Chapter 25

"Harumi, don't!"

Kai lifted his arms, lifting a wall of fire in between Wu and Harumi. Wu twisted around, and Kai heard Harumi curse over the roar of the flames. With another flick of his hands, He extinguished them. "Are you insane? We aren't going to kill him."

"I'm trying to get us out of this!" Harumi hissed in response. It was then that Kai realized the parking lot was littered with something else. The bodies of the upgraded androids laid here and there. Broken and unmoving.

Kai frowned back toward Harumi. Just who the hell was she?

A direct punch from Wu's fist shot him back, forcing him to focus once again on the battle before him. He slammed back against a truck. Shrill ringing echoed in his ears. His head swam out of focus.

The flames still clinging to his arms softened the metal beneath him, causing it to mold to the weight of his body. Kai quickly peeled himself away, shuddering at the sensation.

Wu's fist flashed before Kai's eyes, and he dropped to the ground, barely escaping another blow. Wu's arm half sunk into the heated metal. An idea sparked in Kai's mind, but before he could properly act on it, Wu was free.

Kai turned, running to distance himself from Wu as much as possible. His eyes searched his surroundings, trying to spot Harumi within the smoke. She was nowhere to be found. Again.

Great. So I have to find a way to stop Wu from destroying me, while also stopping Harumi from destroying him. Anything else someone wants to add to the mix? Kai thought, huffing with exasperation. I need a plan.

Trapping Wu in metal was good. It was something. But Wu had not had any problem with breaking free. If Kai could find a way to cool it quickly enough. . . But how? If Nya were here, she'd probably have more than one idea to offer.

If Nya were here, she would have already found a way to shut Wu down. An unwelcome voice muttered in his head. Who came up with the idea to use mist to hide the trips to Kryptarium? Who kept you all from being captured? Who friended ECHO's android?

And what have you done, Kai? How exactly have you contributed to anything?

Mind unfocused and eyes half burning due to the smoke, Kai wound up running straight into a half-hidden car. He bounced back, skidding over the pavement.

"Enough running, Kai. There is nowhere you can go that I will not follow. You are not enough to stand against The Overlord's power."

Kai turned away from Wu's voice. He stumbled as he stood, legs weak beneath him. He leaned against the car before him for support. And to put into action a plan that was sure to do nothing more than fail.

"Worth a shot?" Kai questioned himself. Flames to crawled up from both of his wrists, moving up to his shoulders. Ultimately, they coated every inch of his back. "Well come and get me then, if you're so sure you can!"

Wu approached him slowly. He stopped a few feet away, studying the flames around Kai. "You truly plan on harming me with that?"

Kai shrugged. Come on!

"The bracelets would have been useful. But there are other ways to make sure you do not use your powers."

"Try it."

Wu leaped forward. The movement was almost too fast for Kai's eyes to catch. Almost. At the last moment, Kai ducked, ridding himself of the fire around his body. Once more, Wu's arm sunk into the half melted metal. Instead of hesitating as he had before, Kai pressed his hand against the car.

His skin remained unharmed by the heat. He focused on diverting it out of the metal, and into himself. The heat obeyed, allowing Kai to absorb it. It burned his arm from within, a sensation that was both terrible and unfamiliar. With gritted teeth, he forced himself to keep still.

Kai hadn't been confident it would work. Fire caused heat, but there had been nothing to say he would be able to directly manipulate it too. But it was working.

It had worked.

Wu stood, his metal arm meshed into the cooled metal of the car. He grunted in exasperation, struggling to break free. Each attempt ended only in failure. The old man's body might have been upgraded, but his strength still had limits.

Kai gaped at the sight, a smile curling his lips. Victorious laughter shuddered through him. "It worked! I did it! Ha!"

As he beamed, Wu used his free hand to lash out. Kai yelped and crawled back, moving out of reach before his celebration could be cut short. Wu narrowed his eyes. "The Overlord is much more powerful than you believe. You will never defeat him."

Kai ignored Wu's words, turning instead to the sound of footsteps rushing toward him. Garmadon broke through the curtain of smoke, followed closely by Harumi. Kai smiled at them both, proudly presenting Wu's trapped body. "Don't worry guys. I have it all under control."

