A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's pretty heavily focused on the Heylin villains, so you get a glimpse into what some of them are plotting. Enjoy! I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or Xiaolin Chronicles.

Jack hummed to himself happily as he packed his belongings. He couldn't believe Chase was actually willing to take him on as his apprentice again. This was his dream come true, working alongside one of his evil heroes. He was more than a little eager to get started and wondered what Chase would teach him. He hadn't had much time to actually train with the Heylin Dragon before, after all.

His desktop computer beeped, notifying him of a message. He glanced toward the computer, realizing he must have forgotten to close the Internet after his last time online with WaveRider13. He headed over, intending to shut it down, but glanced at the message out of curiosity.

"Yo, Darkness Absolute! How's it hanging? Did you handle Spicer?"

Jack grinned, remembering his last conversation with this guy. He'd almost forgotten that he'd nearly blown his own cover, but he was pleasantly surprised that WaveRider13 was still as naive to his true identity as ever. Despite the fact that he'd told Chase he would return quickly, he typed up a response: "Oh, yeah, I handled him. He'll think twice before stealing ideas from me again!"

He sent the message and waited for a response, stuffing a couple more objects into his bag as he waited. When the computer beeped again, he went back and read, "Good to know. So how's everything else been going?"

"Well, actually, there's one thing I want to tell you. I might not be available to chat as much here soon. See, I'm starting a new apprenticeship with one of the greatest Heylin baddies of all time! I won't tell you who, but let's just say I'm about to learn how to really kick your loser butts!"

"Hey, that's great! Congrats!"

Jack grinned again. Man, for a Xiaolin goody-goody, WaveRider13 sure didn't act like it. He was congratulating his enemy on gaining an apprenticeship that would make him more dangerous. The guy was a good friend, Jack had to admit. It was too bad they were on opposite sides. "Thanks. I'm supposed to be packing up right now, actually, so I can move in. I start my training tomorrow."

"I guess I should let you get off and finish packing then, huh?"

"Yeah, but, hey, don't worry. I'll message you tonight, and we can really talk then," Jack offered.

"Sounds good, ttyl."

"Later, dude."

With that, Jack closed the browser on his desktop and shut it down. He then went to get his laptop computer out of his room, intent on taking it with him. Sure, Chase probably didn't have a net connection, but he was an evil genius—he'd figure out some way to get online in the Land of Nowhere. He didn't want to lose touch with his online friend, after all.

At the temple, the Xiaolin monk known online as WaveRider13 bit his thumb, thinking. If Darkness Absolute's been offered an apprenticeship by one of our worst enemies, then that can only mean one of two things—either someone found out we're friends and wants to use him against me like Chase did with Jermaine and Omi, or Darkness Absolute is more powerful than he seems.

The idea that the Heylin side might have already recruited the Dragon of Metal and were about to start training him as an apprentice was unnerving, especially given that metal was one of the Chinese elements. He was pretty sure that Master Fung had said something about metal penetrating wood, which meant that the Dragon of Metal would probably do especially well against their Dragon of Wood, who was only a trainee. Both were currently the same rank, assuming he was right in his suspicions. He had to figure out a way to get this guy on his side, but he wasn't even sure who Darkness Absolute was in real life.

Then an idea dawned on him, and he smirked. Darkness Absolute had told him that he was going to be training under "one of the greatest Heylin baddies of all time." He could easily figure out who this guy was after that mistake—there were only about three of those, and one wasn't currently in any position to be taking on apprentices. Darkness Absolute was either training with Chase Young or Hannibal Bean.

It's not worth it to bust into Hannibal's or Chase's place just to meet their new apprentice, WaveRider13 thought. But Darkness Absolute should know that his identity's not going to stay secret for long. I'll just talk to him about that tonight. Though he's probably not going to want to just tell me who he is without trying to stay secret. He tapped a finger on his chin, thinking of how to handle this situation. Then he smirked as an idea came to him. Oh, this'll be good.

He'd soon be finding out the true identity of the person he was certain was the Dragon of Metal the Xiaolin Warriors were seeking.

In the meditation hall, Omi perched atop his head, trying to get to the bottom of this feeling he had. It didn't make any sense. They had certainly found their Dragon of Wood, so what could be causing him such distress? Willow had proven herself, given that she was manipulating the wood the same way he manipulated water and Clay manipulated the earth. Yet he couldn't shake this feeling that something was horribly off.

