High in the air were a group of four individuals with a simple plan.
Jack Spicer, evil boy genius, would take command over his Jack-Bots from the sky via his hover pack. This would not only allow him to keep eyes on things from above, but would be keeping everyone up to date on any incoming enemy forces. If need be, Jack would be permitted to reach ground level and engage in combat once all of the Jack-Bots were either destroyed or used to blow up various parts of the temple.
Wuya, being the most important part of the plan, would be the one to use her Heylin magics to not only track the location of the Shen Gong Wu, but would use the Glove of Jisaku to attract the stored items and run out of the temple. Then, if Jack could grab her to lift her into the air, she would use his hidden Reversing Mirror to catapult the captured items across the lands. If the situation called for it, she would be allowed to simply start launching them after leaving the building.
As for Scanty, Kneesocks, and himself, the three would play keep away with the Xiaolin monks. Their roles were to keep them away from Wuya for as long as possible, taking any Shen Gong Wu they had on them if possible, and cause as much chaos as possible. Possibly the most important role, seeing as any damage they could inflict on the monks would give Jack and Wuya more time to collect the items 'fairly', or something ridiculous.
'I still don't believe that the items will respond better if naturally found instead of being taken. I understand the whole battle thing when two or more people touch the item at the same time, but what is to stop someone from attacking immediately after the battle to just take it then?' Brief shook his head and finished the last of his ration bar. He looked at the clock on his PKE Meter, 11:50 P.M. noticing that they were five minutes until they reached their destination.
"Attention everyone," Jack's voice called out from the intercom, "based on the Jack-Bot that is surveying the temple ahead, most of the monks are asleep. The few that are guarding the base are old timers, and it seems that the dragon is taking a bath."
"Never knew your cousin would be a creep peeking on his enemies while in the bath and sleeping. Such a perv." Scanty whispered with a smirk on her face. Kneesocks chuckled as she straightened her, well, kneesocks.
"I HEARD THAT!" Jack roared over the intercom. "Also, might I add, my Jack-Bots are equipped with thermal sensing capabilities, making them perfect guards for any budget. Feel free to talk to me after the operation to order some for your own nefarious needs!"
"Gotta say he is rather good at seeing an opportunity to present business deals. A family lesson I take?" Kneesocks asked him.
"Yeah, every connected family have similar lesson plans to keep each heir on the same playing field. I'm sure you will be meeting more of my family over the coming months."
"Oh?" Scanty looked over at him curiously. "Do you expect us to bail you out of a jam every time you meet a member of your family?" Insult aside, Brief merely shrugged his shoulders.
"I thought it would be nice to spend some quality time with you two. Not to mention give you a purpose more than simply trying, and failing, to beat the Anarchy sisters. Last I checked, your squabbles is starting to cost the mayor some points on public support." A small gasp from the two sisters made him hold back a smirk. Daten City was very open about the Angels and what good and bad they did for the city. The mayor, on the other hand, kept on failing to 'prevent and fix' the Ghost situations, making it difficult for him to maintain public support. A difficulty established mostly by the Daemon sisters and their failed schemes.
"Thank you in being kind enough to think of us and offer us something to spend time on."
"Time and your money of course." Scanty added to her sister's words. Rather than reply, Brief looked out the window of the jet, noticing the blue tile rooftops with curved, yellow beams giving an antique vibe. Perhaps it would be easier to throw all of the available Jack-Bots down to destroy the buildings before ransacking everything?
'No no, this isn't about me after all.' Brief looked over to Wuya, who filed away at her already sharp nails with some minor use of Heylin magic moving the metal file back and forth. 'This is more for Jack and Wuya to get an established win. A win that will motivate them to become better and, hopefully, start moving Wuya from her old-fashioned ways and to move her to the modern takeover style.' The pilot door opened, revealing Jack with his yellow and red spiral goggles over his eyes.
"Since we are over our destination I'll be jumping out of the jet first to start establishing Jack-Bot barrage on the north and south sides of the temple. I'll leave the center untouched to allow you four to get to the Wu before I order more Jack-Bots to follow the plan. Lets give the monks hell!" With that, Jack quickly walked to the emergency door and opened it. A roar of wind suddenly came into the jet, making it hard to hear anything for a moment.
Well, anything except for one sentence...
"JACK-BOTS SQUAD A, ATTACK AS PLANNED!" The roar of bullets smashing through brick and soil became quickly apparent. Much to Brief's amusement, the Daemon sisters seemed to be enjoying the sudden sounds of chaos. Bells became smashed as shouting could be heard from below. As if in unison, Brief, Wuya, Scanty, and Kneesocks walked to the opened door and gave a nod.
"Certainly a flare for dramatics doesn't he?" Scanty stated with a grin.
"Yes sister, but his boyish charm is certainly cute with how determined he is to establish his ruuruus~!"
"Less admiring my apprentice and more sticking to the plan ladies!" With that Wuya jumped out of the jet with green Heylin magic coiled around her hands.
"I was not admiring that human pet!"
"Sister, wait for me!" As both sisters jumped after each other, Brief took a breath, gripped the straps of his PKE Meter, fastened a pair of goggles over his eyes, and dived straight down. The sight of plenty of Jack-Bots, Gun-Bots to be specific, bringing down hellfire upon the outer walls of the temple while Blade Jack-Bots kept the weapon wielding elder monks away from grouping together was a sight to see. He noticed Jack staying near the tallest building on the temple with a hand on his ear. 'Providing constant orders to his Jack-Bots.' Brief, upon noticing that he was reaching the side of the tower, released a parachute from the back of his PKE.
