This is my first stab at a Xiaolin Showdown fanfiction. It's set after the original series (not Chronicles, although it'll incorporate some things from there). I hope you enjoy it! I don't own Xiaolin Showdown.
The Xiaolin monks were gathered in the temple yard, with Master Fung presiding. He had claimed that they had a new mission now that they were Shoku Warriors.
"Young monks," Master Fung began, "now that you have reached the rank of Shoku Warrior, it is time for you to choose an apprentice."
"Oh, that is most wondrous!" Omi cheered. "I have always wanted my own apprentice!"
"This will not be just your apprentice, Omi," Master Fung chastised gently. "All four of you are to train this newest monk together."
"Uh, actually..." Dojo said hesitantly. "We're missing two elements. There's technically room for two more Xiaolin warriors."
"What? Two new apprentices will be joining the temple!?"
"Hold the phone!" Raimundo said. "What's all this about missing elements? We've got all four!"
"The four elements represented, while all powerful, are not all of the Chinese elements. You see, the Chinese elements include two others—metal and wood."
Clay scratched his head and said, "Pardon me, but aren't those both part of my element? I mean, metal comes from the earth, and..."
"Yes and no," Master Fung continued. "You see, the five elements interact with each other to make up the world in which we live. Generating processes promote development, while overcoming processes control development. The generating interactions are as follows. Wood fuels fire, fire forms earth, earth contains metal, metal carries water, and water feeds wood."
"Hey, wait a minute!" Kimiko said. "You said there are five elements, and I heard most of our elements in there, but what about wind?"
"Wind is not a Chinese element," Omi answered, sounding as smug as ever. "It does make one wonder why Raimundo is not only a Xiaolin Dragon but also our leader. After all, his element is not one of the foundations of the world!"
"Maybe that's why I'm your leader," Raimundo countered. "Because my strength doesn't depend on one of you guys!"
Omi made an irritated sound, but Master Fung cleared his throat, preventing any further bickering. "Dojo is correct in assuming that we would be most powerful if all five of the Chinese elements were combined. Each of these elements draw on each other for strength, and each of these elements has a weakness among the others. Fire melts metal, metal penetrates wood, wood separates earth, earth absorbs water, and water quenches fire. Were the Heylin to train a dragon of wood or metal, we would find ourselves at a disadvantage."
"And, uh... I'm sensing that there are people out there with the potential to become both the Dragon of Wood and the Dragon of Metal," Dojo finished. When Master Fung looked at Dojo, the dragon sweat and said, "Oh, did I forget to mention that? My bad."
Master Fung sighed, massaging his forehead. "Then I suppose, young monks, that you will be choosing two apprentices, not one. Unfortunately, you will have to locate them both. Dojo will assist you."
"How are we supposed to find two new apprentices? I mean, if we were just going with whoever we felt like, that would be easy. But it sounds like you're saying there are certain people we should choose!" Kimiko said.
"Oh, well, that's easy!" said Dojo. "To find the Dragon of Wood, just advertise for a new monk! I'm sure he—or she," he amended at a look from Kimiko, "will come running!"
"Yeah, along with half a dozen other wanna-bes," Raimundo countered. "How will we figure out which one's the right one?"
"Well, uh..." Dojo put a finger to his chin, looking thoughtful. "How do you find the Dragon of Wood..."
The monks all sweat, and Omi asked, "You have no idea, do you?"
"Hey, at least I know that much! Wood's easier than metal, you know! The Dragon of Wood will be the most promising trainee. The Dragon of Metal, on the other hand, wouldn't come here even if you paid him! Metal's a very stubborn element, and, to find the Dragon of Metal and get him to come to the temple, you'll have to prove yourselves!"
"Prove ourselves? How?" Clay asked.
"I am more concerned about why we would need to prove ourselves to our apprentice! We are the most powerful Xiaolin warriors, especially me, so he should be begging us to train him upon broken knees!"
"That's bended knee, Omi," Raimundo corrected. "And I'm with cue-ball! Any would-be warriors need to prove themselves to us, not the other way around."
"Sorry, but that's how it goes. Dragons of metal are known for being hard-headed, stubborn, and unchanging. But, hey, just so you don't have to ask everyone on earth, there are a few other criteria that would help you find the Dragon of Metal."
"Such as?"
"Well, the Dragon of Metal is good with metal, so you'd want to find somebody who's good with technology. And, obviously, they have to be around your age. We can't train a baby, after all."
"So we're looking for somebody stubborn who's good with machines?" Raimundo asked.
Omi thought about it for a moment. Somebody who is stubborn and good with machines... A long-time enemy's voice ran through his head: "Jackbots, attack!" "Jack Spicer's Evil Time Machine!" "I show up at all the battles I'm certain to lose!"
Omi shook his head, trying to clear that bizarre idea from his mind. Hadn't he tried giving Jack a chance to change his evil ways before? The last time I trusted Jack Spicer, he pulled the cotton over my face! He is a most unlikely choice for a Xiaolin Dragon, regardless of how stubborn he is!
