Chapter 30
Movie Ninjago
Penny was worried.
It wasn't easy to tell, she had a good poker face, but Skylor could see it in the way she kept checking her phone for updates about the Ninja Force during their lunch period. The table suddenly felt a lot emptier without Nya there, or Kai, Zane, or any of the rest of the Ninja Force coming by to talk.
It was all Skylor could do to keep her own poker face in check. Unlike Penny and the Ninja Force, she knew what was up. By now her father's Anacondrai agent had likely kidnapped Lloyd and the prince.
While she wasn't happy about that fact, she was somewhat grateful for it. She hadn't been lying before when she told Kai and Nya she thought Lloyd's sweet personality should be protected. Grant it, trapping him in her father's dungeon wasn't exactly what she had in mind, nor what she really wanted, but he'd be safe there. Locked up tight so he couldn't fight against her father and be hurt or worse by doing it.
… Well, relatively safe. Hopefully, she could dissuade or distract Clouse to keep him away from him.
Still, at least she knew Clouse wasn't on the island to do anything to him. Her friends had pulled her out of there before he finished his experiment, and there was no way he wasn't steamed about it. There was no doubt in her mind that he was somewhere still in Ninjago City and would not leave until he was satisfied she had been properly punished, or she did something to make up for her failure on the beach. Considering she was coming up empty on what could make up for that, though she had managed to sabotage Lloyd's radio the day before so he couldn't call for help once kidnapped. That wouldn't be enough to satisfy her father or his right hand, and she was dreading what her punishment would be.
Still, Clouse wouldn't make a move as long as other people were around. So long as she wasn't alone she would be safe.
For now…
Still, seeing Penny fret over their friends made the guilt in her stomach dig in even deeper.
"Hey, I'm sure they're fine," Skylor said encouragingly. "If anything were up, it'd be all over the news."
Penny still looked worried. "Not necessarily," she said.
"What do you mean?" asked Skylor, confused.
Penny glanced around the cafeteria to make sure no one was listening, then leaned over to whisper, "Yesterday I met Jay and Cole's cousins. They were Nick and Cliff. The ones Red came seeking romantic advice about. I found it curious they were wearing ninja gis when they arrived. Nya and Cole informed me that they were active ninja in parts of Ninjago outside the city. I believe I spotted them again in the carriage that arrived this morning. If so, then the Ninja Force's aid could be required anywhere, even potentially in places we would not hear about."
Skylor blinked. That was news to her. Sure, she'd met Red and heard of some of the Ninja Force having cousins and that Red's brother Spike had his True Potential, but it hadn't occurred to her that they might also be in the ninja business as well. She wondered what elements these five mysterious cousins had, or were they element-less ninja like the Lady IronDragon before them.
It was definitely something to look into later.
"Even so, I'm sure they're fine," Skylor assured her friend. "They have mechs, Meowthra and that dragon with them. It'd take a lot to combat that."
Not even her father had a way... yet, but it was only a matter of time before they got the weapons and Clouse or some scientist finished the work Borg left undone.
Thankfully, her words seemed to reassure Penny, and she gave Skylor a smile. "You are correct," she said. "Something such as that would be reported on." Still, she glanced at her phone again. "Still, while I understand there is secrecy required in being a ninja, I do wish there was more I could do to help them."
It was then Skylor noticed Master Wu's book was poking out of Penny's bag, and from the post-its now sticking out of the pages, she had been reading it diligently and taking notes.
The sight made Skylor smile. "Thinking about being a ninja yourself?" she asked tugging the book out of Penny's bag and waving it for the blonde to see.
Penny's cheeks flushed pink and she snatched the book back.
Skylor snickered at that response. "There's no shame in it," she said. "I'm pretty sure everyone in Ninjago wants to be a ninja. The Ninja Force makes it look cool, and who wouldn't want to be a hero."
