A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed, etc. You know, I got this weird mental image of Chase and Jack singing the FUN song from Spongebob...somebody please make a video of that.

XxxxxX

Jack whimpered as he tried to move his arm. He felt sore all over. His master had given him the worst beating he ever had – which was saying something, considering his track record. He could barely stand to move.

He wasn't sure how he ended up back in his room. He must have blacked out at some point. The last thing he remembered was a particularly painful kick to the stomach. He liked to think that he had a certain tolerance for pain, but there was only so much a person could take. Then again, who could possibly stand a beating at the hands of Chase Young?

He couldn't lift his head to see, but he was sure that he was covered in bruises and possibly bleeding in a few places. He also wouldn't be surprised if he had a few broken bones. This was going to make training difficult...

He flinched when he heard the door open. He wasn't sure that he would be able to face Chase at the moment. But to his relief, it was only Adelpha. The tall woman was carrying a bunch of bandages and a small white box. She pulled up a chair and a small table beside his bed and sat down.

"I'm surprised that you're awake," she stated. "I thought that you'd be asleep for at least a day."

"How long have I been out?" he managed to choke. His voice sounded incredibly hoarse.

"Oh, it's only been about half an hour," she said indifferently. "Master's right, you must have an extremely hard head."

"Uh...is he still mad at me?" he whispered.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "He always appears so calm, even when angered. But since he sent me in here to bandage your wounds, I would say that he's calmed down."

Jack sighed and closed his eyes. He could only hope that the woman was right.

They were silent as she worked on him. He held in a few hisses and groans and she applied antiseptic on a few open gashes. She also wrapped the bandages too tightly in his opinion, but for once he wasn't in the mood to complain. He was just grateful that someone was caring for him.

Great, now he was starting to miss his mom.

"There, all done," Adelpha finally said. "The good news is that you have no broken bones or any other serious injuries. The bad news is that it will take at least two weeks for your body to heal."

He couldn't hold back a groan at that. That meant he wouldn't be able to train, which would only make his idol angrier. Stupid Wuya, this was all her fault.

"Thank you, Adelpha, that will be all for now," came his master's voice from the foot of his bed.

If he wasn't so sore, he would have jumped. He was going to have to get used to the man's sudden appearances. He didn't like to be constantly startled like this.

He heard more than saw his female keeper turn back into a tiger and leave the room. He nearly broke out into a sweat as he realized that he was alone with Chase. He tensed even more when he heard the man sit in the chair beside him.

"Look at me, Jack," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice.

With effort, the boy managed to open his eyes and turn his head toward the older man. Chase was looking at him with an expressionless face. They stared at each other for a few moments before his master spoke again.

"If one heals their body with magic too often, it will eventually forget how to heal itself," he explained "so I won't heal you like I did last time."

He wasn't really sure how to respond to that, so he just nodded as well as he could.

Chase sighed and smoothed a hand through his hair. "Now, Spicer, I realize that you're in no shape to do any physical activity," he said. "So until you heal, we shall simply discuss fighting strategies, among other things. Perhaps you can also take this time to reflect where your loyalties lie."

Jack visibly relaxed at this. His master didn't seem angry at him anymore, and he was going to do his best to make sure this didn't happen again. And his inner lazy teenager rejoiced at the fact that he had a few weeks to relax.

Chase grinned at his bedridden apprentice. Now that Jack had received the stick, he could give the boy the carrot.

XxxxxX

Wuya groaned as she let out a painful cough. She supposed that the pain was worth not choking on the blood in her throat.

Chase's tigers had really done a number on her. She was covered in all sorts of bite and scratch marks. It was a wonder that she hadn't died of blood loss or shock. Chase must have trained them in the art of torture.

She didn't think she'd ever been this injured in her life. In the past, she always had her magic to protect and heal her. And when her powers were taken away, she made sure that she had allies that would keep her safe. But now her most powerful ally had turned on her, and she still wasn't completely sure why. She briefly wondered what had become of Jack.

"My, my, you've certainly looked better," a familiar voice drawled.

"Hannibal!" she gasped. The bean was standing on a slightly protruding stone in the wall by her face.

"Nice to see ya, Wuya," he greeted. "I'd ask how yer doing, but I can see that it you ain't doing good."

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "What if Chase discovers you?"

"Now, now, darling, don't you go fretting about our good friend, Chase," he soothed. "He always underestimates my abilities. I assure you that he can't sense me here, or that we're having this conversation. As far as he knows, you just fell unconscious from blood loss."

The witch couldn't help but smirk at that. She could always take time to appreciate evil magic.

"As for yer other question," the bean continued "I came to lend you a bit of a hand. There's nuttin' I love more than bothering that girly-haired man, and yer usually the key to doin' that."

"What are you going to do?" she whispered. It hurt to talk any louder.

"Well, Ying-Ying can only stay here for so long before somebody senses her," he said "So, I was thinking that you could be my eyes and ears. Chase can't keep you down here forever. And when you do get out, you can see what he's up to. And then we can team up and get our revenge on the ingrate. What do you say?"

Wuya smiled viciously. She always loved the idea of vengeance.

"It's a deal," she said.

XxxxxxX

"'What the ancient fighters called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excel in winning with ease,'" Chase read. "What does that mean to you?"

Jack thought for a moment. "Um...the more you study and practice to become a better fighter, the bigger the advantage you'll have over your opponent?"

"Good," Chase simply replied.

He had decided to challenge the young genius's mind with some old literature. And given their current situation, what was better than The Art of War?

Chase flipped forward to one of his favorite parts. "How about this? 'All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.'"

"That's simple," the boy replied. "It's best to trick your opponent into underestimating you rather than show off your strength right away. That way, when you do beat them, it's more humiliating."

"Precisely," his master replied with a smirk. "This would be a good tactic to use when battling the monks."

Jack was actually enjoying himself. For the past week, he and his evil hero had been simply...hanging out. Chase taught him about different fighting styles, and showed him diagrams from books that had to be hundreds of years old. Even better, the man also told him personal stories, like certain battles he fought, ancient cultures that he'd seen with his own eyes, and, of course, his experiences with past Xiaolin monks. (They certainly don't train them like they used to," his idol had said dryly.)

It was like a dream come true for jack. He always wanted to know more about Chase Young. He could feel himself quickly warming back up to the man.

Apparently, Chase could sense this. "So, Jack," he started in a conversational tone "I've been thinking that it's time to move forward in our plan."

Jack noticed how Chase used 'our' instead of 'my'. "What do you mean, Master?" he asked.

"I mean that after you finish healing, we add another person to our ranks," his master explained.

"Oh, already? Anyone in mind?" the young apprentice questioned.

Chase grinned at the boy's compliance. "As a matter of fact..."

XxxxxX

A/N: I am the Cliffhanger Queen! So, Jack's been efficiently brainwashed. I love you Chase, in all your violent and manipulative glory.

So, I'm starting school again next week, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update. But I'll try to at least once a week.

Review!