"Alright… here goes nothing!" Nya shouted.
A set of robotic arms slowly forced the shards of the Realm Crystal together, arranging them until they formed the rough shape of the unbroken jewel. A small mold came up to gently press around the crystal, the hands retracting as it did. When the mold was removed, what looked like a white jacket had been wrapped around it. As soon as it was done, a metallic wire frame lifted it up into the air.
Harumi let out a long sigh and let green power form within her hands. She concentrated power in her hands, the sound of energy charging up filling the room. With a loud crackle, the power shot out in a beam from her hands, striking the little jacket and permeating to the crystal within. Harumi concentrated, pouring out her power from her hands strong enough the green light consumed the entire lab around them. The heat made the film completely dissolve, leaving just the suspended crystal being directly bathed in energy.
After nearly fifteen seconds, Harumi lowered her hands. Slowly, the metal frame lowered the sparkling green Realm Crystal down, its surface still showing the cracks within it but looking completely whole. Harumi slowly walked forward and reached out, gently holding it in her hand. The crystal was completely cold in hand.
"Moment of truth," Harumi focused, attempting to reach out towards the void once more. She tried to recall the sensation of how it felt, to connect back that realm. The crystal began to vibrate in her hands. She pointed the crystal towards the ground. The green power inside the crystal began to loop back and forth between Harumi and the crystal, and for a brief moment, Harumi felt something.
With a massive burst of green energy, the crystal shattered in her hands. Harumi's eye twitched as the pieces fell from her hands and down onto the floor. With an angry shout, Harumi formed and Rhotatae disc in her hand and hurled it straight into the ceiling. It harmlessly dissipated on the roof, but it did little to help her quell her anger. Nya shook her head and let it drop to the table.
"Okay… so, experiment thirty seven, failure," Nya lifted her head up and tapped a few buttons on a keyboard in front of her, adding it to the sadly increasing log, "Maybe we just aren't using enough green power?"
"No… it's because the First Rhotate, Chi, whatever Master made it," Harumi groaned, gripping her fists, "He must have used the Golden Power to create it. None of us have that, so we can't recreate the energy inside of it!"
"Well, green power comes from the gold, maybe if try different levels of power we can eventually get it?' Nya offered hopefully, "I'll make a note. Either way, it's getting late. Let's go ahead and call it here then, okay?"
"Yeah…" Harumi sighed, running her hand up through her hair, "I'm going to borrow one of your bikes and head back to Stixx, alright?"
"You sure?" Nya raised an eyebrow, "It's a pretty long drive from here to Stixx. I can get you there much faster if I call for the Bounty."
"No, I just, wanna be alone for now," Harumi sighed, "I'll be back tomorrow to keep doing the experiments, alright?"
"Alright, if you think that's what you need," Nya walked over and placed a hand on Harumi's shoulder, "But, you know that we're all friends here, right? You can talk to us. I… know it's hard being away from home for so long, you know…"
"I really just don't wanna talk about it, Nya," Harumi gently shrugged her off, "I, really appreciate the sentiment but just, it's not easy right now, okay?"
"Yeah, I get it, go ahead and take the red one," Nya tossed Harumi a key from her pocket, "Just don't let Ronin mess with it. I know he messed with Kai's bike and now it's making all sorts of weird noises whenever we try to use it."
"Heh, I won't, don't worry," Harumi walked her way across the massive glowing pathways of the Samurai X Cave until she found the screen to select the bike. The maroon bike raised up from the floor, allowing her to climb in and start the bike up. Ahead of her, the large entrance to the cave began to rotate open for her to exit. After a rev of the engine, Harumi drew her hood and quickly sped up and out of the platform of the cave, breaking out into setting sunlight.
Even with how different this place was from her home -her cave was long since defunct for her team given how easy it was to find- Harumi had come to memorize the path to and from the Samurai X Cave. She'd driven down this path many times now, almost daily once Nya had suggested that they try their experiments. The path across the desert would quickly turn cold if she waited, so she gunned the engine and made quick time. The bike carved a massive line in the sands as she drove, leaving her to fly across the barren landscape and off towards Stixx.
Three months. Well, 120 days, if Harumi wanted to be technical. Ever since the Time Twins had smashed their Realm Crystal, she had been stuck in this place for almost three months. The time had worn down on her, reminding her each day where she was. They were stuck here, struck well and truly, and it seemed nothing was going to get them home.
She drove her bike drove up a path that began to wind its way across massive hills and around large fields of crops. Just looking at the settlements, she was overlaying a map of the Ninjago she knew upon it. Many of these small towns had already turned into cities by her time, and to see them as little more than a few houses and perhaps a wall around them was almost surreal. Almost, as she'd driven by this very path far more often then she would have ever liked.
More than anything, she wanted to go home. That much she knew was likely obvious to anyone that got stuck in a place they didn't belong, but she still wanted to. Everyday with Nya her hopes of getting home were diminishing. The twins had been clever enough to get both crystals, meaning that they had no chance of finding another. Part of her wondered if all the Realm Crystals would do that, but having heard of Lulloyd's world, she didn't want to think about it.
Speculating on the nature of the multiverse had become a bit of a fascination for Harumi. It gave her something to keep herself sane. The books she'd digested were helpful, but they had only helped her so much. They were all written on theory, and she knew that it was now a reality. There were things that she didn't understand, like how Rhotate was seemingly switched out for other powers in other universes but elemental powers seemed to be in all of them; it just left her more to speculate on. Not that she could muse for very long, however. It would remind her that back home, her friends were likely still wondering where she'd actually gone.
Harumi gripped the controls tighter. Her friends. The last thing many of them had seen of her, she'd been wailing over Olive's death. Just thinking that name sent a cold pit into her gut. Krux had manipulated her into nothing more than utter rage during her fight just by invoking her name. She'd left a note for Dareth so he wouldn't worry, but she hadn't expected to be gone for more than a week. Now it'd been months. Did they know she was okay, or…?
