//------------------------------// // Monkey King: Great Sage Equal to Heaven // Story: A New World, A New Way: Requiem from the Lostbelt // by Metroid Prime //------------------------------// The last time the castle was a big mess was when the fire bombs happened almost 2 months ago. In fact, the staff was still making repairs from that incident. And before that, it was messy due to the actions of one Spirit of Chaos, a Legendary Pokemon of Mishcif and ring portals, and a small Joltik Now, it was messy due to the actions of a monkey, something that made too much sense. Celestia, Luna, and pretty much the entire Royal Guard were now trying to stop this latest catastrophe. “Somebody stop him!” The Royal sisters ran down the hallways of the castle, jumping over broken pottery and picture frames of priceless value. The mess continued as they followed the trail of broken items that led them to the perpetrator who was now laughing to himself in the middle of a four-way intersection. Both sisters were staring daggers at the miscreant who was the source of this mess. And when he made eye contact with them, he just smiled. “Come on ladies, my mentor’s horse, Bai Long was faster than you two.” “Cease this foolishness at once miscreant!” Shouted Luna in the royal Canterlot voice. Sun Wukong just stuck his finger in his ear as if he was cleaning it before putting his hand on it. “Sorry, couldn’t hear you, could you maybe try talking a little louder?” Luna was about to snap him in two before Celestia held out a hoof to stop her. “Why are you doing this?” The monkey then leaned on his pole as he gave them a raised eyebrow. “Really? I thought I made that clear to you guys five minutes ago. - Five Minutes ago... “Sun Wukong?” Celestia said. “Yeah, that's me.” “A peculiar name. What meaning does it have?” Part of Celestia wanted to know if this servant was related to the Sun or had powers from it. After encountering Heroic Spirits like Karna and Gawain, she did not want to have to fight another servant who had the same powers as her. “My name can be interpreted by some cultures as meaning: ‘The Monkey awakened by the Emptiness’. Or something like that. And no, In case you’re wondering I don’t have any powers related to the Sun itself.” Celestia mentally breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, in that case. May I explain why you have broken into our cellar to drink our wine?” “Um, because I’m thirsty?” Sun stated as if it was a matter of fact. Luna just stared blankly at the monkey. “Thirsty?” “Yeah, thirsty,” Sun then took another swing of his mug which had somehow been filled up while they were talking. “After all, one must be drunk in order to fully indulge themselves in the fun they are about to have.” “Fun?” “Yeah, speaking of which, think fast!” His tail having wrapped around a barrel of 200-year-old aged Canterlot gin. Sun threw the container at the alicorns with blinding speed. Celestia reacted in time, catching it with her magical grasp before it hit her face. But then she heard Wukong snap his fingers. And the barrel exploded. The two sisters are well as the surrounding guards were now drenched in very old and very expensive alcohol. Sun burst out laughing as they removed their wet manes from their faces. “BAH HAHAHA Oh, man! That was great. AHAHAHAHA!” Sun then jumped over the group and landed at the door to the cellar. “This is gonna be a fun little distraction.” - “You said you wanted to have fun?” Luna stated. “Yeah.” “And you’re definition of fun is causing a mess and making chaos? “Uh yeah. Have you guys even read my legend? Oh wait, I guess you wouldn’t know that.” Sun tapped his chin. “Let’s just say my early life was mostly just me being a troublemaker, to the point where even the gods were fed up with me. I caused all kinds of problems and mischief, and pretty much no one could stop me. I’m pretty much the living antithesis of what is considered an orderly and calm environment.” Celestia then stepped forward. “So what you’re saying is, you’re here to cause trouble for the sake of causing trouble?” “Pretty much.” “Be warned, servant. We have dealt with someone like you before. Do not underestimate us.” “Oh, you mean that spirit of Chaos you manage to tame. Sister, don’t try and compare me to him. The only person who can reign me in is my sensei, and she’s not here. And unless you have achieved enlightenment and become a Buddha, you don’t even have the means to stop me.” At this point, Luna was getting irritated. “We shall see about that!” Luna then rushed forward in an attempt to close the gap so that