Chapter 8: Logic and Perky Robots
Hello, my lovely readers! Here I am with another chapter, even though I've been pretty busy. I've got stuff to do and another story to update. So enjoy my hard work. Please?
"Valerie, stop."
"But I'm about to finish level-oh, I died. Let me try again!"
Kimiko gently pried the game controller from Valerie's hands. "No, I think you're done. It's been half an hour and you still can't get past level one. The only person worse than you at videogames is Omi, and he's improving."
Valerie huffed through her nose. "If it had a joystick I would have dominated it."
"There are no joysticks in MarioKart," Clay said from his room, since all the rice paper walls had been retracted so all the rooms turned into one big hallway.
"I knew you failed at technology, but not this badly!" Raimundo jeered from Valerie's left.
She rolled her eyes. "It's just videogames, Rai."
Omi took the controller from Kimiko's hands and began to play. "I am, as you say, turned aflame?"
"On fire, Omi," the Asian girl said patiently. "You're on fire."
"I am on fire?"
"Not literally," Valerie said before she felt a tug at her braid. "Ow!"
"Sorry," Kimiko said sheepishly. She held up a brush. "Your hair's so long; I want to style it."
Valerie sat down with crossed legs. "Go for it." Kimiko immediately sat down behind her and began unraveling her plait. The brunette reached for the Tolkien book she had brought over and began to peruse it, easily getting into the world of wizards and elves and ring bearers.
"Val, there's something in your hair." Kimiko held up something shiny. Everyone stared, even Omi, since he paused the game.
"Is that a computer chip?" Clay asked, getting up real close to study the thing. Valerie turned around and saw a little black square with a red circuit board design.
"Jack Spicer!" Raimundo instantly hissed.
"No. Theo," Kimiko pointed out.
"He put a note and a chip in my hair?" Valerie growled. "Cocky little prick."
Clay plucked the chip out of Kimiko's hands and dropped it to the floor. He stomped his foot on it, crushing it to little pieces. "That takes care of that," he said. "I'll go get a dustpan." He left.
Kimiko went back to brushing Valerie's hair. "So Val, what kind of music to you like?"
"Queen, The Beatles, The Who, Cheap Trick, Elvis Presley..."
"You like those oldies?" Raimundo asked incredulously.
"Better than the rap you listen to." Valerie fixed him a glare. He stuck his tongue out at her.
"Don't you listen to anything modern?" Kimiko inquired. "Like, I don't know, Fall Out Boy?"
"Never heard their music."
"How about Panic! At the Disco?" Raimundo asked.
"Never heard of them?"
"How about Taylor Swift?" Clay asked, returning with the dustpan.
"Who?"
"You don't know who she is?" Raimundo stared at her.
"I do not know who she is either!" Omi said, getting into level two of MarioKart.
"Yeah, but that's you," Clay said. "We're talkin' 'bout Val here."
"I don't really follow what's popular now," Valerie confessed as Kimiko played with her hair.
"At least you respect the classics," the Asian girl attested.
Valerie held up her Tolkien book and said, "You got that right!"
The Next Day
The monks were back on the training grounds, looking at Master Fung as be opened a wooden box with Chinese symbols on it.
"In today's training, we will be dividing the Shen Gong Wu among you," he explained. The inside of the box revealed the Eye of Dashi, the Monkey Staff, the Two-Ton Tunic, the Mantis Flip Coin, and the Third Arm Sash.
"The exercise is called…" Omi raised his hand. "Yes, Omi?"
"Xiaolin Surprise!"
"Sounds like an appetizer," Clay joked.
"This is an advanced training technique that relies on a powerful inner force we call…" Master Fung stopped explaining as Omi waved his hand again.
"The instincts of the tiger!"
"Kiss up," Valerie muttered under her breath.
"Which is…Omi?"
"The ability to perfect your opponents' next move," Omi said as Raimundo murmured mocking sounds under his breath.
The teen scoffed. "Yeah, like you can really read minds or something."
