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Chapter 1:
Blurred Lines
6 months later...
"Hannibal Bean-" Omi shot a glare at the scowling Heylin before shooting a glare at the witch who accompanied him."-Wuya-"
"Raimundo and I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" Hannibal bean and Wuya frowned.
"Our Denshi Bunny and Cannon Blaster against your Falcon's Eye and Golden Finger!" Wuya said. Omi nodded before Raimundo spoke up.
"The game is hide and go seek team tag! First team to find and tag the other wins!"
Hannibal smirked at Raimundo's challenge, yellow teeth gleaming under the light from the Shen Gong Wu that the four had their hands on.
"How about we make things interesting?" He said. Raimundo frowned as Omi grew curious.
"A Shen Yi Bu dare." Raimundo and Omi instantly frowned at the suggestion, and Hannibal widened his smirk at their reactions before continuing.
"Add our Shadow Slicer and Woozy Shooter for your Moby Morpher and Kuzusu Atom."
On the sidelines, Kimiko, Clay, and Dojo's eyes widened.
"How did that no good legume know we brought the Moby Morpher and the Kuzusu Atom?" Clay said, glaring at Hannibal Bean.
"I'm going to take a wild guess." Kimiko said, eying the smirking Ying Ying bird that circled above them.
"At any rate," Dojo voiced. "It looks like Hannibal Bean's trying to get his signature Wu back." Dojo frowned. "And he's teamed up with Wuya again to do it. Rai and Omi are going to have to get on their A-game for this one."
"We accept!" Omi and Raimundo said in unison. A bright light encompassed the area, and the scenery began to change as determined looks flashed on Hannibal, Omi, Wuya, and Raimundo's faces. The abandoned Russian cathedral that the Monks were in rapidly expanded, its red walls enlarging and Baroque ceiling heightening as walls erupted from it to form labyrinths. A balcony formed, and Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo appeared on it before the challenging teams below glared fiercely at each other and shouted the signal to begin.
"Gong Yi Tanpai!" Instantly, darkness enshrouded the area, as if someone had flipped a light switch.
"I can't see diddly!" Clay said. Kimiko pulled out a few pairs of glowing green goggles and handed two to Dojo, who promptly slapped a pair on Clay.
"Night vision goggles." Kimiko explained. "Kicking Jack's butt and trashing his place has its perks."
"Plus it's very entertaining." Dojo added.
"Much obliged, Kimiko." Clay said, tipping his hat and smiling at her before eying the scene below.
Below, Omi and Raimundo were staying in their positions, as were Hannibal and Wuya.
"This will likely be a most difficult showdown." Omi voiced in the darkness as he leaned against a wall.
"But do not worry, I shall ultimately win the Pangu Projector!" Raimundo rolled his eyes in the darkness before lifting a Shen Gong Wu.
"We'd better keep the volume down if we don't want to give away our positions Omi."
"Of course! I am a Master of silence."
Raimundo deadpanned at him before pressing his Wu to his eye.
"Falcon's Eye!" He murmured, gazing all around the area to look for Hannibal and Wuya. Once he discovered their hiding place, he removed the Falcon's eye from his eye and tapped Omi's shoulder lightly.
"I have a plan." Raimundo said, being careful to keep his voice down.
Raimundo placed the Falcon's eye in Omi's hands.
"Use the Falcon's eye to see Hannibal and Wuya. I'll draw them out, and when they get close; that's when you'll use the Golden Finger to freeze them. Then, I'll tag them both and we'll win back the Wu they stole plus the Pangu Projector."
Omi blinked. It was a most ingenious plan, but he could have thought of it...
Omi nodded, and Raimundo sprung into action.
In the darkness, Hannibal and Wuya frowned.
"You'd better have a game plan Hannibal; I don't want to come out of this empty-handed." Hannibal Bean frowned.
"This is a most perplexing challenge that our dear Raimundo has chosen." He said.
"Our current Wu are useless in our situation. I have an idea, but we'll have to wait until-
"Hey Bean breath! Old Hag! Let's get this thing over with! I'm ready to whip your sorry butts into next Sunday!" Raimundo's voice called.
