Chapter 18: Pandatown

Eyes closed, Rory focused on her low, steady breathing. Other than her breath, Rory picked up on the quiet sounds of nature around her. The wind gently rustled the leaves of the trees a short distance away, and the flow of the stream trickled steadily. Choosing to ignore the quiet shuffling of Omi, who was waiting impatiently for her to do something.

"Is she just waiting for us to fall asleep, or -" Raimundo grunted when Kimiko's elbow slammed into his gut, and he doubled over. Rory ignored them as well, letting the power within her flow. Unlike before, she channelled the power into her hands, and finally opened her eyes.

"Star Shower, Light!" she shouted, raising her hands as she planted her heels against the ground. Bright white lights shot from her fingertips, swirling around and shimmering like stars as they moved as directed by Rory's gestures, before slamming into the massive rock in front of her. It exploded, shattering into pieces that flew into the air, and the lights seemed to chase them, destroying the pieces as well.

"That was awesome!" Kimiko cheered as Rory fought the compulsion to lean forwards as her heart raced and she tried to catch her breath. She managed to smile over at the Dragon of Fire, while Clay gave a cheer and Raimundo whistled.

"Most impressive, Aurora. Your control over your element has improved since your time with Master Hua," Master Fung nodded in approval, and Rory blushed.

"Thank you," she smiled, bashful at the praise.

"Clay, please demonstrate your own abilities over Earth," the man turned to Clay, who nodded and walked away. "Raimundo, please assist him," he requested.

"What?!" Raimundo groaned, but at the look the Master gave him, he stomped away and clambered down into the deep ditches that Clay used for his practice. As he did, rocks began to fall from the sides, having been dislodged in Raimundo's clumsy descent. "Clay! Anytime here cowboy!" the Dragon of Wind shouted up at him.

"Seismic Kick, Earth!" Clay kicked the ground as he channelled his power over Earth. Raimundo screeched as the ground beneath him shot up in a massive pillar, and when it stopped abruptly, he was tossed high into the air.

"Good distance," Rory grinned as she watched Raimundo vanish into the sky.

"Go Clay!" Kimiko cheered.

"Most impressive," Omi told him as Clay walked back over to them with a proud smile.

"You show an excellent mastery over your element. It appears your promotion to apprentice was well deserved," Master Fung praised the Dragon of Earth, happy with his progress.

"Thank you kindly," Clay tipped his hat to the Master, before giving a cry as Raimundo, who had caught himself with his control over Wind, flew over and grabbed his shoulder from behind.

"Sure you couldn't cut it any closer?" he complained, glaring at Clay.

"Sadly not," Rory muttered, and Raimundo turned his scowl on her as Kimiko giggled beside her.

"Raimundo," Master Fung spoke sharply before he could snap at her. "It is time to test your Wind element," he told Raimundo. The confident boy smirked and sauntered away from the others, cracking his knuckles in preparation. As his movements became more and more flamboyant, Master Fung arched an eyebrow. His look quickly had Raimundo straighten up. "Your test is to float a teammate safely onto the cool stone in the middle of the hot coal-pit," he explained as he led the five over to the smoking pool of lava that was normally sectioned off.

"No problem!" Raimundo declared. "Who's ready to fly?" he asked, looking at the other four. Immediately Kimiko and Omi darted to hide behind Master Fung, and Clay took a large step back as Rory hid behind him.

"We mean you no disrespect, Raimundo," Omi spoke as he peeked out from behind Master Fung's legs. "But you are still the only non-Apprentice on our Xiaolin team," he said, and gave an almost smug smile. Raimundo bristled.

"It's not because you're not an Apprentice, Rai," Rory spoke up as she remained behind Clay. "It's more that we've seen how your uh…control is," she said, looking apologetic.

"Hey, you were barely better than me until-"

"If there are no volunteers," Master Fung stopped Raimundo before he could fight with Rory. "Omi," he looked down at the Dragon of Water, who was sticking his tongue out at Raimundo.

"What? But Master-" Omi stopped immediately at the look at their teacher gave him. "Yes Master…" he reluctantly walked over to Raimundo, who was preparing himself quietly. It only took a moment for Omi to interrupt this. "As an Apprentice, it is my duty to offer advice to my non-Apprentice friend. You!" Omi exclaimed, beaming brightly at him.

"Omi, I'm trying to focus," Raimundo told him, already getting annoyed.

"Oh yes, focus is very good!" Omi exclaimed, taking a few steps away.

"Think I'm starting to see why Master Fung chose Omi," Rory muttered to Clay, shaking her head. There was nobody who disrupted focus better than Omi, especially when it was Raimundo on the receiving end.

"Pretty rough test," Clay considered quietly back. Raimundo had closed his eyes again, resuming his focus, only for Omi to rush in again.

"Forget all outside distractions! Feel the element inside you! Ignore every-"

"Omi!" Raimundo shouted, stopping Omi's own loud shouts.

"I will get out of your sight until you are ready," Omi patted his shoulder and stepped away again.

