All was quiet for a few days, seemingly. Then one afternoon, as Jack was compiling some new code for his robots, a video call alert screen popped up on his open laptop.
"Huh..?" the pale boy couldn't help puzzle to himself, seeing it was from an unknown contact on an unfamiliar service. Curious, he hovered over the alert for a few seconds in debate, then clicked the button to pick up, and his head went back to find a familiar face appearing in a new window.
"Kimiko?!" he startled, then immediately lowering his brow in suspicion and leaning back towards the screen. "How did you call me? You're not in any of my contacts!"
"Snuck past your firewall. Installed my own personal app. No big," Kimiko shrugged off while Jack scanned his machine in further puzzle as to where a potential leak might have been. "Anyway, not important. We gotta talk."
Attention caught, Jack quirked his brow and blinked rapidly hearing that, then becoming suspicious again. "Why, is it your turn to tell me how full of sugar and swellness I am inside?" He folded his arms and sent the girl in the virtual window a squint over a heavily-pouted lower lip.
Sending her eyes up with a brief scoff, Kimiko shook her head. "Uh, no. That I'll believe when I see it." In her opinion, the boy had been doing a darn good job of keeping Good Jack under wraps since they'd met. Unless wu were involved, she'd say the chances of Jack opting to change his ways were slim, though she wasn't going to go out of her way to deter Omi's attempts to sway him. Who was she to crush that naive, sweet boy's hopes?
Pushing forward before this turned into a guessing game, Kimiko got to the point. "It's about Bean." Seeing registration enter Jack's face, she now nodded once. "We did like you said and got the Moby Morpher out of the vault. Actually, we hid both halves in totally different places too, just to be safe."
Arms still crossed, Jack was leaned back in his office chair as he listened. "Surprisingly smart," he granted upon hearing this plan, "I woulda done the same."
Kimiko grunted in annoyance at the passive put-down. "The problem is," she pressed, "Last night all of us had dreams about Hannibal asking us where the wu was. We're guessing he already tried the vault, and even though we split up the hiding job, he's gotten his gross beany plant tendrils all over our brains..!" A disgusted shudder there. "So the real question is, is your trap thing ready or not? He's probably going after the Morpher ASAP."
A small smirk stretched to play over Jack's lips as the girl spoke. "Oh, I see. Well, you're in luck. That little project has been sitting around ready to go for a bit now. What do you wanna trade for it?"
An offended crease appeared in Kimiko's brow as she scoffed harder this time, Jack's smirk only widening. "Trade?!" burst the girl in black pigtails, "You were just gonna set it up without even telling us before..!"
A couple clicks from Jack's tongue. "Ahhh, Kimiko. That was before, this is now. And you seem like you're in a pinch. About how many wu would you say not having to worry about Hannibal for a very long time is worth~?"
Kimiko let out a low growl, feeling her blood enter an equally low simmer. Of course Jack would take advantage of the monks' situation and try to get something out of it, that weasel. Of course he hadn't tipped them off out of the goodness of his heart.
"How do we know your stupid trap even works?" she kept her head enough to counter.
Jack had to admit this was a valid point. Still, he gave an airy shrug, eyes closing. "Are you really in a place to worry about that? Is it worth risking the Moby Morpher falling back into the hands of ultimate evil? What do you say you give me one wu up front, and then if it does work, two more after."
Kimiko bristled. "What?! Why you-!"
One of Jack's eyes opened coyly. "Three more~?"
The girl's lips pursed, another growl escaping as she trembled in anger over this extortion. But they both knew that if Hannibal Bean got the Moby Morpher back, he'd be able to shift himself into any form again. That included disguising as anyone, anything he wanted, and becoming large enough to fight them in even combat. He would be beyond dangerous, and his rivalry with Chase Young would put the world in rather immediate jeopardy. The monks could not handle both threats simultaneously. They could barely handle one at a time!
Tipping her chin up and taking a deep inhale to find her center, Kimiko reminded herself that sometimes the stakes were greater than shen gong wu. She had to put the safety of others ahead of a petty scam. And in the long run, she was sure the Dragons would secure them all.
Opening her eyes and lowering them back to Jack, she begrudgingly gave a short, "Fine."
