Chapter 13: Fun Sized Candies and Grim Reapers
Yes, I'm making fun of Soviet Russia. I probably shouldn't, but since Poland had been taken over by the Communist regime until not too long ago, I'm not apologizing.
As for the Shen Gong Wu revealed in this chapter: yes, there are different types of scythes. There are war scythes that are used in battle and the typical farmer's scythe that the Grim Reaper is depicted using when collecting the dead. The scythes that are now in popular media are stylish and modern compared to the original, and since they wouldn't have existed 1500 years ago, I used the plain first version. If you want further proof, just look it up.
Also, I went to Youmacon yesterday. It was fun and I bought a lot of stuff that I probably shouldn't have. One thing though; the food was so expensive! Seriously, they were selling cheeseburgers at 10 dollars each. That's insanity! Other than that it was fine though.
Valerie blinked. "Why?"
"Because this place is dangerous."
"So was Russia."
"Russia had to put up with the Soviet Union collapse. It had a reason to be dangerous."
"So does the Temple."
"Yes, but this danger doesn't make sense."
"Neither did Soviet Russia."
"We weren't living in Soviet Russia."
"We might as well have been."
Eric gave a sigh, his patience waning. "Look, Val, this temple is more than you can handle. More than I can handle. It's obviously too dangerous for you."
"Says the guy who ran away from an angry rooster."
"It was pecking me to death!" Eric said defensively.
"A rooster made you its bitch. You have no right to criticize me."
"Okay, we're going nowhere here," Eric said, now truly annoyed. "The point is you can't stay here. That's that."
"Like hell!" Valerie glared at her guardian, steam beginning to pour out of her ears. "The one time I'm actually happy someplace you pull me out? You're just like my parents."
Eric balked hurt flashing all over his face. Valerie felt guilty; it was an extremely low blow, since he knew what her opinion was on her inept parental units. But while Eric always had her best interests at heart, he was still being massively unfair this time. Pulling her out of the Temple now would be the absolute worst thing in the world, Valerie was sure of it. She couldn't exactly explain why she felt that way, but she wouldn't dwell on that now.
Eric's face fell, his features hardening. "So you're staying."
"Yes."
"Nothing I say can convince you otherwise."
"No."
"And there's nothing I can do to change your mind."
"No."
Eric sighed. "Well that's that then."
Valerie blinked and stood stock still for just a minute. And then she beamed and threw herself at him, arms enveloping him in a bear hug. "Thanks so much Eric!" He smiled and hugged her back, picking her up slightly to show his strength.
Valerie suddenly broke apart, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Hold on." She crept over to the door and threw it open. The next room revealed the Xiaolin monks opening pizza boxes on the tables. Master Fung was handing out plastic cups for soda while Dojo was holding up plates, the china perched precariously over his head.
"Have you finished your conversation Valerie?" Omi asked her perkily, holding a greasy slice of pizza on his chubby hands.
"You guys heard it, so you tell me," Valerie said in mock-seriousness.
Kimiko gave a melodramatic gasp. "You're accusing us of eavesdropping?"
Raimundo shook his head and clucked his tongue. "I'm very disappointed in you, Val."
Valerie turned to Clay and raised an eyebrow. He grinned sheepishly and said, "Well, we're obviously pullin' your leg."
"Obvious answer is obvious," Eric bellowed from behind Valerie. She jumped in surprise before glaring at him.
"You jerk."
"I know you are but what am I?"
During the exchange the others had chastised Clay for revealing their part of the joke. Master Fung was just smiling slightly as he poured soda into plastic cups. And then he said:
"All right, young monks, I believe it is time to eat. Will our guest have the first slice?"
"Nah, man, I think that honor belongs to the dragon," Eric said with a flamboyant wave. Dojo blushed, his eyes huge and sparkly. He held out a plate and received his extra large helping of pizza. He immediately began digging in.
As the others began sharing the pizza-with Omi trying to eat his slice without getting grease all over his face-the others crowded around Eric.
"Dude, where'd you learn to fight like that?" Raimundo asked eyes lit up with curiosity.
"I've been in martial arts training for over twenty years. You pick up a few things," Eric answered casually. He drank his soda while the others stared at him wide-eyed. Well, except Valerie and Master Fung. Valerie already knew this and the master never really showed much emotion unless absolutely necessary.
"So I'm guessin' you've been 'n martial arts tournaments?" Clay asked his mouth set in a straight line.
