Twilight Rising

Chapter 19

0

"Today's training will be to use complementary Wu in unison to attack a common foe." The master spoke, standing before the koi pond to look to the apprentices before him across the pond. Of course, focus was not the name of the game as each one was distracted with their own little tasks; Kimiko fiddling with her new hairstyle, Raimundo jamming to his radio, Omi distracted by the common bee and Clay whittling away. He'd say Yugi was the only one actually paying attention but he had his head in his journal again. Fung sighed as he looked up, nodding for Dojo to drop the dummy before turning back to the monks. "On the count of three." They looked up and nodded as they readied themselves. "...three!" The sudden call of the number had led to the worst but expected result as each of them were clearly unprepared.

Clay brought out the Ruby of Ramses and Raimundo the Sword of the Storm. Kimiko held the Thorn of Thunderbolt and Omi the Wushu Helmet while Yugi was the last with the Tangle Web Comb. Their lack of concentration had bode the worst results as Raimundo lost his handling on the sword's gales, sending it for Clay who was trying to levitate the dummy for others to hit and instead was swept away. In doing so, the binding force of the ruby grabbed everyone else and began levitating them. Kimiko, who forgotten she had called on the electrical force of the thorn had it shoot for the whirlwind from the sword that redirected the lightning back at them, hitting Omi's helmet and sending him into the hovering pile of monks in the ruby's grasp.

Yugi tried to get to them to help only for the collision to throw him off as they all fell into the pond and knocking Dojo from his perch who had slumbered during the confusion. The master sighed in disappointment, watching as they pulled themselves from the water and commented that the goal was to choose complementary Wu which they failed to do and the dummy remained intact. As he walked past them, he had explained how they were all too easily distracted during the calm in between activations and pulled each item from them as they lowered their heads in shame. Catching the wily bee that harbored Omi's attention, he told them that they shouldn't let their minds wander so easily. Yugi rubbed his arm in embarrassment when told such before the went to follow after the master, Kimiko tugging on Omi's sleeve when he let himself get lost to the sight of the bee again.

He couldn't help it! He wanted to know how the tiny insects could carry their large bodies with such tiny wings!

0

Jack grinned as he prided himself in his next invention, a rolling shield that would protect him from the elements. And by elements he meant the monks. Of course, he'd have to give it a test run before taking it to the field and called for his Jack-bots to help. Red eyes glanced around when none responded and huffed when he saw where they went. "Megan, I told you not to play with my stuff!" he whined as he rolled himself over to his smaller cousin that he was tasked in watching. The little girl pouted as she looked to her older cousin, annoyed that he was ruining her tea party. He wasn't using them right now and they made for better company than him.

Wuya floated to him, demanding the boy to focus instead of worrying about the insignificant child that grated her nerves as much as she did Megan's. "Yuck, the ugly witch is back. Do some tricks, ugly witch." Oh...how Wuya hated the little girl since she arrived. Before the two could get into obnoxious banter in trying to outdo the other in terms of insults, Jack glided between the two. Evil wasn't going to make itself happen and at the very least he could have some sort of cooperation from his little cousin while he worked. Wuya gritted her teeth but conceded, for now, as another Wu activated on an island off the coast of Java. "Let's roll!" Megan smiled and nodded, pushing the rolling shield with Jack still inside and he yelped as he collided with a few loose robotics and whined.

"I didn't mean literally!"

0

Dojo arrived at the island and landed, allowing the others off before bringing out the scroll to show them the Wu they were looking for. "The Mind Reader Conch. With it, when you hold it to your ear and aim it at someone, you can read their thoughts. Pretty snazzy, huh?" With a jab at Clay from Raimundo that got him reprimanded by Yugi, they were off for the direction Dojo pointed but once they past a low hanging palm, they saw a beach littered with conch shells. "Hoo boy...this is going to take a bit." Yugi murmured before they ducked under the palm and spread out to search. Listening into the different conchs to find nothing out of the ordinary had them tossing them out into the ocean as they continued their search for the Wu in question.