With honed skills and well timed placement, Brief landed his feet and his left hand on the coarse bricks, sliding down the building. He released the parachute before making contact with the ground, and felt something tickle the edge of his senses.
"What in tarnation!" Brief grabbed the straps to the parachute, spreading it wide enough to scoop whoever just appeared below him, and slammed them into the building. When Brief landed on the ground and prepared to slam the parachute to the ground behind him, a pair of white hands ripped the back of the parachute, jumping away from him. This allowed him to see a tall Caucasian teen with short, blond hair, who wore a brown cowboy hat. The red robe was tied with a black sash, and wore some loose white slacks with black shoes.
"Well look at what escaped my trap. Clay right?" The cowboy gave a slow nod. "Alright, I'm Brief."
"Uh, pleased to make your acquai-" Rather than letting him finish speaking, Brief took it as an opportunity to crouch low and sweep his legs at the cowboy. Not expecting the first strike, Clay fell to the ground and could not stop the ginger from quickly throwing a few smoke bombs to hide his escape. As he ran away from Jack's observation point, Brief was preparing to use his PKE meter to find either the Daemon sisters or Wuya when a wave of condensed wind sent him into a wall. Impact aside, he quickly dropped down and rolled away from a tan teenager with short brown hair and wore the same uniform as Clay.
"When did Jack sucker more people to do his dirty work?" Brief launched a kick to knock away the punch his opponent sent at him. When said opponent flinched at the pain, Brief used his legs to push himself up and used his PKE to suck up some random debris. When he was able to right himself on the ground, Brief turned to his opponent and shook his head.
"Jack did not sucker anyone to help him out. Its what family does for each other. Help. Well, that and me hiring two mercenaries of course." Brief hoped that he could hide his PKE tube behind his back to suck up more debris and distract his opponent to get the drop on him. "So what's your name again. Randy right?" The teen shook his head and pinched his nose.
"Did Jack seriously call me that? Did he really forget my name. I mean, even Wuya knows my name! My name is Raimundo, the Dragon of Wind! Anyway, seriously, he got his family involved with his evil schemes now. Is your whole family evil?"
"Its complicated. To sum it up, we are heirs to powerful legacies and Jack wants to, hmm, expand his legacy on the global scale instead of keeping it agricultural."
"So what are you, wanting a piece of the pie huh?"
"Not at all. I'm an heir of my own after all." Brief felt the humming of his PKE stop. He kept his face from changing expression, but he felt happy about being able to counter. "But while he might want a slice of global pie, all I want is the CRUST!" With that, Brief launched the debris he collected at Raimundo, burying him under broken stones and wood. The shocked cry of his opponent did nothing to stop Brief from running away as fast as he could.
"Seismic Kick Earth!" The ground split under Brief, releasing small bursts of air that made Brief off balance. He turned to see Clay helping Raimundo out of the pile of debris and quickly left before either of them realized that Brief was still near them. The sounds of a fresh explosion from the east side caught his attention. Had Jack ordered a new attack without notifying anyone? Right as he was about to activate the ear piece to talk to his cousin, the blaze of green Heylin magic making the building answered his question.
When Brief ran to the building, chaotic would have been a nice way to put the scenery before him. Wuya wore the brown glove with a comically large red magnet with said arm stretched straight up to the sky. As various items attached themselves to her Shen Gong Wu, Scanty and Kneesocks were being attacked by a small bald young man and a girl wearing her black hair in pigtails.
"I thought you two knew how to fight, not be a tease to make me think whether or not you will let them attack me or not!"
"Would be a lot easier to keep them off you if we weren't fighting a cheese colored bowling ball and an angry fire chicken throwing her babies at us!"
"This would be so much easier if Wuya wasn't using the Glove of Jisaku to attract every Shen Gong Wu in the area! Omi, got any ideas?" Omi, if Brief understood who was who, turned to his ally and rubbed his chin.
"I don't know Kimiko. Maybe we should show Wuya that her attraction is too strong for her good. But how?" For some reason Omi began to rub his head. "Am I really colored like the dairy product?
"You are colored like the sun Omi, not like cheese. Don't listen to their smack talk Omi. Now together! Wudai Mars Fire!" A small barrage of fire balls shot out of Kimiko's hands.
"Wudai Neptune Water!" Similar to Kimiko's attack, Omi released several ice spikes that, due to Wuya's Shen Gong Wu, had them hurrying towards her arm. Thankfully, with Brief standing from the side, raised the tube of his PKE and turned on the suction function, making the attacks pause in the air for a moment before becoming funneled into his PKE. "What, has Raimundo joined the Heylin yet again? What is this, Sign Post?"
"Dude," Brief looked above to see Raimundo and Clay jumping behind their fellow monks, "I think you are talking about Seinfeld. And really, why would I join Wuya AGAIN?" The little bald monk had the decency to look away while scratching his face.
"I mean, like a broken disc playing the same song?"
