When Jack and Raimundo joined the others outside, Master Monk Chase did not comment on their tardiness. Kimiko raised an eyebrow, but Omi did not acknowledge Jack's presence at all. Once the four were lined up across from him, Master Monk Chase stepped back onto the open field and said, "The Heylin side has finally risen to challenge us. Today's training will be focused on building your skills to confront Heylin Warlord Guan."
Omi raised his hand. "But Master, I fought him with all the skill and expertise I already have, and Kimiko and Raimundo did the same. None of us were a match. How can we possibly improve swiftly enough to defeat Guan?"
"Can anything break through his exoskeleton?" asked Raimundo. Putting a finger to his chin, he looked down. "I wonder if he's bulletproof..."
Kimiko's eyes slid slowly to stare at Raimundo, and they widened in further alarm when Jack gasped and added, "Ooh! Or laser guns!"
Master Monk Chase briefly turned his gaze skyward and sighed before resuming eye contact. "Warlord Guan is 1,500 years old. I am fairly confident that if a gun could defeat him, then someone would have shot him by now. As it stands," He squared his shoulders and studied each of the monks, "the four of you are the Chosen Ones, the world's main defense against the Heylin forces of evil. You are the only ones who have any hope of beating him."
"How?" Omi asked again, hand still over his head.
"The four of you must practice against someone with Guan's level of skill, someone who knows all his tricks and can learn yours." Chase unfolded his fingers and bent his knees in a battle stance. "Young monks, for this exercise, you will have to attack me."
Jack gasped, and Omi visibly flinched. "You? But Master Monk Chase, you are our teacher!"
"And as such, I promise to go easy on you, little one," Master Monk Chase said with a wink. Omi's face reddened, and their teacher added, "Any of you may attack at any time. In fact, I am certain that some level of teamwork will be required for you to have any success."
After a few more seconds of hesitation, Omi finally shifted his feet under him to match Master Monk Chase's posture. Jack bit his lip and looked around at the others. Raimundo sauntered away from the group as if to quit the exercise entirely, but Jack noticed that his eyes remained on the elder monk, and his feet slowly took him in a lazy arc. Taking his cue, Kimiko slowly started moving in the opposite direction, flanking Chase's other side.
The elder monk kept his gaze trained on Omi, who was the first to leap forward with the cry, "Mantis Kick!" Chase dodged effortlessly, tossing his long hair back behind him as Omi landed on his hands and rolled forward to a stop. Springing back up, Omi spun around and charged again. "Monkey Strike!" As the boy leaped, Chase blocked his fists with his own palms and tossed him back.
From atop the monkey bars behind Chase, Raimundo huffed and called, "Stop calling your attacks out loud, Chrome Dome! You're giving yourself away!"
When Omi sat up, blinking slowly, Master Monk Chase turned and nodded in approval. "A good point, Raimundo. Giving your teammates advice improves the odds of your success." Raimundo frowned and covered his mouth with his fingers, looking surprised at himself for saying anything.
After Omi stood and dusted off his robes, he sprang forward once more. This time, his attacks were silent, but Master Monk Chase still managed to block every kick, swing, and punch. When Omi finally dropped onto his butt, breathing hard, the teacher straightened his back and said, "Omi, as usual, your form is without flaw. Unfortunately, that makes your actions rather predictable." When Omi wilted, Master Monk Chase bent down to his eye level and asked, "What do you think your best course of action should be for the sake of your improvement?"
Omi pursed his lips, and a crease appeared between his eyebrows. "Perhaps I am too straightforward? Should I meditate on ways to use my skills in a more creative manner?"
Master Monk Chase smiled. "I think that would be an excellent-" He dropped the rest of his sentence when Raimundo sprang down from the monkey bars and hit the ground with an unusually loud thud. When Master Monk Chase turned to face him, a dozen golden ropes slammed into him from the opposite direction.
As Master Monk Chase stumbled back up to his feet, the Tangle Web Comb tightened its tendrils around his torso. Eyes wide, Chase looked up at Kimiko at the other end, who looked even more shocked than he did. A wide smile lit up her face, and she pumped her fist in victory. "Ha! That counts! I did it! I got you!"