"Well yes. Why do you ask?"
"'Cuz I think I've seen you before on TV," the cowboy answered guilelessly. "Didn't you win an award or something?"
Valerie stopped mid chew and watched out of the corner of her eye as Eric calmly answered, "I've won quite a few trophies, yeah."
"How exactly did that build you up to take on a dragon?" Kimiko asked. She had just been informed about Eric's accomplishments the night before while she was frozen. She had found it hard to believe that a mere mortal could take on such a powerful Shen Gong Wu until she saw the bandages wrapped around Eric's arms.
He gave her a look. "You should have seen some of the guys I used to fight. Compared to them, injuring the Sapphire Dragon wasn't that hard."
"I find that hard to believe," Dojo said as he finished his slice of pizza.
"You've seen me in action."
"I was talking about the guys you fought. How big were they?"
As Eric launched into an epic retelling of his days in the fighting ring, Valerie stayed out of the loop. She got up to get another slice of pizza and to refill her cup. She could feel eyes watching her, so she turned to Master Fung and said, "Did you want something?"
"I do not want anything." The master shrugged. "I was merely wondering why you were not joining your friends."
"I've heard all those stories ten times over," Valerie said with a smile. "I don't need to listen to them again."
Master Fung nodded. "But is there something else that troubles you, young monk?"
Valerie started, the soda spilling out of her cup. She cursed silently as she got a paper towel to wipe up the mess. While doing so she answered, "It's not my place to tell people. It's just…" She trailed off, contemplating her next choice of words. Master Fung stayed silent.
"Eric doesn't exactly have the cleanest record. It's not his fault," she added quickly, "it's just that people were eager to put the blame on him. The entire thing was a total accident."
Master Fung gave her a quizzical look. "How do you know this for sure?"
"Because the truth came out shortly after Eric was arrested," Valerie said. "His record was expunged but the fighting ring refused to let him back in. So Eric's got some history he doesn't want to talk about."
"I believe everyone does," Master Fung said solemnly. "And it is often common never to divulge in it. But if the others find out…"
"I'll explain it to them," Valerie stated. "If they don't buy it, then they won't."
Master Fung gave her a small smile. "How honest of you."
"I was told that was the best policy."
And then Dojo started vibrating like an angry cell phone. "We got us a hot new Shen Gong Wu!"
"Already?" Raimundo whined as the others groaned.
"We just took care of the Sapphire Dragon. Give us a break," Kimiko moaned. Valerie could see the bags under her eyes. In fact, everyone had bags under their eyes. They had only taken a small nap after day broke out after the long night, and then they ordered the party food. They hadn't had a good night's rest, and now they were expected to stop evil while they were at their worst? It was impossible.
"Ooh, can I come?" Eric asked almost too happily. The tired tension broke and everyone stared at him.
"No," Valerie stated with a stony face.
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"Pretty please with sugar on top?"
"No."
"How can you keep saying that with a straight face?"
"No."
"What have you done?" Clay asked in a tiny voice.
"Look at what you started," Raimundo admonished shaking his head.
"It is as if Valerie were a broken television set," Omi said.
"You mean, 'like a broken record,'" Kimiko corrected.
"No."
"Why not?" Eric asked.
"No."
"What do you say, Master Fung?" Dojo asked the teacher. The man thought for a moment and said:
"I see no reason why he cannot join you."
"Whoo-hoo!" Eric cheered. "Take us to the magical stalker scroll!"
"No."
Five Minutes Later
"The Ghost Scythe?" Kimiko asked out loud. "Sounds spooky."
"I do believe that is the point, my dear Watson," Eric said in a posh British accent. Valerie punched him in the shoulder. "You gonna start saying no again?" She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Hello?" Dojo huffed. "Can we please get back to the spooky Wu?"
"Please Dojo," Omi pleaded. "I wish to know more about this frightening Shen Gong Wu."
"Can't you read the symbols on the side?" Clay asked innocently.
"Of course he can't, he's too short to see over the desk," Raimundo teased, a jeering look plastered all over his face.
Instead of exploding, Omi shot back, "I am not short. I am fun sized."