Penny hugged the book to herself. "Actually, reading this book I am less convinced being a ninja is quite the right… fit for me," she admitted. "However…" She flipped open the book to a page with the most post-it notes in the margins. "According to this book, there are other types of warrior one could commit to."
Skylor peered down at the page and saw an illustration of a ninja next other kinds of fighters, all with brief descriptions of their skill sets and the advantages and disadvantages of that type of fighting. The post-it notes that littered the page all were crammed with speculations of pros and cons of Penny pursuing that form of fighting.
Picking the post-it off the image of a man in armor to get a better look, Skylor let out an impressed whistle. "Wow, you've really put a lot of thought into this," she said. It was clear this was more than a passing fancy for the other girl. She was willing to commit to doing it, but only needed to find the best way how. "Have you picked what you want to do, yet?" she asked.
Penny flushed pink again at the praise but shook her head. "No," she said. "This book only goes into great detail of the ninja side of fighting. Other forms are referenced if they have any similarities or advantages or disadvantages over being such but lack the information to reach a satisfactory conclusion. I require more research before I decide. Still, after seeing what Zane, Nya and the others go through, I wish to help."
Skylor hummed in understanding. It was definitely a Penny thing to do to want to help out in any way she could, even with the danger involved. It was one of the most endearing qualities of the girl that she hoped would never fade. "One question," she said, putting the post-it back and closing the book. "Do you even know how to fight? I mean, it's kind of a requirement to do any of this."
Penny shook her head again. "I am capable of basic self-defense, however, I do not yet have the capacity to fight as well as necessary. I am seeking lessons to better equip myself at the moment, but most in the city are quite expensive."
"Everything in this city is expensive," Skylor said wryly. "I think it's a requirement of being a city." She then grinned as an idea occurred to her. "Wait, what if I teach you?" she offered.
Penny looked at her in surprise.
"I've been studying mixed martial arts pretty much since I could walk," Skylor admitted. "I could teach you what I know, and finding a style you like can help you narrow down what type of fighter you want to be."
Penny's expression lit up. "That would be splendid," she said, nodding eagerly. "Thank you, I find that most agreeable."
"Great!" said Skylor. "First lesson's after school. Don't be late."
Penny giggled. "Yes, Sensei Skylor," she said with a smile.
At that moment, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch.
As they gathered their things to head to their next class, Penny glanced at Skylor and asked, "Have you ever wished to be a ninja?"
Skylor froze, not expecting the question at all.
"I merely ask because with your statement 'Who wouldn't want to be a hero,' you implied that that was a wish you have had as well," said Penny curiously. "Is it?"
Skylor stared down at her bag, before slowly slinging it over her shoulder. "My father would kill me if I ever tried something like that," she said lowly, and only being half metaphorical.
Penny's expression fell at the mention of her father before her face hardened in determination. "You are away from him," she said. "The police are searching for him now, and we will not let him have you again. He can no longer influence your choices."
Skylor could only give Penny a tight smile at that. The blonde girl didn't know how wrong she was.
"Besides," said Penny as she turned to head in the direction of her next class. "I believe you would make a wonderful hero, Skylor."
She then hurried to class.
Skylor could only stare after her, completely floored.
A hero? Her?
Skylor huffed a heavy sigh and trudged to class. "No way."
How could she ever be a hero?
When she's helping the villain.
Lord Garmadon was not pouting.
He's NOT!
Except he totally was as he rode behind his ex-wife as she drove the Green Dragon Mech.
"I can hear you sulking," Koko teased, glancing behind her.
"Am not," Garmadon whined.
Koko let out a hum that said she didn't believe him but would humor him anyway.
"I'm not!" Garmadon protested again. "I just think I could have kept driving."
"Garm, we nearly crashed twelve times while you were driving," said Koko, glancing back at him. "How many times have we almost crashed since getting here?"
Garmadon opened his mouth to give a sulky reply, but then his eyes bulged and he shouted, "ONCE!"
Koko's head whipped back around, and she pulled up on the Dragon Mech, forcing them higher into the sky and barely avoiding being plowed over by Meowthra.
