Hey, everyone, how's it going? Alright, this chapter starts the two-parter of the original Xiaolin Showdown series. After this and the second part are done, I will be doing chapters of my own making that will officially end the Second Arc. However, until that happens, please enjoy the Time After Time two-parter. Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OOC.
The Xiaolin Dragon King: Second Arc
Chapter Fifteen: Time After Time (Part One)
The Xiaolin Warriors were flying on the back of a transformed Dojo one day, heading to where a new Shen Gong Wu had revealed itself not very long ago.
"The Mikado Arm is a lesser known Wu." Dojo told the group as they were looking at the ancient scroll. "It gives great upper body strength to whoever possesses it."
"I do not need upper body strength." Omi said, flexing his arms for a moment. "But I know someone who does." he spared a quick glance at a certain female monk.
"And what that's suppose to mean?!" Kimiko yelled right into his ear, making it ring loudly. "Think carefully before you answer."
"I-I was speaking of Jack Spicer, of course..." the short monk replied, giggling nervously.
"Easy, Kimi." Raimundo spoke up, putting his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders to calm her down. "You can beat him up later."
"Yeah, we got Shen Gong Wu incoming." Juno announced, pointing at the tall, incomplete building of the city they were flying over.
At the very top of the building was the Mikado Arm, glinting in the sunlight and just waiting to be taken. It would have been an easy job, if one complication didn't show up at that very moment, that is.
"Hello, Xiaolin-Losers!"
The group looked up and saw a certain boy genius flying above them on his Heli-Bot, a horde of robots that looked like Dodo birds trailing behind him.
"Meet Jack Spicer and his ace squadron of Bird-Bots! Caw! Caw! Caw!" he pointed up ahead with both index fingers and the robotic birds flew past the dragon, getting in front of him.
When the Bird-Bots turned their heads back around to look at the group, they all unleashed a white, goopy substance from their backsides, hitting Dojo right in the eyes. The Xiaolin Warriors shouted as their dragon dove down and flew into the inside of incomplete building. They had a few close calls with the steel beams that were everywhere while he tried to rub the goop off of his eyes. When he finally managed to do that, Dojo's eyes widened at the steel beam that was about to make direct contact with his face. Luckily, he avoided it just in time, maneuvering around a few more beams before getting outside the building and landing on the roof of another building that was close by.
"Pretty authentic, huh?" Jack said from the steel beam he had landed on, his Bird-Bots perched on different beams around him. "And the cawing? It's a recording of me!"
"Caw! Caw! Caw!" one of the Bird-Bots let out before taking to the air with the others when the redheaded boy activated his Heli-Bot.
"That bird-brain Spicer's a menace on the ground and in the sky." Clay remarked, shaking off the white goop that had gotten on his hat before putting it back on his head.
Everyone jumped off of Dojo's back, allowing him to shrink down to his smaller size.
"Remember, kids, one of you is going to be chosen for Shoku Warrior any day now." Juno told them as the dragon slithered up to her shoulder.
"That's right." he pulled out a notepad and pencil. "And it's our job to rate how each of you-"
The monks jumped high into the air, heading for the incomplete building.
"Does..."
"Teenagers today are always in a rush." Juno commented, hands on her hips as she stood in place and watched.
"Kaijin Charm!" Omi slipped on his elemental Shen Gong Wu. "Shimo Staff!" he pulled out his Wudai Weapon, which transformed into a long, large bat with spikes sticking out. He swung it around and destroyed some of the Bird-Bots.
Clay landed on a steel beam. "Longhorn Taurus! Big Bang Meteorang!" he jumped high up and threw his Weapon, watching it as it sailed through the air and sliced through the robotic birds that were heading for the Mikado Arm.
Kimiko was leaping from beam to beam, a group of Bird-Bots on her tail. "Cat's Eye Draco! Arrow Sparrow!" she turned around mid-jump and threw her bird-like projectiles, which instantly caught on fire and collided with the mechanical extinct birds, demolishing them in a blast of fire.
Raimundo, standing on a steel beam, saw some Bird-Bots coming his way from below. "Crest of the Condor! Blade of the Nebula!" he slashed the blade of his Wudai Weapon in their direction, a sharp, visible slash of wind cutting them apart.
However, the attack didn't stop and it went all the way down to the bottom far below. It made contact with the ground, making the building shake from the strong vibrations it caused. Jack flew towards the Mikado Arm on his Heli-Bot, reaching for it. But, just before he could grab it, the entire building collapsed and it rained down along with the steel beams.
Juno and Dojo, who was still taking notes while now wearing a referee uniform, just observed as Raimundo slid down a beam, Omi walking up to one end before leaping away, Clay riding one while he lassoed another one that pulled him down, and Kimiko climbing up one before jumping from the end. The Mikado Arm fell into view and the monks went for it, all grabbing it in their hands at the same time. They landed on their feet, near where Jack was gathering the broken pieces of his Bird-Bots among the rubble.
"Oh, Wuya is not gonna be happy about this." the redheaded boy said to himself, worried about what the Heylin witch was going to do to him when she realized that he failed to get the Wu.
"Impressive as always, kids." Juno praised. "Next time, though, try to leave the building damage to a minimum. But, more importantly, Dojo, what's the verdict?"
"I have tens all around!" the dragon held up four pieces of papers that had the number ten on them.
"I suppose defeating Jack in the most colorful manner is the tie breaker." Omi said, smirking along with the others as they looked at the evil boy genius.
"No, no, you can't!" Jack cried as they dropped the Mikado Arm and advanced on him. "What kind of people are you?!" he screamed when they jumped on him.
"Aw, they're having so much fun." Juno smiled as she watched her monks beat up the other redhead, Dojo still taking notes while perched on her shoulder.
(Later, at the Xiaolin Temple)
After the pummeling they gave to Jack, the Xiaolin Warriors celebrated their victory with a pizza dinner when they got back to the temple.
"You should have seen me, I even impressed myself." Omi said as he and other monks were seated at the table on the veranda. "And I am not so easily impressed." he finished the slice he was eating.
"Yes, it was a good day for everyone." Juno remarked, standing up while holding the Mikado Arm, Dojo draped over her shoulders. "Well, except Jack, of course."
"Not only did we bring back the Mikado Arm, I even got one of Jack's shoes." Kimiko beamed, holding up the black boot that belonged to the evil boy genius.
"That's nothing, I got Jack's belt." Raimundo said, tossing said belt to Juno.
She caught it with one hand and saw that it had the words "Insert this way around waist" and an arrow drawn on it.
"I can beat that." Clay spoke up. "Jack's hair!" he pulled out a fistful of red hair while taking a bite of his pizza slice.
Juno and Dojo blinked wordlessly at the locks in the cowboy's hand.
"Well, I can place shame on all of you." Omi said, leaning down for a moment. "Jack's undies!"
The others gaped in shock as he held up the underwear, the word "Front" written on them. Raimundo gagged in disgust as the short monk actually placed the article of clothing on his head.
"Ugh, Omi, throw those away." Juno told him. "Better yet, burn them. Anyway, on to more important news, there is still going to be one last test before one of you is picked to be Shoku Warrior. Each of you must go on a quest. However, the twist is that you kids get to chose what your quest will be."
"Oooh, I am very good at quest!" Omi declared, making the other monks roll their eyes. "Almost as good as everything else."
"Dojo is going to be at your beck and call, so you can rely on him to help you." the redhead informed.
"So what else is new?" the dragon questioned.
"And, as a reward for his service, Master Fung is willing to let him trim his toenails." Juno added, smiling knowingly.
Dojo's eyes widened at that. "Alright! I'm in! Oh, yeah, baby!" he cheered happily.
"You are such a lovable weirdo." the female warrior giggled a bit. "As for you kids, you should get started on thinking what your quests will be." she said before turning to leave, going to put the Mikado Arm away in the Shen Gong Wu vault.
(Later that evening)
Omi was sitting in a room, perched on top of the table that was set in the middle of it. In font of him was a board that had a small list of quests that he could go on. Although, "Finding Biggest Ball of String", "Finding Biggest Thermometer", and "Finding Biggest Hairball" didn't really sound like quests one could prove their worth on.
The short monk sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Finding the biggest hairball is a noble quest, but I know I can do better. Maybe I should creep around and check on the others." he reached into his robes and pulled out a Shen Gong Wu. "Manchurian Musca!" he activated it, turning into a small, fly-like version of himself.
