YES, IT IS I!
You know the drill, read, review, moo, yodelayheehoo.
Huge thanks to MentalForge, TrajectoryAgreement and QAI521 for beta-reading!
Scarcely had the Jade Emperor finished speaking when the Long-Life Spirit of the Planet Venus came forward from the ranks and prostrated himself. "Highest and Holiest," he said, "within the three regions, all creatures endowed with the nine apertures can, through exercise, become immortals. It is not surprising that this monkey, with a body nurtured by Heaven and Earth, a frame born of the sun and moon, should achieve immortality, seeing that his head points to Heaven and his feet walk on Earth, and that he feeds on the dew and the mist. Now that he has the power to subdue dragons and tame tigers, how is he different from a human being? Your subject therefore makes so bold as to ask Your Majesty to remember the compassionate grace of Creation and issue a decree of pacification. Let him be summoned to the Upper Region and given some kind of official duties. His name will be recorded in the Register and we can control him here. If he is receptive to the Heavenly decree, he will be rewarded and promoted hereafter; but if he is disobedient to your command, we shall arrest him forthwith. Such an action will spare us a military expedition in the first place, and, in the second, permit us to receive into our midst another immortal in an orderly manner."
-Journey to the West, Chapter 3
"…and Miss Militia reports that the last few patrols with the Wards went without incident. She would've given it here but there was a sighting of an assault involving Krieg in the area, so she went to investigate."
The woman nodded as she read the computer. "What about the drug shipment tipoff?"
"Assault helped detain the rest of the gangbangers after fending off Skidmark. The rest we handed off to Brockton PD."
"At least something went right this week," she mumbled. "And this new Parahuman gang, the…" she trailed off, though not from a lack of knowledge.
"Undersiders, ma'am. From what intelligence we've gathered they hit another safehouse. Half the guns are missing and all of the cash."
"Only half the guns? Strange. Not enough time to haul off with everything?"
Colin shook his head. "Still trying to figure that out. I'll send you possible plans of action by tomorrow."
"See that you do. We don't know how long before they hit something bigger." She grabbed the remote on her desk and the plasma screen beside them lit up. "Next on the list: what am I looking at?"
Hidden behind his visor, Colin's eyes flickered to the screen. "A new challenger against the ABB, ma'am."
Emily Piggot, director of the PRT ENE branch, twitched. Though whether it was from his response or his deadpan tone, he couldn't say. "I'm aware of that, Armsmaster. He's made it quite clear in his little announcement," she said and gestured to the screen where the cape was displayed in full HD, standing smugly in the middle of the park with the destroyed van beside him. "What I'm asking is what can you make of this…Sun Wukong."
Armsmaster tapped a few commands into his gauntlet and a photo appeared next to the broadcast. "His first public appearance was actually two days ago. He foiled a robbery on a local grocery store and disabled the ABB gangsters responsible, but we weren't able to get a proper visual. The next morning he prevented an Empire mugging with the same results."
"And I wasn't informed?" she asked in a clipped tone.
"I needed more information before I could present concrete evidence," he said quickly, having planned out his reply the moment he chose to withhold information. "And after yesterday's incident with Glory Girl, we have a better idea of who we're dealing with."
Piggot frowned and Armsmaster stopped himself from doing the same. Thankfully though the fight had happened in broad daylight the collateral damage had mostly been structural - only a few injuries and no deaths. Compared to most cape fights, practically a blessing. Unfortunately, no one had been able to get a clear picture of him during the fight, on account of their superhuman speeds and the height from which they fought.
"So it was him," she said, scrunching her brows. "The monkey description makes sense now. Remind me, why did Glory Girl engage him?"
"She said he provoked her, but I have reason to believe there was fault on her end as well."
The director sighed and steepled her fingers. "I take they're trying to foot the damage bill?"
He replied in the negative and Piggot hummed, a hint of a calculating gleam in her eye. "I'll send a message offering PRT contractor repairs. If they agree, we can help spin the recovery efforts to our side, it'll help with PR." She looked back at him. "The information, if you will?"
Armsmaster entered another command, and the new image made Piggot blink. It was an old Chinese painting of a robe-clad man staring at a dancing monkey, wearing similar robes and holding a red staff.
"In Chinese folklore and mythology, Sun Wukong is a minor deity, famous for his prominent role in the 16th-century novel Journey to the West. He's described as a monkey born from a stone egg and a seeker of immortality. On his travels to find it, he acquired a number of magical powers and a staff similar to the one in the news footage." The feed changed to show the monkey extending his staff so that it pierced the van before he proceeded to whack it and the van on the asphalt like a toy hammer.
