look yes i know i updated this quickly. i already wrote 10k for this and have it sectioned in chapters and I'm working on other stuff so just in advance, i rarely post this fast lol. my update schedule is nonexistent. I'll post when i get a chapter done. i apologize in advance

Also im still struggling to figure out ffn hdkgllglls

3 weeks earlier - 18h45

Lloyd's feet were aching from the cold.

He drew his frayed coat closer to himself as he ran through the streets under the freezing torrential rain, his old boots splashing through muddy puddles.

He squinted up at the gray clouds that hung low in the sky from under a door awning. He caught his breath and glanced around to make sure he'd lost the two soldiers that had been chasing after him. He'd made a stupid mistake. He'd been caught ducking under market stalls trying to avoid getting asked to see his identification. Lloyd hadn't been carrying them with him. Not his fake ID and definitely not his real one.

He didn't think he had any ID under his real name. He was Lloyd Garmadon, and his father ruled over the land. He would be signing a death warrant if he carried those papers around.

And his fake ID papers with his current fake name had been compromised during a raid and he was still waiting for his new ones.

Lloyd wrung out the corners of his hoodie with a scowl. Lots of good that was. He was caught in the rain and had been chased through town by his father's soldiers.

With a heavy sigh, he tugged his hood back over his head and sprinted down the street. He tried to avoid splashing into puddles, though it was a useless effort because his jeans and socks were already thoroughly wet.

He caught sight of the familiar warehouse and his shoulders sagged in relief as the tension drained from his taut muscles. He was almost there.

With one last wary glance around the hazy gray streets, Lloyd pulled a sewer grate open and began the climb down the metal rungs. Halfway down, he tugged the grate back into place, sealing him in darkness, and quickly climbed the rest of the way down.

He dropped down to the cement ground, his waterlogged shoes squelching uncomfortably, and he began making his way towards their current hideout in almost complete darkness. He let his hands trail along the wall to keep from falling into the river of sewage that sluggishly made its way past, the smell overpowering his senses.

He didn't need light to guide him; Lloyd had walked this path so many times he could find his way to their base with his hands tied behind his back and eyes blindfolded.

"Their" being the remaining handful of people who were still willing to put their lives and families on the line by directly defying Lord Garmadon. A small resistance filled with brave people whose numbers dwindled every year as members were caught or killed.

It was dangerous work.

But their hideout under Ninjago City didn't just house resistance members who didn't have a home anymore. Uncle Wu's resistance base also welcomed families or orphaned children because their villages had been burned down or because, in very few and special cases, they were the children of elemental masters and Garmadon was looking for them. They had a handful of kids like that, including Lloyd. At least according to Uncle Wu. Lloyd was pretty sure his only powers were his unparalleled skills at lockpicking and pickpocketing.

But Wu kept talking about some ancient prophecy and a Green Ninja, and Lloyd's destiny.

If the old man hadn't led several raids and drafted more than one brilliant attack plan or trained Lloyd and many other recruits, Lloyd would definitely already dismiss his words as crazy nonsense from a crazy old man.

But he wasn't a crazy old man, and he spoke of hope and a way to defeat Lord Garmadon, and FSM knew they all needed a little bit of hope to make it through another day of patching up injured resistance fighters and burying innocent souls.

Lloyd wrapped his arms around his waist as he trudged along, fighting down another shiver. The sewers had led way to an underground network of tunnels, way down under the surface, and he may be out of the rain, but his clothes were still soaking wet and chilled by the freezing air.

Lloyd readjusted the bag on his shoulders, hoping the food and books and medical supplies hadn't been soaked by the rain. His footsteps echoed ominously in the dark tunnels.

Dimly, he wondered what would happen to him if the resistance somehow managed to overthrow his father and restore the rightful ruler of Ninjago back on the throne. Would people know of his acts as resistance general? Would they care? Would they whisper nasty rumors and avoid him? Would he even be the one to defeat his father since he was the supposed Green Ninja?

Lloyd had grown up around violence and fighting, he'd been forged by blood and death, and he despised his father for being the root cause of that. He despised his father for destroying so many families, killing parents, orphaning children, all for power. He despised his father for taking the children of elemental masters and brainwashing them to turn them into elite soldiers while forcing the rest to hide underground.

But most of all, Lloyd despised his father, because if the prophecy was true, then it was his own father that Lloyd would have to defeat.

When the villain falls, the kingdom never weeps. Even if Garmadon didn't know Lloyd's name or his role in all of this, Lloyd sure did, and he knew that in the end, he would mourn everything his father could have been.

Lloyd sighed and chased those thoughts away. He was tired and cold and just wanted to be back in his warm room and drinking warm tea.

He pressed a brick in the wall and a small keypad popped out from the stone.

