A World Worth Saving

It seemed like Chase Young was ruling the Xiaolin world, but in truth, the Dark Lord was ruling it through Chase. While the warrior was ruling it in his own way, he was still doing his services to the Dark Lord. However, those services wouldn't be complete until a few tasks were complete. Chase knew what he had to do, but for the moment, he decided to enjoy his domination of the world while it would last. He grinned and said, "Evil can be most rewarding."

While Omi was now a servant to Chase Young, he was still his own person, but his own person was slowly drifting away. He did not enjoy the world's despair the same way Chase did, but he found some enjoyment being a cat. He purred contentedly as Chase scratched his ears. Try as he might, Omi couldn't resist the tempting spoils a cat loved. But he still tried to remain true to himself. He also had a right to speak and thought out loud, "Chase Young, you were once on the side of good. Maybe there is still some good in you."

Chase would have normally expected Emily to say those words, but it didn't surprise him that Omi would say so either. After all, many people who have fought on the side of good have tried to redeem the good that once lived in their foes. Chase didn't think he was one of those people. "Nope, don't think so," he stated.

At the Xiaolin Temple, the heroes were dismayed about the friend they lost. "Poor Omi-cat," Kimiko said sadly. "He looks so sad in his form."

"You think that's something to be sad about?" Max asked. "Look at what's happened to this world. It's been plunged into Chase's control."

"Isn't he doin' it for the Dark Lord?" Clay wondered.

"That would mean the Dark Lord is really the one ruling this world," said Raimundo. He approached Emily and figured, "I bet you wish you were back home in your world, don't you? At least you'd be safe there."

Emily faces him and protests, "That's the least of my problems. I don't care about going back home to my world. I can't, anyway, and it's not because I have to fight Chase for the Cobalt Star shard. It's because Max is right."

"What are you sayin'?" Clay asked.

She dries her eyes and explains her reasons. "If given the chance I could leave this world and go home, I'd deny it. To do so would leave this world and its inhabitants to suffer. I know Chase told me I didn't belong here, that I was an outsider who just chanced upon this world. But I found a home here. I know I wasn't born in this world like you guys were, but I managed find a place where I could belong somewhere with someone. I respect that this is your world and it's your home, but it's also become my home too and that's the real reason I want to save it.

"At first, I thought I stumbled into this world by accident because I was just trying to get home. But I've done a lot of thinking over the time I've spent here. The truth is I wanted to come to this world and see its wonders. I wanted to meet all of you and join you on these journeys. While I had a destiny, I also wanted to enjoy myself. I didn't want to forget the importance of being here either such as the friends I made and the lessons I learned. I'm not here because Millennia sent me. I'm here because I wanted to become the Xiaolin Dragon of light and defend this world. And not only do I want to help you save your world, I also want my friend back."

All of her friends understood her reasons. "Emily's right," said Kimiko. "We all come from different places, but we're all part of the same world. I found my second home here too."

Clay nodded in agreement. "All the partners I met are family to me too."

"A home and a family is always something worth fighting for," said Raimundo. "It's time to save our home and rescue the last member of our family."

Max smiled at the wisdom Emily displayed. "I feel the same way. I figured out my destiny too. I became the Dragon of darkness to help defend the balances of good and evil. And, well, I wanted to see this world too. I had a lot of fun on the way too. The battles we fought, the Shen-Gong-Wu we gathered, I enjoyed every minute."

Emily nodded. "I loved every minute I spent with every one of you. You all made me laugh, you reminded me of everyone back home, you taught me so many new things. Sure, there were times when we fought and argued, but we still got along. Each of you is special to me. Raimundo, you may be arrogant and you may think you know best, but that's what I like about you. When you cause a problem, you take responsibility and set things right again."

Max agreed. "I like that you can be impulsive and you're the first real friend I made since I came here."

Raimundo shrugged. "We did seem to understand each other a lot back then. We got along easily, Max. You were always looking out for me. You helped out too, Emily."

Emily nods and turns her attention to Clay. "Clay, you've always been a gentleman underneath that rough exterior of a cowboy; kind of like a big brother. What I also like about you is your big appetite."

Clay removed his hat and rubbed his head. "Thanks, Em. You've always been a sweetheart yourself like a kitten cuddled up for a nap on a lap. And, Max, I always knew there was some good in you. You even got us out of some seriously tight spots before you became a Dragon of darkness. You're like a vixen; sly, yet beautiful and smart."

Max shrugged. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Emily turned her attention to Kimiko. "And, Kimiko, we've always looked out for each other."

Kimiko agreed. "Whenever we needed time away from boys, we had each other. You, me, and Max. It was always nice to have friends who were so understanding and fun."

"Yeah, you understood how sensitive I was and was careful not to lash on me," Emily told her.

"And you always had ways of helping me cool down again," Kimiko returned.