Slowly, Hannibal's frown turned into a mischievous grin.
"It appears we've just been given a most wonderful opportunity." He said. Wuya grew a matching grin before directing her attention to where she heard Raimundo's voice.
Omi eyed Hannibal Bean and Wuya through the Falcon's eye before turning to spare a quick glance at Raimundo. The older Xiaolin warrior was making 'come and get it' motions with his hands before he flashed a thumbs up back at Omi. Omi turned his attention back to Hannibal Bean and Wuya, who were quickly heading for Raimundo. With a frown, Omi lifted the golden finger.
"Perhaps I shall tag Hannibal and Wuya." He thought out loud. He looked at the foes one more time, the look on his face growing resolute. First he had to get closer to the two so he could tag them as soon as they were frozen.
He began to run for Hannibal, who was closest to him. Hannibal heard the patter of footsteps and frowned.
So this was Omi and Raimundo's plan, he thought with an evil grin, to draw him and Wuya out so that they'd get tagged. Hannibal smirked and lifted one of his wagered Shen Gong Wu before loudly calling its name.
"Shadow Slicer!" Omi skidded to a halt as he saw multiple Hannibal Beans through his Falcon's eye.
The Hannibals smirked at him before they all ran for Raimundo. Panicking, Omi pointed the Golden Finger at the Hannibal that was closest to Raimundo.
"Golden Finger!" He grinned triumphantly as a golden halo of light glowed around the bean. But his smile dropped from his face once the Hannibal that he thought he froze disappeared in a misty haze to reveal a glowing and unmoving Raimundo.
"That was not supposed to happen." Omi squeaked.
"Denshi Bunny!" An electric Hannibal Bean zipped into Omi, effectively tagging the small monk. Wuya smirked at the scene as the golden light ceased around Raimundo. Raimundo frowned, clenching his teeth at the glowing Hannibal before jumping in the air with a battle cry and striking a blow at the Bean, only to strike a Shadow Slicer Hologram. Raimundo clenched his teeth and turned to look for Hannibal, suddenly coming face to face with a Woozy Shooter holding and very smug-faced Wuya.
"Woozy Shooter." Wuya said, shooting a cloud of purple haze in Raimundo's face. Raimundo stumbled backwards slightly before growing a goofy grin and slurring.
"Sparkles...They're everywhere!" He drawled, stumbling around as Hannibal grew an evil smirk.
"And They're very pretty...and spaaarkly." Wuya smirked at the sight as Hannibal came towards her.
"This is easier than takin' candy from a baby." Hannibal said, rubbing his vine hands together with an evil grin.
"Oh look, a talking Jellybean..." Raimundo slurred doltishly as he wavered behind Hannibal.
"Tag." Hannibal said, backhanding Raimundo with a smack and concluding the Showdown. The area flashed white before it began to revert back to normal. Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo removed their night vision goggles just in time to see all of the Wu wagered and won appear in Hannibal's vine arms.
Hannibal's smirk widened before he turned to Wuya and handed her the Golden Finger, Falcon's Eye, Cannon Blaster, and Pangu Projector.
"Your cut, my dear." Wuya grinned as she accepted her take of the Wu.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Hannibal." She said before exiting the area. Hannibal grinned back at her and shrunk in size, holding a bag with the rest of the Shen Gong Wu as he settled on Ying Ying once she swooped to catch him. He flew out of the abandoned cathedral with an echoing evil chuckle as Clay, Kimiko, Raimundo and Omi looked at his retreating form.
A now sober Raimundo directed a glare at Omi as Clay and Kimiko looked at each other.
"Thanks to you," Raimundo began, his glare intensifying slightly.
"We just lost a boatload of Shen Gong Wu!" Raimundo fumed. "Again!"
Omi directed an indignant look up at him.
"We would not have lost the Shen Gong Wu if it was not for your smack plan!" He retorted.
Raimudo's face reddened.
"If you had actually followed the plan, we'd have our Wu back!" Raimundo pointed a finger in the direction that Hannibal flew off in.
"And Bean Breath wouldn't have two of the most dangerous ones!" Omi's indignant frown deepened.
