Chase Young sat curled up in the throne room of his hidden palace, currently in his monstrous form, amongst his large pride of jungle cats. His reptilian eyes were wide open, but the immortal Heylin monk was in a meditative state.

He occasionally twitched and writhed, as though he were in pain. An image appeared in his head; a picture of himself, although happy and cheerful. This strange mirror image of his current self was fighting alongside the Xiaolin warriors, the same four monks who were his present enemies. These visions were making Chase uncomfortable.

"Perhaps I have been right about you all along. The good in you may be stronger than you know," said the echoing voice of Omi, the round headed Xiaolin Dragon of water, from one of Chase's true memories.

Chase gave a soft growl in irritation as Wuya, the Heylin witch, gracefully walked into his abode. Several big cats raised their heads in response, but quickly ignored her and resumed resting.

"Chase," she said softly with a smile, as if he was her husband. "You haven't been in your handsome form for quite some time."

With those words, Chase resumed his youthful human form in the blink of an eye, complete with armour. Wuya smile became larger as she thought he was doing her a favour, but her smile faded once she saw his foreboding scowl.

"This isn't my true form," muttered Chase, looking at his hands. "Human bodies are too...vulnerable."

"Nightmares are my specialty," Wuya said slyly. "You've been dreaming about back when you were with Dashi, haven't you?"

Chase sighed, for the first time in a while he looked somewhat concerned. "It's not that. I saw what I could've been if I had perhaps remained at his side. Omi's forays into time travel appear to have had strange effects on my memories."

"That's terrible! Let me get you some soup," Wuya said cheerfully. Chase sighed and almost felt the urge to roll his eyes.

"There are too many forces vying for power. The Xiaolin Dragons are experiencing a time of peace at the moment,' Chase muttered.

"If I haven't sensed a Shen Gong Wu, neither has that annoying lizard," Wuya said with a sneer, "It's been weeks."

"Hannibal Bean lurks in the shadows," Chase said, pacing back and forth with a look of disgust at the thought of the small fiendish genius. "Perhaps it would be best for us to wait for one side to crush the other. Then I would have more time to focus."

Chase immediately reverted back into his reptilian form and curled up once again. Wuya folded her arms with an annoyed grunt, but then a sudden surge of power shot up her spine. Wuya could feel a new Shen Gong Wu revealing itself.

"A Shen Gong Wu! Haven't felt this sensation for a while..." Wuya managed to calm herself down. "It won't be long before Dojo senses it too. Maybe I'll just sneak out ..." she said to herself quietly.

As she made her way to the exit of Chase's throne room, several jungle cats blocked her path, eyeing her cautiously. "I told you that we'd wait until either the monks or the bean fall to one another," Chase hissed, briefly snapping out of his deep meditation. "Then we'll move in and eliminate the victor."

Meanwhile, Omi stood in the centre of the Xiaolin Temple's courtyard, practicing his fighting stance. It was dry, but dark rainclouds blackened the sky as though it was night. Kimiko arrived underneath the veranda and saw the Wudai Warrior of water all by himself.

"There you are!" the Wudai Warrior of fire exclaimed. "Why aren't you inside? We've got the widescreen TV all set up!" Kimiko received no answer. "Dad's letting us be the first to experience Goo Zombies HD Remix!"

Omi ceased his fighting stance reluctantly and turned to face her. "I am sorry Kimiko. You may have educated me in the ways of video gaming during this time of peace, but not even the lure of improved sound quality and high definition visuals can interrupt me in trying not to fail Raimundo." Omi resumed performing various punches and kicks without losing his breath.

"You won't be failing him," Kimiko said cheerfully, trying to lift the spirits of the stern young monk.

There was no use trying to persuade Omi. "As Raimundo's left hand man, it is my duty to hone my skills in defending him and his teammates."

Omi resumed his fighting stance as Kimiko shrugged and returned inside. She had been perturbed by the little monk's behaviour ever since Raimundo had been promoted to leader.

She shook her head and joined Raimundo and Dojo who were sitting on two beanbag chairs in front of the towering television. They were playing a hover car racing game, and it was clear that Dojo had little knowledge of how to play.

"Which car am I again? Left side or right side?" Dojo asked in a panicked sounding tone of voice. He shrieked as his hover car exploded in a dramatic fireball, catapulting the driver's charred skeleton into the air.

The Shoku Warrior of the wind sighed loudly. "It was a bad, bad idea trying to teach you how to be a gamer while you have no flying to do." It seemed Raimundo had been enduring Dojo's fretting for quite a while.

"Hey! I had Goo Zombies HD all set up, and you're playing Rebel Racer Revenge?" Kimiko said to the Xiaolin team leader, sounding slightly let down.

"Yeah…" Raimundo seemed rather dejected and put the game on pause, but Dojo was still shivering and shaking in alarm. "I had…funny feelings playing it. It was a remake of the original Goo Zombies, which I played shortly before I came to the Temple. I guess it was nostalgia getting to me."

Kimiko also realised what Raimundo meant. "Wow, it's been a long time since then."