"I take it our Sun Wukong is a fan of his?"
"Most likely. His whole appearance, weapon, and mannerisms indicate more than a passing familiarity with the figure. It casts doubts on my earlier theory that he's a Case 53. Now, I'm leaning towards a Changer power, possibly tied to that staff of his."
Piggot drummed her fingers on her knuckles. "Did the PRT troops establish contact with him?"
"...no," he grumbled. "By the time they got there, he was gone. They interviewed local witnesses, including the involved family." A picture of a toy rattle popped up. "The youngest member said that this Wukong turned a leaf into that toy, and another into a brush."
That brought up a whole slew of questions. Transforming objects was not a common power, more so if those two objects hinted at a wide range. Was the change permanent? Did the objects exhibit additional effects? The rattle wasn't taken from the child, it would've caused too much of a scene, but the officer interviewing the family stated it appeared as nothing but an ordinary wooden rattle. The officer asked him if he should return and confiscate it, but Armsmaster declined. The rattle didn't look or act like Tinkertech in the slightest. The brush however was dropped by the child at the park, and that was taken to his lab for testing.
Nothing. It was nothing more than an ordinary brush.
"Was he sighted since the incident? It's only been a few hours."
Armsmaster nodded. "He was spotted in a nearby convenience store." The next image showed a social media feed of the monkey-man scarfing down a party-size bag of Doritos. Under it was typed '#MONKE FOOD ON THE HOUSE!'
She stared at the photo, a single brow raised. "I can see he's making an impression on the district already. What do you make of him, personality-wise?"
Colin rubbed his bearded chin and hummed. "It's too early for me to make a definitive impression, but from what we've seen, he doesn't seem the type to de-escalate a situation. The footage showed he's nimble enough to avoid collateral damage but doesn't mind causing it. Otherwise…I'm willing to reserve judgement until I see more."
"If we can integrate him into the Protectorate, we might be able to shift some of the Asian community away from the ABB's grasp," said Piggot thoughtfully.
"It has potential," he hummed. The lack of a figure to relate to the various Asian communities had always been a point of contention. It made it far more likely for elements of the community to flock to the umbrella of Lung to shield them from the Empire. Never mind that they were just trading one monster for another. "From my research, Sun Wukong is still worshipped as a deity in some of the Asian communities. We could use that unless they start decrying him for blasphemy."
She scoffed. "Hardly the first time. What I'm worried about is his little declaration to the ABB, and more directly -"
"Lung," Armsmaster finished. The mood grew somber at the thought of the monstrous leader of the ABB and how he would take that declaration. "He's not gonna take this lying down. An insult to him and his men, in broad daylight? It's a question of when, but when he does, we need to prepare."
The director nodded and rose from her chair. "We take preemptive measures. I want you, Velocity, and Miss Militia to focus your patrols around that area for the time being. You're allowed to take a Ward each, but only to assist with evacuation, rescue and fighting low-level gangsters." She walked away from her desk and headed toward the elevator and he followed. Once they arrived and entered it, she pressed a button and down they went. "Squads are to accompany you and whenever you're not in the area, they'll do circuits. I'll forward the Brockton PD the details so they won't get pissy."
"Understood." The two walked through a hallway and into a small kitchenette. Slipping a paper cup under the machine, Piggot began to pour a cup of coffee. "Anything else?"
Piggot looked at a nearby TV screen, where the news footage was still being played. "Has the E88 shown any signs of movement after the attack on their men?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary, nor any signs of mobilization. I won't be surprised if Hookwolf or Stormtiger try and take a crack at him."
She sighed despondently. "Then make sure all available heroes keep an eye out and are ready to deploy the moment they get the call." She turned to Armsmaster fully and narrowed her eyes. "Lung is bad enough, but we cannot let this escalate into a full-on cape brawl. Understood?"
He sharply nodded, fully aware of the gravity of the possible scenario. Needless to say, it had to be averted no matter what. "I'll begin drafting alternate routes and see if I can tinker something. In the meantime, what if one of us encounters Wukong?"
She tilted her head, a low hum escaping her throat. "If you or anyone else in the area encounters this Sun Wukong, you have my permission to invite him here. If not to join the Protectorate, at least for power testing."
Armsaster kept watching the screen as the monkey whacked the van and the gangsters inside it. "If he refuses?"
"Ask again, and make sure he understands what kind of risk he's taking. A fight involving Lung could demolish an entire neighborhood before he gets bored or we manage to force him back. If he still says no, then do not engage," she stressed. "Like you said, we don't have enough of a handle on what he can do."
"And when Lung answers?"
