A Turn for the Worst

A year has passed since the Xiaolin monks advanced to Dragon Apprentices. The time was coming for one of the monks to rise to the next level. Master Fung told his students that one of them would advance to Wu-Dai Warrior.

Many of the monks were excited, but Emily didn't seem to care much. Thinking about the time she spent in the Xiaolin world made her think about her friends. "I've really been staying here for this long?" she asked herself. She sighed and figured, "Yugi and the others must think we're lost forever."

Max shared her concern. "I've often wondered that about Bakura too, knowing how crazy he is about me."

"We've got to get home," Emily said.

"I understand how you feel, but let's not get desperate," Max told her. "That's not going to help." Her smile brightened up and she figured, "Maybe advancing to Wu-Dai warrior is part of the task of getting home."

Emily was confused. "How?"

"You advanced to Dragon Apprentices when you defeated Mala Mala Jong," Max reminded her. "Maybe if we save this world again and advance to the next level, we'll finally be ready."

If only it was that easy. "That's for Chase Young to decide. He's the one holding the Cobalt Star shard."

While Dojo was modifying his personal Dojo-bot with security programming, the others spoiled him with gifts, bargaining him to reveal which of the Apprentices would advance to Wu-Dai warrior. Dojo wouldn't be direct in answering because not even he knew, but he couldn't pass up on such generous gifts. He told each of the heroes it was possible that one of them was the chosen one and in return, he was given a cowboy hat, a medallion, a fruit basket, and a self-portrait.

Dojo didn't have time to enjoy his spoils. He sensed a new Shen-Gong-Wu. It was the Ying Yo-yo, a unique Shen-Gong-Wu that could open a doorway to the Yin-Yang world. The powers of the Ying Yo-yo were not yet fully understood because there were some missing pieces of information. That wasn't going to stop the heroes from coveting the Shen-Gong-Wu. They used the Shengaroo for transportation.

From the nearby mountain, Chase Young watched the heroes take their leave. "The time has arrived for me to put my plan into motion."

Wuya was excited. "So what do we do first?"

"I'm concerned about the princess and her friends," said Chase. "One day, they'll become strong enough to defeat me and I cannot allow that. The princess belongs to the Dark Lord and one way or another, I will deliver her to him. If I cannot, I will have no choice but to destroy her and her friends; especially Max."

The heroes were getting motion sickness. Riding the Shengaroo was like riding a rollercoaster at the amusement park. It bounced roughly and went a little too fast. Thankfully, the ride was over when the heroes found the Ying Yo-yo in the forest. Jack arrived too and was ready to take the Yo-yo, but Kimiko tossed the Shengaroo, striking his hand.

Jack no longer had robots, but he had his old partners he worked with in the past. His crew consisted of Katnappe, Tubbimura, Vlad, and the cyclops. It was of no concern to the heroes. They outnumbered the villains and had defeated them many times in the past. After stopping their old foes, the monks began bickering with each other about being the chosen one and how Dojo said so. Rather than join their petty arguments, Emily and Max went to retrieve the Ying Yo-yo. But they were too late. Jack got it first and made his leave with his team.

The heroes returned to the temple, demanding Dojo to start talking. The dragon didn't like pain, but he was telling the truth when he said he couldn't give a straight answer. As he was about to insist on giving back his gifts, something strange had happened. He and the others looked around, seeing that the temple was trashed like a fight had just gone on. The monks were confused because a second ago, the room was clean and organized, and now it's a mess. Even Dojo-bot was taken apart. Dojo cried for his robotic companion and began trying to repair it.

The heroes inspected the vault, but no Shen-Gong-Wu was stolen. Dojo found the heroes and told them that Master Fung was missing. He showed them his image on one of the walls. In crime scenes, the outline of the victim is drawn on the spot of their death for investigation. Dojo saw Master Fung's shape printed on the wall. He assured the heroes that Master Fung was alive and well, but no longer in the same world. He was sent to the Yin-Yang world, an alternate world with laws of its own.

The only explanation was that Jack was behind this concerning that he had the Ying Yo-yo, but it wouldn't make sense for Jack to attack without stealing Shen-Gong-Wu. Raimundo remembered something. "Omi, you used the Fountain of Hui and the Eaglescope. You know the secret to defeating evil."

"He gave his word to keep the secret to himself," Emily reminded him. "I came along as a witness to make sure he would stay honorable to his word. Also, I…" she gulped and added, "I begged him to promise."

"You what?" Clay asked.

