For a temple in the middle of China, in a province that was mostly cut off from the rest of the world, it boasted one of the highest totals of magical artifacts on the continent. It also had a surprising lack of proper security, leaving the defense of the temple up to the highly skilled monks and their Xiaolin Dragons.
Of course, even monks and Xiaolin Dragons could be caught off guard by a typical surprise attack. Or just sneak in when everyone was asleep.
The current people breaking and entering this time around was a group of ninjas. These ninjas were at least four feet tall and clambered up the walls without delay. Running across the rooftops towards the vault, their leader met them on the rooftops, also cloaked in the black outfit of a ninja. "Come," he whispered and they moved quickly and silently.
As luck would have it, a small dragon was heading out for his midnight snack of cheese and pudding. It had been a busy day, between training, ferrying his charges and having to deal with Jack Spicer's latest evil design of a killer robot. Of course, this design tended to be something of an oddity.
Sumo and Ninja should NEVER appear in the same sentence.
The ninjas dropped to the ground and made their way into the vault. The dragon, whom was named Dojo, gasped and headed off for the rooms of his charges at top speed.
Raimundo was the first to feel Dojo's wrath as he clanged a gong above his head. "Wake up! The Vault is being broken into!"
"Again!" Raimundo groaned. "Man, we should put like a laser web into there."
The four dashed out in their pajamas and rounded the corner. "What do these guys look like, Dojo?" asked Clay. He spoke with a Texan accent and placed a ten-gallon hat onto his head, despite him being in his sleeping clothing.
"They're dark and are wearing clothes like Tubbymura," said Dojo. "In fact, there they are right now!"
"Stop right there!" ordered Omi as the four skidded to a halt. The leader of the ninjas carried in his hands a single Shen Gong Wu : the Monkey Staff that Omi had recently liberated from Jack's hands in the day's previous Xiaolin Showdown. "You have broken into our place, and now are stealing our Shen Gong Wu! I demand to know what you are down to!"
"What you're UP to," corrected Raimundo.
The man, his face swabbed in a full mask except for his eyes, snickered and his eyes narrowed. "Children. How wonderful, although I would rather prefer a REAL challenge. MONKEY NINJAS ATTACK!"
"Monkey WHAT!" exclaimed Kimiko in utter shock.
Without warning, the shorter ninjas let out monkey howls and pounced on Clay and Raimundo. Omi fended off the first attack but was soon buried under a pile of monkeys as they had assessed him as the biggest threat. Kimiko found her strikes to be ineffective as they leapt and danced around her, landing blows.
"Typhoon Boom, WIND!" yelled Raimundo, finally blowing the monkey ninjas off of himself. "Aw man, this is just wrong," he growled, spitting out monkey hair.
"Indeed. Though he has trained his monkey ninjas very well," said Omi, fending off strikes and knocking a ninja into the back row where the others fell over like pins. "I am most impressed at his level of skill."
"I don't think this is the time to be impressed little buddy," drawled Clay. "Earth!" With a cry, he heaved the monkeys off of himself and went into his Seismic Kick that knocked them down to the ground. "I think I've heard of this guy before."
"I definitely have," growled Kimiko as she launched herself at the man holding the monkey staff. He fought back expertly, kicking and weaving. Kimiko knocked him to the ground and went in for a low stomp. But suddenly, his bare feet came up, grabbed her and tossed her away. "I knew it," she growled, flipping to her feet. "You're Monkey Fist, aren't you?"
"Perceptive," replied Monkey Fist, removing his mask. "I didn't think it would be easy, taking the legendary Monkey Staff from you children, but I suppose it provides us with some exercise."
"If it's exercise you want, I'll provide it for you," said a female voice from atop the nearest roof. Everyone looked up to see a girl dressed in black and brown with red hair grinning at Monkey Fist. "Hey there."
"Oh SUPER. The cheerleader," Monkey Fist remarked as Kim Possible flipped down to the ground.
"And don't forget about me, Monkey Fist!" exclaimed Ron from another roof. He made a leap down to the ground and somehow lost his pants in the process.
