The Xiaolin Dragon King: Third Arc

by Unicornblossem13

After sealing Hannibal Bean in the Ying-Yang World, Xiaolin Dragon King Juno and her Shoku Warriors find themselves enjoying a time of relative peace. They even take on a young monk, Ping-Pong, to be the new Xiaolin Dragon of Wood. However, their peace is disturbed by the appearance of Chase's new apprentice, the highly ambitious and power-hungry Shadow.

4. New Arrangements

Hello, Xiaolin Dragon King fans! I am delighted to announce my return to the story. Yes, I have been done for quite a while. I apologize for the hiatus, it was not intentional. Thank you all so much for your patience and understanding as I wrote out the next chapter as fast as I could.

Speaking of which, I know you're all just dying to read what I have in store for you. You've all been waiting long enough, so please enjoy the next adventure of the Xiaolin Dragon King and the monks. Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OOC.

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The Xiaolin Dragon King: Third Arc

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Chapter Four: New Arrangements

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Juno's eyes never left the ceiling, her mind racing between different thoughts. It had been a few days since the Xiaolin Temple was destroyed, and she, the monks, and Dojo had moved into her husband's lair as their current residence. Dashi was staying with Guan, and Master Fung had left to go on a "walk".

They still had some Shen Gong Wu, but the rest of it was divided up between Jack Spicer and Shadow, who they had not seen or heard from for quite a while. While the Xiaolin Dragon King felt content never to see the villainess's face for a long time, she wanted it to be after she destroyed it for all that she did. Well, she was perfectly fine with waiting for the right opportunity. Knowing how Shadow was, she'll be showing herself again soon enough to try and cause problems again.

An arm putting itself around her waist dragged her mind from her thoughts. Her golden eyes turned, staring into a pair of orbs with reptile-like slits.

"What's got you looking so intense this early?" Chase asked, moving closer to his wife.

"I'm just thinking about how I'm going to kill Shadow." Juno replied simply. "Right now, it's a tie between strangling her or beating her to death."

"Either one would be too good for her."

"Yeah, you're right." the redhead turned on her side to fully face him. "One way or another, though, I am gonna make her pay for all her shit."

"I know you will, darling." the Heylin warrior said, his arm moving up her waist to have his hand rest on the side of her face. "And I'll be more than happy to help you."

"I love it when we beat up people together." she smiled.

"It's a timeless married couple activity." he smiled back.

"How about we make it a family thing and include the kids?"

"I think they'll be more than willing to join in."

The two stared at one another silently for a moment. Then they both leaned in, their lips meeting one another halfway. As they kissed, Chase maneuvered so that she was on her back and he was on top of her. Juno lifted her arms and put them around his broad shoulders, pulling him close.

After a while, they had to pull away for air. Not a second later, though, they were locking lips again. Her hands went into his hair while she raised her knee, touching directly between his legs. She felt a wave of satisfaction when she heard a low growl emit from his throat. It didn't take long for their tongues to come out and collide with one another, their light moans filling the room.

When they finally got to detach their lips from one another, Juno turned her head to the side. This allowed Chase to run his mouth over her neck, making her sigh blissfully as he kissed it and left a few marks here and there. She rubbed between his legs as his hands went under the sheets, traveling down her stomach to her thighs. They went down further, about to touch the spot that was right between her own legs.

"Chase…"

"Juno…"

Before they could go any further, there was a sudden sound that caused the couple to jump. It was followed by loud shouts that were mixed in with laughter. The noises were coming directly from the other side of the room's door.

"There's only certain people who I know can cause a disturbance like this." Chase sighed.

"Sounds like the kids found something new to play with." Juno gave a small chuckle. "Better see if they've broken anything."

"I'll take care of it, darling." he said as he rolled off her. The sheets slid down his bare body as he stepped onto the floor. With a snap of his fingers, he was now wearing his usual Heylin armor. "It wouldn't be fair to have you deal with them all the time."

"What a thoughtful husband you are." she remarked, turning on her side. "Try not to get on them too hard, okay?"

"Depends on what they may have broken." Chase replied as he walked to the door.

Once he opened it and stepped out into the hallway, he was met with Omi running past him. A second later, something whizzed by his face and embedded itself into the wall ahead. It was an arrow, which glowed for a moment before it disappeared into thin air.

"Ha-Ha, you have missed yet again!" the short monk called back behind him.

Chase turned his head and saw Raimundo coming up to stand beside him, a black crossbow with a silvery pattern in his hand. He crossed his arms and gave him a look that said he was waiting for an explanation.

"Heh, we found your armory." the Brazilian smiled sheepishly. "And we're testing out the crossbow that has unlimited arrows. I can't quite seem to get the aim right, though."

The Heylin warrior said nothing for a moment, his expression blank. Then he took the younger male's hands and had him lift up the weapon, holding it at eye level. "When you're trying to shoot a moving target, aim for where they're going to be rather than where they're currently standing. Give it a shot." he took a step back.

Raimundo did as he said, an arrow magically appearing in the slot as he took aim at Omi, who was still running around. When he figured out where he was going to be, he pulled the trigger. The blot flew across the hallway in the blink of an eye and hit its target.

"Huh?" the short monk had a dumbfounded expression as he found himself dangling from the marble wall, the arrow embedded in the looser part of his sleeve.

"Whoo-hoo!" Raimundo cheered.

"Nice work." Chase complimented. "You could be quite a sharp-shooter with enough practice."

"Thanks, Chase." the Brazilian smiled at him.

"You're welcome. Now, get Omi down and put that away. Make sure you don't break anything, either."

"You got it."

The Heylin Warrior watched him go and help his fellow monk, a small smile coming to his face. He returned to the room, soon seeing that his wife was out of bed, dressed in a sleeping yukata. She was now standing at the foot of it, where she had placed a couple of shopping bags on top.

"I heard what happened out there." Juno said, looking through the contents of the bags. "So nice you're teaching our kids how to kill each other."

"If they haven't died from all the messes they've gotten themselves into in the past, I don't think we have much to worry about right now." Chase replied, sitting down on the bed.

"I hope not, I want to show off this new outfit Kimiko helped me put together. As nice as it is wearing those kimonos you got for me, I need something that's more combat-ready. It's a shame, I am going to miss my old clothes, they were so iconic." the redhead let out a small sigh. "Another thing I'm gonna make Shadow pay for."

"You'll look good in anything, darling."

"I know that." she told her husband, pulling out the clothes and laying them out. "I'll change and get breakfast." her hands went to the sash around her waist, about to untie it when she saw him staring at her. "Are you just going to sit there and watch while I get dressed?"

"Would that be a problem?" Chase asked as he gave a smirk, resting the side of his face in his palm.

"Not at all." Juno smirked back, undoing the sash and letting the yukata slip off her body and fall to the floor.

---

(Later)

"Rwar!" a tiger roared, glaring up at Clay after he stepped on its tail.

"Woah, nellie!" he quickly stepped back. "Sorry about that, partner."

The Jungle Cat let out a huff and rested its head back down on its paws, ears laying flat against its skull.

"My bad." the cowboy scratched his cheek with one hand while holding a plate of food with the other. "Man, it sure is taking a minute to get used to having all these cats laying about." he sat down at the long table in the dining room, the other monks already in their own chairs with their breakfast.

"Yeah, I've been growled and swiped at three times this morning." Raimundo said. "For a place as huge as this, you always find yourself bumping into them."

"Eh, I'm getting pretty used to it." Dojo remarked, sliding on the ground and avoiding the felines while carrying a full plate over his head.

Kaze squawked from the tall, golden perch stand that was installed sometime after they came to live in the lair. He took a few pecks at the bowl filled with high-quality bird seed and next to a bowl of cool, refreshing water. There was even a mirror where he could preen and admire himself.

"They do make helpful training partners, though." Omi added while the dragon got himself up on the table.

"Plus, they take care of a lot of the chores." Kimiko spoke up, sitting next to her boyfriend. "And that gives us some free time."

"Oui, they are most helpful." Ping-Pong commented, patting a nearby panther on the head appreciatively. He got a low, content growl in response and smiled.

"Try not to get too used to it, kids. Chase is letting us stay here, so we're going to have to show our thanks soon enough."

The Xiaolin Warriors turned their heads and saw their leader walk with her husband. What they saw amazed them.

Juno was wearing a black top with thin straps that exposed her midriff, cleavage, and dragon mark. A pair of white sleeves were attached to the top and covered her arms, but showed off her shoulders. She also had on white shorts with a silver belt hanging loosely around her hips. Black, fingerless gloves were on her hands while black, white-laced boots reached up to her knees. Finally, her hair was tied in a high ponytail, her jade dragon pin tucked securely into it.

"What do you think?" Juno asked the monks, giving a small twirl and striking a pose with a hand on her hip while the other was behind her head.

Raimundo let out a low whistle. "Killer duds, Juno."

"Most fashionable." Omi said.

"You look tre magnifique (very beautiful), Master Juno." Ping-Pong gave a wide, appreciating smile.

"Always looking like you're gonna take home first prize in the horse pageant." Clay added.

"I knew that would look great on you when we went shopping." Kimiko remarked. "Everything just suits you so well."

"True, but you also have fantastic taste in clothes, Kimiko." Juno told her. "Thanks again for helping me pick this out." she walked to the table and took a seat along with her husband. "Stylish, but suitable for movement."

"When you're fighting evil, you're gonna need a good butt-kicking outfit."

"You couldn't be more right." the redhead smiled as a Jungle Cat came and placed a plate of food in front of her. "By the way, I think it's time we put down some ground rules."

"Rules?" the monk repeated.

"I know it's been a bit of a struggle, settling down in a new home. However, there are certain things we should talk about while we're living here. For example, no more taking weapons from the armory without permission."

"I would prefer not to have any of you bleed on my floor." Chase interjected, taking a sip of Lao Mang Lone Soup.

Raimundo and Omi exchanged sheepish looks. "Sorry about that…" they both said.

"Next rule, there are some rooms you can't just go into." Juno continued. "Chase has a lot of stuff in this place that isn't exactly safe to mess with. Case in point, that whole Heylin Scorpion mess we went through. So, talk to Chase later and he'll tell you what rooms are off-limits."

"Yes, ma'am." the monks replied in unison.

"What are we going to be doing today, Master Juno?" Ping-Pong asked.

"Well, with everything going on, it's been hard to settle into a routine here." the redhead replied. "But, today, I think we can get back to doing some good old-fashioned training. It would do us no good to slack off. Luckily for us, Chase has a decent training hall for us to use. After that, we'll figure out some other stuff."

"Like how much Shen Gong Wu we lost that night." Clay said mournfully.

"As always, your favorite dragon took care of that." Dojo spoke up just as he finished scarfing down his food. He pulled out a long sheet of paper and put on a pair of reading glasses. "I did a tally on what Shen Gong Wu we still have. Right now, we've got; the kids' Wudai Weapons and their Elemental Shen Gong Wu, Orb of Tornami, Star Hanabi, Fist of Tebigong, Sword of the Storm, Rejuvenating Butterfly, the Shen-Ga-Roo, Shroud of Shadows, the Silver Manta Ray, the Monarch Wings/Mosaic Scale, the Manchurian Musca, the Bubble Brain, the Golden Tiger Claws, the Reversing Mirror, the Shadow of Fear, the Lasso Boa Boa, the Fountain of Hui, the Crystal Glasses, the Emperor Scorpion, the Sun Chi Lantern, the Ying and Yang Yo-Yos, the Sands of Time, and the Crouching Cougar."

"We still have a bit of good Wu on us." Kimiko remarked.

"Sadly, I don't know which Shen Gong Wu went with Jack or Shadow." the dragon told them, removing his glasses.

"We'll figure it out soon enough when we run into them one way or another." Juno said. "I'm not too worried about Jack, but let's hope Shadow didn't get anything too troublesome for us to deal with."

---

(Meanwhile, at Jack Spicer's lair)

"Okay, now let's see here." the redheaded boy was doing inventory on the Shen Gong Wu he had gotten, all of them laying out neatly on the table. "We've got the Monkey Staff, Ju-Ju Flytrap, Silk Spitter, Thorn of Thunderbolt, the Cannon Blaster, Wushu Helmet, the Mantis Flip Coin, the Helmet of Jong, the Mikado Arm, the Golden Finger, Glove of Jisaku, Gills of Hamachi, Ants in the Pants, the Indigo Pyramid, the Jetbootsu, the Monsoon Sandals, the Denshi Bunny, the Changing Chopsticks, the Medallion of Truth, and the Two-Ton Tunic. Not too bad of a hull, don't you think?"

"Yes, not bad, indeed." Wuya agreed. "It is a shame we don't have the Reversing Mirror or the Serpent's Tail. I would much prefer to have my true form back sooner rather than later."

"Relax, we'll get them eventually. With these Wu, it'll be a cinch." he said confidently.