"Yeah right," Rory muttered, and Clay nudged her gently as he hid his smile.

"Shroud of Shadows!" Omi vanished under the Shen-Gong-Wu that he had lifted from the pile that Master Fung had brought out for them to use.

"Well, I suppose he is out of sight," Clay considered. Raimundo was back to switching stances, levelling out his breathing as he prepared himself to use his power over Wind. The breeze suddenly changed direction, and began to grow stronger. As it did, Omi's head appeared out of nowhere.

"I forgot one thing!" the eager boy shouted, making Raimundo scream in alarm. He stumbled backwards, his control slipping, and Omi was blown off his feet towards the lava. Before he could fall in, Clay caught him with his lasso and yanked him backwards. Omi landed on his feet, and beamed up at his saviour.

"Thank you, Clay!" he exclaimed. "Once again, you have saved the day!" he said, and Clay grinned at the praise.

"A good first try, Raimundo," the Dragon of Wind's eyes widened in alarm as he was addressed by Master Fung. "We will test again another day," with that, he walked away.

"But I had it! He…urgh…" Raimundo slouched, frustrated that he'd failed again.

"Not to worry, Raimundo. One day you too will also be competent!" Omi exclaimed, and walked away as Raimundo mimicked him.

"Gotta learn to block out the distractions. Can't just rely on silence to get your focus," Rory told him, and he glared at her.

"Says the one who took fifty years to break a rock," he snapped, "You didn't have Omi frying your brain," he pointed out, defensive. Rory arched her eyebrow at him.

"No, I had you complaining about how long I was taking," she retorted, walking away before he could try and argue.

"That's weird," Kimiko spoke as she looked at her PDA, checking the news. "Check out this police report from Hong Kong," she spoke, and Clay, Rory and Omi walked over to peer over her shoulders. "A string of heists by thieves using very unusual powers," she repeated, before bringing up a video. They watched as people in suits and strange masks robbed a store, before one passed through the door as if it wasn't there, and the other punched the door, snapping it from the hinges.

"Those are Shen Gong Wu powers!" Omi realised.

"That was the Serpent's Tail and the Fist of Tebigong," Rory recognised the two that the thieves had been holding. "Two Shen-Gong-Wu that Spicer swiped from us a few weeks ago," she remembered.

"Why would Jack and Wuya start acting like common criminals instead of wannabe world conquerors?" Kimiko wondered, curious. Rory folded her arms, trying to understand it.

It had been a few weeks since she had visited Jack in his lair, busy with training her Dragon Powers, but she couldn't quit understand why they would resort to such crimes. Especially by recruiting others to use those Shen-Gong-Wu for them.

"There's only one way to find out," Clay said to the others, and they turned to him.

"Guess we're making a trip to Hong Kong," Kimiko nodded.

Dojo gave a shiver as he flew over Hong Kong. If the group weren't used to flying on the dragon's back by now, they might have been tossed off into the murky waters by the dock he was headed straight for.

"You guys better stay close," Dojo warned as he descended to the rickety docks. "This is the part of Hong Kong that Dashi never let me play in," his words were light, but all of them could see why. It was a quieter area, and the buildings were all falling apart.

"I'll lead the way," Raimundo decided as they all leapt from Dojo's back. The dragon shrank down, and landed in Rory's arms. "This place is like the bad side of Rio," he said confidently. "It's my element," the boy added confidently to Kimiko, who rolled her eyes.

"No offence, Rai, but we've seen what you do with your element," Clay spoke up with a teasing grin. Raimundo blushed bright red as Dojo giggled.

"The Apprentices will take charge," Omi decided, smug.

"This'll be good," Rory murmured, her arms folded. Clearly the Dragon of Water hadn't learned from his experience of getting lost in New York.

"First, we must watch out for anything suspicious!" Omi exclaimed, either not hearing Rory, or ignoring her.

"Right now, I think that's us," Rory spoke up, a little louder. Kimiko nodded. None of them exactly blended in where they were. As Omi turned to glower at her, Rory suddenly shuddered, and there was a loud smashing sound.

"Stop, thieves!" they turned just in time to see a tall man in a white suit and mask sprint by. In his hand, he clutched the Serpent's Tail, which lit up with a bright light before allowing the man to pass through a nearby wall.

"Looks like suspicious found us," Clay growled.

"Who was that guy?" Kimiko wondered, startled by the man's sudden appearance.

"He had the Serpent's Tail! After him!" Omi shouted. The five started to run in the direction the man had vanished, leaping up onto the rooftops to look out for him.

"There!" Kimiko spotted the man as he flew through the air, carried by the Serpent's Tail as it pulled him through another wall.

"This fella's slipperier than a greased pig in a sausage factory!" Clay exclaimed. Rory shuddered at the description.

"Well if that doesn't turn me vegetarian, nothing will," she complained. "I can track him, but we need to figure out how to catch him," Rory pointed out, seeing how quickly the thief was travelling.

