"C'mon, Snakey, pick up the pace!"

"Forgive me for needing to breathe!" Stryker snapped back as he dodged a large burst of water and leaning against one of the huge of the stalagmites.

He was in the middle of a Xiaolin Showdown with Omi, and unfortunately the little monk had beat him to picking the game. Now he was dodging thousands of geysers as they shot boiling hot water out at him while he searched for a Wu called the Neptune Helmet, which allowed the user to become a walking hurricane. Even though the geysers hadn't hit him yet, Omi had dowsed him multiple times with the Orb of Tornami along the run. He was soaked, agitated, and was being forced to listen to Entropy backseat-Showdown.

"Well breathe quicker!" Entropy cried from the platform she and Jack were elevated on, her purple reptilian eyes flaring. "If you don't that yellow Gremlin's going to nab the Helmet!"

Jack was just sitting on the platform with his head in his hands as he watched Stryker run. He had full faith that the Young boy would do his best, but he also knew that Omi had the advantage with the huge amount of water surrounding them.

"If I wanted your help I'd ask for it!" Stryker roared, glaring at her with similar eyes that were green before picking up the pace. "Jack, do you see-"

"Orb of Tornami!"

A shadow fell over him and he gagged as Omi fell in front of him and drenched Stryker with ice cold water.

"I suggest that you toss out the rag, my friend," Omi offered as Stryker shook out his black and green Mohawk and spit water onto the ground; the little monk had to admit, picking the game "Uncle" had been an ingenious decision on his part, but Stryker was proving to be a stubborn opponent.

"It's throw in the towel, Omi!" Rai cried from the platform he and the other monks were suspended from.

"Don't boss me around," Stryker started, sweeping his leg out at him on the last word; Omi easily jumped up to avoid it. "Until you can talk properly!"

"I think my nagging is working, what do you think?" Entropy whispered to Jack as Stryker kept swinging and missing and Omi kept dodging.

"I think your nagging is just ticking him off, Enny," Jack answered honestly. He could tell Stryker was boiling, he'd never miss that much if he were calm. "Just let him do this. He doesn't need help."

"But I'm trying to tick him off!"

Jack turned and stared at her.

"Why?" he asked.

"'Cause if you mess with the bull, you get the horns," Entropy said, pressing buttons on her wrist cannon. "And let's just say that Strykey becomes a very powerful bull when you tick him off."

Jack yelped and pulled her wrist down before she could aim properly.

"What're you doing?" he squeaked. Stryker was too busy fighting Omi to notice what was going on. "You aimed at Stryker!"

"That's the point, Jackie!" Enny told him. "Stryker needs to get stock-raving mad if we want him to change!"

"Then keep shouting at him, don't kill him!"

"It won't kill him, he'll change before it even hits him!"

"That's a chance we can't take!"

"Why not?"

"'Cause he's our friend! We can't shoot our friend that's the enemy's job!"

"Well he's my cousin so I get to do what I want to him!"

They struggled against each other as the monks watched in bewilderment.

"I can't tell if they're fighting or if Jack's dodging a hug," Rai remarked.

"Well, they're two peas in a whacked out pod," Clay said, shaking his head at them. "So it's probably both."

In the midst of this Omi had lost sight of Stryker after performing his famed Tsunami Strike. It was as if the boy had simply disintegrated.

"Hello?" Omi called out. "Young Stryker? Have you decided to call the relative yet?"

He looked up at Jack and Entropy when he heard them shouting at each other, tilting his head when it appeared they were fighting. Stryker leaned out from the pillar he had hid behind, shaking more water from his hair. He still didn't know how the monks kept missing him change into his snake forms; but then again, they weren't as smart as they thought they were.

"Enny, I mean it!" Jack was shouting; he was tugging on her gauntlet, and if she kept pulling back it would surely pop off. "Even if Stryker does survive your bomb, he's going to be mad at us!"

"You know, I didn't want to have to do this, Jackie," Entropy growled; she kicked him in the gut and pulled her hand out of his grasp as he sank to the floor in pain. "But you're more persistent than you look."

Stryker was almost right behind Omi now, the Eye of Dashi in his hand; whatever Jack and his cousin were arguing about really caught the monk's attention. He'd have to thank them when this was done.

"Stryker!"

He scowled and glanced over at the monks behind him, then straightened when he saw they were making frantic signs at him. They were all shouting at once, so he didn't know what they were saying. He heard Omi yelp, then turned and came face to face with a bunny shaped projectile whizzing straight for him.

The water jumped up in surprise when the bomb finally landed. Smoke flew up from among the waves, covering where Stryker had stood. Omi stood in shock as the waves fell back down and the smoke remained. He'd just barely missed being hit himself, but he didn't know if he could say the same for the Young boy. Entropy was still holding her arm out, pointed at her cousin, and was waiting to see him emerge in a more powerful state. Jack just sat with a hand over his mouth, too stunned that she'd actually shot his friend. If Stryker survived Jack might let him kill her. Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay were statues.

"Um...he changed...right?" Entropy asked sheepishly as she lowered her arm.

Omi crept towards the smoke that was still raised, waving some of it away.

"Y-Young Stryker?" he called. "Please tell me you are not taking a rest in the sand."

"It's called a dirt nap, Pacman."

Omi whipped around to see Stryker behind him, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared up at his cousin. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Entropy frowned.

"You didn't change," she said.

Stryker felt his left eye twitch in anger.

"Uncle," he snarled through grit teeth.

The scene flickered and then returned to it's original state. Omi blinked and tried to look over the Neptune Helmet, the Eye of Dashi, and the Orb of Tornami at Stryker, who was still glaring at his cousin.

"Um...I do not understand..." the little monk stammered.

"Just take your Wu, and go," Stryker ordered, storming over to his team.

Entropy averted her eyes and started kicking a stone on the ground. Jack was rubbing his stomach and glaring at her, although not as sharply as Stryker was.

"I just thought you'd change," Entropy whimpered when Stryker reached them.

"I did," Stryker growled. "If I hadn't, I'd have died, Enny!"

"I thought you'd change into the other one."

"What other..." Stryker paused when he realized what she was talking about, then felt his temper flare more. "I was frustrated, Enny! I've got to much control to be that angry, you know that!"

"You're angry now," Entropy muttered as she pursed her lips. "I was just trying to help."

Stryker started to say something, then bit it back and sighed. Jack gave a weak shrug when he turned to him. He didn't really know what to think of this.

"Just...next time...just think before you do something like that, Entropy," Stryker said as he started for the jet. "And apologize to Jack. You did more damage to him than you did me."

"Sorry Jackie," Entropy apologized quietly.

"Uh, don't worry about it, I guess," Jack answered a bit lamely. "Been through worse, you know?"

Entropy nodded, then they both got into the jet. Jack sent a worried glance Stryker's way when he saw how ragged he looked.

"You sure you're okay?" Jack asked quietly.

Stryker shivered a little, then tried to smile as he nodded. Jack hesitantly started the engine, then processed something and looked back at his friend. Stryker was staring down at the rug in front of his seat, the upper lids of his eyes drooping.

...Were his eyes yellow?