Later that evening, after three of the monks had gone to bed, Omi went searching for the Xiaolin leader. He found Raimundo sitting on the floor of the scroll room, leaning over one of the a dozen scrolls strewn around him, and reading intently. When Omi walked in, the teen didn't look up but said, "'Sup, dude?"

"Raimundo, it is most urgent that I speak with you. Ping Pong was behaving quite strangely during our hunt for the Necklace of Amelior. I fear that he is hiding something."

"Probably upset that he didn't do so hot against the Jackbots or something. The little guy's kind of jumpy."

"No, Raimundo, he seemed guilty. My tiger instincts are going straw-wire just thinking about it."

"Haywire," corrected Raimundo, but this time he looked up at Omi, expression thoughtful.

"Before you say anything, no, I am not jealous. I am telling you these things because you are the leader, and if Ping Pong is preparing to betray us, you should be as forewarned as possible. This has nothing to do with any petty resentment on my part—"

"No, dude, I get that," said Raimundo, holding up a hand to stop him. "I've known Ping Pong for days, but I've known you for years. If there's anyone who can pick up on this kind of stuff, it's you; I still remember the Chameleon-bot." He frowned and crossed his arms when he looked back down at the scrolls. "Look, I'm not about to kick Ping Pong out or anything just because you have a bad feeling, but… I'll keep an eye on him. Thanks for telling me."

Omi was stunned. He had prepared a much longer speech to defend his argument, and he had not expected Raimundo to take him seriously so quickly. "I—well, you are welcome." He turned and thought about leaving, but then his curiosity got the better of him, and he plopped down next to the other warrior. "What are you studying?"

"I was trying to find any records of Shen Gong Wu disappearing from their hiding places, but I got distracted." Raimundo pointed down to some writings at his left. "Did you know that you can have a Cosmic Clash without wagering Wu? Dojo made it sound like you can only do it if one of the players is at least one-half Wu, but it's actually more about what you're wagering: you have to wager a part of yourself. Make sense?"

"But why would you wager something of yourself rather than a Shen Gong Wu?"

"Beats me, but hey," Raimundo pulled another scroll onto his lap, "speaking of Shen Gong Wu, have you heard of these? Here's one that can defuse gravity, and here's one that can hypnotize your opponent…"

"I studied all the Shen Gong Wu years before you came to the temple. Of course I have heard of them. I am an expert."

"Oh yeah?" Raimundo flipped the paper upside down so they couldn't see the writing. Grinning at the shorter monk, he asked, "Then what are their names?"

After an awkward pause, Omi rubbed his neck. "I said it was years ago. You can't expect me to remember everything."

"Liar." Raimundo bumped his fist against Omi's head. "Gravity Grip and Magician's Watch."

"Of course. I knew that."

Raimundo chuckled, and the two continued to peruse the ancient scrolls late into the evening.

A few weeks passed, and Ping Pong noticed that Omi was even more supercilious during their training sessions. His criticisms were ruder, his lessons harder, and his compliments completely absent. Ping Pong tried not to take it personally, but he could not help but remember Chase Young's words.

"Omi can sense it. You are the ying to his yang, meant to fight as his enemy, not his brother."

Early one evening, Ping Pong took a walk through the gardens to check on the perked-up rose bushes, and when he came back inside, he found Kimiko tinkering with a little metal box attached near the doorway.

"What are you making, Sister Kimiko?"

"Upgraded security system," she said, fiddling with the wires underneath the box. "We've had it for a few years, but it's never worked. The only time it went off was when Jack snuck in Trojan-Horse-style. I'm not sure how well this version will do considering that he can hack into my PDA, but…"

"How does it work?"

"It's got different settings. Right now, the only ones I have operating are the codes you enter manually. Basically, you enter the password here," she pointed at the numbered buttons, "and when you hit 'enter,' the vault barricades itself. There's also a master code that can lock down the entire temple if we're in real trouble, but that one's kind of glitchy. Once it's on, it's hard to turn off. After I get it figured out, I'm thinking of installing some better motion detectors. I'd love to combine some Shen Gong Wu with it, too, but I'm still figuring out which ones would be the best fit…"

"Like when you combined the Mind Reader Conch with your PDA to win against Chase Young and Hannibal Bean? You are quite clever, Kimiko!"

A voice cut in, "She also used her PDA and the Mind Reader Conch to cheat in a sparring match and then read our minds without our permission." The two looked over, and Omi walked to them with his arms folded behind his back. He continued, "Clever, yes, but also deceptive. Do you admire acts of deception, Ping Pong?"

