Discovering Destiny
Another day, another update.
Again, it's another chapter of action, humor, & interactions. It's not much but please enjoy.
Chapter 51: What's a Motto?
Looks like Garmadon's at it again. The Shark Army instigated another raid at the beach near their boss' volcano base. With larger numbers compared to their last attempt to win the dark lord's favor, Master Wu sent the entire Secret Ninja Force to stop them.
"Remember our strategy?" Cole gathered the team together right before confronting the enemies.
"Yeah, yeah," Iris rolled her eyes, "We'll have three ninja dealing with direct confrontation, three more also fight but keep an eye on the others, while the rest provide back-up."
"This isn't something to be taken lightly, Iris," The black ninja scolded her, "We have to be prepared for every skirmish with the Shark Army if we want to save Ninjago."
Lloyd mentally cringed at his teammate's words. He couldn't care less about the city's people who did nothing to him except make his life miserable. Still, he had a job to do and he had other reasons to be part of the Secret Ninja Force. It's too late to turn back now.
"Is everybody ready?" He made sure the team were prepared once he regained his senses.
"Of course!" His teammates brandished their weapons, prepared for what's to come.
"Let's go!" The ninja charged into battle.
The ninja were able to follow through with their strategy. Kai, Jay, and Heather were at the front line, fighting off any enemy in their way. Luna, Cole, and Zane stayed in the background, keeping an eye on the citizens so no one got hurt as well as keeping the first three ninja from getting ambushed.
The ice ninja caught sight of a Shark Army member trying to sneak up on Heather. He didn't hesitate to fire an arrow at the fish-shaped club raised above them, making the lackey lose their grip on their weapon. The teal kunoichi was too preoccupied on fending off the Shark Army minion in front of her to even notice and she may never know what her teammate had done for her, not that the white ninja minded. What mattered above all else was that the Secret Ninja Force will get through this fight in one piece, whatever that means.
As for the rest of the team, they were scattered wherever they were needed, not being bound to one place or role. Iris switched between fighting the Shark Army by herself and helping her teammates and Aria chased after the closest enemies she could track down. In the corner of her eye, the kunoichi of wind saw the 'offense team' being surrounded by more and more enemies. She didn't think even once when she joined them and fought off the bulk of the Shark Army.
"What the hell are you doing here!?" Kai was bewildered by Aria's intrusion but was too preoccupied by his task to wait for answers, which she didn't give anyway.
The Secret Ninja Force paid their undivided attention to the Shark Army and their task. The townsfolk who were brave enough to stay and watch the battle had no idea what was really going on. It seemed like everything was happening so fast. Weapons clashed and blows were exchanged. The Secret Ninja Forced continued to show their potential and the Shark Army's forces were exhausted.
"General! I'm out of ammo!" One of the lesser goons whined to their higher-up.
"Quit complaining and just fight with your fists!" General #1 dismissed them. They tried to follow their leader's orders but they made the unfortunate mistake of trying to take on the muscular earth ninja. It took mere moments for their adversary to give them so many bruises there were no hints of their true complexion left.
The ninja's strategy started showing results and before anyone knew it, the Shark Army's forces have dwindled until they were too worn out and scared to fight anymore. The Secret Ninja Force emerged victorious and the crowds cheered for them.
Lloyd, having been bullied all his life, had no idea what to make of the people adoring him. They had no idea that one of the heroes they look up to is the same outcast they despise. If they ever find out, who knows what will happen.
But all that matters right now is that he's one step closer to finding what he truly seeks.
Back at the hideout, the Secret Ninja Force celebrated another mission well done.
"I'm not one to toot my own horn but I think I'm starting to get the hang of being a kunoichi." Heather admitted, feeling a bit more confident with her new occupation.
"It is not much but I baked some cookies beforehand. With our latest victory, now is the perfect time to enjoy them." Zane offered yet more homemade treats which made the celebration even better.
While the others celebrated, Kai felt that there was something missing during their battle. There was something he felt the team should've done to make the victory even more worthwhile. The fire ninja thought for a while until he finally recognized what was missing.
"You know, I've been thinking lately." Kai spoke up.
"You think?" Nya deadpanned, earning a glare from her brother as fiery as his element.