"Feels like it's been over seven years since you last went on an adventure," said Dojo, managing to recover from his fright. "But it must've been only a few weeks. I think I've lived so long my timekeeping skills aren't so great…"

Clay lumbered into the room, muffling a belch with his hand against his mouth. "And not so long ago the old pantry was full. All this boredom works up a mean appetite."

Raimundo glanced at the Wudai Warrior of earth. "Except for Clay, I think we've all changed a little."

Kimiko smiled. "Yeah, you're team leader now!"

The Brazilian monk sighed softly. "But I don't feel like it. Sure, Master Fung left about a week ago to go see Guan and left me to be the head of the house. Guess its leadership training or something." Raimundo shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes. "But with no adventuring, I have no leading to do. I guess Master Fung'll come back and pile some chores on me to whip me into shape."

With almost supersonic speed, Omi slid into the room. Dojo, finally managing to steady his heart, immediately shrieked again and began convulsing from the water monk's sudden appearance. "I heard something about chores, brave leader! As your left hand man, it is my duty to perform all chores for you!"

"Omi!" yelled Clay. "You've already done all our daily chores! A man's gotta get his own hands dirty sometimes. I sure hope you're not thinking of brushing Raimundo's teeth for him again!" Kimiko was about to say something similar about Omi's behaviour, but was going to leave out the part about the toothbrush fiasco.

"I apologise if I did not clean them thoroughly the last time," Omi said to Raimundo with a bow.

His three fellow warriors were ignoring him and crowding around the shaking Dojo. Kimiko picked up the quaking dragon in her hands. He was very hard to hold onto as she tried to settle him down, but it gradually became clear that his continuing spasms were not triggered by Omi at all.

Dojo was speaking gibberish before the monks could hear any audible words. "A Shen Gong Wu! A Shen Gong Wu-hoo-hoo!"

A smile appeared on the four Xiaolin warriors faces one by one as they exchanged looks. "That shock you gave him must've revitalized his rusty Wu senses!" Kimiko said to Omi.

"I am pleased to be of service, brave leader," Omi cheerfully said with another bow, making Raimundo roll his eyes.

Dojo regained his composure once again, wiping the froth from his mouth that had formed while he had been shaking. "It's been active for quite some time! Someone might've got to it early!" he spluttered.

"Jack Spicer's only got the Monkey Staff, and he's proven how challenging he can be with that!" Kimiko said jokingly.

"Hannibal somehow ended up with Mala Mala Jong," Raimundo added, sounding stern. "We better be prepared."

Raimundo, Clay and Kimiko were about to retrieve the Shen Gong Wu they wanted to take with them from the Temple vault, but Omi stepped in front of them carrying a large pile of the magical items to present to his comrades. "No need to be breaking a sweat; I have retrieved the five Shen Gong Wu to use on our mission! I hope they appease you, leader Raimundo."

Omi bowed and dropped the pile of Shen Gong Wu in front of the three friends. Raimundo put his hand to his forehead and let out a heavy sigh. Kimiko searched through the pile of artefacts for him; it looked like Omi had chosen the objects without thinking at all. She could tell with a glance that there were six objects, not five, and amongst them were the Gills of Hamachi, a Shen Gong Wu with a very specific purpose.

It was not long before all four of them were riding on Dojo's back, high above the clouds. Kimiko held the mystic scroll of the Shen Gong Wu for her friends to see, and immediately the pictures came to life before their eyes.

"I should've taken a flyer's refresher course," mumbled Dojo. "It's been a long time since I was last airborne. You kids better hold on tight while I try to remember the dragon's flying code!"

The animated picture on the scroll displayed the silhouette of a man shattering a lion statue with a karate chop, before placing one shard of the statue into a small cauldron at his feet. The pot began to shake and bubble, growing larger in size. The man then lifted out an exact replica of the statue he had destroyed.

"The Zaijian Cauldron can regenerate inanimate objects from even their smallest fragments," Kimiko read aloud.

Dojo began to lower in altitude, spiralling downwards gracefully until he came to rest by a glistening lake. The region was sheltered by a towering mountain range, and nearby was a small area of woodland.

"After we've snagged the Wu let's go to the nearest steakhouse and get some grub," Clay said as Dojo shrank back down to his diminutive size and hopped onto his hat.

Using Dojo like a compass, the party came to the shores of the quiet lake and began searching for the mystical item. Omi was running about frantically, distracting everyone from their investigations. "Rest your eyes, fellow warriors! Allow me to be the one who finds the Zaijian Cauldron!"

Kimiko managed to spy the object submerged in the shallow water while Omi was distracted by boasting. The cauldron was no larger than a person's head, and was an unremarkable dull bronze colour. Its front was shaped in the image of a serene face.

Kimiko whistled to her friends and held the Zaijian Cauldron above her head. "Party's over! Let's go back and celebrate!" she said cheerfully. Omi seemed disappointed that Kimiko had seen the Shen Gong Wu and not him, but he covered his displeasure with a huge grin and thumbs up when the Kimiko made eye contact.

