Jiang panted as she laid spread eagled on the floor. They were currently driving through the middle of a desert, and the heat inside the van was almost unbearable. And the puddle of sweat that had slowly accumulated under her body wasn't helping at all. It was like she was laying in a puddle of boiling water.

"Are we sure we're going in the right direction?" She heard Sandy ask. She opened her eyes to see him adjusting the mirror so that he could see her, MK, and Mei, who were both on the ground with her, each also laying in a puddle of sweat. "Not a clue. All Monkey King said to do is head west so-" Tang said before he was cut off by a ticked off Mei.

"How did anyone get anywhere using these?!" She cried as she got up and looked over the map herself. "Yo, blue thing, wanna crank up that A.C. brother?" Wuking asked. He was currently in a meditation pose.

But he was also glowing a bit and floating a couple inches over a pillow that he had been sitting on. Jiang wondered how he was holding up, seeing how Wukong hadn't removed any layers of clothing. Though based off of what he said, and seeing the beads of sweat on his face, he had to have been feeling the heat too.

"Hey, a little help up front Monkey King?" Mei asked. Wukong let his head fall back and began to snore. Though he did slightly peak an eye open to look at Jiang when she gave an amused sigh while shaking her head slightly.

Seeing her expression, for some strange reason, made the corners of Wukong's mouth turn up in a light smile. Unfortunately for him, the action didn't go unnoticed. "Hey! I know you can hear me!" Mei cried as she pointed at him with an accusing finger.

"No I can't" the Monkey demon replied as he let the smile drop. He closed his peaked open eye and brought his head back up again. Jiang shook her head as she sat up while Mei growled a bit at what Wukong had said, looking very annoyed at the moment.

"Mei, Monkey King needs to recharge after his fight with Nezah. He's in no state to waste his time on mere mortals. Especially now that me and Jiang don't have our powers" MK said. "Whoa, he told you that?" Pigsy asked. "We have a very honest relationship Pigsy" MK told the pig demon as he laid down, pointing up at Wukong.

"Besides, that kind of mystic Monkey meditation requires complete focus... I think" Jiang said. Wukong scratched the underside of his thigh before resuming his meditation pose right after she said that. "But, I have been wrong before" Jiang said with a light shrug.

"Come on gang! Don't be so glum. Roll down that window, little fresh air never hurt no-" Sandy said before he rolled down a window. The sudden blast of burning hot air had him and Mo yelling. Jiang got a marshmallow, which no one questioned how she got it in the first place, and held it in the hot air.

After the blue demon closed the window, everyone stared at the marshmallow in Jiang's hand. Which was now on fire. "Fresh air never hurt anybody, huh?" She said, looking at Sandy.

"Jiang, the marshmallow is on fire. Please put it down" MK said, looking very concerned. "Dude, chill out. It doesn't hurt for some odd reason" Jiang told him, but she managed to get rid of the marshmallow. "Jiang, MK, you two know there's more to you than your powers, right?" Pigsy asked.

"Exactly. I've accepted that until we get our staff back, me and Jiang aren't going to be the strong ones anymore" MK said. "Which is why I'm gonna be the smart one!" He added. Jiang raised an eyebrow at that.

She wouldn't say it out loud, but her brother wasn't exactly, the brightest. And everyone else seemed to agree with that. "A squared plus B squared equals C squared. And thats a triangle boy!" MK said.

"Lets not bring the Pythagorean Theorem into this please" Jiang commented as she crossed her arms. "So, how does this map work exactly? How does it know where to find the three rings of Samadhi?" Tang asked. "This sounds like a job for smartie kid!" MK called out before he dashed up to check out the map.

"...Well, I guess that symbol kinda looks like that one?" He said. "What, those smudgy looking things?" Mei asked. Jiang came up and took a look at the map.

She saw what the two were talking about. Around the map, there were three markings that all looked the same. It looked like a circle with a flame on top of it.

Jiang opened her mouth to say something, but Pigsy spoke before she could get a word out. "Not to rush anyone, but how far to the next pit stop? This desert's going on forever" he said. "Well, if this map's up to date, then it looks like we're pretty close to, something?" MK said, looking at the map.