"Atta girl," Jack smirked smugly and congratulated himself on the negotiations, enjoying the twitch coming to the corner of Kimiko's eye now, "I knew you'd see it my way. And I don't want any of the crummy wu, either!"
"Just get your slimy butt over here so you can leave again," Kimiko spat back, "By the way, it looks like you made a typo in your program."
With her own turn at a mean, smug smirk, she pulled up a picture-in-picture screenshot of Jack's coding page, a bright red circle surrounding a string of code.
Jack launched forward, hands on either side of his small desk, irate that his work had been stolen, and growling back to find that the typo was in fact real.
With a roll of her eyes, Kimiko quipped, "And you call yourself an evil boy genius." Performing an exaggerated gag in final response, she hung up.
"Everyone makes typos!" Jack yelled at the non-existent window. Stewing, he folded his arms tightly as one could practically see the disgruntled cloud of scribbled blackness formed overhead. Well, at the very least, one of the monks seemed to have kept the correct attitude towards him. It definitely hadn't been almost a let-down when she'd said she didn't believe in him at all.
...
Shortly, Jack was landing in the Xiaolin Temple's courtyard. Glancing around, he started walking and put one hand to the side of his mouth to call, "Hey, Dragon Dorks! I'm here! Where-!"
"Get him!" Raimundo's voice called, and from behind various potted plants, doorways and decorations, the tall, skinny goth found himself ambushed by four giddily-grinning monks. He screeched and moved out of reflex to protect both the object he carried and his face.
Dust flew, and within seconds the four Xiaolin Dragons were beaming proudly as Clay and Raimundo carried Jack between them like a suckling pig, Kimiko had her hands on the device Jack had brought, and Omi held onto the trailing back of Jack's coat like a wedding gown's train to feel included.
Entering one of the smaller meditation rooms, Jack was tossed onto his back to the floor, meanwhile Omi moved to close the door behind them.
"Hey! What gives?" Jack simpered, quickly curling into a defensive ball, "You set me up!"
Scuttling over, Omi beamed down at the boy while the others snickered over his bewildered squirming.
"This is not true..! Please forgive the lack of warmness in your welcome, Jack Spicer, but it was in case Hannibal Bean is still watching. Also the faces you made were quite amusing." He took his turn having a quick chuckle while Jack processed this and sat up.
Frowning in distaste, he didn't get to respond as Omi pulled Kimiko's PDA out and shoved it in his face to show him something. "But look what I have been up to since our last meeting~! Kimiko has allowed me to play this miniature Minecreeper on her device~! It will be a veeeeery different story the next time we are having the hangouts." Adamantly, he smiled with impish confidence.
"Woah, woah, next time?!" Jack reeled, still not entirely comfortable with everything he'd been thrown into.
Raimundo stepped forward, taking the capture device from Kimiko and tossing it to Jack. "Anyway. We do need you to work this. But don't think you're going anywhere without an escort. By the way, is that like...a coffee maker?" His brow quirked.
The thing Jack brought indeed resembled twin altered coffee makers stuck back to back, one with most of the parts removed and looking like something was meant to be placed between two thin receptors, and the other with a tube casing in place of where the coffee pot would go. At the bottom where the pot would normally rest appeared to be a pressure plate.
With a grunt, Jack admitted, "Maybe in a previous life. So what?"
"Just asking...we sure breakfast nook essentials are really gonna stop the Big Bad Bean?"
"You bring the Sphere of Yun?"
The group looked to Clay, who took a small sack he had hooked into his belt and reached in to pull the wu in question out. With it, the Yang Yo-Yo was looped around his pinky, and both items were tossed to land in Jack's lap.
"Nice," Jack beamed, picking up the Sphere of Yun and snapping it into place on the side of his contraption with the receptors. A perfect fit. "It'll work." Shooting his gaze back to Clay, he demanded, "And my cut?"
Lip wrinkling in mild distaste, Clay reached into the sack less than enthusiastically and threw the Third Arm Sash at Jack, the blue strip of cloth fluttering to drape gracelessly over Jack's head. Clay muttered, "It better work."
With a very satisfied devilish beam, Jack stood and wrapped the sash neatly around his waist. "Pleasure doing business with you. Now, where did you put the Moby Morpher pieces?" He bent to pick up the other items.