"I was desperate," Emily confessed. "I gave in to my fears. I knew there was going to be a price to pay for helping save the world and I was willing to pay it."

"Please do not take your anger on Emily for my deeds," Omi pleaded. "Honor is what separates us from evil."

"And as the saying goes: 'Desperate times call for desperate measures,'" said Emily.

"You weren't desperate," Max argued. "You were scared."

"I still thought things through," said Emily. "Chase may be a servant to the Dark Lord, but his words carry valuable wisdom. To do what's right, the right price has to be paid because petty concerns should be the least of our worries. We must always keep our sights on the bigger picture."

That was what Omi decided he had to do. He had to get the Ying Yo-yo from Jack so he could go to the Yin-Yang world and rescue Master Fung. He came to the Spicer residence and used the Changing Chopsticks to sneak inside. As he entered the lair, he overheard Jack's plans of supreme conquest, diving the lands among each villain. Omi had to alert the others. He left without getting the Ying Yo-yo. There were important matters to consider right now. Not that rescuing Master Fung was of little importance, but he had to warn his friends.

Omi arrived too late. Jack and his crew trapped the others and was ready to torture them into unlocking the vault. For an amateur villain like Jack, there's no better method of torture than tickling.

Omi was starting to become desperate. He knew only one other person who could help. He went to Chase's palace. Chase Young used the Fountain of Hui and Eaglescope as well and Omi figured he might have some knowledge on how to rescue his friends. Omi was about to explain his reasons for coming, but Chase was already aware of his situation. He was willing to give Omi the help he needed. For one reason, Chase had no regard for Jack and thought of him as an insect. But his biggest reason was to give Omi some incentive. "Remember, Omi, there is always a place for you at my side."

"I'll never join you in serving the Dark Lord," Omi told him. "I promised to protect Emily and help her."

"Never say never," Chase told him. "The world is a complex place. Not just this world, but all of the other worlds. Sometimes our destinies are determined by events that are out of control. The princess, for example, was born into her destiny. She has no choice but to serve the Great Goddess until the end of her days. As a downside, she must be given to the Dark Lord. He will continue to be after her as well as her children and her children's children. As long as the Millennium Star and the Cobalt Star exist, the Gods' families and followers will continue to battle for many generations."

Omi didn't like the sound of that, but there was nothing he could do to change that. All he could do was acknowledge Chase's wisdom and accept his help.

They returned to the temple to stop Jack. He was ready to fight with his crew, but Chase brought along an army of his own. Jack was always forgetting about Chase's jungle cats. However, their true power was about to be unleashed. Chase's jungle cats took on their true forms as human warriors, ready to unleash their true power. The warriors defeated Jack and his team with ease while Omi and Chase destroyed the only robots Jack had left. It was time to rescue the others. Omi destroyed the robot that was tickling his friends and removed their shackles.

Chase presented Omi with the Ying Yo-yo. Omi was about to use it to open the gateway to the Yin-Yang world, but Emily stopped him. "We don't know the first thing about this Yin-Yang world."

Kimiko agreed. "We should think about what we're getting into."

Omi wouldn't listen. "A true warrior acts first and worries later." He took the Yo-yo from Chase and passed through the doorway to the Yin-Yang world. As intrigued as he was about his surroundings, there was no time to be amazed. Omi walked around, calling out to Master Fung. As if the world itself understood Omi's desire to find his master, it brought him to the site where he was. Omi found himself standing in what looked like an aisle of a convenience store with shelves filled with glass vials.

To his delight, Omi found Master Fung, but his teacher was completely dormant in a state of meditation. Omi used the Ying Yo-yo to open the doorway between the worlds and returned to the temple with Master Fung.

The heroes were delighted to see that Omi had returned safely, but he did not join them in delight. Angrily, he told his friends, "When I tried to lead, none of you would follow. When I tried to talk, none of you would listen. Only one person stood by me, believed in me, trusted me. That is where I choose to go." And he approached Chase Young.

Chase was satisfied. "You have made a wise choice, young warrior. My prophecy has been realized. Now that you have chosen the Heylin way, I will rule this world with you at my side."

"No!" Emily cried.

"This is so unfair," Jack protested. "That should be me standing there!"

Wuya rolled her eyes. "Oh, Jack. Always the bridesmaid; never the bride."

"I can't believe Omi has fallen to the dark side," said Kimiko.

"Don't see how things can get any worse," Clay said grimly.

"I'm afraid this is only the beginning," Max warned.