Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown. It belongs to Christy Hui.
Author's Note: Time to get back to the Dragons. They've finally decided to make their move! Next stop: Chase's lair.
United as One
Chapter 21: The Prisoner
Dojo was flying straight for Chase's tower, all of the warriors -- excluding Raimundo -- sitting peacefully on the dragon's back, talking about the recent events to let the time pass. Their first concern was the Brazilian, who had stayed behind on Master Fung's orders. "I hope Raimundo is all right," Omi said in concern. "That injury looked most painful."
"I say, that berry stuff Master Fung spread 'n Rai's wound looked more painful than 'nything," Clay said with a shiver.
"It did look painful," Kimiko said glancing at the blond cowboy, "but it was the only way to desinfect Raimundo's injury. We didn't have any medicine with us."
"He could've waited for us to get some," Jack said as he pointed his finger towards the sky.
"That would have taken too long," the Dragon of Water pointed out.
"Enough chit-chat, kids," Dojo interrupted with his low and rumbling voice. "What's the plan to find Hannibal in Chase's citadel?"
Removing his hat and taking out a round-shaped Wu from it, Clay explained to his green friend, "First, we'll use the Shadow Slicer t'get past Chase's lil' kitties."
"Then, we'll use the Falcon's Eye to find Hannibal," Kimiko continued.
"And then we'll use the Serpent's Tail to get to him without wasting time."
"What about me?" Jack whined after the three warriors had explained their plan. "What Wu am I going to use?"
"You? Um..." The Dragon of Fire looked away. "Sorry, Jack, but that's all the Wu we've got for this mission."
"Oh. Great. No need to pay attention to me, I'm just the one who saved your sorry lives."
"Don't take it th'hard way," Clay said, putting back on his hat. "We've been a bit shaken by all 'tis, and I'm sure you're too, so we didn't thought about ya. But whether you have a Shen Gon Wu or not ain't important right now. Don't get all mad like a porcupine with marshmallows on his spikes."
"Clay is right," Omi agreed. "We must focus on our perilous journey ahead."
"At least you won't need to worry about the travel anymore," Dojo said in a dull tone. "We're here."
The monks looked up ahead, staring at Chase's lair standing on top of the mountain. Omi shivered at the sight of the tower, old and unpleasant memories coming back into his mind. The others, though aware of their friend's fright, said nothing. There was nothing to say, really. They all hated that place more than any in the world, but they had no choice but to penetrate their enemy's home.
Now over the evil lair, Dojo glided slowly in circles, glancing at the entrance. Fortunately for him and the warriors, there were no cats in sight. The green dragon landed softly on the ground, and all of his passengers slided off his back. Kimiko, Clay, Omi, and Jack all walked up to the great gate, Dojo quickly following behind them in his gecko form. The red-haired teenager immediately went for the switch he had discovered to open the door, pressing it gently with is palm.
"Quick! Step back!" The three Dragons moved out of the way along with Jack, the stone door slamming the ground with all of its force. "I learned my lesson the first time that happened," Jack said to his friends. "You don't want to get squashed by that evil door."
The others stared at Jack somewhat confusingly, unable to tell if he was joking or actually being serious. They simply ignored the last statement and decided to continue their quest without further useless distraction. They entered Chase's home, looking around for any jungle cats. Much to their surprise, no giant felines were lying around the great hall. "Ain't somethin' feeling awkward?" Clay asked, feeling a shiver running down his spine.
Kimiko nodded, looking suspiciously around her. "There should be hundreds of tigers, lions and leopards around here, but the place is completely deserted."
"Not that I'm complaining," Dojo said, slithering up to Omi's shoulder. "I don't want to be cat food."
"We should get to Hannibal Bean then," Omi said, taking out the Serpent's Tail from his robe. "Kimiko, can you see where he is with the Falcon's Eye?"
"I'm on it." After also taking out her Wu from her robe, the Japanese yelled, "Falcon's Eye!" With the Shen Gon Wu held closely in front of her eye like a monocle, the Dragon of Fire inspected the area, her head down. "Found him! He's in a cell at approximately six or seven meters down somewhere around there." She pointed at the ground ahead of them.
"Then let's do this!" the Texan said in a resolute tone.
"Serpent's Tail!"
The three warriors grabbed on to Omi's shoulder who was hurriedly dragged through the floor with extreme speed. The magical artifact carried them all through the stone, then into a large corridor full of empty cells. On the yellow-skinned monk's orders, the Wu started to slow down, and then came to a stop. The four warriors touched ground, slightly dazed and unbalanced.
"Well, well... I didn't expect any visitors today." The four kids immediately regained their senses when this familiar voice spoke to them. Hannibal Bean -- who was in his maximized form -- was locked up in a cage right beside them, a grin upon his face and tentacles crossed. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"We're not here because we miss you," Jack said harshly, crossing his arms and glaring at his old master. "We're here to talk."