"We must box him in. Split apart!" Omi shouted. All but Raimundo leapt from the rooftop, and he pulled the Falcon's Eye from his pocket.

"Falcon's Eye!" he shouted, peering through the nearby buildings until he spotted the man. He leapt down, ready to stop him, only for the stranger to pass straight through him. Raimundo's cry of horror and discomfort made the rest turn and hurry back.

"What happened?" Dojo asked, perched on Rory's head as Raimundo panted, clutching his stomach.

"I had him, but he slipped right through my fingers! And I think my pancreas…" Raimundo moaned, shuddering again as his body rejected the sensation of someone passing through him.

"The Serpent's Tail lets him pass through anything, Rai," Rory reminded him patiently. "Including people," he blushed at her reminder, having been too eager to prove himself and catch the man himself.

"Ah yes. A common non-Apprentice mistake," Omi nodded sagely. "I would have grabbed the Serpent's Tail first. But I suppose that is something we learn at the Apprentice-level - ow!" Omi squealed when Rory's fist slammed against his head.

"If you say Apprentice one more time, I'm throwing you in the water," she warned him. Omi huffed, rubbing his head, but fell quiet.

"I still don't get it," Kimiko spoke up, ignoring Omi's pout. "Why would Jack and Wuya hire a new henchman just to steal ordinary valuables?" she wondered. The others looked as lost as she felt.

"That man was a servant of Pandabubba," a hissed warning came from nearby, making them all jump and turn quickly. An elderly man was peering out from his doorway at them, looking fearful.

"Who's Pandabubba?" Rory asked, keeping her voice quiet as she looked around. With how scared the man looked, she didn't want to draw any more attention.

"He is the one who runs this place," the man whispered back. "Do not attract his ire, or you will follow the same fate as the rest," he drew further back into the shadows.

"That made no sense," Omi decided as the door then shut. It shook a little, seeming to risk falling off its hinges.

"If he runs a place like this, and has people stealing for him…" Clay considered, looking at the others.

"He's probably a crime boss," Kimiko concluded for the cowboy.

"And if his minion is evil enough for me to sense, I reckon this Pandabubba will be too," Rory added.

"So let's find him already!" Impatient as always, Raimundo strode away. Kimiko rolled her eyes, and they followed.

It didn't take long for the Xiaolin warriors to find Pandabubba's lair. Even if Rory hadn't been able to detect him, his home was massive and stood out amongst the more desolate buildings that it towered over, with two statues of pandas outside the gates.

Having waited for nightfall, they crept along the wall, taking stock of the security that protected the massive home.

"I will take the 12 guards on the north. Clay, the 10 on the east," Omi whispered as he looked around. "Kimiko, the 11 on the west, and Rory, you take the 10 on the south. Raimundo…you watch how it's done," he decided. Raimundo growled, but as he went to snap at him, Rory clamped a hand over his mouth.

"We've got company," she warned, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder. As they looked up, Jack swung into view with the Monkey Staff in one hand as he hung by his tail on the branch. Rory slapped a hand to her face.

"Who called in the loser patrol?" Jack taunted as Wuya floated behind him.

"Jack Spicer!" Omi growled as the five moved into fighting stances, ready to take on whatever robots Jack threw at them. "I do not know why you have chosen to work with Pandabubba, but-"

"I'm here for the same reason you are," Jack cut him off, flipping and landing lightly on the wall to sit down. "To get back what Pandabubba stole from me," he grumbled.

"Stole?" Kimiko pressed, not quite believing him. Jack set the Monkey Staff down, and stood as his features returned to normal. Rory's eyes immediately went to the Monkey Staff, having to fight the temptation to take it.

"Yeah, but I found a secret pass into the mansion where they're holding all the Wu," he said casually, making all of them even more suspicious. "A tough fight for me, but with the right help…" Jack trailed off suggestively.

"Jack, you can't possibly be suggesting a…team-up…" Wuya sounded disgusted, but reluctant to fight him on it. Rory glanced at her, eyebrows narrowed. Of course she would want the Shen-Gong-Wu back as well, and with Jack the way he was, no wonder the witch wasn't immediately screeching obscenities at the suggestion.

"Help me in, and we'll split my ex-Shen-Gong-Wu, 50-50," Jack offered.

"Okay, now I know you're shittin' us," Rory scoffed, and he met her gaze with an exasperated look.

"Come on Rapunzel, no need for such hostilities," he sighed, and her eyes narrowed. Before she could do anything, Clay had a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head to deter her from trying to beat their enemy senseless.

"She's right. Forget it, Jack. We can bust this place open ourselves," Kimiko scoffed.

"You wanna take a Falcon's Eye look inside and tell me you're so sure?" Jack's confident challenge had Omi immediately shove a hand into Raimundo's pocket. The Dragon of Wind almost fell from the wall, and whined his protests as Omi pulled the Falcon's Eye out.

