Disclaimer;
The following is a message brought to you by Bob's Cat Bakery, they're good fine people.
"We at Bob's Bakery would just like to remind you all that the characters portrayed in this story belong to somebody else, not the great, super powerful, almighty, sometimes evil, Darth Maud-Dib. Of course with the exception of Lady Rin and her fallen Dragons; they are the Sithspawned creations of our beloved would be hero, Darth Maud-Dib, the evil one. And remember if the pie meows, it's probably a cat."
Chapter Three
Out on the Town
"That was awesome." Ayane excitedly pushed open the door to the warehouse.
Alex couldn't help but laugh as he carried the bagful of Shen Gong Wu's. He followed Ayane and the others inside. "You should've seen the look on the kid's face when he realized that I had all of the Wu."
"I still want to smash them into pulp." Bob slammed his fist into his hand.
Lady Rin lightly strolled over towards the vault. "All in due time." She placed her hand on the podium causing the ground within the etched circle to resend into a spiral staircase. She motioned for them to follow, then descended the stairs. The stairs led them into a vast chamber shaped like a pentagon and lit by torches similar to the ones above. Four of the walls were covered with stone shelves. In the center of the room was a large, round stone table. "You may empty your cargo on the table."
Alex did as he was told and dumped the bag onto the table. He heard Ayane whistle once he finished and flashed her a smile as he stepped back. "See anything you like?"
"There are only a few of these that I need." Rin picked up the Sun Chi Lantern, Heart of Jong, Crystal Glasses, Mind Reader Conch, Sands of Time, Emperor Scorpion, Fountain of Hui, Eagle Scope, and the Rio Reverso.
"What about the others?" Alex watched while Rin put her Shen Gong Wu's on one of the walls along with the Sphere of Dreams.
"The rest you can divide amongst yourselves."
"Cool." Ayane stepped over to the table.
Alex couldn't help but feel pleased as they started to take turns picking out a Shen Gong Wu. Bob and Ayane had decided to let Alex choose first since he was the one who had stolen them. Glancing over the table he saw a couple that he wanted, but then he had nearly emptied the Dragons vault back at the temple so there were plenty to chose from. "I'll take the Shard of Lightning."
"Figures," Ayane laughed. "I got the Tongue of Saiping."
"And I'm the predictable one?" Alex returned her laugh then looked over to Bob. "And we all know which one Bob's gonna choose."
"The Fist of Tebigong," Ayane and Alex stated together.
"So, I like ta smash stuff." Bob picked up the metal fist.
They continued to joke around as they each picked more Wu. Once they had finally finished they each chose a wall and put them on the shelves. Alex followed Rin out of the vault with the others then sealed the entrance.
"Now that we have the Shen Gong Wu we need, we can move on to more important business. We are going to break the Xiaolin warriors, whenever they go for a new Wu, we will be there to take it." Rin glanced at each of them. "I don't want them to have a moments rest. I want you to do whatever you can to be thorn in their side, to remain a dark shadow lurking in their minds."
"In other words, ya want us ta be really annoying." Ayane smirked.
Rin smiled. "Pretty much."
Raimundo stood inside of the near empty vault next to Kimiko. He was still sore from his fight with Rin the night before and tried flexing his arm in an attempt to rid himself of any lingering soreness. The two of them had been asked to take stock of which Shen Gong Wu had been stolen. He figured that they all were but much to his surprise some were left untouched and sitting in their places. "Why didn't they just take 'em all?"
"I have no idea." Kimiko looked up at him and shrugged. "Maybe they just didn't want 'em."
"How's it going in there?" Dojo asked from Master Fung's shoulder.
"For some reason Alex left some of the Shen Gong Wu behind." Raimundo headed back up the stairs.
"I don't get why he'd do that." Kimiko joined them at the vault entrance. "I mean he coulda taken them all if he wanted."
Master Fung closed his eyes for a moment then opened them. "Alex was never burdened with greed. I suspect he didn't take all of them because he did not need them all."
"Great," Dojo rolled his eyes. "So we gotta fight a guy who's analytically picking his weapons?"
"What do you mean 'we'? Me and the others do all the work," Raimundo replied dryly.
"Yeah and who carries you all over the world on his back?" Dojo shot back. "Little ingrate."
"Gecko." Raimundo put his hands behind his head.
"What do you think the fallen Dragons will do next?" Kimiko asked interrupting the argument.
"I do not know for sure," Master Fung stated plainly. "I am sure that they will eventually attack us again, but until then we have no choice but to continue on as before and wait for them to make their next move."
"Great, sitting around doing nothing, my favorite pastime." Raimundo exhaled.
