Chase Young woke from his state of meditation, sensing a surge of mystical energy from a familiar source. In his mind he saw and image of the four Xiaolin Dragons, each wearing the golden sash of the Shoku Warrior. The immortal villain stood up, reverting from his true reptilian appearance back into his human form. The jungle cats that had been sleeping around woke up, creeping back into the shadows of his hidden mountain palace.
Wuya emerged from the shadows, interested by the sudden activity. "I haven't seen you move from that spot for a long time," she said. "A new Shen Gong Wu has activated, but I guess you aren't bothered to claim it."
"The Xiaolin Warriors have somehow attained a new level of power," the Heylin Warrior explained. "I wish to witness this power for myself."
"I thought you were going to wait until they beat Hannibal," Wuya said, sounding intrigued. "I guess you're eager to see how your favourite cheese ball is growing up. You can see them if you go to the new Shen Gong Wu."
Meanwhile, at the Xiaolin Temple, Omi woke up to enjoy his first whole day of being a Shoku Warrior. For some reason he felt a slight ache throughout his body, as though it had been stretched out. The monk of water yawned and rubbed his chin, but paused when his fingertips felt something unusual. He immediately ran to Kimiko's empty sleeping quarters and took her hand mirror, looking at his chin.
"How infuriating," Omi mumbled to himself. "The first hair I have seen on my head is growing in the wrong place!"
In the middle of Omi's chin was a single tiny whisker, only a millimetre or so long. He looked at the top of his bald head in the mirror and scowled, seeing no hairs upon it. His attention turned towards a sudden burst of music from down the corridor, startling him enough to almost drop Kimiko's hand mirror. Omi carefully placed it back where it was and investigated the source of the noise.
Omi came across Kimiko in the main hall, sitting in front of a large television screen and a complex sound system. It looked like she had been toiling on it for quite a while, before any of the other Xiaolin Warriors had got out of bed. The Shoku Warrior of fire noticed that Omi was watching her and smiled wearily back at him.
"It's all done!" she exclaimed. "When Jack tried to take over the temple, he left a bunch of his security systems and computers behind when we kicked him out! I've just finished rewiring them!" Omi looked confused, so she sighed and began to explain what she had done in a simpler manner. "I thought that the Temple would need better protection. I also added a bunch of new features, like this karaoke system!"
"Did someone say karaoke?" asked Raimundo, walking into the main hall with Clay behind him.
"It was Dad's idea," replied Kimiko. "But look what else it can do!"
A simple map of the Xiaolin Temple appeared on the screen; Kimiko used a remote to highlight the room where the Shen Gong Wu scroll was kept. When she pressed a button to select it, the four of them were shown footage from a security camera in the room. Dojo was asleep on the scroll as it lay on the table; the camera could even pick up the sound of his snoring.
"How wonderful, Kimiko!" Omi exclaimed, "With this new contraption, we will be able to see any evil activity creeping in the shadows!"
Raimundo yawned loudly. "Go back to the karaoke part," he said, "I wanna have a go!"
"Me too!" added Clay. "I don't think any of you have heard my singing! Ma and Pa always said I had the best voice of the family."
Kimiko frowned, expecting that more of her friends would be interested in the security systems she had installed. Nevertheless, she switched the security camera off and turned the karaoke system on. She sat on the floor with her arms folded as Clay and Raimundo fought over the microphone and song selection, arguing over who should go first and naming the celebrity singers they thought they sounded like.
"Perhaps you should be more grateful to Kimiko," Omi said to them.
The warriors of earth and air stopped their bickering and looked at the diminutive monk. "Let's give Omi the mic!" Raimundo said eagerly. "He was waiting to become a Shoku Warrior for so long, he should be rewarded!"
"But I'm not sure if Omi knows any songs," Clay said, "I don't think I've even heard him sing."
"As long as I have the words and the music, my tiger instincts will carry me through!" Omi boasted. "You can give me a song of any type! Heavy medal! Stone and roll! Electro pup!"
Raimundo selected a random song from the list and started the karaoke system up, handing the microphone to the enthusiastic Omi. He had chosen a slow and gentle song, but Omi was still ready to tackle it. To his friend's surprise, the little monk managed to sing the song he had probably never heard before, just by looking at the lyrics and listening closely.
"I suppose tiger instincts can do anything," Clay whispered.
"Wow! He's really, really good!" muttered Kimiko.
"I can't believe it," Raimundo whispered, "He has the voice of a little bald angel."
The Xiaolin monk's singing voice put choir boys to shame, and from the way he glanced and smiled at his friends, Omi knew he was excellent. However, Omi abruptly paused to cough during an instrumental part of the song. When he resumed singing, his voice was much louder and cacophonic.
Clay clasped his hands over his ears. "I haven't heard a noise this awful since my little brother Patty lassoed the cat!"
"What happened? It was so beautiful!" Raimundo wailed.
Omi stopped singing and put a hand on his throat. "I am sorry, my friends! It seems like my vocal cords have been tampered with!"