"Falcon's Eye!" the Falcon's Eye glowed as Omi held it up to his eye, allowing the boy to look through the walls. Omi gasped. "Jack is right! We are outnumbered, and out Shen-Gong-Wu'd!" he warned them.

"Jack tells you he has a secret passage inside, and you're just going to believe him?!" Raimundo demanded, finding the idea ludicrous. Omi just slipped the Falcon's Eye back into his pocket.

"Tell you what. As a show of good faith, I'll even give you my last Shen-Gong-Wu," Jack held out the Monkey Staff. Instantly Wuya flew in front of him with a shriek.

"What? Jack, don't be a fool! I forbid it!" she warned him furiously, suddenly seeming more like herself. Ignoring her, Jack just walked through her ghostly form and shuddered.

"It's the only way to earn their trust," he said, holding it out. Omi reached out to take it, only for Rory to instantly step between and take it. Omi pouted, but didn't complain in case she punched him again.

"The only Shen-Gong-Wu you ever really go feral for, huh?" Clay commented, and Rory shrugged.

"You like the Third Arm Sash and Fist of Tebigong, I like the Monkey Staff," she said simply.

"Come on! It's a classic con-game!" Raimundo protested.

"Okay, I hear your concerns," Omi nodded, and for a moment Raimundo thought he was going to side with him. "And I will share them with the -" he stuttered when he saw Rory's glare. "With the others," he gave a wide, innocent smile. Rory rolled her eyes. "Clay, Kimiko, Rory?" Omi turned to the three.

"I reckon we got no better choice," Clay confessed.

"I'm not just saying it because of this," Rory lightly spun the Monkey Staff in her hands. "But having some way in is better than having to fight our way through lads using Shen-Gong-Wu. Though I would like to know how these lads learned how to use them," she glanced at Jack, who avoided her gaze. Her eyes narrowed.

"Let's give it a shot," Kimiko agreed.

"What?!" Raimundo barely managed to stop himself before he could screech loud enough for the guards to hear. "You're going to trust Jack Spicer over me?" he demanded.

"Rai-" Kimiko started, but he cut her off.

"That's it! I'm finding my own way in, and anyone who wants can come with me," he told them. All of them immediately looked away.

"Sorry pal. Gotta go with the crowd on this one," Dojo apologised as Raimundo visibly shook with anger. At that, he gave a shout and leapt down from the wall, instantly starting to take down the guards around.

"Raimundo!" Omi shouted, leaping down after him.

"Hey, easy buddy!" Clay pleaded as he joined.

"Come on, Rai!" Kimiko jumped down too. Rory shot Jack an irritated look, and he smiled back innocently. She shook her head.

"We shouldn't split up!" with that, she jumped down to help as well.

"Don't take it so hard!" Dojo pleaded with Raimundo as well, but he didn't listen.

Raimundo had run off, refusing to listen to the group as they tried to reason with him. The remaining four warriors had considered going after him, but they knew they couldn't leave the Shen-Gong-Wu in the hands of the crime boss, who was clearly using them to torment the people of Hong Kong.

"I don't like this," Rory complained as they crept along the side of the house. She held the Monkey Staff close, ready to use it if necessary.

"What part?" Clay whispered back as they followed Jack along the wall. He was patting the wall, seeming to be searching for something.

"All of it," Rory replied, shaking her head. "My senses are already on the fritz, trying to sneak into an evil lair, but with Jack and Wuya so close…it's hard to focus. And I don't like that Rai is off doing whatever," she grumbled. She didn't trust the two more than Raimundo, far from it, but she knew they couldn't just rush in the front door. They were still lacking in offensive Shen-Gong-Wu from Jack's theft on their vault, and even with their abilities as Xiaolin warriors and powers as Dragons, they would be hard-pressed to stand up against Pandabubba's minions.

"I'm sure Rai will cool off and figure out what to do," Clay patted her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. "The sooner we get the Wu, the sooner we can get out of here," he pointed out, and Rory nodded.

"I found the building plan on the net. There should be an old servant's entrance right…here!" Jack earned their attention as his fingers dug into a loose brick. There was a quiet rumble, and the wall in front of him moved slowly to reveal a way into the building.

"It is very dark in here," Omi gulped as they took a step inside, passing Jack.

"Yeah, a little too dark," Dojo whimpered, moving from Rory's shoulder to hide under Clay's hat. Rory shuddered as the dark feelings suddenly grew a lot stronger than before, including one that felt far more selfish than the rest.

"Wa-" before Rory could call out a warning, a hand clamped over her mouth, and she was yanked backwards as the Monkey Staff was knocked from her hand. As she struggled, the door slid closed behind them and threw the group into darkness.

"Hey, what?!" chaos broke out, and Rory yelped as she was thrown to the ground. The rest cried out as they were also accosted and the Shen-Gong-Wu they carried were ripped from their hands.

"Star Hanabi!" they then flinched as light suddenly filled the dark tunnel, and the four found themselves looking up at a bulky man wearing a black and white suit. His hair was bunched up to resemble panda ears, and his eyes were coated in a thick layer of black makeup to resemble panda eyes.

