A/N: A longer chapter for you all. That and, is anyone else having a hard time uploading stuff? It just took me like twenty tries to upload this chapter. Kept getting some strange error. But neigh did I give up! So here you go, enjoy!

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Hannibal didn't make a move for weeks. He didn't want to rock the boat any more than he already had.

Jack was a fragile piece at the moment. He was training hard and struggling to control his new abilities. This alone worried Hannibal. In the back of his mind, he knew that his powers would be a problem, but he outwardly rejected that idea. Jack's mind was too frail to pose any problems. He would own him soon enough.

But while Hannibal was silent, Chase plotted. He wasn't about to let the bean get too far ahead of him. Chase reached out to Jack's mind once more, but instead of reaching Jack, he was stopped by a black form that resembled the Dragon of Shadows.

"Jack?"

"Jack's not available."

"How so?"

"He's inside."

"Inside?"

"Meditating."

"He does that?"

The form nodded, "Ever since the bean came…"

"The bean?"

"Yes, Hannibal."

"I see. Well, I need to speak with him."

"He doesn't want to see you or the bean."

"I understand, but it is urgent."

The shadow paused.

"'Urgent'?" it repeated smugly.

"Yes," Chase growled.

"Well, I'm sorry, but Jack is busy at the moment…"

"I do not appreciate these trivialities. I will speak to Spicer and no shadow will stop me!"

Chase snarled as he passed the shadow sentry. As he did, the shadow shifted into a tall, spiny creature.

"He doesn't want to speak with you!" it growled.

"Impressive, but don't think that you can fool me," Chase scoffed and moved on.

The sound of a blade coming from its sheathe met Chase's ears. Jumping into the air, Chase Young evaded the monster's attack.

"Go away!" it bellowed.

"You don't seriously think that you can harm me, do you?"

"I will not let you in!"

The shadow became Chase's own shadow and lunged at him from a nearby surface. Now they were equals. Expressing the same weaknesses and strengths. It was a futile battle and unlike the Shadow, Chase would wear out eventually.

"Chase?"

The voice cut off the shadow's attack.

"Why hello there, Spicer. Would you mind calling off your dog?"

Jack looked at the shadow and it returned to the ground at his side.

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to tell you something that is most important to your career as a Dragon."

"You aren't exactly on my 'Favorites'' list right now…"

"No matter. Do you realize, Spicer, that because you are not a chosen one, you can never reach a rank above Wudai?"

"What?" Jack laughed, "That's not gonna work, Chase. I'm not that stupid."

"It is not an object of stupidity, but the truth."

"Yeah. Okay. Chase Young came all this way to tell me that I can never succeed. That plays into the overall scheme of evil how?"

"I just wanted to let you know before you got your hopes up too high."

"Wait. Why do you care?"

"Again, it is in my best interest to prevent you from falling into any serious harm."

"How so?"

The red haired boy was pushing the Heylin lord's patience.

"The bean. He is trying to use you to bring me down…"

"Me?" Jack chuckled, "I'm honored that you consider me a threat. Honestly, it's about time…"

"You are not the threat. It is the bean and his potion. He is waiting for the right time to sway your loyalties. It will only damn the both of us."

Jack was silent for a moment.

"Sounds serious."

Chase was ready to beat his pale face in.

"And by 'damn us both' you mean you and me?"

"Yes."

"Mmhm… I see… And, uh, what exactly does this 'damnation' entail?"

"Enslavement. Your will will be bound to the bean's and his will is to destroy me to revenge my act of banishing him to the Ying-Yang World. We will be forced into an eternity of combat, leaving him to rule the world…"

And then it hit him.

"Wait, the Hannibal's gonna rule the world?"

"He will, if we become entangled in battle."

Jack thought.

"You see, I may be good, but that was just because I got smart. Evil gets you nowhere. The path to world domination is practically nonexistent. If I couldn't become ruler of the world, a damn bean isn't gonna beat me to it."

Chase rolled his eyes.

"That's one way to analyze it," he mumbled, "But yes, do not give in to the bean…"

Jack chuckled.

"Listen, Chase, this new tactic, whatever it is, isn't working. You were better off with burning down houses and murdering families. Go back to that and your evil might hold more sway in the world."

Chase wanted to annihilate him. Killing the pest would solve all his problems, but it would get him nowhere. He had to show that rotten fruit who was on top, once and for all. Chase was the one who was going to be pulling the punches.

"Alright, Spicer. I had nothing to do with your parents' death…"

Jack laughed.

"I've told you that before! Listen to me, you rat! You'll do nothing but doom us all…"

"And send the world into the proverbial ten thousand years of darkness, I know…"

"No, chaos."

"So?"

Chase clenched his fists at his side.

"Don't worry, Chase, I'm on to you and the bean. I'll figure it all out soon enough. Until then, Shadow? Show Chase out and lock the door behind him. We can't have anymore interferences."

The shadow sentry formed before Chase.

"Listen to me, Spicer. He is counting on your despair to lead you to him. You can do far better than what he has to offer…"

The shadow took Chase by the arm; chase pulled away.

"What does he have to offer?" Jack sneered.

"You will become like me, only without self will. Power, but no freedom."

"I won't fall for that."

"Power is a serious bargaining chip. I never thought that I would fall to it, but I took power over the forces of good for which I had fought for for all my life," Chase paused a moment to clear his mind, "Power is most powerful when the desperate are despaired."

Something inside of Jack clicked, but he didn't know what. Perhaps it was the same question that had always nagged the back of his mind. How far would he go to be the best? No, being the best wasn't the point. Being part of a team and acting as a part of a whole was what mattered… But… A team shares everything, even recognition. Jack had always been just another face in the crowd and here he was again. He was one of five. No, the last of five. He was the tail end. The bottom of the barrel. What is Chase was right? What is he never could become better than Wudai? What was the purpose then? Show him the way of good and then cut him off? Doom him to failure? He had come to the temple in search of success, not failure. No, they were the Xiaolin. All about honor and discipline. Master Fung would have told him by now if that was the case. Chase was desperate, that's all. Jack felt good about that. He must've been doing something right to have the two greatest forces of evil pining for his attention. But even if Chase was right, even if the bean was depending on and unlikely scenario, Jack wasn't about to forgive Chase for what he had done.

"Listen," he wheezed, "To be fair, I'll log all that away. But listen to me, Chase, you will pay for what you have done to me. I appreciate you trying to help me, but you aren't getting out of a fight."

"That's what he wants!" Chase growled, "He wants you to fight me! Listen to me, fool, I did not kill your parents…"

"Why so desperate, Chase? For the guy with all the Heylin power, you seem to be pretty desperate to get my attention."

"Because like any warlord, I don't want to lose my power…"

"Especially not to me," Jack snickered, "Right?"

"No, not to you…"

"I don't get you, Chase. Get rid of him," Jack nodded to his shadow sentry.

"You cannot force me away…"

"My mind, my dream, my way. Shadow? Get rid of him and make it hurt."

"You cannot hurt me," Chase growled.

"What part of 'my way' don't you understand? If I want you to hurt, you will hurt, but nowhere near enough."

Chase was lead away by the shadow. He had done what he had come to do. It was up to Spicer now. He knew the boy would think about what he had said and would come to a logical conclusion. Whether or not it was the conclusion he wanted, Chase had to wait to find out. Like the bean, he had entered the waiting game. All cards were on the table and Jack was holding the ace. He was the key to everything. As sick as it sounded, Chase was dependant on his decision now. He was at the mercy of a teenager…