Once the monks returned to the Xiaolin Temple, the three immediately ran to the vault. Grabbing their most powerful Wu, they crouched around the cauldron and waited, bracing themselves for Hannibal Bean's inevitable invasion. When nothing happened for the rest of the evening, they eventually huddled together and took turns staying on watch, one person alert for danger while the other two napped on each other's shoulders.

Morning rose, and just when the three considered leaving their post for breakfast, a shadow passed over the temple. They dashed outside with Wu raised for battle, but instead of Ying Ying, a lime green dragon landed in the courtyard.

"Chucky Choo!" Omi said. Then he spotted the rider. "Master Monk Guan! What are you doing here?"

The elder stepped down from the dragon's back. "We left for the temple as soon as I discovered that Hannibal Bean has returned."

"How did you know about that?" asked Dojo, slithering out onto the courtyard with Master Fung stepping out after him.

Springing onto Master Monk Guan's shoulder, Chucky Choo shook his head and held up a newspaper. "I hate to break it to ya, bud, but the whole world knows about it." On the front page of the paper was a photo of Ying Ying soaring overhead with the bolded headline underneath, "Giant Bird and Dragon Attack London: British Library in Shambles."

Climbing onto Clay's hat, Dojo leaned his head forward and glared at the newspaper. "Hey! I didn't attack anything!"

Master Monk Guan said, "The article is not important. The only version of the story I want to hear is yours. What happened?"

Dojo looked down at the kids, grimacing as if he expected all three to start shouting at once, but instead they were sheepishly silent. Kimiko and Omi both awkwardly looked away, and after a moment, Clay sighed and said, "Hannibal Bean tricked us and broke out of the Ying Yang World. Then he joined Wuya, and they combined the Noumenon Chains with the Reversing Mirror."

"Is that all?" Master Monk Guan said, looking at Kimiko and Omi with an eyebrow raised.

Clay stepped between him and his two teammates. "That's all the important bits."

"He didn't trick us," said Omi, eyes on the floor. "He tricked me."

"And he only got the Noumenon Chains because I let my guard down," said Kimiko, running her hands through her limp hair.

Clay turned to the two. "Now, hang on, partners—"

"Clay is right," said Master Monk Guan. "Those details are unimportant." Kimiko and Omi glanced up but decided not to argue further.

Master Monk Guan led the three monks and Master Fung to the meditation room. After everyone else was seated, he faced them and said, "I am one of the only two people alive who has faced Hannibal Bean in his current form. As such, I will gladly teach you all I know about him."

Kimiko shrugged. "Omi did some research on him already, too."

Master Monk Guan nodded and smiled at the smallest monk. "Proactivity. A sign of a good leader." Perhaps he had expected Omi to take the statement as a compliment, but instead the boy hunched his shoulders and winced.

"Here's what I don't get, though," said Kimiko. "Why would Hannibal Bean go through so much trouble just to change his form? Didn't he used to have the Moby Morpher for that?"

"Yes," said Master Monk Guan, "but the Moby Morpher doesn't give the user any strength or powers. It is merely a mask. Hannibal Bean saw use for it the first time he was freed, but now that Raimundo is gone, his goals have changed. Freeing himself from the constraints of the Noumenon Chains is only the first step of his plan."

Kimiko frowned and mouthed Raimundo's name in confusion, but before she could voice her question, Clay asked, "And what is his plan exactly?"

"Is it not obvious?" Omi said with clouded eyes. "He wishes to become the Heylin Demon once more." Crossing his legs, he rested his chin on his fists.

Kimiko leaned forward. "Master Monk Guan, what about Raimundo? What does he have to do with it?"

Master Monk Guan did not answer for a moment, but instead glanced at Master Fung. The three monks looked up at him expectantly, and he finally sighed. "Raimundo was an elemental Xiaolin Dragon," he said, "and therefore one of the five potential wielders of the Wu Xing Shield…"

"The what?" asked Chase, raising an eyebrow at Dashi. He and Guan sat on the front porch of the newly constructed Xiaolin temple, facing the Grand Master Dragon. Dashi leaned against a wall behind him, looking up at the stars and appearing deep in thought.

"Wu Xing Shield," he said, putting one hand on his chin and creasing his eyebrows. "What do you think? Too much of a mouthful?"

"What does it do?" asked Guan.

Dashi idly started to spin the Shen Gong Wu scroll on one finger. "It destroys demons."

Chase's and Guan's shoulders stiffened, and they leaned forward with mouths agape. "Where is it? What does it look like? Why haven't you used it?"

