Discovering Destiny
Time for another update! In this chapter, we'll be introduced to another training method for the ninja & as usual, there will be more interactions in training, school, and social life. As usual, sit back & enjoy.
Chapter 49: Change of Plans
The Secret Ninja Force gathered at the hideout as usual but Master Wu decided now is the time to try something different.
"Students, there won't be any training done here today." He stopped his apprentices before they can begin their training.
"Is this another one of those outdoor training sessions?" Lloyd was the first to question his uncle.
"Yes but it will not be the same as before." The bearded old man answered.
"Master Wu, I've been meaning to ask this for a while." Aria spoke up before he can say any more.
"Go on." He encouraged the olive-skinned girl to continue.
"Is there any other reason you make us train outside besides our elements?" The capricious kunoichi finally had the guts to ask one of the many questions she had bottled up.
Master Wu paused for several seconds before going on another one of his cryptic speeches.
"Lord Garmadon is not the only threat to Ninjago." He began.
"How would you know that?"
"I have seen many things throughout the many years I have lived, some I would never wish to return." Wu shuddered, remembering the first time it came to Ninjago. Hopefully, it will never come back…
"And what does that have to do with training outside?" Heather asked.
"You can't rely on me for everything and I can't always be around when need be. You will also have to learn how to work together without my guidance, starting today."
The old teacher briefly inspected his pupils before making his choice on who will take part in the first training session without him.
"Kai and Cole, you will go first." Master Wu picked the fire ninja and earth ninja.
"Why us?" Cole asked, not that he minded.
"You two are only beginning to find your place in the team, and will require you forging relationships with each and every one of your teammates. Both of you still have so much to learn about each other, which makes you the perfect candidates for the first training session alone."
"But where should we go and what do you want us to do?"
"Go to the bamboo forest. There, I want you to do something simple."
"And that is…?" Kai expected the old man to finish for him.
"Know one another," Master Wu answered flatly, "Even the simplest of things are the most important factors that will ensure victory or defeat. By learning more about each other, you will learn to work as a team and each of you will even learn more about not only your brethren but also yourselves."
The old teacher was slightly annoyed at the two ninja still standing before him after he finished.
"I already told you to go and train outside. I will not repeat myself." Wu sternly told them.
"Fine..." The pair quickly got the message and set out for their first training session without him.
The ninja of fire and earth trekked through the wilderness in silence. Scratch that. With those two, it's anything but silent. Cole managed to leave the hideout with his radio blasting hard rock and Kai tried talking to him despite the loud volume drowning out his voice.
"Cole! You mind turning that thing down a bit!?" The red ninja tried speaking over the loud beats for what he believed to be the billionth time.
"Yes. Yes I do." His comrade answered dryly.
Kai was itching to do something besides wandering around and so far, Cole didn't seem as interested in fighting and would rather laze around with his radio. The hot-blooded ninja was always itching for a challenge but with no real structure, he didn't know what to do and he wasn't all too happy about it.
"I guess we're just gonna walk around… So much for training..." Kai groaned.
"We all know that Master Wu likes to hide things from us. We have no choice but to keep training." His more easygoing teammate shrugged.
With the old man absent, Kai's mind began to stir with temptation.
"But Master Wu isn't here now, is he?" He started.
"What are you getting at…?"
"He didn't give us any rules for us to follow. We can do whatever we want without him around to hit us on the head with that staff."
"Kai, this isn't something to be taken lightly. We have no idea what Garmadon plans to do next." Cole began to grow exasperated by his teammate's impatience.
"Exactly!" The red ninja replied, "It's pointless thinking there will only be one outcome!"
"Is this about your fight with Heather earlier?"
"No!"
"Then what is it?" Now Cole's voice started to carry a hint of annoyance.
"I just don't believe in our future already being set up for us. If our fate was decided for us, then why would Master Wu bother telling us about discovering ourselves and deciding how we'll end up?" The fire ninja pointed out.
"And what do you want to do? Fight fate?"
"Hell yeah!"
"So even if things don't work out and it looks like there's no way out, you'll still look for another way?"
"Of freakin' course!"
"I expected as much from you." Cole chuckled just a tiny bit but Kai didn't find any mirth in his voice.
