Chapter Text
Mei and MK sat huddled at the counter inside Pigsy’s, taking in some fresh-out-the-pot noodles to shake the gloomy drizzle that had started up on their way over. As soon as they had ducked in and begun warming up, they shrugged off their uncomfortably damp jackets and laid them to dry on the empty seats beside them.
Things in Megapolis were still on the mend, which included the Weather Station- and unfortunately that meant dealing with the real, uncontrollable weather for the area. Like frigid, sharp, ‘makes you wish you were anywhere else but here’ rain, for example.
“Hey MK, check this.” Mei gargled around a mouthful of seared bok choy, leaning closer to her friend and holding up her phone. MK let out a questioning hum as he slurped down his well-earned lunch, turning his attention from inhaling noodles to the webpage she had pulled up on her screen.
“To’ 10 Cutesh Pet Videosh?” he slurred around his meal, glancing over the list.
Mei quickly gulped down her mouthful of ‘veg and brought her phone back, tapping away from the article. “Whoops! Wrong tab. I was gonna watch those later,” she giggled. After a few swipes, she held her phone up again. “This is what I meant to show you.” she clarified. MK snaffled the rest of his meal and leaned in.
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“Oasis Island Still In The Dark After Catastrophic Weather Phenomenon, Rescuers Unable To Reach Land"
Oasis Island, located 20 miles off the coast of Megapolis, has been unresponsive since the freak ice storm that ravaged the city nearly a month ago. [View our coverage here.]
Megapolis has been unable to re-establish contact with the small town located on the man-made island, and officials believe that the cell towers were severely damaged during last month’s terrible event. Rescuers have been sent out multiple times, but the turbulent waves around the coastline have made it impossible to safely land, and several boats have been sunk in the process. The multiple dense groves have also made air rescue extremely dangerous.
Drones have been successfully flown over and captured video of the area. Oasis Island’s town and its Central Field Hub are still standing, but no one has been spotted on land. Evidence suggests that the locals are possibly sheltering in their homes or in the system of maintenance and safety tunnels that run underneath the surface.
“We’re unsure whether or not anyone is still there,” one emergency responder said, “But we can’t lose hope just yet. As soon as the waters calm down, we’ll be going in…”
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“Suspicious, right?” Mei asked in a conspiratorial whisper as he glanced over the rest of the report.
“Really suspicious,” MK affirmed, pushing his now empty bowl back towards the kitchen-side of the counter. He was about to ask something when a thought struck him, and his mouth sloped into a confused ‘o’. “Wait, there’s an artificial island near here?”
His bestie nodded as she set her phone down and went back to her cooling veggie noodle bowl. “Been there for a while, dude,” Mei stated, taking a pause to slurp at her broth and snatch another chunk of bok choy. “It’s got a biiiig ol’ hub kinda like the Weather Station,” she said, waving her hands in an arc for dramatic emphasis, “But for agricultural stuff. Basically a huge floating garden with a town in it.” she finished with a shrug.
“Aww man, that sounds so cool!” MK said excitedly, clenching his fists. “A whole island just to grow things!”
Mei pursed her lips in a no effort at all attempt to stifle her laugh, which ended up coming out like a lackluster impression of a deflating balloon. “That kinda goes for any island, MK.” she chuckled.
He let out an embarrassed ‘pssh’ and turned away, even though he was smiling too. “Yeah, ok, but you know what I mean,” he huffed. “Anyways,” MK shifted, a tenacious sparkle coming to his eyes as he laced his fingers together and flexed his hands. “An entire town is still missing after that ‘freak ice storm’ that we stopped. We should-”
“Let the authorities handle it?” Pigsy cut in, taking MK’s empty bowl and shooting a knowing glare towards him. “I know ya wanna help everyone after what happened MK, nothin’ wrong with that, but I recall someone being told they had to cool it on their powers and rest up. Properly.” the pig demon scolded as he wiped down the counter, further punctuating his point with an accusatory finger.
MK wilted under his boss’ gaze and rubbed the back of his neck. “I know,” he said dejectedly, “Monkey King said we both needed to slow down after, ah, everything, but don’t you think this kinda falls under Monkie Kid business?” he added hopefully.
Pigsy sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Kid…”
“It wouldn’t have to be a long visit,” MK cut in. “I can just swoop in, check on everyone, and swoop back out. If it’s something super bad, then I dip and get help! Easy!” he said confidently, with a puffed up chest and his hands on his hips. He was starting to feel like a kid begging to stay up past their bedtime.