"Oh, and what do you want to talk about?" the bean asked in an interested tone.
"We need information on Chase so we can defeat him," Kimiko explained. "Since you've been his mentor for quite a while, we thought that maybe you knew his weakness."
Hannibal stayed silent for a few minutes before bursting in laughter, a few tears flowing down his red skin. The warriors looked at each other in confusion, wondering what was so funny. "Why are you laughing?" Omi asked with a hint of anger.
The evil mastermind managed to take a hold of himself quite rapidly, but he still had that mocking smile on his face. "You kids really think I'm gonna tell anything without something in return? You should know that I don't work for free."
That was the most obvious thing ever, but the monks had managed to forget it. Looking uneasily at each other, they tried to find a way to make an equivalent exchange. They could give the bean a Shen Gon Wu, but that was simply crazy and out of the question. They could also let him out of his cage, but that was also something to avoid at any cost. "And wha' exactly do ya have 'n mind?" Clay asked after a short pause, arms crossed.
"Oh, nothing in particular," Hannibal said, twisting his tentacles around the bars holding him back. "All I want is to know exactly what's going on with you kids. Tell me everything that happened after Chase came to your Temple and trashed everything."
The monks stared at the bean, total confusion covering their faces. "You want what?"
"I want information on you kids," the evil fruit repeated. "Y'see, I've been in this cell for a while now, and I was wondering what the Dragons were up to. It's quite simple to understand; I give you information on Chase if you give me information on you."
"You don't want us to let you out instead?" Kimiko asked.
"No thanks, I like it in here. Lots of moisture."
"Ewww," Jack muttered.
"So, who starts?" Omi asked, looking at his friends and the bean in turn.
"Wait, you're actually gonna do this?" Dojo asked in an angry voice. "Don't you know who that guy is? He's probably planning to annihilate us after we tell him everything!"
"How could he? He's stuck in a cage."
"Fine," the green dragon mumbled after a short pause. "Do what you want, but don't say that I didn't warn ya."
Jack shrugged, thinking that Dojo was simply overreacting, and turned to Hannibal. "So, do you want to spill the beans first, or should we?"
"Go ahead," the bean said with a nod. "I haven't talked to anyone lately, so I think it'll be best for me to start things off."
"All right then," Clay said as he slightly lifted his hat with his thumb. "We first need to know if there's a way to defeat Chase."
Hannibal stayed silent for a while, as if thinking deeply. After a few seconds, he said in a calm way, "Nope."
"What do you mean, no?" Kimiko said angrily, dangerously approaching the bars of the cell. "There must be a way to beat him! He may have gained new powers, but it doesn't mean that he's unstoppable!"
"Oh, you were talking about now?" the bean said with a smirk. "I thought you were referring to his days at my side."
The evil mastermind suddenly jerked back when Jack punched the bars of the cell with his palms, anger taking over him rapidly. "Look here, Hannibal," the teenager said sternly under his friends' stares, looking deep into the bean's surprised eyes, "I've had enough of your superior ways. You've been toying with me just like you're toying with us now, and I'm sick of it! Tell us what you know, or things won't be very pretty from now on!"
"My, you've certainly changed," Hannibal said after finally taking a hold of himself. "Fine then. I'll tell you what I know."
"And it's about time too."
"But first," the bean said, lifting a tentacle, "let me ask you this: how do you think Chase gained Wuya's powers?"
The warriors thought about it for a minute, trying to figure out in the first place how it all started. Omi, who knew exactly how Chase could act when desperate, said in a strong voice, "He fused his body and soul to Wuya."
"Exactly," Hannibal said with a nod. "He used a powerful spell to combine his abilities with the witch's, but he also made a grave error. By merging body and soul with Wuya, he now shares the sorceress' powers that need to be used moderately to avoid any injuries. Unfortunately, my former student is unaware of that. He's using his new abilities excessively, to the point that he no longer uses his martial arts skills. It will slowly drain all of his energy, make him weaker each time he will use them."
"So it's actually good for us," Clay concluded.
"On the contrary, it's the worst thing that can happen. By unleashing so much power at once, Chase is getting closer to being consumed by his own greed. Once he will be overtaken by the witch's powers, he'll trigger earthquakes and other catastrophes that will surely annihilate the whole world."
"That's terrible!" Kimiko exclaimed. "Isn't there a way to stop him?"
"There is," Hannibal said with a sigh, "but I really don't think you kids are up for it."
"You better tell us, rotten jelly bean," Jack said, staring menacingly at his former master with his arms crossed.
Hannibal sighed once more before saying, "The only way to get rid of Chase is to take his power away... and then kill him."
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Author's Note: Duh dun derrr! It may be no surprise to some of you, but it's going to be rather hard to eliminate Chase. Our warriors are Xiaolin monks, and these kind of people don't kill, even if it's to get rid of evil forever. So, what will happen next? Find out in the next episode of Xiaolin Showdown! XD