He flew out of the room, going to find the other monks and see what kind of quests they had come up with.
(Meanwhile)
Kimiko let out a groan, laying on the floor of her room while holding a pencil. She tried to think of a quest, but her mind was as blank as the paper of the notebook in front of her. Maybe she should try a different approach.
"I've got to find out what kind of quests the others are planning." she said to herself. Dropping the writing utensil, she reached over to where her clothes and shoes were and pulled out a certain Shen Gong Wu. "Shroud of Shadows!"
She wrapped the Shroud around her body, making herself completely invisible.
(Meanwhile)
Clay was sitting at a table, trying to come up with a quest to write down on the piece of paper in front of him. But all he got on it was splatter of sauce that dripped down from the turkey leg he was eating. Then, out of nowhere, he felt something come to him.
"Oh, wait, I feel an idea coming." he put his pencil to paper, about to start writing. However, the idea was actually a loud burp he released a second later. "False alarm." he sighed and put the writing tool down. "I wonder what luck the others are having." reaching into his robes, he pulled out a Shen Gong Wu. "Changing Chopsticks!"
The cowboy instantly shrank down to a much smaller size, landing on the floor and running out of the room.
(Meanwhile)
"Aw, man, coming up with a quest is harder than the quest." Raimundo complained, crumbling the piece of paper he had into a ball and throwing it into the large pile of other scrapped ideas he had come up with earlier. "I don't suppose you have any ideas for me, Kaze." he looked at the small phoenix perched on his shoulder.
Kaze chirped in response, shaking his small head.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Thanks, anyway, though. But what do you say about you and I doing some snooping?" the Brazilian reached into the paper ball pile and pulled out a certain Shen Gong Wu.
The phoenix chirped again, an expression of agreement on his face.
"Great minds think alike." Raimundo smirked a bit as he got to his feet. "Golden Tiger Claws!" he slashed the air and walked into the portal that was created.
Omi was flying down a hallway when he thought he heard a sound close by. "Someone's coming!" he gasped, speeding off in a different direction. He went through the keyhole of a door that was nearby.
Kimiko poked her head out from under the Shroud of Shadows. "Someone's coming!" she ducked back under the Wu, quietly opening the door of a close by room and going inside, silently shutting it behind her.
"Someone's coming!" Clay stilled when he heard the sound of another person approaching. He got down on the floor and crawled through the crack that was between the floor and nearby door.
"Someone's coming!" Raimundo stopped from where he was about to turn a corner. "Golden Tiger Claws!" he ran back down the hallway and jumped into the portal he made.
The portal sent the Brazilian into a room. However, the second he came out, he collided with something that made him fall to the floor. That something just so happened to be Kimiko, now uncovered from the Shroud of Shadows. Not only that, but they had also crashed into Clay and Omi, who returned to their original forms after the collision.
The monks all blinked in surprise as they looked at one another. But they soon got over it, rose up on their feet, and started yelling at each other, accusations of spying going everywhere. Kaze's chirps were drowned out because of the shouting.
Then someone cleared their throat and they all stopped, turning to the source.
"Perhaps, next time, you will knock." Master Fung said from the bed he was lounging on. Dojo was out his bare feet, holding a pair of toenail clippers.
The monks all stared in shock and disgust, even Kaze's beak was wide open at the sight.
"I may be a magical dragon, but I still have a job to do." Dojo said before he began clipping off the older monk's toenails.
Dozens of them flew towards the Wudai Warriors and phoenix, raining down on them. They all cried and ran out of the room, not stopping until they were out of the building and tumbling to the ground.
"I never want to see Master Fung's feet again!" Kimiko yelled as she dug her face into the ground beneath her.
"Did you ever see anything..." Clay took a moment to keep himself from throwing up, his face ashen. "Like those toenails?"
"Like something in a circus!" Raimundo tried to wipe the memory of what he saw from his eyes, Kaze doing the same thing with his wings.
"Perhaps this is punishment for our most shameful behavior!" Omi declared, his entire head going green. "I will never sleep again!"
As the monks and phoenix were still cringing and moaning on the ground, a certain couple walked by and saw them.
"What in the hell in wrong with them this time?" Chase questioned.
"That's a good question." Juno replied. "I have no idea."
(Later)
"You kids always get yourselves into the most interesting situations." the Xiaolin Dragon King said to the monks after they finished telling her what happened with Master Fung and his feet, all of them sitting around the table in the kitchen.
"More like disgusting situation in this case." Raimundo groaned. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Kaze." he rubbed his phoenix's head comfortingly.
"I'm going to have nightmares for weeks." Kimiko rubbed her face.
"You teenagers are so dramatic." Chase remarked, taking a sip of his Lao Mang Lone Soup.
"And all because you're having trouble coming up with your own quests." Juno said. "Not so easy when they don't just come to you, huh?"
"Tell me about it." Clay sighed. "Juno, you think you can give us a hand?"
"I would love to help you kids, but this is really something you need to do on your own."
"Can you at least give us a hint?" Raimundo asked.
"It can even be the smallest of hints." Omi added.
"Please, Juno." Kimiko pleaded, giving the redhead her best puppy dog eyes along with the other monks, even Kaze joined in.
"Okay, okay, just call off the attack." Juno held up her hands. "I can give you a little bit of advice."
"Yay!" the Wudai Warriors cheered, the phoenix chirping happily.
"Spoiling them again, I see, darling."
"Shut up, Chase." the female warrior ordered before turning to the monks. "My advice to you is that you don't just choose a quest that's challenging to complete, but you choose one that challenges yourselves."
"What do you mean by that?" Clay asked.
"One big thing about quests is that they often help the person going on them learn more about themselves. They can teach you where your strengths lie, what weaknesses you might have, showing you what you can truly be capable of, and so much more. It depends on the person, but everyone learns something important one way or another." she smiled at them. "You kids just need to figure what kind of quests would be best suited for you to learn something."
"I thought your advice was suppose to help make this whole thing easier." Raimundo said.
"Well, you guys did ask for a small hint, didn't you?" she winked.
"And we most appreciate it, Master Juno." Omi bowed his head to her. "Although, I will find it hard to come up with a quest since I already know everything about myself."
"I think you would be surprised, Omi." the redhead told him, getting to her feet. "Well, if that's all you kids need..."
"Actually, Juno." Kimiko spoke up. "Can I talk to you about something? In private?"
"Of course." the female warrior said. "Excuse us, boys." she left the kitchen with the female monk.
"Well, back to burning the midnight oil." Clay stood up.
"Yes, quests do not think themselves up." Omi walked out of the kitchen with the cowboy.
"Looks like we're back to where we started, Kaze." Raimundo said, scratching the phoenix under his beak and making him chirp.
"Perhaps I can be a bit of help to you there." Chase spoke up. "You've been thinking about accepting Juno's offer about being a leader, correct?"
"Yeah." the Brazilian nodded.
"But you still have some doubts?"
"A little bit, but not as many as I did in the beginning."
"Then that can be what your quest is, something that test your skills has a leader and can prove whether you truly deserve it or not."
"You really think that would be a good quest for me?" Raimundo questioned.
"I do. And I'm quite certain you'll manage to exceed mine, Juno's, and your own expectations." the Heylin warrior told him, giving him a small smile.
"Thanks, Chase." the Brazilian smiled back.
"But don't tell Juno that I gave you an extra hint."
"Aw, don't want her to know that you're getting even softer on us?"
"Shut up."
Raimundo chuckled. "Well, looks like we have a quest to think up, Kaze."
The little phoenix chirped, flapping his wings.
(Meanwhile)
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Juno asked Kimiko as they were in the temple garden and standing by the pond with the cherry blossom tree planted next to it.
"Well, um..." the female monk started to say, her gaze on the ground. "About our quests, do you think challenging one's self includes... telling another person your true feelings?" she began to blush a little.
"I think there are cases where that has happened." the redhead said. "But, I'm guessing this isn't really about your quest." she crossed her arms under her chest. "What's on your mind, Kimiko?"
"I..." Kimiko paused for a moment. "I want to tell Raimundo how I feel about him."
"I thought you two already did that, hence you dating now and all."
"I meant that... I meant that I want to tell him that I... that I love him." the Japanese girl revealed, her face now a bright shade of red.
"Really?" Juno blinked, smiling widely. "Kimiko, that's great. When are you going to do it?"
"I was thinking it would after we're both done with our quests, since that's most important right now."