She moved a hand over her chest. On the inside of her uniform, she'd stitched a pocket to keep what Olive had given her. Right before she'd been swallowed up, she'd thrown something to Harumi. Something she still didn't know what it was. She'd hoped it was a copy of her memories, or perhaps something of a last message. But it was nothing. It worked with nothing. Nothing, like what Harumi had done for her.
So went her thoughts, forevering looping in on one another until she thought herself into oblivion. When she finally was stuck within her own headscape for long enough, she had already driven her way back to Stixx. Not willing to even risk driving a bike this nice into town, she drove to a small hidden cave and parked the bike, then made her way into Stixx on foot. Many men still stared at her as she walked. The fact she had a hole in the middle of her uniform on the chest was the main culprit. She'd dealt enough punishment to men thinking anything impure about her to make it so now everybody knew she wasn't their type.
Soon she was back at Ronin's shop. She immediately turned to a building that had been built right across the boardwalk. It was a far smaller house, and still had the look and smell of a new building under the ocean's constant scent. Ronin had built the house under the guise of saying he'd turn it into a storage shack eventually. Currently, it was built and wired to work as a three bedroom home. How Ronin had managed to get the supplies, she had decided not to look into. The ninja had offered them the chance to live with them, but Monty had quelled that.
"If you ever come near them again," Monty had told them with the barrel of a shotgun on them, "I'll kill all of you. Consider your apology to them being never speaking to them again."
For that reason, Monty didn't know about her continual meetings and experiments with Nya.
Once she stepped inside, Lulloyd was sitting at a small chair by a smaller table. When she stepped inside, Lulloyd perked up at her and gave her a little smile. Rather than his gi, Lulloyd had taken to wearing a hoodie and black pants, a style he seemed determined not to give up just yet. They'd been heavily modified to fit him, given his odd body structure.
"Oh, hey, Harumi!" Lulloyd called out, "Uh… how'd it go?"
"How do you think it went…?" Harumi muttered despondently, "It didn't work. Just like all the other ones. Whatever made the Realm Crystal travel is gone."
"Oh… well, Ronin might have a lead on something that could help?" Lulloyd leaned in towards the table, "He, uh, said that he and Monty found a scroll of like, some sort of, old Serpentine tribe, they might have something…?"
"Because they've found things that can help us get out of here before?" Harumi scoffed, walking over to a couch awkwardly stuffed against one wall and collapsing on it, "We're stuck here, Lulloyd. The Time Twins got what they wanted."
"..." Lulloyd took a deep breath, "I don't think that's a good thing to be thinking, Harumi. We, we've all been in situations that seemed impossible before. This has just been, the longest one. I-I mean my mom would kill me if I never got home. So… you gotta have faith we'll get there."
"That's easy for you to say," Harumi turned over to face him, "You've never been hopeless before, you don't know what it feels like. I have, and this is it."
Lulloyd didn't have an immediate answer for her. Instead, he seemed to shrink down, even if his body wasn't capable of doing so. As he got up, a tiny pang of guilt went through Harumi, but she didn't act on it. Part of her wanted to, but she needed to get her point across.
"Well… you, uh, want to go find Lloyd?" Lulloyd asked half heartedly, "Monty, uh, saw that Lloyd hadn't shot a gun before and he's, giving him lessons."
"Lessons?" Harumi rolled over, "I don't want anything to do with that stupid ghost. He's just a wedge that Ronin keeps around before he's useful for stealing. The last thing I want to do is go and humor him. Let him go waste time with Lloyd. I don't care."
Lulloyd frowned at her, "Harumi… I know that this is hard. I'm worried too. But, getting upset isn't going to help."
"Help?" Harumi scoffed, "You know what would help? If I wasn't trapped in another universe, with technology decades behind my own, with two people that got my best friend killed and got me trapped in this place. What would help, Lulloyd, is if I was at home, going out for fun with the alliance, or training with Mizuko, or at one of Forte's concerts, or helping teach classes with Zane, or anything that didn't involve being stuck in a backwater town in the middle of nowhere because we have no money and can't afford to live anywhere other than Stixx!"
"...I, see," Lulloyd slowly sighed and nodded his head, "Well, I'm going to go find Lloyd. I, uh, kinda wanted to learn how to shoot too. There's food in the fridge. If you, uh, want to come with me then, Monty took him to the shooting range. So, uh, yeah."
Lulloyd made his way to the door, drawing his hood up. Before he left, he let out a little mumble, "I wanna see my dad too, Harumi. You're not, the only one here who's missing their family."
Lulloyd closed the door, leaving Harumi in the room alone. Harumi's violent outburst had done exactly what she wanted. Instead of of feeling happy, all she could do was grab a small pillow to bury her face in as she cried her emotions out. She wanted to go after Lulloyd, but her heart and emotions far too volatile for her to do anything but simply sob as she laid there on a bed in Stixx, far away from anyone that cared for, loved, or missed her.
"Are you trying to miss the target?" Monty groaned, rubbing his head, "Use the sights!"
"I'm trying!" Lloyd snapped back, aiming the gun again. He fired, and the bullet soared out to strike just within the target. He turned to Monty with a smug grin.
Monty reached into his armor, pulling out a pistol he rapidly fired. The three bullets formed a perfect triangle right on the dead center of the target. A fourth bullet went right into the dead middle. Lloyd's grin turned into a deep growl as Monty shrugged and put the gun away.
"You know, a good teacher demonstrates how to do it, guides the students, then tests them until they get it right," Lloyd muttered.
"When you're fighting with guns, you don't get the chances you do with swords. You get one shot and then you instantly decide if you need to shoot again. You don't have time to think about 'guiding' your shots. You make a play and commit to it," Monty rolled his eyes, "You know why they say don't bring a gun to a sword fight? The gun ends it before either one has the time to swing."
"I'm not asking how to fight with a gun, I'm asking how to shoot it!" Lloyd turned back forward, "It doesn't go where I want it to!"
"I've told you three times, you're aiming high," Monty unloaded a shotgun from his back and used the barrel to lower Lloyd's arms, "You aren't steadying your arms. There's a split second before the bullet leaves the chamber. If you don't keep your arms steady, you're going to jerk them up. If you can't keep them still, you need to compensate for it."
