Disclaimer: Xiaolin Showdown is a product of Kids WB and Cartoon Network so I don't own it. I'm simply going to use its characters to entertain myself and others through the power of fan fiction that is all.
Summary: Sequel to Code Xiaolin. After finally finding the key to Omi's materialization, Jack and the gang must now search Xanadu for an anti-virus to rid Omi of W.U.Y.A.'s infection for good. With new powers and upgrades, the Xiaolin Warriors face even more deadly W.U.Y.A. attacks, dangerous new monsters, and even the occasional famous transfer student! The question is can they do it?
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Speech on Xanadu"
Chpt. 4: Reverse, Rebirth, & Repeat
As Omi stepped into the Tower, the platform began to hum with three tones, each one higher than the last. When he took the last step, his body began shining with a blue aura and he was lifted to the top of the pillar. He stepped forward and placed his hand on a screen that appeared before him. Upon moving his green, webbed hand the word "Omi" appeared, then "Code" followed by the letters X-A-N-A-D-U.
"Tower deactivated," Omi said as the streams of data began to descend towards the bottom of the Tower. He stood in that spot, waiting for Jack to perform the Reverse Rebirth.
"Aw, Jack," Raimundo groaned, "Do we have to go back in time? It was hard enough finishing that math test the first time! Besides, it's like that's all we ever do!" The Brazilian had been de-virtualized some time ago with Clay and Kimiko still waiting outside the Tower on Xanadu.
"Sorry, we can't take chances even if it looks like W.U.Y.A. hasn't done anything yet," the genius replied. "Besides, I figured you'd be used to it by now."
"Jack, could you hurry up with that Reverse Rebirth?" Kimiko said impatiently.
"It's gettin' kinda boring just standin' here an' all," Clay added.
"Just a sec guys, Raimundo got me distracted," Jack answered, putting in the amount of time to go back.
"Yeah right, blame me," the chestnut haired teen muttered to himself.
"Reverse Rebirth Activation!" With the snap of the red head's fingers, a sphere of white energy erupted from the bottom of the deactivated tower, expanding until it consumed the entire world with its mass...
---RAI---
"Aw man! Failed again!" Raimundo groaned, placing his head down on his desk after glancing at his mocking math assessment.
"Look on the bright side," Jack said from the seat beside him, "You may have seen it twice, but it only counts once."
"That's not the point," the Brazilian sighed. "It's like we do this all the time. First we're at school, then W.U.Y.A. attacks, then we go off to Xanadu, stop the attack, then go back in time just to do it again a few days later."
"It's not that bad," Kimiko interjected from her table behind the two. "Going back in time gives us a chance to correct any mistakes we made the first time around."
"But don't you guys get tired of goin' through the same routine?" asked the chestnut haired teen.
"Not in the least! When W.U.Y.A. attacks, things become a lot more exciting!" Omi stated. The golden skinned boy sat at the same table as Kimiko.
"Maybe it's just me then..." Raimundo sighed once again to himself. After this final remark the bell rang, signaling the end of class.
"It could be," the red head stated, gathering his books into his arms. "Come on guys; let's go to the courtyard before our last class starts." Wordlessly, the other three also gathered their respective belongings before heading outside the door.
---CLAY---
Outside, the group of four had met up with Clay near a vending machine. The cowboy seemed to be preoccupied trying to get himself a cup of soup, despite the fact that lunch had been just two periods ago.
"Ugh! This soup tastes like dishwater!" cried the blond, spitting the offending warm liquid to the ground before throwing the entire cup into the nearby trashcan.
"Told ya," Raimundo commented, "But you were just so hungry."
"Well I can't help it," declared the cowboy, "The jumps back in time always make me hungry."
"Moving along guys," Jack interrupted, "Who's up for a mission in Sector 5?" Three out four of his companions almost instantly shouted out in agreement. All except on chestnut haired Brazilian.
"Nah, count me out!" he said. "I'm gonna catch up on some well deserved sleep."
"But it is only Monday! You can not possibly be tired already!" Omi shouted.
"Relax Omi; we can handle this without Rai. Besides, we're just going to Shen-Gong." Jack said dismissively.
"He's right," stated Kimiko. "Now let's hurry on to class! The bell could ring any minute, and I don't wanna be late again!"
The group nodded and began taking off in the direction of the sixth and final class that day. Hopefully, Raimundo hoped, something interesting would happen.
