Okay, so I had chapter 34 of The Way Home all ready to go and was working on chapter 35, but Hermes decided he wanted to do something stupid and I had to go back and do some major rewrites in chapter 34 in order to prevent it and they're still not done. I wasn't going to publish this until after the conclusion of The Way Home, but there's no spoilers and it was just sitting in my documents basically ready to go. Just be aware this takes place after The Way Home. And moving forward, most of the stories published here will take place between The Way Home and book three, name TBD.
The day before this, the ninja were chasing a perp into an alley. He threw a mystery powder on them, but it didn't do anything so they caught him and sent him to jail.
"I don't feel good," Jay complained as he walked into the kitchen. He gripped his stomach and sank into a chair.
"You too?" Lloyd asked.
"You don't feel well?"
"I feel fine, but Kai's on the couch in a cocoon of blankets. He and Cole have been fighting over the thermostat all morning. Wu said whoever touches the thermostat next has to do ten laps up and down the mountain regardless of how they feel."
Nya came into the kitchen and made a beeline for the fridge.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Lloyd asked.
"I am so hungry. I feel like I've been eating non-stop since I woke up. And I'm sore! I don't even know what I did yesterday to be this sore."
"Where does it hurt?"
"Everywhere."
"Maybe whatever stuff that guy threw at us yesterday did something to us," Jay suggested.
"But I feel fine. Why would that stuff not affect me when I was hit too?" Lloyd asked.
"Where the heck is all the ice?" Nya demanded.
"I think Cole took it."
"Ugh. Where's Zane?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen him all day."
Nya stormed out of the kitchen and went to Zane's room. Jay and Lloyd followed her. She knocked on the door but there was no answer. They opened the door and saw Zane slumped on the floor.
"Zane?"
They slowly approached him. Jay bent down and looked him over.
"I think he short-circuited," Jay said.
"Can you fix him?" Lloyd asked.
"I think so, but I really don't feel well. It's going to take some time."
"Okay, where's the ice thief?" Nya stormed out of the room and pounded on Cole's door. Lloyd followed her, struggling to drag Zane behind him, while Jay went into his room to lie down. Cole didn't answer so Nya flung the door open and saw an empty room. Nya huffed and marched to the bathroom. It was locked. Lloyd was right behind her.
"Open up, ice thief!" Nya pounded on the bathroom door.
"Go away," Cole yelled.
"Are you feeling sick too?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes."
"What are your symptoms?"
"I'm hot."
"Like, feverish?"
"I feel like I'm burning up."
"Can you please come out here so I don't have to yell through the door?"
They heard Cole groan and the sound of water splashing. A moment later, Cole unlocked the door and cracked it open. He was dripping wet and had a towel around his waist.
"Where's the ice?" Nya asked.
"It melted a long time ago," Cole said.
"Oh come on! My entire body is super sore and I need ice!"
"And I feel like I'm on fire. Get Zane to give you some ice."
"I can't. He's not working!" Nya grabbed Zane with one hand and threw him in front of Cole.
"Uh, Nya?" Lloyd asked.
"I don't know what to tell you. Grab a heating pad and take some pain pills. There's more than one way to treat pain, but there's only one real way to treat overheating!" Cole slammed the door shut and locked it.
"Cole!" Nya yelled as she pounded on the door.
"Go away!" Cole yelled.
"No!"
"Nya?" Lloyd asked again.
"Cole!" Nya punched the door and it went flying off the hinges.
"Woah!" Cole, who was sitting in the tub, grabbed a towel off the wrack and struggled to wrap it around himself.
Nya's eyes went wide as she looked at the door that was now on the floor.
"Nya, go wait in the living room. Cole, make yourself decent, grab Jay, and join us." Lloyd placed a dry towel on the toilet and escorted Nya out of the bathroom.
"How did I do that?" Nya asked as she sat down on the couch next to Kai, who was curled up in a ball under at least ten blankets.
"I don't know. Kai, get up," Lloyd said.
"Too cold. Can't warm up," Kai muttered.
"Kai, I need you up."
"No…"
Lloyd sighed and headed towards his uncle's room.
"Uncle Wu?" Lloyd knocked on the door.
