Hey guys! I know this one seems like the final chapter, but it's not! I'm writing a few chapters of epilogue after this that's going to be a bit more slice-of-life style, so stay tuned for that! I'd like to thank you all for your support, and that I smile like an idiot at every single amazing thing you guys say. Enjoy the latest chapter!
"Guys!" Kai croaked out as he struggled to hold himself up. "Garmadon stole my element with the gun! Cole, watch-!"
His warning was interrupted by a zap as Garmadon fired again, and Kai saw Cole crumple to the ground, barely conscious. Garmadon pointed the gun at the ground and fired, and a large earthquake immediately shook the area. Jay saw the blast before it hit and dodged, rolling out of the way as a stalactite crashed and shattered where he was standing. He and Lloyd now faced Garmadon alone.
"Lloyd, I have a really bad feeling about this," Jay gulped as Garmadon pointed the gun once again, and fired. Jay ducked as fire roared above his head, and Lloyd shot an ice blast at his father, only for it to miss.
"Between your brain and my power, I'm sure we can figure something out," Lloyd panted, firing electricity and missing again.
"Hey, I have power too, you know," Jay huffed, zapping a boulder into pebbles.
"Now's not the time for that. We've got the snakes out of the way. It's just us versus him. We can do it," Lloyd assured him. Jay rolled his eyes, but smiled at the Green Ninja nonetheless.
"Then let's kick some ray gun butt."
They rolled out of the way as a power-thieving ray struck in between them, both firing a retaliating shot. Jay with a large lightning bolt, and Lloyd with a fire blast. Garmadon put up an ice shield, and Lloyd frowned as his fire merely melted the barrier. It was when Jay shot an extra powerful bolt of lightning at their opponent that Lloyd got an idea. Jay seemed to realize it to, as he turned to Lloyd with a maniacal gleam in his eyes.
"Shall we?" Lloyd held out his hand to the Lightning Ninja and Jay took it gladly, sparks flying where their skin connected. "Remember, aim for the gun."
"No," Jay forcefully pulled Lloyd back, shooting ice out of the air. "If we kill the gun, Zane dies with it, remember?"
"Right," Lloyd nodded. "My bad. Ready?"
"Yup," Jay raised their hands in triumph, and they both summoned as much electricity as they could, pouring it into the other person. With one last laugh, Jay summoned it and aimed for Garmadon's feet, trying to avoid the gun as much as he could. With a shout, Garmadon dropped the gun, clutching his sides as sparks rippled through him. Jay saw his opportunity and scrambled for the gun, but Garmadon saw that coming.
Knowing that the ninja would catch up to him if he ran, he decided that if he couldn't use his weapon, nobody could. He pressed a small button, and laughed as Jay realized what had happened. He ripped Zane's power source out of the device and scrambled away on all fours as he fell backward.
The weapon self-destructed, launching dirt and dust into the ninja's faces, causing them to cough and cover their eyes. When they opened them, Garmadon was gone, and Jay was clutching Zane's power source to his chest. Cole rose to his feet, albeit shaky, and found he was able to manipulate the earth again. Kai thawed the ice encasing his feet, and stood weakly as well.
"His eyes..." Jay picked up a completely shattered camera, so small it would look completely ordinary to anyone except mechanics. "Gone. There's no way to recover them."
Jay let the machinery drop, his face wearing a mask of sorrow.
"Let's go see if we can find him," Lloyd gently tugged at his friend, and Jay sighed, nodding.
After a long time of searching and hiding from snakes, they eventually found Zane on a workbench, hatch torn off and parts missing. Cole gingerly picked him up, cradling the Ice Ninja as though he would break at any moment.
They went back to the Bounty in silence, the only sounds being the methodical march of their feet and the wind whistling around them. Jay spent the whole time staring at Zane's heart, the blue energy pulsing and giving off a strange warmth for being the heart of someone with mastery over ice.
It was only when they reached the Bounty and Jay laid his friend out on his work table did he let the first tears fall. He buried his face in his arms, and cried, Zane power source laying a few feet away. He had failed him. He had one chance to get his eyes and give him back a normal life but he just let it slip away.
And now here he was, crying as his friend lay dead and broken on his work table, wires missing and scars from who knows what littering his arms. He knew it was stupid. He knew he was being irrational and Zane would just want him to shut up and-
With a sudden burst of energy, he grabbed Zane's heart and shoved it into its place, not caring about how broken his friend was or how much work needed to be done. All he wanted to do was see Zane again.
The Ice Ninja, realizing that he was awake and not tied down, sat up carefully, aware of every aching joint. Jay couldn't help but hug his friend tightly, and Zane, now sure that he was no longer in Garmadon's clutches, hugged back, letting the Lightning Ninja sob into his chest.