"And Ron Stoppable," added Monkey Fist with more loathing in his voice than he had for Kim Possible. "You're too late! I have what I want. MONKEY STAFF!"
There was a burst of light and when it receded, Monkey Fist stood there, looking a bit more simian than man. He laughed madly as he reveled in his transformation. "Finally! After all this time, the power of the monkey is MINE!"
"Dude, is he whacked? The guy just turned himself willingly into a monkey!" exclaimed Raimundo.
"It's a long story," remarked Ron, recovering his pants. "Dude, give it up! You're WAY outnumbered here!"
"A fact shortly rectified," snapped back Monkey Fist. He then held up an amulet. "I call upon the spirits of the mystical monkey masters! Infuse my monkey minions with your might!"
The burst of magic exploded outwards and threads of magic weaved itself around the monkey ninjas. Many of them screeched and yelled and without warning, many of them grew three times their sizes.
Ron took one look and screamed, "GIANT MONKEYS! AAAAAAH!"
Dragons and Monkeys
Written by Shaun Garin
Xiaolin Showdown is owned by Warner Bros. Animation. Kim Possible is owned by Disney Animation.
The Bell Tolls On The Monkey
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Raimundo, Clay, Omi, Kimiko and Dojo watched Ron run around the courtyard, screaming his lungs out. On the third lap, Kim sighed and palmed her face.
"Does… he have any issues with monkeys?" asked Clay curiously.
"Far too many," deadpanned Kim.
"Shouldn't we do something about the bad guy? He IS getting away," pointed out Raimundo as he pointed towards Monkey Fist who merely grinned from the rooftops.
"Indeed. We will hold these monkey minions off." Omi watched Ron run past screaming as he yelled, "Water!" The others yelled their elements and threw themselves into the fray while Ron went running around in circles, still screaming. Rufus had enough and leapt out of his pocket to join Dojo on the sidelines.
"Oh you are so not getting away," said Kim as she took out her grappling hook and fired it into the roof. Hauling herself up, she ran at Monkey Fist who dodged and slammed a fist into her stomach.
Kim made an "OOF!" sound as she was knocked on her backside. "Since when do you fight like that?" asked Kim curiously as she flipped to her feet and started trading blows with Fist.
Fist wielded the Monkey Staff around himself, parrying the strikes of Kim. "Perhaps I had gotten a bit more vicious than we last met," he remarked, kicking out to trip the girl up. Kim jumped and was grabbed by his new tail and hurled off the roof. "Monkey Ninjas to me!"
The monkey ninjas grunted, hooted and howled but leapt to the rooftops, abandoning their combat with the Xiaolin Dragons. "Farewell, Kim Possible and the buffoon. We'll meet again."
Letting out a laugh, he and the monkey ninjas vanished into the forested mountain region.
Kim picked herself off the flagstones and groaned. "Great. That doesn't happen all the time." Looking at Ron who was still screaming and running, she sighed. "RON! The monkeys are GONE now!"
Ron looked around and quickly recomposed himself. "I knew that," he said nonchalantly.
"Yeah right, you were running around and screaming like a baby," remarked Raimundo.
"It is most terrible to have such a fear," added Omi. "Did your father throw you into a pit full of monkeys as a child, in order to gain the powers of a monkey in combat?"
"Oh dude, it was SO like that," said Ron, about to go into a highly embellished version of his events at Camp Wannaweep. Kim cut him off.
"Sorry about Monkey Fist getting in the way," she said. "We would have been here sooner but it was harder to track Monkey Fist blind than getting a hit on the site."
"You're Kim Possible!" exclaimed Kimiko. In a blur, she vanished and came back with her PDA and her pen. "Can I have your autograph?"
"Sure, no big," Kim said, scribbling down her name for Kimiko. "So, what is this place anyhow? Wade didn't have too much information about it."
"This is a temple, where the Xiaolin Dragons of the elements come to train and hone their skills against the forces of darkness," said Master Fung, suddenly coming out of nowhere.
