Whoo! Book four! I've plans for this one for quite literally, years! Now, let's get this show on the road!
Infiltrating the base of the nindroids had been easy.
The challenge? Taking them down. Lloyd watched them work, hidden behind a bunch of wildflowers, waiting for the nindroid in front of him to turn it's back. That's when he made his move.
He silently snuck out of the bed and took them out one by one, the element of surprise on his side as he struck them down with ease.
Lloyd made his way to a cavern, where lasers crossing across his path waited for him to make a wrong move. It was too easy, starting with him running across a wall and jumping, contortioning himself so he wouldn't trip them before he continued leaping, twirling in the air at the precise moments to clear it.
He watched as they disappeared, beaten, but his satisfactory didn't last long as more nindroids came towards him, firing their own lasers. He held his ground and Matrixed their blasts before summoning his own powers to blast them down. More flanked his side, to which he reacted with his spinjitzu, sucking them into the vortex, knocking them down one by one as they were helpless to do anything.
Somehow, his efforts sent off a trap as a giant bolder came roaring down the halls, and he took off, sliding down a hold before it could crush him. He had a rope tied around himself, which stopped his fall before he landed on the pressure activated floor. In front of him, laid the artifact, the goal. He swung towards it, reaching his arms out, but not enough momentum. Suddenly, the hologram disappeared, and he dropped limp, defeated.
"You got closer than I thought you would," Borge complimented him from the outside of the simulator. Wu was right by his side. "But then again, I didn't think you'd be quite so rough on my security droids," he gestured to the crackling broken robots that lay in a pile.
Lloyd started to push Borge, alleviating him from having to use his arms. "If I can't steal the Golden Armor, I'd be surprised if anyone else could," Lloyd commented. "It's secure, but where is the real one?" he asked. "Some secrets are best kept safe," Borge brushed him off with a knowing smile.
"Lloyd, where are the other ninja?" Wu questioned him. "I asked for all of you to take part in this test." Lloyd stopped walking, heat rising on the back of his neck.
"Oh, uh, heh," he sputtered. "They uh, they really wanted to be here, but they, uh... all had other plans," he answered weakly. "I understand perfectly well," Borge chimed in, his voice not as chipper, but rather sad. "The loss of Zane has affected us all. I haven't even heard from my assistant, Pixal, since his memorial. It's heartbreaking."
"If we dwell too long on what's missing, we fail to see what can be gained," Wu advised them. "The absence of Zane will either tear you four apart, or bring you closer together. The choice is yours."
"I'll do what I can, but it won't be easy," Lloyd reassured his uncle. "The greatest lessons never are."
"MOST! EXTREME! NINJA! CHALLENGE! EVER!" The crowd cheered and clapped as Jay took the stage, waving to the crowd, smiling his brightest. His suit, various shades of blue with electric symbols dancing around his blazor had replaced his GI.
He chuckled and held the microphone up to himself. "I'm Jay, Ninjago's most lovable Ninja, here before the Gauntlet of Humility-" He waved his arm behind him to show the elaborate obstical course being lit up with the stage lights. "-To see who will be Ninjago's next hero, and whose dreams will be gone in a flash!"
With that, he summoned his lightning abilities to push himself up into the air to simulate flying. He gave a twirl for the crowd, a somersault, before flying to a platform where a woman in protective gear was standing.
He pulled out a new microphone. "I'm here with Cathy, tireless mother of four, pillar of the PTA, and returning contestant!" he introduced. "Tell me, Cathy, after being humbled by the gauntlet the first time, what makes you think this'll be any different?"
Cathy grabbed the microphone and moved it closer to her. "Because ninja never quit!" she cheered excitedly into it, just short of bursting Jay's eardrum with her enthusiasm. Still, he laughed. "Okay, Cathy. Start the doomsday clock!" He pointed to a large clock on the stage, which began to count the seconds.
Cathy stared at the Gauntlet, determined. She jumped off the platform, grabbing onto the robes dangling before her and swinging from one to another, getting closer to the rollers. The crowd cheered their enthusiasm as she ran in place, avoiding the boxer fists shooting out from the wall. She managed to jump on the second roller before getting landed a solid blow to her head, knocking her off the Gauntlet, a buzzer resounding throughout the studio.
She landed like a sack of potatoes on the mat below, the crowd gasping, Jay becoming very panicked of a lawsuit before rushing towards her. Cathy laughed as she slowly sat up. "I got farther than last time!" she declared, met with renewed cheering.