Everyone but him groaned. "It's fine guys! Right Sandy?" He said. "Of course. Yeah, it-" Sandy said before being cut off by a strange sound.

Jiang stiffened at the sound of the engine sputtering before cutting out. And the van quickly rolled to a stop. "Ih, Sandy? Mind telling us what might be happening?" Jiang asked.

An image appeared on the dash screen that was pretty self explanatory. Everyone then got out of the van. Jiang quietly laughed at the sight of MK carrying their mentor as she tossed her jacket into the van before turning back to Sandy and the engine.

"Looks like the engine overheated. It's no surprise, considering we're driving through a desert, but I was hoping that it would happen later rather than now" Jiang said. Then, she caught side of MK stumbling a bit. "Excuse me. Gotta help my brother before he drops our mentor" she said before going over.

MK set Wukong down at the base of a tree as she came over. "So, how is meditating going to help him recharge, or whatever he's doing?" Mei asked. "I don't know. He was a bit sketchy on the details" MK told her.

Sometimes, to find what we lost, we need to begin where we started. Look within ourselves. So I'm gonna do just that and go into some deep meditation. Wake me up in the next, I don't know, hundred years, Kay? Byee Wukong's voice echoed in Jiang's mind. "Yeah, he didn't exactly say much on the matter" she said, putting her hands on her hips. MK poked Wukong, and Mei took a picture of him rocking back and forth before he came to a stop.

Suddenly, Tang's excited yell caught everyone's attentions. "H2OMG you guys! Is that-!" He called, bring everyone's attention to an oasis. "Water!" Everyone chorused before they all began rushing forwards.

However, it appeared that everyone was tricked. All that was there was a small puddle of water that MK quickly drank up through a straw. Then, someone's voice rang out.

"Oh, you'll have to pay for that" The person turned out to be a fish demon. In a filled up fish bowl. That was attached to a robot body.

Jiang turned around and silenced her laughter with a hand over her mouth while MK spat up the dirty water. "But, we're really, really thirsty. Please fish man, won't you show us some mercy?" Mei begged. "Aww, your thirtsy? Then why didn't you just say so? Go ahead and help youselves" the fish demon said in a strange voice.

Jiang automatically turned around at that. "What's the catch?" She asked. "Oh, there is no catch" the fish demon told her.

"Uh, okay? Well, uh, maybe we can buy something else. Something that could get us across this desert faster, for instance" Pigsy said, not seeing how Jiang lightly narrowed her eyes at the demon. "Yeah, what can I get for this many?" MK said as he went up to the demon and placed some things down in front of him. Jiang sighed and shook her head at the sight of three coins mixed in with some junk.

"Hmm. That won't get you nothing like this" the fish demon said as he revealed a rocket booster. "It's beautiful" Mei gasped. "Ugh, but we could never afford something like that.  I bet it costs, like, a bajillion moneys" MK whined.

"Well, you could always win the engine" the fish demon said matter-of-factly. "Win?" Jiang questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Why of course" the fish demon said before his stand turned into a game show stand.

"Welcome to desert deal of the day! With me, your host, the goldfish demon!" The fish demon said. All he got were deadpan looks. "The rules are simple. You put up something of value, to win something of value. Win the game, get the prize" the goldfish demon said.

"We just have to win one game, and the sparkly cool engine thingy is ours?" MK asked. "You got it tiger!" The fish demon said as he winked. "Hmm. Team huddle!" MK called, and everyone gathered into a circle.

"Alright. We got this" the boy said. "I don't know MK. People like him try to jcheat people out of anything of value. I don't like this" Jiang told him. "Oh come on Jiang. We've fought demons, and spiders, and bulls! A game show is nothing!" MK told her.

"Plus, with my new found smart boy brain, this should be a piece of cake. I mean, what do we have to lose?" He added. "What do we have to lose?" Tang asked. "You guys are gonna jinx us" Jiang commented.