Raimundo ran up to Kimiko to congratulate her, but his elation was cut short by a strange sensation in the air which only his heightened Shoku senses could feel. He turned his gaze to the woodland and placed the cauldron under his arm. Where Raimundo's eyes went, his Kimiko's eyes followed, followed by the rest of their companions. There was a large column of smoke billowing up from the forest, much too large to be a normal campfire.

"Xiaolin Warriors; follow me!" Raimundo yelled, sensing great danger.

He led the charge as his friends followed, but it did not take long for Omi to speed ahead. In a clearing was a burning trailer, flames erupting from the open windows. The warriors exchanged looks of shock, fearing the possibility of someone being trapped inside.

"Orb of Tornami; Ice!" yelled Omi, seconds before Raimundo was going to order Kimiko to control the flames.

The flames were stopped, but the trailer was encased in ice formations as Omi sprayed a freezing stream from his blue spherical Shen Gong Wu. It appeared as though the flames themselves had been frozen. Raimundo panicked, scowling at Omi's brash actions but then gazed fearfully at the wreckage, fearing for the potential occupants of the trailer.

He attempted to sprint towards the door, but Clay arrived there first. "Seismic Kick!" yelled the cowboy as he shattered the door to pieces with his almighty boot. The impact seemed to shake the entire area of the woods, causing the ice to shatter like glass.

Raimundo dashed inside, but he found no one except the charred interior of the trailer. The wind warrior walked out slowly, glaring at Clay and Omi.

"Nice going guys…" Raimundo was cut off as an ear piercing explosion rang out, followed in quick succession by several others.

It appeared that mines had been set off around them, circling them with thick smoke. There was silence for a few seconds before the party heard a loud grunt from Clay as a shadowy assailant barged into him, sending the Wudai Warrior of earth tumbling into the smoke.

The attacker quickly faded from view too, just as a second foe took its place. The lithe figure tossed miniature explosives at Kimiko's feet, who performed a dodge roll while hurling her own burning projectiles from the Arrow Sparrow. However, Kimiko was sent flying when Clay was hurled towards her from the shadows, winding the both of them in the process.

Omi commenced battle with a third assailant, allowing Raimundo to have a clear view of the mysterious foe. His eyes widened; the humanoid figure was dressed in black ninja attire, but its head unmistakably belonged to a Jack-Bot.

Raimundo was assaulted seconds later by a fourth Jack-Bot ninja, but Raimundo had predicted that there would be an opponent for him to face. As Raimundo blocked its strikes it quickly became apparent that it was almost mirroring his moves.

"Everyone; swap enemies! They match our moves!" Raimundo yelled.

But no one listened. His fellow teammates were showing signs of tiring while the robots remained in peak physical condition, predicting their opponent's moves. Omi's powerful Shimo Staff was avoided, as was Clay's Big Bang Meteorang. However; one of the many boomerangs that Clay's weapon had split into faulted in its trajectory and struck Raimundo's opponent. The Jack-Bot ninja's head lay at its feet as sparks were flying from its neck.

Raimundo saw his chance and rushed towards Clay's opponent, catching the robot off guard with his Blade of the Nebula. Clay was quick to get the gist of Raimundo's actions, targeting Kimiko's opponent with his Lasso Boa-Boa. He swung the helpless robot like a wrecking ball, shattering Omi's assailant to pieces.

"Jack Spicer's ambush fails yet again!" Omi gloated, surveying the shattered remains of the Jack-Bots. "His machines are as useless as they have always been!"

"No, no, no!" Raimundo growled in disgust. "Can't you see? Master Fung's away! The Temple's unguarded! Everything was a distraction!"

"Calm down, Rai!" Kimiko said.

"Shoku Astro; Wind!" Raimundo clenched his jaw and pointed his palms at the ground. With a burst of energy that almost knocked his friends off their feet, Raimundo shot into the sky. Kimiko crossed her arms as she saw Raimundo disappear into the sky. It was clear she was not impressed with his bossiness.

The rest of the monks were dumbfounded, but Dojo quickly hopped off Clay's hat and enlarged himself so the three friends left behind could ride on him. "How embarrassing, that kid takes off better than me!"

Dojo managed to catch up with the airborne Shoku Warrior, but it looked like Raimundo's powers were failing him. Raimundo gently rested upon the green dragon's back as they continued to fly in the direction of the temple.

A flash of lightning lit up the dark sky above the Xiaolin Temple. Dojo allowed the four heroes to leap off his back, but Raimundo's legs seemed like noodles. It seemed he was not ready to use his Shoku powers for flight just yet, and the experience had been taxing on his body. The Temple grounds lay before them, eerily silent.

"Jack's here, I know it!" panted Raimundo as he walked into the entrance cautiously.

Followed closely by the rest of the monks, the four of them were nearly knocked off their feet in surprise by a great flash of light. Their initial feelings of panic were soon replaced by puzzlement as it appeared that nothing had occurred after the blaze.

Kimiko could hear someone muttering just out of sight. "I thought you knew the routine! Let's start over!"