"Trust me, sweetie, nothing is more important than telling the boy you love how you feel." the female warrior told her. "I confessed to Chase my true feelings the moment I knew that it was love."
"Yeah, but, the thing is, a part of me isn't sure if I should tell him." Kimiko admitted.
"Why not?"
"Well, it just feels like yesterday that we got together, I'm worried I might be moving too fast. Plus, what if he doesn't share those types of feelings for me. I mean, there's a big different between like and love, and-"
"Kimiko, Kimiko, breathe for me, sweetie." Juno cut her off when the shorter girl started to hyperventilate a little. "Relax."
The Japanese girl took a moment to take a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm stressing out a little over it."
"There's no reason for you to apologize." the redhead told her, placing her hand on her shoulders. "And I get it, I really do, it's scary when you think the person you love doesn't return your exact feelings. But I honestly think that you don't have to worry about that. I know for certain that Raimundo really is in love with you, it's obvious just from the way he looks at you all the time." she smiled at her reassuringly. "I think you telling him right away would be a good thing, but you can go at whatever pace feels right by you. Just don't wait too late, okay?"
Kimiko nodded.
"And, on the off chance that he doesn't return your feelings and breaks your heart, you and I can beat the shit out of him together." Juno said brightly.
The female monk laughed a bit at that. "Thanks, Juno, that means a lot to me." she smiled at her.
"Anytime."
Above the two, a single petal from the cherry blossom tree dropped from the branch it was clinging to. It floated down gently until it hit the pond below, creating small, soft ripples in the water. Now, this particular petal was quite unlike the other petals.
And the reason for that was because the petal was in the shape of a small, pink heart.
(Later)
After talking with Kimiko a bit longer, Juno was heading back to her room while humming merrily to herself. As she was crossing the temple grounds, she came across a certain Brazilian.
"Hey, Juno." Raimundo greeted when they reached each other, Kaze on his shoulder. "You look like you're in a good mood."
"Oh, that's because I heard something really great." she told him. "And I think you'll also be hearing it, too, Raimundo." she winked at him.
"Oookay..." he blinked at her, a little confused. "Well, I'm heading back to my room to do some more thinking about my quest before hitting the sack."
"Did you manage to think of a good one to go on?"
"Kinda, Chase gave me some more advice after you and everyone else left. But don't tell him that I told you that, I think he'll get angry."
"Chase just doesn't like people thinking he's soft." Juno said. "What kind of advice did he give you?"
"Well, he basically told me that my quest could be something that test my leadership skills." Raimundo explained. "And I think that's a good idea since I've been seriously considering on taking you up on what you offered me."
"Really?" the redhead smiled at him. "I just keep getting good news tonight. I'm so happy to hear that, Raimundo. I know that when you finish your quest and become Shoku Warrior, you're going to make a great second-in-command. I'll be trusting you to lead the others if something happens."
"Thanks, Juno, but I'm really hoping nothing happens to you." he told her. "Although, I do appreciate you having such faith in me."
"You deserve it, you've come such a long way." Juno told him with a proud look, placing a hand on the shoulder the phoenix didn't occupy. "And I was thinking that-" she suddenly stopped and turned her head to the side.
"What is it?" Raimundo asked.
"I thought I heard something just now." she answered, her eyes seeing no one, and nothing, around. "It must have been my imagination."
However, it was not the Xiaolin Dragon King's imagination. In fact, she and the Brazilian's entire conversation was overheard by another monk. A monk with a certain big, round, bald head.
Omi didn't know how long he had been running, just that he kept going before Juno could spot him. He also didn't know how far he had gone until he finally came to a stop to catch his breath. He took in his surrounding, seeing that he had run off the temple grounds and all the way to a river bank in the forest.
Walking over to the flowing water, Omi kneeled down and stared at his reflection. He saw how anguished his expression was as his mind replayed what he had heard Juno and Raimundo talking about when he just happened to stumble upon them while he was taking a walk to clear his mind to better think of a quest.
"Master Juno, she... she wishes for Raimundo to be her second-in-command. That must mean she believes he will become Shoku Warrior first... before me."
He couldn't believe it. All of the work he had done to prove what a capable warrior he was, all he had done to prove he was worthy of being a Shoku Warrior, it was all for nothing. His leader, the one he looked up to the most, believed that someone else was more worthy than he was. More deserving than him. It just didn't make sense to the short monk, he was the best fighter of his friends, he had been training for much longer than they have, done so much more than them. He truly believed he was the most deserving of being the first to raise to Shoku Warrior, even being a leader. But, now, that was going to be taken away from him. All of his hard work proving to be a waste of time. It wasn't fair.
With a shout, Omi slammed his hands down on the water. A large blast of it shot high into the air, raining down on the area below. Leaning back, the short monk sniffled and rubbed his eyes, wiping away the tears that were combining with the water falling down on him, which stopped as soon as it had started.
"Aw, now, isn't that just sad?"
When the familiar voice spoke up out of nowhere, Omi immediately jumped to his feet and turned to a nearby tree. On one of the branches was a certain demon, along with his Ying-Ying Bird.
"Hannibal Bean!" he took a stance, ready to attack. "What are you doing here?"
"Now, now, I come in peace." Hannibal Bean held up his limbs. "I was just flying by when I saw how, well, distressed you were. Would I be guessing correctly if I said it had something to do with Juno?"
"That is none of your concerned." Omi replied. "Leave now, or suffer a humiliating defeat!"
"Oh, I think you're the one who's been humiliated, my boy."
"What do you mean?"
"It couldn't have been an easy thing for you to hear, Juno picking Raimundo to be her second-in-command because she knows he's going to be Shoku Warrior first."
The short monk dropped his stance, blinking at the demon in surprise. "How do you know this?"
"I have many ways of gathering information." Hannibal Bean told him. "But, more importantly, it's so unfair of Juno to just disregard you like that. It's almost as if she doesn't appreciate all of the work you've done to make yourself into a fine warrior."
"Master Juno... Master Juno is wise, I'm sure there are reasons for the decisions she makes." Omi said, though he looked doubtful.
"She can't be all that wise if she thinks you don't deserve to be Shoku Warrior first. I mean, all the trouble you've gone through to prove yourself. Then again, maybe you're just not as important to her as the other monks." the demon smirked maliciously.
"You are wrong!" the short monk yelled.
"Am I? Then why didn't she consider you to be a candidate for second-in-command? Why is it only Raimundo she picked for the role?"
Omi had nothing to say to that, looking at the ground with a conflicted expression. He refused to believe that he was less important to Juno compared to the others, she even said that he was her favorite. But, though he didn't want to admit it, the villain's words were making sense to him. If the Xiaolin Dragon King really did think he was worthy, then she would have picked him to be a leader, she would have been positive that he would be the first to be Shoku Warrior. However, she didn't, and that was all going to someone else. Someone who was Raimundo of all people. Was he really not as important to Juno as he believed all this time?
"I feel your pain, little one." Hannibal Bean said, making the short monk look back at him. "It's tough, knowing that you're actually insignificant to someone you admire so much. But, I think I have an answer to your problem."
"An answer?" Omi repeated.
"You monks are in the middle of coming up with quests, aren't you? Well, why don't you do something that will be sure to impress Juno? Something really, really big that will prove to everyone that you're truly worthy of not only being Shoku Warrior, but being her second-in-command?"
"I... I have no reason to listen to the words of a villain." the short monk said, though he still sounded dubious. "Especially one as tricky as you!" he took off running in the direction of the temple.
"Remember what I said, little one!" Hannibal Bean called after him, watching him go until he was out of sight. "Well, that should be enough to make him doubt himself and Juno." he chuckled evilly. "He'll most certainly try to prove himself in the most over the top way that will definitely cause trouble for everyone. And, when that happens, I'll be more than happy to take advantage of the situation, turning it into my favor."
The demon laughed, soon being joined by the Ying-Ying Bird as he climbed on its back. The two took off into the air, flying through the night sky.
(Later, back at the Xiaolin Temple)
Omi was now wandering around the temple grounds, his gaze on his feet. He tried to shake the words of Hannibal Bean out of his head, but they remained stuck despite his attempts. It was foolish of him to even consider that what he said was true, he was a villain known for his manipulation, after all. Even so, what he said still fueled the doubt Omi was feeling in not only himself, but those closest to him as well.
"So you also gave Raimundo some advice, huh?"
