Chapter 4: Sexism and Wooden Sandals

Once again, I am going very close to canon. I'm glad to see people are still sticking around even though I'm copying the episodes. On the plus side, I've added a few scenes to help deviate from the canon. Hope you like them.

Time to answer reviews!

To bbst: Ooh, Valerie and Omi rivalry! That sounds really interesting. Unfortunately I won't be able to add that in until later in the story because I've got some future chapters already written out. I'll keep that in mind though.

On with the show!

"Hey, Eric, do you think my parents will come here for Christmas?" six-year-old Valerie asked her guardian.

"No, they're busy with work," Eric said carefully. He knew where this was headed.

She jutted her lip out. "But they're always busy. Shouldn't they take time off for Christmas?" she asked with childlike curiosity.

"Even if they did visit, they'd be on the phone all the time. Their job is very time consuming," Eric said thoughtlessly. He cringed as tears welled up in Valerie's eyes.

"I hate them!" she shouted between sobs. "I hate them, I hate them, I HATE THEM!"

Eric put his arms around her shaking form and held her close. "No, you don't. You're just angry at them right now. When your older, you'll understand."

"No I won't!" Valerie insisted. She began to beat her little fists against Eric's chest. "If they really loved me, they would actually mean it when they say it. I'll never understand adults who lie like that. I don't want to!"

"Val, your parents love you a lot," Eric said sternly as the little girl's sobs became quieter. "They have to train your brothers to handle the family business in case something happens to them. When they're done they'll come get you and they'll prove just how much they love you. I promise."

It was Eric's most painful lie.

"You know this is a showdown, right, Kimiko?" Jack taunted his adversary as he walked up the cliff with his Shen Gong Wu on his feet.

Kimiko, who was climbing the cliff with her bare hands, grunted, "You know those boots make you look like a dweeb, right Jack?"

"So not the case," Jack retorted. "These Shen Gong Wu, the Jet Bootsu, allow me to defy gravity. You might as well say buh-bye to the Monkey Staff, 'cause that one's as good as mine too." Jack smirked as he spied the Monkey Staff from the top of the pillar, a tan stick with a sculpture of an angry monkey with red eyes on the top.

"You wish!" Kimiko snarled, holding up her gloved hand. "Fist of Tebigong!" Without a thought to the consequences, Kimiko smashed her fist into the pillar. The pillar shook, and clumps of rock fell out of the stone.

Jack was not impressed. "Like that's going to work. I'm defying gravity, remember?" Kimiko remembered it too late. Jack shook his head. "Classic miscalculation; your hot little head has ensured your defeat."

Kimiko screamed as the pillar shook her off, and she plummeted to the ground. Only a convenient branch jutting out of the pillar caught her by her dress, and Kimiko was stuck there until Jack got the Monkey Staff.

"This water's freezing!" Dojo complained. "I don't know how my cousin Nessie stands living here."

The monks were in Scotland this time, and Dojo had magically transformed himself into a boat so they could travel across the water. The temperature on the lake was cold, making Valerie glad she wore a plain blue pullover hoodie over a few layers. Nevertheless, Valerie stamped her feet, since her jeans did nothing to protect her legs from the bitter wind.

"Why does your cousin live here?" Valerie asked politely.

"I think she likes the attention," Dojo said fondly. "'Hey look it's the Loch Ness Monster.'"

From a ways away, a Scottish sailor announced, "Hey look it's the Loch Ness Monster."

Dojo turned to the kids. "See?"

Kimiko didn't see, because she was still peeved over losing the Fist and the Staff to Jack Spicer. Omi noticed and thought she needed some cheering up. He put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Oh, Kimiko, do not feel sad."

"I don't!" Kimiko snapped at him. "And I don't need your pity either." She pulled the hood of her ornate orange and white dress over her head.

Omi smiled. "I was merely going to point out that you could not be expected to do better because you are a girl."