Omi raised a finger overhead. "Actually, I have a confession," he announced, drawing all eyes. Putting his index fingertips together now, he admitted, "I was worried so deeply by last night's events, that I took one of the halves for myself. Also, I shrank it." Shaking his sleeve, he let a nigh-microscopic half of a bronze hexagon with a ruby center fall onto the opposite palm. Then, raising everyone's brow, he offered this palm out towards Jack.
"I believe you should hold onto this for the meantimes. I have much doubt Hannibal Bean would expect that it would be in your possession, and this way there is no doubt which half he will be seeking."
Jack felt his face slack in stun as Omi put this faith in him so readily. There wasn't a shred of doubt that Jack was here to help, even if he was demanding payment.
"As much as Ah hate to admit," Clay hemmed, "That don't sound completely short of a haystack."
"Right. Even if Bean saw Omi take one half, there's no way he'd guess it was with Spicer," Raimundo reasoned, rubbing his chin.
"And it's not like we're not going to be keeping our eye on him the whole time," supposed Kimiko, "Okay. Sounds like a plan. Way to think ahead, Omi~."
Proud of himself, Omi beamed and blushed.
Looking off to the side in disgruntle, Jack took the half of the wu he was offered and stuffed it in his pocket. It didn't feel good to be responsible for this, and he didn't agree with Kimiko.
Shortly, the group had led Jack down into a deep, hidden basement behind a large Buddha statue. It was the same place the Heylin Seed was guarded; a place in the temple no one but the Dragons, Dojo, and Master Fung knew the location of. Well, until Hannibal Bean had siphoned it from their minds.
Jack looked around in great curiosity as they went. "I didn't know you guys had a basement," he noted as they trekked down an incredibly long flight of stairs.
"Neither did we before it was shown to us," Raimundo shrugged.
"Pff. You have places in your house you've never been to, too? You've gotta be just as lonely in wasted space as I am..!" A pause. "Wait. That didn't come out right."
Ignoring that incredibly awkward slip, the group just kept walking, letting a final set of doors open and open up into a small chamber with a great coiled dragon statue. Jack's eyes widened in mildly intimidated awe as Kimiko stepped forward and summoned her element to throw a small fireball into the dragon's mouth, the giant statue uncoiling enough in reaction to release the large chest it guarded. This Raimundo opened to reveal the other half of the Moby Morpher, the smaller chest normally housed here having been moved for the occasion.
It crossed Jack's mind to just snatch the other half now and run. But then he'd have to fight. And probably contend with Bean on his own later. And he'd already wheedled more wu out of the deal he'd made.
Eyes sliding briefly to Omi, he was reminded of how knowing he'd disappointed the short boy felt.
Not that he really cared.
Coming forward, Jack pulled a gradiented greyscale cloth from his coat. "Shroud of Shadows!" As the magical artifact activated, he swished it to flutter overtop the device he was placing into the chest. He kept the edge raised to punch in a few commands with the buttons on the top portion of said gadget, then let the cloth cover the device completely, causing all of it to become invisible. Lastly, he placed the half of the Moby Morpher in the chest so that it was in contact with the pressure plate and closed the lid.
"There ya go. Can I have the rest of my wu now?"
The others had been watching curiously, not finding what Jack had done to be all that impressive.
"The deal was you wouldn't get any more until it worked," Kimiko reminded skeptically.
"Yeah, and you didn't even use the Yo-Yo," Raimundo pointed out, "What was that for?"
"All in good time," Jack passed off, then giving an open shrug to the room. "So what do you want me to do, camp out until Bean shows up? You asked me to set a trap, I set a trap."
Omi's eyes inflated, sparkling at this suggestion with a happy gasp. "That is a most wondrous idea, Jack Spicer~! We can have the joint steaks while out~!"
"Stakeout," Clay corrected half-heartedly, "You sure about that, pardner?"
Having been most eager for Jack to leave as quickly as he'd arrived, Kimiko folded her arms loosely in dismay. "Yeah...I kind of expected this to be an in and out sort of deal."
Sets of eyes flicked about between each other for a few seconds before Raimundo offered another shrug. "Anyone got a better idea..?"
A chorus of mumbling, disjointed groans and trailing admissions rang. Omi gave a chipper laugh.
...