"Perhaps if you hadn't failed to tag Wuya, we may have won-
"Maybe if you didn't freeze me! That wasn't part of the plan Omi!" Omi huffed at that.
"You need to listen to what I say." Raimundo said, calming down.
"I do not need you to order me in circles for me to succeed Raimundo." Omi said, watching the red tinge in Raimundo's face dissipate.
"And nor do Kimiko and Clay. We are Shoku warriors." Omi continued.
"Still Omi," Clay said. "It wouldn't hurt to let Rai have a little inklin' of what your doin' before goin' off the reserve." Omi frowned before looking at Raimundo, who was looking at him with a disapproving frown and crossed arms.
"Though you have been mighty momma bear with us lately." Clay added, looking at Raimundo. "We know you mean well, but we can handle our own rodeos partner."
The anger evaporated from Raimundo's frown, replaced by something else.
"Just relax Rai." Kimiko said. "You're a great leader and we won a ton of Wu thanks to your ideas." Raimundo grew a small smile at that.
"We're just on a little losin' streak right now, partner." Clay said, tipping his hat up to flash an encouraging blue eye. "I'm sure once we all get back to the temple and get some grub and rest, we'll get back to our zen mode and be tearin' evil a new one by sundown tomorrow."
Dojo jumped off of Clay's shoulder. "I sure hope so. You kids really need to get it back in gear." Dojo said, enlarging as the monks looked at each other. Then the monks hopped on Dojo, and Dojo took to the skies, heading back to the temple.
Back at the temple, the sun had long gone down. Sunset had passed, yet the sky hadn't completely darkened yet, instead maintaining a light foggy glare of light that had begun to slowly delve into the horizon. Dark clouds billowed in the skies, with Blue and Grey nimbus's smoldering together as the first grumbles of thunder were heard echoing throughout the sky. A flash of lightning sparked abruptly, preceding a pounding hail of rain that showered from the dreary clouds.
All of the monks were inside. Save for one, who was hopping from bamboo pole to bamboo pole,
Practicing. Training. Thinking.
Green eyes stared at a black and red sleeve that was drenched by the rain before they hardened and aimed their gaze straight ahead, with thick brown brows creasing above them in concentration.
A boom of thunder sounded, but Raimundo didn't let it distract or faze him. Instead, he flipped to another bamboo pole and immersed himself in his thoughts.
With the forces of evil suddenly gaining traction, he was worried. Not just worried, but frustrated. Conflicted. Anxious.
Doubtful.
After he'd become leader of Clay, Kimiko, and Omi, they'd curb stomped evil until it was cowering in corners. Wuya didn't come near them, Hannibal kept failing at trying to play them, and Chase Young just plain didn't mess with them anymore.
The team was at its best. Their friendship was at its best.
His eyes squinted slightly through the rain as he prepared to jump to another pole.
Then, things changed.
Kimiko, Clay, and the little guy became Shoku Warriors, and they'd come a step closer to mastering their elements together; as a team. But then …
Omi. Somewhere in between kicking evils butt and becoming closer as a team and as family, things just began to fall out of sync with the little dude.
Once Omi became a Shoku Warrior, he began to raise points and ask questions that at first, didn't faze Raimundo. But then Omi would say things that slowly began to cling to him.
Omi would say how since he'd been training his whole life at the temple that he was more qualified to be leader. He started to say how since he'd been more experienced, that he should be the one making decisions.
And once the teams losing streak started, Raimundo found himself thinking that maybe, just maybe,
Omi had a point.
Raimundo knew that Master Fung didn't pick Omi for a reason- and it had to be a good reason for Master Fung not to pick the monk that he personally trained since birth. And slowly, Raimundo found himself wondering what that reason was. Maybe it was the little guys ego. That was the only thing that really stood out to Raimundo.
Another crack of lightning flashed, and Raimundo ignored it, his thoughts continuing on.
As annoying as Omi could be, there were so many good qualities to the little guy. Omi fought with near unmatched skill, he'd been trained in the ways of the Xiaolin and he had the honor of a true warrior. In what way was he not the better choice?
Raimundo figured that he could give himself some more credit. After all, he managed to lead the team and come up with strategies that guided his team to save the world on a weekly basis. Maybe Master Fung chose him because he was pretty smart, reasonably patient, made good choices...