As he focused on his meditation, something strange happened. In his mind's eye, he suddenly found himself in a new place—a dark void, filled with stars. It was as if he'd suddenly found himself in outer space, and he felt as if he were floating. This place wasn't distressing, however. Rather, it felt peaceful, quiet.

Omi looked around in amazement as a Chinese dragon rose up from below him. It was as big as Dojo in his full size, yet it was made of nothing but stars, no solid mass to it at all. It looked more like a dragon-shaped constellation than an actual dragon, with glowing white eyes shining brighter than the stars making up its body. Omi stared into its eyes in wonder.

Suddenly, all of the stars making up the dragon's body glowed a bit brighter as it narrowed its eyes at him. A soft, feminine voice whispered through the air, "You are the one..."

Omi looked around, startled, wondering what that meant. He was also slightly startled that the dragon before him was, apparently, a girl. "Uh...pardon me, oh great dragon, but...I am most confused. Who are you? And, while I do know that I am most impressive, I would very much like to know what you mean by your statement."

The dragon didn't answer, simply lunging forward before flying in spiraling circles around him, growing faster and faster until it was nothing but a blur of stars. As the dragon spun around him, Omi felt a rush of power entering his mind, and a sense of impending danger washed over him. Even worse, this danger he sensed was coming from both outside of the temple...and within.

Omi's eyes widened in shock at this new unsettling feeling. Is this why I am feeling most concerned? he wondered. There is danger inside of the temple? But how can that be? Willow is certainly our chosen dragon, Jermaine could not possibly be our enemy, and there are no other newcomers to the temple. No one here would harm us, of that I am most certain. What danger could possibly come from within our own walls?

Suddenly the dragon exploded into a mass of stars and scattered around Omi in all directions. He watched in awe as he heard one final feminine whisper: "Use it wisely...oh Chosen One..."

Omi blinked, opening his eyes to find himself in the meditation hall. What does it all mean?

Then he realized he was still feeling that sense of danger from outside of the temple and inside. It had settled down now and felt more like when he used his tiger instincts, but it was still there, just like in the vision. Concerned, he flipped onto his feet.

"This is most confuddling," he said to himself, worried now that something really was wrong inside the temple walls. "I must speak to Master Fung at once!" He ran out of the meditation hall, knowing that his mentor would be able to clear this all up. After all, Master Fung was always able to help them with such unusual problems.

Far away, in a monastery out in rural China, Ping Pong woke up, feeling groggy and disoriented. He wasn't sure where he was or how he'd gotten there. The only thing that was immediately obvious was that he was lying on a cot, a blanket over his small body.

He wasn't alone, however—a person clad in black and red armor with red glowing eyes stood nearby, watching. Hannibal Bean, controlling his mechanical suit of armor from within, approached the small child, feigning concern as he said, "Thank goodness you're awake. How are you feeling, my boy?"

Ping Pong sat up and looked around before he said, "I am not sure. I...have many questions." He glanced at the suit of armor before him and asked, "Who are you?"

"Oh, my, it seems that blow to your noggin must have been worse than I thought," Hannibal said, pleased at this. "What do you remember, my boy?"

Ping Pong put a hand to his head and tried to think. It wasn't any use, however—nothing was coming back to him, not even his own name. "I am afraid that I do not recall much of anything, sir. I...do not even remember who I am."

"You poor boy," Hannibal said, his tone falsely sympathetic. "Allow me to explain. Your name is Ping Pong, dear boy, and you've been training as my apprentice. I'm Hannibal Roy Bean, the Heylin master who has been training you to take down the evil Xiaolin Dragon Warriors. I sent you on a little spy mission to learn the best way to defeat them, but I'm afraid that didn't go as planned. The monks found you out and attacked you, apparently intent on killing you. Fortunately for you, I was keeping an eye on the situation and was able to rescue you. Unfortunately, some of your wounds were serious enough that they would have killed you, and I wasn't able to fully treat those more lethal wounds. In a last-ditch effort to save your life, I used the mystical Jiyi Amulet on you."

At these words, Ping Pong glanced down at his chest, seeing the rose quartz pendant lying against his white shirt. He assumed that must be the amulet in question. So this had saved his life?