Lloyd pressed his thumb and winced slightly when a needle pricked him. The device chirped cheerfully and retracted.

Lloyd heard the mechanism click and whir before swinging open to reveal an old training dojo. Lloyd stepped inside and shut the door. Three people were in the dojo, two were sparring near the far corner and the third one was sitting against a wall, panting and holding a water bottle.

Lloyd was too tired to properly greet them and simply waved at them as he made his way up a staircase leading to the mezzanine and the rows of empty stone and cement chambers converted into training rooms and conference rooms.

Their underground hideout was located nearly in the heart of Ninjago City- though the tunnels reached long and far enough that they opened directly into the slums and residential areas.

Normally, picking such a location was dangerous, not to mention stupid and careless. And yet Wu still chose to stay. They traveled miles- on foot or by railroad cart when there were tracks- to be spit out either within city walls or outside depending on what their mission was, and there was only one entrance to the base. On top of that, Wu had been using it for almost thirteen years and Garmadon was still no closer to finding their base.

Lloyd had to admit it was impressive. Apparently, the base had once belonged to the Serpentine, long ago during the Serpentine Wars. It hadn't been used until Uncle Wu founded the resistance, and there were still remains of the Serpentine architecture.

The edges of the arched door that led to the hallways were flanked with two stone statues of Anacondrai in armor and holding spears. Lloyd had come across carvings of hissing snakes and even entire walls depicting scenes from what Lloyd guessed to be Serpentine history. He didn't recognize any of them except the ones where the First Spinjitzu Master- his grandfather- was present.

How Wu had come across it was beyond Lloyd, but it was practical and useful so he didn't ask too many questions.

Old empty rooms had been turned into dormitories and bedrooms for permanent residents. Lloyd and most of the other resistance members who lived here had their own bedrooms and the refugees shared dormitories, all located down the hall from the dojo and meeting rooms.

Lloyd opened the door leading to the war room. There was a table running the full length of the room and it was always cluttered with old scrolls and maps and markers and sticky notes. The walls were covered with maps of Ninjago- Lloyd used to trace the lines of the roads sometimes when he was much too young to really understand everything that was going on. There were maps of everything- layouts of Ninjago City's sewer system, a map of all the roads and railroad tracks, a map of all the rivers and lakes, and other bodies of water, and even a topographical map. Some of these Lloyd didn't remember ever being used.

Wu was sitting at the far end of the table, flipping through a mission report. He looked up and smiled in clear relief when he saw Lloyd.

"How did it go?" he asked.

Lloyd shrugged, shifting his weight, acutely aware of the puddle he was making on the rug by standing there in the doorway.

He shrugged off his bag and set it on a chair. "Got food and first aid and a few books I managed to snag on the way. I was-" Lloyd sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair, probably making it stick up in the process "-caught by guards. They started chasing me when I ran. Is my new ID ready yet? I'm tired of being stuck here running errands."

Everyone here had fake IDs and codenames when they used comms. And everyone here had to put in work. They didn't all simply train to fight and blow up supply ships and trains, they also had to do supply runs and were all capable enough with first aid to treat basic wounds.

And Lloyd has never once complained about any of it even when all he wanted was to lead missions. He only complained after he was grounded at the base for a whole week because he was waiting for his new forgeries to be finished.

Wu shook his head. "Not yet, Lloyd. You were caught on camera and I would rather not risk the safety of the only person capable of defeating Garmadon because your father recognized you."

Lloyd groaned. "It's a dumb grainy security photo!" he said. "You can't even guess my hair color in it!"

Wu stood up and strode over to Lloyd in a few easy steps. He rested his hand on Lloyd's shoulder and tugged at his long beard with the other.

"I know you want to be out in the field, Lloyd," he said sincerely. "But you are simply too valuable to run a risk like that. We have other competent allies who will go out in your place. You are needed here, nephew. There is a valuable lesson that patience and caution can teach you, all you need to do is pay it close attention."

Lloyd rubbed his arms thoughtfully, twisting the damp fabric of his hoodie. "I know," he mumbled. "It just-" he sighed. "I have this great destiny. Does it even matter if I can't do the one thing it foretells? I'm supposed to save Ninjago. I-"

Wu gripped Lloyd's shoulder tighter, but he refused to look up. "The prophecy only foretells the Green Ninja defeating your father and liberating Ninjago," his uncle said in that soft-spoken manner of his. "It never mentioned doing more than that, and yet here you are, an active part of the resistance, fighting against your father's oppression and risking your life for the people of Ninjago. Lloyd, you are more than a prophecy."

Lloyd didn't mention the fact that he felt obligated to help because he felt he was in part responsible for his father's actions. He loved helping people and causing chaos and trouble for his dad, sure, but he wasn't doing this just for the people of Ninjago. He was doing this to help with the crushing guilt of his father's actions.