"WHAT?!" Valerie and Kimiko shouted at the exact same time. Both girls seethed as Omi looked at them, puzzled.

"Ever since you two came, I have been studying all about girls from this eleventh century book." Omi whipped out a small, thick book from his sleeves, titled the Ancient Guide to Females.

"You do know that eleventh century teachings don't apply in the twenty-first century, right?" Valerie pointed out, a little more calm since she now knew the reason behind Omi's bigotry.

"Nonsense!" Omi declared, opening the book to a random page. "It tells us that you're talents lie elsewhere, in the kitchen, for example."

Clay decided to interrupt. "Don't be so hard on Kimiko," he told Omi. "She was just trying to do her level-best, which is pretty good, considering."

Kimiko glared fiery daggers at him. "Considering what?"

"Considering you're such a hothead."

"That I can sort of agree with," Valerie admitted.

"I believe her failure was due to her lack of upper body strength," Omi interjected, making Kimiko red in the face with anger.

"I'LL SHOW YOU UPPER BODY STRENGTH!"

"Look out," Raimundo taunted, "she might use her slip and fall move on you!"

Before Kimiko could bite his head off, Dojo began to shake, making everyone jump up in down in the boat. "Shen Gong Wu alert!" Dojo announced.

Now serious, Raimundo asked Kimiko, "What do we have?" Kimiko opened the Ancient Scroll to reveal the Tangled Web Comb. The moving picture showed a man holding a comb, which shot out vines from the teeth to trap the opponent in a rope-like binding.

"That's hairy," Raimundo remarked.

"Well, let's quit dilly-dallying and go get it!" Clay said.

"You don't gotta go anywhere," Dojo announced. "It's here, baby."

"Here?" Valerie repeated, looking down at the water. Her eyes widened in realization, and she quickly put her long hair in a ponytail.

"This one's mine," Valerie announced, hanging a leg over the edge.

"Val's right, she should be the one to get it," Raimundo agreed. "Better her than Kimiko."

"Excuse me?" Kimiko snapped at him. Valerie rolled her eyes as she jumped into the water, tucking herself into a little ball so the impact wouldn't hurt her.

Valerie's eyes snapped open as she realized how frigid the water was. Goosebumps replaced her skin as the cold seeped into her bones. The water was dark and murky, with very little light filtering in. Valerie could barely make out seaweed and some trash littering the floor, along with something shiny.

It was a comb, a brown thing with golden teeth nestled in some seaweed on a rock on the ocean floor. Knowing she had a limited amount of air, Valerie swam over to the comb, thankful for the swimming lessons Eric signed her up for when she was little.

Getting the Tangled Web Comb out of the seaweed proved to be no challenge at all, which was good considering that Valerie needed air fast. Valerie twisted around so her feet touched the rock and, using her legs, she pushed herself up. Despite the need for air and the extreme cold of the water, Valerie calmly swam to the boat, her strong strokes quickly getting her to the surface.

Breaking out of the water, Valerie took a huge gulp of air as she swam towards the boat. "Where's the Comb?" Dojo asked her.

Valerie got the Comb out of her hoodie pocket and lifted it in the air, shivering as the air made contact with the skin on her hand. "C-could you guys h-help me up?" Valerie pleaded, her teeth chattering. "The water's f-freezing."

Back at the temple, Valerie (now dry and warm) held up her trophy for the others to see.

Raimundo studied it. "It's…a comb. Cute."

"I think it's great you found yourself a comb, Valerie," Clay said happily.

"Oh, yes," Omi agreed. "Accessorizing is within your talents, as a female."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "That's more Kimiko's forte. I like to think of myself as a tomboy."

"That explains the baseball hats," Kimiko said, standing a little apart from the group.

Valerie shrugged and walked over to the dummy posed a little ways away. "Time to test this out; Tangled Web Comb!" Valerie shouted as tan vines erupted from the comb. The vines snapped around the dummy, binding themselves to the body in a grotesque image of a hairy mummy.

