The Ninja Nightcrawler raced through the streets of Ninjago City, zipping by buildings and cars on its way to Chen's Noodle Shop on the south side of town. While Lloyd steered, Cole manned the passenger controls, Kai relaxed in the back, and Zane loaded directions, pinpointing the fastest route with his internal GPS system.
"My schematic indicates we are nearing the noodle shop," Zane stated.
"No need to explain, Zane," Cole sighed. "We know where the noodle shop is, especially since Kai visits there every day."
"Hey," Kai protested. "I don't visit very day, just every once in a while."
"To see Skylor, I bet," Cole chuckled.
"Skylor's a close friend," Kai retorted. "All we do is hang out."
"Sounds to me like dating," Cole said.
"Yeah, Kai, admit it," Lloyd added. "You and Skylor are going to be like Jay and Nya someday."
"Very subtle, Lloyd," Kai remarked.
"The noddle shop's close," Lloyd stated, ignoring Kai's response. "We'll park the Nightcrawler out of sight and walk the rest of the way."
Lloyd pulled the Nightcrawler off the road into a lowly-lit alley behind the noodle shop, then stopped and turned off the engine. All the ninja hopped out except Zane, who opted to remain seated in the vehicle.
"What's wrong, Zane," Lloyd asked.
"I sense that we are not alone," Zane replied. "There's a chance that we have been followed."
"Come on, Zane," Kai said. "Who could follow us through such traffic? I've never seen Ninjago City's highways so backed up."
"Zane's right," Lloyd nodded. "I sense someone's following us too. Zane, stay here with the Nightcrawler. Alert us if you spot whoever happened to be on our trail. Cole, Kai, come with me inside."
A minute later, Lloyd, Cole, and Kai stepped through the doors of Chen's Noodle Shop, ringing the entry bell that announced their arrival. As usual, the noodle shop was full of customers, customers either chowing on noodles and poppy potstickers or talking about their daily lives. Nobody noticed the ninja, which reassured Lloyd that nothing was amiss. He walked forward to the service counter, then tapped the little silver bell once.
"Coming," a voice answered. "Let me get the noodles served and I'll be with you in a minute."
"Ronan," Lloyd replied, recognizing at once who the voice belonged to. "Are you in then?"
"That's me, Lloyd," Ronan answered, coming out of the kitchen. "What can I do for you?"
"I didn't know you can cook," Cole remarked.
"I can't," Ronan puffed. "I don't know how Skylor does it, but noodle-making isn't as easy as it looks."
"I'd say," Kai chuckled. "Smells like the noodles are burning."
Ronan raced back into the kitchen, turning the heat down on the noodles and scooping them into several glass bowls. Then he ordered the waiter to serve the bowls and exited again to the counter.
"We're here to check on Skylor," Lloyd said. "Is she alright?"
"She's upstairs," Ronan gestured. "I'd come with you except I promised to run the shop while she's down. Feel free to go up and visit, but she's in poor shape since that scrape she had yesterday."
"Thanks, Ronan," Lloyd answered. "Come on, guys. I'm sure Skylor will be willing to disclose who we're dealing with."
Zane, meanwhile, guarded the Nightcrawler from inside the cockpit, occasionally scanning his surroundings for the slightest sign of an enemy presence. When his scans returned negative, he returned to the task at hand: practicing his mech skills to beat Cole next time they played on the TV. Each time he lost, he recorded the data, noting what mistakes he made and then honing them out till they were non-existent. After a while, he had nearly perfected his fighting style, when he heard the rustling of a trash bin near the Nightcrawler.
"Someone's close," Zane noted. "I better scan again just to be sure."
Zane glanced out the window. Nothing seemed amiss in the alley, which was too shadowed to clearly spot anything lurking about.
"I must be hearing things," Zane muttered. "Still, I will turn on my thermal vision just to make sure."
Zane's eyes immediately switched to a reddish color, indicating that his thermals were fully loaded and ready to begin scanning. Immediately, a concentrated index of heat flared on the sensors, appearing just behind a large dumpster twenty yards from the Nightcrawler.
"There he is," Zane noted. "I better contact the others and let them know."
Lloyd, Cole, and Kai approached Skylor's room from the stairwell, stopping short of the closed door to gather their thoughts.
"Whatever happens," Lloyd finally whispered, "stay focused. There's no telling how badly Skylor's been hurt."
Lloyd then rapped the door with his fist, hitting three times to ensure that those inside heard him. They then heard footsteps on the wooden floor, followed by loud screech from the door hinges as the door opened up. Much to Lloyd's amazement, Skylor met them at the doorway, with no bandages or scraps anywhere to be found.
"Come in," Skylor said.
The ninja complied, stepping into Skylor's simple bedroom, comprised only of a nightstand, a mirror, and a feather bed, which was neatly made and tucked in the far corner. Skylor blushed, then said:
"I know, I know. They aren't the type of quarters a hero like me should have, but it's nice and cozy enough for a shop owner like myself."
"I understand," Lloyd nodded, "but that's not why we're here."
"Yeah," Kai added. "You called about your element powers."
"Oh yes, my elemental powers," Skylor muttered. "Are you sure you guys can handle this?"
"Skylor," Kai stated. "We fought Serpentine, stone warriors, nindroids, Anacondrai, ghosts, pirates, Vermillion, biker gangsters, and dragon hunters, all while surviving each other. I'm sure we can handle a little bit of bad news."
"I didn't lose my elemental power," Skylor stated. "Someone stole it from me."
"Stole it," Cole questioned. "How can anyone steal elemental powers? Aren't those supposed to be, like, impossible to lose?"
"At least I thought so," Skylor replied, "until it happened."
"How did you lose them," Lloyd asked. "We need to know."
Skylor sighed, taking a deep breath.
"Do you remember the Temple of Resurrection," she asked.
"All too well," Lloyd mumbled.
"Weren't you assigned that place by the other masters," Cole asked.
"I was," Skylor answered, "and since then, I have frequented the haunted temple at night, making sure nobody snooped about for "relics" to use against us. Well, that night, I encountered a masked warrior, someone skilled in martial arts and swordplay, and he refused to leave without a special jar he was searching for."
"A jar," Kai questioned. "Why would anyone be looking for a jar?"
"I can't say, Kai," Skylor sighed. "Anyway, I fought him until he was nearly defeated, but as I attacked him with Spinjitzu, he pulled out a shuriken and stole all my power."
"Shurikens don't steal elemental powers," Cole stated. "Zane uses them all the time and it doesn't affect him."
"But this shuriken is different," Skylor remarked. "This time allows the wielder to harness that element. I tried to stop him, Lloyd, but he threw me out into the city before I could retaliate."
"You aren't to blame," Lloyd comforted. "Any chance you recognized who this masked warrior was?"
"I…I'm not sure," Skylor sighed.
"Lloyd, Lloyd, come in," Zane's voice buzzed on Lloyd's phone.
"Here Zane," Lloyd said. "What's up?"
"I spotted someone," Zane answered.
"Who," Lloyd questioned.
"The masked warrior."