At the Monastery, the ninja were cleaning up the place to make room for their new house guest. Since Laval was trapped in their world, he needed a place to stay. It was obvious that he couldn't stay at a motel in Ninjago City, so Wu suggested he live at the Monastery until they could figure out what to do with him. Laval had to accept the fact that he was stranded in another realm with unfamiliar beings.
"All done. We've finished cleaning the Monastery." Jay said. "Just in time for our new friend to move in." Zane said. "Well I don't think he's our friend...yet." Cole said. "He's right. We don't know anything about him or where he came from." Kai said.
They all had reason to not trust Laval: he was a being from another realm different from Ninjago. They had seen a bunch of different realms before, but not the one where Laval came from. They needed more information before they could even think about helping him.
"So we could just ask Laval tonight where he came from." Lloyd said. "Yeah. Let's ask him over dinner, I'm starved!" Cole said.
As soon as the sun set from the sky, the ninja gathered around the dinner table where Wu, Nya, and Aya were waiting. Laval wasn't seen anywhere near the dining room.
"Where's Laval?" Zane asked. "He's just freshening up for dinner." Aya said. "He might be a little nervous about having dinner with a couple of strangers." Nya said. "I understand full well his reason: He's been taken from his home, friends, and family. I can imagine how he must feel about spending the first time away from your loved ones." Wu said.
The group started to feel very bad for Laval. They knew what it was like to be separated from their loved ones. When Kai and Nya lost their parents, they were upset. When they lost Zane after the battle with the Golden Master, they were all heartbroken.
"Believe me, I know how it feels to be away from those you love." Zane said. "Yeah, us too." Nya said. "We can't dwell on the past now. We must look forward to the future and right now, there's someone who needs our help the most." Wu said.
Laval came into the dining room and sat down at the table. He sighed a low sigh before looking up at the group. They could tell that he was really upset and they all knew the reasons why.
"Hey, guys. I'm all done freshening up." Laval said. "We are very pleased that you're here. Now, why don't we all enjoy some nice homemade meals made by Zane and Aya?" Wu asked. "Coming right up." Zane said.
He and Aya brought over some freshly cooked ramen noodles and other foods to serve to their friends. They sniffed at the delicious food and began placing them on their plates. Laval was just staring at the food, he wasn't quite sure if they were tasty.
"Have some noodles, Laval." Wu insisted. "Well, okay then." Laval said.
He grabbed a bowl of noodles and placed them on his plate. He saw that the others were eating with chopsticks, so he picked up a pair. He grabbed some noodles with his chopsticks and ate them.
"Hey! This is delicious!" Laval exclaimed.
He began eating the entire bowl of noodles very quickly. He had never had anything so delicious from another world before. This food was almost as good as the food back in Chima. Wu tapped his teacup with his spoon to get everyone's attention.
"May I have your attention, please?" He asked. "Forgive me for interrupting dinner. I know this may be a bit too much to ask, but could you kindly explain to us where you came from, Laval?"
Laval stopped eating and placed his chopsticks down. He was a bit concerned about telling strangers about his home realm. But they've been so nice to him and what other choice did he have? He needed to find a way back home and these people might be his only hope.
"Well...you see, I came from a land called Chima. It's a lush tropical paradise with all kinds of different animals in it." Laval said. "So, there are others just like you?" Kai asked. "That's right. We lived together in harmony for many years. That is, until a civil war happened that divided us." Laval said.
This caught the group's attention. Laval hadn't mentioned there was a war going on in his home realm.
"There's a war happening in your home?" Kai asked. "Well, there was. See, it all happened when Cragger, my best friend, was manipulated by his sister Crooler into starting a war against us." Laval said. "Since then, we've been fighting for control over CHI."
The group got confused by what he said, they had never heard anything about CHI before.
"What is this so-called CHI you speak of?" Wu asked. "It's a powerful natural resource that comes from Chima. It gives us life and energy with its power." Laval said.
He grabbed his backpack and took out a CHI orb to show to the team. They were awestruck at the sight of the glowing blue orb. They had never seen this type of powerful object before in Ninjago or the other realms.
"Wow! It's so pretty!" Nya exclaimed. "I agree." Jay said. "Yup. It's the very lifeblood of Chima. Which is why we were fighting over it. But then a newer darkness came and we had to work together to face this new threat." Laval said.
He told them about how he and his friends journeyed into the Outlands to face the Crawlers that lurked there, how he reunited with his long-lost uncle Lavertus, how Cragger reunited with his long-lost father Crominus, and how he found out that he was responsible for the Crawlers existence.
"So you dropped a bag of CHI into a huge canyon and the Crawlers were transformed because of it?" Cole asked. "Yeah. I really messed up big time. But I was able to convince the Crawlers to stop and I saved Chima. After that, I chose to remain in the Outlands to help the Crawlers adjust to their new lives and to make up for my mistake." Laval said.
As he finished his story, he stared down in silence. Even though he stopped the Crawlers and saved Chima, he still felt bad about bringing them to life in the first place.
"I understand your plight. I've also made a bunch of mistakes, like releasing the Serpentine from their tombs." Lloyd said. "We've all made mistakes. But it's important that we learn from them as well." Wu said.
This made Laval feel much better. But it wasn't enough to cure him from homesickness.
"Thanks for letting me stay at the Monastery with you guys." Laval. "It's our pleasure." Zane said. "Yeah. We are ninja after all and we always help people in need." Kai said. "I just wish I could find a way back home to my dad." Laval said.
The team felt sorry for him, he was all alone in their world. He's been separated from his father and friends, and has no way of getting back to Chima. They all decided to help Laval by finding the Realm Crystal pieces and merging them together to make a portal to Chima.
"Laval, we promise to do everything in our power to return you to your family and friends." Wu said. "Yeah! Ninja's honor." Jay said.
Laval was happy that the ninja were going to help him get back home. He didn't know how to thank them for their help.
"Thanks, guys. This really means a lot." He said. "No problem, it's what we do." Aya said.
Meanwhile, back in Chima at the Lion Temple, Lagravis was in Laval's room. He was looking at his son's belongings and sighed sadly. Laval's friends told him about what happened and that left him devastated.
"Laval. Where are you?" Lagravis said somberly.