"Hey, what happens if we lose?" MK asked the fish demon. "Oh that's simple really. Winner takes all! Anything you wager is forfeited should you lose" came the reply followed by an evil chuckle. "Yeah, alright. So. What're we wagering?" MK said.

"Remember! It has to be something of equal equal value value" the fish demon butted in, trying to make it sound like his voice was echoing, but failing miserably at it. "Equal value? Like what?" Mei asked. MK then took her sword, and set it on the table.

"Alright, we're ready to play!" He said. "Uh, MK? I have second thoughts. Sorry goldfish man. We need to, uh, stradegize a bit-" Mei said before she was cut off. "Wager excepted! Let the game begin!" The fish demon said as a table, holding a turtle and three flipped over bowls, rose up.

"Seriously? This? These kinds of games are always rigged bro" Jiang pointed out with a hand on her hip. "Rigged? I assure you miss, this is definitely not rigged. At all" the fish demon told her, making her narrow her eyes a bit. "Now, this game is called One Show Monte" said the fish demon.

"Hey. I'm Monte" the turtle spoke. I'm never going to look at another turtle the same way again, Jiang thought. "The rules are simple. I place Monte under one of these three plates, I give them a shuffle, and point to the plate that contains Monte" said the goldfish demon.

"Their bowls, but okay" Jiang commented. "Three plates. Three. Why does that ring a bell?" MK muttered before he gasped. "Like a triangle! I can do this! Don't worry Mei! My big boy smart brain won't let us down" he cried.

"It was nice knowing you dragon sword" Mei sniffled. "Alright, let's go!" The fish demon said before placing a bowl over Monte. Jiang kept her eyes on the bowl as it was moved around for a seconds.

"Where, is, Monte?" The fish demon asked. It was the bowl on the right side. Though Jiang let out a soft sigh as she heard MK mutter some math equations to himself.

Math had never really been her forte. The many frustrated nights between her and Pigsy had more than proved it. "It's that one" she said, pointing at the bowl on the right.

The fish demon lifted it up, and Jiang was shocked to see that it had nothing underneath. "Oho! So close! But I'll be taking that sword now" said the demon. "MK! Jiang! My sword!" Mei sobbed as she slowly fell to the ground.

"You know, you could always wager again if you'd like. Something of equal value to the sword and the engine?" The demon suggested. "Your on!" MK called out as he placed down a small stack of papers. "Hmm, one deed to a Pigsy's Noodles? Fancy! I'll take it!" The fish demon said as he picked up the papers.

"MK! This better work!" Pigsy snapped. Jiang was honestly grateful that Tang was holding the pig demon back. He looked about ready to blow a gasket.

"Pigsy! Trust me! Based on the law of averages, I'm bound to win eventually" MK told him. "That is not how math works!" Pigsy cried.

"Okay, here we go again" the fish demon said before covering Monte and shuffling the bowls. "Where is Monte?" He asked. After a moment, MK pointed at the bowl in the middle.

"Oh, tough break little buddy! Care to try again?" The fish demon said after another empty bowl. And so, that's how it went. MK would keep betting something, lose, and the cycle would repeat.

Hell, MK even put up Wukong, much to Jiang's displeasure. She was even more upset when MK lost again. "Well, well, well, looks like you've wagered just about everything you have kiddo. Tough break guys" the fish demons said.

"This, this is impossible! I'm the smart one! The law of averages has betrayed me" MK cried out in a whining tone. "Kid, just forget it. We don't got anything else to bet" Pigsy told him. "He's right, you know. Besides, what could a goldfish want? I have all the treasures in the world!" The fish demon called out.

Jiang glared at the guy. "Come on MK. You can do this. Ugh, if only I had my gold vision-" MK said before freezing. "That's it! MK, focus. You can do this buddy" Jiang said.

MK nodded, and pulled out one last thing to wager. The map of Samadhi. "MK, don't be crazy! It took everything Monkey King had to get that map! You can't-" Tang called out before MK's voice cut over his.

"I bet, the power of friendship and siblingship!" The boy said. "I'm sorry. What?!" Jiang called out, looking at MK with an incredulous look on her face. MK grabbed them, and tossed everyone over with all of the other things that had been betted.