"Wu?" Garmadon frowned, studying his brother's features. "This thing is getting out of hand. We need to get back to Ninjago City as soon as possible."

"That might be a problem." Harumi said, pulling her hair back into a loose bun. Her eyes shifted over the parking lot. Most of the flames had died out, and as the smoke continued to disperse, the damage became obvious. "Doesn't look like any of the cars made it."

Garmadon cursed under his breath, running a hand through his grayed hair. He turned back toward the school. "Now what?"

"I could call someone," Harumi suggested quickly. Kai studied her expression. She seemed to be mirroring Garmadon's feelings of distress. Multiplying them, even. "It won't be a problem. They'll be here soon. You know you can rely on us."

"That's the best we can hope for." Garmadon said, oblivious to Harumi's heightened emotions. "And I suppose we'll need to do something about my brother. Maybe Misako can figure something out. I don't know. I kind of don't care. We really need to get to Lloyd."

Garmadon turned away, heading back across the parking lot and toward the university's main building. Harumi followed behind. After giving Wu one final look, Kai trotted after them.

The few students and professors that still remained all gawked at the destruction, muttering among themselves with fearful whispers. One figure stood out to Kai. It struck him as terribly familiar.

In front of him, Garmadon had the same thought. And actually recalled the name that went with the face. "Ronin?"

Ronin twitched at the sound of his name. His eyes spotted the tired and mismatched trio. Then, he turned in the opposite direction, moving away from them with a determined pace.

Garmadon rolled his eyes, trotting forward to stop him. "Ronin, I know it's you."

For a second, it seemed as if Ronin would continue to walk off in stubborn denial. But in the end, he turned with an annoyed sigh. "Ah. Garmadon. Hello. And the little fire boy. And. . . some random girl. Funny running into you. I was just on my way to, the opposite of wherever you three are headed."

"If you're here, R.E.X. can't be far behind." Garmadon said. "We need a favor."

"Don't really do those." Ronin shook his head slowly and with flair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Most of all if they involve getting anywhere near the city. It's chaos."

"And this isn't?" Garmadon nodded to the disaster around them.

Ronin pretended to study it for a moment, before responding with an uncaring shrug.

"You know things will just get worse, Ronin." Garmadon said. "If you help us get back to the city, we'll be able to end this sooner."

"Well. . ."

Kai watched as Harumi rolled her eyes. She stepped forward, standing between Garmadon and Ronin. "I can pay you. Just name your price."

"Now you're speaking my language."

Jay shut the door behind him, then leaned against it, slowly sliding to the ground.

He pulled the bracelet from his pocket. Instead of slipping it on, he twirled it around his fingers, thinking. Could it really be possible, for it to have somehow dampened his powers?

No. The response was clear and curt. Nya wore it for far longer than any of us. And she was able to use her powers just fine.

His memory flickered back to ECHO. To Nya. To the terrifying water she had been able to summon from thin air. Jay made a small spark with his fingers. The prickling sensation of electricity probed the memory of their escape further.

Jay felt and saw his own power arc toward Lloyd's body. Saw Lloyd's body fly back through the air, landing roughly against the soaked hallway. Like before, Jay flinched, guilt washing over him.

"So you can hurt a kid, but you can't rid yourself of actual threats." Jay hissed at himself. "You're pathetic Jay. Pa-thet-ic."

He watched the spark in his fingers, willing it to grow. It did so slowly, trembling with hesitation. Jay felt the same feeling as before. The pressing sensation that held him back from using his full strength.

Once again, he thought to blame the bracelet. But the feeling from that had always been an outside force. Something clearly apart from himself. The feeling now was coming from within.

"What's lightning good for, anyway?" Jay shook his head, tugging the electricity back inside his body. His mind flashed to Kryptarium. To all the destruction he had cause, because he couldn't keep it together.

With a sigh, he turned his head. He could see the edge of Birchwood forest through the street. The sight of the pale trees made the suffocating sensation inside him double.

"Hey, are you alright? You look-"

Jay cringed at the sound of Cole's voice in his head. He knew exactly when those words had been uttered. He turned away from the forest quickly, trying his best to focus on the unpaved street. Not that. Please. I don't want to remember that.

