Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or Xiaolin Chronicles.
In the excitement of finding their Dragon of Wood, the young monks completely forgot about their suggestion to stop by and visit Raimundo's family. They returned instead to the Xiaolin temple, where Ping Pong went to pack his bags, apparently set on leaving that very day. Omi watched the littlest warrior go, a feeling of sadness overcoming him. He also couldn't quite explain it, but he felt as though this were a mistake. It was almost as if his tiger instincts were telling him that Ping Pong should remain with them, but that was absurd. After all, Willow had demonstrated control over wood, proving that she was the chosen one.
"Well, I'm gonna go see if Master Fung will let me hang with y'all for a while," said Jermaine as he headed into the temple.
"O-oh, yes!" said Omi, startled from his thoughts. "That would be a most wonderful idea, Jermaine!"
"Y'know, technically, Master Fung invited you to stay and train the last time you were here," Raimundo pointed out, rubbing his chin. "I bet the offer's still on the table."
Omi looked at him in confusion. "What offer? I have not seen one on any of the tables in the temple. And why would it still be there after so long?"
Raimundo rolled his eyes.
Kimiko said, "Omi, it's a figure of speech. He means Jermaine might still be welcome to stay and train with us, even if he isn't one of the chosen ones."
Omi's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Oh, yes, that makes sense."
Jermaine stopped when Raimundo reminded everyone of that last visit. He looked like he was considering it, putting a hand to his chin. "You know, dawg, I just might take ya up on that one this time." He headed into the temple, adding, "I'll let you know what Master Fung says about it."
Omi thought about it for a moment and then suggested, "Perhaps we could extend the same courtesy to Ping Pong? After all, there can never be too many Xiaolin warriors to fight the forces of evil."
Kimiko raised an eyebrow and asked, "I thought you didn't want to have too many Dragons in training?"
"Yeah, that's what you said when Vlad was here," Raimundo agreed.
"Yes, well, Ping Pong is quite the impressive student. I would very much like the chance to teach him all that I know."
Raimundo shrugged and said, "Guess it couldn't hurt. The little dude kinda grows on ya, y'know?"
Clay said, "Well, yer in charge o' this here team, Rai. Give the little feller a go as a non-elemental Dragon if that's what you figure's the best. Meanwhile, I reckon we oughta be gettin' this here Wu into the vault." He turned to their newly chosen Dragon of Wood and added, "Come on, Willow. I'll teach ya how it works since yer gonna be stayin' with us."
He took the Shen Gong Wu from the others and headed for the meditation hall, Willow following behind with the new Shen Gong Wu.
Watching them go, Omi felt a growing sense of dread, but he couldn't explain it. Knowing that he shouldn't ignore it, he made up his mind—he was going to go meditate on these odd feelings and see what came up.
"If you will pardon me, my friends, I have some meditation I must do," he said, heading for his room.
Raimundo raised an eyebrow but said, "Yeah, okay. Guess I'll go ask Master Fung if Ping Pong can stay."
"I believe that would be a most wise idea," Omi said ominously, earning another raised eyebrow from his leader. He ignored it, though, and headed inside.
There was something very wrong about all of this, and Omi needed to figure out what. He just hoped his tiger instincts would help him figure out what it was before something bad happened.
Jack, meanwhile, headed to Chase Young's lair, where he knocked on the stone wall that he knew was the entryway. "Uh, Chase? You said to come over when I passed your test," he called.
The wall opened, sliding a section of the stone aside, much to Jack's surprise. Normally, when this door opened, it slammed into him in some way or other. The fact that he was not being attacked in this case was new—not unwelcome, just new.
Jack entered Chase's lair to find the Heylin villain waiting for him, standing atop the stairs of his entryway with a lion at his side. "Well?" he asked simply, his tone implying that the answer had better be good.
"I just wanted you to know, Willow's officially the Xiaolin Dragon of Wood, thanks to my genius invention! It was easy to convince those losers that she was the Dragon of Wood. They fell for it, hook, line, and sinker!" Jack held out a video camera, offering, "You can check it out for yourself, if you want."
Chase came down the stairs and snatched the camera from Jack. He played the footage, watching through the showdown, and especially paying attention to the end, when the Dragons called her their new chosen one. When the film ended, he handed the camera back to Jack.
"...I hate to admit it, Spicer, but you've surprised me. I didn't think you'd succeed, much less so quickly."
"So does that mean I'm in?" Jack asked hopefully.
"You will begin training as my apprentice tomorrow at dawn. Do not be late."
Jack's eyes lit up and he leaped into the air, cheering, "Yippee!"
Chase could already see that he was going to regret this decision. Jack Spicer was annoying enough when he was just a regular visitor, but taking him on as an apprentice would mean having him around daily—living there, even. Still, it couldn't be helped if he wanted to prevent the Xiaolin warriors from recruiting their Dragon of Metal.
"I warn you, Spicer, if you waste my time, I will see to it that you regret such foolishness."
