Theo was clearly still taken aback from seeing the DVD case near the book as the area around him continued shifting.

""So, four stories to tell and four movie novelizations on my list.", he muttered, "This doesn't let me catch a break does it?"

As he settled into his chair, a book similar to his last one floated off the shelf and hovered before him.

"Okay magic bookshelf, where am I going now?", Theo wondered.

As if to answer him, the book flipped open to the first page and revealed the very restaurant that he recalled from his last book.

"So I'm still in Wish Dragon's universe huh?", Theo wondered, "Well this might be interesting. But I'm not going to be interfering like I did last time I was here."

The area around him settled until it was floating peacefully on a cover of clouds overlooking Shanghai below it.

"Okay, game face.", Theo told himself as he started, "It wasn't long after the breaking of his curse, that LongZhu, the once vain and greedy emperor finally learned his lesson in humility and-"

"You're killing me with boredom over here."

Theo paused as he turned to see the four holy beasts(Tigress, Phoenix, Tortoise, and Kiran) floating effortlessly nearby.

"How come you're still here?", Tigress asked, "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?"

"It's the bookshelf that brought me back.", Theo said a bit peeved, "Now I'm trying to narrate here so-"

"You're not going to keep popping up like before right?", Phoenix asked, "You know how much trouble it was right?"

"Can I please get a moment to set the stage here?"

"Hey, you go and sit this one out.", Kiran said firmly, "We'll show you how to set it."

And at that moment, music started playing as the holy beasts burst into song.

"Once upon a time, a spoiled ruler made a deal.", Tigress began, "And he thought he knew what was real."

"But he fell to a curse that made his life turn upside down.", Tortoise said sagely, "It made him strain, made him cry and frown."

"Then along came Din, the one who could.", Phoenix sang out, "Though a bit rough, he broke Long's curse as he would."

Theo observed the images the holy beasts projected as they continued.

"Now he's back and mortal.", Kiran concluded, "And living on Earth. In a new land away from his land of birth."

/

The restaurant was busy at this hour of the day. Din was getting the last few dishes from the kitchen window as Long hurried back with a list of orders he had gathered.

"Seven bowls...of soup.", Long said breathlessly, "Table...nine."

Din had just set the orders out as he rushed back.

"Never knew you were so good at waiting tables Long."

Long took a quick drink of water from the nearby fountain before talking.

"Well my sixth master was always such a blowhard.", he answered, "Always yapping at me like 'Long, could you fix my robes?' or 'Long I need about seven different jeweled tiaras for my daughters in the hour!'. Ugh, it really drove me up the wall."

Mrs. Song poked her head out from the kitchen window and frowned in Long's direction.

"What are you doing?!", she snapped, "We still have customers!"

Din could see Long was getting a bit miffed so he stepped in.

"Mom, he's been at this job for about a couple hours. He'll get the swing of it."

Mrs. Song didn't look convinced.

"If you're not going to take orders, there is about four tables that need wiping."

Long could see where this was going, but he knew better than to get on Mrs. Song's bad side so he got a couple gloves and a small bucket with soapy water and headed out.

"This would be so much easier if I had my wish dragon magic.", he sighed as he got to a table and started cleaning up and observing himself in a reflective surface, "One minute I'm on top of the world and the next I'm reduced to cleaning tables, and taking orders to a kitchen of a fast food place."

Din could see Long was cleaning rather nicely and he got a notepad and started on another table's order before heading to the kitchen again. He couldn't help but smile at seeing Long helping out. Li Na was out with her father to talk to some business tycoons about investing in the restaurant, but she was still his best friend and now they were working together which helped him feel more at ease even when the job got a bit hard to stomach(if you know what I mean).

/

By the time five o' clock dinged and Mrs. Song locked up for the day, Long collapsed in a booth still wearing his cleaning gloves.

"Well, that was quite the opening day.", he huffed.

"Hey, no sitting on the job.", Mrs. Song said firmly as she passed, "You two are done in an hour."

Long clearly was hitting his breaking point by now.

"Does your mother ever stop being so hard on us?", he asked as he got back to wiping down the table next to his.

Din shrugged.

"Hey, she's now managing with Mr. Wang so she's probably stressed about doing a good job."

Long sighed as a way of letting go of his tension.

"Why couldn't I remained a wish dragon?"

Din looked a bit surprised.

"Long, are you saying that you don't like living as a man?"

Long saw he had made a mistake and quickly tried to cover it.

"No Din, I'm just..I miss the magic you know. I could get this done in a heartbeat and nobody would ever know."