Fortunate for Omi, he had picked up the Wu itself and held it to his ear, picking up Raimundo's thoughts and also his "garbage" talk about him which made him step to the boy in anger to reprimand him for his words, dropping the shell. As he moved on to continue the search without taking a moment to realize the Wu was just in his hands, Raimundo went to take the same shell and held it up, catching Omi's vehement thoughts about him and of course, the butchering of the English language as he growled, correcting the small monk as he too dropped the shell. Clay and Yugi looked to each other curiously, wondering if the heat was getting to them with their bickering before Clay moved to pick up the very same shell, lifting it to his ear and caught wind of Kimiko's thoughts through the shell.

/I wonder if boys are always born without brains. At least Yugi has some sense compared to Omi and Raimundo./

The cowboy could've snickered to the last bit before taking the shell away to commented that if he didn't have brains as she so claimed, he wouldn't have caught that the shell being passed around like a common one around them was the Wu they were searching for. Kimiko pursed her lips before finding the shell tossed in her direction and looked to it curiously before she brought it to her ear, focusing on no one in particular. It didn't take long before a very familiar but unwanted voice echoed through the Wu. "Looks like we got unwanted company." she muttered, hissing under her breath that she will make Jack eat his words about her upper body strength. As the boy flew down with Megan on his back, he was ready to tackle the monks head on until Megan demanded that she wanted to drive. While driving a helipack was unsound, it also helped in an odd way as she took the wheel, being Jack's vision and sent him off course.

"Not cool! I need backup! Jack-bots, attack!"

The whirs of the bots had them ready to defend themselves but just like training, their composition was not as complementary as it would be normally. Whether it was wandering minds or something much deeper, Yugi didn't know for sure but it was beginning to affect the team as a whole as the means to play keep away with the shell was nearly a catastrophe if Omi didn't use the Wushu Helmet to keep himself from getting severely hurt. Dojo, who had busied himself enjoying the rays, sputtered when the sand stirred up from the Sword of the Storm near buried him.

"This has the stench of uncoordinated Xiaolin apprentices all over it." he breathed before shifting form and headed for them. Seeing the huge cloud of sand, he took a deep breath and dove into the storm, finding the apprentices with ease. The dragon scooped each of them onto his back before snagging the Wu and was out with relative ease. He was proud of his skill of a clean escape and the Mind Reader Conch intact, expecting a reasonable thank you that was met with slight hostility from four of the five as he used the conch to hear their biting words.

"Hey, I heard that!" he huffed and they apologized while Yugi let out a soft exhale. If the Sands of Time wasn't troublesome days ago, he felt this was about to become the next. The teen could only hope that no one would read into his thoughts. The stone to drop in his stomach of anyone hearing the shade worried him of what questions someone would needle him with about it.

0

Standing before the elder once more, he gave another one of his lessons. The conch was a valuable Wu and when used right, would aid in ways to benefit the user. But alas, with the lack of focus all had begun to show, he told them that it would be best if the Wu to be locked away for the time being. Omi nodded, claiming that in time, they would be above and accepting of such petty differences that still made to tear them apart even as they improved together in strength. The others nodded though there was something to it that just seemed off before each left and Omi sighed in defeat. Was the stagnant passing of time in between Wu activations affecting them in ways that their once close companionship was tearing at the seams? That the long drawls in constant training as apprentices taking its toll on them. The small monk didn't know what to make of it but hoped for an improvement of some sort.

/Little one, what seemsss to be wrong?/ The shade questioned. Yugi sighed, taking a seat on a nearby stone bench and began to speak his thoughts to the shade. The shade listened quietly and spoke its piece while elsewhere, Jack had made to unveil yet another piece of his work. After all, to keep his mind busy, he had to keep his hands busy. Such is why he created another vehicle, a burrowing tank to dig through the earth which proved promising to Wuya. With such a machine in their hands, they could dig their way into the vault, a fact that Jack didn't have in mind at first but the idea was promising. Locating his bots once more, he groaned as Megan had once again coerced them to play with here, skipping rope with her while in her hands was the Juju Flytrap. Jack gritted his teeth as he tried to get his little cousin to spare the bots from her incessant playtime but unlike him, Wuya was more concerned about the Wu in her hands.

