"Hope you all brought sunblock!" Dojo joked as he spiraled down to an oasis in the middle of a desert. "It's hotter than the sun in these parts!"

"How can a place be hotter than the sun?" Omi questioned innocently.

"It's an exaggeration, Omi," Kimiko explained as Dojo landed and let them off. "He's just saying it's really hot."

"Then why didn't he just say that? The modern language is very confusing."

"So is your archaic lingo, Chrome Dome," Rai teased. "Now where's the Wu and what does it do?"

"They're the Danger Shoes," Kimiko said, pulling their scroll open. "Very obviously they warn the user of any danger."

"Like a sixth sense," Clay guessed.

"Yep. As for where they are, I don't know. It looks like they're jumpy and move around a lot."

"Is that another one of the exaggerations?" Omi asked.

"No, they're literally jumpy. They work whether someone wears them or not, so we basically have to chase them down."

"Perfect," Rai sighed. "We'll let's split up and search. No doubt we're going to run into the Goof Troop along the line."

"There is another team we are facing?" Omi asked as Kimiko and Rai started towards a farther part of the oasis. "Why was I not aware?"

"Uh, Omi," Clay started, leading the little monk to another part. "Rai's bein' sarcastic. I'll explain along the way."

******JP******

Rai and Kimiko pushed through the shrubs surrounding them and found a small lake with small animals drinking confidently.

"Wow, it's so beautiful," Kimiko sighed.

"Yeah, like something out if a magazine," Rai agreed. He grabbed her hand and they drew closer to each other.

"Oh, barf!"

The couple spun around to see Stryker and Jack come out of the trees and sneer at them.

"You two are worse than a bad soap opera!" Jack declared, gripping his stomach to emphasis.

"Now all we need is for one of you to die," Stryker said, pulling out the Eye of Dashi. "Hope neither of you have a twin."

The monks glared at the boys and pulled out their own Wu, commencing the fight. Behind them a pair of red converse (empty) were sitting in the shade, once in a while shifting anxiously. They flew into the air when Jack was thrown at a nearby tree; he yelped as the shoes landed in his lap.

"Hey!" he shouted, grasping them before they could move. "I got the-"

Rai was on him in a second, attempting to wrench the shoes from him. They were glowing gold before they could blink.

"Raimundo," Jack started, struggling to keep hold of the Wu. "I challenge you to a-"

Suddenly one of the shoes slipped out of their hands and kicked both of the boys in the face. They lost control of the other one and flopped on their butts, leaving Kimiko and Stryker to try and grab them. They too were unsuccessful, and in the end they only ended up knocking heads as the Danger Shoes jumped over them and sped off deeper into the forest.

"...Ow..." Jack murmured.

"Okay," Stryker grumbled, turning to the monks and rubbing his head. "We'll tell everyone that they shoot lightning if you two tell everyone they shoot lightning."

"...Deal," Kimiko and Raimundo agreed.

******JP******

"So, what do these Shen Gong Wu things do anyway?" Cinder asked as she and Entropy searched the foliage around the path they were following.

She tugged at the brown bullet belt Entropy had thrown over a red, high collared Japanese tank top; the black pants the other girl had shoved at her were much tighter than she was used to, and she'd spent all of ten minutes trying to push the legs into the shin length, military styled boots. Entropy even tied a long, yellow ribbon around her forehead and wrapped her hair up into two large buns. Her eyes were deeply lined, lacking the streaks Entropy had, but that was fixed by the guns strapped to her hips; they had the same spiral design as Jack's goggles (she doubted she would use them though). As uncomfortable as she was, it felt good to fit into a group for once.

"They're effects differ," Entropy told her, looking up and examining a tree. "I don't know what this one does, but basically you have to look for something strange."

"Oh...so...like sneakers without feet?"

Entropy whipped around and joined Cinder in watching two red converse skipping from one side of the jungle to the other, only five feet in front of them.

"...Yeah, those qualify," Entropy said, inching towards the Wu.

It appeared as if the Wu "spotted" the girls as they neared it, and they quickly jumped up and sped away from them. The girls sprinted after as fast as they could; Entropy was arm's length away when she was suddenly dowsed with freezing water that sent her flying away from them. Cinder skidded to a stop as Clay, Omi and Dojo came onto the path she was on.

"H-Hubba..." Dojo spat out.

"Who in tarnation?" Clay exclaimed at the new face. "Don't tell us Spica got to you too!"

"It appears as if Spicer's seduction powers are more effective than we first thought," Omi said. Cinder cocked an eyebrow at his archaic sounding speech. "New friend, we implore you to join our side instead. Jack Spicer will lead you down a path of evil, deception-"

"And failure," Clay put in.

"Can't forget failure," Dojo agreed.