Ron flinched. "Oh dude, don't do that! You're just like Sensei!"
"Forgive me. I am Master Fung. And you must be the famous Kim Possible." Said Fung, bowing.
"It's no big. This is a really nice place you have here. So, what's the deal with that monkey staff anyhow?" asked Kim.
"The Monkey Staff. One of many of magical artifacts known as Shen Gong Wu, our duty is to find and protect them from the forces of evil. Otherwise, this world could be plummeted into ten thousand years of darkness."
"Oh come on! Like we need that sort of thing looming over our heads?" exclaimed Ron. "We're saving the world AND going to College! Can it get any WORSE!"
"Master Fung," said Omi. "Is it wise to tell them about the Shen Gong Wu?"
"A pebble in a lake starts off small, but can create new and unique experiences for all of us," said Fung cryptically. "Knowledge is the first step to enlightenment."
"Now he really IS Sensei. Except without the long beard and all," deadpanned Ron.
"Allow me to introduce our Xiaolin Dragons. Omi, Dragon of Water."
Omi bowed to the pair. "I am most pleased to meet you, my friends. I hope you will be most impressed with my training, as it has it going away!"
"Going ON you mean," corrected Raimundo.
"Raimundo, Dragon of the Wind," said Fung, taking up the slack. "And Clay, Dragon of Earth."
"Howdy," said Clay, tipping his hat.
"And you have met Kimiko, Dragon of Fire." Said Fung.
"It's so awesome to meet you in person!" exclaimed Kimiko. "I've read so much about you and I've seen clips of all of your adventures!"
"It's no big," said Kim, blushing a bit.
"So, how DID you get out of that death trap Dr. Drakken put you in? I mean, getting out of a box in water… with the squid and the shark…"
"And the five feet of ice?" finished Kim. "I used a laser ring to break myself free. Then, I converted it into a breather and swam up. Dodging the Squid and the Shark, I got to the surface where I hit a high note that was enough to smash glass, let alone ice."
"Wooooooow!" exclaimed Kimiko. "That is SO COOL!"
"Looks like our little Kimiko is a fangirl," remarked Clay as the three boys, Dojo, Ron and Rufus had huddled into a corner. "Can't say I blame her, being that Kim over yonder is a right upstanding strong woman."
"Yeah, I haven't seen this much squealing since she found her new shoes," added Raimundo. "And believe me, between the squeaking of her new shoes and her, it was painful for the ears."
"Believe me, this is normal for Kim. She had a younger cousin named Joss who completely worshiped her. Now, she's hero-worshiping me. Booyah!"
"Though I do not believe that this Kim could beat me! After all, I AM the best Xiaolin Apprentice in the group!" boasted Omi. "After all, they are only girls!" The boys, sensing death, scooted away to reveal Kimiko who was in a slow burn and Kim who looked like Shego on a bad day.
"This… might hurt." Acknowledged Omi as the two girls cracked their knuckles.
There was a mighty scream of pain erupting from the Xiaolin Temple that day. Dojo then looked at Rufus and Rufus looked back at him. "Does it get cold being naked?" Dojo asked. "I mean I can't imagine being without scales but you pull of naked rather well."
"Eh, okie dokie," said Rufus as the girls walked away from the twitching heap of Omi.
"Kimberly Anne Possible!"
"Hi dad," greeted Kim.
"What have I told you about circus folk?" said Mr. Dr. Possible sternly.
"Dad, they're not circus folk. They're monks from a temple in China."
Mr. Dr. Possible raised an eyebrow. "Did this involve Sumo Ninjas, by any chance?"
"Naw, not to my knowledge," said Kim.
"Sumo and Ninja shouldn't be in the same sentence," griped Raimundo. "Especially when it involves Jack Spicer, Tubbymura and a horde of Sumo Ninja Jackbots."
"See KP, it's not just ME who has to deal with them," said Ron. Kim fought down immaturity and lost, sticking her tongue out.
"Well, as long as they're not circus folk." Said Mr. Dr. Possible. "Carry on."
