Now that we had allies, it was time for us to truly start working on the Resistance. It was time for us to finally help the people that I'd let down. It was time for me to be the Green Ninja once again.

Apparently, the Masters had been waiting for all of them to get there to go and find me. It turns out we hid ourselves well enough that they weren't able to find me anymore than we could them. They'd turned a garbage depot into a hidden base, and I admit it's a very good one. It was big enough to hold whatever they needed, and was also closer to the center of the city without looking suspicious. It gave us all we needed to start truly looking for a way to make an offensive.

Not all the Masters showed up, though. I'm not sure where Chamille, Gravis, Jacob or Bolobo were. Well, Karlof said that Chamille had gone rogue, and knowing that she'd been the one to fight me and refuse to ally with me during the Tournament, that made sense. I'm not sure why only some of them came, though. I mean, I'm not complaining. But what exactly made it so Neuro, Tox and Paleman could come but not Gravis? It's like when a toyline just randomly doesn't include characters from something even if there's no reason to, even if you ask for them for years and they still ignore you. ..Erm, Jay's words, not mine.

It turns out that Mystake had been the one to tell them where we were to come and save them. Having her show up was a rather odd feeling, but now it makes a lot of sense. It's clear she was using her Oni abilities to find us, and after that just sent the Masters our way. She didn't want us to know that she could shapeshift, since it likely wasn't time for us to know. She would show us, but that was later. Right now, she was just a random fly on the wall that had showed up to come and help us. And we were grateful to have all the help we could get.

Speaking of help, I don't know why, but I had to ask if Skylor's powers were back. I'd heard from her that something was up with them while I was out looking for Wu and helping the city, but hadn't thought much about it. She told me that they did, and that I would likely get mine back. It was nice to hear… even if, it was really awkward for me to ask. And, kinda weird that they just disappeared. I mean, I don't know why. Does that mean an elemental master will lose their powers if all they do is just, not use them? I don't know… I kinda hope not.

Either way, that wasn't to say I was all happy. Tox pointed out that even if we had people there to help, the Colossus was still out there. We were basically ants to it, and we weren't exactly equipped to go and attack my father just yet. We had evaded capture, but hadn't done anything to really strike the SOG down. Nya said she wanted to build something out of all the metal they had at the depot, and I wasn't going to stop her. But I was more worried about the long term, since now I had the chance to actually see it.

That was when mystake took me aside and told me that we needed to talk. Since I knew she'd been the one to send my friends off, and she even admitted it to us to our faces, I wanted ot know more about her. She took me up to a small office in the building, and we had our first conversation together. Well, by first I mean the first one that wasn't just her telling us about the First Realm. The first one we had when we were in the middle of the resistance, I mean!

A lot of what she said to me makes a lot more sense now that I know what she is. She seemed wise, but I think she just knew a lot. She had to have been around since the formation of Ninjago, and even joked that she got her name because she kept making Mistakes. While she confirmed that my friends were still alive, that didn't mean anything if we couldn't get to them. While she'd sent them off to the First Realm with that tea, she hadn't given them a way back. They'd need to get to that on the other side, and they'd 'passed out of sight' for her too.

Now that I think about it, I think Mystake had this planned from the start. The moment she saw us step into her shop to ask her about the Oni Masks, she was forming this plan. She knew that we would need more than just our own powers to stop them. If Harumi was going to bring him back using the masks, we wouldn't be able to fight him. So she guided us so that my friends would go to the First Realm and get what they needed to help defeat my father. It was effective… but I think it was a little underhanded. She didn't tell us anything, and again, she did leave me to think they were dead. I don't blame her, since she said she couldn't see them anymore. But she was putting herself to look like someone more important than she really was.

I think that's part of why I never can really say what I think about her. She was holding back so much of what she could have told me. She only let me know things when I had to. But I think that was partially because, again, she was an Oni. She wanted to hide her identity, and hide the fact she wasn't human. She didn't know if she could trust us, or if we could handle the information. The only reason that she showed u sin the first place was because she had to. But even then, she didn't seem that upset about it. She just seemed like she was a bit inconvenienced by having to tell us, and that was it. But maybe I'm just reading into this.

Or, maybe I'm not? Like I said, I didn't know her that well. And, well… you'll know later,b ut I don't have the chance to really talk to her now. I don't know what's going on with her. I appreciate her help and I know I wouldn't be around if she wasn't there to help me. But I also can't say that I understand her, or even that I really get her. She was a mysterious woman that helped me, but other than that… she wasn't willing to open up more than she needed to. She even said she wasn't wise like Wu, just more versed in making mistakes. Which… the more I think about it, that makes me a little sad to say it.

