Heyo! A fun thing to do while reading my work is to try and solve the parody names of bands and musical titles while reading! Props to anyone who can solve them, one is harder than the other!
A storm had hit the tropic island, casting a dreary mood over the visitors and caretakers. Yet, the tournament continued. Kai was running through the courtyard, lost as he searched through the dark weather for the arena were the next fight would take place. Everyone was already there, so he had no one to guide him or ask directions from. He looked around, hearing Chen's voice over a nearby PA system. "Skylor, Master of Amber, versus Jacob, Master of Sound!" He quickly ran in that direction, finding a lit up arena signifying that he had found his destination.
Skylor wielded a spear, and Jacob his signature sitar. They were in a rectangular arena that was surrounded by a balcony where the other masters were viewing. There were several large purple vases, holding various objects, such as air, weapons, and the Jade Blade. "Fight!" Chen called. Skylor pointed at one vase after the other. "Eenie, meenie, minie, mo," she muttered, "Catch a Jade Blade by it's toe! She turned on her heel, throwing the spear cleanly through the air where it pierced and shattered a vase in the far corner, revealing a bow and arrow set.
Jacob strummed, using the sound waves to locate his opponent. He heard the movement before it disappeared behind a large object. He slowly walked in that direction, trying to find her again, but Skylor was behind a large vase, behind him. She watched him turn his back to her before she stepped out from behind, quickly drawing an arrow and releasing, the split second of the flutter as the arrow left was all Jacob needed to know what was coming at him.
He quickly jumped out of the way as more arrows came flying, him being able to detect them moving all the while. He jumped on top of an arrow that was now embedded into a support beam and strummed, using his power to change the frequency into an ear-damaging high pitched screech, sending the sound wave Skylor's way, who quickly jumped, so the waves shattered a vase instead, but then reflected up into the audience, right where Garmadon, Jay, and Lloyd were standing. They covered their ears as the hanging lanterns above them started swaying. "The Master of Sound's gotten stronger since the last time I saw him," Garmadon observed.
Skylor was hiding behind a vase again as Jacob strummed. Slowly and silently, she stepped out and reached for his back, gently touching, absorbing his power before she quickly retreated again. Jacob made his way to the shattered vase and found several shurikens. He took a few and looked around, trying to listen to any disruption in the sound waves. Skylor was standing smack dab in the center of the far side of the arena, not moving so he wouldn't be able to hear her location. However, the small breathe she exhaled tipped him off and he suddenly started throwing star after star at her, making her quickly move jumping, turning in the air as the twisting blades nearly grazed her.
"Excuse me, excuse me," Kai muttered, sliding past the other Masters as he made his way over to his friends, accidentally stepping on a few feet. He sighed and slid down into his seat. "Sorry, all these temples look the same," he apologized. "Did I miss anything?"
Jay snickered, "By the looks of it, you didn't miss much," he gestured to the other masters who were groaning and holding their foot and glaring over at him. "Maybe we shouldn't be sitting together. I mean, the more they think we're a team, the bigger targets we put on ourselves," Jay informed them, looking over at Artimus and Alexus, who were on the far side. At first, he was a little steamed that she didn't socialize with them, but now he saw how wise her strategy was.
"Don't say that, we are a team," Lloyd interjected, and still felt slightly betrayed at Alexus's lack of cooperation. "Sure, we just lost Cole and still can't find Zane, but we're a team, just smaller" he assured them. "All the more reason to stick together." The second those words left Lloyd's mouth, Kai shot up from his seat as finally looked down and saw who was participating in the match. "Skylor's fighting?" he asked excitedly as the girl in question set a ball of fire at Jacob's sitar, setting the end ablaze so he wouldn't be able to use it anymore.
"What has him so excited?" Garmadon asked. "He had a crush on her until he found out they might be related," Jay was on the edge of bursting into laughter. "Her element isn't fire," Garmadon informed them as Jacob frantically waved his instrument around, trying to extinguish the flames before he resolved to just throw it to the side. "She's the Master of Amber, the power of absorption. She can emulate the power of anyone she's touched."
Kai looked over at the sensei, pushing past Jay. "Are you telling me we're not related?" he asked excitedly. "Oh boy. Here we go again. You know she's also not related to Alexus too, right?" Jay asked, but Kai tuned him out.
Down in the match, Skylor held her arm out and twisted it in a circle, producing a sound wave, shattering the vase right next to Jacob, who jumped back in surprise before leaping forward and grabbing the blow dart tube and the darts. Skylor started to run, to get distance so he would have a smaller target as he started glowing the darts after her. She got to the far wall but was stopped as a dart struck the wall right were she was just about to lift her foot. She turned around, but the same thing happened in that direction, right before she could step.
She took a deep breath and started to cartwheel away, moving very fast, and the darts punctured the wall one second away from her, going through the thin paper, making the air whistle as it gently blew through the holes, distorting his perception.
He strained to distinguish the sounds of the wind and the sounds of the walls or Skylor by giving out small grunts, trying to listen to the sound bouncing off, but it was too late. Skylor had ran past behind him, and smashed the last vase, revealing the Jade Blade which she now held up victoriously as the crowd started cheering.
"Winner!" Chen called. Jacob sighed and hung his head. "Loser!" The trap door opened and Jacob yelled while falling. They took his picture off the bracket.
"I hope the Tournament of Elements has entertained you as much as it has me," Chen started, turning all the Master's attention to him. "To thank you, I wanted to give everyone fancy jewels and untold shiny thins." Alexus felt her heart stop as Chen held up a large plate holding a small pile of the treasures he spoke of. Artimus scoffed a bit. He already had enough of that at his own home, those were like paper weights to him. "But then, in yesterday's battle, Master Jay and Cole tried to undermine me by teaming up and refusing to fight each other! And that made me very upset." He threw the plate behind him as the Masters slowly turned to glare at Jay.
"For their insubordination, all your fancy quarters will be taken away, and tonight, everyone must sleep together in the chow house!" Chen crushed a diamond in his hand as his tone got darker. "That is all, thank you!" he called happily as he brushed off his hands.