Raimundo and Kimiko spent most of the afternoon doing some light training and sparring, while Clay and Omi worked on their technique. Raimundo then trained with Master Fung, working on becoming faster, until sunset. He and Dojo were in the kitchen finishing a sandwich when Kimiko walked in carrying her PDA.
"What'cha writin' about me this time?" Raimundo asked as he crammed the last bit of sandwich into his mouth.
"None of your business," Kimiko replied. "I was gonna go into town to pick up some batteries, wanna come with?"
"Sure." Raimundo nodded in reply and dojo climbed onto his shoulder.
"Now this is more like it," Dojo exclaimed. "For once I get to ride you around."
"Don't get to comfy." Raimundo followed Kimiko out to the courtyard. "How do you think we're getting to the city?"
"Spoil sport."
"Hey guy's." Kimiko stepped out onto the courtyard where Omi and Clay were sparring. "We're headed down to the city, wanna come?"
Omi shook his head no. "Thank you for the offer, but I must stay and focus on my training."
"'sides I promised I'd help out with Omi's training," Clay added.
"What are you trying to do?" Kimiko asked.
"I am working on a technique to defeat the strongest of the fallen Dragons, Bob, with a single blow." Omi held up his fist. "Once I have defeated him the other two will easily fall before my awesome power."
"Bob might be the physically strongest, but Alex is the one we need to beat," Raimundo pointed out.
"Just because you are unable to match his speed does not mean he is the strongest. I am sure that when I face him I will be victorious."
"Whatever dude." Raimundo turned and started towards the temple exit.
"Just to be on the safe side you guy's better take a Shen Gong Wu with ya," Clay called after them.
Raimundo nodded then headed into the vault with Kimiko. He chimed the bells then followed Kimiko into the vault. He decided to take the Cannon Blaster while Kimiko opted for the Lotus Twister. They then returned to the courtyard and flew off on Dojo's back.
Alex stood out side of a small clothing shop and stared up at the night sky. He was dressed in loose fitting black slacks and a black sweatshirt that he had stolen earlier that day. He and Ayane had decided to go and explore the city since it along with most of the world, had changed since their imprisonment. Although things were basically the same, he felt amazed at how much they had advanced. He remembered automobiles being rather slow, clumsy looking things, but now… I'm gonna have to get me one, he thought.
Ayane emerged from the store wearing a red blouse, a black mini skirt with black leggings, and her regular boots. She also had an off white backpack slung over one shoulder. "What do ya think?"
"Not bad." Alex looked across the street as a red Camero sped past.
Ayane hit him on the ribs. "Your not paying attention, are ya?"
"I am." Alex raised his hands to block another jab at his ribs.
"So what now?"
"I was thinking about stealing a car."
"Boring." Ayane grabbed his hand and led him down the street. "The shopkeeper told me about an alley that sells clothes and other trinkets before I knocked him out."
"That's boring." Alex followed her down the busy streets until they reached their destination. The alley was surprisingly large and ran behind a bunch of different businesses. They spent about half an hour just looking at the various goods. Ayane seemed to be enjoying herself which brought a smile to Alex's face.
They finally reached the end and reemerged back onto the main street in front of a large movie theater.
"Ya wanna check out the other half?"
"There's another half?" Alex let his head drop. As he raised it he saw to familiar people standing in line for a movie. "I got a better idea." He pointed towards the theater.
Ayane laughed once she saw what he had pointed at. "We were suppose ta be annoying."
"So let's see a movie."
Raimundo handed the tickets to the usher while Kimiko went ahead and got in line at the concision stand. It didn't take long for them to pick up the batteries so they had decided to enjoy a night out while they had time. After he got the ticket stubs back he walked over and joined her in line. Even though he would never have said so out loud, he was glad that Clay and Omi had decided not to come along. He felt as if their friendship was starting to grow into something more but he wasn't really sure since they rarely had time alone together.
Kimiko elbowed him gently and jarred him from his thoughts. "Hey, are you going to get something or what?"
"Yeah." Raimundo shook his head then looked over to the guy behind the counter. "A large popcorn and two sodas, and go easy on the ice."
After a few minutes they took their sodas and popcorn and headed into the theater. It was somewhat crowded so they decided to sit near the middle. After traversing the sticky floor they sat down just as the lights dimmed and the previews started. The first preview looked pretty boring, it was about an English teacher who meets some guy and inspires her to write a book. Raimundo found himself zoning out as the preview dragged on. He noticed two more people walked in and headed towards the back.
"Looks kinda interesting." Kimiko leaned over and grabbed some popcorn.
Looks like a chick flick to me, Raimundo replied in his head. "Yeah sure." The rest of the previews shot past pretty quickly and the movie started. Just as the opening credits started he felt something brush his hair. A minute later he felt something small hit him on the neck. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Kimiko looked over at him.
