You know who should be working on their science report? Me. You know who isn't? Also me.
Ok, but in all seriousness, thank you for all the reviews! I don't know whether to feel terrified or excited about all the 'please hurry but take your time' emails that are sitting in my inbox. But regardless, thank you for the support!
Next chapter, of course, is the long-anticipated green ninja episode. I don't know if it will be two parts or three, but you can expect a whole lot of ribbing on Kai.
The poll on future ninja will remain up until episode 15-ish, at least. Please go vote there if you're able to. Again, I've almost reached a decision, but I'd like your input.
Whew! Now let's actually get to this story. Enjoy! This was about fifteen pages when I typed it out, making it the longest chapter yet.
The room seemed to collectively hold their breaths. Cole tried not to fidget beneath the gazes of the other five.
"I'm okay," he said, before anyone could ask. And he was. Or at least, he had to be. He scowled. Just why did all these old memories need to be dug up? He was past this. He was strong.
He blinked furiously.
The episode had been continuing in the background.
A door opens and a gaggle of serpentine dressed in glasses and wigs saunter in. The door bears a sign reading 'Treble Makers'.
"I don't know what is worse, that pun or those wigs," Nya said. She was trying to lighten the mood, and Cole was grateful for that. There was no need to drag everyone else down with his own issues.
"I dunno, I thought it was pretty clef-ver."
Kai shoved him off his beanbag. Jay made a hurt noise.
Kai: Treble makers?
Jay: Wait a minute, what are they doing here?
"Most probably, they're here to steal the Fangblade as we are."
A voice can be heard from beyond the curtain. The screen flips to show Pythor, complete with a wig, seated at the judges' table.
"Who does he think he's fooling?"
Pythor: I can't help it if I offend anyone, my only job will to be to tell the truth!
"Ya-huh. And I'm the green ninja." Cole rolled his eyes, pushing the darker thoughts to the back of his mind. "You're not fooling anyone, Pythor."
Judge: You don't look anything like your photo.
Nya snorted. "Understatement of the century."
"No, but what if that judge actually did resemble Pythor?" Kai sat up straighter in his beanbag. "Like, what if he had a long neck and was wearing purple that day?"
Jay opened his mouth several times. "Kai," he finally settled on, "just, no."
Pythor: Oh, sadly, the camera adds a few pounds. I'm just happy to have the opportunity to judge this prestigious competition!
Pythor's Stomach: Wait a minute! I'm still here! He swallowed me! He's not a judge!
"Wait, wait- what?" Cole leaned forward in his seat. "He's still alive?"
Zane spluttered. "How has he not suffocated yet? Or died from the stomach acids?"
"Magic!" Jay said. "He said it first!" he argued, pointing to the Master.
The Master ignored him.
The other judges gasp.
Pythor: Quiet! Or else I won't let you out.
"Hey Pythor, didn't you say your only job 'was to tell the truth'?"
The swallowed judge whimpers out an apology.
Enter the Blade Cup, carried between two men. They place it on its stand beside Pythor.
"Wow, that's a really big trophy!"
Cole blinked. "Didn't you see it earlier, in that picture with my dad?"
Kai shrugged. "Wasn't really paying attention."
Pythor: The Fangblade!
Judge: Ah, yeah, you mean the Blade Cup.
Pythor: Yes, yes, whatever.
Four serpentine seat themselves in the crowd. Scales tries to straighten his beard without anyone noticing.
"Because of course-" Nya rolled her eyes "-a beard will make everyone forget that you have a tail!"
"Jay should have tried that out an episode earlier!"
Kai is peeking out from behind the curtain.
Kai: Looks like we're not the only ones planning to steal the Blade Cup. Pythor's here!
Zane: This complicates things.
"How so? If we're just gonna steal it-" Jay shot Cole a look- "A couple snakes won't make that much of a difference."
"We totally kick their butts anyways," Kai added.
Jay: Then I say we make our move. We can't risk losing out again! I say we steal it.
"Woah, Jay, aren't you the one who's been talking about winning this whole time?" Nya raised an eyebrow, nevertheless grinning.
"Yeah, Jay, what happened to 'I think we can win this thing!'?"
Cole: We're not gonna steal it.
"Plot twist!" Kai called. He poked Jay in the side.
"Ow!"
Cole: We're gonna win this competition, but we're gonna do it our way.
The other three ninja wear various expressions of confusion.
Jay, Zane, and Kai: Our way?
"Our way?" Zane echoed. "What do you have in mind, Cole?"
The earth ninja was already piecing together a routine, whether he meant to or not. "I don't know, maybe a couple katas? Some spinjitzu? It's a talent show, so that doesn't limit to us to dancing and singing."