Upon hearing the voice that spoke up, the short monk looked up and found himself standing close to an open window. When he realized that it was a window to a certain redhead's bedroom, he pushed his back against the wall so he wouldn't be seen.
"That little snitch." Chase's voice was soon heard.
"Oh, I think it's very sweet." Juno said, her back appearing in the windowsill as she sat down on it. "There's nothing wrong with giving a helping hand to someone you care about."
"Maybe so, but I don't really like people to think I'm going soft."
"I know, but there's really nothing wrong with that. I am glad to know that Raimundo has become more confident about being a leader, he was so doubtful at first."
"That is true, and I'm sure that the others will be surprised when they learn that you both kept it a secret from them."
"Yeah, I can just see the looks on their faces." Juno chuckled a bit. "I know Kimiko and Clay will be fine, it's Omi that I'm more concerned about. I'm worried he's not going to take the news well."
Omi looked down when he heard that, Raimundo was not even Shoku Warrior yet and he was already feeling bad about the whole thing.
"The little monk will get over it eventually." Chase told his wife. "Perhaps he will see that this is the best direction to take."
"I hope so." the redhead said. "You know, I can almost hardly believe that so much has happened in what feels like a short period of time. Raimundo is going to become Shoku Warrior, and we only have two more ingredients of the mortal potion to go. And, when we get them..."
"We'll finally be rid of Hannibal Bean." the Heylin warrior took her hand in his. "I cannot wait for that day to come."
"Same here." Juno smiled a bit. "There'll be one less evil bastard in the world, that's for sure."
"That there will be. Juno..."
"Yes?"
"Do you still wish that I was on the side of good?" he asked her, making her blink at him in slight surprise. "I just feel that if I didn't drink the Lao Mang Lone Soup Hannibal Bean gave to me all those years ago, then maybe things would have been different for us. Perhaps... you and Mei wouldn't have died." his eyes became downcast.
"Chase..." the female warrior stared at him. She sighed a bit. "I'll admit, I do think that things probably would have been easier if you didn't switch to the Heylin side..."
When she said that, Omi was struck with a sudden idea. An idea that was really, really big and would for sure prove himself worthy of being a Shoku Warrior. And a leader.
'I believe I may have found the perfect quest.' he thought to himself, smiling widely as he quietly left.
"However..." Juno continued after the short monk had gone. She placed a hand on her husband's cheek, making him look at her. "We can't change the past, all we can do is keep going forward. And I've told you this before, but I fully accept you as you are now, Chase, no matter what. If I was given the choice of turning you good again, or having you stay evil..." she smiled at him. "I wouldn't hesitant to pick the latter every time."
Chase stared at her for a moment, taking in her sincere expression. Slowly, he began to smile himself and placed his hand over hers. "Thank you, darling."
"Just consider yourself lucky to have such an amazing, and understanding, wife." she said smugly, winking at him.
"Yes, I'm extremely lucky." he leaned over and kissed her gently, feeling her kiss back.
When they pulled away, the couple smiled at each other lovingly as they touched their foreheads together. They wrapped their arms around one another, holding the other close.
(Later)
"I will go back in time and stop Hannibal Bean from turning Chase Young to the dark side!" Omi declared, standing upside by his head on the table he was on.
"Gotta say, when you take on a quest, you sure don't think small." Dojo remarked, leaning his elbow on the table. But then it lowered into the floor and he fell down. "Although, are you sure that you want to make this your quest?" he picked himself back up. "I mean, Juno and Chase are both pretty content with how things are now. I'm not sure if going back and preventing him from turning evil will go well, you never mess with time without something else happening."
"Maybe so, but there is a chance that Master Juno could not have died the first time because of Hannibal Bean if Chase Young did not switch sides." the short monk explained, lowering himself down to his feet to stand up. "Perhaps even young Mei Young could still live."
"Well, that is a possibility." the dragon said, though he still looked a little dubious.
"All that stands in my way is..." Omi started. "How to do it." he sighed, putting a hand to his head. "Agh, I need the Sands of Time! But it was hidden in the future by old me!" he grabbed the reptile by the neck, making his eyes bug out.
When he released him, Dojo pulled on his red beard and his eyes returned to normal size. "I got it! Travel to the future and get the Sands of Time!"
"You mean, turn myself into an Omicicle?" the bald monk questioned.
"Exactly! Just freeze yourself and wait eighty years. You might want to bring along a good book."
"Dojo, your idea is most brilliant!" Omi praised. "Even though it was my most brilliant idea first."
The dragon rolled his eyes.
"I say cooties all around!"
As the short monk rushed out of the room, excited to start preparing for his quest, Dojo blankly held up a sign that had "kudos" written on it while he pointed in the direction the monk went in.
(The next day)
"Hey, good morning, Juno." Kimiko greeted the redhead when she walked into the room she, Raimundo, and Clay were having breakfast in.
"Morning, kids." the female warrior greeted back, stopping when she got to their table. "Have you seen Omi or Dojo this morning?"
"No, not at all." Clay answered. "The little fella wasn't in his room when we got up, we figured he was getting some early morning training in, but he still hasn't shown up."
"Yeah, and it's not like Dojo to skip out on breakfast. Or any meal, for that matter." Raimundo said, Kaze next to him on the table and eating bird seed out of a bowl.
"Hmm, that is strange." Juno remarked more to herself. "Where could they be?"
"On the little monk's quest."
"Chase." the redhead turned to her husband when he walked in. "How do you know that?"
"I was walking by the Shen Gong Wu vault when I saw this stuck to the door." the Heylin warrior handed her a piece of paper and she read it.
"Dear Master Juno, and everyone else, I have found what my quest is to be! I left early this morning, taking some Shen Gong Wu with me. I will return soon, emerging most victorious. Until then, much love, Omi.
"Oh, dammit all." Juno sighed. "If Omi figured out what his quest is going to be, and he didn't tell anyone, it's probably gonna lead to trouble."
"In other words, this is gonna come back and bite us in the ass?" Raimundo questioned.
"Yup." the female warrior confirmed, making the monks groan.
They silently prayed that their friend knew what he was doing.
(Meanwhile, in the temple's greenhouse)
Omi was in the underground room of the greenhouse that acted as a vault for the Heylin Seed, which was locked in the chest that had the dragon statue coiled around it. He had a sack full of Shen Gong Wu, preparing for his trip into the future.
"I will set the oven timer for the year 2101, and use the Eye of Dashi to defrost me." he said to himself, pulling out the timer and Shen Gong Wu, as well as a tape recorder, and setting them down near the statue.
"Omi."
The short monk turned around and saw Dojo on top of the stairs, suitcase in hand while he had eyes that said he was begging to go with him. He sighed. "If you wish to come, you must do as I say." he told the dragon, making him throw his arms up happily. "You can carry the Shen Gong Wu." he threw the sack at him as he was coming down the stairs.
Dojo dropped his suitcase and caught the Shen Gong Wu-filled sack, tumbling the rest of the way down. "This is no way to treat a mystical dragon." he complained as the door closed shut behind him.
"Changing Chopsticks!" Omi used the Shen Gong Wu, shrinking the sack down to a much smaller size. "Keep them in a safe place." tucked the Chopsticks into his robes.
"Got it covered, boss!" the reptile picked up the tiny sack and stuffed it right into his ear.
"Well, time to get the movie onto the street!" the short monk made sure the items he had placed by the statue were set just right before he grabbed the Orb of Tornami.
"Uh, I'm guessing, show on the road." Dojo said as he followed him to behind the statue.
"Orb of Tornami Ice!"
The Wudai Warrior and dragon were instantly frozen in a large block of ice, part of it covering the back of the dragon statue.
And so the waiting began. The days and the months passed by, the seasons changing along with them as the earth continued to revolve around the sun. For others, time went on just as it always has. But, for the frozen monk and dragon, it went by in the blink of an eye.
(Eighty years later)
The oven timer finally met the time it was suppose to go off on, a slight 'ding!' ringing out. The tape recorder connected to the timer, both of them having small cobwebs on them, turned on.
"Eye of Dashi!" Omi's recorded voice played from the device.
The Shen Gong Wu next to the recorder and timer activated, shooting a blast of electricity from its ruby center. The attack hit the block of ice in front of it and caused it to almost instantly melt away. When it was done, there was nothing left but a large puddle of water and the formerly frozen monk and dragon, who both yawned as they walked out from behind the statue.