"I knew you'd say that," Omi said smugly, making Raimundo stare at him weirdly.
"You-you did?"
"Pfft! Ha-ha! No, I am only, as you say, pushing your arm." Omi waved Raimundo's arm for emphasis.
"You mean pulling his leg?" Clay asked, wanting verification.
"Oh, my badness." Raimundo, who had been sulkily crossing his arms over his chest, had his leg suddenly lifted off the ground by Omi doing a handstand.
"Funny," Valerie said dryly as Raimundo clenched his fists. And then they heard an exasperated sigh coming from Master Fung, who was pinching the bridge of his nose. Omi immediately let go of Raimundo's leg.
"To harness the tiger instinct is to know what will happen before it happens." As Fung was saying this, Raimundo, whistling nonchalantly, tried slapping Omi's head. Omi dodged just in time, and the other boy hit the Monkey Staff, sending it flying to Master Fung.
Fung caught it and said, "Like so. Omi, Clay, take your places in the sparring circle."
They did just that, facing each other, sizing the other one up. They bowed and then turned their backs on one another. Master Fung left a pile of the aforementioned Shen Gong Wu right next to them.
"Choose your Shen Gong Wu," he said as he backed away.
Clay immediately picked one up and yelled, "Eye of Dashi!"
"Monkey Staff!" Omi brandished the weapon. Lightning flashed toward him, but Omi used his newly grown tail to hang from the wooden obstacle course behind him. The lightning bounced off the nearest wall and hurtled itself near the others. Raimundo covered his head, Kimiko ducked down, Valerie hunched her shoulders, and Master Fung stood there calmly like always.
Valerie noticed the lightning bolt hurtling towards Clay. "Clay, watch out!" she warned, and Clay ducked down just in time for the lightning to reach him. It completely incinerated a hole in his cowboy hat and vaporized a part of his hair, but he was otherwise fine.
"Who-we, Omi!" he said. "You sure are quick on the draw."
Monkey Omi dropped to the ground and said, "Thank you my friend in the two gallon hat."
Raimundo walked up to him, hands on his hips. "Uh, that's ten gallon hat."
"Not anymore," said Kimiko.
"Winner advances," Master Fug suddenly announced. "Kimiko, choose your Shen Gong Wu."
"Third Arm Sash!" she suddenly cried. When did she grab a Shen Gong Wu?
"Mantis Flip Coin!" Omi flipped through Kimiko's offense and landed on the ground. She sent the sash over to him, and he dodged. The sash sliced through a pot.
Omi then jumped off of Raimundo's head. Luckily, the sash just knocked the teenager into the pond with fake crocodiles in it.
"Whoops, sorry Rai." Kimiko helped him up. Raimundo spat water out of his mouth, his clothes dripping wet.
Clay lifted his hat, revealing his new bald spot. "You gotta learn to duck, partner."
Raimundo got the black koi fish out of his shirt and tossed it into the pond. "Winner advances," Fung suddenly said. "Raimundo?"
"Omi's tiger instincts against my street smarts?" Raimundo scoffed. "Well this'll be fast."
"And interesting," Valerie mused, crossing her arms. "Don't lose."
"I won't."
"Choose," said Master Fung.
"Fist of Tebigong!" Raimundo punched at Omi, who cried out, "Two-Ton Tunic!" The Fist collided and Raimundo crumpled to the ground in pain.
"Ouch," Clay stated.
"With a capital O," Kimiko agreed.
Valerie sniggered. "At least it was funny."
"A lucky guess!" Raimundo said from the ground. "I want a rematch!"
"Very well," said Master Fung. "But first: winner advances. Valerie?"
Valerie shrugged and confidently walked up the sparring circle. She had figured out the trick to Omi's 'tiger instincts' a while ago. She was nearly sure Kimiko and Clay figured it out as well.
"Choose," Fung decreed. Neither side chose a Shen Gong Wu.