"Ooh, maybe we can do poetry!" Jay ignored the sudden eyes on him. "I already know how to do that, kinda."
"I'm pretty sure it won't be poetry, Jay. How would that even be a talent?"
The scene changes to the stage front. Two serpentine stand together, singing into microphones.
Serpentine: My poison lies over the ocean...
"Make it stop!" Kai screeched, slamming his hands over his ears. The other ninja quickly followed suit.
The old man filming looks mildly concerned.
"Me," Jay commented.
Serpentine: My poison lies over the sea!
They dance around on the stage. The two human judges cringe at their 'performance', but Pythor sways along.
"Does Pythor actually like this?" Zane asked.
"What?" Cole removed his hands.
"I was wondering if Pythor enjoyed this music, or if he was just faking it to win the blade."
"I bet he's faking."
"I don't know, Cole, his face looks pretty pleased."
Nya shook her head. "How could anyone like this?"
Serpentine: My poison lies over the ocean... Oh bring back my poison to me!
Skales and his Hypnobrai followers burst into applause. Pythor whistles, producing a score card of ten. The crowd boos.
The other judges rate the performance with sixes.
"Wait, six? How the heck did they get that high of a rating?"
Pythor hisses at them, and they are quick to flip their cards so that the sixes become nines.
"How awfully convenient." Even though he had already predicted the outcome, that didn't prevent Cole from still feeling upset.
The serpentine bow and walk off stage. The announcer comes sliding in.
Announcer: And last but not least, The Royal Blacksmith-
"How did your dad come up with the name for The Royal Blacksmiths?" Nya asked.
"Huh, I don't know." Cole frowned. "You wouldn't believe how many calls we get from people asking us to repair their stuff, though."
He presses his fingers to his ear as he receives a message.
Announcer: Uh, this just in! There's been a switch.
He runs a comb through his hair.
"Where'd he pull that from? His hair was fine!" Kai paused. "Well, not as fine as mine, but still!"
Announcer: Taking the stage next is Spin Harmony!
He points off stage, to where the four ninja stand behind the curtain. They are in full ninja gear.
Cole: If we're gonna do this, I want everyone to see who we are.
"Umm, Cole? We're ninja? We're supposed to have our identities remain secret?"
"Shut it, Jay."
Zane: I have butterflies in my stomach.
"How? You're a robot!" Jay frowned, considering. "Wait a minute, do you actually have a stomach? Because all that food you were eating had to go somewhere...". He glanced around, realizing that Julien had already left. "Aww, come on!"
Jay: Aw, come on, it's just nerves!
"He's a robot, Jay," Nya said. "Last I checked, robots didn't have nerves or stomachs."
Zane: No, I really do have butterflies!
He opens his chest cavity... and out flies a kaleidoscope of butterflies.
The room was dead silent, and then the reactions came.
"What?" Jay screeched, leaning forward and slapping his palm against his seat. "Wh-aaaaaht?"
"What- how did you get butterflies in your stomach?" Kai was incredulous. "How?"
"What?" Cole echoed. "Just, what?"
Jay: Okayyy, glad he got that out of his system.
Nya started laughing, followed by Cole, then Kai.
"Jay's reaction made this ten times funnier," she said, gasping.
Jay didn't know how to respond, so he just hunched over and stared at the screen.
Announcer: Last call for Spin Harmony!
Jay makes eye contact with his fellow ninja.
Jay; Let's do this. For Cole.
Kai: If we could do the Tornado of Creation, we can score perfect tens out there!
"Kai, you too? We just had this conversation!"
Zane: I can say anything, and it will only go to elevate our team unity.
"What? Zane, what does that have to do with anything?"
Cole: I'm glad you guys are my friends. Let's do the Whip!
All together: Ninja go!
On the other side of the curtain, the crowd is growing antsy.
Pythor: Well, it looks like the last act is no longer preforming.
"Oh, come on Pythor, it's been like a minute. Be patient!"
"Kai, you were the one who went on a five-minute rant about how long you had to wait for your pop-tart. I don't think you can speak."
He laughs, gesturing to the Blade Cup.
Pythor: That means I can give this to the winners-
"And how well do you think the people would take that?" Nya raised an eyebrow. "Because I think you would have a riot on your hands, Pythor."
He's interrupted by the announcer.
Announcer: Ladies and Gentlemen, Spin Harmony!
The audience claps. Pythor pouts and crosses his arms.
Music begins to play. The four ninja are visible on the stage, backs to the audience. They spin around as spotlights shine on them, falling into a routine together.
"Wow, you guys are actually ok at this!"