"Nice going, girl!" Raimundo congratulated her. Clay clapped her on the back, nearly knocking her over.

"That's some good rope skills you got there," he said.

"Not bad for a girl," Omi allowed. Valerie rolled her eyes and looked at Kimiko.

"You're turn," she said, giving the Comb out. Kimiko raised a suspicious eyebrow before taking it.

"Prepare to be impressed!" Kimiko declared as she spied another dummy. With a sassy pose, she shouted, "Tangled Web Comb!" Like with Valerie, hairy brown vines erupted from the Comb and aimed towards the dummy.

You can do it, Valerie thought to herself as she waited in anticipation.

The vines circled around the dummy, but instead of ensnaring it, the vines circled back towards Kimiko. She tried to run away, but the vines got her, binding her in its hairy grasp. She fell to the ground in a heap. Master Fung was already walking towards her with concern written all over his face.

"Why can't she use it right?" Clay asked the others.

Instead of answering, Raimundo said, "You guys wanna look through Kimiko's stuff?"

"Ooh, I have never looked through a girl's things before!" Omi said cheerfully.

"Oh, no you don't," Valerie said, stopping them in their path with her hands on her hips. "That's a serious invasion of privacy and you know it."

"Aw, come on," Raimundo pleaded, giving her the big puppy eyes. "Give us a break. How can we know more about Kimiko unless we have a look at her room?"

"You can try asking her."

The guys looked at each other and said in unison: "Nah."

"Guys, stop," Valerie said half-heartedly. She would have yelled at them, but she was too tired from yelling at Omi, who had naively tried to look through Kimiko's underwear drawer just a few minutes ago.

Knowing that there was a female among them, the boys took their teasing down a few levels. Clay was searching through Kimiko's fashion magazines, criticizing the wacky styles from Japan. Raimundo was messing with her PDA, and Omi was searching through Kim's makeup bag.

"Don't play with that, its makeup!" Valerie snatched the lipstick out of Omi's hands.

"Makeup?" Omi asked innocently.

"Yeah, it's the stuff girls wear to make themselves look pretty," Clay said, putting away the fashion magazines.

"Oh!" Omi exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Then why does Valerie not where this makeup?"

"I've heard what makeup can do to the body."

"Like what?" All the boys stopped what they were doing and looked at Valerie.

Valerie thought for a moment. "Well, it can clog up your pores causing acne, and you can have an allergic reaction to some of the ingredients in makeup, like a rash. Face powder can dry up your skin, too. And in the worst possible case, it can cause cancer."

The boys' eyes bugged out, and their jaws hit the floor. "Girls are surprisingly resilient to put that makeup stuff on their faces," Omi said, astonished. The boys nodded in agreement.

Valerie smirked. "Yeah, don't take girls lightly. We go through a lot to make ourselves pretty."

Omi held up a tube of lipstick, his hand trembling. "So if I put this makeup on my face, I will get cancer?" He seemed terrified, and with good reason.

"Well, not right away," Valerie said, taking the tube and putting it away in Kimiko's vanity bag. "Not all makeup does that, though. You just have to find the right kind."

"Speaking of makeup, check this out," Raimundo said, opening a giant pink trunk.

"Should you really be opening that?" Valerie said, peering over his shoulder.

A variety of wigs were in the large trunk, all in different colors and styles. Omi snatched up a green wig with its fake hair in spikes. "I have never seen such a thing before," he admitted.

"It's called a wig," Clay said, taking it out of Omi's hands. "It's fake hair."

"But why does Kimiko have so many?"

"I think she's trying to copy the styles in Japan." Clay pointed to the pile of fashion magazines he had been browsing earlier. Valerie took one and flipped through the pages. She couldn't read the language, but the pictures showed models in odd clothing like the kind Kimiko wore, and brightly colored hair like characters from anime.

"This explains her clothing choices," Valerie said.