"Chill, kids," Dashi said, setting down the scroll and holding his palms out with a fond smirk. "I'm not strong enough to use it. None of us are." He picked up the scroll again, and when he opened it, a glowing image of an upside-down pentagon appeared above them. "The magic required to destroy a demon cannot be controlled by one man, not even a Grand Master Dragon."

Before his students' eyes, a color formed within each of the sections of the pentagon: blue, green, red, yellow, and silver. A white star appeared in the very center, uniting all five sides, and at each of the star's points appeared an orb. Cast in a shimmering light, the image morphed into a five-sided shield.

"Wait," said Guan, pointing. "That's the symbol for my element." Sure enough, the symbol for Earth appeared in the orb within the yellow side, and four more elements emerged within the others', including Chase's and Dashi's.

"Exactly," said Dashi. "Only the combined forces of five Xiaolin elements can summon the Wu Xing Shield."

"Five? But there are only three of us."

"Really?" said Dashi, grinning at his two students. "And here I've been miscounting all this time."

Chase scowled. "Why didn't you make a weapon that would work with three warriors?"

"Because three isn't enough, obviously."

Chase rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

"But then why bother?" asked Guan. "You've already weakened the Heylin Demon into a bean and a parrot. He's not a threat anymore."

"Not to mention that we currently have bigger problems," added Chase, "such as a super-powered Heylin witch threatening to cast the world in eternal darkness."

"I'm not worried about Wuya," said Dashi, waving his hand dismissively. "I've got a puzzle box."

"A… puzzle… box," Chase echoed slowly, voice deadpan. "What—? How is that—? You know what, never mind." He crossed his arms and frowned at a nearby statue.

"We are merely trying to understand, Grand Master," said Guan with a shrug. "Why are you still worried about the Heylin Demon?"

Dashi was no longer looking at either of them. With his hands folded under his chin, worried lines creased between his eyebrows. "Hannibal Bean may not be a danger to the world anymore, but he is a danger to my team. As long as he exists, he will always be a threat. If he is not destroyed, I could lose something very precious to me."

Guan cocked his head. "I do not understand."

Dashi looked up and smiled at his two students. "Let's hope you never have to."

Master Monk Guan closed his eyes. "A few weeks after our discussion, Dashi successfully defeated Wuya, and shortly afterwards… Chase betrayed us and traded his soul to Hannibal Bean."

"Dirty snake," Clay muttered, though his thoughts seemed elsewhere. Still, Master Monk Guan winced.

Dojo wrinkled his nose. "I don't remember hiding any super-powered shield with Dashi. How do you know this thing is real?"

Master Monk Guan's shoulders sank. "I don't. The only proof I have of its existence is Dashi's word."

Dojo frowned, but the three Xiaolin Dragons were hardly listening anymore. They turned to each other, and Kimiko said, "So there is a Wu out there that can take down the Heylin Demon, but we can't use it."

"Not without Raimundo, anyway," said Clay.

"It is obviously not our destiny to summon the Wu Xing Shield," said Omi, shaking his head. "We do not have a fifth element."

Clay and Kimiko turned to him. "Fifth?"

"The three of us plus Wind would only make four elements." Omi shrugged and rubbed his forehead. "Even if Raimundo were alive, who would be the fifth?"

Ping Pong blinked his eyes open. Curled up against Mouchetures's fuzzy side, he had woken to a booming crash coming from the lair's entrance. The other jungle cats in the atrium had their heads turned in that direction as well; he had not imagined it.

"Mullido, Behaart, Biscotto," he said, looking up at the jungle cats in question, "I am most sorry to interrupt your nap, but could you please go check to see what is happening outside?" The three lions bounded from their resting places and dashed down the front hallway toward the entrance.

Ping Pong leaned back into the cheetah's fur, frowning slightly. No one had tried to break into the lair since Wuya was last thrown out, not even Jack. With only the cat army to keep him company, he had spent the past several weeks cleaning, meditating, practicing his martial arts, and generally wasting time. Whenever the thought of approaching the Xiaolin Warriors came to mind, he shuddered and told himself he'd figure it out later; after all, the plants needed tending.

He sniffed and curled up into a tighter ball, and Mouchetures curled around him and licked his head. Then a faint screech made her and the other cats lift their heads once more. Her body stiffened, and she started to growl. Ping Pong looked up just as two figures stepped into the atrium, a satyr and a familiar Heylin witch.

The satyr, a hooved beast with a goat's horns and snout, let out a low whistle as he stared up at the lavish room. "No wonder you wanted this place back. A little too extravagant for my tastes, but you can't argue with style."

"Chase Young had the best eye for housekeeping," said Wuya with a mock sigh. "I almost miss him."

