Discovering Destiny
Last time, I left you all on a cliffhanger so this chapter will show what happens next. Also, this is a pretty important chapter because the ninja will finally get their uniforms from the movie and then some. Enjoy.
Chapter 24: Ninjago Style
It was late but Lou's bantering still echoed across the Charbonneau mansion.
"And think of what could've happen if they managed to break your bones!?" Lou ranted.
Sitting across his bourgeois father was Cole himself, all bruised and battered. Cole ignored his father's verbal tirade while his thoughts drifted back to how he got to where he is now...
Cole felt his stomach drop when he felt what little light was in the alley reach him.
"Well what do we have here?" The Shark Army sneered above him, "Looks like we've got a spy!"
The gang roughly grabbed him by his ACDC shirt and tossed him onto the ground. Cole quickly got up just to be pushed back onto the cold pavement amidst the garbage.
"What if he's working for that creepy old man?"
"Perhaps you're on to something..."
Cole was picked up again, forcing him to stare at the Shark Army leader right in the face.
"Tell us about Wu and those ninja of his!" The man in his stingray-themed helmet demanded.
The earth ninja found himself unable to say anything without risking giving away that he was part of Secret Ninja Force. But his silence only aroused further suspicion from the Shark Army.
"Keeping secrets from us, eh? Looks like we'll be doing this the hard way!" The leader threw Cole back onto the hard ground.
The earth ninja felt a slight ache in his back muscles from the harsh landing, impeding his attempt to get back up, giving the gang another chance to push him down again. He still tried to get back up and this time, he was able to get back on his feet before the Shark Army can retaliate.
"Hey! We're not done with you!" The gang tackled Cole but he used his immense manpower to shove and throw them off.
Cole had a lot of physical strength but had little knowledge of hand-to-hand combat, his training used to fight with a warhammer, which he didn't have right now. He could only do some basic punches and kicks, which did him no good against the Shark Army's weapons.
The Shark Army swung their maces and flails at their target, bruising him from head to toe. Some even carried daggers which Cole was wise enough to avoid as much as he can. Unfortunately, they manage to reach a little too close and the earth ninja felt his skin being cut open and his own blood coming in contact with the cool evening air. His cuts were stinging and his bruises were aching until a Shark Army member's fist met his eye, sending him careening onto the ground yet again. The dazed teen struggled to get up, his eyelid already discolored and swollen shut. The skin between his nose and upper lip felt wet and he can tell that liquid was his own blood.
Cole found himself facing the terrible truth.
He was in no shape to fight the Shark Army and this may only be a small taste of what's to come.
He didn't want to think about it often but he doubted the Secret Ninja Force will be able to stop them and Garmadon. If these guys were able to beat him to a bloody pulp…
Cole didn't want to think of what they could do to the other ninja. His drive to protect others extended to his comrades. He was already willing to put his own life on the line to ensure they'll be safe.
'Guess I'm not much better than Kai...' The earth ninja thought sardonically to himself.
The Shark Army were considering dragging their victim back to Garmadon's volcano base before they got interrupted.
"What's going on?" A voice that didn't belong to any of the Shark Army members called out.
The Shark Army made a run for it before any witnesses could call authorities, pushing down any locals that got in their way. The only proof that they were in the city was the badly beaten young man lying on the street...
"You were lucky those commoners had the decency to call the doctors when they did!" Lou continued scolding his son, "If they arrived even one second too late, you would've been crippled for life! Did you even consider how your relatives would feel if something terrible happened to you?"
Cole remained silent while his father kept scolding him for letting himself get hurt.
He said things most worried parents would say such as what would happen if they got wounded even further and how other people may react to his predicament but Cole doubted his father had any real concern for his wellbeing. Lou always criticized or berated him for just about everything and only now did he show the slightest sign of worry and it was all about his physical condition. If Cole didn't know better, his father was only concerned about his ability to dance and to always have a healthy dancer to fill in his shoes.
The only people he was concerned about were his friends. He didn't want their secret identities to be discovered because of him. He wanted to protect them, not put them in danger. But he didn't want to make them worry about him. He's supposed to help them, not hinder them.
But he'll still have to face them tomorrow...
The ninja gathered around Cole once they were all in the hideout. Much of his body was covered with dressings, gauze, and bandages and there were still several exposed bruises. His black eye looked just like it did when he was found that night.
"A-are you going to be alright…?" Heather nervously asked.