"You go first Omi," Valerie said sweetly. "The others have all this time. It's only fair."
"No, no," he said, shaking his head. "It is always ladies first."
Again, neither side chose.
"Do you both forfeit the match?" Master Fung raised an eyebrow.
Valerie shrugged. "Sure. I don't mind."
Omi eyed her. "I will as well."
"You can have your rematch, Rai," she said as she made her way to the sidelines. Raimundo stalked back into the sparring circle and both boys turned their backs on each other.
"Choose."
"Tangled Web Comb!" The vines erupted from the comb, reaching towards Omi. The little guy calmly turned around and held up a hand.
"I'm good."
Just before the vines reached Omi, they suddenly snapped back towards Raimundo. They encircled him and put him in a hairy bind. He stared bewilderedly at the mess he made before snapping his gaze back to Omi.
"You chose nothing?" Raimundo asked incredulously.
"No, I knew your frustration would lead to your own defeat," Omi said as Master Fung took the comb out of Rai's hands. The vines snapped off him and he was sent spinning around like a top. Clay caught him when he finally stopped.
"Yeah, right," Valerie scoffed. "It's pretty hard to believe your 'tiger instincts' when you cheat."
"I did not cheat," Omi said calmly. "I simply knew what move you were going to do before you did it."
"After you heard us yell out the name of our Shen Gong Wu," Valerie argued. "With that you can gauge what attack we'll do."
"Huh?" Question marks blipped around Raimundo's head. "When did you figure that out?"
"After Kimiko's match."
"Look at you, smarty pants," Kimiko congratulated her.
"You are still wrong about one thing," Omi protested. "Raimundo still lost thanks to his frustration."
"Well, yeah, that's obvious," Valerie said.
"Hey!"
"Excellent training session," Mater Fung said as he carried the chest of Shen Gong Wu away.
"Maybe I'm missing the point," Raimundo said out loud as he got out of Clay's arms. "We're never going to go after each other. And Jack's only got one Shen Gong Wu."
"A pair of chopsticks that can shrink him to the size of a grain of rice," Kimiko said with a snicker.
"We can take him out with a flyswatter." Clay slapped his palms together for emphasis.
Valerie thought for a moment: in all the books she had read over the years, she had found out that underestimating her opponent was a big mistake. Jack was a mechanical genius; he created all the Jack-Bots, after all. It wouldn't surprise her if he came up with some decent plan to take all of the Shen Gong Wu.
Omi had just tried to crack a joke at Jack's expense, but had failed miserably. Kimiko had corrected him, but everyone was laughing anyway. Valerie decided to keep her thoughts to herself. She didn't want the others to flippantly ignore her idea, nor did she want them to laugh at her for even suggesting that Jack was capable of strategic thought.
Valerie was reading a Terry Pratchett novel in her room when Clay and Raimundo came knocking. "Special delivery!" Raimundo called out from the hallway. Valerie put down her book and looked to see both boys holding a large cardboard box each.
"Oh good, the last of them came," she said as she stepped aside so the boys could put the boxes down in her room. They nearly dropped them in shock when they saw the entire left side of the room packed with books, towering over the mat that was Valerie's bed. On the other side of the mat was a growing pile of pulp fiction and true crime novels.
"What in tarnation…?" Clay said slowly as he took it all in. Raimundo stood there with his mouth hanging open. Valerie ignored them both as she opened the two boxes, revealing even more books in them.
"Exactly how many books do you have, girl?" Raimundo asked when he found his voice.
Valerie did a quick mental count: There was the bookshelf in her room in Switzerland, the little bookshelf in the living room, the kitchen, the large collection in the bathroom…
"About a good five hundred, I think."
"And you actually read all of these?" Clay asked.
"Not all. I had a lot of new stuff back in Switzerland, but I never got around to reading all of them thanks to Dojo and Master Fung," Valerie said as she started sorting out the books in the boxes. And then, as an afterthought, added, "I need to stock up."
"Uh, right. And where would you fit all of them?" Raimundo asked, hands on his hips.