Max joined in and said, "Sure, we fought a couple times, but you warmed up to me."

Kimiko could hardly believe it herself. "I was afraid to trust you at first, Max, but you proved me wrong. You turned out to be really cool, especially when it came to making fun of Jack. I also admire how smart you are when it comes to technology."

Max shrugged again. "Nothing to it."

There was one last person. It didn't matter that Omi wasn't present. Emily just wanted to share the things she had to say. "Omi is just as special. I know he doesn't understand our metaphors the same way we do because he doesn't always understand our languages just as we do. I know he's got a big ego too, but that's part of what makes him who he is. It's also what makes him funny and I like that about him. Omi always makes me smile and laugh. What I also admire about him is that he's loyal and honorable. He may be flawed, but, hey, nobody's perfect. And he still has a good heart."

Max grinned and said, "Even I have to admit, he is naïve and I like that about him too."

Clay smiled. "I'm sure if Omi were here right now, he'd be expressin' his appreciation in his own way."

Emily chuckled and said, "I hope he understands that when I say I love him, I mean it as a gesture of friendship and not in a romantic way."

Max snickered at the thought. "Knowing Omi, maybe not."

That comment made everyone feel a little cheerful. Emily turned her attention to Dojo. "And you, Dojo, have been a very patient and resourceful dragon. You were always there when we needed help. I never thanked you enough and I'm also sorry for always having to put you through the trouble of carrying me around."

Dojo coiled around her arms and hugged her. "You don't have to apologize, Emily. I should be thanking you. You were always easy on me and compassionate too." He turned his attention to Max and said, "We had some fun times too, Max."

She wasn't too sure about that. "Well, you were slow most of the time and didn't catch on until the situation at hand was ahead of you. But, yeah, I guess we did have some fun," she said and patted his head.

Speaking of the situation at hand, it was time for the heroes to discuss what they were going to do. "It may be time to challenge Chase for the Cobalt Star shard."

Max agreed. "Now that we know why we're here and what we have worth fighting for, there's no better time than now. That's the only chance we have of saving this world."

"We have to," said Clay. "We promised you girls we would help you."

Kimiko agreed. "Just like how you said our world is your world too, we're not just Xiaolin warriors anymore. Starting now, we're also warriors of Millennia."

"And Cobalt too," Raimundo added. "Just to be accurate. Because if Max is with us, I guess that means the Dark Lord wants us to stop Chase."

Max grinned and said, "Plus, we're doing him a great service too."

"How are we doing that?" Kimiko asked.

"It's a little hard to explain, but it's of little importance right now." Max was right. There was no time to discuss the matters of that statement. Right now, everyone needed to concentrate on rescuing the friend they love and saving the world they love.

Their concentration was broken when Jack Spicer came by and pleasantly greeted everybody. By leaving his evil side behind in the Yin-Yang world, Jack made a good boy out of himself. He even changed his appearance. His hair was chocolate brown and neatly combed and he was dressed in a sweater and slacks. He smiled cheerfully and praised the heroes.

This was a little disturbing for the heroes. "I think Jack was easier to tolerate when he was himself," Emily figured.

Max agreed. "Now he's a bigger jackass."

Jack didn't feel insulted by their comments. "I understand you're still a little surprised, but in time, you'll get used to the new me."

Even Dojo didn't like this. He was even jealous of Jack because he was doing his job of serving Master Fung. Speaking of Master Fung, he was back to himself as well. Actually, not by so much. While he was dormant in his state of meditation, he suffered great injuries from Dojo's carelessness. Now he was bound to a wheelchair and covered in casts and bandages. He was conscious again, but his body was practically broken in every part. Dojo brought more pain on Master Fung when he began fighting with Jack over serving tea. The dragon accidentally spilled it all over the poor master, causing him to howl in pain.

Kimiko had an idea on how to help. She placed her laptop on the armrest of the wheelchair and placed sticks in Master Fung's teeth. Now he could use the sticks and the laptop to communicate with his students.

It was times like this when Emily wished she could use her healing magic, but that was nothing to be concerned about now. A monstrous creature came before them. It was a black shadow creature from the Yin-Yang world that fed on the chi of its victims. Emily used the Sphere of Yun to imprison the monster, allowing her and her friends to escape. Kimiko also gave Master Fung the Silk Spitter and the Glove of Jisaku so he could protect himself.

Chase Young arrived at the temple grounds. Master Fung tried to stop him using the Shen-Gong-Wu, but Chase defended himself. He tossed used the Serpent's Tail to the monster so it could use it to escape. It attacked Master Fung and began feeding on his chi. It pained Omi to see his former master in the state he was in. Wuya took advantage of his concern by giving him a ball of yarn to play with. Once again, Omi gave in to his feline temptations and began happily playing with the ball of yarn. The monster was about to feed on the chi of those who set him free, but Chase commanded it to seek out the heroes.

