"Woooooo-ee~!" Jack whooped from the backpack style basket he had mounted on Cyclops. Pointing to track Omi as the monks he faced scattered like roached, he commanded, "That's it, Ugly~! Zap zap! Zap zap!"
Obediently, Cyclops blasted a thick black energy beam from his eye that followed Omi as he ran in admitted fright across the dark, empty grounds of the drive-in movie parking lot this fight was unfolding in. Jack cackled as he watched the helpless boy run, the other monks occupied by the newest round of robots he'd finished, these ones incorporating the self-mending protocols he'd used in the first future. If these ones were broken, the stray parts would find each other and reform in any available combination.
Now that he'd had a chance to properly prepare for a battle, Jack felt so much better. This felt right. Like the status quo. Everyone playing the part they wanted and everyone back to fighting over shen gong wu.
Kimiko and Clay were cornered near the snack shack, back to back as they covered one another trying to fend off these new robots with their Wudai Weapons. Raimundo was using his element of Wind to soar above the battle and stay out of range, but he felt frustrated as he was unable to find an opening to retaliate.
In the best strategic dodge he had, Omi turned himself towards Cyclops and ran right at him, falling into a slide and passing between the giant's legs. The rut Cyclops was carving into the ground behind the yellow boy tried to follow, but Cyclops found himself losing balance as he bent to send his deadly gaze underneath himself. With a garbled outcry, he toppled.
Jack too let out a dismayed shout, clinging to the edges of his carrier and chastised, "No, no! How many times do I have to tell you, turn, don't tuck! Your massive center of gravity is your biggest weakness! Well, that and no depth perception, but who's counting?"
"OUUUBLUH-GHUHHH-EEUUHM..?" No part of that made any sense to Cyclops. He realized falling over was a mistake, and the tiny yellow human had tricked him, but the fire-headed one's words just made him scratch his head as he sat up with his legs butterflied and puzzled over the large strategic words that had been used.
Cyclops being momentarily distracted by Omi's interference was just the sort of opening Raimundo had been waiting for. With in inspired grin, he glanced to the tiny projection booth on top of the snack shack and quickly gave himself a burst of wind to land on the projector's swivel stand. Grabbing the thing and turning it on, causing the lens to send out a bright beam of light, he turned it to shine directly into Cyclops' eye.
All at once, the monster's orange pupil dilated and his lips drooped in a stunned purse. He was frozen.
Jack leaned down and waved a hand in front of the unblinking eye, snapping his fingers a few times to get a response. "Helloooo..! Drool for Brains..! We're in the middle of some serious trounce-age here..! Don't tell me I broke you with a third grade reading level..."
Cyclops didn't appear to hear a word. Instead, his maw loosened to spread into a lightly-dribbling grin. Then the projector light moved suddenly to the left. Cyclops gasped, and quickly moved to get his eye back in the spotlight, grinning once more. Not only was the bright light hypnotic and shiny, but it was sending a strange, fascinating moving picture directly onto his retina. What a curious magical mystery.
"Woah..!" Jack now uttered as he was jerked with Cyclops' dart. Realizing what was happening, he groused, "Oh, c'mon, seriously? You know you can stare at the sun when we're not fighting Xiaolin Losers anytime..!"
His complaints went unheard as the light moved again, sending Cyclops chasing after it. This transfixed reaction wasn't what Raimundo had expected, moreso he'd been expecting pain, but he'd work with it.
With Cyclops off his back, Omi darted to assist Clay and Kimiko, leaping to kick a patch of robots out of their way so they could at least make a break for it. That they did, and with a round of thanks, looked up at the projection booth. Raimundo made eye contact and sent them a thumb up, to which the other three beamed and nodded in unison. They ran together as the horde of zombie-like robots followed.
Meanwhile, in a ticket booth outside the main fighting arena, Dojo was coiled comfortably next to a bucket of popcorn and running his finger down a flowchart.
"Let's see...if evil cackling, check surrounding violence levels." He looked up calmly to observe a Jackbot detaching its own arm to rocket punch Kimiko in the back and send her launching past his field of vision with a pained cry, Omi and Clay not far behind as they pounced to tear the robot apart.