"It's kinda boring to just head off into battle you know?" The fire ninja started, "You've all seen those shows where the heroes make an epic speech or catchy motto right before the fight, right?"
"What are you talking about? Fighting the Shark Army is anything but boring!" Aria retorted.
"We gotta think of some sort of motto. Something to say right before a battle."
"Kai, we're not here to be cliched," Lloyd said, "The last thing I need is to be the center of even more attention. You're not gonna waste everyone's time trying to come up with some stupid motto."
"Geez, Lloyd! It's not all about you!" Iris shot an annoyed glance towards the green ninja, who dished it back.
"That's not the point!" The ninja leader argued.
"I see where you're getting at," Nya agreed with her brother, to everyone's surprise, "If we're gonna be well-known to the public, then we might as well come up with a trademark that people will recognize us for."
"Let's rock!" Cole offered a suggestion.
"Secret Ninja Force battle plan ready. Execute." Even Zane was in on it, much to Lloyd's aggravation.
"Let's ninja?" Aria added her idea.
"Ninja… go…?"
Everyone fell silent the moment Kai made his suggestion. There was something about that seemingly silly phrase that just clicked with them.
"That actually sounds kinda catchy." Jay was the first to say something about the red ninja's idea.
"Ninja go… It has a nice ring to it." Cole nodded.
"With the city already being called Ninjago, there is only twelve percent chance of the locals finding it suspicious." Zane quipped.
Everyone else looked at Lloyd, waiting for his approval.
"Fine! But I still think this is stupid! If anyone's gonna make fun of it, don't blame me!" The green ninja scowled but since it's what the majority wants, he'll just have to deal with it.
"Looks like we have our new motto! Ninja go!" Kai struck a pose but the other ninja didn't quite catch on and stared at him like he was a madman.
"What?" The fire ninja asked with annoyance while maintaining his silly pose, "Don't just stand there! We gotta pose together!"
"Unlike you, we don't plan on crossing any lines." Iris deadpanned.
"What are you talking about!?"
"Kai, there's a very fine line between making an impression… and looking like an idiot. I wouldn't want for you to destroy it."
"I do not understand why you are talking about lines all of a sudden," The ever naive Zane spoke, "I do not see any of these lines you speak of."
"It's just a figure of speech, Zane." Jay dismissed the android, not wanting things to escalate.
Master Wu watched his students interact from afar and found their antics amusing. Only time will tell if that new motto of theirs will provide them what they want out of it.
During the ninja's usual training breaks, Iris saw the perfect opportunity to come up with the perfect mech and took it.
"Jay!" She hollered at her tech-savvy teammate.
The lightning ninja emitted a high-pitched yelp. Thankfully, he overcame his shock fairly quickly and he wasn't working on any gadgets at the time.
"Is there something you need help with?" The timid ninja asked her after catching his breath.
"I have some ideas for my mech but I wanna hear your opinion first."
"Why me? Why not Zane or Lloyd? They're also good with machines."
"You happen to be the closest one. Is that good enough?"
Jay didn't know how to respond but it didn't matter since Iris continued.
"Uncle once told me of this thing he sometimes work with at the engineering company. It's also pretty common in my homeland. It's been a while since he mentioned it so I might not remember the exact name. I think it's name is… yozhik…? Or was it called stali…?"
"Zhelezo ore," Jay corrected her, "It's one of the most versatile and durable substances in the world. I wouldn't be surprised if- Wait a sec!"
The blue ninja saw the puzzle pieces coming together and gears in his head started turning, even if the kunoichi of metal didn't look too happy for some reason.
"If you say there's a lot of zhelezo ore where you're from… and there's very few places where it comes in abundance... then that can only mean… This is probably a shot in the dark but you don't happen to be from the city of Almaz, are you…?"
"Shush!" The pink kunoichi hushed him, "Nobody needs to know that!"
"Why not? Almost everyone knows I grew up in Parsa. What's so bad about you being from Almaz?"
"It's just..." The violet-eyed girl looked like she wanted to say more but something stopped her, "Forget it! Look, I need your help with my mech!"
Although he complied, Jay still wondered why Iris was so worked up over talking about her homeland.
Almaz was a city far to the north of Ninjago City. While its winters were very harsh, the land itself was rich with natural resources, including minerals such as the zhelezo ore that was common there. Much like Parsa, Almaz has its own distinct culture very different from that of Ninjago City and while it also enjoys a reputation for being technologically advanced, there were many different reputations, some good and others… not so much.