And lost. "MK, if you dont win this time, I might actually fucking murder you" Jiang commented as she crossed her arms and sat down cross-legged. She closed her eyes and leaned back with a short sigh, expecting to hit some junk.

However, she wasn't expecting to lean against someone's thigh. It took her a few seconds to realize that she wasnt laying agaisnt something hard. Stiffening a bit, she raised herself up a bit and turned, quickly catching sight of Wukong, who was still meditating.

Just how deep was that meditation thing?! Anyway, Jiang looked back up to where her brother was, and spotted him beginning to play his final round. His eyes began to glow, and once it faded away, he pointed to the bowl in the middle.

The fish demon raised the bowl, finally revealing the turtle. "Oh, so sad too bad, but you-" the fish demon said before he gasped, seeing the turtle. "What?! Impossible! How did you-?!" He said.

MK had his hand under the table. "It's simple really. You were fooling us the whole time. But I, one of the Monkey Kids and delivery kids, somewhat equal to heaven, saw right through your trick" MK said. Jiang came over, and spotted little doors under the bowls, that could allow a turtle to drop through, and fool a player into giving up whatever they had wagered.

"I fucking knew it. You rigged this table so that no matter what, someone would lose. And you want to know what that means? That, makes you, a dirty little cheater" Jiang snapped as she slammed her hands down on the table, getting close to the fish demon, who looked rather nervous. Which increased when everyone else showed up, looking very ticked off. "Now, now, now, listen. We can make a deal! Friends?" The fish demon sputtered.

"Oho, we'll make a deal alright" Mei said in a dangerous tone. After getting everything back, plus the rocket booster, the group was finally ready to go. And with the sun beginning to set, the insufferable heat had also died down a bit.

"So, wait, how did you get your gold vision back again?" Mei asked. She, along with Wukong, MK, and Jiang, were sitting on the floor. "I don't know. The same way me and Jiang got it in the first place I guess. Everything we learned a new ability, it was because there was something we needed to do. When there was no other way. Against the goldfish guy, I needed to do something to save my friends" MK explained.

Jiang cleared her throats as she pointedly looked away. "And my sister" he added. "Yeah. Friends and sister that you put in danger on purpose" Pigsy stated.

"Yeah, right, uh huh, like I said, save my friends and sister, and then, ha ha, I don't know! It just happened" MK said. "You found your strength. When you needed it most" Wukong said as he finally came out of his meditation and stood up. "Oh, I guess someone's done meditating" Mei commented.

"Welcome back to the sad world of being awake" Jiang said as she leaned back on her hands. "MK?" She asked, noticing the look on her brother's face. "All this time, I thought our powers came from the staff" he said.

Wukong put his hand on the boy's shoulder as he crouched down to his level. "The staff's just a big old stick bud. It takes someone special to lift it" he said, making MK smile a bit. "Well, one power down. A couple thousand more to go" Wukong said as he sat down on his pillow.

Jiang sighed as she shook her head. "You knew about everything that was going on, didn't you?" She muttered as she sat down beside him. "Maaabyeee. Though one thing stood out to me" Wuking told her.

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" Jiang asked. "When you leaned against my leg" the Monkey demon told her with a grin etching it's way on his face. Jiang let out a small noise as she looked away, her cheeks heating up.

"I didn't even know you were right there" she muttered. Wukong softly chuckled. "So, was I comfortable for the few seconds you were laying on me?" He asked, his tone teasing.

"Shut up"

"What if I don't want to?"

"Alright, your done" Jiang said as she stood up and walked off to one of the bunks, making Wukong burst out laughing. Jiang sighed as she settled on the middle bunk. Man, she was tired.

Maybe it was from the heat of the day, and dehydration, but, for whatever reason, she settled down. Then she rolled a bit so that she could look down at the Monkey. "And Wukong?" She said, making him look up at her.

"For the record, you were actually comfortable" Jiang told him before rolling over and settling down on her side. She missed the light blush and small genuine smile that took over the Monkey demon's face.