Being the only one who actually wanted to stick around Jack, Omi was appointed his guardian. Raimundo had cautiously considered asking to play soccer, but figured that might look a little suspect if Jack was supposed to be their prisoner. And since Kimiko had been the first to walk out, Clay shortly following, Raimundo also decided it would be awkward with three people anyway and assigned Omi to the post.
Now, Jack sat slumped bored into one hand in the Xiaolin dining hall, a fan of cards in his other hand as he sat around a small round table with Omi and Dojo, the green reptile having been all-too excited when passing by and seeing cards. As a proud coward, he was one of the few who had never not been intimidated by Jack, but as an avid gambler and good friend, he felt like he couldn't leave Omi to watch the enemy by himself.
The yellow boy had just placed three cards down and announced that they were a ten of spades, three of hearts, and eight of hearts. Dojo bounced in place and eagerly exclaimed, "Oo-oo-oo! Bluff! Bluff!"
Omi presented his laid hand confidently for Dojo to inspect, and the smaller party inspected them closely.
"Darn it!" With a huffy pout, he swept up the cards he'd miscalled into his own hand.
"Your turn, Jack Spicer! I must warn you, you will never see past my game face. It is much too good~!"
With a sigh, Jack tossed one lone card to the table surface. "I dunno...ace of diamonds?"
Seeing the goth boy still refusing to take interest in the game, the other two shared a glance and Dojo put his claws on his sides, saying snidely, "Jeez, kid, what's your problem? You sure know how to suck the fun out of a room."
Brow furrowing in irritation, Jack returned, "You don't have to pretend to be into this. I know you all just need me for my trap. We're killing time here."
Another exchanged look between the others. Dojo noted, "And killing time can't be fun? Isn't that usually the point?"
Omi added, "While I do not approve of the underhanded tactics used to demand shen gong wu, I am not enjoying this game any less because of it. I am, however, enjoying it less because of your mopes."
"Yeah, and besides," Dojo considered, "In all honesty, with the stuff Omi's been saying about you, I think I'm kind of onboard..! I got to know you as Good Jack more than anyone." Here he grumbled out the side of his mouth, "Even if you were a lousy Master Fung stealer..." Then back at normal volume concluded, "So hey, if it happens, one less thing for me to worry about. I'd like to think that little speech of yours meant something."
Jack's cheeks darkened deeply in embarrassment being reminded of how he'd once professed to Dojo how much he wished he would miss being good, and plead with him to remember him as he was in that moment before sacrificing himself to regain everyone's chi. And Dojo had remembered!
"Speech..?" Omi asked the dragon with a curious beam.
"Nothing! Nobody!" Jack interjected in panic. "Why are you even talking about me?!"
While Dojo held a small knowing smile to himself, Omi found his attention successfully taken by this outburst. His brow furrowed in concern. "Are you acting strangely because you are stressed? Is it not hospitable enough? Would you like more tea?" A hand gestured for a nearby teapot.
Hunching, Jack looked away and cleared his throat. "Uh, sure. Why not?" If nothing else, he would have something distracting to drink.
While Omi reached to pour a fresh cup for their stakeout buddy, Dojo slithered onto the table and reached for everyone's cards. He began fluffing them all back into one pile. "And hey, if card games aren't doing it for ya, how about some magic tricks? Not to brag, but I'm something of a master illusionist~."
Omi perked. Hurrying to finish pouring the new round of tea for everyone, he scooted his stool closer to Jack so they would both be facing the magic reptile. Jack simultaneously felt his skin prick out of a danger reflex and soothe with the companionable proximity of the other boy. Gladly, he accepted the cup passed his way and took his first sip of distraction.
Dojo was terrible at magic tricks, it fast became readily apparent. He couldn't hide cards without being overly obvious, and he could go through an entire deck guessing improper picks from his audience. But somehow, it was still fun to heckle, meanwhile Omi was certain Dojo was still leading up to some grand mystifying finale.
While this was going on, Raimundo came in from the soccer field, having been seeking the others. He admitted to having second thoughts about leaving Omi alone with Jack, and felt like he ought to take responsibility as the leader. He too spotted the cards and casually asked if he could join if they were about to play.
Not long after, Clay shuffled in performing the same search, surprised to find the group in the middle of a fresh game but having likewise felt low about leaving without saying anything. Jack or not, he still felt like seeing the plan through to the end was the right thing.