"Try not to get too cocky, Jack." the ghost advised. "We've only just gotten off our losing streak, it would be a waste to stop it now because we put all of our eggs in one basket."

"Yeah, yeah." Jack replied casually, gathering up the Shen Gong Wu to put them in a safe. "Anyway, maybe we should think about teaming up with Shadow again. It's thanks to her that we got all this Wu in the first place."

"Yes, her plan was good. It almost went off without a hitch." Wuya said. "I still don't know if we should be associating ourselves with her too much. I've seen newbies villains like her before, willing to get ahead of the rest by any means necessary. Sure, she's helpful in the beginning, but once your guard is lowered, bam!" she smacked one limb into the other. "She undermines you and takes everything you've worked so hard for herself."

"Sounds like you've had your own personal experience." the evil boy genius remarked as he opened the strongbox in the wall.

"More specifically, I was one of those newbies." the floating head admitted. "I know every trick in the evil villain's playbook. And, I assure you, this Shadow is following all the pages right down to the very letter."

"Well, regardless, she did help us out." Jack put the Shen Gong Wu in the safe, closed the door, and spun the dial around.

"Did you-"

"Yes, I changed the combination." he cut her off.

"Did you also-"

"I didn't write it on a note and stick it on the safe. It's in my pocket, safe and sound."

"But what if-"

"I also wrote down the combination on my phone and saved it as a precaution."

"Hmm." Wuya looked at her partner. "Very good, Jack. I'm glad to see you're finally making some improvements after your past mistakes."

"If I didn't, you would nag me worse than my mother." Jack told her. "Speaking of which, she and dad sent me my allowance so I can get some stuff to work on my Jack-Bots and other projects. We don't have to worry about being quiet since they're on a vacation trip. Again." a distant expression came on his face. "Probably on a beach somewhere, enjoying each other's company, having fun with one another… And friends."

"Jack?" the ghost blinked at him. "Jack. Jack!"

"Ah!" he snapped out of his stupor. "Oh, sorry about that. Come over here and I'll show you the plans I have for this new invention I've been thinking about."

"Very well…" Wuya followed him to the table in the middle of the lair, not saying anything about the trace of sadness that she could see in his red eyes.

---

(Meanwhile)

"Alright, let's see here." Shadow dug into the sack to see what Shen Gong Wu she had gotten her hands on. "The Black Beetle, the Sapphire Dragon, the Falcon's Eye, Ruby of Ramses, Eagle Scope, Kuzusu Atom, the Lunar Locket, Longi Kite, Serpent's Tail, Fancy Feet, Sweet Baby Among Us, Mind Reader Conch, Ring of Nine Dragons, Shadow Slicer, Shard of Lightning, Sphere of Yun, Lotus Twister, Tongue of Saiping, Tunnel Armadillo, Tangle Web Comb, Woozy Shooter, Wushan Geyser, the Zing Zom Bone, Heart of Jong, Eye of Dashi, the Rio Reverso, and the Third-Arm Sash. What a fabulous haul." she gave a self-satisfied smirk.

After the events of the now-fallen Xiaolin Temple, she had found refuge in a cave that was on the side of a mountain some distance away. It wasn't much, but it would have to do until she came up with an idea for a better lair. Then again, she was too caught up in her victory to be concerned with her current living conditions.

"Wonder what the look on Juno's face will be like when I see her again." Shadow mused to herself, remembering the cold, furious look on the redhead's face and feeling excited. She somehow looked more beautiful when angry.

It was highly doubtful that the explosion was enough to kill Juno of all people. She looked delicate but was quick to prove she was tougher than any stone. And that toughness could be rivaled by her ferocity. The villainess certainly felt her fierceness in the punches she packed that night.

Plus, word of the Xiaolin Dragon King obtaining immortality reached the evil circles. In other words, her death was something that wasn't going to be happening any time soon.

"That's just fine with me." Shadow leaned back against the cave wall. "It's not like I plan to kill her, but I definitely can't go directly against her, either. The same could be said about those pesky monks."

As much as she didn't want to admit it, the Xiaolin monks were better trained than she was. Her fight with Raimundo had proven that. Not to mention they had abilities that would certainly prove troublesome. The one she could probably have the best chance against was the newcomer, Ping-Pong. He had been taught by another temple, and he did have skill, but he wasn't at the same level as his fellow monks.

"Maybe I can do something with the energetic littler cheeseball one day." Shadow thought aloud.

The Xiaolin Dragon King wasn't her only problem, though. She had also invoked the wrath of Chase Young, the villain who sought revenge against Hannibal Roy Bean and locked him in the Ying-Yang World years ago. She had taken a risk, going to his lair about mocking him, but it was worth it to see the enraged expression on his face.

Of course, now, he was no doubt plotting some kind of vengeance against her. Well, she would have to deal with that bridge when she got to it. As of this moment, she was going to sit back and think of her next course of action. Maybe she'll even pop by and pay a certain evil boy genius another visit and see if he would be willing to take part in another little scheme against Juno and the rest.

---

(Back at Chase Young's lair)

Ping-Pong jumped back and dodged the kick Omi swung at him. Holding up his arms, he blocked and deflected the punches now attacking him, but was getting pushed back a bit. When his relative shot out his leg again, he leaped up to avoid it. Turning his body around in mid-air, he placed his hands on the other's large head and pushed himself off it, landing behind him.

"Impressive, little one." Omi complimented, turning around.

"Thank you, Brother Omi." Ping-Pong smiled. "To be honest, I was a little worried our training would be postponed for a while."

"Indeed, it is a good thing Chase Young has his own training hall. I believe that this will do just fine in helping us hone our skills."

On the other side of the room, Juno was doing her own sparring with Kimiko while Raimundo and Clay were in the middle.

"So how are you kids holding up in the new house?" the redhead questioned as she blocked a spin kick from the shorter girl.

"Other than the occasion Jungle Cat growling at us for accidentally stepping on its tail, I think we're settling in just fine." Kimiko replied as her feet touched the ground again.

"Yeah, this place even has a pool." Raimundo said after doing a backflip. "We should have moved in here a long time ago." he blocked a punch from the cowboy.

"It sure is spacious." Clay remarked. "Big enough to fit the entire Bailey family, I think."

"I know our reason for coming here was less than ideal." Juno told them. "But it is nice we have a place to stay for a while. At least until we find a new temple."

"Can't we just move into Guan's?" Kimiko questioned. She threw a punch for the female warrior to block, but it was a feint. Lowering herself to the floor, she swept her leg across hers, knocking her off balance.

Before she fell, the redhead touched her hand to the ground and pushed herself back onto her feet. "Nice one." she complimented the Japanese girl. "And, to answer your question, Guan's temple would be ideal. But I think it would be best if we found one that we can call the new Xiaolin Temple."

"Do you have any ideas on that, Master Juno?" Omi asked as he and Ping-Pong walked over.

"Not yet." she replied. "We're either gonna have to build from the ground up, or settle down in one that's already been built."

"I'm all for the second one." Raimundo announced, stopping his sparring session with Clay.

"Honestly, same here." Juno admitted, hand on her hip. "One day, we'll go and do some temple shopping. How does that sound to you, kids?"

"As long as we have good internet and WiFi, it sounds great to me." Kimiko said.

"Not to mention plenty of open spaces." Clay added.

"And room for training." Omi spoke up, Ping-Pong nodding in agreement.

"But maybe not too big, though." Raimundo said. "Fewer chores that way." he winked.

The Xiaolin Dragon King chuckled to herself. "Tell you what, why don't you guys write down a list of what you're looking for in our new temple? When we find one, we'll see if it accommodates you all well enough. Deal?"

"Yes, ma'am!" the Xiaolin Warriors replied in unison.

"Speaking of chores…" the female warrior waved her hand and cleaning supplies materialized out of thin out, dropping into the monks' hands. "You kids might want to get started on those around here."

"Aw, what?" they all groaned.

"I told you all not to get used to having so much more free time." Juno told them, crossing her arms under her chest. "And, since Chase has been kind enough to let us stay here, we should show our appreciation by helping around the lair. I'm not about to let my kids be freeloaders. By the way, make sure you don't go into the rooms Chase told you were off limits."

"Even if we don't do those, this place will take forever to clean. And, while we're working our butts off, what are you going to be doing exactly?" Raimundo asked, leaning against a mop handle.

"Oh, I have my own ways of showing my husband my gratitude." she smirked, a glint in her eyes three of the monks were, unfortunately, familiar with at this point.

"Ew…" they, save for Omi and Ping-Pong, all cringed.

"You kids have fun." Juno waved as she headed for the entrance of the training hall. "I'll tell you how it goes later."

"You really don't have to." Clay said before she walked out. "Sweet Texas, I don't know what we're gonna do with that lady."

"Tell me about it." Kimiko sighed. "Goodbye, free time."

"I am sure it will not be that bad, tout le monde (everyone)." Ping-Pong told them. "Showing our thanks to our host is only naturel. And, if we work together, everything will be finished in no time."

"Wise words, little one." Omi smiled approvingly, patting his relative's head.

"Yeah, mini-mini-chromedome makes sense." Raimundo agreed. "Might as well get it all finished now. If we get done early, maybe we can do something fun later."

"Sounds good to me." Clay said. "Where do ya'll reckon we start first?"

"Maybe on the far side of the lair and work our way back." the Brazilian suggested, resting the mop handle on his shoulder.

"Sounds good to me." Kimiko spoke up as they gathered their cleaning supplies and left the training hall.

---

(Later)

Juno was sitting on a pile of rubble in what used to be the garden of the Xiaolin Temple. Her eyes were trained on the spot where the cherry blossom tree was once planted. After the explosion days ago, there was nothing but an empty dirt patch with black scorch marks formed in a circle. It was hard to imagine, but her favorite spot was gone, just like the temple.

However, just because it was destroyed, doesn't mean it couldn't be recreated.

Silently, Juno leaned forward and placed her hand in the middle of the black circle. A gentle, white glow appeared under her palm and touched the dirt. After a few moments, she pulled her arm back and stared at the spot.

Small cracks appeared in the dirt. And then, a green sprout busted through. It wasn't much, it was tiny with only a single leaf. However, it was the start of something new.

"Grow well, little one." Juno said with a soft smile. She soon noticed her dragon mark had begun to glow lightly. "Master Xiaolin."

"Why do you not just have it be fully grown?" he questioned gently.

"I could do that, but I think it's better this way." she replied, looking at the sprout. "Things turn out better when you give them the chance to grow on their own. The same thing applies to people."

"That is true, and challenges help to make that growth even more worthwhile. But, Juno, how are you feeling right now?"

"I thought you could feel what I do."

"Yes, but talking about it tends to help one to lighten the load they are carrying, even if it is just a little bit."

"Heh, wise as always." Juno let out a small sigh, tilting her head back to gaze at the clouds drifting across the bright sky. "Honestly, Master Xiaolin, I can't help but feel disappointed in myself. I should have been able to prevent what happened to the temple, or at least not have it in this state. I know I'm not supposed to underestimate my enemies, but Shadow shouldn't have won the way she did. We've faced so many things and people who are so much more dangerous than she is. Despite that, though, she managed to deal us a major blow. With the temple done, and half of our Shen Gong Wu split, I just…" she closed her eyes, lowered her head, and rubbed the back of her head. "Feel like a failure right now."

"Shadow certainly got the upper hand this round." Xiaolin said thoughtfully. "I understand your feelings, Juno. You do the best you can to protect what you love, but there are times when circumstances do not work out in your favor. The most you can do is try to recover and carry on to a better tomorrow."

"I have a sick feeling in my stomach that I let someone like her get the better of me." the redhead opened her eyelids.

"Unfortunately, you cannot predict everyone's moves all the time. However, Juno, it is not the end of the world, you and your monks are still alive and well."

"I wasn't that worried about me, but I truly am grateful the kids weren't hurt." she looked back at the sprout. "I'm just trying to figure out what we're going to do now. We need a new temple to live at, we can't stay at Chase's forever."

"You know, there is somewhere you can go. Somewhere you can call home."

"What do you…" Juno realized what he was saying. "Oh, you mean that place. I don't know, Master Xiaolin, I haven't been back there since you died. Is it even still there after all this time?"

"I am sure you know the answer to that."

The female warrior didn't reply, running over his words in her mind. He was talking about her first real home, the temple where he raised her after rescuing her from the mountain she was abandoned on as a child. It was a place she remembered so fondly, all of her happiest memories from her younger years were made there. But so was her worst memory.

The day Xiaolin died was still fresh in her mind, even if it did happen centuries ago. It was hard to forget when he literally died in her arms as he transferred his powers to her. As much as she loved the temple, going back there felt like too much right now.

"I'm sorry, Master Xiaolin, I don't know if I can…" Juno clutched her arms, suddenly feeling chilly.