The two stared as the giant cat didn't even break pace and continued running as quickly as she could across the sand in an eastern direction.
"Where do ya think she's going?" asked Garmadon, a little miffed at nearly being mowed down.
Even as he said that the radio on the mech cracked to life. "Hey guys," said Red Nya. "I was just flying alongside the Ultra Dragon when they suddenly changed direction. Any clue what that's about?"
On cue Koko and Garmadon looked up to see the four-headed dragon fly past them overhead.
Seeing that, Koko's eyes widened, and she reached for the radio. "I just saw them," she said. "They're headed east. Meowthra just took off in the same direction."
"You think they know something?" asked Spike Kai, his voice tense.
"Well, it's that or they both just decided to go that way to mess with us," said Garmadon into the radio over Koko's shoulder.
"Aw, Ultra's not like that," said Nick Jay.
"Meowthra isn't either," agreed Buddy Kai.
"Right," said Cliff Cole consideringly. "What's in that direction?"
"East of this location will take you to the jungles outside Ninjago City until one eventually reaches the ocean," said Pep Zane, sounding like a GPS navigation system.
"The jungle sounds like a good place to hide kidnap victims," said Cyan Nya.
Koko's expression turned determined. "I'm following them," she said, and turn the Green Dragon Mech's controls to follow the cat and the dragon.
"By yourself?" asked Freckles Jay worriedly.
"Someone else go with them," said Cliff Cole.
"Uh, they have a dragon and a demon cat as back up," said DJ Cole dryly.
"Heck yeah, and even without them, no one can stand up to me and Koko's dream team," said Garmadon in agreement.
"Better safe than sorry, I'll head in their direction as well," Zen Zane volunteered.
"I'll come too," said both Kais in tandem.
Garmadon scoffed. "Seriously, who do those kids think we are?" he asked, not knowing (or caring) Koko hadn't turned off the radio yet.
"The Ninja team that kicked your butt," Cyan Nya sassed over the radio.
"Please, I let you win to prolong the thrill of the chase," Lord Garmadon snarked back, and Koko turned off the radio to avoid provoking them more. Since he managed to get the last word, Garmadon didn't complain, considering it a victory.
It wasn't long after that that they caught up to the Ultra Dragon and flew alongside them behind Meowthra as she led the charge.
To their surprise, they bypassed the jungle completely, and instead headed directly to the beach.
Reaching there first, Meowthra paced back and forth in the sand, and Ultra flew right past her out over the water.
Seeing this, Koko turned on the radio again. "It's somewhere across the sea," she said. "The Ultra Dragon just past Meowthra on the beach. We'll keep following them."
Hearing that, the two Kais let out disgruntled exclamations, knowing neither Spike's bike or Buddy's mech would be able to cross the ocean.
"I will start an ice path when I reach the beach," Zen promised, quieting them somewhat.
Neither of the two on the Green Dragon Mech paid it much notice, their attention focused on the dragon in front of them, determined to keep them in sight.
They'd only flown a few minutes when a large shape sticking out of the water caught their attention.
Koko squinted down at it. "Is that?"
Down below them, a large mass of tentacles was poking out of the ocean, and sitting atop some of the tentacles were three figures that seemed dwarfed in comparison, two of whom were blond.
"It is!" said Garmadon gleefully.
Koko brought the Green Dragon Mech into a dive. The two blond figures on the tentacle jumped up and waved frantically at her approach.
They'd found them!
The collective searchers reconvened at the gates of Ouroboros, where the two Lloyds were promptly buried under a dogpile of their worried friends.
The reunion between SJ and his parents was not as rough, but no less heartwarming as the little Hypnobrai was cuddled between his mother and father.
All too soon, the dogpile receded from the two blonds, and Cliff Cole looked at them apologetically. "Sorry to cut and run," he said to the others. "Especially when things here are, well, bad, but they're bad back home right now too, and we just came to pick up Llo-Montgomery so we could take care of it."
