25 Nothing like him

Wukong and Lorna zoomed through the sky as they struggled to breathe, the strong winds slapping them on their faces while their eyes battled to stay open.

The both of them inched closer to the forest below as they observed it through the small slits between their eyelids that they could barely keep open. Death became more apparent as they prepared themselves for what looked like the inevitable end that stood before them.

Wukong stayed silent, unflinching as he waited for something. At that moment, their descent was brought to a quick stop as they hung in the air in what seemed to be a net. The speed in which they were travelling paired with their paired weight stretched the net, threatening to snap it. However, although it looks to be stretching beyond its limits, it didn't show any signs of breaking, as if it were made of an extremely durable material.

Wukong and Lorna pressed against each other as the net gave little room to fidget much less reposition themselves.

"Get off of me." Complained Wukong as Lorna laid atop of him as her various body parts pressed onto him. Meanwhile, his staff made the situation worse as it poked him in his side, therefore he retracted it and placed it in his pocket.

"I can't, you idiot!" Her face turned red in embarrassment as they both tried their best to wriggle out of the awkward and uncomfortable situation they were in. However, with each movement, it only seemed to be getting worse.

Wukong looked around as he noticed they were slowly approaching the ground. He looked up at what the net was attached to, only to be met with thin air as if the net was floating by itself.

Soon, they landed softly on some bushes which gave them a little more room to somewhat remove themselves from the position they were currently in. They laid on the ground as various nature surrounded them. After a few seconds, they heard multiple footsteps and rustling leaves approaching them quickly. 

They looked up and were met with multiple bald, dark-skinned women who wore strange attires and carried mediaeval weapons such as spears and swords. They abruptly halted in their steps and one of them, who seemed to be the leader, leaned down as she spoke.

"What is your business in Wakanda?" She said in a thick African accent and authoritative voice. One that would let others know she was not one to be crossed.

Wukong laid in a comical position as he stared at the lady in front of him.

"Take me to your King." He said, prompting a foul look to be shown from the female warriors. They gave him a condescending stare which spoke volumes on its own.

"What makes you think we will present you to our King? Stop spouting nonsense and answer my question before we throw you in the deepest dungeon we have and force the answers out of you." She said, unwilling to accept this boy was worthy to go anywhere near their King.

Wukong stared at her as he gave a small smile. In the next second, his mouth moved as the female's eyes slowly started to widen. Soon they were in full shock as they looked at each other.

After a few seconds, the leader gave out orders.

"Get them up." She said as the net was quickly released and they were stood up. However, they were not let go as a female locked what seemed to be handcuffs around the two's hands. Lorna tried to sense the metal of the handcuffs but she was left dumbfounded. Did her senses deceive her? She felt the cold metallic touch of the material but in terms of her power, it was no different to wood which she had no control over.

It was like the adamantium bomb that had blown them up, but x10 worse. She soon gave up after seeing she had no chance to even budge it. She doubted the fact that even her father could control this metal without much difficulty.

The two prisoners were shoved as they all started to walk to a specific location. No words were spoken as they passed various statues and other figures. As they passed a statue of what seemed to be a Black Panther, Wukong stared at it for a few seconds before smiling a little.

Bast, the Panther God. Before he became the protector of Wakanda and acquired all this responsibility, he was actually friends with Wukong. They would visit each other often and share a laugh or two. Although they hadn't seen each other in centuries, Wukong still considered him a friend. 

It slightly amused him how things had changed and how he was now being held prisoner by the very people who served under his old friend. He smiled as he was nudged by the female behind him, signalling to him to keep moving. Leaves rustled and branches broke under their feet as they heard the distant city noises in the secluded area they were in.

Soon they came across a small stone hut that stood out in the middle of the forest. It had one simple metal door and looked as if it was abandoned. They walked towards it as the leader yanked at the door and it made a loud screeching noise that was sure to be heard in the quiet forest.

As she opened the door, they were met with stairs that led downward, leading to a dark underground. Without much choice in the matter, Lorna and Wukong walked down the stairs as they were surrounded by the warriors. 

After walking for some time, they came across a medium-sized room which was separated into multiple small quarters by rusted metal bars. The whole room smelled damp and felt cold as if it hadn't felt the warm touch of sunlight in decades. It oozed an eerie aura as the squeaks of rats sometimes broke the suffocating silence.

They were placed in two separate cells and the warriors locked them inside and without saying anything, they left. Wukong and Lorna were left to wonder if their plan had worked and if they were going to get an audience with the man they were looking for, remembering the leader and her threat.

Meanwhile, Wukong's Nimbus acted peculiarly as it rested in the sky, hidden in the clouds, right above the small dungeon where the two partners were placed.