"If I don't like a book, I sell it as used on the Internet," Valerie explained. "It clears up my collection a lot." She dumped the rest of the books out of the boxes and stood up. "I'll go put these away. See you."
"Bye," both boys said as Valerie left them. As she left to put the cardboard into the recycling bin, she noticed Kimiko sneaking back into the dorms like a ninja.
"Hey Kimiko, weren't you with Omi?" she asked. Kimiko eyed her coolly, her blue eyes seemingly lifeless. It unnerved Valerie, to say the least.
"He got held up," Kimiko said, unusually perky. "I have to go do something. Bye!" Without waiting for a response, she bounded away happily.
Valerie cocked her head to one side. Her friend had sounded unusually chipper despite how late it was. Something about that bothered Val, but she shrugged it off. It had been a long day; maybe she was reacting to that. Eric did say that people acted loopy when under a lot of stress.
The Next Day
Everyone except Kimiko was in the courtyard. Clay was twirling a lasso, and Omi was jumping through it like a circus act. "Agility! Timing! Balance! These are the traits of a great warrior!" he was saying.
"And the tiger instincts, right Omi?" Clay said half-jokingly, snapping the lasso back. Omi launched himself up, nearly taking over Clay's height.
"Naturally," he said as he landed. Valerie was too engrossed in her Terry Pratchett novel to give them much thought.
At the bottom of the steps, Raimundo was setting up a table with three cups on it. He was so loud that Valerie looked up from her novel, annoyed.
Raimundo whistled to get the other boys' attention and said, "I don't know about tiger instincts, but if you're a lucky guesser…" He got out a piece of candy from his shirt. "Guess which cup the candy is under." Intrigued, Valerie closed her book and walked down the steps she was sitting on to observe.
Raimundo continued, "If you're right, you keep it. If you're wrong, you owe me." Valerie settled herself down in front of the table next to Omi.
"Now you wouldn't bamboozle our little buddy here because he put a heap of hurtin' on you in training, now would you?" Clay joked, making Omi and Valerie snicker.
Raimundo smirked. "Keep your eyes on the cups." With careful swiftness, he switched the cups around, making the cup with the candy under it undetectable. Valerie's eyes hurt trying to keep track of it.
When it ended, Omi simply pointed to the right cup. Raimundo looked shocked. He picked it up to reveal the candy hidden inside. Omi took it gleefully.
Raimundo put another piece of candy under the left cup. He switched the cups around even faster, and when he finished, he stuck his tongue out childishly.
"The cup on the left," Omi said. He got the second piece of candy.
Raimundo threw down a third piece and said, "Triple or nothing." Omi smiled and Raimundo switched the cups in a madman's frenzy, determined more than ever not to let Omi win. When he finished, he was actually sweating and panting from the exertion.
"Prepare to cough up candy."
"Are you suggesting that I have stored candy inside my mouth?" Omi asked. "That would be most unsanitary."
"Pick a cup!" Raimundo yelled at him. Omi picked the middle cup and got a third piece of candy.
Valerie rolled her eyes. "This has nothing to do with tiger instincts."
"What do you mean?" Clay asked.
"When Omi picked the right cup, he had a one-in-three chance of getting it right. When he picked the second cup, he would have known that Rai wouldn't put a piece of candy under the right cup again, since Omi had already picked it. So he'd have a one-in-two chance. And finally, for the third piece, with two options gone, Rai would have naturally put it under the middle cup. It's simple logic."
"No, it's tiger instincts," Omi protested.
"Logic!"
"Tiger instincts!"
"Hey, guys!" Kimiko suddenly appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost. "What up Raimundo? Those shoes are really nifty!"
"Uh, nifty?" Raimundo looked confused.
Omi ran up to Kimiko and whispered into her ear loud enough for everyone to hear. "Kimiko, did you find your secret admirer?" That put a shock through Valerie. She didn't mention that last night. It would kind of explain her strange behavior, but what really made Val sad was that Kimiko hadn't confided in her. She had thought they'd been closer than that.