"But you don't have to get all worked up about not being from here." Jay accidentally finished aloud.
"I-it's nothing," The kunoichi of metal's temper seemed to have simmered down a bit, "We should be living in the present, not the past. Anyway, I've been thinking about having my mech built with zhelezo ore but first, I'm gonna need some advice."
"Is there any particular details you're concerned with?"
"I have the kind of design I want but I'm still trying to come up with some unique features such as its attacks. Also, the only way I know how to get zhelezo ore is to ask Uncle Karloff but he might become suspicious. He's much smarter than he lets on. Why else would a teenage girl be interested in minerals all of a sudden?"
"Because you crave it." Zane suddenly popped up to deliver yet another outdated meme.
"Thanks..." Iris was put off by the white ninja's… quirkiness.
After the obligatory comic relief, the lightning ninja thought of a way to help his teammate.
"My parents are inventors and they've worked with zhelezo ore before. Maybe I can ask them instead so you don't have to worry about your uncle." He suggested.
"You sure about that? What are you going to tell them?" Iris asked, still unaware of his family's ways.
"I can tell them I'm making some inventions. Inventing runs in my family's blood."
"And how will they get zhelezo ore?"
"I never really thought about it. My parents always go and get the things they need and they never tell me where they get them. I've asked before but they always dismiss me. But what matters is that they have what they need."
"But you're still gonna get some zhelezo ore for me, right?" Iris asked, pulling off her puppy-dog eyes look, hoping it'll convince Jay like it always does for Karloff.
"Let me see your design first." Nope. Not gonna happen.
Iris sighed in defeat but showed him her sketches, all of them depicting giant mechanical animals. Jay can tell she was inspired by that hit game 'Legends of the Wild'. He couldn't blame her since he liked the game too.
"Which one did you pick?" He asked after getting a good look at the designs.
"I wanna go with this one." The pink kunoichi pointed at the wolf.
"I'm still working on my own mech but I'll lend a hand whenever you need it." He complied.
"Jay! You're the best!" Iris gushed before scampering off.
The blue ninja was flustered, though not to the same extent whenever Nya compliments him. He still wasn't that good with receiving praise. All he could think of was how the hell he got into this mess.
Zane and Aria never really interacted before which was probably why Master Wu selected them to go on today's training out in the open without him. The pair wandered through the wilderness near the edge of Ninjago City.
"So… uh… what do you wanna talk about?" Aria tried chatting with the android but had no idea where to start.
"You humans talk about many different subjects," Zane started in his ever quirky ways, "Yet each and every one draws them in just as much as the other."
"I never thought someone like you would be so… psychological…?" The orange kunoichi had the word at the tip of her tongue but just couldn't find it.
"Do you mean philosophical?" The ice ninja corrected her after going through the dictionary installed within his programming.
"Yeah, that."
"Perhaps it is because I am not human that makes me notice a lot about them."
Aria can sense that Zane felt uneasy when talking about how different he was and it wasn't that kind of difference every single person had with everybody else. Being what could possibly be the sole robot in the entire city seems to weigh a lot on the white ninja. Even the kunoichi of wind knew better than to give him a hard time and switched the subject.
"Is there any school clubs you're a part of?" She tried to divert the android's mind on something else.
"I am in the audiovisual club."
"There's an audiovisual club at Ninjago High?"
"Yes and I do not bear any ill will towards you for asking. In fact, I expected you to say such since I am the only member."
"That's just sad."
"You are the third person to say such a thing."
Aria still didn't know what to make of her robot teammate. He seemed like a sweet person despite his naivete in certain topics and some unnerving habits such as his face twitching sometimes.
"Do you ever wonder why whoever built you… did that?" She asked.
"Did what?" Zane tilted his head as he usually does when he doesn't understand his teammates.
"You know… make you…?"
The humanoid paused for several moments, remembering his earliest memories with his father.
"It was my father who constructed my body. When I was first activated, one of the very first things he said to me was that I am me, no matter my physical properties. I still have yet to decipher why he built me instead of marrying and have a child of his own or even adopt. However, he also said we live not to wonder about the past but to forge our own identities and our future."
"What do you think the future holds for you?"