"Huh?" Ping Pong's eyes widened in alarm, and he held up his hands. "No, of course not, Brother Omi! Dishonesty is a sign of evil!"

"I wouldn't say that," said Kimiko, glaring at Omi. "Master Fung taught us that tricking your opponent can be quite useful, even on the side of good. Don't you think so, Boris?"

"Oh!" Ping Pong looked at her, then back and forth between the two monks. "Um. I… think you're… both… right?"

Before either of the others could retort, Raimundo and Clay joined them at the doorway, and Clay said, "Speaking of the security, I reckon now that Ping Pong's the new apprentice, we oughta let him know the combinations to it and the vault."

Omi said, "I do not believe that Ping Pong is ready for such important information. We Shoku Warriors are Master Fung's top secret monks, and it should stay that way."

"What's your problem, Omi?" said Kimiko. "Ping Pong is one of us. If we can't trust him with the vault, then how can we call him our apprentice?"

Shoulders slumped, Ping Pong asked, "Do you not trust me, Brother Omi?"

"That depends. Do you have something to hide?"

"Knock it off, Omi," said Kimiko. "Ping Pong hasn't done anything wrong. Right, Rai?"

Ping Pong looked up in relief, ready for the leader to defend him. Raimundo was silent for a moment, eyes moving from Ping Pong to Omi, and then he said, "I think Omi's got a point. We can't be too careful. Ping Pong, you know our track record with past temple newcomers, so it's nothing personal."

"But…" Ping Pong's hands curled into tiny fists, and his face flushed. "But Raimundo, I passed the three-day test. I passed it many times over! C'est injuste. J'ai pensé que j'ai finalement réalisé mon rêve de devenir un guerrier Xiaolin, mais je commence à me demander si je ne suis pas un membre de cette équipe, après tout—"

"Whoa, slow down there, littlest partner. You lost us."

"What do you think, Clay?" asked Raimundo, turning to the cowboy. "It looks like the vote's two against two. You're the tie breaker."

"Me?" said Clay. "I reckon—"

"It is not a tie!" said Omi to Raimundo. "You are the team leader, and Ping Pong is an apprentice. Your vote is worth more than his."

"You wouldn't be saying that if Rai was on our side," said Kimiko, crouching down and putting a hand on Ping Pong's shaking shoulder.

"I said, I RECKON," shouted Clay. The argument ceased immediately, and everyone looked up at him in surprise. After a slow breath, Clay said, "Sorry about that. But I reckon, first things first, everyone oughta calm down. Y'all are in a tizzy just over some daggum passwords."

The others stared, and then Raimundo let out a laugh and slapped Clay's arm. "Wise words, cowboy! Some of us do need to take a breather."

"And some of us need to figure out what they're so paranoid about," said Kimiko, still glowering at Omi, who met her eyes with a matching expression.

When the other monks started to walk away in different directions, Ping Pong murmured, "Nous ne résoudrons pas ce problème maintenant? Vous ne vous souciez pas?"

"What was that, dude?" asked Raimundo, glancing back.

Ping Pong sighed. "I said I am not hungry, so you can have dinner without me." He stepped back outside toward the gardens and did not wait for Raimundo's response.

Barely an hour later, Dojo crashed upon the kitchen table and splattered Clay's mashed potatoes all over Omi's face. Yelping about a new Shen Gong Wu while scratching his armpits, the dragon led the four outside and expanded. After letting the Shoku Warriors hop on, Dojo swooped over the garden, grabbed Ping Pong, and took off.

"Let me get this straight," said Raimundo a while later, holding open the Shen Gong Wu scroll and trying to read it under the faint moonlight. "Dashi hid the Necklace of Amelior, an extremely useful healing Shen Gong Wu, in some open field where anyone can get it. But he hid the Hanaka Feather in the Jungle of Neither Here Nor There?"

"It was one of his favorites," said Dojo. "He always had a soft spot for it."

"A Wu that makes your opponent laugh nonstop?" said Kimiko. "I don't see what's so great about it."

"Then you, sister, have no sense of humor," said Dojo. "Dashi used it to prank Chase and Guan back in the good old days. Especially Chase, that little grump." As he started to lower from the sky toward the black forest, he said, "Just be careful, kids. The Jungle of Neither Here Nor There has some pretty nasty creatures running about."

"I spot one already," said Kimiko, pointing down to where Jack Spicer buzzed from tree to tree.

