well, he gestured to them to get their weapons ready secretly.
A scream was heard from the kitchen, and the Z-Team wasted no time heading over to where the commotion was heard. They arrived in the nick of time, Gus Goose, the cook was being attacked by strange small creatures in the form of broken china and plates gathered around him threatening him with forks and knives, relentless in their attacks.
"Seto Taisho!" shouted Zack. The enchanted broken china turned their attacks from Gus to the group, ferociously swinging their weapons, moving at a fast pace. Goofy swung his shield at a few of them, which instantly broke into pieces, Simba, Nala, Rajah and Pluto swatted several more away with their paws. It was an easy victory for the group, but the celebration was cut short when the pieces reassembled themselves, into different forms, angrier than the last time. "These broken China pieces are inhabited by beings called Yokai….perhaps we could dispell the spirits...Moana, you send these dishes to the spiritual washer!" Moana nodded and pulled out the Shadow Bane, holding it aloft she shouted, "The power of the heavens compels you!" in an instant rays of light emitted from the amulet and spirits from the Seto Taisho dispenses into the air leaving the shells of the broken china, which then fell apart.
More screams were heard from the main room, the group immediatley exited almost seconds after smiling in victory. A strange, cyclopean mud creature with three fingers, only seen from the torso up was crawling on the floor lunging at patrons and staff members, booming "Give me back my fields! Give me back my fields!". It was another yokai, Mickey looked it up, Zack whispered Dorotabo, and found a page concerning the creature. The page described it as a vengeful spectre who wreaks havoc on those who mistreat a land, but it also mentioned the mistreater had to leave.
"We can't afford to wait, we need to dispose of this thing!" Mickey shouted.
"But how? It's made of mud, how can we stop it?" Moana questioned, Simba had an idea.
"Maybe I can harden it up!" he roared, stepping forward facing the creature. "Rock Skin!" the lion roared at the creature. In a matter of seconds the creature hardened up into rock, immobilized. Another scream was heard from afar, coming from the table that featured Tiana and all her friends, they were being attacked by another strange creature, a humanoid with the appearance of a green scaly monkey with a turtle shell, a beak, webbed clawed hands and feet, and a head of hair save for the top which had a little concave on top filled with water. The creature was clawing and snarling viciously at the guests.
"A Kappa!" shouted Zack. "Don't worry I know how to handle this thing!" He drew his sword and pointed it downward "Flame Blade!" he shouted and the blade of this sword became wreathed in flame and held it upward. As soon as the Kappa saw the flames, it recoiled in fright, which Zack used, smiling to repel the creature away from its victims. Suddenly a blue mist emerged from Zack and took the form of Sakura Nagaki.
"You won't need to incinerate this one Zack…." she told him. "Minnie grab the glass of water on the table.." She did as was told. "Donald I want you to bow to this creature, he'll bow back to you…" Donald did as Sakura instructed without haste and as expected, the Kappa bowed back, as it did, water from the concave on top of its head spilled out, the creature began to feel weak. "Now Minnie pour the water into the concave in its head." Minnie did just that and life returned to the creature. Mulan showed up holding a cucumber, recalling the test a while ago. She immediately threw the cucumber and the Kappa started eating it. Zack turned to his teammates smiling.
"Congratulations, you bunch just tamed yourself a monster!" Sakura followed as well.
"We were lucky with this one, some Kappa are more malevolent attacking people, either shredding and eating them or drowning them."
"You're all something, but be warned I fear more Yokai are on the way, probably more vicious and evil." And just as Zack said that he sensed a great heat coming his way, intensifying with each passing second. He immediately jumped out of the way and as he did, a flaming wheel with a human's face in the center came rolling by.
