After having narrowly escaped capture, army scattered and plans torn asunder, most people would probably assume that there was no hope left for Master Chen. They would probably assume that he was ready to give up. But Master Chen prided himself on being a patient man, and he had come much too far to give up now.

Master Chen had returned to the grounds beneath his palace to see what was left. The 'Alliance' may have thought they controlled the island, but they didn't know its secrets as well as he did. They had all but abandoned the tunnels by now, leaving him free to roam beneath the island as he pleased.

He now sat atop a pile of rubble where the prisoners had crushed Clouse's precious pet snake. Here, he was surrounded by the bones of his previous enemies and annoyances. It was a good reminder of how far he had come.

For a moment, he had actually held the power of the elements in his hands, and they had come oh-so-close to performing the spell. No, this wasn't the end. It was just the final act right before the victory. This was the part where everything only appeared to be lost until he would pull out on top right at the last minute. He just needed to find a way to make that happen. And put some distance between himself and the ever-troublesome Elemental Masters.

Below, Clouse kneeled at the foot of the wreckage, mourning the death of his poor snake instead of coming up with a new plan.

"I couldn't have asked for a better pet," he lamented. "They will pay for what they've done."

Master Chen rolled his eyes. Must he be so dramatic? Getting to his feet he said, "Yeah, yeah, big tear for the big snake." He hopped off the rubble onto the stone floor. "Can we get on with it?"

It was just a dumb animal, not like a real Anacondrai warrior, with tactical know-how and strength and power beyond one's wildest dreams. It was hardly worth wasting so much time over.

Walking over to a stray skull, Master Chen absent-mindedly kicked it across the room. "The Blade Copter should be fixed by now, and I have to get off this island." He rounded on Clouse. "You serve me, remember!"

"He's not a snake, Master. He's a serpent," Clouse corrected Chen as he sauntered away. "And might I remind you my pet never betrayed us. That was your daughter."

"Leave her out of this!" Master Chen snapped. He wouldn't have anyone, not even Clouse, talking like that about his own flesh and blood. Chen had skimmed a book on raising teenagers once, and he was pretty sure this was just a phase. She would remember her place with a little stern parenting.

"She held up her end of the bargain and brought us the Green Ninja," he continued. "It's not her fault she went a little power-crazy in the end. Skylor has never held all the elements at once before, and that power can be very satisfying," Master Chen said with a dark chuckle.

But Clouse wasn't really listening anymore. He seemed to have gotten lost on his own train of thought. "That's it! She can absorb their powers – how could we be so blind?"

"Right. We're not blind, we see clearly!" Master Chen paused and frowned. "And what is it that we see so clearly?"

Clouse grinned. "Master, perhaps there's another way to get what you want . . ."

Skylor was as shocked as anyone when her father gave the order for her to be freed. She studied him as she massaged her sore wrists, trying to understand what his angle was.

"Skylor, how dare they tie you up," her father said as he approached and put an arm around her shoulders. "I blame myself for your slip in judgment."

"Slip in judgment? You call running away from home for months a slip in judgment? No, Garmadon was right about you."

Her father nodded. "And I was wrong."

Skylor blinked. Was she hearing him right? She never thought she would hear her father admit to being wrong about anything.

He continued with remorse in his tone. "Wrong to steal their powers. Wrong to want to transform myself into a snake. Wrong because you needed a father . . . and I wasn't there." He turned away from her, ashamed.

Skylor was bewildered. This was a side of her father she couldn't remember seeing before. Well, maybe she had, but it was rare. He had, on occasion, shown a more caring side. She had memories, fond memories, of times when he had stepped down from his throne to really be there when she needed him.

But there were other memories as well, of when he had ignored her or sacrificed her needs for his own gain. Skylor wanted to believe that he could be sorry and love her like he was supposed to, but was it too much to hope for?

His expectant smile told her everything she needed to know.

Skylor jerked away. "You're not sorry. You think you can still turn into an Anacondrai with my help. But – the staff crystal was destroyed!"

"That crystal was obtained from the crystal caves here on the island, which we can now go to to complete the spell!"

Skylor cut him off. "You're a fool if you think I would betray my friends."

"But clearly it comes so naturally to you," he shot back. "Just think about it, Skylor. Remember the power you held in your hands. Clouse has a spell that can give you that power. Imagine it, wielding not just one, but all of the elements at once! Remember how that made you feel? Like you could do anything you wanted!"

Skylor squeezed her eyes shut and backed away. "No, I don't remember. I don't want to remember." She opened her eyes again, staring at her father in disbelief. "I tried to kill you. Why would you want me to have that kind of power again?"

He shrugged. "I know you didn't mean it, of course you would never hurt me. Anyone can get carried away with that much power." He chuckled and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Like father like daughter, right?"

"No!" Skylor shoved him away. "I'm nothing like you!" She made a break for it, running toward the vehicles nearby.

"Get her!" he shouted.

Skylor leapt out of the way as two guards rushed her. The collided as she sprang up from her somersault and kept running. But then Zugu and Eyezore blocked her way.

Skylor donned her mask, then launched herself into a tornado of Spinjitzu and knocked Eyzore aside, but Zugu somehow managed to trip her up and she fell onto one of the Condrai Crushers. Her side ached, but she leapt out of the way when Zugu leapt at her. He crashed head-first into the vehicle, and Skylor had enough time to snatch a rocket board off the back. She knew it wouldn't be as defensible as one of the crushers, but it was lighter and faster, just what she needed for a quick escape.

Skylor hopped onboard and zoomed toward the mouth of the cave. She careened through the air as Clouse fired blasts of dark magic in hopes of shooting her out of the air. But the board was swifter and more agile, and soon light broke around her as she shot out of the cave. Swerving around the waterfall, she made for the east side of the island. With any luck, she would find her friends back at the palace.

Breathing deeply, Skylor took in the open air and the feeling of freedom. She was finally safe, once again, from her father's selfish schemes.

Never again, she promised herself. Never again would she fall for his lies and become a victim to his quest for power.

Master Chen smiled after his daughter's retreating form. She thought she could get away from him, but he was already one step ahead, and she would never be able to escape his reach.

"The Blade-Copter is fixed," Zugu informed him. "Do you still want to leave the island?"

"What do you think?" Master Chen snapped. "'Course not, I want her!" The two generals hopped into their vehicles and sped after Skylor. He had to waste a few more precious moments arguing with a couple subordinates about names, but they quickly got the message and gave chase as well.

Master Chen jumped in surprise as Clouse pulled up in the Blade-Copter beside him. He certainly was efficient.

"We can't lose her," Chen said as he mounted the copter. "We'll make a good show about it, and maybe pick off a few ninja in the process. Then we'll follow her back to all her little friends." He couldn't help but laugh at his own cleverness. "They won't know what hit them."