Raimundo felt something else hit him again. "I think someone's throwing popcorn at me."
Kimiko glanced back then over to Raimundo. "I didn't see anyone throw anything."
"Whatever." Raimundo settled back into his seat. A few minutes passed then he felt another piece of popcorn hit him. "There it is again."
"Shh!" someone called out.
"Will you quit whining," Kimiko whispered.
"Whining?" Raimundo repeated indignantly as more popcorn hit him. "I'm being pelted with popcorn."
"Shut up!" somebody yelled.
Raimundo glanced over his shoulder but when he didn't see anyone throw anything he turned back at the screen. Almost instantly he felt something cold hit him on the head. "Hey!" he jumped out of his seat and turned around just in time to get hit in the face with a cup of soda.
"I said shut up."
Raimundo wiped the soda from his face and saw Alex snickering with a hand full of popcorn.
"Oops." Alex ate a piece of popcorn.
"Who threw that?" Kimiko stood up only to get pelted with a soda.
"Sorry 'bout that," Ayane laughed.
"What are you doing here?" Raimundo asked.
"Ya wanna find out, ya gotta catch us first." Ayane rushed to the side and leapt down the stairs. Alex followed suit but on the opposite side.
"Come on." Raimundo took off after Alex followed by Kimiko. They sprinted back into the lobby then outside. "Where'd they go?"
"There." Kimiko pointed towards an alley just as Alex and Ayane darted into it. Hurrying after them, Raimundo and Kimiko ran into the alley at full speed but jumped as they saw a thrash can being thrown at them by Alex. "Nice try but it'll…"
Kimiko was interrupted by Ayane as she came through the wall holding the Serpent's Tail and shoulder blocked her into a wall. Kimiko recovered quickly then tried to punch Ayane, but she was able to dodge, kicking her as she flipped back and pocketed the Wu. "What's the matter, ya giving up already?"
"Hardly." Kimiko had a fierce look as she pulled out the Lotus Twister and used it to stretch her arms to the edge of a building and slingshot herself at Ayane. Ayane rolled to the side just as Kimiko landed and the two started trading punches.
"She's pretty good." Alex smirked.
"You bet she is." Raimundo charged forward.
Alex simply grinned and put one hand into his pocket. "Mantis Flip Coin." He took a step forward then did a spiraling front flip and landed behind Raimundo. Raimundo turned just in time to block a roundhouse kick from his left. He threw a punch at Alex but he parried it the countered with two rapid sidekicks then a spinning heelkick. The two sidekicks hit him lightly as he jumped back then ducked the heelkick. Raimundo stepped forward and as he did he punched Alex in the stomach then hit him with an elbow, from the opposite arm, on the jaw.
The two warriors circled each other slowly. Raimundo could see Kimiko avoid a horde of roundhouse kicks and back hands. Kimiko finally blocked one of the backhands and punched Ayane on the small of the back then swept her legs out. Ayane rolled away immediately after landing and kicked Kimiko as she spun to her feet.
Alex tried to hit Raimundo with a series of rapid punches but Raimundo was able to block most of them. Raimundo tried to punch Alex but he blocked the attack and quickly hit Raimundo on the ribs with one fist, the stomach with the other, and then an elbow from the first arm. The attack knocked Raimundo back into a pile of garbage.
"Right were you belong," Alex laughed. "In the gutter."
Raimundo started to clench his fist when he felt something long and slender under his hand. It felt like a pipe so he grabbed it and swung it at Alex as he stood up. Alex easily dodged the attack then hit him and tried to grab the pipe but Raimundo held on. He saw Alex's eyes widen as the pipe started to glow. "What the heck?"
"Demona's Flute." Alex tried again to yank it free.
Looking down Raimundo now saw that his pipe was a flute and judging by the why it was glowing, it was also a Shen Gong Wu. "I challenge you to a Xiaolin showdown."
"You're on." Alex glared at Raimundo.
"My Cannon Blaster against your Mantis Flip Coin." All around them the ground started to shake. Then suddenly the ground they stood on tore free from the earth and shot up into the air. As the chunk of rock rose, small odd shaped platforms began to form above them. Each platform had a hole in the center with a rope hanging down from it. The platforms spread apart and at the very top platform the flute floated, surrounded by a golden light. Ayane stood on a platform off to the side of the up heaved ground and Kimiko stood on another at the opposite end. Alex and Raimundo each stood on a narrow podium at opposite ends of the crater. All of them were now clothed in their warrior robes. "First one to reach the flute wins."
The two warriors looked fiercely at each other then in unison shouted, "Gong Yi Tanpai!"
