Lone Star

At the Xiaolin Temple, Raimundo came up with another prank for his friends. But this time, he enlisted Omi's help. Raimundo knows that Clay's weakness is his hat, so he took it from him as part of his prank. He told Omi to take the hat and hold it so he could fill it up with milk. As Omi was helping Raimundo, he was intrigued to learn that milk came from cows because the milk in the temple came from the nearby mountain goats.

When Clay came by and saw what Omi and Raimundo were doing to his hat, he became as mad as a bull facing a matador. Raimundo tossed the hat and Clay became drenched in milk. As the cowboy chased the Brazillian around the temple grounds, Emily laughed, thinking of how much they reminded her of Joey and Kaiba. Soon the thought became less funny as she thought of how much she missed everybody back home.

Clay finally stopped chasing Raimundo when he came outside and saw his father, Mr. Bailey. He was a tough cowboy with a firm personality. He had white western clothes and a chocolate brown mustache. When he came to the temple to check up on his son, Mr. Baily commented that this temple wasn't exactly what he expected when he sent Clay abroad to learn here.

Suddenly, Dojo came by to alert the young monks that a new Shen-Gong-Wu had revealed itself. It was the Orb of Tornami and it had the power to unleash rushing water like a fire hose and create floods. Mr. Bailey wanted to come along on the journey to find out exactly what the kids here did.

The group came to the desert to find that Jack and Max had already found the Orb of Tornami. Omi had a plan on how to get the Shen-Gong-Wu from them, but just when he was about to tell his friends, Mr. Bailey told his son to go out there and fight like a man. Now that his father was here, Clay had no choice but to follow his orders. Clay didn't want to disappoint him, so we went up to Jack and Max, demanding them to hand over the Shen-Gong-Wu. Max and Jack refused and used the Orb of Tornami to wash their enemies away while they would make their escape. Clay knew that this was his fault, but he explained that he obeyed his father because he wanted to prove that being sent abroad was worth it. But Mr. Baily was disappointed and said that his son proved what a mistake he made when he sent him abroad. So he decided that when Clay would return to the temple, he would pack his belongings and return home with him to Texas, never to come back to the temple or see his friends again.

Many days passed and the monks moped about Clay as they did their chores. "I miss Clay," Raimundo said sadly.

Kimiko agreed. "It's just not the same without him."

"He reminded me so much of Joey with his expressions, his appetite, almost everything," said Emily. "I hoped I would have a chance to introduce all of you guys to my friends back home, but now that Clay's gone, I'll never get to show him."

Dojo joined them in sadness, but he sensed another Shen-Gong-Wu activating. Then he remembered that Clay's father had a golden star with a ruby in the center. He didn't recognize it before, but it was the Star Hanabi, the Shen-Gong-Wu that just activated. This meant that the group had to go to Texas and pay Clay and his family a visit.

Omi was looking forward to seeing Clay again, but he was also looking forward to getting a chance to milk his first cow. He saw so many cows at the ranch where Clay's house was and was determined to milk them, but they weren't milking cows. These guys were the cattle that was raised to be slaughtered into beef.

Clay was happy to see his friends again, but his father was not. The team tried to explain why they needed the Star Hanabi and asked politely if they could have it, but Mr. Bailey refused to give it to them. He said that this treasure was the Lone Star, a family heirloom. It had been in the Bailey family since 1849, when they built this house from the spot they dug it from. Clay tried to reason with his father about the importance of why his friends needed the Star Hanabi, but Mr. Bailey made his point clear that Clay was not to inherit the family heirloom until he had become a man. But he was willing to make everyone a deal. If everyone could take the cattle to the watering hole beyond the ranch and safely bring them back, then Mr. Bailey might just consider handing over the Star Hanabi. But Omi made the request to milk a cow instead of join in on the herding. Clay remembered that Ol' Bessie still lived in the barn and produced good milk. Omi couldn't wait to get his chance.

The next day at dawn, everyone stepped outside ready to begin the deal. Clay was lively, but his friends were not. Raimundo wasn't used to waking up at dawn and had a hard time staying awake. Not to mention he felt uncomfortable in his clothes.

