The Great Garuda

"Which Shen Gong Wu are we looking for again?" Raimundo asked as he and the other Xiaolin monks soared through the stormy skies on the back of their guardian dragon, Dojo.

Kimiko tentatively removed the Ancient Scroll from its waterproof pouch and unravelled it. Peering through her goggles, she could make it the image of a stick-figure man holding a necklace out in front of him. Tiny stick-figure snakes swarmed around him, then flinched backwards from the light that his necklace was emitting. "It's called the Great Garuda. It's supposed to be able to ward off any animal with less than four limbs."

"... that's an oddly specific power, innit, Kimiko?" Clay said after a while.

"I don't make these things up, Clay." The dragon of fire responded.

"I'm getting a big reading just below us." Dojo put in. He shuddered violently then, causing the monks to have to hold on for dear life. "Sorry 'bout that." He mumbled. "It's just that I'm really allergic to this Shen Gong Wu, and it's really close by."

Omi smiled. "Do not worry, friend Dojo. We shall jump down and retrieve it for you."

And without a second though, Omi closed his eyes and leapt off Dojo's back. The other monks watched as he fell down... down... down and vanished into the mass of trees below.

"Ooookay, then!" Kimiko said. "Who forgot to tell him that he couldn't fly?"

"Don't look at me!" Raimundo yelled. He turned away. "I guess we'd better go after him."

Raimundo leapt off Dojo's back first, followed closely by Kimiko and a reluctant Clay. The three monks fell for what felt like hours before Rai stretched out his arms and conjured a protective cloud of air to gently bring them to a landing atop the forest that was rushing up to meet them.

"Omi!" Kimiko called out as soon as they had touched down on the forest floor. "Omi, where are you?"

As if in response, the monk's voice yelped somewhere ahead of them.

"Hannibal Bean!"

"Uh-oh... " Raimundo murmured. "Looks like our boy's in trouble."

"He's not the only one!" chuckled a familiar, evil voice.

Raimundo turned only to see Kimiko and Clay being hoisted into the air by a pair of extra-thick vines. Both of the monks had been bound and gagged and were unable to so much as move a muscle, much less fight back against their captor.

The dragon of the wind leapt backward and drew the Sword of the Storm from its hiding place inside his sash. "Bring it on, Beanbag!" He said, daring the diminutive villain to show himself.

"I don't have time to mess around with you." Bean retorted. "I'll just leave you with one of my new pets."

Raimundo heard the bushes in the clearing behind him rustle. He turned around just as an enormous shape burst into the clearing and slammed into him, sending the Sword of the Storm flying.

His attacker was a gigantic dragon. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that it was carved out of stone. But he had seen this creature once before. It was a skeleton dragons, one of an army raised by Chase Young in a chasm just three weeks ago, after he had destroyed the Xiaolin temple. The creature was a steely-gray, with glowing red eyes and a poisonous aura that seemed to kill the plantlife around it as it bounded towards him with its jaws snapping and its teeth gnashing.

"Wudai Star -- WIND!" Raimundo shouted, releasing a gust of wind that swirled towards the dragon. The burst barely seemed to phase it as it continued its rampage.

He ran towards the creature, drawing back his fist and slamming it into its skull. That, at least, seemed to have an impact. A crack split across the skeleton's skull and the dragon seemed dazed. Raimundo continued to batter it with blows, driving it back towards the edge of the clearing. Finally, he grabbed either end of its skull and violently twisted the thing off. The rest of the skeleton's body fell inert.

"Whoa. That was... " He gasped, suddenly out of breath. That was some effort, he thought. Sure glad there aren't any more of these.

"Mmmmmhmmmm!"

Raimundo suddenly remembered Kimiko and Clay, still being held captive by Hannibal Bean's magic vines. He grabbed the Sword of the Storm in one hand and went over to cut them loose.

Kimiko screamed the moment her mouth was uncovered. "Rai! LOOK!"

Raimundo didn't even have to look around. He could hear the footsteps and he could smell the stench of rot and decay. More skeletons. What a day.

"Let's take 'em!" Clay said as he and Kimiko rose and stood by Raimundo's side.

"Don't think that'll be necessary!" Kimiko said, pointing. Raimundo and Clay followed her finger and saw a blurred shape moving about the treetops. They watched as it fell atop each of the undead dragons in turn, smashing them to bits of bone and cartilage before vanishing back into the air. In a matter of minutes, they were all finished.

"Omi, way to go, pardner!" Clay called out.

The hidden assailant dropped into view, a tall, muscular man with an ascetic baldness and an enormous curved spear. "That's... definitely not Omi." Kimiko murmured.