Back in his dressing room, Jay let out a long sigh as he stared at himself in the mirror. He picked up his framed picture of him and the guys, back when Lloyd was young. "Ninja never quit, huh, Zane?" he asked the image solemnly.
"The team needs you now more than ever," a voice rang out behind him, making him jump out of his seat. He looked around and gasped shrilly as Lloyd jumped down from the ceiling. "How did you get in here?" he asked. "I'm a ninja, and you are wearing makeup," Lloyd teased.
"Hey, hey, it's concealer, a time-honored tool of the ninja!" he held up his kit. "And they're nothing wrong with guys wearing makeup in the first place! A-and! And! My relationship with Nya has never been the same since Cole messed things up!" Lloyd walked over and put his hand on Jay's shoulder to calm him down.
"Jay, she still speaks of you. You don't belong here, Jay. This isn't you." Jay pulled away and back to his dresser. "You're the Master of Lightning, not the Master of Lighting. You know where I'll be if you change your mind."
Jay didn't look up until he know Lloyd slipped back in the shadows. He dipped his brush in his concealer and began to apply it to his cheek. He clenched his fists, which began shaking before he threw the brush at the mirror.
The sound of heavy machinery resounded through the forest as the deforestation crew worked.
Cole was standing on a large, thick branch, hacking away with it with loud grunts as he swung his ax down.
Lloyd was holding a rope tied to the top of the tree. "The team needs you now more than ever," he informed Cole. "I thought I was good with a scythe," Cole started before swinging down again. "Turns out, I'm even better with an ax."
He stood up full height and looked out to the distance, remembering all the previous years filled with crap trying to kill him. "I'm tired of fighting, Lloyd. Tired of Serpentine, tired of Nindroids, tired of... heartbreak." He subconsciously put his hand over his pocket, where he kept his copy of the letter Alexus had left him and Rylan, before she disappeared off the face of the earth.
He looked back to the workers. "Out here, no one knows who you are. No one expects anything of you." Lloyd slid his mask down angrily. "But what would Zane expect?" he retorted sharply. "You're the Master of Earth, Cole. You don't belong in trees! Your feet should be on the ground. You can't hide who you are." Lloyd swung down near the branch Cole was on.
"Sorry, Green Machine, this is my life now."
Suddenly, one of the lumberjacks called out from atop the wood pile. "Cracked stem! She's falling hard!" he yelled as a tree tumbled from the pile, a leeway for the others, getting ready to crush the other workers.
Cole watched in horror before gritting his teeth and jumping down the tree. He rushed past the workers and slammed his ax down on the ground before the logs, raising the solid ground in front of him as a barrier to stop the logs.
When the dust cleared, the other men had saw what he had done and began applauding and muttering among themselves about what they had just witnessed. Cole sighed and pressed his hand against his forehead before getting his duffel bag and walking away from the site.
"If you change your mind, Cole," Lloyd called from the tree, "You know where I'll be."
Cole scoffed as Lloyd disappeared in a cloud of pale green smoke. "Alexus hated lumberjack anyways," he muttered.
"Welcome to the Yang Slither Pits Final!" the announcer called over the arena. "In the left corner, we have Kai, the Flaming Shogun!" Kai flexed for show. "And in the right corner, we have Kruncha!" The crowd applauded the matchup and the bell rang.
Kruncha hopped to his tarsals and stalked towards Kai. The latter was no impressed, simply flipping into the ring with a loud, "Ninja, go!" and landing on the skeleton warrior with a twist of spinjitzu, scattering the bones everywhere in a matter of seconds. He formed out of his fire tornado and folded his arms over his chest. "Didn't your mama ever warn you not to play with me?" he taunted as the bell rang the end of the match.
The referee walked over. "Victor of the Slither Pit and undefeated champion..." he held up his arm. "Kai, the Flaming Shogun!" Kai yanked his arm out. "The Red Shogun!" he snapped before storming out the arena.
Kai walked over to the bar in the corner, and slurped his usual.
"You shouldn't drink too much juice," Lloyd's voice informed him before the Green Ninja himself slid onto the stool next to him. "It's filled with more sugar than you realize."