Lloyd gave Monty another glare and exhaled. Slowly, he let his arms move down until he was aiming an inch below the target. He forced his eyes to cross until he could see the sights were lined up. Once they were, he took in a deep breath, and fired right as he exhaled. The gun indeed jerked up.
"Well you're hitting the target now," Monty pointed to the second ring up from the center, "So you stand a chance now. Call the paper back and replace it."
Lloyd did as Monty asked, pulling the paper form the rails. He crumpled it up as soon as it was back, not wanting to look at Monty's somehow pinpoint accuracy. As he replaced the paper, Monty replaced the shotgun on his back and leaned up against the side of the chamber.
"Some guy here to see you," The gruff scruffy man that ran the business called out over the intercom, "Name's Lulloyd. He one of your enemies, Monty?"
"Let him in," Monty yawned, "He's with me."
The door to the range opened, letting Lulloyd walk up and join Monty on the shooting range. He had on earmuffs that awkwardly fit over his perfectly cylindrical head and stiff hair. It looked like someone had tried to stretch them over a mannequin and were in danger of flying off.
"Hey…" Lulloyd waved to Lloyd, "How's it going?"
"He's able to hit the broadside of a ship now," Monty remarked snidely, "Soon he might even hit the target."
"You know this would go a lot faster if you taught me instead of telling me how wrong I'm doing," Lloyd remarked angrily right back.
"This is how I learned to shoot," Monty raised up one of his pistols, "Ronin told me when I was doing something wrong and that was it. I learned when he stopped talking. If you don't like my teaching methods, you're free to go find someone else."
Lloyd didn't say anything, instead trying to aim and fire at the target again. As he let loose his rounds, Monty had a completely unchanging expression. Lulloyd waited in silence, watching the entire thing go down until Lloyd had emptied his clip.
"Congrats, if you were planning on hitting the guys behind him, they're sure dead now," Monty crossed his arms and nodded solemnly.
"Yeah, yeah…" Lloyd remarked annoyedly, reloading his clip to try again.
The silence once more fell over the room, broken only by the sound of Lloyd firing at the target. The three stood there as Lloyd finished two more clips before recalling his target. He didn't even let Monty see it before he dropped it down beside a small stack of other ones by his feet and put up his second to lash fresh one.
"Spill it," Monty remarked to Lulloyd.
"Huh?" Lulloyd blinked, "Uh, what do you mean? I'm just, sitting here. Just, watching!"
"You clearly want to say something, just spit it out," Monty rolled his eyes, "Don't play coy with me. Being coy is Ronin's thing and I'll tell you this now: I hate it."
"Uh… well…" Lulloyd paused, "You… uh, I was wondering, if you would, teach me how to shoot too?"
"Nope," Monty shook his head without missing a beat, "You're not cut out for it."
"...What?" Lulloyd shook his head, "Anyone can learn to shoot. I mean, we have stud shooters back home but, these seem way more interesting! And, you know, it's useful to know."
"You wouldn't be able to shoot someone," Monty remarked, "Clearly you've put all your time into learning how to be fast with that sword of yours. You're used to making big plans to fight and outmatch your opponent. Gunplay isn't like that. You don't get a chance to think and try to figure out the next best move. You have to just make decisions on the fly and keep shooting. Sorry, Lulloyd, but teaching you would just be a waste of time."
"You, really, didn't have to phrase it like that…" Lulloyd muttered, "Could've just said you didn't think I could do it…"
"Better I say it harsh so you don't come thinking I'm leaving room to say yes," Monty pointed out, "Lloyd seems like he'd be able to use guns. I don't think he'll get to a level of using them often, but if he knows how to use one when he's forced to, that's good enough."
"You really don't have to talk about me like that," Lloyd turned his head, "I'm right here."
"If you're taking time to listen to us you aren't focusing on shooting," Monty spoke without turning around, "Bullets don't fly through you like me. Turning away is asking to get killed."
"I'm learning how to shoot, not how to fight with them!" Lloyd protested, setting the gun down, "I finished all my clips, I'm done for today."
"Fine, get the last target back and then we can go," Monty smirked, "The guy running the place owes me a favor. I get free shooting in this place for the next two months, lest he want me to call the Hageman brothers."
Lloyd gave Monty a strange sideways look, but did as he asked. Monty walked through the door to the range and gave the owner a little smirk, preventing the man from asking them to pay. Monty likewise waltzed up to one of the walls and took a few boxes of ammo from them. Lulloyd tried to protest, but Monty shook his head and nudged his head to the owner. The three exited the store and back out into the salty air of Stixx.
"I still don't get why you'd wanna live out there," Lloyd sighed as they made their way down the wooden roads of Stixx, "You're a ghost, why would you want to live literally over the ocean?"
"Because Ronin lives here," Monty shrugged, "Simple as that. We thought about going to Ninjago City but then remembered the ninja manage to get that place destroyed every other year. So we decided better stay here instead.."
"It's not our fault they love that place…" Lloyd mumbled.
"You two go home and do your thing," Monty shrugged, "I've got some errands to run. Some guys to get money from and all that. I'd offer you to come with, but I don't wanna."
"Sure, thanks," Lloyd scoffed. Monty didn't respond or change expression, instead summoning wind around his legs and blasting up off the boards to carry him through the air.
"Uh… so, this is a dumb question but, can't ghosts, you know, fly?" Lulloyd pointed to Monty, "He's always, using wind…"
"I dunno, he said something about learning it first," Lloyd grumbled, "I'm really not in the mood to talk about him."
"His lessons were, really, that bad huh?" Lulloyd asked carefully.
"At least when Wu is being cryptic and vauge it feels like he's teaching you," Lloyd groaned, "With Monty it seems like all he wants to do is just insult you until you give up!"
"My dad, is kinda like that, just uh, with a lot more laughing and a lot more warlord staffs flying at you," Lulloyd related, "I uh… I mean he didn't seem, so bad."
