At the same time that the Mane 6 was catching their Mystery Incorporated friends up on their previous adventure in the Big Apple, students at the martial arts academy out in the middle of the ocean were practicing their moves for the upcoming tournament, throwing punches in the air left and right.
But up above the training arena, Mr. Takagawa and Moon Blossom were trying to warn elegant headmistress, Miss Mirimoto, about what they saw the night before, and about the terror that could befall the world if they were not careful. “Please… Miss Mirimoto, you have to believe us!” Moon Blossom practically begged. “Our world could be in great peril if we don’t act quickly!”
“It is true-- theghost of the Black Samurai has returned!” Mr. Takagawa agreed. “Soon, he will come for the Destiny Scroll!”
Miss Mirimoto’s only response was a chuckle. “A very entertaining story, Mr. Takagawa,” she smirked. “I’m sure it will bring many new visitors to you and Miss Blossom's brand-new exhibit.”
Moon Blossom sighed, her ears flattening in shame as Miss Mirimoto gestured to her grand display of students. “Now, as you can see, our grand tournament is about to begin. We would be most pleased to have you join us,” she said before turning to the muscular man behind her. “Sojo… please show our… honored guests to their seats.”
“Y-You must listen!” Mr. Takagawa pleaded, but his cries went unheard as Sojo grabbed him by his arms and carried him down the stairs, Moon Blossom trotting behind them in order to help her mentor if he needed it. “The scroll…” Mr. Takagawa panted, “must be… protected!”
“I can assure you, Mr. Takagawa… ghost or no ghost… the Destiny Scroll will be quite safe behind these walls,” Miss Mirimoto reassured confidently, and Mr. Takagawa began to struggle more in Sojo's grip. “If you… say so…!”
“Sojo! Release him!” Miss Mirimoto commanded, and Sojo dropped Mr. Takagawa on the floor, causing Moon Blossom to quickly help him to his feet. “You must forgive poor Sojo,” Miss Mirimoto told the two visitors. “He does only as he is told. His loyalty to me is unquestioned.”
Suddenly, the sound of Sojo hitting the gong echoed throughout the facility, catching their attention. “Plane… the plane!” Sojo shouted as the Hover Jet flew over toward the center of the facility, causing Miss Mirimoto to smile pleasingly. “Ah, the last of our guests to arrive. Have them report to the staging ground immediately. We shall have a demonstration.”
XXXXXXXX
The Hover Jet landed in the midst of the academy, where Maru pressed a button and opened the staircase and revealed a stunningly beautiful area with a small pond and beautiful cherry blossom trees all around. “Wow… what a beautiful airport!” Fred exclaimed. “It's not an airport, Freddy,” Sunny pointed out. “This is a traditional Japanese garden! I read a book about one of these on one of our previous quests.”
Daphne was the first to approach a small fish pond, taking a deep breath and sighing in content. “Can't you just feel the peace and tranquility?”
Shaggy, Scooby, Misty and Izzy took a calming deep breath, the former two not feeling as stressed out as before. “Ohhh yeah,” Shaggy smiled. “Scoob, old buddy, like, from here on out, no matter what happens… I'm just gonna go with the flow.”
“Go with the flow,” Izzy responded smoothly, just as Sojo's shadow cast over them, and Sojo was carrying some different colored martial-arts uniforms. “All must wear uniform!” he shouted, and Shaggy gulped fearfully. “Like, my go-with-the-flow just got up and went!”
But before they could run from the scene, Sojo grabbed Shaggy and Scooby before he forced them into the uniforms he had waiting for them before piling them on the cold, stond covered ground. “Ooh, ouch…” Misty groaned. “That's one way for someone to get you dressed…”
“Are you guys okay?” Sunny asked, helping pick them up. “Yeah, I think so,” said Shaggy. “Just… a little frazzled.”
“But even if you are a little frazzled,” said Pipp, “you look absolutely pony-tastiiic in those martial arts outfits!”
Gray and Miyumi were some of those to see the incident occur, and needless to say, Miyumi was not pleased. “No, Sojo! Bad Sojo! Not them-- her!” she said, pointing at Daphne. “All must wear uniform,” Sojo declared, and prepared to do the same moves to Daphne, but she grabbed him by the arm and tossed him to the ground with great strength. “Sorry, Sojo,” Daphne then apologized, “but I handle my own wardrobe.”
XXXXXXXX
After Velma, Fred, Daphne and Miyumi all got changed into their own uniforms, Miyumi and Gray decided to show them around while the students of the academy were still working on their kicks and punches. “Check it out, Scoob!” Shaggy said. “It’s a carnival of karate!”
“Ooh… uh-huh!” Scooby nodded enthusiastically. “The competition this year is fierce,” Miyumi explained before they approached a tall man with red hair, preparing to smash into some blocks and wood before him. “That’s Kerry Kilpatrick, the Irish national champion.”