As Kim's dad left, her Kimmunicator chimed. "What up, Wade?"
"I've been doing some major digging on that amulet that Monkey Fist had. Turns out it's a piece of the three Idols that Ron broke three years ago. Normally it's unpowered due to it not being a whole idol. But it turns out that it might be mounted on one of those Shen Gong Wu things that the Dragons are looking for. Can you check on anything that might reactivate powers that were previously contained?"
"Way ahead of you, kid," said Dojo as he unfurled the scroll. "The Egg of Reawakening. It can be used to reawaken dormant powers or powers that were once contained in something. It's also good if you get into a bar brawl about someone's tab and you need to open a can of whupass on someone."
"Language!" called Mr. Dr. Possible from three rooms away. Dojo blanched.
"That must be the mount," said Wade.
"But the Egg of Reawakening isn't active yet," said Dojo. "Strange as it shouldn't be usable yet. And I know I would have sensed it, as with Wuya. Not to mention…" Dojo shivered. "Chase Young."
"I think I have something," said Wade. "Three weeks ago, Monkey Fist stole a scroll from a temple in India. It wasn't of much value and the priests didn't call in on it since it was so beat up and worthless."
"Hmm," said Dojo as he went further into the scroll. "Ah! Here it is; the Scroll of Innates. The Scroll of Innates is constantly in a state of non-activation in order to hide it from anyone who wants to find it. It looks really beat up, and because it hasn't been activated to the point where Wuya or I could sense it, Fist could have stolen it to activate the Egg of Reawakening without us knowing."
"And then place the fragment of the statue on it, thus reactivating the mystic monkey powers," finished Kimiko. "This is partly our fault since he's using our Shen Gong Wu."
"But why take the Monkey Staff? It doesn't make sense," said Clay.
"Yeah, not if he wants to look like an ape twenty-four seven. Although, I'm guessing he DOES," pointed out Raimundo.
"It's classic. Everyone fears monkeys."
"No, that's just you, Ron." Said Kim.
"I'll STICK to my theory," protested Ron.
"Wait… Dojo, is there anything else that has monkeys in the Shen Gong Wu?" asked Omi.
"There is one thing: The Hammer of Qui-Tseng. Legend has it that Qui-Tseng was a Mystic Monkey Master who had turned to the Haylen side over two thousand years ago. I was just a little dragon at that time and this was something my mother told me. Legend states that he used the Hammer of Qui-Tseng to forge many of the Shen Gong Wu as penance for his evil deeds. With that, Monkey Fist could forge his OWN Shen Gong Wu if he had the Anvil of Qui-Tseng and the Forge of Qui-Tseng." Dojo nibbled at his lip. "And it says here, that Qui-Tseng was a MONKEY. A real live monkey that had the intelligence and speech abilities of man."
"What happened to him?" asked Kim.
"He died of old age. Most monkeys don't live for more than 12 years anyhow," said Dojo, rolling the scroll up. "Even super intelligent world conquering and magic throwing monkeys."
"What happened to the Forge and the Anvil anyhow?" asked Raimundo. "It couldn't be both Shen Gong Wu as well."
"The Anvil and the Forge are in a secret location, only Qui-Tseng knew. He was secretive to the last, and hid them away. They're not Shen Gong Wu, but rather the master forge for many of them." Answered Dojo. "It'll take some digging to find it though. Qui-Tseng was very secretive. And you had to be a monkey to use the Forge and the Anvil much less the Hammer. Obviously Mystic Monkey Power isn't enough."
"So we need to make sure Monkey Fist doesn't find the Forge, Anvil and Hammer," summarized Kim. "All right. Where's the Hammer right now?"
"That's just it. I don't remember."
"… what?" chorused the people around the kitchen table.
"I never HID the Hammer of Qui-Tseng. Qui-Tseng hid his own stuff long before I came around to help Dashi anyhow." Dojo withered under their stares.
"Well, there's one place we can check," put in Wade. "How do you guys feel about taking a trip to the Yamanouchi School in Japan?"
