The next day, the ninja meet up for breakfast, where Cole and Jay begin to argue and fight yet again, much to the others annoyance. Before they could even eat, let alone allow Kai to report his findings, Chen's voice comes through the intercom.
"The Tournament of the Elements continues. FUN TIME! Would the following Masters please make their way to their assigned arenas: Speed, Gravity, Smoke, Nature, Mind, and last but hopefully not least, Fire. Remember, only one, can remain." As the intercom switches off, Jay speaks up.
"And here I was hoping he all had a day off." He groans.
"I kind of expected this." Kai admits. "I pissed him off, yesterday. He's going to try to get me eliminated as quick as possible."
"You'll need to be careful of Clouse." Garmadon warns.
"Yeah. I'll watch out for him." Kai assures, before heading off to his assigned arena.
For his match, Kai is set against Ash, the Master of Smoke. As the fight begins, Kai is immediately on the defensive, as Ash is able to change form, from tangible, to untouchable. His Powers allowing him to reform wherever he directs his smoke particles to.
With nothing else to do, Kai is made to watch as the Jade Blade is sent to a rocky outcropping below, just above the lava, reminiscent of the incident with the Fang-Blade at the Fire Temple. Kai continues to stay on the defensive, as the Master of Smoke continues to fight, rather than obtain the blade that would gain his victory.
As Ash continues to attack, Kai sees his opening, burning the rope bridge, sending them both onto a rock outcropping, where they continued to fight, with Kai leading the Master of Smoke on. As his opponent positions himself in front of the Blade, facing Kai, does he launch himself, not at Ash, who dispersed into smoke believing it to be the case, but to the Jade Blade, of which he retrieves with ease, declaring him the winner.
Once the day's battles were over, and Kai had the chance to explain his findings, there was a commotion over at the fighting board. As the ninja take a look, they are horrified to find Cole and Jay pitted against each other, and the fight pushed up, to tonight.
"He can't do this!" Cole complains.
"He already did." Lloyd corrects.
"We've got to fight each other." Jay states solemnly. "Why does it have to be against Cole, or anyone for that matter? It was supposed to be my day off.
"I tried to warn you, but you never listen. Talk, yes, listen, not so much." Cole argues.
"Is there a problem, ninja?" Clouse asks, walking u p to the group.
"You cheated! You changed the brackets!" Cole shouts.
"Oopsie." Clouse retorts, as he walks away, not a care in the world.
"What are we meant to do? We came here to be whole again, not fall further apart!" Lloyd asks.
"You can't undo what has been done. My only advice is to be at peace with it." Garmadon answers.
"Peace? One of us is going to lose! It's gonna be me! He's got super strength, and what do I have? QUICK, TELL ME WHAT I HAVE!" Jay panics.
"Don't listen to my dad. We find Zane, then none of us have to battle." Lloyd assures. "Your fight isn't until tonight, so we still have time to figure out what Chen's up to and stop this."
"I think I know just who can help. And, I think he already knows." Kai reveals with a smirk.
A few hours before the fight, the ninja go and find the Master of the Mind, who was listening to the thoughts of those around him, analyzing them.
"Neuro." Kai greets.
"You think I can get close enough to Chen to read his mind, to help you find your robotic friend, so you don't have to battle." Neuro states. "Not to mention, you need to know what else he is planning."
"That's impressive Nerdo." Jay admits, but Kai smacks him in the back of the head.
"Show him respect. He, like us, has mastered his powers." Kai admonishes.
"Thank you, Kai, but I could have handled it myself." Neuro states.
"That may be, but you also know why I did it." Kai retorts. "But let me show you something more concerning." Kai brings his findings to the front of his mind, making it the main thought, as Neuro reads him, before stopping with a gasp. "This isn't just about Zane and skipping out on fights anymore. We need to find out what Chen is up to, and stop it."
"What makes you think I'll fight alongside you?" Neuro asks.
"I don't." Kai admits. "All we ask, is for a little help. After that, you can go your own way. But we will still fight for what is right." Neuro sighs.