"Oh, it's you," Kai looked down at his glass with a bitter expression on his face. "The team needs you now more than ever," Lloyd clamped his hand on Kai's shoulder. "Who says the great and powerful Green Ninja needs a team?" Kai shot back. "You seem to be holding down the fort on your own."
"I get it, Kai," Lloyd informed him. "You ran out of bad guys to fight out there. You've got to come to a place like this. But where's the honor in that? Where's the Master of Fire?" he inquired.
"It's the Red Shogun now!" Kai snapped. "And where's the Master of Ice, huh? He's gone, but I'm still here. Who cares about honor? It should've been me. I should've been the one-"
"You always thought you should've been the one," Lloyd cut him off. "First it was being the Green Ninja, now this. When are you gonna start thinking of someone other than yourself?" Kai looked up from his drink, only to find Lloyd had disappeared.
"If you change your mind, you know where I'll be."
Out in the distance, at a small village in Ninjago, there was 4 Weapons, the formerly closed blacksmith shop. Now, it was back to life, with one girl operating it.
Alexus Johnson pounded a hammer on the burning metal, shaping it into a strong, durable, quality chest plate. Last year, she couldn't imagine that she would be able to do this with more ease, but she'd grown in some ways over the year. Not just physical strength, but some mental and intellectual. Now, she was 18, managing a small business and living the life of a college freshman getting ready to tackle her first semester.
In other words, she was broke, got less than 2 hours of sleep a week, had became a stress mess, and running on pure coffee by now from breaking her back by just graduating high school.
It was just like any other day, with the start of college looming on the horizon, so she was using the time she had now to work full shifts to make more to pay for her textbooks and scholarly crap. That was when she felt the shift in the atmosphere: not a customer. She stood up to full height and stretched out before lashing around and throwing the hammer at the intruder.
The hammer froze in midair, inches away from Artimus Siller's stoic, expressionless face. He tilted his head as the hammer dropped to the floor. "I hope you don't greet all your customers this way," he remarked before snapping his fingers and pulling up a chair. "You ain't a customer, you limp noodle," she snarked before going back to the armor and picking up a new hammer. Finishing high school had made her infinitely less tolerable and considerably more salty than before. "You're right, but your words hurt my heart," he gave a mocked look of hurt, placing his hands over his chest before smirking.
Alexus cracked a smile. "Good to see you, too," she muttered before setting the hammer down, unable to focus anymore. "How did you find me?" she asked.
"You set me post cards."
"I didn't mark the return address."
He shrugged. "Nothing a good locator spell can't handle."
"Why look for me now?" she asked, hanging up her apron and setting her gloves to the side. While he pulled up a chair in the sitting area. "Lloyd is trying to reform the team, and he knew my magical expertise would help finding you, since Kai and Nya wouldn't give up your location," he answered, kicking his legs up. "And besides, Rylan went AWOL same time you and Pixal did. Wipe that dumb look off your face, I know where he's at too." Alexus closed her jaw and huffed. "I am up to my neck in student loans and fees, I ain't got time to do any warrior stuff."
"Hmm... meanwhile, I have so much money, I'm ready to blow my nose with it." She threw her other hammer at him. He laughed before stopping it.
Dusk had arrived, and Kai found himself not pounding down sugary juice, but instead, at the entrance to "Chen's Noodle House." He examined the gimmicky entrance before walking inside. This was where Lloyd told him to meet.
He looked around at the full tables until he heard someone call him. "Kai, back here!" Lloyd called, waving him over from a booth. He walked over and was shocked to see who was with him.
"Jay?" he asked incredulously, seeing the russet-haired former ninja. Shaggy black hair opposite Lloyd caught his eye too. "Cole?"
The man in a grey hoodie turned to him and scoffed. "You too?" he asked before turning his back to him and keeping his face propped up by his hand.
"The runt tricked us all," Jay chimed in.
Kai sat down and reached for a meal on the conveyor belt, but Lloyd grabbed his wrist. "We talk first, then eat," he ordered.
"Ugh, trust me. Do you know what kind of restraint I've had to have staring at all of this noodle goodness? You're late!" Cole remarked, gesturing to the dishes flooding past them. "Make it quick," Kai muttered before they all turned to Lloyd.
"I know without Zane, things have been different, but we have to move on," Lloyd started. "The reason I brought you all here is because... maybe... we should add someone new to our team," he finally said quickly, like he was ripping off a bandage.
"A new ninja?" Kai started, the anger in his voice growing.