"Oh god, you're one of those people who act all cool but are incredibly angsty inside." Kai wasn't too thrilled upon seeing what may be the laid-back ninja's true colors.
"Says the guy who hangs out with Lloyd all time."
"Yeah, but two angsty teens is a bit much, don't you think?"
"I admit I do have some issues but then again, who doesn't?"
"I don't have any issues!"
"You sure about that? The other day, you threatened Camille just for looking at Lloyd funny."
"She was gonna do something even worse! That's what every popular bitch does! Dammit! Is listening to that radio all you ever do!?"
"No. I also train in the way of the ninja just like you." Cole answered flatly.
Kai found himself becoming even more riled up by his teammate's lax replies. It's almost like trying to get a sloth to actually run.
"You know what's interesting?" Cole suddenly spoke.
"Just spit it out." Kai said bluntly.
"Master Wu did say he only wanted us to know more about each other. I guess we've been doing that the whole time." The earth ninja reminisced over their teacher's instructions.
"I guess you're right," His teammate nodded, "But all you have is your obsession with loud music and maybe some issues that's giving you typical teen angst."
"At least that's two things. You're nothing but a hothead." The earth ninja teased back.
"Keep talking and I'm gonna make sure those will be the last words you'll ever say..." Kai said darkly.
Cole rolled his eyes, knowing the red ninja isn't capable of following through with his threats… yet...
Kai and Aria found themselves hanging out with one another again but this time, they didn't complain about it and it's probably because they got along by complaining about everything.
"I know, right?" Aria ranted, "It's so annoying when your favorite song starts to play just when you get to the driveway!"
"You think that's annoying? Then you probably have no idea what it's like when you order something at a restaurant and someone comes after you ends up getting their order first." Kai added.
"Oh my god! That happened to me the other day! My parents and I were at a Thai restaurant and this couple who arrived ten minutes after us got their food before us!"
Nya, who had to endure their rants, found herself running out of patience. As if dealing with only Kai was bad enough, she was sure she'll get an aneurysm if she has to listen to both Kai and Aria complain for one more minute. She gathered whatever sanity she had left and got up, grabbing their attention.
"Uh, Nya? You haven't gone insane, have you?" Kai asked his sister.
The kunoichi of water said nothing and maintained an eerily calm expression as she grabbed both Kai and Aria's heads and bashed their heads together eliciting pained yelps from both of them which was music to her ears compared to their rants.
"What was that for!?" Aria whined while rubbing the bump forming on the side of her head.
"Nya! You suck!" Kai yelled at his sister.
Nya carried on like nothing happened, much to her brother and friend's annoyance. The confident girl didn't even seem fazed by the stares of almost everyone at the Q-Tea House.
"Thank god I'm an only child!" The orange kunoichi remarked.
"Don't be like that," The fire ninja rebuffed her, "Nya can be pretty annoying sometimes but she's still the greatest sister anyone can have."
"Really? I wonder if she can say the same for you."
"What are you implying?"
"Nothing..." Aria dismissed her hot-blooded 'complain buddy' a little too innocently.
'Oh god, here we go...' Nya shook her head but she was willing to deal with the pair's antics.
As aggravating as they can be, their interactions often kept her entertained.
A storm brewed yet again over Ninjago City and while Jay had no weather-based fears, he did not like getting his clothes wet. Being out on the streets, the blue ninja cursed his luck and wrapped his orange scarf all over his head. For once, he didn't care if he looked like a fool. He made a dash for the nearest shelter and didn't care to take even once second to see what kind of place it was.
"Welcome to Blossoming Memories." A familiar voice greeted him.
"Heather…!" The lightning ninja was surprised to see his teammate at the cash register.
"This is the first time I've seen you here." Heather remarked.
"But-but why are you here?" Jay stuttered while his heart settled back to a normal pulse.
"I work here. What else?" The teal kunoichi deadpanned.
Jay observed the shop, looking at the vast variety of flowers it sells. There were common ones such as roses, tulips, and daisies as well as many more he never saw before or don't know the name of. Having been raised around science and technology, he didn't know a whole lot about Mother Nature, which was ironic given that he grew up in Parsa, a city that was just as famous for its gardens as it was for its advanced technology.
