Chapter 5

Bell of Shui

It was almost the crack of dawn. I sat on a wall in the Xiaolin Temple, waiting for Omi to get up.

But I got a surprise.

Raimundo turned the corner, rubbed his eyes, and saw me.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Raimundo asked.

"Nothing. Just...bored." I lied.

"Oh. Um...hi." I guess it was awkward for him.

"Hi. Do you want something? If not, don't waste my time." I harshly replied.

"Sheesh..." He said, and started to walk off.

"Why walk away? You shall be bored too. No one is up yet." I said to him, which made him stop.

"Good point. Mind if I sat with you?"

"It is your choice."

Raimundo climbed up the wall and sat at least 5 feet away from me.

"So...um..how are you doing?" He asked, trying to make conversation.

"Do you need something?" I asked. I was getting even border.

"Nothing...What's wrong with you?"

I glared. But, then smiled. "Nothing either."

Raimundo shrugged.

Suddenly, I came up with an idea. "Hey, Raimundo..."

"What?"

"I'm bored, as so I have said. Do you want to have a Xiaolin Showdown?"

"Well..I don't know..."

"Fine fine...I guess your too...chicken." I smirked, trying to persuade him.

"Oh that's, your on!" Raimundo smiled, and ran off too vault, and I followed after him.

Raimundo opened the vault, and I followed him down the stairs.

"What Wu should we use?" He asked.

"I don't know. I don't have any of my own Wu, so I'll just use my skills. How about the Shroud of Shadows?"

"Sure. I'll use the...Mantis Flip Coin. But you need something if I win."

"Hm..What do you want from me?"

"Well, if I win, you secretly do my chores for a week."

"That's fair." I rested my hand on the shroud.

Raimundo put his hand there.

"Milah, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown. My Mantis Flip Coin against your martial arts. The game is a race to the entrance. We start here."

"I accept."

"GON YE TAMPAI!" We shouted.

The temple grew larger and longer. The buildings were arranged into a maze, and the paths too.

Raimundo flipped from building to building.

I jumped after him.

He was going fast, but I caught up with him.

"Monkey Strike!" I yelled, and hit him. He fell down and down. I jumped and continued on.

He got back up.

"Wanna play? Fine! Mantis Flip Coin!"

He flipped, bounced off my head, and got in front of me.

We were almost there.

I grabbed a hold of his collar, and threw him into a building, and crossed the finish line!

Everything turned back to normal, the buildings were in their positions, and the paths neat.

"Oh man...I lost! Master Fung is going to be mad..." Raimundo said.

"Well, I must be going. But Raimundo.."

He looked up at me.

"You can win it back...you can tell Master Fung the truth, or a lie. It is your decision. Oh, here comes Omi. Bye."

Raimundo turned around, and saw Omi walking up to him. He turned back to me, but I had disappeared.

Later That Day...

"We got a Wu coming!" Dojo said, as he squirmed over with the scroll. "It's called the Bell of Shui. You ring it, and the enemy falls asleep."

"What a strange Wu...well, better get going." Clay said.

"Um...were not gonna use the Wu from the vault...are we?" Raimundo asked.

"Yeah we are." Kimiko said. "What, did someone steal them?" Kimiko suspiciously asked.

"N-No, but I'll just go get them for you guys." Raimundo offered, sounding shaky and nervous.

"Fine...I'll have the Star of Hanabi." Kimiko said.

"Orb of Tornami." Omi said.

"Lasso Boa Boa." Clay said.

Raimundo went into the vault, grabbed the Wu and one for him, and headed out, where Dojo was waiting.

Somewhere, elsewhere, in China...

The scene was a rural area, where a festival was going on, even though it was day. There were many, many people there, along the booths and dancers.

"Where is the Wu, Dojo?" Kimiko asked.

"I don't know...but it's here all right." Dojo rubbed his chin.

"The Bell of Shui can not be seen in the daylight." The monks looked up, and I was sitting on a closed booth. "Might as well enjoy yourselves."

Dojo snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! I remember now."

"So you mean we have to stay here until it gets dark?" Omi asked.

"No. Come back when its sunset if you must."

