Chapter 35: Magic Conch Shells and Angry Tides
…Hi, I'm back- OH MY GOD PUT AWAY THOSE PITCHFORKS!
But in all seriousness, I really am sorry I've been away for so long. I had no intention of disappearing; it just happened that way. Not only was college and my part-time job incredibly time-consuming and stressful, but my physical and mental health deteriorated to the point where I had no strength to write. And I'm pretty anxious in general, and it just becomes a truly horrible mess to come out of. Not to mention I had a summer job that had crazy hours that left me with intense exhaustion. I wouldn't have taken it if I didn't need the money, though. College is expensive. Another reason is the fact that I had writer's block; I've steadily chipped away at it, and it's mostly gone, but not quite.
I want to say that I'm back to updating, but that would partially be a lie. While I do intend to update more frequently, life has a tendency of destroying that promise. And in the toss up between real life and fanfiction, I have to choose real life no matter how much I don't want. That's just the way it goes, guys.
Update: I changed the chapter title since I realized that it was kind of confusing. It was originally called "Magic Conch Shells and Splitting Up", and the latter part doesn't actually happen. Sorry of you read this before and thought differently.
Still, I did create this chapter for you, and, well, on with the chapter!
Valerie should have been staring at the lovely, pristine fish pond. It was large and square-shaped, with blocky stone tiles separating it from the grass. Koi fish were swimming about in the crystal clear water, and there were even a few lily pads and chrysanthemums dotting the surface.
Instead, she put her nose inside her book.
"Today's exercise requires one to choose complimentary Shen Gong Wu and work in unison to fight a common foe. I trust you are ready to demonstrate great focus," Master Fung told the group. Valerie probably should have been listening, but she was this close to finishing the second book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. She was literally a few pages away from the end.
Suddenly Master Fung sighed, and Valerie figured it was time to put her book away. "On the count of three," the master said. A dummy suddenly floated above the pond, attached to a rope attached to a branch on the tree overlooking them. A snoring Dojo was lying on said branch.
"Three!" Master Fung shouted.
Everyone hurried to get out their Wu. "Uh, Ruby of Ramses!" Clay shouted.
Raimundo grunted in pain as he got out his blade. "Sword of the Storm!"
"Star Hanabi?" Kimiko shouted confused.
"Um, Thorn of Thunderbolt!" Valerie cried out.
"Err, Wushu Helmet!" Omi screamed.
Clay was trying to get the dummy out of the pond, but Raimundo was having trouble controlling the Sword. The resulting tornado knocked the cowboy off his feet. Since the Ruby of Ramses was no longer aimed at the "victim," the resulting yellowish beam had settled on the rest of the Xiaolin Warriors.
Valerie whimpered as she was lifted into the air, the others voicing their anxiety as well. The tornado was still active, and since Kimiko and Valerie had shouted out the names of their respective Wu, lightning and fire were shot at the tornado, adding to the disaster. The lightning then struck Omi, who bounced back in Raimundo, who hit Kimiko, who hit Valerie.
The four of the fell to the ground, landing on Clay. All five of them fell into the pond, quickly followed by Dojo, who had been shocked out of his tree by a wayward lightning bolt.
Valerie popped her head out of the water and spat out a lily pad. She stared up at the stern figure of Master Fung. "You're choices were far from complimentary," he said somewhat exasperatedly. "The dummy remains intact."
"Yes, yes," Dojo said agreeably, nodding his head. "I remain intact…" He quickly opened his eyes. "What?"
Everyone then got out of the pond-it was a lot deeper than at first glance- and, sopping wet, stood attention for punishment.
"Apprentices, you are too easily distracted," Master Fund scolded. "Raimundo, fidgeting with your three-pm player." He took his MP3 player. "Kimiko, playing with hair." He took her mirror. "Valerie, flipping through your book." He snatched up the novel. "Clay, playing with your little cow." He took the wooden cow carving. "And Omi, you with your bumblebee. You must not let your mind wander." He snatched the bee in his hands and walked over to the nearby flowerbed, putting the bee atop a China tea rose.
"But, my mind was made to wonder!" Omi protested. "How else can I ponder the great mysteries of the universe, like, how can bees fly when their wings are too small to lift their bodies?"
"I said wander, not wonder," Master Fung told him. Omi blushed at that, while the others gave him irritated looks. They got worse when the little monk gasped happily, a new bumblebee buzzing around his head.
Master Fung sighed heavily, shoulders sagging.
Later
Dressed in jean shorts, white sneakers, white baseball cap, and her white Beatles band t-shirt, Valerie was, for the most part, prepared for the tropical climate. A she pulled her hair into a messy fishtail braid Dojo neared the tiny island off of Java, showing off the island's small mountains and lush vegetation.