Ayane felt her adrenaline pumping as Alex and Raimundo scurried up the first ropes onto a platform. It had been quite a while since she had witnessed a showdown, the last time was about three months before she and her friends were imprisoned. She didn't know how this duel had gotten started or where the Shen Gong Wu that triggered it had come from, but in the end she didn't care. This was just another opportunity for them to beat the Xiaolin Monks and Alex would certainly beat Raimundo.
"Come on. You can do it Raimundo." Kimiko yelled up.
Not likely. Ayane looked up and saw that both Alex and Raimundo were two platforms up. They both jumped onto the same platform and rushed towards each other. Raimundo tried to clothesline Alex but he ducked beneath it, and shot his leg back in a swift kick between the shoulder blades. Ayane smiled as she watched Alex press his advantage to drive Raimundo back. Alex spun low to strike with a sweep but Raimundo jumped over the kick. Alex being a brilliant martial artist, allowed his momentum to carry him around and catch Raimundo on the jaw with a spinning heelkick that knocked him down to the level below.
Flashing a grin Alex quickly started to ascend the rope to the next platform. Much to Ayane's chagrin Alex and Raimundo moved at about the same pace. Still, if Alex managed to keep the pace up then at least one platform would remain between them. Alex started to climb another long rope; Raimundo pulled out the Cannon Blaster and used it to shoot through the hole. Raimundo pounced off the bottom of the platform, pushed off and punched Alex hard, knocking him back down while Raimundo managed to hang on to the rope.
It took Alex a second to get his wind back then jump to his feet. He tried to climb up the rope but Raimundo reached to top and pulled the rope up.
"Come on Alex," Ayane yelled in support. "Don't let that clown beat ya."
"I won't." Alex quickly pulled out the Mantis Flip Coin. He then leaped straight through the hole and behind Raimundo. "Going down." He pushed him through the hole then leapt up to the next one. Alex used the coin to quickly gain a sizeable lead.
"You can't give up yet," Kimiko shouted.
"Who said anything about giving up?" Raimundo held the cannon. "Cannon Blaster." Raimundo shot up through the air and landed three platforms up.
Ayane looked further up with a feeling of dread. Even though Alex still had the lead, if Raimundo kept jumping three levels at a time then Alex was done for. Alex must have realized this too, because he stopped and started looking around. Ayane's heart fell as Raimundo rose higher. She silently wished there was something she could do to help, but then she caught sight of Alex grinning.
He seemed to be waiting for something, but for what? She knew logically that even with the coin Alex could not beat Raimundo at this point but she had never known Alex to give up. Raimundo landed on platform just below Alex with an arrogant smirk.
"Cannon Blaster."
"Mantis Flip Coin!" Alex leaped into the air just as Raimundo shot up. Ayane shouted out in joy as she watched Alex land on Raimundo and ride him up. Just as they were about to lose velocity Alex activated the coin again and launched himself high up onto the last platform. Ayane clapped her hand while Alex ran over and plucked the Wu from its floating resting place.
All at once the ground returned to normal and they were all back in their street clothes. Alex stood next to Ayane holding all of the wagered Shen Gong Wu.
"Better luck next time." Ayane grabbed Alex by the arm and activated the Serpents Tail. The two then phased through the building and emerged on the other side. They quickly took off running before the Xiaolin Monks had time to catch up.
They ran a couple of blocks then started to walk. Alex stepped behind her as they walked and put the Shen Gong Wu into the backpack. Ayane looked over as he came back up to her side and saw the he was hiding something. "So what did ya get?"
"I don't know if you'd be interested in this." Alex smiled playfully.
"Come on, show me." Ayane tried to reach for it but Alex pulled away.
"I don't know, I did win it so technically it's mine."
"I just wanna see it." She reached for it again.
"Okay, close your eyes and stick out your hand." Alex grinned teasingly
"Why?"
"Because I have a mighty gift."
Ayane did as she was told and held out her hands with her eyes closed. She felt something cool and slender placed in her hands. Opening her eyes Ayane saw that she now held Demona's Flute, her old Wudai Weapon. She had lost it back when Alex, Bob, and she were ambushed, just as they had lost theirs. Even though they still had their elemental Shen Gong Wu, she hadn't expected to find her old flute again.
She wrapped Alex in a tight embrace as a wide smile spread across her face. "Thank you."
"Figured you'd want that." Alex returned her embrace. "But you might wanna wash it before you use it."
"How could I've been so stupid?" Raimundo kicked a near by garbage can.
"You had know way of knowing that he would use you like an elevator," Kimiko tried to comfort him.
"Still." Raimundo breathed deeply. "That's twice that guy has beaten me."
"We'll get him next time."