---JACK---
Ironically, things had been just as plain and boring as always for the emerald eyed Brazilian. The group had finished dinner about a half-hour ago and Raimundo lay down on his bed with his eyes shut, desperately trying to think of something to do. He could always play Goo Zombies, but he had beaten the handheld game hundreds of times, making it less appealing. The wreck room perhaps? Playing a game of foosball could be exciting maybe. Or he could study... Oh, who was he kidding?
Clay sat silently as he watched his slightly smaller friend think. The quiet cowboy's silence was only broken when Jack opened the door to their dorm, Kimiko and Omi following close behind.
"Ready to go?" the genius asked casually.
"Mmm hmm," the blond nodded, placing his hat atop his head.
"Are you sure you will not reconsider Raimundo? Though you are not as special as I, you may provide some form of assistance," the monk stated with absolutely no ill intention whatsoever. The brunet just narrowed his emerald eyes on him.
"Omi, if you want him to come with us, that's not the way you go about it," said Kimiko.
"It is not like I am telling a false truth," the pint-sized teenager mumbled.
"I think it's best ya stay quiet for a bit Omi," Clay pointed out.
"You guys go ahead, I'll be fine," said Raimundo. "Hey, maybe I'll even get some cleanin' done while I'm at it!" He laughed at his own joke as he waved the others away.
"Okay, if you're sure," the red head stated, turning to leave along with the others. "If you change your mind you know where we are."
"Where? Some old abandoned factory in the middle of France?" the brunet joked.
Kimiko laughed sarcastically at the dry attempt at humor. After a few more moments the group left, leaving Raimundo alone for the time being.
"Hn, foosball it is," he mumbled to himself. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his beige cargo pants as he began his trek to the other side of the campus. It was seven at the moment, so he had at least another hour to do as he pleased before it was time to return to the dorms for showers.
As the Brazilian teen finally reached the wreck room, he noticed that the box shaped room was totally empty. He figured there was no point in wanting to play a game that required two people when he was the only person present. The brunet turned to leave when his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Chase?! When did you get in here?!"
Raimundo pointed an accusing finger at the raven haired teenager. He swore the room was completely empty a moment ago.
"I've been here reading the whole time," the movie star replied as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "I guess I was doing it so quietly you didn't even notice me."
"You came all the way to the wreck room just to read?" Raimundo asked curiously.
"To put it simply, yes." Chase replied. He then put away his book, now eyeing Raimundo. "You look a little... bored. Is there something troubling you?"
"No, why do you ask?" the emerald eyed boy replied.
"Can't I ask out of concern?" the hazel eyed genius shrugged. "I didn't see you with Jack or the others, so I assumed you had a fight with them."
"All of us are getting along fine!" the brunet shouted defensively. "But... I am pretty bored. Lately things've been goin' in a routine for me."
"I understand exactly what you mean. That's why I decided to come to this academy; to escape the monotonous life of being a well known idol." Chase said.
"That's a little difficult for me. I'm kinda stuck here." Raimundo stated.
"Stuck? Why whatever do you mean? Surely if you wanted, you could leave," Chase said nonchalantly. "Unless... there's something keeping at this school. Something so important that if you left, there's a chance that things may fall apart."
At this point, Raimundo was more than a little creeped out. Did Chase stalk him and the others or something? He wouldn't be surprised, but even if he figured out something about Xanadu, the Reverse Rebirths were supposed to erase his memory, right?
"I'm gonna go back to my room now," Raimundo declared.
"Before you go, might I suggest something to cure your boredom?"
The Brazilian raised an eyebrow, curious to what the wise young man may suggest.
"A date, I'm sure that would please you."
Raimundo didn't even reply. He just calmly walked outside. When he was far enough from the wreck room, he began to move at a faster pace. Faster and faster the brunet sprinted, completely creeped out by the idol known as Chase Young at this point. One: There was no way he'd been sitting there all that time. Two: His excuse for being there was totally lame. And three: A date?! What was he thinking? Kimiko was always an option, but whenever she wasn't participating in group activities, she was off somewhere. Lost in his thoughts, the sudden crash into someone's back snapped him back to reality.
"Hey loser! Watch where you're going!"
Wait a minute, he knew that voice. Angry and rude with a quick temper to match, it could be non other than...
"Ashley? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was goin'," he replied, picking himself and her up.
"Oh, Raimundo, it's okay. I'm sure you didn't mean it," she said sweetly.
