Chapter 39: Master Monks and Saiyan Armor

Valerie's outfit is actually made up of articles of clothing I have in my own closet. It seemed like it'd suit her. My wardrobe is basically jeans and t-shirts, and Valerie and I both share a common interest in clothing: comfort and convenience over everything else. With that in mind, why shouldn't I put Valerie in outfits from my own collection?

With that said, on with the chapter!

Valerie liked her new Air Walk shoes. They had a black converse body which was surrounded by a white rubber band. On the black part were multicolored mustaches, ranging from Western cowboy style to seventies porn mustaches. To finish off the pair were bright white shoelaces.

Unfortunately for Valerie, they were not suited for any kind of battle. Hell, they weren't even safe to wear for walking long distances. The fact was brought home to her while she walked around the Temple to break them in. How did Kimiko do it with all of her crazy ensembles?

Walking back into the dormitories, Valerie was accosted by the girl in question, who quickly dragged her into her room. Clothes were strewn across the floor, and some colorful wigs were splayed out like polka dots on a piece of fabric.

"I need some help choosing clothes for the next time a Wu activates," Kimiko explained. Valerie picked up a spiky green wig and eyed it dubiously.

"I'm not sure you want my advice," she pointed out. "We have different tastes in outfits."

"True, but you have decent style when you actually try," Kimiko said, nodding to the clothes Valerie was wearing.

Since it would be strange to break in her new Air Walks in her traditional-style monk uniform, Valerie had opted to wear normal clothes around the Temple. She had donned her new acid washed hydraulic jeans that had small fashionable holes in the thighs- which were covered by white strands so as to be more modest- along with a black short sleeved t-shirt with dusty pink angel wings on the back and a faded gold and pink royal crown on the front. The shirt had red rhinestones on it, dotting the wings on her back while others created a pattern on the crown. She had paired it with a faux black leather strap bracelet with gold block letters spelling out the word 'Fearless.' The block letters were warm against her wrist, since the metal was bound tight to her skin.

Valerie quirked her mouth and shook a loose wave of brown hair from her face. "Hey, sometimes I just want to look pretty."

"And it shows excellently," Kimiko said approvingly. "Now help me. Please."

"Yeah, okay." She set down the green wig she had been holding. "What were you thinking to wear?"

Kimiko held up a dark pink miniskirt with a matching beanie. "This is what I got so far."

Valerie thought for a moment and searched through the clothes that were strewn on the floor. When she couldn't find anything, she opted to look through the collection of wigs that were in the trunk. Picking up a black mass, she held up a short haired wig with thick curls. "I think this'll do for your hair."

Kimiko took the wig into her hands and pondered for a moment. She nodded. "This could work. Now for a shirt."

"Did you have anything particular in mind?"

She pursed her lips. "I was thinking my dark red top, the one with black flowers on it."

Valerie held up the garment. While it was indeed very beautiful, she didn't think it fit in with the magenta ensemble. She then spied a robin's egg blue shirt with a light pink Peter Pan collar and buttons in the shape of pink flowers. "How about this?"

Kimiko's eyes widened and she plucked the cloth right out of her hands. "It's perfect! Thanks!"

Valerie stood up and dusted off her pants. "No problem. Need anything else?"

"Well, I do need shoes- and speaking of shoes, are those mustaches?"

Valerie grinned and lifted a leg up in a perfect angle to show her foot off. "Hell yeah they are! And they were a total steal."

"I've never seen you so excited about shopping before," Kimiko mused as she examined the footwear. "And these look fun to wear too. Wait, is that a porn 'stache?"

Valerie slowly put down her leg and eyed her friend suspiciously. She tried to fight the smile that was threatening to overcome her face. "And just how do you know what a porn 'stache looks like?"

Kimiko just gave her a mischievous smile.

Valerie let out a giggle that quickly turned into a howl of laughter. She clutched her stomach and sank to her knees, tears rolling down her face. Kimiko soon joined her, her chuckles ending with hiccups as she used her trunk to keep herself upright.

There was a sudden knock on the door to Kimiko's room. The two girls stifled their mirth long enough to see who it was.

"Looks like you two are having fun," Raimundo noted, his face peering out from over the boxes he was carrying.

Valerie quickly wiped away her tears. "Lots of fun."

"Did you need something Rai?" Kimiko asked, looking at the boxes in his arms.

"Yeah, my folks sent me some stuff, and while I was down there I figured I'd pick up your mail." The Lusitanic boy gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Aw, that was nice of you," Kimiko drawled out as she lightly nudged Valerie. She just rolled her eyes.