The chi creature found the heroes and was about to attack them, but they used their Shen-Gong-Wu to fight. Raimundo used the Sword of the Storm, Kimiko used the Star Hanabi, Clay used the Fist of Tebigong, Emily used the Eye of Dashi, and Max used the Thorn of Thunderbolts. The heroes tried to escape, but the monster attacked them one by one and fed on their chi.

Jack and Dojo were the only ones who got away. When they saw their friends acting strange, they knew they were too late. Jack had an idea. They could use the Ying-Yang Yo-yo to lure the chi guardian back inside its world and recover everyone's chi. The only problem was they only had the Ying Yo-yo, meaning if they were to go to the Yin-Yang wolrd, they would come back evil.

Jack understood the consequences, but he was willing to go through with his idea. "The world is at stake, not to mention the lives of my good friends."

Dojo was touched. At the same time, he was surprised he was even feeling this way. "You'd really do that for us even after all the mean things we said?"

Jack already made up his mind. "I know when I return, I won't miss being good. But I wish I would. Please remember me for how I am and not for what I will be."

Dojo began to burst into tears. Normally, he would expect a noble deed to come from Omi or Emily. Jack knew as much and told the dragon that they would do the same thing because they both have good hearts and would always help their friends. Dojo hugged Jack and said he wished there was something he could do to help.

He suddenly wished he didn't say so. Jack dressed Dojo up as a goat and put him out in the open to lure the chi creature into a trap. The plan was working. The chi creature saw Dojo and was about to attack, but Jack arrived just in time and used the Ying Yo-yo, bringing the monster with him to the Yin-Yang world.

Jack used the Ring of the Nine Dragons to split himself into two figures. One of the figures decided to distract the chi creature while the other would recover everyone's chi. The first Jack was attacked, but he assured his second half that it was all under control. The second Jack walked down the aisle of chi with a shopping cart. He found the chi of Master Fung and the heroes. He was about to leave until he saw the chi creature behind him. The monster was about to attack until the first Jack protected his other half. The second Jack used the Ying Yo-yo and returned to the world evil again.

Dojo grabbed the chi from Jack as well as the Ring of the Nine Dragons. He also trapped Jack in the Sphere of Yun. He couldn't trust him anymore now that he was evil again. Dojo found the heroes at Chase's palace working as his housekeepers. He gave them their chi and brought them back to their senses.

Chase came and saw the heroes back to normal. He was beginning to regret not eating Dojo when he had the chance.

Emily was ready to take action. "Chase Young, we have the right to challenge you for Omi's freedom. Should we win, he will be declared a free monk and his own person again."

"And should you fail?" Chase wondered.

"Then we will join Omi in serving you forever," said Max. She knew Chase would never pass up an opportunity.

"And since it's a fight for freedom, I want to raise the stakes," continued Emily. "If we win, you must surrender your Cobalt Star shard. If you win, I'll surrender to the Dark Lord."

Chase liked the sound of Emily's decree. It seemed she discovered the reasons as to why she is here in this world and why it's worth saving. He agreed to her terms. "I accept, but no Shen-Gong-Wu. We use our martial arts skills."

"And since we're fighting for the Stars, we're free to use the powers of the Stars," Max added.

Chase knew as much, but he wasn't concerned. "With the power I am offered by the Dark Lord, I will defeat you."

"The game is Xiaolin Soccer," Max decreed. "The first team to score four points wins the game. You and your jungles cats against us Xiaolin warriors. And since Omi is still a fellow Xiaolin monk and his freedom is on the line, he will be playing on our team."

"I accept your regulations," said Chase. He sent Omi to rejoin his friends for the game. He also took on his reptilian form and his jungle cats took on their human forms.

The grand hall of the palace was transformed into a soccer field. Dojo coiled himself up to take on the shape of a soccer ball. He decided to endure the pain of being tossed around and kicked because it was for a good cause.

Max and Emily played soccer many times back in school and were good athletes. It was also Raimundo's game concerning he was from Brazil and they loved the sport. However, Chase's servants are much more powerful in their true forms. They got the first goal. The heroes saw Dojo approaching their goal and tried to get him to the other side of the field, but their path was blocked by fire. Chase head butted Dojo and scored a second goal. He and his teammates passed Dojo around and scored another goal.

Raimundo grunted in frustration. "He's using the power of the Cobalt Star shard!"

"He can do that," Emily reminded. "But Max I can use our powers too since this is a Battle of the Gods."

"And that's just what we're going to do," said Max. "Remember, to defeat Chase Young, we can't just see him as one of the most ultimate evil warriors of this world. It doesn't matter that he's a servant to the Dark Lord either. We have our skills and talents. Chase may have taught Omi his skills and he may have been observing us since we met, but that doesn't mean we can't surprise him with something new."