"Wow, thanks a lot, sis." Kai rolled his eyes; Nya pinged a chip off his head.
Jay ate the chip.
The crowd goes wild. Pythor signals Skales, who sends his Hypnobrai warriors up onto the stage. The ninja go on the defensive. Zane and Jay work to take out one warrior, while Cole spins Kai in a circle, knocking out the rest.
Sensei Wu couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at his students' teamwork. His thoughts turned to one pupil, from years before, who'd never cooperate with others. Hopefully, these ninja would not travel down the same path. If he had learned enough from his mistakes, there might still be hope of a brighter future,
As the main lyrics begin to play, the team moves flawlessly together. They jump into the air as one and begin their spinjitzu tornadoes at the same time.
Overhead a Fangpyre gnaws at a sandbag, breaking through the rope.
"Wait a minute, shouldn't that rope be turning into a snake by now?" Jay asked. He fidgeted, remembering his own transformation.
"Maybe Fangpyre can choose when to use their venom, like real snakes?" Nya said.
Jay scowled. "And so of course, the skeleton we find just happens to have his fangs coated. Just my luck!"
It falls towards Jay, only for Zane to kick it away. Cole, Jay, and Kai knock several snakes off the stage, ending their spinjitzu in dynamic poses. Zane even moonwalks across the stage.
Nya's eyes widened. "Now that was pretty impressive."
"Well, those we've practiced." Jay realized his mistake a second too late. "Uh, I meant-"
"You've practiced your poses for when you stop spinjitzuing?"
Jay seemed to realize he was already caught. "...it's for emergencies?"
"Emergency? What emergency? That emergency where you have to end in a 'draw me like one of your friends girls' pose?"
"Ok. Number one- that was Kai, and number two- you never know!"
"Can we continue, you two?" Cole wore an expression of distaste. Probably from Jay revealing their secrets right and left.
Jay scowled. "Fine."
Three fangpyre warriors climb up, and Cole sees them. Time slows as he rushes to attack. First, he kicks off one of their heads, then he slugs the next, and finally, he head-butts the last. He lands in a crouch and curls his fingers into a claw-shape.
Cole: Rawr.
Cole's heart skipped several beats. Did- did I just do it? I did that, I did that, right? He stared at his own masked face and felt a bit faint.
Meanwhile, conversation had burst out between the others.
"Wait, what was that? I missed it!"
"Cole has performed what I believe to be the Triple Tiger Sashay," Zane said.
"That impossible dance move?" At the white ninja's nod, Jay whooped. "That's awesome! Congrats Cole!"
"Thanks, Jay." Cole couldn't stop the grin from overtaking his face. "I can't- I can't believe-"
Zane: The Triple Tiger Sashay!
The crowd has gone deathly silent. Then, one person cheers and the rest follow.
Announcer: Oh, he did it! The Triple Tiger Sashay! He's danced the impossible!
"So who thought it was a good idea to create a dance move where you have to bounce off three other people?" Kai asked.
"Some jerk," Nya agreed. "It's no wonder it's never been done before!"
People begin to get to their feet. The applause swells, drowning out any boos from skeleton or snake. The team rushes to their leader, congratulating him with hugs and pats on the back.
The two human judges lift their scorecards, each displaying tens, but Pythor reveals his to bear a zero.
"I shouldn't even be surprised," Nya said. The other two on the couch nodded in agreement.
The crowd gasps.
Suddenly, Pythor's stomach churns. A bulge forces its way up his throat, and an arm emerges from his mouth and scribbles a one next to the zero.
"Wait, how long is this guy's arm?"
"Really, Cole? You see a guy crawl up out of Pythor's stomach, and that's what you choose to focus on?"
Pythor: What? Wait! I didn't write that!
"Is no one else concerned that an arm just came out of their judge's mouth?"
"It's Ninjago. And in case you haven't noticed, the people here aren't the most observant."
"Either that, or they just don't care. Like, no one's said anything about how Pythor's neck is abnormally long."
"Or that there's literal skeletons sitting in the audience."
"Or that they're giving away a trophy with a very sharp blade just sticking out of the top."
Announcer: It's a perfect score! Spin Harmony wins the Blade Cup!
Cole accepts the prize. He holds it above his head, catching the light on its shiny metal surface.
Pythor growls.
Pythor: This is a travesty of epic proportions! I demand for there to be a recount!
Cole scans the crowd. He sees Nya, and Ed and Edna, but the seat he's concerned with is empty. He sighs.
"Wait, are you telling me my parents were there, but Cole's dad wasn't?" Jay frowned. "That's- that's-"
"Just forget about him, Cole," Nya said, filling in for him. "If he can't accept you as one of the protectors of Ninjago, then he doesn't deserve you."