"You mean a broken record?" At this point, Brief decided to flick the switch on his PKE, forcing the now blazing hot stream of water back at the monks. As the four screamed and separated, Brief decided to make his presence known by walking between the Daemon sisters, yet standing in front of Wuya to protect her if needed.
"Sorry to be late to the party. Hopefully my late arrival came to be of some use?" Kneesocks fixed her glasses back in place before glancing at his direction. The small smile and subtle nod was the most appreciation she would tell him.
"Four on three is not exactly the best of odds."
"Can you really count the cheese ball as a full person? Probably more like three and a half. Plus, water attacks? What is he going to do. Give me a well deserved shower after fighting in these boonies?" This seemed to make Omi angry and pointed a Scanty.
"How dare you call our home ponies?"
"Dude," Raimundo bent down and shook his head, "she said boonies, as in country slums. Not a farm animal. Gotta clean those ears little man." Omi nodded his head, pulling out a notepad and pencil from his robe to write something down. The two items were suddenly grabbed by Raimundo and thrown to the side. "Not the time Omi! So who gets who? I'm calling dibs on Ghostbuster."
"I'll take Wuya down for a throw around the barn." Clay said while rotating his shoulders.
"I'll take the one who keeps on calling me, the wonderful Omi, a dairy product!"
"Which leaves me the one with glasses." Kimiko nodded. The four suddenly got into strange poses, glowing a color associated with their primary element, and seemed to channel said elements around their hands for an attack.
"GOT A PROBLEM GUYS!" Everyone, Brief included, looked up to see Jack flying away from a large forty foot green dragon spewing small, yet rapid fire balls at his cousin. There were several Jack-Bots and Gun-Bots trying to distract the large beast, yet it seemed to only have its sights on Jack. Brief took a quick second to press his right hand on an item he wanted to save for later; however, desperate times called for desperate measures.
"Jack, come down now! The dragon won't hurt its allies! Scattershot the monks!" Without a second thought Jack did a backflip around the dragon's head, immediately coming downwards while the Jack-Bots slammed themselves into the dragon's face to distract it. The few surviving Gun-Bots pointed their gatling barrels at the monks and released a barrage of laser blasts, making them flip away from the area.
"Oh no you don't!" The dragon roared as it twirled the Jack-Bots into the ground, descending like lightning towards their group with its mouth glowing red. Brief pressed his left index finger on the ear piece when he saw Jack a few feet away from him.
"Hand me the Wu." Brief whispered. Brief was glad that Jack did not give his hand away with a nod or a thumbs up, instead using the momentum of the Daemon sisters moving away so he could fly past to whip his trench coat like a bat. Quickly grabbing the mirror, Brief waited for the dragon to get as close as possible...
Thirty feet, flames escaped the dragon's lips...
Twenty feet, its lips parted, revealing glowing red teeth...
Thirteen feet, its mouth opened wide, flames dancing up its throat...
Brief threw the talisman he had been saving into the dragon's opening mouth, watching as the green, Heylin magic within began to burn with life.
"Reversing Mirror!" The dragon's opening mouth suddenly slammed shut, making its fire attack and the Heylin talisman clash within the dragon. The sound of explosions were muffled by the dragon's body. It suddenly lost its ability to fly, crashing through several buildings before ruble and clouds of dust hid the beast.
"DOJO!" The four monks cried out. A small grunt and a flare of Heylin magic made Brief glance at Wuya. Her forehead was drenched with sweat and the dark marks around her face seemed to deepen and glow bright green.
"Its gonna be now or never." With a nod Brief tossed the mirror to Jack, who quickly wrapped his arms around Wuya and flew up towards the clouds.
"Guys they're getting away!" Raimundo shouted, prompting Brief to point his PKE tube at the monks and propelled surrounding debris at them. As the four separated, he saw Scanty launched herself at Omi with speed that seemed to surprise the small monk.
"Woah! You're fast as a rabbit!"
"At least I'm not as small as one!" Scanty's kick was met by Omi's hands, who suddenly grabbed the stretched limb and spun in a circle before throwing her back towards her sister. Kneesocks, thankfully, stretched her arm out and used the momentum to grab her sister and spun in a tornado of red. Without warning the two separated, though Kneesocks was now Omi's opponent, leaving Scanty to go for Kimiko.
The sound of crumbling stone made Brief skip to his right, avoiding an angry Clay breaking through a partial wall. Raimundo jumped from behind Clay, clapping his hands together and forcing Brief to stagger back.
"Your little leaf blower isn't enough to match my wind man!"
"I'm pretty sure you just have some bad indigestion." Clay ran at him with his hands covered in hard, white stone. Punch after punch, Brief swerved side to side, avoiding the blows but knew that he was being cornered. When it seemed like he was about to find his back to a wall, he rolled around Clay's left arm as he struck with his right, pointing his PKE tube at Clay's face and sent a burst of air straight at his face.
"Augh!" Clay suddenly smacked himself with his rock covered hands, knocking him straight to the ground. A quick glance told Brief that the cowboy was knocked out. Now, it was only him and Raimundo.
"GLOVE OF JISAKU!"
"REVERSING MIRROR!" Suddenly, the clouds above the temple parted, revealing the shimmering pulse of the Reversing Mirror reflecting the magnetic polarity from the Glove of Jisaku. Shen Gong Wu went in various directions like fireworks shooting across the horizon. Most went away like comets or falling stars, their radiance disappearing quickly. As each item went to parts unknown, a golden shimmer caught Brief's attention. It, unlike every other Shen Gong Wu, went straight down in front of him.
