Ana: Hello, hello, heeeeeeeeeeeeeello! I'm so happy you could join us for chapter 5. Yaaaay :3
Chase: -sigh- Ignore her. We're still waiting for the sleeping part of her medicine to kick in…
Ana: Chase is so silly. Silly! Willy! BILLY! -silence- And Mandy too!
Chase: Start the chapter. Quickly.
Message from editor: Ahn-Li and Jake are the same age. Just roll with it
Disclaimer: I own no aspects of Xiaolin Showdown or American Dragon, but Ahn-Li and all aspects surrounding her story belong to me.
Chapter 5: Back to the NYC
Dojo was flying above the clouds, still covered in Wu blisters as he went in the direction of the new Wu. Kimiko's hair was orange and she wore a brown t-shirt with tan sleeves and short layered dark brown skirt. Ahn-Li's pale face was hinted with a tint of lime as she clung to Raimundo. Clay looked back at her. "You alright, Ahn-Li?" He asked, "Ya look kinda green in the face."
"Of course I'm green!" she snapped, "I'm scared to death of heights already. Now I'm about to hurl 'cause Dojo's covered in these nasty blisters!"
"Hey, don't blame me!" Dojo defended himself, "Blame the new Wu!"
"What is it, anyway?" Omi asked curiously.
Kimiko pulled the Sacred Scroll out of her backpack and opened it up, a picture of someone playing a flute being shown. Raimundo peeked over Kimiko's shoulder as the person dropped to the ground a transparent version of it floated around the picture. "It's called the Flute of Spirit." Kimiko read, "Whoever uses this Wu can release their spirit and possess someone else's body, making them do whatever they please."
Raimundo grinned. "So, basically, we can turn people into human puppets?" He joked, moving his hands as though operating a marionette. "Cool."
Omi shook his head, humming to himself. "That is far too easy. There must be a toss."
The others, excluding Dojo, looked at the round-headed boy with confusion. It was yet another one of his failed attempts at using slang. "You must mean a catch." Clay guessed.
They others' mouths formed silent ohs with them nodding in agreement. Kimiko scanned the scroll, her eyes stopping at a certain part of the description. She mumbled it to herself then told the others what she had just read. "There's another Wu you need before you can actually use it."
Raimundo waved his hand. "Let's focus on getting this one first." he told the others as Dojo descended from the clouds. "We can worry about the other one when it goes active."
The sun was getting lower in the sky, spreading warm oranges and pinks across a series of skyscrapers. The city became larger and more recognizable with every passing second. Omi suddenly jumped up with a cheer. "Hooray! It's New York Ci—" He slipped from Dojo's back, "-tyyyyyyyyyy!"
"Omi!" Ahn-Li's hand dove into Kimiko's backpack and she hastily pulled out the Lotus Twister. She shouted the Wu's name, stretching her arm down to the yellow monk and pulling him back up to them. She glared fiercely at him, frightening him a bit. "What is the matter with you?" She scolded him, her accent bleeding heavily into her words. "Are you tryin' to give me a heart attack?"
Omi bowed his head. "My apologies, Nguyen Ahn-Li." He beamed happily, "I am just very excited to be in New York City again!"
She also smiled with him then pumped a fist happily. "So am I, little guy." She then cupped her mouth with one hand, leaning over the side of Dojo. "What's up, New York City!"
"Shh!" Kimiko put a finger to her lips, giggling. "Way to draw attention to yourself."
"This is New York, Kimiko." she said, winking at her friend. "The people here don't pay attention to anything more than their morning paper."
Dojo spiraled down into the city and landed on the sidewalk, the monks jumping off as he reduced in size. He wrapped himself around Kimiko's arm, his head turning in different directions while he tried to pinpoint the Shen Gong Wu. "It's…" his arm suddenly straightened out and pointed down the street, "That way."
"You sure?" Kimiko asked, "We don't wanna get lost here again."
"Positive." Dojo assured her, shuddering as he remembered their last hunt in New York, "This Wu is totally stationary."
Shrugging, Kimiko led the group down the street with the small green dragon pointing the way. The city was in the evening rush hour with crowded sidewalks, backed up streets, the whole nine yards. It was difficult for the monks to navigate their way through the crowd and keep an eye on Omi to prevent him from running off again. As they walked by a school, Dojo suddenly twisted around, pointing both hands at the building. "It's there."