While everyone waited for their ears to recover, Kimiko turned off the karaoke system and went back to the security footage of the Shen Gong Wu scroll room. She saw Dojo begin to twitch violently enough to wake him up. The startled dragon immediately grabbed the mystical scroll and ran out of the room, carrying it into the main hall to alert the Xiaolin Warriors.
"Hope you're all ready for your first day as a team of Shoku Warriors!" he exclaimed, unrolling the scroll to show them the Shen Gong Wu that had been activated. "The Gift of Green Thumb has revealed itself!"
Omi stopped thinking about the change in his singing voice and gazed at the magical moving illustration in amazement. The animated figure placed the small mystic object on top of its shoulder, which then proceeded to extend along the arm. "What a wondrous Shen Gong Wu! The Gift of Green Thumb can make plants sprout anywhere, in the blink of an eye!" The illustration depicted the item's owner surrounding themselves with shrubs, grass and flowers.
"You could turn a patch of desert into a garden if you had enough time!" Dojo added.
The five of them hurried outside where the dragon expanded to his full size, allowing the heroes to climb on. Kimiko tapped a few buttons on a handheld device and pointed it at the entrance of the Xiaolin Temple before they flew off; immediately the entrance was blocked by electrified metal bars that shot up from the ground. To her dismay, none of her companions were paying attention to the security system she had implemented.
Dojo flew over the ocean and to a small desert island, swooping down and allowing his passengers off before shrinking down to his original size. The four warriors clambered over the large, rough rocks and small shrubs before approaching a wide circular area of level ground. In the centre was a pile of rocks, with the familiar glow of an activated Shen Gong Wu hidden inside.
To their surprise, Jack Spicer made an appearance, descending from the skies with a swarm of his robot minions. "Long time no see, Jack!" Raimundo called out to the evil genius.
"Sorry folks," Jack said with a sneer, landing on top of the rock pile. "I got caught up in some evil project work! Felt like taking a break from it today, though." He noticed the gold sashes that his adversaries were wearing and suddenly looked a lot more sheepish. "Oh no, you've changed your sash colours! Every time that happened in the past, I'd notice that you'd be able to kick my butt a little bit harder than before."
"That is correct!" Omi exclaimed. "Now we are all Shoku Warriors, we are a hundred time stronger than we were before!"
"Plus I heard later on, Shoku Warriors learn some moves that can make their opponents butts literally explode," Raimundo added audaciously.
Jack whimpered in fright, gripping his posterior with both hands. Before he could turn to flee, a bright flash of lightning engulfed the area and knocked Jack off his feet and onto his face behind the pile of rocks. Standing on the mound in his place was Chase Young, eliciting a gasp from the Xiaolin Warriors standing in before him.
"I would like to see if Omi's statement is true," Chase said cunningly. "And Raimundo, I would've expected you to be a bit more mature now you are team leader."
"Wow, wasn't expecting Chase to show up," Kimiko whispered.
Chase bent over to reach into the pile of stones, plucking out the mystic green and bronze armband and tossing it over his shoulder. "You won't be having a showdown today," he said.
Jack had gotten back on his feet and raised his arms, managing to catch the Gift of Green Thumb Shen Gong Wu. "Hey, thanks a lot Chase! It's really important for us bad guys to help each other out!"
The boy genius was silenced immediately when the immortal warrior briefly turned his attention towards him before looking back at the Xiaolin Warriors. As Jack scrambled away, the four heroes assumed their fighting positions.
"Allow me to witness your new abilities," Chase said. "No Shen Gong Wu; you will rely only on your Shoku Warrior skills."
Raimundo briefly looked back at his comrades with a fearless looking smile on his face. "We can do this! Trust me; even if we lose, it'll only be a sign that we need to train more!"
Their golden sashes appeared to sparkle as they focussed their fighting energy, breathing almost in synchrony. Chase Young did not even need to assume a fighting stance; it seemed like he would be ready to counter or block any of their skills in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, the Xiaolin Warriors raced forward with a mighty yell, Raimundo leading the charge.
"Shoku Astro Wind!" the leader cried, summoning a miniature tornado between his hands and tossing it towards the Heylin Warrior.
Chase Young smiled gently and raised his palm, as though he would use his powers to deflect the attack. However, the miniature tornado dramatically increased in size, actually managing to startle the usually unwavering warrior. Chase tried to use his arms to shield himself from the blast of wind, but the tornado picked him up off the pile of stones and raised him high into the air.
Seeing Chase tossed up into the air like a ragdoll had given Raimundo's friends a boost in confidence. Kimiko and Clay looked at each other with a smile and prepared a combination attack; the warrior of fire grabbed the warrior of earth by the arm and shot into the sky with him, followed by a trail of flame.
"Shoku Mars Fire!" she yelled, hurtling towards Chase like a comet.
The Heylin Warrior was spinning wildly in the tornado, but when the flaming Kimiko made contact with him, he immediately stopped and the whirlwind was dissipated. Kimiko continued to fly past, but let go of Clay and allowed the brawny warrior to plummet towards the ground, with Chase directly below him.
