Announcer voice: Today, on Way of the Dragon: Jinlong gets captured by Stone Warriors! Will she escape? And will Lloyd be able to find his true potential? Find out today!
Jinlong voice: Chapter 23: Cutthroat Island
"You know, when I was little, the elders would always tell us how land cannot be evil, only the things that inhabit it, but I've really gotta disagree," Jin mumbled, leaning against her shovel. "This island is definitely evil."
The ninja and Nya mumbled a vague agreement. After arriving at the Dark Island, they'd all heaved the Bounty inland, into the cover of the forest, and had covered it pretty well with sand. And it had taken all day.
"We're done here," Jay announced as Wu walked out from the ship. The old man nodded.
"Good. Misako wishes to speak with you all."
They filed inside, tossing their shovels on the floor, heading for the Bridge. Misako was there, with a few scrolls spread out over the table.
"We need to find the Temple of Light," She said, wasting no time. "There, your elemental powers will be concentrated, and Lloyd's full potential will be brought out."
"Cool," Cole nodded. "Where is it?"
"That's the issue," The elderly woman went on. "It could be anywhere on the island. All we have to find it is this medallion."
"Ooh, a medallion," Dr. Julien grabbed the golden thing from her, looking through the holes. "The temple should be located wherever the three holes match up to something."
"Neat," Nya remarked.
"Once you find the temple, Lloyd will unlock the power of the Gold Dragon, an ancient fighting technique practiced only by the First Spinjitzu Master," Misako said.
A grin spread over Jin's face, which had gotten pretty tanned during her work. "Hehe, Gold Dragon. That's me."
Ignoring her, Misako continued, "It is an immense power that is sometimes also referred to as 'golden power', and it can only arise once all 4 elements are combined."
Lloyd grinned that time, although far more smugly, at the ninja. "Jealous?"
"Alright," Wu announced. "Time is of the essence here. Go, ninja, and remember to keep out of sight. If Lord Garmadon becomes alerted of our presence, all could be lost."
"Aw, don't worry," Kai said. "When have we ever not been careful?"
Jin could think of a few times, and clearly Wu could too, but he decided not to pick that fight. Lloyd stepped forward to join the ninja, and Misako grabbed his arm.
"You stay here," She told him.
"Are we still doing this?"
"If you were to encounter Garmadon, it could prematurely start the Final Battle," His mother warned.
Jay chuckled, smirking. "Jealous?"
If Jin hadn't vowed to be mature, she probably would've punched him.
oOo
Mature she may have been(sort of), but lucky she was not. The dragon-girl had decided to go for a walk, since Lloyd and Nya were preoccupied with mechanics and whatnot, and she still didn't even know how lightbulbs worked.
The Dark Island, for being evil, was actually rather pretty. It was muggy, sure, and only boasted dark colors, but apart from that, it reminded Jinlong of Huan. A much worse Huan, but she'd take what she could get.
"I wonder if I'll ever see it again," She whispered to herself. Jin had tried not to entertain such thoughts in her time away from the island, but now that the Battle of Battles was drawing near, it was hard not to. Sure, Lloyd was almost certainly going to save this realm and she should probably have been focusing on that instead, but she had no way of getting back to her own realm.
Although, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to live in Ninjago for the rest of her life. The ninja were almost like family to her, and there was so much more to see and do than on tiny little Huan. Maybe, if she really wasn't able to return home, the ninja would offer her a spot on their team. She didn't have an elemental power, but she was a dragon…
She smiled. The Dragon Ninja. She quite liked the sound of that. She'd have to bring that up with Wu, the next time she saw h-
A guttural roar echoed through the jungle, and two Stone Warriors erupted from the trees in front of her. She spun around, but there were more behind her.
"Shoot, shoot, shoot," She hissed. A hand grabbed her bubble ponytail, yanking her head backwards, and she snarled in pain, trying to claw at the living statue's eyes. If it had eyes, anyway.