Alexus groaned. She hadn't finished her manga yet and just had the hope of being able to go to school full time without having to worry about the finances. "Dang it," she muttered to Artimus as the Masters got up and left. "I was about to pay off student loans," she muttered. "Oh, relax," Artimus snapped as they got up as well. "I'll pay for it, I already have untold riches." They passed the ninja. "Nice one, Jay," he called tauntingly as he started to laugh at the grim look on the blue ninja's face. Alexus slammed her arm in his stomach, temporarily knocking the air out of him before they left.
"Yeah, nice one, Jay," Kai spoke in a low voice. "Whoa, easy, Romeo," Jay held his arms up defensively. "Don't worry about them. We aren't here to make friends, just to save ours," Lloyd reminded them. "Yes, but your exclusion of others has only made enemies," Garmadon warned, "Beware of how you treat those around you, for they will treat you the same."
Cole held his face up to the small hole in the door that was protected by a metal bar. "You can take my clothes and power, but you'll never take my super strength!" He called to anyone who was outside the door, listening. He grabbed the bar and started pulling, grunting as he tried, until his fingers slipped and he sent himself sprawling back "All right, so you got that too," he muttered, crossing his arms across his chest as he looked up at the ceiling.
It would be another while before there were any signs of life, which was Clouse unlocking the door to his cell. He looked up, sitting in the far corner. "You're letting me go?" he asked. "Of course not," Clouse informed him, standing in the doorway. "Your presence is required in the factory."
"The factory?" Cole repeated, outraged before turning his head. "Lock me up for all I care! I'm never gonna lift a finger for you, you despicable-" the guard with Clouse grabbed his arm and dragged him out of his cell, Clouse grabbing his other arm as they dragged him through the halls. Cole couldn't get any purchase, being dragged to quickly to properly stick his feet on the ground and resist, so he just let himself we led to a large set of doors, which opened to reveal something that had happened to him only in dreams before.
"A noodle factor? Ha! Why didn't you say so?" he cried, laughing with newfound joy. Maybe his imprisonment wouldn't be so bad. He was led to a machine where noodles were coming out the conveyor belt, unbroken and absolutely endless. "This is my kind of place!" he admired the machine. "That's how they make the noodles! Oh, and that's the dumpling machine!" he walked over to a belt that regularly had tubes punch down on it. "And is that how you make fortune cookies?" He grabbed one and turned to another worker. "You know there's a fortune inside those, right?" he asked.
"There's only one rule: no eating the merchandise," Clouse called over to him before walking away.
"No eating the merchandise?" Cole repeatedly, his dream turning to one of his biggest nightmares. "How cruel can this place be?" he cried. "Cole!" a voice suddenly rang out before someone was tackling him in a hug. They were so small compared to him, he half-thought it was Alexus for a split second, but it was just Rylan, wearing the same orange jumper suit as him, only where Cole's was tight-fitting on his broad built, Rylan's was baggy on his slim frame. "Dude, Rylan! You're here!" he stated, shocked. "Yes, this is where all the losers of the tournament are sent," Rylan spoke disdainfully.
"Oh man, did you hear the one rule, no eating the merchandise?" Cole asked. "Ah, yes. It's rather... not so big a deal for me, I don't have much of a palate for take-out, but for you, I imagine you must feel like Tantalus, who always an undying hunger, and the fruit is always just an inch from his finger tips. That's all very tragic, but what about the others, do you know how they are?"
"They're good, Artimus was torn and threatened to kill Clouse, but Alexus stopped him," Cole recalled. "Ah, Clouse. My family has a history with that third-rate warlock," Rylan muttered before looking around, at the guards. "We better be getting to working, I'll fill you in more later." Cole walked over to the noodle machine, where Karloff was working.
"Don't worry. After while, not so bad," he assured Cole. "Since you new, I show you how to chop noodles." The conveyor belt started, and Karloff pushed down a lever, demonstrating how the blade came down with it. Cole looked around, and saw a low-hanging handle attached to a chain. Curious, he reached up and grabbed it, pulling down, and behind them, a bag of flower fell, coating one of the other workers in the white powder. "Not that one," Karloff joked before pointed out the correct lever.
Cole sighed and grabbed it, pulling down, and cutting the noodles. "See? Chop. Now don't make trouble," Karloff warned. "Well, I for one, don't like following rules," Jacob's voice came from the side. He was evenly pulling the noodles out and feeding them in an equal diameter to the chopping machines. "The minute you tell me the coast is clear, I'm busting out of here."
"Even is you get past the guards, Mr. Blind Guy, there's still the labyrinth, guarded by big snake," Karloff reminded him. "My name's not Mr. Blind Guy. It's Jacob. And you may have already lost hope, but not me and not my buddies, Cole and Rylan here. Am I right?" He looked to his right, smiling and looking for the confirmation. "Actually, I'm on your left," Cole informed him. "Oh, heh. Hey, you moved on me, heh. Sneaky ninja," Jacob laughed a bit, trying to cover up the fact that without his mastery of sound, he was more blind than he had ever been in his life, having nothing to help guide him now and no training to do it before he continued feeding the noodles to be chopped.
In the streets of Ninjago City, cargo was being loaded off of Master Chen's Noodle House delivery trucks, giving the restaurant the supplies for the next couple of weeks.
Unbeknownst to them, however, in a darkened alley across the block watching them, was an equally large vehicle, fortified with a weapons system. Nya was sitting in the D.B. Express, watching and communicating with Sensei Wu. "-And you say the noodle trucks disappear at night. But where do they go?" he inquired, the blue of the screen he was on lightly illuminating Nya's face.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Nya informed him, as the unloading finished, and the vans started driving, right past her. "Perhaps, if I follow them, they can lead me to more answers," she hypothesized, watching as they passed by her without any second glances. "I'll report more when I uncover more," she assured Wu before disconnecting. "Initiate replicate software," she gave the voice command to the vehicle, pressing a button to have the order fall through.