"That data has no meaning to this unit," Kimiko said cheerfully. Well, that sounded weird. Ignoring Omi, she walked up to Clay and asked, "Is that a new hat Clay?"
"Yup," Clay attested. "The one I was wearing yesterday got hit by lightning."
"Well, I hope you get hit by lightning everyday because you're super keen!"
"What?" Now Valerie was really worried. She stood up and started, "Kimiko-"
She interrupted her. "Val, is that a new book?"
"No, it's an old one."
"That's swell!"
"Swell?" Raimundo repeated mockingly. Kimiko just smiled creepily.
"Thanks, I think," Clay said, referring to the earlier comment. Kimiko stepped back like a ghost, still smiling brightly.
"So let's grab some Shen Gong Wu and start training," she said, punching a fist into her palm for emphasis.
"Uh, we only use the Shen Gong Wu when the master says so," Omi told her sternly. For once, Kimiko's bright smile faltered, and her pretty mouth formed an 'o' shape.
"Processing, processing…" she muttered under her breath. She smiled again. "That is correct! That is why he's the master. I'll try to keep it under control then. See you later, alligators!" She then walked away like a normal human being.
Once she was out of earshot, Valerie said, "That was way too creepy."
"Yes. Something is very wrong with Kimiko," Omi agreed, putting a hand on the table for emphasis.
"Ya think so, Omi?" Raimundo said sarcastically.
Omi, not getting it, said, "I know so. My tiger instincts tell me!"
"No, it was obvious to everyone, Omi," Valerie said, exasperated.
"I think Kimiko's just playing us." Raimundo started to get up. "I don't know what she's selling, but I ain't buying." He walked away, leaving the table for someone else to clean up.
"Don't fret about it, Omi," Clay advised the yellow boy. "Who can understand girls, anyway?"
"I'm right here," Valerie huffed.
"Like I said, who can understand girls anyway?"
After Dojo revealed a new Shen Gong Wu…
Valerie was up in the air, flying on Dojo, trying to keep her white baseball cap on as the wind wrecked havoc with her loose hair. She was dressed casually in gray cargo pants, a white wife beater, and white tennis shoes. She shivered a little; high altitudes weren't known to be warm.
"The Helmet of Jong," Omi announced as the Ancient Scroll revealed a scary looking helmet with tufts of hair sticking out the cranium. "It gives you eyes in the back of your head. I presume you get to keep the ones in front as well."
Dojo landed in front a large hut with wooden walls and a straw roof. It was deserted in the middle of the desert with only a ghost village to keep it company. It wasn't exactly an inviting place.
"Look alive, gang!" Dojo said as they walked inside the main hut. "I got Shen Gong Wu shivers."
The inside of the hut was much bigger than the outside. The dirt floor was sandy, the roof had holes in it, and all the furniture was covered in dust. There was even a fallen idol veering dangerously to the right at the end.
"And so, we begin the search for the Helmet of Jong!" Omi announced as he ran into the room. Valerie searched near an overturned table with one of its legs missing. It was probably a sacrificial table or something. There was nothing, not even a trapdoor underneath. She decided to study Kimiko instead.
She looked normal now, or as normal you can get while wearing Harajuku style. Her hair was red, orange and yellow like a fire, and a white bandana covered her forehead. She had on an orange puffy jacket with the Third Arm Sash tied around her waist, with gray Capri pants and red sneakers. Kimiko was searching the ceiling first, then the floor where the fallen idol was, then finally at Raimundo.
"What are you staring at?" he asked rudely.
Kimiko smiled brightly and gave a thumbs' up. "Just my bestest, bestest buddy Raimundo!"
Again, a flash of worry flared within Valerie. She thought she was Kimiko's best friend. Okay, maybe not-they hardly knew each other- but they were the only girls at the temple. They should have at least been more than acquaintances.