"I'll live through this..." Cole winced a tiny bit when he felt some pain in his bandaged hand.
"Dammit! This is all my fault!" Kai growled, blaming himself for the unfortunate incident.
If he kept his temper in check during Wu's investigation, then Garmadon still won't know of the ninja now and Cole wouldn't have gotten hurt. The fire ninja was already mad at himself for putting the rest of the team in danger and now that one of his friends was badly injured, his anger had only risen. He already wanted to cut down every last member of the Shark Army for hurting his friend and if it were Lloyd or Nya, not even a miracle will save them from his wrath.
"Kai, Garmadon and the Shark Army would've found out about us anyway." Cole tried to console him.
"That's not the point!" The fire ninja exclaimed, "They were out looking for us! If they never knew of the Secret Ninja Force, they would've never been there and they knew because of me!"
Kai's rage erupted and he tore one of the training dummies in two.
"Alright Kai, settle down." Nya was nonchalant to her brother's madness.
Luna was too shocked to make even the slightest sound. In front of her was Cole Charbonneau, one of the strongest young men she ever met, covered in all sorts of bruises and wounds and never looking so helpless. The earth ninja was able to do so many things she can't and if the Shark Army can still give him a serious beating, then what kind of unspeakable horrors could they do to her?
"Luna? Are you feeling sick or something? You look even more pale." Iris observed her friend.
"Please don't hurt me!" The kunoichi of sound ducked and whimpered.
The earth ninja saw how his wellbeing affected the Secret Ninja Force. He had never seen Kai acting so enraged (which says a lot) and Luna was acting like she witnessed a murder.
"I'm so sorry for causing you so much trouble..." Cole apologized and hung his head in shame.
"Apologizing won't make a difference," Wu bluntly said, "The past can't be changed but the impact it could make and how it may affect the future can still be up to you to decide."
"Cole, you might require an extended period of rest if you wish to fully recover." Zane suggested.
The earth ninja sat back and observed his brethren train. It felt strange being the one who needs help. His effort to keep his friends' secret safe only made them even more concerned. Cole knew what Wu said was true. The past is already done but at least he was still around to continue protecting them as well as decide if it will be a grim foreshadowing of what's to come...
Insults and glared were an everyday part of Lloyd's school life so he didn't think too much into it when all resentful eyes fell on him the moment he arrived in school.
"Did you hear about what happened?" Some of the teens whispered amongst themselves.
"I can't believe they did that to him!" Others shuddered thinking about what happened.
The Shark Army's beatdown on Cole quickly spread in the school. Because they were working for Lord Garmadon, his son, whom everyone thought was just as bad as him, was also to blame.
"It's all your fault!"
"It's your fault Cole got hurt!"
"I knew he's out to get us!"
Lloyd was as disheartened as ever by the blame the other teens were throwing at him. It was already hellish for him to hear their insults every single second he was in the building but now, they started to blame him for his own friend's unfortunate mishap. But this time, Lloyd started to think that they may have a point. He did choose to join the Secret Ninja Force along with Cole to oppose his own father.
"What do you have to say for yourself? You've done nothing but brought misery to this school. Ninjago would be a much better place without you!" Some of the bullies pushed Lloyd onto the ground.
The green-eyed boy didn't even bother to get up. More teens circled him and continued throwing the blame on him as well as accusations that he and his father were the same.
"Lloyd!"
The pariah recognized Nya, who quickly came to his rescue. While helping her friend back on his feet, the tenacious girl sent an icy glare at the bullies' direction.
"What does Lloyd have to do with what happened to Cole or even the Shark Army?" Nya growled.
"His dad is their boss and he's a bad guy so of course he's a bad guy too!" Her classmates' responses wasn't anything new.
'Of course...' The kunoichi of water should've known these idiots have no idea what Lloyd's really like nor would they be interested in knowing.
According to the wretched society of these shallow morons, anybody who's popular can never do any wrong and if anything bad happens to them, the unpopular are to blame.
"Let's get out of here, Lloyd. These people are a waste of time." Nya guided her friend away from the crowd of relentless bullies.
The young ninja followed his friend, not telling her of this strange thought in his head that in a twisted way, those bullies will be proven right one day...
Lloyd was all alone while eating lunch at the school rooftop.
"Mind if I join you?"
The outcast was astonished by the person standing not far from him.
"Cole…?"