Sunset...

"Ooh, the bell is close! I'm itchy too!" Dojo said, as he scratched himself.

"It's so...beautiful!" Kimiko admired. The scenery was beautiful! The Cherry Blossom trees made pretty shadows, and with the music made it seem heavenly.

The sun was going deeper and deeper into the horizon, and it was getting darker.

Clay held Dojo, and pointed him in directions.

When Clay turned the direction of the crowd, Dojo shook. "That way!" Dojo pointed.

The five rushed through the crowd, only to find themselves in a maze, literally. They were in a shrub maze, with a bunch of trees, making eerie shadows. But the few lanterns lit the way.

"Lasso Boa Boa!" Clay said, and wrapped the lasso on a branch. The others grabbed a hold of the lasso too, and Clay lifted them up on a tree. "Well...where is it?" Clay asked.

"Look! That shiny thing!" Dojo pointed down to a bridge with branches hanging over it. There on a branch was a bell.

"Oh, I got this one!" Raimundo said, and jumped shrub from shrub to the bell.

"Too bad, losers, this is mine!" Said a familiar voice. Jack.

"Oh great, Jack is gonna lose..AGAIN!" Wuya said.

"Jack, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown! My Blade of the Nebula against your..."

"Jetbootsoo."

"Yeah. The game is...get out of the maze."

"I accept."

"GON YE TAMPAI!" The yelled.

The maze turned larger and more menacing. The tree branches were alive!

"Blade of the Nebula!" Raimundo yelled, and blew Jack back.

"Not so fast! Jetbootsoo!" Jack zoomed up higher and higher, and flew straight to the bell.

But Rai thought fast and used the blade to summon a wind that threw Jack at a tree!

"Ha, not so mighty are you?" Raimundo laughed, and ran on.

Jack strangled, then got out. He shot past Rai, and sadly, made it to the bell.

Everything returned to normal.

"Ha, see you losers!" Jack said, and flew off with Wuya.

Back At The Temple; Nighttime

"Don't feel bad, Rai." Kimiko said. "We'll get it back."

"Yeah...I know..." He yawned. "Well, I'm..um..tired, I'm going to bed."

To Jack and Wuya...

"Ring the bell, Jack!" Wuya said.

"Are you sure it won't wake them up?"

"Yes! RING IT!" Jack ringed the bell, and checked in a temple. They were knocked out.

Jack crept into the vault room, stealing most of their Shen Gon Wu. I didn't know how one little showdown can turn things so upside down!

The effects of the bell were fading. Raimundo heard Jack, and stepped outside. "Hey...HEY! Give back that Wu!"

"Make me!" Jack said, and started to run away.

I threw the Mantis Flip Coin at Raimundo. He took it, and ran after Jack.

Jack tripped, and Wu flew everywhere. Rai reached for the one Jack was reaching for. It was the Third Arm Sash.

"Jack, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown. We battle for all the Shen Gon Wu. Your Jetbootsoo against my Mantis Flip Coin. The game is...catch that Owl." Raimundo pointed to a brown owl in a tree."

"I accept."

"GON YE TAMPAI!"

The trees turned bigger and the buildings too.

The Owl flew away.

"Jetbootsoo!" Jack yelled, and flew, trying to catch the owl.

"Mantis Flip Coin!" Rai flipped and jumped off Jack's head, but the owl pecked at him. "Ow!"

I watched on the sidelines. "Maybe he shouldn't use force, but kindness."

Luckily, Rai heard me.

He whistled. "Um...come here, birdy, owl. I won't hurt you."

The owl hesitantly moved to Rai. It landed on his arm.

"NO! JACK YOU NITWIT!" Wuya screamed.

The showdown ended, and everything returned to normal.

I stared at Rai. "Good work. The coin is yours too. Just use Jack to cover for you. Unless, you go to the Heylin side."

"Um...OK." Rai said. "Well, I better get back..."

"One more thing. There was one Wu Jack took, but was thrown somewhere. It wasn't wagered in the showdown. He took it."

"Well, what Wu was it?"

I just stared at him. It was his turn to find out. Because the Reversing Mirror will reveal itself soon.