"Aaah, that was the most refreshing eighty year nap I ever took!" Dojo declared, feeling very refreshed and well-rested.
"Come, we must find Old Omi right away!" Omi told him, going over to the vault's doors and opening them. The meditating monk statue above slid open, revealing the way out. "Oooh, I cannot wait to see myself again!" he said excitedly, immediately heading up the stairs and for the greenhouse door. "I am sure I have not changed a bit!"
Dojo, observing how the plants inside have overgrown, had just caught up with the short monk when he had opened the door. They made their way to the middle of the temple grounds, but almost immediately noticed something wasn't right and stopped in their tracks. There was a thick fog floating in the air, the sky grey and gloomy, but that wasn't the issue.
The temple was in complete shambles. Buildings were deteriorating, parts of the grounds were uprooted, and there were big, gaping holes in the stone wall. Everything was just one giant mess, and it looked like no one had been in the temple for a very long time.
"Is it me, or has the neighborhood gone south?" Dojo remarked, blinking in shock at the sight.
The two continued walking ahead, not noticing two sets of glowing red eyes shining through the fog and following them.
"It appears that certain fellow monks had not kept up with their chores." Omi remarked, surveying the damage that was all over the temple, or what was left of it. "Master Juno is sure to give them an earful." he came to a stop when a familiar object caught his eye. "Look!" he raced ahead and went through the opening of the Shen Gong Wu vault, the doors pulled from their hinges. "Someone left the door to the vault open!"
"What door?!" Dojo exclaimed, talking about how the entire exterior of the vault was demolished.
The short monk went to the opened vault hole and gasped when he looked down. "All of the Shen Gong Wu are gone!" he gestured down to the open stone drawers below, nothing in them except cobwebs and a curious skull that had a long cranium. "I do not understand, this is not the future I had expected."
As his gaze was still down, the dragon next to him looked behind them and his eyes instantly widened. He poked Omi, making him turn around and come face-to-face with the barrel of some kind of gun, Dojo hiding behind him.
"Lay down your arms and surrender at once." ordered a deep, robotic voice, the source of it mostly concealed by the fog except for the arm the gun was attached to and its two glowing red eyes.
"My arms will remain attached to my shoulders, where they belong!" Omi retorted, chopping the gun off with his hand.
The shadowed figure lifted up it other hand, revealing another gun barrel with three, sharp metal claws surrounding it. It fired a laser-like projectile at the monk and dragon, but they jumped up to dodge it. When they landed back on the ground, they ducked to avoid the second attack and immediately ran away to keep from getting hit by the third.
The figure came out of the fog, revealing itself to be a high-tech, legless robot that was floating in the air. Most of its bronze colored body, shoulders, hands, and lower area were all attached together by silver metal. A black voice box was placed in the middle of its body, right between the red eyes.
As the robot flew ahead, another one stayed behind to survey the area, using heat-seeking vision to look for Omi and Dojo. Then the heated body of the reptile poked out from behind the pile of rubble he was hiding behind.
"Shimo Staff!"
The robot turned around, and was met with a large, spiked bat to the face. Omi didn't have much time to celebrate destroying the enemy as the first bot was now firing its laser-like projectiles at him. He ran and hid behind a piece of rock. When the mechanical being was close enough, he lifted up his transformed Wudai Weapon and slammed it right into the robot's face, sending it flying back and crashing to the ground.
Omi jumped on top of the upper part of a destroying monk statue. "Those bots will think three times before fooling with me!" he stated as his Shimo Staff returned to its regular form, Dojo slithering over to him.
"Uh, I wouldn't count on that!" the dragon pointed to where the robots were.
Much to their shock, they saw the dismantled arms of both robots moving all by themselves on the ground. When they met in one spot, they merged together into one bot, which now had four gun barrels. Only three worked since the short monk destroyed one of them earlier, but it was still bad.
"Oh, no." was all Omi said before he and Dojo took off running, just as two of the arms began firing at them, the other two working as legs.
The dragon went over to a row of three vases, jumping into the middle one as the other two were destroyed by the laser-like projectiles. "Close one." he gulped, ducking his head down as the robot past by.
Omi ran behind a pillar just as the one next to it was blown apart by the still firing mechanical arms. When the robot walked by his pillar, he crept away as quietly as he could before he ducked behind another pillar. However, instead of feeling stone, he felt cold, hard metal pressing against his back.
Looking up, the short monk saw glowing red eyes that belonged to a different version of the robot that first attacked him and Dojo. It now had legs and was much taller than him. And it wasn't alone as there were two more behind it.
Omi's eyes widened as the robot lifted up the leg he was hiding behind. He quickly ran away before the mechanical foot could squash him. The robots chased after him, firing their projectiles at him.
"Shimo Staff!" he held his Wudai Weapon out sideways. He slid to a stop just as its sides stretched out, tripping the robots when their legs collided with it. With the enemy stuck in the ground, the short monk shrunk his Staff back down and hightailed it the other way.
He jumped over a piece of stone to hide. However, it wasn't long before he was screaming and running away from the robot made up of the four mechanical arms when it fired at him. As he was dodging the laser-like projectiles, Omi was forced to slide to an abrupt stop when three gun barrels were pointed right at his face. He turned to run the other way, but was met with two more guns.
Putting on a blank, but annoyed expression, the short monk begrudgingly put his arms up in surrender. One of the robots picked him up by the back of the robes with its metal claws, lifting him up high into the air.
Dojo watched helplessly as Omi was carried away by the group of robots, at a lost for what to do now.
(Later)
After being carried for who knows how long, the short monk had found himself taken to an area that was below a certain Heylin warrior's lair. However, now, the demonic face of its entrance had two yellow circles above the eyes, red spirals in them. Something very familiar to him.
The robot carrying Omi suddenly stopped and held him up, releasing him a second later. He screamed as he fell far down, stopping when he collided with a hard ground. Pushing himself up to his feet, the bald monk saw that there were other people around, wearing black and white prison suits. Looking up at one of the tall walls that were on all sides, he saw the robots who had brought him here leave.
Turning his gaze to a guard tower nearby, Omi saw a sign, all lit up in bright lights, that said "Jack Spicer's Prison".
"Jack Spicer has his own prison?!" he said in disbelief. "He is the one who should be in prison."
Not going to find anything out just standing around, the short monk walked ahead and went down a tunnel that was attached to the area he was in. The prison was a lot bigger than he thought as he kept walking into other areas that held even more prisoners. As he made his way, he observed that there were no doors or anything else that could be used to escape, just the very tall, cement walls that were everywhere you looked. And, even if you could climb over one, there were guard towers stationed all around. Not only that, but there were hordes of Guard-Bots flying in the sky, watching and surveying in case of any attempted jailbreaks.
He didn't know how long he had been walking, or how many areas of the prison he had covered, but when Omi walked into the next one, something on the ground caught his eye and made him stop. It was a hat. More specifically, a cowboy hat that he could recognize anywhere, despite how old and tattered it looked. A hand picked it up and placed it back on the bald head that it had fallen off of.
The short monk gaped in shock as he looked at the trio of old prisoners sitting in a corner. One of them was larger than the other two, wearing the cowboy hat and eating some food straight from a bowl. He had blond eyebrows, blue eyes, and brown boots that had a hole in one of them and showing his toes.
The other one was a woman, her back to the short monk, that had faded black and grey hair tied in pigtails, held together by tiny bones. And the last one was a short elderly male who had balding grey hair and green eyes.
Omi recognized them instantly. "Kimiko?! Raimundo?! Clay?!" he stepped towards them.
"What?" Old Kimiko squinted her blue eyes, the wrinkles on her face more prominent. "I can't hear or see so well." she turned to the shorter, much younger, boy. "Come closer."
The Wudai Warrior went over to her as she stood up, her bones audibly cracking as she did so. Her arms outstretched, she touched his big head, rubbing it and getting the dirt that was on her hands on him.
"Omi?" she gasped, still feeling his head.
"Well, I'm be a one-legged bull at a square dance." Old Clay said in a hoarse voice, showing his toothless mouth. "It is Omi!" he slowly got to his feet.
"What happened to you?" Old Raimundo asked, using a stick to walk and support his hunchback.
"I was going to ask you the same thing." the short monk replied. "What is going on?"
"I remember that eighty years ago, before a Shoku Warrior was chosen, you and Dojo disappeared to go on your quest." the Brazilian said.