"Wanyudo!" shouted Sakura. "Don't get in its way or you'll be sent to the dark netherworld!" The patrons and staff who heard this froze in wide eyed fright upon hearing it, some screamed and lept out of the way as the abomination wheeled its way around at frightening speed. A few card soldiers weren't so fortunate and were immediately incinerated as the Wanyudo touched them. Moana stepped forward, pointed her oar at the Wanyudo and shouted "Hydro Surge!" A stream of water shot out of her oar but the abomination was moving too fast for her to hit it, coming her way. Goofy had to push her out of the way as it approached. From afar, Elsa readied herself with her cyro magic. Waving her hands she created some ice around her area where it was approaching, which slowed down the flaming wheel. With it slowed down, she was able to use her ice magic to completely encase the Wanyudo in a block of ice, the fires were all put out. Zack approached her with an eccentric, pleased smile on his face.
"Well done, ice princess! That's two I owe you…." He held out a hand, Elsa had to put on her gloves before she could touch him.
"Thank you….You seem to have a lot in common with me...we're both outcasts with extraordinary abilities…" She shook hands with Zack, smiling back.
"Perhaps you'd like to join us? You'd help us out big time."
"Oh, that's an offer I'd gladly accept. I'm sure my sister wouldn't mind."
"Welcome to the Z-Team Elsa!"
From afar the sound of a Japanese instrument called the koto was heard. A few male characters such as Robin Hood, Peter Pan and Hercules became entranced by it. In a remote corner of the nightclub was a beautiful woman dressed in an elegant red kimono with her hood up. The music she was playing was entrancing to all who heard it.
"Hello handsome men…." she smiled eccentrically. "You must all be hungry….." she started to sound more demonic, "don't worry…..because you're the main dishes on the menu tonight!" As she said that, spider legs came out of her body, and some string like webbing came out of her mouth, webbing up the trio. Several patrons and staff members screamed in terror as she slowly revealed herself to be a large humanoid half-human spider creature.
"Oh no! It's the Jorogumo!" shouted Sakura. Mulan with sword drawn and Mushu on her shoulders charged after the spider woman, who made unearthly shrieks in defense, launching both webbing and young spiders at her. Both were not afraid as Mulan stomps and slashed at the young spiders while Mushu burned away any webbing that came their way. Eventually the duo caught up and unwebbed her victims, then turned their attention to the Jorogumo herself. Mushu was able to summon enough strength from inside to unleash a fireball breath which began to roast the spider woman. Mulan then drove her sword into her while still ablaze, defeating her.
From the above, the glass was heard being shattered a a strange humanoid flying being with eagle wings, a red face, long nose, and a feathery staff appeared, cackling evilly. It flew down and snatched Mowgli from his table, and then blew a tornado his way with its staff sending a few patrons and staff blown away into the walls and getting slammed onto tables. Aladdin and Jasmine stepped forward, weapons out and ready.
"We'll stop him!" shouted Aladdin.
"He's getting a taste of his own medicine!" added Jasmine, who flailed her whip at the arm of the Tengu, which causes his to lose his staff. Then Aladdin pointed his scimitar at the Tengu, shouted "Squall Gust!" which caused a gust of wind to come out of his scimitar, blowing the Tengu at the wall and dropping Mowgli, but Aladdin thought fast and shouted "Tornado Floater!" which acted as a nice cushion to break the fall. But the Tengu now angry wasn't done, going into a furious dive. Donald pointed his spear at the monster and squawked, "Lightning Strike!" a bolt of lightning exited his staff and electrocuted the Tengu, causing it to fall down, crisped like toast.
The scream of Snow White could be heard in another place, the Z-Team rushed to the spot where she was having the trouble. She was being held hostage by a living tree with yellow eyes at one point of the trunk, branch like hands with four fingers, and some human bones sticking out of the trunk. The seven dwarves were trying to free her, but were either caught and then had some of their blood drank and then thrown away after the other dwarves attempted to free her.
"This is a Jubokko, and it feasts on blood, better get her liberated before you can defeat it!" ordered Sakura. Up first was Minnie raising a hand and shouted, "Light Ray!" causing a stream of light to come out of her hand, which got the tree in the eyes. Simba and Nala came forward and bit each of the branch arms liberating Snow White from the Jubokko's grasp, who then fainted into the dwarves' arms to be carried away. With a window of opportunity now open, Zack stepped forward and said with a smile, "Let's Burn!", pointed his sword and shouted, "Flame Blade!" which had a stream of fire come out and incinerate the sinister tree.