"It is a trap!" Omi shrieked as Pandabubba threw the Star Hanabi into the air. The light grew, and the four were forced to shield their eyes. As they did, two guards, one in a black suit and the other in white, shoved past Jack.

"Move!" Rory shouted. She, Clay and Kimiko leapt away as one rushed towards Omi.

"Fist of Tebigong!" as he swung a punch at Omi, the boy leapt away, catching a hold of the rafters.

"Tornado Strike, Water!" he shouted, moving around the man's punches to manipulate him.

"Serpent's Tail!" as Rory tried to move away, the guard in white rose from the ground in front of her. She skidded to a stop, and he smirked before kicking her backwards into Clay. "Serpent's Tail!" he then vanished again, and appeared behind Clay as the cowboy stumbled backwards. He was shoved forwards, falling into Rory this time, and the two fell to the ground with a cry.

"This is really annoying," Rory growled as she looked around for where the man was going to appear next.

"Judolette Flip, Fire!" Kimiko launched in, tripping the man as he appeared from behind a wall. He cried out, dropping the Serpent's Tail as he slammed into a wall. "I got your back," the Dragon of Fire grinned at the pair, who smiled thankfully at her.

"Enough!" Pandabubba growled. "Tangle Web Comb!" he held out the Shen-Gong-Wu, and within seconds had the four restrained and on the ground. Dojo gasped from where he'd been hiding, but as he tried to escape, he was grabbed and yanked into the shadows.

"We did it! We got them!" Jack cheered, clapping his hand to Pandabubba's shoulder.

"We? There is no we," Pandabubba glared at him.

"What?!" Jack demanded as he backed away, eyes going wide. "We had a deal!" he protested, before shrieking as the man lifted the Tangle Web Comb once more. He crashed to the ground, struggling with the bonds that now wrapped around him.

"Break into the Xiaolin Temple and bring me the rest of the Shen-Gong-Wu," Pandabubba ordered his servents, who bowed and walked away. The four Xiaolin warriors struggled, unable to break free from their bindings, and could only hope that Raimundo would be able to help.

"You know Rai isn't going to let us hear the end of this," Rory mused idly as the four warriors continued to struggle. Having had the bindings from the Tangle Web Comb removed, they were now held by ropes, imprisoned in a small side room of the warehouse they'd been dragged to.

"For good reason. We never should have gone along with Jack's suggestion," Kimiko sighed. She was still trying to channel her powers of fire, but with her hands firmly stuck behind her back, she couldn't focus the power enough to free herself, at least without the risk of setting herself on fire as well.

"It was too tempting, especially when the other option was riskier than teasing a rattlesnake," Clay sighed.

"Seems either way we weren't gonna have much luck," Rory grimaced.

"I knew we should have gone for the head-on approach," Omi shook his head, and immediately all three glared at him. He had the decency to look sheepish. "Okay…maybe not," he allowed.

"You'll never get away with this!" their eyes widened, and they looked around quickly as the door swung open and Raimundo was shoved in the door, his hands bound behind his back. The door then slammed shut behind him, and the lock clicked.

"Hey, you alright, Rai?" Clay asked as Raimundo glared over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm cool," he shrugged.

"Sorry about the whole not trusting you about Jack thing," Kimiko apologised earnestly.

"Yeah. It wasn't that we didn't trust you, we just saw an easy way in and just…didn't think about it. Sorry, Rai," Rory apologised as well.

"Yes, we were captured most shamefully, while you tried your best to defend the Xiaolin Temple…and failed," Omi said, and the three other captives glared at him again. "But at least you tried your best! And failed…" Rory and Kimiko rolled their eyes. To their surprise, Raimundo just laughed.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Raimundo smirked, confusing the others.

"Okay…you gonna elaborate, or just leave us in the dark?" Rory asked, eyebrow raised. Hearing someone unseen clear their throat, the four were surprised when Dojo seemed to materialise out of nowhere over Raimundo's shoulder, wielding a pair of scissors.

"Is it time for my big entrance?" Dojo beamed, leaping down to free the rest of the teens from their bindings.

"Dojo?!"

"No way!"

"But how?" they shouted as he cut them free of the ropes and allowed them to straighten up. Raimundo snorted.

"You really thought those goons could take me?" he scoffed, almost insulted at the idea. "I knew I had to rescue your sorry butts, so I let myself get caught, along with a Shroud-hidden backpack full of Shen Gong Wu," he explained, pulling the back from his back that had been hidden under the Shroud of Shadows.

"Smart move!" Clay exclaimed, pulling the Two Ton Tunic out as Raimundo held the bag out to them.

"Nice one Rai," Kimiko grabbed the Third Arm Sash to wrap around herself.

"Pretty crafty, I like it," Rory praised him, bumping his shoulder with her fist before she fished the Eye of Dashi out of the bag.

"Amazing!" even Omi couldn't keep the respect out of his voice as he took the Orb of Tornami. Once they were ready, the four grinned to one another as Dojo climbed up to hide under Clay's hat.