"When you spend days listening to that you start to get worn down," Lloyd rubbed his head, "I just wanted a distraction from all… this. Next session I'll get Ronin to teach me."
"I see…" Lulloyd paused, "So, you're saying that you're upset about all… this?"
"Well… of course I am," Lloyd shrugged, "The Time Twins stranded us here. We have no way of getting home any of us know of yet. I don't know what about this situation is supposed to be, you know, good."
"Well… we're getting time to catch our breath and make plans for when we get out?" Lulloyd smiled gently, "We were just kinda strongarming our way right into, all of that."
"The longer we're here, the longer the Time Twins have to go and screw up another universe," Lloyd shook his head, "You've seen how fast they can regrow those snakes. We're just giving them time to get stronger. I don't think there is anything 'good' about this, Lulloyd! Aren't you worried about never seeing your dad again?!"
"No," Lulloyd stated plainly, "Because I know that we'll find a way out of here."
"I wish I had your confidence then," Lloyd shrugged, "Because right now it seems hopeless."
"Something is only hopeless if you let it be," Lulloyd countered, "I mean… it, seemed hopeless that I'd be able to save my dad, but, I did, and we did something totally impossible. You and Harumi, you guys took down the literal embodiment of all evil that, should have just been impossible. I'm, not saying stop trying but, we can at least keep our heads up."
"Easier said than done…" Lloyd rubbed his head, "But, I'll try. I've been in tougher situations than this… though it's weird being in one without having someone trying to kill me."
"Heh, yeah…" Lulloyd took a few steps, "...I think you hurt Harumi."
"What?" Lloyd turned, "What are you talking about? She's been hurt since she met me."
"No… I mean, I think you made her upset…" Lulloyd took a few more steps, "Do, you remember when the Twins… left us?"
"Yeah, we were going to try to jump in at the last minute," Lloyd blinked, "Why?"
"I uh, I don't know for certain but, I think Harumi has some issues with you," Lulloyd fumbled out, "I think she's, worried. You two, haven't seen eye to eye and, I think that needs to change. We, have a chance here to take a break and just, relax. I think you should talk to her and, you know… reconcile."
"Lulloyd, she's clearly hated me since she met me," Lloyd frowned, "She's fine with you because you don't look or act like her dad. I'm, her dad. There's no getting around that. She sees me as her dead father and that's never going to change."
"So, you're just going to let her be upset then?" Lulloyd asked pointedly, "You're just not even, going to try? What if there's something more to it? I think Harumi clearly has, something she needs to talk about. And, I don't think she'll tell me. She was complaining earlier and, she mentioned you specifically. I think that, she's either angry at you, or angry at things other than you but is putting them on you. You should go and get the air cleared out."
"Are you sure?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow, "What if it doesn't work?"
"If you don't, then it's just going to get worse," Lulloyd countered, "When we get out of here and we get back to the Twins, we need to be sure we're on the same page. If your generals aren't on the same page, the army won't get anywhere. We're going to be going on dangerous things… you two need to either be on the same page or, you have to leave. And, we can't afford the second thing."
"You're… right, Lulloyd," Lloyd admitted with a sheepish grin, "...I've never, really had someone dislike me this much. Or, well, someone who isn't a villain I mean. I'll, make sure that I fix this."
"We don't have anything else to do today for a bit… let's just get it out of the way now," Lulloyd suggested, "Harumi's back from Nya's lab so, now's a good time."
"Yeah…" Lloyd grimaced, "Sure, right now. Guess there's no time like the present…"
"Yep!" Lulloyd smiled wide, "Come on, I promise that, you'll feel better once you do. I've, had fights like this before with my team, it's always better once you get it out of the way."
Without giving Lloyd a chance to protest, Lulloyd steered the two quickly down back towards their house. Few men in the city gave them much look, as they were either too bored, too disinterested or too gruff to care. With Stixx still recovering from the Preeminent's rampage, it'd turned into a scrap yard to help make some economic use of the destruction. Lloyd felt bad just looking at it, even if he knew that in this world he hadn't been involved.
Soon the two were at the makeshift building they were calling home. Lulloyd smiled to him and gave Lloyd a small nudge on the shoulder, "She's on the couch, or, she was. Just, go in and talk to her, okay?"
"Alright…" Lloyd inhaled, slowly reaching out and opening the door, "Harumi?"
Lloyd stepped inside the house. Harumi was still on the couch, laying down and looking up at the ceiling. She didn't acknowledge that Lloyd was there, instead looking distantly at nothing. Lloyd turned to Lulloyd, who nodded his head. The two entered the room, and once they had, Harumi turned to look at them.
"What do you want?" Harumi groaned, "I'm trying to sleep."
"I wanted to talk," Lloyd walked over and took a chair from the 'kitchen' to sit by Harumi, "Do, uh, you mind if we talk?"
"I do mind, but I'm sure you won't leave until I say yes, so sure," Harumi grumbled, "What do you want?"
Lloyd looked back to Lulloyd, who gave him a smile. Lloyd took a deep breath to gather his thoughts, and then he spoke.
"Listen… I know that us being stuck here hasn't been easy," Lloyd began, "And, I also know that you and I got off on the wrong foot and we haven't ever really taken the time to, you know, fix that. So I wanted to just talk. I don't want us to be upset with each other, Harumi. I want us to be friends. We've just been against each other for awhile," Lloyd placed his hands in his lap, "So… I just want to talk about that."
"We're stuck in a world that's not my own and we can't do anything about it…" Harumi muttered, "That's what's wrong. There, done."
Lloyd leaned forward, "Harumi, you and I, we just haven't gotten along. I don't mean after what happened. I mean just, from the start. You've been cold to me and, I don't know why."
"Because you two got my friend killed and you got me stranded here in this other world," Harumi stated firmly, "That's good enough reason to dislike someone."
"No," Lloyd frowned, "I know when people dislike me. It's deeper than that. I don't know what's wrong, but I can't let this go on."