"There is no pressure for you to go, Juno." Xiaolin told her gently. "You are not obligated to go back if you do not feel up to it. It would just be good to leave your options open."

"I know, I'll keep it in mind."

"Although, I'm sure your husband would be more than happy to accommodate you for as long as you want."

"Yeah, that's true." she smiled to herself. "Speaking of which, I should be heading back now. I left the kids to their own devices and I need to make sure they haven't broken anything again." she stood up and dusted off her shorts. "That and not giving Chase an excuse to kill them."

"He's already too fond of them to do that. Of course, I cannot say he is not above bodily harm."

"Nah, he's really just a softie." Juno shared a small laugh with the former Xiaolin Dragon King. Then her face softened. "We'll be okay, Master Xiaolin."

"I know you will be, Juno. You've been through so much, you can survive anything."

"Thank you." she said as the glow on her dragon mark disappeared.

Juno looked at the sprout in the dirt once more. It may not look like much, but it was a sign of a new beginning that was sure to be bright and beautiful.

Smiling, the female warrior turned around and made her way back to her husband's lair. She was looking forward to seeing the future of that tree one day.

---

(Back at Chase Young's lair)

"I don't think this section is on the list." Kimiko mused as her eyes roamed over the slip of paper in her hand.

The monks had already cleaned some of the most used rooms in the lair. However, they came upon an area that was more separated from everything else. It was a long hallway that stretched out until it came to a large wall. There was nothing there except a single wooden podium with a small ming vase on the top of it.

"I don't know why, but I get a real lonely feeling looking at this." Clay remarked.

"It is weird that there's nothing here except a dusty old vase." Raimundo agreed. "Why aren't there doors to rooms or anything like that?"

"Perhaps Chase Young has a peculiar taste in interior design." Ping-Pong said, jumping up and landing on top of the podium. He then processed to clean off the vase with a cloth.

"Whatever the reason, maybe we should just go ahead and leave it be." Kimiko suggested. "Just in case we shouldn't be down here."

"I agree with Kimiko." Omi said, twirling a long mop in one hand. "We do not want to risk a scolding from Chase or Master Juno."

"Yeah, and we got other rooms to clean, too." Raimundo added.

Omi switched the mop to his other hand, not missing a beat as he continued to spin it around his fingers. He stuck out his arm but made a miscalculation on how far he should have done it. The end of the cleaning tool knocked into the podium, making Ping-Pong stumble as the vase flew out of his hand.

"Aah!" the monks shouted in panic as the decoration went sailing through the air, about to hit the floor.

The shortest monk quickly jumped, grabbing the vase before it could touch the hard stone. Curling up into a ball, he landed on the floor and rolled across it until he slammed into the dead-end wall.

"Ping-Pong!" Omi and the others rushed over to his relative. "Are you alright?"

"Oooh..." Ping-Pong straightened himself out and sat up, rubbing his head. "I feel a bit vertigineux (dizzy)."

"Looks like you took quite a bump to the noggin' there, tiny partner." Clay remarked.

"Nice save on the vase, though." Kimiko said, crouching down and fixing the other's glasses when they had gotten askew during his tumble. "Why don't we put it back and you can go lie down for a while?"

"I would like that, yes." the youngest of them slowly got to his feet, holding the vase under one arm while his free hand placed itself on the wall to steady himself.

However, the surface suddenly lifted upwards, making him touch empty space. Ping-Pong would have fallen if Omi didn't catch him before he hit the floor.

"Oh, thank you, Brother Omi. That certainly surprised me."

"A secret room?" Kimiko blinked at the dark space that presented itself before them.

"I think it's basically obligated to have one or two in an evil dude's lair." Raimundo commented.

"Wonder what's in it." Clay took a step forward.

"Maybe shouldn't-"

Before the female monk could finish, a bright light turned on in the room. Everyone stared in surprise at what they saw. Given who they were living with, they half expected it to be some sort of dungeon or even a torture chamber, but certainly not what looked to be…

"A nursery?"

The space before the monk was filled with blankets and toys that looked like they hadn't seen the light of day in years. Placed right in the middle of it all was a wooden cradle, laid bare and empty.

"Gotta say, this is the last thing I expected to see in this place." Raimundo said as they all slowly walked in.

"Most surprising." Omi remarked, looking around.

"Oh, these are so cute." Kimiko gushed softly, picking up a stuffed dragon.

Ping-Pong walked over to the cradle and looked at the end of it. Squinting, he could barely make out the single word in faded, golden letters. "My friends." he spoke up. "Who is Mei?"

The Shoku Warriors all froze, their eyes widening in realization. A tense silence filled the room as the youngest looked and blinked at them in innocent curiosity.

"Oh, we've gotta get out of here." Clay was the first to speak.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh." Raimundo nodded his head fervently. "We definitely should not be in this room."

"What is the matter?" Ping-Pong asked, confused by their change in behavior. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, not exactly." Kimiko gently set the dragon toy back down exactly where she found it. "But, also yes."

"We will explain later, Ping-Pong." Omi told him. "But we must leave at once."

"Yeah, it would be bad if Juno or Chase catches us in-woah!" Clay had turned around to walk out, but his foot had slipped on a wooden block he had failed to see.

His body fell back, heading straight for the old, wooden cradle. However, before he could get too close, Raimundo quickly grabbed his arms while Omi, Kimiko, and Ping-Pong put their hands on his back, holding the cowboy in place. After getting him back on his feet, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"You gotta watch where you're stepping, big guy." the Brazilian told him. "If the cradle had broken, then Chase would have-"

"I would have what?"

The monks all went completely still, a chill going down their spines. Slowly, they turned and saw a certain Heylin warrior leaning his shoulder against the entrance's doorway, arms crossed. There was an unreadable expression on his face, but that did not mean he wasn't angry about their intrusion.

"We are so so sorry!" Kimiko immediately apologized, clasping her hands in front of her. "Us coming in here was entirely unintentional!"

"Yeah, we were cleaning and one thing led to another!" Raimundo added.

"We swear, we didn't mess up anything." Clay said, in a cold sweat.

"Please do not kill us, monsieur." Ping-Pong pleaded, hiding behind Omi.

Chase stared at them quietly, his expression not changing in a little bit. The longer he stared, the more fearful they became. Then, after a long, tense moment, he pushed himself off the doorway and walked in. Everyone stepped aside as he went over to the cradle, kneeling down in front of it.

"As peeved as I feel about you barging into this room, I should have told you in advance about it." the Heylin warrior said, touching the wood. "As long as nothing is broken, everything is fine. But do try to make sure it doesn't happen again without telling me or Juno, alright?"

"Yup, that is totally fair." Raimundo said, everyone quickly nodding in agreement. "W-We'll just go now and finish up our cleaning. Come on, guys."

The Shoku Warriors headed straight for the entrance. Once they were through it, though, they soon noticed someone was missing. Looking back, they saw Ping-Pong still standing in the same spot, staring at the Heylin warrior with a perplexed expression.

"Excuse me…" he said softly, taking a small step forward. "If you do not mind me asking, Chase Young, but… who is Mei?"

The other monks were shaking their heads and gesturing for him to come over. However, he didn't notice and continued to look at the older male. Chase didn't answer right away, his gaze on the name of who the cradle was made for.

"Since you're going to be around, you're bound to learn about it sooner or later." he spoke in a hard-to-read tone of voice. "Mei is… was mine and Juno's daughter."

"Your…" Ping-Pong blinked in disbelief. He wasn't sure which answer to expect, but that one wasn't high on the list. "Your daughter? Yours and Master Juno's?"

"She was barely a year old when we lost her." Chase continued. "The day she was gone was the very same day Juno died at the hands of Hannibal Roy Bean. I searched and searched, but found no trace of her anywhere. When we heard that there might be a chance that she was alive after all this time, we tried to find her. However… I'm afraid I've lost hope." he lowered his gaze to the floor, unable to keep the sadness he felt from coming into them.

No one said anything as silence filled the room. It was hard to know what to say in situations such as these. And it wasn't as if any of them could understand what the Heylin warrior was going through. Losing your beloved wife and child on the exact same day… no words could describe that pain.

Then, slowly, Ping-Pong walked over to Chase and stood next to him. He placed his hand on his arm, making reptile-like eyes turn to him. They stared at one another for a moment.

"I have read that the name Mei means 'beautiful' in Chinese." the shortest monk told him gently. "Your daughter must have fit it perfectly."

The older male blinked once at the younger one who was often so wary of him since they met. "Yes…" he said. "She was as beautiful as her mother is."

Ping-Pong gave a small smile, which Chase returned. The Shoku Warriors looked at one another and sighed in relief. It looks like their newest member had a way with comforting words. So far, he was making a great Xiaolin Warrior.

---

(Later)

"Everyone, I'm home." Juno announced when she walked into the lair, the tall stone wall closing up behind her. "No one died while I was gone, did they?"

"Welcome back, Master Juno." Omi greeted, coming down the grand staircase with the others. "You will be happy to know that we have completed our assigned chores."

"And in record time, too." Raimundo added with a grin.

"Oh, very nice, kids." the redhead praised. "See, a little bit of hard labor never hurt anyone." she looked down and saw the youngest of them looking at her with a somber expression. "What's the matter, Ping-Pong?" she crouched down in front of him. "Did something happen?"

Instead of answering, the shortest monk stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her neck. She blinked in surprise as he hugged her in a tight, yet comforting grip. Putting her own arms around him, she stood up straight.

"What's going on?" Juno asked the others, rubbing Ping-Pong's back gently.

"I might have told him a bit about Mei and our history with Hannibal Bean." Chase explained.

"We accidentally wandered to where all of her stuff is while we were cleaning." Kimiko explained sheepishly.

"Sorry about that." Clay apologized. "We swear nothing is ruined."

"Oh, I see." the female warrior looked at the little monk still hugging her. "And you're feeling pretty sad, aren't you, Ping-Pong?"

"I am feeling sad for Master Juno." he replied, face buried in her neck. "I do not know how anyone can be so strong after going through such horrific events."

Juno said nothing for a moment. "I will admit, it's not easy. When people go through things like that, they just want to curl themselves in and give up. They want to escape the world, go away to someplace where they don't have to keep feeling all the pain. And, trust me, it wouldn't be hard to do it. Despite that, though…" she gave a soft smile. "You'll find there's more reward in living and going forward than just laying down and never getting back up."

"Even after you've been hurt so badly?" Ping-Pong pulled his head back to look at her, eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Believe it or not, those horrible events you've mentioned can help you to grow stronger. You just have to allow yourself to do that." the redhead told him. "It's not the first time I've been hurt, and I know for a fact it will not be the last. And you'll go through challenges that will test you and your entire self. There's always a chance you'll be hurt, but you don't always have to deal with it alone. That's where your team, and your family, come in." she placed her forehead against his. "You can always count on them to be there for you whenever you need them."

The shortest monk stared into the Xiaolin Dragon King's warm, loving golden eyes. They looked so strong, it would be impossible to figure they had seen and been through things most people would not be able to handle.

"I really do appreciate your empathy, Ping-Pong." Juno said. "But try not to be too sad for me, okay? It still hurts to remember sometimes, but it gets a little better every day."

Ping-Pong sniffled once, wiping his eyes with his sleeves. Though still a bit solemn, he gave a small nod. The redhead smiled and placed a small kiss on his head, then set him down on his feet.

"What do you kids say to going out for a while?" she suggested. "I think some fresh air could do you all some good after using those cleaning products."

"Oh, yeah, sure, that sounds great." Raimundo spoke up, having kept quiet the whole time with everyone else. "I'll go and get Kaze, he much prefers flying among the clouds than the ceiling."

"And find Dojo, too, he could use a good slithering outdoors. In fact, I think I know just the place we can go. It has what we need to get a little pick-me-up."

"What is it?" Ping-Pong curiously.

---

(Later)

Kaze was soaring among the clouds in the sky, right above a long, clear pond that had a wooden bridge built over the middle of it. When he was high enough, he tucked his wings in and began to dive beak-fist to what was below him. He quickly picked up speed, about to hit the liquid surface.

Right before he crashed into the body of water, though, the phoenix spread his wings out and stopped just a couple of inches from hitting it. He flew forward, his reflection zipping across the pond along with him. Tipping one wing into the water, he sprayed a flock of unsuspected ducks.

As they quacked in surprise, Kaze straightened up and flew underneath the bridge, soon making it to the other end of the pond. He then made a perfect U-turn and headed back in the direction he just came in. Once the wooden structure was cleared again, he ascended into the sky.

Hugging himself with his wings, the phoenix spun himself in quick circles as he got higher. When he was directly in front of the sun, he unfurled his forelimbs and hovered in the air. The small water droplets that had gotten on his body and feathers gave him a sparkling look in the sun rays.

Flapping his wings, Kaze flew back downwards. He soared over the pond and landed on a patch of grass where a certain couple was sitting together.