"Are you crazy?" Jay shouted with so much energy, his voice cracked.
"Come on, Zane's irreplaceable!" Cole argued.
"I cared for him too, but now it's time to care about this team," Lloyd defended himself.
"Maybe without Zane, there is no team," Kai cut in, crossing his arms and looking at anywhere but at Lloyd.
In the corner of Jay's eye, at the entrance, some punk-looking men walked in, and they didn't look like they were just here to play nice and eat. "Oh. Don't look now, but we've got trouble," he whispered to the others.
The guy with a wild spiked mohawk ripped off his sunglasses to reveal a single blind off looked at the cashier after throwing a guy out of the way. The man understood the situation immediately and quickly opened the register, not wanting any trouble.
Once they all got money in their hands, the register empty, they gestured for more, to which the cashier responded to by backing up slowly, but mohawk man lifted him up and slammed his hand on the conveyor belt, laughing, and causing a blockage for the food.
"All right, now they're our problem," Cole muttered before they all stood up and walked over to them.
"Excuse me, it's not polite to touch someone else's food," he informed the punks, arms crossed over his chest. "I'd listen to him if I were you," Kai chimed in. "He's no fun to be around when he's hangry."
Mohawk man, not intimidated, walked over and aimed a punch at Cole's jaw, but was blocked by the ninja's chopsticks expertly latching onto his wrist. Cole clicked him with a smirk, daring him to try that again. Mohawk aimed a kick at his jaw, but was blocked again. He aimed another punch (deflected) and Cole stuck his chopsticks at the guy's mouth, stunning him.
Kai jumped onto the counter while the other two goons rushed at him, jumping on as well. Mohawk made the belt speed up exponentially.
"Alright I admit it," Kai started, kicking plates at them with high velocity, but they kept dodging. "We make a good team," he called.
Cole was back into fighting Mohawk, catching food in the air that Kai kicked and chowing down, his fight skills not diminishing one bit. "Everything's better on a full stomach!" he called. Mohawk punched a plate, sending the portions everywhere. "Hey! I was gonna eat that!" Cole whined before throwing him onto a belt, his face landing in a bowl of noodles.
Kai engaged one guy, kicking him in the torso onto the belt where he landed on his head, making him slump over and tripping the last guy, making him hit his head too. Kai jumped onto the pile of punks and flipped off the counter, next to the others.
"How can you walk away from this?" Lloyd asked, a huge grin split on his face. Suddenly, the guys reached the end of the belt, and ran out the back entrance, Mohawk casting them a knowing smirk before disappearing behind the door.
"Hey, let's get them, guys!" Cole called before they too, started to run after them. They went through the doors, only to find themselves in an alley, completely abandoned.
"Ugh, where did they go?" Kai growled, looking around, until something on the far side caught their eye. It looked like a small tribute; a table draped with a red cloth, burning sage and candles on either side of a plate of fortune cookies, which was in front of a piece of parchment, stuck into the wall with a knife.
They rushed over to examine it. "What's this?" Lloyd asked before they looked closer. The parchment had an image on it, a modestly drawn picture of Zane on it, with a note next to it. "It's Zane," Jay whispered. "What does it say?" Cole asked while Lloyd pushed pasted them, and gently ripped the paper off.
"It says he's alive," he informed, making them all gasp. They shared awed looks before Lloyd looked back down at it.
I don't think those thugs were delivering a message to the noodle house," Kai realized, "I think they were delivering a message to us."
Jay grew impatient and looked over at Lloyd. "What do you mean, it says 'he's alive'?" he asked. "Hey, I'm just telling you what it says," Lloyd countered, looking at the paper, wanting to see more. "Why would they lead us here?" Kai asked. "You know, this has to be some cruel joke, and I'm not laughing!" Cole pouted, angrily putting his hands on his hips. "Look," Lloyd pointed to the fortune cookies. "I think those were meant for us too."
"Fortune cookies?" Jay asked, reaching for one. "Very peculiar."
"Should we?" Lloyd asked as Cole grabbed one and ate it. "Uh, you do realize there's a fortune inside, right?" Kai asked, smiling as he cracked his cookie open. Cole swallowed and smiled. "Oh, so that's why they're called that," he muttered.
"Listen to this," Lloyd called their attention. "Master Chen has personally invited you to participate in his Tournament of Elements," he read, his voice slowing down at the last few words. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that Mr. Chen, the same guy filling my belly with delicious goodness, is actually Master Chen?" Cole asked.