Luh-Loyd, who'd been filled in by Spike Kai and Zen Zane on the way back to Ouroboros, nodded in understanding. "I get it. Your home comes first. We'll handle things here, and if we finish before you we'll come lend a hand."
"We'll do the same," said Spike Kai from where he had yet to leave Lil'Loyd's side. "As soon as we're finished we'll come and help you get those weapons back."
"Not if we finish first," Cyan Nya challenged.
"You're on," said Red Nya.
King Skales spoke up as the local ninja worked to quickly reassemble the carriage for their departure. "Our thanksss for your aid in sssaving our ssson," he said to Cliff Cole, who he'd correctly determined as the leader.
Cliff rubbed his shoulder uncomfortably, and replied, "We didn't do much, Koko and Lord G are the ones who found them."
King Skales hummed and didn't dispute him. "Tell me, who are you, ssstrange ninja? We only knew of the Ninja Force."
Cliff felt even more uncomfortable at that question, and Nick Jay (having overheard) jumped in to help. "Uh, we're also ninja, but, um, from reeeally far away. You wouldn't have heard of us," he said quickly.
From where he was still being doted on by his mother, SJ let out a hissing little giggle and gave the Ninja a knowing look.
At that moment, Luh-Loyd called over that the carriage was done, and Cliff and Nick beat a hasty retreat before Skales could question them again.
"Bye, SJ!" Lil'Loyd called as he climbed aboard his ride back to his own world.
"Bye, Lil'Loyd! Come play again!" SJ called back after him as his mother and several guards escorted him into the safety of the city
The Serpentine then watched bewildered as the Ultra Dragon pulled the carriage through a portal and vanished.
Given that despite bringing back the prince, the Serpentine were still reluctant to let Lord Garmadon into their city, so it was decided their discussion of their next steps would take place on the Bounty, where Lloyd told his story while Zane sent Penny a message they wouldn't be back in Ninjago until late, and to please continue to guard Skylor until they were back.
"... Lucky for us, the Leviathan was nearby and gave us a lift to shore," Lloyd finished as the Serpentine and his teammates listened intently.
"Yes… lucky…" said King Skales, looking pretty lost how anyone could consider an encounter with a giant sea monster 'lucky'.
"Monster magnet~," Kai said in a singsong voice just loud enough for his teammates to hear and smirk at.
"Monster tamer," Nya whispered back with a knowing grin.
Before anyone could comment on it further, Master Wu brings out a map for them to look at.
Taking a marker, Lloyd circled a section of ocean where he thought the island he'd been held on might be. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to take back any of the Golden Weapons before we got out of there," he said. "So we'll need to get them back and free the other Serpentine trapped there," he then stood back and adds, "And then blow up the island."
"WHAT?" was the collective shout at that conclusion.
"We'll save all the Serpentine first, don't worry," Lloyd assured them.
The Serpentine king and generals stared, his teammates slapped their foreheads, and Koko and Master Wu let out tired sighs.
Lord Garmadon, however, grinned and nodded in agreement. "Oh definitely. That'll take care of it. So how do you want to blow it up? Missiles, TNT, or dropping a volcano on it?"
Lloyd looked like he was honestly considering which would be better, and Koko had to intervene. "No, no, no, you are not blowing up the island."
Lloyd and Garmadon looked at her in honest confusion. "Why not?" they both asked.
As she and most of the Ninja Force then tried to explain why blowing up an entire island was way overkill, the gathered Serpentine only looked on in complete bewilderment.
Seeing this, Jay leaned over and explained, "Ya see, the thing is Lloyd is kind of a guy of extremes when it comes to the bad guys. Either you become friends after he gives an inspirational speech about goodness and love, or he hates your guts, you're enemies for life and he'll blow you to Kingdom Come with a boatload of missiles. There is no in-between. Closest was Garmadon, and I'm pretty sure he got a pass 'cause they're related." Next to him, Cole in agreement as Koko, Kai, Nya, and Zane did their best to talk down the two explosion-happy Garmadon's with little success.