"What brings you here?" Heather asked her comrade.
"I just need a place to stay before the rain stops." He decided to be honest for once.
The lightning ninja continued to observe the flowers. His favorite color being blue, he was instinctively drawn to those of that color but there wasn't a lot of them as of now, what little good it did. He can't even name all the flowers he saw while growing up in the Garden City of Parsa.
All of a sudden, a certain face popped up in his thoughts.
Jay found at least a part of himself compelled to get a flower for Nya but it won't do him any good. For starters, Nya doesn't seem the type to be impressed by something as plain as a flower and giving girls flowers is one of the many age-old traditions that have been rendered obsolete by humans' constant progress with technology. A flower will wither and die in only a couple of days while a new phone can last for a few years give or take.
"Are you interested in buying anything here?" Heather asked, interrupting Jay's inner thoughts.
"Uh… not really..." He answered sheepishly.
The teal kunoichi also found it ironic that someone from Parsa doesn't care a whole lot about Mother Nature. Then again, more and more people have been taking the natural world for granted lately. Not a lot of people come here and whenever they do, it's always for an event such as an anniversary or a birthday party. They never come to the shop and buy flowers just because they want to.
Well, at least one person in the city did…
Jay felt more and more uncomfortable by the silence save for the raindrops hitting the display window and the occasional crash of thunder. He can tell he and Heather couldn't be more different. He was a tech geek and she was a nature lover. There's no way they could ever truly get along and if Master Wu makes them go off together without him, it would only make things more awkward between them.
"Looks like the storm's clearing up." Heather observed the downpour of rain easing up and the clouds looking a little less grey.
"I guess I'll be seeing you later." Jay got up to leave.
The kunoichi of nature was unsure if she should respond at all and it wasn't just because of their vow of secrecy as ninja.
At least she survived what could be the first of many awkward moments to come...
Zane knew he was at a disadvantage the moment Master Wu chose Iris to be his opponent for today's training session. With her shield, she could block all of his arrows. He'll have to formulate a completely different strategy if he wants to come out as the victor.
The ice ninja took out an arrow but did not plan on aiming it just yet. He must figure out what course of action to take first that will give him a higher chance of an advantage.
The android never forgot his backup shuriken. He usually used them only as a last resort when he ran out of arrows. Perhaps doing things a little differently is what he needs to prevail over his opponent…
'Is he even gonna do anything?' Iris felt her patience wearing thin while doing nothing but stare at her opponent. She still stood her ground and didn't let go of her sword and shield. Zane was not an idiot despite his unnatural smiles claiming otherwise. When the humanoid gets serious, he gets serious.
The ice ninja's fingers fled from the arrows strapped to his back and dove into the silver pouch on his belt that carried his shuriken. He threw one of the tiny blades at her but aimed for her legs where she might have a more difficult time using her shield. Iris barely jumped away but that was what the robot intended. The moment he threw the shuriken, he grabbed an arrow and fired it. The kunoichi of metal was caught off guard, stumbled, and fell on her bottom.
Iris was about to get up on her own when a pale hand appeared before her. She was surprised to see Zane offering to help her up despite being her opponent today.
"Why are you doing this? To mock me?" The kunoichi of metal didn't trust the ice ninja's mercy.
"It is within my nature to help anyone in need," Zane answered in his usual matter-of-fact tone, "Even with our training in the art of war, we are not enemies."
"I can get up by myself, thank you very much." Iris brushed him off and got up by herself.
"Now cut out his face!" Aria tried egging the pink kunoichi to attack, earning her a literal headache via Wu's staff. Much to everyone's surprise, Wu didn't seem disappointed on the match being cut short.
"Master Wu? Aren't Zane and Iris supposed to be fighting each other?" Heather asked him.
"Training isn't all about battles and victories. It's also not the only thing I want you to do during these sessions. It is important to also be able to get along. Your bonds are what decides if you are fit for the role of Ninjago's protectors. I will let this one slide for now."
Zane and Iris went back to their teammates, wondering if their teacher had other reasons to stop their match and it's more than likely he does. Looks like they'll have to battle each other some other time...