There was a whirring noise as a holographic projection illuminated itself and covered the D.B. Express, disguising itself into an exact replica of the delivery trucks. She started it up, and drove, falling into line behind the others. "You're not the only one who can disappear," she muttered.
In the night, everyone was sleeping soundly, some soft snores taking away from the total silence. That, and the clicking of the keyboard to Alexus's laptop and she struggled to take one of her quizzes for one of her online classes.
Jay sighed, wide awake by no fault of anyone else's but his own mind. He slowly sat up and got out of bed, seeing Lloyd sit up, looking for the source of sound. "Couldn't sleep either?" he whispered. Kai jumped down from the top bunk he was sharing. "Not when we still have to get Zane and Cole back," he whispered back.
Lloyd grunted, placing his hands on his lower back and pushing, trying to pop it. "Speaking of backs, these new beds are the worst," he complained. "Not mine, Artimus enchanted mine so it would feel like mine from the suite," Alexus whispered over to them, submitting her quiz, her heart calming down at the 87% that was flashing at her. She shut her laptop down and laid down to sleep as Lloyd turned to the other ninja. "All right let's do-"
Before he could finish, the lights turned on and a gong started banging, startling them all. "Quick, back in bed!" Kai whispered before they all literally jumped onto the tough mattresses. Alexus shot up from her bed as the other masters woke up, Chen's workers and Clouse walking into the room.
"Good morning, fighters!" Clouse called happily, seeming to revel in their misery. "Oh, that's right, it's the middle of the night," he corrected himself, his dramatic flare greatly mimicking Chen's in the most annoying way possible.
They workers walked over to the Masters who were still in bed and grabbed their feet. "Hey, what are you doing?" Lloyd asked. "Do you know what time it is?" Jay snapped as someone grabbed his ankle. Alexus held her sword and pointed it with a sleep-depraved glare as some creepy looking guy was about to grab her ankle. "Touch me in any way, shape, or form and I will shove this so far up your-"
He quickly threw the objects on her bed and ran away quickly. "Roller skates?" Kai asked, already up and struggling to move. Alexus got her own skates on and stood on them evenly, getting used to the feel. The other Masters made their way out of their beds. "Excellent," Artimus muttered to himself.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Kai yelled as he suddenly fell flat on his back, right in front of Skylor. She helped him up to his feet. "Thanks," he smiled, holding her hand for a little longer than necessary for getting some balance. "Let me guess, another one of Chen's impromptu battles?" Lloyd asked, getting into an even feel for his balance.
"Oh, roller skates!" Jay claimed happily, moving very easily. "I love roller skates!" He jumped into a triple axle almost on command, landing cleaning. "Ah, I'm more of an ice skater, but same principle," Artimus called, sliding through just as easily, holding his hand out to Alexus.
"We should be getting used to this by now," Lloyd commented. "Did I ever mention I once placed first in the Mother-Son skate off?" Jay asked excitedly, turning and twisting, laughing a bit before realizing his words. "I should have never admitted that," he muttered, coming to a stop in front of the Master of Light. "Weirdo," he muttered.
"Ah, yes. I ice skated with... my mum..." Artimus trailed off, letting go of Alexus's hand and looking off to the distance. "Aw, were you a mommy's boy?" Kai called tauntingly. Artimus was in front of him in a second, lifting him up by the front of his shirt. "Don't you ever talk about my mother," he growled, the darkened rage in his eyes freezing Kai down to his core.
"Master Chen wants everyone in the Royal Arena," Clouse called, "I wouldn't be late if I were you." Skylor skated over to the man. "If most of us have already fought, why are we all in skates?" she asked. "Only two of you will be fighting, but the rest of you will have a chance to... affect the outcome," he informed her.
Griffin skated over quickly. "Who's fighting? Tell us now," he demanded, a grin on his face, liking the power of deciding someone's fate in the tournament. Clouse gestured for the workers to leave, and they rushed out behind him as he started to back away. "The Green Ninja versus the Master of Form," he informed them before closing the doors behind him, leaving the Masters to talk among themselves.
"Master of Form? Who's that?" Lloyd asked Kai. "You haven't heard? I hear she can look like anyone. She'd be right under your nose and by the time you figure it out, she's already discovered all your weaknesses, then it's game over." Artimus observed their conversation, at the ease Kai suddenly had skating around Lloyd.
"But you're the Green Ninja, what weaknesses could you have?" Kai clamped his hand down on Lloyd's shoulder. Lloyd grunted again. "Ugh. Aside from a sore back, not many," Lloyd contemplated.
"Thanks," Kai waved him off before sliding away. "Skates," a familiar voice spoke next to him. He turned and saw the fire ninja who he was just talking to approach from the opposite side, barely managing to keep his balance enough to stay upright. "Kai?" he asked, utterly confused. "Why did it have to be skates?" Kai muttered before falling flat on his face again.
They watched as the other Kai started chuckling, his voice suddenly very high pitch, and not his voice at all. "Watch your back, Green Ninja," Camille called before turning away, forming into her original body, which was of loud, 80's volume reminiscent purple hair, and a light purple corset. "Oh, she's very smart," Artimus commented, skating past them, that irritating smirk on his face.
In the factory, the work was dull, repetitive, and mind-numbing as Cole continued chopping noodles. In the distance, the sound of a door swinging shut right by the guard caught Jacob's attention. He didn't hear the guard's loud and consistent belching, so he must have been gone.
Cole turned to watch as Jacob made his move. The former Master of Sound ducked down, crawling backwards under the conveyor belt that transported Chen's Noodle House signature to-go boxes. Jacob strained his one guiding sense to listen, hearing a guard walk above him, probably on a sky-walk but the footsteps were getting a little quieter with each step, so he was walking away, meaning his back was turned. Jacob dropped down and rolled from behind one crate to another.