The Temple grounds became eerily silent once more, with the monks standing in a fighting stance. After a few seconds, there was an identical bright flash of light, followed by a series of fireworks. In a display of acrobatics, four colourful figures arranged themselves in a formation not unlike performers at a circus. Their entrance was accompanied by loud and kitschy electronic rock number.

"Extensively experienced in wreaking havoc and destruction; Spicer Blue!" proclaimed the largest, extremely rotund stranger, clad head to toe in an ill fitting grey and blue suit of lightweight armour.

"Big time evildoer and crusher of tiny Xiaolin warriors; Spicer Green!" yelled a broad shouldered stranger stood beside the first one, dressed in a green suit of armour that was similar.

A female figure in yellow armour listlessly mirrored the pose of the green clad stranger on the opposite side of the blue clad stranger. "Something, something; Spicer Yellow," she said in a bored tone.

Finally a red armoured figure jumped upon the shoulders of the blue stranger with his arms held high in the air. "Evil boy genius; Spicer Red has arrived!"

The troupe of garish assailants except yellow, now fully assembled, shouted out to the heavens. "The strongest villains in history; Spicer Force Four!"

The Xiaolin Warriors, initially standing dumbfounded, began to chuckle to themselves until it gradually became laughter once they realized who the strangers were. "I thought you'd come up with something better after duping us back there with those ninja robots!" Kimiko exclaimed.

Jack Spicer, the red clad stranger, opened the visor on his helmet to reveal his scowling face. Vlad, dressed in green, did the same. "Why aren't Xiaolin Warriors frightened of well practiced evil acrobatics?" he asked the evil team leader in his thick Russian accent.

"They would've been, if someone had put some effort into their role call!" Jack fumed, pointing an accusing finger at the stranger in yellow. "You're either Spicer Yellow or Ashley, Ashley!"

The woman in yellow, Katnappé, angrily opened her visor and hissed at him. "Let's just ditch the role call!"

The four heroes readied their fighting stances with grins on their faces, feeling good to be battling Jack Spicer. "We were getting most bored with having nothing to do!" yelled Omi. "Thank you for providing amusement for us, just like the old good days!"

The blue villain, Tubbimura, grew weary of Jack standing on his shoulders and slouched in exhaustion, causing the bright red boy genius to fall to the ground. After glaring at his overweight crony, Jack clambered onto his feet with an evil grin on his face. "You're right, Omi, this is providing a lot of amusement!"

Jack Spicer clapped his hands together and waited for a reaction. The ground began to shake as a towering figured loomed in the background, lumbering towards the group. From its abnormal size and the idiotic laughter that filled the air, the monks immediately recognised it was the Cyclops.

Cyclops was wearing a black suit of armour that was similar to the Spicer Force Four, except it was huge enough to fit him. The jolly red giant opened his visor and showed them all a buffoonish grin. Giving the four Xiaolin Warriors a little wave of his hand, Cyclops held out a massive sack that was visibly crammed with Shen Gong Wu raided from the Temple's vault.

Omi's glee turned into anger quickly. "Giant monster, return the Shen Gong Wu to our vault at once, or you shall regret being born with such a large and easy to target backside!"

"I was planning to reveal the fifth member, Spicer Black, in the event that the public may grow bored of seeing just the four of us. Introducing a new member to a team always revitalizes people's interest!" Jack struck a dramatic pose once again. "Consider this a sneak preview!"

Raimundo stepped forward, looking both calm and cunning. He was holding the Zaijian Cauldron in front of him, seemingly offering it to Jack Spicer. Kimiko tried holding Raimundo back, mouthing some words silently to him, telling him not to get cocky. Raimundo did not pay attention to her, letting his arm slide from her hands. The villain looked as confused as Raimundo's comrades. "How about we start up a good old fashioned showdown?" asked the wind warrior.

"Wow, you really want to jump in strait away, like the old times?" asked Jack, looking somewhat elated. The boy genius blinked a couple of times before regaining his wily composure. "I mean, ha-ha! You're in for it now!"

Omi stood ready to wager the Orb of Tornami while Clay held onto the Lasso Boa-Boa. Raimundo, however, realized he held only the currently useless Gills of Hamachi. Glancing back at Kimiko, Raimundo saw that the Wudai Warrior of fire possessed the underwhelming Ants in the Pants.

Too late to turn back, Jack placed his hand on the Zaijian Cauldron with a wicked grin, causing the Shen Gong Wu to radiate a mystical light. "Okay Raimundo; we challenge you four to a Xiaolin Showdown!"

Jack snapped his fingers and Cyclops nodded enthusiastically, tossing Spicer and his henchmen four Shen Gong Wu that appeared more useful than what the Xiaolin side possessed. "We wager the Thorn of Thunderbolt, Reversing Mirror, Shadow Slicer and Silk Spitter against your Orb of Tornami, Lasso Boa-Boa, Ants in the Pants and Gills of Hamachi!" Jack sounded like he was almost about to laugh when he mentioned the water breathing Shen Gong Wu.

