-This one? -[Ruben] No.
It's smaller and has a plain wood handle.
I don't get it.
Why would Ghost Writer care which paintbrush you use to make the paintings?
[sighs] It's not on the dresser. Maybe try the bookshelf.
[sighs]
Bookshelf.
Wait. What if we're thinking about this all wrong?
What if Ghost Writer wasn't releasing your paintings?
But released some sort of magic paintbrush from a book instead.
Wait. No. I would've noticed if a random paintbrush showed up in my room.
What if it just looked like one of your other ones?
Good point.
Okay. As much as I would like to keep figuring this out, we gotta get to school.
My clone is at debate making a fool out of me.
You don't know that. How bad can it be?
Which is why students should be able to grade teachers.
Rebuttal?
Look, I can give you a whole speech about how Asher's wrong,
or you could save us the time
and just trust me because I get higher grades than he does.
[grunts] Chevon, that's inappropriate.
Why? I'm questioning his credibility.
No. You're being mean.
I think you're being mean to your report card by not trying harder.
She did not just say that.
Hey. Good game today. We totally demolished them.
Yo, Jake. Wait up. I just gotta change my shoes.
Something wrong?
You hogged the ball all game.
Look, I had the hot hand today. You will get yours next game.
My grandma drove three hours to watch me play.
I never touched the ball. So, thanks a lot.
Curtis. A word?
Great game, huh, Coach? I'm pretty sure I set a new scoring record.
Do that again, and you're off the team.
What? Why is everyone so upset? We won.
Winning is good. But only if we win as a team.
Today, you weren't a team player.
[sighs] I get it, Coach.
There's no room for ego on this squad. Next game, you better pass.
I'm not sure I can.
[sighs]
Asking if students should grade teachers distracts from the real problem.
Our current grading system is inadequate.
For instance, I deserve better than A's, but we don't have letters for that.
We gotta get her out of there.
I'll create a diversion.
...and likely, the entire school district, and that's what I have to say about that.
Hello, everyone. I'm here to grade the teachers.
Uh...
Mr. Gallagher, you make algebra make sense,
-so that's an A for you. -What?
[Mr. Saunders] Ruben, what are you doing?
[Ruben] Oh, it's for the debate.
-Okay. -Madame Bouvé,
I heard your class is amazing, so that's an A for you.
Ruben, please get to the point.
Mr. Saunders...
you're fair, but tough. And that...
That is an A in my book.
You changed clothes?
Yep. Because what Ruben and I just did was an act.
To make a point. Clearly, students aren't mature enough to grade teachers.
Uh, interesting strategy.
But this is a debate, not theater.
Point for the other team.
[sighs]
Ruben needs to fix this before the next game
or Coach will kick me off the team.
Whoa.
Seriously, you're a slob.
I didn't do this.
The dragon did.
How did she open the closet?
[purring]
Bad dragon!
Aw. It's okay. You probably just got scared being here all alone.
You're way too easy on her.
[George] Donna, Curtis, I'm home.
Why is Rocco hiding under the couch-- What in the world?
I'll clean it up right away.
[sighs] Now I know why he's hiding. Rocco did this?
Uh, yeah. I guess.
[sighs] I don't have time to deal with this.
Just clean it up before I get home from work.
But you just came home from work.
Yeah, I picked up a second job.
Second job?
Well, this apartment isn't gonna pay for itself.
I thought you got a deal on it.
I did, but it's still more expensive than the old place.
Look, I gotta run. There's pizza in the kitchen.
Wrap up the leftovers 'cause I won't be home till late.
-I love you. -[both] Love you too.
[phone buzzes]
It's Ruben. "Come over, ASAP."
So, you think that the missing paintbrush might be from a book?
Yeah.
It makes sense.
Ghost Writer has always released characters from books.
The character in this case would be the paintbrush.
But why can people see the stuff that Ruben painted then?
Just like Frankenstein, everyone could see the second monster...
Because we made it here in our world, just like the paintings.
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have painted anything.
You were just trying to help. You didn't even paint anything for yourself.
Actually, I've been painting people from my neighborhood in the store
so they come in and shop.
But your mom thinks the new business is because of her website.
Yep. Now my mom has this whole jazz night planned for tomorrow
that my grandpa's supposed to play at.
If I can't paint an audience, no one's gonna come.
We gotta find that book.
Wait! Ghost Writer.
"Mail"?
Somewhere in this pile is a clue.
There.
"Golden Dragon."
It matches Ghost Writer's clue in the paint.
Let's go.
Ooh!
The food smells good. [chuckles]
-Can I help you? -Ruben, the bookmark.
I see it.
Hi, I'm from Village Books.
It's my grandpa's store. Anyways, we're here because...
We have a publishing issue with blank books.
Oh, my book is missing a story.
Really? That's great.
What? No, that's terrible.
Right. We want to fix it.
What's the book?
It's a collection of modernized Chinese folktales,
but one of the stories is missing.
Malia and the Magic Paintbrush.
You don't happen to know the story, do you?
Not the one from this book.
But the original folktale's a classic my parents used to tell me.