From the storage area, a ferocious, powerful roar could be heard, and out emerged a large red, horned ogre-like demon standing 8 feet tall, holding two sturdy, black clubs, swinging them around wildly, breaking a few tables. Hercules lunged at the creature, but the large ogre just swung a club and batted him away like a toy. A few other heroes tried their luck to beat or even subdue the hideous creature, but all were swatted away by the beast.
"The Oni! Be careful this one's one of the toughest of yokai…" informed Sakura.
"How can we beat this abomination?" asked Zack.
"Perhaps Aladdin's monkey can distract him and then Mickey can launch some skulls at him and then beat him up!"
"Go get him Abu!" ordered Aladdin. Without any hesitation, Abu threw himself at the Oni, who then panicked when the little monkey got on him. Mickey charged forward and cupped his hands forward and shouted, "Shadow Skull!" which caused a wispy skull to come out and hit the Oni right in the chest, causing him to drop his clubs. Seizing the opportunity, Mickey charged forward and boxed the demon up. Minnie stepped forward as well, and cast her Light Ray spell at the monster, causing him to disappear out of existence.
Another more ferocious roar was heard, but this time is was heard from outside the nightclub, like a bellowing giant. Passing through the walls, but without breaking them was the largest of the yokai: an enormous ghostly skeleton, the height of a 15 story building, trying to grasp whoever it could come across. The entire nightclub's patrons and staff screamed in terror as soon as they saw this abomination, but no sooner did they see it, another obstacle stood before them, some mysterious painted wall with a face and legs. Observing everything, Sakura recognized both of the abominations.
"A Gashadokuro and a Nurikabe! I recommend going for the wall before you deal with the skeleton. Goofy, go and knock the lower left corner to make it disappear otherwise nothing else can deal with it!" Goofy rushed over and did as he was told, and just as he knocked the lower left corner, the wall disappeared, which then enabled the patrons and staff to flee away to the other side. Some weren't so fortunate as a few hyenas, rhino guards, and Gaston himself were caught in the skeleton's grasp and were immediately eaten, whole and alive.
The Z-Team readied themselves with their weapons ready for spellcasting. One by one, spells were cast, but each one did not faze the skeleton one bit as it continued its rampage. Mulan with Mushu lit some fireworks to launch at the ghostly skeleton, but just like the spells they did no good. Moana then held out the Shadow Bane and as the Gashadokuro tried to grasp her, light emitted from the amulet repelling the skeleton's attack.
"Try to exorcise the anger spell from it, the Gashadokuro's power stems from anger from depravity of a proper burial considering it's composed of the bones of those who died from starvation and did not receive a proper burial" informed Sakura. Remembering how to exorcise, Moana held out the Shadow Bane and shouted, "The power of the heavens compels you!" A beam of light emitted from the amulet, and some wispy energy began to release from the Gashadokuro. Zack stepped forward holding out a gray flask. He uttered some strange words, becoming faster and more furious as he spoke, and in a matter of seconds, the Gashadokuro began to be sucked into the flask, every last trace of it, and then the top was placed on it.
Observing everything, the Shadow Monks discreetly evaded into the night. Everyone in the nightclub, was safe and sound, except for a few unfortunates in the night. It was a long, brutal fight, but it was over.
"Gawrsh Sakura, these things came from your country?" asked Goofy.
"Yes, and there's more than what you have seen, some more powerful and frightening than what was fought. I have a feeling that we'll be facing more of these yokai in the future." informed Sakura, her voice had a tinge of fear.
"We'll be ready to handle whatever gets thrown at us!" smiled Zack with enthusiasm, the rest of his group replied with an equally enthusiastic "Yeah!" Elsa stepped forward and clasped Zack hand in hand.
"Can I be your lieutenant Zack?" she smiled at him, and Zack smiled back.
"Oh yes!"