Raimundo nodded in response. They headed out of the alley and decided to forget about the movie since they had missed a good portion of it. Kimiko decided to salvage what she could of the evening. As they strolled down the busy streets they came across a flier advertising a carnival that was in town. It looked like it could be fun so Raimundo agreed to go along.
After about ten minutes they found the huge lot that the carnival was located in. It was surprisingly crowded near the center. Kimiko and Raimundo slowly maneuvered their way into the crowd and saw what they were watching. A man stood against a thick wooden plank attempting to catch knifes or flaming arrows that were launched at him by his assistant. Kimiko watched for a few minutes as the man became more jovial in his daring feats and his playing to the crowd.
"Hey let's grab something to eat." Raimundo leaned over towards Kimiko, who nodded in reply. They made their way out of the crowd and headed over towards the food area. It seemed that most people were over by the performer since the farther away they got the less people they saw.
"So what do ya want to eat?" Kimiko asked.
Raimundo looked around trying to decide what it was he wanted but he stopped suddenly. "I don't believe it."
"What?" Kimiko looked over at him. He pointed over to a small wooden table; there she saw Alex and Ayane eating a pizza. "You're kidding," she said once she saw them, but a second later she smiled slyly. "This is our lucky day."
"What do you mean?"
"This is our chance to even the score." Kimiko looked up at Raimundo with a smile. He returned her smile then they both sprinted forward. Raimundo pulled ahead and lunged at Alex knocking him off his seat. The two rolled a couple of feet before Alex kicked Raimundo off of him.
Kimiko jumped up on the table, landing right on the pizza, and kicked Ayane just as she stood up. Kimiko laughed as Ayane stumbled back then moved over to Alex's side.
"What the heck is your problem?" Alex asked angrily. "That was really good pizza."
"Don't worry about it dude," Raimundo smirked. "I'll be happy to cram it down your throat after I take back the Shen Gong Wu."
Ayane glared at Raimundo the shifted her gaze towards Kimiko. "What, one beating a day ain't enough for ya?"
"You're not gonna win this time." Kimiko returned Ayane's glare.
"That a fact?" Ayane rushed forward with a barrage of punches. Kimiko blocked and evaded most of the attacks. She then grabbed Ayane's arm by the wrist, spun and threw her towards Alex. Kimiko smiled as she watched her fly towards Alex hand's first, but the smile faded when Alex caught her hands.
Alex spun around holding Ayane out at arms length; once he was facing Kimiko again he twisted his arms and let Ayane go. Ayane shot through the air and hit Kimiko on the chest with a spinning missile dropkick. The blow hit Kimiko hard and drove the air out of her lunges. Tumbling back she hit a wooden booth back first.
Looking up Kimiko saw Raimundo had Alex on the defensive with a series of kick's and punches. Alex jumped back then did a low sweeping kick which Raimundo easily jumped. He the then spun around for a spinning heelkick but Raimundo blocked the kick, and countered with a sweep of his own. The sweep caught Alex by the heel and caused him to fall. Raimundo then followed it up with a low kick, but Alex popped up and over the attack. Immediately after his feet hit the ground, Alex turned and caught Raimundo with a roundhouse kick on the back. Alex continued his spinning motion and back kicked Raimundo on the head, then finished his rotation and drove his heel down between Raimundo's shoulder blades.
Raimundo fell then rolled over just as Alex tried to dive onto him. Raimundo blocked a punch and kicked Alex over him and into a booth, knocking a bunch of stuffed animals and other trinkets on him.
Kimiko regained her breath and jumped to her feet just as Alex did the same. Alex picked up a glowing pair of stuffed arms and tried to throw it at Raimundo, but Raimundo kicked them out of his hands.
"Is that what I think it is?" Kimiko watched as the arms landed near her and Ayane. She glanced over and met Ayane's stare then looked back to the arms. Both of them dived for the soft arms at once struggling to get a hold of them. They rose to their feet still fighting over to the plush items when they started to glow again. "I challenge you to a Xiaolin showdown. My Lotus Twister against your Serpent's Tail."
"Done, but ya gonna eat those words." Ayane narrowed her eyes.
Kimiko saw Alex stopped in mid punch as the ground around them started to shake then shoot up into the air. "Oh crap."
As the terrain morphed around them, the four warriors' clothes changed into their usual fighting gear. Alex and Raimundo now stood on a tall snow covered pillars opposite of each other while Kimiko and Ayane were on a wide platform covered with ice. Next to each of them was a quarter staff made from ice.
"First one to knock the other off wins," Kimiko declared.
"Gong Yi Tanpai!" the two shouted. The then grabbed a staff and moved in towards each other.