Cole turned, smiling, but Karloff grabbed his wrist and shoulder, stopping him from a pursuit. "Make noodles, not trouble," the larger man reminded him. Even without his powers, he was still big and probably strong and bared a little resemblance to a bear, so Cole heeded his advice.
They watched as Jacob hid behind a machine, out of view from the guards in two directions, since there was a large box in front of him. He stayed for a second as he heard the guard stop right in a position where he could be spotted if he moved. Then he heard the footsteps start again, so he ducked behind a large cart of supplies and pushed it softly, the movement diverting the guard's attention while he quickly and quietly made his way to the door, pressing against a wall as he opened it.
Cole opened his mouth to warn him of the sight of Clouse, who was approaching, but Rylan pressed his hands against his jaw, clamping his mouth shut before he could. Jacob turned the corner and crashed right into Clouse. He tried to turn away and run, but Clouse grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back.
"Hey!" Jacob shouted, "Not one of you could've warned me?" he called. Cole was struggling against Rylan, so Karloff quickly restrained him and dragged him back to their positions while Rylan kept him quiet.
"Make an example of him," Clouse called to the guards in a bored voice. "Take him to feed my serpent," he pushed him to one of the larger guards, who picked up the small man like he was a couple of grapes.
Rylan and Karloff finally let go of Cole, who stepped back quickly. "Feed his serpent?" Cole repeated to them. "He doesn't mean-?"
Karloff just grunted and Rylan looked away as they both walked back to their stations. "Karloff not make trouble, Karloff make noodle," Karloff replied, pulling the dangling lever, dropping a bag of slower on Cole on accident, coating him entirely. "Ugh, I am so not into this dumpling dump after all," he groaned.
The Masters were walking to the Royal Arena. "I don't like the look of this," Lloyd muttered as they walked through a darkened hallway. "Don't worry, we got your back," Kai assured him, finally getting the hang of skating, well, that was until he got his skate snagged at an imperfection on the ground and was sent falling onto his back.
They continued making their way until they were in a large circular arena that looked like it could host a car race, except instead of roads, it was rich red wooden boards that covered the surface of the outlandish rink. The floor that they emerged from closed behind Kai, and Chen's voice spoke out.
"Welcome to my favorite event!" he called, walking up behind them, skates on his own feet as well. "Thunderblade!"
"Hey, I know this game. Is't just like a-" Griffin was cut off by Chen. "NO! It's not like that! This is my game, I made it up!" he called defensively, pouting like a small kid, which made him look more like a man-child in Alexus's eyes. "FULLY ORIGINAL!"
Chen stopped in front of a large rack of helmets that were only two colors. He pulled out two Jade Blades. "A Jade Blade for you, Lloyd, Master of Power," he called, tossing it to him before tossing him a green helmet. "And another for Camille, Master of Form." He tossed her her own Jade Blade before tossing her an orange helmet.
"Rules are simple. Each lap you complete with your blade in possession, a point," he gestured to the single white line on the ground, stretching across the rink before he gestured to the large scoreboard with Lloyd and Camille's pictures on either side, a timer of fourteen minutes and the scores currently at zero. "Most points before time expires, you win."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Griffin interjected, "What about us?" he asked. "Are we supposed to just stand here?"
Chen grinned, a dark grin that make Alexus and Artimus think of Artimus's father. "You get to help anyone you wish, or hurt for that matter. You're free to choose sides, I'm not a dictator." Alexus watched as one by one, the other Masters that weren't the ninja, her, or Artimus walked over and grabbed orange helmets.
She felt some anxiety as she watched both Skylor and Shade take orange helmets. "I'm shocked you didn't grab an orange one," she muttered and both her and Artimus grabbed green helmets. "You guys are the best hope I have of seeing my brother again," he muttered back, fixing the straps around his chin. "Besides, you can clearly skate. You're good at it, despite every other coordinated cue that you've given thus far, so we should be optimal partners in this venture."
She was left wondering whether she needed to punch him or thank him for the compliment.
"What was that you said about us having targets on our backs?" Lloyd asked Jay as they watched the group of other masters join together, which outnumbered their five by one. "Don't worry, we're still a tea-!" Kai was in the middle of saying before accidentally rolling right by them and once again, falling flat. Jay sighed as he looked at their lineup.
There was Kai, the human disaster, and Artimus, who would definitely sell them out the second it was in his better interest. "I gotta be honest, this doesn't look good," he warned Jay as they looked at the other team, which consisted of the Masters of Speed, Poison, Amber, Shadow, Light, and Form.
They all got into position and loud music started, which Alexus didn't care for, so she stuck her wireless earbuds in and put her MP3 in a secure pouch on her new holster that she invested in. She was just waiting for the entire thing to start so she could listen to her Frightened!at the Opera and Veronica: the Musical.
Chen was now in his throne at the center of the entire area, perfect for viewing. "Lloyd, Master of Power versus Camille, Master of Form!" he announced, gesturing to the two Masters at the start line, the rest of the Masters at the side, divided into two. "Most laps with their Jade Blade when time tuns out wins! Loser is out!" he announced.
"Thunderbladers, on your mark!" he called, so they all got into position. "Get set!" Lloyd was feeling considerably more nervous than his opponent. Chen leaned back, turning in his chair. "Good luck to everyone! But mostly to Camille because we all want the Green Ninja out. Now go!"
Lloyd and Camille rushed into skating, going forward as quick as they could, they had a head start, seeing as they were the actual competitors. "Oh, how about some spectator ambience?" Chen asked, looking to Clouse and Garmadon, who were sitting at his right, watching as well. Chen pressed a button and cheering from imaginary crowds sounded from the speakers.
There was a horn blaring, signifying the start of the others, and the elemental masters raced off after their team leaders. "It's us against the world, guys!" Jay called to Artimus, Alexus, and Kai. "If Lloyd has any chance of moving forward in the tournament, it's up to us!" He sped ahead, but Kai started falling behind because of his lack of skills. Skylor slowed down to be next to him.
