On Ping Pong's fourth morning at the Xiaolin Temple, Omi woke up to find the other boy's bed already empty. When he went to the kitchen, the other Xiaolins were there, but Ping Pong was nowhere to be seen.

"He passed the second test," said Raimundo, slumped over the table and sounding far more alert than he looked. "Lasted three whole days without turning evil. I say we throw a party or something."

"Does this mean he's officially the new apprentice, then?" asked Clay.

"I thought he already was," said Kimiko.

"I don't think we ever made it clear," said Raimundo, his face still planted into the table. "But sure, yeah. Let's make him the apprentice."

"We must not be too hasty in our decision," said Omi. "He may be quite competent in martial arts, but he does not show any sign of possessing elemental powers."

"So? Neither did Jermaine." Raimundo sat up and grinned at the Dragon of Water. "You're just mad that he's Kimiko's fanboy and not yours, Mr. Shameless Braggart."

"I am not the slightest bit angry at Ping Pong," Omi said coolly. "I merely doubt his trustworthiness."

"Because you're such an excellent judge of trustworthiness, right?"

Omi scowled, and Clay said, "Either way, I reckon we ought to go find the little fellow."

"You three can search for him," said Omi, "and should your search make you late for training, I shall explain the reason for your tardiness to Master Fung."

"Whatever, dude, you do that," said Raimundo, fist-bumping the kid's head as the four left the kitchen and parted ways. Kimiko, Clay, and Raimundo didn't have to search long; they found Ping Pong in the gardens, pouring water onto the rose bushes with a teapot.

"Good morning!" said the tiny monk.

"Uh, dude, what's with the teapot?"

"I could not find a watering can, and your Rosa chinensis were withering." The boy broke off a yellow leaf from one of the plants, eyes round with concern.

Kimiko winced. "Guess I haven't been watering them enough?"

"These roses must be watered at least every other day," said Ping Pong, shaking the last droplets out of the teapot. "Too much water can make the leaves chlorotic and rot the roots. But these leaves have been scorched. Roses love water; they rarely get wet feet."

Raimundo's eyebrows went up, and he turned to Clay and mouthed the words, "Chlorotic? Scorched? Wet feet?"

Clay stepped forward and asked, "Any other plants we ought to worry about before Kim kills them?" Kimiko pursed her lips, and he winked at her.

With a little jolt, Ping Pong dropped the teapot and spun around. "Oh, no! I did not mean to imply that you are poor at plant caretaking, Sister Kimiko—um—" He pointed at a white-flowered tree. "Your Magnolia denudata is looking quite beautiful!"

"Dude, chill out, no one's offended," said Raimundo.

Clay crouched down and tipped his hat to the boy. "Didn't know you had a green thumb, littlest partner."

Ping Pong scuffed his foot against the dirt, smiling meekly. "I read a lot."

"Then I reckon we got a little something in common. Mind you, I'm more of an animal fellow myself."

"Really?" Ping Pong's nervousness vanished as his eyes lit up. "Then please tell me, there is a mysterious creature who eats from the gardens back home. It never appears during the day, but when I waited all night for it, it didn't come. It has small, round footprints, but it can reach up high—"

"I reckon you got a deer of some kind," said Clay. "They like to move around during dawn and twilight. Your monastery's in France, right? Probably a rue deer—"

"As utterly fascinating as that is," said Raimundo, rolling his eyes, "Master Fung's waiting for us. You want to watch some Shoku training, Ping Pong?"

When Ping Pong gasped, and after the three boys turned to leave the garden, Kimiko glanced back at the roses for a moment. Perhaps she was imagining things, but the leaves already looked greener.

"Young monks, as your rank increases, so do your powers," said Master Fung. The four Shoku Warriors stood in a line in front of him. Ping Pong sat against a wall behind them, near the chest of Shen Gong Wu. The elder continued, "Now that you are Shoku Warriors, you have all certainly noticed that you are further in tune with your elements, and they are beginning to respond to your emotions. Now that the four of you are getting stronger, it is essential that you learn to keep your powers in check, lest they be released in unwanted ways." He paused when one of the warriors raised his hand. "Yes, Raimundo?"

"Speaking of elements and stuff," he said, "is Ping Pong going to get one, too?"

Ping Pong visibly perked at this suggestion. Unfazed by the interruption in his lesson plan, Master Fung said, "There is certainly a possibility. It would be quite extraordinary. The temple has not contained five elemental dragons at once before, not even during Dashi's era."

Ping Pong's hand shot up. Eyes gleaming, he asked, "Could I be a Dragon of Fire? Or Water? Like one of you?"

"Sorry, Boris, but I think elements are more like a 'one person per' kind of deal," said Kimiko. Setting her hands on her hips, she asked Master Fung, "But what other elements are there? I thought we had the only four."