The last thing they needed, even if Dashi was solid in his craft, is for her to break it. Demand made, Jack went to get the flytrap from her only for Megan to retaliate and send a swarm of bees after him, leaving her to watch the comical scene as the redhead ran from the swarm, doing his best to not swat at the angry bees. There had to be some way, any way to keep Megan out of trou-

Oh...an idea just came to mind~

The two laughed in victorious conquest, Megan holding a firm pout as she was shoved into the rolling shield Jack had fiddled with earlier. She didn't like this one bit and her older cousin will pay for it in triplicate once she got out. She may not be as evil as Jack were but she definitely had a spot of evil in her little heart, watching as the two left, burrowing underground to begin their assault on the temple vault. The sun gave way to the moon as night fell upon the temple. Dinner that night was quiet between the apprentices and as each returned to their rooms, some wondered...just what did one think of another. Anyone could keep to a happy façade when face to face but within the mind, their spiteful thoughts could speak out what their mouths do not.

A troubling fact that Omi took to heart and began heading for the temple vault under the cover of the night. It was one thing to claim going to the vault was to check for break-ins but he also decided in good faith, he would practice in mastering the conch for the purpose the master spoke of. Whether that is to be believed depended on who viewed the situation at hand. Pulling the conch from its resting place, Omi summoned upon its power before bringing it to his ear and concentrated. He remembered the biting tone from Raimundo earlier and wondered just what else the wind element thought of him. He was silent as he slowly began to pick up the voice of the Brazilian, hearing his thoughts as he spoke that he would fool Omi that he was meditating as the small monk would believe anything told to him.

This has struck a chord in his heart, bitter that he was so easily fooled, as he placed the conch away and left in search of Raimundo to correct such thinking. The moment he had left, another had appeared, that person being the very same that Omi went to seek as Raimundo went into the vault next. Heading down into the dark depths, he reached the same place and pulled the conch out, doing the same as Omi and held the conch to his ear. He was silent as he waited for the conch to catch any thoughts, eventually catching Omi's as he thought bitter thoughts about the boy in question. Of his trust in him to not betray them even after proving himself to get this far and catch up with the others.

Raimundo gritted his teeth in anger. He thought Omi was past this but he supposed once you taste evil, you may as well fall towards it again when an opening calls for it. Throwing the conch back in and slamming the receptacle close, the Brazilian grumbled as he went to leave out the vault and head to his room to ponder. As he turned the corner did another drop into the area, it being Kimiko who too wanted a listen through the conch. She focused on the voice to come in the strongest, finding it to be Clay's who spoke of her quick to anger personality like the flames she wielded. Kimiko hardly believed that she of all people was one to quickly anger. However, she realized that very fact is what was happening at that moment as she got annoyed with how Clay thought of her. She frowned solemnly and placed the conch back and left, wondering if perhaps she should reconsider herself and her sudden anger snaps. She left silently and the last to peek in was Clay, glancing around briefly before heading in as well.

Falling for the same as the others before him, Clay picked up the conch and went to listen in to the first voice that came through, that being Kimiko. He frowned as he heard her displeasure with his usual manner of dialect and was ready to pull the conch from his ear when another voice floated through. 'Huh...is that Yugi...? But he shouldn't have two voices...unless he talks to himself...' Clay thought as he listened in closer. /Hey...I never did ask you about a name if you have one. Feels so weird to never refer to you by a name./ Was the light response before the chilling tone that was a complete 180 from his voice sounded and icy blue hues widened. /I do have a name, an ancient name but that has been buried for quite sssome time. However, a name by such a gentle light would be ssso nice. Whatever did you have in miiiind for me?/ The slithering tone answered. /I was thinking...Valtyrion. Do you like that?/

/Oh I absssolutely love it, little one! Ssso powerful and meaningful~/ A chuckle that made a shiver crawl down his spine sounded through the shell before he pulled it away, feeling like he heard enough. That was a strange experience and he didn't know what to make of such. Whether it was just his imagination in wanting to believe that was just a weird instance of talking to one's self and giving it a name or there was some other presence in Yugi, he rather not make it a thing. After all, to speak that there was something up in Yugi's mind would not only get him outed for using the Mind Reader Conch but also an invasion of Yugi's privacy. He was at least alright with his dialect in comparison to Kimiko. Putting the shell back, he left the vault to head off to bed. The last thing he wanted was to be caught up past curfew.