"Ooh! Ooh!" Dojo cried out in pain. "I got that itch! We must be near the Shen Gong Wu… or poison oak." Omi scratched at the dragon's back, much to Dojo's delight.
They quickly landed on the white sand, the clean cerulean waves lapping up at them. Once he was small again, Dojo picked up a nearby bit of driftwood and scratched at the part of the itch Omi couldn't get. Everyone backed away slightly when his sighs of pleasure got a bit too intense.
"Come on crew, where's the Wu?" Raimundo said loudly, drowning out Dojo.
The reptile got out the Ancient Scroll from…somewhere. "The Wu, as you call it, is the Mind Reader Conch. By holding it to your ear and aiming it, you can hear the thoughts of others."
"In Clay's case, I guess you just hear the ocean." Raimundo snickered meanly. He stopped when he saw the steam blow out of Clay's ears.
Either oblivious to the tension or choosing to ignore it, Dojo cheerfully said, "Okay, kids, that a way!" and pointed towards the other end of the beach.
Everyone walked over towards a fallen palm tree. Valerie's eyes widened and she slumped over the tree's body in shock. On the stretch of beach right in front of her were hundreds of conch shells, all embedded in the hot white sand.
Getting out a tiny umbrella and sticking the butt end in the ground, Dojo said, "Take your time. The lady dragons love a guy with a tan." He leaned back, put on a pair of black sunglasses, and sipped at an iced tea.
Inwardly fuming at the dragon, Valerie sighed, resigned. The five monks travelled down the beach, picking up sea conches and putting them to their ears. The first shell Valerie picked up was not the Wu, nor was the fifth, nor the tenth. By the eleventh Valerie threw the conch into the air, spun around, and kicked it back into the sea. Kimiko then did the same motion, followed by Clay and Raimundo.
Raimundo suddenly cried out in pain. Valerie looked over to see a claw attached to his ear. He quickly removed the crab from his ear and pinched the appendages together so they wouldn't hurt him. He put the shell at arm's length and rubbed his wound with his other hand.
Omi, who had been doing flips while examining conches, said, "Worry not, my fellow Apprentices. My keen instincts will lead up to the Mind Reader Conch."
Valerie rolled her eyes. "Omi, we already established that your so-called 'tiger instincts' are nothing more than logic and guesswork. Please don't try to blow it out of proportion so you can feed your ego."
Ignoring her, Omi turned and ran up to Raimundo, pointing and shouting, "You are all over the line my friend!"
"I was the one who said that," Valerie pointed out, confused.
"Your garbage talking about my haircut is most unappreciated!"
"…Where did you even hear that?" Valerie shook her head, bemused. She didn't hear Raimundo say anything, and he was only a few feet away from her.
Clay stood up, lifted his hat, and scratched his head. "Nevertheless, little pal, you might want to put on a hat. I think the sun's been baking your potato too long."
"He's got a point," Valerie said. Not that Omi listened. He never listened to her. She seethed inwardly as she continued to search for the Wu.
"It's 'all that,' Omi," Raimundo suddenly said. Which was odd, since Omi hadn't said anything.
"What's all what?" Kimiko asked, walking up to him.
"It's not 'all what,' it's 'all that,'" he insisted. "Of all people, you should know that it's 'all that.'" He tossed the conch in his hands away. Valerie eyed the shell; something was off about its black and gold markings…
Clay then walked up and stood in the same spot Raimundo was in. "Dang nard, you folks sound like you were kicked in the head by the family mule." Picking up the conch Raimundo had just used, he examined it and aimed it at Kimiko. Then he put his to his ear.
Suddenly he smiled. "If I was born without a brain little lady, how come I'm the one who figured out this" -he held up the conch shell- "is the Mind Reader Conch?" He then tossed it to Kimiko. She took it, looking sheepish.
She then put the Conch to her own ear and suddenly frowned. "We have unwanted company," she said. Kimiko turned around, revealing the incoming black blur that was Jack Spicer. "And I'll show you real upper body strength!" she yelled at him.
Valerie rolled her eyes and just struck a martial arts pose with the others. She then noticed that there was something large on Jack's back. Something pink and with a bow… he had a little girl on him. Valerie blinked, trying to figure out where Spicer stole the little girl when said child put her hands over Jack's eyes. He screamed bloody murder and violently steered away from the island. That didn't stop him from sending in the cavalry.