Oh dear.
"Wudai Star Wind!" A fist made of condensed air shot towards Brief faster than he expected. He kicked the Wu up into the air, rolling to the side and watched as Raimundo flew up in the air towards the ascending object. With a flick of the PKE tube, Brief started the suction on the PKE, making the Wu fall towards the ground and, in turn, made Raimundo miss his chance to grab the object. "Oh no you don't!" Letting the Wu fall into his hands, Brief held on tight and ran away. Loud impacts could be heard behind him, most likely from wind attacks missing their mark, and went towards the combat between the Daemon sisters and the other monks.
'Hopefully being near his friends will keep him from using any further wide spread attacks.' Brief noticed a flash of fire headed towards him and tucked himself into a ball and rolled away. Within seconds he realized that the ground suddenly became ice, losing his momentum and fell with the Wu bouncing away. With the palms of his hands pressed on the ground, Brief propelled himself like a penguin, sliding on his belly to grab on to one of the golden talons of the Wu. The small form of Omi jumped on top of the Wu at the last second of him grabbing the item, enacting a bright, yellow glow from the item.
"Ally of Jack Spicer, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" Brief tried to pull the Wu towards him, to yank it away from the tiny monk instead of doing...whatever this was. Yet, no matter how hard he pulled, he could neither let go or move the item away. He even managed to stand on his feet and shook the Wu and Omi around with no success.
"What kind of cheese are you made of to, ugh, make this thing suddenly sticky?" Omi glared at him and stomped his feet on the ground.
"For the last time I am not made of cheese! Do you accept the challenge or do you forfeit, therefore revoking any claim on this Shen Gong Wu today!"
"You have to accept the challenge Brief!" Brief looked up to see Jack descending with Wuya, who looked like she needed a long rest, a good meal, and a spa date. The evil boy genius pointed at the Wu the two were holding with wide eyes. "If the monks get that Wu, then they will be much able to recover much faster. This operation will be mostly for naught if they GET THAT WU!"
"Alright," Brief replied with a roll of his eyes. "I get it. Very important artifact for the good guys. Means it would be much better in my hands then. Gotcha." With a shrug of his shoulders, Brief nodded his head and turned back to Omi. "Well you heard me. I accept your challenge, but forgive me for being a bit in the dark here. First time and all." Suddenly Omi lost his anger and smiled with his eyes closed.
"Oh yes, very wise of you to ask Omi, the wise and all knowing, for assistance for your first Xiaolin Showdown." Omi reached into his robe and pulled out a blue orb that must of been half of his head. "I wager my Orb of Tornami against-"
"Wait, I do not have a Wu. How does this even work in this case?" The glare Omi sent his way was, after a moment to think about it, was deserved. He did interrupt the little guy after all. "My bad."
"Its fine. I can pick any Wu in your possession, including your allies, and I'm picking your Glove of Jisaku."
"Wait, what if I said that they weren't my allies?"
"Nope. You came together, worked together, therefore, you are allies. Three pods from a pea. Goldfish in a can. Twix in a-"
"Okay I get it. No need to over work that brain of yours."
"But wait!" Omi poked his nose with a grin. "I'm calling a Shen Yi Bu Dare, wagering my Mantis Flip Coin for your Reversing Mirror! Shall you accept this challenge cousin of villainy!?"
"I'm not doing this based solely on your terms." Brief replied with a shake of his head. It irritated him that Omi was trying to direct practically every direction of this challenge so far. "I'll accept if this Xialoin Showdown is three on three. The Daemon sisters will be on my team. Which of your monk friends will you pick?" Omi turned his head and looked at the remaining monks. Kimiko was waving a fan on Clay's face while Raimundo used the cowboy's own hat as a fan. When Raimundo realized that Omi was looking at them, he shook his head and used his left hand to point his thumb down. With a small sigh, Omi turned back to him.
"Why should I agree to that? You, who are a complete and utter novice in the complex art of participating in a Xiaolin Showdown!" Brief pulled out his cell phone, went straight for his bank account, and showed the little guy his account balance.
"I'll not only pay for the entire repair of the temple should you win, but I'll bring it to the modern era. Filled to the brim with the latest gadgets, work out materials, high definition televisions. The works!" Brief looked straight at the other two monks. Their eyes wide and mouths wide open in shock. Seeing their reactions, Brief added the final nail to the coffin. "I'll even make sure that there is built in WIFI. It will never go away. Never drop a bar. The clearest quality with the fastest speeds."
"Omi you better take the deal! I can catch up on my tv novellas. I can help you catch back up with the twenty first century with our lingo! We can finally breach the lingo barrier!"
"Do you realize how many video games require an online subscription? Constant WIFI access? Long updates? Take the deal Omi!" Both monks had stars in their eyes. The temptation of modern luxury giving him the exact reactions he wanted. Now, he needed to see if the new pressure would either mold Omi into an accepting role or a conflicting one.
"I have no choice but to pick Kimiko and Raimundo for my team!"
"Then I will pick the challenge. Last man standing!"
Jack Spicer was many things. A genius. Evil to the core. Afraid of many, many things. Too many things if he was honest. But one of the things he was not was a confrontational man.
