In the Spider's Web
The heroes were looking for a Shen-Gong-Wu that was buried underground. It was the Hodoku Mouse, a treasure that could repair anything broken and make things as they were before the damage was caused. At first, the monks thought they were being attacked by giant earthworms, but they turned out to be machines created by Jack. The robots tunneled many holes in the area. They also got tangled up together as they were trying to attack the monks. The tunnels began to cause a cave-in, but they also revealed the Shen-Gong-Wu. Jack was about to claim it until a gargantuan spider stopped him.
Emily stared in fright and screamed hysterically. "I hate spiders!" she shrieked.
Even Omi looked in fright. "Whoa! That is the biggest spider I have ever seen!" But he spoke too soon when he saw a spider twice its size appear. Another spider three times its size emerged.
"If these are the soldiers, I'd hate to see the queen," said Max.
"Don't forget the general," Emily whimpered. "I heard he's bigger than the queen." She began hyperventilating and shaking in her knees.
The Hodoku Mouse fell into one of the tunnels and more gargantuan spiders emerged. Omi used the Thorn of Thunderbolts to blast one of the walls and create an opening so the heroes could escape.
When Master Fung learned of their encounter with the spiders, he educated his students on the creatures. They were neither good nor evil. These spiders consumed everything; vegetation, animals, humans, water, buildings, even the earth itself. If these spiders escape and consume everything, the Earth will be destroyed and there will be nothing left.
Chase Young learned of the awakening of the spiders and summoned Jack. The self-proclaimed evil boy genius was in the middle of a bath, but he was presented before Chase with a towel wrapped around his waist. Chase had thought of the spiders to only exist in legend and had no knowledge of how to stop them, but he figured if Jack could find the Hodoku Mouse and use it to make the spider's nest as it was before it was disturbed, the creatures would be dormant again.
The monks knew as much and had to go back to find the Hodoku Mouse and set things right. Emily was too scared, but these spiders were the least of her problems. It was what the spiders were about to do that was her biggest problem. Her friends promised her she would be okay.
The heroes were underground again and so was Jack. He even brought Chase and Wuya along as well. Chase advised the heroes that because everyone was facing a common threat, everyone needed to set their differences aside. However, Jack's pride got the better of him, blinding him to the issue at hand. He raced to claim the Hodoku Mouse, but Omi touched it at the same time he did, calling for a Xiaolin Showdown. It was a game of mud wrestling and the first player to find the Hodoku Mouse in the pool of mud would be declared the winner. Jack was reluctant about the idea because he just bathed, but he accepted the challenge and wagered the Tongue of Saiping against Omi's Orb of Tornami.
It was hard to move around because the mud was too thick to cross. Omi dived under the mud, but some of it ended up getting in his sinuses. He used the Orb of Tornami to hose the area down with water. The water came into contact with the Hodoku Mouse and brought it to the surface. Jack was about to grab the prized Shen-Gong-Wu and did a cannonball, creating a wave of mud. Omi used his Tornado Strike to unleash more water and bring the Hodoku Mouse to the surface again.
Jack used the Tongue of Saiping to call upon the insects who live below the Earth and attack Omi and bring him the prized Shen-gong-Wu. Omi even ended up getting some of the bugs in his mouth and found the taste disgusting.
Emily sighed and told Jack, "Okay, you won. Now hurry and use then Shen-Gong-Wu to correct your mistake."
Rather than listen to her, Jack decided to take his own advice and boast about his victory. "Not yet. I want to savor this moment."
"We don't have time for this, you little jackass," Max shouted. She was right. Spiders were coming in to attack. To make matters worse, the ground below them came apart, unleashing flowing lava. Jack even lost his grip on the Shen-Gong-Wu. "You idiot!" Max screamed in Jack's face. He deliberately dropped the Hodoku Mouse into the lava. "Emily, quick! Catch!" Max cried, tossing her the Golden Tiger Claws.
Emily wasted no time and used the Golden Tiger Claws to warp to the surface, taking Omi and Chase with her. She fell to her knees, catching her breath. "I'm a coward," she scolded herself. "I ran away from my friends when they needed me."
"You should consider that the least of your problems," Chase told her. The plains had so many holes that were created from the spiders. "If the world is to be saved, we must be the ones to save it."
"We can't," Emily whimpered. "The Hodoku Mouse is gone."