Before Cinder could respond, Omi was whisked out of sight, only able to let out a short squeak. She and Clay searched the area around them; Clay shouted as something struck him in the back, throwing Dojo onto the ground. He swiveled around to find Entropy crouched at his feet, holding her shin and cringing.

"Dude! You're like a wall!" she complained.

"Yeah, you remember that!" Dojo growled, shaking his fist at her.

"Don't wanna fight ya, young lady," Clay said as Entropy stumbled into her fighting position. "In fact, I'll feel a lot betta if y'all stepped outta the way real nice like."

"Ugh," Entropy complained, drawing the Komori Sword. "You're drawl is giving me a headache! Komori Sword!"

She disappeared from sight, then reappeared and landed a punch on Clay's face. He stumbled back and took a stance, but was plowed back again. He only caught glimpses of Entropy's smirk each time she hit him. Cinder was only able to watch in awe as Entropy moved at inhuman speeds and fought with inhuman strength. She even thought she saw her appearing upside down. Clay thought the same thing, and quickly reached his solution. He stepped back and, just as he thought, Entropy froze only inches from him.

"What the-!" she cried.

"The Komori Sword only works in the shadows, little lady," Clay reminded her. "So you're a little trapped right now."

Entropy's eyes widened as she saw that Clay had stepped into the only spot of sunlight around them. She tried to move again, and again, but to no avail.

Dojo stuck his tongue out at her and stuck his thumbs in his ears, wiggling his fingers tauntingly.

"Crap..." she grumbled.

"Nice seein' ya again, Miss," Clay said, politely tipping his hat. "Hope we meet again on friendlier terms."

"Cinder!" Entropy called as she helplessly watched Clay walk away, Dojo back on his shoulder. "Cinder c'mon, do something!"

"W-What do you want me to do?" Cinder squeaked, her eyes still wide. "I-I can't fight if he's going to use some sort of magic!"

"He won't even touch you! Didn't you hear him, he doesn't fight girls!"

Cinder's eyebrows raised, then her face darkened.

"Sexist pig," she growled, starting after him.

Entropy zipped back to the trunk of the tree and watched her leave.

"That girl's bipolar..." she mumbled.

******JP******

"Hey, Cowboy!"

Clay turned to see the brunette from earlier standing nearby.

"Can we help you?" Dojo asked.

"I wanna fight," Cinder said, a dark glint in her eye.

"Oh, uh," Clay stammered. "I don't take to fightin' girls, Miss. It's the-"

"Why? 'Fraid you'll lose?"

Clay furrowed his brow at how audacious this girl was proving to be, much different from the timid girl he thought she was.

"I ain't afraid ah anythin', Miss. It just ain't right fightin' a girl."

A smirk formed on Cinder's face, and then to Clay's surprise she twisted her body away from him, stretched her right leg forward, and leaned back on her left leg, her knee bent. Her right fist pointed towards Clay and her left hand was open, her fingers pressed together. Dojo's jaw dropped.

"You...know Tai Chi?" Clay asked, stunned.

"My mother taught it to me before she died," Cinder said, loosening her fist so her fingers draped back towards her wrist. "What's the matter? Surprised?"

"Quite a bit. It seems I misjudged you."

Clay shifted into his own Tai Chi stance, a hand at his belt while the other was straight out in front of him; he leaned forward on one leg and straightened his other.

"I still ain't wantin' to fight ya, Miss," he said. "But I figure it'd be a great dishonor if I didn't now."

"Now you're talking."

She zipped forward and snapped her leg up, slapping Clay's hand away; he blocked with the other hand when she brought her kick straight down. She sent similar strikes at him, which he all blocked. Somewhere in the middle of their fighting Dojo was thrown off Clay's shoulder; he got a clear sight of the Danger Shoes.

"Clay!" he shouted. "I hate to break up your date, but-"

"My what?" Clay asked.

Cinder shouted as she landed a kick square in Clay's throat. He gagged as she raced over towards the Wu. They jolted, and then jumped out of her reach.

"Hurry, Clay," she heard Dojo say. "Before the Danger Shoes get away!"

Danger Shoes, she thought as she stared at the shaking sneakers. Guess that makes sense...no...it doesn't make sense that shoes sense danger, but maybe...

She took a tentative step towards them, and they immediately took two steps back.

"...I, uh, I'm not much of a threat..." she stammered, feeling quite stupid. "You don't have to be afraid of me..."

The Wu stopped shaking, and then a bit of the red faded from them. Cinder waited, and then walked up and plucked them from the grass.

"Huh," she marveled.

She tensed as Clay grabbed hold of the sneakers as well, causing them to glow.

"Guess you an' I are gonna fight for these," he told her.

"Uh, say what?"

"Cinder, I challenge ya to a Xiaolin Showdown."