"The possibilities are endless," said Master Fung. "However, in the past, in addition to Dragons of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind, the temple has also been home to Dragons of Wood—"

"Wood?" Raimundo interrupted with a scoff. "What does that even mean? The ability to hit people with sticks?"

"You must not ridicule a Xiaolin element," said Omi, crossing his arms behind his back and frowning up at Raimundo. "I am certain that previous Xiaolin Dragons have been most intimidating while wielding the power of Wood."

Raimundo started sniggering. Ping Pong slumped his shoulders and said, "I would be most honored to be the Dragon of Wood, but if you think it is silly…"

Clay put a finger on his chin and said, "We might actually be onto something, though. Ping Pong, you're pretty good with plants, right? Maybe that has to do with your element."

Ping Pong sat up a little straighter. Then Kimiko pointed out, "None of us four have hobbies connected to our elements, though."

"Hmm, that's true. But we do have abilities thanks to our elements. You can light your entire body on fire without getting burned. I survived getting crushed by Cyclops without breaking a bone. Omi once froze himself for 1,500 years without dying of hypothermia, and that was when he was barely an apprentice. I reckon if Ping Pong is meant to be the Dragon of Wood, then he has some unusual abilities connected to his element, too."

Now grinning, Kimiko said, "Maybe we should go check on those rose bushes."

Before they could move, there was a cry of pain from within the temple accompanied by a crashing sound. Then Dojo hobbled out, dragging the Shen Gong Wu scroll behind him and scratching a growing welt on his back. "Whatever field trip you're planning, kids, it will have to wait. We got a Wu alert all over my tuchus!"

The Shoku Warriors flinched back in various stages of disgust, but Ping Pong crouched near Dojo and studied the pink affliction. "What a fascinating side effect!"

Raimundo grabbed Ping Pong by his back collar and lifted him away from the dragon. "Dude, unless you want pus in your eyes, you better get back."

With a full body shudder, Dojo expanded to his full size. When he spotted Ping Pong's mouth fall practically to the ground, he added a roar and a burst of flames for effect. "All aboard the Dojo Kanojo Cho Express!"

The Shoku Warriors grabbed their Wu and hopped on, but Ping Pong hesitated. Eyes still round, he asked, "Sister Kimiko, may I come, too?" Omi pursed his lips and looked like he was about to say something in opposition, but Kimiko did not spot it. She grinned, took Ping Pong's hand, and pulled him onto the dragon as he took to the sky.

While Dojo flew through the gray clouds covering Great Britain, Omi opened the scroll, and the dragon explained, "The Necklace of Amelior gives the user the ability to heal injuries. It's one of the most powerful ones out there, so I hope you kids are on your a-game today."

Ping Pong, who had been staring down at the passing landscape for the past half-hour in awe, looked up and asked, "Do you think the fiendish Jack Spicer will arrive to oppose us?"

"No problem-o," said Raimundo. "Maybe you haven't noticed, shrimp, but Jack's a joke. We've been kicking his butt non-stop pretty much since we became Wudai Warriors."

Ping Pong thought about this for a moment, and then he asked, "Yet he keeps coming back?"

"Jack Spicer is many things," said Omi, "but a quitter is not one of them. Even when he is most certain to lose, he always arrives to fight." There was something odd in Omi's expression, almost like admiration, but Ping Pong was not sure.

"That, and he's an idiot," said Kimiko. "You won't have any trouble with him, Boris. Even an apprentice can take down his Jack-bots, especially with four Shoku Warriors at your back."

As Dojo sank lower, the clouds parted under him to reveal open fields near a village, and he said, "Welcome to Silchester, kids."

"I know of this place!" said Ping Pong. He pointed down at a gray line cutting through the fields. "That wall was made by Romans back in AD 45, and there," he gestured to a clear, round space surrounded by rocks and trees, "is the remains of an ancient Roman Amphitheatre."

The Shoku Warriors made sounds of vague interest. Then Raimundo pointed and said, "And there is our usual unwelcome company."

Sure enough, Jack Spicer was already at the scene, peering under bushes and stones for the Wu. As Dojo's shadow passed overhead, he looked up and called, "Jack-bots, attack!" At his call, the usual army rose from the trees and aimed their laser guns.

"Observe and educate yourself, Ping Pong," said Omi, "and I shall show you the most efficient way to dominate evil."

The Shoku Warriors leaped from the dragon and into battle, and Dojo soared past them to land in a field nearby. Ping Pong waited for him to shrink before he dashed after the others. From within the amphitheater, the sound of smashing metal and a screaming Jack Spicer was already reaching his ears.

Just as he reached the trees surrounding the battlefield, he heard a deep, unfamiliar voice in the shadows, "A little behind, are you, little one?"

Skidding to a stop, Ping Pong whirled around to see an armor-clad man leaning with a propped elbow against a tree. He held a beaded necklace with a bronze, circular pendant.