she could cast a binding spell. Wukong however just nonchalantly shrunk his staff to the size of a pencil and tossed it in her direction. The little thing then bounced until it came directly under Luna who was too late to react. Standing upright, the monkey then commanded it to grow. Ruyi Jingu Bang then exploded in size. Its width became the size of a trampoline before it shot upward, slamming into Luna and crashing her through the roof. “Luna!” The staff grew higher and higher until it reached the sky. To onlookers, it appeared as if a giant rod had descended(or rather ascended to) from the heavens. “Okay, I think that's high enough,” Wukong then snapped his fingers, and the staff instantly shrunk back to its original size. Ruyi Jingu Bang returned to his hand. But Luna was still MIA. “She’ll come back down…eventually. But for now, Sun turned his head and looked down the hallway. “I hope that vase over there isn’t too expensive!” The monkey then sprinted down the hallway. “Go after him,” Celestia said to her guards. “I’ll wait here for Luna.” The guards ran after Sun Wukong, while Celestia stayed back and looked up at the hole in the ceiling. *Sigh* “It's going to be one of those days isn’t it?” Hall of Legends Genesect activated his screwdriver as he continued to work on his machine. The device he was currently building was one that would allow him to hopefully breach the walls of the Lostbelts. It was known that Arceus could not pass through the storm walls of the Lostbelts. Whether it was a matter of power, authority, or something else. Breaching the barriers between our world and these new ones was currently not possible. Genesect lamented the fact that he never got a chance to analyze the vehicle owned by Chaldea, which apparently had to power to move between different worldly planes. More than likely, Chaldea was the only party capable of moving in between Lostbelt. Which made the failure of their defeat and capture all the worse. Still, Genesect at least learned something. If it was the technology of Chaldea that allowed them to move between worlds, then technology was the answer to allowing the Legendary Pokemon to visit other Lostbelts. Genesect had asked for Arceus to give him data from his godly mind about just what it appeared Chaldea was doing every time he encountered them, and when they escaped. Unfortunately, Arceus was more focused on capturing them than analyzing them, so said information was not a lot. But it would have to do for now. “Okay, so data indicates that in both encounters, Chaldea used a method that allowed them to virtually disappear of the face of the planet. To the point where Lord Arceus could not even verify their existence. This of course defies all logic and reasoning, but stranger things have been happening lately.” The camera he had set up to record as a journal followed him as he put down the screwdriver and went to get a new drill bit. “The part that concerns me the most is how they are seemingly about to conceal their existence from even Lord Arceus. This means that not even he can track them when they disappear. It was at this point that we all came to the conclusion that Chaldea is capable of using conceptual technology, or maybe its conceptual magic combined with technology. Either way, this puts our human foes on another level in terms of what they are capable of.” Genesect closed up the panel on his device and tighten the screws in place. “But that aside, how we are going to breach the other Lostbelt walls is a question that I believe science must answer. You see, the way Arceus solves problems is that he simply wills the solution into existence. If someone has cancer, he just removes it from the body. If vegetation does not grow in a dead landscape, he just alters the molecular composition of the soil in order to make it fertile.” He put the tool down as he took a sip of oran berry juice. “My, point is, that since he is a god, Arceus does not have to think much on the “how” to solve problems, he just simply does it because he can. Humans, however, have to actually think and go through a process in order to come to a solution. Its why they have come so far as a species, they for the most part lack any powers or special abilities. And because of that lack of power, they use their minds and cunning to overcome obstacles.” “And while Arceus can do almost anything, that doesn’t mean he knows everything. As such that's why he has some of the other Legendary Pokemon handle other duties and domains he doesn’t have the time for. Given enough time, he could find a way past the storm