Another flash of lightning, and Raimundo almost flinched as his thoughts flashed back to one of his darkest moments. The worst choice he'd ever made.
Joining Wuya.
As if on cue, the sky darkened as the pounding raindrops hailed down on him more forcefully, further drenching his clothes and hair.
It was a stupid mistake to make, but he'd learned from it. He figured out what was truly important to him. It wasn't money or fame, appreciation or power—it wasn't even all of the things that Wuya had promised him and actually delivered on.
It was his teammates. His friends. His family.
Even though he did the right thing in the end, he'd still nearly ended the world and almost got all of his family killed.
Maybe he wasn't the right choice.
Omi, Clay, Kimiko...they all probably would have been great choices.
Omi was dedicated, skilled, loyal...
Kimiko was smart, tenacious, courageous...
Clay was patient, kind, and humble...
They were all great. Amazing.
So what was it that Master Fung saw in him that he didn't see in the others?
A freezing gust of wind howled by, further chilling Raimundo's soaking wet form.
He knew to trust Master Fung's decisions now. He knew to trust that Master Fung could make the right choices, for whatever his reasons were. But Raimundo found himself frustrated; wondering why Master Fung chose him.
For a moment as he stayed in his stance on a bamboo pole, the concentration on his face faltered.
He knew he was destined to be Dragon of the Wind. But what made him destined to be leader?
"I sense something is troubling you, young monk."
At hearing Master Fung's voice, Raimundo's brows lowered slightly in contemplation. Master Fung stayed at his position by the temple, his knowing blue orbs gazing out into the training fields at his young student as rain hailed heavily.
He could see hesitation in his student. Doubt. Conflict.
"Why pick me?"
Master Fung's brow arched ever so slightly at Raimundo's words.
"I know that you had a reason for choosing me as leader – a good one. But I just..." Raimundo paused.
"Why not Clay or Kimiko...or Omi?"
Silence flooded the air. The rain still splattered and hailed, the wind still howled and cried, and the thunder still grumbled and roared, but the two Xiaolin warriors were silent.
Then, Master Fung spoke, softly breaking the silence with his next puzzling words.
"Do you recall what happened on the day that I assigned you and the others the task of choosing a Shoku quest?"
Raimundo frowned. What did this have to do with his question? But then Raimundo's gaze lowered, his eyes squeezing shut as he tried to remember.
"No...not really. Everything's still kinda foggy." Everything from that day was; Images of him hoarding pigs, a good Chase Young, an evil Master Monk Guan, and a Cosmic clash Showdown floated around in his mind, but he didn't know what to make of them. And the memories themselves had slowly begun to fade.
"Kimiko, Omi, and Clay informed me that a Cosmic Clash Showdown occurred, one in which you simultaneously fought the greatest forces of evil." Master Fung told Raimundo.
"I was told by them that it was you whom ultimately rose to the occasion, and led them to victory." Suddenly, there was a spark in Raimundo's mind as the memories flooded his head. Fighting Chase Young, Wuya, Hannibal Bean, and an evil Master Monk Guan - watching Clay, Kimiko, and Omi fight with everything they had as he made sure that they didn't get stuck with more than they could chew.
Master Fung watched as Raimundo's form changed. His shoulders lost their stiff posture, his head raising slightly as the rain began to lighten.
"It may not seem it," Master Fung began as he watched Raimundo's stance relax. "but this is something that Clay, Kimiko, and especially little Omi know in their hearts:"
Master Fung's eyes took on a glint of passion.
"Leader of the Xiaolin dragons is not a title that I simply gave you Raimundo. It is a title that you earned."
Raimundo grew a small smile, his eyes brightening as Master Fung's words sunk in.
His moment of enlightenment was cut short when a loud boom was heard. He turned his head to look at he source of the sound before seeing debris flying everywhere on the north side of the temple. Eyes hardening, he propelled himself off of his bamboo pole to fly to the north side of the temple as Master Fung looked on with a content smile.
Raimundo landed in a stance in the middle of Clay, Kimiko, and Omi, and smirked as he eyed the cause of the ruckus.