Glancing back down to his flowchart, Dojo grabbed a mouth of popcorn and noted, "Battle raging? Yes. Therefore, truce off."
Setting the flowchart down and picking up the bucket of popcorn, Dojo then leaned back comfortably in his little corner and cheered, "In that case, yeah, you go, kiddos..! Kick that jerk to the curb!" Feeling he'd done his part, he tossed another clawful of popcorn into his mouth.
Further in the night's shadows, atop the high arched sign marking the driveway entrance to this remote entertainment venue, Chase Young stood with sternly-narrowed eyes as he watched the fight. Seated beside him with one crossed leg kicking restlessly, and her cheek pressed in a pout against her knuckles as she hunched, Wuya watched as well, but with much less interest.
"Why are we even here if we're not going after the shen gong wu or Jack's head?" she finally had to spit, "Wouldn't it be so much easier to just...get rid of him? Attack before he has the chance to spring another trap on us?"
"I refuse to underestimate him again," Chase returned evenly, not moving his gaze to look at the woman, "He could already be expecting a direct attack. He is protected. And besides, he's used shen gong wu against both of us once. He must be finding some purpose for those useless trinkets I am not."
Wuya scoffed. "You want to know what he's doing with them? How about the same thing I've wanted to do since the very start?! Gathering them for ultimate power! Like we should be!"
A dismissive note from Chase's nose. "Shen gong wu are your toys, Wuya. I'm far more interested in learning how to keep this unexpected threat under wraps. How he works. What I could be missing. Leaving no room for error in squashing him. And perhaps discovering a new way to convince dear Omi to return to my tutelage." Here a small smile graced his lips.
Wuya folded her arms and made her own, much more aggressive noise of dismissal. "You know what I think...I'm starting to get the feeling you're not nearly as great an evil mastermind as you've been letting on yourself."
This got the jet-haired man to snap his head towards the disinterested witch. "What did you say, you glorified maid?"
"You heard me," the sharp-toothed woman stood firm, "You may be one of the three greatest tai chi masters to ever live, but for as much as you make a show of not using shen gong wu, I think it's just because martial arts is all you really have. Or is it something more? In fact, are you...afraid of magic, Chase~?" A cattish smirk there.
A very cross frown graced Chase's lips at the suggestion. His fists tightened as he looked down at the casually-seated witch still idly kicking one ankle as she now had both hands folded on her knee. "How dare you suggest such a thing."
An airy shrug from Wuya. "Well, you brought me back to flesh and blood, but you didn't grant me any of my powers. If you didn't want my help, I have to wonder why you did bring me back, unless you just wanted to gloat. Fair enough, if so. But then you refuse to hunt my shen gong wu, even now despite having fallen to them, and yet you have turned to them when you got desperate. It's like you're afraid to challenge anyone who does use magic without shifting the goalposts. And really, most of your plans seem to involve a lot of standing around watching teenagers. A bit worrisome, wouldn't you say?"
Chase scowled, turning to take a half-step towards the unimpressed woman. "It is called 'patience', you insolent harpy..! And I, unlike you, do not rely on crutches to enhance my performance!"
Unconvinced, Wuya shot back, "No, you just want to make sure everyone can't out-perform you by taking all the fun away. Face it, Dragon Breath. You don't like to take action. It's almost like you just wait for everyone else to be weakened so you can step in and claim responsibility."
"Are you asking for a fight..?" Chase challenged.
"Give me my powers back and you're on," Wuya wasted no time answering.
Chase only scowled in response.
"That's what I thought," Wuya figured, recrossing her arms and looking away in disinterest.
"If my methods are not to your liking, then perhaps you would do better to follow your own evil path instead of leeching off mine..!"
"I'm so glad we agree~," the barefoot witch purred, "It's not you, it's...well, it is you, but I just think our evils are headed in different directions. I'm looking for a little more...spice~!" Her gaze shifted to the boy commanding a robot army from atop his personal giant mount. At least Jack had the same goal as she: get all of the shen gong wu!