"Like your one to talk," Raimundo snorted. Valerie threw the magazine at his face.

Valerie finally convinced the guys to leave Kimiko's stuff alone, though Raimundo insisted on taking her PDA. "Why not?" he reasoned. "I just want to play a few games on it."

Valerie was too tired to care about that anymore.

They walked through the halls to the open air plaza, which was a peaceful meditation place with a full view of the garden. They saw Kimiko there, pouring tea from a ridiculously large teapot into ridiculously small teacups.

"Oops, I think I deleted something," Raimundo said loudly, like he was trying to get on Kimiko's nerves.

"Hey, that's my PDA!" Kimiko cried, nearly dropping the large teapot.

"Keep pouring," Master Fung reminded her, meditating in the middle of the plaza.

"Hey, Kimiko's serving tea!" Raimundo said, running up to the little Chinese table.

"Ah, the traditional female role!" Omi said, joining him. Valerie inwardly seethed at Omi's sexism as she and Clay strolled to the table.

"Tea would sure hit the spot right about now," Clay said as Kimiko poured him some.

"Could you make cookies?" Raimundo asked her. "You can't have tea without cookies."

"Master Fung!" Kimiko pleaded with the older monk.

"Keep pouring," he told her. "Drown out all distractions. Calm the storm in your mind. Only then will you achieve absolute focus."

Kimiko looked at the others. Clay was reading one of Valerie's books, Raimundo was stacking up teacups to make a tower, Valerie was listening to her iPod, and Omi was smiling at her, waiting for his cup of tea.

As Kimiko tried to pour some into a cup, she wobbled a little, nearly spilling the tea. She somehow managed not to spill a drop. "The next one will be perfect," she vowed, moving on to the next cup.

Omi studied Kimiko and said, "I am surprised Kimiko can lift such a heavy pot with her delicate, female arms."

"What?" Kimiko snapped, shoving the spout of the teapot into the last cup. The cup overflowed with brown water, spilling all over the edge of the table. Panicking, Kimiko threw the pot in the air, and everyone watched as the pot flew over the table and hit the floor with a large crash.

"Nice going, Omi," Valerie said, face palming.

"What did I do?"

"You made her lose her concentration."

Master Fung walked away, disappointed, which seemed a lot worse than him yelling.

Raimundo was not helping. "Who wants to bet chores on when Kimiko gets her focus; this century or next?"

Later, Valerie found Kimiko in her room, sulking as she tried to retrieve all the lost data on her PDA. Valerie knocked on the rice paper wall, alerting her presence. "May I come in?"

"No."

Valerie walked in anyway. "Tell me what's wrong."

"You know what's wrong!" Kimiko snapped. "The guys think that just because I'm a girl, I'm too weak to do anything!"

Valerie sat down besides Kimiko. "No, only Omi thinks that. The others are making fun of your short temper."

"I guess," Kimiko allowed. "But it sucks how I'm the only one who's getting made fun of here!" She glared at Valerie. "Why aren't you angry at them?"

"Because I didn't lose my temper and lose to Jack," Valerie explained. "That's why Clay and Raimundo are making fun of you. And I am angry at Omi for his sexism, but seeing as all his knowledge about girls comes from an eleventh century book, I can kind of understand why he's like that."

Kimiko allowed a little smile to take over her features. "He is pretty naïve."

"Yeah, the guy didn't know about makeup until I explained it to him."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But we still can't excuse his ignorance. That's just wrong."

"Agreed." Kimiko looked at Valerie. "How can you stay so calm? I mean, when we found the Tangled Web Comb, you were pissed about at him for saying girls belonged in the kitchen, and now…"

"Because he's not making fun of me."

Twenty minutes later, the Dragons were on Dojo's back again, searching for the next Shen Gong Wu, the Golden Tiger Claws.

They landed nearby an Oriental palace that looked like it belonged in Japan's feudal era. It looked pretty against the backdrop of cherry blossoms.