Jack's Jackbot army was just past the entrance of the temple, lined up like a well coordinated marching band as they aimed lasers and sharp metallic limbs at the monks.
"Feast your eyes on my new and improved Jackbots!" Jack said, buzzing in front of his army on his helipack.
Clay frowned, Raimundo and Omi raised a brow, and Kimiko just grew an annoyed look before lighting her hands with her element.
"Don't mean to offend Spicer, but they look jus' like your old and improved Jackbots."
"And we're gonna cream them just like the old ones too." Kimiko added. Jack just smirked before pulling out a random remote and pressing the large red button it had.
On cue, the sound of shifting and scraping metal was heard as the Jackbots slowly merged with each other, cranking and molding until the masses of Jackbots became four, giant and menacing looking robots.
"That's where you're wrong, losers!" Jack's evil grin spread wider. "These Bots are going to turn you into mincemeat. Let's see the mighty Shoku Warriors try and take down these bad babies." Jack pointed a condescending finger at the monks before nodding his head back at the four giant Jackbots.
"Jack giants, annihilate them!" Lasers the size of tractor trailers pointed at the Monks within seconds of the order.
Omi's eyes narrowed at them before he threw a side glance to Raimundo, who gave an affirmative nod.
"Xiaolin Nimbus Formation!" The monks all shouted in unison, sliding into formation as their elemental glows surrounded them.
"Shoku Mars, Fire!" Kmiko shouted, erupting from the formation in a blaze of scorching flames before spinning like a top in the air and shooting hails of fire that blew up one robot and sent another tumbling backwards.
"Shoku Neptune, Water!" Jack's eyes popped out of his head as a tidal wave descended from the sky and crashed into one of the Jackbots that Kimiko damaged, plunging it to the ground with an explosion of shorted circuits and metal pieces.
"Shoku Astro, Wind!" Raimundo shot himself in the air and whirled into a roundhouse kick that sent powerful gusts of wind that sliced through the remaining two robots limbs. Then, he raised his arms and shouted,
"Wind!" With a howling cry, bursts of wind shot the Jackbots high in the air.
"Shoku Jupiter, Earth!" Clay shouted, plunging his foot down with a near deafening stomp that sent a giant chunk of the ground shooting up through the remaining airborne Jackbots. A fiery explosion ensued that sent Jackbot parts raining to the ground below. Jack watched the mangled debris fall, his evil grin now gone as he futilely held a tiny umbrella to shield himself from the dropping disembodied pieces of his boasted creations.
"No fair..." Jack whimpered, his gaze rooted on the destruction the monks caused.
"I-I wanna redo!"
Clay cracked his stone encased knuckles with an enthusiastic grin.
"Some other time..." Jack squeaked, backing up slightly before whirling around and running in the opposite direction as he screamed his trademark scream.
The monks watched as Jack scampered away from the temple.
"If this is the best the forces of evil have to offer," Clay said, tipping his hat as he watched Jack trip over a broken Jackbot part with another girly scream.
"Then I'm gonna be sleepin' more soundly than a Texas armadillo from here on out." Kimiko dispersed the fire from her hands.
"Yeah, that wasn't even a workout."
Omi frowned.
"Whilst I do see that Jack is becoming even more pathetic than he usually is-
"Which is really saying a lot." Raimundo interjected.
"He could still become a credible threat."
Raimundo, Clay, and Kimiko looked at Jack tripping over more Jackbot parts and yelping before they looked at Omi incredulously.
Then, Omi broke out into a wide grin.
"I am merely Jaking you, my friends." They breathed a sigh before Omi puffed his chest out.
"With a Shoku warrior as skilled as me on our team, Jack Spicer stands no chance against us!"
Three indignantly bloated heads glared at Omi before he shrank and chuckled nervously.
"Eh heh...I meant to say that Jack Spicer stands no chance against us...equally skilled Shoku Warriors?"
Raimundo, Clay, and Kimiko calmed down before Raimundo eyed the darkened sky.
"It's getting a little late, guys. Might be time for some shuteye." Clay let out a deep yawn at Raimundo's suggestion.