"As for how you have to prove yourselves, that's, uh...not very clear? See, it varies from person to person! Past dragons have wanted strength in their teammates, while others have wanted intelligence, compassion, or even cooking skills! Some only worry about what the leader's got going on, and others want the whole team to prove they've got what's needed."
"So in addition to being stubborn, the Dragon of Metal is unpredictable?"
"Hoo-ee, this is going to be tougher than finding a needle in a haystack!"
"Clay's right!" Kimiko said. "How are we going to figure out what they want, even if we do find out who it is?"
"Okay, we can worry about the metal thing later," Raimundo reasoned. "Why don't we start with the one we can actually find? Let's find us a Dragon of Wood!"
"Jack, you've really outdone yourself this time!" Jack told himself, looking at his latest invention, a device that looked like a black and gold wristwatch. "Jack Spicer's Evil Teleporter! Golden Tiger Claws? Who needs 'em!? With this, I can teleport to anywhere in the world with just the push of a button!"
He put it on his wrist and tested it out, entering the coordinates for his kitchen. A moment later, he was standing in front of his refrigerator.
"Sweet! Now I can get to all of the Shen Gong Wu before those Xiaolin losers even leave their temple!" He laughed evilly, opening his refrigerator to get himself a sandwich.
Heading out of his kitchen with his sandwich, he took a bite. "I should really check in with WaveRider13, let him know what's going on."
WaveRider13 was somebody Jack had met in a chat room online. They'd been chatting for about a year now, bonding over their desire to prove people wrong about them. At this point, Jack felt that he and WaveRider13 were pretty close, even though he had found out a couple of months ago that the guy was on the Xiaolin side.
He logged into his computer in his bedroom, checking his chat room to see if there were any messages from WaveRider13.
There was one: "Hey, Darkness Absolute! Hope your day's going better than mine. Omi's running his mouth again."
That was how Jack had found out what side this guy was on. He'd mentioned Omi himself, complaining about Omi always talking trash, and WaveRider13 had asked him how he knew Omi. When Jack said he was an enemy of his, WaveRider13 had replied by saying he knew Omi well because they were both at the Xiaolin temple. That had almost ended this relationship—if WaveRider13 hadn't commented on how annoying Omi was for him, too. Lately they'd been bonding over their irritation with Omi, the youngest of the Xiaolin warriors.
Jack, or Darkness Absolute, as he was known on here, replied, "What did Chrome Dome say this time?"
Apparently WaveRider13 was online because he responded quickly, "He's going on again about how he doesn't think I belong in the temple! Honestly, that guy's so full of himself!"
"Yeah, I know! Hey, maybe you should leave those Xiaolin losers and join the Heylin side!"
"Thanks, but no thanks. It's not worth it. Sure, Omi's a pain sometimes, but he's not that bad. How are things going with you? Any more problems with Wuya?"
Wuya—another reason these two had discovered each other's alliances. Since she was always talking trash about Jack, Jack had mentioned her several times.
"She's been with Chase Young, and, since she got her body back, she hasn't been around much. I actually kind of miss her, you know? I mean, yeah, she was always yelling at me, but I thought we had something!"
"Haha, you sound like you're in love with her!"
"No, I'm not! I just don't like that she ditched me for Chase Young!"
"Okay, now that I get. Nothing sucks worse than being ditched by your team."
"Exactly!"
"Well, as they say, no honor among thieves. Maybe you should leave the Heylin side and become a Xiaolin warrior!"
Jack blinked, reading that message one more time before responding with, "That's a joke, right?"
"Duh! I wouldn't expect the greatest evil of all time to suddenly abandon all hope of world domination to start fighting for good in a bathrobe!"
That line rang familiar—probably because Jack had said it himself before. Well, at least he knew he wasn't the only one who thought those robes were stupid. "Yeah, you got that right! I plan to rule the world, and I can't do that with those Xiaolin losers—uh, no offense."
"None taken. That is, if you don't mind me calling you a Heylin wuss."
"Okay, that's fair. Hey, if you promise not to tell the Xiaolin warriors, I'll tell you about my latest invention!"
"Sure, I promise. Go ahead."
Jack then proceeded to tell WaveRider13 all about his teleporter and how it would make getting the Shen Gong Wu so much easier. WaveRider13 was suitably impressed, more so than Wuya ever was, and Jack felt accomplished yet again. This was why he kept talking to this guy, he remembered. WaveRider13 may be a goody goody Xiaolin monk, but at least he appreciates my genius!
"Glad everything's going so well for you, Darkness Absolute! That teleporter sounds cool. Wish I had one."
"Ha! As if! I'd make one for you...if you weren't on the other side."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's not that cool. Anyway, I should get off here. We're expecting some new monks soon, and I need to go greet them."
New monks, huh? Well, that was an interesting piece of news. "Okay, I guess I'll let you go. Later, WaveRider13."
"Later, Darkness Absolute."
Jack logged off his computer, thinking. New monks at the Xiaolin temple? Would they, maybe, be too distracted to protect the Shen Gong Wu vault?
*Information about the elements came from China Highlights, "China's Five Elements Philosophy - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water."