Valerie ignored them all, studying the symbols inked onto the ancient paper. She recognized a few symbols-a few words always stuck in her mind-but the rest were gibberish to her. Valerie knew most of the Romanic languages by heart and even a few Slavic languages and yet basic Chinese escaped her. For someone who had memorized languages as easily as a young child memorized a lullaby, it infuriated her to no end when her progress with the Asian letterings was merely a fraction of what the others produced. Kimiko and Omi she could understand since they were from Asia, but Texas born Clay and Brazilian boy Raimundo? That grinded her gears to no end.
At least no one made fun of her. Not that much at least. Kimiko and Clay were more than sympathetic, Clay with his comforting hometown sayings and Kimiko with her logic of, "You're just used to the Roman alphabet. Chinese is way different from that." Raimundo often teased her lightly, inquiring if she needed tutoring from him. Omi was the worst offender of all.
"Naturally you are not well trained in the art of Chinese writing," the little monk had pointed out. "Girls tend to be less adaptable when it comes to change, so I will generously lend you my help until you are almost as good as me."
It took all of Valerie's willpower not to smack him.
"So what does the Ghost Scythe even do?" Eric asked getting back to the topic at hand.
"Thank you!" Dojo huffed. Master Fung, who had quietly been in the background until now, gestured to the blue circle window embedded in the Ancient Scroll.
A stick figure held up a scythe that was used to shear wheat. Another stick figure walked up to the scythe wielder. The figure sliced through the other person and he dropped to the ground. A black apparition hovered over the fallen body before forming itself into a person.
"The Soul Scythe, once used, can temporarily sever the soul from the body with a single swipe," Master Fung explained.
"You mean like astral projection," Valerie pointed out.
"What is astral projection?" Omi asked.
"It's like an out of body experience you have when you're asleep," she explained.
"Precisely," the master said. "The effects will wear off after a short amount of time, but until then you are unable to move your body."
"So in a sense, you become a ghost," Eric mused. "How poetic."
"Isn't it?" Valerie agreed.
Clay stared at them and smiled. "Like two peas in a pod, you two."
"Wear a skirt!"
"No."
"Wear one!"
"You already saw me in my monk uniform."
"And now I want to see you in a normal skirt. Please?"
"Why?"
"So you'll look pretty." Eric turned to Kimiko. "You wanna see her dressed pretty, don't you?"
The Asian girl nodded. "I definitely do."
Valerie grimaced. "But I can't fight in a short skirt."
"I can."
"That's 'cuz you're Kimiko. I'm not you, so I can't fight in a short skirt."
"What are you guys arguing about?" Dojo said slithering up to them. "Shouldn't you be changing?" He gestured to the boys in the dorms.
"We wanna see Val in a skirt," Eric explained.
"But she's already wearing one." Dojo gestured to the monk uniform Valerie was wearing.
"We wanna see her in a normal skirt," Kimiko explained further.
"Ooh, yes!" Omi cheerfully agreed, getting out of his room. "It would be nice to see Valerie dressed as a girl."
Valerie blinked. "But I already look like a girl."
Kimiko rolled her eyes. "Clueless."
"Dress like a girl or I burn your books!" Eric yelled in mock anger.
Valerie gave a dramatic gasp. "You wouldn't."
He got out a matchbox from of his pocket and held it up. "Actually, yes, I would."
Kimiko stared in shock. Eric looked at the brunette stonily. Valerie blinked and slowly went into her room.
Five minutes later
"I hate you."
"I know."
"Well don't you look pretty," Clay complimented her.
"Val, you have legs?" Raimundo teased when he spied the denim skirt Valerie was wearing. She had paired it with a raglan shirt with a white torso and blue short sleeves and with the number seven splayed on her chest. She had her hair loose in brown waves and she angrily curled her toes inside their brown moccasins.
"I really hate you," Valerie said as Kimiko took a picture.
"I know," Eric said. He was smiling.
"I gotta admit, this sure beats commercial airlines," Eric said as they flew through the air on Dojo's back. "Though it's freezing up here." He shivered through his green button up shirt.
"I don't feel anything," Kimiko said. Eric stared at her, since she was wearing a short strappy pink dress with red polka dots with tan cowgirl boots and blue and white striped fingerless gloves that stretched to her elbows. Her flaming red hair was in a pixie cut and she had on a Hello Kitty backpack. All in all she looked like an Asian girl stuck in Tokyo in the middle of summer.
"I don't feel anything either," Raimundo said, putting the hood down of his short sleeved hoodie.
"Really?" Eric asked dubiously. He looked at Clay and Omi, who were both shrugging.
