After successfully managing to retrieve the Rabbit Talisman from Tohru - and discovering its magic of super speed in the process - Jackie knew exactly what he had to do next. Having seen the girls flying out after the boat on Cumulo but not return, he quickly realized he could use the Rabbit Talisman to race across the surface of the ocean, moving fast enough that surface tension provided enough pressure for him to run without sinking. He wasn't entirely certain how the physics of that worked, especially when magic was involved, but it worked, and that was enough for him.
When he caught up to the boat, he found Jade and Apple Bloom pacing back and forth on the deck looking queasy and terrified. They both let out startled gasps when he zipped up over the side of the boat to stop right in front of them. "Hello!" he greeted warmly.
"Jackie!" they both wailed out, clinging to him, tears in their eyes.
Jackie blinked in surprise, but quickly knelt down to pat them on their backs. "It's alright," he said reassuringly. "I'm here, and I got the Talisman. Now we can save the tortoise." He glanced around curiously, noticing the absences. "Now where's-"
"Forget Aesop!" Apple Bloom wailed out. "That creepy Nibbler guy's gonna eat Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!"
Jackie felt himself go cold all over as fear settled into his heart. "What? But...why? Why would he eat-"
"We...we saw it on the cameras from the bridge," Jade chocked out between terrified sobs. "He...he somehow knew what they were...and he talked about tasting unicorn and pegasus! A feast of mythical proportions!"
Jackie closed his eyes as he felt something else flow through his veins besides the fear. Unnoticed to him, the white glow of the Rabbit Talisman took on a reddish tinge.
Seeing that, Apple Bloom backed up worriedly. "J...Jackie? What-"
"Stay here," he said firmly, looking Jade and Apple Bloom right in the eyes. "I mean it." The normal kindness and gentleness in his voice was gone, replaced by a hard edge that sent both girls scooting back in surprise. Turning, he zipped off.
As he moved, his mind raced, desperately trying to outrun his magically enhanced feet. He remembered every lesson in martial arts he'd gotten from Uncle, every lesson in discipline about controlling his temper, how dangerous it was - to him and others - to lose control. He heard Uncle's frequent remonstrances from when he was younger.
"Aiyah! Jackie, martial arts is not about power," Uncle insisted. "Turn body into secret weapon, yes, but not one to be used willy-nilly! You must be cautious and controlled. One more thing! That temper of yours will destroy you if you let it! You are like volcano, always about to erupt! Be dormant! The earth shake is more controlled than the eruption, and does not harm the mountain's peak."
Jackie knew how true the words were. The anger and bitterness that had built up in his life from how hard he had to work to overcome the cards he'd been dealt - he tried not to think of the reason why it was Uncle who had all but raised him - was always seething just beneath his gentleness, his kindness. He knew exactly how easily he could go from being a calm, controlled, good influence for Jade and the others to being a true monster.
But when he reached the kitchen of the ship, what he saw blasted all thoughts of self control out of his mind. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were bound and gagged on the counter, a cork stuck on Sweetie's horn, terror in both their eyes as the chef raised the cleaver.
The cold fear, the cool calm, and any trace of self control was erased by the eruption of pure molten wrath. The chef didn't even know what hit him when a clenched fist slammed into his solar plexus at somewhere above 200 miles an hour, knocking the wind out of him and audibly cracking the base of his sternum. The only reason Jackie's fist didn't go completely through the man was because Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were both watching, and enough of Jackie's rational self was still in control to not want them to see him commit murder. The impact was still enough to send the chef flying back through the kitchen. Before he reached the opposite wall, Jackie was behind him, having untied the fillies and catching the chef by his neck and squeezing, his eyes burning as he glowered into the man's terrified gaze.
"Where's. Your. Boss?"
Dr. Carl Nibor was startled out of his calm reverie of classical music as a foot slammed at high speed into his gut, striking hard enough to shatter the antique wooden chair beneath him and send him flying back into the grill in front of the fireplace. "W-what-?"
Lunging forward, Jackie grabbed Carl by his throat and slammed him against the wall, his eyes boring into him. "The only reason your chef is still alive is because my nieces, the ones he was going to cook for you to eat, were watching," he growled out. "Nobody is watching now. A call has already gone out to my friend, Captain Black, to bring government agents to bring you in. If by the time he's here I tell him my only way of keeping my nieces safe was to kill you, he'll sweep the whole thing under the rug...no matter what condition your body's in by the time he gets here, as long as you're already dead."
