Outside a familiar dark-roofed mansion, Wuya was dropping from the trees behind Jack's backyard, this being the most direct route to the basement door the boy spent the majority of his time behind. She wasted no time in leaping for the high stone wall in front of her to scale it.

"Oomph!"

Instead, the witch found herself gracelessly plastered against something midair. Something she couldn't see. Slowly, she found herself sliding down this mysterious barrier to sit on the grass. Tapping the backs of her knuckles against the solid barrier, she gave a skeptical hum.

"I guess there's another thing having a body is no good for." Not having to worry about freedom of movement did have its perks.

"Well, no matter," she shrugged, "Jack may have beefed up the security, but he's still Jack." Within moments, she'd left and returned with a shovel in hand, promptly digging into the ground beside the barrier, quite certain Jack would have forgotten about anything below ground.

With a short successful laugh, her head poked up on the other side of the wall from her hole, only to then gasp in dismay as a siren sounded. Looking to her left, she found a Jackbot had been scanning the perimeter, and she'd come up right in its path. Leaping up and swinging the shovel, she took the thing's blaring head off, scoffing, "Quiet, you!"

It was too late to go unnoticed, however, a roar shaking the ground as Cyclops was alerted to the breach. He came thundering from the other side of the yard, hurling one of the boulders from the nearby river he'd been playing in.

Wuya gasped, but the boulder was hardly something she couldn't handle. Leaping into the air, she met the projectile with a spinning kick and smashed the thing into rubble. As she landed, however, Cyclops had arrived and sent his fist to the ground where she stood. In a flash, she rolled to the side, scowling. Alright, fighting this beast one on one was going to be a bit more challenging.

Cyclops' palms now smacked in quick succession for where Wuya stood, the witch dodging in an impromptu game of Whack-A-Mole. Frustrated, Cyclops fired the magical beam from his eye, and with nowhere else to go, Wuya was forced to dive back through the tunnel she'd created. Looking up behind her as she exited the other side, she saw the red giant glowering at her over the stone wall and delivering a snort before turning and pointedly sitting with a thud atop the mouth of that hole. His arms crossed in a huff.

"Hrrrmmmm..." Annoyed herself, Wuya muttered, "Looks like the new guard dog is a little too good at filling in the gaps." Deciding to switch tactics in that case, the crimson-haired woman turned her tone sweet as she crooned to the monster she could no longer see, "Cyclops, you remember me, don't you~? Sure, maybe we haven't spoken since I disowned you, but we can still be friends, can't we~?"

A very grumpy garble sounded, "OUUU-HRRRROUGGHH-UOGH-PTHHHHHT!"

Wuya gave a flippant laugh. "Oh, come now~. Can't you even let me in to see Jack..? I just want to talk to him~. I'll find you another nice rock to lick if you let me pass. Maybe even one with some nice moss~, what do you say~?"

"I say, quit trying to bribe my monster!" Jack's voice cut in suddenly. On the opposite side of the wall, he'd come out to see what had triggered his defenses, Omi at his heels. Snapping his fingers in demand, Cyclops responded to Jack's order by putting his hand down for the boys to step on. He twisted to lift them to the top of the wall before Jack halted him.

"Ah-ah-ah..!" He pointed out the barbed wire. "A little less pointy on the landing first, please..!"

Cyclops' lips formed an O, but then he gladly ducked his head forward and chomped the barbed wire in his teeth. Pulling it back in this mouth, he chewed thoughtfully while depositing his passengers atop the stone. With hands free, Cyclops then began flossing with the barbs, finding them a new engaging toy.

Nose wrinkling as he stared down at the uninvited guest, Jack shot, "Well, you got my attention. What do you want, you old hag?"

Wuya placed five fingertips to her collar. "Jack...is that any way to speak to your oldest ally~?" A glance to the small boy who'd hopped up next to the coatless goth. "What's he doing here?"

Jack gave an open shrug. "I dunno. He just does this sometimes now. For some reason."

"I am here on official bonding business!" Omi declared with an adamant smile. He moved to hug Jack's leg, only for Jack's lips to spread into a discomforted waver, and the taller boy quickly raised that leg to shake Omi off.

Wuya's brow ticked. Then she folded her arms. "Well, how'd he get in?" If she couldn't sneak in, how was Omi allowed past security?

Here Jack glanced away and loosely put one fist on his hip as he blushed slightly. "I...kinda had to let him in." There wasn't any other way.

Beside him, Omi grinned largely, knowing Jack had to like him coming to call at least a little to have become accepting of his peaceful visits, few as there had been thus far.

"Cute," Wuya brushed off flatly. She wasn't about to start handing out hugs to get inside. "Well, I don't see any reason we can't let bygones be bygones as well, Jack~..."

"Pffffff!" Spittle flew from how hard Jack dismissed that notion. "Please. You're probably just here on another mission from Chase to get me to stick my neck out."

