The New Order
To fight a follower of Cobalt, one had to think like a follower of Cobalt. Max and Emily had taken into account that Chase Young had been observing them and began challenging themselves mentally as well as physically. They still didn't know what Chase wanted from them or how they were going to stand against him.
Since the girls couldn't practice combat with their magic spells, they could only practice in martial arts. Emily tried to attack, but couldn't. Max kept successfully blocking her attacks. Emily cartwheeled and jumped, but Max grabbed her by her feet and lifted her in the air. Like an acrobat, Emily lifted her feet up and caught the branch between her legs. She also held her hands out for Max to reach. As Max grabbed her hands, Emily swung her towards the pond.
As impressive as the girls were, they lacked coordination. Max was focused, but she knew that Emily was distracted. That was why she was holding back in fighting and simply improvising with her acrobatic skills.
The girls decided to take a break. "I understand it's just practice now, but you're going to have to shape up. Chase will fight you with everything you have."
"Chase won't fight us," Emily protested. "Not until he wants to, anyway. Right now, we're not worth his while."
"Maybe it's not worth your while either," Max argued. "What's going on in that head of yours?"
"I just have a lot on my mind," said Emily.
"I realize that," said Max. "That's why I can't figure you out right now."
Emily decided to explain what was on her mind. "Ever since we came to this world, all I could think about was what I could do to get home because that was all I wanted. I was determined to find the Cobalt Star shard, but now that I know it's in Chase's possession, I guess I'm not. That's because I know I can't fight him for the shard just because I want to go home. I'm sure he knows that too."
Max knew she was right. "You need a more righteous purpose than that."
"And that's what bothers me," said Emily. "Until I figure it all out, Chase Young won't battle us for the power of the Stars and we'll still be trapped here."
The others saw how upset the girls were. "They really do come from another world," said Raimundo.
Omi nodded and said, "That is why they are depressed."
"Poor girls," said Kimiko.
Raimundo sighed and said, "We should just bust into Chase's crib and take the Cobalt Star shard from him."
Max shook her head. "You know it doesn't work that way, Rai. We can't just take it from him by force."
Emily agreed and said, "He won't just give it to us if we ask him politely either. The only way to get the Cobalt Star shard is to win it from him in a battle."
"So just challenge him," said Kimiko.
"It's not that easy," said Emily. "I have to prove my worth first before I can challenge him."
"You mean you gotta get his approval?" Clay asked, trying to make sense of the situation.
Max nodded. "A head-on fight is pointless and not at all worthwhile. We need a purpose to fight him."
"But you do have a purpose," said Omi. "You girls were sent here by the Great Goddess and the Dark Lord to become the Xiaolin Dragons of light and darkness and help defend this world from evil."
"We did think that, but now… now I'm not so sure," said Emily.
Kimiko remembered what else she mentioned. "You did say you wanted to go home to your world and you can only do that by winning the Cobalt Star shard. But after what you girls had been discussing these past few seconds, I guess that's not enough either." She remembered what they said earlier about not being able to get home just because they wanted to also.
Sometimes when someone is upset, all they can think about is how much they want to go home. It was like that with Emily. She just wanted to go back to her world and see her friends again and return to her life. But she knew she couldn't until she had everything figured out. "I'm sorry, guys. I can't blame you for my predicament. And while I love hanging out with you guys and think of you as my friends, I still miss everyone back home and I wish I could go back to them." Max agreed and said the same thing.
"We understand you girls have your friends and families back home," said Raimundo. "And it hurts us to see you girls like this. But don't forget, we promised we'd help you. And don't worry, you'll figure everything out."
Omi agreed. "And when you do, you'll be ready to battle Chase Young for the Cobalt Star shard and we'll be ready to fight with you."
Hopefully, these discussions would help clear Emily's head. She was grateful to everyone for trying to help her. At the same time, Dojo alerted everyone of a new Shen-Gong-Wu that revealed itself. Emily hoped that this adventure would also help her feel a little relaxed.
On the way, Omi decided to talk to Emily. "Emily, I apologize for the way I've been acting lately."
Emily forgave him and said, "It's all right, Omi. You just can't help it."
Omi shook his head. "No, I understand how getting the Cobalt Star shard is important to you and Max." He pouted and added, "And all I can think about is myself."
That was a true statement, concerning how Omi was always bragging about himself. While no one likes a bragger, anyone can gloat about how much they think they're better at something than someone else. Emily knew as much and reminded Omi, "Everybody does that."
"Please, Emily, do not make this more difficult than it already is," Omi requested. "Accept my apology, please."