0

The next morning, Yugi sensed unrest among the others and would've said the tears would've tipped him off to something deeper if it wasn't for the fact that they were literally cutting onions. He held the basket in hand as each monk deftly tossed, peeled and sliced onions to land into the wooden bucket with their bare hands. He sniffled a little as the acrid scent of onions made his eyes water before a slight rumbling underfoot made him look down. Dojo jumped up himself to say what he was thinking and it wasn't long before the others felt it as well and a crack in the ground met their sight as the rumbling got louder. That along could only mean one thing. Eyes trailed the growing split in the ground, heading straight for the vault and Omi was quick to say that he would lead the investigation. "Why? Because you don't think anyone else can handle it?!" Raimundo snapped and Omi was quick to look to him. "No because it is you I have doubts in!"

"Now Omi, that's about as low than a snake's belly button." Clay rebutted before Kimiko growled as she smacked Clay's arm. "Snakes don't have belly buttons!" Yugi could pull his hair at the bickering before stepping forward. "Enough! We have a bigger problem to be worried about! Can it and let's figure this out! Right now!" he growled, making them step back a little. It was a rarity for someone like him to get angry but knew he was also right. Worrying about their own personal thoughts towards each other was going to do nothing to the obvious invader in the vault, following after the violet eyed teen as he headed for the vault. The moment they entered, they saw the giant machine that was clearly made for digging and Jack hauling a bag inside. "Shouldn't be all too surprised that it's you, Jack." Yugi mumbled as the redhead glared pointedly at him. He made a jab that being called Jack Spicer was so last season and that he'd rather go by "Jack Spicer: Dark Prince of the Universe", a title that Valtyrion could only snort to.

He was certainly no prince of darkness when the true kings of darkness was just a mere stone's throw away to becoming a reality once more. That is, once the mirror would stop falling into the wrong hands at every turn. It had promised a long time ago he'd keep it safe but it has yet to keep to that promise as long as Jack was a constant thorn in their side. With a laugh as weak as his composure, he closed the hatch and was gone through the wall of the vault, causing them to jump aside before they could make a retaliation to the armored machine from escaping. With a sigh at their failure for their bickering, they knew a harsh lesson would befall them from the master. Yugi himself sighed before moving through the hole in the vault wall and walked off. That was never a good sign to them as the other was always very optimistic for his position among them. They respected his level head and kind heart and to strain it so with their problems among each other left a very bitter taste in their mouth.

It was like watching an angel fail its sworn duty among mortals.

It didn't take long before the master saw the destruction left in Jack's wake and motioned for them to line up before him. "Your infighting has cost us dearly. But if you open your minds it can bring you enlightenment." he spoke as he looked to each of them. "If you point out each other's shortcomings, you will be able to grow and improve individually as well as a team." They nodded though the process, to Yugi, sounded as fake as their acceptance towards the shortcomings that brought them to this point. He didn't know what else to do, really.

The teen knew they were still held rather strongly by their bonds but the bond still frayed at some edges and like any pubescent teen, once you get mad, it's hard to mellow yourself out. But the task seemed to have fooled the master and with it, he sent them off to have them reclaim their Shen Gong Wu with a supposedly better understanding of each other. /Thisss will go about as well as a chicken crossing a busy freeway if I have to ssspeak in the manner of the large one.../ Valtyrion hissed and Yugi had to agree with the shade even though he gave a short reprimand to not make light of the cowboy.

0

As dusk settled over the land, the five flew to the compound of the evil genius and took in their obstacles to get into the home. Bots patrolled outside but they were spread rather thin which let them get in rather easily, taking the high road with Clay helping Yugi to hop along with them until they landed on the roof. Taking a glance to see an empty hall through the skylight, Yugi nodded before opening the glass panel and slipped in. The hall was quiet as they walked, keen eyes watching every shadow and movement to be sure nothing would jump out at them. Valtyrion was especially alert, knowing it did not want Yugi to be in such filthy hands again for being unprepared. Through Yugi, it heard something coming and was quick to tell the light who told the others. Once they turned, they found it to be Megan. A kind smile rested on her face as she asked if they were searching for Jack and the "old hag", seeing them nod as she went to free herself.

