Focus is a Virtue
Kimiko was in the middle of a Xiaolin Showdown with Max. Kimiko was scaling a mountain while Max was walking against the cliff using the power of the Jetbootsu. "You realize this is a Showdown, right, Kimiko?" Max called to her opponent.
Kimiko knew, but she was determined to win. "You know those boots make you look like you have a poor sense of style, right, Max," she countered.
"No, but they certainly allow me to defy gravity," Max explained. "You might as well throw in the towel." They were fighting for the Monkey Staff. Whoever held the Staff woud be endowed with monkey-like features and behaviors.
Kimiko tried to use the power of the Fist of Tebigong to smash and destroy the cliff Max was scaling, but it wouldn't work.
"I told you, I'm defying gravity," Max reminded her. That wasn't Kimiko's only mistake. The mountain began to shake violently from Kimiko's attack, causing her to lose her grip and fall from the cliff. Max quickly grabbed the Monkey Staff. The Showdown was over, so Kimiko got a soft landing. But she lost her Shen-Gong-Wu. Now Max had two prizes. "As you can see, I'm a much more worthy adversary than Jack." As she laughed, she noticed a monkey tail on her rear end. She chuckled nervously, remembering the effects of the Monkey Staff, and she didn't want to hold on to the Staff for a long time. She hurried to take her leave and present her spoils to Jack and Wuya.
The monks came to Scottland to covet another Shen-Gong-Wu. Dojo couldn't stand the temperature of the water. "I don't know how my cousin Nessie stands living here," he complained. "Of course, if you ask me, she likes all the attention. 'Hey, look, it's the loch ness monster,'" he said mockingly.
"Hey, look, it's the loch ness monster," a Scottish man cried out.
"See what I mean?"
Emily saw that Kimiko was still upset for her loss to Max. "Chin up, Kimiko."
"Just leave me alone," she groaned.
Omi said something differently. "I could not have expected you to do better because you are a girl."
That made Kimiko snap. "For your information, Max is a girl too!"
"I thought Max was a boy," said Omi. "Max is a boy's name, is it not?"
"It can be a girl's name too," Raimundo reminded. "And she doesn't even sound like a boy."
"Kimiko did her best," Emily said, defending her. "Max is just a whole other opponent. I should know. She and I have had many battles together."
The conversation came to a stop as Dojo brought them to the hidden location of the Shen-Gong-Wu they were looking for: the Tangle Web Comb. It had the power to ensnare victims like how a spider ensnares it prey in a web.
Emily couldn't use her magic, but she still had her other powers, like the ability to breathe underwater. She dove down and reemerged with the Comb in her hand.
When they returned to the temple, the monks requested to demonstrate the power of the Tangle Web Comb. Kimiko was being made fun of again because she liked fashion and accessiories like many girls typically do and the Tangle Web Comb was seen as an accessory to the boys' amusement. Kimiko wanted to put a stop to them making fun of her. She activated the Comb, but its power turned on her and ensnared her.
Rather than show concern and help their friend, the boys decided to be sneaky and go through Kimiko's personal property. Emily wanted to help her friend, but she also wanted to stop the boys from invading Kimiko's privacy. She bowed and apologized, then hurried to stop the boys. With a dependable friend like Emily, Kimiko had one less thing to worry about. Now she had to concentrate on setting herself free. But the more she struggled, the tighter the snare became.
Master Fung saw this and helped Kimiko. "The Tangle Web Comb is a difficult Shen-Gong-Wu to master. It requires absolute focus." Kimiko argued that she was focused, but based on her struggle, clearly, she was not. Master Fung dispelled the effect of the Comb. To see the length of Kimiko's focus, Master Fung gave her the task of pouring tea from a large pot into the small cups. The task of pouring the tea without spilling a drop was one of the many challenges that required absolute focus. Kimiko thought she could do it, but she didn't realize how heavy the pot was until she lifted it. She struggled, but she managed to pour tea into the first cup successfully.
Emily managed to keep the boys from invading Kimiko's privacy and convinced them to let her teach them to play Duel Monsters. It was going well until they started making fun of Kimiko again for serving tea. Their teasing was bringing her on the brink of losing her temper, but Kimiko continued trying to keep her concentration.
"You must drown out all distractions," Master Fung told Kimiko. "Quiet the storm of your mind. Only then will you achieve absolute focus."
Kimiko tried to take in his wisdom, but the struggle was beginning to take its toll on her. It got worse when Omi said, "I am very surprised Kimiko can lift such a heavy pot with elegant female arms."
"WHAT?!" Kimiko shrieked. By finally losing it, she lost her grip on the teapot and spilled tea all over the table. The teapot crashed to the floor and shattered at Master Fung's feet. He shook his head in disappointment. Kimiko had a lot to learn on how to achieve absolute focus.
In the basement of the Spicer residence, Jack was enjoying being a monkey. He had the reflexes and the physical appearance of a monkey.
"I warned you about this," Max told him. "The more you hold the Monkey Staff, the more monkey-like you will become." Even Wuya was annoyed at this.