She sighed and said, "Okay, I accept."
While that was settled, Dojo brought the heroes to a cave in a mountain. Rocks began coming down like spears. Dojo managed to escape, only to crash into a few more rocks. It was still a bit of a close call, concerning no one was hurt. To everyone's delight, they found the Shengaroo, a machine-like Shen-Gong-Wu used for transportation. It looked like the legs and pouch of a kangaroo, used for carrying travelers.
Unfortunately, the heroes had to face an old foe. This time, Jack enlisted the help of the cyclops. The monster was still unintelligent, but he had his benefits. Jack used the monster like a mule for work and transportation.
Raimundo and Clay used their techniques to bring down the cyclops. The monster fell back and pricked himself with the sharp end of a rock, throwing Jack off his back. Jack landed near the Shengaroo and was about to grab it. Emily managed to get it first. There was no time to celebrate, though. The cyclops was still jumping around in pain. The heroes knew that if he kept this up, he would cause a cave-in, so they hurried to the exit.
The monks returned to the temple for some exercise. They didn't think Jack Spicer was of any threat to them now that Wuya was gone and he was reduced to an unintelligent monster. But just because one enemy had changed his tactics, didn't mean there was no longer any threat. The heroes couldn't forget about Chase Young and his Cobalt Star shard.
Wuya didn't forget about the Shen-Gong-Wu. She still wanted to collect them to build up her power. What she did forget, however, was that Chase Young had no interest in the treasures. Why did she leave Jack and decide to follow Chase? It was because he was on the path of evil and showed more promising standards than her old partner. Chase had more interesting plans in store, such as turning the heroes to the ways of evil. He had his sights set mostly on Omi and Emily.
Another Shen-Gong-Wu had revealed itself in the vast desert. It was called the Wushan Geyser. It looked like a bronze helmet. Much to everyone's shock, Chase Young had the Shen-Gong-Wu in his hands. He challenged the heroes to take it from him. "Perhaps you can take it from me with my back turned."
"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a cocky evil doer," said Raimundo. The heroes engaged in their Dragon Excume formation. They approached Chase from all possible directions. Chase whistled, calling for his loyal tigers. Omi tried to attack using every martial art skill he knew, but Chase defended himself easily.
"You've learned well, now show me something I don't know," Chase challenged.
"I would if I could, but I can't," said Emily. "You know all possible martial arts moves. Even if I could fight you with my magic, you'd be prepared to stand against it too."
"It seems nothing gets past you, young princess," said Chase. Suddenly, the cyclops emerged from the sand dunes and grabbed Chase by his leg. Chase saw Jack riding on the monster's back. "Is this the best you can do?" He tossed the Wushan Geyser at the monster's eye, temporarily blinding him and causing him to fall back. "The idea is adequate, but the execution is lacking."
After getting most of the sand off him, Jack used the Sphere of Yun to imprison Chase. The Sphere of Yun also gave its user possession over the prisoner's possessions. In simpler terms, Jack now had control over Chase's jungle cats. After commanding the tigers to attack the monks, Jack called them back and took Chase with him.
"Don't bite off more than you can chew, Spicer," Chase warned Jack. "It may come back to bite you."
"Oh, yeah," Jack tormented. "So tell me, who would you rather be right now? Me or you?"
It was of no concern to Chase that Jack had him contained in the Sphere of Yun. He knew his confinement wouldn't last very long and advised Jack to enjoy it while he could, because his warning was true.
Rather than return to his home, Jack decided to take advantage of his power by returning to Chase's palace. He lounged on the throne, stroking the fur of the tigers. "I gotta hand it to you, this is one fine crib," Jack told Chase. "And now it's my crib."
"You should count your good fortune while it lasts," Chase said again.
Jack continued to torment him. "Ooohh, I am so scared," he said sarcastically. "I wasn't good enough for you, but you're not in charge anymore, are you, Mr. High-and-Dragon-Mighty, aren't you?"
Chase yawned and stretched. "Could you keep it down? I think I'll get some sleep."
Jack knew Chase wasn't paying attention, but he didn't care. He turned his attention to Wuya. "So, where's your favorite super evil genius now? Asleep in a cage like a parrot."
Wuya smiled and said, "Oh, Jack, you know you were always my favorite." Jack wouldn't buy it. She always put on this demeanor whenever she chose a new and more worthy partner and got pushed away and tried to get back with Jack again. Jack decided to leave Chase be anyway. He was ready to wreak havoc on the Xiaolin monks.