Raimundo regained his confidence slightly; the battleground was his very home, the Xiaolin Temple. His familiarity of the place would give him an edge over Spicer's goons. "The game is Xiaolin Hide and Seek! We hide; you count to twenty and seek. Once you find us, you have to throw us out of the place, but we can also throw you out too!"

Omi, Kimiko and Clay ran up to Raimundo while presenting their Shen Gong Wu. Vlad, Tubbimura and Katnappé stood behind Jack, brandishing their items. All eight combatants yelled in unison. "Let's go! Xiaolin Showdown!"

There was a flash of brilliant light and the rumbling of earth. The scenery around them began to twist and turn, even changing shape and colour. The Temple grounds were now completely monochrome, and every angle of architecture became sharp and uninviting. The sky was an unnatural purple, filled with blood red clouds.

The Xiaolin warriors, dressed in their blue showdown outfits, split up while the Spicer Force Four crouched down and covered their eyes. Katnappé muttered that it was embarrassing. Once the four had finished counting to twenty, they sprang to their feet and yelled in unity. "Gong Yi Tanpai!"

Kimiko was crouching on the ceiling beam of one of the many corridors of the temple. Rather than hide in a specific room, the dragon of fire believed she had the edge hiding in such a nondescript location. She sighed quietly and rested her back on the wooden beam, but she froze in horror as she gazed above her.

There was a network of electrical cables she had not seen before, clearly Jack Spicer's handiwork. Attached to the wires did several security cameras resembling evil eyes, their gazes fixed upon her. Kimiko heard a beeping noise growing louder and closer, and footsteps on the wooden floorboards beneath her.

"This is our territory now, little girl!" snapped the distinctive voice of Tubbimura.

Kimiko managed to jump to the next ceiling beam just in time to dodge a stream of web from the Silk Spitter the fat ninja held. Tubbimura was chuckling evilly as Kimiko continued to dodge the streams, inadvertently helping him form a great mass of cobwebs.

Realizing that he was forming a sticky trap for her, Kimiko leapt down to confront the villain head on. The fire warrior used the Ants in the Pants, unleashing a swarm of red ants towards the rotund ninja. Kimiko was ready to see Tubbimura wail in agony from the itching insects, but although he was covered in them, the ants had no effect. It became apparent that his blue suit of armour was practically impervious to the biting insects.

"The game is over for you, Xiaolin warrior!" laughed Tubbimura.

The overweight assailant appeared to disappear, but Kimiko could sense he was travelling at an alarming speed. The ants were scattered by his rapid movements, making Kimiko leap to avoid being the victim of her own Shen Gong Wu. However, Kimiko had leapt so high that she had become ensnared by the webs that Tubbimura had formed earlier.

The ninja appeared once again to encase her in a cocoon of webbing. She quickly found herself in his hands, ready to be thrown out of the Temple like a sticky volleyball. Kimiko knew that the armour had also augmented Tubbimura's strength, allowing him to toss her effortlessly over the walls and into the surrounding woods.

Meanwhile, Clay hid behind one of the many wooden targets used as combat practice in the Temple's obstacle course. The Texan warrior of Earth was alarmed when he suddenly felt cables wrap around his ankles. He looked down at his feet to see that the cables were coming from the circular target itself, producing another set of cables to tie his wrists as well.

The archery target had been some form of Jack-Bot in disguise. It had Clay wrapped tightly against its body, rotating him so the cowboy could see the rest of the obstacle course. The other obstacles were also Jack-Bots in disguise, springing to life maniacally. Vlad was amongst them, chuckling fiendishly.

"Jack has made charming adjustments to the Temple! It is my duty to change the evil light bulbs!"

"Looks like I ought to do a spot of redecorating myself!" growled Clay, flexing his powerful muscles until the Jack-Bot bound to him was torn to pieces.

The earth elemental Wudai Warrior lunged at the Russian brute with a punch, but Vlad appeared to avoid the attack without moving his feet. Clay had to nearly hold onto his hat as he performed a summersault to avoid a lethal ray of lightning from the Thorn of Thunderbolt Vlad held.

"Lasso Boa-Boa!" Clay yelled as he used one of his favourite Shen Gong Wu. He grinned as he saw his opponent make no attempt to avoid getting tied up by the serpentine weapon.

"Have you caught me, or have I caught you?" Vlad asked with a chuckle.

Clay realized that the boulder crushing strength of the lasso was not effective against Vlad's green armour. Vlad twisted himself around, sending Clay flying as he held onto the Shen Gong Wu. Vlad used his augmented speed to use Clay's lasso against him, wrapping the earth dragon up in the blink of an eye.

"Why you no good son…" Clay was catapulted out of the Temple grounds before he could finish his sentence by Vlad's impressive ballet kick.

Outside the Shen Gong Wu vault building, Omi was chuckling to himself, hiding in a plant pot of full of soil complete with a small tree. He was using a hollow reed as a sort of breathing tube. "Raimundo will be most pleased with my ingenuity!" the water dragon thought to himself.