But that wasn't why I was talking to her. It was time for me to step up and lead the Resistance. We couldn't just hide and expect my father to go down. But, that also was a problem. We had to do something so we could finally make the SOG stand down from us. We needed to make a statement, and be able to show the SOG what for at the same time. And, thankfully, we had the chance to do that with everyone's help now.

Okay, so, I'll b e honest here: it wasn't my initial idea to take back the airwaves. I mean, I know I said it was my plan, and it was, but it was Mystake who put that in my head as something we had to do. But more than that, she had to show me something important about what this fight was going to be about. She asked Karlof to come and help me train. I was ready to go up against him (even if I knew it would hurt), but instead, Mystake said it would be Dareth that was going to fight him.

Of course, as much as I love Dareth, and I still thank him for everything he's done for us, he isn't exactly… on our level. Like, I know he knows a decent amount of martial arts, he was teaching a class, but we've been fighting for so long and… even I couldn't go up against someone that was made of metal like that. But thanks to Dareth, I knew that I could help him do that. And so I did. I tried to coach him, tell him how to fight, and I think if I was able to put him against someone like Shade, I'd be able to help him win. But he lost, of course. Even if he did say that he wanted ot keep fighting, I had gotten into it. I told him that I couldn't fight his battles for him, he had to stand up for himself. And that was when it hit me.

Mystake said I needed ot find my voice. Now, normally me giving a big speech isn't an issue. But this was more than me just rallying my ninja. This was me, getting ready to go and talk to the entire city and save them. I was going to have to be the face of a Resistance. I couldn't just be someone that committed halfway to my ideals. I had to go and be the person that the city needed. I wasn't going ot fight my father. I was going to inspire others to stand up and fight with us.

Now, that wasn't something I found right away. We had to get to Ultraviolet first. I should note, I still can't believe the Mailman actually escaped capture for so long. I guess he's so used to chasing us for letters that he became just as skilled as we were. Well, either way, we were going to have to fight for that tower, and it was, of course, right under my father. We couldn't just waltz in, and so we made our plan. We were going to sneak into that tower and buy whatever time we could to save the city from the grasp of Garmadon.

I remember sneaking into the tower was relatively straightforward and according to plan, up until we got to the 81st floor. It was there that we ended up running into the one man that we didn't want to: Garmadon. Apparently, he could sense me, and tell that I was in the building. I think that should have been my first hint of what was going on with my powers, but we were more concerned with the fact we were in the building, with Garmadon.

I pushed Skylor to try something brand new, and I think it worked out really well. I had her combine the powers of light and shadow so we could vanish right in front of his eyes, but also not leave a trace of where we were. I have to give it to Skylor, her ability is incredibly helpful, and we couldn't have done a lot of what we did without her. Garmadon came right up to us, so close I could see his teeth. He wasn't the man I remembered, and he only felt stronger. The more time he spent in power, the more it felt like he really was the Emperor of the city. It was a feeling that reminded me that, at the end of the day, we were fighting to save the city from him… and it wasn't going to be easy.

Once we got into the studio and took control of the airwaves, Skylor told me we'd only have a few minutes before they came back to try to get us. Once we started, I couldn't waste this chance. It's probably this point I should mention that I hadn't figured out what I was going ot say to the city at all, but I knew we didn't have time to think about it. I told them to go live.

Looking back over that recording, I realize that it's clear I wasn't sure oof what I was saying at first. When I started, I was doing what I always did. The things I always told the ninja. Telling everyone I was there, that we had to stand up to fight… well, not that exactly, but you know what I mean. I don't remember the speech well, not the first bit, at least. I was just talking. Talking like I always did. I was trying to do what I did with the ninja. To say that I would be the one to be strong, and everyone had to fight beside me.

I know none of you saw it, but Harumi hacked into the room we were using to show me the broadcast of me being beaten by my father. I wanted to keep going, but I knew that I couldn't put my passion behind me words. I couldn't say that I was powerful, if I was watching that. And I stopped talking. I could see everyone in the room look at me like I'd just given up. And I knew that, in some fashion, I had. I couldn't say we were strong, when I was the one at the head of the Resistance… and I was the weakest link.

Then I saw the pictures of everyone on the floor. I know it sounds silly to say, but when I did… I remembered that we didn't always save the day ourselve.s Sure, we would fight and do the last strike, but that didn't mean we were always the one that did every step of the work. We always had people that helped us. The Masters helped us take down Chen. Ronin was there to save me during Stiix. And even now, Mystake had stepped us to help me. People were going to stand beside me. But they weren't standing beside me because Iw as strong. THey did it because they had somethign to fight for. They had to fight their own battle. I wasn't going to lead them by making the step into battle. I was going ot rally them to fight with us, not behind us. That's when I realized why Mystake said I had to find my voice. I had to show them what it would take to fight with us.