Jack-Bots with large metallic hands suddenly flew at them. Clay knocked one to the side, hitting Kimiko and making her lose the Conch. Omi dodged a robot, leading it straight to Raimundo, who had been struggling with another Jack-Bot. It crashed into him, sending him straight into the air. Valerie had accidentally sent a Jack-Bot at Omi when Raimundo landed right on top of her, forcing her to face plant into the sand.
Raimundo quickly got off of her and went to join the others. "DRAGON X KUMEI FORMATION!" they shouted. Valerie rubbed at her eyes, trying to get the grit out of them. She heard Clay use the Ruby of Ramses to get at the Shen Gong Wu. One eye open at this point, Valerie spied a Jack-Bot with grabby hands fly at the floating Conch.
"Thorn of Thunderbolt!" she shouted, getting out the Wu. She aimed right at robot, but since only one eye was working, it missed it and hit the Conch instead. It fell out of the Ruby's yellow beam and promptly fell into the hands of the incoming Jack-Bot.
"Great teamwork. Not!" Raimundo said sarcastically. "Sword of the Storm!" A tornado was instantly sent at the robot, knocking the Conch right out of its hands. The vortex looped through the air, eventually flying to the ground and straight at Omi.
"Wushu Helmet!" the bald monk shouted. Even after putting on the Helmet, it did nothing to protect him as the Mind Reader Conch hit him right in the face, sending him reeling backwards. Kimiko and Clay also fell to the ground from the impact, destroying the formation.
Raimundo had also fallen, and since the Sword of the Storm was still active, small tornados kicked up the sand and created a dust storm. It spread out across the beach, trapping everyone inside it. Valerie, who had just gotten all the sand out of her eyes, received another eyeful. As the winds blew gritty dirt at her, forcing it to stick to her clothes and skin, she coughed out sand and tried to keep her hat on her head.
Another strong burst of wind flew by her. Screaming as a hand plucked her off the ground, she and the other Apprentices flew out of the sand storm on Dojo's back.
"Not bad for a fifteen hundred year old dragon," Dojo crowed. "Do I hear a thank you for my brave and valiant rescue?" Valerie muttered her thanks along with the others. "That's more like it."
Mouthy little gecko, Valerie thought spitefully. Dojo apparently used the Mind Reader Conch on them, because he then shouted an indignant, "Hey! I heard that!"
There was a smattering of half-hearted apologies.
Later, back at the Temple
The monks were lined up in a row, watching as Master Fung walked in front of them. In his hand was the Wu they had just won, which he was lecturing about.
"Used wisely, the Mind Reader Conch could prove a most valuable tool," he said, stopping in front of them. "But until you learn to focus, it is best that I lock it away in the Temple vault."
Omi stepped out of line, bowing his head. "We are very sorry Master Fung. In the future we will do our best to rise above our petty differences."
Clay grinned. "I'm with the little feller."
Raimundo seemed to debate a bit, but eventually he said, "Yeah, me too."
Kimiko gave a small smile. "I'm with Omi too."
Valerie gave a shrug. "Considering our ages, it's probably the best we can do."
"Sourpuss," Kimiko muttered under her breath.
"I'm a realist," she countered before the group broke apart and went their separate ways.
In the background, Master Fung gave a long suffering sigh and said, "Yes. Togetherness."
Later that night
Valerie lay sprawled atop the roof, leaning her head against the wooden frame. One leg dangled over the side, the other bent and held up so as to keep her balanced. One arm was under her head as a cushion, the other holding her cell phone to her ear.
"I can't stand my friends right now," Valerie complained. "We're supposed to work together as a team, but none of us can really focus and every little thing goes wrong. And then when we get mad over that, we blame each other."
"Sounds like you guys have been spending too much time together," Eric mused. "Maybe you should try separating yourselves from each other for a while."
"Easier said than done," she pointed out. "We live in the same dorm, we eat in the same hall, and we have classes and training together…"
"Doesn't hurt to try," Eric said. Valerie imagined that he was shrugging while saying this. "But since you guys have to work together, it wouldn't hurt to tiptoe around each other for a while. Let the hurt feelings simmer down and go from there."
"It'd be easier if Omi didn't insist on training together so much."
"Well, he's a kid who hasn't had many friends growing up," Eric mused. "Now the group he's closest with seems to be splitting, so he's trying to act as the glue to hold you guys together. It's not working, but I give him points for trying."
"I think it'd be easier for him to keep us together if he just asked what we wanted," Valerie said. And then it dawned on her. "Or maybe we need to get inside each other's heads."
"Valerie, whatever you're thinking, stop," Eric said quickly alarmed. "I don't care if you have a Shen Gong Wu that can read minds, whatever your planning is going to go up in smoke."