He felt something wriggling inside his robes; something slender and mechanical. The miniature Worm-Bot tried to burrow into Omi's ear, making him shudder and hold back a shrill scream of alarm. Another Worm-Bot tried to crawl down the reed he was using to breathe. Omi immediately yelped and smashed out of the jar explosively, leaving himself wide open to Katnappé. However, Omi blocked her swipe and leapt away from her.

"Let's just get this over with," Katnappé said with a grin. "Seems like your new leader was a little under prepared to start a showdown!"

"I, as Raimundo's left hand man, am fully prepared!" snapped Omi. The water warrior sprang many feet into the air and performed a series of spinning kicks with his arms spread like a pair of wings. "Pelican Surfing Wave!"

Much to Omi's surprise and annoyance, Katnappé gracefully avoided the martial arts technique. "Jack programmed that move into the armour; I know the purr-fect way to avoid it!"

Omi immediately launched into another technique, turning himself into a blur with his Leopard Attack. The feline villainess laughed again and countered with a kick to the chest, winding Omi. The Wudai Warrior recovered from the sharp blow and held the Orb of Tornami out in front of him.

"You may have new knowledge of the martial arts, but only I have knowledge of the Orb of Tornami!" he yelled, spraying a high pressure jet of water from the mystical artefact.

"Reversing Mirror!" Katnappé yelled as she presented the reflective surface of her Shen Gong Wu towards the incoming water blast. Before the jet could strike her it appeared to freeze in midair before moving in the opposite direction, as though reality had been rewound.

Omi was struck with the full force of his own attack. Intending to knock Katnappé out of the Temple grounds, the attack succeeded in pushing Omi into a nearby wall so hard that it shattered against him. Amongst the rubble of the destruction he caused, the dragon of water found he was outside the area.

Shoku Warrior Raimundo could sense his comrades were out of the game. He had been wandering the Temple but found Jack Spicer's 'redecorations' were in every nook and cranny. Finally, Raimundo came to an area with no Jack-Bots or gizmos in sight; the Temple's pond. The wind dragon started feeling grateful for the Gills of Hamachi he held in his hand. He used them to become a fishlike being and silently slipped under the undisturbed water.

Gazing up at the lily pads floating gently above him, Raimundo could clearly see what was going on above the surface of the pond. Surely enough, Raimundo saw Jack Spicer himself. The boy genius was flapping his arms, stepping across the stepping stones that lead to a small pagoda in the centre of the pool. Raimundo thought he would be discovered when he saw the absentminded villain greet a koi carp with a friendly wave, but it seemed he took no notice of the water breathing Xiaolin warrior.

Raimundo saw his chance to get Spicer by surprise. Drawing in air bubbles from the surrounding water, Raimundo formed a blast of air that catapulted him out of the pond. He saw Jack utter a feminine shriek as he removed the Gills of Hamachi in midair before immediately launching a flying kick.

Jack became a red blur as Raimundo sped past him, striking the helpless villain for sure. Raimundo landed effortlessly on the stepping stone closest to the pagoda and turned around, hoping to see Jack flailing in the water. Instead, Raimundo saw that the boy genius had not moved an inch.

"Looking for me?" asked Jack from behind him. Jack had been standing in the pagoda all along, accompanied by Vlad, Tubbimura and Katnappé. Raimundo looked back at the Jack standing on the stepping stone to see it fade away, revealing that it was a Shadow Slicer hologram. The four villains immediately piled on top of him, his Shoku Warrior strength no match for the combined strength of their hi-tech combat armour.

"You thought I'd spend all these weeks we've had off just lazing around?" asked Jack, taking great pleasure in Raimundo's agony. "Guess what? I've been practicing! All those times you and your Xiaolin loser friends kicked my butt let me memorise all the moves you've used against me! I transferred the memory from my bruises to the Spicer Force Four armour!"

The four of them aimed Raimundo towards the sky like a missile and began to rock him backwards and forwards, ready to launch him. With a final push, Raimundo was sent flying into the dark sky, the sound of evil laughter fading behind him as the environment changed back to normal.

Hours later, Raimundo was wandering in the forest. It had been raining ever since the Xiaolin Showdown had ended, making him feel more miserable with each raindrop that battered him. He could feel the presence of his comrades nearby; an ability that stemmed from his position of Shoku Leader.

A dark mountain loomed in front of him once he came to the end of the forest. From a small cave in the mountainside came the familiar light of a campfire, and the feeling that his friends were sheltering inside. The image triggered old memories in Raimundo's mind; it was the very same cave that they had used to hide themselves and the Shen Gong Wu from Mala Mala Jong and Wuya.

Climbing the side of Mount Hong, Raimundo came into the cave to see Omi and Clay huddled together in front of the fire, soaking wet from the rain. Initially, Raimundo was glad to see they were still in one piece, but his joy quickly turned into irritation.

"Great going, Omi! Thanks for selecting the super useful Shen Gong Wu we had today!" Raimundo snapped sarcastically before his two comrades could even greet him.

"I apologise, leader. Next time I shall let you select what we take from the vault before a mission," Omi said.