"Shoku Jupiter Earth!" Clay shouted as he fell towards the suspended villain fists first.
Clay and Chase fell to the earth with an almighty bang, creating an impact crater and shockwaves that levelled the rocky landscape that surrounded the area. When the dust settled, Clay was standing unscathed atop a mound of rubble in the centre of the crater, with Chase buried underneath. Kimiko landed gracefully beside Raimundo and Omi, and a split second later, Clay regrouped with them.
With a mighty roar, Chase burst forth from the pile of debris in his fully reptilian form. "Looks like someone's lost their cool," Raimundo said with a chuckle.
"It is time for him to chill out!" Omi added, surprising Raimundo with his brief grasp of colloquial speech. "Shoku Neptune Ice!"
Chase leapt forward, attempting to evade the stream of freezing air that Omi had conjured, but it was no use. The blast suddenly grew far too large for him to avoid, encasing the reptilian warrior and the surroundings in a thick layer of ice and snow.
Chase broke free of the ice, reverting back to his human form, and wearily assumed a fighting stance. "It appears I underestimated you, Xiaolin Warriors," he gasped, trying to remain calm and stop his shivering. "But now you have spent all of your energy."
Raimundo chuckled and folded his arms while his comrades assumed their fighting stances once more, grins on their faces. "What makes you think that?"
Clay stamped his foot, catapulting the Heylin Warrior into the air with a column of stone that had suddenly erupted from beneath him. Raimundo and Kimiko smiled at each other and raised their arms, summoning a blast of fire and wind that merged together to form a tornado of flame. Chase was engulfed by the attack as Raimundo bought his hands down, summoning a gust of air from above that pushed Chase back towards the ground. The Heylin Warrior landed with another great thud, losing his balance and falling on one knee.
"I think you are the one who has spent all of their energy," Omi calmly said to the fallen warrior.
"You were right, Chase; you did take us too lightly," Raimundo added.
"Last time we defeated you, we weren't even Wudai Warriors," Clay proclaimed.
"Did you think you could beat us now we're stronger than that?" Kimiko asked.
The Xiaolin Warriors were letting their adrenaline speak for them; the thrill of the one sided battle, against a villain who had outclassed them for so long, had given them a new level of self-confidence. For the first time, they saw a look of genuine hesitation and alarm appeared on Chase Young's face.
Omi, seeing the distress in the usually composed villain's eyes, hesitated slightly. All of a sudden, a look of pain appeared on Omi's face. In a split second, there was a flash of blinding light, and the sound of Omi screaming. His friends were buffeted by a sudden windstorm, shielding their eyes from the debris blowing in their way.
When the dust settled, the area was still illuminated brightly. As their eyes adjusted to the brightness, they saw that Chase Young had vanished. Their attention then focussed on the source of the light; Omi's rear end. The little monk's nine forehead dots were glowing as well. Omi grimaced and placed a hand over the buttock where the radiance originated, blocking out the light. The illumination of the area returned to normal, and a few seconds later, Omi removed his hand from his posterior to see that it was beaming no more.
"Did your butt just light up?" Raimundo asked. "I thought I was joking about Shoku Warriors being able to make butts explode."
Dojo peered out from underneath Clay's hat. "This is pretty worrying; normally I'm the guy with the embarrassing bodily functions. Maybe we should take Omi back to the Temple and see what Master Fung thinks."
Omi blushed brightly. "We do not need to be too hasty! I am sure my body is fine! It is just having what you would call an off day!"
Dojo enlarged to his full size and the warriors hopped on. "Too bad we couldn't grab the new Wu," Clay said dejectedly once all four of them were on the dragon's back.
"It doesn't matter!" said a cheerful Raimundo. "We kicked Chase Young's butt, and it wasn't one of those last minute victories! We've proven that we're strong enough to take on anything."
As they flew away from the island, Jack Spicer and his robots wearily emerged from underneath the layers of debris they had been buried under during the Xiaolin team's battle with Chase. "I still won," mumbled the villain, holding the Gift of Green Thumb up before fainting.
Chase Young had retreated back to his lair, using teleportation. He had resumed his meditation amongst the floating candles, despite the wounds he had received from the Xiaolin Warriors. Wuya approached him; raising her eyebrows once she saw his bruises and dented armour.
"Looks like you weren't prepared," she said with a chuckle.
"I underestimated them," Chase replied, coldly.
A wicked smile spread across Wuya's face. "You said something like that after they defeated you last time," she said. "After you claimed Omi's essence and plunged the world into darkness. You said that Omi belonged to you forever, and they proved you wrong." Chase did not move an inch, and his expression did not change. The Heylin witch was standing behind him, pacing back and forth. "Your big plan to rule the world failed," she continued.
The immortal warrior's expression finally changed; he shut his eyes and his forehead became furrowed. "I learnt a few things about you, back in the old days," Wuya said before pausing for a moment. "You never reached the Shoku Warrior level, did you?"