"Secrecy is of the utmost important," Kai started to read. "Tell no one, or suffer the consequences."
"If you ever want to see your friend again, meet on the pier at midnight and leave your weapons behind," Jay finished. Not five seconds after he finished reading than did his fortune disappear in a puff of smoke, followed by Kai's and Lloyd's. He looked at Cole expectantly before he was thrown back by a muffled implosion, making him double over and grip his abs. "Ugh, at least I know I was invited," he joked, groaning, but smiling all the same.
"You don't think?" Lloyd started. "It could be a trap. A lie to lure us in," Kai informed him. "Yeah, but what if it's not?" Jay asked. "What if Zane's alive."
Lloyd looked back at the paper with the modest drawing. "The Tournament of Elements," he repeated. "I'm starting to think this Master Chen makes more than noodles," he gandered.
"You can forget bringing in a new ninja, Lloyd. Let's go see about an old one."
Midnight came fast, and Kai found himself in his old GI, looking at plenty of new faces before two familiar ones showed up. Jay with Cole, walking down the dock among the crowd. It occurred to them, they were all wearing different GI. "Augh, I told you we shouldn't have worn them," Kai groaned.
He looked around as Lloyd showed up. "The Tournament of Elements..." he muttered. "You think all of them have powers like us?" he asked, gesturing to everyone else.
"Boy howdy, that'd be something interesting, now wouldn't it?" a voice cut in behind them. They turned around and saw Alexus, smiling smugly, but wearing normal clothes, not her samurai uniform.
"Alexus!" they cried before rushing over. Individually, they embraced, not one of them having seen her for nearly a year. She even hugged Cole, who held onto her tight, but she understood why.
"What am I? Chopped liver?" another voice cut in. They turned and saw Artimus, a duffel at his side. "What are you doing here?" Jay asked, kinda hiding behind Alexus. "Oh, so she gets hugged and I get an interrogation? I see how it is. Gits," Artimus spat at them before flashing a grin and walking away.
They all looked at Alexus. "What are you doing here?" Kai asked. "I thought it would be a lovely night to stroll over 100 miles from my home, what do you think I'm doing here you under cooked egg roll?" she sniped. "I was invited. Got it in the mail today. Artimus's was also in my mail, but you know," she shrugged. "I've been a senior in high school the last year, that wasn't the weirdest thing."
Their conversation was cut short by a boat's fog horn blowing from an approaching ferry. Slowly, it pulled up, and two crew mates dropped a plank, connecting it to the dock everyone was on.
A man in maroon and blue clothing, long black hair tied behind his head, and eye shadow smeared across his sockets that could rival the Winter Soldier walked across the planks, his hands folded neatly behind his back and his posture straight. They got into single file and made their way to the boat.
"Watch your step, madam," the man advised the girl in front, who donned an orange hood. She looked back at the others and Kai was struck by her pretty face, stopping in his tracks. "We can't let anything distract us," Lloyd whispered, annoyance crossing his voice. "You hear me, Kai?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah! Uh, got it. Whatever you said..." Kai muttered, standing there like the love-struck fool he was. "I don't know, Lloyd. I mean, she's pretty... distracting," Alexus whispered, tugging at the collar of her flannel shirt as her face heated up as she started to look at anywhere but the girl.
Jay was the first of the ninja to step up. "Master Chen will be charmed to see you've accepted his offer," he informed the ninja. His voice was drawling, his accent hard to place. "A master of spinjitzu shall fare favorably in his tournament."
"Hey, we're not here to fight. We're here to save a friend," Jay informed him. "Don't be so petty, Master Jay," the man started before reaching into his bag and pulling out a pair of nunchucks. "Everyone here has something to fight for."
Jay chuckled nervously. "Chopsticks. I'm a big eater," he bluffed. The man kept his smile before tossing the weapon into the ocean. Jay gulped before the man gestured for him to continue onto the boat.
They continued on, until, the man stopped Alexus. "Hey, man. I know it said no weapons, but you want me to use my powers, the sword is the key," Alexus kept her hand protectively over her hilt. He looked her up and down before allowing her to pass.