However, as she danced in place, the ropes wavered. With his legs still free, Master Monk Chase side-stepped and yanked away from her. Kimiko yelped when the Tangle Web Comb fell from her hand, and as the ropes shrank away, the Shen Gong Wu bounced into Chase's open palm. With a chuckle, he said, "I will be honest: I did not expect any of you to land a successful hit. Well done, Kimiko. Can you tell me what you did well?"
Still managing a smile, Kimiko said, "Well, uh, I found my focus! And there was, like, some teamwork, too! When you were talking to Omi, I looked over at Raimundo, and he jumped off the monkey bars to distract you while I summoned the Tangle Web Comb, and... and then I had it!"
For some reason, Raimundo crossed his arms and looked away from everyone, scowling. Jack noticed it, but Master Monk Chase did not. He kept his focus on Kimiko. "And where did you make your error?"
Kimiko grinned sheepishly and twirled a finger in her pigtail. "I celebrated too early."
Master Monk Chase walked to her and passed her back the Tangle Web Comb. "Correct. While you have indeed found your focus, you must learn to maintain it. Do not celebrate your victory until your enemy is truly defeated."
"Thank you, Master Chase." Kimiko nodded her head in a quick bow.
Clearing his throat, Omi put his hands on his hips and called across the grounds, "Were you planning on participating, Jack Spicer? Or were you hoping to become a Xiaolin Dragon by hiding in a bamboo forest while the rest of us do the hard work?"
Still standing in the same spot where he had started, Jack blinked, flailed his hands a bit, and stammered, "I was- For your information, I was coming up with a genius battle strategy!" Sweating, he cleared his throat and fidgeted when Master Monk Chase turned his focus to him. "I- I, uh, I'd just hate to break that beautiful nose of yours, you know?"
Master Monk Chase's eyebrows furrowed, mouth open slightly like he was pondering his next words carefully. Omi, however, had no such compunctions when he pointed and said, "You have never had any hesitation on the training grounds before. You have fought me countless times, and you have suffered countless embarrassments, but that has never stopped you from trying. But now that we have a real danger to face, suddenly you are frozen in fear?"
Jack's voice was an octave too high when he answered, "I'm not scared!"
"Then fight!" yelled Omi, spreading his arms wide and stomping a foot in anger. "Show us that genius battle strategy of yours! Show us what you would do if Warlord Guan were here right now, threatening our lives and our temple. Prove to me- prove to us- that you are still a Xiaolin Dragon and that you still belong here!"
Jack's knees shook, his breathing turned rapid, and he knew it was stupid. Master Monk Chase would not hurt him. He had nothing to lose by at least throwing a punch or two. Even if he landed on his face in failure, it wouldn't be the first time; at least he would regain Omi's trust. But while he raised his feebly clenched fists, he heard Guan's monstrous roar in his ears. He saw the teeth and the claws in the corners of his vision, ready to rip him to pieces before he could scream for help-
"STOP EVERYTHING!" Dojo yelled.
Jack's clammy hands dropped to his knees, and he gasped for air. Through the pounding in his ears, he faintly heard the dragon rush out onto the training grounds and say, "We got a hot new Shen Gong Wu! Where's the scroll?"
Grateful for the distraction, Jack stared at the ground and tried to fight through a wave of dizziness. Before his vision could clear completely, though, he heard footsteps approaching him. Gritting his teeth, he felt his ears turn hot as Master Monk Chase bent down next to him and asked, "Jack, are you alright?"
"F-fine! D-don't worry about me," Jack choked out, swinging a hand dismissively. "I'm fine, I just- I uh- I swallowed a fly."
To his surprise, he heard a chuckle from Raimundo, soft near his other side. "Oh, good. You ate a bug. And here I thought something embarrassing was happening."