Dojo, now tiny again, shook and pointed his body like an arrow. "There it is!" He was pointing to the idol.
"Where?" Clay asked dumbly.
"Look. Dead. Ahead."
"I think he means the idol," Valerie pointed out tentatively. She shielded her eyes and narrowed them. "I can't see it though."
"The statue's head!" Dojo roared, flailing his little arms and steam pouring out of his ears. "How easy do I have to make this?"
They all ignored him and ran up to the statue, where the Helmet of Jong was pinned right on top of its head.
"I give you the one and only Helmet of Jong," Dojo declared reverently. Just then, loud, angry heavy metal music exploded into the hut.
"What is that?" Raimundo asked.
"Sounds like trouble," Clay said, holding up a fist.
Jack Spicer laughed evilly as he hovered through one of the holes in the roof. The music was clearly coming from him.
"TROUBLE IT IS! Ha, see? Very evil entrance; the theme music helps."
"You're wasting your time!" Wuya scolded him.
"Am I? What do you guys think of the theme music from Jack Spicer, criminal boy genius?" Jack asked the monks conversationally.
"Good hook, but I like something you can dance to," Dojo answered casually, throwing down some moves for the heck of it.
"Well, I'm working on a techno remix that should-"
"GET THE HELMET OF JONG!" Wuya roared, electricity crackling around her.
"I'm going, I'm going!" Jack swooped in, ready to attack. Everyone got into fighting positions but Kimiko leaped in front of all of them and jumped up the idol towards the helmet.
"She's certainly taking the initiative," Valerie muttered, eyes narrow.
Both of them touched the helmet at exactly the same time. Kimiko seemed surprised.
"Kimiko, I challenge you to Xiaolin Showdown!" Jack said. "My Changing Chopsticks against your Third Arm Sash. First one to grab the Helmet of Jong wins."
"Hunky Jack Spicer, I accept your challenge!"
"Did she really say that?" Valerie asked in disbelief. The others were staring at Kimiko like she was crazy.
"I'm not up on the slang you kids use," Dojo noted. "Does hunky still mean dreamy?" Everyone ignored him.
"Let's go: Xiaolin Showdown!" Spears began to erupt from the earth, and the statue copied itself into two and stood up. Then the statues multiplied until there were dozens of them, with one statue twice the size of the others seating the Xiaolin monks on its golden crown. The Helmet of Jong rested on a simple stone statue in the middle of the fray.
Kimiko and Jack were standing on the heads of two statues. "GONG YI TAN PAI!" they both shouted, and the race was on. They both began leaping towards the helmet, and then Jack used the spinners on his backpack to fly.
Kimiko reached a statue and began to climb it, since she couldn't fly like a certain evil boy genius. When she got to the top, Jack hovered before her and whispered something to her. Valerie wished she had super hearing so she could listen in.
Kimiko then used her Third Arm Sash and made a swipe at him. Jack dodged and she turned around and went for the goal. Jack quickly followed; they were soon both close to the helmet.
Something wasn't right, that was obvious. A thought nibbled at the back of Valerie's mind, something that had occurred to her earlier. The way Kimiko's eyes seemed lifeless, the unusual perkiness, the way she had acted earlier… And then she got it. Jack must have sent Kimiko a love note, got her alone, and then brainwashed her or something. It was so obvious; why hadn't Valerie picked it up sooner?
"Guys, I know what's wrong with Kimiko!" Valerie cried out. Omi was the only one to look at her.
"What do you mean?"
And then an "Oops!" escaped from Kimiko's lips. She fell off the statue and plummeted the ground, losing the Showdown. A bright light washed over everything, and the hut went back to normal.
"I got her!" Clay ran forward, arms outstretched. He caught Kimiko and fell to the ground with a crash. Apparently she was heavier than anyone anticipated.
Raimundo helped Kimiko off Clay and said, "Ai, girl, what happened up there?"
"Yeah, you had the helmet practically in your hands," Dojo added.
