"Xiaolin Showdown!" That's all it took. Just a single phrase to flip the world upside down.
Almost immediately there was a rumble, as though a stampede was drawing close, and then the ground began to heave. Ping Pong struggled to keep a firm stance as the sand underneath him jiggled like an exquisite Parisian gelatin. He teetered left and right toward Raimundo, who caught the young monk when he tripped.
The shaking grew even harder and Ping Pong's ears perked to sound of rock splintering. He turned to his right and then gasped at the sight of a massive fissure that was bearing down on the monks. They braced themselves for the inevitable impact, which would then plunge him and his friends into a sandy abyss.
But the sudden drop at their feet never came; Raimundo opened his eyes and saw the fissure had splintered around them, creating a lopsided circle with them in the center. He wanted to sigh in relief – if it weren't for the fact that their piece of ground suddenly lurched into the sky. That made him yelp instead and the monk pulled Ping Pong close as the edges crumbled away.
Dojo poked his head out of Raimundo's robes and then watched as they soared into the air, the ruins underneath them growing smaller with each passing second. Ping Pong pushed his frames back into place, his lip quivered a little at the long fall someone could suffer from their vantage point. His attention then flicked to what was happening in front of him.
Columns rose one after the other until the whole colonnade was laid out before them. The triumphal arch served as the finish line, where the Shen Gong Wu shimmered on top as the grand prize. At the midway point was the tetrapylon and further from that was the starting line, where the showdown participants stood on their respective columns.
Donning her Shoku Warrior armor, Kimiko exchanged a glance with Omi behind her and then spat Wuya a glare to the left. She turned right when hearing Raimundo whistle, him waving at her once he caught her attention. "You got this girl! Don't let that evil hag whip your butt!" he called out.
She raised a thumb at him and the monk turned to his friend. "Omi! Don't let her 'female willies' deceive you!" Raimundo teased. But really, there was a lot at stake in this showdown, so mistakes couldn't be made.
"Fear not Raimundo! I have grown considerably since our last encounter. Wuya will be unable to blindside me with her willies!" Omi puffed his chest out in confidence. He turned his bravado toward the Heylin witch. "Prepare for a most humiliating defeat!" he pointed.
"Gong Yi Tanpai!" It was like the starting gun of a derby. Seconds later, they were off to the races.
Wuya was first to act, jumping from one column to the next, followed by Kimiko and Omi two steps behind. Ping Pong couldn't help but feel giddy; two legendary Shoku Warriors pitted against the great Heylin witch. How privileged he was to have a first-hand account of history in the making!
The monk cheered when Omi pulled out the Orb of Tornami and sent water hurtling toward Wuya. His eyes flicked to Kimiko, who overtook her distracted opponent to become the lead in their race. A bold move that complimented an even bolder plan, which he was certain the two must've formulated together.
Within a matter of minutes, Kimiko was coming up the tetrapylon, Omi leaping to close the gap between them, and Wuya huffing dead last. Ping Pong turned his attention further ahead where the triumphal arch stood and where the Wu looked ripe for the taking. "Ruby of Rameses!" he whipped back to the foray and then gasped.
Wuya hauled a chunk of stone from the sands and then slammed it into a column. The impact sent it crashing into its neighbour, which then smashed into its neighbour as well. Omi glanced over his shoulder to see columns falling away and he kicked his heels to an even faster run to escape.
However, columns were falling much faster than he could move, and it didn't take long for the stonework underneath his feet to wobble. Ping Pong watched in horror as the column toppled and Omi fell with it. Raimundo cried the monk's name as he vanished into the clouds of dust.
Kimiko skidded to a halt at the commotion behind her and then retreated several steps. She peered over the edge of her column with a worried frown while Dojo and Raimundo shouted for Omi. But the monk did not peer for long, as suddenly, a massive shadow eclipsed her.
The shouting ceased the moment he saw the boulder and Raimundo felt his blood run cold when it smashed his friend's vantage point to smithereens. He surged forward with the intention of leaping into the showdown but Ping Pong grabbed his hand and tugged him back. He turned to glare at him, chest heaving with fear and anger, but the monk assured him to take another look.