"Thanks," he said. "Where're ya goin'?"
"Back to my dorm. I was going to the wreck room, but when I reached for the door knob I felt this strange feeling." Ashley explained.
"I know what ya mean. That's why I left!" Raimundo agreed. "Hey, mind if I walk you? It can get pretty lonely at night."
"Uh, okay!" the blonde replied flustered. Did Raimundo just volunteer to walk her back to her dorm? She wasn't imagining this, was she? Deciding to test the waters, she placed her hand in his. Raimundo was shocked for a second, but that shock soon turned into a warm smile. Wordlessly, they continued walking hand in hand until they returned to the dorms.
Perhaps Chase was right after all. A good date once in a while would do the bored Brazilian some good.
---JACK---
That following morning, the red headed genius had awoken to the sound of his clock radio going off as well as Omi's loud as ever snoring. The slumbering goth quickly brought his hand down, shutting off one of the annoying noises. He sleepily smacked his lips as he threw the sheets off of him and walked over to the closet to pick out an outfit for the day (not that any of them where different from the ones before).
Last night's mission to Sector 5 had been amazingly successful. The key to stop the countdown had been fairly easy to find and W.U.Y.A. had only sent out one wave of Creepers that were easily taken care of by Clay, Omi, and Kimiko.
Placing his standard attire on his bed, Jack walked over to his snoring roommate's sleeping form and ever so subtlety pushed him onto to the floor.
"Water!!!" Omi cried as always when Jack would wake him up in that manner. It seemed that it was the only way the genius could find to awaken him.
"Be quiet!" Jack said, yawning. "Hurry up and pick out something to wear so we can shower and meet the others for breakfast."
"You do know that if you took a more gentle approach to awakening me, I would not have to scream, right?" the tiny boy asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Yeah, but I'm not exactly a morning person so deal with it!" Jack shouted back after grabbing his towel and heading for the showers. Omi grumbled something before picking out his own clothes and following behind.
As the two boys strolled down to the end of the boy's hall, the door to the showers swung out before them with a cloud of steam filling the corridor.
"Ah! That was so refreshing!" the brunet moaned, fully dressed in his standard white and orange long-sleeved shirt with green sleeves and beige cargo pants. He grinned widely as he turned to walk back to his room, then spotting Jack and Omi before him. "Mornin' guys!" he said happily.
"I'll say," the red head responded. "You're up awfully early. What's the occasion?"
"None! I'm just feelin' really great today!" Raimundo chuckled. "So guys, how was the mission?"
"Fantastic!" Omi shouted excitedly, much to the groggy Jack's displeasure. "We were able to find so much information in Shen-Gong with hardly any hassle at all! It is a shame you could not be there Raimundo, for I was, as always, amazing!"
"I saved the info on the supercomputer if you're curious," Jack stated. "I'm gonna decode it at lunch today."
"Great! I'll come with you!" the Brazilian volunteered. "Oh, do you guys mind tellin' the others I can't eat breakfast with ya this morning? I promised I'd meet up with Ashley!" He didn't wait for a response and cheerfully took off to the girl's hallway.
"Jack," started Omi, "Ashley is you older sister, correct?"
"Yeah," replied the genius.
"She is the one with the bad temper and attitude, correct?"
"Yeah," he answered again.
"Why is Raimundo going to see her? Has he lost his cards?"
"Marbles, and I don't know," Jack shrugged. "It's his business."
"Very well," Omi stated. Heading into the showers, the sun skinned monk completely disregarded his previous questions.
---KIM---
As the sleepy Kimiko gathered her clothes and towel and opened up her bedroom door, she couldn't help but notice the irritating sound of Ashley's giggling. What was she giggling about so early in the morning? As a matter of fact, why was she up so early? That was very uncharacteristic of the Ashley Kimiko had come to know and loathe.
Letting her curiosity get the better of her, the Japanese girl peeked from behind her doorway to find out why her rival was so happy. She gasped when she saw that the blonde had her arms wrapped tightly around Raimundo and that he was smiling happily in content. The girl grew slightly angry when Ashley placed a kiss on Raimundo's cheek. Kimiko was ready to storm into the hall and star yelling when a thought occurred to her.
'What am I so upset about? I already have a boyfriend,' she pondered, thinking of Jermaine. 'If Rai wants to date Ashley, then that's his choice.' The couple in question then strolled out of the room and down the stairs arm in arm.