walls. But he has other things to worry about. And besides, invading the other Lostbelts is not a priority at the moment. Not when Chaldea is still out there, and the Tree of Emptiness needs to be guarded.” Genesect then turned off the camera and set his tools down. As he looked over his newest creation, he checked everything to make sure it was coming together nicely. It was more than halfway done, just missing a few parts that he would have to get elsewhere. Luckily, he had a 3D fabricator that could make said parts for him in a short amount of time. And so, he programmed the machine to print the necessary items for him and then left the room to go get lunch. “Speaking of the Tree of Emptiness, I believe Arceus went to inquire about it from our pony friends. Ponyville Library Twilight, stood in the middle of the room. Waiting as the clock ticked every second. It was now 12:58 PM. She was not anxious in the slightest, after all, she had met with this person before. And he was always punctual. If frighteningly so. 12:59 PM. If there was one thing she was concerned about, it was the answers she was going to give. Cause for all that she learned so far, even she did not everything about the subject matter at hand. Not for a lack of trying. After all, she had spent the better part of 2 years trying to learn about it. 10 seconds to 1 o'clock. “Here he comes,” she said out loud. 3…2…1 Arceus flashed himself into existence. “Princess Twilight.” “Arceus.” There was a pause, before Arceus flashed a table with a set of tea into existence, ready to serve. “Thirsty.” Twilight looked at the cup of tea before saying. “Alright.” She pulled up a cushion before spilling her drink. “So, let us discuss this matter, mainly, the Tree of Emptiness that sustains our world, and its connection to what you referred to as the Tree of Harmony.” “Yes, I honestly feel this should have been discussed earlier.” “Both of us had other things to worry about at the time. So I don’t blame either of us for letting it slip our minds.” “Alright, so what questions do you have? Keep in mind I don’t know everything about the Tree of Harmony, you’re better off asking the Goddess who it is named after.” “Oh, I plan to have a talk with her soon. But for now, tell me what you know.” “Where to start? So I and my friends first learned about it during the summer solstice 2 years ago, the first one as my time as a newly coronated Princess. An old spell of Discord’s from before he was sealed away had grown into a mess of chaotic vines that were strangling the Tree. And Princess Celestia and Luna had gone to investigate it.” “I see.” “I learned that the Tree itself was the origin of the Elements of Harmony. The sacred artifacts we used to save Equestria a few times. And in the end, by returning the Elements back to the Tree, we were able to save it and the Princesses. But after we did, we discovered a small box with 6 locks required to open it. And over time, we managed to five 5 of the keys before you and the Pokemon arrived.” “Interesting, and what of the 6th key?” “Still don’t know where it is. Although I should point out that we didn’t exactly find them in the conventional sense, they just appeared to us when we reached a certain clarity regarding our respective elements.” “Hmmm, am I to assume your key is the last one missing?” “...Yes.” “I see, so aside, from this box and these keys, what else do you know about the Tree?” “All we know is that Celestia and Luna found it one day and used the Elements in order to defeat Discord for the first time. But aside from that, we know just as much as they did back then.” “So, you know nothing else? Nothing about the Tree that would make you suspect that it was anything abnormal or strange?” “No, I honestly have no idea how the Tree of Harmony is the Tree of Emptiness. Nothing I found during my research of it gave me any signs that it was something strange, other than being the construct that created the Elements of Harmony.” “Hmmm, alright, I believe you.” “Do you have any other questions?” “No, that's all I believe I will learn from you. Thank you for your time Princess Twilight.” Twilight then got up from her seat, but then Arceus spoke once more. “Actually, I do have one question.” “Yes?” “You said, that you found 5 keys before I arrived here with the Pokemon correct?” “Yeah.” “Hmmm, this is just my guess but, sometime after Hastings was arrested, I visited Harmony and had a talk with her. It was a colorful and humbling discussion. But it ended with her giving me a task that would have fallen to you and your friends.” Twilight's