"I told you about this, remember?" Valerie muttered under her breath. Eric gave a little frown and arched an eyebrow. She grinned sheepishly, since she knew that he didn't really understand all this magical mumbo jumbo. Hell, she didn't, and she was a Xiaolin Dragon-in-training.
"Hey, isn't this Geneva?" Eric said out loud. Valerie peered over his shoulder and took a look at the giant city below. The water of the harbor was rushing to the shore; people were milling about the medieval buildings, shopping and having a merry old time.
"Isn't that the Brunswick monument?" Valerie pointed out the castle like structure they were passing over.
"I can't tell from up here," Eric said, a hand over his eyes as he searched for other things to point out.
"I sense the Shen Gong Wu," Dojo announced as he slithered through the air. "It's just up ahead."
Eric peered over to where the dragon was headed, stretching his neck and looking down. "Hey, isn't that our house?"
Valerie was instantly on Eric's back, hanging like a monkey as she looked over at the ground below. She could make out a small house painted an orange color with a red tiled roof. The house was square shaped with a part of the roof caved in to form a balcony, taking up half the roof. Gardens surrounded the house and a wrought iron fence guarded the place from the city next to it.
"It is," Valerie breathed. Her friends were craning their necks over the side, trying to get a glimpse of the little home.
"I am most curious as to how you lived before coming to the Temple," Omi told Valerie excitedly. "May we visit after we find the Shen Gong Wu?"
"Yeah, can we?" Raimundo asked sounding like a happy little boy.
"I don't see why not," Valerie said, shrugging her shoulders. "You don't mind, do you Eric?"
"Not at all," he said. And then his head went forward as Dojo began his descent. The great dragon was spiraling downward, heading straight for the Ashford backyard.
"Whatcha doin' Dojo?" Clay asked surprised.
"Is the Wu near Val's house?" Kimiko elaborated rhetorically.
"Not near, at. The Shen Gong Wu is at Val's house," Dojo explained. This was met with wide eyes and a chorus of 'huh?'
"So this is your home?" Omi asked as he walked inside. "It is most luxurious!"
"Whoo-wee!" Clay whistled. "Who knew you came from wealthy folk?"
"I thought you already knew," Valerie said, looking at him.
"I thought you were an army brat," the cowboy stated simply.
Valerie blinked. Now that she thought about it, it made sense. She had lived in different countries in Europe, so it was plausible to believe that it was just army parents moving their kid around to where they had been relocated. And since the army paid handsomely, it wouldn't surprise anyone if Valerie lived in richer abodes than her fellow man.
Eric gave a low chuckle. "Trust me; Val doesn't have the nerves to be an army brat."
"How would you know?" Valerie huffed at him.
"Because I was one," he replied. He thought for a moment. "Now that I think about it, maybe you would make a good army brat. You're definitely unflappable."
"And stupidly fearless," Kimiko said darkly.
"Yeah, it's like her weakness," Eric agreed.
"Can you not talk like I'm not here?"
"No," the two of them said. Valerie pouted and turned away from them. Omi nudged her arm.
"What does unflappable mean?" he asked in a confused tone.
"It means she's calm under pressure," Clay interjected when Valerie was too slow to answer.
Raimundo, who had been holding Dojo like the Shen Gong Wu detector he was, said to the others, "This is fun and all, but we got a Wu to find. You know, the thing that Jack Spicer and Hazel and Theo are going to get if you DON'T SHUT UP!"
"Temper," Eric chided, wagging a finger in his face. Raimundo's face turned brick red and steam billowed out of his head.
"The Ghost Scythe is definitely close by," Dojo muttered, rubbing his chin. "It's really high up though."
"Maybe it's in the attic," Eric thought out loud. "The last tenants left some stuff up there. I never really got around to categorizing it, so the Scythe could be hidden in the boxes."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Omi cried, waving his arms. "We must head onwards before Jack Spicer gets the head on us!"
"That's 'get the drop on us,'" Kimiko corrected him.
"You weren't kidding. He really does do that," Eric muttered to Valerie. Clay overheard and chuckled affectionately.
"You get used t' it after a while," he said. "Now how 'bout you lead the way to the attic?"
Valerie had never visited the attic; after all the moving into the new home it had never occurred to her to check the place out. She knew where the cramped winding staircase was, of course, but she had never seen what was on the other side of the door. So Valerie was as curious as the others when walking though the door.