"The Golden Tiger Claws are inside that palace?" Omi asked Dojo, pointing to it.

"That's what this rash is telling me," the reptile said, scratching at his tail. "I wonder if there's an ointment for this."

Raimundo noticed the huge bodyguard standing at the front door. "How do we get in there?" he asked.

"We could knock on the door and ask real nice-like," Clay suggested.

"That's the emperor's palace," Dojo explained. "They don't just let anybody in there. We need connections."

"Oh, no worries," Kimiko said, getting out her cell phone. "I'll just call my dad." She speed dialed the number and said, "Mushi mushi, papa. I need a few invites to the emperor's palace." She listened for a bit, then: "No way! Not going to happen! Not in this lifetime!" She listened some more, then: "Really? Do I have to? All right, all right." Finally, she ended the call.

"Well?" Valerie inquired.

Kimiko sighed. "We're in, but there's a catch."

Ten minutes later, Valerie was dressed in a blue kimono with a silver butterfly pattern and a red obi tied at her waist. She was wearing uncomfortable wooden sandals, and her brown hair was in a side braid with a blue flower behind her ear. How Kimiko's dad knew Valerie's measurements was beyond her.

"Lookin' good, girl," Raimundo said, wolf whistling. He was wearing red robes with dark shoulder blades with poufy red pants, courtesy of Kimiko.

"Well ain't that a sight for sore eyes," Clay said, tipping his cowboy hat. It clashed with his blue robes and tan tunic, but it seemed to suit him.

"I don't look nearly as good as Kimiko," Valerie said honestly. Kimiko was wearing a pink kimono with yellow accents and a yellow obi tied around her waist, with her long black hair in a bun with three silver chopsticks stuck in it and the Tangled Web Comb holding it together. She was holding a pink fan in her hands, and she looked ready to kill someone.

"I think both Kimiko and Valerie look most appropriate," Omi declared. "They both finally look like girls."

"Where are your formal duds, Omi?" Clay asked the million dollar question.

"These are my formal robes, Clay," Omi said proudly, gesturing to his red robe and black pants. "The thread count is slightly higher. Notice the exquisite sheen." He held out an arm, which was shining in the moonlight.

"That's fine, let's just get these Tiger Claws and bail," Kimiko said, beginning to climb up the stairs. She was having difficulty in those wooden sandals, since she was moving to and fro like she was about to topple over.

"Are you planning on walking three steps behind us?" Raimundo teased.

"No, I'm planning on leaving you in my dust!"

Valerie sighed and began her own long trek up the stairs. She wobbled on the wooden sandals and had to put her hands out to steady herself. "How am I supposed to walk in these?" Valerie complained as she went up another step.

"Do you require assistance?" Omi called out. "Girls are known for their clumsiness."

Valerie was normally a calm person, but now even she was starting to get pissed off. "No, I don't need help, especially from you Omi!" she snarled, making the younger boy cower in fear.

"Harsh," Kimiko remarked from the middle from the stairs.

"He had it coming."

The boys finally decided to climb up the stairs, joining the girls. "This is so easy! How are you guys not able to walk in wooden sandals?" Raimundo taunted from next to Valerie.

"We're wearing heels," Valerie snapped. "Remind me to make you wear them after we get the Tiger Claws."

"Oh, I'm so scared!" Raimundo said before he left her to make fun of Kimiko. Valerie was almost at the top when someone grabbed her arm.

"I know that you will not accept your girlish clumsiness, so I am benevolently helping you," Omi said, cheekily grinning at Valerie.

Valerie shook him off. "I don't need help!" To prove it, she made it up the last step. She whirled around to stick it in Omi's face only to see Kimiko still on the stairs, struggling to make it up. Even Clay and Raimundo were at the top, even though they were the last ones to climb the stairs.

When Kimiko finally reached the top, Raimundo said, "About time, girl. And here we thought we would have to wait for the next ice age to get the Golden Tiger Claws."