A derisive tut from Chase at the horrible wordplay. "Good riddance," he bid, "I will enjoy destroying you both." He was more than confident he could handle a powerless wench and a scrawny teen boy. They were dysfunctional at best when together. Assuming Wuya could even convince Jack on her own.
With a flirty hum, Wuya let herself fall backwards off the sign and backflipped to disappear. Chase turned his gaze back to the fight as though she were never there. He didn't need anyone. He wasn't paranoid or afraid. Cutting your enemies off from what gave them power and holding them close was a perfectly sensible method of defusing them. Although, if Jack was gaining power from shen gong wu, and his plans involved them, perhaps Chase should begin hunting them as well. Just to keep him from them.
Jack was yelling desperately to get Cyclops' attention as the tattooed behemoth barreled towards the cluster of robots the monks had corralled into his path. Unfortunately, his attempts did nothing to stop the destruction as Cyclops tromped right over the machines, smashing them thoroughly to the point even their regeneration couldn't recover. Jack flopped over the side of his carrier with a loud groan.
The monks cheered and jumped, assuming victory as the major threats were finally vanquished.
Getting one last idea, Jack glanced up to quirk a calculating brow in the direction the light beam entrancing Cyclops was coming from. Hoping the big lug was still on autopilot enough to react to a trained command, he bent down to bark directly into one pointed ear, "Hey. Zap zap!"
Reflexively, Cyclops fired his dark energy beam. It shot right through the laser aimed at him, and in an instant destroyed the booth Raimundo was standing in. The Brazilian boy leapt from the window as the blast came, calling out in alarm. Below, his friends gasped and hurried to catch him.
Blinking, Cyclops watched the pretty spots dancing in front of his eye and felt a little dazed. What had just happened?
"Good boy," Jack praised, patting the giant's scalp and bringing a content smile back to Cyclops' face. If Jack was happy, Cyclops was happy. The redhead sneered and gave one last command. "Now then, for good measure. Loo loo!" He pointed directly at the cluster of Dragons.
The monks looked up from catching Raimundo, all echoing, "Loo loo..?"
Cyclops had already reared back, inhaling harshly. The next second, he'd spat out a gigantic loogie that splashed over all four targets, and the wall behind them, encasing them entirely and sticking them in place.
At once, each warrior cried out in vehement disgust, at the same time trying not to let the snotty saliva substance in their mouths, and hold back the overwhelming need to vomit.
Cackling wildly, Jack held his gut and slapped the edge of his seat watching them struggle desperately to free themselves. Seeing Jack laugh, Cyclops closed his eye happily and chuckled along.
It took a good long moment for Jack to get his mirth under control, but once he did, and had pulled out a camera to pose with Cyclops and their work behind them, he wiped a leaking eye with his knuckle and called out, "Okay, well, as perfect as this moment is, even it must come to an end. So long, suckers! The Porcupine Quilt is mine!"
On cue, Cyclops walked to the massive film screen and reached behind it to grab the fluffy brown blanket that had been tied down to insulate a speaker that was missing its grating. Pausing, the giant noticed his hand casting a shadow behind the big wall and spread his palm to wave curiously. Looking up to Jack, he pointed at the shadow and beamed to show off the discovery.
In a good mood, Jack leaned casually on the edge of his basket and smiled in turn. "You like shadow puppets, huh? Well, get us home, bud, and I'll show you some even more fun stuff than just hand shapes~..!"
Perking, Cyclops clapped eagerly and happily turned to trot off towards Spicer Mansion.
Dojo slithered in from where he'd been observing the goings on, carrying an empty popcorn bucket. "Hey, do you guys know what the policy is here on free refills? I mean I know I didn't exactly pay for the first one, but I don't wanna be greedy. Heh heh, oh who am I kiddin'? I totally wanna be greedy."
Seeming to only just register the panicked flailing the four teens were doing as they gagged and ran out of air, Dojo's brow went up. Then his nose wrinkled. "Oh-OH! That is not what I think it is! OH that is just-! Hang on, kids! Dojo to the rescue!"