The door itself was old fashioned, needing an ornate key to get into it. It creaked loudly as the hinges protested to suddenly turning. A cloud of dust wafted over the crowd and they closed their eyes and coughed away the ugly particles. After the haze had cleared they could see a long, narrow room half-filled with boxes. It was damp and with barely any light filtering in, as there was only one circular window, and a tiny one at that.
"Pretty creepy," Clay stammered out as they walked into the room.
"Scared, cowboy?" Raimundo taunted, nudging his hefty friend in the arm.
"How is this scary?" Valerie asked in a bemused tone.
"Well, let's see," Raimundo started. "There isn't any light, there's dust everywhere, it hasn't been used in years, and it seems like a ghost could pop out at any minute."
"And that means it's scary?"
"You've read enough books, girl, you tell me!"
"All those characters went to the attic alone or with one other person," Valerie retorted. "We've got, what, six people and a fire breathing dragon? I think we're fine if a ghost pops out."
"If it's a ghost, then Dojo can't breathe fire on it," Kimiko pointed out.
"Then we'll be fine if a monster pops out," Valerie corrected herself. "Now stop being such scaredy-cats and look for the Shen Gong Wu."
"Valerie is right," Omi declared, opening a damp box. "We must begin our search for the Ghost Scythe!"
Kimiko slid off her backpack and got out some palm-sized flashlights. "I picked these up recently. They'll help us see some of this junk." Everyone made a grab for a flashlight and immediately began their search.
Valerie flicked on her tiny yellow flashlight and a small stream of light appeared. The beam was light but strong, which was great considering the flashlights Kimiko picked up were clearly from a dollar store. Valerie trained her torch on the nearest box and opened it, coughing as a plume of dust hit her square in the face.
Once the dust had disappeared, Valerie took out the broken CD player and began searching through the layers of clothes within. They had clearly once belonged to a teenage girl, since they were around Valerie's size and lathered in flowery prints. The girl who wore them before had probably been an it-crowd kind of person, since the clothes looked expensive and were most likely in vogue when the girl wore them.
Kimiko snatched up a dress from the pile and held it up against her own body. "Cute; retro," she declared as the shimmery fabric hit the weak sunlight. It was some sort of plaid preppy dress in a neon orange color. It had black stitching that showed most prominently on the neck and hemline with lacy black shoulder straps.
"That's…bright," Valerie said finally as she finished searching through the box. "You can have it if you want." Kimiko said her thanks before folding it back with the pile, no doubt to pick it up later.
"Aw, now who would leave this?" Clay asked as he lifted a record player into his arms. Eric held up a sleek black record and the two men grinned. The cowboy set the record player on the ground and Eric put in the record and set it up. In a matter of minutes smooth jazz filled the room.
"Ooh, Louis Armstrong!" Dojo clapped his hands. "This takes me back."
"Tell me Dojo, what music is this?" Omi asked mystified.
"It's jazz, good buddy."
"A dog collar?" Raimundo held up leathery collar with a corroding dog tag attached to it. "Lassie," he read out loud. "Who'd name their dog that?"
"Nostalgic folk, I bet," Clay said as he gestured to the motley collection littering the floor.
"Ow!" Omi howled as he withdrew his hand from the deep recesses of a box. "A splinter!"
Everyone rushed over, Kimiko tending to Omi and everyone else peering inside the box. Moldy branches of a guitar were piled together in the cardboard. Broken strings were littered among the olivewood splinters, and the sleek polish had made the sharp edges slippery.
"Must have been something precious if they kept the pieces," Eric noted.
"Must not have been so precious that they'd leave the remains here," Valerie pointed out.
Kimiko got out a first aid kit out of her bag-how'd she fit that in there? - and said, "I knew this would come in handy. Come here, Omi." The little guy gave a whimper and held up the bleeding finger.
As Omi was getting bandaged up, Dojo held up an old toy. "Hey, Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots!"
"That takes me back," Eric said nostalgically.
"I call red!" Raimundo shouted as he snatched up the yellow fighting ring toy.
"I call blue!" Clay yelled as he situated himself on that side. In seconds the two boys were fighting each other, tongues sticking out of their mouths as they took their game seriously.
Eric was rummaging through another box when he held up something long and bronze. It was a simple farmer's scythe that looked like it had been used to mow grass once upon a time. The pole was a sleek olivewood, polished to perfection despite the years in hibernation. The blade was long and curved, about ninety centimeters (thirty-five inches to Clay). The strangest thing about it was that the blade was bronze instead of the normal iron or steel.
