The Shen Gong Wu in Jack's arms dropped and clattered across the basement floor. "Whoa, whoa, hold on. What are you saying? I've got nothing in common with any Xiaolin loser, I'll tell you that now—"

"Yes, you do, Jack. You are the Xiaolin Dragon of Metal, the fifth element of Wu Xing, destined to assist the Xiaolin Dragons in their fight against the Heylin Demon."

Chase's grin lit his face even in the wake of Jack's blank stare. Finally the redhead said, "Alright, now I know you're pulling my leg. You're saying that one Xiaolin idiot made the Shen Gong Wu with his elemental powers? That makes no sense." Jack held up a finger. "First of all, not every Shen Gong Wu is made of metal—"

Chase gave a dismissive shrug. "True. Dashi could imbue magic into any article he pleased. He turned a kite, a blanket, and an hourglass into the Longi Kite, the Shroud of Shadows, and the Sands of Time. But he crafted most of his Shen Gong Wu from scratch using his element: the Eye of Dashi, the Falcon's Eye, the Jetbootsu, the Thorn of Thunderbolt—"

"Second of all," said Jack, holding up a second finger, "I'm evil. Heylin. A bad guy. There's no way I'd have any stupid goody-goody magic powers."

"Having the potential to become a Xiaolin Dragon does not guarantee that your life will be spent on the side of good." Chase's smile dropped slightly. "I should know."

"So even if I did have these elemental powers or whatever, how come I never found out about them?"

"Because you did not know how to use them. You couldn't access them. Even the Xiaolin Warriors at the temple could not use elemental powers when they first started. They could summon the chi, which assisted them in their martial arts, but they had to train for many months before they could start to utilize their elements fully. You needed time and training as well."

"Wait." Jack leaned back, grabbing onto the nearest bookshelf. "That… Is that what you've been training me for? To get elemental powers?"

"Yes. Exactly."

Jack bit his lips and ran his hands through his hair. "But… but I don't want elemental powers. I'm not a good guy. I don't want to be a Xiaolin Dragon."

"I am afraid you have no choice. There is no other way to defeat the Heylin Demon, not anymore." Out of the silk bag, Chase pulled the two halves of the broken Pneuma Crystal. Dropping them at Jack's feet, he said, "The demon has rendered useless the only other weapons effective against him. You must accept your destiny, Jack. You must destroy the Heylin Demon. If you don't—"

Jack huffed. "Let me guess: end of the world?"

"Worse. Imagine your soul trapped in a shrieking darkness, burning and freezing, lost for all eternity. That is the fate of all whom the Heylin Demon devours." Chase stared down at his own palms, and a lock of hair fell over his face. "Once my life ends, it will be my fate as well. I traded my soul to Hannibal Bean for the Lao Mang Long soup. As long as the Heylin Demon lives, the soup keeps me forever young, but my soul belongs to the beast." His hands clenched into fists. "The only hope for my freedom is its destruction."

Jack stared at the man while his visions of world conquest came crashing down around him. "You haven't been teaching me to beat the Xiaolin Warriors; you've been training me to help them. You— you lied to me!"

"I stretched the truth. My goal was indeed to prepare you for the battle against the Heylin Demon, but I do assure you, Jack, your awakened powers would also make you a match for the Xiaolin Warriors. But right now, you have more pressing matters at hand."

"You're not even interested in bringing that loser leader back, are you? The Worm-bot deal was just a lie so I'd agree to training." Jack pointed at Chase with a quivering finger. "You just want the Heylin Demon gone; you're only in this for yourself!"

"I have not forgotten about Raimundo." Chase sighed and scooped a circular pendant out of his pocket. Looking down at it sadly, he said, "But he will be of no help in the coming battle. He is not one of the Wu Xing elements. I can always get the Hodoku Mouse later; the demon does not know where it is."

A muscle in Jack's jaw twitched. "Uh…"

"I have a few more Shen Gong Wu which may aid you." Chase opened the silk bag and pulled out the Sphere of Yun. He dropped it into Jack's hands. "I found this in my lair; I'm guessing it was left behind after whatever battle took place there. It will not contain the Heylin Demon for long, but perhaps you could stall it for a few seconds. I also have the Necklace of Amelior, the Wushan Geyser, and the Eagle Scope."

Chase did not watch Jack, who rolled the Sphere of Yun from one hand to the other with a growing scowl. The teen pursed his lips and raised his eyes at the ex-Heylin.

"I understand that this quest may seem intimidating, but you will have the aid of the other four Xiaolin Warriors. We must leave at once to let them know about your destiny."