She clenched her chubby fingers around the cup. "Get there ASAP and evacuate everyone in the area. It's not the first time he's gone on a rampage, let's hope we do better than last time," she chuckled mirthfully. "Like that's a compliment."
Colin frowned, in full agreement with her words. "I'll prepare the necessary contingencies and alert the Wards." He turned around and left Piggot with her coffee.
Piggot looked daggers at the screen, where more cellphone footage of the monkey laughing and pointing at a slushie machine showed. The poor shopkeeper looked one moment from ducking under the counter, and she didn't blame him. She sighed and sipped her coffee.
'Here's to hoping that this is dealt with quickly. I've got another meeting with Costa-Brown and I know how it'll go…damn it.'
The drumming of fingers echoed throughout the room. The red lights cast eerie shadows across the wall and posters. The men of the Azn Bad Boys before him stood rigidly, not moving even a muscle. While discipline might have played a part in their stillness, the tenseness of their frames and their held breaths all but hollered the true reason.
"You all know why you are here."
From his throne, Lung surveyed his troops behind his iron mask. Their fear was so strong he could almost see it as steam pouring out of them. Their heads were bowed and were determined to stay there, in the vain hope they would be spared his wrath.
How deluded they had become.
"My businesses run oiled, the heroes and Nazis dare not cross into my territory. The people know their place and the consequences of thinking otherwise."
His voice, low and rumbling like the mountains, rang through every nerve of their bodies.
"Do you know why?" he asked. No one answered, as expected. "It is because of me. My strength."
He rose from his chair and clasped his hands behind his back. "In this city, none are equal to me. The heroes fear me. The Nazi filth fears me. Brockton Bay fears me. Without me, you are nothing. I give you protection, offer you the opportunity to surpass your insignificant lives under my strength, wealth, and pleasure to sate your desires."
Not that he cared what they did. As long as they kept the money and whores flowing in, he wouldn't give a rat's ass what happened to them. He took a step forward and the floor seemed to quake. "All I ask of you is your loyalty."
A growl emanated from the mask. "How is it then, that within my turf," he took a deep breath. "I. AM. MOCKED!?"
He saw them flinch. The silence had almost shattered by their pitiful whimpers.
"For seven days, my name, my strength, has been utterly mocked, by an upstart newbie, and you do nothing."
Oh, he had seen the incident, on the news and from one of his men. He had no problem with the acquisitions his men made, nor their methods. As long as he had his due and they obeyed him, he cared not for his underlings. But to do it so sloppily, in broad daylight - had the cops not taken them away he would've roasted them on the spot. To make matters worse, they attracted this cape.
"Sun Wukong, he calls himself." The name was far from unknown to anyone in the room. "A fucker who thinks it's a good idea to taunt me every chance he gets." Lung slowly paced back and forth across the room. "He trashes my men and throws them into garbage bins like they were nothing. Within these past days, he swings around like he rules this district, and makes my enemies think I'm no longer in charge."
When he had first seen the news footage, he nearly snapped and burned down his hideout. That cocky Hero - Assault - from the Protectorate was one thing, there were consequences involved, and even during the odd times they fought, he rarely joked. This incident was beyond that.
"And what have you done? Nothing. The moment this newbie shows up, you run like fucking cowards. And you know what I did to the last pussy who ran." Lung's hands clenched and smoke drifted from within them. The burnt corpse was brought before them yesterday and chopped to bits. He made sure every one of his men got a good look at him. "He is no different from the Wards or the Protectorate. I don't expect you to win - I'd be surprised if any of you scratches another parahuman - but I expect you to fight. Instead, I get broken weaklings in hospitals and jails."
For he did receive news about members of his gang being sent to the ER by this monkey's hands. He had almost gutted that messenger when he told him of the failed collection, but his interest in the new cape dwarfed any rage over some grocery store. Now he knew, and that rage had returned tenfold. His hands shimmered and he felt the room draw in a collective breath. A second later, the smoke vanished and his skin became flesh once more.
"No more."
He stopped and stared at the men, and he knew they were taken aback by the sudden softness of his tone.
"Today, this ends. He named himself after the Immortal Monkey King, who trounced the very Heavens. I will go, and you'll see as I show him and this city how fake he is when I melt his furry flesh into sludge."
With one final growl, Lung raised his head and held a fist high.
"You cross the dragon, and you will pay. A simple rule. It's time he learns this."
Lung walked and his men parted before him. Before he stepped out the door, he stopped and addressed the man in the corner of the room.
"Lee. You've spotted new Nazi holdouts on the border of our turf. Destroy them, and make it loud. It will draw the heroes in and keep them distracted until I kill this monkey man."