"I'll do what I can." He assures.
By the time of the fight, Neuro finds Kai, watching from the bleachers with all the other Elemental Masters as the battle is readied. He looks thoughtful, but also downcast, and Kai knows that things will be continued.
"What did you find?" Kai asks quietly.
"I couldn't get close enough. Clouse is one hell of a guard dog. But, I did find something. I managed to read through Clouse's memories, and it showed me about a specific page in his spellbook. 149. I think that spell is a large part of their plan." Neuro explains.
"Thank you." Kai thanks. "If you ever find something you think would be of use while meditating, please tell us."
"We'll see." Neuro retorts, smiling slightly. "I just know it would be fun to spar with you one day." With that, he leaves, as Jay and Cole are brought out to fight. They charge each other without hesitation, using their powers with intent to harm. Garmadon and Kai look on with frowns of concern, while Lloyd simply watches with worry. Each attack is successfully blocked or dodged by the other, until they stop, seeming to talk to each other, before finally relaxing slightly, their powers deactivating before they begin to fight, or, dodge, each other in a close quarters battle. In his peripheral vision, Kai notices as Chen tosses his popcorn away in frustration and boredom.
"Release the Condrai Crushers!" Chen calls out, activating one of his many buttons, which opens a door, as four vehicles drive out, circling around the arena. Cole and Jay go back to back, working together and defeating the enemies sent before them. "ENOUGH! I know what you are trying to do. If neither of you wins." Chen begins mashing buttons, as parts of the arena rapidly disappear. "THEN BOTH OF YOU SHALL LOSE!"
Cole and Jay talk once more, before Cole goes after the Jade Blade. Rather than keep it, however, he throws it to Jay, earning him the win.
"Cole may be gone, but he did not lose." Garmadon begins, with Neuro actually listening in. "Let this be a lesson for us all. Know thy enemy, but more importantly, know thy friend. He fought like a true ninja."
Kai watches on with determination. He knows, that wherever Cole was sent, he can hold his own. Maybe even find Zane.
"Skylor, Master of Amber, versus Jacob, Master of Sound!" Chen declares, as the two face off, Kai watching intently.
"Eeny, meanie, miney, moe." She begins to sing. "Catch a Jade Blade by it's toe!" She hurls a spear at one of the vases, shattering it, to reveal nothing. As she collects her weapon, the Master of Sound uses his Guitar to create sound waves, using them to determine where objects are.
As he continues to strum his instrument, Skylor grabs a bow and a dozen arrows, firing at Jacob, only for him to hear the sound waves as they travel through the air, dodging them, and even using them as a way to gain altitude, and fire a condensed burst of sound waves, which shatter the vase Skylor was near.
"The Master of Sound has gotten stronger since the last time I saw him." Garmadon admits. Skylor manages to touch Jacob, absorbing his element, as she sends a burst of fire that destroys his guitar, forcing him to rely on the other sounds. She fires her own burst of concentrated sound, destroying another vase, that Jacob gets a blow dart from, and begins to fire it at Skylor, who expertly dodges, drawing the darts to a paper thin wall, which begins to let in air, that howls, obscuring the sound around the area, allowing Skylor to break the final vase and claim the Jade Blade.
"He may be strong, but Skylor is on another level." Kai notes.
As Chen disposes of Jacob, he goes on about giving everyone jewels, then takes that away and complains that because Jay and Cole teamed up, everyone would also lose their fancy rooms and be sleeping together in a cramped area. As the other Elemental Masters pass by Jay, they glare at him, leaving the ninja alone.
"Ignore them, Jay, we're not here to make friends, just to save ours." Lloyd comforts.
"That may be, but your exclusion of others has merely made them more amiable to be an enemy, rather than a friend." Garmadon warns.
"And don't forget. The best way to defeat an enemy without fighting them, is to make them your friend." Kai adds, reciting a lesson that Wu once taught them.
It's the middle of the night when Clouse goes and wakes the Masters up, the servants fitting roller-skates to each of them, before they are lead to to main arena, which had been turned into a skating ring.