"Yeah, did the height give it away?" Raimundo said.

"Well, I'll be!" Clay exclaimed. "If it isn't Master Monk Guan! What brings you around to these parts?"

"I am very glad to see that you are unharmed, my friends." Master Guan said. "But there is no time for formalities. We must get to the Shen Gong Wu before Hannibal Bean."

He doesn't waste time with words. Raimundo thought as Guan ran into the bushes and disappeared. The three monks followed him, crashing through the foliage without so much as a second thought.

By sheer luck, the Great Garuda was just a few clearings away from where they had landed. Somewhat less fortunately, Hannibal Bean was just a few inches away from the Shen Gong Wu.

"Get your filthy... uh... " Raimundo began, charging towards the diminutive monster. "Can we really call them hands?"

"Does it really matter? Get the Shen Gong Wu!" Kimiko called.

Jeez, I thought I was the team leader! Raimundo thought to himself. He punted Bean backwards away from the Shen Gong Wu. When Clay swooped down upon him and caught him between his large fingers, Raimundo bent down and picked up the Great Garuda. "Hey, I got it, you guys!" He called, but even as the words left his lips he could see the Wu pulsing with light. That could only mean one thing.

"Raimundo, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!"

Disbelieving, Raimundo turned the Great Garuda upside down only to find Bean clinging to the underside, his misshapen mouth stretched in a macabre grin. "How did you... but... hey--" He stammered, but Bean continued, ignoring him.

"My Shadow Slicer against your Sword of the Storm. The game is Rescue the Shen Gong Wu! The first one to get to the Shen Gong Wu wins!" Bean said. "What say you?"

"I say... Gong Yi TANPAI!" Raimundo said. There was a tremendous flash of light and the showdown began.

The forest around them was transformed, taking the shape of a Roman area, complete with an amphitheatre for Kimiko, Clay, and Master Guan to sit and watch.

"Let's go! Xiaolin Showdown!" Raimundo & Bean cried in unison.

Bean immediately took the offensive. "Shadow Slicer!" He bellowed. The Shen Gong Wu around what passed for his wrist glowed once and several holograms sprang out of his body.

So that's how he did it, Raimundo thought.

"Yeah, you never kicked me." Bean said smugly. "It was only a holographic mirage."

"Whatever, dude. Sword of the Storm!" Raimundo slashed at the air. A sharp gale of wind hit the Bean closest to him, causing it to vanish into motes of light. Another illusion. Got to figure out a way to find the real one before he gets to the Great Garuda first.

All of the Bean duplicates were rushing about every which way, leaping and flying to keep Raimundo from seeing past them to where the Great Garuda was hiding. He ran through them, slashing at any that dared to go too close. He could barely see the Great Garuda above him, nestled in a few trees that remained near the very top of the Coliseum.

"Come to daddy, birdie!" He called out, stretching his hand towards it.

Bean shot past him then, his arms oustretched as well. Raimundo realized with a sinking feeling that Hannibal was going to get there first.

Not if I have anything to say about it!

He set his jaw fiercely and focused on the glittering statue lying amid the leaves. 'Wind'! He thought, calling forth a zephyr that was different from any he had ever summoned before. The wind tore at the leaves, sending them scattering through the air as he tugged forcefully at the statue.

Just a few more inches...

Rai hissed in satisfaction as the statue fell free, launching into a downward spiral into his waiting hands.

"Noooooo!" Bean howled as the Showdown culminated. The two warriors landed in the middle of the clearing. Raimundo, triumphant, was carrying the Sword of the Storm, the Shadow Slicer, and the newly acquired Great Garuda. The defeated Bean looked oddly helpless as he sat there next to Raimundo's shoe.

"Way to go, Rai!" Kimiko said as she, Clay, and Master Guan came up to him.

During the congratulations, Bean started to slink off, hoping to vanish unseen. He was already hatching plans on visiting Master Guan's temple in the night with many more skeleton dragons, and was looking forward to razing it as Chase Young had done to Master Fung's temple.

"Where do you think you are going?" said a voice from above him. He looked up to see Omi towering above him; even the littlest monk was bigger than he is.

"I'm getting the heck outta here!" Bean shouted.

"Not so fastly!" Omi declared, whipping out his own signature Shen Gong Wu. "Orb of Tornami -- ICE!" And before the evil vegetable could even move, he was frozen in a block of ice.

"Excellent work, Xiaolin dragons." Master Guan said. "You have rescued another Shen Gong Wu and captured one of the greatest evils in the world. Master Fung will be most pleased to hear this."

"Yeah, let's go tell him!" Raimundo said. "D'you think he'll let us get off on chores for this?"