The earth ninja still looked like a complete wreck but he didn't seem to care, just like with everything else from training as a ninja to having his radio belting out hard rock in the middle of the library.
Seriously, is there anything besides music this guy cares about?
"I didn't think you'd want to talk to me… After what happened..." Lloyd turned away from his comrade but Cole wasn't dissuaded so easily.
"What happened wasn't your fault," The earth ninja started, "Garmadon doesn't know you're a ninja. Hell, he doesn't know anything about the Secret Ninja Force except that it exists."
"You're just saying that..."
"No. I really mean it. Even if you weren't Garmadon's son or if you never even existed, the Shark Army would've still beaten me up anyway. You had nothing to do with what happened back there. Everyone in Ninjago is bound to have something bad happen to them, including us. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the worst time possible. You had absolutely nothing to do with it."
"Try telling everyone else that."
"Teens can be really shallow. You don't have to let them control who you are. We are all different and if someone doesn't like that, then it's their fault. We're all in control of what we do. I guess I should've left earlier but I am responsible for the consequences of my actions alone. I wanted to keep the Shark Army from hurting you and the other ninja. I'm not perfect. No one is. But you can't get everybody to like you. That's one of the harsher truths of life that we just have to accept. Believe me, I understand what it's like."
"Yeah… You told me about your dad..."
"I know it can be hard but we should put the past behind us. We have much more important things to be concerned about."
"You're saying that like it's a bad thing."
"We'll see." Cole shrugged.
The pair can do nothing but prepare for what's to come...
After a few days passed, the ninja were back at the hideout and even Cole was looking well enough to start training again. But Master Wu stopped them before they could change into their uniforms.
"Master Wu, is something going on…?" Heather can tell something big was going to happen.
"You won't have to wear your training gi anymore." Wu was about to continue...
"We're finally getting our new uniforms!?" The quick-tempered Hinata siblings got in his face.
"Let me say it, otherwise it won't have as much dramatic effect," Wu paused for a moment before he can finally speak without interruption, "It's now time to unveil your new uniforms."
Wu handed each of his students their gi that will now set them apart as individuals.
"Hell yeah!" Kai was already itching to start training in his new uniform.
Kai's gi was red with black details and vice versa with his pants. He also had a gold undershirt peeking out of the neckline and a piece of armor on his left shoulder.
"I guess this isn't so bad..." Jay had to admit he liked seeing his design come to life.
Jay's gi was entirely blue and he kept his trademark scarf as he planned, tucked under his gi. To keep it from standing out too much, his pant legs were fastened with matching orange material. He also had a belt strapped across his torso carrying tools in case his technological know-how will come in handy.
"Nice..." Cole was as laid-back as ever at the unveiling of his new uniform.
Cole's gi was sleeveless (of course) and unlike the other uniforms so far, his didn't have an undershirt so his gi will also show off his buff chest. His uniform generally had brown and gold details and he had a pair of black and gold bracelets to finish his look.
"White is just right." Zane's quirky mannerisms extended to his reaction to his gi.
Zane's gi was almost completely white save for the black trimming on the waist and straight neckline and his black gloves. On his belt were some gadgets which may be useful to the android, who noticed that his gi was folded with his right side being in front like Cole's while everyone else had theirs folded with their left in front.
"Neat!" Nya stared in awe at her new apparel.
Nya's gi was mostly silver with white and light blue trimming at the neckline. Her uniform had a skirt made of metal and armor pads on the elbows, giving it the slight samurai vibe she was aiming for.
"I could get used to this!" Aria was ecstatic to wear something she designed all by herself.
Like Cole, Aria designed her gi to be sleeveless. Instead she had long slender gloves covering much of her arms in the same orange hue as her gi save for her hands, where they were black, which seemed to be a running theme for the ninja's uniforms. She also had a pair of shorts instead of pants but she also had tall boots, making her stand out amongst the team.
"Not bad." Heather acknowledged that her gi looked impressive to her.
The obi-like green sash around the waist of Heather's teal gi had was embroidered with a vine pattern and the sides of her pant legs had a floral pattern too. Like Aria, she too had a sleeveless gi but instead of tight gloves, she had what could only be called arm covers that were slightly loose at her wrists but also had black gloves over her hands.
"It's… nice… I suppose..." Luna was nervous as always but didn't mind the look of her gi.
Luna's purple gi had slightly billowing sleeves similar to a traditional kimono. She had a separate black skirt but also a pair of skin tight dark purple pants.