Using his popcorn bucket, in a flash he'd scooped the slime from the four warriors' faces. All of them gasped air like their lives depended on it. Dojo eyed the mound of green-grey goo now piled where delicious corny kernels had once been, and flatly shoved the cardboard bucket away from him. "So much for refills."
"Auh! Man! I'm never gonna feel clean again!" Raimundo wailed as soon as he'd regained his breath.
"Ah feel slimier than a gator's belly in swamp sludge," Clay concurred.
"Uuuuuugh, get me ouuuuut!" Kimiko cried, still energetically fighting against the nasty stuff, "I'm gonna barf out all my insides..!"
"Don't look at me!" Dojo put his claws up. "I'm not touchin' that without some serious sanitizer!"
"Silence, please!" Omi requested through the chorus of howled complaints. The others did pause and look at him, noticing the nine glowing dots on his forehead signaling concentrated chi were present. They didn't need to be told twice. They let him close his eyes and gather his energy.
"WATER!" Omi burst suddenly, a tornado of his element exploding into existence around him and likewise striking his companions. The torrential rush was violent, battering the group in a relentless current for several long seconds and turning their skin tender, but once it was over and Omi sagged panting over the exertion, the group was soaked but slime-free.
"That..." Omi declared, "Was the most disgusting thing I have ever experienced in my life."
The group shared one nauseous glance, nodded in agreement, and split four ways to find the nearest bush in which to take a personal puke.
...
Arriving back within the temple grounds, the four weary warriors dismounted clumsily from Dojo as he shrank and immediately began inspecting his back out of paranoia.
"I know you kids washed up and everything, so to speak, but I'm still putting in my vote for finding the nearest loofah."
Several vague grumbles of agreement met this, and only then did the monks register that Master Fung had been standing pleasantly in wait for them. Though now, his face expressed surprise over their disheveled appearance.
"Oh, my..." he observed, "Did your quest for the Porcupine Quilt not go well?"
"What was your first clue?" Raimundo returned sarcastically, running a hand through his limp hair. Styling it back into its sleek spikes was going to take ages.
"Seriously. I don't even wanna talk about it." Kimiko swished her hands negatively.
"I am afraid Jack Spicer has managed to rally his despicable thoughts once more, and taken the shen gong wu. Mooooost despicable." Omi shuddered.
"I see..." Master Fung granted sympathetically, "Well, worry not, young ones. The path to victory is fraught with many perils, but so long as there is unity, there is always victory."
"Um, no offense, Master Fung, sir," Clay chipped in, "But Ah don't think pretty lessons are the thing to cheer us up right now."
"No~?" the wisened head monk replied with a twinkle in his eye, "Well, perhaps I have other news that might lift your spirits."
"Mmm?" All four teens stood taller at the suggestion.
"Indeed." Master Fung stepped to the side of the main hall's entryway they were stood in front of and called, "You can come out now~..!"
Four sets of eyes turned to see the arrival coming down the main steps. It was a dark-skinned boy with darker tight curls and a smooth face. He wore red and white monk robes and a friendly smirk as he opened his arms in greeting.
"Yo, yo! Dragon homies, it has been a minute!"
Four faces now lit up in gleeful gasps. Omi in particular rushed forward to crush the New Yorker in welcome. "Jermaine!" he greeted, "I am most pleasantly surprised to see you, my friend! But I am afraid you are most confused. It has been much longer than a minute since last we met. Did you perhaps suffer the effects of a time traveling shen gong wu?" Maybe the timelines had done something to Jermaine's brain.
"Um...no." Jermaine accepted the flying hug graciously enough, but his nose wrinkled before the shorter boy backed up. The damp squish was incredibly unpleasant. As was the accompanying aroma. "Oo-ee, what have you been in, Omi-dawg? You all got some nasty funk worse than...dog." He glanced to the others, then checked his tunic to make sure it hadn't left a stain.
"I believe it is best that you do not know," Omi replied straight-faced.