The group stopped and looked at the school building, then down at Dojo. "Well, that's an odd place to hide a Wu." Clay commented.
Through the windows of the large front doors, they could see that none of the lights were on; the building was dark. Omi tugged on the doors, but they did not budge. "It's locked." Omi told them.
"School's already over for the day, Omi." Raimundo explained, stroking his chin. "So how're we gonna get to the Wu?"
"Maybe we could go through an air vent or something." Kimiko thought out loud.
All the while, Ahn-Li had been looking at the school, trying to put together a plan of her own. She then snapped her fingers, gaining the attention of the others. "Yeah, I could ask… Of course!" She spoke at last, giving herself a light smack on the forehead. The other four monks and Dojo looked over at her with raised eyebrows. She nodded her head down the street and started walking in that direction. "Come on."
They looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders, then followed Ahn-Li down the street. She walked with a steady, purposeful stride, making them wonder what she was up to. However, it was obvious that she knew exactly where she was going, so it was best to just go with the flow.
After they had walked for about ten minutes, the group turned and walked onto a porch. Ahn-Li pushed the doorbell. Clay threw his hands in the air, sighing. "Alright. I give up. What're we doin'?" he asked.
"Just getting us a little bit closer to the Wu." Ahn-Li replied as the door opened.
Standing in the door frame was an Oriental woman in a lavender sweater and blue pants. She smiled down at the children. "Hello there. How can I help you?"
Ahn-Li clicked her tongue and folded her arms. "Only been a few months and she's already forgot me." She turned to her friends. "Absolutely heartbreaking…"
The woman blinked a couple of times, just staring at the girl standing before her. She then abruptly pulled Ahn-Li into a tight hug, which brought the monks to the height of their confusion. "AHN-LI! It's so good to see you, honey!" she cried happily, squeezing her tightly and twirling her around. "How have you been? Are you eating alright? How's Wen doing? And little Jing?"
Ahn-Li's face was changing colors once again, this time it was from the lack of oxygen. "Auntie Susan… Auntie Susan!" she rasped out, trying to pry her arms off of her. "Can't breathe… Losing consciousness…"
"Oops, sorry." Susan chuckled as she let her niece go, pinching one of her cheeks. "You're still as cute as ever."
"Auntie!" Ahn-Li whined when she heard the other monks and Dojo snickering. She cleared her throat. "Is Jake at home?"
Susan shook her head. "He and Haley are on the roof with your grandfather, training." She raised an eyebrow as she eyed the other monks and Dojo, planting a hand on her hip. "What are you up to, young lady?"
"I'll tell you later, Auntie." She promised, pushing her friends off the porch and towards the back alley. "Thanks."
As they went into the alley, they looked up at the fire escape. Ahn-Li turned to Raimundo. "Raimundo, think you can reach that?"
The Wind Dragon cracked his knuckles, smirking. "No sweat."
Using his natural acrobatic skill, he flipped himself up to the ladder and pulled it down. Ahn-Li came up next, followed by Clay. Omi took a grand leap over the ladder and onto the first platform. Kimiko rolled her eyes as she climbed up the ladder with Dojo. "Show off…"
Omi simply shrugged and smiled innocently. Ahn-Li practically galloped up the zig-zagging steps, the others struggling to keep up with her as she left them in the dust. "Ahn-Li!" Dojo called to her, bouncing on Kimiko's arm as she ran. "What's the rush?"
She was on the top level beside the roof, looking down at them as they came closer. "I don't wanna spoil it…" She smiled softly. "But let's just say you're about to see something magical."
Once again, they exchanged confused glances as the girl flipped herself over the edge of the roof. They at last reached the top level of the fire escape, exchanging confused glances with each other when they heard what sounded like a roar. Raimundo was the first one to peek his head over, only to have a stream of fire go straight past his head. "What the—" he looked again and his eyes widened, "Whoa."
Clay, Omi, Kimiko and Dojo came over next, having the same reaction as Raimundo.
Soaring through the sky, were three dragons. Two teenagers were cheering on the sidelines. One was a tall, gangly boy dressed in a skull cap, a long t-shirt and baggy pants. The other was an African American girl in a blue cropped hoodie and cargos, her hair up in two pigtails. Ahn-Li immediately ran over to them and they all shared a series of hugs and laughs and high-fives and noogies.