"Oh, on the contrary..!" Wuya purred to press, "I've left Chase. For good, this time. I've taken what two measly shen gong wu he had left and flown the coop. He thinks I'm just some powerless trophy he can keep locked away in a mountain. I'm sure you can imagine what that's like~? Being held back from your true potential~?"

Here Jack paused, his stony demeanor softening as his eyes slid with some curiosity to the witch. "Maybe...but you've made me feel like that too! And you just tried to kill me like two weeks ago!"

A breezy shrug from the witch. "Bygones~," she repeated, "If you're really going to rule the world in as little time as you've said, I think that makes you the best option to help me regain my powers. Just think of it, Jack~...I've already told you I can grant you whatever you want if I regain them~...why not reunite the original dream team~? It always seems to come back to us, and why shouldn't it~? Our goals are one and the same. Shen gong wu. Ultimate power. Why, we were practically meant to rule the world..!"

Low on the list of prospective partners as Wuya might have been, just for how many times he had been burned, Jack couldn't help feeling his hackles lower even further at the prospect of anything his greedy heart desired. Still, he forced his brow to lower.

"And how do I know you wouldn't backstab me, huh? Again."

A cattish smile spread on the witch's lips as she saw this falter. She was prepared for the doubtful question as well. "I was truthful to Raimundo, wasn't I~?"

Jack and Omi both felt their faces slack at this. It was true. Dark a chapter as it may have been, Raimundo had been more then generously compensated for his servitude to the witch during her reign.

Feeling Jack waver towards actually caving to this offer, Omi cut in. "Except that the one thing you could not give him was a cure for his loneliness!"

Jack did blink here. His gaze flicked between the monk who had come in front of him as much as he could atop the wall, as though trying to shield him from Wuya's words, to Wuya herself, scowling in distaste over Omi's need to butt in.

Not wanting to admit Omi's contribution had freed his thoughts, Jack did think of another point of argument. "Yeah, well...Raimundo was also a grunt! I'll tell you like I told Chase: Jack Spicer is done with seconds! Isn't it funny how all you big wigs only want to work with me now that you know I can rule the world better than you? Ha. Well, that's exactly what I'm working to prove to you all. I don't need any backstabbing, suck-up, wannabe-rulers on my side!"

It hadn't been the motivation Omi was going for, but at least Jack seemed to remember his desires for validation.

Wuya scowled.

Jack sneered in response. "Hit the road, hag. Jack Spicer, Prince of Darkness, is going to rule alone!" Twin fists raised in resolution.

Head dipping, the sharp-toothed woman's brow darkened. "As much as I like the attitude, I'm afraid you're directing it at the wrong target..." she warned, "Well. I supposed we can always just stay enemies~..."

"I suppose we can~!" Jack agreed, fists going proudly to his hips.

With a dark smirk and a tut, Wuya turned her back with a flip of her hair. "Enjoy your little playdate~. It won't be so pleasant when we have ours~..."

And with that, she disappeared off into the treeline.

Jack faltered after the comment. "Wait a minute...how many people want me dead now..?" He'd basically just confirmed that was the choice he was making, right? Counting on his fingers, he then plastered against the invisible barrier to look after the departed witch. "Hang on..! Wuya..? Wuya?!" Maybe it would have been smarter to have one of the top three villains on his side, even if she did plan on going turncoat eventually. If he groveled, he might still be able to salvage the sales pitch.

There was no response save for Omi reaching up to place a hand on the side of his thigh. Jack jumped more at this gentle touch than Wuya's threat. The yellow monk assured, "No. You were correct the first time. You will only endanger yourself further with allies such as that."

"Nobody asked you!" Jack argued, swatting the other boy's weirdly tender hand away. Still, Omi was right. Wuya had been a terrible partner from the get-go. "Augh! Why are good allies so hard to find?"

Omi cleared his throat suggestively.

Jack's face fell flat. "Good evil allies?!"

Letting out a huffy breath, the albino boy leapt from the wall onto Cyclops' shoulder, holding the thickly-corded portion of the beast's high ponytail like a handle. "Okay, Gruesome, first thing after lunch, we're redrafting battle plans. Um. You call Le Mime, though. I hate talk-not-talking to that guy." Looking to Omi as the monk opted to jump downward, ricocheting between Cyclops' sturdy frame and the stone wall, Jack quirked a brow as he began undoing Cyclops' hair tie.

"Why are you here so early, anyway?"

With his hair flopping over his eye, Cyclops gave a low chuckle and began entertaining himself by blowing the loose ginger strands. The barbed wire dripping with slobber was carelessly patted back into place as a gnarled mess.

Omi put his hands behind his back and glanced away. "I am sure I do not know what you are talking about."

This only made Jack's expression more curious. "Well that's not an obvious dodge. Have you only started coming here because you're avoiding something?" Patting Cyclops' cheek, he ordered, "Yo. Inside, Gruesome. Comb time."