"I have a better idea."

Chase finally looked up from the bag, and Jack thrust the Shen Gong Wu in the man's face. "Sphere of Yun!"


Dojo skidded to a crashing halt on the circular courtyard of Master Monk Guan's temple. As the bald elder raced outside to meet them, the four kids and Master Fung stepped down from the shrinking dragon. Ping Pong curled up on the ground, weeping, and Kimiko scooped him into her arms. Chucky Choo led Master Fung to the infirmary to check on the elder's mild injuries, and Omi and Clay rattled off the story to Master Monk Guan.

"—and now he has taken over the Xiaolin temple and is likely destroying everything we have left." Omi's eyes and voice were hollow. "Master Monk Guan, if there is any other way to fight this foul monster, you must tell us."

The older monk crossed his arms and bowed his head. "With the Chi Splitter destroyed, you will not be able to divide his form. Do you have the Noumenon Chains or the Pneuma Crystal?"

They shook their heads. Clay said, "Hannibal Bean took the Noumenon Chains from us, so I reckon they're long gone now." His eyebrows arched up. "But Chase has the Pneuma Crystal."

Guan put a hand to his chin. "Where is Chase?"

"We do not know," said Omi. "We have not seen him since…" His eyes closed, and he pushed his hands into his pockets, "since the day he tried to apologize to us, and we sent him away."

"He could be anywhere," said Dojo, laying his chin on Omi's head and wrapping his tail around the kid's shoulders.

"Without a fifth warrior, the Pneuma Crystal will be your only hope." Master Monk Guan turned toward the temple doorway. "I shall go search for him with the Golden Tiger Claws. You kids wait here." He dashed up the stairs and inside, leaving the kids and Dojo out on the court.

Ping Pong had quieted into sniffles, but Kimiko did not set him down. Instead she shrugged at the other two boys. "Do you think he can convince Chase to give us the Pneuma Crystal?"

"Chase isn't evil anymore, so I don't see why he wouldn't." Clay let out a long sigh, sat on the ground, and rubbed at his bloodshot eyes. After a couple minutes, the other Shoku Warriors joined him.

Dojo tapped his scaly fist on Omi's head. "You kids should probably go join Master Fung. You got a few dings and scratches to take care of, too." When the kids muttered protests, he put his fists on his stunted hips and said, "Hey! I'm your temple guardian, and I say you need to go and get patched up—"

His parental instincts dissolved with a full-body shudder. The Xiaolin Warriors perked their heads and watched the dragon wobble, and then suddenly Dojo shot straight up into the air— or at least, most of him did. Omi squealed and flung a layer of green shed skin off his head. Dojo dropped from the sky and crashed onto the ground, his scales now a bright gold.

The Xiaolin monks gathered around him in a circle. Clay leaned over the dragon and said, "Well, I'll be hogtied."

"Usted es amarilla!" Ping Pong wiped droplets off his glasses and cocked his head.

Still twitching, Dojo looked back at his palette-swapped body. "I didn't know I could d-d-do that."

"What happened?" asked Kimiko.

"I d-don't—" Dojo's yellow tail shook violently, and his head shot up. "Shen Gong Wu!"

His voice dissolved into incoherent garbles. While he writhed at their feet, the monks exchanged glances. Then Omi shook his head. "Master Monk Guan said to stay here. We must ignore this one."

"But what if it's something that can help us?" Kimiko put a hand on Dojo's head. "Do you know what it is?"

"I—I don't." Dojo gripped the sides of his head and grimaced. "I've never s-sensed this one before." He dropped and coiled up into a tangled wad. Groaning, he said, "Whatever it is, it's really big. I mean, it has to be. No Wu has made me change color before…"

He squinted up at the Xiaolin monks, whose eyes had grown round. Kimiko asked, "You guys don't think it's…?"

"The Wu Xing Shield," Omi murmured.

"Dojo," said Clay, squatting down. "Do you know where the Wu is?"

"It's, uh—" The dragon pointed to his left, "that way. No. No, wait. That way." He pointed right. "Or… no. That way?" He pointed behind him, then in front of him. "That way?"

"Dojo, we are not Shen Gong Wu."

The dragon glared at Omi to his left. "I know that!"

"Then why are you pointing at each of us?"

"I… I'm… not?" Dojo slithered past Omi and out of the crowded space. The four monks raised eyebrows at each other. The dragon pointed back behind him. "It's… um…"

"You're still pointing at us."