Jack wasn't the only one having fun. His parents had invited their friends over for a party. He wasn't invited, but he didn't care. He was just having too much fun being a monkey. Suddenly, the alarn for intruders went off. At the door was Ashley, a teenager with blonde hair and a purple tank top and skirt. She was trying to avoid the fiasco of the party. It was too rowdy for her and not all that fun. As Ashley looked around, she figured she like the idea of fighting for world domination. Max didn't like this girl, but Wuya seemed interested. Even Jack didn't take kindly to the demeanor. He screeched like the monkey he was. Ashley got the message and left the basement.
When she did, Wuya began sensing another Shen-Gong-Wu. This time, the treasure was the Golden Tiger Claws. Max's smile brightened up. This was a very popular treasure among thieves. These Tiger Claws allowed the wielder to use their power to transport them anywhere they wanted. A thief would do anything to get this treasure. With the Golden Tiger Claws, anyone could get anything they ever wanted. A thief could rob a bank or store without getting caught.
The Golden Tiger Claws were hidden in the emperor's palace and not just anyone can enter the palace. Kimiko got an idea and contacted her father. When she notified him that she and her friends were at the emperor's palace and needed to get inside, he told her a few conditions had to be met. Kimiko was against it, but she told her friends what needed to be done. They had to be dressed like nobles and wear the traditional garb of the culture.
Kimiko was wearing a pink kimono tied with a yellow sash that stuck out behind like butterfly wings and her hair was tied up with the Tangle Web Comb as an accessory. Raimundo's outfit was red like ruby. Clay's outfit was green like the many shades of the forest. Emily was dressed in a white princess robe with her hair tied behind her. Omi had his usual attire from the temple. The clothes weren't so bad, but the problem was keeping balance with the sandals.
The guard granted the monks entry into the palace, seeing that they were nobles. They looked around the palace, being careful not to damage anything. Dojo said the Golden Tiger Claws were hidden below them. Kimiko found a hidden stairwell that led underground to a hidden chamber.
As they went down into the chamber, the monks heard an eerie moaning sound. It was coming from Jack, who was sick from being a monkey for too long. They also spotted the Golden Tiger Claws. Jack saw his enemies too. After requesting a glass of ginger ale to fight his nausea, he commanded his Jack-bots to fight the monks. Using their martial arts skills, the monks fought the robots off.
Max sighed in disappointment. Clearly Jack learned nothing. "Why do you build these stupid machines? They're useless."
Jack answered that it was his hobby to build machines and invent stuff. His mother told him he needed a hobby and he chose this. After getting over his nausea, Jack charged in to seize the Golden Tiger Claws. Kimiko saw this and was determined to stop him. When they both touched the Tiger Claws, Jack challenged Kimiko to a Xiaolin Showdown. The game was a race to the other side. Whoever could cross their path and reach the Golden Tiger Claws first would be declared the winner. Jack was pitting his Monkey Staff against Kimiko's Tangle Web Comb. Kimiko accepted the challenge. She couldn't defeat Max, but maybe she stood a chance against Jack. After all, they were very different opponents.
Being the monkey he was, Jack used the extra agility to take off in a flash. Kimiko decided the trouble of wearing the sandals wasn't worth it, so she kicked them off and began walking on the path with her bare feet. Jack thought he had the match won, but the path he was standing on began to shake. He saved himself by grabbing the path with his tail. Kimiko almost fell, but she managed to save herself. She shifted her weight around and managed to lift herself back on the path. She tried to use the power of the Tangle Web Comb to stop Jack, but she still couldn't keep her focus and her Shen-Gong-Wu turned on her again. Jack was laughing hysterically at Kimiko's embarrassment. She struggled to free herself. Then she remembered what Master Fung told her. She had to calm herself, clear her mind, and relax.
Finally, Kimiko was free and the Tangle Web Comb started working in her favor. She used its power to seize the Monkey Staff. Jack was sad that he lost his monkey powers, but he didn't forget about the Golden Tiger Claws. With the reflexes of a monkey, Kimiko successfully maintained her balance and like an acrobat, she used the Tangle Web Comb to swing from the edge of the path and grab the Golden Tiger Claws. It seemed impossible at first, but Kimiko managed to achieve absolute focus. And she gained something else and it wasn't just the reward of more Shen-Gong-Wu. Her friends laughed as they saw a tail behind her.
Wuya was beginning to doubt her trust in Jack. It seemed Max was a more dependable ally than he was. He lost every Xiaolin Showdown he fought in while Max won her first. Another difference was Max had studied her opponents carefully while Jack underestimated them.
Even more upsetting news, Ashley returned to the basement in a black cat costume equipped with gadgets. To Max, Ashley was being a Catwoman-wannabe. And a bad one at that. But Ashley didn't want to be called Ashley anymore. From this moment on, she would be known as Katnappe. Wuya was very interested in her, but Max and Jack were not. Unfortunately, whether they liked it or not, Katnappe was working with them now.