The monks' attention was still on the dragons in the sky. One was small and pink, black pigtails coming off of her head. Another was red and gold with spiky black hair slathered with green gel. The last was of pale blue and gold color, a white beard and moustache coming off of his face. There was a huge smile plastered on Ahn-Li's face as she looked up at him. She put her thumb and forefinger into her mouth and whistled up at them to get their attention. As they flew, the pink one suddenly gasped, looking to the blue one. "Grandpa, look!" she squealed as she pointed at the Light Dragon.
She dove out of the sky, heading straight for Ahn-Li. The lilac eyed girl simply opened her arms, smiling. The dragon suddenly turned into a small Chinese girl with pigtails and wearing a pink shirt and purple skirt, tackling Ahn-Li to the ground. "Ahn-Li! You're back!" she cried, nuzzling her cheek.
"Hi, Haley-poo." she greeted the small child as she stood up with the girl in her arms.
The monks' jaws dropped as the red and blue dragons repeated the action of the pink dragon, taking on a human form. Dojo simply seemed intrigued rather than shocked. The monks climbed over the edge of the roof as a short, elderly man in a traditional blue Chinese robe and a boy in a red shirt and blue shorts walked across it. "Hey Li-Li!" the boy called running towards her. Ahn-Li twitched at the name, side-stepping and sticking her foot out. The boy tripped, falling onto his face. "Ah man…" he groaned.
Haley giggled as Ahn-Li shook her head. "You never learn, do you, Jakey?" she asked with a grin.
"No, he doesn't." The African American girl laughed, patting Ahn-Li on the back.
"Ahem." Kimiko cleared her throat, calling her attention back to them.
Ahn-Li looked over at them for a moment and the a look of realization hit her. She rubbed the back of her head with one hand, holding the girl, Haley, in the other arm. "Right… Y'all probably want me to explain this?"
"Ya think?" Clay asked in response, grinning as he folded his arms over his chest.
She cleared her throat, smiling sheepishly. "These dragons are my family." She stood over the old man. "This is my grandfather, Luong Lao-Shi." she introduced him.
"It is an honor." He said, bowing.
She bent down and picked the boy's head up by his hair. "This dumb kid is my cousin, Jake Long, although some call him my twin."
He gave them a peace sign. "Wazzup?" he managed to say before Ahn-Li dropped him on his face again.
She pointed to the two teens standing beside her. "These two are my best friends; my man, Arthur 'Spud' Spudinski and my right-hand girl, Trixie Carter."
"Hey there, friends of Ahn-Li." Spud greeted them with a goofy, yet carefree grin.
"What's crackalatin'?" Trixie said with a wave.
"And this cutie is my little baby cousin, Haley." She huggled her with a squeal, an action very odd to her character. "Isn't she so, so precious?"
"Yeah," Jake murmured as he pushed himself up. "Until you actually get to know her-OW!" he yelped as his cousin's foot crashed down on his.
"And who are they, young one?" Lao-Shi questioned, looking up at her with a raised eyebrow.
Ahn-Li turned to her friends. "These are my friends, Kimiko Tohomiko, Clay Bailey, Raimundo Pedrosa, and Omi. The little green dragon is Dojo." She introduced, pointing to each one as she said their name. They simply waved, still in a bit of shock. "Can we go to your shop, Yeh-Yeh? I have something to tell you."
Lao-Shi raised an eyebrow at his granddaughter, then his eyes narrowed. "Zhè shì bù míngzhì de, niánqīng de."
Ahn-Li groaned, saying something to him in the same tongue. "Dànshì, zhè shì fēicháng zhòngyào de, Yeh-Yeh."
He pointed a finger at her, snapping. "Bù yǔnxǔ wàirén. Nǐ zhīdào zhè yīdiǎn."
She stomped her foot, whining and then pouting. "Qǐng, Yeh-Yeh."
Lao-Shi stared at her for a moment, and then sighed, a smile coming onto Ahn-Li's face. He began making his way to the fire escape and motioned for everyone to follow him. "Come."