Following as Cyclops escorted Jack into the high-ceiling depths of his basement, Omi bristled somewhat and retorted, "Not just because..!" Realizing how that sounded, he corrected, "That is to say, not at all for such reasoning! It is merely because I have found not fighting you to be just as pleasant as I had hoped. Even better!"

Jumping off of Cyclops and heading to drag a massive comb from behind the bathroom door, Jack hemmed in suspicion, unsure how flattered he should be by the remark. His gut found itself trusting the part that was compliment and tingling accordingly, but his brain doubted the statement as pure buttering up and chastised his gut for its trust.

"Whatever." Fair enough, he'd rather not discuss how he felt about having the other around either. Gathering a spray bottle and heading back over to Cyclops, who was sat cross-legged munching on his own hair now, Jack scolded, "Hey, heeeey..! What have we said about drool in hair? Do you want another bath? You know Uncy Jacko doesn't like giving you baths..!"

Cyclops might have enjoyed bathing, but hearing Jack was displeased, guilt passed over the giant's face and he obediently spat the hair from his mouth, sending the pale boy a saddened pouty lip.

"I know you're hungry," Jack granted fairly, "It's coming. Hey, Gouda Gourd, if you're gonna stick around, make yourself useful and get those five roast boars out of the fridge, huh?" That said, he hefted the oversized comb and climbed Cyclops to get the teeth into his hair. He took the spray bottle from his belt and gave the ginger locks a quick wet. Then he simply jumped off, using his weight to drag the comb. "Woo~!" He snagged on a tangle and swung in place a few times until it loosened, then dropping to the floor and beginning the process over. This was thankfully one of the more fun tasks of giant monster upkeep.

Omi watched Jack dutifully care for his guardian, finding his eyes shining in a spot of admiration. The goth boy really did work hard. His tongue might be sharp, but he accepted whatever duties came with his goals, no matter how grueling or menial. Almost on autopilot, the young monk wandered over to the corner near the stairs and opened the fridge in question, finding the shelves chock full of huge cuts of meat. The drawers were overflowing with vegetables, and Omi could only guess all of this kitchen corner had been reserved for Cyclops' diet. No wonder Jack always went upstairs for food now, despite having this refrigerator and seemingly disliking to venture to the upper floors.

As requested, he dragged out five boars worth of carved meat, seeing Cyclops' eye light up as he did so. Then, once Jack was done tending to the red behemoth's hair and had retied it, he watched the taller boy slip his goggles over his eyes and flip a switch to turn his table over into a fully-operational chef station. He admired even further how Jack set straight to work preparing several deep pots of stew for Cyclops.

"I did not know you could cook," the bald boy noted with a smile.

Having felt Omi's weird sparkly gaze on him for a while now, Jack pretended the interest didn't faze him. Ironically, the one person who wanted to give him any adoration was the one person it felt strangest to receive it from, and Jack didn't like that. Yet he couldn't bring himself to turn the smaller boy away completely, either. Which he also didn't like.

"Surprise, surprise," he scoffed, "Kind of have to when my folks are never home. No point in hiring anyone to do it, they say. It'd only be for one person, after all." The cleaver he'd selected may have fallen a bit more harshly with this drop.

Detecting a hint of bitterness, Omi did not feel he had the place to inquire, merely spending a weighted moment letting the atmosphere linger before finding the right thing to say. "Even if it was born of necessity, I remain impressed to discover you have a much larger skill set than I could have imagined."

Sensing the boy in the corner of his eye leaning on his elbows and placing his head in his hands, those overly sincere eyes twinkling merrily again, Jack refused to look. Instead, he slammed the cleaver down once more.

"Whatever."

...

With a self-satisfied swagger, Omi meandered through the main gate of the Xiaolin Temple. Jack had basically kicked him out after refusing to provide him lunch, but the yellow boy felt he had accomplished what he had intended.

As he strolled, he failed to notice Master Fung waiting by the side of the path directly inside the gate.

"Omi?"

Eyes bugging at this calm but stern call, Omi froze mid-stride. Hurriedly, he backtracked and placed his hands together to bow.

"Master Fung! You will be most pleased to hear, Wuya has failed to sway Jack Spicer. Though...I believe I still have as well."

"It is indeed pleasing to hear that Wuya is not gaining any more allies...but then, neither are you."

"Ah. Yes! Jack Spicer is most resistant, but I believe he is enjoying our time together nearly as much as I."

"That is nice to hear. But that is not the ally to which I am referring."

Having been hoping he could play dumb, Omi's face turned grimly questioning when called out.

"Why yes," Master Fung ruminated coyly, "It appears in your haste to spend the morning with Jack Spicer, you have neglected your training duties."

Floundering, but still hoping to play dumb, Omi rubbed the back of his head and sweated, "Oh. Have I? My apologies, Master. I suppose I just...forgot? But! I am quite certain everyone was most adequate without my presence, so...what will you do?" Hoping that settled it, he attempted once more to walk off with a casual shrug.