Alex looked down as Ayane and Kimiko started to attack each other. This challenge seem a bit odd to him, sure the ring was slick from the ice but it was so wide that it would take forever to knock an opponent off. As if responding to his curiosity, a ring around the platform crumbled and fell off decreasing the platform some. Answers that question.
Ayane attacked with a string of quick strikes followed by a roundhouse kick. Smiling he watched as she pressed her attack, forcing Kimiko to step back. Another portion of the ring fell away while the ring tilted to the left. Alex's smile dropped as Ayane struggled to keep her footing. Kimiko used the momentary distraction and begun an attack of her own. The two young girls moved in quick fluid motions while Kimiko pushed forward and Ayane blocked the strikes.
"Yeah, way to go." Raimundo threw his arm's up.
Alex watched Ayane carefully; she was blocking all of the attacks but because of the ice and how Kimiko keep pushing, she was being driven back. "Ayane, she's pushing to hard. Use it."
Ayane suddenly sidestepped Kimiko's attack and without Ayane to stop her, she stumbled off balance. With all of her momentum gone, Ayane hit Kimiko with her staff just as another ring of the platform fell. Alex smirked as Kimiko started to fall, but to everyone's surprise she dropped the staff and pulled out the Lotus Twister. Activating the Wu, Kimiko stretched her arm up and grabbed the edge of the ring. She then slingshot herself up and over Ayane then landed behind her. Ayane started to spin around but Kimiko nailed her with a back kick followed by a back hand and a straight punch.
The force from the blows caused Ayane to slide back just as the portion of the platform crumbled beneath her. Alex felt his disappointment rise as he watched Kimiko grab the Shen Gong Wu that floated down to her. The ice and snow melted almost instantly as the ground returned to normal. Alex stood next Ayane as their clothes reverted to their original state.
"Better luck next time," Kimiko laughed mockingly as she grabbed Raimundo's arm. "Serpent's Tail."
Ayane tried to grab them but they phased through the booth. "How could I lose to that, that stupid wench?"
"It was dumb luck." Alex put his arm around her shoulders.
"I promise ya, the next time I see her I'm gonna make her pay for this," Ayane growled with a dangerous look in her eyes.
"Why wait?" Alex grinned.
"What do ya mean?"
"I'm sure they haven't gotten far." Alex started to head off with Ayane. "They mess with you, they're messing with me. Besides I'd hate to end tonight on a negative note."
Raimundo and Kimiko walked down the busy streets headed back towards the edge of town. Kimiko seemed happy to have won her showdown and was smiling broadly; Raimundo was just glad that they finally had a victory over them. "I guess today wasn't all bad."
"Yeah." Kimiko held up the stuffed arms. "I wonder what Shen Gong Wu this is."
"We'll ask Master Fung when we get back to the temple," Raimundo said.
"There you guys are." Raimundo looked over and saw Dojo slithering towards them. "I've been looking all over for you."
"Us, where the heck have you been?" Raimundo picked up Dojo.
"Following you two around town isn't my cup'o tea, so I went back to the temple," Dojo explained. "Anyway I came back to tell you that a new Wu has been revealed."
"We already know that." Kimiko showed him the arms.
"Hey I know those, the Helping Hands." Dojo glanced over then shook his head. "But that's not the one we saw on the scroll."
"You must mean that flute I fought Alex for then." Raimundo held Dojo at eye level.
"What flute? You two have been busy haven't you?"
"Just tell us what we're looking for then," Kimiko responded dryly.
"The Wu we're after is called the Mal Chi Glove. If it's worn by a person ruled with good chi it turns the wearer evil, but if the wearer is ruled by evil chi then it increases their power." Dojo looked towards Raimundo. "Omi and Clay are already searching for it not too far from here."
"You mean it's in the city?" Raimundo asked.
"Yeah and close too."
"What are the odds of us find a third Wu tonight?"
"With our luck," Kimiko replied with a shrug. "Pretty good."
Raimundo and Kimiko began wandering up and down the streets for about ten minutes. As they searched Raimundo couldn't shake the feeling that they were being followed. He kept looking over his shoulder expecting Alex or Ayane to jump out and attack.
"It's really close now you guy's." Dojo slithered on ahead.
Alex looked down at Raimundo and Kimiko as they followed the tiny lizard around the side of a two story building. He was surprised to hear that a third Shen Gong Wu was in the city, but at least it gave him an excuse to attack them again, not that he really needed one.
Ayane quietly stepped over to his side and looked over. "They close yet?"
"If you trust the lizard then yes." Alex grabbed Ayane by the waist and pulled out the Mantis Flip Coin. Activating it they jumped over to the next building then softly walked over to the edge and spied down on the Dragons. "Looks like they haven't found it yet."