It was a selfish reason and Lloyd didn't bother sharing it with his uncle. He didn't think he'd be able to stand the look of disappointment in his uncle's eyes.

"Yeah," he said flatly. "I guess."

"My other students are in the training room. I suggest you join them and work on seeking out your True Potential. You will need them just as much as they will need you."

Lloyd sighed but didn't bring up the fact that in fifteen years he'd never once manifested powers. He doubted he'd ever manifest any. He was just the son of Garmadon. The only power he'd gotten was the ability to scare off anyone who learned his last name.

And yet, Wu was a firm believer in Lloyd's so-called "destiny". Nothing would shake the stubborn old man, that Lloyd was sure of.

"Alright," he said. He nodded at the bag. "Drop it off in my room, 'kay?"

All he'd done this past week was train and run errands. He might as well take a quick shower and find a change of clothes and spend several hours sparring and working on offensive techniques.

And work on his Spinjitzu.

And interact with the only people on this base he hadn't interacted with as often as he should have both as a general and as the only other person their age. He sighed deeply. This wouldn't end well.

Fifteen minutes later, Lloyd was standing at the entrance of the dojo in his white gi, hair now fully dry. He was hesitant to walk inside and interact with the others.

Yes, he could give out orders for a mission or keep his cool when things went wrong, and yet he didn't have the courage to talk to the only other people his age.

Some Green Ninja he'd make.

Maybe he didn't talk to them because he was afraid they'd despise him for his father ruining their lives and forcing them into a life of constantly running and hiding from the government.

He'd had to deal with that too often in the past to be able to banish that thought from his mind.

From where he stood he could see two of them going through their katas together on the mat, their moves sharp and precise and very nearly perfect.

They were both dressed in the white gis Uncle Wu had supplied for training. One had dark spiky hair that on him looked more like a fashion choice and less like he'd been swept up by a tornado. There was a small scar over his left eyebrow that he'd gotten during a mission where he almost lost his life. Kai Smith, the fire elemental who was well known for his deep hatred of Garmadon and his soldiers. Lloyd was more than a little nervous to properly talk to him outside of missions.

The other had fluffy reddish-brown hair and a face full of freckles. Jay Walker. The best hacker Lloyd had ever had the pleasure of working with and always the optimist. Lloyd was significantly less scared of talking to him.

"You just gonna stand there or actually come in?" a voice asked, startling Lloyd.

Kai and Jay stopped practicing to look over and Lloyd felt heat creep up his cheeks. He stepped inside the dojo.

"Yeah. Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Uh, Un- Sensei Wu told me to train with you guys."

The guy who had talked to Lloyd raised an eyebrow. Cole Brookstone's hair was black and long enough that it always hung in his eyes.

Lloyd all knew their names, their elements, what their skills were. It was necessary during missions. But outside of that, he knew next to nothing about them.

"Alright," he said, sounding doubtful.

"Wow," Kai said as he made his way over. "The Green Ninja finally talks to us. I never thought I'd see the day."

Lloyd winced and Jay elbowed Kai in his ribs.

"Be nice," he hissed under his breath.

Kai only rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest looking less than impressed.

"I- uh." Lloyd cleared his throat. "I need to practice my Spinjitzu and I need to unlock my true potential," he said, loud and clear, sounding much more confident than he felt about the whole thing.

Kai didn't look any more impressed. "Well, good luck with that," he said. "But I don't think we can help."

Lloyd's face fell at those words. Jay elbowed Kai in the side again.

"What he means," Jay said, casting his friend a pointed look. "Is that we don't know how to do Spinjitzu."

"And none of us have unlocked our True Potential either," Zane Julien added.

He'd been standing near Cole and wearing the same white gi as the others. His hair was so blond it was almost white and his eyes were a bright and almost unnatural blue.

"You...haven't?" Lloyd asked in genuine surprise.

He'd seen them use their powers in battle and in training. It surprised him to find out they still didn't have full control of their powers.

"And what powers do you need to unlock?" Kai snapped.

Nya, his sister, wrapped her arm around his shoulders and smiled apologetically at Lloyd. "Forgive him," she said. "He's grumpy because he didn't sleep well."

Kai scowled and blushed but didn't add anything. Lloyd almost told her that he'd expected that kind of behavior but kept his mouth shut. They didn't need to be bothered with that information.

"We would be more than happy to let you train with us," Zane said with a smile. "What better way to harness your power than with other elementals?"

Lloyd swallowed thickly. Why hadn't he thought to come train with the only other elementals on the base? Because he'd been scared they would hate him?

"Yeah," he said, forcing a smile. "Yeah, you're probably right."

After all, weren't they in the same situation? Shouldn't that forge a friendship? Maybe Wu had been right. Maybe Lloyd could still find new allies and new friends in the five elementals.