"What I will do," Master Fung replied calmly, causing Omi to freeze tensely once more, "Is what I have done, which is to postpone training until this afternoon. Then you, young skiving Dragon, shall be grounded from leaving this temple to visit Jack Spicer until you have pruned every shrub and tree in this temple. Am I clear?"

Omi started. "But..! Master Fung! It is most urgent that-!"

"Then I suppose you'd better make sure you finish just as urgently," Master Fung cut off, "Am I clear, Omi."

Shrinking under the steady, authoritative tone, Omi knew he'd done wrong. "Yes, Master..."

"Good," the elderly head monk granted, "If you are hungry, fetch yourself a meal from the kitchens, and we will begin as soon as you are finished." As dismissal, he folded his hands into his sleeves and turned to walk towards the training grounds.

Shortly, the stoutest monk approached the grassy portion of fielding today's training was to take place in. His now four fellow Dragons were there already, apparently having a good laugh over something as they stood on their hands and passed a weighted ball between one another.

"Hey, there's the rollin' calf now..!" Clay announced as Omi arrived.

"Yo! O-mi! Catch~!" Fresh off a receive, Jermaine popped the ball in the air and redirected it to the fresh face.

"Waugh!" Omi was caught in the chest by the ball as big as his head, and found himself with the wind knocked out of him as he was propelled to land on his back. "Heavy..!" he dazed as his eyes spun.

Flipping themselves upright, the others came over to make sure he was okay. Jermaine smiled down and lifted the weight from Omi's chest before offering a hand forward. "Nice catch, but uh...you were kinda supposed to return it. Not get pinned by it."

Sitting up and shaking his head, Omi then passed the extended hand a mildly sour squint, but silently accepted it to stand so as not to say anything unkind as his thoughts.

"You alright there, pardner?" Clay inquired, brushing off a couple stray leaves off that had clung to Omi's scalp. "Prob'ly shoulda mentioned the ball weighs more'n you."

"I am perfectly fine," Omi insisted evenly, "I will not be defeated by some mere orb..!"

"Well that's good," Raimundo breezed, seemingly not noticing the bitter edge in Omi's words as he took the weight to use idly as a soccer ball, "Hey, by the way, thanks for playing Hooky with your new boyfriend this morning. I love it when we get to sleep in. And Kimiko could always use extra beauty rest."

An impish sneer as he thumbed for the Japanese girl, who gave a short growl in return and gave his leg a quick sweep kick, stealing the ball from him as he took his turn sprawling on his back. As she now bounced it on her knee with a smug smirk, Raimundo spat out some grass blades and quipped flatly, "Never enough rest for that temper, though, I see."

With a light sigh, Kimiko just rolled her eyes.

Jermaine laughed. "Ahh, man, you all never change. Mad love for this crew."

"Hey now, don't go makin' us blush..!" Clay shot back, seemingly the only one bashful enough to be blushing at the sentiment, "And don't forget yer part the crew now too..!"

A tut from the curly-haired boy. "Too true. So mad love for me too." His thumbs went for himself in arrogant jest.

Lips tugging in displeasure, Omi kept that feeling to himself and polled, "So. Is this all we are meant to do for today's training?" He indicated the ball Kimiko currently bounced. "Play with a weight?" If so, he didn't know why it was so important for him to be present.

"Not quite," a fresh voice rang, and the warriors all looked to find Master Fung, seated in Lotus Position atop a large rock off to the side.

"How does he do that?" Raimundo whispered out the side of his mouth to Clay.

"Gotta be part ninja," Clay whispered back.

"Not a ninja," Master Fung responded, making the two gossipers perk and grin in guilt, "I am simply at one with the universe."

"Right. Got it," Raimundo granted with an 'okay' hand sign, then opened his palms in a helpless shrug as he shook his head at Clay.

Carrying on, Master Fung instructed, "The weight you hold currently was a mere warm up." Kimiko looked to the ball in her possession and kicked it up to a rest in her hands curiously. "As we have such a talented new Dragon joining us..." Omi turned his face away to hide his sour expression here. "It is only fair that all of you learn to coordinate. Jermaine has learned from a temple beyond ours, after all. Your goal will be to learn from each other, and form a unified team."

The Dragons all exchanged looks, nodding along as it made sense.

"That is why today you will be focusing on your elements and teamwork," the elder monk informed, then gesturing to the rock below him. "This shall be the object you will pass, using your knowledge of your and each others' elements. Spot one anothers' weaknesses, and support one another accordingly. If the rock shall break, stop moving, or hit the ground, then so collapses your victory."

"You could just say we fail, dude," Raimundo smirked. Then his eyes widened. "Sir. Dude, sir."

"I could," Master Fung shrugged, not seeming all that upset by the casual address, "But then I wouldn't sound so mystical and wise...'dude'." He passed Raimundo a cheeky wink.