Ahn-Li put Haley down and they all went back down the way the monks had gotten up. A few houses from the one they had stopped at earlier, there was an electronics shop. Lao-Shi pulled out a key, unlocking the door. He, Haley, Jake and Ahn-Li walked in first. A grey Shar Pei came out from the back room, trotting happily and seeming to be humming a song to himself. "Hey, Fu." Ahn-Li greeted him.
The dog's tail started wagging and he stood on his hind legs, making the monk's eyes go wide. He walked over to her, a wide smile on his wrinkled face. "Hey, kid! Nice to see you drop by out of routine." He nudged her leg with his elbow. "And boy do I have a great Jake story for you. Agoo-goo!"
"A talking dog?" Dojo said from behind Ahn-Li, staring at her. "You're just full of surprises, today, aren't you?"
Fu Dog looked around Ahn-Li to see Raimundo, Kimiko, Omi Clay, and Dojo wrapped around Kimiko's wrist. "Hey, what's with the talking newt?" he asked.
Ahn-Li rolled her eyes to the ceiling and smacked her forehead. "Fu…"
"Hey!" Dojo shouted angrily. "I am a dragon! DRA! GON!"
"Well excuuuuuse me if you do look like a newt!" Fu shouted back.
That vein on Ahn-Li's forehead was throbbing again and her eyes were burning. "SHUT UP! BOTH OF Y'ALL!" she yelled, making both creatures jump.
"Wait." Omi looked at her, scratching his head in confusion. "If you had a talking dog, why were you in so much shock when Dojo first spoke to you?"
"Good question." She replied as she rubbed her temple with her index and middle fingers. "Now, let's talk…"
In the back room, Haley had poured tea for everybody. The monks were huddled up on the couch. Ahn-Li and Trixie were sitting on its arm. Spud and Jake were on the floor between the table and the couch. Lao Shi was on a stool, slurping up some noodles. "There's no other way to say this, so I'll just say it straight out… I'm a dragon." she said with a blank face.
The room went silent. Fu Dog chuckled and walked over to her. "Kid, I know you envy your cousins, but now, you've gone off the deep end. Ay-goo." he said, patting her head.
Ahn-Li rolled her eyes and flicked her wrist, a small sphere of light forming in her hand. Fu Dog's eyes widened a little bit as he stared at it. "Deep end, my ass…" She cursed under her breath. The next thing she knew, a chopstick was flying into her forehead and she recoiled from the hit. "Aiya! Yeh-Yeh!" she cried, covering her forehead.
"Bùyào màrén." Lao-Shi scolded her, then nodded understandingly. "I had thought it was very odd when Wen told me you weren't a dragon." He said, smiling, "Congratulations."
Kimiko, who was seated next to Ahn-Li, looked up at her with wide blue eyes. "Wow, they really weren't surprised." she said, recalling what she had been told the day before.
"Wait." Haley broke in, turning to Lao-Shi. "I thought girls matured faster than boys."
"But I'm a different kind of dragon, Hales. I'm a Dragon of the Elements." She repeated Master Fung, putting her finger under her nose to mimic his mustache. "Light, to be exact."
"You know," Spud broke in, "All of this 'magical world' stuff seems to be getting more complicated as time goes by."
"I heard that." Trixie agreed.
"Who're they?" Jake asked his cousin, motioning to the monks sitting behind him.
"Kimiko, Clay, Rai—" she began the introduction again.
"No, young one." Lao-Shi interrupted her, "Who are they?"
"Oh! Other Xiaolin Dragons, like me." She answered with the same easy-going tone as before. "They've actually been at the Temple for a lot longer than me." She pointed at Raimundo. "He's our leader."
Lao-Shi nodded once again, hopping out of his chair and going towards the bookshelf. "What's he doing?" Raimundo asked Ahn-Li.
She honestly was confused and simply shrugged her shoulders.
"Long ago, there was a battle between good and evil over the mystical items we in the magical community call Shen Gong Wu. The battle's positive outcome brought balance to the world as we know it, but should it shift, the Xiaolin Dragons will be the ones restore it."
All five of the Dragons' eyes went wide. Had he known the whole time? He returned to them with an old, yellowed book in hand and set it on the table. He opened it up and a transparent flame arose from the pages. "Fire." A wave crashed down upon it, dousing it. "Water." The wave pulled back to reveal a rocky shoreline. "Earth." A breeze picked up dust from the shore. "Wind." He looked at the four teenagers seated beside Ahn-Li. "Those are your elements, correct?"