He, like many scientists of the world, preferred to see things from the side. Behind protective glass or from a separate facility. To gather information while being completely safe or to delay confrontation until a proper response could be given. Why fight on his own when his legions of loyal Jack-Bots could do most of the work for him? Why walk on the ground if he could fly most of the time? He, Jack Spicer, was a coward in many ways. He did not want to be a coward any more.
He wanted to be more like Brief.
He realized this was becoming a recurring thought over the past few hours since his cousin came to visit. He knew what to say. How to act. When to time a response. Every little action he did was either perfect or damn near it.
As the effects of the Xiaolin Showdown began, Jack realized that the ruins of the temple began to surround everyone as a large, square-framed structure. The roof trim became a ledge for him and Wuya to stand on while the six fighters stood across from each other. The three monks wore their ninja-styled, deep blue Wudai uniforms. Nothing new to note.
When he looked over at his cousin's side of the field, he was surprised to see a black void appear. Within it he could see the Daemon sisters performing some sort of dance, stripping off certain articles of clothes as they moved and swayed. He noticed their features looking sharper, their bodies bulged with muscles. Their business casual clothes became skimpy black leather tube tops with very few differences between the two. But the skin. So much skin was showing. Their tall legs, firm hips, bouncy breasts, and their purple wings and matching tail really hammered in that Brief truly knew Demons. Real Demons. Demons who were twirling their socks (Kneesocks) or a pair of black thongs (Scanty) between their fingers as they took the shapes of black and yellow blurs. What these blurs would be, Jack did not know.
His cousin, on the other hand, suddenly wore a white cassock with the trim of his clothes being green. His orange hair, poofy and curled forward, brushed itself back. The front of his cassock had the emblem of a large, black skeletal key that shimmered with energy. When he flicked his hands over his crotch, a weird blob appeared in his hands, squirming until it formed into a long staff made of metal.
"Is that a crosier?" Wuya whistled with squinted eyes. "I haven't seen that in quite the few thousand years. Looks to be made with your PKE too." Upon further, careful observation, she was right. A green smiley face was located near the curved portion of the crosier. Speaking of the curved portion, the curved part seemed to be glowing the same shimmer as the key emblem on his chest. When Brief opened his eyes, the Glove of Jisaku and the Reversing Mirror appeared in his left hand.
"W-W-What are those things doing here!" Jack turned to his left, expecting to see Clay waking up. Much to his surprise it was Dojo, looking terrible and very much injured if the blood dribbling from his mouth meant anything. Clay sat up behind the dragon trying to look at the battlefield beneath them.
"Woah." Clay let out a whistle. "That's a lot of skin. So much skin would make my mother blush." Dojo turned back to Clay and grabbed the cowboy's face and brought his little reptile self up to the monk.
"Do you not realize what they are facing! Oh this is terrible! Simply a catastrophe!"
"Dude, you are talking so much but aren't saying anything." Jack popped off. He was annoyed at how the dragon was talking. One of those people were his cousin after all.
"Oh like the two of you don't know!" Dojo pointed a finger at him and Wuya. It was, at that moment, that the dragon realized that the two were practically next to them and curled himself on top of Clay's hat. "Uhh, they are with you right?"
"That's correct little dragon." Wuya replied. She placed her left hand on a hip while using the right hand to point a finger at Dojo's snout. "Now start talking else I wear you around my waist like the Third-Arm Sash." Dojo raised his two little arms and straightened up.
"Okay okay! Sheesh!" The dragon pointed at the Daemon sisters. "See those two? Those red skinned ladies are true Demons from hell. Their purple wings and tails are a sign of true royalty. A-K-A, they are very powerful enemies. Master class torturers. Heartless creatures from the pits who want nothing but chaos and disorder!"
"I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT WE CERTAINLY CARE ABOUT THE RUURUU AND ORDER AMONG THIS PATHETIC, UNRULY WORLD!"
"Yeah, don't believe you." Dojo waved his hand. After sticking his tongue out at the demons, he pointed at his cousin with wide eyes. "But its him that is the biggest problem. He is a descendant of Hell's Monkey." The words were stressed out of the dragon's mouth. A bitter look on his face before he continued to speak. "A very powerful bloodline since the dawn of time, these descendants are the only beings capable of entering Heaven or Hell without the assistance of Shen Gong Wu or other dangerous methods. These descendants are the only people capable of causing Armageddon."
"I'm all down but nine on something Dojo." Clay stayed, fixing his cowboy hat as he looked over at Brief. "He doesn't look evil. He looks pretty good, you know, like nice. Well dressed even. Determined not, you know, evil or cruel." Jack couldn't help but to nod his head at Clay's observation. Brief certainly was not evil. Manipulative? Sure. That was a staple lesson in becoming an heir of any of the Foundations. But crazy enough to cause Armageddon?
"Even Grand Master Dashi fought one of Hell's Monkey from opening a Gate of Hell. Wuya would know. After all, she helped him fight against the descendant." Jack turned to her, hoping that was not the case. A hope that Dojo was wrong and that he mistook her for another vicious practitioner of Heylin. Much to his dismay she nodded her head.
"I do recall fighting against a Hell's Monkey for trying to open a Gate during a celebration for myself. Dashi decided to invite himself against my fight and helped himself to the action. Of course," Wuya waved a hand through her hair with a scoff. "I could have handled the Hell's Monkey myself without help."