"WAIT!" a voice shouted behind them. "Lloyd, wait!" A different one sounded. Artimus and Lloyd whipped around at the familiarity of the different voices, seeing not only Garmadon, but Rylan as well. Rylan skidded to a stop, breathless. "Ugh, I'm here! I was invited!" he announced before Artimus grabbed him by the back of his collar collar and dragged him on with him.
Garmadon walked over to his son. "If you get on that boat, you may never return," he advised. "What are you doing here, Dad?" Lloyd's tone sounded like a teen that just got caught at a party they snuck to... which wasn't too far off from the truth. "Master Chen is a dangerous man who should never be trusted. Whatever he promised you, do not believe him," Garmadon warned.
The man who had invited them on turned around, his interest peaked. "Lord Garmadon. It's been a while," he called. Alexus was intrigued by his tone of voice. "It's Sensei now, correct? I can't remember," he trailed off, turning around and boarding the boat..
"Clouse," Garmadon spat his name like it was the venom that had once poisoned him. "I see Master Chen still has you running his errands," he taunted before Lloyd turned his attention back. "I have to go, Dad. This is about Zane. It's about family," Lloyd pleaded with him. "If we're ever going to be whole again, I have to get on that ship."
"Last call. Are you in... or out?" Clouse called. "I can't stop you, son," Garmadon started as Lloyd started to cross the plank. "But I can join you," he started to walk forward, only for Clouse to call, "Sorry, no more room on the ship."
He turned away as the ship mates started to pull the plank back as Garmadon walked to the edge of the dock.
"No room?" Garmadon asked before jumping off, onto the end of the plank, flipping one side up, making it knock into the crew, sending one flying back, the other at the edge of the ship, desperately trying to keep his balance, until Garmadon landed on the boat, right behind him, sending him falling into the water.
Clouse turned around. "I stand corrected. There's room now," he informed, his voice near impressed. "Don't worry, I'm not hear to compete. Only to look out for my interests," Garmadon informed him, clamping a hand on his son's shoulders.
"Let's ship out!" Clouse called to the crew, and the ferry's motor started turning, sending them forward, into the ocean, in the direction where the moon's beams looked like they were touching the ocean, it's icy blue glow making it fog, and it's reflection dancing in the water. "Bro," Alexus whispered profoundly as she stared at the entrancing sight before digging into a bag and pulling out a professional looking camera. "Why do you have that?" Jay asked as she started adjusting her position as well as the lense. "I also take pictures and sell them to catalogs for extra cash for textbooks. The better the pic, the more money I can sell it for."
After a couple photos, she looked around for other interesting things, when she started noticing stuff about the other passengers on the boat. Near them, a man with large metal gloves and sporting heavy metal armor was repeatedly punching a metal barrel, making it turn in the air in circles, never touching the ground. The clanging noise was quite irritable, but Alexus still snapped his picture. "This is totally going on my blog," she muttered.
Kai looked across the open deck of the ship to see a man in a turban with his legs crossed levitating above a stack of crates. Cole spotted a man that looked hidden behind a thick, bushy beard and long hair, holding a staff. Spotting the black ninja's gaze, he raised the end of the staff and they watched as vines began to grow from the end of it, elegantly twisting throughout the air, never ending. Jay stared with a wide open mouth as a man to whom the 60's never ended had a sitar, and was strumming calmly, the sound waved emitting from him visibly rippling through the air.
Their attention was caught by the man, Clouse, as he walked across the deck, accompanied by three of his goons. "You know him," Lloyd stated to his father. "You said his name was Clouse."
"Don't be fooled by his attire," Garmadon muttered. "He is a Master of the Dark Arts and Master Chen's number two."
"Huh. I thought Master Chen's number two was an eggroll and fried rice," Cole joked. Artimus frowned. "Our father knows him," he whispered, just loud enough for Alexus to hear. "They used to be partners in pursuing magic until the Serpentine Wars, when my father choose to fight against the snakes."
"Why haven't you or Wu ever told us there are others with powers like us?" Kai asked, still scooping out those on the deck. "Because, there are some things we don't want you to know," Garmadon started. "You were led to believe you were special, yet you never questioned where your powers came from."
"Uh are you implying that I'm not special?" Jay asked, his self worth crippling just a little bit with the sensei's words. "Almost everyone on this ship is a descendant of an original elemental master," Garmadon informed them. "Even the sword you wield, Alexus, came from the first Elemental master of silver, to harness his powers so that they could be passed to whomever he deemed worthy."