At the temple, the monks had their minds full of the past events. "All of the powers of Chase Young and all the idiocy of Jack Spicer," Max was saying.
"Quite a gruesome combination," said Emily. "Unimaginable, too."
The heroes were about to realize the weight of the danger as they saw Jack invade the temple with the tigers. He commanded the tigers to attack the monks. The heroes engaged in their Dragon Excume formation and began fighting the tigers off using their martial arts skills.
This wouldn't be easy. After all, these are Chase Young's servants and they are more formidable than Jack's petty robots. For every few tigers defeated, several more would take their comrades' place. Plus, while they may be jungle cats, they were also once human beings before they pledged allegiance to Chase Young, meaning Emily and Max wouldn't be able to use their abilities to command them anyway.
Master Fung saw that his students were in trouble and needed help. Without taking any attacks from the tigers, he managed to defeat the jungle cats. Although he wasn't attacked, it still took a lot of energy. After all, he wasn't as young as his students.
They managed to get to the vault. Jack didn't expect his enemies to get past the tigers this quickly. After gathering as much Shen-Gong-Wu as he could, he decided to take his leave. Cyclops carried him away and the tigers followed behind.
Clay inspected the contents of the vault. It turned out Jack didn't get a lot of Shen-Gong-Wu this time. "Hey, it's not too bad," he assured his friends. "Most of the Wu is still here."
"Not too bad," Raimundo echoed. "It was a disaster! Those cats bit me in places I don't even want to mention!"
"Fighting Jack is one thing, but those jungle cats are too much," said Kimiko.
"Don't forget, while Jack may control them, they're still Chase's cats, so don't make too big a deal out of this," said Max.
Emily agreed. "It's no surprise they'd be more formidable than Jack's robots. Still, it was much better when Chase was in control. He didn't bother us whenever we were out to covet Shen-Gong-Wu."
"What are you talking about, Emily?" Raimundo asked. "He's the enemy!"
"I'm saying that things are going to get worse as long as Jack is able to command Chase's jungle cats," she explained. Her friends knew as much, but weren't sure what to do.
That evening, Emily changed clothes and went to the vault. She had to take this chance to confront Chase Young. Not for a battle, but for a little quality time. It was true that Chase was an enemy, but she wondered if perhaps he could help her. He did it before in his own way. Plus, she did have some questions. She took the Golden Tiger Claws and warped to Chase's palace.
Chase sensed her arrival. "Princess Emily, to what do I owe the honor?"
"I believe we both know the answer to that question, Chase Young." Emily removed the Golden Tiger Claws from her hand and transported them back to the vault. "I just want to talk."
Just because Chase was imprisoned, didn't mean he couldn't be hospitable. "Please, have a seat," he insisted. "Make yourself comfortable." Emily positioned herself in front of Chase and sat on her knees. "It so happens I'm aware of your situation, young princess. You wish to return home to your world."
Emily nodded. "Nothing gets past you, Chase Young. I'm also not too surprised that you've been observing us these past few weeks."
Chase grinned. "I deeply empathize, young princess. Believe me, nothing would please me more than to help you return to your world. After all, you don't really belong here."
Emily tried not to let that statement torment her. For one, it was true that she was an outsider who chanced upon this world. But something inside her wanted to protest that Chase was wrong. She didn't want to bring that up, however, so she instead replied, "Then you know my situation. You and I must abide by the laws of the ancient ways."
"Speaking of which, I have some questions for you," said Chase. "Tell me, Princess Emily, why are you here?"
It wasn't too vague of a question. He wasn't asking her why she came to the palace. What he meant was, why did she come to this world? Although Emily wasn't exactly sure herself, she responded by saying, "Isn't that obvious? The Great Goddess sent me to this world to become the Xiaolin Dragon of light because it was necessary for me on my journey to acquire the Cobalt Star shard."
Chase wasn't convinced. "That's a child's answer. Even you know that by saying so, you are lying to me and to yourself."
Emily groaned, but that was because she knew he was right. "I wound up in this world when I had no intention to. I was just trying to get home after my last journey and I ended up here."
"Not by accident," said Chase. "You're not here because the Great Goddess sent you. You're here because it was meant to happen. But still, I don't really think Millennia herself wanted you to come to this world."
"What are you saying?"
Chase grinned once more. "Princess Emily, have you ever stopped to think that your actions are serving the Dark Lord as much as they are serving the Great Goddess? By gathering the shards of the Cobalt Star, you are helping him as much. In truth, while you may think you are trying to do good, you are really bringing about harm."