Jermaine turned his head away slightly in suspicion. "O...kaaay...well, let's keep the touching to a minimum until you all have a date with some soap, then. Preferably at a level of none." Looking up to Master Fung, he opted to stay polite and ignore the rank tinge in the air. "You tell 'em about what's up yet?"
Putting his hands together inside his sleeves, Master Fung's eyes closed merrily as he returned, "I figured I would leave that honor to you, young Dragon."
A quartet of spines perked. Was that just Master Fung's habit?
Proudly, Jermaine smirked as he took the invitation to elaborate. "Yeah, so you remember that offer to come join your temple on a more permanent basis?"
"Of course!" Kimiko chirped.
Omi gasped. "Does this mean you are finally ready to once again accept my tutelage?"
Jermaine snorted. "Nice try, Omi. Actually, I already found a different temple to do my training at. After that whole business with that Chase Young badnik, I needed time for me, y'know? Away for a while." A short glance exchanged with Omi, the yellow boy's brow pinching as he understood all too well. Their last interaction had not been on the best of terms, and clashing egos had been a large part of these boys in particular needing space from one another.
Continuing, the New York City boy shrugged, "But good news, I found a new Master to train under out in this real tranquil valley. A non-evil Master. Promise." He shot a playful wink and a trigger finger at the others. "But here's where it gets good~."
Master Fung stepped back a couple of extra steps for respectful distance, earning a curious look or two. Jermaine declared proudly, "While I was out there discovering inner peace, I discovered something else, too. Check it."
He placed his arms overhead into a peak, then brought them down to a T-pose as he lifted his left foot to rest on the opposite knee. The raised knee pointed sideways to match his arm.
"Wood!"
The potted trees on either side of the staircase burst into motion, bending and erupting forward, their trunks thickening and merging together as the tops met, scooping Jermaine up and forming an immaculate throne of greenery. This he kicked his legs up sideways on and beamed down at the row of hollow shocked faces with their jaws on the ground, including Dojo. All but Master Fung, who was beaming just as proudly.
Arms behind his head casually, Jermaine finished, "So yeah. Since your crib is kinda the central hub for Dragon Warriors and all, I figured it was the place to be from now on."
"I...you...what...how..!" Raimundo's hands faltered a few times, not knowing what to do with themselves, before finally both just smacked to claw against his head in bewilderment.
"Another Dragon?!" Kimiko burst.
Omi slowly patted his eyeballs back into their sockets before rounding on Master Fung. "I knew there were six elements, but it has been so long since another Dragon Warrior has appeared! And they all came together! I assumed this was it!" His arms flapped wildly at the three friends who had lived with him the longest.
"Six elements?" Clay questioned, "Does that mean there's another Dragon Warrior out there too?"
Omi's face wrinkled grimly as he looked at Clay over his shoulder. He was already having trouble accepting this. He didn't want to pile onto it by thinking of yet another Xiaolin Dragon potentially stealing his thunder.
"Indeed~," Master Fung confirmed, "The Chinese element wheel holds six elements. That means there could, in fact, be another Dragon waiting to rise to the call."
Dojo had picked his jaw up off the ground and relocated it. "To be fair, though, I kinda thought we were done with all that Chosen One collecting too." Slithering quickly up to Jermaine, he patted the boy's knee and assured, "Not that we're not happy to have you, of course, just...wow! Way to come out of the woodwork! Heh heh...so to speak."
Jermaine eyed Dojo's claws as they touched him. "Yo, what'd we say about personal space before bathtime?"
Dojo froze, then put his claws up in meek defense and backed away just as slowly. "Sorry, sorry...slip of the hands...totally my fault."
Finally finding words, Raimundo pointed both hands at the green reptile scooting back beside him. "Wait, does that mean like...Dojo really might be the Element of Soot?" One cheek pinched warily.
Proudly, Dojo puffed up and put on a tough face to match the pose. He had definitely earned it while proving his mettle against the Sapphire Dragon as it ravaged the temple.
"Erm...Ah think that was really more of an honorary title..." Clay pointed out. Dojo deflated.