"Lloyd's your greatest competition," she warned. "If he loses today, what's left to stand in your way from winning it all?" she asked. "I'd never think of it," Kai answered, so Skylor pushed past him. "Maybe you should," she advised, as he lost his balance and fell yet again.
Lloyd and Camille rushed, making it through the mark, crossing at the same time.
The other masters started purposefully bumping into Kai, Jay, Alexus, and Artimus, surrounding them, trying to hinder them. "Bump into me one more time and I swear I'll kill someone!" Artimus shouted, pushing Griffin away from him. Lloyd and Camille caught up to the group. "We have to give him room!" Jay told Kai. "And how are we supposed to do that?" Kai asked. "I got an idea, don't touch anyone!" Jay warned. "Then who am I supposed to hold onto?" Kai asked, flailing before Artimus grabbed his arm, setting him straight.
Alexus listened to Jay's plan and nodded as he whispered it in her ear. "Got it!" she said before separating. Jay sped forward before sending a shot at the opposing skaters, causing some involuntary muscle spasms, making them skate out of the way. "Thanks," Lloyd called, skating past them, but Kai let go of Artimus's arm and accidentally grabbed Lloyd's. "Sorry!" he called while getting dragged along, tripping over his own feet and dragging Lloyd down with him.
Alexus groaned and kept up with the other Masters. "Use your power!" Kai called to Lloyd. "On roller skates? Are you crazy?" Lloyd asked, pushing himself up. "I'd never stay on the track!" he started rolling away, trying to catch up.
Jay caught up to Kai. "You're supposed to be helping, not hurting his chances!" he scolded Kai as the fire ninja struggled to get himself up. "Thanks for the tip, but I can't skate!" Kai complained. Artimus zipped past them, grabbed Kai's arm. "I'll teach you some quick tips. But you have to shut up and let Alexus and Jay help Lloyd for now," he informed Kai. The red ninja looked at the scoreboard, it was 2-1 for Camille. It wasn't a huge lead, but it could accumulate more and more. He looked at Artimus and nodded.
On the docks, the line of delivery vans were lined up as a boat pulled into the dock, the horn blowing, signalling that they were about to board.
Nya was watching the entire process, last in the line of trucks. "Nothing unusual to see here," she muttered to herself as she pulled forward. "Just a technologically advanced mobile base camouflaged as a noodle truck." Her own words barely assured her, but she couldn't turn away now, not when the guys and Alexus were missing.
Suddenly, there was a banging on the passenger door, making her jump back and scream. "I beg of you, you gotta tell Master Chen not to give up on the Puffy Potstickers!" Oh, it was Dareth. Her heart rate went down and she sighed, looking away. Maybe if she ignored him, he would go away, but then again, she was getting close to the inspection crew, and the last thing she needed was for anything or anyone to draw attention to her.
She rolled down the window to reveal herself. "Huh? Nya? When did you start slinging noodles?" Dareth asked, rather loudly. "Quiet! You're gonna blow my cover!" she hissed. "Cover? Oh, my gosh, you're on a mission!" Dareth claimed excitedly, touching part of her truck, only to see an image flash in and out as his hand came in contact with it. "And why is your truck tripping me out?" he asked.
Nya groaned and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the car and rolling the window back up hurriedly. She watched the crew, trying to see if they noticed Dareth, but they were still preoccupied with checking the truck in front of her.
"Far out," Dareth commented, looking around the interior. "Uh, but wait a minute! I don't see any noodles," he pointed out, making Nya loose her cool, especially with the stress of having him here. "It's not a noodle truck!" she informed him, getting close, and intimidating the incompetent man as her voice was filled with barely concealed rage. She took a deep breath. "It's my only hope of finding the ninja and Alexus," her voice was a lot softer now as she pulled back into the driver's seat.
"The ninja have gone missing?" Dareth asked excitedly. "Sounds like a job for-!"
"No, it's not," Nya cut him off sharply. "You're not coming with me." Dareth looked ahead. "Looks like you don't have a choice," he informed her, smiling, as the inspection crew waved Nya forward. "Somehow, I know I"m gonna regret this," she muttered, pulling forward, no choice, as Dareth said, but to give in and let him tag along.
Six and a half minutes left on the clock, and Camille was still up one point, the score reading 4-3. "Thunderblade never fails to deliver," Chen clapped lightly while watching the events unfold on the large rink. "Did you know I hold the record with a hundred points?" he asked Garmadon, who was also watching with keen interest. "Clouse can attest. Tell him, Clouse."
"You were born with skates on, Master," Clouse replied automatically, albeit, monotonously, as if though (and it probably was) this form of validation was needed every time Thunderblade was played on the island. "True story," Chen confirmed. "True story, hmph," Garmadon repeated skeptically to himself, but making no effort to conceal his opinions, "Just like all his far-fetched endeavors."
Clouse leaned in closer to him. "There was once a time when you were quite comfortable with lying," he whispered into the sensei's ear. "It worked on Misako, didn't it?" Garmadon didn't turn to face the man. "And it worked on the Siller boy's father, right?"
"Button, button, I love buttons," Chen sung happily as he looked at the row upon row of buttons on the arms of his throne, ignoring the growing tensions between the two.
He watched as the Masters of Speed, Mind, and Light crowded around Lloyd, slowing him down. "Aha! Let's even the playing field, shall we?" he asked himself as Lloyd pushed pasted them, breaking free of the small barricade. He pressed a button, and immediately, a ramp appeared, lifting Lloyd up, startling him.
However, Lloyd adapted quickly and instead of tripping, he turned himself in the air, gaining control of his landing and landed in a crouch on the ground, now more free of the masters attacking him, and rolling forward. However, when a ramp opened under Kai and Artimus, the latter still giving the former quick tips, Kai was dislodged from Artimus's arm, falling through the air and onto his back while Artimus also adapted and flew off the ramp, twirling a solid 1,080 degrees before landing gracefully on the ground. "Try and catch up to me!" he called to Kai as he continued moving forward.
