| A Lifetime of Mistakes << The Plan Man >> Rip and Tear |
(The Brotherhood are on Flower Fruit Mountain, preparing for their assault on the Celestial Realm.)
Past Monkey King: This is it, Azure! You and me! All of us! Oh! Bud, lemme help with that. (He goes over to adjust Macaque's outfit.) You gotta have it this tight otherwise—
Past Macaque: I've got it!
Past Monkey King: Just checking, just checking. Jeez! Aw, just think. We're all gonna be so many times immortal soon. Ha! I'm kinda losing track of how many times I'm immortal but—
Past Azure Lion: When we triumph in this rebellion, the people will never live in fear. We're about to change everything. It's all because of you, brother!
Past Monkey King: Ah, Azure, you big sweetie. It's going to be you, me, and the boys livin' it up forever!
Past Azure Lion: Wukong... Wukong?
(The flashback ends as Azure Lion remembers and immediately loses control. Yellowtusk uses the ancestral weapons to help him piece the Celestial Realm back together.)
Yellowtusk: Perhaps our ambition to take the Jade Emperor's throne was... premature. We miscalculated.
Azure Lion: No. This wasn't quite what we expected, but I will master this power. I will use it to create a new world order. If the Jade Emperor can contain this power, then so can I.
Yellowtusk: Azure, the damage to the realm—
Azure Lion: It is worth the price! Nothing comes without sacrifice. Nothing!
(In Flower Fruit Mountain, Monkey King checks outside his house before shutting the door.)
Monkey King: Okay! Monkey class is in session.
MK: Smartie Kid is in attendance.
Sandy: Pull up some floor, little Lotus Prince. There's plenty of room at the front.
Ne Zha: I'm... I'm not gonna do that.
Tang: I can't believe how many wise masters I'm getting trained by this season!
Ne Zha: Wise master, huh? Let me know when he gets here. (A crayon is chucked at him.) I think you burst a stitch.
Monkey King: Ah, you'll be fine. Big immortal baby.
Pigsy: So, you gonna tell us how you beat your old sworn brothers that hate you now, or what?
Monkey King: Do you want me to throw crayons at you? 'Cause I have a whole box. (Nobody says anything.) That's what I thought. Now, listen up! If we're gonna beat Azure, Yellowtusk, and Peng, you've all got some learning to do. Peng is the most dangerous foe any of you have ever faced but the only thing they care about more than fighting is self-preservation. The moment the battle looks like it's turning against them, they'll flee.
Mei: Peng's the worst.
Monkey King: Yellowtusk is tough, smart, and faster than he looks. He was a handful even before he had your weapons. But he's not a monster. Maybe we can make him see reason.
Tang: That's not a super solid plan.
Mei: Uh, excuse me. Well, what about Azure?
Monkey King: Huh. Nothing gets under his skin more than a monkey. Leave Azure to MK and me.
Macaque: Azure won't admit it but he has a thirst for revenge. Truth is, he's gonna be on Wukong like a bad smell. Like Wukong doesn't stink bad enough already.
Monkey King: Hey! I got the crayon, I do the sayin'! But don't worry. I almost beat the Jade Emperor single-handed once. Between both of us, Azure doesn't stand a chance.
Ne Zha: Wukong, he has the Scroll of Memory. With it, he defeated the combined Armies of Heaven! So long as Azure has the scroll in his grasp, we don't stand a chance.
MK: What if we get it out of his grasp?
Ne Zha: Yeah, sure. If we can do that impossible thing, yeah. (He is struck by another crayon and the couch falls backwards.)
MK: Great! Sounds like Ne Zha's on board.
(After planning, the Monkie Kids train at the training grounds with Monkey King.)
Monkey King: I've been alive a long, long time. I fought alongside the Brotherhood. Then the Great Companions. And now... you. You may not believe it, but you are all stronger than you know. Every one of you is already a hero! Together, you can do this. We can do this! Are you with me?! (MK and Mei power up their outfits.)
Future Tang: You guys look so amazing! I want me one of those.
Future Pigsy: Yeah, what gives? Where's our cool, new battle armor?
Future Mei: (She imitates Master Subodhi.) Ah, when you've earned it.
Future Pigsy: Oh yeah, sure— Hey... Hey!
Future Mei: Oopsies. Guess you shouldn't have lost your magic weapon thingies.
(Pigsy snarls.)
(Back when they were planning.)
Monkey King: Okay. So we all know I'm the greatest teacher in all of history.
Macaque: (He sighs and facepalms.) This guy.
Monkey King: But my plan making...
Mei: Is the worst!
Monkey King: Okay. Hurtful. I was gonna say "needs improvement." Either way, Imma hand this over to a pro. (He tosses the crayon at MK.) You're up, kiddo.
MK: What? Wh-Why me?