"I did not disappear to go on my quest." Omi told him, wiping the dirt off of his head and face with his sleeve. "I froze myself to travel into the future to talk to Old Omi for my quest. Where is Old Omi?" he looked around the area, trying to see if he could spot his future self among the sea of prisoners.
Raimundo gestured for him to come closer and he did. "There is no Old Omi, you dope!" he smacked him on the head.
"I don't think you fully grasp the time space continuum, partner." Clay spoke up. "See, when you froze yourself, there was no Omi left behind to grow old." he sat back down.
"Oooh, perhaps I did not think things completely though..." the short monk sheepishly turned his gaze elsewhere, twiddling his fingers.
"No, that's my porridge, you coot!" Kimiko said to Clay, who had picked up a bowl of said porridge. She grabbed it and they tugged back and forth for it.
"We must find a way to escape!" Omi went over and snatched the bowl from them to get them to stop. "What Shen Gong Wu do you have?"
"Uh, let me see..." the cowboy thought for a moment. "None."
"None?!" the short monk dropped the bowl, which would have hit the floor if Raimundo didn't catch it. "What have you been doing the last eighty years while I was asleep? Sleeping?!"
"When Jack took over the temple years ago..." the old Brazilian started, stirring the porridge with his finger. "He took all the Wu and locked us up. That's how he became Evil Jack Spicer, Emperor of Darkness."
"Oh, how could this have happened?" Omi asked himself. "But what about Master Juno, surely Jack Spicer could not have been able to take over the world if she was around. And where is Kaze, he should be older, too."
The other, older monks didn't say anything right away, their gazes on the cement floor beneath them.
"Kaze, the poor little guy, didn't make it when Jack stormed the temple that day." Raimundo said mournfully, setting the bowl down. "He lost his life before he had a chance to combust himself and be reborn."
Omi let out a small gasp.
"As for Juno, I'm afraid she hasn't been able to do anything for a long time." the Brazilian continued.
"You..." the short monk's eyes widened. "You do not mean she is... gone?"
"Well, more or else. Not very long after you froze yourself, Hannibal Bean trapped both her and Chase in some sort of crystal. And since the strongest Xiaolin Warrior was out of the picture..."
"Jack took the opportunity to take over the temple and the world." Kimiko finished, picking up the bowl of porridge from the ground and eating the contents.
"Dagnabbit!" Clay yelled, getting up and chasing after her.
"This is all my fault." Omi said, his expression racked with guilt. "I ruined the future by not being there to make it. And, now, Master Juno, Chase Young, and Kaze are-"
He was cut off when he was suddenly lifted up into the air by the back of his robes. He looked up and saw one of the Guard-Bots holding him with one of the steel claws that made up one of its legs. It grabbed Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay in its other claws.
"You four, come with me."
"Where are you taking us?" Omi demanded.
"To the colosseum show." the robot responded.
"I suppose a show would be most entertaining." the short monk gave a small smile.
"We're not watching a show, you bowling ball head!" Raimundo told him, smacking his hand on his forehead. "We are the show!"
"Oh, that does not sound good." Omi said as the Guard-Bot flew up towards what was now Jack Spicer's lair.
(Later)
In a room that functioned as a colosseum, a group of mechanical lions were gathered around in the middle of the floor, all of them biting and ripping on something. Or someone. When they pulled away, it revealed to be Le Mime, wearing nothing but a helmet, his gloves, and underwear after the robotic cats stripped him of his gladiator armor. Body shaking, he held up a white flag in surrender. A Guard-Bot grabbed him by the underpants and flew away with him.
"There's nothing like watching lions do what they do best to make an old, evil emperor feel... well, evil." laughed Old Jack Spicer, his body encased in a tall, towering robotic suit that was black, red, and bronze and had a skull in the middle of the front. The top of his head was bald with very dull red hair around his ears. Over his eyes were yellow-lensed glasses that had small red spirals in them, two black markings painted under his eyes.
He was sitting on a ledge, over looking the colosseum from a throne-like chair. On either side of him were two Jack-Bots, one handing him grapes while another was fanning him with a large, white feather. And, standing behind him, were two large rock creatures that used to be under the command of a certain Heylin witch.
"We have a special treat for our featured event later tonight." announced a floating robot that was made to look like a ringmaster, speaking into a megaphone that was in his hand. "The Spicer-Tigers versus an old, favorite goodie, back again for the very last time." he knocked on a section of the wall in the colosseum. "How about a big, evil welcome for..." the section of the wall rose up. "Omi!" he gestured to the short monk, who was behind the bars of the cage he was put in along with the other monks.
Jack spit the grape he was eating out in shock. "Cheeseball! I always wonder what happened to him." he tossed up another grape, but it missed his mouth.
"Sir, it was very nice making your acquaintance."
Omi turned to the voice that had spoke in cage. He saw a much older man, his back to him, talking to a mouse that was on the palm of his hand.
"We must do it again sometime. But, next time, I shall make the tea."
The short monk recognized the voice immediately. "Master Fung?"
"Opi?" the much older Master Fung, his beard, mustache, and eyebrows all white, blinked his glassy eyes as the mouse ran down his arm and to the ground. "Is that you? Where have you been?"
"It is Omi." the Wudai Warrior stepped towards him. "And it is a very long story. I am afraid that I have ruined the future." he gripped his prison shirt in his hands, leaning against him as began to cry softly.
"Oh, it's okay, Opi." Master Fung rubbed his back comfortingly as the other elderly monks joined them. "I am much too feeble to understand anything. But I do know this, the future can always be changed."
Omi turned his tear-stained face up at him.
"If you can get the Sands of Time from Jack Spicer."
"Every now and then, the old dude still spits out a few words of wisdom." Raimundo whispered to the young monk, who wiped his tears away. "But, mostly, he just spits."
As Master Fung was in the middle of spitting, a certain dragon suddenly appeared out of thin air.
"Hey, boys and-woah!" Dojo stopped when he saw the much older-looking monks. "Very, very old people."
"Dojo!" Omi smiled widely. "How did you get here?"
"I used the Shroud of Shadows to give the bots the slip and seek in." he explained, holding up the Shen Gong Wu he had used. "I thought you might need a little help." he pointed to his ear.
Getting what he meant, the short monk pulled the Changing Chopsticks out from his robes. "Changing Chopsticks!"
The sack in the dragon's ear grew, making the side of his face expand along with it, until it burst out and landed on the cage floor.
"I know you." Master Fung pointed at the reptile. "You're Mojo!"
"That's Dojo, with the mojo!" Dojo turned to him, getting nothing but a blank, vacant stare in return. "You know, poopiebear? And your puppy-eyes." he still got nothing.
Suddenly, the door to the cage slid open.
"You, old timer, you're up." the Guard-Bot said as it picked up the elderly monk by the back of his shirt, pulling him out of the cage and closing the door soon after.
"Guys, this is the chance we've been waiting for!" Raimundo said to the other monks as they were digging through the Shen Gong Wu-filled sack. "I say we break into the palace, and take back the Sands of Time!"
"I don't know, partner." Clay said. "We're not exactly the lean, mean fighting machines were once were."
Outside the cell, Master Fung was put in the middle of the colosseum floor, the mechanical lions were stalking towards him on all sides. Before they pounced on him, he jumped high into the air, landing on the other side of the room as the robotic big cats crashed into each other.
"First, you were never lean." Raimundo told him. "And, second, we're still Xiaolin Warriors, we fought together once, and we can do it again!"
Two mechanical lions jump at Master Fung, but he jumped, grabbed them by the necks, and threw them across the room. He leaped over the head of another one coming at him and landed behind it. The robotic cat turned and jumped at his back, but the elderly monk went into the air again, got his foot under its stomach, and kicked it to the ground, destroying it.
"It's up to us now." the Brazilian picked up the Shen Gong Wu Dojo had used to get in. "Shroud of Shadows!" he used it to cover himself and the others, making them completely invisible.
The Shen Gong Wu filled-sack was still laying in the cage before a hand reached out and pulled it under the cover of the Shroud. In the middle of the colosseum, Master Fung was standing with parts that came from the destroyed mechanical lions laying around him.
(Later)
After escaping from the cell and the colosseum, the monks and dragon pulled back the Shroud of Shadows and found themselves standing in the middle of another area of Jack's lair, statues of himself scattered around.
"We must hurry before we are discovered missing." Omi told the others.