"How did you know?" Omi asked in response.
Lao-Shi chuckled. "You pick up quite a bit when you are as ol—" He cleared his throat to drown out the last word, "I mean, as well-experienced as I am."
"You never showed us this book before." Ahn-Li said, an accusatory edge to her voice.
"Yeah." Jake agreed, his face showing annoyance, "What's the deal, yo?"
"He did show us." Haley said, grinning from ear to ear. "You two just don't pay attention whenever you're together."
Jake frowned at his younger sister, causing Ahn-Li and Trixie to laugh. Lao-Shi closed the book, taking the images with it. "You are currently here in search of a Shen Gong Wu, are you not?"
Clay nodded, tipping his hat. "That we are, sir." His hand moved to rub the back of his neck. "But it's inside the school up the road and we kinda can't get in."
"Which brings us to why we're here." Ahn-Li said, tapping the American Dragon on the head. "Jake, can you help your favorite cousin out?"
Jake looked at his cousin, smirking as he cracked his knuckles. "If I can sneak out of it, I can definitely sneak you into it." he said proudly.
Lao-Shi instantly gave him a sharp glare. "You sneak out of school?" he exclaimed.
"Let's go." Jake said quickly, zipping out the door.
Trixie and Spud were right behind him when Lao-Shi started to rant angrily in Chinese. Omi was the first to rise and bowed to Lao-Shi. "Thank you for your hospitality."
His mood changing instantly, Lao-Shi smiled and bowed in return. "It was my pleasure, young warrior."
Raimundo, Clay, Kimiko, Ahn-Li and Dojo followed him out to Jake, leaving Lao-Shi and Haley behind. The street lamps had been turned on and the colors of the city had come out, the fall air whipping around them as the many colors and hues painted them. As they walked, Raimundo looked over his shoulder at Ahn-Li. "How exactly are you two cousins?" he asked Ahn-Li and Jake.
"Jakey and Li's moms are sisters." Trixie explained as the two relatives nodded.
Kimiko raised an eyebrow, looking at Trixie. "You two must be really close." she said, regarding Trixie's nickname for Ahn-Li."
"Yup." The two girls touched knuckles, "Us girls gotta stick together, y'know."
"But," Ahn-Li walked over to Spud and hugged his arm tightly as she walked, a big gin on her face. "I'm just as close to Spuddy. Right, boyfriend?"
Raimundo's ear twitched at that last word and he turned to see the two friends smiling at each other, Ahn-Li hanging off of his arm. Spud nodded. "You got it, girlfriend." he replied with enthusiasm, patting her on the head.
Raimundo turned his attention back to the sidewalk in front of him, sucking his teeth quietly.
About a minute later, the came back to the school they had seen earlier. Jake bent down in front of the lock, examining it for a moment. "We were thinkin' 'bout usin' the vents to get in earlier." Clay explained.
Jake shrugged. "You could do that. Or…" His hand turned into dragon claws. "Or you could let the American Dragon handle it." He stuck one of his claws into the lock and carefully picked at it, stirring it open with a light click. "Bam, we're in."
The sneaky teenagers walked into the school, Dojo slithering on the floor as he sniffed out the Shen Gong Wu. He led them through the unfamiliar building, right into the music room. There were closed cased strewn all around the room. "Well, that figures…" Kimiko mumbled.
"Break apart, my friends." Omi suggested. "It will be easier to find that way."
They eight of them spilt up, picking an area of the room. Ahn-Li had gone into the storage closet to check the unused inventory. She was checking the shelves closest to the door when she caught sight of Raimundo and Kimiko talking as they searched. They looked so easy-going with each other. Kimiko suddenly giggled and punched Raimundo in the arm. "Rai, you're so stupid!"
She frowned and turned back to the instrument cases, putting her focus into looking for the Flute. She moved to another part of the room lined with flute cases. She reached up towards one of the cases. She actually had to push herself onto her tiptoes to barely touch it with her index finger. A moment later, a tanned hand rose over hers and grabbed the case. Turning her head slightly, Ahn-Li saw Raimundo directly behind her. "I'll take the ones up here." He told her.