Oni Lee stepped from the shadows, his demonic mask revealed for all to see. "Understood," he curtly replied.
Lung nodded and took off his jacket, leaving it on the floor. He walked outside, the footsteps of his men not far behind him. He stared at the street as he inhaled deeply and let the first winds of winter blow against his skin. The cold air was nothing before the blazing heat within his body. Determined, he walked down the street, watching as the minnows saw his advance and scampered back to their holes. Further and further he marched into the Asian district, and as he walked he took in the terror as he felt the stares of his men. Oni Lee should've started his attack by now.
"It would seem," he said, anger further lacing his voice. "We need to bait this monkey fucker out. If that's how he wants to play, then fine."
He drew power from within him and flames erupted from his hands. He lobbed a fireball at a store and it exploded, silencing anyone inside.
"Come out, Sun Wukong! Answer your insults to me with your life, or these people will pay!"
No voice responded and Lung gnashed his teeth. Did this wannabe hero not think him worthy!? His rational side argued that he could just be away in another part of the city. That was fine.
The people here need to learn their place anyway.
He raised a finger to his men and they went into the houses. A few minutes later, they came out with terrified civilians on the verge of crying. "Line them up."
The gangbangers did so and he slowly walked along them. "Sun Wukong was seen walking this street yesterday. Where is he?"
The civilians said nothing, trembling before him. He went to the first one, an elderly woman, and asked again. "Where is he?"
She shook her head. "I-I d-don't know," she blubbered. He stared at her long and hard, looking for signs of deceit before moving on.
"Where is Sun Wukong!?"
Every time he asked, they answered negatively. His anger swelled with each response. He knew that the monkey made himself comfortable in the district and was spotted by many people, but there was no way that nobody saw where he went! When he reached the last two, a frail old man and what was presumably his son, he felt the fire roar within his chest.
"Where. is. Sun. Wukong?"
The two shook their heads, but Lung saw the older man flinch differently than his son. He leaned closer to the old man and spoke, his words like an awakened volcano.
"Do not lie to me, old man. I see through your lies. You saw him, didn't you? Where is he?"
The old man responded the same way, even as his son held him and looked back and forth between Lung and the father. His eyes smoking red, Lung raised his arm, and a fireball the size of a man burst from it. The two civilians turned pale and huddled together, in some vain hope it would save them.
Pitiful. To not even face their death with dignity…they will burn in agony.
The leader of the ABB drew his arm back to throw the great inferno. Had it landed, much of the street would've been taken out. It would have, if not for the clawed hand holding his arm in place.
Lung sharply turned to his left and there he was, the one who had ridiculed him and his men and undermined his little kingdom, standing there with a cocky smirk full of fangs and holding him in place. In his free arm, he held a bag of dried banana snacks. He tried to pull his arm away, but to his surprise, the monkey didn't even budge. Twice more he pulled and the monkey jerked the arm back. With another snarl, he tried to pull with all his body, but then he felt himself bend over as he was suddenly forced back and the fireball dissipated. His head shot up to see the monkey with an outstretched leg.
"Now that's just rude," said the monkey-man. His scratchy voice was already getting on his nerves. "I was tasting this delightful snack on yonder rooftop when I heard someone rudely calling for me and throwing sparks around like a child who lost his toy. Don't you know better than to disturb someone when they're eating?"
He nibbled on another dried fruit slice as Lung's eyes twitched under his mask, idly noting the civilians running away. Glancing at his arm, he saw that the skin was replaced by shimmering metal scales. For a moment he grew intrigued, thoughts of the normals quickly forgotten. Was he so strong for his power to react so quickly?
"So you are Sun Wukong," said Lung in a gravelly tone as he flexed his fingers. "I am glad you accepted my invitation. I wished to discuss your payment for the dishonor you have dealt upon me."
Wukong tilted his head and fished for another slice. "I stated no dishonor, only truth. Men who are so desperate for validation they prey on little children are barely worth their names." He kept speaking as he ate. "You claim to be the shénlóng dàrén who leads them?"
Lung didn't react to the Mandarin, though it seemed to fit the monkey. He should've gone in for the kill right away, but the way the monkey spoke gave him pause. It reminded him of one of those old Chinese dramas his men sometimes watched. "Yeah, I am." He straightened his posture and bared his tattoos in full glory for his opponent to see. "And you've made an enemy of the dragon, Sun Wukong. I rule my kingdom, and not even the heroes mess with me. You won against the blonde bitch, so you think you're a big shot. My men promised you I would hang your burned corpse for all to see, and I will honor that promise." His arms blazed with fire. "But I offer you one chance; beg for mercy and I will make your death swift."