"I do believe we found the Ghost Scythe," Eric announced to everyone. Valerie stopped looking through the other boxes, Kimiko finished bandaging Omi's hand, and Clay and Raimundo stopped playing. Dojo even stopped referring the game long enough to stare.
"It is!" the lizard cried. "We found it."
Clay abandoned the robots and walked over to Eric. "Looks like the scythe my daddy sometimes uses on the farm."
"It is a normal farmer's scythe," Valerie attested. "Makes sense, since the Grim Reaper supposedly uses that particular scythe."
"I thought it looked more like a war scythe when I saw the picture in the Scroll," Eric admitted as he gently touched the blade. He arched an eyebrow. "Shouldn't my soul be severed right now?"
"You have to shout the name of the Shen Gong Wu for it to work," Dojo pointed out from the ground.
"This is fun and all, but shouldn't we leave before Jack Spicer or the Armstrong twins get here?" Raimundo pointed out, annoyance overlapping his voice.
Angry metal music pounded against the walls of the attic. The sounds of waves whirring together permeated the air. A cracking sound could be heard overhead as the roof splintered apart, revealing the blinding blue sky.
A dozen dark spots appeared from the sun, rapidly growing larger until Jack Spicer and his robotic cohorts arrived. "Well if it isn't the Xiaolin losers…and associate," he added when he noticed Eric. "Who're you?"
"I'm Joe. Joe Everyman," Eric declared. Everyone looked at him like he was stupid.
"And I'm Valerie Everyman," Valerie announced, making everyone look at her.
Jack gave them a look. "I can't tell if you're serious or if you're trolling me."
"They're making fun of you, you imbecile!" Wuya the squid ghost screeched from beside him. She flew over to Eric and went through his head. The adult squealed like a little girl and shook all over.
"My god, that feels awful!" he said with a shudder. "You weren't kidding," he added to Valerie.
"Oh, what delicious evil!" Wuya crowed as she hovered around Eric. "You have great potential as a Heylin villain."
"You just want to get rid of Jack," Eric stated.
"Hey!"
"Can you blame her?" Valerie asked.
"Oh, come on!"
"Yeah, I'm going to have to pass on that," Eric said, trying to push Wuya away from him. His hand went through her body instead.
"But why?" the ghostly woman inquired. "You are already aware of your evil side. You've already had a taste of for it."
"What's she talkin' 'bout?" Clay asked. The others were looking at Eric with confusion and suspicion in their eyes. Eric himself had grown stony, his face cloudy.
"You never told them?" Wuya leered.
"Shut up…" Valerie muttered, face pale. Sweat was pouring down her back, her eyes were widening. She darted looks between Eric and Wuya-how was Eric not panicking right now?
"Never told them that one of my old martial art opponents died while we were fighting?" Eric announced in a snarky voice. "I don't know; I guess it never came up."
Everyone froze, Clay and Raimundo with their jaws dropping, Omi and Dojo staring with broken trust, Kimiko with her hands over her mouth. Jack was speechless; he merely hovered in midair with his robots surrounding him. Valerie just face palmed as the leftover anxiety leeched itself out of her system.
Eric just shrugged. "The other guy had a brain aneurysm. No one even knew he was sick when the match started. He was fine until the middle of the round when I punched him out. He fell to the floor in a puddle of his own blood." He shook his head sadly. "Poor guy never saw it coming."
"Can't really call him evil if he accidentally killed a guy," Valerie pointed out. "It was manslaughter. It happens."
"It was an accident?" Omi repeated, hope sparking in his eyes. "Eric is not truly evil?"
"Nope, he's all right," Kimiko said happily. Dojo gave a cheer while the two bigger boys gave thumbs up.
Jack snorted and said, "This is a nice, happy sitcom you got here, but I got business. Hand over the Soul Scythe and you don't get hurt, old man!"
Eric, who was still holding the Scythe in his hands, said, "No."
"You asked for it! Jack-Bots, attack!" Jack ordered, and the bronze robots were on the attack with flamethrowers jutting out of their shoulders.
Eric took one look at the Roman robots and threw the Scythe high into the air.
Everything froze for a second, a moment stretching into eternity. The Scythe hovered in midair, the bronze blade glinting in the afternoon sunlight. And then it fell, spinning around and around as it plummeted toward Valerie.