"Shove it!" Kimiko growled, pushing past Raimundo to get to the guard. The guard opened the door for her, and they were in.

The emperor's palace was dark and shrouded in mystery, and the ancient artifacts gave the place a rich ambience.

"Any sign of the Claws?" Kimiko asked.

Omi looked into the jaw of giant Chinese stone lion and said, "These are lion claws; very similar."

"But no dice," remarked Raimundo.

"Ooh, dice! Are we looking for dice too?"

Raimundo groaned and continued searching for the Tiger Claws. Clay looked at a stone representation of a samurai while Kimiko searched the floor.

"I know it's down here somewhere," Dojo said, sniffing the floor. "It's down here, but more down."

"Maybe it's underground," Valerie wondered out loud. Kimiko walked over the floor, some of her footsteps sounding hollow. She looked underneath her feet and found a trapdoor.

"Val was right," Kimiko said, pointing to the trapdoor. Clay walked over to it and lifted the handle, opening the door. There was a thin staircase leading into the basement, and a human like moan escaped from the blackness.

"A staircase into the darkness," Omi announced. "How very-"

"Creepy?" Clay asked fearfully.

"Yes!"

"Come on, let's go!" Valerie said cheerfully, walking down the staircase into the darkness.

"Aren't you scared?" Clay asked, mystified.

"Why would I be?"

"But girls are supposed to be easily frightened!" Omi said, looking through his book.

"You're lucky you're cute, Omi," Kimiko grumbled as she followed Valerie down the staircase.

The staircase led down into earthy catacombs, full of dangerous stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stalagmites jutting out of the ground. There was a dirt path through the stalagmites, making it easier for the Xiaolin Dragons to walk through the dark chamber.

"Does anyone have a light?" Kimiko asked, since it was really dark down there. Another human-like moan echoed through the tombs, making everyone jump a little. "What's that moaning?" Kimiko asked fearfully.

Everyone looked for the source of the sound, and in the darkness was a shadow, which was leaning forward like it was sick. It was Jack Spicer, with a brown tail, furry hands and feet, and a monkey like face.

"It's Jack Spicer, and he's heading towards the Tiger Claws!" Valerie cried, looking to the left, where a pedestal with a furry glove with four long, golden claws jutting out of it was.

Jack finally saw the Xiaolin monks and grumbled, "I so don't need this right now. Jack-Bots, take them out now!"

Two Jack-Bots appeared, only this time with cannons bursting from their chests instead of the usual sharp shoulder blades. But before they could attack, Jack said, "Get me some ginger ale!"

One of the Jack-Bots complied, getting a glass of the soda from its head. Jack took it and guzzled it down like his life depended on it. He burped and said, "Thanks! You can crush them now."

The two robots flew towards the monks, but then Omi's head glowed six dots on his forehead, like the six on a cube of dice. "WATER!" he shouted as he kicked a robot towards Clay.

The robot began to shoot blue lasers from his cannon. "EARTH!" Clay shouted, and he swatted the robot over the edge and down towards the bottom of the catacombs. "Thanks for dropping by," Clay deadpanned. "Or, uh, just dropping."

The second Jack-Bot was aiming its cannon at Raimundo. "WIND!" he shouted, and he jumped high into the air and landed behind the bronze robot.

He knocked it forward towards Valerie, who cried out, "AETHER!" and kicked it against a stalagmite, making it explode.

Valerie looked for Kimiko, who was running towards the Tiger Claws. Unfortunately, Jack saw her, and with a monkey cry, he leaped towards the Wu.

Both touched the Claws at the same time, making it glow. "Sweet," Jack said. "Kimiko, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown."

"Name your game, Jack," Kimiko snarled.

"A race across the bridges. Whoever reaches the end wins."

"XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!" both shouted in unison, and the Golden Tiger Claws glowed brightly. Smoke erupted from the ground, blinding Valerie as the ground below turned to lava, and the stalagmites rose up towards the ceiling, making the Showdown exponentially more dangerous.