Jermaine snorted. "Aw, yo, Fung, you're really where it's at." All credit to a Master who was with it.

"Um...thank you?" The elderly man did his best, but he was not entirely up to speed on all of the lingo the teens used. Unfolding his legs and stepping off the rock, he placed himself to the side and gestured a palm to it in invitation. "Would you like to be the first to serve, Jermaine?"

"Sure thing..!" Jermaine accepted with a trigger finger, and came forward. "Wood!"

As his arms shot up, so did a thick twisting trunk underneath the rock. Slanting low into a snake stance, Jermaine formed the tree to extend two of its branches to mimic him. The rock rolled down the gnarled slide, holding in a knotted clump of smaller twigs as the lower branch bent like a catapult. "Gonna be all you, Rai!" he called, and spun around to thrust the blade of his hand up. The tree launched the rock into the air before morphing to scoop him off the ground. A second, different species of tree, this one covered in vines, launched up taller than the first, Jermaine grabbing hold of one such vine and letting out a whoop as he swung himself to a better vantage point.

"Wind!"

At the alert, Raimundo had pushed hard off the ground with a burst of his element, now soaring through the sky as he placed himself in the rock's trajectory. Swirling his arms, he summoned a tornado to catch the massive projectile. Here it swirled around merrily in the vacuum. Raimundo smirked, finding this way too easy. His element was all about never stopping. "Alright, who wants it~?" he called out below.

Only then did he notice his fellow monks fighting the massive gust as it threatened to suck them in too. Kimiko had been nearest to the cone, and Clay had a grip on her wrist as she'd let out a nervous waver feeling her feet slide. Jermaine was hanging tight to his vines as his trees bowed dramatically.

"Whoops." In a hurry, Raimundo quieted the storm, but it likewise became harder to hold the rock up. He supposed this must be what Master Fung had meant about keeping one anothers' elements in mind.

A bright idea sparked its way into the Brazilian boy's mind as he fought to keep the rock aloft. "Yo, Kim! How 'bout an updraft?!"

Below, Kimiko perked to realize the meaning of the request. "So long as you don't suck me up like a dust bunny? You got it! FIRE~!"

An explosion of flame surrounded the girl, forcing Clay to back off a few steps, but the heated column's goal was only to shoot upward. It met the rock, superheating Raimundo's burst of air and relieving some of the weight as a natural updraft formed from the combination. The pair cheered at their success.

"Remember~," Master Fung chimed in from the sidelines, "Keep passing~..!"

"Um..." Raimundo faltered, lowering his hands and quieting his wind further as he let Kimiko shift to take majority control. Glancing at the others he chimed, "Again, who wants it? Preferably before Kimiko gets squished..?"

Kimiko began straining as it got much harder to hold the rock up. "What...he said..!" she grunted as she slowly felt herself forced to lower into a horse stance.

Clay stepped closer again. "Ah'd prob'ly be most qualified to help out here. Fire ain't much good on its own against rock, so I figure Earth's a pretty good backup."

Struggling and sinking even lower, Kimiko shot, "Great..! Well don't feel pressured to...rush or...anything..!"

"Whoop. Pardon. Earth!" Touching the heels of his palms together, Clay thrust his arms forward. A column of hardened dirt shot a good dozen feet upward beside Kimiko, curving to shelter her and forming an angled slide. With a mighty exhale of relief, Kimiko let the rock go and sank to her knees in the provided shade. Raimundo swooped to hover low and gave her a kind breeze. She granted both boys a small exhausted smile of gratitude.

As the rock now tumbled downward, Clay called to the boy it was headed for. "Omi! You thinkin' mudslide?"

Having been watching Jermaine as the New Yorker bent and swayed his mighty tree like a goalie just waiting for his moment, eyes tracking the rock most studiously, Omi's attention was caught sharply by Clay's call.

"I can be thinking that, yes! Water!" A great wave summoned itself around either side of the small monk, coming together to meet Clay's structure and form an extending slide. The muddied mix now undulated and rolled its way around the edge of the field under the joint guidance of the two elements.

"Hey, that's a perfect circle!" Jermaine approved, "Trees block mudslides! Back to me, back to me!" Raising his hands, he summoned a low-set series of smaller trees in wait to receive and surf the rock back up to him.

"Sure thing, pardner!" Clay tossed back, and shifted to send his portion of the mud over that way. He let out a wobbly note as he felt the mud fight him.

Omi was pulling back on it. "No, wait..! You have not seen everything there is for water to do!" They were supposed to show off the strengths of their elements, right? Teach one another about what they could do? For the good of the group, and Jermaine's education, he needed to demonstrate further!

"Woah there, Omi..!" Clay protested, trying to keep the rolling mud steady, "We've done our part..! And it's true, we got the flow already; we don't need no fancy bells and whistles..! All that stuff'll come up later..!"