"Elemental Masters?" Lloyd asked, lost on the phrase, "Who were they?" Garmadon held his hands behind his back and started walking forward, looking towards the current masters before them. "They were the First Spinjitzu Master's guardians. Each endowed with an elemental power that has been passed down through generations."
"If that's true, then so is my sister Nya. But she can't do what I can," Kai reasoned. "Can't she?" Garmadon inclined his head towards Kai. "Power lies in all of you. It only needs to be awoken." Alexus gripped her bag a little tighter, wondering what that could mean for her mentor/sister figure. "The fighters here serve no master," Garmadon continued, "and have managed to unlock their own true potential."
He gestured to a lone man leaning against the railing of the boat across from them. He had a bright red blazer jacket, sunglasses, a pale yellow fedora, and white leather gloves, making him hard to miss, which was probably what he was going for considering the fact that any skin he might have had was completely invisible, absolutely see through. "For instance, that pale man," their sensei started, the comment an understatement in Alexus's opinion, "A distant relative to the Master of Light. Watch closely, and you'll see how he's stayed hidden all these years." Right before Garmadon finished the sentence, the loud and obnoxious clothing vanished along with the rest of him, leaving no trace whatsoever.
As the team watched, jaws dropped, there was a trail of white and red before them leaving in it's wake a rush of wind, whipping their hair around them, but Garmadon stood unshaken. In front of them, the blur of white and red stopped to reveal a man with brown, slicked back hair, his eyes hidden behind red-stained sunglasses. He wore white GI with a red sash tied around his waist. "Then there's Griffin Turner," Garmadon introduced as the man started striking poses in a quite manner. "Grandson to the Master of Speed."
A rush of wind later, and Griffin was standing right in front of them. "Hey. You can't lay a hand on me!" he claimed before he started taking off down the boat. "I'm faster than fast!" he arrogantly claimed in the distance before he was standing on the upper deck above them, posing proudly. "Swifter than swift."
"Uh, Master of Speed? That's not an element," Jay pointed out. "So asks the Master of Lightning," Garmadon chided as Artimus flicked his hand, knocking Griffin Turner over the edge of the rails and onto the deck below before anyone could see. He had little tolerance for other arrogant and boastful men after spending time with his father without his brother. "Oh snap! He got you there!" Cole taunted, not even realizing the small grunts of pain coming from the man who had fallen on his face. Alexus punched Artimus in the arm as they came across the girl from before, the one cloaked with an orange hood. She was leaning against the rail and staring into the distance at the misted ocean. "And uh, who is she?" Kai asked, trying to suppress a sheepish grin.
"I don't know," Garmadon muttered. "Most of these people I have not seen. But they will all be gunning for you. You are ninja. You serve with honor. Here, that means very little." Artimus smirked to himself. "What was it our father used to always say to us, Rylan? Keep your friends close, and enemies closer?" he inquired from his quiet brother. "If that were true, we should have been the best friends brothers can be," Rylan muttered, a weak grin on his face.
Alexus noted the bags under his eyes and resolved to talk to him about it later when they noticed the man with the metal gloves approaching the girl. He was shaking his fist at her before grabbing her arm, making sirens go off in Alexus's head. "Well, maybe honor means something to me," Kai stated, sirens in his head making his temperature flair up before we walked over to the dispute.
The girl, seeing Kai approach, turned to him. "It's okay. I can handle myself," she informed him. "This none of his business," the man, who's deep voice with some foreign accent, spoke lowly as he looked at Kai. "Karloff cold. Karloff just wants her cloak," Karloff's voice was boarding on threatening.
"You look like you got big enough mittens," Kai brushed the high tension off with a quip as he pointed to the giant metal gloves that, up close, were actually as big as his head. "Why not leave the gal alone?" The gal in question stared at Kai with an open mouth at his... whether it was bravery, stupidity, or arrogance, it was hard to tell. She suspected it was most likely a troublesome cocktail of all three as she turned back to the ocean, trying them.
"These not mittens," Karloff growled as he waved a clenched fist. "These crush ninja!" Kai didn't back down at the metal knuckle nearly pressing against his nose. "Ha, I'd like to see you try," he challenged, pushing the giant fist out of his face.