"But you defeated him with Dashi, or did you crack-up your part in defeating the descendant all by yourself?" When everyone looked at Clay with a look of confusion he sighed and pinched his nose. "Crack-up is slang for to gloat." Wuya looked over to the side. Jack noticed that her eyes landed on his cousin and tightened his eyes. Why focus on him like that?
"...No." After a few moments she gripped the side of her dress. When she turned back to Clay her expression was one of annoyance. "Even with Dashi taking cheap pot shots-"
"I recall it was YOU, Wuya, taking the cheap shots and low blows!" Dojo interrupted.
"Nether of us could defeat the descendant. He was crafty, summoning monsters that you call Ghosts by transforming those caught in our battle before the villagers could flee. Even with Dashi's Shen Gong Wu and my Heylin magic..." Wuya looked back at Brief with a curious expression on her face. Her eyes focused on the emblem on his front. "Neither of us could figure out how to beat a Hell's Monkey. For how could you beat one with the blessing of Heaven and the favor of Hell to call upon their assistance?"
Before anyone could say a word, the Daemon sisters opened their eyes. Their weapons, in that moment, changed into a pair of long, black and gold guns in Scanty's hands and a pair of long scythes for Kneesocks. Both took a moment to look at Brief. Their eyes trailed his body and shock flashed on their faces for but a moment.
"Oh this most certainly got interesting wouldn't you say dear Kneesocks?"
"Oh yes it will be." Much to Jack's surprise this did not come from said sister. No, this was spoken by Kimiko, who looked annoyed at the sisters while rubbing her hands. Based on the hand prints on Omi and Raimundo's faces, she must have slapped them out of their focus of the Daemon sister's 'transformation'. "How could you wear something so trashy. So, so-"
"Mature?" Scanty began.
"Intense?" Kneesocks continued with glee.
"Delightful?"
"Liberating?"
"More like disgusting." Kimiko finally finished. This caused for the Daemon sisters to flip her the bird, making Jack, and the remaining Xiaolin allies behind him gasp at the sight.
"Kimiko is not entirely wrong. Young women such as yourselves should not be wearing such revealing skin. This will only irritate your already sunburned skin. Maybe you should wear an umbrella over your heads?" Omi suggested. Both sisters looked at him with an expression that, seeing it on the other side, made Jack realize that he wore that dumb-founded expression often when talking with the smallest monk. The sudden smack of Raimundo hitting his forehead only supported how he was feeling.
"Didn't you hear Dojo from above dude. Those are real Demons. Like eat your soul and make you suffer for all eternity kind." Omi focused his sights on Brief, who glanced over at the weapon in his hands and ran a quick hand over his back. Upon looking over his outfit and what looked to be the groove where his hands were to be on his crosier, he nodded to himself.
"Just roll with it for now." Though no words were actually said, Jack read the words off his cousin's lips. Just what was going on through his cousin's head, Jack wondered. Was this status something he knew about? Did he truly know his cousin at all?
Was he a problem he would have to face in his bid for world domination?
"So how do we begin this little contest of yours? Do we declare some intense monologue about how good will defeat evil, us defeating you monks, or something ridiculous?"
"Nope," Omi stated. "We all say Gong Yi Tanpai before fighting til only one group remains."
"I bet if Panty or Stocking were here..." Scanty began with a silly grin on her face. She suddenly placed her hands on her hips and made a silly pose. "I bet she would say something like 'Bang Ti Pussy' with how sex addicted she is." Kneesocks nodded before slouching her stance.
"Stocking would say 'Bonbon in-thy Tummy' like the lazy fat cow she is." A scoff from behind made Jack turn to see Dojo shaking his tiny head to the side. Some blood dripped out his mouth, making the dragon look more irritated.
"I'm gonna start this before I find myself dying from this vulgar behavior." Dojo slid to the front of their viewing platform and coughed into a tiny hand. "Actually, in accordance to the rules, only a single person has to say the line. Which will be me so you can get on with this. GONG YI TANPAI!"
No one moved. The two teams stared at each other. Jack noticed that Raimundo kept on glancing between his cousin and the Daemon sisters. Was he that antsy for a fight? Omi stared directly at Brief. Most likely to hope to defeat the 'leader' and take glory from his friends. Kimiko, similarly to Omi, stared at Scanty with an annoyed look. Would she steep down to a cat fight with the green haired sister?
Yet with Brief and the Daemon sisters a silent conversation was spoken. Their eyes flickered from side to side. This was mostly done with the sisters, yet every now and again Briefers would roll his eyes, making it well known that he dismissed the idea. After a minute of nothing happening, Omi threw something at Kimiko.
"Wudai Neptune Water, Orb of Tornami!" Out of the orb launched an avalanche of fluffy snow heading straight for Brief and the Daemon sisters. Jack had expected to use his PKE to suck in the snow, allowing for the Daemon sisters to strike from the sides. What he didn't expect was for Scanty to raise her two guns, shooting a pair of bullets that, upon contact with the avalanche, made most of the snow disperse as the bullets went towards the little monk.
"What the!" Suddenly Kneesocks appeared in front of the small monk, landing a kick to his chin that sent him straight to the wall behind him. She raised her scythes to block two strikes from the other monks, smirking at Kimiko before spinning in a circle. She spun so fast she became a black and yellow tornado with the momentum to start pulling the other two monks towards her.