She silently shut the door to her room and walked over to her nightstand where her red cell phone lay. Quickly, the raven haired girl scrolled through her numbers until she came upon the one she was looking for.
"Good morning Jermaine!" she said cheerfully. "It's me, Kimiko. Look, do you think you could meet me for breakfast? And later, how about we go on a date? Really?! That's great! I'll meet you in the cafeteria, bye-bye!"
Kimiko shut off the phone and ran towards the girl's showers. The only thing left to do now was inform Jack and the others she wouldn't be seeing them for breakfast. And possibly for lunch either.
---CLAY---
"So neither of 'em is showin' up this mornin'?" the Texan asked, stabbing his eggs with his plastic fork.
"Nope," Jack replied spreading jam on his toast. "They both said they had somewhere to be."
"Do you think they do not like us anymore?!" Omi cried sadly.
"Uh... no," the red head answered.
"Oh, alright then!" said Omi, happy once again.
The boys finished their breakfast a few moments later and were about to head out of the cafeteria and into the courtyard when Clay spoke up.
"Ain't that Rai over there with Ashley?" he asked, pointing to the back of the cafeteria. "And outside, that's Kim an' Jermaine, right?"
Sure enough, Clay's eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Jack and Omi saw it too. Clay had already known about Kimiko and Jermaine, but seeing Ashley and Raimundo together was a big shock for the cowboy. Omi also stared wide-eyed at the couples while Jack just shrugged the whole thing off.
"Guys, if we get involved things'll just become a really big mess. It's better for us to let them work it out on their own," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I know you're right but..." Clay started.
"Raimundo and Kimiko clearly have the colds for each other," Omi finished.
"Omi, it's 'hots'. They have the hots for each other. Anyway, when the time is right, they'll realize that and go to each other," Jack countered without much thought. Whether he liked to admit it or not, the boy genius had a knack for the whole psychology thing.
---JACK---
Lunchtime had come and Jack and Raimundo were in the lab decoding the information from Shen-Gong. Raimundo had managed to snag an apple from the cafeteria before he left and was now munching on it loudly while leaning on the back of Jack's chair.
"Must you do that right now?" the irritated genius groaned.
"Yes! This is a good apple and it'd be a shame not to eat it right away!" Raimundo reasoned.
"Ugh!" Jack sighed, trying to stifle an annoyed scream. "Anyway, I'm almost done decoding the data. After that, are you in the mood to go to Xanadu and collect more?"
"Sure, why not?" answered Raimundo. His emerald eyes then caught a glimpse of something on the screen. "Hey, what's that?"
"What's what?" Jack questioned.
"That timer looking thing. It's set for ten seconds." said the Brazilian.
"Strange. No one's gone to Sector 5," stated Jack. "I'll look into it right now."
Before the genius could even begin to select the timer, a force of white light shot out from the supercomputer, engulfing both boys and everything around them in its mass.
---JACK---
The red headed genius had awoken to the sound of his clock radio going off as well as Omi's loud as ever snoring. The slumbering goth quickly brought his hand down, shutting off one of the annoying noises. He sleepily smacked his lips as he threw the sheets off of him and walked over to the closet to pick out an outfit for the day (not that any of them where different from the ones before).
Wait a second... Hadn't he already been through that before? Yeah, just this morning actually!
"What is going on Jack?" Omi asked, stepping out of his bed. "I was in the cafeteria with Clay just a moment ago!"
"Hold on, this might be W.U.Y.A.'s doing!" the gothic genius cried. He threw pulled out the chair to his computer and swiftly typed on the keyboard trying to discover why the sudden time jump took place. Jack received the biggest shock of all when he saw... everything on Xanadu was perfectly normal. "I don't believe it," he began. "For the first time, this isn't W.U.Y.A.'s fault!"
"Then who's could it be?" inquired the round headed boy. All of a sudden, Raimundo burst into their dorm. His hair was still dripping wet, having neglected to dry it after realizing the day had started over.
"Hey, guys, time---"
"We know," Jack and Omi answered simultaneously. "W.U.Y.A. has nothing to do with it, amazingly."
"So we just go on as usual?" asked the wet headed Brazilian.
"Might as well. Until lunch I guess." Jack shrugged.
"Okay, guess I'll go meet Ashley again." Raimundo sighed, leaving.