"Thanks," she said as she took the two much smaller boxes off of Rai's hands. She quickly handed over the one addressed to Kimiko and took a look at her own package. It was palm-sized, and wrapped in dark red paper with black ribbon crisscrossing the entire thing. A thick cream-colored note was attached underneath the ribbon. When Valerie got it out and opened it, it revealed fancy handwriting in Polish. That made Valerie raise an eyebrow.

"Hey, is that a bra on your lamp?" Raimundo suddenly piped up. Valerie looked up to follow Rai's line of sight. On the lampshade just a few feet away, a soft-looking blue bra with white lace sewn on hanged from it.

A squeak came from Kimiko, but she was rooted to the spot. Valerie didn't have to turn to know the Asian girl was blushing madly. She instead turned to Raimundo, who was also red in the face and was looking at the two girls nervously.

As nonchalantly as she could, Valerie asked, "Would you like it on your face?"

It took a moment for it to sink in, but when it did Kimiko burst out into squeaky laughter. Raimundo also let out an involuntary guffaw, sounding half embarrassed. Valerie eventually also giggled, because the situation was honestly kind of ridiculous.

In a jungle…possibly the Amazon Rainforest?

Valerie had no idea where she was. All she knew for certain that wearing long jeans and her newly broken-in shoes had been a pretty awful idea. The mountainous landscape and the jungle terrain were killer on her feet.

Still, Valerie knew there was no point in complaining, so she gritted her teeth and continued walking, hoping that they would find the Shen Gong Wu quickly. She dodged an attack from a vine; Raimundo had pulled on it to help him climb down the hill they were on. She had a pretty good view of the colossal waterfall, and she could smell the water from so far away, overtaking the scent of the local foliage.

"Dojo, would you hurry it up?" Kimiko complained as she jumped down the gray cliff side with the others. Valerie could make out the huffing and puffing noises of the little dragon behind them. Once Dojo was closer to them, he started to point in random directions.

"It's there." Towards the waterfall, which they were now walking besides. "No, it's there." To a random cliff. "No, no, no, it's-!" He bumped into Omi.

"Dojo, are you sure it's a Shen Gong Wu you're sensing and not that very large spider?" the little bald monk asked. He pointed to said spider on Dojo's back.

The dragon chuckled. "Yeah, like I'm gonna fall for that."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Actually, he's not kidding. You might wanna look behind you."

Dojo did so, and both he and the spider shrieked when they saw each other. The dragon jumped and slithered into Raimundo's shirt, acting more like a scared pet than a ferocious fire-breathing beast. Everyone laughed at him, while Rai just had an amused smile on his face.

That was when they stumbled upon an olive green snake with black spots draped over a tree branch. Except it wasn't a snake; it was the Wu they were looking for.

Dojo's head suddenly appeared from Raimundo's leg cuff and pointed at the snake thing. "That's it! The Lasso Boa-Boa. When activated, it turns into a bone-crushing constrictor."

"And if it doesn't activate, it can also be a decent lasso," Valerie noted amusingly. She turned to Clay. "Looks like we found the perfect Wu for you, cowboy."

Clay tipped his hat and smiled. "I do appreciate the thought."

And then hot wind blew into their faces, along with leaves and sticks and other undesirable things. "Not so fast!" Jack Spicer announced as he and Wuya floated near them. He jerked a thumb at himself. "First you'll have to get by me, Jack Spicer, and my army of Wuya-bots!" He lifted his arms dramatically, and the army of squid-shaped automatons revealed itself.

"How homely!" Omi responded.

"Dog ugly!" Clay.

"Disgusting." Valerie.

"Gross!" Raimundo.

"Ewwww!" Kimiko.

"Wuya-bots, attack!" Said squid robots flew at them, squirting ink out of their hair-like tentacles. The monks dodged the attack and prepared for the next wave.

One robot tried to squirt at Clay, but he ducked and punched it in half. As a result, he got doused in black ink, from his hat to his shirt.

Kimiko kicked a bot at Raimundo, who also punched it in half. Ignoring the warm ink on his sleeve, he whirled around and sliced at another robot, destroying it and getting a second splash of liquid on him.

Valerie leap frogged over one robot and then grabbed it by its tentacle hair. She then threw it at another incoming bot, destroying both. Unfortunately, the blast was enough to send a wave of ink at her.

"Oh come on!" she whined, looking at the state of her jeans. "I just got these!"