"Hey, I'm the Wind Master around here you! Wudai Star Wind!" Raimundo clapped his hands, making a burst of hair push him and Kimiko away from Kneesocks. Raimundo used this new freedom to wrap wind around his hands and released a pair of fist-shaped bursts of wind at the Demon. Though the attack struck the tornado, it did not stop Kneesocks' momentum.
"Maybe this will work. "Wudai Mars Fire, Mantis Flip Coin!" Kimiko launched herself in a series of flips around the tornado, catching it aflame as she used the wind current to lift herself above the tornado.
"Oh look!" Dojo said while pointing at the female monk. "She is heading for the eye of the tornado. That's a straight shot at the Demon!" True to his observation, Kimiko ignited her legs in a bright orange flame and went straight down into the eye. Within seconds there was a scream that Jack did not recognize, and the tornado disappeared. Kneesocks was now on the ground with her scythes in a protective X stance to block Kimiko's attack.
"Get away from her!" Scanty released a flurry of bullets towards Kimiko as she ran towards the female monk. Raimundo, who made use of a tornado wrapped around his waist to fly above Kimiko, clapped his hands to create a fist of wind to block the bullets.
Well, it would have blocked had Brief's crosier not been thrown at the oncoming attack, not only stopping it in its tracks, but making it disappear within seconds.
"What!" Brief, not simply happy with that, used the round portion of the crosier to lunge up to Raimundo's chest, grabbing it. "Hey this is a one person flight buddy! Get your own ride!" Raimundo began to fly around the arena in what Jack had to say was impressive acrobatics. Front flips. Back flips. Loops and fast movements that would have made Harry Potter jealous.
"I have a much better ride than this. Better flight attendants too. So let me bring you down a notch!" Brief landed a solid punch on Raimundo's nose. The sudden impact made the monk lose control of his element and started to descend to the ground.
"Orb of Tornami!" A jet of water slammed into Brief, though he held on to Raimundo and made sure to force him under him to take the full effect of not only the water attack, but of the impact of the ground.
"Oh no, Raimundo!" Raimundo's body became enveloped in a burst of wind, forcing both Omi and Brief away from his person. When Raimundo stood up and looked at Jack's cousin, his eyes glowed green for a second.
"Its go time you ginger prick!" Like lightning, Raimundo sped at Brief and slammed a fist at his cousin. His cousin intercepted the strike with an open palm, pulling the monk closer to him and slammed a knee straight to the chest. Not letting up from the strike, Raimundo slammed his head to Brief's chin, knocking him back a few steps with each strike.
"Not bad..." Brief stated. Jack saw that, with each strike from Raimundo, that his cousin was walking back towards a nearby wall. A small grin crept up on his face.
"What in tarnation has you smiling Jack. Your cousin is getting a beating and he is about to be a hair in the butter!"
"Ohohohoh, is he now cowboy?" Jack pointed at the two fighters. "Look again." Right when Brief's back reached the back of the wall, he struck like a snake. Fast, without hesitation, he released Raimundo's fist, using his freed hand to grab the back of Raimundo's head and tilted his own away as he slammed the monk's head straight into the wall. Within seconds of the impact the monk's body went still. Brief let go of Raimundo's head, dusting off his clothes before looking at the monks's fallen form.
"But certainly not enough." Raimundo disappeared in a flash of red light. Jack almost fell into the arena as Raimundo suddenly appeared between him and Clay.
"Well that's one monk down." Wuya remarked with a nod. Jack couldn't help but to glance at Dojo to see what his reply would be. The dragon pulled at one of his scales around his neck and let out a chuckle.
"Kimiko and Omi are more than enough to turn this around!" He said a bit desperately.
'Not exactly the worst odds, but these aren't some simple fellow teenagers I begged or a Jack-Bot I made.' Jack thought with a grin. He watched as Scanty was focusing her bullets at Omi, who kept on matching each bullet with an icicle. This continued for a few minutes until Omi slid his left leg a bit too low and spun around, releasing a tidal wave towards the green Demon.
"Ugh so annoying!" Scanty shouted as she shot a pair of bullets at the wave. The bullets landed their mark, but upon the sudden opening Kimiko appeared.
"Wudai Fire Shield!" Her body became completely encased in fire that slammed into Demon. Jack had expected a scream from the Demon. He really did. What he didn't expect was for Scanty to shoot her hand through the fire and grabbed Kimiko by her throat.
"The fires of hell are not only much hotter than your personal flames, but are of much higher quality. Now then." Scanty lifted Kimiko and held the monk close to herself. A human shield? That was quite terrible. Wicked even! It made Jack feel squeamish about seeing someone he knew in such a predicament. Would he be able to do something like that in the future?
"That no good, rotten Demon would be getting a lambasting from me if I was down there!" Clay shouted. The cowboy's face was quite red as he gripped the balcony so tight it was cracking. Rather than reply to the cowboy, Jack turned his focus back to the fight. Omi was dodging Kneesocks and her scythes, weaving through them like a hummingbird on the move. Scanty would shoot at the monk from time to time, but kept her attention on the limp monk she held hostage.