"You're my father," Harumi rolled over away from him, "You're too much like him."
Lloyd felt as though he was smacking against a wall, even this early into the talk. He wasn't sure if he should go on… but just feeling the wall, he knew Lulloyd was right. He and Harumi didn't see eye to eye, and if he didn't get to the source of this, they never would. When he tried to think of what to say, he decided perhaps if he talked first, she'd follow suit.
"You said that I married Harumi in your world, right?" Lloyd looked down, "I wish that'd happened. I wish everything that happened with my dad never happened. I wish so many things had gone different. I wish that I'd come up with a plan that didn't go so wrong. I made so many mistakes trying to survive against my father, but I ended up just making everything so much worse. And now, I'm here. And I can't take back what I did." When she didn't stir, he kept going.
"I know what you mean, when you say you look at me and see your dad," Lloyd continued, "When I look at you… I see her. Your mother, I mean. The last time I ever saw her, was when she died," Lloyd gripped his fists, "...If I'd never, If I had just come up with a better plan, I wouldn't have… Mystake would still be…" He forced down his own sadness, this was about her, not him, "You're kinda like her, Harumi. She cared so much about her cause that she was willing to do anything for it. When you talk about things, you have that same passion she did."
"You knew her for a few weeks," Harumi drew her arms around herself, "I knew you for my whole childhood, Lloyd."
"It doesn't matter how long we knew the other," Lloyd affirmed, "What matters is that we're different people. We're not the ones we both remember. I can see some of my Harumi in you, but you're not her and you never will be."
"That's just it," Harumi shifted herself up, her eyes training on him, "That's the problem. You're just like him. No, that's not it. You're him. You're literally my dad."
"No, I'm not," Lloyd affirmed, "I never had the chance to love your mother. You could never exist for me. I couldn't. I just can't. It's not possible for me."
"You're not listening to me," Harumi set her jaw, "You're him. You're literally him. Everything! Your voice, your hair, your eyes, your tone, your walk, your powers, you're him! You're the father that I let die, that I killed because I couldn't handle the responsibility given to me! You're the man that died in the outfit I wear now. You're him, Lloyd. Stop saying you aren't!"
"You're projecting him onto me," Lloyd surmised, "Harumi. Is it possible that the reason you don't like me is because, you still feel guilty over your father's death?"
Even Lulloyd could feel that Lloyd had just thrown himself on top of the landmine. Harumi's eyes shot open and her entire body looked like it had tensed up. Anger seemed to fill her body and her hands tightened into strained fists. She shook her head rapidly, her hair becoming messy with every thrust she gave of her head.
"Don't talk about me like that, Lloyd!" Harumi seethed, "You weren't there, you didn't hold him as he bled out, you didn't watch the Overlord murder him while Garmadon screamed at what his own hands made him do, you didn't hug him so hard you were covered in his blood when you walked up to the Overlord because you still had to do the duty he took on for you! You didn't kill him! I did! For once I finally, I finally let myself move past it. I was in that 'better place' they talk about. And then you waltz in like it NEVER HAPPENED!"
"You didn't kill him!" Lloyd protested, leaning in, "I had to kill my father, twice. I banished him, and then I had to send him to the departed realm! I know what it's like, Harumi! Me, you, Monty, Lulloyd, all of us know what it's like to feel that!"
"YOU DON'T!" Harumi shrieked, "STOP PRETENDING THAT YOU KNOW WHAT I WENT THROUGH!"
"I know what you felt that day!" Lloyd's voice raised to match her own, "I know exactly what you felt! Failure, failure that you couldn't save him! That sense of cold that fills you and makes you not want to move, but you had to force yourself to move! You couldn't do anything and that tears you up inside! You feel like you're never going to move forward again, because why should you? You already failed! Well, I know that feeling, Harumi! I know it! You're not the only one that has faced these sorts of things!"
"SHUT UP!" Harumi was sobbing, her anger choked out beyond words, "SHUT UP, DAD! STOP IT! GO BACK TO THE GRAVE AND LEAVE ME TO LIVE MY LIFE!"
"You chose to come with us!" Lloyd countered. He didn't know if it was the best idea to be pushing her, but part of him felt if he pushed now, he'd finally get her to crack, "You made the choice to do that! You clearly want to move past his death, but you won't let yourself!"
Harumi thrust her head violently in a shake, "ALL I HAD TO DO WAS PUT ON THIS STUPID ROBE AND HE'D STILL BE ALIVE! ALL I HAD TO DO WAS BE THE GOLDEN NINJA, BUT I COULDN'T DO THAT! I FAILED HIM! I FAILED HIM MORE THAN ANYONE HE EVER KNEW!"
Lulloyd took a step back. Something was wrong with Harumi. Black lightning was striking up from her arms. It didn't look like elemental power, but something else entirely. Something about it felt like they all should avoid touching it. Lloyd, however, ignored it. He was at it. The source of why Harumi didn't like him. He was going to keep pushing and finally break through.
"Harumi," Lloyd lowered his voice to a normal tone, "You didn't fail him. Do you know what I would want, if I had a daughter? I'd want her to grow up to be surrounded by her friends, her family, and to do whatever it is she wants! If… if I had to get hurt for that to happen, then I'd want that to happen. I'd want her to be herself, and if she had to be shackled to some destiny… I'd do anything to make sure she didn't have to face it."
Something in Harumi's eyes snapped. With a loud shout, she brought her hands together. In her hands, a massive Rhotatae disc formed. The black lightning poured into it, crackling across its surface like lighting on a vane. Lulloyd ducked, but Lloyd stood still. With a cry, Harumi let the disc go loose, flying straight into Lloyd's chest and throwing him out of his chair with the force.
As soon as she fired it, all of the fight seemed to leave Harumi. She fell back onto the couch and sobbed. She sobbed and looked like she'd truly been broken. All of her energy, the fight she wanted to use to show Lloyd how wrong he was, it felt like it had gone into that disc. She hadn't even meant to make it; it was as though her body just acted on instinct.