Are you kids hungry?
-[Ruben chuckles] Yes. -[Donna] Yeah.
Then one day, a greedy rich man stole the magic paintbrush.
He tried to paint himself a mountain of gold.
But the paintbrush only worked for the young boy, right?
So, he forced the young boy to paint for him.
And with a smile, the boy painted him the mountain of gold
on a desert island in the middle of the sea.
Clever.
Can you pass the dumplings, please?
The rich man was furious.
"Paint me a ship so I can sail there." And so he did.
But with it, he sent a storm
that wrecked the ship just as it reached the island shore.
And there, the rich man spent the rest of his days alone with his mountain of gold,
and nothing to spend it on.
And as for the boy,
he lived happily ever after,
using the magic paintbrush as it was intended-- to help the poor.
Is everything okay?
You didn't like the story?
No, it was great. Thanks for sharing.
Well, I've always loved the moral.
-Don't be greedy. -[Ms. Lam] Exactly.
But you strike me as nice kids that have already learned that lesson.
I'm sorry, is the food okay?
It was delicious.
Oh, um, how much do we owe you?
Tell you what, it's on the house.
You were so kind to track me down over the book.
Thank you, and I promise I'll get you a new copy soon.
Thanks.
So Ruben definitely used the magic paintbrush from this folktale.
Yep, and we all behaved like the greedy rich man.
I shouldn't have used the clone to help with my after-school stuff.
No. It's not your fault.
I painted it.
And, like, Donna didn't even ask for the apartment.
Yeah, but I didn't say no either.
No wonder this all backfired. [sighs]
So, what do we do now?
Tonight, we all need to read the modern version
of the folktale and look for clues.
"And not even a special one with ornate carvings like a wand or anything.
-[dragon snores] -Just a plain old paintbrush.
This, she said, will help make Chinese culture come alive for you, little Malia."
She finally went down.
She looks so peaceful when she sleeps.
Don't be fooled. That dragon is bad news.
[door opens]
Dad's home.
[door closes]
Hey. You two still up?
We wanted to talk to you.
-Can it wait till morning? -Actually, no.
We want to go back to our old apartment.
[sighs] You can quit your second job. You're working way too much.
Sweetie. That's very kind, but I gotta give you kids what you need.
What we need is you.
I'll talk to your mom.
We'll rearrange the schedule so I get more weekend time.
We'll work it out, okay?
Oh, and you gotta keep my bedroom door closed.
Rocco tore up my pillow and I think he got into my shaving kit.
He did? Well, I'm sure he didn't mean it.
I don't know what's gotten into him,
but if it doesn't stop, we might have to send him to Grandma and Grandpa's.
What? No.
Clearly, he needs to get out more,
and maybe being on the farm will be good for him.
Anyway, I gotta try to catch a few winks before it's back to work. Good night.
Night. [sighs]
How did she get in Dad's room?
[gasps] Look, she made a hole in the wall.
[Curtis] Not so cute now, is she?
Are you reading the words aloud in your head?
Because you can read faster if you don't.
I'm not.
[Alex] Chevon, can we see you, please?
Coming!
What's going on?
Have a seat.
How was the debate?
Okay.
I guess.
-That's not what Principal Fong said. -She called you?
She said you weren't prepared.
You resorted to silly theatrics and that you even insulted a classmate.
I can explain.
You're clearly doing too much and this is the result.
That's not true.
For your own good,
-you're dropping an activity. -What?
You choose which one.
You think about it, and you let us know.
So, how'd it go?
Let's just say it's good I never told them
about wanting to run for student president.
[knocking on door]
Come in.
Hey, um, have you seen the jazz night post on the website?
What did you think?
It's good.
Just good? Not great? Because we kinda need it to be great.
[groans] People are gonna come to this thing, right?
Well, I wouldn't blame the website if they don't.
But they will.
I hope.
[sighs]
What I mean is, you did a great job, Mom.
[chuckles] Okay.
Well, sleep tight, and thanks again for helping out.
Of course.
-Good night. -[Ms. Reyna] Good night.
"She wore a rare brand of sneakers, Fei Shen."
It means, "Flying god."
"Flying god."
It wasn't just the paintbrush that came out of the book.
Ghost Writer also released Dajie, the girl with the cool sneakers.
-The one who stole the paintbrush. -Yeah, I met her at the bookstore.
So you didn't misplace the paintbrush.
Dajie must have stolen it like in the book.
Right. We have to find her,
but I'm not sure how.
Keep looking. I'll be right back.
Hey, Jake.
Jake.
Jake. Jake!
Now you know how it feels to call for the ball and never get it.
[Curtis sighs]
Hey!
Tell Chevon to hide under the table.
You have to get out of here.
Just tell her to do it. I'm coming in one way or another.
[sighs]
Chevon, get under the table.
-Huh? -Just do it. Your clone's here.
[Donna grunts]
Why are you here?
I feel bad about last night.
I can't let your parents get in the way of our goals.
I'll drop debate. It's no biggie. Just go home.
-No, there's something I have to do. -Please don't.