"I achieved a power far greater," Chase muttered, "I drank the Lao-Mang-Long Soup. I gained the power of a true dragon."
Wuya chuckled. "The Xiaolin Dragons once struggled to fight Jack, but as their abilities grew, they started to defeat him effortlessly; it's why I decided to leave him."
"What are you implying?" the Heylin Warrior questioned her, raising his voice.
"History repeats itself," answered Wuya. "If I want to rule the world again, I'll need to accompany someone who'll be able to defeat the monks." She turned around and walked in the direction of the exit. "Someone who won't try to keep my powers locked away and attempt to pull me down to their level of depravity. Those kinds of people are a real turn off."
Chase did not open his eyes or turn to look at her, but he heard Wuya's footsteps echo softly throughout his hidden citadel. When he could sense her presence no more, the candles floating around him abruptly dropped to the floor and extinguished their flames. In a split second, Chase transformed into his true scaly form and sprang to his feet.
The monster unleashed a deafening roar that seemed to shake the foundations of his lair. His jungle cat warriors, terrified by their master's rage, quickly stood up and attempted to flee. Some managed to escape and hide deep in the recesses of the palace, but the reptilian warrior managed to grab several of them and toss them aside, sometimes swinging them by their tails. Some were thrown with such force that the columns they collided with began to crumble.
Meanwhile, the Xiaolin Warriors were back at the Temple, concerned about what had happened to Omi. The young monk stood cowering before his bed, with Clay and Raimundo standing by him.
"I am afraid I do not have the courage to do this! I am even afraid to look at my own nudity!" Omi mumbled fearfully.
"We've gotta figure out if anything's wrong with you!" Clay said. "I'm not used to looking for signs of human sickness, but I'm the best thing this Temple's got!"
"Clay's used to all kinds of gruesome stuff," Raimundo added with a chuckle. "Besides, what you've got probably isn't as bad as the stuff Dojo gets when there's a Shen Gong Wu alert."
Clay pulled down Omi's pants and gasped, taking a step back. "My goat Molly! Would you look at the size of that thing! It's glowing, too!"
On Omi's buttock was a small white circle that was glowing faintly, similar to the nine dots that sometimes illuminated his forehead. "Cool! You've got a tenth dot!" Raimundo gasped.
Omi hurriedly pulled his pants up and looked at his two allies, blushing bright red. "I must go! I shall follow Dojo's advice and speak to Master Fung!"
The young monk sprinted out of the doorway to search for their wise old mentor. Kimiko crept in shortly afterwards, looking irritated. Clay and Raimundo watched the warrior of fire head towards the corner of the room, placing a stool to reach a security camera.
"What's the big idea?" she asked Raimundo as she tended to the damaged piece of equipment. "I spent all morning working on these, and then you go and tamper with them!"
"Hey, we were doing something private in here!" the leader explained.
Kimiko finished adjusting the camera until it was working again. "We've gotta keep an eye on all the rooms in the Temple. We haven't heard anything from Hannibal Bean, and he could be anywhere."
When the warrior of fire exited the room, the warrior of wind turned to the warrior of earth and let out a sigh. "I've only just realized all the effort Kimiko's put into installing this security system thing!"
"Cheer up now, partner!" Clay said. "If it's unnoticeable, that means the system's working! Besides, we've already picked up a Shen Gong Wu today, maybe we'll have the rest of the day off! That's plenty of time to say sorry!"
Raimundo's eyes lit up. "That's it! Let's go somewhere nice for Kimiko! We can all say she did a great job, and celebrate how we pulverized Chase Young!"
In the meantime, Omi sat before Master Fung's desk, explaining what had happened. "Today I woke up with aches and pains, followed by the discovery of an errant hair on my spotless chin!" He said frantically after the wise master had asked him what was bothering him. "After that, I found that my perfect singing voice had been jeopardized by my wayward vocal cords!"
"Anything else, young monk?" Master Fung questioned the worried warrior of water.
"An unusual blemish appeared on my skin," Omi muttered sheepishly, in a tiny squeaky voice.
Instead of showing any signs of concern, Master Fung smiled softly and stood up, walking over to the monk and placing a hand on his shoulder. "There is no need to be afraid, Omi. It seems that as your techniques as a Xiaolin Warrior develop, other aspects of your being are developing too."
Omi was confused. "Will I become transformed?" he asked.
Master Fung's smile became more prominent. "In a way; eventually I may have to stop calling you a young monk!" At first, Omi was shocked, but then his surprise was replaced with excitement as he realized what his teacher meant.
Raimundo was rummaging through his belongings, looking at all the outfits he possessed. Dojo was watching, as he had agreed to take the Xiaolin Warriors somewhere pleasant for the occasion. "Do you think we should dress fancy? Maybe Kimiko's dad can get us into some swanky restaurant!" the Xiaolin leader asked the green dragon.
Clay appeared, holding the Wild West outfit that Raimundo wore when they visited his farm. "How about Big Bob's Barbeque?" he asked, "They've got all the ribs you can eat!" Dojo nodded in agreement.