"I-uh, tripped," Kimiko said brightly.
"I think you've been having an off day," Valerie said slowly. Even though she knew Kimiko was brainwashed, now wasn't the time to alert the others. Not with her in front of them.
"Yeah, that's it," Kimiko said. "I've just been having an off day."
Raimundo scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess it happens."
Valerie could feel eyes on her. Omi was looking at her, eyes narrowed. He shifted his gaze towards Kimiko and then back to her. Valerie nodded slowly.
In the dorms, Raimundo was at it again, this time using cards to disprove Omi's tiger instincts, even though it was obvious to everyone that is was simply logic. Valerie was in the same room, finishing up her Terry Pratchett novel. Clay was looking over at them from his room, lying on his mat.
When Raimundo lost once again, Clay said jovially, "Face it, Raimundo. He's all over you like stink on a skunk."
"Nuh-uh!" Raimundo said, wagging a finger. "The master isn't through yet." He took one last shuffle of the cards and said, "Got you beat, don't I?"
"No, the ace is in your sleeve," Omi said, disappointed. Raimundo got red swirls in his eyes to signal his confusion. Omi went on. "I only hesitate because I am thinking of Kimiko again. Or perhaps I should say the one who calls herself Kimiko."
Raimundo shook the ace out of sleeve. "Your tiger instincts are king, bro, but your theory about Kim is…it's…"
"Buggier than a June bug?" Clay said helpfully.
"Yeah, it's buggier than a June bug." Raimundo smiled and crossed his arms, satisfied with this conclusion.
Valerie sighed and closed her book. "I've been noticing it too, guys. It's pretty obvious once you think about it."
"Right, let's hear that logic of yours," Raimundo said, smirking.
"Omi, you said Kimiko got a note from a secret admirer last night, right?" Valerie asked him. Omi nodded. "Okay, let's say Kimiko goes out to meet this admirer only to find Jack. He brainwashes her or something and leaves. Brainwashed Kimiko tries to get our Shen Gong Wu and generally acts different."
Raimundo's smirk faltered. "Okay, that makes a lot of sense."
"Though why would he just brainwash her?" Clay asked. "I caught her when she fell. There is no girl out there that weighs that much."
"So it's a robot?" Raimundo asked. Valerie face palmed.
"It's so obvious!" she muttered to herself. "Jack created the Jack-Bots, so why couldn't he create a Kimiko robot? Just because he had only one Shen Gong Wu doesn't mean he's completely stupid. I should have seen this coming."
"Then why didn't you?" Raimundo accused her.
"Because you guys were going on and on about how lame he was I didn't want you to put me down," Valerie yelled. Then she calmed down. "And besides, it's Jack Spicer. I didn't know he'd come up with this."
Raimundo looked a little ashamed. "Sorry about that," he muttered.
Omi patted her shoulder. "Next time voice your opinions anyway. Now we must find a way to stop Kimiko-bot."
"Didn't y'all say something 'bout Shen Gong Wu?" Clay said suddenly, getting up from his sitting position.
They found Kimiko-bot climbing up the steps out of the vault, holding all the Shen Gong Wu.
"I hate being right," Valerie said dryly as they all prepared for battle.
"I should have caught it at nifty," Raimundo said, shaking his head.
Omi pointed a finger at Kimiko-bot. "Imposter! Show your true form!"
Kimiko-bot's eyes turned to triangles and glowed bright yellow. "How about I show you this instead?" she said happily as a blinding flash erupted from her eyes. Then her arm elongated, showing off a metallic shell, and she took a swipe at them.
Raimundo and Clay fell to the ground, Valerie ducked down and slid across the room, and Omi flew through the air towards the robot. Omi kicked it in the head, sending it back and making it hit its head against the wall. It let out a girlish "ow!" as the Shen Gong Wu skidded all over the floor.
"Yeah!" Raimundo cheered while Clay went, "Ooh!"