A hush fell over the street. Lung's men stared in silence and the odd civilian looked from a stray window. Let them watch, all the better for his satisfaction. The monkey just stood there, hand frozen in his bag.
Lung opened his mouth to ask when he saw Wukong's form tremble. Ah, so he had realized how futile it was to face him. He would have to punish his men later, for being humiliated by such a weak-willed cape. Not that he would keep his promise -
Then Wukong laughed. A great, raspy laugh that shocked Lung and those behind him.
"You!? You are the shénlóng dàrén!?" he dropped his snack and rolled on the floor with laughter, clutching his robe-covered belly. "All the blustering your pitiful lackeys blew was this!? A half-naked man with a painted chest and some parlor tricks!? Oh, joy! Thank you, for I had not heard such a good joke in ages!"
Wukong kept cackling and Lung felt the flames wrap around his legs and burn through his jeans. Never before…never had he been given this level of insult since he was reborn. All feared him and his power. And this monkey thought he was a joke!?
He bellowed fire toward the monkey and it swept over him in a tidal wave of crimson. The flames crashed against the building and burned there before parting to reveal the charred -
Nothing!?
Lung immediately tensed and looked around. He hadn't thought it was going to be easy, so where was the -
His head rang. The ground disappeared from under him. A sharp wind blew against his face.
He kissed asphalt as he rolled down the street before righting himself up and moving to stand, only to freeze as the gold-capped end of a staff, engraved with clouds and the very creature he bore a likeness to, poked his masked chin. Slowly looking up, he beheld Sun Wukong standing right in front of him, still sporting that toothy grin, but this time his eyes glimmered with an emotion Lung had seen many times in the mirror, and one he never dreamed of seeing in a human (or cape) foe:
Predatory.
"A lóng you claim to be, but all I see is a carp who floats in the lake and stares at the gate, thinking he has leapt up the fall," he said. "I offered the challenge, so I gave you the first strike. How disappointing."
Lung tried to move but Wukong jabbed him in the chin. He felt the scales slowly grow there and around his body. His muscled arms cracked the road and he charged forward, intending to tear the monkey in two. Yet again though, Wukong plunged the staff on his head and slammed him into the asphalt. Amidst the pain, he felt claws protrude from his fingers.
"Oh, is the màopáihuò hurt?" Wukong asked mockingly. "Perhaps he would like a treatment to soothe his ego? Here's a sample!"
In the blink of an eye, the staff stuck Lung under the chin and sent him rolling backward. He gripped the ground and shook his head, even as he felt scales grow over most of his body. This was too fast. Not even against the Heroes or the Empire did they grow this fast! He shook off the dizziness and sent a piercing, wrathful glare at the monkey, whose grin just grew wider. The insult from earlier had fully kicked in, and his vision flooded red. Lung roared and his whole body was coated in flames, leaving only the barest traces of his jeans on him.
But the monkey showed no fear.
"I must say, I have seen few lóng who command fire more than water. Do not think that impresses me, it just proves how far you are from your ideal painting, little carp." He twirled his staff and sauntered closer. He then stopped and pointed it at the ABB leader, staring him right in the eyes. "But if you wish to truly climb the waterfall…"
Wukong stomped on the ground and it cracked from the impact. Had anyone else been watching, it would've seemed as though an old scroll had come to life.
"Let's see if you are even worthy to attempt the first leap!"
Here we go! Monke vs (Fake) Dragon! This will hurt.
We see the start of the PRT reactions with Piggot and Armsy. I did my best to get them right with help from QAI521. They don't see Wukong as too interesting...yet. Forgive me if the social media post is cringe.
Lung threatens his men and doesn't take challengers lightly, so he goes around and interrogates poor souls. Too bad for him the Monke is nearby and snacking.
If you want to help fund my writing, hop over to my at pat . reon / user?u=47732921 and donate! Members will get previews and chapters ahead of time! For example, if you want to see the fight, Chapter 8 is already out on that site!
Also, if you don't wish to subscribe monthly, feel free to leave a small tip on my new ko-fi page at: ko-fi /darkscythedrake. I also make 3D art there, hopefully one day of my fics.
Huge thanks to all my patrons who are helping me fund my writing!
I have my own server Drake's Lair, at (discord . gg/2bD4UgyyPA). I do streams there on Saturday nights, CET time! Sometimes games, other times anime, whatever's fun! I'm also a member of the Shiro's Gaming Omniverse Discord (discord . gg/wd3tUYWVCd.) server. If you want to hop over and chat, either about this story or anything else, feel free!
If you enjoyed this story, check out my other ones and look at my profile for challenges!
Most importantly...
Read and Review! REVIEW!