Sure enough, when the dust cleared Raimundo could see Kimiko alive and well, dangling from a Corinthian capital. Grip loose at best, she inhaled a sharp breath and then mustered the strength to hoist an arm over the edge. No sooner were her legs left kicking the air did another shadow loom overhead, laughter following not too far behind.
"I swear, you children are making this too easy," Wuya squatted to Kimiko's eye level and tucked some hair behind her ear. She then gave the monk's nose a light tap. "I thought a showdown with Shoku Warriors would be more exciting than this." she sighed.
The witch rose to her feet and then jumped to the next column. With a growl, Kimiko scrambled to her feet and watched as Wuya laughed her way to the tetrapylon. "I'll give you excitement!" she fumed.
If there's one thing to be foolish of, it would be underestimating Kimiko Tohomiko. Leaping after her opponent, she was already conjuring a plan that would take down Wuya. All she needed to do was to wait for the right moment and then the monk could pull the rug underneath her.
Dojo wrung his tail; the finish line was coming fast and the gap between the women couldn't be any wider. Unless she had an ace up her sleeve, there was little chance Kimiko could overtake Wuya. "I can't bear to look! Tell me how it ends!" he retreated into Raimundo's robes.
Fists clenched, a sharp whine made Ping Pong's throat reverberate as he watched the showdown come to conclusion. But unlike his dragon counterpart, the monk still clung to hope that Kimiko will be the one to triumph. She had to triumph – she was a Xiaolin Dragon after all!
"You can do it Kimiko! You're so much better than her!" he cried. Raimundo joined his enthusiasm and the pair hollered as though it were the final minutes of a tied game. "Yeah you got this girl! That old bat has got nothin' on you!" the monk whooped.
Kimiko blinked the sweat from her eyes, her heart beating faster than a hummingbird. The jubilant cheering from the boys was helping starve off whatever doubt that settled in her stomach. She could do this, she could win – she will win.
At last, there came the opportunity to put her plan into motion; Wuya made the final leap toward the triumphal arch. Leaping a few seconds later, the monk counted the columns below and then pulled out the Star Hanabi. "Star Hanabi! Shoku Mars Fire!" Kimiko yelled.
Flames erupted from the Wu's gem and then rapidly surged toward the witch. But instead of roasting her, Wuya watched in shock as the flames crashed into columns instead, causing them collapse. "Kimiko!" Raimundo gritted his teeth as dust billowed in consequence and swallowed everything.
Ping Pong clasped a hand over his mouth and felt his stomach drop. It was shocking turn of events, and neither one could see who claimed victory amid the clouds of dust. The uncertainly troubled Raimundo to a good deal and he swallowed thickly; who won the showdown?!
The pair shielded their faces when the dust swept over them, the wind hissing in their ears. Once it had abated, Raimundo looked to see that everything was back to normal. No monumental damage to the colonnade, no signs of his friends or Wuya, nothing – it was like he'd imagined the whole thing.
"Kimiko!" Raimundo ran the moment he spotted her. She was standing alone with her hand down, Omi nowhere to be seen. "What happened?! Are you okay?!" he shook Kimiko by the shoulders.
"Raimundo, I'm sorry," Kimiko sighed, as though defeated, and then looked Raimundo in the eye. Her lips then curled into a big smile and she raised her hand to show off the Shen Gong Wu. "I'm sorry you had to see Wuya's butt get whooped like that!" she laughed.
Raimundo blinked a couple of times before he laughed as well and twirled the monk around. Late to the celebration, Ping Pong couldn't help but sigh in relief when seeing his friend set Kimiko down. Dojo poked his head out of Raimundo's collar and then leapt to give Kimiko a big hug, giving her brow a few smooches.