Kimiko's fasion was made up of a pair of boots, a pink and white dress, and her hair in pony tails at each side with a boater hat on her head. Emily wore a collared shirt with a skirt made from the same material as jeans and her boots were beige. Her hair was also tied behind her in a braid. Omi's suit fit fine, but his hat didn't. But he was determined to start his day milking the cow in the barn.

Clay got his friends their own horse to ride. They all saddled up and urged the cattle out of the pen. Raimundo was too tired to help out. He slipped off of his horse and landed in a pile of cow manure. Kimiko was having a hard time using her PDA while riding on her horse, so she mounted off and decided to lasso her first cow by going by experience. Emily seemed to be doing impressively with the cattle thanks to her ability to talk to animals. They understood her and obeyed, giving her no trouble at all. Clay had to give his friends points for their effort as they managed to get the cattle to the watering hole safely.

Omi wasn't doing any better than his friends. He didn't know how to milk a cow and ended up getting kicked by Ol' Bessie many times with a few injuries.

By the time everyone brought the cattle back to the ranch, trouble was afoot. Mr. Bailey wasn't going to give up his family heirloom easily, so Max and Jack decided to take it by force. Clay and his friends hurried to help Mr. Bailey. Jack used the Orb of Tornami to flood the ranch. While Clay was helping his father, his friends helped to get the animals to safety. After rescuing Ol' Bessie and getting her to higher ground, Omi needed her help this time. He got her mad enough to kick him and the force of the attack was strong enough for Omi to crash into Jack and make him lose his grip on the Star Hanabi. Jack turned off his heli-pack and began swimming to the bottom. Clay swam to the bottom too and they both touched the Star Hanabi. When they came to the surface and gasped for air, Clay was the first to call for a Xiaolin Showdown. He decided that the prized Shen-Gong-Wu would hide in a haystack and the first player to find it would win the game. Jack had enough fun with the Orb of Tornami and decided to wager the Sword of the Storm against Clay's Serpent's Tail.

The game was set and players had their own saddles to ride on. Both players went through the haystack a few times with no luck. Mr. Bailey wasn't sure what was going on, but he kept barking orders at his son, telling him how to get the job done. Clay tried a different approach and used the Serpent's Tail to explore the haystack. He found the Star Hanabi resting at the bottom. Mr. Bailey continued to tell Clay what to do. Having had enough of his father's ranting, Clay approached his father and told him that although he loved and respected his daddy, he would really appreciate it if he would trust his son to let him do things his way. At first, Mr. Bailey was shocked, but he smiled, knowing his son meant no disrespect and was acting like a man for wanting to do things his way.

It was nice to see the father-and-son bonding going on between them, but the game was still on. Jack had enough and used the Sword of the Storm to conjure a twister. The haystack came apart and the Star Hanabi was up for grabs. But Ol' Bessie, who was watching on the roof of the house, got caught in the twister and crashed into Jack. Clay took his chance and grabbed the Star Hanabi, ending the game.

Although the Star Hanabi was Clay's prize, it wasn't his to take. He presented it to his father. "The way I figure it, this still belongs to you, Daddy."

"But, Clay, you won it fair and square," Emily protested.

"That may be, Em, but it ain't mine yet," Clay told her. "Not 'till I'm a man, anyway."

But Mr. Bailey thought differently. He put the treasure back in Clay's hand. "The way I figure it, you've been a man all along, Clay. I guess I just didn't see it 'till now. I know you and your friends got a lot to do, savin' the world and all."

It made Clay happy that he finally won his father's approval and understanding. As Jack was watching Clay bonding with his father, he faced Max and Wuya and asked, "How come we don't have a relationship like that?"

"I'm not your sister," Max barked.

"And I am not your mommy," Wuya told him. "Now pick up your toys, Jackie, and let's go home." As Jack knelt down, Max turned around and kicked up some dirt in his face.

Clay was happy to know that he would be returning to the temple with his friends. They were just as happy that Mr. Bailey changed his mind. Omi was even more happy that he finally managed to milk his first cow, but sad that he got kicked by Ol' Bessie again and lost the bucket. Everyone laughed at him.