"Becoming a protector of the city is not what I had in mind a long time ago, even though helping those who cannot help themselves is an ideal that has been ingrained within my programming. Father also said that not knowing what will happen next is part of the beauty of living. It is another concept I have yet to understand but I will still continue to live here because I also wish to experience life just like the rest of you humans."
Now it was Aria's turn to feel uncomfortable. She was always trying to figure out what the future may hold for her and didn't really think about what will become of her once she finds the answers.
Does the future have some sort of greater plan for her?
And will being a ninja help?
"Aria!" The ice ninja's voice interrupted her thoughts, bringing her mind back to the wonderful, hi-def reality in all its bleak glory.
"Aria, you look uneasy. Should we return to the hideout?" Zane observed her tense expression.
"I guess so."
The two headed back after a fruitless attempt to know more about one another.
Maybe they'll have another chance someday.
Kai and Nya remained silent while their parents checked their grades as of this interim. Ray and Maya examined the papers sent from Ninjago High and weren't too disappointed. They weren't surprised at their children getting an A in PE, which was apparently their best class. Other than that, their kids had their ups and downs. Kai's best grades were in history and science while Nya did better when it came to math and art. Their parents weren't surprised to see where their children majored but today, there was an exception. Nya usually did very well in math so Ray and Maya were surprised when they saw a B+ rather than an A in this interim's report card.
"You both did well, though there are a couple of surprises." Ray showed his children their grades.
Nya's expression darkened the moment she saw the B+ on her report card. She was the best when it comes to math no matter how much she hated it. She needed to do well so she can prove to Ninjago that she won't need anybody's help to show that she was a strong and independent young woman.
"Nya, you still did good." Maya tried to console her daughter. Knowing she was a bit of a perfectionist, she already sensed her child was not happy about her grade.
"But I could've been better," The headstrong girl still berated herself, "If only I got more points at that last algebra exam, I could've gotten an A."
"Sis, you're being way to hard on yourself. A B isn't the end of the world." Kai wasn't as patient as his parents when dealing with his sister's bouts of self-deprecation.
"Stop pretending I don't know that!"
"Then stop whining! I'm sure the others aren't having as much of a hard time!"
Despite his cool image, Cole made sure to do good in school. It's never cool to slack off during studies, even if he hated it just as much as every teen in Ninjago. Even with a good school record, Lou was as cold as ever while looking at his son's grades. Cole himself remained apathetic since this was how his father acted every time the report cards come in. He never cared if he got straight A's or not. He'll be nothing but a disgrace for refusing to follow in his footsteps.
Lou only looked at his son with a stern expression before leaving the room as he always does when he does well in school. Once their 'meeting' was done and over with, Cole went straight for the training room to lift some weights. He couldn't care less of what his dad thinks nor did he find any reason to.
Why should he give a damn if all his father will always see him as a disappointment?
The earth ninja found himself unsatisfied after many minutes in the training room. He had a hunch it was because he's already working out on a daily basis at the ninja base. He might need to find another way to channel his frustrations.
Nya now spent much of the ninja's breaks working on her mech. So far, progress was going smoothly. She always made sure not a single part was out of place, even in the slightest. Her Water Strider will be both powerful and versatile. It's going to be perfect.
"Are you in need of assistance?" Zane asked, being eager to help others as always.
"Nah, I'm good." The silver kunoichi dismissed him.
Even with her denying any help, the ice ninja remained by his teammate's side.
"Is there anything you'd like to say?" Nya was slightly unnerved by the way he stood completely still, not even blinking. He really looked just like a life-sized doll simply standing there.
"I only have some simple ideas for the moment."
"Can you tell me?"
"I intend for my mech to run on freon cells like my body does and perhaps produce ice."
"Interesting. It's kinda like how I'm designing the Water Strider to work atop of and even underwater."
"I assume versatility is your main priority with your mech."
"Pretty much."
Nya didn't mind having Zane around. As… odd… as he may be, he was still a very sweet person. As for Zane, he found the silver kunoichi's strong will and refusal to let others' opinions get to her something worth looking up to. Perhaps being in the Secret Ninja Force may not be so bad…
Looks like the ninja are starting to get attention from the locals. You'll have to wait & see how they'll feel having everyone's eyes on them but until then, please review.