Jack's answering snort came out in an awkward cough, but his lips curled up in a grin anyway. Giggling, he stood back upright and smacked Raimundo in the arm. Stepping away in a half-hearted dodge, Raimundo smiled back and kept laughing quietly, and Jack's heart most certainly did not skip any beats at that. If a scowling Raimundo was the definition of "tall, dark, and handsome," then a smiling Raimundo was something else entirely.
Dojo's voice called out, "Come on, boys, we gotta go!"
Master Monk Chase, who had been glancing back and forth between the two teens with an unreadable expression, turned to face the fully grown dragon. "I wish to make sure Jack is well, Dojo. Perhaps this Shen Gong Wu could wait a few moments?"
Deciding that his heart palpitations were probably just from his earlier panic, Jack turned away from Raimundo and watched Omi open the Shen Gong Wu scroll from atop Dojo's back. The scroll showed a moving picture of a veined, beating heart.
"'Fraid not," said Dojo. "This one's the Heart of Jong."
Silence sank briefly onto the training grounds. Confused, Jack turned back to Raimundo, but that smile was gone. Raimundo stood frozen in place, shoulders taut and eyes unblinking at the scroll.
Master Monk Chase moved toward Dojo and pointed at the two monks on his back. "Kimiko, Omi, step down. You four will wait here. I will fetch the Heart of Jong."
Dojo rolled his eyes and rested his chin on his clawed fist. Raimundo made a strange choking sound, and Omi stood up on the dragon's back with the outcry, "What? No! Master Chase, you said so yourself: we are the Chosen Ones! We must make up for our previous battle against Warlord Guan!"
"If Guan is willing to break ribs for the Jetbootsu, I do not wish to know how much further he would harm you to acquire the Heart of Jong." Master Monk Chase stopped and stood next to Dojo with his arms crossed, waiting for the two to disembark. "The four of you are not even apprentices yet; I will fare better in a match against him. Step down."
Omi's chin quivered, but Jack knew the boy would rather break his own arm than disobey a direct order from his teacher. Omi and Kimiko slid down, heads hanging, but then Raimundo's nostrils flared, and he stomped over to Dojo. Throwing himself onto the dragon's back before Chase could stop him, he said, "I didn't come all the way out here to China to be babysat. What's the point of training us if you aren't going to let us fight our own battles?"
"This is no time for recklessness, Raimundo," Chase snapped. "Do as you are told!"
"Um." Jack lifted a finger and took a few steps toward the group. Though his voice had been small, everyone heard him and glanced over. Clearing his throat, Jack held out his palms and asked, "What if we all went?"
Though Master Monk Chase spent the entire flight spouting rapid-fire instructions on how to combat Guan (or, more specifically, how to avoid him), Jack was too queasy to listen. He couldn't tell if it was from Dojo's usual undulating or from his own sense of impending doom. He tried to convince himself that everything would be fine; if Guan showed up, Jack could hide behind someone else until the battle was over. If Omi gave him grief over it, he could point out how Chase obviously wanted everyone to stay out of trouble anyway. He was just following orders, right?
He gulped. Why didn't the other monks want to stay at the temple like Chase ordered, anyway? Guan had beaten the tar out of them. Why didn't they want Chase to take care of it, especially when he was already the most skilled fighter in the temple? Why did they want to go back out and fight Guan themselves?
Where did they get that courage, and why didn't Jack have it, too?
Dojo descended over a deciduous forest, scattering gold and red leaves as he landed. When Chase and the young monks jumped down, the dragon shrank and pointed westward. "Heart of Jong, due that way!"
Master Monk Chase murmured, "Stay close, young ones."
As their teacher led them into the brightly lit forest, Jack hovered near him like a paperclip drawn to a magnet, mentally arguing that he was simply following directions. The other monks stayed within sight, but they were bold enough to fan out further. Raimundo peered into a hollow log, Kimiko strolled through the underbrush, and Omi stuck his hand into a knot hole of the nearest tree.