Without any hesitation, Kerry smashed into the wood and stone, breaking it completely and startling the ponies out of their wits. “He’s a two-fisted demolition dynamo,” Gray added, completely unfazed. Next, they went to see a pretty woman dressed in blue and an eyepatch on her face kicking several boards like it was nothing. “Sapphire Sonja,” Miyumi said. “The only thing deadlier than her kick… is her beauty.”
Just then, a muscular man bound in a chained collar growled at the group, causing Shaggy, Scooby, Misty and Izzy to quickly hide behind Sojo. “And that's Japan's own Mad Dog Masimoto. A favorite to win this year,” Gray explained. “Once he’s off his leash, you’re really in the doghouse.”
Masimoto continued to bark and snarl, but Scooby soon got an idea and threw him a bone, to which he happily buried in the ground. “Gee whiz,” Shaggy spoke up. “Like, talk about a creep with a canine complex.”
“Yeah,” Scooby agreed with a giggle. “I really don’t get it,” Misty frowned, coming out from behind Sojo. “Why do people feel the urge to just kick and punch their opponents just for fun? Shouldn’t we be all working for some form of unity?”
“According to my FlyPad, people in Japan have been doing martial arts, especially karate, for hundreds of years,” Zipp said. “It’s said to have really good health benefits for your mind and body.”
“I don’t really know what mindfulness benefits it has,” Misty said, “but living with Opaline has made me realize something-- this stuff is scaring the cutie marks off me!”
Scooby whimpered and nuzzled Misty in comfort, just as a loud gong went off. “That means the tournament will begin shortly,” Miyumi explained. “Daphne, you must go to get ready. The rest of you head to the bleachers.”
“What about you guys?” Hitch asked. “I can go with you to watch along if you want,” Gray offered. “You coming, Miyumi?”
“I will be there shortly,” said Miyumi, scratching his head. “Now go.”
The others nodded and did as she asked, and soon as the gang took their seats in the bleachers, Miss Mirimoto took her place to open the event. “Most honored participants… welcome to Mirimoto Academy's Tournament of Champions,” she spoke clearly. “The finest martial artists in all the world have gathered here today for one single purpose: to prove that they are the best!”
The students below cheered, and the ponies and Mystery Inc, along with Gray, seemed to be cheering at their loudest. “By this time tomorrow,” Miss Mirimoto continued, “most of you will be sent home in humiliating defeat.”
To this, many groaned, but Miss Mirimoto wasn’t finished with her speech just yet. “But there is one among you who has already displayed the heart of a champion. Miss Daphne Blake?”
The ponies gasped immediately at hearing their friends’ names and stood up out of their seats. What could Miss Mirimoto possibly want with Daphne? “Um… over here. Hello,” Daphne spoke up, a little nervous. “Can this be?” Miss Mirimoto asked with a smile, , gesturing to the solemn Sojo next to her. “The tournament has not yet begun, and already you have defeated the mighty Sojo.”
“I-I didn’t mean to. It’s just that-- eh…” Daphne tried to explain herself, but trailed off. “This is most impressive,” Miss Mirimoto complimented her. “Perhaps you would honor us… with a demonstration of your superior skill.”
“As in… right now?”
Miss Mirimoto stood firm. “Your opponent will always attack when you least expect it.”
As Daphne tried to comprehend what was going on in that moment, the other students and martial-arts masters moved out of the way to clear some room, and Daphne soon saw who her opponent was-- Miyumi herself.
First, they bowed in order to show respect, and after displaying their fighting stances, the fighting began with kicks, chops and even some jumps and fancy moves kicking in. “Like, meow!” Shaggy exclaimed from the bleachers. “Talk about a kung-fu cat fight-- huh!”
“Uh-huh. Meow!” Scooby agreed. “I-I don’t get it! Why are Miyumi and Daphne being forced to fight one another?” Misty asked. “Aren’t they friends?”
“Often times, I never understand it either,” Gray shrugged. “But often times, I see the martial arts as a way to relieve stress, build bonds and test your physical and mental skills.”
“Still… couldn’t they do it in a way that’s… you know… less destructive?”
While Misty and Gray continued to chat, the other ponies and gang members could only watch as Miyumi and Daphne tried their best to beat one another in their own game. They weren’t sure who would win… until Miyumi purposefully removed Daphne’s hairband, making her hair go into her face before she flung Daphne over her shoulder and onto the ground. Luckily, she was unharmed. “Hey… that was a dirty trick,” Daphne said as she got back onto her feet. “The first rule of Mirimoto Academy,” Miyumi handed Daphne the hairband. “If you want to win, you must be willing to do that which others are not willing to do.”