"Let's go say hi properly, shall we?" Rory suggested, twirling the Eye of Dashi on her finger.

"Took the words out of my mouth," Raimundo nodded as he lifted the Sword of the Storm from the pile.

Outside, Pandabubba was reaching for the door, furious after his minions had been so blatantly tricked by Raimundo. As his large fingers touched the door handle, he heard a shout.

"Two Ton Tunic!" Clay's shout was followed by a crash as he smashed through the wall.

"Third Arm Sash!" Kimiko then punched through another part of the wall.

"Eye of Dashi!" the blast of power shattered the wall in front of Rory.

"Orb of Tornami!" with that, the wall completely collapsed, leaving the five Monks standing in fighting stances ready to attack.

"Get them!" Pandabubba recovered from his shock quickly and turned to order his minions.

"Jackbots, attack!" Jack, bound nearby, managed to wiggle an arm free to call on his robots, who smashed through the window.

"Third Arm Sash!" Kimiko sent the blue Sash to wrap around Pandabubba's arm, stopping him as he tried to use the Fist of Tebigong. Nearby, Rory and Omi were practically running circles around one of Pandabubba's minions, dodging each of his attacks.

"Star Hanabi!" he threw the Shen Gong Wu at the pair, who dodged out of the way. It smashed through one of Jack's robots, and his scream of anguish earned their attention. The robot, somehow still floating in the air, shuddered dangerously.

"It's gonna blow!" Jack shouted, and everyone abandoned the fight to race out of the warehouse before it went up in smoke. As it did, the stolen Shen Gong Wu flew up in the air.

"Looks like it's a free for all!" Raimundo's words caused everyone to scatter.

"Oh boy," Rory shook her head, scooping up the Monkey Staff nearby before tossing the Eye of Dashi to Raimundo.

"Hey!" Jack protested, having been reaching for it. She just turned and smirked at him.

"I seem to recall you offering this up freely, Spicer," Rory taunted him, and he stuck out his tongue at her. She retaliated in a similar fashion, before using the monkey agility to leap up onto the crate to lift the Coronet of Protection.

The chaos was cut short, as the Longi Kite began to glow when Raimundo and Jack grabbed for it at the same time. The two glared at one another.

"Jack, I challenge you to a-" Raimundo's declaration was interrupted by Pandabubba clearing his throat. Everyone else had looked around at this point, and found the crime boss holding onto the tail of the Longi Kite.

"A Showdown Trio," Pandabubba smirked. "This was on your cheat sheet too," he added.

"Fine," Jack rolled his eyes. "How about my Tangle Web Comb, for Raimundo's Eye of Dashi, and Pandabubba's Fist of Tebigong," he decided.

"I'm cool with that," Raimundo agreed. "Winner takes the Longi Kite. What's the showdown?" he asked as everyone else made their way over.

"First boat to the finishline wins the showdown," Pandabubba decided, gesturing to the water nearby.

"Let's go, Xiaolin Showdown!" their combined yell was followed up by blinding light.

When the light faded, the other four Monks found themselves in a wooden crow's nest looking down at the water below. In another, Pandabubba's minions, Wuya and the remaining Jackbots were doing the same, seeing the three combatants stepping onto small, different coloured boats.

"Gong Yi Tanpai!" as soon as they shouted, the three began to race around the wooden shacks.

"Come on, Rai!" the four Monks shouted down as they watched Raimundo easily balancing on his boat and speeding around the maze.

"How did Pandabubba know so much about all this?" Clay wondered as Raimundo fired the Eye of Dashi, narrowly missing Jack.

"He mentioned a Cheat Sheet," Kimiko considered, flinching as the Tangle Web Comb then ripped the front of Raimundo's boat off.

"What is that?" Omi asked, not understanding what they meant.

"It means that Spicer wrote down clear instructions for an outsider to figure out exactly how to do this stuff," Rory leaned on the side of the crow's nest, exhausted. Omi didn't even had a moment to process this, as Pandabubba smashed through the flooring of the boat, almost managing to make a hole in it, before speeding up with Jack and leaving him behind.

"Whirlpool!" Clay was the first to spot the water start to swirl around Raimundo's boat.

"Come on, boss!" Pandabubba's minions cheered for him.

"Faster, Jack!" Wuya shrieked.

"This doesn't look good," Kimiko gulped as Raimundo seemed to panic for a moment, staring at his boat as water started to seep over the sides. Then he shook his head and narrowed his eyes.

"Typhoon Boom, Wind!" starting to spin, Raimundo's feet lifted off the boat and he flew to the side, landing on solid ground.

"Did you see that?" Omi gasped. "Raimundo's Wind has finally broken…through!" he cheered loudly.

"Seems he's finally learned about using it under pressure," Rory said, ignoring the unintentional double-meaning.

"Looks like he's too late," Dojo gulped, seeing Jack and Pandabubba reaching the end.