"Welcome to my favourite event: THUNDER BLADE!" Chen declares.
"Hey, I know this game!" Turner notes, "It's just like-" Chen cuts in.
"No! It's not like that! This is my game! I made it up, fully original!" Chen argues, before handing Lloyd and Camille their Jade Blades, and helmets. "Rules are simple. Each lap you complete with your blade in your possession, a point. Most points before the time expires, you win."
"Woah, woah, woah. What about us?" Turner asks. "Are we supposed to just stand here?"
"You get to help anyone you wish." Chen reveals. "Or, hurt, for that matter. Choose sides." As the other Elemental Masters all side with Camille, Lloyd is heavily outmatched in man power, as he skates to Jay.
"What were you saying about us having targets on our backs?" Lloyd questions rhetorically, Jay simply laughs nervously.
"We're still a team. We can do this." Kai assures.
As Chen declares the race/battle to have begun, Lloyd and Camille start. It's 30 second before the others can go, with Kai purposely lagging behind, a smile on his face. Using his Fire element, he grabs a part of the arena, a metal bar, before heating it into shape, revealing a makeshift bow, with the string made from his element, giving it more power. He does the same with several other metal bars, creating a makeshift quiver, filled with blunt arrows, several blunt throwing knives, and two re-balanced staves.
With precise Aim, Kai manages to shoot Camille three times, each one taking her out for a lap, which Lloyd would gain, closing the gap each time. As Jay came around, Kai took hold.
"We need to stop keeping everyone in the dark. If we tell the others about Chen, we can turn the tides against him." Kai explains.
"On it." Jay affirms, speeding up as Kai lets go, drifting from Elemental Master to Elemental Master, spreading the word, with Neuro even pitching in, admitting that he can see the truth. With the truth out, the other Masters begin to help Lloyd, bringing his score up even with Camille. Eventually, it's neck and neck, with the two of them fighting. One of Chen's servants attempts to swap out the cards, giving Lloyd a lower score, only for Skylor to stop him with the borrowed powers of Gravity. As they come up to the finish line, Lloyd manages to knock Camille's Jade Blade out of her hand, giving Lloyd the win as she crosses without her Blade.
"NO! HE! CHEATED! Lloyd loses!" Chen declares, only for Turner to speak up.
"No way, man. Lloyd won fair and square. You were the one who tried to cheat." He argues.
"My tournament, my rules." Chen retorts, turning around with his chair.
"And just what rules are those?" The Pale Man, asks. "If Lloyd's out,then so am I."
"Me too." Kai adds, stepping forward, with Jay following behind.
"Me three." He smirks.
"If you kick us all out, what kind of tournament will you have then?" Skylor questions knowingly. Chen seems ready to combust as he relents, sending Camille away with the press of a button, with Lloyd's team cheering on.
While the other Masters celebrate, Kai manages to sneak off, once more turning into dark particles, as he hunts for Cole. As they dig deep into the ground, they soon find the factory, where Cole is happily whistling away. In moments, all the other particles converged, before reforming. Kai touches Cole's shoulder, making him jump.
"Kai? How did you get here? Did you lose?" He asks worriedly.
"It's not that easy to get me taken down." Kai assures. "I just have more than one way to travel." He turns to Karloff, who looks on in shock. "You doing alright in here?" He asks earnestly. Karloff continues to stare in shock, and Kai sighs, turning back to Cole, who is still all giddy. "I take it you found something?"
"Yeah. I found Zane!" He exclaims. "I was about to send a message to the others."
"Don't worry about that. I can send it for you." Kai assures, as Cole audibly breathes a sigh of relief.
"Good. I was afraid that it wouldn't even reach you guys." He admits. Kai quickly glances around. "Where's Jacob?" Cole looks down solemnly.
"He tried to escape, but Clouse caught him. He was fed to his pet snake." Cole reveals.
"Fuck." Kai swears. "Unless it's like the Devourer, I don't know if he's still alive."