Emily was outraged. She had a feeling she knew what Chase was trying to do. "I would never serve the Dark Lord, nor would I think of considering joining you in serving him."
"So you say," Chase argued, "but your actions tell me differently; that you already are serving him."
Emily growled. "I don't know what will happen once all the Cobalt Star shards have been gathered, but I'll never surrender to him."
Not even Chase Young had any idea what would happen. Many mysteries were kept even from him. But he decided to keep tormenting Emily. "Trust me when I say that when the time comes, you'll see your true destiny for the first time. You may not believe me now, but no matter how much you try to fool yourself into believing that you are taking these journeys upon Millennia's command, you are serving the Dark Lord and helping him regain his power."
As much as she wanted to protest, something inside was telling her that he was right. But if Chase's words were true, how could she be helping the Dark Lord when she was gathering the shards for the Great Goddess? And if her actions are doing as much good for Cobalt, is she a traitor to Millennia? If that's true, then who is she?
Rather than let these questions torment her, Emily sighed and said, "Chase Young, while you walk on the path of evil, I feel in my heart that I should trust your words. After all, you once walked on the path of good as a noble warrior. There are times when I feel as though you are trying to bring me down, but at the same time, I feel as though you really do want to help me. That's why you ask me these questions. You don't want the answers. You want me to find them."
Chase was impressed with her broad opinions. "I must say, young princess, your wisdom is practically beyond your years."
Emily grinned and replied, "You'd be surprised about all the places I've been to and all the things I learned. Also, I was taught from the best."
Chase knew she was referring to her mother. After all, her spirit did once reside in the Millennium Star and from within, she taught Emily everything she knew. "Keep in mind all that we have discussed, young princess. Until you have found the answers, you and I are not to battle."
Emily agreed. "I understand and I accept your terms. I won't challenge you for the Cobalt Star shard until I finally figure out why I'm here and what I have worth fighting for."
"Very good," said Chase. "I hope you find your answers soon, young princess. But be warned, I will prove to be a more formidable foe than the Pokémon sovereign Arceus."
"I'll take that into account after seeing your impressive display of power," said Emily.
Sometime later, Omi became worried about Emily and wondered where she was. He looked inside her chamber and saw a note saying she would be back in a while. After thinking about what everyone discussed, Omi had a bad feeling she went to confront Chase Young and decided to go to his palace. "I must do this alone. If I am wrong, at least my friends will not have to pay for my mistake." After gathering the Shen-Gong-Wu he figured he would need, he used the Golden Tiger Claws and warped to Chase's palace.
Chase and Emily were surprised to see Omi appear before them. He was just as surprised. "Emily? What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she retorted.
Omi was silent for a moment, then told her, "I have been thinking a lot about what you said, about things getting worse with Jack Spicer in control. So I have decided to come and help set things right." He used the Reversing Mirror to break Chase free from his confinement.
Chase wasn't one to convey much gratitude. Rather, he explained the consequence of Omi's actions. "Do you realize that by releasing me, you put yourself and your friend in more danger?" Chase asked Omi. "Now I must destroy you and the princess."
Emily gasped. Why would Chase say that when he promised not to fight her? She admitted that he was evil, but not that low. He did have some honor.
Nonetheless, Omi and Chase took their positions. "The both of you should be more careful of whom you trust," Chase warned his opponents.
"That seems to be a problem when I trust you," Omi said and began striking Chase.
The warrior evaded all of his attacks. "You've learned well from our last encounter."
"I was taught from the best," said Omi. Chase thought he was referring to him, but Omi was actually talking about his teacher.
Emily kept still. She knew this wasn't her fight, but at the same time, she couldn't bear to see Omi take so much damage. "That's enough," she cried.
Chase turned his attention to her. "Perhaps you would like to reconsider my offer in joining me, young princess?"
Emily remained to her answer, "I'll never join you in serving the Dark Lord."
"And neither will I," said Omi. "I owed you a favor and I paid it by setting you free."
"The both of you may be closer to joining me than you think with those lies," said Chase.
"Our answers are not lies," Emily argued. "Stop poisoning our minds."
Chase continued to test his opponents. He faced Omi first and asked him, "You mean you didn't free me for your own self-interest? To stop that nitwit Jack Spicer?"
"I did it to support my friend," Omi said, gesturing to Emily. "She knew there was one way to set everything right and that was by getting you your power back."
Chase turned his attention to Emily. "And what about you, young princess? Did you really come here because you wanted to talk?"
Emily growled and suggested, "Why don't you use your Cobalt Star shard to look inside my mind and see my ideals?"