The warrior of wind cringed. "I don't have anything fancy to wear, but I'd like to go to someplace a little more…dignified."
Clay scowled at Raimundo, but then turned his attention towards Dojo. "Hey look, Dojo seems real keyed up about those ribs!"
The little dragon was twitching wildly, and only Raimundo realized what it signified. "Not another one!"
Dojo pulled out his tongue with one hand; it appeared grotesquely bloated. He let go of it and let it snap back into his mouth. "Judging by the swelling of my tongue, I'm almost certain it's the Lollipop Squid Shen Gong Wu!"
Raimundo seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "Sounds pretty lame, let's skip this one!"
The dragon frowned and seemed to pull out the Shen Gong Wu scroll from thin air. "It's actually a pretty dangerous one! The Lollipop Squid has the ability to suck the water out of a target, turning them into a withered husk!"
Omi ran into the room and looked around frantically. "Did I hear news of a weapon that is effective against my element?" he asked warily. "We must not let it fall into the wrong hands!"
Raimundo screwed up his face. "Oh man," he said painfully, "Now how are we gonna cheer up Kimiko? If we go and get this new Wu, we'll be too tired to go anywhere else today!"
"Why don't you just go somewhere some other time?" Dojo questioned.
"Kimiko's upset, and I don't want to see her upset for much longer," Raimundo replied, sounding stern.
"I have a plan!" Omi exclaimed. "Clay and I will retrieve the Lollipop Squid, allowing you and Kimiko to spend time together!"
Raimundo blushed. "Ugh, she might find that a little creepy, but it's better than nothing! We've gotta make it look like the trip's just for her! I'll take the Silver Manta Ray and you two ride Dojo to where the Wu is!"
"You should go someplace nearby, just in case things get ugly for us," Clay added.
Soon enough, Raimundo approached Kimiko, smiling nervously. He tried to distract her from Clay and Omi, leaving the Temple before them on the back of Dojo. "I'm really sorry about your security system," he said. "Since you spent all that time setting it up, and how we defeated Chase Young together, let's go somewhere cool!"
Kimiko's grumpiness seemed to fade instantly. "Wow, thanks! Are Omi, Clay and Dojo coming along too?"
"Nah! It'll be just me and you; I think they've got stuff to do, but they suggested that I should take you somewhere for all your hard work!" Raimundo replied, stuttering slightly.
The warriors of fire and wind walked outside to the courtyard where Raimundo activated the Silver Manta Ray Shen Gong Wu; transforming the small object into a large flying machine. Dojo had told him where the Lollipop Squid was, and then Raimundo had searched for the location on the internet. The site was near an aquarium, which Raimundo agreed was a good place to go.
When they arrived, it was night time. The Silver Manta Ray landed outside the brightly illuminated building; there was a massive replica of a nautilus shell standing on the roof of the aquarium. Kimiko and Raimundo stepped out, deactivating the Silver Manta Ray and stowing it away in Kimiko's bag. As the two of them climbed the big set of stone steps leading to the aquarium entrance, Raimundo looked back and saw the unmistakable shape of Dojo land not too far away.
Omi's dots began to light up, including the one on his posterior which shined brighter than the others. Dojo shrank down and climbed onto Clay's shoulder, scanning the area that had been lit up by Omi's glowing. They stood before a large but shallow pool, illuminated by lights on its tiled bottom. In the centre of the pool was a fountain that changed the patterns in which it squirted water every few minutes.
In the centre of the fountain was the Shen Gong Wu; a peculiar little golden squid with gemstone eyes, attached to the end of a short and slender stick. "There it is!" announced Omi, "This mission has been a piece of pie!"
The air was suddenly filled with a mighty roar, coming from the trees that surrounded the pool. Clay and Omi turned their attention to the strangely familiar noise, and gasped in fear when the source of the sound revealed itself.
Mala Mala Jong's supernatural green flames lit up the area brighter than Omi's dots. The ancient demon warrior stomped towards Clay and Omi, letting out a deep growl. The giant's body was made up of several Shen Gong Wu, and could gain more power by adding more mystical items to its mass; Omi feared that it would claim the Lollipop Squid to overpower him.
"I wasn't expecting this," Clay muttered, assuming his fighting stance. "Shame we don't have the Emperor Scorpion with us."
"Fear not, Clay! If you can defeat Chase Young, you can certainly defeat Mala Mala Jong!" Omi exclaimed. "I shall go after the Lollipop Squid!"
Omi ran towards the fountain, parting the waters with his elemental powers, while Clay stood prepared; he watched the demonic warrior defy gravity to walk across the water thanks to the Jetbootsu Shen Gong Wu that served as its feet. It tried to swipe at Omi using the Third Arm Sash that made one of its arms, but the monk made a speedy getaway.
"Chrome Copycat!" yelled Clay, holding the silver cat statue Shen Gong Wu aloft. It transformed into a replica of the Fist of Tebigong; one of the items that made up Mala Mala Jong's body. "Fist of Tebigong! Earth!"