Her dumb cousin really thought to keep her trapped but luckily, he built the ball with a door that didn't have a lock to it. "Will you help us?" Yugi asked and she nodded, making a deal that she would tell them where the Wu was if she could play with Dojo who looked affronted to the deal. But time was of the essence and as such, Kimiko snagged the dragon from his resting spot atop Clay's hat and handed him over to the little girl. "Don't I get a say in this?!" Was the question to be met with a resounding no from all. Megan giggled happily as she pat Dojo's head like a little puppy before telling them where the entrance to the lair was. Yugi thanked her before they were on their way, leaving Dojo to the little girl's mercy. Which, upon getting back to her room...wasn't as bad as he thought. The bonnet was a little much but the tea was divine.

Omi's eye caught sight of the bag holding their Wu as they entered the lair, moving over to the table to grab it while looking to them. "Do you know what I am thinking?" he questioned and it was obvious they were alongside another as Jack appeared, holding the Mind Reader Conch. He grinned as he mentioned everything being so easy was planned from the get-go and sent his bots in to attack. Dropping the bag, Omi nodded to the rest and without any stretch of reluctance, they made to hone their elements in formation before going in for the attack. 'No...this isn't all he had planned...' Yugi thought as he looked to Jack who pulled out a controller, taking over the bots' movements to dodge them while using the conch to hear their every calculated step in stopping him.

Knowing the moves before they were made had them at least running into each other once before finding themselves boxed in. "Guard-bots, finish them!" Wuya called before a finger was wagged in her face. "You don't have a say in what my bots are to do!" Jack snapped as he crossed his arms before he himself commanded the bots to finish the job. Cornered, they could only prepare themselves to fight them off but of course, the loaded guns that aimed for them was a factor that even their quickest reflexes wouldn't save them from such a close range. Yugi swallowed, stepping back while Valtyrion stirred. /Hmm...thessse are to be picked off easily...but not of my hand. Give it say...five secondsss, little one./

Five seconds? What did it mean by five-?

The sound of something coming turned their heads and jumped in surprise as Megan and Dojo came rolling in with the ball shield, the small girl revving up her cadence as she spun around the monks, eventually becoming a literal barrier that, once the bots moved to shoot at them, had their bullets ricochet off the shield and back towards them, destroying each one with relative ease. Jack gaped before scrubbing his hands through his hair in annoyance. Let it be his little cousin that gets in the way...AGAIN. "Fine! You may have gotten out of this one but I still have the Mind Reader Conch!" Jack said defiantly as he used the conch to hear their thoughts and all were on the same wavelength, that they had to get to the bag of Wu on the table before making their escape. Yugi was the first to jump forward, Jack doing the same and both grasped the bag. "So we're back at it again, Yongi." Jack huffed and Yugi sneered a little. "So we are. I challenge you to a showdown, Spicer. Your Mind Reader Conch against my Silk Spitter for this bag of Wu." Yugi claimed and Jack agreed. "The challenge will be...first to cry uncle loses!"

"What is this, grade school? Ugh...fine, I accept." Yugi grumbled as the two called for the showdown to begin and the lair around them began to shift and change. Towers of mechanized pipes and wires grew, covering the area as steam billowed from a few opened vents. The others stood below to watch as Yugi went through the showdown, hoping the best for him. He had gotten better with them but there was still the underlying hint of fear that he would get severely hurt should Jack actually be smart in doing well against him. Yugi's eyes narrowed as he watched the other, calculating what move he should make to get the pale boy to easily cry uncle.

As he did so, Jack used the conch to hear every move he planned to make. This was going to be easy, the genius thought, watching as Yugi leapt into action and moved from the first strike. The teen growled as he tried to catch him again but Jack fluently dodged from each of his attacks, even the webbing shot from the Silk Spitter. "I know your every move, Yongi! You won't be able to win against my superior intellect!" Yugi rolled his eyes before getting an idea and used the webbing to bring himself down to the others.

"I know I didn't look to be in the best of moods recently but I'm counting on you guys. Your insults have gotten your nerves frayed pretty easily for all the iron discipline that I know you have so think of what those same insults will do to him." Yugi spoke and they nodded. Jack would crumble like a leaf under their words if they were the same amount of venom that they said to each other. "You can count on us, Yugi. And we're serious about it." Raimundo spoke and Yugi thanked them all before he tugged himself back up onto a landing. A smile passed his lips as he went to swing around Jack, the other boy trying to listen in on what his next move would be only to hear Kimiko rag on him for his strength and whined that he wasn't a "scrawny old lady" as she claimed only to take a shot of webbing to the face.