Finally, a few rounds later, Kimiko slowly found the table, stunned to find it already so full, but meekly apologizing for being so dismissive earlier to her friends. She'd cooled off, and once more decided that taking out Bean was the priority here.
By this point, the amiable atmosphere was making Jack tense. This wasn't right. It shouldn't be so peaceful sitting here with these people! Sure they could tolerate one another in a casual setting, but this was too casual. Nearly fun, even.
The icing on the cake? Master Fung found the group, drawn by their cheery chatter and laughs. The elderly bald man with grey mustache and goatee's arrival did bring a hush over the group, all uncertain as to what he was going to say as he stared evenly at Jack. For as little as the two had interacted, it was known Master Fung had a decidedly wary opinion of the goth boy. He was informed of both plans currently in place regarding him, however.
Then the wise head monk simply closed his eyes with a smile and asked calmly if there was room for one more. It was nice to see everyone getting along so well. On some level, he was also curious to see for himself whether or not he could spot any of the potential Omi had once begged him to see in the Spicer boy.
In Jack's opinion, this was all too weird. They were all just making the most of a waste of time, and yet it was so comfortable.
Meanwhile, in the chamber below the temple grounds, a grey and black parrot was silently gliding to a halt at the end of a tremendously long flight of stairs. Its passenger was a minuscule red being, bean-shaped, crooked-toothed and with only a few stray scraggly hairs on his scalp. The grounds were quiet, and based on the routine he'd seen from the monks in the past few weeks, everyone should just be settling in for a nice meal right before tottering off to bed. It was prime time for a heist.
Leaping from his bird as it swooped, Hannibal Roy Bean launched himself for the mouth of the mighty dragon statue guarding the chest he sought access to. Landing on the lip of the mouth, he took the pair of tiny pebbles he'd brought in his tendril-like arms and ground them together over the oil until he produced a single spark. It was enough to ignite the fire signal, the mouth bursting to life in an instant.
With a dastardly grin, Hannibal hopped down to the chest the statue was uncoiling from.
"Be a dear and help me get this dang thing open, would ya, Ying Ying?" he requested in a cocky southern drawl. His companion obediently swooped to clutch the lip of the chest's lid with his claws and flapped to lift it. Bean dropped to the edge of the front below and clasped his tendrils together in glee to spot the item he was after.
"Awww, lookit that..." he crooned in sarcastic sweetness, "Poor li'l monks didn't have time to swap both halves. No doubt 's been distracting with that Spicer boy landing in their midst. Why, I might even have half a mind to thank him if he weren't so high on my latest to-do list. Come on, Ying Ying. Let's ride!"
The parrot stopped on the chest's edge beside the the petite evil-doer just long enough for him to hop back on, then dropped into the chest to pick up the object inside.
All at once, a click was heard as an unseen pressure plate activated.
"Click?" Hannibal questioned, only to be met with Jack's voice shouting "Sphere of Yun!"
In the next second, the bean-sized being and his bird both were launched backwards inside a magical orb hovering in the middle of the room. At the same time a blaring high-pitched alarm rang through the air at incredible volume.
At the tea table above ground, the alarm was not actually loud enough to hear, but Jack perked attentively to feel a light vibration against his ribs. Reaching into his coat, he found a small oblong device no bigger than a keychain buzzing and blinking with bright red LEDs.
Standing sharply, he announced, "It's Hannibal!" The alert was almost a relief. He'd practically forgotten why he was here.
In a rush, all was dropped and the group sprinted for the secret basement chamber, Master Fung and Dojo included. There they all covered their ears, wincing as they were met with a wall of piercing sound. Likewise, they found Bean and his parrot desperately doing the same.
Seeing others enter, Bean's first words were, "FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS EVIL, SOMEBODY SHUT THAT BLASTED NOISE OFF!"
With a nervous chuckle, Jack scampered forth to reveal the device cloaked underneath the Shroud of Shadows, hitting a button to silence the alarm. Meekly, he apologized as everyone sighed in relief, "Sorry. My bad. I didn't know how far away we were gonna be. A mile of dirt's more muffling than you'd think, huh?"
Turning to face the boy genius, Hannibal's face gained a dark sneer. "Well, well...if it isn't the Wu Master himself."