"Awesome flying out there, buddy." Raimundo praised his bird. "Chip off the old block, am I right?"

The phoenix squawked happily as the Brazilian scratched his head with one hand, his other holding an ice cream cone. He gave a few flaps of his wings before he turned his attention to the ground. Pecking around the grass, he ate the bugs that were crawling about.

"Remember when he could barely get an inch off the ground when he first tried to fly?" Kimiko spoke up, also carrying an ice cream. "And all the times he used to jump off buildings?"

"Oh, that was a nightmare." Raimundo sighed tiredly at the memory. "You couldn't take your eyes off him for a second. I think I had a heart attack once or twice during his learning phase. Is this what parenthood is like?"

The Japanese girl chuckled lightly. "It's a good thing he grows up fast, then."

"You aren't kidding." he rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, Kimi, you sure you don't want even a little taste?" he held his ice cream out toward her.

"I still can't believe you picked that flavor. You are literally the only person I know who eats peppermint ice cream."

After hitching a ride on Dojo's back, the group had flown to the nearest city and located a long-running ice cream shop. After getting their respective sweet treats, they walked some distance to a park. There weren't that many people around today, so everyone got a chance to relax and enjoy the peaceful scenery.

"It's really not that bad after the first few licks. Come on, for me?"

Kimiko saw him give her puppy-dog eyes and caved in almost immediately. "Oh, alright." she mentally cursed her boyfriend for being so cute.

Raimundo smiled and brought the treat close to her face. She stuck out her tongue and gave it a slow lick, getting a good taste of it. When she was done, she pulled her head back.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked

"Bleh. As I thought, I'm gonna stick with strawberry mango, thank you."

"Now how can you like an ice cream with two flavors and not one with a single flavor?"

"Because, compared to you, my tastes are clearly better." Kimiko teased before taking a lick of her own ice cream.

"That, or you're the one with the weird taste." Raimundo chuckled, getting a playful shove in response.

Nearby, Juno was on a park bench, settled between Omi and Ping-Pong as they enjoyed their own ice cream. Clay was sitting on the ground close to them and sharing a large banana split sundae with Dojo. They mostly sat in comfortable silence, taking in the prettily designed park.

"Are you feeling any better, little one?" the Shoku warrior asked his relative, taking his attention away from his peach-flavored treat in a cone.

"Oui, Brother Omi." the shortest monk replied, taking a small bite from his single scoop of mango ice cream in a cup.

"Sugar is the best cure for sadness, you know." the redhead smiled before putting a small spoonful of Neapolitan ice cream into her mouth.

"Ice cream is best at any time." Dojo interjected.

"You said it, little partner." the cowboy agreed as he and the dragon shoved more ice cream into their mouths with big spoons.

"I appreciate you all going out of your way for me." Ping-Pong said, lowering his treat from his face a bit. "And I apologize for making a bit of a scene earlier." he scratched his cheek a little, a pale shade of red coloring his skin.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Juno told him. "A lot of things have been going on for the last few days, we all could have used a break." she rubbed his head gently. "You just take it easy and rest for now, okay?"

"I will try." he replied, bringing his ice cream back up to take a quick bite.

The female warrior smiled at him once more before standing up. Walking around the bench, she approached where her husband was leaning his back against one of the many trees planted throughout the park. He had been waiting there while she and the others were getting their ice cream.

"Want some?" Juno held a bit of her Neapolitan out to him on a spoon. "You don't eat a lot of sweets, maybe having some will make you less gloomy." she teased lightly.

"I just don't have much of a tooth for it, unlike some people." Chase replied, arms crossed. "But, since you're offering…" he leaned forward a bit, taking the ice cream into his mouth.

"It was nice of you to tag along." the redhead remarked, taking the utensil back after he swallowed. "Who doesn't love a family outing?"

"Admittedly, part of my joining you is to make sure nothing happens." he said. "Especially with Shadow still roaming about."

"What, you don't think all of us can take her?"

"She may not be up to yours and the monks' level, but she has proven to be fairly crafty. "

"Yeah, that is true." Juno sighed, moving to stand next to him. "We'll have to make sure something like that doesn't happen again."

"Yes." Chase agreed. "Juno… I wish to apologize."

"Everyone is so sorry today…" the redhead said to herself, leaning her head on top of his shoulder. "What are you regretting?"

"If I had listened to you, had I not taken Shadow on as an apprentice, then this whole situation would not have happened."

"Even if you had turned her away in the beginning, she probably would have gone to some other villain to teach her. Honestly, I think she would end up being a pain in our asses one way or another. I don't blame you for what's happened, nor do the kids. So try not to beat yourself up too much, alright? That's my job, after all."

The Heylin warrior couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Alright, darling."

"Besides, you finally got your wish for me to live with you."

"Perhaps I should have had the Xiaolin Temple destroyed earlier."

"Your evil humor really sucks, you know that?" Juno said but had a small smile on her face. "But thank you for all your help these last few days."

"It was my pleasure, Juno." Chase replied, tilting his head so it rested on top of hers.

The female warrior held her cup of now melting ice cream in one hand while the other went to take hold of her husband's. Their fingers tangled together, standing peacefully under the shade of the tree. From this spot, they had a clear view of the Xiaolin Warriors and dragon.

Omi and Ping-Pong were still talking on the bench while Clay and Dojo were bickering over who would have the last bite of ice cream. Kimiko and Raimundo were now standing and walking hand-in-hand along the pond, Kaze flapping over their heads. Each one of them looked content in that moment, enjoying themselves as much as possible.

"We'll be okay." Juno said softly, tightening her grip on the Heylin warrior's hand. "Xiaolin Warriors always bounce back up."

"I know from experience." Chase agreed.

The couple stood under the tree, watching the younger ones. While this moment of peace was lovely, they knew it could only last for so long.

---

(Meanwhile, at Jack Spicer's lair)

"Aaaah!"

Wuya's sudden scream made the redheaded boy miss the nail he was trying to hammer, hitting the back of his hand. Crying out in pain as he dropped his tool, he pushed his goggles back and nursed his injured body part with his free one. "Wuya! What gives?!" he blew on the reddening mark already blooming on his white skin.

"A new Shen Gong Wu has just revealed itself!" the ghost announced as the glow that had appeared in her eyes faded out. "It is the Trans-Heart. With it, one can know the true intentions of whoever they wish."

"Oh, cool, so it's like an advanced lie detector. Hey, why don't we team up with Shadow again, and-"

"Absolutely not!" Wuya cut him off. "As I've told you, Jack, you cannot trust that woman. I get-"

"A bad feeling from her, I know." he said. "It's just as well, the Xiaolin-Losers are probably already on their way to get it."

"Then we can't waste another second. Let's go, let's go!"

"Okay, okay! Just let me get my new Jack-Bots up and running and we can head out."

After getting ready, the pair left the lair with the robots. However, they were unaware of a ripple appearing in a shadow on one of the walls. A single leg stepped out of the black spot before an entire person was now standing in the room.

"Well, this change of plans might make things more interesting for me." Shadow mused to herself.

Originally, she had come to Jack's lair to see about doing another team-up. If not, she did make plans to steal the Shen Gong Wu he had managed to get. However, upon hearing that a new one had just shown up, a different idea formed in her mind.

Getting this Trans-Heart would certainly be useful, and it could prove how capable she was if she got it through her own efforts. Plus, the thought of seeing Juno after their last encounter made her grin in excitement.

The blue-haired woman let out a sinister chuckle as she stepped back toward the wall. "And here I thought today was going to be boring." she said aloud, soon becoming one with the shadows again.

---

(Later)

The three villains weren't the only ones who had learned about the new Shen Gong Wu. After Dojo had developed a sudden bad case of the itches, the Xiaolin Warriors climbed on his back after he transformed and quickly took to the sky.

"So, what can you tell us about this new Wu, Dojo?" Clay asked as he and the others were looking at the unfurled ancient scroll.

"Well, whoever possesses the Tans-Heart can see into another person's heart, knowing their true feelings, thoughts, intentions, stuff like that."

"Oh, that could come in real handy with trying to figure out some evil plots." Juno remarked. "Anyway, it looks like we're gonna have our hands full with trying to find it." she looked down at the jungle they were flying over, thick trees obscuring the ground.

"It is a good thing we have a capable Shen Gong Wu-detecting dragon with us." Ping-Pong commented.

"Well, what can I say? It's just what I do." Dojo said, looking visibly pleased with the praise.

"And where exactly is the Wu, Dojo?" Kimiko asked.

"It's somewhere… down there." he pointed to really no particular spot below them.

"Real specific, Dojo." Raimundo spoke up, Kaze chirping from his shoulder.

"We'll probably have better luck on the ground. Dojo, take us down." Juno told him.

"Aye, aye, captain." the dragon responded before diving.

Everyone braced themselves as he went through the large, wide green leaves. When he broke through them, he landed on a clear spot on the jungle floor. Once the group was off his back, he shifted down to his smaller form and slithered up to the Xiaolin Dragon King's shoulder.

"Getting anything, Dojo?" Juno asked.

"Hmm." Dojo sniffed the air a few times, tail quivering. "I think we should go in… that direction!" he pointed to the right with the end of his long body.

"You heard him, kids, let's move out. Jack and Wuya are probably already here, so we've got to hurry."

"Right away, Master Juno." Omi said as they began their trek through the jungle.

Kaze flew above their heads, landing on a tree branch ahead of the group and waiting for them to catch up. When they did, he flew to the next one a few feet away. Along the way, he saw some other birds, all of them of different shapes, sizes, and various colors. He gave them a friendly squawk in greeting, which they returned before flying away. The phoenix let out a chirp at being able to see so many other birds.

"I'm surprised if anything can get through this mess of a jungle." Clay remarked, moving a cluster of large leaves out of the way.

"Make sure to keep an eye out." Kimiko warned. "Lots of wild animals could be lying and waiting just about anywhere."

"No need to worry, Kimi." Raimundo told her from ahead of the group, resting his hand on a tree. "We've dealt with all sorts of witches, monsters, and villains. I think we can handle anything a little jungle can throw at us."

"Uh, Raimundo." Juno pointed at his shoulder.

"Huh?" he looked down and saw something green on it. "It's just a vine." his hand went to move it but stopped when it felt too smooth to be a plant. "What the?" he turned his head towards the tree above him.

Something fell out and landed directly on him. Whatever it was began to wrap itself around him, squeezing the air out of him.

"Rai!" Kimiko shouted as the large, thick dark green snake coiled its long body around her boyfriend's.

"L-Little help here!" Raimundo tried to pry the reptile off, but it just kept tightening its grip. It was now getting hard to breathe.

Kaze saw the commotion and quickly flew down, circling around his trapped bonded. He could have used his fire powers but feared it would also burn the human. Going lower, he squawked loudly at the snake's head, showing his talons. However, it snapped its own fangs at him, making him fly back out of its reach.

"Hold still, Raimundo!" Juno held up her hand, summoning her weapon. She held it up high, about to slice it down.

"No, Raimundo, bite its tail!" Ping-Pong yelled.

"Say what?!"

"Trust me! Bite as hard as you can!"

Though a little doubtful, Raimundo saw the tip of the snake's tail still on his shoulder. Leaning his head a bit, he opened his mouth and chomped down on it. The animal hissed loudly, tightening its hold once again. However, he did not let up and bit even harder.

Just as it looked like he was going to pass out, the Brazilian eventually found it easier to breathe. The snake had loosened itself from around his body, soon slipping off to the ground. He exhaled loudly and fell to the ground on his backside.

The reptile curled itself into a large ball, loud hisses escaping from its mouth. Before it could move toward anyone else, Juno pulled her Xiaolin Dragon Blade back behind her like a golf putter.

"Fore!" she swung, hitting the snake with the flat side of the weapon and sending it flying into the air.

"Whew!" Clay low-whistled, watching the animal become smaller the further it went. "Nice stroke, Juno."

"And a most excellent form, too." Omi complimented.

"Rai, are you okay?" Kimiko asked worriedly, kneeling down beside her coughing boyfriend after he collapsed, his back pressed against the tree.

"Y-Yeah…" he managed to let out as Kaze landed on his shoulder, worried chirps leaving him. "I am never underestimating the jungle again."

"We are lucky it was only an anaconda." Ping-Pong walked over. "If it was a venomous snake, you would have been in some extra trouble, Raimundo."

"I definitely prefer not to be poisoned again, thank you. But you really saved my skin just now, Ping-Pong, I totally owe you one." the Brazilian told him.

The phoenix flew off his owner and landed on the youngest monk's head. He let out a series of chirps and rubbed his beak against his skin, which he soon nibbled on gently.

"Kaze thanks you, too." Raimundo smiled.

"I am just happy I could help." Ping-Pong replied, giggling a bit as Kaze continued to nibble on him.