"Yeah. I'm more tired than an after hours racehorse."
Raimundo stretched his arms over his head and yawned too.
"We'll clean up Jack's litter tomorrow."
Later that night, snoring filled the dark temple hallways as the monks slept peacefully. Kimiko was carefully tucked in, her hair splayed across her sleeping mat as soft snoring escaped her lips. Clay was almost a complete contrast to this, snoring loudly as he turned over and buried his messy yellow hair in his pillow. Omi had attempted (and somehow succeeded) at sleeping on the ceiling, and was in his usual upside-down position, as silent as the night. Raimundo snored somewhat heavily as he clutched Ninja Fred against his cheek, pulling his sheets up to his chin as he buried his cheek further into his stuffed bear.
The feeling in the air was calm, serene even.
A light draft blew by, shuffling the monks' curtains lightly. The disturbance only caused Clay to turn over again and increase the decibels of his snoring, whilst Kimiko only lightly murmured something in her sleep as Omi's face remained stoic, still in his meditation-like sleeping position on his ceiling. Raimundo stirred slightly before awakening, sitting up and letting Ninja Fred fall to his lap. He glanced at the shuffling curtains, the presumed reason for his interrupted sleep, before yawning lightly.
"Strange." He mused tiredly before pulling his sheet up and preparing to resume his sleep. "I'm usually a heavy sleeper..." He yawned again and plopped back down on his mat to fall back asleep before his eyes shot open and he sat back up.
He sensed something. Something off. He knew he didn't exactly have Omi's tiger instincts, but he'd been honing his, and he knew there was definitely something or someone here.
A black blur flashed by his cubicle, confirming his suspicions before he grabbed his blade of the Nebula from his bedside and took off down the temple halls.
Outside, the full moon shone brightly in the sky as the storm clouds from earlier in the day were in their final stages of clearing. Light breezes of wind chilled the air slightly, shifting blades of grass that lined the temple pagoda's whilst whistling through the otherwise calm night.
The calmness was broken when Raimundo skidded outside, the Blade of the Nebula firmly gripped in his hands as he cast his alert gaze out into the night in search for an intruder.
Eyes scanning the area, he frowned.
It was empty.
There was no sign of an intruder. All his eyes picked up was the usual scene of the temple at night.
A few lit lanterns lined some of the pagoda's to provide light to the areas that the moonlight couldn't reach, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see some temple monks emerging from late night meditation, but he paid no heed to them. Instead, he concentrated on the looming feeling in the back of his mind that kept telling him that there was something here.
His eyes failed to notice the pair of yellow eyes that glowed above a tall temple pagoda, watching him from under the moonlight.
As he continued darting his alert gaze over the courtyard, he could feel the presence more prominently. That looming feeling he had was starting to grow stronger; the feeling that something was here, and that that something was undoubtedly evil.
The feeling was almost crushing, and he found himself holding his breath as he momentarily wondered if this was how Omi felt when he used his tiger instincts to sense evil. A drop of sweat slid down his face as he gripped his blade of the Nebula harder, momentarily wishing that he'd woken the others up for backup on whatever evil he was about to face.
The presence loomed closer, and the feeling began to wash over him in waves. He wasn't holding his breath now so much as he was constricted by the toxicity of the venomous aura, and as it gripped him more tightly, he knew that whatever evil that was here was getting close, and was probably just moments away from revealing itself.
Barely seconds later, a black and bronze blur flashed from above. Then, a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows, his eyes ceasing their inhuman yellow glow as the moonlight encompassed his features to overtake the shadows.
"Hello, Raimundo." Chase Young greeted smoothly, the ominous undertone in his voice ever present as he stood before Raimundo.
"What are you doing here?" Raimundo demanded, pushing whatever anxiety he had to the back of his mind as he gripped his Blade of the Nebula.
"A little overconfident, aren't we? I can see the fear in you radiating in waves." He said. Raimundo's scowl deepened at that.
"But there's no need to be alarmed." Chase said, hardly easing Raimundo's anxiety. He had no idea why Chase was here, but whatever reason he decided to show his scaly butt, it couldn't be good. Raimundo sharpened his stance, doing his best to look more intimidating as he tried to figure out why Chase was here, but Chase's next words only had Raimundo's mind in confusion.