Dojo looked back at them with a confused frown. Clay asked, "What if Dojo's sensing the Wu Xing Shield and the elemental warriors who can use it?"

"We cannot use it," said Omi, shaking his head. "There are only four of us. If it really has revealed itself, it would be best for us to leave it where it is until…"

When the monk's voice trailed off, Ping Pong asked, "Until what?"

Kimiko sighed and bowed her head. "Until we can find and train a new Dragon of Wind."

The Shoku Warriors' expressions immediately soured. Then Dojo said, "That way." They turned toward him. The dragon pointed out toward the horizon in the direction from where they came.

"But that…" Ping Pong's eyes widened. "That is back toward the Xiaolin temple."

Kimiko's hands flew to her mouth. "If the Wu Xing Shield is at the temple—"

"And the Heylin Demon finds it before we do—" said Clay.

"He'll destroy it." For a moment, Omi glanced back up at the temple doors where Master Monk Guan had vanished, and then he looked down at his black robes. Taking a moment to skim his fingers over his sleeves, he gritted his teeth and turned back to his fellow warriors. "We must leave at once."


The Heylin Demon lay stretched out on the roof overseeing the Xiaolin temple courtyard, chewing on the tattered remains of the Shroud of Shadows. Giving a bored snort, it swallowed and tilted the Ruby of Ramses between two of its claws. Before it could pop the Wu into its mouth like a piece of hard candy, the demon heard a rumble from the temple vault. Sniffing the air, it lifted and turned its head in vague interest.

Two Jackbots hovered outside the door of the vault, clutching an enormous, lumpy bag. Then Jack Spicer himself stepped outside, clutching a smaller burlap sack in one hand and the two Spears of Guan in the other. "Barely anything in there," he muttered to himself. "They just left the vault wide open. And what gives? No one's coming to stop me." He frowned and looked around. "Where is everybody?"

"Hello, my boy. To what do I owe this unpleasantry?"

Jack yelped, dropped the Spears of Guan, and promptly tripped over them. Spinning around, he said, "Oh, h-hey there, H.B. Didn't see you up there. J-just thought I'd swing by and commit a good old-fashioned raid. Figured the Xiaolin monks would be pretty distracted—"

"They are." The demon wrinkled its snout. "But this is my lair now, and your insolence will cost you dearly."

"Whoa, hey, I didn't know you'd taken over the place! Here!" Jack stood, held the sack out at arm's length, and let it drop to the muddy ground. "All yours!"

The Heylin Demon snorted, flicked its tail, and eyed the bigger burlap sack the Jackbots carried. "And what of those?"

"Those are already mine." Jack shrank back under the slitted, glaring eyes. "Or at least, they were..."

The demon flicked the Ruby of Ramses, and the burlap sack flipped, spilling all the Shen Gong Wu into the mud. "I'll make a deal with you, insect. I'll let you live—" Out of the pile of Wu rose the Orb of Tornami, the Star Hanabi, the Fist of Tebigong, and the Sword of the Storm, "—in exchange for the monks' favorites."

"What are you gonna do with those?"

The four Shen Gong Wu drifted over Jack's head in a red haze and landed at the monster's feet. The demon grabbed the Sword of the Storm and bit down into the blade.

Jack winced. "Oh."

When the sword snapped, the demon threw it aside and scooped up the Fist of Tebigong. After chewing the metallic fist into a shapeless lump, the creature frowned at the boy genius. "Why are you still here?"

Jack took a deep breath and grinned up at the demon. "Here's the thing, H.B. You seem to have a good thing going on here, what with all the destruction and terror and whatnot. I, for one, am quite impressed. So how would you like to join Jack Spicer's Army of Evil?"

The Heylin Demon went still, the Star Hanabi inches from its teeth. In a slow, stupefied movement, it let the Wu drop from its grip. "You must be joking."

Jack puffed out his chest. "I can't guarantee you'll get a club jacket since I don't have anything in your size, but you'd definitely be a worthy asset to the team!"

With a dark chuckle, the monster picked up the Star Hanabi once more, chewing it for a moment before spitting out the pieces. "Tell you what, Jack. I'm gonna turn down your little offer, but since you made me laugh, I'll give you five seconds to run for your life."

Rather than freeze in terror, Jack held up his palms. "Wait, wait, hold up. I figured you'd play hard-to-get, so I brought you a little welcoming present." He snapped his fingers, and four Jackbots rose up from behind the temple walls, holding up the Sphere of Yun between them. Unceremoniously, they dumped the sphere at Jack's side. Within it, Chase sat with his legs crossed and teeth clenched.

