Sibling Rivalry

Today's lesson was a test of trust. The monks had to pass a flaming torch to each other while blindfolded. They had to be careful not to burn anyone. Master Fung passed the torch to Max. She passed it to Raimundo, who passed it to Emily, who passed it to Omi, who passed it to Kimiko. She was coming down like shooting star. Clay kept his position, caught her, and placed the torch in his second hand. Kimiko held her hands together and swooned.

The scent of teriyaki pork chops caught Clay's attention. He raced to the table with the flaming torch still in his hand. The fire came into contact with Raimundo's sleeve. The Brazilian screamed and doused his arm in the fountain.

Clay apologized. "I'm sorry, Rai. I couldn't help it. I smelled my favorite meal and-" and he began eating with excitement.

Max rolled her eyes. "Every meal is your favorite meal, Clay."

Raimundo dried himself off. "I can't believe your first loyalty is to a pork chop."

Emily laughed about it. "Your appetite reminds me of Joey."

Clay swallowed his food and said, "The more you mention him, the more I wanna meet that feller, Em. I can't wait to help you and Max get home to your world so we can meet your buddies."

"But to do that, we gotta win that Cobalt Star shard from Chase Young," she reminded him.

The time for that would come soon enough. For now, it was time to covet a new Shen-Gong-Wu. Dojo brought the monks to the badlands of Texas. Clay was happy to be back in his home state, but these were the badlands, a dangerous part of the state, miles from civilization. Clay had explored the badlands many times before and was aware of the dangers. He told his friends to be cautious.

He heard the sound of motorcycles revving up and had a bad feeling about who it was. He told Dojo to take the Shen-Gong-Wu and hide them. Clay's suspicions were confirmed when the sound of girls hooting and whooping was heard from the riders on the motorcycles. The Xiaolin monks were surrounded by the Black Vipers, a motorcycle gang made up of teenage girls. The girls lassoed up the heroes and swiped their Shen-Gong-Wu. Clay managed to hold his own against them, but only for a short while. After rounding up their victims, the Black Vipers blindfolded the monks.

The heroes were riding in a mining cart as they were being taken to the Black Vipers' lair. When their blindfolds were removed, Clay was in shock to see that the leader of the Black Viper's was none other than his younger sister Jessie. Clay and Jessie, like all siblings, had their differences and didn't quite get along. But Jesse had often felt like she always got the short end of the stick because her big brother was the favorite child. Clay argued that it couldn't be helped because he was the oldest of the family. All Jessie wanted was to be recognized by her family, but when she wasn't, she cast herself out and joined a group of delinquents while her brother was sent abroad.

Now all Jessie wants is the chance to prove that she's just as good as her brother – no, better than him by having a battle with him. Clay refused. He and Jessie had their differences, but he still loved his one and only little sister and didn't want to face her in a fight that could hurt her. Jessie knew as much, but that gave her the edge she needed to take advantage of her brother's mild-mannered nature and inflict damage on him; physical and emotional.

Jessie made Clay a proposal. If he could battle her and win, she and her gang members would let him and his friends go free. But if Clay were to lose, Jessie would feed him and his friends to the buzzards. To give him time to make a decision, Jesse locked everyone in the prison cell of the lair.

Under Clay's hat, Dojo emerged and used his claws to cut the ropes that tied everyone. They were no longer bound, but they were still trapped. Omi still had the Changing Chopsticks hidden in his sleeve and used them to shrink so he could fit in the keyhole. Using his Tornado Strike, Omi sprung the gears and wheels, changing the lock pattern. He emerged from the keyhole and used the Changing Chopsticks once again to turn back to his regular size and open the gate. Now everyone was free.

The underground mine was like a maze, but it was also the location of the Shen-Gong-Wu the monks came looking for in the first place. It was the Sphere of Yun, a treasure that allowed the user to trap their victims in a prison of sorts. They came to a dead end, but when Dojo crashed into the wall, he revealed the hidden room, where the Sphere of Yun was hidden.

Unfortunately, for the heroes, the Black Vipers ambushed them. Clay and Jessie began bickering with each other again, spouting expressions at each other with their Texan talk.

Max couldn't take it anymore. "Will you please stop abusing the English language?"

Emily sighed. "It's amazing how one language can have so many dialects."

Omi agreed. "Yes, it is fascinating."

"I think she was being sarcastic," said Raimundo, listening to her tone.

It was still fascinating to Omi all the same. He still didn't understand sarcasm and expressive phrases the same way his friends did.

But Jessie had enough knowledge about Shen-Gong-Wu and Xiaolin Showdowns. She knew that if she and Clay were to touch it at the same time and reach a stalemate in their claim, they had to engage in a Xiaolin Showdown, and Jesse knew that her brother could never pass one up.

Before that could be decided, Jack rudely interrupted them by tunneling his way through the mines and grabbing the Sphere of Yun. He used the Silk Spitter to stop the girls from trying to lasso his robots and he also used it to swipe the Golden Tiger Claws from Jesse's hand. He commanded his Jack-bots to attack, holding everyone back.

The Black Vipers may be a gang of delinquents, but even gangs have laws and honor and must abide by those laws. They decreed that since Jack bested the gang and its leader, he was now in command. Delighted, Jack began having his little victory dance.