Chase had one alternative. He told Omi and Emily to meet him at his palace and bring the Fountain of Hui. They did so and Chase came before them with the Eaglescope in his hand. Their only chance now was to combine the two Shen-Gong-Wu together to find another way to stop the spiders. Chase had one condition, however. He knew that Omi would find the secret to defeating evil in the process, so he demanded Omi to give his word as a Xiaolin warrior to use the Shen-Gong-Wu to find only the solution to stopping the spiders and to keep the secret to defeating evil to himself. Omi looked back at Emily, asking for her opinion. She told him to accept Chase's concession. She was desperate, but she was right to tell Omi to give his word. As a monk of honor, Omi gave his word.
So they combined their Shen-Gong-Wu. Omi was amazed with all of the new discoveries, but together, he and Chase found that the key to destroying the spiders was the lava.
The others managed to escape in Jack's machine. Much to their amazement, they came to the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis.
"Wow," Max said softly. "This place looks different than the city I saw back home."
"I guess the legends of Atlantis are different in all the worlds," Kimiko assumed.
"No, they're quite the same," said Dojo. "It was home to the most advanced civilization. It was a paradise where humans and monsters of all kind lived in harmony."
Just when they thought they were safe, Jack and the monks were surrounded by gargantuan spiders. Suddenly, their vision went dark. When everybody opened their eyes, they saw that they were tied up and hanging upside down. Jack had a bad feeling he knew what was coming. He and the others were about to become the spiders' next meal.
Emily used the Golden Tiger Claws once again, hoping they would warp her to her friends. Instead, she and Omi and Chase were brought to the entrance to the city of Atlantis. The Tiger Claws worked somehow, because they brought her and the boys to Dojo. Together, the all entered the city, only to be surrounded by spiders.
Emily felt like she was going to faint. Omi held her hand. "Do not worry, Emily. I will protect you. I do not fear spiders."
"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better," she whimpered.
"You were brought here to save this world," Chase reminded her. "Your petty cowardice will only quicken its destruction."
"I realize that, but I'm afraid courage isn't my element," she remarked.
"Just close your eyes and allow your mind to see," Chase told her. "Millennia will guide you and give you her strength." He turned to Omi and said, "And you, allow your tiger instincts to take over and remember all that I taught you."
Omi and Emily listened to Chase, knowing he was right. Emily relaxed, closed her eyes, and breathed calmly. She couldn't use her magic, but she still had her acrobatic skills. She jumped and flipped, attacking the spiders. Chase and Omi used the same martial arts skills with their backs together.
Emily opened her eyes and saw the spiders scattering. "It worked," she said, amazed.
"You sound surprised," said Chase.
"I know I shouldn't because it happened just as you said it would," she told him.
Chase grabbed one spider and held it down. "I understand you can talk to animals," he told Emily. "Can you talk to spiders?"
Emily gulped, but decided to try. "Spider, we demand to know where the egg chamber is."
The spider refused to comply. "You can kiss my eight feet," he snarled. "When the egg sac hatches, there will be to many of us for you to stop!" he said and cackled.
Emily sighed and shook her head. "We're not going to get any answers." Their only chance was to travel further down the halls. It turned out the egg sac was right above their heads. "My God," Emily whispered.
The sound of screaming snapped her back to her senses. She and the boys saw the others hanging nearby. With great agility, Chase ran up the ceiling and cut everyone free. Now that everyone was together again, they had to think of a plan to fill the spiders' nest with molten lava and kill the creatures. They decided to use the Moler 2000 and set it to autopilot, drilling to the Earth's core and creating a flow of lava.
Unfortunately, the queen was on the move, leading her army to an attack. Jack swiped the Golden Tiger Claws from Emily's hand and used them to escape. He made it outside the city walls, only to confront another mythical creature. It was black and looked like a crocodile with glowing light patterns on its back. Jack used the Golden Tiger Claws again, escaping to the surface. Even worse, the eggs began to hatch, increasing the queen's army. From within the city of Atlantis, lava erupted and began flowing, killing off the spiders. Now the others had to escape.
Thankfully, Omi was prepared and brought the right Shen-Gong-Wu. He used the Black Beetle, creating a handy transportation device capable of protecting them from the dangerously intense heat of the magma. The water also shot out from below like a geyser, transporting the crew to the surface. They came to the site of Old Faithful.
Though everyone was able to set their differences aside for this moment, the heroes and Chase would be on separate paths again. And while Omi discovered the secret to ridding the world of evil, he had to keep it to himself because he gave his word. But that was a price worth paying for saving the world of an impending doom. And while Emily may never get over her fear of spiders, she would always remember that there are more important things to worry about and such petty fears should always come last. There will always be times when we have to do the things we must and not the things we want to. It's not an act of bravery, necessarily, but an act of responsibility. That is one of life's greatest challenges of character.