"Come in," Wu called.
Lloyd opened the door.
"How can I help you?" Wu asked.
"There is something super weird going on with everybody."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Kai is freezing cold, Cole is burning up, Nya just knocked the bathroom door off the hinges, Jay's not feeling well, and Zane isn't working."
"I see. Gather them all together. I'll be right there."
Lloyd nodded and went back to the living room. Jay had dragged himself out of his room and was looking at Zane, who was still on the floor outside of the bathroom.
"Is Cole coming?" Lloyd asked.
As if on cue, they heard Cole's door open and close and he came into the living area a moment later. Everyone made their way into the living room. Cole sat in the recliner and started to fan himself while Jay slumped into a beanbag with his toolbox so he could work on Zane. Wu came in a moment later and stared intently at them.
"My nephew says none of you are feeling well, but you all have different symptoms," Wu said a moment later.
"That's right," Nya said.
"Interesting. Kai, can you please start a fire?"
Kai glared at Wu from underneath his blankets. He stuck a hand out and tried to start a fire. He sat up when he realized he couldn't.
"How about you, Cole?" Wu asked.
"Sensei, I'm the Master of Earth, not the Master of Fire," Cole retorted.
"Yet you are sweating all over my recliner. Please, just try."
"Okay." Cole stared at his hand but nothing happened.
"Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and imagine a flame on your hand," Wu said.
Cole nodded and followed Wu's instructions. A few moments later a tiny flame appeared on his thumb. Cole's eyes snapped open.
"Gaah! How do I put this out?!" Cole jumped up as the fire spread over his whole hand.
"Just stop thinking about it," Kai said.
Cole ran into the kitchen and turned the faucet on.
"Or do that. If Cole has my power, who has his power?" Kai asked.
"Who broke the bathroom door?" Wu answered.
"Me," Nya said hesitantly.
"Nya now controls Earth."
"So who has my power then?"
"Either Jay or Zane, and Kai has Zane's power."
"Wait, if they all got their powers swapped around, why do I still have my power?" Lloyd asked as Cole came back into the room.
"That I cannot answer."
Just then, Jay managed to get Zane powered up.
"Guys! I ran a diagnostic on my system and I have Jay's lightning!" Zane yelled.
"Yeah, Zane. We all have each other's powers," Kai said.
"Wait, does this mean I have Nya's power?" Jay asked.
"Yes," Wu said.
Jay grinned as he looked at Nya.
"How do we fix it?" Nya asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. Based on what Lloyd said, it sounds like you were hit with Chop-and-Change. I'll need all of your clothes that you were wearing yesterday to confirm my suspicions. Lloyd and I will look into it," Wu said.
"We will? I mean, you want me to help you?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes. In the meantime, I suggest you all figure out how to control your new powers quickly so you don't accidentally destroy yourselves or the monastery."
"But, Sensei, it took us years to master our own elements. How are we supposed to master new elements quic-" As Zane became excited, lightning started to form around his body. He overloaded his circuits again and went limp on top of Jay.
"I think you all better start now."
Kai pulled the blanket closer as he walked through the monastery. Since Zane kept short-circuiting himself, he didn't have anyone to help him not freeze his limbs off. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw Cole standing at the counter drinking something.
"Please tell me you made something with alcohol in it," Kai said.
"I mean, I can. Are you sure you wouldn't prefer something like hot chocolate or coffee?" Cole asked. He pulled two beers out of the fridge and handed one to Kai.
"Nope."
"So, anything I should know about fire?"
"Uh… Don't use hand sanitizer. It won't end well."
"Duly noted."
"Cole? How do you control your super strength?" Nya called from the living room.
"Very carefully! What did you break?"
"The TV remote."
"Jay's going to love that," Kai muttered as he downed his drink.
Cole shook his head and took a sip of his beer. They heard something plastic break in the living room and Nya gasped.
"Nya?" Kai called.
"Uh, could one of you please take me to the store? Now?" Nya asked.
Kai and Cole went into the living room. Nya was standing next to the broken remains of the video game console. To make matters worse, Jay's absolute favorite game had been inside said console.
"What did you do?" Kai asked.