For all his suave, debonair behavior before, it seemed Carl Nibor had all the courage of a gerbil. "Please, no!" he cried out, desperately cowering behind his arms. "I'll do anything, just don't hurt me!"
Jackie stared down at the one who had put such fear into his nieces that the four were now cuddled under Aesop clinging to each other for comfort. It would be so easy. Just one strike, and he'd pay for everything he'd ever done. Just kick the grate aside and plunge him into the fire, and he'd suffer as he deserved to suffer, as he would have made them suffer. It would be so easy...
Too easy...
"When Captain Black gets here, you are going to tell him everything," Jackie growled out. "Everything you've ever done that could even remotely be considered illegal. And you'd best hope it's enough to get you life in a maximum security prison." He leaned in close, close enough that even with human nostrils he could smell the man's fear. "Because if I ever come across you again..."
Carl's eyes rolled up into his head as he slumped into terrified unconsciousness.
Jackie stared down at the man for a time, then let him drop limply from his grip. Desperately, he struggled do draw in calming breaths, to reign in his anger. So close...he'd come so close to crossing that line...he'd wanted to cross it, just to make him suffer...
Staggering into the next room, he curled up in the corner and wept silently. And that's exactly where Captain Black found him half an hour later when the team arrived to take Dr. Carl Nibor into custody and bring the rest - including Aesop - safely home.
And the shit has hit the fan
eep...
If I could upvote individual chapters, this would be one of them.
...Oh...My...God...I've never seen Jackie like this. I mean, I saw the time Jade went to the past and I saw kid Jackie...but this...
Ok, you just blew my socks off with this chapter. Moreover, seeing the Rabbit Talisman react to his rage was a good indicator of something I'll be we'll see again. Overall, I approve whole-heartedly about this and can't wait to see more!! Well done, and may luck smile on you friend!
......Excuse me while while I try to keep myself from pissing my pants in fear at the display of rage that even shendu would be impressed by.
Its hard imagining jackie chans voice to sound menacing.
Almost every martial art teaches a final move that uses your anger and rage as a weapon; however, seldom is it ever a good idea to let a berserk rage control you. There's a great risk of losing yourself, becoming the very monster you fight.
That's why you never let anger control you kids.
Oh God's...when they find the tiger talisman....
The quickest way to a man's heart is with Jackie's fist. roundstable.com/forums/images/smilies/flutterrage.png
7512049
Funny, I just needed to imagine it without any emotion.
7512055 That's.... yin and yang right?...oh... OH SHIT.
My only complaint is that he didn't piss himself when Jackie got to him. ...if someone makes fanart, do that.
Life lessons kiddies, do not mess with nice guys. The more of a cap they have on their anger, the more explosive it is when it finally pops.
Beware the fury of a patient man. -John Dryden
7512038 If you watched the show you know we'll be seeing it again very soon, unless Tatsuro changes things.
Okay calm down Shin-Ryu it ain't that serious. No need to go all Satsui-No Hado on the poor guy...
7512101
Oh boy I remember where he almost went of the deep when...ur a certain character got hurt really bad. Don't want pinkie to hunt me with that sign of hers...
I think Hak-foo doesn't stand a chance this go around.
Damn! Jackie was close to hittin' the dark side, for a moment there!
Beware the nice ones, indeed....
7512114 I knew it was like the Dark Hado!
Forshadowing of the Dragon and Tiger talisman arcs? Awesome!
7512055 7512088
I don't think this would actually affect the Tiger Manifestations all that much. It's still the same Jackie, just a side of him that we (almost?) never saw in the show because no-one was ever dumb enough to try to eat Jade.
Now if he had gone through with It, that would have had a serious impact on his inner balance, but luckily he kept himself in check.
I had a dream once. I was an action hero (I think I looked like Bruce Willis) and I was in the penthouse apartment of my target, protecting the kids from the original Jurassic Park from snipers. The target tried to escape in his limousine but I shoved it off the building (why it was in his penthouse or how he expected it to get down safely, I have no idea) only he jumped out and the dirt acted like one of those inflatable landing pads, so he survived.
I checked on the kids and then took the stairs down, pulling a deck of cards(?) out of my pocket to beat him with. But when I stepped outside, it seemed like a decade had passed, leaving me in a vaguely Mad Max-esque post apocalypse, with the addition of rotten meat lying around everywhere.