Today was an important day for the music club at Ninjago High. It seems Brad may have finally chosen who will play the ballerina in the upcoming musical. Luna never felt this restless since the day she first signed up to join the Secret Ninja Force and no, there's no cutaway gags here. We already know how that went.
"Luna Hoffman." Brad summoned her.
"Y-yes…!?" The auburn-haired girl felt chills run up and down her spine and her organs doing flip-flops the moment her fellow music club member said her name…
And then he did the same for every person who auditioned for the ballerina, much to her annoyance.
"I have listened to every single audition many times a day but I want all of you to do it again. I want to make sure I pick the best person for the role."
"But won't that defeat the point of our first audition?"
"Of course not. It's stupid to pick someone by just one audition. Now sing!" Brad commanded.
All the candidates, including Luna, ended up singing the ballerina's song again. Meanwhile, Cole sat in the corner and watched the whole thing. Brad may seem silly at times but hey, he has a lot of passion for what he likes and the earth ninja respected that.
"Luna Hoffman." Brad called the quiet girl over by name yet again.
'Is he gonna make all of us audition again?' Luna asked to herself with exasperation.
"Luna, you'll be playing the ballerina in The Steadfast Tin Soldier." Brad said almost out of nowhere.
The entire theater fell silent the moment Luna was chosen to play one of the main parts. Everyone in the room was shocked but not as much as the new star herself. In fact, they had no clue how she even felt about all this. The already quiet girl was deathly silent and her face showed no expression like she was staring at something that no one else can see.
"Luna?" Cole tapped her shoulder, which wasn't the best idea given his strength…
The purple kunoichi keeled over like a stiff board without making any sound except for the loud thud upon landing face down on the ground and even with that, she still didn't wake up.
Luna had no idea what just happened. One moment, she was chosen to play the ballerina and then it seemed like her mind blacked out. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the floor, surrounded by her fellow music club members who all stared at her with concern.
"She's waking up! Give her some space!"
"Thank goodness!" Brad sighed with relief, "I almost thought we were gonna have to replace you!"
"Replace? What's going on?" The shy girl asked, still needing time to refresh her memories.
"You were chosen to play the ballerina," Cole reminded Luna of her newest role, "Does that help?"
"Nope." The timid girl answered flatly before her consciousness left her again.
Iris tried coming up with a design for her mech but it was not as simple as she thought. The only time she's good at designing stuff is when it's bursting with cuteness and she didn't want to deal with Lloyd shooting down her ideas for the umpteenth time. Maybe she can find inspiration from Uncle Karloff. After all, he worked for one of Ninjago City's many engineering companies and he always knew how to fix any machine when something goes wrong.
But Uncle Karloff left for a meeting at his workplace about an hour ago. He's too busy as it is so she'll have to either wait for him to get back or look elsewhere for inspiration and advice.
'I can't keep relying on Uncle for everything,' The kunoichi of metal reminded herself, 'I need to start doing things myself. Isn't that the point of me joining the ninja?'
The violet-eyed girl took another look at her designs and tried putting the pieces together. She had no plans on a flying vessel and with her element being metal, travel on water doesn't seem to mesh well. A car or tank would be a little too plain for her liking.
'Come on Iris, think...' She brainstormed for ideas and scanned the apartment for anything that could give her a clue to what she should aim for.
Iris caught her L Switch controller in the corner of her eye. She recently finished the game 'Legends of the Wild' and she was tempted to play through it again. The game was really fun with the way she can explore the vast world while cooking up some neat recipes, solve underground puzzles, and let herself get distracted by lengthy sidequests while trying to tame the Grand Titans.
'Wait a sec!' A light bulb went off in Iris' head, 'Giant animals… Ninja mechs… It all adds up!'
The pink kunoichi went back to her designs and got started on creating something new. Lloyd already has his dragon but her mech won't be the exact same. She still planned for her mech to be land-based but what animal it could be, she had yet to decide. There was just so many to choose from but she still had so many ideas now and what form it will take can be decided later.
For once, she might be able to come up with a design without Lloyd bashing her.
And there you have it. It's not much but if it weren't for Lloyd hogging all the characterization in the movie, I wouldn't have to invest so much time with the other characters. Anyway, I'll see you later & review.