Then Omi's sudden scream rang out through the woods. Jack leaped onto Master Monk Chase's back with a panicked shriek of his own, and the elder monk spun around. Raimundo drew a knife from his pocket, Kimiko raised her arms for battle, and Omi ran past them with a squirrel clinging to his shirt, shrieking, "GET THIS DISEASE-CARRYING VERMIN OFF OF ME!"
Kimiko watched the boy run in circles around them and muttered, "Behold, the mighty Xiaolin Dragon of the Water." Her eye caught the glint of the blade in Raimundo's hand, and she pointed at it. "I thought your knife broke?"
"I have more than one," Raimundo said, eyebrows high as if she was the weird one for asking. Kimiko took a step away from him.
Master Monk Chase walked forward and calmly snagged Omi by the shirt. Picking up the squirrel by its scruff, he tugged it free and dropped it onto the grass. As Omi frantically wiped his hands across his robes as if to rid himself of the squirrel germs, the teacher gave a faint smile and asked, "Are you alright?"
"It tried to bite me," Omi whined, sulking at the tear on his sleeve. "It could have had rabies."
"It is rather difficult to face something that frightens you, isn't it?" asked Chase.
Startled by the question, Omi looked up. His eyes slid from Chase to Jack, who still clung to their teacher like a baby koala. Omi's gaze turned cold, and with a huff, he crossed his arms and said, "Perhaps, but I would not know. I was not frightened; I was merely caught by surprise. I have no fears, unlike some warriors."
Master Monk Chase frowned when Omi stomped away. Folding his fingers in front of him, he let out a heavy sigh. Behind him, Jack mumbled into his shoulder, "Thanks for trying."
"I am not sure what you mean," Master Monk Chase said nonchalantly, waiting while Jack slid down to his own feet.
Hands fidgeting, Jack shrugged. "I don't think he's gonna forgive me for running away from Guan, not unless I do better next time we see him. But I... I don't know if I can. I'm no good at the obstacle course, and I'm no good at sparring, and that was fine because I could always try again later, but..."
"That is why I am here, Jack," said Chase. "None of you are ready to face Guan, which is why I will battle him in your stead."
"That's not the point, though!" Jack tugged at his own hair, knocking his goggles askew. "Omi's right; we're the Chosen Ones! Even if I'm not skilled enough to beat Guan, I should still want to, right? Isn't that my destiny? What kind of warrior runs and hides when his teammates are in trouble? If I'm too chicken to fight a bad guy, then how will I become the Xiaolin Dragon of Metal? What if I don't belong here?"
"Jack." Master Monk Chase set his hands on either of Jack's shoulders. "Fearlessness is not a trait to admire. After all, the bravest warrior is not the one who fears nothing, but the one who is willing to face what he fears most. You choose your own destiny. If you wish to be here, then you belong."
"But I..."
Kimiko's voice rang out, "Master Chase, I think I found it!" Jack leaned to peek around the trees ahead of them. With Omi and Raimundo flanking her on either side, Kimiko pointed up at a gleam in the branches. Raimundo threw a stick upward, and the purplish object dropped and hit the dirt with a squelch. Kimiko grimaced and flinched away. "Eww!"
Releasing Jack and running to the group, Master Monk Chase peered into the forest before picking the Heart of Jong off the ground. He barely gave it a glance; as if expecting an ambush, he kept his gaze trained on their surroundings. Raimundo, frowning and with his back to the group, seemed to have the same mindset. Jack rubbed his own shoulders as he approached them.
The tense, confused atmosphere dissipated when Dojo sprang onto Omi's shoulder and said, "Welp. Looks like you came all the way out here for nothing, Chase." Omi's lip curled out in a pout, and Raimundo kicked a nearby rock and tugged his hood further over his face. Kimiko and Jack were the only two to respond with relief, though Kimiko's sagging shoulders were less obvious than Jack's loud exhale.
"As I initially expected," murmured Chase, who seemed surprised that his logical reasoning had triumphed over his pessimistic paranoia, "Hannibal Bean has no interest in Mala Mala Jong. Your battle with Guan had nothing to do with the Jetbootsu; he wanted something else."