And after that, the words I said just came naturally. I felt like I was giving any other speech again. And I think it worked. I ended it with the motto of the REsistance, just because it made sense to. It was a spur of the moment thing, and I didn't even mean to make the chest-thing an actual sign. But I did, and I'm proud of myself for doing that. I had shown the people they didn't have to be afraid of me. I showed everyone I could do what they needed, by helping them do what they needed. I was going to be the Green Ninja. I was going ot lead th REsistance.

Skylor left that last line of mine on loop while we got away. The only regret that I have in all of this, was that we didn't get away fast enough. The only way what happened to us afterwards would have gone down, was if they had seen us leaving in the trucks that we used to get away. We must have been just slow enough they managed to get to us. Killow was there, and Harumi still had the mask. We weren't going to fight them directly yet. Even if we had a voice, we weren't ready yet to show them what we could do. Not until we were stronger.

But I know that what I did was enough. I'd shown the city I was alive, and finally given them hope. Harumi could try to beat me down, but I was still around. The one that got away will always be your greatest enemy, and that was what I was making myself into. With Nya, mom, Pixal, the Masters and Mystake with me, I'd power through. I didn't have my friends, the Bounty, or even my powers, but that didn't matter. I was through with living in the shadows.

We'd taken our first steps to defy my father, and now, it was time to stand up to whatever he threw at us. Even if it was going ot cost us more than we were prepared for.


"W-Woah…" Lloyd huffed as he collapsed against the side of a nearby building, "That's… that was.. That was a lot."

Nya, similarly sweating and panting rather heavily herself, walked up to him with a bottle of water in hand. She sat down beside him far more gracefully, popping the lid off a canteen she had on her hip and taking a long swig from it. Lloyd was quick to down a fourth of the bottle he was given on the spot.

"Told you to bring a water bottle," Nya stretched her back out, "It's a lot of work."

"Didn't think… we'd be moving… such big pieces of rubble…" Lloyd groaned, "Those things were huge!"

Nya grimaced, "Yeah… normally we just help out at shelters and run errands for people. But, well, with all those Oni guys coming around the construction stuff got kinda, sidetracked. I promise you won't have to do that again."

"Ugh…" Lloyd raised his arms, "I feel like I just turned into jelly."

"Hey, you lifted a lot!" Nya thumped his shoulder, "All those weight lifting sessions with Cole are paying off for you, huh?"

"Guess so…" Lloyd let his arms drop, "Right now I don't think I want them to."

The two looked at each other, then shared a small laugh together. The sun had already set for the day, meaning that the alley they were in was more or less completely dark. A nearby streetlamp was all that let them see anything. Nya put her canteen back on her hip and stretched her arms out, popping her joints. After a bit to let them relax, Nya turned to Lloyd and smiled.

"I'm glad you came to help out, though," Nya brought her legs up to her chest, "Every hand helps. If we keep this up, the construction guys can get their jobs done even faster."

"I just wish I'd known about this sooner…" Lloyd admitted, "I need to give back to the city more after I let it down like that."

Nya's smile dropped into a bit of a frown, "Lloyd, you don't owe the city anything. You can help out just because you want to, you know."

"I'm the reason it got wrecked… I really should've asked the Commissioner if I could've done more," Lloyd sighed, "The fact that I only started helping now is-"

"The fact you're helping at all is already enough," Nya cut him off, "Lloyd, you saved the city. You stopped Harumi and you helped stop the Oni. That's more than enough. Wanting to help out is great, but you don't have to feel obligated to. You can want to help out just because you want to help."

"I guess…" Lloyd shook his head, "But these people lost their homes. And then the Oni came, and it's just messed it all up. I feel like, I failed the city. More than once. You were there, Nya. You know that I could've done more."

"You did what you could," Nya reached out to grip his hand, "And that's all you can do. You stood up after Harumi tried to hurt you as much as she could. The fact you even helped save the city in the first place is more than enough. You've made up for your mistakes by helping to save people that would've gotten hurt if you didn't help them. That's all anyone can ask of you."

"Are… you sure?" Lloyd asked her.

"Positive," Nya slowly stretched and rocked onto her heels to squat back up, "Now come on. We normally all chip in to get dinner, and I'm sure you're hungry."

"Yeah, I am," Lloyd stood up along with Nya. Lloyd soon walked his way out of the alley, stretching and popping his joints as he did. Nya watched him walk away with a small smile on her face, a few twinges of worry fading as she went to join him after a hard day's work of helping the city.