The satyr looked up and spotted Ping Pong and the cheetah. "And who is this? Omi's little brother?"

Flushing, Ping Pong stood. Struggling to keep his voice and his limbs from trembling, he said, "I— I am the g-guardian of Chase Young's lair, and the commander of h-his jungle cat army. Whoever you are, I demand that you leave at once!"

The satyr snorted, and he turned to Wuya. "This is the gum drop that threw you out?"

"The boy is nothing," said the witch, wrinkling her nose. "It's the cats who you need to worry about."

The satyr clasped his hands together and cracked his knuckles. "Hairballs or cue balls, I won't have a problem."

A panther jumped to Ping Pong's side. Nodding to the cheetah, he threw back his head and roared. The other jungle cats answered with calls of their own, and they charged. Ping Pong took a few antsy steps forward as well, but when he hesitated, Mouchetures grabbed the back of his jacket in her teeth and jumped to a high ledge. Setting him down carefully, she then lunged after her comrades into battle.

Wuya and the satyr stood back to back and braced themselves. The panther reached them first, jumping up and latching onto one of the satyr's horns. He kicked at the beast's stomach with clawed hind feet, knocking him backward, but the satyr rolled and threw the cat down a flight of stairs.

"Mort!" Ping Pong called, watching the unfortunate panther collapse at the bottom. Then, eyes flashing up to the battle still at hand, he said, "Gawain, Ragnelle, be careful!"

Two tigers attempted to corner Wuya, separating her from the satyr. While three lionesses, two panthers, and the lone cheetah pounced upon their other opponent, the tigers bared their teeth and charged at the witch. However, Wuya was not caught off guard this time; she struck them both down with a spinning kick. Meanwhile, the satyr flung all the other cats across the floor with one heave of brute strength.

"You'll have to do better than that to take down Hannibal Roy Bean!" he said.

"Hannibal Bean?" Ping Pong echoed. Realizing that the red creature must be disguising himself with the Moby Morpher, he gasped. He glanced around, wondering for a moment where the parrot was.

Meanwhile, Mort the panther picked himself up and charged up the stairs again, but Hannibal Bean knocked him back down with one punch. The cats were now wavering; their head-on attacks had always worked before due to outnumbering their opponents, but the satyr was too strong to overwhelm. Surrounding the two enemies once more, the cats lashed their tails and went into a standstill.

Hannibal Bean, on the other hand, was not so hesitant. He lowered his head and charged at the two tigers, butting them down with his thick, curled horns. The other cats scattered and tried to attack from behind, but they were struck down as well.

Ping Pong gripped the ledge, shaking and wishing he was useful enough to help, when suddenly Chase Young's words echoed in his ear: "Use your size to your advantage. You are a miniscule target. Exhaust your opponents."

Eyes widening, he sprang from the ledge and landed in front of a vine-tangled wall. Hannibal Bean spotted him, grinned, and charged with head lowered. Just before the satyr reached him, Ping Pong dashed away, and Hannibal Bean slammed headfirst into the wall.

"Mouchetures!" Ping Pong called, and the cheetah flicked her ears forward. "He is stronger, but you and I are faster. Let us take him down together!"

The cheetah pulled her lips back in a toothy grin. When Hannibal Bean stood, the two bounded to either side of him. The satyr charged at Ping Pong, who bounced away while Mouchetures tackled the satyr from behind. Hannibal Bean whirled around to grab her, but Ping Pong dashed forward and head-butted his arm. With an enraged roar, Hannibal Bean spun around and tried in vain to snatch one of the golden blurs sprinting around him.

However, Ping Pong was so focused on his one opponent that a sudden hand latching onto the hood of his jacket caught him completely by surprise. Wuya lifted him off the ground and hissed, "Forget someone?"

Mouchetures skidded to a stop, her focus switching to Wuya, and Hannibal Bean grabbed her by the neck.

"Mouchetures!" Ping Pong cried. The cheetah's feet scrabbled without purchase across the stone floor, and the satyr tightened his grip. Ping Pong kicked frantically, but Wuya had him dangling far from her, one slender hand gripping his wrists. In panic, the boy's eyes suddenly flashed up to the vines entangling the surrounding walls. "W—w—"

The cheetah made a horrific gurgling sound as her body started to go limp. Ping Pong's mind flared with unexpected energy, and three dots formed on his head.

"WOOD!"

At the call, vines as thick as ropes tore from the walls, whipping across the satyr's eyes. The creature roared and flung one arm out at the unexpected attack. Ping Pong flung his body back and kicked at Wuya's arm. The witch yelped and dropped him, and the boy shot himself at Hannibal Bean.