"I've merely come for a simple...visit."
Chase's eyes flashed to the approaching group of temple monks, and Raimundo carefully followed the Heylin warrior's line of sight, his eyes widening as Chase's intentions became loud and clear.
Chase vanished with a hazy blur before reappearing in front of the temple monks and bringing down an arm blazing with dark green energy for an attack.
"Wind!"
Raimundo flashed in front Chase Young with a gust of wind, his eyes directing a fierce glare at Chase Young as he held back Chase's attack with the blade of his Wudai Weapon. Without waiting for another strike from Chase, Raimundo quickly called on the full power of his Wudai weapon.
"Blade of the Nebula!"
The blue weapon flashed in a white light, transforming into a pair of wind nunchucks in the blink of an eye, and Chase's eyes narrowed as the tornado that swirled between the weapons handles began to damage his armor. The Heylin warrior back-flipped a fair distance away before Raimundo started a powerful offensive.
"Shoku Astro, Wind!" With a whip of his nunchaku, Raimundo sent a twister raging at Chase, intent on taking down the armored Heylin warrior.
Chase Young simply smirked.
When the wind attack closed the distance, barreling from mere feet away towards Chase, Raimundo witnessed something he'd thought impossible.
Before the attack could strike, Chase Young grabbed his wind attack, morphing it into some sort of dark green energy and shooting it back at him.
With no time to react, Raimundo was shot back crashing through a temple Pagoda.
The temple monks eyes widened as they witnessed the attack.
"Chase Young!" One of them gasped. Another Monk frowned at the scene. "We must sound the temple alarm!"
The first monk whirled around and sprinted towards the alarm bells. He'd managed to travel about two feet before he was stopped in his tracks by a green-energy wielding Chase Young. He took a few horrified steps backwards before yelping in fear when Chase raised a glowing hand that flared with energy for an attack.
"Tempest Fist, WIND!" The monk barely had time to blink when a fist composed entirely of howling wind shot past him and seemingly into Chase, also managing to hurl through a pagoda and explode it into splinters and rubble.
The monk looked to see who his rescuer was when he saw Raimundo in a firm fighting stance, his eyes rooted on the area where he'd assumed he sent Chase sprawling. Raimundo frowned, knowing the attack didn't hit its target and inwardly growing frustrated at the situation. Chase Young attacking like this didn't make any sense at all, but this situation could be more acceptably handled if Clay, Kimiko, or Omi had showed up already for some backup. There was no way they couldn't hear this ruckus going on.
Back inside the Temple, The dots on an upside down Omi's head flared, and his eyes opened.
"My Tiger Instincts sense that something is on!"
A crash sounded, and Omi agilely dropped from the ceiling and shot out of his Cubicle to investigate.
"Did you guys hear that?" Kimiko said, stepping out of her cubicle and shifting into a stance.
Omi nodded seriously at her, and Clay stepped out of his cubicle and tipped his hat.
"Sounds like trouble," Clay said, his demeanor quickly growing less tired and more serious. "With a heapin' sidin' of evil." Another series of crashes sounded, and the three wasted no time in sprinting for the temple courtyard, oblivious of the yellow glow that began to encompass their forms.
Looking at one of the random Temple monks he'd just saved, Raimundo began to take the first steps in alleviating his frustration and gave the monk instructions.
"Sound the alarm and wake the others up; I'll hold off Scaly Butt." The monk nodded at Raimundo's instructions before his eyes widened like saucers. Out of the corner of his eye, Raimundo caught a glimpse of dark green energy and instantly sprang back into fighting mode.
"WIND!" He shouted, whipping out his Nunchaku and sending a thundering blast of Wind to counter the attack. The wind whipped away the green energy to reveal Chase Young standing mere meters away from Raimundo, still in the eye of the storm of Raimundo's attack, and visibly unfazed by it as a pointed, lingering smirk incised his features. Raimundo grit his teeth and prepared to send another attack Chase's way before Chase reached out an arm and grabbed his Wind again.