The redhead shouted up at them, "I heard that!" He pulled a humanoid toy from his pocket. "But you losers don't know who you're messing with this time."

"Oh no!" Raimundo said, slapping his hands onto the sides of his head in sarcastic terror. "Our one weakness: action figures!"

Jack tossed the toy into the air and pulled out a Shen Gong Wu. "Changing Chopsticks!" At his command, the figure enlarged and shook the earth as it landed. It stood and towered over the trees, raising metal arms in preparation for battle. Eyes brimming with pride, Jack did a little happy dance and said, "Meet Transforming Bot 2.0, your newest nightmare!"

"Consider me terrorized." Raimundo looked over at Kimiko, Clay, and Ping Pong. "You mind if Omi and I deal with it while you look for the Wu?"

Kimiko shrugged. Clay said, "Do your stuff."

Omi grinned. "Ready, Raimundo?"

The two leaped. Dojo soared past and ducked into the trees, and Omi and Raimundo landed in front of the giant robot.

Jack sneered. "What, you two? What are you going to do, blow hot air at it? Give it a bath?"

"Just consider yourself lucky that you're not piloting the thing," said Raimundo.

Stepping toward each other in sync, he and Omi each raised a hand skyward and shouted, "Shoku Water-Wind!" The clouds above thickened and shifted. Then a bolt of lightning shot down up the Transforming Bot 2.0. In a flash, the robot was fried, and it collapsed in a scalded metal heap, knocking down the surrounding trees.

Jack's mouth fell open. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Aww yeah, masters of the weather," Raimundo said, giving Omi a high five.

Bouncing in glee, the Dragon of Water beamed at Jack. "We must thank you for providing such a perfect opponent. Lightning strikes the tallest object, after all!"

Jack's helipack sputtered as he buzzed to the ground, and he sank to his knees next to the decimated robot. "He took me months to build. I really thought I had it this time…"

"Found it!" Kimiko called from within the jungle. She, Clay, and Ping Pong stepped out into the clearing, and she held up a long, pink feather. She raised an eyebrow at the faintly smoking robot. "How long did it take, twenty seconds? I think that's a new record."

Jack glared, bottom lip quivering.

Clay frowned and said, "Do y'all hear that?"

"Yeah, it's the sound of my bed calling my name," said Raimundo, stretching his arms above his head.

"I'm serious, Rai," said Clay, and he pointed into the woods. "There's something out there. I reckon it's headed this way."

Forgetting about Jack, the monks turned and stared into the jungle. For a moment, all was quiet. Then thudding sounds, like a hundred heartbeats, echoed from within, and red eyes began to flash through the branches.

"Shoku Mars Fire!" said Kimiko, sending comets of yellow heat through the trees. The flame's light revealed a dozen enormous creatures, wielding lion bodies, flat faces, and scorpion tails. The monks recoiled.

"Manticores!" shouted Dojo, throwing himself under Clay's hat. As Jack Spicer fled the scene with a shriek, the creatures charged, tail tips glistening.

Jumping back, Clay said, "Where in tarnation did they come from? Shoku Jupiter Earth!" Pillars of earth crashed into the charging manticores. The four nearest were thrown back, but one more managed to jump over the moving earth and pounce on the cowboy.

Clay yelped as the tail swung down and pierced his shoulder. He fell back, lifting up his arms to block the manticore's teeth, but instead of biting him, the creature leaped and ran with its brethren at the other monks. Clay stood, but a sudden crashing dizziness brought him back down to his knees. "Dagnard!" he said. "What's happening?"

"The manticore stung you?" said Dojo from within the hat. "That's not good, cowboy!" Clay attempted to stand again, but the poison now flowing through his veins brought him back to the cool ground surface.

"The sting does something," he called to the other monks, who were now locked in battle. "Don't let 'em get you; it makes you feel weaker than a jackrabbit in a coyote pit." The other warriors said nothing in response, but a quick nod of Raimundo's head made it clear that they had heard the warning.

"Sword of the Storm!"

"Orb of Tornami!"

"Thorn of Thunderbolt!"

The wind, water, and lightning shot out into the night like bright blades and arrows, slicing through the foreign army. Ablaze like a phoenix, Kimiko tore through the jungle, searing the fur off the beasts. She couldn't see them all at once, though. Before anyone could shout a warning, a manticore pricked her from behind, and she dropped.

Another manticore chose just that moment to attempt fitting Raimundo's head into its mouth. As the teen dropped the Sword of the Storm to keep the jaws pried apart, he saw Kimiko fall to one side of him, several yards away. The Thorn of Thunderbolt dropped and skidded to a stop next to his right foot.