"So, the rumors were true." spoke a Southern-accented voice before they could tiptoe ahead. "A blast from the past."
"A sight for evil eyes." said a female voice this time.
The group turned around and saw two familiar, unfriendly faces.
"Hannibal Bean? Wuya?" Omi blinked at the two villains.
The bean-shaped demon was in his much larger form, trapped in a cage with a sign that said "Musical Bean" on it. Next to him was the Heylin Witch, dressed in a cheerleading outfit that consisted of a white, long-sleeved shirt that had the letter "J" on it, a yellow skirt, and white shoes and socks. Her wrists were shackled together above her head, her ankles the same, as she was dangling over a cauldron full of boiling lava.
"If they are here, does that mean..."
"If you're looking for the Xiaolin Dragon King and her boy toy, try the next room." Hannibal Bean told the short monk, pointing one of his limbs to an open door close by.
Omi looked at the door. He and Dojo slowly walked inside with the older monks, their eyes widening at what they saw. Right in the middle of the room was a giant, uncut clear crystal. But it wasn't the size of the gem that shocked them, it was the two figures that were inside it.
"Master Juno... Chase Young..."
The Xiaolin Dragon King and Heylin warrior were suspended in the middle of the crystal. They both had their arms wrapped around each other, holding one another close as their eyes were closed.
"It... It cannot be." Omi walked closer to the giant gem, placing his hand on it as his eyes never left the couple. "There must be a way to free them, and..."
"I'm afraid not, partner." Clay told him, a mournful expression on his face along with the others as they looked at their frozen leader and her husband. "We tried to free them after Hannibal Bean put them in there, but it was unbreakable. We were in the middle of trying to figure out if there actually was a way when Spicer took over the temple."
"I remember it like it was only yesterday." Raimundo spoke up. "Hannibal Bean had just thrown a much smaller crystal at Juno when Chase jumped in front of her. When it touched him, the crystal started to grow around him. He told Juno to get away, but she stayed with him through the whole thing."
"She said she didn't want to leave him alone again." Kimiko added, wiping away the tears that had sprung up in her eyes.
"Well..." Dojo sniffled as he looked at the couple sadly. "At least they're together."
Omi said, tears in his own eyes. "Master Juno... I am so sorry, this truly is all my fault. I have, once again, caused you terrible trouble because of my ignorance and need to prove myself. I promise you, though, that I will make this right for you and Chase Young. And our paths will cross again, but, this time, much much sooner." he stared at the frozen couple for a moment longer before slowly pulling away.
He and the others walked out of the room and into a hallway.
"Kimi, take the Denshi Bunny and turned yourself into electricity." Raimundo told the female monk, handing her the bunny-shaped Shen Gong Wu. He then used his cane to lift up a section of the stone floor beneath their feet, revealing a trail of wires underneath. "Then travel through the wires until you find the room where Jack keeps his Wu. I'll use the Mind Reader Conch to track your location."
"What's that?" Kimiko held a hand to her ear. "Oh, never mind, I'll look around to see where Jack keep his Wu." she coughed a few times. "Be careful while I'm gone." she leaned down and placed a quick kiss on the Brazilian's cheek. "Denshi Bunny!"
Blue electricity sparked around her body until she had transformed into electricity herself. When she went into the wires, Raimundo let the stone floor part fall back down.
"Alright, now all we have to do is-"
"Intruder alert!" a deep, robotic voice suddenly spoke up.
The male monks and dragon looked up at the nearby staircase, seeing a certain evil emperor coming out to stand at the top. Behind him was a horde of his advanced, hi-tech Guard-Bots.
"When will you monks learn? No one can defeat the Evil Emperor of Darkness! Guard-Bots, attack!" he laughed as the robots flew towards the group, coughing at the end.
"Mikado Arm!" Omi held the Shen Gong Wu over his head.
The two, golden arms that made it up spilt, slipping into his sleeves. His arms grew until they were bigger, longer, and muscular, his sleeves ripping apart. He used his new upper body strength to punch and destroy two of the Guard-Bots. When two others started firing at them, he held his arms up to shield himself and his friends, the laser-like projectiles bouncing off his skin.
Omi reached out and grabbed the two Guard-Bots, spinning around before throwing them into the other robots, making them explode upon collision.
(Meanwhile)
Kimiko was now traveling through lightbulbs that were strung up along a cave wall, the bulbs going out as she went from one to another. When she arrived at a corner, she went into a Jack-Bot that was hovering by, carrying a large plate of grapes. It short-circuited when she entered it, breaking into pieces when she went back to the lightbulbs.
"Cannon Blaster!" Clay tossed up the Shen Gong Wu, allowing it to grow to larger size.
A hatch opened up and he went inside. When it closed, the Cannon immediately hired. The cowboy cannonball sailed across the air, going straight through four Guard-Bots and destroying them. He landed on the floor and rolled for a moment before he came to a stop, back in his human shape. However, he quickly noticed that he had ended up right next to Jack.
"Fist of Tebigong!" the evil emperor held up his Shen Gong Wu covered fist, shooting it out towards Clay.
But, before the attack could hit, Omi got in front of the older monk and used his still muscular arms to block the Fist. As Clay took the chance to get away, the short monk struggled against the Shen Gong Wu.
"Third-Arm Sash!" Jack used the Sash that appeared out from behind him to smack Omi away.
More Guard-Bots were heading for where the fight was when one of them was suddenly struck by a bolt of blue electricity. Kimiko short-circuited it before she moved to the lights overhead. She traveled through them, passing more of the robots along the way, trying to find what room the Shen Gong Wu were in.
The female monk went into a computer room, her face appearing on the many screens before moving on to the next one. Her gaze traveled around the room that had a chandelier-shaped light, but she saw nothing. Just when she thought all hope was lost, she ended up in the lamp that was dangling from the ceiling a large, spacious room.
From her vantage point, she saw a giant safe that had "Shen Gong Wu" written on it in big, bold letters.
"Denshi Rodent!" Kimiko yelled, but nothing happened. "Wait, no, that's not right. Denshi Bunny!" this time, she exited the lamp as electricity and was soon standing in front of the safe as a human. "I'm here, now what? Hello?!"
"Kimiko found it!" Raimundo exclaimed, holding the Mind Reacher Conch to his ear. "We got to go!" he called to the others.
Omi, Clay, and Dojo ran towards him, dodging one of the Guard-Bots that attacked them. During the fight, a wall had flames had started up. Rolling out of them, Jack climbed onto the shoulder of one of his robots as more arrived on the scene.
"Fire! Fire!" he ordered and the Guard-Bots immediately started shooting.
The monks and dragon took cover behind a nearby pillar.
"I got an idea!" Raimundo took the Cannon Blaster from Clay's hands. "Hold onto me!" when the others grabbed onto him, he held the Shen Gong Wu over his head. "Cannon Blaster!"
At once, all of them were sucked into the Cannon, turning into one big cannonball as it grew to larger size. It then shot them out with great force, flying right through the Guard-Bots in the blink of an eye and causing a large explosion. Jack just so happened to be on one of the robots that were destroyed, caught in the blast himself. He fell flat on the ground, his robot suit of armor also destroyed and leaving him in nothing but a diaper to cover part of his skinny body.
After he landed, the Guard-Bots quickly reassembled themselves and he was back standing on top of one.
The cannonball monks and dragon busted through wall after wall of the lair, Guard-Bots chasing after them through the holes they left behind. They didn't stop until they came into the room with the safe. When they crashed through the wall, they all split apart and returned to their normal shapes, landing on the ground next to where a sleeping Kimiko was laying.
As the male monks got to their feet, Omi's arms returning to normal, they went over to the large safe. Raimundo looked on the side of it and saw a note taped to it. Written on it was; "Wu Safe Combo: 1-2-3".
"Orb of Tornami Ice!" Omi shot a blast of water out of the Shen Gong Wu, aiming it at the Guard-Bots just as they were coming through the hole in the wall. When the attack made contact, all of them were frozen in a large block of ice.
Kimiko let out a snort as she finally woke up. "Huh? When did you all get here?" she rubbed her eyes.
"One, two, three." Raimundo moved the large dial on the safe to put in the combination. "After all these years, Jack's still lame." he grabbed the handle and pulled the door open.
Inside were the Shen Gong Wu the evil emperor had taken, all of them resting on shelves. They instantly spotted the Wu they were looking for.