---KIM---
Hours later, the lovely couple of Kimiko and Jermaine sat in the park for their picnic lunch date. Jack had already gone through the trouble of informing her of the accidental Reverse Rebirth, so she once again had to convince Jermaine to take her out on a date. It wasn't hard, but somehow she couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Kim?"
The curly haired teen waving his hand in the Japanese girl's distant face seem to snap her out of what ever thoughts she was having.
"Ah! What is it Jermaine?" she yelped in surprise.
"Are you havin' a good time? You're kinda zonin' out on me," his face began to adorn worried features as he reached a hand out to touch his girlfriend's cheek. "Are you alright? You look like somthin's bugin' you."
"Oh! Do I?" she asked, giving off a forced grin and chuckle. 'What's with me?!' she began thinking, 'I asked him to do this, so I should be happy! Raimundo would never do anything like this!'
Hold on, where did that come from? Raimundo had nothing to do with this. For the moment it was just Kimiko and Jermaine. They were the couple. They were happy together. There was no room for feelings for Raimundo. Not that she had them to begin with anyway...
"You gonna get that?" Jermaine's voice rang, once again bringing her back to reality. Kimiko gave a small squeak before noticing that her cell phone had been vibrating. It was a text from Jack. Opening it, she was somewhat relieved to read the news. W.U.Y.A. attcking. Get 2 lab a.s.a.p.
"I'm sorry, but can we do this some other time?"
"Yeah, it's cool. I'm always happy to spend time with you Kim," the dark skinned boy replied with a loving grin that seemed to make Kimiko feel even guiltier. He gave her a brief kiss on the cheek before gathering up the food and picnic cloth. "See ya later!" he grinned, showing off that sweet smile that reminded Kimiko of another...
---CLAY---
In the lab, Clay and Omi were just arriving. Jack seemed frustrated as always whenever W.U.Y.A. attacked and Raimundo seemed to finishing up a shiny red apple.
"What's the trouble this time?" asked the cowboy.
"Remember our trip to Shen-Gong?" the genius began. "Well, it turns out that the decoded information disabled the super scanner I made. Our old pal W.U.Y.A. must've more than likely bobby-trapped the data and that's why there was no direct attack on us when she last activated the Tower."
"Awful!" cried Omi.
"That's not the half of it," picked up Raimundo. "Now there's another Tower active in the Mountain Sector, and she's usin' this one to take over the Reverse Rebirth program."
"Any idea why?" the Texan inquired.
"No clue. The best bet is to go to Xanadu and deactivate it before things get out of hand!" Jack answered. At that time Kimiko had arrived.
"Tsk, 'bout time," the Brazilian scolded.
"Sorry, what's W.U.Y.A. up to today?" she asked.
"Inform her on the way. W.U.Y.A.'s started another countdown set for ten minutes," stated the genius. The four nodded, already going to the Scanner Room. "Transfer, Raimundo; transfer, Clay!" The metal doors shut tight around the two boys. "Scanner, Raimundo; scanner, Clay! Virtualization!" After the passage was clear, Kimiko and Omi also stepped inside the scanners. "Transfer, Omi; transfer, Kimiko! Scanner, Omi; scanner, Kimiko!" They were lifted into mid-air as a metal ring revolved around them. "Virtualization!"
As the machine blew a huge gust of wind around its inhabitants, they were each consumed in a bright light, transferring them to Xanadu.
"Okay, let's get this show on the road!" Raimundo cried, waving around his sword.
"We're ready anytime. Just point us in the right direction," stated Clay.
"Having the vehicles to assist us would be nice," said Omi.
"Not much time to lose!" declared Kimiko.
"First off, the Tower's due south from your current position. Secondly..." The genius allowed his voice to trail, giving him sufficient time to materialize the Longi Kite, Crouching Cougar, and Serpent's Tail. The group hopped onto their rides, Omi with Kimiko, and began their cruise to the activated Tower.
"Something feels very wrong," Omi noted halfway to the Tower.
"Eh? Whaddaya mean?" asked Raimundo.
"Usually when I feel an activated Tower, the pulsations aren't too intense," the fish warrior began explaining, "but this time it feels entirely different."
"You'll just have to be more careful," Jack informed. "Even more so, because you got some Hornets and Tarantulas coming up from the right!"
The group looked around to find the monsters, and sure enough, a laser from a Tarantula's cannon flew right past Raimundo's head.
"Sheesh," the Brazilian gasped in shock, "They seem happy to see us, as always. Kimiko, you take Omi to the tower. Clay an' I will stay here!"