"Redwood Ricochet Wood!" he cried, and he smashed into the satyr's snout.

The impact threw Hannibal Bean backward, and he rolled across the floor before coming to a crouch. He lashed his thin tail and bared yellow teeth at the boy, who now stood between him and the panting cheetah.

"A Xiaolin Dragon?" the satyr said. "A fifth Xiaolin Dragon?"

Ping Pong was poised in a battle stance, knees bent and arms raised. At the satyr's words, his eyes widened. "Me? A Xiaolin—" One hand reached up and touched his forehead, where the three dots continued to glow, and a slow smile began to light up his face. "I— I am a Xiaolin Dragon!"

As he spoke, dozens more of the jungle cats bounded into the atrium. Within seconds, they surrounded Wuya and Hannibal Bean. With a giggle, Ping Pong pointed at the two. "P-prepare for a most humiliating defeat!"

The satyr snorted. "I am quite prepared, but only for yours, little runt."

"Nous verrons." Ping Pong glanced from side to side at the members of his army. "Ngozi, Azrael, Ixchel, Nizhoni, everyone, remove the intruders at—!"

With a crunch, a red-stained body dropped in front of him. Ping Pong's command stuttered at the sight of the battered, broken corpse of a lion.

"B- Biscotto—?"

A booming thud shook the floor, and Ping Pong fell. The jungle cats roared and snarled. When the boy sat up, he felt the heat drain from his face. There was an enormous clawed foot at his left and another at his right. He looked straight up, and a giant bird's black eyes peered back down at him.

The air left Ping Pong's lungs. Blood dripped down from the bird's beak as she hissed. Arching her neck, she plunged down. Scrabbling to his feet, Ping Pong fled, and he heard the snap of her beak slamming shut behind him.

The jungle cats roared and lunged at the roc. Tripping over his own feet, Ping Pong felt something latch on to the back of his jacket once again, and he screamed as something lifted him into the air.

"Halt!" called Wuya, and the jungle cats came to a stop. Clutching the boy's jacket in one hand and holding a knife to his throat with the other, she said, "Stand back, or I'll slaughter him like a piglet."

The cats were motionless. Ping Pong's eyes were screwed shut, his body curled around itself in a tight ball; he didn't seem aware that Wuya was the one holding him up. The roc lowered her head and snorted at him, spraying flecks of red onto his face, and he whimpered.

Hannibal Bean chuckled. "Don't tell me the mighty Xiaolin Dragon is afraid of a big ol' bird?"

The roc shrieked in Ping Pong's face, and the boy screamed again, tears streaming down. Wuya turned to the unmoving jungle cats. "I command you all to go down to the prison cells and lock yourselves inside. If you don't, Ying Ying will be getting an early snack."

Mouchetures hobbled to her feet and looked up at Ping Pong. Lashing her tail, she pinned her ears back and growled a command to the other cats. One by one, they backed away from the Heylin intruders and retreated down the hallways to the lower floors. The cheetah was the last to leave, casting a dark glare at the Heylins before she disappeared in the dark.

"Devoured by a bird," said Wuya, lifting Ping Pong higher for the roc to sniff. "What a fitting end for an insect like you."

Ying Ying opened her beak, eyes alight with glee, but then Hannibal Bean said, "No. Leave the boy alive. He is the only way to control the cats."

Wuya put a hand on her hips. "Maybe you weren't paying attention, but I solved that problem just now."

Hannibal Bean snatched Ping Pong from her grip, and the boy squeaked. "True, but you never know when an army can come in handy. Still," he wrinkled his snout at the trembling boy, "we'll need to keep him somewhere he can't escape. Ah."

He pulled out the Ying Yoyo. Wuya took a sharp breath and asked, "How did you get that? I thought the monks had it."

"Omi dropped it in the British Library," said Hannibal Bean, and he released the Wu. "Ying Yoyo!"

Ping Pong flailed and sobbed, "P-please, don't—" His plea dissolved into another scream when the satyr threw him through the portal.

When the boy hit the cloud-covered ground, he heard Hannibal Bean's voice, faint on the other side of the rapidly closing swirls, "If you get lonely, we can always send Ying Ying to keep you company." His voice and Wuya's erupted into evil laughter, and the portal vanished, leaving Ping Pong in silence and darkness.

Author's Notes:

Special shout-out to TheXGrayXLady; I borrowed several of her jungle cat OCs for this chapter, including Mort, Gawain, Ragnelle, Ngozi, Azrael, Ixchel, and Nizhoni. I also apologize that their only role was to have their butts handed to them.