Monkey King: 'Cause you're the Plan Man, man!
Pigsy: Oh yeah. Give us one "MK master plan special" to go!
MK: Hmm. Okay! (They gather around.) Ne Zha's right. While Azure's got the Jade Emperor's power and the scroll, there's no way we could beat him head-on.
Monkey King: I mean, some of us could beat him. One of us, specifically.
MK: Nope, none of us at all. But... if we can get our hands on that scroll, we won't need to.
Tang: You want to use the Scroll of Memory against him?
MK: Exactly. If we can trap Azure, Peng, and Yellowtusk inside the scroll, it'll be like none of this never happened. We'll just kick this can right on down the ol' half marathon. Step 1: Break into the Celestial Realm again using Sandy's awesome new blimp.
Sandy: Uh... it wasn't really built to be a team vehicle. It's more of a—
MK: Sounds like you're all over it, Sandy. Next: We gotta get that scroll away from Azure. If we get trapped in that thing, then it's all over.
Tang: But there's no way Peng and Yellowtusk will let us get anywhere near Azure.
MK: So, we'll keep 'em distracted. While A Team and B Team keep Yellowtusk and Peng busy, Monkey King and I can work on getting the scroll away from Azure.
Pigsy: Uh, just curious, but uh... which one is the B team in this scenario?
Mei: (Whispering.) If you have to ask, you're probably on Team B.
MK: Once we've got the scroll, we'll free all our friends trapped inside, schlurp up the bad guys, and lock this baby up tight so they can never make us face our nightmares again. (He fakes a confident laugh.)
Tang: We're all gonna die. (Ne Zha nods.)
Mei: (She gasps.) Oh! Okay. Take everything MK just said, but hear me out. So, what if...
(Yellowtusk is sitting at a table with Peng.)
Peng: Hmph, I was expecting a little more pageantry once we were running the show. Turns out, Azure even trapped the cupbearers in the scroll. Pouring one's own drinks does tend to dampen the mood.
Yellowtusk: We are missing more than waitstaff, brother. Look around. This is not the change we dreamt of.
Peng: Oh, I don't know. A little bit of chaos might be good for the world.
Yellowtusk: No more japes, Peng! Azure cannot control this power. He's tearing this world into pieces! I have done all I can to aid in containing it but when he loses his hold, and he will, there will be no hope for this world. (Azure Lion stumbles in.)
Azure Lion: Brothers. (The realm starts to crack.) Ah, it seems like an eternity since we feasted in these very halls together. To think that it was here that our friendship was first forged. Look at us now, brothers. We're going to do amazing things. I think that's a cause for celebration!
Yellowtusk: It's little to celebrate.
Peng: Yellowtusk—
Yellowtusk: It must be said! Azure, you cannot contain this power. As hollow as his rule was, we severely underestimated the Jade Emperor's strength. We cannot right the wrongs of the world if there is no world left to save.
Azure Lion: Enough! You question me as I stand on the brink of this world's salvation?! (He pulls out the Scroll of Memory.) You would still be locked away. Without me, you! You... (He slumps down.) I apologize. It's just... the Monkey King, the boy... they weigh on me.
Peng: Don't spare another thought on them, brother. Let Wukong and his little friends play at being heroes—
Azure Lion: Hold on. Wukong is alive?!
Peng: Well, yes. The boy and Macaque, they managed to release him.
Azure Lion: Yes, yes, of course. How could I have not seen it sooner? Even now, the very thought of Wukong serves to impede my efforts. I will remain distracted from my task as long as he draws breath. I cannot remake this world until he has been removed from it.
Yellowtusk: There are more important tasks than settling grudges!
Azure Lion: I did not sacrifice everything simply to be an idle deity. I will do what my predecessor would not. (He draws out his sword.) I will strike the Monkey King down. Now!
(He teleports them to face Monkey King.)
(Back at the training grounds, everyone is preparing for the battle.)
Monkey King: We've got this, bud. Would have liked to give you some training with your new monkey form, but—
MK: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, uh, um, about that. Um, I-I was thinking, I've never really needed a scary new monkey form before so, I thought maybe I'd just use it next time.
Monkey King: Next time? Kid, there might not be a next time! This is the time!
MK: It'll be fine! Mei and I have got this awesome, new armor and everything. You know when we look this good, ain't nothing gonna beat us.
Monkey King: Kid, new armor isn't gonna cut it. We have to hit Azure with everything we've got! You can't just ignore this whole part of your power 'cause it scares you.
MK: I— (The sky suddenly changes color as the Brotherhood nears. Macaque thrusts the other Monkie Kids out his shadow portal.)
Macaque: They're coming. Get down!
Azure Lion: I've warned you! I told you to stay out of my way. But here you stand, preparing for treason against your new emperor. And so, I will test the limits of Sun Wukong's immortality!