As Omi destroyed another Wuya-bot- and not getting dirty as a result, lucky bastard- he spotted another wave of squid automatons heading their way.

"Dragon X Kumei Formation!" Omi shouted to the others. Valerie just ran to the tree with the Lasso Boa-Boa.

As the others posed and blew up robots with their very presence- literally- Valerie shimmied up the tree and onto the branch. She grabbed the hanging Wu and tied it around her waist. Just as she was about to climb back down, someone lifted a hand towards her.

It was a monk, an extremely tall and buff one. He was wearing orange robes that left half of his chest exposed and had only one long sleeve. A shiny black sash was at his waist, and a long necklace of red beads was at his neck. Despite the light reflecting from his bald head, Valerie could see that the man was smiling up at her.

"May I be of assistance?" the monk said kindly. Nothing about him screamed of mischief, and since her friends were close by, Valerie allowed herself to take his hand. Instead of just helping her down, he gently pulled out of the tree and put his hands around her middle, setting her down on the ground like a fragile doll.

Once she had her own two feet firmly planted on the ground, the others had caught up to her. Untying the Wu from her waist, Valerie asked, "Who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself," the strange monk began. Omi chose that moment to interrupt, black eyes growing big and shiny.

"You are the world-famous Master Monk Guan!"

Dojo chose that moment to pop out of Rai's shirt, swiveling his head to and fro. "Where? Where?"

"Nice of you to join us Dojo, now that the battle's over!" Rai glowered at the reptile.

Omi ran up to the monk like a little fanboy and bowed deeply. "Master Monk Guan! I walk on the ground you worship! I mean, I worship the walk on the ground! I mean-!"

Guan gently patted Omi on the head. "It's alright, I know what you mean."

Back at the Temple

Master Monk Guan and Dojo watched as four of the trainees kicked balls between them. It was an exercise that Master Fung was making them do, though Valerie wondered if this was also to show off some of their training to Guan.

The master then walked into the middle of their group. All four of the balls were in the air, and once they fell down he lifted his legs. With expert precision, he juggled the four of them, smiling as he bounced them into the air one by one.

Everyone crowded around Omi and watched as the older monk continued to gracefully bounce. "Master Monk Guan is the most accomplished Tai Chi master," Omi gushed. "He has defeated the greatest warriors, using only his famous Spear of Guan!"

Suddenly, the Tai Chi master passed all four balls to Omi. The little monk hesitated before happily showing off his skills.

"And I see much potential in you, Omi," Guan said.

"Oh, yes, I know," Omi answered without breaking his concentration.

"I only wish I had arrived sooner so I could have joined you." Guan was probably referring to the earlier fight with Jack Spicer.

Valerie waved a dismissive hand, closing her book. "Don't worry about it. Jack's pretty easy to handle on his own."

"Yeah, you would have been bored the entire time," Kimiko added.

Dojo suddenly appeared next to Guan. "You know, I'm the one who flew them there."

Raimundo laughed. "Yeah, we were lucky to get there at all!" Everyone had a good chuckle at that, except for Omi, who had finally lost control of the balls. All four of them flew through the air and, one by one, crash landed on Dojo's head.

Everyone suppressed their laughter and hid behind cat-like grins. Everyone except Clay, who guffawed out loud and said, "What a Dojo!"

Later, at lunch

Valerie was about to partake in her bowl of rice topped with spicy orange chicken when she heard the sounds of loud chewing. She tried to ignore it, but the noises eventually grew louder, so she stopped what she was doing and stared. Along with the others, she was mesmerized, watching as Dojo shoved chunks of food down his gullet.

Once Dojo finally stopped to chew his meal, Omi piped up. "Dojo, perhaps if you didn't eat so much, you would fly swifter." He glared and stuck his bottom lip out petulantly.

The reptile gnawed on a rib bone and glared at him. "Are you saying that I'm fat?"

"Yes," Valerie said flatly. Kimiko clapped a hand over her mouth.

Raimundo sent her a glare before turning back to Dojo, trying not to stare at his large stomach. "No, no, nothing like that. It's just that you're…um… big boned."

Dojo put his hands on his hips. "You know, I can still fit into the same swimming trunks I wore fifteen hundred years ago."

Valerie pushed Kimiko's hand from her mouth and asked, "Why would you even have swimming trunks? You don't have any legs."