"The Jiyi Amulet has the power to fully heal any injury instantly, but those injuries will return if the wearer ever takes it off. I'm afraid it was the best I could do, dear boy."

Ping Pong's blood ran cold. If he was understanding this correctly, he had suffered life-threatening injury at the hands of these Xiaolin Dragon Warriors and was only alive because of the amulet around his neck. Were it ever removed, he would surely die. His life was now a very fragile thing, as easy to end as simply removing the amulet from around his neck.

Whoever these Dragon Warriors were, they were clearly vicious, blood-thirsty monsters.

"But, Master Hannibal, why was I chosen to fight these Xiaolin Warriors? I am not a warrior. And who are they? What kind of a threat do they pose?"

"The Xiaolin Dragon Warriors are four teenagers with the power to control the Western elements of water, earth, fire, and wind. These powers can either be used for individual attacks or combined with the others to maximize their strength. They're extremely dangerous, despite the fact the youngest of them is only two or three years older than you, barely a teenager, really."

With that in mind, Ping Pong had to wonder how old the oldest was. What, exactly, was the age gap between him and his opponents? Three years was already concerning, given that he wasn't even sure he himself was a warrior.

"You see, my dear boy, I'm the rightful ruler of this world. I was the emperor before these monks toppled me from power several years ago. The worst part is, they didn't do it so that they could take over. They simply wanted to plunge the world into chaos. With the government overthrown, the people established their own countries, fighting each other over territory and resources, and many of the new governments that have formed in these new countries are horribly abusive toward their own people. The Xiaolin Warriors encouraged this division and even sought to turn people living in the same regions against each other just to cause more carnage.

"Ever since my fall from power, I've been seeking someone who could defeat them. I stumbled upon a legend that seemed to be talking about this elemental conquest. It stated that, when Wind took control of Earth, Fire, and Water, the world would be plunged into chaos; but one would arise who was destined to defeat these four and return the world to order. I believe you, Ping Pong, are the one this legend speaks of due to your own hidden abilities. You'd just completed your first stage of training when I assigned you this spy mission. I had hoped that, given the training we had done, you would be able to blend in well enough that they would accept you as one of them until you could learn how to defeat them, then I could extract you.

"I hadn't accounted for their leader, Raimundo, however. He heard about the legend from his right-hand man, Omi, and seems to have put two and two together once he met you. I suppose Raimundo's smarter than I initially thought. Once he realized what kind of threat you could pose, he had his team gang up on you, trying to eliminate you."

Once again, Ping Pong found himself wondering about the wisdom of sending a child his age to fight a group of blood-thirsty and, apparently, intelligent teens.

"But, sir, why are they all so horrible? What makes them desire chaos and suffering?"

"The Dragon of the Wind. Raimundo Pedrosa, the Dragon of the Wind, is a manipulative little psychopath. He's the only one who truly started evil, and he's been working hard to make the other three just as bad as him. I don't know exactly what he did, but he somehow turned the formerly gentle giant, Clay, the Dragon of Earth, into a violent psychopath who could charm your socks off before turning around and ripping you limb from limb. The Dragon of Fire, Kimiko, seems to be operating under the delusion that Raimundo is in love with her and is more than willing to be on the wrong side to be with the one she loves. She'll do anything to get what she wants, acting sweet and innocent until you're no longer useful to her or you make her angry. Omi, the Dragon of Water, is the only one Raimundo hasn't fully corrupted yet. The little fella actually believes he's on the side of good and sees Raimundo as his best friend. He's so tightly wrapped around Raimundo's little finger that the poor child has somehow been convinced people can easily survive even the most deadly of wounds."

"But surely he has seen the bodies his friend leaves behind?" Ping Pong asked, horrified.

"If he has, Raimundo has somehow convinced him that they were still alive. Omi truly doesn't think the Xiaolin kill, even though they don't have any such moral quandaries. Raimundo is that good at manipulation—he could convince you that you were a cat or a bird if he really wanted to, and you'd likely spend the rest of your life believing it. Never underestimate him."

Ping Pong stared, horrified, and marveled at how awful this one teenage boy clearly was. What could he have done to Clay? Did Raimundo just awaken something inside of him, or did he break something and cause Clay to snap? And what of poor Omi? He believes himself to be on the side of good and completely trusts someone who probably doesn't even care for him!