At that moment, the clock chimed six which ment the shift was over. Din and Long headed to the back to wash out their aprons and hang them up to dry out.

"I got to say Mr. Zhu.", Mrs. Song said as she came up, "You're a good worker."

Long looked complimented.

"Thank you Mrs. Song.", he answered plastering on a straight face, "I had experience in the serving field."

Mrs. Song smiled back.

"Just don't be late when you have to start here tomorrow at ten okay?", she asked, "So why don't you get your dinner and head home?"

Long froze. He may have returned to Earth, but he then recalled that he didn't make arrangements for where he would live.

"Um Mrs. Song...about that.", he said nervously.

Fortunately for him, Din stepped in.

"Mom, can't he stay here?"

Mrs. Song raised an eyebrow.

"Din, this is a restaurant, not a hotel for homeless."

Din however wasn't backing down.

"Mom, he's my friend. And we have spare room for him since we got Mr. Wang and Li Na on board so can't we let him stay?"

/

Mrs. Song paused for a moment as if contemplating what her son had suggested.

"Okay, he can stay.", Mrs. Song said, "But he has to behave himself."

Long looked thrilled.

"Yes mame.", he said enthusiastically.

Mrs. Song went off to see the other workers out so Long and Din were alone. Long dropped his act and looked curious at Din.

"So how exactly am I going to live here?", Long asked.

Din smiled.

"Looks like we're roomies."

Long looked confused.

"Roomies?", he asked, "Is that some kind of title for peasant folk?"

Din couldn't help but chuckle. Long wasn't used to living in modern times so lots of things were new to him.

"It's a way of saying we're sharing a room together.", Din answered.

Long looked concerned.

"So I have to sleep in your room?", he asked, "On a mattress like the common man?"

"Well you're human now.", Din said plainly, "So you have to live with what you got or Mom will be happy to make sure you live on the-"

Long didn't wait for Din to finish cause he could see where this was going.

"Okay, I'll do it."

It was then that Long remembered his dinner out on a table and went to fetch it before catching up with Din as they returned to the complex behind the restaurant that served as their new living quarters. Mrs. Song was in the kitchen with Mr. Wang getting dinner ready while Li Na was wrapping up the conference call she was on before noticing the duo come in.

"So Mr. Zhu, how was your first day?", Li Na asked.

Long yawned, but then looked a bit concerned.

"I'm worn out, I'm sweating, and I could use some shrimp chips right now."

"You ate the last bag earlier.", Din pointed out.

Long sighed as he looked into the bag he had after putting it on the dinner table.

"A bowl of the soup, a couple egg rolls and a small bowl of salad.", he sighed quietly, "And I thought Xio's dinners were-"

He paused as he wondered if Mrs. Song would hear him and quickly changed tunes.

"Were fantastic.", he said catching himself.

/

Once dinner ended, Long had finished his own dinner which wasn't much different from the dinner everyone else had and looked a bit sad which Din noticed.

"Long, you okay?", Din asked.

Long quickly tried to look content, but since Din was asking, he knew it would be pointless.

"I just well, haven't been sitting among family in...in a while."

Din knew what Long ment. Long used to be an emperor who was only after wealth and was willing to sacrifice his own family to obtain it, but that was another time and Long was making up for his mistakes. After clearing the table and washing the dishes, everyone got a chance to relax. Long was led to Din's new room with Li Na following. Din had explained to her what was going on and she was on board with Long staying. As they got upstairs, Li Na noticed Long's jade pendant.

"Mr. Zhu, where'd you get that?"

Long looked her way curiously.

"Get what?", he asked.

"Your necklace.", Li Na said.

Long touched the jade shaped like a tiny teapot hanging from the twain necklace around his neck and recalled returning to Earth with a certain someone.

-Flashback-

Long got his pants on and was just getting his pink t-shirt on as he noticed a tiny box at the bottom. He turned to Theo who looked encouraging. Long however didn't look convinced.

"Relax Long, it's not another curse.", Theo explained, "It's actually something for you. A little piece of me that you can always carry with you."

-End Flashback-

"A gift from a friend.", Long answered quickly, "For old time's sake."

That got Li Na to settle as they finally reached the room Din and Long would share. As Din opened the door, Long could see that maybe this could work out. There was a bed, a dresser and a closet with room enough for another bed. Li Na could see the room too and was instantly in deep thought.

"So if we put the other bed over there, it would provide a clear path to the closet and dresser without much interference."

Din smiled. Li Na always was good at planning things. Long however looked a bit confused.

"What did Theo mean by a little piece of him?", he wondered.