Ahn-Li bent down into a crouch and started looking on the lower shelves. A somewhat awkward silence hung in the large closet, the occasional opening of the flute cases breaking it. Raimundo cleared his throat, getting Ahn-Li's attention. "You and Spud seem to pretty close."
"Yeah." She smiled to herself as she closed a case, setting it to the side. "I love him to death."
"So, are you guys like…?" He shrugged, pulling down another case. "You know…"
She looked at him with a bit of shock, surprised he would even ask that. Then, she giggled. "It's not like that, Rai. It's a best friend kind of love." She opened another case, shaking her head. "Jeez, jealous much?"
Raimundo froze for a moment, and then scoffed at the notion. "Me, jealous? No way." He said, waving the accusation away casually.
"Whatever you say…" She taunted him, then sighed, muttering under her breath. "I wonder what Kimiko would say to that? You hitting on me and all."
"You wish—Wait a sec, Kimiko?" He looked down at her. "She's, like, my best friend so we're usually together, but we aren't together-together, though.
Ahn-Li smiled a little upon hearing that, letting out a little breath of relief. Raimundo heard the quiet noise and looked down at her, a little smirk on his face. He bent down into a crouch, now putting himself level with her. "Why? Was someone a little green-eyed or something?" She rolled her eyes at him, turning away. This only encouraged the prankster Dragon and he laughed, making no effort to hide it. "Oh my God! You were!"
"In your dreams." She snapped, rising to her feet with Raimundo reflecting the action.
He folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall in front of her, the smirk growing wider. "Oh, come on."
She placed her hands on her hips. "I was—" She shook her head pointing a finger at him. "I am not jealous."
"I'm not saying you are," He said, raising his eyebrows at her. "Just that you were."
"Ha!" She scoffed, as though she were amused. "I was not."
"But you were."
Her eyebrow ticked. "Was not."
"You were." His voice remained casual.
"Was not!" Ahn-Li's voice raised an octave.
Raimundo simply chuckled and unfolded his arms, poking the center of her forehead with his index finger. "You were so."
"You were jealous first!" She shouted without thinking, just wanting to win the argument.
His smirk threatened to take over his face when he heard that. He leaned towards her as he stroked his chin, mimicking thought. "Ah… so, you were jealous at one point then."
"Of course I—" Ahn-Li put her hand over her mouth, her cheeks flushing straight red when she realized she had just been tricked. Raimundo shrugged his shoulders, playing innocent. She glared at him and started smacking him, which only made him chuckle. "You're not funny, Raimundo!"
"Found it!" They heard Clay shout from the main room.
Ahn-Li stopped hitting Raimundo, only to turn on her heel so fast that her hair hit him in the nose. Raimundo just grinned, following her out so that they could rejoin the others. Clay was holding a shining aqua-colored flute with red rose petal designs on it. "This is it?" Jake asked, eyeing it.
Dojo, whose blisters had disappeared, nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "My scales are clear, so that must be it."
"It's kind of pretty." Kimiko commented, tracing the Flute with her finger.
Ahn-Li looked at Clay. "Let me see that for a sec."
Clay handed it to her so she could examine it when suddenly a blue beam hit her hand. It shocked her so badly that she ended up throwing it into the air. Jack Spicer suddenly flew in with his helipack, catching the Shen Gong Wu with ease. "I'll take that!" He yelled, flying out the door and into the hall.
"After him!" Omi cried, leading the group out into the hall.
Jack turned his head to see everyone running after him and smirked, pressing a button on his watch. "Jack-bots, do your stuff!" he ordered before speeding up.
Twelve robots came from the opposite direction, sharp blades coming out of their sides. Everyone got into their ready stances, including the American Dragon. "Dragon up!" Jake shifted to his dragon form and let out a fearsome roar. He then opened his wings, going into the air and looked down at Ahn-Li, Kimiko and Trixie. "Let the guys handle this. Li-Li, you and the girls catch Make-up Boy."
Ahn-Li froze, and then pointed a finger at her cousin. "Don't call me, Li-Li!"
Trixie's eyes narrowed at Jake and she took a step back, joining the boys. She nodded her head to the Xiaolin Dragon girls. "Li, you two go ahead. I'm gonna show these boys what chicks are made of."
Kimiko and Ahn-Li nodded and then dashed after the self-proclaimed boy genius.