"Now that you've recovered, we need to come up with a plan to stop the Xiaolin Dragons, once and for all."

"But, Master Hannibal," Ping Pong said, "if they are so much older than me, does that not mean that they have more training? How can I possibly defeat them at my current level?"

"There's a simple way to even the playing field, my dear boy. Three of the Xiaolin Dragons are part of the Chinese elements, commonly known as the Wuxing. Normally, the Wuxing fight for good, but the wicked Dragon of the Wind corrupted three of the five. Of the other two, the Dragon of Metal is unaccounted for, but I suspect you to be the Dragon of Wood. Now, the Wuxing can power each other up or take each other down. The Dragon of Fire wouldn't be one you should challenge as your powers would only fuel hers, but the Dragon of Water...his element would boost your own strength. If we can capture Omi, then we can use his power to increase your own and defeat the other three, even with you only being an apprentice."

Ping Pong still wasn't so sure about this, but he knew the fate of the world was counting on him. He nodded, saying, "I will do whatever it takes to defeat the wicked Xiaolin Dragons, Master Hannibal." He bowed respectfully. Still, it isn't fair to Omi that he would be punished for being tricked by someone as wicked as this Raimundo. I wonder if there is some way to show him the error of his ways and bring him to the Heylin side?

Wuya approached the mansion at the appointed time. She'd called ahead to set up an appointment, knowing full well that people were more likely to do business with you when you didn't just barge in uninvited. Circumstances dictated that she use some decorum. She had need of this man's services, after all.

As she walked into the office, Panda Bubba looked at her from behind his desk. "Ah, it seems my 10 o'clock appointment has arrived. To what do I owe the pleasure, miss...?"

"Wuya. I know you probably don't recognize me, given that the last time you saw me, I didn't have a body, but I'm the Heylin ghost that was following that blundering idiot Jack Spicer around."

"Ah, yes, I know who you are now. And what, pray tell, is this about? If Spicer sent you, the answer is no, regardless of what he wants."

"I'm not here for Jack, you fool. I have a business proposition for you. I'd like to hire you and your men to capture a few people for me. Should be an easy enough job. None of them are trained warriors. In exchange for your help, I'll give you some Shen Gong Wu."

Intrigued, Panda Bubba raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She handed him a list of all the Shen Gong Wu that were up for grabs in this offer—the Fist of Tebigong, the Two-Ton Tunic, the Third Arm Sash, the Thorn of Thunderbolt, the Ruby of Ramses, and the Serpent's Tail. "I currently have each and every one of them in my possession, and they're yours if you can just complete this one job for me."

Panda Bubba looked over the list, which included descriptions of the powers of each Shen Gong Wu, and smiled. He turned his attention back to Wuya and asked, "Who's the target?"

"The Pedrosa family in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—Afonso Pedrosa, his wife Olivia, and the eight children they have currently residing there. I need all ten of them captured alive and held at an undisclosed location of your choosing until the time is right. One of my enemies is a part of that family, and I intend to use them to set a little trap for him. Once you have them in your custody, the only thing I need you to do is send me a picture of the happy little family and wait for further instructions. I'll tell you whether to release them or eliminate them. You just have to do exactly as I request, and all of those Shen Gong Wu are yours."

"Easy enough. You have yourself a deal, Wuya," Panda Bubba said, getting up from his desk and walking around. He shook Wuya's hand, sealing the deal. "When will I receive my payment?"

"I'll give you the Serpent's Tail as a down payment. The rest will be yours only after you've completed your task. If you complete everything to my satisfaction, I might even throw in the Zing Zombone as a bonus."

"Well, I can't just let such a generous offer walk out the door. I'll have a contract written up, detailing everything we've discussed, to seal the deal."

Shortly, Wuya and Panda Bubba signed their names at the bottom of a contract, and Panda Bubba set to work immediately, sending his men to Rio de Janeiro. Satisfied that everything was falling into place, Wuya left to get everything ready on her end.

"If I'm going to contact Panda Bubba from a distance, I'll need some of this era's technology. And I know just where to go to not only get the technology I need but to find a fool who will teach me how to use it."