Kimiko-bot suddenly jerked its head up, and with a scary smile launched itself at Omi and Val. Valerie dodged her fists and sent her leg in a sweeping motion. It fell to the ground and she tried to stomp her foot down on its head, but it rolled away and got a Shen Gong Wu.
"Fist of Tebigong!" it shouted, aiming for Valerie. She grabbed and put on a tunic.
"Two-Ton Tunic!" she said, feeling the heavy weight of the armor encase her. Barely able to stand, she watched with sadistic satisfaction as Kimiko-bot was flung back from the impact.
Suddenly Kimiko-Bot launched itself through the air and shouted, "Eye of Dashi!" Valerie slid out of the tunic and ducked to the ground while Omi gracefully dodged the bolts. He even jumped onto the wall and ran around that way with lightning chasing after him.
Valerie spied a black cloak near her and grabbed it. "Shroud of Shadows!" she cried and she put it on her. As quietly as she could she crept toward Kimiko-bot while it was preoccupied with Omi. And then she punched it in the face. Valerie cried out in pain as her fist connected with the hard metal. She had to back away, holding her hand as Kimiko-bot searched for her.
And then Raimundo and Clay decided to get in the game, both boys shouting out their respective elements and running towards the robot. They were on either side of it. Raimundo grabbed the Fist of Tebigong and Clay the Eye of Dashi. While it looked around bewildered, Valerie kicked it in the stomach, sending it reeling back.
But Valerie wasn't done yet. Oh no. This robot impersonated her friend and she wasn't getting away with it. Despite the pain in her fist, Valerie punched the robot again in the head, then in the stomach, then in the shoulders. And then finally she kicked it back towards the wall.
But the robot didn't retain any damage. None of the wounds Valerie inflicted on it were showing. Right now it was searching for her, a blank look on its face. Then its face brightened and it made a grab out in front of her. Valerie dodged to the left, getting as far away from Kimiko-bot as possible. She had to find another way to attack it, even though her fists were probably bleeding.
And then the real Kimiko crashed through the wall in one of Spicer's hovercrafts. She aimed for Kimiko-bot and slammed it back into the wall with another crash. Smoke erupted from the mess; the hovercraft was completely destroyed along with part of the wall.
Valerie tied the Shroud around her waist and with the others, went up to the wreckage. Kimiko lifted a giant brick fragment off of her. "I am so glad that you are back!" Omi said happily. "I have been telling the others for days that you were not-"
Another Kimiko shot out of the bricks with a smile on her face. "Dear God, it still lives!" Valerie shouted hysterically.
"She's the imposter, Omi!" The Kimiko in front of him said. The other Kimiko pushed her aside.
"No, she is!" Both girls grappled at each other in a lock. The others were staring at them, confused.
As the girls continued to catfight, Clay asked, "Boy, how are we going to solve this one?"
"The instincts of the tiger, Omi," Raimundo said, nudging him. "You can do this."
"I never believed them before, but I will now," Valerie said as she watched her friend take on her evil doppelganger, whoever that was.
Omi leaped through the air and landed feet first on the Kimiko on the left. Time seemed to freeze for a moment before the robot exploded in a fiery mess. The head of the robot landed near the other monks, half of its face melted to show off the metal inside.
Omi and the real Kimiko were hunched over and covered in soot. "Nice job, Omi," real Kimiko said before falling over.
Raimundo and Clay got all up in Omi's business. "How'd you know which one was the real one?" Clay asked, curious.
"Tiger instincts; awesome!" Raimundo gave a flamboyant thumbs' up.
"You know, I think I'm starting to believe it," Valerie admitted shyly.
Omi coughed. "Actually, that time I guessed."
"WHHHHAAA?" all three of them went as Omi gave them an impish smile.
"Guys?" Kimiko was kneeling over the stairs of the vault. "Where are all the Shen Gong Wu?"
Mwa-ha-ha! Cliffhangers.
Did anyone else notice Omi's so called 'tiger instincts' are really logical assumptions? I can't have been the only one.