"The Necklace of Amelior!" Ping Pong gasped. "Monsieur, that artifact is most important to my friends. May I please have it?"

"I am somewhat behind on modern colloquialisms," said the man, turning over the pendant in his palm, "but I believe the correct phrase to use in this situation is 'Finders keepers.'"

"Wait," said Ping Pong. Stepping back, he said, "Yeux jaunes? Armure à pointes? Cheveux ridiculement longue?" He gasped. "You are Chase Young! Kimiko talked about you on her blog." He squinted. "How odd, though. You don't look like a creepy old man."

Chase Young frowned. "I am far more than creepy, Ping Pong. I could be your ally."

"How do you know my name?"

"I have been observing you and the other monks from a distance. You have demonstrated an impressive assortment of skills and knowledge."

"You've been watching me?" Ping Pong kept stepping back until he found himself pressed against a tree. "Kimiko was right; you are creepy."

"I am also far more capable of helping you realize your destiny than the Xiaolin monks. You do not belong at the Xiaolin temple."

The boy stared down at his clenched fists, for a moment looking crestfallen. "What do you mean? I am not worthy?"

"You are far more than worthy," said Chase Young, "but your friends do not trust you with the same tasks they take upon themselves. They find you incompetent."

"Only by comparison," said Ping Pong, nervously tugging at his sleeve. "I am barely an apprentice, after all. They are Shoku Warriors. I have many years of training to undergo before I reach their level. But they still invited me here to fight."

"You are not only the weakest in their eyes," said Chase Young, "but you are also the outsider. The extra."

"I… well, bien sûr. They have known each other for years. It is perfectly understandable that they share their inside jokes and stories. I have much to learn, but they still care for me."

"Do they?" said Chase Young. "You are the weak link. Someday they will get tired of protecting you. They managed just fine before you arrived; to them, you are practically disposable."

"That is not true!" said Ping Pong, looking up with eyes suddenly alight. "I shall not fall for your manipulative tricks. I trust my new friends with my life."

"Then you are as naïve as Omi. The day will come when the warriors abandon you for their own interests. When that day arrives, know that you are welcome at my side."

For a moment, Ping Pong said nothing. Then, head tilted, he pointed up at the villain. "Kimiko wrote in her blog once about how you tricked Omi into joining you. I think you are only approaching me because you failed to get the apprentice you really wanted."

For just a moment, Ping Pong thought he saw a flicker of shock across Chase Young's face, but it was masked too quickly for him to tell. "I may have thought long ago that Omi was the warrior meant to rule the world at my side," said Chase Young, "but that was before you joined the Xiaolin ranks."

"I do not wish to rule the world at anyone's side," said Ping Pong. "I only wish to protect it, just like the friends I admire."

"A noble cause," said Chase Young, "but a hopeless one. You do not belong on the Xiaolin side, and Omi can sense it. You are the ying to his yang, meant to fight as his enemy, not his brother."

"Comment oses-tu!" Ping Pong leaped onto a tree branch up high. "I do not wish to discuss this further! My friends would never fight me as an enemy, they do not think I am weak, they would not abandon me, and I will never join the dark forces. Now leave!"

"Very well, then," said Chase Young. Holding up the Necklace of Amelior, he added, "In that case, I wish you luck explaining to your heroes how you caused their mission to fail. I am certain they will understand that you lost the Shen Gong Wu by sending me away with it."

"W- wait!" Ping Pong bounded forward, but Chase Young leaped straight over the trees. When Ping Pong ran to the spot where he had stood and looked up, the man was gone.

The boy dashed to the amphitheater, and the battle there was already over. The four Xiaolin Dragons now wondered aimlessly amongst the piles of Jack-bot shrapnel and searched in vain for the Shen Gong Wu. Kimiko looked up when he stepped into the circular clearing. "There you are, Boris! Where were you? I was worried a Jack-bot had carried you off!"

"Jack left in humiliating defeat," said Omi, "but we have still not found the Necklace of Amelior. You have not seen it, have you, Ping Pong?"

"Um…" Ping Pong had never in his life considered lying to one of his idols, yet Chase Young's words still echoed in his ears, and the thought of the monks knowing that he had ruined their quest filled his stomach with thick dread. "No, I have not."

"That's okay," said Kimiko, smiling down at him. "You can help us look for it, then."

Nodding, he met her eyes. "Je mens."

The warriors split up, but of course, no one found the necklace. After an hour, Raimundo threw up his hands in defeat and made the call to return home. Ping Pong sat in front during the flight back so he wouldn't have to look anyone in the eyes. He was unaware that Omi was studying his hunched shoulders and timid demeanor.

The Shoku Warrior's eyes narrowed in suspicion. My tiger instincts are never wrong, he thought. Perhaps I was right to doubt your trustworthiness after all, little Ping Pong.