"I think he means his old toga," Kimiko said before snorting derisively. Raimundo soon joined in, followed by the others. Well, except Valerie. She was still trying to eat. But then a hand pulled her away from the table and dragged her out of the room.

"Hey, I'm hungry!" Valerie protested.

"So is Dojo apparently," Clay said, a smile wriggling across his face.

In Kimiko's room

"You really were hungry," Kimiko said in astonishment as Valerie bit into a Japanese snack.

She swallowed and gave her a look. "Hence my earlier protestations."

The Asian blinked. "You've been reading too much G.R.R.M."

"I'm only on the fourth book!"

"And those books are, like, over a thousand pages each!"

"…Good point." Valerie went back to eating her melon pan, which, disappointingly enough, did not actually taste like melons. The sweet bread did look like a melon though, and it tasted like cookie dough, so it was all right in Val's book.

Kimiko nibbled on a slice of pain d'épice; Eric had sent Valerie a care package of French goodies recently. She had frozen all the perishables and had taken everything out when Kimiko requested 'girl time.' Valerie hadn't been completely sure, but she thought that girl time occasionally meant snacks, so she brought out her treats to share. Kimiko apparently had the same idea, which was why Val was eating Japanese snacks.

"So what brought this on?" Valerie asked after finishing off her snack. Her hand snaked towards an anpan. "Not that I don't enjoy your company. It was just a bit sudden."

"I'm going to make you enjoy anime," Kimiko declared, spice bread crumbs on her mouth.

Valerie handed her a hankie. "I appreciate the thought, but I already told you that I don't see the appeal."

"You don't see the appeal in anything unless you can read it," Kimiko complained after wiping crumbs from her face.

"…Good point. And I did enjoy Read or Die, at least the OVAs," Valerie conceded. She thought for a moment. "Now that I think about it, some of the anime that aired on TV back when I was a kid might be the reason why I'm so reluctant to watch more."

"How do you figure?" Kimiko asked curiously.

"The dubs in certain countries were…" she searched for a term, "…lacking."

"You mean they sucked out loud."

"If you wanna put it that way, yeah."

"Why don't we just watch it in the original Japanese then?" Kimiko proposed.

"You mean with English subtitles?" Valerie gave a light smile. "I can get behind that."

The pretty Asian rolled her eyes. "Of course you can."

While Kimiko took her laptop and searched for shows to watch, Valerie finished her anpan and bit into a small slice of tarte Tatin. As she slowly consumed her favorite dessert, she pondered over the package she had received earlier. Unlike what Kimiko thought, Valerie doubted it came from Raimundo. The writing on the letter was entirely in Polish. Rai only knew some swear words in the language, and even if he used a translator to write the note, it wouldn't add up. The message was fluid and experienced, like the sender knew the language itself.

The only other option was Eric, but if he was sending her something, he wouldn't do it like this. And Valerie highly doubted that his girlfriend Victoria would send her this either. It was too creepy. Though the note itself was creepier:

A gift for a mermaid, from me to you.

Your secret admirer.

…Honestly, Valerie was too apprehensive to even think of opening up the package.

"Okay, so, how about watching Chibi Vampire?" Valerie snapped back to Kimiko, who was looking at her expectantly.

"What's it about?"

"It's about a vampire who, instead of sucking blood, produces too much of it and has to bite people in order to get rid of it."

She blinked. "That… actually sounds pretty interesting."

Kimiko grinned triumphantly. But it was wiped off when Omi poked his head into the room.

"Excuse me," he interrupted politely, "but has either of you seen Dojo?"

A few hours later…

Raimundo closed the kitchen cupboard with a long sigh. "That's it. We've looked high and low for Dojo."

"I have looked high." Valerie turned her head to the ceiling, where Omi was. He was standing upside down, looking into a lantern. "No Dojo, I'm afraid."

"I just hope the little guy's okay," Kimiko said anxiously.

Master Fung, who had been assisting in the search, turned to face his students. "It will be difficult for Dojo to resist showing up the next time a Shen Gong Wu reveals itself."

"That is his purpose here at the Temple," Valerie pointed out.

"But how will we know when a Shen Gong Wu has been revealed?" Raimundo questioned, frustrated. Omi, standing on top of Rai's head, mimicked his motions in agreement.

Kimiko then held something up. "I have an idea."

At the Spicer household

The monks hid behind the bushes, listening to Jack work on his dune buggy while listening to angry rock music. Kimiko had come up with a brilliant idea: put a tracking device on Jack and let him and Wuya lead the good guys to the next Wu. Knowing those two, they would never suspect it.