They made several snarled noises to each other, and it occurred to Jin that they were speaking. She almost laughed; there she was, in an exotic new place, learning about foreign cultures.
The Stone Warrior that had her by the hair suddenly let go, but before she could escape, it tossed her over its shoulder and began to walk. Struggle as she might, the thing really was made of stone, and there was absolutely no way she was breaking free.
An agonizing amount of time later(for all their strength, Stone Warriors were slow), around midnight, they arrived at what looked like a massive fortress.
"What do you have?" A Stone Warrior, this one taller and red, barked in broken Ninjagian.
The one holding Jinlong answered, and the taller one, likely their general, directed, "Bring her to Lord Garmadon."
"Aw, crud," She whispered. This. This wasn't really going to end well for her, no matter what happened. She should've asked Kai to teach her how to curse, at least then she'd have something stronger to say that 'crud'.
She was tossed on the dusty ground, and as she got up, a Stone Warrior pushed her to her knees and held her there, facing the father of her best friend, who was sitting in an elaborate black throne.
"Well, what do we have here," He sneered. "The ninja's little pet."
"Excuse me, but I am their dragon-sitter!" She cried indignantly.
"Interesting," Garmadon rolled his eyes, before barking to some soldiers, "Bring the Dark Matter!"
Haha. Crud.
"What's that?" Jin asked, her voice surprisingly level. No reply. She narrowed her eyes. "Come on, I'm just trying to make conversation! You may be evil, but you really don't have to be so rude."
Garmadon raised an eyebrow. "You really are very strange."
"Ah, thanks," She responded dryly. "You are a charmer, you."
A warrior arrived, carrying a tray of something Jin couldn't quite see. When she did catch a glimpse of it, though, she gasped.
It was gorgeous. Presumably very evil, but gorgeous. It looked gelatinous, and was a dark purple, with sparkling silver flecks floating in it.
"Is this our first test subject?" An awful, hideous voice wheezed from behind her. Shivers ran down her spine.
"Who the heck is that?" She demanded, twisting in the Stone Warrior's grasp, but she couldn't see anyone.
"Yes," Garmadon answered.
A stone hand pushed her face towards the tray, and try as she might, Jin couldn't even put up any resistance.
The 'Dark Matter' was really, really cold. It was agonizing at first, and she let out a cry of pain, but after a few moments, it faded to pleasantly cool. Apart from that, though, nothing changed.
"Is she evil yet?" Lord Garmadon asked. "Has it worked?"
So they were trying to turn her evil, then.
"It's not working," The unknown voice rasped. "What is she? She doesn't hold any golden power, does she?"
Jinlong burst out laughing.
"You idiots," She wheezed. "Of course I do! I'm the Gold Dragon for crying out loud!"
"What?!" Garmadon roared, but at that moment, there was a flash of bright gold light on a mountaintop, in the vague shape of a dragon.
"The Green Ninja has unlocked his full potential," The raspy voice informed cooly, but everyone else seemed to be in shock. Including the guard holding Jin.
Knowing she wouldn't get another chance, she shifted into a dragon, tossing the guard aside and getting a good look at the owner of the voice- a gascious, purple blob. Weird.
She shifted back into a human, ran up to Garmadon, and decked him in the face, as hard as she could. That, she noted with satisfaction, was also something she'd never get the chance to do again.
Before she had to deal with a teenager's worst nightmare- consequences- she shifted back into a dragon, and flew high into the starry sky, looping and twisting in joy. She was the Gold Dragon. She'd known it all her life. But now she knew what it meant.
All Changing Dragons had a little quick, a tiny power related to their name. Her brother, Dalong the Big Dragon, was abnormally tall and strong. Her sister, Maolong the Cat Dragon, could communicate with cats. And she herself, Jinlong the Gold Dragon, held a tiny bit of golden power.
Maybe she could be helpful on this cutthroat island after all.
Announcer voice: Next time, on Way of the Dragon: The Final Battle draws nearer! But Misako claims to have found a way to stop it! Will it work? Find out tomorrow!