Jay looked behind him and saw Lloyd approaching. "Grab my hand! I'll whip you!" he called, holding his arm out behind him. Lloyd reached and grabbed on and Jay yelled while using all his strength to pulling Lloyd forward and over the line, until Lloyd started laughing, and Jay realized his mistake. It was Camille he just gave a slight advantage to.
Camille quickly joined her following. "Aww, his back is hurting him," she laminated mockingly to Shade. "Shadow, strike his back," she ordered him, gesturing to where Lloyd and Jay were struggling to catch up. The two of them watched as Shade disappeared. "Wait, where'd the Master of Shadow go?" Jay asked, looking around. Unbeknownst to them, Shade emerged from the shadows behind them, and Alexus was about to call out to them, but Shade pushed his back before she could.
Lloyd groaned and went sprawling to the ground, the Blade falling out of his hand in front of him. Camille's following grabbed the blade and started riding away with it, laughing. Alexus quickly swooped in and grabbed Shade's arm and dragged him away before he cause more trouble for Lloyd. "Don't make me kick your butt again," she warned. He smirked. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied before disappearing.
Jay slammed into the Master of Light, who had Lloyd's Jade Blade, making him throw it as he lost his balance balance, so Jay snatched it up in the air. "You didn't learn that in your Mother-Son skate off, did you?" Lloyd asked as he caught up, impressed. "It was a fierce competition, Lloyd!" Jay replied defensively as he handed the blade back to his friend. "And this isn't the time to judge. It's the time to skate faster!"
Three masters advanced on Lloyd, Jay, and Alexus, pushing against them, slowing down Lloyd and preventing Jay and Alexus from helping. Kai was making his way across the rink, slow and mostly steady until he nearly few backwards as the Master of Poison passed by him quickly.
Griffin Turner watched as they skated, before crashing into Kai right in front of him, sending them both to the ground. Jay laughed as they continued skating, one of their threats down for now. They watched as the Master of Poison turned around to face them, sending a green mist their way. "Watch out for the poison cloud!" Jay called, and he and Alexus went down to one side while Lloyd went up on the other, but Kai went straight through it, suddenly growing very light headed and dizzy. "Thanks for the warning," he groaned before collapsing.
"Release the buggy!" Chen called before pressing another button. Immediately, a large vehicle emerged from below the rink, a large portion opening up into a giant ramp. "Holy crap!" Alexus shouted when she saw it drive towards them. Jay and Lloyd were fighting off two other Masters who were coming at them, until Jay heard the engine grow louder. "LOOK OUT, LLOYD!" he shouted before pushing Lloyd out of the way of the vehicle.
As they watched it pass by, they noticed Camille, gripping the tail end decoration of the car, laughing as she passed by them. "Holy crap, she just Marty McFly'd us!" Alexus shouted. "She has the lead and she gets a lift?" Lloyd called out incredulously as Jay helped him back up. "I know Chen wants me out, but this is getting ridiculous!"
Lloyd sped off, Jay right after him as the Master of Poison skated right by him. "Sorry, Tox," he apologized before pushing her down. "Must be my allergies kicking in!"
Camille formed a chain with her other team mates, and they all rode on the end of the car, and as it passed Lloyd, the three masters let go of her and swarmed on him, restraining him. Jay, Alexus, and Artimus started catching up, Jay pushing against Neuro, who immediately let go of Lloyd to push back. Griffin came up on Jay's other side and grabbed his arm. "Check this out!" he called before sliding behind Jay and grabbing his shoulders before he started skating to his super speed, pushing Jay across the track at a disorienting and scary pace, round and around they went until Artimus placed a well time charm to send Griffin tripping over his feet, shoving Jay away from him, but unfortunately, into Lloyd and Alexus.
"We are so not loved," Jay groaned as Lloyd's heels dug into his stomach, but arm was on Alexus's neck, so she was having a hard time breathing.
Camille scored her 8th point, and Kai was still struggling as Skylor skated up to him. "You're very convincing," she complimented at his incompetence. "In no time, Lloyd will be out."
"This did wonders for my back, though," Lloyd observed before he, Jay, and Alexus sped off.
"-And he'll never suspect," Skylor added before speeding off. Kai looked at the scoreboard, seeing it was 8-5 with four minutes left. "Ugh! That's it!" Kai's temper started to light up at the grim-looking prospects. "I may not be able to skate, but that doesn't mean I can't help."
"That's the spirit, Kai!" Artimus cheered, casually soaring past him. "Use your utter failure to Lloyd's advantage!" Kai's temper flared worse, which was exactly what he needed. His hands lit on fire, and he pushed them back, giving him the thrust to go fast, right past Skylor, uncontrollably, however, but he was nearing up on Camille, still riding the back of the car.
He grabbed onto her arm, his lack of balance not only throwing her off, but disrupting the steady going of the car as the ornament that Camille was hanging onto jerked around, throwing the driver off as it began to turn uncontrollably. Kai got Camille to trip, bringing them both down and letting go of the car as it spiraled out of control and skidded to a stop, now out of comission because the driver abandoned it, frightened of getting injured.
Camille dropped the Blade, the knife flying through the air and landing on the ground, where Jay picked it up, laughing. Lloyd held up his blade victoriously, no obstacles in his path for once. "Nice, Kai! Now you're cooking with fire!" Jay called over to his friend. Kai was about to get up, but Camille used him as a stepping stool to get back on the track before she sped off after Jay. "I got it, you want it!" Jay sung tauntingly before throwing it over to Alexus. "Come and get it!" she called as Camille neared, throwing herself at the smaller girl, who danced out of the way. "Too slow!" She spun out of the way again, turning 360 degrees on her toes, but the other masters were right behind her, so when she spun out of the way one more time, Camille ended up crashing into them, sending a majority of her squad down.
She and Jay high fived as they continued on. Lloyd jumped over the pile of people, advancing with a newfound confidence in his rudimentary team.