Just as timidly, Jack daintily wiggled his fingers in a wave as he chuckled.
"Never thought you'd run through enough partners to resort to Xiaolin folk," the red bean admitted, "Well played, Jack. But how 'bout instead of keepin' me in another cage, we negotiate a li'l this time around? I'm sure we can reach some sort of...arrangement."
Omi cut in with an accusatory point. "Cease your sneaky wording, Hannibal Bean! Jack Spicer is already in the middle of dealings! He does not need yours!"
"Awww, there's always room for another deal~!" Hannibal shrugged, "For instance, if y'all let me outta this here Sphere of Yun now, I might not see fit to end Jack's life first thing after I get myself out."
Jack shrank. "Eep." At the nasty grin Bean sent him, he sidled back to the group and hid swiftly behind Master Fung. The elderly monk quirked a brow.
With a dark chuckle, Hannibal carried on. "Aw, come now, Jack. Don't be like that..! I applaud you for bein' able to entrap me for so long...en-raged and vengeful, to be sure, but mighty impressed, too. It don't have to end in curtains for you. Let's work out a fresh start, why don't we? Chase never let you be his partner, right? Well, if you let me free, like you didn't when I was in my Yin Yang cell, and get me just one tiny shen gong wu, all the rest can be yours. Then we can be a team. Do world domination in real style."
Glowering, Master Fung asserted, "I believe young Omi had it right the first time." He trusted the young monks on their judgement, but he would prefer if any temptation stay off the table for the redhead he did not exactly trust himself. Temptation had ruined his already low opinion of the boy once. To Jack, he inquired, "Was there, perhaps, a second part to this plan? Or were we meant to keep Hannibal Bean as a talkative new centerpiece to tie the room together?"
Having been somewhat mesmerized as Bean pitched his offer, Jack found himself shaken out of thoughts of grandeur aided by his second evil hero by Master Fung's question. "O-Oh..! Right."
Trying to tell himself that there was no way Bean could get out of that magical bubble, Jack shuffled back forward. He took the Yang Yo-Yo out of his pocket and held it shyly between his palms.
Hannibal's eyes flared in offense, a harsh snarl then pulling his lips. "Don't you even think about what I think you're thinkin', boy..."
Jack's eyes flicked between the party of monks watching tensely torn between hope and fear, and the bean sending him that venomous expression filled with death and hate.
Sucking in a breath and standing taller, Jack tried to steady his nerves. Opening his eyes to look at Bean, he granted, "I know you're probably more likely to keep your word than Chase..." He sensed everyone around him tensing. "Buuuut I'm also thinking you're more likely to just trick me into a death trap. Sorry, H.B. I'm pretty sure I was right the first time about not letting you out of the Yin Yang World." Maybe he was still on some weird, corrupting high the Xiaolin Losers had poisoned him with, but it was also true that Jack had opted not to let Hannibal Bean free when first encountering him. A second evil that dangerous just wouldn't be a good idea.
"It's just good evil business. You've turned me away too many times already. And since the Sphere of Yun gives me control over everything you own...hey, Ying Ying. In case you get hungry, I was nice enough to pack you a lunch." He leaned forward to tap the bubble in front of Bean's face. "Enjoy your trip back home~!"
Turning to see the way his bird was staring at him, Ying Ying likely would have been licking his beak if he were able. Flying into a rage, Bean slammed his tendril fists against the magic wall containing him, wanting nothing more than the ability to murder with his eyes as he observed the boy who had denied him freedom three times in his life now. Jack activated the Yang Yo-Yo and grabbed the floating sphere like a bowling ball, turning to face the wobbly portal that had opened.
Feeling much more confident about his decision with how easily Hannibal had begun screaming rabid bloody murder at him, while in tandem now trying to fight off his own pet as Ying Ying took a few pecks at him, Jack was quite eager to get the violent orb out of sight. Underhand, he bowled the magical cage through the portal.
All at once the room was silent. In the aftermath of the stressful situation, Jack placed a hand to his chest and let out a big breath of relief.
Of course, then he looked up and found a bunch of smiles facing him. Immediately he was uncomfortable again.