"Like what?" asked Omi. Master Monk Chase stared at the Heart of Jong and didn't answer.
Dojo stretched his little arms over his head. "Well, I don't know about any of you, but I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth." He jumped and swirled around the group, expanding to full size. "Hop on, kids and babysitter!"
Later that night, with no one around to complain about his blowtorch, Jack Spicer bobbed his head to the most obnoxious punk rock music he illegally owned. Sitting alone in his underground lair with his headphones vibrating against his ears, he shifted back and forth from his laptop computer to the Jackbot skull on the floor in front of him. Leaning down, he stuck out his tongue a bit while fiddling with two tiny wires.
"This would be a lot easier if I had the Changing Chopsticks," he said, more to his other four Jackbots than to himself. Unfortunately, the last time he'd borrowed the Shen Gong Wu without permission, Master Fung had quietly pulled him aside and calmly suggested that scrubbing between the tiles of the grand hall would help him learn to ask permission first. Jack wasn't about to risk getting busted again.
Then again, Master Fung wasn't here anymore.
An eyebrow rose over his goggles, and a mischievous smile lit up his face.
Still clad in black pajamas and yellow, googly eyed slippers, Jack trotted up the stairs and out through the greenhouse, bobbing his head and shoulders in beat with his music. The night was calm and clear, and the waxing moon lit his way. He danced a little jig up the two stairs into the meditation room above the vault, humming to himself. Though the vault could only open in response to a tune played on the little bells hanging near the door, he had it memorized. More importantly, he didn't have to worry about getting caught. For all his intuition and attentiveness, Master Monk Chase was a shockingly heavy sleeper.
However, when Jack strolled across the room and reached for the golden bells, something made him pause. His hands froze an inch from the bells, and an unpleasant, fearful sensation rose in his gut. Everything in the room turned still. Heart pounding, Jack pulled off his headphones, frowned at the bells, and wondered what was wrong with him. Surely it wasn't his tiger instincts; he'd never been any good at that stuff...
He turned and glanced down at the vault, a set of spiral stairs that descended from the cauldron in the center of the room. His breath caught. The stairs were supposed to be hidden under a brick red circle around the cauldron, but Jack could see the stairs now. Not only was the vault unlocked; it was open.
Setting his headphones on the floor, Jack crept to the center of the room and peered down the stairs. Was something shuffling around below, or was he hearing things? Old embers glimmered in dim torches against the circular wall, faintly lighting the way down. His slippers thankfully made no sound as he took a few timid steps into the vault. He'd forgotten to grab a flashlight on his way here, but he told himself it was no big deal. After all, he'd said so himself: he wasn't afraid of the dark anymore, right?
When he reached the drawer with the Changing Chopsticks, his hand brushed across the stone carvings and curled above the rim. He leaned forward a bit and peered at the drawers of the other Shen Gong Wu further down the staircase. His heart kept pounding against his rib cage for some stupid reason, but he let out a quiet breath. Obviously, there was no one else down here.
Further down, a drawer opened by itself.
Jack screamed and stumbled. The drawer slammed shut. Jack frantically scrambled backwards up the stairs, but before he could even lose sight of the offending drawer, a raspy voice shrieked behind him, "Foolish boy! You let the inept redhead sneak up on you!"
With another, louder scream, Jack whirled around. Inches away hovered a translucent purple figure, face covered by a painted mask and limbs curling out in dozens of tendrils. The mask's mouth curled in a snarl. Jack's third outburst came out in a barely human screech as he toppled back down the stairs, slammed into something solid, and desperately grabbed at it. His fingers latched onto a silky, smooth substance, a cloth that turned silver as he kept falling.
He rolled down a few more stairs and finally came to a stop, neck bent at a precarious angle against the wall. Panting and trembling, he gingerly heaved himself upright and stared at the unmistakable Shroud of Shadows in his clenched fingers. Adjusting his lopsided goggles, he peered back up the stairs.
With the masked ghost curled around his shoulders and the Heart of Jong clutched tight against his chest, Raimundo stared back down at him.