Normally the Two Ton Tunic, which served as Mala Mala Jong's torso, would have deflected the mighty fist, but Clay's Shoku Warrior level had augmented his strength greatly. The demon was knocked back by the earth warrior's mighty punch, but it retaliated with a blast of lightning from the Eye of Dashi around its neck, striking Clay. The Shoku Warrior was knocked off his feet, landing on his backside in the water, twitching in agony.
Meanwhile, inside the quiet aquarium, Raimundo and Kimiko strolled past the various fish tanks. Raimundo was unfazed by the massive shark tank or the enormous Japanese spider crabs, but when they came to a tank filled with jellyfish, the Xiaolin leader froze in his tracks as Kimiko continued onward.
"Is there another way past?" he asked her sheepishly.
Kimiko frowned and folded her arms. "Come on, Rai. They're behind thick glass."
"It's not the stings that scare me," Raimundo mumbled. "Jellyfish are creepy; they don't have brains, but they can still swim about! How does that even work?"
Kimiko marched over to him and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him in front of the animals he feared most. "Let's go see the penguins," she grumbled.
Omi briefly turned to see Clay fall before continuing towards the centre of the pool, deflecting the occasional jet of water with his powers. The Lollipop Squid was in reach, but Omi desperately wanted to aid his friend in combating the giant monster. He made a decision, reaching for the Shen Gong Wu on top of the fountain. However, a dark shape swooped from the sky, and a miniscule object landed on the Lollipop Squid as Omi's fingers made contact with it.
"Well well, fancy meeting you here," Hannibal Roy Bean chuckled.
Omi gasped, almost drawing his hand away from the Shen Gong Wu in shock. "Hannibal Bean; have you come here to test my strength as a Shoku Warrior as well?" Omi asked the tiny evildoer. "Chase Young did the very same thing, and he received a most shocking surprise!"
Hannibal chuckled once again. "I saw; I wanted to congratulate you. Never liked that boy, glad you put him in his place."
Omi ignored the villainous bean's compliments and scowled back at him. "Hannibal Roy Bean, as a Shoku Warrior, I challenge you to a Wei Zhi Surprise Xiaolin Showdown!"
"A bold move," Hannibal said with a sly grin. "You truly have reached the level of Shoku Warrior. The first of us to grab the Lollipop Squid and make it outside the ring wins! I'll just need a Shen Gong Wu to wager first."
Mala Mala Jong ceased its battle with Clay, stomping over towards Hannibal. Clay followed; eager to see what was happening. To the surprise of both Clay and Omi, Mala Mala Jong suddenly disassembled itself, becoming a pile of Shen Gong Wu for Hannibal to use.
"Let's go; Xiaolin Showdown!" they yelled in unison.
The jets of water from the pool extended towards the dark night sky, instantly freezing into columns of blue ice. Bridges of ice began to form between the columns, making a complex lattice structure. Omi and Hannibal stood on a circular platform floating in the water below, while Clay stood outside the ring.
"Gong Yi Tan Pai!" yelled both combatants, before Hannibal suddenly sprang forward, disappearing into the icy maze above.
Omi hopped up the icy platforms after him, occasionally catching a glimpse of the small red bean's reflection in the frozen columns. As the Xiaolin Warrior stood still, a spike of ice grew towards him from a nearby column. Omi moved quickly, jumping onto another icy bridge as the one he was formerly on was shattered. Several more spikes shot out, and Omi had to jump from platform to platform to avoid them.
He misjudged one of his jumps, resulting in him holding onto a ledge with his fingertips. Omi briefly gazed down at the worried looking Clay before turning his attention skyward, witnessing the Lollipop Squid embedded in some ice above him. Hannibal Bean made a leap for the Shen Gong Wu, but a spike of ice that shot out from the column carried the Lollipop Squid away with it as it grew. Omi pulled himself up and sprinted towards it, as it was closer to him now than it was to Hannibal.
"Third Arm Sash!" Hannibal announced, extending the claw like Shen Gong Wu towards the water monk.
The turquoise sash tied itself around Omi's ankles, winding up his leg and towards his rear. Omi yelped as he felt it pluck something from his buttock, but quickly retaliated by revealing the Shen Gong Wu he secretly wagered; the Changing Chopsticks. Omi shrank out of the Third Arm Sash's grasp and hopped out of the way before a giant icicle from above extended down and rammed itself into the space he once occupied.
Omi grew to his original size and looked back to see Hannibal Bean leap for the Lollipop Squid. Omi focussed his energy and summoned his powers over water, extending several ice spikes from the columns surrounding the fiend. The icicles were transformed into jets of water, blasting Hannibal away before he could reach for the Shen Gong Wu. Omi then shot up towards it, riding upon a jet of water.
In a flash, the Xiaolin Showdown was over. Omi had landed on the other side of the pool, clutching the Lollipop Squid as well as the Shen Gong Wu that were wagered. Clay ran over to the little monk with a grin, and Dojo leapt out of his hat to congratulate him as well.