"It was an accident. I was just trying to move it out of my way. I need one of you to take me to the store now before Jay finds out."
"Before I find out what?" Jay asked as he came into the room.
"Jay! I thought you were working on Zane," Nya said as she stepped in front of the carnage.
"Yeah, well, I thought I had him working, but he got over-excited and overloaded his circuits again. Do you want to take a look at him and see if you can come up with something to keep him online?"
"I'd love to, but right now, I have an errand to run and Kai is going with me."
"I am?" Kai asked.
"Yep. So just go back to working on Zane for a few hours, and we'll be back." Nya grabbed Kai's arm and dragged him to the door.
"Nya, ease up on the grip, please."
"Aaah! What happened?" Jay yelled once he saw the mess.
"Jay, I am so sorry. It was an accident. But I'm going to fix it," Nya said.
Jay looked at her with big, hurt eyes.
"Why is Jay screaming? Oh," Lloyd said when he came to investigate.
"I'm going to fix it. Kai, lose the blanket."
"But I'm cold! Nya!" Kai whined as she ripped the blanket off him and dragged him out the door.
"Jay? Are you going to be okay?" Lloyd asked.
"She broke it," Jay whispered.
"She's going to go get another one," Cole said.
"She broke it."
"It was an accident, Jay," Lloyd said.
"She broke it."
"Why don't we watch TV while we wait?"
Jay nodded and sat down on the couch.
"Where's the remote?" Lloyd asked.
"Oh! Nya broke it," Cole said.
"AAAH!" Jay slumped over on the couch and curled up into a fetal position.
"Jay? It's okay. Just breathe," Lloyd said.
"I know. Why don't we call Ray and Maya and see if they have any tips for controlling their kids' powers?" Cole suggested.
"Yeah, that could be a good idea."
"And Lloyd will do the talking?"
"I'll what?"
Cole glared at Lloyd.
"Yeah, fine, I'll call them. Always make me do the hard conversations."
"Well, you are the leader."
"I hope Jay doesn't hate me too much," Nya said as she and Kai made the long climb up the mountain. The sun was starting to set and they were returning empty-handed.
"You tried your best. And he has stuff in your room to keep him occupied for three weeks, right?"
"Yeah."
When they opened the door, they saw Cole and Ray in the courtyard surrounded by candles.
"Uh, hi?" Kai said.
Ray turned around and crossed his arms.
"Are you mad at me too?" Nya asked.
"Both of you. When were you going to tell me about this power swap thing?" Ray asked.
"It literally just happened today. What are you even doing?" Kai said.
"Your dad is trying to teach me how to control fire. It's not going very well," Cole explained.
"Yeah, he's definitely related to Hermes," Ray said.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"What do you think?"
Cole just looked at him.
"Is Mom here?" Kai asked.
"She took Jay to go play in a puddle or something."
"Good, that buys me some time," Nya said.
"You strike out?" Cole asked.
"Sort of? I was able to order a replacement console and game, but it's going to be three weeks. The cable company should send us a replacement remote later this week."
"Where's Lloyd and Zane?" Kai asked.
"Lloyd's inside with Wu looking through magical teas. I don't know about Zane," Ray said.
"He's probably still offline. I should go look at that," Nya said. She went into the monastery.
Kai shivered as he sat down next to one of the candles. He stuck his hands out in an attempt to warm himself.
"So what power do you have?" Ray asked.
"Ice, and Nya has Earth," Kai explained.
"Ice, huh? Nice guy."
"Was that seriously his name?" Cole asked.
"No, but that's what Libby called him and he said he preferred Ice over his actual name. I don't even remember what his actual name was. But he and I should not have been roommates."
"No?" Kai asked.
"No. He preferred to have the room temperature just above freezing while I prefer to keep things on the warmer side. Wu gave me some blankets and him a fan and told us to work things out."
"Did you?"
"Yes. I realized if I went to bed early, I could heat the room up to a comfortable temperature and get to sleep before he came in."
"So I guess Kai ought to be grateful Zane is a robot and not really affected by temperature," Cole said.
"I guess. Do you know if Nya is going to ask Hermes for help?" Ray asked.