Lloyd, meanwhile, was stunned. As soon as the disc hit him, he didn't feel as though he was in pain. There wasn't any pain from the attack, other than him being thrown into his chair. Instead, he was crying. Not just crying, but he felt something blossoming from the center of his chest. Something raw and visceral, something untamed and wild: an emotion. It wasn't sadness, nor was it regret, anger, or anything he would have thought. Instead, it was grief. He felt the grief over someone's death. Was this… was this Harumi's grief?
Lloyd slumped into his chair. He wasn't sure what he should be doing. He felt like his body was drained of all of its strength. He felt like curling up into a ball and crying even more than he already was. Lulloyd rushed over and looked him over, and saw that Lloyd's eyes almost looked vacant. He nervously held onto Lloyd's shoulders as Lloyd processed the emotion. The feeling was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He'd grieved over his father, yes, but this… this was a different feeling. It was a grief of self-loathing, feeling that he could have done something to save the person he was grieving over.
When he had banished his father, it was with his father asking him for it. Garmadon had given his son his blessing before he'd let Nya sink the Cursed Realm. And even with his Harumi, she had been almost irredeemable. This was a grief he'd never been able to feel before. Something that went deeper than simple sadness. .
"I know you're not him…" Harumi choked out, "But I can't… I can't help it. I failed him. I thought… I thought I'd buried it. That I'd finally gotten past it. But seeing you… I couldn't take it. I was so… angry. You… you…."
Lloyd slowly stumbled to his feet. Harumi went silent. Lloyd forced himself to breathe as he slowly walked forward. Lulloyd watched them nervously as they did, expecting Harumi to lash out at him and for Lloyd to retreat. Neither of them did. Instead, he got down to his knees, and hugged her. Not three seconds after he had his arms around her, Harumi was crying over his shoulder. Father and daughter, both from worlds that would never have met under any circumstances, held each other, crying together.
"I miss him so much…" Harumi sobbed out, "I miss him, I miss him, I miss him! I want him to come home and tell me about his day. I want him to teach me how to fight with a weapon I've never seen. I want him to drive me out on dates. I want him to tell me he loves me at night before I go to bed. I want him back, Lloyd. I want him back so bad."
"I want my dad back too, Harumi…" Lloyd whispered, "I want the man that said he loved me back. I know what you're feeling now. I… I never knew this is how you felt. I thought… I thought you were just upset at his death. I never knew you felt this… this intense."
"You're just like him…." Harumi gasped out, smiling dumbly as she did, "He never knew the right things to say but he said them anyways. He cared about everyone, even his enemies. He was friendly and strong, and…"
"Harumi… I'm not, him," Lloyd slowly shifted their hug so the two could look at one another, "And, I won't be. I know that it's going to hard for us to see each other as anything other than, that. But… do you think we could try?" He reached up to wipe his face of tears, "Please? I want us all to be more than just allies in this. I want us to be a team. We're going to be chasing the Twins for awhile… I want us to all to be friends. Because-"
"Because the stronger the bonds outside battle, the stronger ones in battle," Harumi sniffled, "You're, quoting Wu."
"Y-Yeah, I uh, was going to," Lloyd laughed awkwardly, "Guess that's something we all share, huh?"
"Yeah… something we really do…" Harumi began to laugh. Lloyd laughed as well. The two laughed together at the images and quotes of Wu they shared. The two hugged each other once more even as they laughed, a mixture of crying, of shared experiences, and of their own emotions flowing freely for what felt like the first time in far too long.
Lulloyd, seeing all of this, felt a smile on his face. He walked over and slowly sat down, doing his best not to watch and make the moment awkward. As the two separated, Harumi and Lloyd were smiling. Smiles that Lulloyd recognized as the ones he and his own team shared.
"Friends…?" Lloyd asked slowly, giving Harumi a small smile.
"We've known each other for three months now…" Harumi smirked, "I'm stuck with you two… might as well be friends now."
"Heh… I'm going to take that as a yes then," Lloyd smiled.
"See?" Lulloyd spoke up, turning their gazes to him, "We're stronger, together now. And I think, we will be from now on. Uh... I-I meant that to be more inspiring."
"This was his idea?" Harumi smirked, "You didn't even come here on your own?"
"Erm, I mean, I wanted us to be friends but, I mean, Lulloyd was the one who-" Lloyd was cut off by Harumi's hand wave.
"I'm messing with you," Harumi's smile dropped, "I appreciate it, Lloyd. I'm… I'm not going to say that we're, you know, perfect though. You, you felt how awful I feel. I don't know, if I'll ever get over that. But… I'm going to work hard to make sure that I don't see you and him as the same person. I won't let myself turn my anger at myself onto you anymore. Just… remember that, okay?"
"I can do that," Lloyd affirmed, "I promise."
"So uh…. Are uh, we going to bring up that lightning thing…?" Lulloyd pointed to Harumi, "You… kinda did something there."
"I...I don't know," Harumi muttered, "The same thing happened when I was fighting Krux. He got me angry and, the same thing happened. I… I guess it's something unique I can do with my Rhotatae. I… I think I can transfer emotions with it."
"I guess that makes sense," Lulloyd grimaced, "Uh… but uh, c-can we agree not to hit each other with our special powers? Like… I uh, don't know if it's a good idea to start attacking each other."
"I think your dad would disagree," Lloyd shook his head, "I mean, if you know how to fight your allies then you know how to fight with them."
"...I uh…" Lulloyd nervously bit his lip, "If, you're serious then, can you tell me when, you're going to do that? My dad's method of that was, throwing the bed I was sleeping in, into the harbor while I was sleeping in it. I'm a light sleeper now."
"We're joking, Lulloyd, we won't attack each other," Harumi sighed, "As long as we can help it."
"Just nobody do anything that would result in us getting possessed or anything," Lloyd shook his head, "I've been possessed, I don't want to have to deal with it the other way around."
"As, uh, long as Monty doesn't try that we should be good," Lulloyd pointed out. Just hearing his name made Harumi groan.
"I don't know how you two can stand to be around him…" She grimaced, "He's always picking at you. I've never met someone so… just, annoying to be around."