Then the guy's voice comes over the loudspeakers, saying he's giving me a little gift. One of his goons hands me a yellow-styrofoam pack of meat, fresh. I could read the label, somehow: it was branded as being made of various characters, boasting of Mario, Link, and Sonic being included in the brand.
And below that: "This package featuring: CHERILEE!"
And that's when I woke up.
I think I have a pretty good idea of how Jackie feels in this chapter and applaud him for being a better man than I.
7512097
That quote is scarily true. A patient person has had time to consider what they want to do.
I was halfway expecting some kind of Flash reference, with speed based powers.
Still.... video.
7512075 I just imagine it in G Major... like this!
Oh yeah I forgot about that aspect of Jackie's character. I think it was in the episode when Valmont put Captain Black in the hospital when it showed what happens when Jackie gets angry. Not sure if it ever came up again after that.
Still nice way of using that here.
Chapter Fourty
"Aiyah!"
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Chapter Count: 1
Total Count: 25
"One More Thing!"
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Chapter Count: 1
Total Count: 44
7512312
I had to stop listening at about the halfway mark. That... Was... CREEPY!
And that is why you never treat another's family like it doesn't matter. Most times you can't hide from that rage in heave or hell alike.
I'd say this was an expected outcome but this was truly a punch in the proverbial gut. Protecting those that you love with a power that responds to your will is not an easy thing to control.
Jackie shows what can happen when someone is pushed to the brink of losing control of themselves and allowing anger to dictate their every move. He was fortunate that he managed to step back and not do something he'd have regretted later.
7512441 try listening to it at 1.5x speed. it's actually kinda trippy.
Holy Shit! Just goes to show you, the nicer they are the badder they are when they snap. Now I'm wondering how far Jackie will go when we get to the Dragon talisman episode?
7512662 I assume you are using the speed of the Basilisk, an actual lizard that can run on water, as the basis for that number?
Well, that happened. More importantly, perhaps, it didn't happen. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the great work. Deus tecum.
7512097 When a nice guy shows any indication of losing it, even the devil himself takes a step back.
Can't imagine what's going to happen now when he gets the tiger talisman.
7512122 Probably a good idea, she might decide to hit you with it.
7512038 7512045 7512097 7512149 7512151 7512233 7512864 7513240
"Demons run when a good man goes to war." - Doctor Who
"Where. Is. My. WIFE?!" - Rory Williams
7512151 Right?
7513442 Oi, Rory, I think Flash stole her!
Wow... when Jackie lets his rage go.... he's scary. I can just see the whole Chan family spending the next day snuggling together... maybe calling in Viper and El Toru to tackle Talisman hunting so they can just be together after this big scare. Plus, the girls might need a 'mom' figure and Viper would probably enjoy snuggle time and comforting them.
Angry Jackie Chan video.
7513442 And the follow up question, which is simply half the fucking armada exploding as Roy asks "Should I repeat the question?"
On a different topic, people often forget that Jackie Chan is a man that has had to deal with a LOT of shit, both this one and the real one. And for all his comic antics, he IS a master martial artist. This is a man who CAN kill you quite easily, and the only reason he doesn't is because his control is THAT DAMN GOOD. To do the martial choreography he does WITHOUT accidentally hurting someone, or even killing them, is actually HARDER than simply beating the shit out of them. A level of control like that can be frightening, but it's even more frightening when it breaks. Because when you push someone like that beyond their ability to control themselves, you face a foe more deadly than a mere skilled fighter. You face a foe who no longer cares about restraint, where the only thing that matters is to END that which pushed them so far. And Jackie Chan, in any incarnation, CAN end you with nightmarish ease.
Are the Talismans sentient somehow?
7512704 I wonder if Jackie's own kung-fu knowledge combined with the talisman's power could have reacted to the kung-fu physics that most likely exist in this universe, allowing him to literally control how the force of his punch affects a person's body?
7513834
Nope. But they do derive from spiritual power, so they respond differently depending on the mind state of the one calling on their power.
7514076 bonus points for the Inspector Gadget reference!
But I was referring more to how, in movies, a kung-fu master can manipulate the power of his strikes. Like, hitting a brick wall two times with the same kind of punch; the first punch spreads the force out over the surface and the second one shoots it through the wall like a bullet. Here, Jackie would have spread the force out, causing no real damage but sending the guy flying.