Both Kimiko and Omi nodded. The Japanese girl then pushed the button inside her vehicle, transforming it into its flight mode. Behind them, Raimundo and Clay leapt off of their vehicles and prepared for battle.
"Big Bang Meteorang!" the warrior of earth cried. His golden boomerang missed the intended targets and on its return trip, it was shot down by a Hornet. "Dang!" he growled.
"Don't worry buddy, I'll back ya up!" the swordsman yelled, jumping up into the face of a Hornet and then jabbing it in its eye. "Blade of the Nebula!" he yelled before landing. Unfortunately for him, the Tarantula took advantage of his sudden landing to fire two lasers in his chest.
"I don't mean to rush you guys, but there's only two minutes left on the countdown!" Jack informed them, desperately searching for a way to stop the timer.
"Do not fret!" Omi stated. "The Tower is alive in our sights!"
"You mean dead," Kimiko corrected. She transformed the Crouching Cougar back into its walking mode and jumped off of it with Omi. "Um, Jack, what's up with the Tower's color?"
"What?" Jack asked, confused by her question.
"She is right!" the fish warrior exclaimed. "Usually, the aura of the Towers are red, but this time it is purple!"
"It is strange, but haven't the time to look into it. Clay and Rai are down to only a few lifepoints, and the timer's still ticking!" the red head cried in his frustration.
Hearing this, Omi began his dash inside the Tower, only for a single Krabe to be materialized at the entrance. Both he and Kimiko attacked, unsuccessfully at that. The Arrow Sparrows missed their mark and bounced off the Krabe's shell and Omi's Shimo Staff barely touched the opposing monster. It charged its laser, hitting Omi in the right arm.
Out of nowhere, five small boomerangs appeared and stabbed the Krabe with enough force to destroy it. Once again, the green skinned warrior headed for the Tower. This time, however, it was too late. The timer had run out and jump in time was once again occurring.
"Aw, dammit!" Jack shouted.
---JACK---
Before his annoying clock radio could even begin ringing, Jack slammed his fist down and ran over to his closet to find an outfit to throw on. But he felt like something was missing; Omi's snoring. Why wasn't Omi snoring? The genius turned to find that his little friend's bed was completely made up as if he hadn't even slept in it.
"Crap!" Jack screamed, "Omi's still on Xanadu!" He quickly threw on his black overcoat and jeans and was placing his right boot on his foot when he heard a knock on his door. Stuffing his foot into the black and gold object, Jack ran to the door and opened it, expecting to see Raimundo.
"Good morning Spicer," Chase said kindly. "You look as if you're in a hurry."
"I, uh, um, err... I am! I am in a hurry, sorry!" he yelled back. Why did he have to come and say good morning now of all times? He didn't say it the first time or when time was reset before.
"Oh, then might I see Omi?" the raven haired boy asked.
"Yeah, he's sorta the reason I have to go, like, now!" Jack explained, trying to push his way past.
"I see," Chase smirked. "I'm sorry to have held you up in that case. I suppose I'll see you later then."
"Uh-huh, again, I'm sorry!" Jack yelled, finally getting past the hazel eyed boy and running down the hall.
"You should hurry!" Chase called after him. "We wouldn't want something terrible to happen him!"
Was it just Jack being crazy and in a rush, or did it really sound like Chase was being sarcastic at that last statement? Either way, the genius had no time to lose! Omi could be deleted at any moment! Or even worse; he could be captured by the Scyphozoa!
---CLAY---
Clay, having met up with Raimundo on his way, headed straight for the lab. He and the chestnut haired boy had assumed the others would do the same. When they found that no one was there, however, they grew especially worried.
"Man, what's keepin' those three?" asked Raimundo, not knowing of Omi's location.
"Until Jack or Kim get here, there's not much we can do," Clay sighed.
"Clay? Raimundo? Are you there?!" Omi cried, hearing the voices.
"Wha? Omi? What're you still doin' in Xanadu?!" the Brazilian cried.
"We didn't deactivate the Tower in time, and Jack was unable to launch the materialization program!" he explained. "Right now, I am hiding behind a cliff, but there are many monsters searching for me. Among them are the Scyphozoa! Please do something soon!" the lone warrior panicked.
"Omi sit tight! Jack an' Kim aren't here yet, but we'll do whatever we can!" Clay stated, not exactly sure what to do himself.
Meanwhile, in the park, Kimiko and Jack ran as fast as they could to get to the lab.