Pulling the sticky webbing from his face, Jack glared at the other as he landed, still smiling, and growled as he went to use the conch only to catch wind of Clay as he mocked him for his speed. "W-what even! I'm much faster than a three legged cow!" Jack whined as he went to charge for Yugi, flying into a weak kick that he sidestepped before grabbing at his leg, swinging him across a drop. The genius screamed before whimpering as his stomach collided with a pipe, nearly falling off but regained his footing as Yugi wasn't far behind him. The idea was futile in effort but Jack knew or at least assumed he knew that he will regain the upper hand if he used the conch to solo in onto Yugi's thoughts and tried to do so. But instead was met with Omi's bad punchline work and tried to correct him only to lose sight of Yugi. "Wait, where he go?"

"Looking for me?" A voice sounded beside him and he turned to see Yugi crouched, smile still present and frankly, it was beginning to creep him out. Using the Silk Spitter, Yugi made to leap, swinging around the pipe that he had been on and rounding back, he kicked the other off and watched as he went sailing down to where the others were. /Look at this foolisssh one~ Thinking that he is such a strong and smart evil geniusss~ He is nothing but a weak little cretin who could never learn to do anything right! Not even for what he tried to accomplisssh in the past!/ Valtyrion sounded through the conch and red eyes widened. 'It's that shade! Khial!' Jack thought as he cried out in fear that he had nothing to grab onto. Yugi hummed before creating a web for the other to land. He wasn't heartless and wouldn't stand to see the boy break more than his spine if he were to land on solid ground from that height.

/The only thing you were good for...was leading my mastersss to the light they deserved...after that your usefulnessss has expired so best hope that you won't find that to be a reality when they are reborn~/ Jack's lip quivered, remembering exactly what the demon's words were should they ever learn that his "stench" was around Yugi and cried uncle but whether it was to the challenge itself or for Valtyrion to spare him in the future was up for debate as Yugi went to land with the others. The others ran over to him to praise him for the win and he smiled before shaking his head.

"It wasn't just me. You all helped me as well with your thoughts." he replied as Jack struggled to get out the webbing. "Hey no fair! That stupid shade! It was the worst you had to do! I'm not at fault for failing with the primal darkness back then!" Jack wailed as he got free and fell on his face as Wuya floated beside him. She would've reamed the boy for his loss but when he mentioned the shade, her curiosity peaked. So he was thrown completely off his game because of the shade? How curious and she was sure it had to go way back during his episode of trying to recruit the primal darkness that it said something to him while he had use of the shell.

Yugi turned to him with a glare that could make even Jack cower and he did rather quick, nabbing the Changing Chopsticks to get out from the burning gaze and into the nearest mouse hole. The teen held the bag though the others were curious to Jack's words, especially Dojo. "A shade? What is he talking about, Yugi?" Kimiko asked as Yugi quickly shook his head. "It's nothing, really. Don't worry about it." he murmured as Megan came over, holding the conch and smiled as he opened the bag. "Thanks a bunch, little cousin. And of course you as well, "lady" Dojo~"

The dragon was about to comment on that when he realized the bonnet was still over his head and went to pull off quickly. As Yugi gave the bag to Omi, Dojo shifted form so the others could board but what Jack said still bothered him. Word of the primal darkness wasn't heard for 1100 years and that story had been buried to leave very little sources on it. He himself barely remembered them by name, just their title and what they had nearly caused.

For Jack to know about it and to point out something in Yugi in relation to it really shook his scales. What is the teen hiding and why did something in him felt as if he should remember something important to the very same topic? Dojo sighed and decided to not overthink it for now as he took off with Megan waving to their departure before demanding the tiny Jack to come out and play with her. Since there was no other bots to do so, Jack in a nice dolly size would have to suffice until she was ready to head home.

0

With all the Wu back where it belonged, the five had gone back to training and ready to try again with finding complementary Wu to attack in unison. Each armed with their Wu, Omi began as he used the orb to bring out a torrent of water. Raimundo waited before turning to use the Sword of the Storm to guide the water above him and as it came to rain back down on Kimiko, she cast her flames from the Star Hanabi to turn the water into steam. She smiled before Clay, who held the Fist of Tebigong, create a tear in the ground using it but to his mistake, it didn't hold the effect he wished, splitting the ground underneath the girl and dropped her in when her footing couldn't hold her above it and fell. Losing her concentrating, her flames emerged from the pit wildly, landing on some of the greenery around them, setting them ablaze.