"But there is much water can do on its own..!" Omi argued, pulling away from Jermaine, "I would just...like...Jermaine to...see..!"

With a final yank, the mud split apart into waves of plain earth and pure water. The rock was sent skyward as the elements separated. The group gasped, but Omi quickly recovered and waved a confident hand.

"Do not worry! I still have this~! ICE!" The wave of water stretched up and swelled, hardening itself into a sheet of curved ice. Smugly, Omi relaxed and waited for the rock to slide down the flashy ramp he'd made all on his own.

A loud shatter rang as the heavy rock smashed right through the unsupported ice and headed straight for the ground, shards of jagged ice now raining down onto the field. Everyone screamed and covered their heads.

Running forward, Kimiko sent an arc of fire out as she spread her arms to melt the frozen chunks. "More solid! More solid!" she cried frantically.

"I got it!" Omi, Jermaine and Raimundo called out in unison.

Omi attempted to refreeze his melted water into a solid floor as Jermaine dived in panic to prevent the rock hitting the ground at all. As a result, the water inside the tree he was riding got frozen with the water Omi was trying to use, and the darker boy found himself launched from he bowed tree as its clawed branches caught the rock, promptly snapping as the tree now had no give as well. Raimundo tried to save it with a frantic upward pull of his arms, but all he managed to do was send the fisted branch spinning up so high into the sky it became a dark speck. Jermaine went with it.

Eyes bulging, Raimundo gave a simple quiet, "...whoops!"

Now everyone paled as the rock became the first thing getting larger.

"EARTH!"

Two thick hemispheres burst up from the ground and slammed together to form a protective dome over the monks, a loud crash being heard on top of it a mere second later. With a group sigh of relief, the walls then lowered to return to their original places.

This respite was only brief, however, as the group quickly searched the skies again. "Where's Jermaine?" Kimiko voiced for all of them, only to then hear a distant scream coming in hot and getting louder. The group dived to catch the falling boy, only to find Master Fung had silently stepped into place already. Jermaine fell perfectly into his arms as the elder monk didn't even flinch.

Jermaine was shaking as he clutched at Master Fung's robes. "Okay, yo..!" he stressed as he stared into space, "Me and skydiving? We are not a thing, yo!" He'd felt uncomfortable enough experiencing his first Xiaolin Showdown, which had taken place in an arena with very thin basketball court stripes to balance on, but he'd been able to get used to it. Unexpected freefalling after a bullet ride into the sky? No thank you!

Grimly, Raimundo mumbled, "Good thing Dragon of the Wind's already taken, then, huh?" Kimiko elbowed him sharply.

"Ow! What? I'm just sayin'..!" Even quieter, he muttered with a light blush, "And I joke when the room's uncomfortable, gimme a break..."

Master Fung sent his gaze to the pile of loose rubble now scattered over a very mangled field. "Well. The rock has stopped, broken, and touched the ground in several pieces. I think that means you've triple failed the task assigned." Glancing to Jermaine, he added, "Incapacitating a team member is most definitely not a part of unity, either, so let's call it an even quadruple."

Lips all thinned with extreme guilt and concern for the boy frozen in their tutor's arms, the other monks all stood at attention and bowed in shame, chiming somberly, "Sorry, Master Fung..."

"I do not believe it is I to whom you should be apologizing," the elder monk returned.

Those grim expressions only worsened as they lowered to their teammate. "Sorry, Jermaine..." It was even quieter and humbler an apology.

Master Fung let out an even breath. "I am going to take Jermaine to the infirmary for some much-needed rest. The rest of you, reflect on what went wrong here today. And Omi..."

The smallest monk startled and looked up fearfully.

"I believe you have some gardening to get started on."

Omi's eyes lowered somberly to the ground.

...

Jermaine sat on a low cot in the temple's modest infirmary, blanket around his shoulders and a warm cup of tea in his hand. He was feeling much better after only a couple hours' nap. Hearing a knock at the doorless entryway, he looked up to find Raimundo standing timidly with one side of his lips pulled taut in uncertainty.

"Mind if I come in..?"

Calmly, Jermaine offered a tiny peaceful smile and granted, "Naw. Sup."

Relieved, the tan boy stepped inside, standing respectfully but rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh. I'm really sorry about launching you into the sky and everything. I swear I didn't mean it. And if it's any consolation, that's not even the worst thing we've ended up doing to each other while screwing up a lesson. One time during wu practice, I got humiliated by getting Tangle Web Comb hair up my nose...and it gave me a wedgie." An insecure chuckle there. Eyes flicking down, then up at Jermaine, then down again, Raimundo added, "Sorry if the joking was insensitive or whatever too. That stuff's just like...my first response."

Watching Raimundo's cheek pinch in self-consciousness, Jermaine took a sip of tea and granted the taller boy another smile. "'s all good, Rai. I didn't exactly expect things to be perfect right off, y'know?"