"Come on Rai! You can still win!" Kimiko shouted down to the young man, believing in him.

"Just think, what would Omi do!" Omi shouted, and she rolled her eyes.

"And then don't do that!" Rory added, earning a glare from him.

"Eye of Dashi, Wind!" ignoring them, Raimundo held up the Eye of Dashi to the sky, and a blast of lightning shot up into the clouds. The wind began to pick up, and thunder boomed as dark grey clouds formed quickly. Rory shuddered.

"Of all the things he had to do," she grumbled under her breath. Kimiko took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as they watched the water start to move faster. A massive wave rolled along, and Raimundo leapt onto it, using the last bit of his boat as it floated up to surf along.

The wave grew larger and larger, until it swallowed up both Pandabubba and Jack, and Raimundo passed the finish line with a cheer. The four Monks cheered loudly, and Dojo gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh, that was hard to watch," he admitted. There was another flash of light, and they found Raimundo nearby holding the four Shen Gong Wu.

"Alright buddy!" Clay shouted.

"Great surfing, Rai," Kimiko praised him as Raimundo grinned proudly.

"Did it have to be a storm?" Rory asked him, exasperated, and he gave a quiet laugh.

"That was incredible," Dojo added in.

"As a Xiaolin Apprentice…" Omi started, sounding lofty. The others narrowed their eyes, until he smiled. "I could not have done better myself," he allowed.

"Better?" Raimundo scoffed as they walked off, ready to head back. "I could teach you a thing or two about surfing, little man," he told Omi, making the others laugh.

Sulking over the meagre supply of Shen Gong Wu he had left, Jack worked on what he could to repair his robots. After his parents had cut off his spending, and now having lost out from Pandabubba, he had to work with what he had.

"Stupid panda…what's even his obsession?" he grumbled, patting the table for his wrench until it was pressed into his hand.

"Pandas are really cute, I dunno what you're talking about," Rory said as he looked up. "Damn, we barely even messed with these today," she said, looking at the mess of his robots. "I can't believe you wrote a cheat sheet," Rory added, leaning against the table and folding her arms. Jack blushed and rolled his eyes.

"Shut it," he grumbled, stomping away from the table. "I already had enough of that from Wuya," he complained. Rory couldn't help but smile faintly, and she pushed off the table, walking over to one of the shelves.

"I think all she does is complain, to be fair," Rory shrugged, lifting a book from the shelf on mechanics. It was old and well-worn, clearly having been read several times. Jack snorted.

"She shrieks a lot too," he added, making her smile widen slightly. It then faded, as she kept looking at the book in front of her.

"I have a question," the quieter tone of her voice, less casual, made Jack look up from the box of scrap he'd been fishing through. When he looked over at her, standing with his book in her hands and not looking up, Jack could have sworn she almost seemed nervous. That made him frown.

"What?" he asked roughly, still in a bad mood from everything that had gone wrong that day. Rory finally looked up, losing the nervous look to replace it with more a determined look that he was used to.

"When did you figure it out?" she asked, his frown grew.

"Figure what out?" he asked, missing the context. Rory huffed.

"When you brought us into the trap with Pandabubba, you stopped me from warning the others," she accused, stepping towards the much taller young man. Jack's frown grew a little more. Was she shorter, or had he actually grown a little? That thought almost distracted him from what Rory was saying. "You knew that I was able to tell there was an ambush," Rory accused. Jack stared at her for a long moment, before snorting again.

"Course I could, Rapunzel," he rolled his eyes and took the book from her.

"Rory," she corrected again, as she always did, and he hit her lightly over the head with it.

"I've known for a while," as she made a quiet noise of protest, Jack walked back over to his table and pulled his goggles down over his eyes. "I thought it was weird that you knew someone else was hiding that time with what's her face…Rose. And that you immediately assumed she was with me," he said, and began to attach the arm he'd pulled from his box of scrap to the robot on the table. Rory shuddered at the mention of the strange woman.

"You've known that long?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"Nah. It didn't really occur to me until you started hanging out here. You always left right before Wuya got here," Jack added. Rory stared at him. "That whole thing with Vlad kind of confirmed it, I guess," he continued to talk as he worked, and Rory huffed.

She hadn't quite expected Jack to figure it out. Wuya knowing was guaranteed - she knew more about Rory than Rory did. But not Jack. It almost made her laugh.

"Not bad, Spicer," she allowed, and he scoffed, finally looking up.

"I am an evil genius. You could stand to remember that," he said, almost sounding lofty. Rory rolled her eyes and walked over, taking the book back again.

"Yeah, yeah," she said lightly, opening it before going to sit down. "I suppose we should both stand to remember it. No more cheat sheets," Rory smirked, and Jack went red again before going back to his work, banging louder than he needed to.

The next day, Master Fung called the five Monks out into the temple grounds, looking proud as Dojo looked pleased.