Clay grabbed one of the Jack-bots by the top of the head and threw it to the floor, giving it a swift punch that went straight through it. Omi jumped into the air and chopped two of them in half, drop-kicking another as he came back to the ground. A robot shot at Raimundo and he flipped out of the way of the beams, allowing it to destroy another Jack-bot before he sprang himself off of the wall, punching its head clear off. Jake took a deep breath, fire coming out of his mouth and burning three of them to a crisp. A robot came towards Trixie and, using her gymnastics skills, she flipped into the air with one leg extended, slicing it down the middle. Two of them came towards Spud from different directions, but he stood still, even as their speed increased. As they nearly sandwiched the boy, he ducked and they crashed into each other. Clay held his hands out and Omi jumped into him, the cowboy vaulting him into the air to kick the last robot standing.
Jake turned back into a human again, landing beside the others. They looked around at the dismantled robot pieces around them, smiling with satisfaction at her words. Omi then took off running again. "Come, my friends! The girls may need our help!"
"Against Spicer?" Clay asked with a grin as they all sped down the hallway. "I'd be more worried 'bout him."
Further down the hall, Jack was flying towards the entrance in hopes of making his escape. Kimiko and Ahn-Li were right behind him, almost in his shadow as they ran. Jack looked over his shoulder at them, grimacing. He turned back around, speeding up and pulling farther ahead. Ahn-Li let out a groan, looking at Kimiko out of the corner of her eye. "We're not gonna catch him, so long as he's airborne." She griped.
Kimiko gave a quick nod in agreement, her lips turning up in a mischievous grin. Her hand ignited, a fireball now bouncing on her fingertips. "Then I guess we have to bring him down, huh?" she quipped.
Ahn-Li shared the same look as her companion, a shocking streak of light revolving around her hand. "My thoughts exactly."
As Jack prepared to round a corner, their attacks hit him right in the afterburners. He spiraled out of control, screaming that girlish scream of his. He ended up falling through the doors of the school gym and the Flute of the Spirit flew out of his hand as he bounced across the floor.
Ahn-Li saw the Wu slide to the center of the gym and immediately sprinted for it. Kimiko stopped in the doorway, her eyes resting upon Jack as he pushed himself up and made a mad dash for the Wu himself. Kimiko quickly reached into her backpack for her Shen Gong Wu. "Heads up, Ahn-Li!" she shouted, throwing one of them across the room.
Ahn-Li looked up to see the Lotus Twister being thrown over to her. She caught it as she ran, then dove across the newly waxed floor to the Shen Gong Wu, touching it with her foot. It suddenly started to glow, which confused her a bit. Then she saw Jack's hand touching it and it all clicked together. She was about to participate in a Xiaolin Showdown.
A smug smile crossed the redhead's face and he snickered, pointing at Ahn-Li. "New girl…"
"Ahn-Li!" Kimiko shouted the correction across the room.
He turned to stick his tongue out at her and then turned back to Ahn-Li. "Ahn-Li, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown." He reached into his pocket, fishing out his bargaining chip. "My Shroud of Shadows for your Lotus Twister."
The other Xiaolin Dragons along with the American Dragon team came in at this time, stopping in the doorway to look at the scene before him. Omi leaned over to Kimiko. "What did we miss?" he asked.
"Jack just challenged Ahn-Li to a Xiaolin Showdown for the Flute." She replied, pointing over to them.
"A Xiaolin what-now?" the three New Yorkers asked together.
"It's kinda like a double dare." Clay explained to them. "See, each one of them puts up a Shen Gong Wu to bet on a contest. Whoever called the showdown makes up the challenge."
"Whoever wins the showdown gets all three Wu." Raimundo continued, "And the loser doesn't get diddly."
Jack was looking around for something to prompt a suitable challenge. In the corner of the gym, he caught sight of a cart full of red rubber balls and he smirked, finding his challenge. If there was anything Jack was good at, it was running away. "Sweet." He turned back to Ahn-Li. "The game is dodge ball. First to get hit by a ball loses."
"You got it, Mama's Boy." She accepted it, swerving her neck.
"I am not a mama's boy!" he whined, then his face turned serious. "Let's go! Xiaolin showdown!"
Ana: Zzz… (asleep on the couch)
Raimundo: Shh…
Chase: Trust me, it's best not to wake her.