"Devourer?" Karloff asks, finally regaining composure. "What Devourer?" Kai smiles softly.
"I'll tell you about it once we get out of here." Kai assures. "I got to go. They'll notice me missing eventually."
"Just be careful." Cole warns.
"If Chen makes a move, I can't promise that." Kai admits, before disappearing yet again.
As the remaining Elemental Masters and the ninja, along with Garmadon, sit within a small blimp, the tensions run high. Each Master is reluctant, and suspicious. Kai was caught up to speed with what happened when he visited Cole, and while he understood why Lloyd spoke out, he wasn't pleased with the fact he dragged Neuro into it as well. The Master in question, opened the door to the cockpit, his fear of heights driving him.
The open door revealed the lack of a pilot, and Chen using a live camera.
"Hello final eight! He greets, after screwing around believing himself to not be live. "I see you are all here for the tournament to commence, so that one of you can win my staff of elements! Instead of fighting for a Jade Blade, today, you will be fighting for something different!" With the press of a button, an aerial camera feed reveals Nya, on the Island.
"Nya." Kai notes aloud in shock, before his features change into rage.
"You know her?" Turner asks.
"She's my sister." Kai admits darkly. "And Chen, just earned himself an eternal damnation." His eyes begin to glow red, as the others step back in fear.
"We have an uninvited guest on our island." Chen continues.
"I would guess that she found the spell that you were talking about last night." Kai adds.
"Find her, and you will automatically move on, to the final round." Chen then stops.
"He wants us to hunt her down. As skilled as she is, she won't stand a chance." Jay notes.
"In ten seconds, the bottom will drop." Chen reveals. "But to show you I'm not a bad man, I've given you seven parachutes." As the Elemental Masters rush to grab a parachute, Kai hands his to Garmadon.
"Don't worry. I don't need one." Kai assures with a devilish grin, before he slips through the opening, letting himself free fall. As he continues to plummet to the Ground, he summons his Elemental Dragon, the piece that Ash left with him before she went through the metamorphosis. As she descends to the island, Kai looks up, watching as Lloyd is the only one without a parachute. His slight fear is quelled when the Green Ninja manages to summon his own dragon. As they land, Kai transfers a part of the Null within Ash, allowing her to leave without him. "Find Nya. Protect her the best you can. I'll catch up." He assures. Ash purrs, as she takes flight, the Null concealing her trail as she finds his sister.
With the others all dispersed around the Island, Kai begins to gather. As he senses the land, he notices the little 'gifts' Chen left, but they feel off. Marked. He knows not to grab them, so he makes his own.
A Mech is only useful in pieces. Kai melts it down, doing what he did back in the ring, but this time, without holding back. Each arrow is sharp, each knife able to slit throats without resistance. Each katana, molded to cut through steel. The last item, is a crossbow. Built for another, but just as deadly as the rest.
As Kai continues to search, following his Dragon's energy, he stumbles across Skylor, who has a saddened look in her eyes. Kai steps back, knowing he could do nothing for her right now.
"So be it." He sighs, a doorway appearing behind him, the dark tendrils of Null curling outward. As he prepares to leave, Kai notes a shackle on Skylor's wrist, almost completely hidden by her outfit. His escape is stopped, however, as Chen kicks him away, appearing from smoke with his staff in hand, and vengestone cuffs in the other, immediately blocking Kai's powers.
As he is tossed into the cell that holds the other five masters, he glares back at Chen, his eyes burning with a heat that would never be taken from him.
"You won't get away with this forever, Chen." He warns.
"Oh, but I have. For years and years, I prepared. I plotted. And now, I can bring my plans to fruition." He retorts in glee. "And there is nothing you can do to stop me!" He dances in a crazed state, before he leaves, Skylor, her head lowered, following close behind.
"Don't worry. Lloyd's still out there. He'll stop Chen, Clouse, and Skylor." Jay assures, to which Kai shakes his head.
"Skylor won't be a problem. I just need to free her from her father." Kai assures.