The Serpentine just continued to stare at them.
Humans were strange.
Feeling the argument had gone on long enough, Master Wu said, "Nephew, tell me, were there any animals on the island?"
That broke through the arguing, and they all turned to look at the Ninja Master.
Lloyd frowned, remembering seeing birds, frogs, and a few monkeys on the island during his trek through the jungle. "Yes," he replied.
Catching on, Cole spoke up too, "What about plants? Isolated islands like that have gotta have rare plant life not seen anywhere else."
That gave Lloyd pause, and he nodded slowly, having seen some odd plants he hadn't recognized as well.
"And what'll happen to those plants and animals if you simply 'blow it up'?" asked Master Wu. "It is not possible for us to take all of them off the island as well."
Lloyd visibly deflated at that. "Okay, yeah, you're right," he said, backing down. "We won't just blow it up. We'll find another way to take down Chen."
There was a beat of silence at that name, and Lloyd realized that there had been something he'd left out. "Oh, right, their leader's name is Chen. Sorry, I forgot to mention that."
"Chen!" exclaimed General Arcturus as he and the other generals exchanged glances, recognizing the name, and from the look on Koko's face, she recognized it as well. The Ninja Force just watched on, not understanding their reactions.
Garmadon, who'd been pouting at seeing Lloyd back down from the 'blowing it up' idea, frowned in disgust at that name. "Chen?" he groused. "Aw man, I hate that guy. His weapons were overpriced junk, and he kept making these creepy offers to train me in the 'True Art of Evil' or something like that." He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Like I need training. I am-er-was the best at evil."
The Serpentine generals and Koko turned to look at him in confusion. "Wait, Garm, what are you talking about?" asked Koko.
Lord Garmadon shrugged. "What? I know the guy," he said. "He used to peddle weapons to my Skeleton Army while I was trying to conquer these guys, here," he said, waving at the snakes in the room. "Considering how often those boneheads broke their own weapons they needed them, so it was good to keep him around. Still, that Chen guy was… kookie. Kept saying weird things about how I had 'potential to be greater', and offering me stuff if I kept the war going longer, or pointed out villages to attack he thought would be easy targets, but really he was just trying to get me to do things for him." Garmadon then frowned at a memory. "He was a creep, and we had a falling out after me and Koko started dating on the battlefield, he didn't like that. And he was really mad when the war ended so we could get married."
Koko and the Serpentine just stared at him.
Feeling defensive at all the stares, Garmadon said, "What he was! He kept saying junk about how Koko would ruin me, power was everything, I was a fool not to listen to him, blah, blah, blah, all the stereotypical stuff. Ha! Like Koko would ever ruin me, she's one of the best things in my life."
Koko looked flattered at his words before she was all business again. "So you're saying Chen was helping you during the war?" she asked, just to be sure she was hearing what she thought she was hearing.
Garmadon looked at her. "Uh, yeah. That's what I just said. What about it?"
"Because he wasss aiding usss as well," said General Acidicus, frowning.
Garmadon stared at them. "What? Helping you? But he was clearly evil!"
"He was not ssso clearly with usss," said General Fangtom with a huff.
"We thought he wasss just eccentric," explained General Skalidor, looking a little sheepish. "... And dramatic… and a jerk… But he never presssented himself as evil, not to usss."
Seeing her ex-husband still looking incredulous, Koko added, "He played the part of a supposedly good samaritan, but came across as more like those people who do charity work just to brag about how nice they are. Obnoxious for sure, but not evil."
"Why would he pretend to be that?" asked Lord Garmadon, still looking confused.
"Because he wasss helping usss against you," said General Arcturus.
"What?" exclaimed Garmadon.
King Skales thought back to that time, "He wasss an ally to usss," he said. "He sssold us weaponsss and information to ussse in the fight againssst you. Without him, even with Charmer IronDragon aiding usss, we likely would have fallen againssst you."