"My unsightly blemish is gone!" Omi exclaimed, patting his rear end. "Hannibal cured me of it when he tried and failed to use the Third Arm Sash to ensnare me!"
"Sorry Omi, but I think you'll be finding more of those spots popping up for a while now," Dojo said.
"Looks like Hannibal hightailed out of here on his bird," Clay added. "He took his Shen Gong Wu with him too somehow, but without the Third Arm Sash, he won't be able to make Mala Mala Jong again!"
Back at the aquarium, Raimundo and Kimiko exited the building, holding several souvenirs. "Why did you have to buy that thing?" Raimundo asked in disgust, pointing to the new pink jellyfish shaped hat on her head.
"I wanted something that would make me remember this day!" Kimiko replied. "It was really nice of you to bring me here."
"I was worried you'd be creeped out by me just asking out of the blue like that," Raimundo said.
"Nah!" Kimiko said with a grin. "You wanted to go to the aquarium, and it's boring to go around an aquarium without a buddy."
Raimundo noticed Dojo taking off, but Kimiko remained unaware. The Shoku Warrior of wind smiled and sighed with relief, activating the Silver Manta Ray Shen Gong Wu and flying off into the night with Kimiko in the passenger seat.
On the other side of the world, Jack was sitting in his basement, working on a document on his computer. He had been writing more of his Project Doomsday, but he had developed writer's block when he realized that he did not have some of the tools he needed to make the project work.
"I gotta get the right Wu to get this baby off the ground!" he yelled to himself. "I need the durability of the Two Ton Tunic, the strength of the Fist of Tebigong, and the Heart of Jong to pump some life into it! I've gotta wait until someone wagers them in a showdown, and then somehow manage to beat them!"
"Or we could trade," Hannibal Bean said with a laugh, sitting on the table behind him.
Jack froze in his seat and slowly swivelled around to face the table. Hannibal Bean hopped onto his nose, looking at him in the eyes with a fiendish grin. The boy genius screamed, falling backwards and under his desk. Hannibal hopped back onto the table, beside a sizeable pile of Shen Gong Wu and the Ying-Ying Bird.
"Wow, really?" Jack asked uncomfortably, pulling a waste paper basket off his head and laughing nervously. "I haven't seen you in a long time, what's up?"
"Nothing much, just wanted to congratulate you on taking Chase Young's place. Being defeated by those Xiaolin Warriors hurt his ego pretty bad," chuckled Hannibal. "I doubt he'll be showing his face for a while. You'll need some help if you want to match the Xiaolin Warriors in terms of power."
"I can't believe I used to think Chase was cool!" Jack seemed to look less unnerved. "You really want to help me?"
"I know you're not going to betray me," the fiend continued, "You don't have the guts for it; but you make up for that in brains. Let's trade our Shen Gong Wu." Hannibal pointed at a small cauldron sitting to the right of Jack's desk. "I'll give you the items you need for that little thing over there."
"I didn't really need the Zaijian Cauldron anyway!" Jack said with a smile, handing the mystical item to the diminutive demon. "It can rebuild objects from the tiniest fragments, but when I tried it on some robot pieces that were left over from a fight, they didn't come out right!"
Hannibal suddenly seemed intrigued. "Please explain."
"They looked fine, but it was something wrong with their programming! I had to reprogram them from scratch! The cauldron can restore physical things, but it can't restore memories!" Jack explained hurriedly, worrying that the bean would decline his offer.
"I think I know how to handle that problem," Hannibal said, managing to lift the Two Ton Tunic, Fist of Tebigong and Heart of Jong to the eager boy genius.
Jack handed the Zaijian Cauldron to Hannibal, along with the Gift of Green Thumb inside it. "Take that thing, too! I've had bad experiences with magical plants!"
Hannibal grinned craftily. "Why thank you, Jack. You're an awfully polite young man. Have a little extra present." The bean tossed a piece of paper towards the boy genius; it appeared to be some sort of map. "I know of a perfect place where you can build your little project. It's on a ley line, full of all the mystical energy you need."
Jack blushed and put his hands on his reddened cheeks, but before he could express his gratitude, Hannibal and Ying-Ying were gone. Jack, feeling discomfort again, turned his attention to his computer and hit a few buttons. He had recorded everything that Hannibal had said, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the fiend had been truthful, judging from the computer's lie detector.
Deep within his mountain lair, Chase Young had resumed his meditation. In his fit of rage earlier that day, the immortal warrior had laid waste to a considerable amount of his hidden citadel. Rubble, broken columns and shattered pieces of art lay on the floor, and jungle cats cowered in their hiding places.
"Hello there, Chase," Hannibal chuckled. "Looks like you've had quite a temper tantrum."
Chase Young's eyes flicked open and he got to his feet. "How dare you show your face here, bean. Have you come to gloat about the strength of the Xiaolin Warriors as well?"
"I came to see if I could offer some assistance," Hannibal continued. "I know we've had some…quarrels in the past, but you know what? Water off a duck's back."