Gray sighed, a little down as he heard this. “The one rule of this academy that I really don’t get.”
“Most impressive, Miss Blake,” Miss Mirimoto approached. “You lack proper training, but I see in you much… potential.”
Daphne smiled as an embarrassed blush came onto her face before Miss Mirimoto turned to her students. “The tournament begins tomorrow at sunrise… but tonight, a feast has been prepared in your honor!”
This caused the students to cheer happily, and Pipp turned to look at her friends. “Hear that, guys? A feast in our honor!”
“Oh boy!” Scooby licked his chops as Shaggy chuckled and rubbed his hands together. “Finally! Something worth fighting for!”
Misty sighed and merely walked away, not understanding why martial arts were forcing people to fight when they didn’t want to fight. “Misty, what’s wrong?” Izzy asked. “Aren’t you excited about the feast?”
“No, no, I am,” Misty said. “I’ve never had a feast in my honor before. It’s just… martial arts doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”
“You mean… the part about the fighting?” Hitch asked. “Not just that,” said Misty. “I mean… I’ve never been fond of physical violence. Opaline would threaten to hit me sometimes, but she never did. But, I guess those scars often remained. I mean… what’s the purpose?”
Gray suddenly lit up at an idea before walking toward the building nearby. “Follow me,” he told the ponies, Shaggy and Scooby. “There’s something I wanna show you. Maybe it can help Misty understand the martial arts a bit better.”
XXXXXXXX
Gray pushed open some large doors with his talons, revealing to the ponies, Shaggy and Scooby a grand room filled with many different artifacts… and Sunny got so excited, her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! So many historical artifacts from another realm to study! I gotta get to looking!”
“Wait for me!” Zipp called, flying after the ecstatic earth pony. This left Shaggy, Scooby, Pipp and Hitch to giggle. “Classic Velma and Sunny behavior.”
“Over here, guys!” Gray called, and they were summoned over to a tapestry hanging from the wall. “Whoa… this looks ancient,” Zipp said, rubbing the tapestry with her hooves. “Probably from the time of Twilight Sparkle or longer.”
“What is all this, Gray?” Misty asked. “All of these things have two things in common-- Equestria and the martial arts,” Gray explained. “During the early Equestrian era, ponies would often use the martial arts not just as a self-defense tactic but a way to build bonds.”
“Really?” Zipp asked. “That’s so cool! Maybe we could learn some moves to help tangle with Misty’s mom!”
“Zipp!” Sunny scolded. “Misty wants to convince her mom to let go of Opaline’s evil, not hurt her!”
“Oh, right… sorry, Misty.”
“It’s okay,” Misty assured. “I guess I know how you feel. Dealing with my mom can get really frustrating sometimes.”
Suddenly, a deep growling sound caused them to jump at least a foot in the air. “Oh, sorry, guys,” Shaggy said sheepishly. “Like, I think that’s our Let’s Eat alarm.”
“Yeah,” Scooby nodded. “We’re hungry.”
“Then let’s get going!” Hitch said. “We have a feast to go to!”
XXXXXXXX
That night, fireworks lit up the sky in a multitude of different colors as everyone sat down to a feast of Japanese cuisine, geisha girls and sumo wrestling. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and couldn’t wait to see what the next day would bring. “Boy, the service here is great,” Hitch spoke as he and the rest of the gang watched a geisha girl take up some plates and cups. “But, uh… our waitress sure could use a suntan.”
“She’s not a waitress, Hitch. She’s a geisha girl,” Daphne explained to which Velma nodded. “Geisha-- the ancient Japanese tradition celebrating exquisite beauty.”
“Speaking of beauty, check out the buffet table!” Shaggy laughed excitedly as Scooby began to pant. “It’s like there’s a party in my stomach, and everything’s invited!”
Scooby nodded and giggled at this, blowing up his paw to make it twice as big before slamming it onto a bowl, making all the nutritional contents fly into his mouth. “Ha ha ha ha! Like, you must be a black belt in kung food!” Shaggy joked with a laugh. “Yeah,” Scooby agreed with a giggle. “Here, Scooby,” Sunny offered the dog a freshly made smoothie. “Try this brand new Karate Kicks Smoothie I made.”
Scooby took one slurp from the cup, and his eyes instantly lit up. “Yummy!”
“What's in this stuff?” Misty asked, taking a sniff from the cup. “Açaí berries, dragon fruit, mango and strawberries,” Sunny said. “Mostly bold and subtle flavors, but it really takes a chomp out of flavors that I've done in the past.”
“Forget my karate chop,” Shaggy took an apple from another basket. “Like, check out my karate chomp! Ha ha!”
But before he could take a bite, a ninja star pierced itself through the apple, and Shaggy looked around in confusion-- where in the world did that come from?