With the help of the bracelet, Jay's mind had steadily recovered the jumbled pieces of his memory that had once been scattered beyond repair. Although his thoughts would still slip away from him every so often, it was not nearly as chaotic as it had once been.

Jay had been happy about it. But now. . .

"Just go!"

Jay heard himself shout. Could almost feel the words slipping from his shaking throat.

He could see Cole. There was no fear in his eyes. Only concern. Concern for a stranger. Concern Jay hadn't been worthy of.

Jay could feel the pressing emotions of the moments roiling around within him. But there was no outward manifestation of his abilities. The lightning brewed inside him, pressed down by Jay's own mind.

Literally anyone else would have been a better candidate for the wild element. Nya, Kai, Zane, Cole, they would have tamed it. Made it their own. Helped, instead of exploding at every minor inconvenience. Grown stronger, instead of taking every shortcut available.

The door opened, jolting Jay out of his small pity party. He stumbled to stand, searching for the most prominent emotion in Cole's eyes. "How'd it go?"

"It was good." Cole nodded with a bright smile. Jay did his best to mimic it. "I mean. . . I didn't tell him about, well, you know. But I think- I mean, I'm glad I came. It was a good idea. Now, let's hope the others didn't miss us too much."

"With any luck, they'll have already fixed everything." Jay said. "And we'll slide in right on time for the celebration."

"I wish." Cole said. He slipped the small device Harumi had given them out of his pocket, toying with the button that would request their return trip. "Before we go though. . ."

"Got someone else you want to say something too?"

"Yeah. You."

"Silly Cole." Jay gave a soft laugh. "I'm coming with you, remember? Tsk."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about. . . whatever's going on?"

"I told you. It's the bracelet. I just need some time to-" Jay bit his lip. He looked away from Cole, and back toward the forest. "I don't know. Maybe it's better like this. I've never exactly been good at staying in control. I'm literally the worst person they could have given this dumb ability to.

"I hurt you. I hurt. . . who knows how many people in Kryptarium. I nearly killed us all, when I figured out you'd been left behind. I hurt the kid. What's next? Chances are I'll just ruin everything."

Cole frowned. He followed Jay's line of sight. The trees of Birchwood forest stared back at him, neutral and unfeeling. "Do you remember?"

"Remember what?" Jay said, pretending to be clueless. He turned back to Cole.

"Hey, it's okay. I- I have weird powers too."

Jay looked away again.

"You know what I mean."

"Maybe. It doesn't matter. What matters is I'm not exactly an asset to the team."

"You need to give yourself more credit."

"Name one thing I've done right. One." Jay said. "Oh! I know. How about Garmadon's rescue? Oh no. Wait. If it hadn't had been for you I wouldn't have done anything right. I broke the lock on his cell. I panicked. I got us out of Kryptarium? Wrong again! That was Nya. If it hadn't had been for her, I would have ruined everything. Did I help with getting out of ECHO? Again, No! I let myself be captured by Ronin. I clung to the bracelet like the child I am. I haven't done anything to help this team at all."

Jay leaned back against the wall, suddenly exhausted. Cole waited.

"Did I accomplish anything against those stupid nindroids? No."

"Nindroids?"

"You know," Jay shrugged, making a halfhearted motion with his hand. "Ninja Androids. Nindroids."

"Oh. Clever. Can that count as something you've done right?"

"Not funny. I'm serious" Jay grumbled. "I ruin everything. For everyone. For you. And I have no way to fix anything. We're going to defeat the stupid Overlord, and you'll-. . . And I can't do anything about it."

"You didn't ruin anything for me, Jay." Cole said. "And if anyone can figure out a way to fix everything all at once, it's definitely you. You're the smartest person I know."

"That would be a great compliment if you actually knew anyone."

"Fair enough." Cole chuckled. "My point is though, the team does need you. You have great ideas. And I need you. You're my best friend. I know for a fact that counts for a lot. You surely didn't have to stick with a grumpy ghost, and you did anyway.

"We rely on each other, you know?"

"I guess."

"We do. And I know you think your abilities are more destructive than anything else. But that's not true. How many things have you built using your powers? How many things have you fixed? You're focusing on all the wrong things." Cole took the bracelet from Jay's hands. "And you definitely don't need this."