"It's not that simple," Cole said. He shifted to face her more fully. "He's still my dad, you know? And I still love him, even if we don't get along that well. I can't just pretend or forget that he even exists!"
"Well, we're here for you, man," Kai offered awkwardly.
"Thanks, guys."
Backstage, the ninja de-stress.
Zane: I've never felt more alive!
Jay: Haha! We did it!
The three of them- Zane, Jay, Kai- sway their hips to an imaginary rhythm.
"Please tell me you're recording this," Cole whispered to Nya.
She nodded, then lifted her hand slightly to show off her bracelet.
Kai catches sight of Cole.
Kai: No, Cole did it! Because of you, Ninjago will sleep safely tonight.
"I'm right," Kai said. "Like usual."
Jay fought the urge to dump a glass of soda on him. Seriously, how could someone be this cocky all the time?
Cole: Thanks, but go on and celebrate without me.
He passes the Cup to Jay.
Cole: Winning this just doesn't feel the same without my dad being here to-
There's a tapping of wood, and a shout.
Lou: Cole!
"Dad?"
Cole: Dad?
Lou: I saw it all, son.
Cole runs to his father.
Lou: I saw it all.
They hug. Cole removes his hood.
Cole: You saw me dance?
Lou: More importantly, I saw you fight. Those serpentine were up to no good, trying to steal the show, and I saw you stand up for what is right.
Warring emotions rose within Cole. On the one hand, he was bitter. Bitter that his dad never listened to him, never paid attention to him unless he was doing something that interested him, like dancing or singing. His dad was ready to accept him now, just after he pulled off one of the most difficult dance moves of all time? Well maybe he didn't deserve to have him.
On the other hand, his father was talking to him, and they were having a real conversation, one without lies or deceit, for the first time in years. And if he was honest with himself, that was what he wanted, truly. He wanted a relationship with his father where they could both be real with each other without fear. He didn't have to be the screw-up, the black sheep.
Maybe they could work together and get through this. Maybe they couldn't. He was willing to listen.
He looks down.
Lou: I was wrong.
The words ring in the empty space.
Lou: I shouldn't have pushed you so hard to follow in my footsteps. Everyone is born with a special talent inside that's just waiting to get out, and you were born to be a ninja.
Cole couldn't help it, he broke down. Everything he'd been suppressing was suddenly too much to handle, and he cried.
This.
This was what he'd been wanting to hear his entire life. To know that he wasn't a terrible son for not following the path laid out by his father, to know that his choices were valid and even respectable.
He could feel the eyes of the others, but this time, it wasn't suffocating. It was even comforting, somehow, to know he had a team at his back who cared about his wellbeing.
The other three approach the duo.
Cole: You're not mad?
Lou: How can I be? My son's a hero!
"And that's what I've been saying, Cole." Nya squeezed his hand, sending the earth ninja into a fresh round of sobs.
Zane nodded. "I think if you stopped worrying about disappointing others, you wouldn't have half as much stress as you do now."
Pythor: Sorry to interrupt your little family reunion, but did you know it's me, Pythor?
"Oh my gosh, just go away, Pythor!"
Jay had to restrain Kai from attacking the tv.
He rips off his fake beard, rather dramatically.
Cole: You couldn't fool us, Pythor!
"Actually, it's incredible that he managed to fool anybody."
Nobody disagreed with the nindroid.
The team steps forward, Cole donning his mask once more. The Anacondrai hisses.
Pythor: I didn't want you to miss out on our big show stopper.
Two Constrictai knock piles of heavy stage equipment off from up high. They rocket down, and Lou is in right in their path.
"No!" Cole burst from his seat, but there was nothing he could do. Or, at least, there was nothing he could do from this room. He remembered the earlier conversation about true potentials, and he could only hope that this talk with his father would allow him to access it.
Cole: Dad!
He launches himself across the room, reaching him just as the equipment comes crashing down on both of them.
I made it! Cole made himself sit down again. I made it. Feelings of doubt stirred. But he pushed them away. I have to unlock it. I have to.
Pythor cackles. He leaves the scene, holding the Blade Cup close to his chest.
The other ninja cough through the dust.
Jay: They took the Fangblade!
"Jay, they may have just killed Cole and his dad, and that's what you choose to focus on?"
"I have no filter when I'm stressed!" the blue ninja defended. "And watching your best friend hurl himself in the way of death is very stress-inducing!"
They run up to the fallen equipment. A humming noise comes from the case of weapons. They turn to look, and it's the Scythe of Quakes, pulsing and radiating golden light.