"How did you know to bite the snake's tail, Ping-Pong?" Kimiko asked curiously.

"Oh, I saw in a book once that the tip of their tail is its most sensitive area." he answered. "I actually know a lot of facts about many different topics. Did you know that anacondas can breathe underwater for up to ten minutes? And that someone was able to hold their breath for a whole twenty-four minutes?" his voice held excitement, but soon turned a little sheepish. "Hehe, I-I read a lot in my spare time." he rubbed the back of his head as Kaze flew off.

"No need to feel embarrassed, Ping-Pong." Juno said, crouching down closer to him as her weapon vanished. "Raimundo is safe because of what you know."

"Yes, it is good to be so knowledgeable." Omi added. "Excellent work, little one." he patted his relative's head.

"Heh, thank you." the shortest monk blushed a little at the praise. Turns out, all the reading he had done over the years proved to be more than just a hobby. He was ecstatic to know that all he had learned was useful to help his fellow Warriors. "I know it would have been easier to have Master Juno deal with it, but I am actually quite fond of animals. I would prefer not to seriously hurt them if I can help it. Of course, I am aware there are cases you do what you must to be safe."

"Hey, I know just how you feel, mini-partner." Clay told him. "Growing up in Texas, you learn to have a sort of an appreciation for certain critters."

"Gang, I think this Trans-Heart is just through there." Dojo announced, pointing at a wall of leaves and vines.

"I'll handle this." Raimundo said, pulling out his Blade of the Nebula. He slashed it, cutting the foliage and making a path for them to walk through.

After a while, they managed to get to the end, coming across a large clearing. Right in the middle of it was a very tall tree trunk. It was bare, having no leaves or branches on it. Way up was a small hole, and something shiny sparkled inside.

"It's the Tans-Heart!" Dojo pointed.

The Shen Gong Wu was in the form of a golden, circular pendant the size of a person's palm. It was attached to a long, gold chain. In the middle of it was a red heart-shaped gem, encased in a cage consisting of black thorns.

"We should hurry and grab it before anyone else decides to show up." Juno told the monks, heading for the tree.

"If we try to climb that, we'll be picking splinters out of our hands all night." Raimundo remarked.

"There does not seem to be any good places to grab hold of, either." Omi added.

"Flying up might be our best option, then." Ping-Pong said.

"That would be my area of expertise." the Brazilian said, cracking his knuckles.

Kaze squawked a few times from his shoulder. He pointed with his wing to the Shen Gong Wu and then at himself.

"You wanna grab it, Kaze?" Raimundo asked, and the phoenix nodded. "Alright, I think you deserve a moment to shine. Good for it, bud." he smiled encouragingly.

Spreading his wings, Kaze flew into the air. Tilting at an angle, he circled around the tree trunk and ascended closer to where the Shen Gong Wu lay.

"Your showboating has rubbed off on him." Kimiko told her boyfriend.

"What can I tell you, he takes after the best." Raimundo replied with a grin.

"Hey, ya'll." Clay spoke up. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what, Clay?" Ping-Pong asked as the cowboy knelt down on the ground, placing his hand on the soil.

"I don't know what it is…" he replied slowly, feeling strange vibrations in the ground. "But I do know it's coming our way fast. And it feels like there's more than one."

Juno also touched the dirt beneath their feet and concentrated. She could feel it, too. Whatever it was, there were many of them heading in their direction. But it didn't feel like they were walking on the surface. It felt more like… they were underground.

The redhead's eyes snapped open. "Everyone, move!"

Not questioning her, the Xiaolin Warriors all jumped as far away as they could. A second later, the spot they were standing in collapsed, leaving a large hole in its place. Everyone took stances as multiple large shapes lunged out of the floor and landed around them in a circle.

What surrounded them were large, mole-like robots. Their bodies were made of bronze metal while the sharp claws on the end of their arms looked to be created from iron. They had noses that consisted of silver, metallic tentacles, as well as glowing red eyes.

"Ugh, moles again?" Kimiko groaned, recalling her last encounter with human-sized talpidaes.

"What do you think of my new Mole-Bots?" Jack spicer flew out of the hole on his Heli-Bot, Wuya floating close beside him. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

"If by sweet you mean creepy, then sure."

"Unfortunately, not everyone can appreciate genius craftsmanship." the redheaded boy sighed dramatically. Oh, well, everyone has to be a critic. Mole-Bots, dig!"

At once, the robotic mammals dug into the ground with their claws, swiftly getting under the dirt. Lines of the ground rose up and made their way right for the group. The Xiaolin Warriors jumped in different directions, putting in some distance as they were about to pull out their weapons. Just then, though, the Mole-Bots shot out of the ground behind them.

"Cripes almighty!" Clay exclaimed, grabbing one of the robotic creatures by the arms to keep it from digging its claws into him. "These things are faster than an agitated rattlesnake."

"That outta keep them busy." Jack chuckled devilishly.

"Hurray, Jack, the Shen Gong Wu." Wuya pointed upwards, seeing Kaze getting closer to where said Wu rested. "Before that overcooked chicken gets it."

"On it." he said and they flew up high, trying to catch up with the phoenix.

One of the Mole-Bots wrapped two of its metal tentacles around Kimiko's arms and tried to drag her forward. However, she planted her feet firmly in the ground and pulled as hard as she could. The robot came flying towards her and she leaped up.

"Shoku Venus Fire!" her feet become covered in flames, kicking its head straight off. She then picked up the unmoving robotic body, set it on fire, and threw it at some other Mole-Bots, making them explode on impact.

Juno dodged left and right to avoid the claws of the Mole-Bot she was facing. When she saw a chance, she shot out her leg and kicked a hole in the middle of its body. Pulling her foot back, it fell to the ground. Then she noticed that another one of the robots was charging at her from behind.

The redhead quickly leaned back, going into a handstand. When the Mole-Bot was right behind her, she wrapped her legs around its neck and pulled forward. Its head smashed into pieces upon making contact with the ground. She released her hold and returned to her feet.

Omi and Ping-Pong were battling their own group of Mole-Bots when they found themselves back-to-back. Their mechanical adversaries advanced on them, claws poised to strike. They were about to launch an attack, too, when the oldest came up with an idea.

"Ping-Pong, hold your arms up."

"Huh?" the younger one was confused, but did as his relative said.

"I have a plan." Omi told him before jumping up, grabbing onto the other's wrists, and suspending himself above him. "Shoku Tsunami Water!"

Powerful blasts of water shot out of his feet, making the two rise up into the air. The taller monk managed to maneuver them, spinning in wide circles. The shorter of them exclaimed in wonderment as they went lower, right over the Mole-Bots.

"You know what to do, Little One?"

"Oui, Brother Omi! Mantis Kick!"

When they were close enough, Ping-Pong swiftly shot out his feet, kicking off the heads of multiple Mole-Bots as they flew over them. Reaching the end of the line, Omi swung his arms and released his relative. He flipped through the air three times before landing on another Mole-Bot, sending it crashing down.

More of the mechanical mammals started advancing, springing up and falling toward him. However, Omi flew through all of them and caused them to explode. As the remains of the metal creations rained down, he landed next to the younger monk. They grinned at one another and high-fived.

"Most excellent mantis kicking, Ping-Pong."

"Merci, Brother Omi."

Meanwhile, Raimundo jumped over the head of a Mole-Bot that tried to stab him with its claws. When he landed behind it, he kicked it before it could turn around. This sent it flying into some other mechanical mammals, making them fall to the ground in a heap.

Suddenly, a Mole-Bot shot out of the ground right in front of him. In the blink of an eye, it tendrils were around his waist and hoisting him into the air.

"Uh…" Raimundo chuckled nervously at the machine. "Sure we can't talk this over a can of worms?"

The mechanical mammal held up each pair of claws and made them stick together. Then they began to spin around at high speed, much like a drill. It moved them closer to the Brazilian.

"I guess that's a no!" Raimundo leaned as far back as he could and stretched his arms back. "Shoku Astro Wind!" he slammed his hands together.

A strong, swirling vortex of air shot out from his fingertips and collided with the Mole-Bot before its drills could touch him. The force made it release the monk and go flying high into the air, right beside the towering tree.

Kaze, within reach of the Trans-heart, came to a halt when he saw the mechanical mammal heading towards the cloud. Looking down, he squawked when he saw his human getting surrounded by even more of them. Flapping in mid-air, he looked at where the Shen Gong Wu was. He knew was supposed to get Shen Gong Wu it, but his bonded's life was more important.

Tucking his wings close to his body, the phoenix began to fall beak-fist back toward the ground. As he descended rapidly, he saw Jack flying up to where the Trans-Heart was. Getting an immediate idea, his entire body caught on fire and he spun around, building up flames around himself.

"Incoming!" Wuya shouted, pointing up with one of her limbs.

"Huh?" Jack looked and squinted his eyes, seeing a bright ball of orange light coming his way. When he realized it was actually made of flames, he screamed and ducked his head.

Kaze streaked right over the evil boy genius, leaving behind a small trail of flames burning before they went out. Jack raised his head, feeling some of his hair on fire. Quickly, he put it out by patting it down. Some of his strands were burned, but he sighed in relief when that was all the damage he had.

Then he smelled something also burning coming from behind him. Turning his head, he shouted in shock at the sight of the propellers of his Heli-Bot on fire and quickly melting. He blew on them to try and put them out, but he quickly lost breath as gravity took over.

"Jack!" Wuya yelled as her partner headed for the ground.

Back down below, Raimundo fending off the group of Mole-Bots attacking as best he could. He knocked off the head of one of them and, when it landed on the ground, he kicked it like a soccer ball, a gust of wind behind it giving it some extra strength. It went over to two others and bounced back and forth between their own heads, eventually causing them to break apart.

One Mole-Bot sprung up from underneath the ground behind him and used its tendrils to trap his wrist. Another one came from the front and shot out one of its drill claws. However, Raimundo lifted his leg and kicked its arm, making its own weapon change direction and drill into its own face.

Before he could come up with a plan to deal with the one keeping him restrained, a fiery orange-red blur came out of nowhere and circled around the tendrils. The strong heat caused them to melt almost instantly and free the Brazilian.

Raimundo watched in amazement as the ball of fire then shot through the mechanical mammal, coming back and repeating the process. It created multiple, melted holes all over its body. The next time it busted over to the other side, it went for the metal adversary's head and crashed into it.

When its head exploded, the mechanical mammal fell to the ground. Wires and circuits peeked through its half-melted body. Then the fireball came down and landed on top of it. The flames went out and revealed a certain phoenix.

"Kaze!" Raimundo exclaimed. "Buddy, that was amazing!" he held out his arm, allowing his bird to flap up and rest on it. "You're the best phoenix a guy could ever ask for, thanks a lot." he grinned appreciatively.

Kaze squawked once, rubbing his face against the monk's cheek. He was happy he was alright without a hole drilled into his stomach.

"But what about the Shen Gong Wu?"

The phoenix chirped and pointed upwards with his wing. Raimundo looked and saw a certain redheaded boy about to crash land and most likely break something.

"Hey, guys!" he called to the others, gesturing to the one falling.

"I got him, you kids deal with the rest of these things." Juno told them, heading for the tree.

When she was close enough, she shot a wide stream of water from her hands. Then she made it curve upwards into a long ramp. Once it was big enough the redhead made it freeze over into solid ice.

Jack landed on top of the ice ramp, sliding the rest of the way to the ground on his back. "Whee!" he made it safely but was still moving quickly along a strip of frozen water. Just as he reached the end, a wall of ice shot up and he crashed his head into it.

"Nice to see you're okay, Jackie-Boy." Juno said as she looked down at the swirly-eyed boy.

The remaining Mole-Bots used their claws to dig into the ground, burying themselves beneath the dirt once again. The monks looked around, but could not see any traces of the machines like last time. They could attack at any time and they would hardly see it coming.

"I'll handle this, ya'll." Clay said. He held up his arm, clenching his hand into a fist. "Shoku Jupiter Earth!" he slammed it down on the surface.

The ground beneath their feet rumbled when he made contact. After a few moments, all settled down and everything was quiet. Suddenly, something shot out from underground and high into the air.

It was one of the Mole-Bots. Then, one by one, all of its fellow mechanical mammals joined it.

"A mole's no good in the sky." Clay remarked, pulling out his Wudai Weapon. "Big Bang Meteorang!" he tossed.

As the Weapon twirled through the air, it split into five smaller versions of itself. Green and orange light streaming behind them, each boomerang went through the Mole-bots, tearing them to pieces. When the last of them was destroyed, the split Weapon started coming back to its owner.

Halfway, the miniature boomerangs reassembled and became one again. Clay held up his hand and caught it easily.

"Whoo, nice one, big guy!" Raimundo praised, slapping his friend on the back.

"Believe it or not, the moles back in Texas are a lot harder to get rid of." the blonde said with a grin, putting his Wudai Weapon away.

