Fusion 2.0

Chapter 31. the rise

Wukong sat on the porch of his hut, gazing up at the small patch of sky visible through the hole in the cavern roof where he could see the sun. "What are you looking at, bud?" Macaque's voice echoed through the cave, tinged with bitterness.

"The sun," Wukong replied, rising to his feet as he noticed the outline of Macaque's shadow stretching across the ground. "Oh, you mean the sun I was trapped in for centuries?" Macaque's tone was sharp as he stepped out of the shadow.

"It wasn’t my fault," Wukong began, his voice weary as he turned to face Macaque. But before he could continue, Macaque’s hand drifted to the scarred 'X' that marred his face, where his right eye once was.

"Look, Macaque, I—" Wukong's words were cut off as Macaque lunged at him, slamming him into the ground with a pair of shadowy gauntlets that appeared around his fists.

"SAVE IT, WUKONG! I've had enough of your excuses!" Macaque's face twisted in rage as he hissed the words, his eyes blazing with hatred.

Wukong, his expression shifting to one of annoyance, kicked Macaque, sending him flying a few feet into the air. He quickly sprang to his feet, ready to attack, but Macaque used his shadow portals to teleport behind him.

"You should be prepared," Macaque said, his voice low and dangerous. "Diamond Bull King and his wife are going to be after the kid. I want my gem back."

Wukong whirled around, swinging his staff at Macaque, but it was too late—Macaque had already melted into the shadows, his purple outline fading into the walls before shrinking down to merge with Wukong's shadow.

Wukong rolled his eyes as he walked through his cave, his gaze drifting over the ancient paintings that depicted his story—his true story. With a sigh, he turned toward the swinging bridge that led to the waterfall. He crossed it and reached the cascading water, placing his hand on the cool surface. A golden glow appeared, and the waterfall parted, allowing Wukong to step through.

Once outside, Wukong walked along the lush, vibrant island, teeming with tiny monkeys with pinkish-tan skin and white fur. He approached the teleportation pad, and in a flash of blue light, he disappeared.

---

Wukong reappeared in a flash of blue light, stepping off the teleportation pad with a purposeful stride. He quickly found MK, who was engrossed in a video game.

"Hey, kiddo, whatcha doing?" Wukong asked, casually leaning over to glance at the screen as he sat behind the others.

"Oh, just playing the 'Journey to the West' game—it’s based on a story about you," MK said, his eyes still on the game.

Wukong rolled his eyes, thinking about how humans always seemed to get the details of his story wrong. "Oh," he responded, a note of annoyance in his voice.

MK paused the game and turned to face Wukong. "Wait, why are you here?"

Wukong blinked, caught off guard for a moment before sitting up straight. "A little birdie told me we might need to be prepared."

MK raised an eyebrow, suspicious. He knew that the "little birdie" Wukong referred to was likely Macaque, but he chose not to press the issue and returned to his game. Wukong, however, caught the look and couldn't shake the feeling that MK was onto him.

A few minutes later, Bloodstone kicked open the door. "Hey, the Diamonds are back, and they’re looking for a fight."

MK and Mei immediately paused the game and jumped to their feet, ready for action. "Oh, finally," Wukong said, stretching his body as he prepared to join the battle. Bloodstone shot him a confused look but quickly turned to follow MK and Mei outside.