Suddenly, Wuya cried out sharply. Valerie vaguely heard her mention something called the Monsoon Sandals. She peered over the hedge as the old hag explained herself.

"Whoever possesses them will have legs that can stretch for miles!" Valerie had to admit, it sounded like a convenient Shen Gong Wu.

Apparently, Jack agreed. "Ooh, I always wanted that!"

Kimiko then took out her circular tracking chip. She leaped over the hedge just as Jack and Wuya entered the dune buggy. With expert precision she threw the chip at the vehicle, having it land right next to the license plate.

As they sped away, Kimiko explained: "All we have to do is use the GPS receiver…"

"…And we can track Jack wherever he goes." Valerie high-fived her. "Impressive thinking there."

Clay then held up a Wu, and they all shouted, "Silver Manta Ray!"

At a beach

Valerie felt a salty breeze hit her in the face as she watched Jack Spicer walk across the wet sand. She and the others circumvented the genius as he took off his shoes, getting in front of him without him noticing. They stood on a rocky jetty, the waves crashing behind them. They all posed, Omi with his hands outstretched, Kim standing off to the side in a sassy pose, Rai crossing his arms and glaring, Valerie in between them, with her hands on her hips and smirking, and Clay behind them all, glowering as he put a fist into his palm.

"Hold it right there!" Omi announced, startling Jack. "We shall take the Shen Gong Wu, if you please." The ocean crashed behind them, framing their planned picturesque ensemble perfectly.

Jack curled his lip. "Go ahead and try." He slipped his feet into the shallow puddle and put on the wooden clogs that were hidden in the water. "Monsoon Sandals!"

And then he screamed as his legs elongated high, high into the air. His crayon red hair seemed like it was brushing the undersides of clouds.

"Time out! Nosebleed!" Jack shouted, leaning back. One of his legs suddenly kicked outwards, nearly hitting the monks. Jack then fell backwards, falling at an incredibly fast pace. Only, instead of crashing, he literally fell into someone's arms. Jack looked up and he made noises that could only be described as something an awed fanboy would make.

There was a reason for that. The guy holding him was handsome, incredibly so. He was lean and muscular, his torso wrapped in bronze and black armor with red trimmings. He had black gloves and matching black pants, which were held up by a red belt. He was pale with an angular face and a smirk that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his lips. Yellow eyes gleamed in the sunlight, the pupils like slash marks. Long, unruly black hair fell down his back, some of it hiding his pointed ears.

"Chase Young," the man introduced himself. "Pleased to meet you."

"Chase Young?" Jack parroted, his eyes growing the size of quarters. "As in, Chase Young, 'the greatest super evil genius of all time', Chase Young?"

Chase looked up and smiled. "I do have a certain reputation."

"Here, I want you to have my Wu." Jack's feet suddenly appeared in front of Young's face. He dropped Jack in surprise.

Wuya suddenly swooped down towards him. "You fool!"

"Chase Young is my all-time hero!" Jack protested. "He's an evildoer's evildoer!"

"Dojo!" Omi suddenly cried out. Valerie blinked and ran with him towards Chase Young. There Dojo was, wrapped around the older man's sandaled feet like a scared cat. "Where have you been?" the little monk accused.

Kimiko, giving a relieved smile, "We could have missed out on a lot of Shen Gong Wu with you gone."

Dojo slithered up to them, fists on his hips. "Are you sure my big bones and all wouldn't have just slowed you down?"

"Oh, is that why you left?" Clay asked. "Hey, we were only funning with you, partner. We didn't mean to hurt your feelings," he added sincerely.

"Well…you did." Dojo sounded near tears, but with the way he swerved his head away from them, it just seemed melodramatic.

"We need you Dojo," Kimiko told him. The reptile opened one eye.

"You are a most valuable dragon," Omi added.

"And most of all, your one of us dude," Raimundo stated earnestly.

Dojo turned his head back to them, eyes shining with brimming tears. Really?" When Valerie nodded, he then enlarged, startling them all. He grabbed them and pulled them into a crushing bear hug. "I missed you guys too!" he cried.

"So…you will return to the Temple with us?" Omi asked as one of Dojo's tears splattered on his head, soaking him.

The dragon dropped them and shrunk back into his reptile form. He fell on the heap of children, specifically Clay, and loudly blew his nose into his kerchief. "I'd like to, but I can't," Dojo said. "I've been traded." And then he burst into tears. "Like a baseball card!"