"I don't think so. When he was trying to teach Skylor how to use Earth, it involved pushing me off a cliff," Kai said.
"What?"
"When did that happen?" Cole asked.
"You were in a coma," Kai explained.
"He pushed you off a cliff?" Ray asked.
"Yes. So how's this going?"
Cole glared at Ray.
"He keeps trying to think of fire like it's earth, but it's not. It's fire. Fire is life. You breathe and it goes where you want it to go. It warms you. But fire often has a mind of its own, which is why you have to be in control of it, or else it will spread and destroy. But sometimes the destruction is necessary for new life to flourish," Ray said.
"When did you become all spiritual?" Kai asked.
"I can be very spiritual when I want to be. For instance, did you know the four main elements were created to balance each other out?"
"Really?" Cole asked.
"Yes. Fire and ice are designed to keep each other in check, while the ground and the sky are designed to keep each other in check. The heat of the day gives way to the cool of the night and the sky keeps the ground from reaching too high. No one element can overpower the other and the four together are what sustain life. And every other element is an offshoot of one of the four main elements."
"Even Speed?" Kai asked.
"Lightning is fast."
"Shadow," Cole said.
"Fire is light, and where there's light there's shadow."
"What about Form?" Kai asked.
"There are many different forms of ice. Thick ice, thin ice, black ice, snowflakes, glaciers, the list goes on."
"So why isn't wind the main sky element?" Cole asked.
"It split from lightning, and lightning tends to stay up high whereas wind can be felt on the ground," Ray explained.
"What is Amber an offshoot of?" Kai asked.
"Amber's actually an offshoot of an offshoot. It's a part of Nature, which is an offshoot of Earth. Same with Poison. But that's why there's so many elements; they just keep branching off each other. The only elements you really can't count are Creation, Destruction, and whatever Lloyd's element is."
"Energy."
"Green energy specifically," Cole added.
"Yeah, we didn't have that in my day. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if that's just an offshoot of Wu or Garmadon's powers. Heck, Wu and Garmadon used their elements so rarely I don't think half our team knew they even had elemental powers," Ray said.
"Are you making this up?" Kai asked.
"You don't trust your own father?"
"Hermes said you were a chronic liar way back when," Cole said.
"Hermes is the liar."
"And now you sound like my dad."
"Well, you can always ask Wu if you don't believe me."
Kai and Cole looked at each other. Before they could question Ray further, they saw Zane and Nya approach them.
"Hey, Zane. You feeling better?" Kai asked.
"Yes. Nya told me I can't get excited," Zane said flatly.
"Just until you get your new power under control, or until we find a way to get our powers back," Nya said.
"And how are you feeling?" Ray put an arm around his daughter.
"Eh. I've been better."
"Good. Are you going to ask Hermes for help?"
"Heck no. The man is crazy. Plus, he might push Jay off a cliff."
"A-ha!" Wu picked up a piece of debris off of Jay's gi.
"What is that?" Lloyd asked.
"This test will determine that for sure. Hand me the tea from the top shelf. The blue box, not the green one."
Lloyd handed the box to his uncle. Wu placed some of the tea into a pot of boiling water that was on the stove, then he placed the debris into the pot. A swirling yellow puff of smoke appeared above the teapot.
"Just as I suspected. Chop-and-Change," Wu said.
"What's Chop-and-Change?"
"It can switch the powers of two elemental masters. It's similar to Abdicate Tea, which allows an elemental master to give his or her power to someone who is not an elemental master and is also not their child."
"So, if I was hit with the Chop-and-Change, why wasn't I affected like the others?"
"I do not know for sure, nephew. It could be because you, me, and your father don't have traditional elemental powers since we are directly related to The First Spinjitzu Master."
"Okay. Do you know how to fix everyone's powers?"
"Yes, Abili-tea will fix everything."
"Okay, do you have this Abili-tea?"
"No. We will have to visit Mystaké in the morning."
"Hopefully she has some," Lloyd muttered.
"Stop hugging me! It's weird!" Cole yelled as he ran into the monastery.
"But you're warm!" Kai yelled back, running after Cole.
"For all of our sakes, I hope Mystaké has some," Wu said.