Looking immensely relieved, Raimundo sighed, "Auh, you mean it? I mean like, it'd be great if it could've been - I really think we almost got the whole synergy thing - but like, please don't quit your first day or anything. If you wanna yell, or complain or whatever, I'm the leader, so I'm your guy. I'm supposed to know how to keep everybody all..." He swirled his hands around each other uselessly. "Y'know?"

With a small sigh out his nose, Jermaine patted the edge of his cot. "Rai. Relax, man. Come squat."

Silenced by the invitation, Raimundo reservedly obeyed, approaching and opting to sit on the floor with his elbows up to rest on the cot's edge as he stared heavily at the floor, unsure what to say.

Luckily, Jermaine seemed to be more prepared than he.

"I know you guys are good," he assured, "I had a blast training with you all last time, too. You're not gonna scare me off that easy..!" A light chuck to Raimundo's shoulder. "Not when we've been out fighting literal evil..!"

Raimundo gave a small tut. "You sure you don't wanna bite my head off at least a little..? Like maybe a nibble?" He pinched his fingers together meekly.

"Naw thanks. I like a little more than air in the heads I eat."

"Heh. Ouch."

A teasing smirk from the curly-haired boy, followed by a gentler statement. "I know I got pretty hot-headed last time I came around, too," he admitted, "But trust me. All my beef is in the past. That's one of the things I knew I had to work on. Master Qi taught me a lot about letting things go. I'm a whole lot wiser now thanks to her."

Raimundo's brow raised a degree. "Oh. Is that the one you trained under at your other temple?"

"Mm-hm." Jermaine nodded. "Kinda sad to see Omi still has a habit showboatin', but I'm hoping I can help him out with that, too."

Once more Raimundo looked uncomfortable. "Yeah...I'll admit, I was kind of afraid you'd wanna start goin' at it with him again, too...another reason I figured it'd be better if you just tore into me."

After another sip of tea, Jermaine smiled more warmly at the other boy. "Y'know? I only found out you got the whole leader thing from Master Fung, but already I can see why you're a pretty good fit."

Raimundo blinked and looked bashfully at the other. "Really..?" He lifted his arms to stare at the fancy tunic he wore. "I don't really feel like I know what it means yet...sure, I took charge in the moment that one time before I got the job, but after the promotion? Like...I don't feel any different. I'm trying to be all responsible and everything, but I don't know if it's like...the right stuff?" An open shrug to the air.

A soft hum from Jermaine. "Well, let's see. You took charge of welcoming the new Dragon dropped on your doorstep, you don't play the Blame Game after launching that new guy into space, and take responsibility for the actual team member who caused all that chaos to begin with, just to protect him and prevent a fight you think might cause the team harm later on. I'd say that sounds pretty leader-ish to me. But what do I know, right? I've only been here a day." The boy gave a coy shrug.

A small smile found Raimundo as he continued to stare at a spot on the floor. "Heh..." Maybe it did sound pretty responsible.

A moment of amiable silence between the two before Jermaine questioned, "Wu wedgie, huh?"

Now Raimundo's eyes rolled for the wall as he placed a hand behind his head in embarrassment. "Yeah. Not my proudest moment." To change the subject, he asked, "And you? Like...how was it going on your Xiaolin quests all by yourself?"

A soft note slipped from Jermaine's nose. "For real? Kinda wished I'd had a team." He passed a smile to the other boy, who returned it.

"Well, plus side. Think you found one."

A nod. "For real."

Finding things a little too sappy, Raimundo ruminated, "So like...where do pranks fall on the whole leadership-revenge scale, huh?" His fingers drummed on his shins apprehensively.

One of Jermaine's brows quirked. "Ohhhh, dawg, I know you aren't asking me to help out on a classic Raimundo prank!"

At the impish expression, Raimundo rolled his eyes coyly, "Weeeell, only if you're up for it...Omi is kinda my best target for what I got in mind, and with your wood powers..."

"Say no more, Rai-dawg. I'm in."

...

Bitterly, Omi snipped away at one of the many flowering shrubs in the temple's courtyard garden. He was supposed to be taking this time to reflect, but in his opinion, if Master Fung had just held the regular training session while he avoided Jermaine, everything would have been fine!

Of course, he still felt very badly for how things had turned out with the new Dragon. In fact, under the defensive shell, he felt terrified of facing Jermaine again after how that session had ended. It had been his goal to simply stay quiet and let Jermaine flourish in his own arena where Omi couldn't see, so that Omi might have his own spotlight later on when he was present. Instead he'd ended up causing a mess. And with a punishment.

Letting out a strained note full of swirling emotions over how strained he was sure his relationship with his supposed new team member had become in just one day, Omi felt his grip tighten on the trimmer handles.

"Hey, yo! O-mi!"

Omi tensed sharply, looking up to find the New Yorker strolling quite calmly towards him with a hand raised in greeting.