Jack groaned as he came to his senses. "Ugh, my head…" he sat up, rubbing his bruised scalp.

"Ahem."

Turning his head, the evil boy genius squeaked when he saw the Xiaolin Warriors standing over him. "H-Hey, guys how's it going? Um, I like the new clothes, Juno."

No one said anything, none of them having happy looks on their faces as they looked at him. They were obviously upset about something.

"Uh, d-did I do something wrong?" Jack asked nervously.

"Looks like that bump to the head gave you some memory lost." Juno crossed her arms. "We'll refresh it for you."

"You gave Shadow the bomb that blew up the Xiaolin Temple, didn't you?" Kimiko accused, hands on her hips.

"Say what?"

"Juno saw it and said it sure looked like your handy work." Clay added. "Right before it literally blew up in her face."

"Clearly, that wasn't enough to take her out of the picture." Wuya grumbled to herself when she floated over.

"Hey, I didn't give Shadow anything!" Jack defended. "Yeah, I helped her break into the vault, but I didn't know she had the Bomb-Bot until I heard about your place blowing up."

"So you're saying she stole it from you?" Raimundo asked skeptically.

"Or he is lying in order to protect his flesh." Omi interjected.

"It's lying to save his own skin, Brother Omi." Ping-Pong corrected.

"I swear, I didn't know what she was planning." the redheaded boy insisted. "Remember, I know what it's like to be homeless, I wouldn't wish that on someone else."

"Jack may not be the brightest villain, but I know for a fact he didn't give Shadow the bomb." Wuya said. "If you're going to accuse someone, at least have it be about something they've actually done." she crossed her limbs.

The Xiaolin Warriors looked at one another and back at the duo with highly dubious stares. For as long as they've known them, they were not exactly the ideal people when it came to being truthful.

"It's cool." Jack sighed, slumping a bit. "I get it, I wouldn't believe me, either. I mean, it's not like we're friends or anything, so…"

"Jack…" Juno saw some sadness on the other redhead's face. Despite his history of schemes and tricks, she could tell he wasn't lying this time. "Listen." she knelt down in front of him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I think-"

Before she could finish, something wrapped around her wrist. She saw strands of blue hair before she was lifted up and thrown a few feet.

"Master Juno!" Omi shouted.

Jack saw the sentient hair and screamed, jumping to his feet. Everyone realized it was coming directly from his silhouette, soon joined by two arms. They watched in shock as a certain villainess climbed out of the redheaded boy's shadow.

"Long time no see, everyone." Shadow greeted, flipping her hair back. "Miss me?" she smirked.

"So she can travel through people's shadows, too…" Kimiko said to herself.

"Shadow! You shall pay dearly for what you have done to our home!" Omi declared.

"If anything, you should probably be thanking me.' she replied, rather nonchalantly. "I mean, your shoddy temple was long overdue for a makeover, anyway."

The short monk and the others glared at her. He took a quick stance before launching himself at her, sticking his leg out in a kick. Shadow dodged by moving to the side, him flying past her head. Just as she turned around, she quickly held up her arm and blocked his fist.

Omi sent out a fury of punches and she could barely keep up with him. She then used her hair to smack him away. He straightened himself out while in mid-air and landed on his feet. Holding out her hand, her Blue Moon Blade materialized out of thin air. She ran forward, preparing to slash her weapon at the monk.

However, Raimundo appeared in front of her and blocked her attack with his Blade of the Nebula. He pushed against her, making her step back a few feet.

"Guess I have another chance to prove I'm better than you at something other than martial arts, huh?" he said with a smirk.

Shadow furrowed her brows, clicking her tongue. "Should have made sure you didn't survive the Heylin Scorpion's poison myself."

The two charged at one another, their blades slashing forward and clashing together. They fought against each other until they jumped away to put some distance between them. The monk sliced at her torso, but she ducked down. She aimed her sword at his legs, but he quickly blocked it with his own.

Raimundo stepped down on the flat side of her blade, pinning it to the ground. Shadow tried to pull it back, but he wouldn't let it budge. That's when he slammed his knee against her face, causing her to lose her hold on her weapon and fall on her back.

The villainess groaned slightly as she opened her eyes. They widened a second later when a pair of fists came down towards her. She rolled to the side, barely dodging the attack.

Clay pulled his arms back as Shadow got to her feet. As he was about to charge at her, strands of her hair shot out and wrapped around his wrists. Undeterred, he just pulled with all his strength, lifting her into the air, and slamming her back hard on the ground. He did this a few more times before she finally released her hold.

Just as the villainess picked herself up, she had to jump back and dodge a roundhouse kick from Kimiko. The two then went back and forth between attacking and blocking one another. When she deflected a punch, the shorter girl shot forward and slammed the heel of her palm against the other's stomach, sending her sliding back a few feet.

Shadow coughed a few times before glaring at the female monk. Her hair rose up and stretched out towards her, forming a sharp point at the end and hardening.

"Ping-Pong!" Kimiko jumped into the air to avoid the attack and held out her arm toward the younger monk.

Ping-Pong leaped up after her, grabbing her outstretched hand. The Japanese girl proceeded to throw him right at the villainess. He stuck his feet straight out and spun around so fast that he became a blur. Shadow didn't have time to dodge and was hit in the chest, crashing to the ground.

The youngest monk punched her face multiple times, but she blocked most of them by putting up her arms. Before he could throw one more fist, her hair wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides and lifting him off her. He struggled to break free, but the blue strands tightened.

"Don't you ever get tired?" Shadow asked as she got to her feet.

"Non! I have a boundless amount of energy!" Ping-Pong yelled as he continued to fight against the hair. However, it soon encircled his neck and squeezed.

"Try not to struggle, love. It will hurt more if you put up a fight." she smirked as she watched it become hard for the short monk to breathe.

Then, out of nowhere, a boot-covered foot hit Shadow square in the face. The force behind it not only made her release Ping-Pong but also go flying backwards. When she hit the ground, she bounced and tumbled until she crashed into the tree that held the Shen Gong Wu.

Juno spun once in the air after kicking the villainess and landed on the ground. Holding out her hand, she caught Ping-Pong by the back of his robes. "Are you okay, Ping-Pong?" she knelt down and set him carefully on his feet.

"Oh, y-yes." he replied, regaining the oxygen he had lost. "Thank you so very much, Master Juno. "

"Don't mention it." the redhead smiled, patting his head. Then her expression turned serious as she looked over to where Shadow had ended up. She walked over and, just as she got into a sitting position, raised her leg and slammed her foot against the side of her head. "How's it going, Shadow?"

"It-It could be better…" she replied, blood running down from her nose while her skin scraped against tree bark. "Love the new clothes, by the way."

"I had to get new ones since my other outfit was ruined from having a bomb go off in front of me." Juno said coldly, grinding her heel. "Figures you would be the type to steal from your partners, too."

"So not cool, by the way." Jack spoke up when he came over with Wuya and the monks. "I was saving that for a special occasion."

"I warned you about her, Jack." the ghost told him.

"Heh, yeah, sorry about that." Shadow smirked sarcastically. "But I needed something to really leave an impression. Glad to know all my efforts weren't in vain." she groaned when the female warrior pressed down harder. Any more and it was possible her head would pop like a balloon.

"Stealing our Shen Gong Wu is one thing, but annihilating our home is a different story." Juno narrowed her eyes. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're smart enough to know that we can't let that slide so easily."

"Believe me, I never imagined you would be all sugary and sweet." the villainess glanced at the redhead standing over her. Her face was cool, but one could see burning anger in those beautiful golden eyes of hers. That expression really did something to her that she couldn't quite explain, a shiver going down her spine. Her normally steeled heart skipped an extra beat as well.

"Kids, you ahead and get the Shen Gong Wu." Juno told the monks. "I'll deal with this one here." she glared down at the blue-haired woman. "I'll be sure to leave enough of her for you all to finish up."

"As much as I would like to see what you have planned, love…" Shadow grunted from the pressure holding her down. "I really want that Wu myself. Third-Arm Sash!"

The Xiaolin Dragon King jumped back, narrowly dodging the sash that was aimed at her face. Shadow quickly got up, Shen Gong Wu around her waist stretching far and wrapping around the tree. She was pulled up into the air and, when she reached the spot where the "hand" was, it unwound itself from the tree, stretched again, and wrapped around it again.

"Dammit…" Juno cursed.

"Jack, don't just stand there!" Wuya yelled at him. "Do something before we lose the Wu!"

"I know, I know!" he shouted back as he took off his shoes. "Luckily, I brought a backup climbing tool." he put on a different pair of boots. "Jetbootsu!"

Jack placed one foot on the tree, then another. He proceeded to climb up the length of it, his body sticking out sideways. Soon, he picked up speed and ran, trying to catch up with Shadow.

"Kaze, you think you can beat them to it?" Raimundo asked the phoenix.

Kaze chirped in response and jumped to the top of his bonded's head. He spread his wings wide, about to take off.

"Wait a second." Juno held up her hand. "I have a better idea."

"Hope whatever it is, it's quick." Clay remarked, seeing the villains were already just about to reach the Shen Gong Wu. "I don't feel like losing something again to those two."

Instead of responding, the female warrior went and stood directly in front of the tree. She summoned her Xiaolin Dragon Blade and swung it back behind her. One second later, she slashed it so fast that everyone missed it when they blinked, seeing the weapon was now on the other side of the tree.

Still silent, Juno held up her hand and placed her finger against the bark. She then gave it one, gentle push.

Above, Shadow and Jack were closing in on the hole the Trans-Heart rested. However, just before they reached it, there was a sudden movement from the tree. Instantly, they froze on the spot.

"Uh, that's a bad sign, isn't it?" Jack said nervously.

That's when the pair realized the tall, woody plant was leaning forward, lowering farther and farther. They quickly grabbed onto the tree and held tight, screaming as it fell all the way to the ground. Upon impact, it caused the ground to shake, kicking up a large amount of dust. Some birds flew out of the surrounding trees due to the loud crash.

"Oooh, but impressive cutting technique, Master Juno." Ping-Pong marveled as the others stared at the straight, clean cut that was on the fallen tree and its base. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Me, as well." Omi spoke up.

"Later, boys." Juno replied, releasing her weapon and making it disappear into thin air.

Shadow groaned from where she lay sprawled out on top of the wooden plant, cuts and bruises on her face. Jack had been thrown to the ground when they fell, about in the same state the villainess was in.

"Jack, are you alright?" Wuya floated over as he slowly sat up.

"I'm sure you know I've had worse." he replied, cracking his spine back into place. "Where's the Wu?"

"Over there!" the ghost pointed with her limbs at the spot the Trans-Heart had landed in after being knocked out of the tree hole.

Both Jack and Shadow saw it, instantly getting up and leaping toward it. They hit the ground on their stomachs, reaching out their hands. The two of them grabbed it by the necklace but were surprised when a finger touched the pendant at the same time they did.

"Hi~" Juno greeted, crouched down in front of them. "You didn't think I would make it that easier for you, did you? I challenge you both to a Xiaolin Showdown Trio. My Lasso Boa Boa against your Jetbootsu and Third-Arm Sash."

"Uh, you don't think we could just have a small debate over this, do you?" Jack asked nervously, the memory of his very first match directly against the Xiaolin Dragon King still fresh in his mind to this day.

"You really know how to cause trouble for people, love." Shadow remarked. "What's the game?"

"Tree Climbers, first one to reach the Trans-Heart wins. Let's go, Xiaolin Showdown!"

In a flash, the whole area around them transformed completely for the showdown. Tall trees sprouted from the ground and formed into the shape of a dome, long and twisted branches sticking out of them. Green vines encircled them, giving off a slight glow among the dimness that appeared when the leaves of the trees blocked out most of the sun. High above their heads, pinched between two branches, was the Trans-Heart.

"Gong Yi Tanpai!" the challengers all shouted.

"Jetbootsu!" Jack reacted first and quickly run up one of the trees.

"Lasso Boa Boa!" Juno threw her Shen Gong Wu, getting it around a branch above her.

"Third-Arm Sash!" Shadow followed right behind her, stretching her Wu out and wrapping it around another branch.

To the side, the monks and Wuya were settled on top of a large, thick branch, cheering on their respective teammates.

"Go, Master Juno, go!" Ping-Pong shouted.

"Show her she destroyed the wrong family's home!" Clay encouraged.

"Just stay focused, Jack!" Wuya yelled. "Think about winning instead of screwing up!"

Jack, walking on a long branch of the tree he was on, looked down in her direction and grinned, giving a thumbs-up. However, his foot touched nothing but air when he took a misstep. He lost balance for a moment, but soon recovered and straightened out. Giving one more sheepish/reassuring smile at his partner, he continued on and jumped to another tree branch.

"What am I going to do with that boy?" the ghost sighed, holding a limb to her face.