Falling back, Raimundo let the beast fall with him and kicked it in the gut, throwing it overhead. He rolled to his feet and grabbed the Thorn of Thunderbolt. Before he could aim it, he heard Ping Pong yelp. Raimundo whipped his head around. At his left side, Omi and Ping Pong stood back to back as six manticores surrounded them, ready to pounce. At his right side, Kimiko lay collapsed and without a weapon, weakly lifting her arms and clenching her fists at the creature which now stood over her, baring its teeth.

Lifting the Thorn of Thunderbolt, Raimundo had a split second to make a choice. The manticores at his left charged at the smaller monks, and the manticore at his right opened its jaw and lunged down upon Kimiko.

"Thorn of Thunderbolt!" Raimundo whirled the weapon rightward, and the blast of lightning struck Kimiko's attacker, throwing it over the collapsed robot.

Ping Pong squealed as his and Omi's opponents bore down upon them. He felt three different tails sting him across the stomach, the leg, and the back, and he fell instantly. He heard Omi hit the ground, too, his water attack falling like a spilled bucket. Paws gripped their sides. Ping Pong tried to struggle, but the poison flooded his insides, and he couldn't move. Completely helpless, he felt the ground drop beneath him in a rush of air as the manticore lifted him in its teeth and took off.

Raimundo whirled around and send another blast of lightning where Omi's and Ping Pong attackers had stood, but they were already gone. The manticores were disappearing in the dark, two of them clutching small round-headed monks.

Air entered his lungs in a sharp hiss. He had a moment to glance back at his other two paralyzed friends, but the manticores were leaving, taking the other half of his team with them. "Shoku Astro Wind!" he shouted, and he shot up into the air after the retreating monsters.

Soaring over the jungle, he gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, trying to spot the beasts in the night. He could still hear them, feet pounding like beating hearts. "Thorn of Thunderbolt!" The blast lit the black woods, and in the flash, he saw the giant creatures splitting off into separate directions.

Gasping, Raimundo yelled Omi's and Ping Pong's names, even though he knew they couldn't answer. He sent blasts of lightning at every manticore he could spot, and when one collapsed in a jolt, he landed and kicked it aside, revealing an unconscious monk. "Who—?" Raimundo turned the boy's head to face him. Although the two monks were practically twins, he could recognize Omi instantly, even without the dots. Raimundo looked up. "Ping Pong!"

A dark shadow stomped past, and he soared after it, clutching Omi under one arm. He didn't dare set him down, not with the other manticores still present. He shot another lightning blast, striking another beast, but this one fell empty-pawed. Raimundo soared over it and shruck at another shadow. The manticore shrieked and crashed onto a tree, and when it lifted its head, Raimundo saw Ping Pong clutched in its jaws, glasses askew.

Raimundo landed to face the creature, shoulders bent protectively over Omi while he pointed the Thorn of Thunderbolt at Ping Pong's attacker. "Drop him," he snarled.

Ping Pong's eyelids flickered. He could see someone, his face cast in a pale light from the glimmering Shen Gong Wu he held in front. Help me, he tried to say, but his lips wouldn't move. He could see Omi already in Raimundo's arms. The Dragon of Wind had a look of rage on his face, matching the manticore's. As Raimundo walked forward, keeping the weapon trained upon his opponent, Ping Pong felt the beast lift him up.

Raimundo froze. As the manticore raised Ping Pong, he could see blood trickling down the boy's neck. If Raimundo shot now, he might hit his friend. Heart thudding, he remained at a standstill a moment too long.

A roar from behind was his only warning. He whirled around, bringing the Shen Gong Wu with him out of instinct, and he fired at the manticore diving at him from behind. The blast knocked it off course, but its claws still lashed out. Raimundo dropped, curling in around Omi as the claws slashed across his back. Another roar, and the manticore clutching Ping Pong took advantage of the distraction. It fled, leaving Raimundo to scramble to his feet.

"Ping Pong?" he shouted. He lifted up the Thorn of Thunderbolt, pointing up at the sky, but when he fired, the lightning strike illuminated an empty jungle. The manticores were gone, and they had taken Ping Pong with them.

Author's Notes:

Shout-out to ZIsNotABird on Tumblr, who came up with the Magician's Watch, Gravity Grip, and Hanaka Feather! Sadly, I didn't have any big plot-related roles for them, but I wanted to put them in somewhere. See the full list here: post/68322013421/my-original-shen-gong-wu