"I mean, he literally died trying to do what Wu said and, well, came back," Lulloyd pointed out, "I uh, kinda get where his attitude comes from. I mean, I'd be pretty mad too."
"Doesn't mean he gets to be a jerk all the time," Lloyd sighed, "Even if he was like us at some point."
"Do you think the Time Twins, knew Monty was, you know, dead when they jumped into this universe?" Lulloyd rubbed his hands together, "I mean… we kinda spent our time chasing after him without even knowing it was him."
"Having some time stuck here has gotten me thinking on the rules of this universal travel," Harumi slowly looked down, "I know I wasn't nice about explaining them earlier. Do you guys want to hear about it?"
"Sure, Harumi," Lloyd smiled, "Go for it."
"Okay… well, here's what I've noticed," Harumi leaned forward, "Every universe we've gone to, a Lloyd has existed. Even in your world, Lulloyd, where physics and the entire world isn't like our own, you still were there. And, every one of us has held the green power at some point. Monty used to have it, or he implied he had it. Even if Monty's dead, he still existed. What if, because the Twins are using green power, they can only go to worlds where 'Lloyd' exists, and where 'Lloyd' held the green power?"
"That would explain a little bit," Lloyd mused, "Like, why they didn't just go to another universe where Ninjago is still in the dark age. I wasn't born until after the Serpentine Wars."
"I think their travel is random too," Harumi mused, "Think about that. They went to Lulloyd's universe first. I mean, I haven't seen it but, I mean just look at him!" She gestured to him, "Why would they want to rule there? I think that they were rolling the dice, and acted like they got a good roll."
"And they clearly had to recharge power before," Lloyd nodded his head, "They didn't just jump a hundred universes at once to find one they wanted, since I only traveled straight to one when I used the crystal the first time. So, until now, they've had to take what they were given."
"When they landed here, they decided they'd make sure you couldn't follow them," Harumi muttered, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. They wanted the third time to be the last time we could follow them. Now, with a living host giving them power, they might be able to do more than random jumps."
"What do you mean?" Lulloyd asked, "Like… pick where they want to land?"
"Or keep jumping until they get a world they can exploit," Harumi muttered, "They've had three months. If they keep Morro alive so they can keep jumping, then they could easily keep going until they got one they liked, like, going through a shuffled playlist until you find the song you want."
"So you're saying the next time we jump, they'll have a massive head start on us?" Lloyd asked.
"If we manage to, yes, but that's the problem," Harumi groaned, "Think about it. The Realm Crystal had enough raw power to punch a hole through the universal walls. The Iron Doom was charged with your power and the brainpower of however many snakes they had on that thing. Whatever energies were inside the Realm Crystal let us jump. But we don't have that anymore. And Nya has proven that the shards were just containing whatever was inside."
"So… we need to find something that can do that?" Lulloyd asked, "Uh… do you guys, know anything that could, do that…?"
"Dragons?" Lloyd muttered, "Dragons have the ability to go between realms. That's how my team got to the Underworld the first time, and how they got back from the First Realm."
"Dragons…" Harumi murmured, "Dragons… the First Rhotate Master, he was born from an Oni and Dragon. And his energies were what powered the Realm Crystal, and what gave us our own powers!" Harumi's eyes shot open, "If we had our hands on a dragon connected to 'Lloyd' somehow, then we could in theory use their power to go after the Twins!" Her tone lifted, "I'm so stupid! I was so fixated on the Crystal I never even thought about it!"
"There's just one problem," Lloyd's tone dropped, "Without the Realm Crystal we can't get to the First Realm, and I doubt Mystake would send us there, even if we asked. And the dragons that Wu used to hide the weapons, they're gone to the Spirit Coves and I think back to the First Realm by now."
"...Oh…." Harumi put her hands on her head, "Gah! Why is it we get a single thought and it goes away!"
"Wu had a dragon chi thingy, remember?" Lulloyd pointed out, "Maybe we can use that..?"
"Wu doesn't have the green power, it wouldn't work," Harumi pointed out.
"Oh," Lulloyd looked down, "Right."
"Wait… Lulloyd might be onto something," Lloyd looked up, "Didn't Ronin say that chi was familial? Like, family members shared chi with their parents?"
"Yeah?" Harumi pointed out, only for what Lloyd was saying to sink in, "No."
"Monty held the green power, and he's related to Wu, even if he won't admit it to anyone," Lloyd pressed, "Ronin said he's never seen Monty's chi, right? Maybe there's a reason for that."
"No," Harumi growled, "We're not asking Monty."
"It might be our only way home," Lulloyd pointed out, "I mean… it, can't hurt to ask, right?"
"No!" Harumi barked, "You want to ask him to ferry us to another universe?! I'd rather be stuck here forever then… then any of that!"
"Even if it means you can see your friends again..?" Lulloyd asked, "Harumi I… uh, don't wanna be mean, but I would like to see mine again."
"It's worth asking," Lloyd frowned, "If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work and we find something else. But we've been stuck here too long. We have to come up with something. Harumi… please."
Harumi looked to the two of them with a face starting to show her previous anger. For a long few moments, she felt like saying no. Monty was insufferable and all of them knew it. But… if it meant they could go home, then she knew she was just being selfish.
"Fine, we ask him," Harumi groaned, "But if this doesn't work, don't say I didn't try to spare us the trouble."
"No," Monty yawned against the counter.
"Monty," Lloyd leaned against the counter in Ronin's shop, "We might be able to get home this way. We're just asking you to try once! And if it works-"
"Then you all will want me to keep ferrying you around like I'm some underpaid servant, so, no," Monty groaned, "I saw what those Twins could do. I'm not interested."
"They took Morro!" Harumi growled, "They tried to kill you! You aren't even a little bit upset?"
"You think I care about Morro?" Monty's eyes lifted up, darkness in his gaze, "He became everything I was supposed to be. He got the power, Wu's teachings, all of it. I got spat out of the Cursed Realm as a ghost. I hate him, and frankly I'm glad he's gone."