"Possible-san. Stoppable-san. Welcome to the Yamanouchi School," greeted Yori. "And you have brought friends."
"Um, hey, Yori," greeted Ron nervously. The memory of her actually LIKING him in a non-platonic manner was still fresh in his mind. Especially with him being Kim's boyfriend now and not free for the lovely Japanese girl to date. "Yori, we need some help finding some items of this monkey dude named Qui-Tseng."
Yori gasped and said, "Please, this way."
"Wow, it looks so much like back home," remarked Raimundo.
"Despite that it's obviously Japanese architecture," said Clay. "Maybe all monasteries look the same after living in them for three years now."
"Wow… it's Yamanouchi! Man, I heard about this place from a friend of a friend but I've never seen it," said Kimiko, taking pictures as she did in Kim's house once they had arrived.
Opening a sliding door, Yori bowed to the elderly man who sat cross-legged on a rice mat. "Sensei, Stoppable-san and Possible-san are here, seeking guidance."
"Thank you, Yori," said Sensei as the group filed in. The monks and Kim along with Rufus quickly sat down in seiza as Ron sprawled ungainly on the floor, earning curious looks from the others. "Welcome to the Yamanouchi Ninja School, Possible-san, Stoppable-san and young Xiaolin Dragons."
"You know who we are?" asked Omi, curious.
"Oh yes. Your Master Fung is a dear friend of mine," said Sensei.
"THAT fits," remarked Ron.
"Sensei, we came to ask about the Hammer of Qui-Tseng. Do you know where it is?" asked Kim.
"The Hammer of Qui-Tseng," said Sensei, stroking his long white beard. "It has been a long time since I have heard that accursed name."
"Accursed? As in evil and malicious accursed or don't touch me accursed?" asked Ron.
"The Hammer of Qui-Tseng is sealed on the shrine three mountains away, in order to keep it away from people who seeks its power. It holds the power to forge the Shen Gong Wu, and holds the will and the darkness of Qui-Tseng." Answered Sensei.
"Right, so it's the evil and malicious type of accursed." Said Ron.
Omi nodded. "We need to keep this evil item away from Monkey Fist, who plans to possibly forge more Shen Gong Wu for himself. With your permission, we will go and retrieve the Hammer of Qui-Tseng."
"Only a master of Monkey Kung Fu can enter," said Sensei. "But… if the Master of Monkey Kung Fu deems one worthy, they can enter. Only one person per Master is the rule."
"Well I know who I'm picking. Kim, you're coming with me," said Ron.
"Well duh," replied Kim but she was smiling.
"That leaves Monkey Fist who'll probably bring in one of his super monkeys." Said Raimundo.
"And one other," said Kim, looking at Rufus who nodded from his seat.
"What, the Naked Mole Rat is a martial arts master?" Raimundo scoffed. He reached down and poked Rufus. "This little thing?"
"Size matters not," said Sensei and suddenly, Raimundo found himself laying on his back as Rufus performed a spectacular overhead swing by grasping Raimundo's fingers in his hands.
"Ow," enunciated Raimundo.
"He is a most valiant warrior, like myself who can defeat many warriors in a single day," Omi boasted. Suddenly Omi found himself on the floor as well. "And he obviously does not take boasting very well."
"I think it will be in all our interests if one of the other two Xiaolin Dragons accompanies Master Rufus, Stoppable-san and Possible-san to the shrine," said Sensei.
"I think Kimiko wants to go," said Clay, nodding to the girl who was literally bouncing in her seat.
"Please?" asked Kimiko, giving Rufus the Puppy Dog Pout. Rufus caved instantly and scampered to her shoulder. "All RIGHT!"
"Take the Lotus Blade," said Sensei. "It will allow you to open the gates once you arrive. Yori and Hirotaka will guide you to the shrine. Take uttermost care. The Hammer of Qui-Tseng requires a strong mind to contain without it running wild."
"We'll wait here," said Dojo, inhaling sharply. "I smell pork buns, sushi and raw sashimi." With that, the dragon wiggled out of the room.