“Uh huh,” Pigsy grumbled, “An’ how exactly do you plan to get to that island? It’s almost a 40 mile round trip with bad weather both ways. You’re not seriously gonna fly through that are ya?” he asked incredulously. MK’s unwavering but guilty smile was his answer, much to his boss’s dismay. The beleaguered chef groaned and hung his head.
Pigsy looked to Mei for backup, who gave an unhelpful shrug. “It sounds like a good plan to me. MK knows what he’s doing, and I know this Monkay May-un- he won't relax until he's sure that everyone’s safe!” she said while giving MK a gentle shove, making him laugh.
Their words didn’t seem to sway the stressed pig as he continued to give them a hard stare. “Can you at least go with him, Mei? So somebody’s lookin’ after him while he does his hero stuff?” Pigsy pleaded flatly.
Mei glanced away and sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. “Yeahhh, sooo,” she drawled, tapping her hands together nervously, “I would, but I’ve got dinner with my family tonight and training with Red Boy tomorrow. I can’t skip out on either of those.” she replied guiltily. Her mood didn't stay sour for long, as Mei perked up with a gasp and tapped her fist to her palm in a ‘a-ha!’ gesture. “Maybe Sandy could? He’s our Water Adventure guy, and he’s got the T.E.A.!”
MK shook his head with a sad hum. “Sandy and Mo left a couple days ago. He’s helping with shipments n’ stuff for the next city over.”
“Darn.” Mei huffed with a snap of her fingers. “What about Tang?”
“At home writin’ in his diary.” Pigsy supplied. “Food freeloader’s been busy documentin’ our adventure, an’ I don’t think he’d be the best fit for this trip anyways.” he admitted, with no sorrow whatsoever in his voice. “Speakin’ of training, aren’t you supposed to be meetin’ up with Monkey King this afternoon kid? Couldn’t he go with ya to check out Oasis?”
“He could,” MK conceded with a tilt of his head, “But honestly Pigsy, I’ve got this covered! I’ll let Monkey King know where I’m going and be back this evening. Promise.” he pleaded with his hands pushed together and elbows resting on the counter, putting on his best doe-eyed gaze to wear down his dear old Pigsy. His boss-slash-friend was unmoved, even as MK blinked a couple times to make his eyes moisten, which meant there was only one thing he could do… the tried and true Stare-Down .
Pigsy’s face remained stony, and etched in his eyes was the familiar look of ‘are you serious right now?’ as he glowered down his snout at his only employee.
MK knew this game, and he knew how long Pigsy could hold out for before his puppy dog face broke him. When his boss continued to not budge, MK added on a little lip wibble to ensure victory.
Mei watched the silent fight between them unfold with bated breath.
The dreaded wobbling lip did him in, and Pigsy relented with a drawn out, very much feeling his age sigh as he rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. I trust ya, kid.” Pigsy groused, holding his hands up in defeat. MK and Mei let out a unified whoop of victory and went in for a high-five. “BUT,” he interjected, halting their high-five mid high.
He set his hardened glare back on and pointed at MK. “You better hold to that promise. I don’t care what’s goin’ on out there, your safety comes first. If things get bad, you leave. If you get stuck, you call for one’a us or you do your projectin’ thing to Monkey King and get help. Don’t, and I repeat, don’t do anything stupid and get yourself hurt, MK. Got it?” he said with his special, Pigsy branded no-nonsense tone.
MK gave a sharp nod, the unfairly sweet puppy dog eyes melting into a determined focus. He hopped off his stool, grabbing his now mostly dry jacket and slipped it back on. “Got it. I’ll let you guys know if anything happens.” he vowed with a wave. With his goal set and some best of luck wishes from Mei, MK walked out of Pigsy’s and back into the dying, cold drizzle outside.
“Oh! Better text Monkey King before I forget.” he mumbled to himself as he snatched his worn phone from his pocket; MK took a moment to be grateful that all his badgering paid off and finally got his mentor to set up a personal line, so he didn’t have to rely solely on astral projection to reach him. Sure, it was like the sixth raddest ability he had, but texting and calling didn’t make his nose bleed and ruin his nice shirts.
Tapping out a quick message, he hit send and stuffed his phone back in its resting spot… only to pull it back out again and look up routes to the port closest in Oasis Island’s general direction. Leaving on a mission will go way better if he knows just where he’s got to go.
He scrolled through the steps and used his free hand to shield his view from the meager, but annoying drops of water that persisted. “Aaaand… done!” he hooted out to the air. Pocketing his phone, MK broke into a jog, rested and ready to do his heroic duties.
“Port Wujing, Le’go!”