Omi agreed. He began head butting Dojo around the field. He and Chase began imitating each other with the same martial arts moves until Omi surprised him with a made-up move called Sparrow Eating Hot Dog. Chase lost his edge and his chance to protect his goal, allowing Omi to score a point. Kimiko scored another point by using her Judolette Flip to kick Dojo into the goal. Raimundo scored a goal using his Typhoon Boom and Max and Emily combined their Luminous Wave and Shadow Blitz together to defend their goal from the opposing team.

The score was tied. "It appears I have taught you well," Chase told Omi. "But I have something you don't." He began tapping into the power of his Cobalt Star shard. He became more monstrous and had increased in speed in strength.

Max and Emily sensed Chase tapping into his power. "So this is the power offered to him by the Dark Lord," said Max. "Now it's our turn."

Emily agreed. Using the power of the Millennium Star, she transformed into the princess. The power of Max's Cobalt Star shards transformed her armor into a dress as black as the night sky with silver sparkles that shimmered like the stars in it. She had become the Knight of Darkness. The girls had tapped into the powers of the Stars. Now they could combine their powers together along with the powers of their friends by means of Divine Dragon Excume. The heroes held the girls and spun them around like a wheel. The light and darkness emanating from them as they spun around make it look like the Yin-Yang symbol in the center of the formation. They passed through Chase's warriors and Chase Young himself. Chase was about to score a goal, but the heroes stopped him and knocked him and Dojo to the other side of the field and into the goal.

As Chase groaned and opened his eyes, he saw his Cobalt Star shard slipping from the chain around his neck and making its way to Max, attaching itself to the other shards. The power he got from Omi was given back to the young monk as well. Omi was also a human again, free from Chase's control and back to being his own person.

Chase Young did not want the heroes to see that he was suffering a great loss. Like a good sport, he told them, "I gave my word. You are free to go." He faced Emily and told her directly, "I congratulate you, young princess. You have found the answers. If you didn't, I would never have agreed to your terms and the Dark Lord would have never seen you as a winner in our battle."

Emily nods and says, "But I have to thank you for helping me understand why I came to this world and why it's a world worth protecting. It's because my friends who live in it are worth protecting. It doesn't matter that I wasn't born in this world. In a way, it's my world too because I have a home here and I love it. I love this world and I love my friends here."

Chase sighed. "Love," he paused and said, "is a strange, but powerful thing. It's more than a word. You have proven that many times."

"That's because I'm the hero of love," she reminded him.

"And a fellow Xiaolin warrior," Omi added. "And so is Max."

Raimundo agreed. "She doesn't have to be an enemy to be a follower of Cobalt. Max taught us that the powers of darkness can do as much good. It doesn't have to be bad all the time."

"Max also taught me an important lesson," continued Emily. She faces her friend and explains, "It's true that through the centuries, Millennials have tried to reform Cobaltites and invite them to join them on the path of good. But there are also times when a Millennial will need the strength and wisdom of a Cobaltite. That's the true way of harmony."

Max smiles and nods, agreeing with her words.

Chase grins and says, "Well, then pray that you girls will always be there to help one another. Still, I think that deep down, you know that your efforts are doing great services to the Dark Lord as well as the Great Goddess. There are also many other servants to the Dark Lord who are just as powerful as I am. Some of them are even stronger. I wonder what you'll do when you encounter them?"

Emily frowned and said, "I'll keep that in mind."

He turns his attention to Omi and says, "And I think the evil inside of you is stronger than you know. Now that you've had a taste of evil, it may not be so hard to let it go."

Omi didn't reply. He turned around and apologized to his friends. "Because of me, Chase Young almost succeeded in turning this world completely over to the Dark Lord. I knew the secret to defeating evil and I refused to use it to my advantage."

"Not that you had a choice," said Max. "You were bound by your word to keep it to yourself."

There was more to it than that. The truth was, Omi never saw the secret to defeating evil. When he used the Fountain of Hui and the Eaglescope and was awestruck by the many wonders he learned, Chase Young used the Reversing Mirror to alter certain secrets. He revealed that in truth, Omi discovered the secret to destroying good.

Max grinned, figuring that that was very clever of Chase Young. It was because Chase knew that Omi was honorable, but also naïve. He didn't trust the young monk completely and that was why he used the Reversing Mirror to make Omi see the opposite.

Emily cleared her throat and took a step forward to Chase. "I suppose I need to apologize. I guess I'll never be able to do that one small thing you wanted me to do."

Chase didn't think so. "There is still one small thing you can do. You can finally return home to your world."

"And never come back," she wondered.

"If only I could say so," Chase was telling her, "but we all know that there will come a time when this world will need the Xiaolin Dragons of light and darkness again. That's something we can all look forward to."

"And we'll be there when that time comes," said Max. Everyone climbed on Dojo and left the palace.