Skylor skated up to Kai, who had finally managed to get to his feet, holding onto the tire. "What are you doing?" she asked. "We need Lloyd out." Kai turned to face her. "We need to stick together. I'm a ninja," he reminded her. She scoffed. "That's right, and the rest of us aren't. I should've known better," she pushed past him and started skating away again, watching as she fell in line with the rest of her team mates.
He thought about what she said, about their exclusion of the other Masters, and how that was their undoing in the first place. He slowly made his way, skating as Jay pulled up to him. "Lloyd's closing the gap, but the clock's against us," Jay informed him. "So is everyone else," Kai added.
"Garmadon's right. The more we exclude everyone, the more they gang up on us."
"What are you saying?" Jay asked. "I'm saying, why don't we tell them about Chen? If others knew what this tournament was really about, maybe they'd help us!" Kai theorized. "What was that?" Alexus asked, pulling up to them. "You guys still never told me about any of whatever it is you found!" she pointed out. "Oh, right..." Kai muttered. Jay sighed. "Worth a try, but time's running out, and Lloyd's got a lot of ground to make up."
Suddenly, Camille body chucked Alexus, startling her and making her fall to the ground, throwing the blade in the air. "Give me that! I got a job to finish!" she shouted, grabbing the blade mid-air and speeding off. Artimus helped Alexus up. "That was just plain rude," he muttered before they continued going. "You were with them, what is Chen really up to?" was all Alexus replied. Artimus looked down at her before resolving to tell her the truth.
Kai saw the one person who would believe him, and maneuvered his way to her, grabbing onto Skylor's arm. "Are you trying to take me out too?" she snapped.
"No. You're right. We aren't all ninja, but Chen's the real enemy," he informed her, struggling to get back to his feet, Skylor literally dragging him along. "He doesn't care about who wins, he only wants to steal our powers so that he can perform some sort of spell," he explained quickly.
"A spell?" Mr. Pale asked, pulling up to them, "What kind of spell?"
"I don't know, but we have to stay in the tournament to find out."
"This isn't about Lloyd winning," Jay explained to Griffin, "It's about all of us stopping Chen."
"And why are you telling me this now?" Griffin asked skeptically. "Because it's never too late to do the right thing," Lloyd answered confidently, pulling up to them. "You bozos were keeping this from me?" Alexus asked. "You never asked," Artimus replied, making Alexus shove him, but he kept his balance.
Neuro pushed Tox out of the way as she was about to push Lloyd over. "He's telling the truth. I know," he informed his team mates, gesturing to his head. "Then why have you now decided to help?" Jay asked. "I'd rather be on the winning team," Neuro replied casually. "Ah, a man after my own ambitions," Artimus commented.
"Let's win this thing!" Lloyd called, and they all continued on.
Kai was body slammed by Camille just as she finished explaining to Skylor, hissing at him for converting her team mates before she sped off, leaving them by the car.
The car had re-entered the track, roaring past the Masters and pulling up to Lloyd. "Need a lift?" Kai asked from the driver's side. "You took the buggy," Lloyd observed, impressed. "We took the buggy," Kai pulled forward a bit to show Skylor in the backseat. "Take the wheel!" he ordered, moving to the side as Lloyd hopped in, Skylor and Kai jumping out.
Lloyd used his powers to morph the car into something a little more his taste, which was green.
Chen watched in seething anger, pushing the ramp button, making the car go into the air, but it landed cleanly over the line, earning Lloyd yet another point.
Suddenly, one of Alexus's favorite songs came on her earbuds. "'After the Blackout', heck yeah!" she called, holding her arm out to Artimus, who pulled her in and threw her, so she could turn in a double axle in the air.
Griffin sped up to Tox. "Cut the green guy some slack," he called, pushing her out of the way before she could send another poison cloud to make him pass out at his seat.
With a minute and a half left, Lloyd was still down by one point at 11-10. Chen angrily slammed his hands down on various buttons as he watched Lloyd speed across the track, sending obstacle after obstacle in an attempt to throw him off course, but none of it worked as he drove, passing by Camille until she was a purple speck in his rear view mirror.
Chen growled with simmering rage, the boarding tantrum making Garmadon smirk. The score was now tied, 12-12 with one minute, 26 seconds left on the clock.
Lloyd continued evading Chen's traps and sped past the Masters until he pulled up to Camille. "We don't have to keep fighting each other!" he called. "We can all win!" She looked at him, smiling. "All of us?" she asked. "United," Lloyd assured her, reaching out his hand. She reached out, grabbing his hand, getting a firm grip before she pulled him out, sending him sprawling to the ground at a high velocity, laughing as she pulling ahead. "Only one can remain," she quoted to herself.
She continued skating, dodging a ramp in the ground, but Lloyd used the ramp to his advantage, traveling up it and making himself as small as possible to reduce wind resistance, the impact of his land pushing him forward with enough thrust to catch up to Camille.
She turned and brought her Jade Blade down on him, but he used his own to block, and they engaged in a combat of the Blades.
"Lloyd might win," Chen growled. "Do something!" he commanded Clouse. "Silicore-" the man started muttering, his hands forming a dark purple mist, but Garmadon rushed at him, tackling him, preventing him from finishing the spell. Clouse looked over at the keeper of the score board and gave a nod. Garmadon followed his gaze until he saw the man turn around and start to lower Lloyd's score.
Kai watched as well. "He's rigging the match! I'll stop him!" He ignited his hands, but Skylor moved forward. "Let me," she said before holding her hand out, using her powers over gravity to make the man with the score card float in the air, so he couldn't fix it.
Lloyd and Camille continued racing, Camille trying to slam him off course, but Lloyd held his own, pushing back against her. The rest of the Masters watched in worry, watching as Camille and Lloyd began fighting with the Blades again, Camille going low, aiming to cut at Lloyd's ankles, but he jumped up, the miss making Camille lose her balance and fall, knocking him down with her, the blade being knocked out of her hand.