"Must suck not having anyone to cheer for you, huh, Shadow?" Juno remarked after reaching her branch. She twirled the Lasso Boa Boa a few times before sending it into the air, getting it around another high branch.

Shadow landed on top of the trunk of a tree that was directly across from the female warrior as she was scaling up the length of her Shen Gong Wu. "I prefer not to have noisy distractions."

"Funny, and I here thought you craved validation like the desperate wanna-be you are." the redhead turned her head and smirked at her.

The villainess growled lowly. "Third-Arm Sash!"

The Sash came to life and stretched out towards Juno, the tassels forming into a fist. Clutching the Lasso Boa Boa with her thighs tightly, she leaned back as far as her spine allowed, practically hanging upside down. The fist of the other's Wu missed its target, just punching the air. When it pulled back, the redhead set herself upright and continued her climb.

Shadow clicked her tongue as the Sash returned. She ran up a branch, reaching the end of it and jumping high. Stretching out her Shen Gong Wu, she had it wrapped around the tree limb that Juno was climbing for. It pulled her forward and she got on top of it about the same time she did.

The two looked at one another and soon took stances. Jack, on another branch close by, saw them and what was about to go down. He quickened his pace, practically running up the side of a tree. After a moment of staring each other down, the female warriors launched at each other.

Shadow shot out a kick when she was close enough, but Juno quickly dropped to the branch on her back. Putting her hands over her head, she lifted her legs and slammed her feet against the other's chest, making her tumble back. She soon got back up and charged, firing a punch.

The villainess blocked the attack with her arm and followed through with her own. The female warrior easily deflected it in the same fashion. Their eyes locked for a split second before they sent punch after punch at one another, making sure they didn't get hit. So focused on the fight, they almost didn't notice Jack getting closer to the Trans-Heart.

"Come on, Juno shake her off!" Clay called out.

Shadow jumped a bit into the air to deliver a spin kick, but Juno caught her by the foot before it touched her face. She spun around once before throwing the other, sending her crashing into the trunk of the tree they were on. Then she saw her stand and slink into one of the shadows surrounding them.

"Cowarding because you can't fight me face-to-face, huh?" Juno remarked before jumping up two more tree branches, trying to catch up with Jack.

"You call it cowardly, Juno, I call it being tactical." Shadow's voice echoed, making it hard to tell where it was coming from.

The redhead stopped on the next branch and looked around, but saw no sign of the villainess. Then, directly at her side, the corner of her eye spotted a bright blue glint. She jumped away a second later, the Blue Moon Blade missing her neck.

"Cheater." Juno said as her opponent came out of the shadows.

"What can I say, I have high ambition." Shadow replied, brandishing the weapon.

She charged, swinging the blade quickly. The female warrior moved back to avoid it, jumping and ducking as well. The tree limb under their feet was wide enough to allow her to spin around and dodge one attack, moving to the side. Her leg lifted up, foot kicking her opponent's hands and making her release the Blue Moon Blade.

Shadow tried to grab her weapon, but it escaped her fingers and fell to the ground far below. She turned to glare at the Xiaolin Dragon King but saw her holding her Shen Gong Wu.

"Lasso Boa Boa!" Juno threw the Lasso, getting it around the villainess's waist. She pulled on it hard, making the other come flying straight at her. Holding up a fist, she punched her in the face and sent her into the air.

The Lasso Boa Boa released Shadow and her back hit the trunk of a tree and she fell. She landed on a tree branch below, letting out a small groan as she pushed herself up.

"Oh, hey, Shadow." Jack greeted from the tree he was standing on sideways. "Having a hard time, huh? Don't feel too bad, Juno also kicked my butt in my first Showdown with her."

"Don't count me out just yet." the villainess got to her feet, looking at the redhead as she continued to climb up tree branches. Then an idea came to her and she gave a small smirk. "Say, Jack, what do you say to doing a little teaming up?"

"Right now?" the evil boy genius blinked once. "I mean, usually I wouldn't mind, but with what happened with the Bomb-Bot-"

"Third-Arm Sash!" Shadow's Shen Gong Wu stretched out and wrapped around him.

"Huh?"

"Thanks for the hand, love!" the villainess used the Sash to pull him from the tree and throw him.

Jack screamed as he twirled through the air, heading right for where Juno was. She saw him coming and quickly dropped down, hugging her tree limb as he flew past her. He had yet to regain himself and was no doubt doing to hit the ground in a matter of moments.

The female warrior held out her hand toward a branch below. The glowing vine curled around it came to life and stretched out for the redheaded boy. It wrapped itself around his ankles, quickly becoming taut and making him bounce in the air a few times.

"Hey, thanks, Juno!" Jack called up, swinging back and forth.

Juno let out a small sigh of relief to herself. She wasn't really in the mood to see him crack his head wide open. Also, with this, he should be stalled long enough for her to grab the Trans-Heart. There was only one more person to deal with. Speaking of which…

The Xiaolin Dragon King got to her feet and looked up to the spot Shadow at thrown Jack from. The second she did, a foot hit her in the chest and she fell back. Her hands shot forward, grabbing the tree branch before it was out of reach. She gazed down at the great height she was dangling from before turning to the one now standing above her.

With a dark grin, the villainess raised her foot and slammed it down on one of the redhead's hands. She gritted her teeth together as she felt the other's heel dig into her fingers. Her grip tightened on the bark, refusing to let go.

"If you ask nicely, I might pull you up." Shadow told her, lifting her foot up for a moment before stomping on her hand again.

"Ngh! There is absolutely nothing I could ever ask of you." Juno glared up at her.

"What a shame. Though, I wonder how long it'll take you to heal from a broken spine, love."

"My little friend might disagree with you." the redhead said as the other lifted her leg again, going to kick her in the face now. "Lasso Boa Boa!"

Slung over her shoulder, the eyes of the snake-like Shen Gong Wu flashed. It sprung forward, getting around Shadow's leg and traveling up. She shouted as its face got in hers, giving a loud hiss with its sharp fangs bared. Grabbing it by the neck to keep it from biting her, she took a step back.

As her opponent struggled with the Boa, Juno readjusted her grip and swung her legs forward. When she got enough momentum, she released and went over to the other side. Her hands found a new hold on another branch that was directly above the other.

Turning around, the redhead saw the villainess hadn't even noticed her new position. She was still fighting against the snake-like Shen Gong Wu as it continued to wrap its body around her while trying to sink its fangs into the skin of her face.

When she was close enough, Juno lifted her legs and brought them around Shadow's neck, pulling her towards her. Her foot hooked around her calf, squeezing as hard as she could as she began to choke the other.

Shadow gasped, one hand trying to hold back the Lasso Boa Boa while the other attempted to pull Juno's leg off. Both became feasible when the oxygen was leaving her body, her vision becoming blurry by the second. Her hold began to weaken.

When the female warrior noticed her opponent was about to go limp, she unwrapped her legs from her throat. The villainess coughed hard as she regained her breath, barely feeling the Lasso Boa Boa slithering over her shoulder and back to its owner. By the time she turned around, the other had already let go of her branch and landed in front of her. A second later, her leg came up, the heel of her boot slamming under her chin.

Shadow stumbled back, her foot landing on air as she fell back. However, before she could go over the branch, Juno grabbed her hand and held her in place as she dangled over the edge. The two stared at one another in silence, stunned light green eyes looking at a pair of unreadable golden ones.

Even through her glove, the villainess could feel the warmth coming from the female warrior's skin. There it was again, the increased beating of her heart. She didn't understand why this was happening to her. It confused her even more that it only happened when the Xiaolin Dragon King was around. If she had the capacity to, she bet she would be blushing right about now. Part of her didn't like this foreign feeling, another part was intrigued by it even more.

Shadow parted her lips to say something but then saw Juno's blank expression turn into a smirk. The grip on her hand released and she fell backwards. Before she could use the Third Arm Sash, the Lasso Boa Boa flew after her and encircled her like before, her arms pinned to her sides this time.

"Thought you might want a good look as I grab the Shen Gong Wu." Juno said as the snake head of the Boa wrapped itself around the branch, leaving her opponent dangling horizontally in mid-air. "It's been a blast." she winked and blew a kiss to the other.

"Juno!" Shadow yelled after her as she quickly jumped from branch to branch. She attempted to free herself, but the Boa just squeezed around her more tightly.

"Hey, you get used to it." Jack called from below the villainess, still in his dangling position.

Juno made it up to a branch that was directly across from where the Trans-Heart was held. With one great leap, she flipped through the air and grabbed the Shen Gong Wu when she was over it. She landed safely on another tree limb that was a little bit below. Taking a brief look at her prize, she turned to where her opponents were hanging and held it out for them to see, smirking victoriously.

With the showdown over, the area returned to how it was previously. The monks cheered as they went over to Juno, who was holding all the Shen Gong Wu she had won.

"Most excellent showdown skills, as always, Master Juno." Omi said.

"Such amazing feats you pulled." Ping-Pong looked up at her with shining, admiring eyes. "I must write it all down at once." he pulled out his book and pencil and began to write.

"We shouldn't expect anything less from you, Juno." Clay remarked, clapping her on the back. "You sure gave that Shadow a run for her money."

"Speaking of…" Raimundo looked over to where the villainess was retrieving her fallen blade. "How did you like losing your first showdown, Shadow?"

"Tch." she clicked her tongue as her weapon disappeared into thin air, her back to them. "A minor setback, I still have plenty of Shen Gong Wu at my disposal."

"Maybe you should just return them to us now." Kimiko spoke up. "Saves us the trouble of winning them back from you."

"Trust me, the next time won't be so easy." Shadow turned her head towards the group, her gaze settling on the female warrior, who was just checking her nails. She stared at her for a moment silently, eyes narrowing. "Things will be different next time."

"Yeah, I'm really holding my breath." Juno said, more interested in digging out this speck of dirt that had gotten underneath her thumbnail.

The villainess gritted her teeth together, she hadn't even bothered to look at her. She began to stomp towards the line of trees surrounding the clearing. "You'll see…" she mumbled herself.

If the Xiaolin Dragon King needed something more impressive to catch her attention, Shadow will come up with a plan to do just that. She would make the other think twice about looking down on her.

"Man, I really don't wanna see whatever new plan she comes up with." Raimundo said as they watched the villainess disappear into the shadows.

"Well, with this little beauty, we might be able to figure out any schemes she has before she does them." Juno told them, holding up the Trans-Heart on one finger by its chain. "In fact, I'm gonna test it out right now just to make sure you kids aren't planning a coup behind my back." she joked.

"Uh-oh, ya'll, I think she's onto us." Clay played along.

The redhead giggled as she handed the other Shen Gong Wu to the monks, putting the newest one around her neck. "Trans-Heart!"

The ruby heart on the pendant glowed brightly, the black thorns around it opening up at the top and lowering down. Juno figured it was working when she looked at Omi, seeing a glowing blue heart on the left side of his chest. It didn't look like the others could see it, though, as they were still looking at her expectedly.

'I will become the greatest Xiaolin Warrior everyone has ever seen. And I hope I can teach Ping-Pong to be just as great. In fact, one day, he could be even better than me. As his relative, I would be most proud.'

"Aw, Omi, you really have matured."

"Huh?" the short monk blinked at her confusingly.

Juno smiled at him before turning to Ping-Pong, his green heart shining bright.

'I must remember to not become a burden to my fellow monks. I must hurry in order to catch up with them. I must, I must, I must!'

"Ping-Pong, there's nothing wrong with taking things slowly, ya know?" the redhead turned to the other three, their own hearts glowing with their respective colors.

'Things in the Bailey clan have become rather tense lately, mainly involving Jessie and Daddy. I hope it gets better by the time I pay a visit to Texas next time.'

'I sometimes wonder what things would be like if I didn't become a Xiaolin Warrior. I probably would have become a video game designer or something. It's not a bad job, I even have some amazing material for an RPG from all the adventures we've been on.'

'Is it too early in our relationship to consider marriage? I know we haven't been dating for super long, but the idea doesn't sound too bad. I should at least introduce her to the rest of the family first. Man, I really do love her."

'Okay, I think that's enough personal information.' Juno thought to herself, about to switch off the Trans-Heart.

'It figures I end up losing again.'

The female warrior heard the new voice and turned around, looking right at Jack as he was dusting himself off. Like with the others, she saw a heart appear on him. However, the orange glow was noticeably dim compared to the previous ones.

'Why do I even bother making my Jack-Bots or inventions if they just end up getting destroyed a minute later? And I only got the Wu I have now because of Shadow. Am I really a failure as a bad guy?'

'I wasn't even trying to hear Jack.' Juno thought. 'Does this mean the Trans-Heart also responds to those with strong emotions?'

'Not like I can talk about this with someone. My parents are always gone, Wuya would just nag me, and all the other bad guys would make fun of me. I guess… I don't really have anyone.'