"Well, what no good hombre would do that?" Clay growled.

"Master Monk Guan!"

"This cannot be!" Omi protested. "Master Monk Guan is far too honorable to engage in such behavior."

"That's where you'd be wrong, my naïve, young, Xiaolin admirer," Chase Young interjected. He held up an ornate red bowl and poured steaming green liquid from a metal can. A strange pattern was on the can; Valerie could have sworn it was a snake of some kind. Did Chase Young eat snakes?

Her musings got cut short by his next words: "Dojo belongs to me now."

Omi pointed a finger at Young and declared, "If you do not surrender Dojo and the Shen Gong Wu at once, you will suffer a most humiliating defeat."

Everyone sans Valerie prepared for a fight. "What are we gonna do?" Raimundo asked. "Fight, or sit around and sip tea?"

His lips, which were hovering close to the edges of the bowl, curled into a smirk. "It's my special Lao Mang Lone soup." He sipped it. "I always have a cup before victory."

"And I'm guessing from your armor, your calm demeanor, and from the way Jack described you, there might actually be a good chance of that," Valerie thought out loud. The others turned and glared at her.

Chase Young smiled appreciatively at her, or as much as he could while sneering. "At least one of you isn't so arrogant as to face me in battle."

With that, Omi charged.

Spinning like a top, he tried to punch and kick him, only to have Young calmly deflect his attacks with one hand. The guy wasn't even looking at Omi; he had his eyes closed, still sipping his soup. Only one hand and leg actually sparred with Omi.

"You fight well for a little one," Young noted as said little one temporarily ceased his attacks.

"The fact that my center of gravity is lower to the ground only makes me more difficult to defeat in battle!" Omi announced cockily. Though, given his track record, there might have been some truth to that.

Omi then leaped to Young's other side and started attacking with kicks. Chase just palmed his bowl to the other hand and continued to easily deflect the attacks, still eating his meal.

When Omi finally stood still to take a breath, Valerie piped up: "You know it's rude to do something else while fighting someone, right?"

Chase paused, then drained his soup. "You have a point there." And then he threw the empty bowl at Omi's head, knocking him down.

Holding a hand to his head, Omi said, "You fight well too! Well, as far as evil geniuses go," he added, confused.

"I've been itching to scrap all day," Clay said diabolically. And then the others attacked, all three of them charging at him. Valerie face palmed.

Chase just gave them a bored look. Or did he look vaguely disappointed in them? Either way, he suddenly disappeared when the four monks tried to dog pile him. Once they were in a heap, Chase floated down to land beside them.

He was about to turn to leave, but then he was hit in the back with a bolt of lightning. Unharmed, he whirled around, confused, and then saw Valerie aiming a smoking Eye of Dashi at him.

Chase actually grinned at her. "It's rare for someone to sneak up on me like that." He then disappeared, only to suddenly reappear right in front of her. Startled, she prepared to attack, only for him to roughly grab and twist her arm. With a cry of pain she dropped her Wu.

"I assure you, you won't be able to sneak up on me again," he vowed as he threw her into the ocean. Screaming, she crash landed into a rock jetty, right before bouncing back up and actually hitting the waves.

The water was cold, brutally so, and the salt stung her eyes and made her cry. Her back ached where the rocks jabbed her, and she was dizzy, so dizzy she couldn't see which was up.

The stinging pain from her arm and her back forced her mind to clear. Whatever lightheadedness she had was gone, replaced by a cold clarity. She swam up towards the sunlight and broke the surface of the water. Sucking in a greedy breath, she made her way towards the shore, once again silently thanking Eric for all those swimming lessons.

When she finally reached it, she stood on the wet stand, salt water clinging to her like a second skin. The others were just beginning to get up, still somewhat disorientated. Clay had whipped up the Silver Manta Ray and it was now resting in midair, waiting for them.

Valerie was about to make her way over to them, but something shiny caught her eye. The sunlight was hitting the Eye of Dashi, sending a blinding light towards her. It was still in the sand, right where Valerie had dropped it.

Chase Young hadn't taken the Wu. Why?

Valerie's reaction to getting ink all over her jeans makes sense. Wouldn't you react the same way if it happened to you?

Also, the anime described in this chapter is actually Chibi Vampire. It's a cute anime with a unique twist to the vampire genre. The anime is 26 episodes long, but the manga is much, much longer. Warning: if you read the manga, prepare for feels.

Also, Chase Young has been introduced. I really hope I portrayed him correctly.

So, thoughts anyone?