Just then, one of the geisha girls let out a gasp, dropping her tray and pointing toward something. “Ninjas!”
Everyone turned to see green-eyed ninjas invading the facility, making many scream in panic. “Wow! Real life ninjas, how cool!” Fred exclaimed, but something about it made Zipp’s wings shuddee-- and that was never a good feeling. “I don’t think these guys are a part of the act!”
Suddenly, one of the ninjas tried to attack with stars, but Daphne used the wooden table as a shield to keep them from getting hit.
One by one, the martial-arts masters tried their hand at taking the ninjas down, but both Kerry and Sonja were flung off to the side and Masimoto was wrapped in his own chains. Soon the ninjas surrounded the gang, who were the only ones not hiding, and Shaggy, Scooby and Misty trembled as Sunny’s eyes darted around for a way out. “We’re surrounded!”
Suddenly, a blast of wind hit them head on, and flashes of lightning caused the gang to block their vision. When their vision cleared, a man in black samurai armor and red eyes was left, cackling triumphantly and terrifyingly. “Who’s that?!” Misty blurt out. “Who cares?!” Shaggy cried with a gulp. “Not me!” Scooby whimpered. But before they could make any more movements, the samurai unsheathed his sword and dashed at them, leaving Fred to immediately take charge. “Let’s get outta here!”
The gang and their Equestrian friends immediately split up, just as the samurai sliced the table in half and sent his ninja warriors after the gang.
XXXXXXXX
Pipp, Zipp, Shaggy and Scooby galloped and ran down the halls at top speed, faster than they've ever gone before... that is, until they reached a buffet table, where Shaggy and Scooby immediately got an idea.
The Great Dane and his best friend began to devour as much food as they possibly could, getting so large that they looked like sumo wrestlers, rolling into the ninjas and squishing them flat. “Phew…” Pipp sighed in relief. “That was way too close.”
But just as they thought they were done, the samurai appeared behind them and chased them into a room full of geisha girls, sending them screaming. Fortunately, this gave Zipp another idea. “Shaggy, Scooby, you’re gonna have to put on some dresses and a LOT of blush.”
“Oh brother,” Scooby sighed. “What’s she got up her hooves?”
Within a few minutes, Zipp had gotten Shaggy and Scooby all ready, and just as the samurai burst into the room, Shag and Scoob were now dressed like geisha girls, hoping the samurai would have been fooled by Zipp's prank. Unfortunately he wasn’t, sending them running once again into some of the ninjas from before on the top floor of the building. So, there was only one way out-- down.
They slid down the roof and into the open skies, Shaggy holding a parasol and Scooby using some fans to keep him and Shaggy in the air while the sisters managed to fly above them. This tactic proved rather effective... well, at least until Scooby yelped and trembled at how high they were. “Like, I almost forgot,” Shaggy gulped. “We’re afraid of heights!”
“Now you tell us?!” Zipp shrieked. She and Pipp grabbed the parasol and tried to flap their wings as hard as they could, but the combined weight of Shaggy and Scooby, not to mention the parasol itself, caused them to scream and drop right out of the sky and right through one of the ceilings of the academy, taking a minute to groan in pain before Scooby gasped, covering Shaggy’s mouth before he could yell out and cause them to lose their cover. “Ponies... S-Shaggy… look…”
Shaggy, Pipp and Zipp managed to catch what Scooby was staring at, and their eyes went wide-- the samurai was right there in front of them! As the samurai let out a deep, menacing laugh, the two sisters backed up to their friends to protect them if they were soon spotted. “At long last…” the samurai said wickedly. “The Destiny Scroll… is mine…”
But before he could closely examine the scroll after taking it, a voice rang out. “Stop, thief!”
The samurai and even the girls, Shaggy and Scooby turned to see their friends, Miyumi, Gray and even Miss Mirimoto standing nearby, fury deep on their faces. “You will not be allowed to escape,” Miss Mirimoto swore, but the samurai simply rolled up the scroll and laughed. “You are too late!”
“We shall let steel decide,” Miss Mirimoto said simply, pulling out her sword before lunging. This made the samurai and Miss Mirimoto engage in a high-octane duel, and the ponies could only watch as the swords and dagger clashed together. The samurai ultimately lost after his sword was flung off to the side, causing Shaggy and Scooby to yelp in surprise. But then, the samurai threw some sort of smoke bomb and flew to the outside, laughing evilly. “The Black Samurai will live again… forever!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!”
And as quickly as he appeared, he was gone from sight. “So, it is true,” Miss Mirimoto said firmly with a small sigh. “The ghost of the Black Samurai has returned.”
“G-G-Ghost?!” Shaggy, Scooby and the ponies cried, looking worried. There was no doubt about it in Sunny's mind, however-- they found their quest, just... not in the way anyone wanted.