Valerie deflated. "You think so?"
"I do," he insisted. "Just remember what I said earlier. These little fights, they're only speed bumps; even the closest of friends have them. You just need to work through it."
"Okay Eric. Thanks. Love you."
"Love you too kiddo."
Hanging up the phone, Valerie sat up. Holding her chin in her hands and slumping, she mulled over her few options. Eric's advice was definitely sound, but it seemed like it wouldn't work for very long. Tiptoeing around each other while they were at the boiling point might just cause the arguments to spill over.
Valerie sighed, dejected. She honestly had no idea what to do. Every book she read concerning this type of situation either used Eric's advice or had the group split up for a while and let the hurt feelings naturally go away. Either option wasn't likely at this point.
And then Valerie got an idea. While she couldn't use the Mind Reader Conch to figure out what the others wanted out of each other, maybe she could use the Wu to find out what they were thinking about her at the moment. Maybe she could get some insight on how to alleviate this whole mess. It couldn't hurt to try.
Valerie stood up and started to run across the rooftop. Just before she reached the end, she jumped and started silently roof-hopping towards the Temple, where the vault was. Once she neared it, Valerie slid down the blue shingles and climbed down the wall of the building. Once she reached the ground she quickly surveyed the premises. She could see a cowboy hat walk out of the Temple door. Clay must have used the Mind Reader Conch as well.
Once he was out of view, Valerie ran into the Temple on silent feet and quickly rang out the activation ditty on the bells. She impatiently waited for the stairs to form and then ran down them, her breath fogging in the chill air.
Blowing hot air onto her hands, she opened the drawer with the Conch symbol and took out the Wu. "Mind Reader Conch," she said, holding it to her ear.
Omi's voice flowed out of the Conch. If Valerie were not so negative all the time, maybe she could contribute more to the missions!
In a rush of anger Valerie tossed the Conch back into the drawer. What the hell did he mean she didn't contribute? She was there right beside him, helping to take down Jack Spicer and all the other bad guys trying to take the Wu! Just because she wasn't officially a part of the Dragon X Kumei Formation didn't mean she wasn't a part of the team. And what about her was negative? She was a realist! Just because it didn't mesh well with Omi's naive optimism didn't mean she was pessimistic.
Valerie seethed, slamming the drawer shut. This was a horrible idea. If the others thought like Omi did, then she didn't want to hear about it.
The next day
Valerie had read on the internet that chewing gum while chopping onions could prevent tears. Unfortunately, no one had gum on them. Instead she sniffled as Raimundo threw a smelly onion into the air and watched as Clay kicked the dry, brittle scales off the vegetable, aiming it at Omi. The little monk quickly karate chopped them into thick slices before throwing them to Kimiko. The Asian then collected them into her hands before throwing them at the basket Valerie was sitting next to, forcing them to flip constantly before they landed. Valerie then leaned over and picked up any onion slices that didn't make the basket, wiped them clean before tossing them with the others.
Dojo, who had been lying on the steps behind her, suddenly straightened and vibrated. "My Dojo senses are tingling," he said. "I'm feeling a strange rumbling."
"Yeah, me too," Raimundo revealed as the earth began to shake. A crack in the ground suddenly sprouted towards them, widening as it split towards the Temple vault.
"We must investigate," Omi declared over the noise. "I will lead the way!"
"Why?" Valerie stood up and crossed her arms. "So you can hog all the glory for yourself?"
Omi glared and stalked up to her. "No, it is so you cannot mess things up with your laziness!" He pointed an accusing finger in her face.
Clay gasped in shock. "Omi! That's about as low down as a snake's belly button."
"Snakes don't have belly buttons!" Kimiko suddenly roared.
"Hey!" Dojo yelled at them. "There's someone in the Temple vault!"
They all ran, minding the cracks in the ground. Stepping through doorway, they could see a giant black drill atop the vault. A familiar sneering voice was in the helm.
"Jack Spicer!" Omi announced.
Hiding a bag full of stolen Wu, Jack said, "That was my old name. From now on I go by, Jack Spicer: Dark Prince of the Universe!" He closed the hatch and started the machine, driving it towards the monks. Valerie jumped out of the way and rolled to the ground as the drill crashed through the front of the Temple. Once the debris and noise settled, Valerie joined the others at the gaping hole in the wall and watched as Jack Spicer got away.
"We are most lucky that Master Fung does not believe in corporal punishment," Omi told them.
I know it's short, especially after my long absence, but like I said long while back, these chapters don't have a word limit or anything. And this seemed like a good place to end the chapter.
So, thoughts anyone?