eyes widened a bite as he realized what he was talking about. “There was a villain named Tirek that was supposed to be defeated by you and your friends. But Harmony let me destroy him in exchange for allowing some of my former power to come back. And this is just a theory, but I think that might have been the moment where you were meant to acquire the 6th key.” Twilight sighed. “You’re not wrong, Harmony actually confirmed that had things gone to plan, our fight with Tirek would have allowed me to find the 6th key.” “...I see.” Once again, Arceus was reminded of just how many consequences his hasty decision had on the rest of the world. How many fates he had changed with his actions. For better or for worse. He could sense the mild sadness coming from Twilight, knowing that a crucial mystery was now left in limbo. Not to mention that buried beneath all the happiness for finding new friends in the Pokemon, there was still some lingering anger directed at him for changing their lives in so many unknown ways. “Thank you for talking with me Princess Twilight, I’ll see you later.” Arceus then disappeared, leaving the Alicorn alone with all her thoughts. He then reappeared in Canterlot Castle, in the approximate location where Celestia and Luna were supposed to be. As he was about to go and look for them, he heard a boom. Turning his head, he saw a flood of water come down a corner of the hallway. And being carried by it was Celestia, Luna, and several guards. The water subsided just as the Princess washed up at his feet. “Great,” Luna said as she got up and squeezed the water out of her mane. “Now we have to fix the plumbing as well.” “Just what is this servant? And how is he giving us such a hard time?” “Ahem.” Both sisters then turned around as they realized who was standing behind them. “Arceus?” “Hello there. Is this a bad time?” The sound of something made of glass breaking filled the air. “Yes, very,” “Is there something you need Arceus?” Celestia asked. “Yes, but for now, what seems to be troubling you?” “Well, a rather annoying little servant has been causing mischief for the past hour,” Luna said. “He seems to have no motivation other than being a chaotic mess maker.” “Oh, is that it?” “Yes,” Celestia said. “Although the why escapes us.” “...Alright then, I shall deal with him,” Arceus began to float down the hallway to the source of the noise. “Did you happen to catch who his name was? It will give me a clue as to what type of human he was in life.” “Oh, he’s not a human,” Luna said. Arceus stopped. “He’s not?” “No, he appears to be some kind of talking monkey,” Celestia stated. “He said his name was, Sun Wukong.” Arceus then turned around and looked back at the princesses. The look on his facing was one of wide-eyed horror. “Sun. Wu. Kong?” Celestia and Luna were startled at the look on Arceus’s face. “Uh…” “That is his name? Are you sure!?” “Y-yes, he has this staff that has the power to grow and shrink in size. He claimed to be a ‘Great Sage Equal to Heaven’.” Arceus blinked before slowly turning back to look forward. The loud noise of monkeys filled the hallways as it became louder and louder. A small rumbling was heard as they grew closer and closer. Then, around the corner came a large army of monkeys, all of them of various shapes and sizes. Screeching, banging their chests, and doing what one would expect monkeys to do. And leading them, was the servant in question, holding his staff with the biggest grin on his face. It took less than an attosecond for Areus to decide on the next word to come out of his nonexistent mouth. “Nope.” In a flash of light, Arceus, Celestia, and Luna, were all teleported from the castle to the Hall of Legends. “Arceus!” Celestia snapped at him, after realizing what he just did. “What was that for?” “Why did you take us from the castle!?” Luna added. The god of Pokemon then turned around, and look at both sisters with the most stressed and somewhat terrified look on his face they had seen so far. “Listen very closely you two,” his voice was deathly serious. “That servant, no…that monkey! Is not someone you should ever pick a fight with!” The look on his face was confusing to the Princesses. But they could both tell that if he was spooked by that servant, then it must be more serious than they thought. “Arceus?” The godly being then calmed down and let out a sigh. “Look, before I go into full details, I will just say this. That monkey known as Sun Wukong? They do not call him, the ‘Great Sage Equal to Heaven’ for nothing. He is a menace that you would never want to face unprepared.” Celestia