"Omi, catch!" the Brazilian grabbed the Sands of Time and threw it to the younger monk, who caught it in his hands.
Their victory was much short-lived as an entire horde of Guard-Bots busted through the walls of the room from all sides. The last one to crash through was a particularly big robot that had six legs and three gun barrels on each hand. Riding on its shoulder was a certain, half-naked evil emperor.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!" Jack ordered.
All of the robots shot their laser-like projectiles.
"Clay!" Omi, Dojo on his shoulders, yelled when he saw the cowboy get hit by the attacks, smoke concealing him entirely from view. It cleared a moment later and there was no sign of him. The only thing he saw left of his friend was his tattered cowboy hat.
Kimiko was just helping a fallen Raimundo up when one of the Guard-Bots grabbed the back of her prison shirt and lifted her high into the air. "Hey!"
It held her up under she was eye-level with Jack. He gave a thumbs-ups until he turned it upside down. The robot held up its other hand and aimed its gun barrel right at her.
"Kimiko!"
"Omi!" Raimundo shouted, stopping the short monk from going to try and help the female monk. "Use the Sands of Time and make sure this never happens!"
"No, Raimundo!" Omi saw the giant robot lift one of its six legs, placing it right above the Brazilian.
"Go!"
Paralyzed, the short monk could do nothing but watch as Raimundo was crushed underneath the robotic foot repeatedly and Kimiko was blasted away by the laser-like projectiles. He could not believe it, he had just watched his closet friends, his family, die right before his very eyes. And it was all because of him. He was so stunned by what had transpired, he didn't even notice the gun barrels aimed at him and Dojo.
"Sands of Time!" the dragon touched the Shen Gong Wu, activating it just as the Guard-Bots fired at them.
In a flash of light, Omi and Dojo were now standing in a grassy field. It was a familiar field as there were mountains close by, along with a certain temple they called home. Although, it looked much newer than how they've seen it in the future.
The short monk, however, didn't register any of this as he finally broke down and fell to his knees. He dropped the Sands of Time and covered his eyes with his hands in anguish, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed from witnessing the lost of his friends. And it was all his fault, all because he wanted to prove himself worthy of being a Shoku Warrior. If he didn't go to such lengths, none of this would have happened.
"Omi, it's going to be okay." Dojo tried to comfort him, rubbing his head. "Remember what Master Fung said, the future can always be changed."
Omi put down his hands and looked at the dragon, sniffling as he wiped his tears away.
"And look..." the reptile slid off his shoulder to the ground. "We finally made it back fifteen hundred years in the past." he gestured to the temple in the distant. "We can still make things right."
"We must." the short monk stated, filling up with new determination as he picked up the Sands of Time and got to his feet. In order to make sure his family never meet such terrible fates again, he will right the wrong he had committed.
Suddenly, there was loud crash from nearby. The two went over to where it came from and stood on top of a hill. The crash had come from another, large field that was more bare than the one they had arrived in. Not only that, but there was a large wave of rock creatures racing across it.
"Is that..." Omi and Dojo blinked their wide eyes when they spotted a certain Heylin witch riding on top of the wave, directing the monsters forward. "Wuya?"
"And that's not all." the dragon pointed to the other side of the field where three figures were running towards the rock army, three figures that were instantly recognizable.
"Grandmaster Dashi?"
They saw the Grandmaster kicked one of the rock creatures, punching off the arm of another that tried to hit him from behind. He backflipped into the air and kicked at its chest, sending out a surge of power from his foot and breaking it apart. When he landed on the ground, he sent out the same surge of power from his fist to blow off the arm of another rock monster. It tried to hit him with its other fist, but he moved out of the line of fire, spun around, and kicked its upper body across the field while its lower body fell to the ground. He shot both fists out in front of him and sent an even greater surge of power out, hitting a group of rock creatures and sending them flying back.
Omi looked towards one of the other figures, a tall, muscular man with black hair tied in a long braid. He was jumping from the heads of the rock monsters as he was slicing them up with the spear he had in his hand. He jumped into the air, did a flip, and kicked one of the creatures in the chest with both feet, breaking it into pieces. He turned to the closet rock monster and hit it with his spear before slamming his elbow into it to destroy it.
"Master Monk Guan."
Then the short monk spotted the third figure sailing through the air. It was a young man with long, slicked back dark green hair and wearing a blue changshan that had white at the end of the sleeves with blue pants. He fell down towards one of the rock monsters and kicked it, breaking a piece of it off before he backflipped away and landed in the middle of small group of the other creatures. One tried to punch him, but he jumped, placed his hands on its arm, and kicked it in the face, making it fall onto the others and knock them all down.
"Chase Young?!" Omi gaped in shock when he got a better look of the young man's face, seeing his eyes and their reptile-like pupils.
Out of nowhere, a rock monster came up from behind and kicked Chase in the back, sending him flying across the field and into the torso of another rock creature, making it cringe in pain. One of its fellow monsters looked and saw the hole that was made in it. When it pulled back, the warrior that was kicked was standing on its back. He launched up and kicked the creature's head to pieces, making its body fall on the one he was kicked through. When he landed on the ground, he moved a strand of hair from his face.
"Wow~" was all Omi could saw as he stared, starry-eyed, at the Xiaolin warrior who was to become one of the greatest Heylin warriors.
A rock monster landed in front of Chase, this one a little bigger than the others and having spikes running down its back and across its shoulders. It roared as it stared him down. However, the warrior didn't even flinch as he took a stance. Then, as if in slow motion, he moved his hands around in front of him. In the blink of an eye, he shot one of them out and into the monster's stone chest, pulling out as quickly as he struck.
The rock creature's eyes went completely wide as it looked at the hole in its chest, right in the exact spot there a human's heart would be. He looked back at Chase, seeing him holding a piece of stone in his hand. It blinked slowly before it clutched at its chest and fell to the ground, lifeless.
"Most amazing." Omi said after the sight he just saw. "But where is-"
Suddenly, there was loud roar that caused the ground to shake. A large shadow appeared over the field and the short monk and dragon looked up towards the sky.
Hovering in the air was a giant, Chinese dragon that was glowing pure white along with its blue eyes. Sharps claws were at the ends of its long arms and legs. A mass of white fur ran down its long body. And, upon closer look, one could see that there was a figure standing on top of its head.
The figure belonged to that of a beautiful young woman dressed in white with long, brilliant crimson red hair and golden eyes that had cat-like pupils. In her hand was a guandao that had a green pole, a silver blade and spike attached to the ends of it, a golden dragon head with ruby red eyes that looked like it was spewing the blade from its mouth, and a blue sash tied just beneath the dragon's head.
"Master Juno!" Omi yelled the second he saw the Xiaolin Dragon King, a wide smile stretching across his face.
"She always knew how to make an entrance." Dojo remarked, also smiling.
Juno looked down at the rock monster army on the field and smirked. She lifted up her free hand and snapped her fingers. The dragon she was standing on roared and flew down, shaking the ground when it landed. It smacked the rock creatures with its tail, breaking them apart as it crushed more of them under its clawed feet. It gathered some up in its mouth and broke them into pieces under its sharp fangs.
Juno let out a short, loud whistle and the Chinese dragon flew into the air, stopping when it was high over the field. Spreading her arms out, the female warrior jumped off its head and fell towards the middle of the rock army. Halfway there, she turned her body around so she was falling feet first.
The second she landed, the spike of her Xiaolin Dragon Blade touching the ground the same time as her, a great surge of power emitted from her body and spread out in all directions in the form of a large, pure white dome. When the dome came in contact with the rock monsters, they were instantly destroyed. When all in the area were annihilated, the dome disappeared and the Xiaolin Dragon King was standing in a small crater with nothing but pieces of demolished rock creatures scattered around her.
Omi was gaping as wide as his mouth could go, almost unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
Juno straightened herself out and flipped some of her hand over her shoulder as her dragon came down and returned to her guandao. Looking to the other side of the field, she saw more of the rock monster army coming along with Wuya. She jumped out of the crater as Chase, Dashi, and Guan came over to join her. They all looked at one another and smiled, nodding their heads at the same time.
Omi and Dojo watched, completely starstruck, as the group of warriors charged straight for the rock creature army to defeat the most powerful Heylin witch.
To be continued...
Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you thought about it in your reviews. I wanna say that I'm sorry for the late update, thank you all for being so patient. The next chapter will be up as soon as possible. I'll see you all again for the second part, take care until then!