'As I suspected…' the female warrior removed the Shen Gong Wu, the thorns raising up and caging the heart again. 'He is a sad little boy.'

"How does it work, Master Juno?" Ping-Pong asked curiously.

"Works very well, actually." she replied, handing it to Dojo when he slithered up to her shoulder. "But excuse me for a moment."

The monks looked at one another in confusion when they saw her heading over to where Jack was.

"I can't say I'm very surprised by this outcome." Wuya said. "Well, the Jetbootsu is no major loss, we still have plenty of Shen Gong Wu we can use. There's always next time, Jack."

"Yeah, sounds great." was all he said, straightening his coat out.

"Come on, it's a long walk back home."

"Says the one person here who just floats."

"Jackie-Boy." Juno called before he headed out.

"Oh, let me guess, you wanna beat me up for the bomb thing, right?" Jack sighed and faced her, spreading out his arms. "Well, have at me, I've been expecting it."

"Actually, I was gonna ask you if you needed a lift back to your house."

"What?" he looked at her, obviously not expecting that.

"Yeah, what?" Raimundo said, him and the others overhearing.

"Is this some sort of trick?" Wuya asked suspiciously.

"There's plenty of room on Dojo." the female warrior gestured to the dragon.

"I am not a taxi service." Dojo said, crossing his arms.

"Dojo." Juno looked at him sternly.

He sighed. "Fine." he slithered off her to the ground, shifting into his larger form.

"So, what do you say?" she looked back at the other redhead. "Wanna ride?"

Jack stared at her for a long moment. "You're not planning to push me off into some deep chasm, are you?" he took a step back, ready to run if needed.

"Don't be ridiculous." Juno waved her hand. "If I wanted to get rid of you, I've had more than plenty of chances to do it." she smiled sweetly.

That didn't put his mind at ease. He looked like a scared rabbit about to bolt.

"If you don't want to, that's fine." she turned around and walked over to Dojo. "The walking will do you some good. Although, you should be aware that there are snakes and other animals in this jungle. And they can get quite big if you know what I mean." she glanced back at him.

Jack looked at the trees, their shadows concealing what stalked within them. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness that vanished a second later. Gulping nervously, he turned back to the female warrior.

"You know, on second thought, riding home on a dragon does sound pretty cool."

"Jack!" Wuya shouted as he walked over.

"You can ride in front, it's the best seat." Juno told him.

"So we're actually doing this? We're giving Jack Spicer a ride home?" Raimundo questioned.

"That's right."

"Any particular reason as to why?" Kimiko added.

"Because we're nice people." Juno replied simply, settling into a spot behind Jack after he climbed on Dojo's back. "Now let's get going, Chase is expecting us back in time for dinner. And he's rather picky about punctuality."

The monks looked at one another and shrugged. While they didn't understand the sudden generosity to their most troublesome villain, it probably wouldn't hurt if their leader was okay with it. Not saying any more about it, everyone got up and took their seats on the dragon.

"Jack, you're not seriously going to have us ride back with them of all people." Wuya said, floating over.

"Oh, no, I didn't say anything about you coming along." Juno told her. "After all, you can fly just fine on your own, remember? Must be nice not having any legs to tire out."

"Why you…" the ghost glared at her and growled.

"Jack will see you at home, okay?" the redhead smiled. "Until then, have a safe trip. Gun it, Dojo!"

"Hey!"

Dojo immediately went airborne, the force of his takeoff sending out a gust of air that caused Wuya to spin around rapidly. After coming to a stop, she took a moment for the dizziness to pass over. When it did, she saw the green dragon was already a speck in the sky.

"Gaaaaah!" the floating head screamed after them, shaking two of her limbs.

---

(Later)

"Well, uh, thanks for the lift. I guess." Jack said after Dojo landed right in front of his house. "Though I really did expect you to push me off at some point." he slide off to the ground.

"Only if you really deserved it." Juno told him.

"Figured blowing up your temple would have been reason enough." he mumbled as he turned his head, crossing his arms.

"Jackie-Boy…" the redhead got down from the dragon and stood in front of him. "I believe that you didn't intend for Shadow to use the Bomb-Bot the way she did."

"Really?" he looked back at her, surprised.

"You're not so vindictive as to wipe out the entire Xiaolin Temple from the map. You are partly responsible since you did create the Bomb-Bot, but most of the blame falls on Shadow. That and I hate her more."

"Oh." was all Jack said, definitely not expecting that. "Well… glad we got that settled. But, just so you know, I am definitely gonna get the next Wu that shows up."

Juno just smiled. "I wish you good luck with that. By the way, Jack, can I see your phone for a moment?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure." he pulled out his cell phone and handed it to her. "Hey, wait, why do you want it?"

"You should have a lock screen." the redhead told him as the phone opened without the need for a passcode. "And, to answer your question, I'm adding my number to your contacts."

"Say what?" everyone said in unison. The surprises were never ending today.

"Kids, you don't mind if I also add yours?" Juno asked the monks.

"Are you kidding me, Juno?" Raimundo responded. "What is with you?"

"Either she's under the weather bad, or she's possessed by something even worse." Clay spoke up.

"Come on, it's not gonna hurt anyone." the female warrior turned to them. "It could be fun, having a group chat together. Besides…" she leaned in closer. "He doesn't exactly have a lot of people to call." she spoke lowly.

"Can't say that's a huge surprise." the Brazilian said.

"But Brother Omi and I don't even have phones." Ping-Pong pointed out.

"We can work something out." Juno stepped back a bit. "So, what do you kids say?"

The monks all shared dubious looked with one another. Giving their contact information to someone on the enemy side? Just the thought of it alone was enough to be considered crazy. They couldn't quite understand why Juno was okay with doing this, but there must be a reason for it, right?

"Alright, fine." Kimiko answered first, sighing. "But, if it comes down to it, we are blocking him. I will also set up a firewall and any other online security."

"That's just fine." Juno said, adding the numbers of the three monks who did have cellphones. "Here you go, Jackie-Boy." she handed his phone back to him. "If you ever want to talk, just give us a call or send a text, okay?"

"Uh, sure." Jack was more than a little confused. "But why the exchange of numbers all of a sudden?"

"No reason, really." the redhead told him, getting back up on Dojo. "Sometimes, everyone needs a good ear to listen to them." she smiled and waved at him. "See you around, Jackie-Boy."

"Yeah…" he gave a small wave in return as the dragon took off into the sky, watching them leave. "See ya."

---

(Later that evening, at Chase Young's lair)

"I still don't understand why you would hand over your contact information to Spicer of all people, darling."

"Join the club." Raimundo said, grabbing a bread roll from one of the food-filled plates on the dinner table. "For a second, I really thought she lost her marbles."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, boys." Juno told the Brazilian and her husband. "Giving Jack our phone numbers isn't the worst thing in the world. And we've been through enough for you to agree with that statement." she lifted a fork of cooked pasta up to her mouth and took a bite.

"But why the sudden interest in communicating with him more?" Clay asked. "We see enough of him as it is."

"Causes us enough problems, too." Kimiko added, taking a small sip of soup.

"I know you're still bitter about the temple, kids. But I really believe Jack wasn't directly involved in it happening." Juno said. "Also…" she recalled earlier when she heard his inner loneliness. "I don't think he's a bad kid, he could probably use a friend or two."

"Master Juno, is this perhaps a strategy to get Jack Spicer to come over to the Xiaolin side?" Ping-Pong asked. His hand slipped underneath the table, feeding one of the Jungle Cat panthers a bit of his pasta.

"Now, Ping-Pong, it is not the Xiaolin way to trick others into joining us." Omi told him. "There would be no point if we used such a method."

"That's exactly right, Omi." Juno nodded once. "My intention isn't to get Jack to switch sides anyway."

"Me excuses (my apologies), I did not mean to accuse you of anything dishonorable." the youngest monk bowed his head a little.

"So you really want us to be all buddy-buddy with him?" Raimundo raised his eyebrow.

"I'm not saying we'll be the best of friends right away, of course, but I think we should try to get along better."

"Would that even work?" Clay asked.

"If Chase and I can make a marriage work, I think a friendship with Jack won't be too hard." Juno gave a small smile. "All I ask is that you kids give it a try, okay?"

"Alright." Raimundo sighed. "If you really think it's a good idea, Juno."

"My ideas are always good." she winked.

"Just as long as you don't start inviting him over for sleepovers." Chase said.

"We'll work on you coming around next, Chase." the redhead said jokingly.

"Still, I am glad to know you got to dish out some vengeance on Shadow today. It's a shame I wasn't there for it."

"Don't worry, your turn will come soon enough."

"Do you really think Jack is gonna get in touch with us?" Kimiko questioned.

"For now, we can just wait and see. If he's being stubborn about it, we'll have to make the first move." Juno rested the side of her face into the palm of her hand. "But I have a good feeling about this." she smiled to herself.

---

(Later that night, at Jack Spicer's lair)

"Just when I think she can't find new ways to piss me off, Juno always ends up surprising me." Wuya grumbled as she phased through the wall. She saw the evil boy genius sitting at the table in the middle of the lair, not even noticing her arrival. "Well, thank you so much for taking the time to come and retrieve me after taking off with your new friends!"

"Huh?" Jack snapped out of the stupor he was in and looked away from his inactive phone. "Oh, hey, Wuya, welcome back. How was the trip, see anything cool?"

The ghost just gave a small groan and rolled her eyes. "What are you even doing?"

"Oh, uh, just thinking up world domination plans, you know, the usual."

"I see. That's good, but don't stay up all night doing that, only the best evil is well-rested. Speaking of which, I am going to bed, I've had a long day."

"Do floating heads even get tired?" he questioned as she began to float away. "Hey, Wuya, sorry for losing the showdown today. I guess we're back on our losing streak, huh?"

Wuya came to a stop and looked at her partner. "Well, like I said before, we still have more than enough Shen Gong Wu for now. Losing a couple won't make much difference. Just try and up your game next time, alright?"

"Yeah, I got it. Thanks, Wuya." he smiled a bit.

"Well…" she gave a small yawn. "I'm due for some beauty sleep."

"Overdue, more like it."

Instead of glaring or growling like always, Wuya just gave a small chuckle. "Good night, Jack."

"Nigh, Wuya." the redheaded boy watched her head upstairs before turning back to his phone.

He had been staring at it ever since he was dropped off by the Xiaolin Warriors. Even after all these hours, he couldn't fathom why Juno would suddenly give him their numbers. It must be some sort of trick, a way to get information they could use against him later. Even though, he didn't really have anything useful for them to learn.

As confused as he was, a part of Jack believed it was because they might, on some slim chance, want to try and be on friendlier terms. At first, the idea seemed ludicrous. Sure, they had some good moments, but they had been enemies since day one. It didn't make sense to suddenly want to become friends.

Although, he could tell Juno was sincere when she said she believed him about the bomb. And, since she was the Xiaolin Dragon King, pretty much the entire embodiment of good, it wasn't her style to use other people's feelings to get something out of them. Maybe this means…

Jack stared at his phone for a moment longer. "Ah, screw it." he said to himself before unlocking it with his newly installed passcode. He added the new numbers he had gotten into a group chat and paused, wondering what to type. After a while, he figured out what to send as a conversation starter.

Jack: Hey, it's Jack. So… do you guys watch anime?

The evil boy genius stared at the text, waiting to see if anyone would reply. After a few minutes, he started to think that everyone must have gone to sleep. Or they wouldn't even bother to text back if they weren't. Sighing, he set his phone down on the table and stood up, going to head to bed himself.

Just as he was about to climb the stairs, he heard a small 'ding' come from his device. In an instant, he was back at the table. Opening his phone, he saw he had gotten a text message from Kimiko.

Kimiko: I'm from Japan, of course, I've seen anime.

A moment later, Raimundo sent something.

Raimundo: I'm more of a sports guy, honestly.

Kimiko: I'm trying to introduce him to the sports genre of anime, mostly ones that involve soccer.

Clay sent something next.

Clay: Naturally, I'm all about the westerns. Although, I do enjoy the occasional drama or romance.

Then he got something from Juno herself.

Juno: I like romances set in different time periods. Adventure and action are also really fun. Oh, Omi says he likes martial arts and Ping-Pong is a fan of foreign films.

Jack stared at his phone screen, a little taken aback they were actually texting him. But, truth be told, he also felt a swell of happiness building up inside him.

Juno: What about you, Jackie-Boy? Are there any specific genres you like most?

The evil boy genius smiled to himself, typing a response for his new group chat. It was a little late before any of them went to bed.

To be continued…

---

I hope the chapter was worth the wait, everyone. Thank you all for reading, I look forward to hearing your comments on the story. I also would like to give a special thanks to Hina714 for giving me the ideas I used in this chapter. Now, I cannot say for certain when the next chapter will be up, but I will work on it when I can. However, I will see you all again when I do update. Until then, take care!