Can I have your attention, please?
My name is Chevon Redmond, and I'm running for student president.
That is all. Thank you.
For what it's worth, I think you'd make a great president.
My parents are gonna be so mad.
Curtis, I got it.
It's like in the folktale. Only I can use the paintbrush, right?
Right.
So after Dajie stole it, the first thing she'd realize is it doesn't work for her.
And then she'd come looking for you.
We gotta be ready.
[Curtis sighs]
-[door opens] -[bell rings]
-The shoes. It's gotta be her. -Let's do this.
You ready?
I think so.
-[Ruben sighs] -You got this.
Hi, welcome to Village Books.
Can we help you?
I'm looking for someone, about your age. I think he works here.
Oh, Ruben. You're in luck.
Yeah. He's in the back of the store right now, painting.
Cool.
Hey.
Oh, hey. Cool sneakers girl.
Fei Shen, right?
Yeah. Good memory.
Sorry, I never caught your name before.
I'm Ruben, by the way.
Dajie.
So, you need help with a book?
Uh, no. [chuckles]
This is gonna sound weird, but I found this paintbrush in the store.
The handle's the wrong color.
What's she up to?
And it made me think of you because you're such a good artist.
I thought, maybe this is a sign.
Maybe I should buy it and ask you to paint something for me.
If you're up for it, of course.
I could pay you a small commission if you'd like.
No, that's not necessary. I'll do it.
-Really? -Yeah.
Better know what he's doing.
So, what did you have in mind?
Well, goals are very important to me,
and my number one goal is to become rich and successful.
Okay.
So, could you paint me in front of a big mansion with a vault full of money?
As, like, an aspirational thing.
[sighs]
You think I can take a look yet?
No, just hold still. I told you, it's very important.
[sighs]
So, do you go to school around here?
No, I'm just visiting.
Can I see the painting yet?
No, just let me work.
You'll like it, I promise.
[sighs]
[grunts]
Come on, Ruben. Hurry.
Huh...
That's funny.
This paintbrush you bought looks a lot like the one I lost the other day.
[scoffs] Maybe they're just the same brand.
[Curtis sighs]
Ruben, what are you doing?
Ruben?
You stole my paintbrush and then painted the handle a different color
so I wouldn't notice.
You tricked me!
[Curtis chuckles]
Ruben, you did it!
The story's back in the book.
But the paintbrush is still here.
And it didn't even go back onto the cover.
Ghost Writer must have left it to fix the stuff that Ruben painted.
Right. Okay. But that's all I'm painting, and nothing else.
Where are they?
[dragon purring]
They're on a planet in a distant galaxy that no one knows anything about.
So, she can learn everything. And tell it all to the dragon.
-Cool? -Cool.
Though to be fair, we know some things about the planet.
It's habitable because of the house. Should I go on?
No. Save it for the dragon.
Piece of advice. Make sure she has plenty of stuff to chew on.
Got it.
[purring continues]
-I know what you're gonna say. -Thank you.
I now understand, if I need a clone, I'm doing too much.
Okay.
Here we go.
[sighs]
Can you get rid of this too? I have a game in an hour and I don't think I'll need it.
Yeah. And I'll paint your old apartment back too.
Thanks.
Great game, boys.
Great?
We lost. I stunk.
It's okay, Curtis.
Sure, you stunk, but you stunk as a team.
[sighs]
Hey.
Wanna shoot around?
Yeah. We definitely need the practice.
Actually, you shoot. I'll pass.
All right.
-[Jake] Here we go. -Hey!
Hey! Whoo!
[Chevon] I'm dropping debate.
And piano, after the recital.
We only asked you to drop one activity.
I know, but it's because I wanna run for student president.
I believe I could do a lot of good,
and I understand the time commitment that it will take.
Then we're behind you 100%.
[Laura chuckles]
Don't just sit there, bring it on in.
-[Laura chuckles] -[Alex] Come on!
[sighs]
Curtis, your feet are in my face!
Then move your face.
[chuckles] Are you sure you don't miss the big apartment?
Yeah. This feels more like home.
[Rocco whines]
Hey, Rocco, come here.
Are you gonna start behaving again?
Just stay away from my shaving cream.
[chuckles]
[guitar playing]
Thank you. Thank you.
That was so good, Grandpa. I had no idea you could play like that.
I'm sorry no one showed.
It's my fault. I should've done more to help.
And it wasn't because of your website, which is great.
Whoa. Easy, Ruben. It was still a great night.
Really?
Sure, I wish more people had turned up...
but seeing your grandpa up there, playing,
I haven't seen him this happy in years,
not since your grandma was around.
It really puts things in perspective.
[Ms. Reyna chuckles]
So the magic paintbrush just won't go back into the book?
[sighs] Nope.
I don't get it.
[Ruben sighs] Me neither.
And we still don't know why Ghost Writer released the story in the first place.
Or even who Ghost Writer is.
Do you think there's anything else we should paint?
Let's find out.
Whoa. G.W.'s painting.
It's back in the book.
[sighs] The painting.
"The Cobalt Mask"?
Uh-oh.