"You had us worried girl! Give me a heart attack why don't cha?" Raimundo gave the other a light punch to the shoulder. Kimiko brushed it aside with another laugh and then gestured Dojo to cool it with the smooching. "I'm sorry, I just I knew if I didn't do somethin', Wuya would've won for sure." she explained.
"Speaking of the old bat, where is she? And where's Omi for the matter?" Dojo pointed out. That cut the celebrations right then and the monks looked around for any sign of the two. Fortunately, they didn't have to search for long, because the answer was under their feet – literally.
Ping Pong watched as the sand at his feet bulged and then stumbled back as Omi's head popped out. Seconds later the monk found himself riding Wuya's shoulders when she clawed her way out of the ground. "Get your stubby little legs off me!" the witch snarled.
Hitting the ground, Omi jumped back to his feet and frowned. Wuya turned to see that she was now boxed in by four Xiaolin monks. "I'll have to admit. It was a mistake to underestimate you children. Especially you." she looked to Kimiko with a smile.
"Ha! Instead of me being worried about your female willies, you should have been worried about Kimiko's this whole time!" Omi pointed with glee. The irony made him laugh. "How is that for a most humiliating defeat?" he sneered.
"A defeat? Yes, I'll acknowledge that. But Omi my dear," Wuya stepped toward him with a smile, hands buried into her robes. The monk gasped when she pulled out the Shroud of Shadows. "You of all people should know with defeat comes a thousand victories." she cackled.
In one swoop, the witch vanished into thin air. Omi kicked the sand in consequence; he could've stopped her right then! Curse his good listening skills! "At least she does not have the Shen Gong Wu…" he grumbled.
"Speaking of Wu, Dojo do you know what this one is?" Kimiko asked. She lowered her hand when Ping Pong tugged on her arm, so that he could see it as well. To them, it looked like one expensive piece of jewellery.
"It's the Amulet of Zenobia. Appropriate we found it here of all places," the dragon chuckled. Raimundo rubbed his chin at the Wu and then took a hold it himself. "The amulet is powerful by itself, but combined with another like-minded Wu, well, we all know the answer to that." he said.
"Good thing Kimiko was here to stop Wuya!" Ping Pong clapped. Omi nodded in agreement and gave his friend a pat on the back. "As Clay would have said, you roped her Dalmatians good!" he grinned.
She was about to correct his mangled slang when it suddenly hit her. Kimiko blinked a few times in confusion and then looked around; she couldn't believe she hadn't notice until now. "Guys, where is Clay…?" she asked slowly.
"Him? Oh don't worry, he's been dealing with Chase." Raimundo waved off. Kimiko's eyes widened in shock. "Ah yes, I like to see Chase Young uproot a mighty oak like our friend." Omi smiled.
"Hold up, hold up," Kimiko interrupted before Ping Pong could put in his say. She took a deep breath and then looked at Raimundo, who noticed her brow creasing into a frown. "You guys… left Clay by himself… to deal with Chase Young?!" she roared.
Ping Pong jumped between Raimundo and Kimiko before she could deck him with a superheated fist. The monk was held back even further when Omi grabbed her arm. "Kimiko! It is not Raimundo's fault! Clay seemed to be content when we left him!" he argued.
"Kimiko please! You must understand! It was the only way we could've arrived in Palmyra on time. You would've been facing Wuya alone if we stayed behind with Clay." Ping Pong rationalized. He watched as the other lowered her fist, the flames dispersing moments later.
"You're giving Chase too much credit here," Raimundo cleared his throat and then stepped from behind Ping Pong. Kimiko crossed her arms at him in a huff. "Need I remind us all that Clay's like, ginormous and all, but seriously competent too?" the monk pointed out.
"Raimundo is right, we should have more faith in our large friend." Omi nodded. Ping Pong watched as Kimiko looked at them both and he tugged on his collar. The tension was starting to make his stomach sour.
"I'm sure everything will be all right." he chuckled nervously.
Author's Notes
Despite what Ping Pong says, things won't be turning out all right. At least for the time being they can appreciate Wuya getting her butt kicked by Kimiko!
Feedback is welcomed!