"There isn't gonna be a next time! Jack has every stinking one of our Wu! And the temple!" Raimundo grew even more irritated.

"And the pantry," muttered Clay, grasping his growling stomach.

Raimundo snapped at the hungry earth warrior. "If you thought with your head and not with your stomach and listened to my instructions, those robots Jack sent to distract us could've been smashed a lot quicker! We could've stopped Jack from getting all the Wu!"

"If I was the leader, I do not think that I would intentionally start a showdown with a villain who outmatches me," grumbled Omi quietly, hoping Raimundo would not hear him. However, by the way the wind dragon glared at him, it was clear that he had heard. "I said that if I was the leader, we would be in even deeper trouble!" Omi said with a grin, attempting to compliment Raimundo.

"A good leader's supposed to make suggestions, not give orders," Clay added. "But I think we all bought this upon ourselves. Jack Spicer's been practicing and we haven't."

Raimundo noticed that two of their friends were noticeably absent and began to fear the worst. "Have you guys seen Kimiko and Dojo?" He was answered only with a sullen head shaking from both the earth and water warriors.

"I won!" squealed Jack Spicer, leaping out of the Temple showers with only a towel around his waist.

Once dry he dressed into his long black coat and boots, posing in the mirror. "I won!" he said to his reflection.

Vlad and Tubbimura were playing Rebel Racer Revenge on the widescreen television while Katnappé was allowing her kittens to wander about, shredding any Xiaolin scrolls and robes they could find. Jack was marching around proclaiming his victory over and over again, driving his three henchmen to distraction.

"Did anyone like how I told Raimundo all about how much cooler I am when I got him restrained? Or how my Spicer Force Four armour was essential to us beating him and his friends?" Jack was eager to get feedback. "Well?"

"I have to admit," Katnappé said with a hint of regret, "I wasn't hoping we'd succeed this well. Guess you aren't lame after all." She picked up one of her kittens and petted it lovingly. "I didn't expect that your adjustments to the temple would still be part of the Xiaolin Showdown."

"Evil message boards are already buzzing with activity after I announced our team up and victory," Vlad added.

Tubbimura punched Vlad in the leg, making the Russian villain glare at him. "Mind where you are placing your feet!" snapped the overweight ninja. Vlad was confused; he had been keeping his feet close together.

The ninja felt something slither past his ankles again, but saw that Vlad's feet had not moved. He shrugged his shoulders and resumed gaming; failing to notice that the small pile of Shen Gong Wu next to the television were beginning to shrink, quite literally.

The villains had hoped that their compliments would calm Jack down, but instead his evil boasting became even louder. "I've never had my hands on thus much Wu! We even got the new cauldron before the monks could even try it out!" He began to rub his hands together in anticipation. "First we'll finish redecorating, then we take over China, then I see what happens when I put the Monsoon Sandals on my hands! If they work on legs, they probably work on arms."

Jack paused and glanced at the television, noticing the pile of Shen Gong Wu he had placed there was nowhere in sight. "Okay, which one of you wise guys interfered with my decorations? I had a nice little pile of Wu here! The Changing Chopsticks looked so nice on top of it."

Suddenly, an earthquake rocked the building. The rumbling was followed by the terrified wailing of Cyclops, flailing around madly outside. The four villains inside rushed to witness the gigantic buffoon's commotion, seeing that the power armour he was still wearing was smoking and sending sparks everywhere. What looked like a lightning bolt suddenly leapt off the giant's back, leaving Cyclops dazed.

Before any of them could say something, the Spicer Force Four heard alarms and what sounded like fireworks setting off all around the Temple. Jack's machines that he had used to make the Temple his own were going up in flames, and the same lightning bolt that had hopped off Cyclops's back was now leaping from each machine to the next.

"My refurbishments!" screamed Jack, running to assess the damage.

His fellow cronies joined him too, eventually coming across the remains of their suits of power armour. "And it was in the perfect size, too…" Tubbimura mumbled sadly, holding up his charred blue costume.

Back on Mount Hong, the three remaining Xiaolin warriors were greeted by the arrival of a lightning bolt outside the mouth of the cave. There stood Kimiko with Dojo wrapped around her neck like a boa; both smiling at their comrades. Raimundo immediately ran to embrace her, but before he could, Kimiko held out a turquoise rabbit shaped Shen Gong Wu.

"When Omi fetched the Wu for us to take on the mission, he didn't just take the wrong Wu for the job, but also the wrong number! I decided to keep the Denshi Bunny a secret, since I guessed that Jack's new super suits could be fried with a little electricity!"

Dojo leapt off the fire warrior's shoulders and pulled several tiny objects out of his ear. "I managed to get a few Wu back, too!" the green dragon said as he used the Changing Chopsticks to return the objects to their original size. Amongst them was the Shen Gong Wu that they had wagered in the showdown, as well as a few more useful ones.

"But how are we gonna go back to the Temple now that Spicer's ruling the roost?" questioned Clay as he picked up the Lasso Boa-Boa and the Longhorn Taurus.