"Maybe I can't see the truth in others like you can, Princess, however, you won't find mine." Chase was right. Even with the power to look inside people's hearts, Emily wouldn't be able to look inside Chase's and find his truth.
Jack returned to the throne room and was surprised to see what was going on. Chase Young was free and now Omi and Emily were here too. Jack got down and began groveling, begging for mercy.
As Chase warned Jack, biting off more than what he could chew would come back to bite him. He hoped Jack was able to enjoy what power he had for a brief moment, because that warning was about to be realized. "There's something I would like to know," Chase was telling Jack. "Who would you rather be right now? Me or you?"
Jack decided to use the Shen-Gong-Wu he stole, starting with the Star Hanabi. He shot fireballs at the trio, but they all dodged. Jack tried to use the Tangle Web Comb to snare his enemies, but Chase broke free from the bindings. Jack tried to use the Third Arm Sash, but Chase grabbed it and used it to toss Jack around.
Cyclops tried to attack, but Emily brought him down using her Luminous Wave. The monster fell and landed on Jack.
Finally, the rest of the heroes came to the rescue. Even they wanted answers as to what was going on. How did Chase get set free? Why were Omi and Emily here in the palace? Did they do this?
Chase decided to put on another convincing act for the heroes, telling them that Omi and Emily simply came to get back the stolen Shen-Gong-Wu and their efforts caused an accident, setting Chase free. To convince them, he touched the Mantis Flip Coin in Omi's hand, challenging him to a Xiaolin Showdown. Chase wagered the Shroud of Shadows against Omi's Orb of Tornami.
The game was a test of skill. One opponent would display one martial art technique and the other would try to follow using the same move. The first to fall by whatever cause would lose the game.
Omi made the first move using a move called Jumping Tiger Hitting Monkey. Impressed, Chase followed using the same move. After that, he used a move called Bison Stomping Crane. To Omi, that maneuver was easy. He followed with ease. The game continued with more martial arts moves such as Rooster Calling Sun, Wasp Stinging Flower, Cheetah Doing Rest, and many more. As funny as they sounded, these were legitimate skills. Dojo checked the book and said so.
"You have come far, little monk," Chase complemented.
"Far enough to win this Showdown," said Omi.
"Really," Chase asked. After displaying his next move, Chase used the Shroud of Shadows to conceal the stone Omi was about to land on. Omi managed to find another stone and climbed on, regaining his composure. Omi used his Tornado Strike and called upon the power of ice to freeze the stone Chase landed on. Chase was having a hard time keeping his balance and ended up slipping. He reached the bottom first and landed on his fingers. "It appears you have won."
Everyone cheered for Omi's victory, if anyone would call it that. "Again we meet, and again we come to no final solution," said Chase.
"We will when the time is right," said Emily.
Even Omi didn't think he won that Xiaolin Showdown. He even said out loud to his friends that if he didn't know any better, he'd say that Chase let him win. Most of his friends were confused and wondered why he would even think that. Max, however, had different concerns. She knew something was going on when Emily came here and she wanted to find out what.
Max found Emily in the vault storing the Shen-Gong-Wu. "Hey," she called to her. "Umm, what happened back there?"
Emily knew she could hide nothing from Max. She sighed and explained, "I went to the palace on my own. Omi was not involved. I just wanted to talk to Chase. Crazy as it may sound, I think he's trying to help us more than he's trying to fight us."
"Why do you think that?" Max wondered.
The blonde girl shook her head. "Never mind. Forget I said that." She headed for the stairs, but Max stopped her.
"Emily, what's going on?" she demanded.
She was silent for a minute, then finally said, "I think he's trying to test my loyalty. It seemed like he was trying to convince me that I was working for the Dark Lord, that he wanted me to join him on the path of evil."
"Do you really believe that?" Max wondered.
"I didn't want to, but a part of me did," the blonde answered. "Maybe he's right, Max. Maybe in my endeavors of gathering the Cobalt Star shards, I'm serving the Dark Lord just as much. Maybe in my efforts of trying to do good, I'm only bringing about a little more evil. But if that's true, then who am I?"
Max didn't need to spend a lot of time thinking about that. "You're Emily," she said plainly. "Whatever happens, you'll always be you, Emily. And you're too smart to let someone like Chase Young try to change who you are. Even he knows that. You and the others have told me the same thing all the time, telling me that no matter what I choose, I'll always be your friend. It's time for me to give back that wisdom."
Emily's mouth barely opened up at Max's words, but she managed to smile and say, "Thanks, Max. I needed that."
"No problem," said Max, and the girls left the vault together.