"They're torturing him, Monty!" Harumi hissed, "They're probably going to push him to the point of death just to get what they want! Do you want them for him?"
"That's apparently what this world wanted for me," Monty growled back, "Why should I care when the world finally shows Morro what I saw?"
Harumi didn't have a response for that. Instead, she turned around and backed away. Lulloyd stepped up to Monty, his expression pleading. Monty looked up to him, but didn't look away.
"Monty… please," Lulloyd muttered, "I want to go home, but more than that I want to stop the ones that are going to go out and hurt more people. They'll do the same thing that this world did to you. They'll make sure everyone feels what you did. I… I just want to stop them. If you don't want to stop them for Morro, then stop them for you. Stop them from making anyone else feel like you had to. They'll make more people like what happened to you, and they won't find a Ronin. They'll, just get lost. They'll destroy worlds, Monty. Please, come to the lab with us."
"Sorry, Lulloyd," Monty leaned back, "But I just don't care."
"That's a lie," Ronin's voice came from the doorway, "Your voice went up there."
The group turned to see Ronin, who had once more emerged into the shop. Monty gave him a long stare as the man paced his way over towards Monty. When he stopped, he looked to the group and narrowed his gaze.
"What exactly are you all planning to do with my partner here?" Ronin reached out and placed a hand on the spot where Monty's shoulder was, "Cause you should know that we make decisions together."
"The Time Twins, you heard what they did to Morro, right?" Lloyd looked to Ronin, "We think Monty has a way of letting us go after them and stop them. We want him to help us do that."
"You want Monty here to go after guys that tried to kill you?" Ronin narrowed his gaze, "Why?"
"Because the Twins might come back here one day," Harumi pointed out, "The Twins, they want to take over everything. They want to control everything. One day, they'll come back here to try to kill us, and that involves you, Monty, and everyone in Ninjago. They won't care he's a ghost or anything like that. They'll want nothing more than to just destroy everything."
"Why Monty?" Ronin repeated, "Why him?"
"Because…" Monty gave Lloyd a sharp glare, "Because Monty has something that we need. He's special, Ronin. He's the only one that can go with us. He can help us save lives."
"So, let me get this straight," Ronin frowned, "You want me to let my partner here go off with you guys after murders to try to stop them, because one day they might come back and try to kill all of us? That's what you need the kid for?"
"...Yes," Lloyd admitted, "That's, basically it."
"I see," Ronin sighed, "Kid, go with them."
"What?" Monty turned to Ronin, "You're supposed to say no."
"I know you better than anyone else, and I know when you said you don't care, you were lying," Ronin narrowed his gaze, "I know that you don't actually hate Morro as much as you claim to. You're not a bad person, Monty, don't try to act like you are."
"That's coming from you," Monty scoffed, "I'm not going."
"Are you scared?" Ronin shrugged, "Heck, after hearing what those Twins did, I would be too. If you're scared, it's fine to admit it. Admitting you're outgunned is just as important as making sure you brought the guns in the first place."
"Ronin," Monty hissed, "I said I don't want to go, why can't you accept that?"
"Cause you helped these guys," Ronin gestured to them, "You told them about that Lloyd guy, or I'm guessing you did. You didn't have to. You could have just said no and moved on. But clearly, you cared enough to. We're not good people, Monty, but we sure aren't bad people. You're being given a chance to prove that you're not a bad person. Why won't you take it?"
"Because… I'm tired," Monty yawned, "You know me, Ronin."
"I do," Ronin sighed, "And kid, I know you only sleep when something's eating at you. If you really are tired, then it's even more of a sign you should go with them."
Monty remained silent. The room went quiet as Monty seemed to ponder out what he was being asked. Harumi, Lloyd and Lulloyd looked on in anticipation. Monty looked to the group for a few more moments, then he sighed and stood up.
"Fine," Monty groaned, "I'll go. There, are you happy?"
"A little, yeah," Ronin smirked, "Your new toy is in the vault."
"Great," Monty sighed, "You know I can keep my own swords on me, right?"
"Yeah, but sometimes walking around with a massive gun on your hip only attracts more attention than it's worth."
"I'm sitting in your deserted shop. If someone was going to be scared away by that, they wouldn't be in Stixx."
"Your amazing customer service attitude there doesn't do them any favors either."
"Screw off, Ronin," Monty groaned.
"You too, kid, you too," Ronin chuckled, "You there, Lloyd, come here for a minute."
Monty made his way back to the back rooms, likely to retrieve the sword he was looking for. Lloyd blinked and made his way over to Ronin, who gave him a long look.
"I'm gonna say this once, and you better hear it well," Ronin chuckled, "I'm letting the kid go cause I think he should. But, the kid is coming back," Ronin's gaze narrowed, "The next time any of you set foot in Stixx, it's going to be with Monty. If you show up anywhere in Ninjago again, and he ain't with you... He won't be the only ghost when I'm done. You hear me?"
"Uh… yeah, I do," Lloyd nodded, "Trust me, we won't let anything happen to him."
"Good," Ronin smirked, "Then we understand each other. I'm going to go help him get his things together."
As Ronin left the room, a certain amount of tension left it as well. Lloyd and Lulloyd sighed in relief, while Harumi was left with a small frown that their ploy had worked.
"Well, congrats, Monty has joined the party," Harumi scoffed, "But there's still one problem we haven't thought of yet."
"What?" Lloyd turned, "What do you mean?"
"We need an anchor point," Harumi pointed out, "Remember how I was so panicked the statue got destroyed? We need something that we know is in every universe. You set the statue as your anchor point the first time you jumped. If we can't find something that every universe has, all of this is for nothing."
"I had a thought about that…" Lulloyd smiled, "And, I think you'll like it, Harumi."
"Oh?" Harumi turned to him, "What are you thinking of, Lulloyd?"
"I'll, uh, explain when we get there. But, first, let's go to Nya's lab and grab what we need," Lulloyd smiled, "We've been kept down for three months. It's time we got back in the fight."