Jay studied the device. He could feel a delicate current looping around it, keeping it functional. He reached for it, taking it back. "Maybe not."

He ran his fingers over the metal. Cole was right. He was focusing on the wrong things. Lightning, electricity . . . they were both just as constructive as they were the opposite. They could tear things apart. But they could bring them together. He looked at Cole, the beginning of an idea taking root in his mind.

"I can't promise anything. But I'll . . . I'll try. To trust my abilities. Myself. And if things fall apart, I get to blame you and your terrible advice."

"I'll take my chances."

"What I'm wondering is," Nya said. "What if we defeated The Overlord inside the. . . cyber world, or whatever we want to call it?"

She sat across from Zane, in one of the beds of the room Harumi had given them. The building itself was half deserted, with a group of Harumi's goons gone off to bring Jay and Cole back, and the other half busy with things Zane and Nya hadn't been clued into.

Zane thought about the question. "It could purge Lloyd's body from its power. Since we would be attacking it directly. At the very least, it would free Ninjago's systems from its presence. But. . . Am I supposed to be capable of defeating it on my own? You are giving me far too much credit."

"Maybe Pixal could help?" Nya suggested. Shook her head. "Even then. . . We'd need all of us, wouldn't we?"

"Even then. It could be risky." Zane said. "I did not get too close to him, but I could feel the pressure of his strength."

"Assuming it was possible, how would we be able to send ourselves into the cyber world?" Nya bit her lip. She hoped Jay would get here soon. Between the two of them, they would no doubt come up with something. "It can't be impossible. But let's hope Kai and Garmadon really did find a solution."

"Well, we should go ask."

"Huh?"

"They are here." Zane stood, eyeing the door. "It seems Ronin gave them a ride. Surprising."

"You can hear that? How good is your hearing? Man, I'd love to get a look at your blueprints. You're amazing."

"No. I am only myself. My father was amazing." Zane said. Nya gave him a smile.

"He was certainly brilliant. He would have probably fixed everything already."

Zane nodded. "Garmadon said something of the sort."

Seconds later, Nya herself heard the footsteps. She heard Harumi's voice through the shut door. "I'll go check in on everything. You tell the others about the plan. We should move as soon as possible, before The Overlord has any chance to connect with Wu."

Wu? Nya frowned.

"With any luck, Misako will keep him from doing much." Garmadon replied.

The door opened. Kai and Garmadon walked inside. Kai's shirt was a tattered and burnt mess, and they were both filled with soot. Nya coughed at the acrid smell of smoke coming off from them. "I thought you were going to find a way to fix Lloyd, not go around lighting yourself on fire."

"For your information." Kai beamed. "I saved the day. You could talk with a little more respect."

"Yeah. Fat chance."

"What did you find?" Zane asked.

Garmadon slipped a folded up paper from his pocket, tossing it toward Zane. "Misako believes these weapons should be able to destroy The Overlord. The problem will be building them. The tools we'll need are in ECHO. . . so you will all have to sneak back inside."

"Oh." Zane studied the blueprints. He could easily identify each of the materials it required, but putting them together would be a different story. He handed the paper over to Nya.

She studied them with a bit more knowledge, but she couldn't fully understand how certain parts would work. "Getting them to produce the right effect is going to be hard. The margin for error is pretty slim. And we're supposed to build these while in ECHO?"

"I thought Jay could build them. He's fast and tech-savvy." Kai said. "The real problem will be knowing where to use them. Misako said we had to find the exact device The Overlord's power originates from. That could be anything."

"That. . . won't be a problem. It should be in my father's old office." Garmadon said, with a tone of fake nonchalance. "An old computer, probably the only old thing still in ECHO. Wu kept it for sentimental reasons. I suppose that came in handy."

"And. . . you know this because?" Kai raised an eyebrow.

"I made mistakes of my own, in the past." Garmadon said. "What matters now, is that we make things right."

"No, no." Kai shook his head. "What matters is that you elaborate."

"I need to talk to Jay. Have they returned yet?"

"No." Nya said. "But they'll be back soon."

"Alright. Until then." Before anyone could protest, Garmadon slipped out of the door, his hurried footsteps echoing through the hall.