"This is as good a time as any to jump 'em." Ayane looked over at Alex. Alex nodded then hopped over the edge and landed lightly next to Ayane, behind Raimundo and Kimiko. Just as they turned around, Alex and Ayane simultaneously sidekicked them on the chest. "Ya didn't forget about us did ya?"
"Don't you guys ever go away?" Raimundo asked as he stood in a defensive stance along with Kimiko.
"Not till you're ground into dust and carried off in the wind," Alex replied with a grin.
"Besides, I got a score ta settle with ya." Ayane looked fiercely at Kimiko.
"Give us your best shot." Kimiko reciprocated Ayane's stare. "We'll be glad to beat you again."
"Okay," Alex laughed. In a swift fluid motion he and Ayane moved together and kicked the two Xiaolin Dragons. They continued moving in unison and pressed their assault forward.
Raimundo and Kimiko moved on either side of them and tried to throw them off guard. Alex blocked Raimundo's punch then kicked him in the ribs, but as he did he felt Ayane bump into him. He turned to his right and bent down allowing Ayane to roll over his back and kicked Raimundo with a crescent kick. Kimiko rushed forward with a hail of punches, but they were slow compared to Raimundo's, and he blocked them easily. From the corner of his eye he saw Ayane high kick Raimundo then roll backwards. Alex quickly hopped over Ayane as she passed beneath him and sprang up driving her feet into Kimiko's face. Just as Ayane did that, Alex spun and hit Raimundo with a devastating sidekick to the jaw. Both Xiaolin warriors fell onto the ground at the same time.
"Gee." The tiny gecko slithered over to Raimundo. "Those two fight pretty well together."
"Didn't notice." Raimundo rose to his feet. "Why don't you be helpful and look for the Shen Gong Wu."
"Actually I found it already I just can't reach it." The minuscule dragon pointed up to the logo on the building and there lying on top of it was the Mal Chi Glove.
"Thanks." Alex sidekicked Raimundo. "Now I know where to look." Alex stuck his hand into his pocket while Ayane held back Kimiko. "Mantis Flip Coin."
He leapt up and grabbed the glove then back flipped off the wall. As he landed Raimundo rushed forward and dropkicked him in the ribs causing him to drop the glove. He looked up and saw Ayane use Raimundo as a spring board to dive for the Wu, but Kimiko grabbed her legs, killing her momentum. The four combatants scrambled for the glove, each grabbing it concurrently.
"We challenge ya to a tag team showdown." Ayane sneered.
"Fine by us," Raimundo declared as the ground around them started to transform. "Our Lotus Twister and Helping Hands vs. your Mantis Flip Coin and Cannon Blaster."
All around them pillars of varying sizes and heights sprang in to the air. Ayane now stood on a pillar high above Alex and silver rings filled the sky above them floating in place. About twenty feet to his left Raimundo stood with Kimiko above him. Alex could now see the glove floating on a small table located on the opposite end of the course.
"Gong Yi Tanpai!" they shouted at once.
Above them Ayane and Kimiko leapt forward and grabbed the rings then started to swing across. Alex quickly started to leap pillar to pillar while Raimundo did the same. Alex managed to pull ahead slightly and waited as his pillar lowered then rose. He waited until Raimundo had jumped down, then leaped up and caught him with a dragon kick. They landed on a wide pillar and Raimundo rolled to his feet then rushed forward. The sudden rebound had caught Alex off guard and he was forced back while blocking Raimundo's rapid advance. He backed to the edge of the pillar then back flipped onto another one.
Above him he could see Kimiko had kicked Ayane off of the rings, but Ayane grabbed her legs and pulled her down with her. They landed up and to the left of him, quickly renewing their assault on each other. Kimiko managed to hit Ayane with a roundhouse followed with a sidekick then jumped to the next pillar just as it rose, cutting Ayane off. "Cannon Blaster." Ayane shot up into the air then grabbed ahold of the rings and started to swing after Kimiko.
The pillar Alex stood on rose and Alex jumped over to the next one with Raimundo hot on his heels. The two landed on a narrow pillar just as it started to sink. Turning to face his opponent, Alex saw that Raimundo held the Helping Hands and activated it. Almost instantly Raimundo grew and extra pair of arms.
"Cool." Raimundo rushed forward and attacked. Alex had a hard time blocking the flurry of punches that were being hurled at him. It took all of his concentration to block most of them but more and more were creeping past his defenses. He felt his foot near the edge of the pillar and kicked off while activating the Mantis Flip Coin. He preformed a high graceful back flip, but such a maneuver was dangerous. If he missed a pillar or it moved out of the way then he would be out of the battle for good.