Cole's heart skipped a beat. He was right. He laughed, still unable to trust his eyes. "I'm-"
"Your true potential!" Kai exclaimed. "Congratulations, buddy!" Then his face turned sour. "Wait a minute, that means that I'm the last! Aaugh!"
Zane is the first to realize what is happening.
Zane: He found his true potential!
Something glows from beneath the pile of metal. Beams of light swirl around, and the ninja back away. The top shakes, and suddenly Cole's heaving multiple pieces of the equipment above his head.
"Ok, so Zane can shoot ice beams from his chest, I can teleport and fly, and Cole's super strong? That's it?"
"What do you mean, that's it, Jay?" Cole was defensive. "You try lifting all that at once and tell me how you do!"
"I just mean, I expected you to turn all that stuff to dust or something! You know, like disintegration powers? Oh, or maybe you could summon legions of rock monsters!"
"You read too many comic books," Cole settled on. "Super strength is great." But rock monster summoning would be pretty cool too...
His eyes glow blue, and his body has a shimmering transparent quality. He tosses them aside and reaches down to help his father up.
Lou: How did we survive that?
"Can I say magic again? Huh? No?"
He notices his son and gasps.
Lou: Son?
Cole's levitating now, hovering just above the wreckage.
"Oh, and apparently you float too."
"Shut up, Jay."
Zane steps forward, ever the spokesperson.
Zane: Cole's found his true potential.
"Gosh, Zane, I bet that really cleared things up."
Zane: His relationship with his father must have been holding him back.
"Serpentine," Kai, Jay, and Nya all said together. They grinned.
Jay: He's indestructible!
Kai stays in the back, sulking.
Kai: Ugh, great. So now I really am the only one who hasn't figured out my special power.
"Why am I always the last?" Kai complained. "I was the last one to get my Golden Weapon, too!"
"Well, you got your dragon first," Zane pointed out.
"Which apparently, are gone now!" Kai shifted to face the Master. "All you said earlier was that they'd gone to some coves or something, what the heck does that mean?"
"Your dragons will be going through a transformation, like your true potentials," the Master said. "They migrate both for their safety and for yours during this period."
"Will they ever come back?" Cole asked.
"Yes, but they will not be the same."
Slowly, Cole's appearance shifts back to normal. He falls back down onto the heap.
Cole: Is everyone okay? What just happened?
Lou: We're all okay, son.
The scene fades away, replaced by an aerial view of Cole's house. The four ninja laugh and sip at their drinks on the couch.
Jay: I guess the scorecard now reads 'Pythor: two Fangblades, Ninja: zero'.
Cole: Yeah, but all we need is one, and there are still two more left to find.
"I don't know if I like those odds, Cole."
Kai: Who knows, maybe when I unlock my true potential, I'll turn into the destined Green Ninja!
The other four exchanged looks.
"Well, he is the last one to unlock his," Zane pointed out.
"He's not the green ninja," Cole and Jay said together.
"May the creator help us all if he is," Nya said.
The Master nodded, and Wu choked on his tea. Again.
Jay: Yeah, dream on.
Cole: The only thing you're destined for is a more inflated ego.
"Ooh- burn!" Jay called.
"He's the fire ninja, Jay. Fire doesn't bother him."
"Drown!"
The door opens, and Lou walks in with a photograph in his hands.
Lou: It may not be the trophy, but it sure will look good on my wall.
The ninja walk forward to see. It's a picture of them, posing with the Cup on stage.
Lou: As far as I'm concerned, you're all family now.
They get into a group hug, Cole next to his father.
Cole grinned. His dad was trying. And he would try hard, too. Together, they would build their relationship stronger than ever. He had high hopes for the future.
The screen fades to black.
Nya smiled too, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
Kai's hand rested on her leg. She took it in her own, and the two didn't need to speak. They knew. She examined his calloused fingers, trying to remember the larger hands, with the same scars, that had held her once upon a memory.
Kai winced beneath her. She looked down, snapped back to reality.
"Could you let go?" he whispered. "You're starting to hurt me."
The rest of the room hadn't paused.
"Great, so now I have two dads now!"
The Master looked at Jay, amused. If only he knew...
"So does Zane," Cole pointed out. "Or did you forget about that fact?"
"Oh. Right."
"So what's the next episode?" Kai asked.
"Well, its called The Green Ninja. And-" the Master waited for the reactions to die down- "it focuses on Kai."
He spoke quickly, before anyone else could interrupt.
"Oh, and we are missing our last essential viewer." The master snapped his fingers, and a young boy staggered into appearance in a flash of light. "Everyone, I'm sure you've been acquainted with my grandson."