As if to answer him, his jade pendent shimmered which caught Din and Li Na's eye.

"What happened?", Li Na asked.

And then pink smoke erupted around Long.

/

Din and Li Na were stunned as the smoke cleared and Long reappeared in his wish dragon form but looking more happier than he had most of the day.

"Oh yeah, that's more like it."

Li Na was beyond stunned.

"What happened?", she asked, "Why is there a dragon in the room?"

Din could see that she was new to the whole thing so he got her inside and closed the door. Long by now had seen that he had a reflection of his dragon form and was stunned.

"I...have a reflection?", he asked, "But that's not possible is it?"

"I think this proves it.", Din answered.

Li Na was still however still in awe of what she had just experiencing.

"So LongZhu is a wish dragon?", she asked.

"Yep.", Din answered before looking around, "Hey, where's the teapot?"

Then a little scroll appeared out of thin air and landed on Long's head before falling into Din's hands.

"Where did that come from?", Long asked.

Din unrolled the scroll and Li Na read along with him the writing on it.

"Long, I guess you finally realized what the "little piece of me" is. Long story short: you got your magic and wish dragon form back without need of a magic teapot, but there are some rules you need to follow. First of all, nobody else can know about this. Din and Li Na are the only exceptions. Second, you can be seen, heard, and can interact with the world around you in either form. And third, enjoy the rest of your life cause if your human side passes of old age or whatever, the wish dragon side of you will pass also. Have a nice life."

The scroll dispersed as Din and Li Na finished reading.

"So you got your powers back?", Din asked.

Long looked eager.

"Yes and now that I do, I think I could use a proper bed."

He raised his hands and felt the magic forming in his palms. In less than a minute, a large puff of smoke went off near the clear space of the room and when it cleared, a fancy looking bed had materialized with silk sheets, fancy quilts and large pillows.

"Ah, that's more like it.", Long said smiling, "This bed I can sleep in."

"And how are we going to explain it when it's discovered?", Li Na asked.

Long's smile faded.

"Good point."

He snapped his fingers and the bed he conjured shifted into a common looking one like the one Din had, but the covers and pillows looked a bit nicer. Li Na looked Din's way.

"Din, mind explaining something?"

/

By the time Din was done explaining everything to Li Na, it was well past eight, but Li Na now had the rundown of everything.

"So Long was once an emperor cursed by a sorcerer into the form of a wish dragon to learn humility because he was a spoiled man and lost sight of what was important, lived a thousand years in a teapot and is now human again because he learned his lesson?", Li Na asked making sure she got everything right.

"Yeah pretty much.", Long admitted, "And I guess that...person decided to let me keep what I once had."

Then Long was enveloped in another cloud of smoke and became human again once it lifted.

"Oh come on, it's temporary?", Long asked seeing his reflection again.

A knock came on the door.

"Din, is everything okay in there?"

Din and Li Na both froze, but Long wasn't.

"It's fine Mrs. Song, we're just...getting a few things in order."

The door opened a bit as Mrs. Song looked in.

"Don't stay up too late okay, we open bright and early to get the place ready."

Li Na then looked a bit surprised herself.

"We won't.", she assured Mrs. Song.

After a while, Din, Li Na and Long had exited the bathroom each in their pajamas and Long was still looking a bit blown away.

"I can't believe you put that colored water in your mouth only to get a burning sensation while you swish it around.", Long stated, "And after you put that minty paste on a brush just to wash it on your teeth I might add."

Din couldn't help but smile.

"Look I know that since you're human now things are going to be interesting for a while."

"Interesting?", Long asked as he and Din walked to their room while Li Na walked alongside them, "When you've been around as long as I have, nothing will be interesting."

"I'm sure you said the same thing when you first came here.", Li Na put in.

"Well played.", Long answered, "By the way Li Na, sorry about the terrible dating advice from..you know."

Li Na knew what Long was talking about. By then they had arrived at the door and Li Na gave a smile and good-night before she went off to her own room. Din and Long went in and were relieved to see the bed Long had conjured was still there.

"Long, I know that this bed might not be royalty, but it's better than-"

Din hadn't finished cause he turned to see Long already in his bed with the covers pulled and sound asleep. Din turned out the light and got into his own bed still smiling. He had his best friend back, Long was here to stay, and Li Na knew what was going on. Looks like life was going to be pretty interesting as he slowly drifted off to sleep with Theo and the holy beasts observing.

"Okay, you guys know how to set the stage I admit it.", Theo confessed, "Think Long is going to be okay?"

"You know he is.", Tigress said grinning.