Jack looked a little more subdued as Chase's harsh tone calmed his excitement. "Got it, Chase. Don't worry, I'll be here on time. Uh, should I pack up and move? I mean, I can if I have to, but I also can be here in, like, two seconds even if I don't." He held up his left wrist, showing off the teleporter, and added, "That's what this baby's for."
Chase pinched the bridge of his nose. He was already tired of this boy, and he'd been his apprentice for all of ten seconds. "Traditionally, an apprentice would live with their master, so, yes. You should return to your home, retrieve whatever you need, and come back as quickly as possible."
"Right! I'll be back in a flash!" said Jack, entering the coordinates for his bedroom into his teleporter before pushing the button and leaving.
Chase sighed, wondering once again what he was getting himself into with this absurd plan.
Ping Pong packed his belongings sadly. He had hoped that he'd get to stay at the Xiaolin Temple as their newest teammate, but he supposed that wasn't going to happen. There seemed little point in delaying his return to France, with that in mind. He intended to ask Dojo to give him a ride home today—back to the monastery he'd lived in for the first ten years of his young life.
Upset as he was, he failed to notice the small, bean-shaped figure on the beams above him, sneering down at him. He'd been watching the situation unfold for some time.
"Who'd have thought Chase's solution to the problem would be to send in his own creation to take the place of Dragon of Wood. I must say, I'm impressed. Still, better to make sure the real Dragon of Wood never comes back," Hannibal said quietly to himself. He then dropped the Jiyi Amulet, making sure that it would land directly over the young monk's head.
Ping Pong blinked, startled, as something slid over his head and landed around his neck. He glanced at it as someone above called out, "Jiyi Amulet!" The object around Ping Pong's neck, a rose quartz pendant, began to glow, and he cried out as his head began to feel very foggy and the world started to go black. He fell unconscious, unaware of the villain that leaped down and landed before him.
Hannibal lifted his tentacles and cried, "Moby Morpher!" using the Shen Gong Wu to transform himself into a reasonable facsimile of one of the elder monks. He then picked up Ping Pong and carried him from the temple. Nobody questioned him on his way out. After all, he looked as if he belonged.
Once safely away from there, he smirked at his young captive. "My dear boy, you're going to make a fine Heylin warrior." He laughed maniacally, more than a little pleased with himself.
Raimundo had found Master Fung already talking to Jermaine about the possibility of him staying on. When Raimundo added his two cents and also asked if Ping Pong could stay, Master Fung had agreed easily enough, although he had warned Raimundo that they only had so much room in the temple for new students and they still needed a Dragon of Metal. This served to remind him of that dilemma, which then found him sitting alone in a quiet part of the temple, thinking out loud. Jermaine had offered to go find Ping Pong and tell him the good news, freeing the leader up to do what he needed to in order to find this final Dragon.
"The Dragon of Metal is someone stubborn and good with machines...or do they just have to be good with metal? I mean, it's not like everything made of metal is some kind of advanced machinery." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "The Crystal Glasses were a wash, and I can't think of any other way to find out where this guy might be! Wish Dojo could give us more to go on than that."
As if in answer to his wishes, Dojo came slithering into the room then, looking excited. "Raimundo, I've been looking all over for you! I just remembered something else about the Dragon of Metal!"
Well, that's great timing, he thought. Turning to the little green dragon, he asked, "Great. Please tell me it'll make this search possible."
"It just might! You see, the Xiaolin Dragons are usually drawn to each other, and this is especially true for the Dragon of Metal since they can be so hard-headed. Meaning it should be someone you've met before."
Raimundo thought through all the people that he knew. He couldn't think of very many that were good with machines. Jessie came to mind again, given that the Crystal Glasses had shown her to him earlier, but he somehow doubted she was much good with any machine other than her bike. He supposed he'd have to ask the others if they knew anyone who fit the bill, but he doubted any other than Kimiko might. Omi had grown up in the temple and only knew the elder monks before the other Dragon Warriors arrived, and Clay didn't seem like the type to hang out with technological geniuses.
"Please tell me there's more," Raimundo finally pleaded.
Dojo shrugged and shook his head. "Sorry, pal. That's all I got. It'll be someone you've met who's stubborn and good with machines."
"Why machines, specifically? I mean, metal doesn't always mean machine. Lots of stuff's made of metal," he asked, figuring he had nothing to lose. A little clarity never hurt anyone.
"Yeah, but the Dragon of Metal usually comes up with all kinds of innovative ways to use metal, so they're usually inventing things beyond the scope of what the average Joe could create in their time."
As soon as he said that, Raimundo's eyes widened. He knew who the Dragon of Metal was. He did know someone who fit the bill, and he'd been suspecting the guy since he'd first learned of the Dragon of Metal. These last pieces of information, however, turned his suspicions to certainty.
He leaped to his feet, saying, "Thanks for the info, Dojo. I think I figured it out!" Hoping to verify his insane idea, he ran out.
"Great, glad I could help!" Dojo called after him. He then put his hands on his hips. "Huh. Didn't see that coming. Who knew that little tidbit would help him that much?" He then put a hand to his chin, looking thoughtful, and added, "I wonder who he thinks it is?"