Alex felt a wave of panic hit him as he narrowly missed a pillar, but then his feet hit something hard. "Mantis Flip Coin." He pushed off and sailed up and onto the pillar he had missed a moment before, and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked back over and saw Raimundo was now forced to go wide around to get to the Wu. Smiling, Alex ran on a course that would put him in front of Raimundo.
Looking up as he ran Alex saw that Ayane had caught up with Kimiko and the two were again trading punches. Ayane got the better of the exchange and hit Kimiko with a flipping kick, knocking her over the edge. As Ayane landed, Kimiko activated the Lotus Twister and grabbed the edge of the pillar the slung herself back up. But this time Ayane was ready for the maneuver. Just as her feet reached Ayane's eye level she grabbed Kimiko by the ankles, turned and slammed her into the ground.
Alex returned his attention to Raimundo and noticed that he was almost in range. He waited a moment then used the Mantis Flip Coin to jump to Raimundo's pillar. Seeing that Raimundo's arm had reverted back to normal, Alex zipped forward with a sequence of rapid kicks and punches. Raimundo tried to counter attack but Alex pressed his own attack forcing him to stay on the defensive. Raimundo struck Alex in the stomach with a swift knee, and then punched him on the jaw. Raimundo tried to hit him again but Alex blocked the strike and retaliated with five vigorous open palmed strikes to the head followed by a fierce roundhouse kick. The last kick cause Raimundo to fall off the pillar but when Alex looked to make sure he fell, he saw Raimundo had used the Helping Hands and grabbed onto the side of the pillar.
Doesn't matter anyway, Alex thought to himself as he leaped to the next pillar. He's done; by the time he climbs back up this'll be over. He looked around and saw that Ayane and Kimiko were now fighting close to the glove. At the moment Ayane had the advantage driving Kimiko back with a punching kick combo. Alex again used the coin to leap across a couple of the pillars and close some of the gap. He looked back up and saw Ayane move in to knock Kimiko off the pillar, but Kimiko rushed forward activating the Lotus Twister and grabbed the edge with one hand. She then jumped over Ayane then pulled herself back towards the edge, hitting Ayane with a hard dropkick. Ayane fell off the edge but managed to grab hold of the end of the pillar.
Worry started to rise in Alex as he realized that Ayane would take too long to climb back up and even with the coin he was to far to help. He looked around frantically and found a rock the size of a baseball. He quickly picked it up while Kimiko jumped onto a small pillar about one foot wide. He looked up ahead and saw that the remaining pillars grew smaller and smaller. Alex smiled and tossed the rock up playfully as he watched her carefully take each jump and struggle for balance. After a second he tossed the rock back into the air and focused his chi; he then did a spinning round house and kicked the rock.
The tiny projectile shot through the air and slammed into the back of Kimiko's knee just as she landed on another pillar. The force from the rock caused her leg to shoot out from under her and she fell off of the pillar.
"Cannon Blaster." Alex looked over and saw Ayane shoot through the air and land on the pillar with the Shen Gong Wu. Alex watched with a grin as she stepped over and grabbed the glove.
Immediately the ground returned to normal, as did their clothes. Alex was now standing next to Ayane, who held the Mal Chi Glove and the Wu wagered by the Xiaolin Dragons. Alex quickly took them all except for the Lotus Twister, and put them into Ayane's backpack.
"Well." Alex put his arm around Ayane and smiled over at Raimundo. "Looks like we win again."
"To bad, so sad." Ayane activated the Lotus Twister. "See ya next time." She stretched her arm up onto the roof and pulled herself up while Alex used the Mantis Flip Coin to jump up. They then sprinted across the roof and jumped down to the other side.
The two quickly made their way back to the warehouse. As they walked in Alex saw Bob moving furniture around. "Where you been?"
"Just out on the town," Alex replied as he and Ayane walked over to the vault. He then put his hand on the podium and watched as it opened. They walked down to the table and emptied the backpack.
"You've been busy." Rin walked lightly down the stairs.
"We ran into our would be replacements and decided ta help ourselves to their Wu," Ayane explained.
"I can see that."
"You want any of these?" Alex asked.
"No." Rin shook her head. "There're only a few that I would have a use for, so any Shen Gong Wu that you obtain is yours to keep."
"I only want the Mal Chi Glove, and maybe the Helping Hands."
"The only one I care about is my flute," Ayane said plainly. "The rest we can give ta Bob, since he did agree ta give use more than what he got."
Rin smiled gently then turned to leave. "Get some rest you two. I have big plans for us starting tomorrow."
Alex smiled to himself as he put his Wu on his shelf. Today was a good day. He had enjoyed his fight with Raimundo and looked forward to the day when they would fight to the finish. When that day comes, I won't hold anything back, he thought with a grin. So you better be ready.