"Ahhh!" The yellow boy hid behind his hedge trimmers. "Pleeeease do not be seeking to do battle! Believe me when I am saying I do not wish to be torn apart once more by embittered rivalry!"

Coming to stop on the other side of the shrub, Jermaine tried to contain a snort. "Um. Yeah. Look, ain't no thing~!"

Lowering the trimmers and quirking his brow with a confused blink, Omi returned, "It isn't?"

"Yeah, no, don't mind me. I's all good~!"

"It...is?"

While Omi was puzzling over this casual attitude, Raimundo strolled up behind him with a few loose sheets of parchment.

"Hey! Omi!" he called, drawing the boy's attention. Blinking in an overly innocent manner, Raimundo tipped his head and wheedled, "I know you're busy with tending the garden or whatever, but do you think you could spare just a few minutes to give me some notes on my Flying Leopard Strike~?"

Head swiveling between the two taller boys, Omi was torn between uncertainty and flatter.

"Oh, um...of course, my friend! As you know, my Flying Leopard Strike is form perfect~!"

"Ohhh, sure-suuuure," Raimundo nodded along, "So like, you know it starts like this, right?" He bent one leg and extended the other, arms forming a pose suggesting a coiled strike.

"Yes..?"

Behind Omi's back, Jermaine casually waved a finger to regrow the bit of bramble that had just been cut.

Raimundo gasped and pretended to notice something behind the short one. "Hold the phone, Omi..! Is that what you call pruning? That bush is more overgrown than Master Fung's nose hair..!"

Omi looked, indeed finding the shrub scragglier than he'd thought he'd left it. Hurriedly, he moved to fix it. "Thank you, Raimundo..! I do not know how I could have been so careless..!" Looking up at Jermaine, he felt a waver in his stomach. "If you truly do not wish to battle, will you let me express my regret for the results of earlier? It was not my intention to cause any harm. Or disharmony. In fact, I have made it my mission to strive only for the most harmonious of teamwork!"

Smirking as he swished a coy hand, growing a few tree limbs behind the other, Jermaine assured, "No worries, Omi-dawg. I mean it. You're already doin' plenty to make up for it."

"I am..?"

Raimundo leaned over Omi's shoulder. "Yeah, like using your brilliant know-how to help me out~!" A dramatic gasp as he 'spotted' the sagging branches on the tree inside one of the decorative rings on the pathway. "Jeez, Omi, I think you missed a spot, though."

Looking, Omi gasped too. "Indeed, my friend! Thank you once again for spotting my error! Ohhh, I fear I have been most distracted to miss an entire tree..!" Scuttling over, he only found Raimundo shoving the parchments in his face.

"But not too distracted to help me out with these diagrams, right~?"

This continued for a good couple of laps around this garden, Omi becoming increasingly confused as to how he could have missed so much, and wondering how the ground could be so littered with branches despite there still being so many overgrown ones on the trees. He was certain he'd already done some of these shrubs, too...

Then, finally, the pranksters let Omi see as Jermaine regrew one of the flowering trees. Omi gasped dramatically.

"You have been lying about my errors?!" He knew it wasn't possible for him to make that many!

As the small boy finally connected the dots and clenched his fist in adorable pouty rage, Jermaine and Raimundo cracked up.

"Took you long enough..!" Raimundo burst, "I think we could've had you running in circles all day if we wanted..!"

"Told you, Omi-dawg..! You were doin' plenty. Call us even now, huh?" Jermaine winked and shot a trigger motion the stout monk's way.

Omi growled, blushing in thorough indignation. He'd been worried sick over how he'd failed to uphold his own discipline and had potentially ruined things with Jermaine already, and the boy thought it was funny to prank him?! That was worse than just being mad! That was laughing in his face! The two had even targeted his perfectionism, his greatest point of pride.

Okay, maybe it wasn't causing any fights, but in that case it just made Omi feel worse for having Jermaine be more mature than him, and made him feel like an idiot for falling for this. Was Jermaine perfect or something? Why should this make them even? And besides that, Omi had actually wanted to finish this chore as quickly as possible. He had a mission to continue!

Scrunching his lips and gulping down the feeling of great injustice, Omi forced any feeling that might worsen the situation out of the picture. Good terms...good terms...if the others wanted this to count as being even, then fine. He would likewise prove he could keep a better hold of his emotions and be mature too.

Folding his hands inside his sleeves, he tipped his head up and granted, "Very well."

Raimundo actually seemed a little disappointed. "Aww, c'mon. You're not even gonna chase us~?" he prompted. The best part of any prank was the enraged chase after ticking your target off.

Omi opened one eye demurely. "Well, if you are asking for it...I believe a hands-on demonstration of the Flying Leopard Strike would be the most effective method of advice. Hyaaaaah!"

The petite boy launched himself forward, Raimundo's eyes inflating as he had to give Omi that that was a pretty good callback. As well, he turned on his heels and sprinted full tilt as Jermaine joined him. Both pranksters grinned madly as they dashed.