Lifting his hands in praise, Omi cheered, "I knew you would not abandon our agreement so easily!" Faltering as he lowered those arms slightly, he relented, "Well...I was very hopeful, at least."
A bit unsure, Raimundo gripped an upper arm. "That was hardcore, dude. Thanks for not throwing us to the wolves and all, but didn't you like...just sentence him to death instead of you?"
Holding up the Sphere of Yun, Jack showed the group as it stopped glowing. "Nah. I figured this wouldn't last between dimensions. That's why I needed the Yo-Yo. Now if he does find a way out, he'll be stuck good just like I was~!"
"And we won't have to worry about him..!" Kimiko gasped. Then hating that she had to give Jack props for that, hemmed, "Okay..! Not the worst plan..!"
Posture relaxing, Jack found another one of those weird uplifting spots behind his ribs as he was...almost complimented.
"A surprising turn of events," Master Fung spoke up, "And, perhaps one that brings the call of destiny at its heels. You have done well in assisting us, young Spicer."
Feeling a stronger wobble come to his gut, Jack forced his brow to turn downward. "Yeah, well...it just so happened that we had a common enemy this time! Don't look into it! And a job's a job, so can I get my payment already? I've been in this backwoods dump longer than I think any of us can tolerate!" Demanding, he flapped his fingers in a motion for delivery of the rest of his wu.
With a sound of mild disgruntle, Clay took the sack from his waist and tossed it over. Eagerly, Jack opened it to see what goodies he'd gotten. In addition to the Sash, it looked like the monks had opted to give him the Jet Bootsu, Juju Flytrap, and Tongue of Saiping.
A pleased smile spread across Jack's face. "Sweet!" Along with this haul, he put his own Shroud of Shadows in the sack, along with the Sphere of Yun, and tossed the Yang Yo-Yo to Clay. "You guys can keep that one. Don't think anyone's gonna be too eager to visit the Yin Yang World anytime soon."
"Hey..!" Kimiko pointed out, "We didn't say anything about you keeping the Sphere of Yun..!"
Jack shrugged. "Bonus for putting up with you all."
Evenly, Master Fung noted, "No gain satisfies a greedy mind..."
Now Jack's head tilted. "Wha..?"
"Yeah, we never understand what he says, either..." Raimundo chipped in, "But for real, dude. Not cool. We were actually willing to give you wu for once. You don't have to spoil a good thing like that." He thrust his arms out in a 'come on' fashion.
Once more finding that feeling of potential disappointment edging at his mind, Jack flicked his eyes towards Omi, who was staring at him with a lowered brow that appeared to threaten such emotion. Sliding his eyes away, he found Dojo bouncing a knowing brow at him. Jack grunted. "Fine, quit harping already!" Taking the Sphere of Yun back out, he thrust it into Omi's hands. "There! Exactly what we agreed on! Can we get out of this stupid room now? It's starting to freak me out."
Shoving past them all, he began the long march up those stairs.
Behind him, Omi presented the returned Sphere to the others and grinned widely like some point had been proven. Master Fung returned a small smile and gave him a single nod, meanwhile everyone else rolled their eyes and smirked. Then they all turned to follow upstairs.
"So...what exactly did you do to Bean..?" Kimiko called up to Jack's back.
"Yeah," Raimundo added, "What makes you the 'Wu Master'?"
"Um..." Jack returned, pausing in his steps, "I...might have a history of using wu combos on him. I captured him last time I ruled the world by stealing the Morpher with the Glove of Jisaku, then hitting him with the old Changing-Chopsticks-Reversing-Mirror trick before he saw me coming. Then y'know...he got Sun Chi Lanterened with the others. He was never able to move again in the cage I stuck him in."
Well, that answered Raimundo's question alright. "...huh. Cool."
Unseen to any of them, in the mainly red and black depths of the Yin Yang World, Hannibal Bean's magical bubble had indeed popped upon hitting the mist-covered ground. Dazed, he and Ying Ying rolled to a halt, and while the parrot lay in confusion over its brief wave of desire to attack its master, Hannibal pushed himself up to glare daggers at where the portal he'd just come through had been.
"Rest assured now, Jack Spicer..." he decreed, "Your days are numbered! I don't care how long it takes, but I will return to you, and it will be with evil in the very fibrous core of my soul. Hoooo, boy, you done worked my very last nerve..."