"Save it for the tournament, Kai," Garmadon advised, but the man whom his words were meant for had deaf ears for everyone except Karloff. "Don't think Karloff afraid of you!" Karloff's voice was raising, but Kai grinned. "No, you don't think much at all, do you?" he asked, only for Karloff to grab him by the front of his shirt and lift him into the air effortlessly, leaving his legs dangling for any purchase. "Just jump in whenever you feel like it!" he called to his team before Karloff brought him down to his face. "You say Karloff not smart?" Karloff taunted at Kai's sudden fear.
Lloyd stepped a bit closer. "I'd say Karloff is plenty smart not to start something he can't finish," he called. At the green ninja's words, Karloff dropped Kai to the ground only to throw his giant fist into Kai's chest, sending the ninja flying, screaming in shock. Even the girl in the hood turned around in shock at the distance. Karloff turned to Lloyd, baring his fists. "Oopsy!" he called, "Guess Karloff not smart."
Even though he sent her brother-figure flying, Alexus had to admire Karloff's commitment. Before the ninja could jump in, Garmadon threw his arms up in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. "Kai started this, he can finish this," he told them. Kai shook it off before doing a back-hand spring to his feet, more ready for a fight now. He and Karloff stared each other down. Kai crossed his arms above his head before bringing them down, setting his hands ablaze. "Fire!" he shouted, feeling the power of the word surge through him before throwing fire balls at Karloff.
Karloff, however, easily blocked them with his metal hands, extinguishing the fire on contact, before he pounding his knuckles together, the metal quickly spreading and covering his skin, making him pure metal. Kai gasped, a little fear leaking onto his expression. "The ultimate shield," Alexus whispered as the team watched Karloff rush towards Kai.
Karloff brought his fists down to the deck where Kai was just a second ago before swinging them up to his side, only to miss again as Kai cartwheeled out of the way. Karloff swiped the air in front of Kai's face before swinging his arm around, his fist slamming into Kai's torso and the momentum causing him to be dragged 270 degrees and into the wall of the boat.
Karloff threw his fist up, sending Kai flying back across the boat again, this time, landing at the caboose. He groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up before rolling out of the way as Karloff came crashing down. Kai got to his feet and backed up a few feet before Karloff pounced on him, making Kai have to bat away the pure metal punches until he was at the edge of the caboose, leaving only the turning wheel of the boat being the only thing between him and a depthless ocean. He looked back at Karloff, striking a fighting stance, determined not to be shaken. Karloff pounced at him, but Kai stepped to the side, so Karloff flew over the edge, leaving Kai smirking as he started walking back.
However, the smirk quickly faded as a giant metal hand broke through the boards beneath him and latched onto his leg, pulling him down into the newly formed hole. He landed on his feet on the lower deck and quickly blocked the small onslaught of blows before managing to push Karloff in the chest, making him skid back a few feet. The team watched from the hole as Kai summing his fire fists again and rushed to engage Karloff, this time, an upper hand in the combat as he sent Karloff flying back and onto the giant wheel pushing the boat. Kai jumped onto the wheel to meet him, growling as he tried to punch him into the ocean before Karloff landed another huge blow to his chest, knocking the air out of him as he was sent flying back once more.
Kai gained his thoughts in the air as Karloff jumped to attack, their exchange being parried or met as they fell back onto the wheel. Karloff rushed, sending Kai to the side, disorienting him long enough for Karloff to send his fist flying right into Kai's face, knocking him back onto the deck. Karloff jumped, standing over Kai, laughing as he raised his fist for the final blow.
"ENOUGH!" a voice, Clouse, shouted, making Karloff step off of Kai and turning back into flesh. Kai groaned as he propped himself onto his elbow, but smartened up when the girl approached him. "I'm sorry if I was cold to you earlier," she said apologetically as she held out a hand to him. He accepted, his heart thudding in his ears as he stood up. He smiled as she walked away, feeling a lot less like he was hit by a car several times.
"We're here," Clouse called, gesturing to the view beyond the rails. "Welcome to Chen's Island." They all gathered to the side as the air horn blowed, a large mass of land appearing out from the fog that captured the sun's first rays and ragged rocks. "Holy crow," Alexus whispered as she got her camera ready. "Can't you just enjoy the beauty?" Jay asked. "I will when my tuition is payed," she muttered. "I swore to never return," Garmadon spoke lowly. "You know, you should never swear, it's a sign of weak verbal skills," Jay informed him.
"If Zane is on that island, we will find him," Lloyd spoke. "We have to."