"Why does W.U.Y.A. keep sending us all back in time?!" Kimiko groaned in frustration.
"I wasn't able to figure it out, until you and Omi mentioned the Tower's color," Jack responded. "It seems that W.U.Y.A.'s using the Reverse Rebirths to increase her power!"
"How is she doing that?" Kimiko asked.
"Well, the supercomputer runs on qubits. Every time we go back in time, the amount of qubits doubles. Presumably, doubling the amount qubits increases the supercomputer's processing speed, thus doubling W.U.Y.A.'s power!" the genius explained. Both teens had now entered Jack's home and made their way upstairs to his room. They quickly called the elevator up and moments later entered the lab.
"Jack! Kim!" the Brazilian and cowboy exclaimed.
"Please hurry! I think I have been discovered!" Omi cried. His thought was confirmed when multiple lasers came flying at him.
"Guys, there's no time to loose!" Jack told the others, who had already entered the scanners. "Scanner, transfer, virtualization!"
In seconds, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay, landed in Xanadu with their vehicles waiting for them. Without hesitation, they jumped on, kicking the machines into high gear to reach Omi as quickly as possible.
"Guys, the Scyphozoa's draining Omi's memory and W.U.Y.A.'s scheduled another Reverse Rebirth! Not to be pushy, but could you hurry the hell up!!!" the genius screamed, once again losing his cool.
"We're goin' as fast as we can!" Raimundo yelled back, coming up on the cliff Omi mentioned earlier. He saw the giant jellyfish with the boy in its clutches and went on the offensive. "Blade of the Nebula! Wind!" The mini hurricane caused the Scyphozoa to release Omi, but it wasn't about to give up yet.
"Not so fast!" Kimiko shouted. "Arrow Sparrow!" The Japanese girl then used her telekinesis the make the burning projectiles smash into the monster's head. It gave a shrill cry of pain before retreating to where it came.
With no more obstacles in their path, the group was able to advance to the Tower with ease. As Omi stepped into the Tower, the platform began to hum with three tones, each one higher than the last. When he took the last step, his body began shining with a blue aura and he was lifted to the top of the pillar. He stepped forward and placed his hand on a screen that appeared before him. Upon moving his green, webbed hand the word "Omi" appeared, then "Code" followed by the letters X-A-N-A-D-U.
"Tower deactivated," Omi said as the streams of data began to descend towards the bottom of the Tower. He stood in that spot, waiting for Jack to perform the Reverse Rebirth.
"If we go back in time, W.U.Y.A. will only get stronger," the red head stated. "So from now on, we're gonna save Reverse Rebirths for the direst of emergencies."
"Well on the bright side, Rai won't have to worry 'bout livin' a routine life so much," Clay said.
"I guess you're right," the swordsman replied. "Jack, bring us home!"
"Can do!" the genius replied.
---RAI---
Later that afternoon in the courtyard, the gang watched as Raimundo stood on the other side of the yard conversing with Ashley. Kimiko's eyes held a look of jealousy; not to any of the boy's surprise though. Going involuntarily back in time that day, the plans she had made with Jermaine were erased and she didn't bother re-making them. When Ashley walked away with an angry look on her face, the short tempered girl's interest was piqued.
"What was that about?" Jack asked, "My sister looked pretty upset."
"Oh, nothin'. I just told her we'd be better off as friends is all," Raimundo replied coolly, sitting on the bench next to Kimiko. "With W.U.Y.A. gettin' stronger, it's kinda dangerous to have a girlfriend anyway."
"That's mighty reasonable of ya," Clay put in.
"I agree! We would not want any of our loved ones getting injured because of our business, so it best to leave them out of it," Omi stated.
"Exactly!" the Brazilian said. "By the way, any idea why W.U.Y.A. needs to increase her power?"
"No idea," said the goth, shaking his head. "But I'm fairly certain we'll find out, whether we want to or not."
---TBC---
Another chapter down the drain! Now I can finally move into the really interesting stuff! Just a side note, Kimiko knew about Ashley and Rai, but Rai's still clueless about her and Jermaine. How much longer will that last, though? Only I know! By the way, for those interested, I have an original story posted up on FictionPress dot com. It's called Legend of the Charmed Jewels and I use the same username there as I do here. I wrote it a long time ago, so it may not be that good, but give it a chance if you like magical bishounen/bishoujo type fiction. With that said, I'm out! Ja ne!