"Raimundo, please step forwards," the Dragon of Wind was surprised when Master Fung called him forwards. "You have demonstrated remarkable growth, in helping to save your friends and retrieve the Shen Gong Wu, and you have also demonstrated your improvement with your control over Wind," Raimundo's eyes widened as Master Fung held out the sash. "Congratulations, to our newest Xiaolin Apprentice," he announced.

After a moment of hesitation, Raimundo stepped forwards and took the sash from him, smiling proudly. The others cheered loudly as he walked back over to them, holding the blue-tinged sash in his hands.

"Congratulations!" they all patted him, happy that he'd finally reached their rank.

"Eh, no biggie," Raimundo shrugged, looking modest and making their smiles grow.

"Now with all five Xiaolin Apprentices, you are prepared to perform the next level of signature move," Master Fung declared. Dojo gave an excited clap. "The Dragon-X Kumei Formation," he announced, making their eyes light up.

It didn't take long for the five to try it, quickly preparing themselves.

"Dragon-X Kumei! Water!"

"Earth!"

"Fire!"

"Wind!"

"Light!" the five stood in formation, with Raimundo and Clay on the sides as Omi balanced Kimiko and Rory; the two on one hand each. As they did, each of them felt their strength grow, and a golden light shimmered around them for just a moment.

"Beautiful," Dojo sniffed, wiping a tear from his eye. "I never thought I'd see the day," he admitted tearfully.

"Master Fung?" Raimundo approached as they dismantled their formation. "Thanks for trusting me," the new Apprentice smiled, thankful that their teacher had agreed to go along with his plan.

"You deserved it," Master Fung told him, and made Raimundo's smile grow wider. "Now that you are all at the Apprentice level, there is more than the Dragon-X Kumei Formation that I must share with you all," their smiles faded a little as he earned their curiosity.

"What is it, Master Fung?" Omi asked, wondering just what their teacher had for them now.

"As the chosen Xiaolin Dragons, you each possess unique abilities. This you've already witnessed in your control over your elements," Master Fung gestured to the five, who exchanged looks. "Yet there is more to it than this. There is also the Soul Tie," the name wasn't one that any of them recognised.

"Ah, the Soul Tie. Now that's some freaky magic," Dojo nodded his understanding.

"What is it?" Raimundo asked slowly.

"When a Dragon has a moment of mutual feelings. Respect, admiration, even anger, can cause a Dragon to become Soul Tied with another," Master Fung continued his explanation. "Once Tied, a Dragon will always have that bond. It cannot be broken, nor will a new bond ever take its place," he told them.

"Frea-ky," Dojo emphasized.

"What is this bond?" Omi asked, tilting his head. Master Fung smiled at him.

"You should know better than me, Omi," the Water Dragon blinked in surprise. "I believe that you have already found your Soul Tie in a good friend of yours," his cryptic words only confused them. "Think, my student. Is there anyone that you feel aware of, when you look deep inside?" Master Fung challenged him patiently. Omi was quiet for a long moment, before looking up at their teacher with big eyes.

"I am Soul Tied…with Jermaine?" he asked, and the others stared at him. Master Fung nodded.

"Born in a moment of mutual respect for one another, followed by a friendship you may not be able to truly describe or explain. But I cannot confirm this for you. This is something only you will truly know," he told Omi, having seen the signs from the moment the group had returned from New York.

Omi was quiet for a moment longer, deep in thought about it. What Master Fung was telling him made sense. The more he thought about it, the more he was aware of his friend, with whom he had remained in contact with through letters.

"This is…unnerving," he admitted. Master Fung leaned down to pat his shoulder.

"Trust me, young monk. This is a great thing to possess, especially with such a good friend," he said, and Omi smiled widely. Now that he was aware of it, he was convinced that it was.

"What exactly is this…Soul Tie?" Rory asked, trying not to show that her stomach felt like it was churning.

"Once Tied, a Dragon is aware of their partner on a consistent, subconscious level," Master Fung said. "You will be able to sense if anything is wrong with them. Any danger they are in; any pain they feel, you will feel deep within. And the same goes for the partner. Any pain you are in, they will sense," Master Fung answered.

"What's the point of this?" Raimundo asked. He still didn't fully understand what Master Fung was saying.

"As you grow, so will your Soul Tie. You will be able to draw on greater strength through this bond, achieving even greater heights," Raimundo frowned a little, wondering just how that worked. "You will come to understand once you are Tied, my students. But heed my words: this is not something that can be forced. You will all find this in time. Whenever that may be, is up to the fates themselves," Master Fung said, and bowed, dismissing them.

"Like this whole Dragon gig wasn't weird as heck," Raimundo grumbled.

"No kidding. What's it like, Omi?" Kimiko asked the shortest of their group. Omi's chest swelled, and a smug smile crossed his face. Raimundo immediately rolled his eyes. Something else for Omi to brag about.

Whatever Omi had to say, didn't reach Rory's ears. They didn't need to. She already knew what it was like, and had done from the moment Master Fung had started to explain it.

Like Omi, she was already Soul Tied.

To Jack Spicer.

Welp.

Let me know what you think!