"I'll have to make you some. It will take a week," Mystaké said.
"A week?" Lloyd asked.
"Do you want me to make it two weeks?"
"No, no. A week is fine."
A week could not come soon enough. The only reason Cole did not burn the monastery down was because Kai kept freezing the place and Jay kept flooding it. Nya left a trail of destruction behind her wherever she went and Zane would short out anything electrical he touched. The night Zane knocked out all of the power was the night Wu decided to make everyone go camping for the rest of the week. While everyone normally enjoyed camping, this trip was a disaster waiting to happen. The small forest fire that Cole accidentally started did not spread because Jay caused a ten-foot tidal wave to sweep over the area from the nearby river. Kai nearly electrocuted himself when he grabbed onto Zane to keep himself afloat. Lloyd wished he could go back to the monastery, but he was afraid the others would end up accidentally killing each other without him there to supervise.
After three long nights, the ninja were finally allowed back inside the monastery. Wu was heating up a pot of water for the tea when they returned.
"How was your camping trip?" Wu asked.
"Awful. We didn't even get to make any s'mores," Jay said.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Mystaké has brought me some Abili-tea which will undo the effects of the Chop-and-Change. Everyone must drink their entire portion." Wu poured five glasses filled to the brim and handed them to the ninja. Kai took a sip and gagged.
"Ugh. It tastes like Cole's cooking."
"Hey!" Cole said.
"Become a better cook and we won't make fun of your cooking so much," Lloyd said.
Cole rolled his eyes and chugged his tea. Everyone else held their noses and followed his lead. Almost immediately they all grabbed their stomachs.
"I think I'm going to puke," Jay said.
"Do, and you'll have to drink another cup," Wu said.
Everyone went to go lie down. When Lloyd checked on them a few minutes later, they were all asleep.
"Good. They should sleep until tomorrow."
"Will they be back to normal?" Lloyd asked.
"Hopefully."
"You don't know?"
"One can never truly know anything."
"Yes, you can."
"Can you?" Wu asked.
"Yes. I know if I stick my hand into a fire I'm going to get burned. I know two plus two equals four. I know the sky is blue. If you don't know something, just say it."
"In this instance, I am relying on Mystaké's word."
"Do you trust her?"
"Do you?"
Lloyd didn't know what to say. He didn't know Mystaké very well. He knew she was old and wise, but she was crazier than Hermes at times. His face must've given away his thoughts because Wu started to chuckle.
"I feel the same way," Wu said.
The next day, Lloyd was absently minded playing a video game when he heard the bedroom doors open. He paused his game as his friends wandered into the living room, all in a daze.
"Hey, how are you guys feeling?" Lloyd asked.
"Weird," Kai said.
"I still might puke," Jay added.
"I feel fine," Zane said.
"You don't count," Nya spat.
"But are your powers back to normal?" Lloyd asked.
Kai opened his hand and lit a small fire. Misako came into the living room and saw Kai's hand.
"Oh, good. You're up. And it looks like you're back to normal. I made sausage and onions for lunch if you're hungry."
Jay gagged and ran into the bathroom.
"No thank you," Cole said. He sank into the recliner and clutched a pillow.
"How about toast?" Misako asked.
"That sounds good. Thank you." Kai sat on the couch. Nya sat next to him and leaned against him.
Lloyd got up and helped his mom prepare some toast. When they returned, Cole had the footrest up and was asleep in the recliner, Kai and Nya were blankly staring at the TV screen, and Zane was trying to get Jay out of the bathroom. Lloyd put the platter down on the coffee table. Nya stretched her arm out to will a piece of toast to come to her.
"It doesn't work like that," Lloyd said. He brought the platter over and both Nya and Kai took a piece of toast. He then brought the platter over to Cole and held it under his nose. Cole didn't wake up.
"Cole," Lloyd said.
"Hm…" Cole said.
"Wake up. There's food."
"Hm…"
Wu came in and took in the scene. Lloyd put the platter down and went over to him.
"They still feel sick," Lloyd explained.
"Are their powers back?" Wu asked.
"Yes."
"I see. It will take a couple of days for their bodies to readjust. Let them rest today, but tomorrow we get back to business as usual."