Omi tutted as he told her that was a gross misuse of her element before he and Raimundo worked together to send a gentle rainfall over the burning greenery in the garden. When the fires were doused, Clay helped Kimiko out from the crag as she looked to the damage caused and knew they would hear it from the master once he saw the destroyed garden. "No need to worry yourselves. Old proverb says what Master Fung does not know will not hurt him." Omi spoke with a grin but everyone else was silent as the aforementioned just so happened to be right behind the smaller who failed to notice his presence quite yet. "Um...Omi...?" Raimundo began before the master spoke.

"And what does Master Fung not know?"

The sudden voice had the other jump before turning to look to the master who held the conch in hand, having listened to their thoughts and knew about the fire from their initial freaking out when it happened. Omi chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of his head as he knew they all would be doing the work to replant the garden from the damage after this. While they were focused with that, Yugi was off to another side of the garden, working on his own element. Firelights played gently around him, eyes closed as he concentrated on summoning more while the Sun Chi Lantern shone at his hip. Valtyrion spoke gently through their bond, guiding him with care to make sure what happened behind them didn't apply there as well. Dojo sat before the teen, face stoic as he watched him. His control was excellent and he was proud to see how he'd grown but that niggling in the back of his mind came back and knew...he just had to ask out of the others' hearing.

"Hey, Yugi..." The sudden voice almost made him burst all the tiny lights at once, violet hues snapping open to look down to Dojo before dispersing them as Valtyrion went quiet. "What's up, Dojo?" Yugi asked, kneeling down before him. "I had put this to the back of my mind and considering we had a lot happened between Wuya being revived, Mala Mala Jong being revived and so on...I gotta know..." he started as Valtyrion hissed. Oh the dragon was a nuisance and it should've took the chance to clear his empty skull a second time if what he's about to ask is what it was thinking. "Gotta know what...?" Yugi began slowly and their eyes met.

"What do you know about the primal darkness? Specifically, the shade that helped us during the Sapphire Dragon incident?" Yugi took a sharp inhale as he stood quickly, retreating one step back as Dojo watched him with arms crossed. "Dojo please..." But Dojo was firm in his stance, watching him critically and Yugi took a deep breath before exhaling and began to explain without revealing too much. He would at least tell Dojo what he did know but there was still much to find out and he rather leave that to himself. He didn't want to risk anything if he let the others help, especially in a case where he was likely the only one to solve it. Valtyrion growled silently as it listened to Yugi but could tell the teen was keeping a lot from the dragon, enough to keep him off his back for now. Dojo hummed, brushing fingers over his chin. "So you know nothing about the primal darkness but the shade had been a constant state of helpful for you?"

"Yes, that's all I know. There is still so much unknown to me but I know to be careful with things I don't understand." Yugi replied and Dojo sighed. "Alright. Frankly, I'm in the same position. The primal darkness is a really old name and for Jack to know something and point at you when it came to it got me worried. No matter what the case may be, they are to NEVER come back. I can guarantee that they were worse than Wuya and don't need to live in the world a second time. At anyone's level here, they would practically be unstoppable." Yugi nodded and on the same leveled field, Dojo smiled and praised him for his handle of his element as an afterthought before he skittered off to mind his own, perhaps get himself something to eat while he was at it.

As the dragon left, Valtyrion made its presence known once more. /Dearest little one...I wish for you to not be ssso adamant to listen. He fearsss the unknown like anyone else but I know much more about what he speaksss better than he ever would. The primal darknessss is nothing to fear and you will someday learn that as well. I promissse you...I will never sssteer you wrong./ Yugi fingered the lantern at his hip before giving a nod. He felt he shouldn't take the word of Valtyrion over Dojo but there were still so many unanswered questions, ones that even if he were to ask Dojo, he wouldn't know the answers to them all. Valtyrion was his best hope for knowing all that has happened with him now that he had a name to the presence that appeared in his visions as dreams.

The primal darkness...what do you really want with me...