"Wait." Jack looked at Raimundo, whose unconscious body was still on the balcony behind them. "Normally, if someone in a Xiaolin Showdown is unable to proceed with the match or can no longer move, wouldn't that mean they lose?" Dojo pulled out a book from under one of his scales and flipped through its pages. He eventually stopped on a page and brought the book close to his face.
"From what I can tell, the powers that be can tell that there is still something Kimiko can do. Whether she recognizes it or not is up to her. Then there is Scanty, who is currently playing with her opponent instead of taking her out or letting her go to continue the match. If she does nothing, it might result in a forced loss on her part, resulting in a double knockout."
"Augh!" The cry of pain brought Jack's attention back to the fight. He saw Omi grabbed one of Kneesocks's scythes, kicking her in the face before jumping high above the fighters.
"Wudai Neptune Water!" Though Omi's hands seemed blackened, from what Jack did not know, they were still capable of releasing a barrage of icicles straight down on the trio. As Scanty, Kneesocks, and Brief began to dodge the volley of ice, Kimiko managed to land one of her feet on the ground.
"Mantis Flip Coin!" Kimiko choked out, flipping her and Scanty high into the air until they were about to Omi's level. As Kimiko's body glowed red, signaling the end of her participation in the match, she threw the Shen Gong Wu to Omi as he slammed his ice-covered fist into Scanty's head.
"I will not let you down Kimiko!" Not letting up on his assault, Omi grabbed Scanty by her hair and threw her straight into one of the walls. The impact was so strong that the Demon got stuck in the fixture. As Omi descended to the ground, he pointed the Orb of Tornami at her.
"Wudai Neptune Water, Orb of Tornami!" The water that made contact with her froze, leaving her stuck in the wall. Omi, from what Jack could tell, had a small smile on his face that quickly became a wince as he gripped the two Shen Gong Wu tightly.
"He is poisoned." Wuya's voice made Jack widen his eyes and took a closer look at the little monk's face. His hands were slowly becoming black. He touched Kneesocks's scythes like, what, five minutes ago? That was one fast acting poison.
"What kind of poison is that to effect my poor little buddy so quickly!"
"My my Dojo. Can't you tell?" Wuya teased. Jack didn't dare to look away from the fight now. He watched as Omi channeled both Shen Gong Wu to their maximum effects, flipping around the battlefield faster than Kneesocks could keep up with in her tornado state. He launched volley after volley of icicles and ice blocks of various large sizes to keep Brief from getting close to him. "By touching Kneesocks' demonic weapons, he has become infected by the energies of Hell itself. He is fighting a losing battle against pure, sinister corruption at its deadliest. If this doesn't end soon..."
"If this doesn't end soon what?" Clay asked. Omi began to flood the entire battlefield with water, freezing small patches of it as he flipped from place to place. Some of these places would launch trails of icicles that would trail towards either Kneesocks or Brief if they got close enough.
"Well, he will turn into a Ghost of course. A parody of everything he ever stood for."
"Enough." Brief's voice called out. Jack watched as his cousin raised his crosier high above his head by his right hand. As he lowered the crosier, his left hand circled the curved top of his weapon and pointed it towards Omi. Suddenly the monk, who was suspended in the air trying to jump to another wall, was caught mid-jump and was forced towards Brief. Right when the little monk was only a few feet away, Brief used his left hand to reach behind his back. Omi, whose neck was entirely black and had black streaks crawling up his cheeks, let out a cough as he stared at Brief.
"W...Why not use it so much soo...sooner?"
"To prove a point." Brief, whose left hand now wore the Glove of Jisaku, pressed it right above Omi's head. "When I first saw the Shen Gong Wu in an exhibit, I thought they were simply priceless artifacts that my cousin became an advid collector of. When I learned of his intent for world domination through the use of these items, Wuya's interest in making use of these artifacts for whatever she deems necessary, and you monk's desire to collect them to prevent Jack and Wuya from getting their hands on them, I learned something." Brief muttered the name of his Shen Gong Wu, taking the Orb of Tornami and the Mantis Flip Coin from Omi's hands and lowered the monk on the flooded ground. With the crosier above the monk, Jack watched as his cousin pressed the item on Omi's forehead, pulling an inky black substance out through the monk's eyes.
The scream and the disturbing imagery would be something he would never forget.
"Everyone is obsessive over these artifacts. So obsessed that you have neglected your very foundations of what you are past the Shen Gong Wu. Past the elemental abilities you possess. Who is the person that is supposed to be Jack's antithesis?" With a sigh and a shrug of his shoulders, Brief flicked the crosier up into the air, looking as the collected inky substance became absorbed into his weapon. When the substance could no longer be seen, Brief looked down at his fallen opponent and shrugged his shoulders.
"Game over, oh wise one." The blow was struck. Omi landed face down in the watery floor. There was no cheering from him or Wuya as Omi's body became enveloped in the same light as Raimundo and Kimiko. As the world became distorted, flashing in various ominous colors of blacks and reds, (a hint of what to come Jack thought for a second), Jack kept his eyes on his cousin and the Demon sisters, who suddenly stood next to Brief as the world returned back to its current state. All of the wagered Wu were clinging to the Glove of Jisaku. The monks were leaning against one of the fallen walls with Dojo and a beaten Clay their only defense against a any further attacks.
Jack, for the first time in his life, despite this moment being what should have been his happiest, felt like he suffered his biggest defeat.
"Lets go home guys."