"WHAT?" Garmadon yelled.
"So this guy was, what? Prolonging the war?" asked Kai with a frown.
"That doesss seem likely," said General Skalidor. "From what I remember, he wasss quite good at inciting anger in the troopsss. When moral wasss low, he encouraged them to keep fighting endlessssly.
"His wordsss," said General Acidicus, "They could ssspark anger in our soldiersss. Make them rally to fight you no matter what the oddsss. In sssome ways, it wasss inspirational, in othersss it wasss frightening how quickly his wordsss could incite rage."
Garmadon's expression was turning more and more thunderous the more he heard. "That lying snake!" he yelled, paying no mind to the actual snakes standing in the room with him. "He'd do the same with me! Any time I'd start thinking your scaly butts weren't worth the effort, he'd come in and say something to tick me off." He then frowned and eyed King Skales warily. "Unless you really told him that my helmet makes my butt look fat."
Despite the situation, the Ninja Force muffled snickers at that accusation.
King Skales, however, looked affronted both at the former warlord's words and this new knowledge of one he'd thought was an ally. "I assure you, Lord Garmadon, I had far more important thingsss to worry about than how the ssstate of your dressss affects your posssterior."
Hearing that answer did little to calm Lord Garmadon. "Gah, wait 'til I get my hands on that slimy jerk," he continued to rant. "I'll make him eat those stupid masks he makes his followers wear." He glanced at his son and asked, "He still makes them wear them right?"
"Those weird, creepy, purple snake masks?" Lloyd asked. "Yeah, a lot of guards were either wearing that or face paint."
Zane and Nya both jerked to attention at the mention of the masks and paint. "Wait, what did you say they wear?"
"Purple masks that look like snakes. That stupid cheat told me they were to protect them from Serpentine or something," Garmadon grumbled. "Ha, yeah right, bet the jerk just likes 'em. His fashion sense was always weird."
The Ice and Water Ninja exchanged a frantic glance hearing that, and the others looked at them curiously. "Why do you ask?" asked Lloyd.
Something inside Zane let out a whirring noise like a printer, and a paper slowly filtered out of his mouth (much to the incredulous gazes of the Serpentine watching). Taking the paper once it was done, the Nindroid held it up for them all to see. "Do his men dress like this?"
There on the paper was a photograph taken from Zane's memory of several people on the beach. Many of them were wearing masks and face paint like Lloyd and Garmadon had just described. Standing at their head was a man with slicked-back hair, a mustache, and wearing a lab coat as he dragged a limp redheaded girl through the sand.
Koko's eyes widened in recognition at the sight. "Yes! That's his men, and the one in the coat is Clouse, his weapons designer, and right hand."
"And also a total creepo," added Lord Garmadon.
Kai, meanwhile, had grown pale the second he saw the redhead in the picture and recognized her. "That's-! Don't tell me!"
But Nya's face was grim as she confirmed it. "He's also Skylor's father, who attacked her yesterday."
Kai and Zane were already dialing Skylor and Penny's numbers and waiting desperately for them to pick up.
Neither girl answered.
A/N And it all comes out, though maybe too late for it to help. So while the Lloyds and SJ are out of the frying pan, it looks like Penny and Skylor are getting dropped into the fire. Or maybe they're totally fine and ignoring their calls for some reason... yeah, the Ninja aren't that lucky. Still, everyone's finally on the same page about who they're fighting and their connections to that person, though not all of it is correct, as they still think Clouse is Skylor's father. They'll catch on soon enough.
Big thanks to Kay Hau for once again beta reading this fic. The part were Lloyd and Garmadon are discussing blowing up Chen's island and Koko has to stop them was all her idea, some of the dialogue there was hers too. It was too funny not to add.
Next Time: The Show Ninja return to their world to start planning. They have a city and some inventors to save.
Don't forget to check your PM Box for Review Replies.