and Luna both looked at each other with concerned looks on their faces before turning back to Arceus. “Tell us what you know.” Arceus then took a deep “breath” and sat down, Celestia and Luna doing the same. “Throughout the many versions of Earth, each of its different and diverse cultures have many kinds of folklore, myths, and legends that they tell stories of. Even to this day they are reinvented and told again and again. Among the most famous and powerful of stories is called ‘Journey to the West’, a story about a monk who set of to find enlightenment. However, the first part of the story is not about the monk, but about the monkey who would become his pupil.” “...Sun Wukong?” Luna guessed. “Yes. It was said that he was born from a rock shaped like an egg, the was blessed with the power of the sun and moon.” Both sisters blinked. “I see.” “He was born with many supernatural powers, and quickly amassed a large group of monkey followers, which you saw just now. A Monkey King with unmatched power.” “Alright, but what makes him so strong?” Luna asked. “I was getting to that. You see, Sun Wukong trained under several masters and has many powers at his disposal. These include but are not limited to: shapeshifting(72 Earthly Transformations), the ability to summersault around the world in a single bound, absurd healing, and regeneration(seriously, you could cut his head off and he’d just put it back on), protection for fire and water, fight via a magic cloud, and immortality.” “He’s immortal?” Celestia said. “Yes, several times over.” “What?” “Let me explain. The reason why Sun Wukong is so hard to beat is because he is virtually impossible to kill. He has various different forms of immortality. The first one he acquired was a Toaist immortality from one of his first teachers. Then he erased his name from the book of death, meaning death itself cannot claim him because his name is not on the list.” “Huh?” “Then, he ate the peaches of immortality grown in the gardens of heaven. Keep in mind, you only need to eat one to be immortal, and he ate about an entire garden of trees worth of peaches.” “Huh!?” “And finally, he swallowed 5 gords of immortality pills made by one of heaven’s alchemist sages. Which added several more layers of immortality to him.” “Seriously, how much immortality does one need!? Does he intend to live long enough to not only see the end of the universe but the birth of the next one!?” “With how immortal he is, you would think so. But all Sun Wukong wanted was to be a powerful being worthy of living in heaven. But all he did was cause them no end of trouble.” Celestia and Luna, both had to process this for a second. Despite both of them being immortal, there were times when they both wished they could live a limited lifespan and die like everyone else. Because, unlike Arceus, they were not gods who have been around since time immemorial. They had no real interest in living forever. “Aside from all that, he wields the size-changing staff Ruyi Jingu Bang. Originally a pillar that was meant to measure the depth of the ocean, as well as hold it together. It can be as small as a needle, or big enough to reach into space. And he can wield it with little effort no matter the size.” “Wait, really? Just how strong is he!?” “Well, it was said he once held up the mountain Sumeru, a mountain said to hold up the universe.” It was at that moment that the full weight of who, or rather what they were. “Is there no way we can beat him?” Celestia asked. “Well, unless one of us archives the status of a Buhhda and literally becomes one with the universe. There is no easy way we can beat him.” “...So what can we do?” Arceus paused for a moment, his ancient mind searching for an answer that would help put them at ease. “I will say this. Sun Wukong may be immortal, but he is not invincible. And since he is a servant, that means he did die at some point. And as a servant, there is only so much magical energy he can use at a time. So he can be defeated, just not easily so.” “Alight then,” Celestia got up and brushed herself off. “Let us see if we can come up with a plan to beat him.” “Yes. And I should also mention that, for all his power and arrogance. Sun Wukong is not evil, nor does he actively try to kill his opponents, he prefers making people submit to him.” “Good, so, does anyone have any bright ideas?” Arceus then rattled his mind. He had never been in a serious fight before. Not until recently, that is. But he had seen many things while observing the multiverse. Some of which might come in handy. “I might have a few.”