*In the sky train, the gang drives away from Lantern City, which has been covered in crystals.*
Miwa was sitting quietly while lightly tapping her foot, trying to keep her thoughts from causing painful shocks to course through her. "If I'm a wis— if I'm not a real person. Then it means Macaque lied to me, he knew all along." She glanced over at Wukong. "Does he know too?"
"Don't worry Freckles, everything is gonna be alright." Wukong patted her head, thinking she was worried about Macaque causing her more pain.
Miwa batted his hand away from her head, not much in the mood for his comfort. Unable to figure out whether he knew what she was or not.
"Peaches?" Wukong grew a little concerned by how distant she was being.
Miwa's left eyebrow slightly twitched. "I told you not to call me that, I hate it."
"But you are a peach, sweet and soft when you put down your walls." Wukong poke her nose with a smile.
Miwa batted his hand away once more, but this time couldn't stop a small smile from appearing on her face. "You are so lame."
"I'm not lame missy. I'm the handsome, wise, Monkey King." said Wukong with a proud smile.
Miwa rolled her eyes at his attempt at cheering her up, which was working despite the situation they were in right now.
Tang suddenly quickly jumped in to ask. "Um, so uh, Mr. King, sir, I don't wanna rush you or anything but–"
"I'm okay with rushing him. What's the plan, Monkey King? We've got all three Rings of Samadhi, so how do we use them to make the Lady Bone Demon go boom? Is there a switch or—" MK cut in asking Wukong the questions that was on his mind.
Wukong took a short glance at Mei, then looked back at the others. "It's a bit more complicated than that. In order to reforge the Samadhi Fire we'll need to reach the summit of that mountain." He explained and pointed to the mountain that they could see from the train.
"Huh. And, uh, that's where we'll find the fourth ring eh? Ain't that right, Monkey King?" Pigsy asked, giving him a skeptical look with his arms crossed.
"Fourth ring? W-what fourth ring?" MK began asking in confusion.
"What? A fourth ring?" Miwa asked, slightly confused.
"Oh, Pigsy, I think you're confused. Monkey King said they split the Fire of Samadhi into three rings. Three rings hidden by the three great warriors, Monkey King, the Demon Bull King and-" Tang explained to him.
*The train car stutters, MK and Miwa looks out the window to see Ne Zha's Fire Ring.*
"Uh, who dat?" MK asked.
"My guess, a friend of Dad." said Miwa giving Wukong a side glance.
*The Fire Ring disbands, causing the sky train to stop moving. Ne Zha emerges from the ring. He throws two flaming wheels at the car, causing it to split.*
"Get back!" Wukong quickly moves all the passengers away from the impact. Ne Zha lands in front of the passengers.
"Sun Wukong. Finally." said Ne Zha, giving a sigh.
"Ne Zha, my old friend. Don't tell me you trekked all the way out here to hang out with lil' ol' me." said Wukong with a carefree smile on his face.
"You know exactly why I'm here. I will not let you reforge the Samadhi Fire and doom this world." said Ne Zha glaring at Wukong until he noticed Miwa behind him. "That's not possible. How are you alive after all those years?"
Miwa just shrugged at his question. "I don't know."
Tang is suddenly heard laughing. "I can't believe it's really you! The legendary Third Lotus Prince, Ne Zha! I must be the luckiest Tang in the world!"
"Silence, mortal!" shouted Ne Zha at him.
"How did you find us? Wait, wait, don't tell me. You took a sneaky peaky at the map while you were supposed to be guarding it? Now who's untrustworthy?" Wukong questioned him.
"I knew the ring I had been tasked to hide was safe in Chang'e's care until you stole it!" Ne Zha exclaimed in annoyance.
"Borrowed." Wukong corrected him.
"I kind of did steal—" Miwa whispered before Wukong quickly covered her mouth.
"Borrowed." Wukong repeated in a whisper to her.
"I had a feeling the Demon Bull King would've kept his instead of hiding it as instructed. No surprises there." said Ne Zha rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, I think we all saw that one coming." said Wukong giving a shrug.
"Which brings me to your ring. Worst kept secret ever!" shouted Ne Zha in frustration.
"Well, I mean, not wrong." said Mei.
Sandy nods in agreement.
"Yeah, who knew Dad kept so many secrets?" said Miwa crossed her arms, growing a little skeptical if he actually knew she was a wish. But kept trying to deny it in her head.
"This is exactly why the Rings of Samadhi should have been entrusted to me alone!" Ne Zha charged in front of MK, who was holding the rings. "Hand over the ring, child. I won't ask—"
Wukong punches Ne Zha in the stomach, launching him far into the air.
"That's not going to stop Ne Zha for long. Go. You have to get to the mountain now!" Wukong explained to the gang.
"And then what?" MK asked.
"Just wait for me there. I'll explain everything." Wukong told him.
"But-but I can help! Let me and Miwa help you." said MK, taking a glance at Miwa.
Miwa however looked between MK and Wukong as she did want to help but wasn't sure what was the right choice if she even had one to begin with.
"There's no time, bud. Macaque could show up at any second. Go!" Wukong said in a serious tone as he looked over his shoulder.