She jumped up and held up her hands, fingers trembling to catch it. Wuya was screaming at Jack-he was hovering near her-growling as he reached over-
"Jack Spicer, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" Valerie announced as they fell to the floor. Light was emanating from the Scythe, overtaking the sun.
"Name your game," Jack sneered.
"Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots style!" Eric hollered from the sidelines.
Valerie shot him a look before saying, "That's the challenge. Whoever gets his head punched upwards loses. I wager my Mantis Flip Coin."
"I call the Fist of Tebigong," Jack said.
"LET'S GO: XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!"
The Scythe vibrated violently, forcing them to let go. It shot upwards, shining brightly. White light washed over everything, blinding Valerie and forcing her to close her eyes.
When she opened them, she was sitting inside her red robot. It was a specially made seat in the chest of the robot with controls where the arm rests were. The red plastic of the robot had turned into actual metal, cold and sleek.
Valerie tore her gaze to the rest of the field, which was actually a giant boxing ring complete with ropes and stands. The stands were darkly lit save for two spots. One with a sole Wuya behind Jack, the other with the monks behind Valerie.
"GONG YI TAN PAI!" the two contestants shouted.
"Fist of Tebigong!" Jack shouted. The Fist was already on the robot's hand, and it enlarged to become a giant fist. He threw the punch at her, using the controls on his console.
Valerie took out her Wu and shouted, "Mantis Flip Coin!" The little red disk enlarged into a giant saucer, just big enough for her robot to use. With a quick tapping of her console her robot caught it, and together they flipped over the blue robot's head.
When she landed, Valerie quickly used her console to aim a kick at Jack's head. He dodged and fell backward, shouting, "Fist of Tebigong!" once more. He tried to punch yet again, but Valerie put her robot's arm up and blocked it. She then flipped Jack over on his back.
Jack pulled her down with her and then used his legs to push her outward towards the rope. She fell back against it, the ropes stretching out to hold her weight. She was flung back into the ring in a second. She was tottering on her feet trying to regain control when she spied Jack running at her, Fist of Tebigong aimed at her head.
Valerie flipped the oversized coin and spun through the air, tucking herself into a little ball-her robot creaked in protest, but no matter. She then cart wheeled to the ground, hands in the air as she landed. She put her arms down in a defensive position and waited for Jack to approach.
He went in fists swinging, screaming about how victory was his. He was laughing, his blue robot looking menacing in the harsh light. She gritted her teeth and waited. He was closing in, arms outstretched-his chest was wide open-
Valerie feinted at him, jabbing him once lightly in the chest. Jack screamed, losing control. His arms sprung out wildly, feet sliding to the floor. With her left arm she punched Jack's chin, putting all her power into it. He flew upward, a good ten feet in the air. His robot's head sprung upward, the neck elongating for all to see.
And on that note, a blinding white light washed over everything, and they all returned to the dismantled attic.
"You may have won this time, but you haven't seen the last of Jack Spicer, evil boy genius!" the redhead decreed as he hovered away in retreat. Wuya was groaning, face palming as she and the other robots flew away.
Valerie could feel the euphoric sense of victory as she held her trophies in her arms. The Mantis Flip Coin was clutched in one hand, the Soul Scythe was tucked under one armpit, and the Fist of Tebigong was taking over all her arm space. She could feel people clapping her on the back.
"Way to go!" Clay told her, giving her a hard pat on the back.
"Not bad for someone who sucks at videogames," Kimiko pointed out.
"Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots is not a videogame," Valerie retorted as Omi grabbed the Soul Scythe out her arms.
"We have done it! The Soul Scythe is ours!" he cried out happily.
"Good job," Raimundo said, ruffling her hair.
Eric took the Fist out of her hands and said, "Best Showdown ever."
"That was the only Showdown you've ever seen," Raimundo said, smirking.
"Still the best." He took a look at the blown apart attic. "Think you guys could give me a hand cleaning this up?"
Brain aneurysms normally occur in the 35 to 60 age range, but kids can get them too. They're fatal about 40% of the time. Now, you can die very quickly from brain aneurysms-a few days normally- but in rarer cases you can simply drop dead in a puddle of your own blood. It actually happened to my uncle, the guy I based Eric off of. He was older than Eric, but he was still fairly young in regards to his death.
So, what do you think? Remember, it only takes a minute to review! :)