"This actually came out better than I thought." Iris confessed while examining her gi.
Iris' gi was pink, proving that she was a girly girl at heart but being a ninja, her uniform as a whole was primarily black like most of her teammates'. Like Luna, she too had a skirt but hers was pink too. She also wore some shorts underneath for… more protection… as well as some opaque black stockings.
"Whatever..." Lloyd was more or less apathetic.
He already knew what is was going to look like so why bother getting all worked up about it?
Finally, Lloyd's black gi was textured with mesh and had green and gold details. Like Kai, he also had a gold undershirt visible above the neckline of his gi.
"I don't know about you guys but I don't think any of us planned to have this detail." Aria goaded her teammates to turn their gi around.
The two things each of the ninja's unique uniforms had in common were the names of their elements embellished on the edge of their gi as well as a symbol on their backs, slightly similar to the one that graced the training gi they'll finally discard. However, the very center of the symbol were still unique to each ninja.
As Iris inspected hers, she saw the same pentagon as the one on her shield. Lloyd's was a six-pointed star, Zane had a cross between a triangle and a snowflake, Cole's a plain triangle, and Jay's symbol was a lightning bolt. Kai and Nya's each had a completely abstract symbol they had yet to figure out. Aria's emblem were a couple of swirls while Heather's looked like an abstract leaf or petal. Luna saw a little circle surrounded by a few curved lines.
"Do we get to try them on now?" Iris asked.
"I must also remind you that every time you face the Shark Army or go out in public as ninja, you must always keep your true identities a secret to protect yourselves and by extension, everyone in Ninjago." Wu concluded before handing his pupils the very last part of their new outfits.
The final part of the ninja's uniforms that will also conceal their true identities, were their masks. They were all almost completely identical except for Zane's, which was completely white and had the same symbol on the forehead as the one on the back of his gi. The other masks were almost entirely black except for a band around the forehead in each ninja's unique color while Cole's was brown because he was already the black ninja. Each mask had a letter on the center of the forehead but not all of them could make a connection with them and their element. At least Aria believed the 'A' embroidered on her mask was meant to be her initial, even with her true identity having to remain secret.
Lloyd wasn't sure what the symbol on his mask really was. It didn't seem to match up with any letters or numbers in Ninjago's traditional script. The closest character he could think of was 'G', which he felt to be more insulting than it should be. The only connection he could think of was 'Garmadon'.
Was Wu trying to make things harder than they should be for Lloyd?
The ninja tried the masks on, finding them surprisingly light. The material wasn't too heavy, allowing them to breathe easily with them on.
While most of the ninja will have to always carry their weapons, Kai had a pair of scabbards and Zane had a satchel to carry arrows.
The young men and women were all going through a vast variety of thoughts and emotions once they donned their new gi that will set them apart from everyone else in Ninjago City.
"The time to confront the Shark Army and even Garmadon himself creeps ever closer. Training will be an everyday part of your lives as ninja, even after you claim many victories. The journey to hone your skills will not end until your lives reach theirs."
Zane didn't say anything but felt slightly uncomfortable by his teacher's words...
"So what do we do now?" Jay asked.
"You will carry on with your lives as civilians and ninja until the next big change happens..."
"And when's that gonna be?" Kai joined in on pestering his mentor.
"I know a lot but not everything. You can't truly learn or expect all the answers to be handed to you. You can't get everything you want in life... I know that from experience..."
"How can we be sure if we're ready? We can't forget what happened to Cole and that could only be a small taste of what the Shark Army and Garmadon can really do. It could take years before we're even the slightest bit prepared for what's to come." Heather said.
"You'll have to find out for yourselves. Time can only move forward. Will you move along with the flow of time or swim against the current?"
The Secret Ninja Force were now more aware than ever that time will not wait for them. They knew a time will come when they'll have to fight against Garmadon but that wasn't what bothered them.
Their main concern was when that moment will arrive…
I was originally gonna have Cole come out in one piece or be rescued but too much plot armor makes for a bad story. So now that the ninja have their uniforms, we're getting closer to some good ol' ninja action.
BTW, since the Olympics in Korea started yesterday, I'll give you all my headcanon that Chen from the movie is Korean/Caucasian. It may be my self-deprecation speaking since I'm Korean…
Okay. Enough rambling. Please review & I'll see you in the next chapter.