Lloyd shook his head clear and slowly lifted his head as Camille leaped forward, landing on him, knocking him back down as she jumped off him, but he held out his blade, knicking her heel, making her fall as well. They both got back up, skating as fast as they could, Camille bumping him back. There were 5 seconds left on the clock, the finish line so close as Camille skated forward, Lloyd turning to get back forward, but she finished first, time out.
They skidded to a stop, panting loudly as they all looked at the scoreboard, time stopping for a second as they looked at each other. However, Lloyd held up his Jade Blade in victory, and Camille looked down at her hands, ice filling her veins and dread seizing her as she realized her Jade Blade wasn't with her.
"She doesn't have her blade!" Jay cried in realization, as Camille looked back and saw her Jade Blade way back, across from the other side of the finish line, where she had forgotten it when she fell.
The rest of the Masters caught up to them. "Lloyd won!" Kai cried, cheers coming from the group as they surrounded the green ninja. "Oops, I almost forgot," Skylor realized as she looked at the man still hovering next to the board. She held up her hand and dropped him, making him land, throwing the "1" card as he fell a small distance to the platform, but also knocking the numbers down, the 1 falling in front of the now revealed "0" and the "3" falling to reveal a "6" showing Lloyd'd score to be a whopping 106 points.
"Look at that," Garmadon pointed out to Chen slyly, "he broke your record."
That comment, coupled with the loss of Camille sent Chen over the edge. "No. No! NO!" he shouted, jumping off his throne, pointing over at Lloyd. "He cheated! Lloyd loses!" he shouted, his voice going high, like it was on the verge of breaking into pathetic whimpers.
Griffin pushed forward, making his way to the front of the crowd. "No way, Lloyd won fair and square!" he claimed. "You were the one who cheated!"
Chen crossed his arms in a pout and sat back down on his throne. "My tournament. My rules!" he claimed, turning his back to them. "And just what rules are those?" Mr. Pale called out. "If Lloyd's out, then so am I!"
"Me too!" Kai rushed forward. "And me three!" Jay rushed forward. "If you kick us all out, what kind of tournament will you have?" Skylor asked the back of his chair, making Chen turn back around. Chen looked over at Clouse, who just have him a simple nod, but that was not the answer Chen wanted. He stuttered to find his words before taking a breath. "Fine, have it your way," he snapped. "Form loses!" he pressed a button, and immediately, Camille fell down a trap door, screaming all the while, making Shade, Alexus, and Tox jump back in shock.
However, the other Masters cheered, Lloyd was still with them, and that was good. Alexus skated over to Shade. "No hard feelings?" she asked, holding her hand out to him. He shook it. "No hard feelings," he assured her. Kai threw his hand in the air, which knocked him off balance, making him fall onto his back, but this time, Skylor caught him before he could land harshly.
Skylor quickly lifted him up and pulled him close before speaking quietly. "If what you say is true, you are playing a dangerous game," she warned him. "Chen will find other ways to get you out of the tournament."
"Which is why we'll need all the friends we can get," Kai informed her. "There's always hope."
Down in the dark caverns, the factory workers that were in Cole's group were being led back to their cells after a long day of hard, involuntary labor. Rylan's cell was in another section, so he was put in a different group, so Cole wouldn't see him probably until they were forced to work again, but thankfully, Karloff was with him. The guard leading them had a chain that was connected to a ring around their middles, one after another, so they couldn't run off. Cole was looking down, not making trouble, still covered in flower when he heard a voice.
"I don't know, Pixal, but I sense these chains are unbreakable." Cole looked up, the empty, sinking feeling that had been in his heart for a long time suddenly feeling light, the storm that had been in his head, eating at the back of his mind and getting heavier with each day suddenly clearing up. It couldn't be, could it?
He looked at the cell door that he heard the voice from, stopping for a second before looking ahead. They were still walking forward slowly, but he quickly moved to the door, quietly as possible and peered inside. Karloff looked over at him. "What are you doing? Don't make trouble!" he warned, whisper shouted at the former ninja who had a hopeful smile on his face and seemed to be in a trance.
He stood on his toes and called out to the small hole in the door, "Zane, is that you?"
The worker in front of Karloff stopped as the end of the chain was reached, stretched out to the limit. Then the worker after him stopped, then the next one until it reached the guard. "What's the holdup?" he asked, looking back. "One second, Karloff tie shoe," Karloff called, covering up for Cole.
Cole glanced over for a second, thankful before looking into the cell, getting his first proper look inside. He watched as a head appeared from the bottom, before slowly lifting to reveal the metal face of the man who he thought was dead for the last year. Cole laughed, happy for the first time in a long one. "You're alive!" he cried, nearly breaking down then in there, but something struck him. "And you're silver?" he asked.
"Titanium," Zane corrected him. "Cole, you look white," he observed, making Cole laugh, the longing he hadn't even known he felt disappearing. "Boy, it's great to see you! Look at that! You look brand-new!"
"Tie shoe? What shoe?" the guard suddenly realized. The workers all had on work boots that didn't have laces because they were a "one size fits all" ordeal.
"Hold tight, lug nut. I'm getting you out of here," Cole assured his friend, holding his hand up to the door so Zane to hold onto it. "I'm getting us both out of here. That's a promise." They let go, and Zane retreated back into his cell while Cole got back into position as the guard walked over to Karloff. "Where is Cole?" he asked before shoving the former Master of Metal to the side, only to reveal Cole, standing to the side. "Right here!" he informed the guard. "Keep it real, big guy, it looks like you've seen a ghost."
The guard started to walk back to the front of the line, ignoring him. "From here on out, Karloff, I'm making more than noodles," he informed the man in front of him as they started walking again. "I'm making trouble. Chen can try his best to split up our team, but he's about to find out what happens when we put ourselves back together."
The sun broke over the horizon, as the dawn of a new day approached. On the sea, it was so clear, the sky was pink, the mist hanging over the ocean reflecting it. The ferry blew its horn, signalling that it was approaching land. Nya and Dareth sat on top of the truck, enjoying the ocean air and the morning scenery, watching as an island appeared out of the fog and grew larger as the boat grew closer.