But this time, instead of turning dark green, Raimundo's wind attack disappeared instantly. The Blade of The Nebula appeared in Chase's hands, and Raimundo barely had time for a confused 'huh' before Chase suddenly flashed in front of him and sent him flying through a half dozen Temple pagodas.
Deciding quickly not to let Chase get away with stealing his Wudai Weapon, he shot up from the remains of a destroyed pagoda and through a ceiling to the nights skies, jetting off back in Chase's direction before frowning as he looked down on the scene below.
The Temple monks were crowded in the center of the courtyard, cowering like a family of bunnies in a wolf's den as Chase stalked up to them.
Raimundo wondered why the monks hadn't hightailed it out of here already before he saw the hoard of Junglecats that surrounded them. Eye's hardening, Raimundo quickly shot to the ground below, landing in front of the temple monks and dropping into a swift sweep kick to get rid of the jungle cats. Instead of sprawling backwards like Raimundo had expected, the Junglecats merely dispersed in the wind.
Holograms. He realized, suddenly growing even more alert.
Before he even had the chance to pull his concentration away from what he now realized to be blatant distraction, a pair of yellow glows blurred by him, and he heard the distinct sound of a weapon hitting flesh.
Eyes widening, he looked back and realized that Chase Young had just taken down one of the Temple monks, and was speedily moving to attack the remaining temple monks.
Gritting his teeth in anger, Raimundo whipped around towards Chase, letting out a battle cry of his element to send a howling wind onslaught at Chase. The attack braced closer to Chase, the distance closing in from yards to feet, to inches to centimeters - but at the last second, Chase dodged it easily, disappearing in a flash.
Then, the sound of more metallic slashes rang through the air, and the temple monks remaining dropped like flies, quickly collapsing to the ground one by one as black and gold blurs flashed by them.
Worried, Raimundo looked at the knocked out elders before another flash pulled his attention away from them. Whipping around, Raimundo glared at a cool and collected Chase Young, who stood meters away.
Swept with a wave of rage at the Heylin warrior, Raimundo took a stance before calling on his element.
"WIND!" Raimundo slammed his hands together, and a raging torrent of air screeched through the nights atmosphere, tearing for Chase like a bullet train.
Eyes narrowing, Chase shot a hand out nanoseconds before the wind could touch him, and a dark green flood of energy instantly shot from his palm, easily engulfing Raimundo's element as it rushed for the Wind Warrior.
Lacking the time to dodge such a massive blast and caught completely off guard, Raimundo brought up his arms in a defensive position in front of his face, and the energy blast flooded full force into him. The green energy completely enshrouded Raimundo from sight, its darkness flooding for what seemed like minutes.
Until, finally, it rushed by him and dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.
Raimundo blinked. He'd expected to have been blasted through a few temple walls, but instead, the energy had merely given him a weird, warm feeling.
Looking down at his hands, he noticed a faint yellow glow that had begun to dissipate, and a familiar black and red sleeve. Then, a clang was heard, and Raimundo snapped back to attention, remembering that he still had a certain Heylin warrior to deal with.
Looking up, his eyes widened at the empty space where Chase once was. The unwelcome visitor had vanished, almost as mysteriously and quickly as he'd appeared.
Before Raimundo even had time to comprehend where the armored warrior had gone off to, the temple alert lanterns each blared blindingly, switching on one by one with a distinct clapping noise.
Master Fung, Omi, Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo each rushed out of the temple, and they all froze once they saw the fallen temple monks that littered the courtyard. Clay instinctively covered Omi's eyes with his hat, and Kimiko's mouth hung open slightly, her eyes widening as they scanned the scene, Dojo's eyes bloated and nearly escaped his head as Master Fung's face paled to an extent not seen since the Mala Mala Jong incident, aged blue orbs widening and almost draining in color as he paled as if he'd seen a ghost. Other Temple monks quickly erupted from the temple, each checking on their fallen brothers.
"Wha..." the appalled Master breathed in shock, stammering.
"What happened?"
One of the injured temple monks groaned weakly at Master Fung's words as Raimundo lowered his arms from shielding his face and turned around to answer Master Fung's question.
"It was Raimundo..." The injured temple monk croaked, eyelids drooping. "He attacked us."