Jack gave a dramatic gesture to the sphere. "Mr. Heylin Demon, I give you the biggest traitor on the Xiaolin and Heylin side. Turns out I can't trust him anymore than you can."

Chase whispered, "Jack, have you lost your mind?"

"I must say, this is quite the prize you've offered, boy." The Heylin Demon took a bite out of the Orb of Tornami. Chewing thoughtfully, it added, "Then again, he's only half the man he once was."

Chase glared. "And good riddance to that half. You will be defeated, foul creature. Once I bring Raimundo back—"

"With what? The Hodoku Mouse?" The monster smirked at the poorly-hidden expression of alarm on Chase's face. "You must not have looked very hard for that Wu, considering how quickly I found it."

Watching the demon lick its jaws for emphasis, Chase said, "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" The demon sniggered, tossed the rest of the orb, and turned to Jack. "I have no interest in this Xiaolin lowlife. Why devour a soul that already belongs to me? But you can show me your dedication to evil through other means. Kill Chase now, right here on the temple grounds, and I shall consider your request."

Jack grinned and said, "I know something more evil than that."

"Oh?" When Jack pointed to the burlap sack still on the ground, the beast said, "I have no interest in the Shen Gong Wu. None of them can hurt me."

"It's not Wu," said Jack, and from the sack he pulled out a green urn.

The other two stared at the new object with heads tilted. Then Chase took a sharp intake of breath. "Is that—?"

"The Xiaolin loser leader." Jack spun the urn on one finger. "Or what's left of him anyway. Omi let slip where his family lives, and I read his address off Kimiko's PDA. It was a cinch to steal it."

"Jack, whatever you're about to do—"

"Oops," said Jack, tossing the urn over his shoulder.

"Jack, NO!" shouted Chase, but it was too late. The urn shattered, and ashes spread across the temple grounds, unprotected.

Jack let out an evil cackle. "Told you, Chase! I'm Top Evil Dog around here! Or at least," he shrugged at the Heylin Demon, "the student to the master, right, H.B.?"

The Heylin Demon chuckled. "Quite an evil little dog indeed, Spicer. Now why don't you get to the part where you get rid of this traitor?"

"No problem," said Jack, now facing Chase directly as his grin lowered to a scowl. "He's been getting on my nerves, anyway."

"You are making a grave mistake, Jack," said Chase. "Your destiny is on the Xiaolin side."

"Don't talk to me about my destiny. I'm Jack Spicer, and I write my own destiny. You try and tell me that I'm supposed to fight one of my evil heroes? That I need to join the Xiaolin Warriors?" Jack marched to the small sack again and spun on his heel to sneer at the older warrior. "Well check again, Chase: you also tried to tell me that I can't fix Shen Gong Wu, and you know what?" He reached into the bag once more. "You were wrong."

Jack yanked out a familiar, metallic Shen Gong Wu. At the gleam of its blue crystal, Chase's jaw dropped open, and the Heylin Demon's eyes widened. A slow grin spread across Jack's face. He pointed the Wu at the scattered ashes. "RIO REVERSO!"

The Shen Gong Wu bucked in Jack's hands, and the beam of light blinded the Heylin Demon. At the collision, the ashes rose in streams of pure white, swirling and fusing in the air. Jack slapped his hand on the Sphere of Yun, called its name, and freed Chase.

The Heylin Demon roared and leaped from its makeshift throne, charging at the streams of light. Chase intercepted, lunging between the two and grabbing the demon's jaws, prying them apart as his opponent leaned over him, pumped its wings, and shrieked.

Jack ran to the fading light, now taking form as a familiar and dazed Xiaolin Dragon. "Come on, loser, snap out of it!"

The bright form swayed, blinking in confusion, and its surface turned into skin and clothes. The Heylin Demon threw Chase aside, and the man yelled, "Jack, run!"

Not the kind to disregard a threat to his person, Jack abandoned the slowly reviving teen and ran to the edge of the field, flipping on his helipack. The Heylin Demon lunged at the fading light, and Chase dashed around it and kicked it in the jaws. The demon fell and skidded straight at Jack Spicer, who screamed as it collided with him. Scrabbling, the creature grabbed Jack in its talons and flew into the air, diving behind the temple walls and out of sight. Chase sprang onto a roof. "Jack, no!"

Chase realized too late that he shouldn't have turned his back on the temple grounds. The blade of the Spear of Guan, number 384, now pressed against his neck.

"Hello, Chase Young," said Raimundo, hovering behind him with the staff in hand. "Remember me?"