"Ironic as it may sound," Master Fung agreed, "A dragon may not, in fact, be a Dragon Warrior."
Sadly, Dojo now slithered over to Master Fung, up his leg and around his neck to hug his head. "Aw, come on now..! Why'd you have to go and ruin a poor dragon's dreams like that?"
"But Dojo," Master Fung pointed out, "Are you not the sacred guardian of the Shen Gong Wu Scroll?"
Flopping to sag atop Master Fung's scalp, Dojo let his arms dangle and muttered, "Myeah, I guess...lousy overrated toilet roll if you ask me, compared to saving the world, but..."
Coming forward with his hands lifted in casual reception, Raimundo addressed Jermaine. "Anyway, dude, shock aside, congratulations! I dunno if this was like the universe coming to our rescue or what, but we could totally use another Dragon right now. Evil kinda seems like it's getting ready to kick some serious butt! Our butts." With a brief frown, he turned to look down at his and give it a ginger rub.
A tut from Jermaine. "Now that's the kinda response I was lookin' for..!" It had taken a bit to work past the surprise, understandably, but finally someone had sounded genuinely happy about this. Motioning his hands to the sides, the trees forming his chair split back apart and returned to their pots as he touched down to the cobblestone path. "As for evil? You bet I'm gonna go hard helping you whup it back. I even got my Wudai Weapon already~!"
Raimundo's brow raised in impress. "No way, really? Awesome! Does that mean you got your elemental wu, too?"
"Yeah, but it's in the vault right now. You'll have to wait to see that in action." Jermaine reached into his robe to pull out a tiny wooden mallet. "But this you can see."
The others leaned in closer to get a look.
"Is that your Wudai Weapon?" Kimiko asked.
"Yup," Jermaine nodded proudly.
Omi couldn't help laughing, feeling a bit better about such a sad presentation. "It is so very teensy..! How does such a small hammer count as a weapon? It is not even fit as a tool..!"
Master Fung gave the smallest boy a warning look. "Small packaged may hold great surprises, Omi...you of all people should know this."
Kimiko added, "Yeah, Omi, you weren't exactly thrilled about your weapon when you saw it..."
Faltering, Omi felt himself shrinking shamefully under these truthful words.
Jermaine looked at the bald boy evenly. "Omi. Dawg. We gonna have trouble? I thought we were past this."
Flustering, Omi lifted his palms in peace. "No! I mean, that is to say, we are! I apologize. I do not know what I was thinking! I am very pleased to have you here, my friend, and I am sure I do not find your Wudai Weapon comical at all..!"
"Hm." Passing the shorter boy a scrutinizing gaze, Jermaine decided to let it go. Then he held the minute mallet out in front of him. "Surprises is right, though. Check this now. Mugong Hammer!"
At once, the tiny tool ballooned into a huge over-the-shoulder mallet, Jermaine happily twirling the thing to rest in place there. Everyone 'oo'ed.
Omi sighed in relief that things seemed to have been smoothed over for now. He really didn't know why he'd had to make such a mocking outburst. He didn't want to be jealous of Jermaine's speedy progress all over again, but hearing that he was now a Dragon of Wood out of nowhere, hearing that he'd accomplished his quest for his sacred weapon all by himself, basically caught up to everything he and his friends had accomplished without a team of other Dragons by his side...Omi couldn't help it. He loved being the best in the room. A prodigy encroaching in his area of expertise, when he was supposed to be the prodigy, was incredibly trying. But more than that, he did not want to create another rift between himself and Jermaine. He could not trigger another competitive war that threatened to tear them apart. He would have to do his best to make the feelings of joy for his friend, which he did have, his only feelings.
"That's not all, though. Look~!" Jermaine twirled the hammer around, and it had suddenly become an oversized axe instead. More notes of awe from the crowd.
Omi felt irked. "But..! My weapon is a shapeshifter!"
He earned several blank looks.
"Which is...perfect!" the stout monk pushed to insist, "We are alike!" He offered an enthusiastic grin, and luckily, it seemed convincing.
Joy, he told himself. Joy. Discipline was the only way he was going to be a good friend here.