"How cute," Max said sarcastically. "Another girl falls prey to the irresistible charms of Jack Spicer."

Omi was confused. "But he-"

"Sarcasm," Emily reminded him.

It was really beginning to get on his nerves. "Darn this sarcasm!"

Jesse didn't really like the thought of working under Jack's command. In fact, she didn't like him at all. Jesse asked for Kimiko's opinion and together the girls began making fun of him. Jack called for their attention, but Jesse and Clay both insulted him saying the same thing at the same time. Funny as it may seem, even siblings who can be so different can still think alike. Clay and Jesse may have been apart from each other for so long in the past several months, but it didn't change the fact that they grew up together. That was how they understood each other more than they realized.

Wuya offered Jessie a chance to join her evil crew. All she was offering wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Jesse never wanted to do something so low and regrettable to prove herself against her brother. Clay even warned her that by joining the forces of evil, Jesse would reach a new loath. But she took Wuya's offer into consideration.

Jesse took the Golden Tiger Claws and used them to warp the monks further underground. Clay blamed himself. "If I had just fought Jesse when I had the chance, none of this would have happened."

"No one blames you, Clay," Emily assured him.

"I will never be so foolish again as to believe her," said Omi.

Much to everyone's surprise, Jessie appeared before them, offering to set them free. "C'mon, this here's a jailbreak." Omi corrected himself, believing Jesse could be trusted. "Well, I had to pretend I wanted to join them so they could trust me."

Clay wasn't too sure. Anyone could pull that trick, but he knew his sister better than anyone else did and Jesse was full those kinds of tricks. Jessie admitted that she still had bitter feelings towards Clay, but the fact that he's still her big brother will always come first and remind her that underneath all that bitterness is her love for him. Convinced at that fact, Clay decided to give Jessie a chance.

As promised, Jessie brought everyone out into the open again. It felt good to feel the heat of the dessert sun and breathe in the fresh air. Dojo brought everyone to the site where he hid their Shen-Gong-Wu. They were hidden underneath a cactus. Dojo used the Changing Chopticks to turn them back to their regular size.

Now that Jessie got what she wanted, she could spring her trap on the monks. It turned out she made a deal with Jack Spicer. If she could lead him to the hidden Shen-Gong-Wu, then he would step down as leader of the Black Vipers and pass the title back to Jessie. But Jack was lied to as well. Jessie wasn't going to give him the Shen-Gong-Wu like she told him she would. Jack tried to command his Jack-bots to attack, but they all short-circuited. The Black Vipers used their tools to dismantle them. Jack activated his heli-pack, promising never to return to Texas. His adventures in the state have brought him nothing but bad memories.

Clay broke free from the binds and hurried to claim the sack of Shen-Gong-Wu, only to have Jessie race for it too. There was no turning back now. Jessie was finally going to get the battle she wanted and Clay was ready to end this once and for all. The two siblings would race on motorcycles and the first to cross the finish line would be declared the winner. Clay wagered his Changing Chopsticks against Jessie's Silk Spitter.

Jessie was in the lead. After passing through a tunnel, she used the Silk Spitter to seal the exit with a web. Clay managed to get through using the Changing Chopticks. He passed through the web and landed on Jessie's hat. By taking her eyes off the road, Jessie didn't realize she was on the edge of the path. She tried to get back on the path, by slipped and fell. Worried about his sister, Clay lassoed her over to him. She got on his bike, but rather than ride with him and finish the race together, Jessie shoved her brother off and left him in the dirt as she crossed the finish line.

"That was a dirty trick," Emily protested.

"Don't be so surprised," Max warned her. "I'm not after all the things we've seen her do."

"Are you hurt?" Kimiko asked Clay.

"It's my pride that's hurt," he said sadly. "Worst part is, I really thought she changed."

Emily took his hand. "Like me, you can be too trusting."

No matter how well someone may think they know their brother or sister, they can often be surprised by their brother or sister. Sometimes, siblings surprise even themselves. At first, Jessie felt triumphant for winning against her brother, but that triumph turned into remorse as she reflected on the way she treated her brother.

Clay returned to the Xiaolin Temple, hurt and disappointed not just towards his sister, but himself. He felt like he had lost the one person he loved with all his heart. They fought, yes, but there were times when they were happy together; close as close could be. He had to embrace that no matter what Jessie chooses, she'll always be Clay's baby sister and he will always love her.

That night, Clay was presented with a package addressed to him. It contained the Shen-Gong-Wu he lost to Jessie. It came with a letter that read: "Dear Big Brother, it took a while, but I finally beat ya. Only, it didn't feel as satisfyin' as I had imagined. Anyway, just so there's no hard feelings, I'm returnin' all your warts. Oh, except for one that I was hopin' to borrow. See ya 'round. Your baby sister, Jessie."

Clay was happy to know that his sister still loved him with all her heart. They looked through the Shen-Gong-Wu in the package and saw that the Wings of Tinabi wasn't with them. They knew right away that that was the treasure Jessie decided to hold on to for a while. They also trusted that she would return the Wings when she was ready.