***

Lorna fidgeted as she stood, trying her best to resist the urge to sit on the dirty floor. She passed the time by walking around in a circle, trying her best to keep her mind off of her burning legs.

Other than a few times when she would grumble at the sight of a rat running past her, she stayed completely silent. After a few minutes, she looked over to the boy who was in the same predicament as her, only to be met with Wukong completely calm, sitting with his legs crossed as he looked as if he was meditating.

Wukong sat silently in a lotus position as he seemed extremely focused on something. With his eyes closed, he tried his best to feel something…anything. He waited for the slightest jolt he was so familiar with. 

After he was unsuccessful in this, he clenched his fist as he tried to stay calm. Instead, he focused on his surroundings and looked for the same thing. He focused on Lorna, the rats and even the nature that he was so far away from. But alas, he seemed to fail once again.

Wukong sprang up from his seated position and slammed his fist into the wall over and over, rage eating away at his insides.

'DAMN IT! How have I, the great Monkey King, been condemned with this damning curse! How am I supposed to take back my revenge without the most basic and important weapon in my arsenal?! All this time and I haven't been able to sense the smallest bit! It wasn't enough that I was put in this weak body, but I must now also suffer at the hands of CVS!' 

Wukong cursed in his mind as his hands started to bruise.

"Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Yelled Lorna, slightly taken aback by the madman who was angry for no apparent reason.

Wukong darted his sharp eyes toward her as the thought of taking out his staff and teaching her some manners darted through his mind. However, he quickly rejected this thought, even slightly shocked about the thoughts he was having. He calmed down as he realised there was no point in acting so rashly.

"I'm just annoyed with this filthy room." He said simply, although that seemed to be enough to convince Lorna as she could relate. She stared at him rubbing his knuckles as a thought popped into her head.

"Can you tell me some more about the Monkey King while we are here?" She said, knowing that he was always happy when he told her these stories and she also liked them.

Wukong looked at her as the previous anger was quickly replaced by excitement.

"Alright. What do you want to know?" He asked with a grin.

"Tell me about what kind of person he was. His personality."

Wukong thought about the question and thought about the perfect story to tell her.

"Well, I have a good one. During one of his many adventures, the Monkey King encounters a powerful deity who challenges him to a contest of wit and skill. Despite his confidence, the Monkey King was outwitted and bested by the opponent, leading to his failure in the challenge."

"Rather than feeling angry or upset at his failure, the Monkey King acknowledged defeat with a hearty laugh. He understood that even the most extraordinary beings can face defeat and that failure is a natural part of life."

"Instead of dwelling on the loss, he embraced the experience as a learning opportunity and found joy in the humour and unpredictability of the situation." Wukong looked at Lorna who was fully in tune with his words. Although it was somewhat of a shorter story, it still intrigued her.

"Wow. It's like his laughter is a testament to his lighthearted and resilient nature. The ability to find amusement and positivity even in the face of failure. It's almost unreal. I've never seen anything like it." She said, wondering how much easier life would be with that ability or even someone like that around her.

"Hey, you've got me to demonstrate it." He was the Monkey King in the story, therefore it warmed his heart when he said things like this, not knowing who he really was.

However, to this, Lorna gave a loud laugh as she covered her mouth.

"What's so funny?" Asked Wukong with a scrunched face.

"Well, you're cool and all, but no offence, you're nothing like the Monkey King." She said in between laughs.

This hit Wukong like a ton of bricks. Nothing like the Monkey King? How could that be? He was the Monkey King. Just as he was about to think that Lorna didn't know what she was talking about, she continued.

"I mean, while in the X-Mansion, you attacked Alex after he touched you, you've instigated fights with nearly every member of the X-Men, killing is so quick and easy for you and just now you almost broke your hand because of a little dirt. That doesn't sound like the Monkey King you just told me about." She said as she paused her laughter.

Wukong stared into thin air. At that moment, the thought of the recent quest he had popped into his mind.

[Find the true meaning of what it means to be the Monkey King. 0/2]

Was there some sense in what they were saying? Was there some truth behind it?

All the events of what happened since he came to this world ran through his mind. He compared these events and his actions to similar events when he was the Monkey King. The difference was that his actions were worlds apart. As if they were committed by 2 completely different people.

However, when he tried to see the ways he had changed since coming to this world, his mind went slightly blank, as if these specific thoughts were being restricted by his mind. The only words running through his mind were that he was right. Different worlds need different approaches and he wasn't going to listen to anyone who was going to tell him that he was the Monkey King.

As this thought solidified in his head, they both heard the dungeon door open and a familiar female leader walked in.

"His Highness will see you now."

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Author's Note: Hello if you are enjoying the novel so far I would appreciate the powerstones. They really help. Alright, thank you all, Bye.