Chase frowned even more. "I overpowered you all those years ago. If the Xiaolin Warriors defeated me, they will surely be able to defeat you. I doubt that any scheme you have will be able to vanquish them."
"Now now, just wait until you see these," Hannibal said, producing two miniature scrolls. "If you hadn't been so eager to throw me into the Ying-Yang World all those centuries ago, I would've shown you these earlier." The crafty red bean unwrapped both of the scrolls, revealing the mystical writing within them.
"One of those lists the ingredients of the Lao-Mang-Long Soup. Do you take me as a fool?" Chase said indignantly.
Hannibal rolled the list in question out further, revealing additional writing. "It's the recipe for a more potent form of the soup; the extra ingredient turns it into a concentrated elixir. I was going to give you this once you were ready to get onto stronger stuff."
Chase Young's eyes widened in surprise, but before he could take another look at the list, Hannibal rolled it back up again. His attention turned towards the other list. "What does the other one say?"
Hannibal sneered. "Oh, that's the antidote to the Lao-Mang-Long Soup. I was thinking you'd like to go back to being a Xiaolin Warrior. Of course, you'd have to try and convince them to accept you again. You could go back and try and earn your Shoku Warrior sash, just like Guan did!"
The Heylin Warrior scowled and folded his arms. "Leave now; nothing you say can convince me to change my ways," he said sternly.
Hannibal Bean shrugged and hopped on the back of Ying-Ying, leaving the two tiny scrolls behind. "You can keep the lists. You never know if they'll come in handy!" The Ying-Ying bird took off as Hannibal began to laugh, soaring in the direction of the exit.
Back at the Xiaolin Temple, Kimiko led Omi through a dark passage underneath the Temple grounds. The two of them were holding some of the most dangerous and powerful Shen Gong Wu from the vault, as well as the Treasure of the Blind Swordsman. Kimiko lit up a row of torches using her fire powers, allowing Omi to see how far the tunnel stretched.
"Why are we moving the hazardous Shen Gong Wu into such an uninviting place? They were much safer inside the vault!" Omi exclaimed.
"Thought I'd make use of some of these old tunnels down here," Kimiko explained. "They've been unused for centuries."
The two of them continued to a massive round door, flanked by two statues of monkeys. Kimiko walked towards one of the statues and punched in a number on a hidden keypad she had installed. With a loud grinding noise, the four sections of the door slid apart, revealing several shelves inside.
"I still do not understand," said Omi, watching Kimiko place the Sapphire Dragon and Mosaic Scale onto a shelf. Nevertheless, he followed her and placed the Treasure of the Blind Swordsman and Shadow of Fear onto the shelves.
"I thought it'd be better if we kept the most dangerous Wu separate to the others, just in case someone raids the vault. You have to learn the password," Kimiko explained.
"I already have!" Omi boasted. "You are quite slow at typing!"
Kimiko rolled her eyes and handed the Quill of Fenghuang to Omi. "Now you've got to rewrite my memories, so I can't remember the password. Or this whole place."
Omi was shocked. "Why must I keep this place a secret by myself? Raimundo should know! He is the leader."
"If the bad guys want our secrets, they'll probably try to go straight for Raimundo," Kimiko said, placing the final dangerous Shen Gong Wu, the Lunar Locket, into the secret vault. "Put the quill in this vault when you're finished. I know you can be trusted, Omi."
Omi smiled before reluctantly using the feather shaped Shen Gong Wu to rewrite her memories, telling her to leave the secret dungeon and forget its location. "This shall be a most difficult burden to carry."
Meanwhile, Chase Young stood at the mouth of his mountain lair. The sky was dark and still, but occasionally crackled to life with bolts of lightning. The immortal warrior looked at the bottle of liquid in his hand, catching a glimpse of his reflection inside it. Hesitantly, he removed the cap from the bottle and placed in a final ingredient; a tiger shrimp.
When the shrimp was added, the fluid seemed to boil and faintly glow bright green. The bottle began to shake violently, but it was not due to Chase's hesitation. The elixir was alive, hissing and rumbling in his grasp. He felt like he would need to drink it, or else it would escape.
Chase put the bottle to his lips, then tilted his head back. After drinking the entire bottle, the Heylin Warrior allowed it to slip from his grasp and shatter on the ground. Chase fell to his knees, grasping his stomach, but still trying to keep a calm face. He began to transform into his reptilian appearance, but then shifted back into his human form again.
The pain in his stomach ceased after a few moments. He looked at his fingers and flexed them, noticing that the veins of his hands seemed to glow bright green, even through his gauntlets. Chase could feel the change throughout his body and got to his feet again.
He had discarded the list of ingredients that would undo the effects of the Lao-Mang-Long Soup shortly after Hannibal had left. Hannibal had been a fool, thought Chase. The bean had given him the instructions to make an elixir that would make him stronger than ever before; now nothing would stand in his way.
Chase Young's new; more maniacal laughter filled the air. The laughter was loud and frightful enough to be heard even as the thunderstorm over the mountains began to rage.