Valerie wiped her eyes and noticed that she was still wearing the blue kimono. Wait, was Kimiko supposed to fight in wooden sandals? She was never going to win in them!

"GONG YE TAN PAI!" Kimiko and Jack shouted, beginning the Showdown. Jack immediately went on all fours and moved like a monkey towards the Claws, while Kimiko threw off her sandals. Smart girl.

"Get in the game, girl!" Dojo cried out to her.

"Anyone want to double our little wager?" Raimundo said. "Make it four weeks of chores?"

Fed up with his stupid attitude, Valerie punched Raimundo in the stomach. He bent over in pain, and tears welled up in his eyes. "What was that for?" he croaked.

"You idiots are the reason why Kimiko can't concentrate on winning!" Valerie yelled, fire escaping her mouth. "If you just shut up for a minute, maybe she could get the Golden Tiger Claws!"

"You mean like that?" Clay pointed to Kimiko, who had tried to use the Tangled Web Comb on Jack, only to have it rebound on her. Now she was on the floor in a literal bind, her black hair out of its bun and around her head like a dark halo.

"Kimiko, calm the fuck down and WIN, GODDAMMIT!" Valerie screamed, totally frustrated at everyone right now.

"Never thought you'd have a temper like that," Clay said as he, Omi, and Raimundo backed away from Valerie.

Valerie tried to calm herself down. "Peace, calm, tranquility…peace, calm, tranquility…"

"Uh…"

Valerie turned to Raimundo. "It's a mantra Eric taught me."

"Who's Eric?"

"Oh, look, Kimiko's winning the Showdown." Valerie pointed to Kimiko, who had somehow untied herself and used the Tangled Web Comb to take the Monkey Staff from Jack, turning him back to a normal human.

"She had achieved absolute focus!" Omi cheered.

"Too bad I'm only one step away from getting the Golden Tiger Claws," Jack sneered as he reached for the Wu. But then the ground began to quake and the Claws fell from their pedestal. Jack began to scream, "NOOO!" and fell forward after it, in hopes of catching it before he fell into the lava.

Kimiko, high on her victory, began to leap, jump, and do cartwheels with the power of the Monkey Staff. Using the Tangled Web Comb, she fell from the path and used it to dangle herself towards the Claws, grabbing them just out of Jack's reach.

"Huh," Clay said, glancing at Raimundo. "You were right, Rai. She would win."

"Huh?" Valerie asked, question marks blipping around her head.

"The bet was that whoever thought Kimiko would lose would have to do chores for four weeks," Raimundo explained. "I thought she would win, so Omi and Clay now have to do my chores."

Valerie's jaw dropped. "So I punched you for nothing?"

"Not exactly," Rai admitted. "You were half right when you said we were messing up her concentration."

"You just forget to mention her temper," Clay added, tipping his hat.

Just then, Kimiko swooped towards them with the Tangled Web Comb, landing on delicate feet. "How you like me now?" she said, throwing the Claws at Valerie.

"Nice job," Raimundo said, giving Kimiko a fist bump.

"You whipped Jack butt good," Clay said, a goofy smile on his face.

"You had me worried for a second, but I'm glad you pulled through," Valerie admitted, giving a sheepish smile.

"Kimiko, you have taught me much about the strength of women," Omi announced. "I know completely understand the modern female."

"No, but you're a step in the right direction," Kimiko allowed, patting the little monk's head. "Which is good; I'm hoping to get a little more respect around here."

"You got it, monkey butt!" Raimundo said, laughing. Clay joined in, and so did Valerie once she saw the brown tail sprouting from Kimiko's behind.

"Girls have tails?!" Omi cried.

Cookies to anyone who got the Teen Titans reference.

Also, how do you like the flashback at the beginning of the chapter? I thought digging a little bit into Valerie's past would help you get to know her better. Review and tell me what you think.