"... Dad's right, we can't waste time here." said Miwa, trying to keep her focus on the task.
The gang then exited the sky train, while Wukong went and distracted Ne Zha with a fake pair of the rings.
*Miwa uses her powers to shadow portal them to the top of the Mystic mountain, Sandy, Mei, and Tang approach the ritual site.*
"What is this place?" Sandy asked.
"I think I think this is where they originally split the Samadhi Fire." said Tang when looking at the place.
"Does anyone else feel like—" Mei asked when glancing around.
"We've been here before? Yeah, that's weird, right? But yeah, I know I haven't." said Sandy.
"Me neither. And yet this place feels so familiar." said Tang.
"No, not me, man. This is all new to me." said MK, picking up a random structure only to then throw it away and cause it to break.
"Same here." said Miwa looking at some of the old signs on a few broken down structures.
"Hey, Pigsy–" MK asked when grabbing Pigsy by the shoulders.
"Kid! Could you not." said Pigsy annoyed.
"Earlier, you said something about a fourth ring, but that was just an accident, right? Just a slip of the old tongue?" MK asked while lightly elbowing him.
Miwa turned her attention back over to the two when the mention of a fourth ring.
"Maybe." said Pigsy though sounding a little unsure as he glanced away.
"Maybe? What's maybe supposed to mean?" MK asked.
"Maybe Monkey King's not as trustworthy as you think, MK." said Pigsy looking at him, then glanced over at Miwa. "I'm sure he didn't even share everything with you."
"What do you mean?" MK asked a little confused.
Pigsy turned around and looked at MK. "Think about it. He told us he had a plan, but we don't know what it is. He told us there were three Rings, but maybe there's a four. He told us that map was so important, but it hasn't been useful once this whole trip."
"Yeah, we did basically find all the rings without it." said MK, finding it a little strange.
Miwa didn't say anything, her mind being filled up with doubt and concern.
"Yeah, not going to lie, I thought it was going to be more important than this. It has to be, right?" Tang places the map on a pedestal, causing the entire ritual site to light up gold.
"Okay. Yep, looks like it's definitely important." said MK, a little surprised.
"I have a bad feeling about this." said Miwa concerned
"Tang! What did you do?!" shouted Pigsy as the rings MK was holding started floating.
"Me? I didn't do anything!" shouted Tang.
"Oh, so a piece of paper just magically made a bunch of light?" said Pigsy sarcastically.
"That's exactly what happened and you know it!" shouted Tang at him.
"Guys! The rings are doing something." said MK.
The rings circle around each other and create a beam of light. Mei clutches her chest in pain.
"Are you alright?" Tang asked with concern.
"Eugh, I- I don't know." said Mei uncertainly.
The rings glow, Mei recoils in pain.
"Gah! What do we do?!" Tang exclaimed worried.
"I don't know. What I do know is that glowy mystic sigil thingies are always, never good! Yeeee. No one touch anything else till our glowy mystic monkey gets here." Spikes of ice suddenly shoot up from the ground "I sure hope that's the right mystic monkey." said MK nervously.
"I don't think so." said Miwa as she summoned her spear.
Even more spikes emerge. A spike almost strikes Pigsy but Sandy blocks it, trapping them both. The hand of Macaque's Mech slams onto the ground. Like Macaque, half of the mech is covered in crystal.
"Don't get in my way, kid. I don't have time for you. I'm just here for the Samadhi Fire and Miwa. Then I'm done with you all." Macaque explained as he started reaching his hand down for the rings and Miwa.
Miwa narrowed her eyes at him. "The fuck you are not!"
"Here. Comes. Monkie Kid!" MK springs into action, he transforms into a gorilla, punching the mech's arm off. Macaque laughs, reforms the arm, and grabs MK, who has turned back into a human, in his mechs hand.
"So this was the Monkey King's great plan?" Macauqe repeatedly slams MK into the ground "How do you still not see that he has no idea what he's doing?! How about this for a plan? Stay down, MK. Or I will put you down."
"M... K!" Mei pulls out her sword before curling in on herself, groaning in pain.
"MK!" shouted Miwa as she began charging towards the mech with her spear surrounded in cosmic energy.
"Not another move!" Macaque exits his mech. "I'll give you two options. Option A I take Miwa and the Samadhi fire, you do exactly what I say, and I don't have to do anything you'll regret. Or option B..." He dips into the shadows, he grabs Mei by the throat. "I cut you all down. Starting with the girl!"
Miwa growled in frustration as she was still holding her spear with cosmic energy. "Let my friends go, Macaque. Now."
Macaque gave her a cold glance. "Don't even try it Starlight, I'm not here to play around. If you want your friends to walk out alive, you do as I say right now."
Miwa's body began fading as her emotions were going out of control with the frustration of this situation. She fell to the ground screaming in pain from the shocks running through her body.
"Wait. Don't do this." Tang pleaded as things were getting out of hand.
"Tang. Do what I'm telling you to do! Your friend's life depends on it. Finish the ritual!" Macaque told him in a demanding tone.
Tang looked around at all of his friends, unable to do anything. Leaving him the only one still standing. Tears slowly forming in his eyes. "Alright. You win."