"I fried his contraptions, too! I think I enjoyed it more than hacking," Kimiko answered with glee.

Raimundo grinned and stood at the mouth of the cave, overlooking the Temple in the distance. The rains had stopped; signalling that luck was in their favour.

"Move, move, move it!" Jack Spicer yelled, sitting inside the Tunnel Armadillo. Cyclops, battered and bruised from his malfunctioning armour, was loading some of his master's belongings into a cart pulled by the Crouching Cougar. "They're gonna be here any second! The Temple's theirs now!"

Before Tubbimura, Vlad and Katnappé could start loading the Shen Gong Wu into the cart, Kimiko made an explosive entrance with the Arrow Sparrow. Startled by the explosions, Tubbimura was tripped up by Clay's Lasso Boa-Boa before being tossed aside and over the cowboy's shoulder. With no armour to augment their strength, the villains were back to being as laughably underwhelming as they once were.

Vlad began to charge, but was sent tumbling by a massive surge of water from Omi's Orb of Tornami. Cyclops, towering over Raimundo and Kimiko, was blown away by the wind warrior's Blade of the Nebula and the fire warrior's Sword of the Storm.

Jack in the Tunnel Armadillo and Katnappé on the Crouching Cougar gazed back in desperation at the regrouped Xiaolin dragons. "We're back, Jack Spicer, and stronger than ever!" Omi yelled with pride, approaching the pile of Shen Gong Wu.

Spicer's anxious look turned into a sly expression as he held out a magnet shaped object. "Glove of Jisaku!"

The pile of Shen Gong Wu began to move towards the boy genius. Kimiko held the Lotus Twister aloft and called out its name, turning her arms into stretchable rubber limbs. Her arms wrapped around the pile, but a few of the objects seemed to leap through the air, escaping her grasp and landing in Jack's cockpit. The Zaijian Cauldron landed on his head, adorning it like a hard hat.

"See ya later!" he said with a sneer, making the Tunnel Armadillo quickly burrow underground. Katnappé hissed and disappeared into the forest on the Crouching Cougar, pulling Spicer's junk behind her. Lastly, the Shen-Ga-Roo hopped by, carrying a laughing Tubbimura and Vlad in its pouch and a wailing Cyclops on its back.

Omi was about to run after them, but was stopped in his tracks by the Shoku leader. "Let them go, we still have the most Wu. As long as Spicer has some, he's gonna want to come after more. That's when we can beat him."

Later that day, Master Fung returned to the Xiaolin Temple grounds. Luckily, Raimundo had ensured that he and his teammates had cleaned away the last traces of Jack Spicer's interference. Aside from the fact that the vault was missing some Shen Gong Wu, it seemed that nothing had changed since the wise old master had left.

Master Fung had gathered all four monks into the main hall. The heroes had expected him to say something about his visit to Master Monk Guan's Temple, but their mentor had said nothing about it. However, the four of them had a strange feeling about standing in the main hall again. The last time they stood in it, Raimundo had been elevated to his current status of team leader.

"Raimundo has told me about your ordeal today, Xiaolin dragons," Fung said calmly. "Since you have expanded your knowledge and abilities, the forces of evil will do the same. Such is the balance of nature."

Their Master turned to Kimiko, much to her surprise. "Raimundo told me about your impressive accomplishment at defending the Temple, Kimiko. Your ingenuity today has caused me to look back at some of your earlier accomplishments as well." Master Fung smiled warmly. "It was not long ago that you defeated the malicious Sibini, sealing him away for good whilst learning from your mistakes. Your love for your friends and family allowed you to save your father's corporation from Pandabubba. Your ingenuity allowed you to defeat not only Chase Young, but also Hannibal Roy Bean in a Xiaolin Showdown by tricking them into fighting each other."

Kimiko's heart was warmed by the compliments she was receiving, but she did not understand why Master Fung was telling her this. She then saw a glimmering light from below her line of sight; it was coming from her sash. Its turquoise colour was changing into shimmering gold fabric, much like Raimundo's sash.

"You mean…" she gasped, too flustered to finish her sentence.

"You're a Shoku Warrior now, Kimiko," Raimundo said softly. She ran into his arms, squeezing the wind out of his lungs with a surprisingly tight hug.

Clay joined in with the hugging while Raimundo tried to stay smiling as his face turned purple. Omi, however, stood a few feet away from the group. The smallest monk was happy, but it seemed like he was also somewhat ill at ease. It took a little nod from Raimundo to get Omi joining in with the group hug.

After congratulating the new Shoku Warrior of fire, Master Fung spoke to the group once more. "From now on, it is Raimundo's duties as leader to report to me on your progress and encourage you to grow stronger. There will be a time when the four of you will all be Shoku Warriors, and when that time comes I will explain the next part of your quest as Xiaolin dragons."

"Oh dear," mumbled Dojo. "You're gonna make them explode with excitement if you keep things cryptic like that."

Omi was definitely excited, but also focussed. He would need to find the right opportunity to outshine his comrades and become the next Shoku Warrior.