my sense of time has gotten so warped i genuinely don't know if i updated this yesterday
Announcer voice:Today, on Way of the Dragon: The fate of Ninjago will be decided today. But what will it be?
Jinlong voice: Chapter 24: Crouching Ninja, Hidden Dragon
"For being an evil island, the water is great," Jay said, floating on his back, clad in a blue tank top and basketball shorts.
"Eh, speak for yourself," Jin's head poked up from the water. "The water around Huan was a little colder, and way prettier."
"I said for an evil island, not an island inhabited by dragon people."
The dragon-girl cracked a smile, then dove back under the waves and swam a little closer to the sandy shore, emerging just in front of Lloyd with a grin.
The boy gave a half-hearted smile back, but no more. Understandably, he'd been nervous since they arrived on the island.
"Hey, Kai," Cole called from farther out in the water. "Come join us!"
The Fire Ninja, still planted on the beach, shook his head. "No thanks."
"Aw, come on," The golden-haired girl asked, swimming a little ways towards him. "Jay's right, the water is pretty nice."
"I'll pass."
Before they could pester him any more, a very ticked-looking Wu walked towards them.
"What are you doing?" He demanded. "There is work to be done."
"Sorry, Sensei," All the ninja said in union, while Jinlong just looked down. They all clambered out of the water, and began to make their way to the Bounty.
"I think I'll get a swimsuit when we get back to Ninjago," Jin said to herself, wringing water from her hair. She'd been using her pajamas(a white tank top and shorts), but everyone else had designated swimming clothes.
Lloyd grunted wordlessly and the dragon-girl frowned. It really wasn't like him to be so pessimistic.
"We will win," She said with certainty. "After all, we've made it this far."
"So? This is different. This is the Final Battle, and I have to fight my father."
"Yeah," Jin nodded. "But you're the Green Ninja. The prophecy says you'll win."
"Well, maybe- maybe that's the problem!" He shouted, stopping and looking Jin in the eye. "If I win, that means I'll have killed my father!"
"Maybe not!" Jinlong shouted back, although not angrily. "Maybe you don't have to! Maybe there's another way!"
"What other way?!"
"I don't know," Jin admitted, but quickly added, "But there must be a way! Think of all the crazy, unlikely things that have happened to us. Who's to say that it won't happen again?"
"Who's to say it will?"
"Me, of course," The dragon-girl flashed him a grin, the mischievous kind they used to share when Lloyd was still a little kid. Well, technically he still was, but...not as much.
"And how would you know?"
Ouch. That would've worked just a few weeks ago. "I'm a dragon, Lloyd. I know these sorts of things."
And Firstborne, did Jinlong hope she wasn't lying.
oOo
By some sheer luck or a miracle, she had been right. Once they'd all dried off and changed, Misako told them about something called the Celestial Clock, which counted down time until the Final Battle. If they could stop it, she said, then the Final Battle might never happen.
"I told you," Jin laughed, playfully punching Lloyd's shoulder. "Destiny is never set in stone!"
But, as per usual, Jin, Nya, and Lloyd were not allowed to go on the mission to try and retrieve Garmadon's helmet, which was the key to stopping the clock.
"Is Kai afraid of water?" Jinlong asked Nya, who was working on some plans for an upgrade to her suit.
"Yeah, but he doesn't like it when people know that."
"Oh. When we were swimming this morning, he didn't want to get in."
"Sounds like him."
Nya seemed busy, so the dragon-girl decided to stop bothering her and go pester Lloyd instead.
"Hey, so I heard you unlocked some cool golden powers?" She wandered into the ninja's room.
"Yeah, they're pretty sick."
"E...excuse me?"
"As in, like, cool. Not actually ill."
"Oh."
After an awkward moment of silence, Jin walked over to the bunk beds, and sat on Zane's, staring at Lloyd.
"This is pretty surreal, huh? Only 2 months since this all began, and here we are, at the Final Battle."
"Hopefully not."
She shrugged. "Yeah, well, here we are, at the deciding point of Ninjago's fate. 3 months ago, I barely even knew what Ninjago was."
"3 months ago I was living on the streets and was still a kid."
Jin winced. "I mean...you still are a kid, no matter how you look at it. Mentally you're still 8, and physically you're only, like, 13 or 14."
A slight grin tugged at his lips. "Hey, I caught that. I am physically 14, not 13. We're the same age now, don't try and change that."
Jin grinned, too. "No matter what, I'll always be your older sister. Can't change that, kid."
"Now you sound like Kai."
"Kai's your older sister?"
"Wha- no, I didn't mean it like that!"
The two dissolved into laughter, only to be cut short as Nya burst through the door.
"The ninja are in trouble," She cried, and immediately, all 3 were running into the jungle, leaping over fallen trees and ducking under massive leaves and branches.
"There!" Jin gasped out, pointing to a break in the foliage. "I see Garmadon!"
The Trio of Terror erupted from the shrubbery into the clearing, in battle stances, Nya with four kunai drawn.
"Father," Lloyd addressed.
"Lloyd," The Dark Lord turned to his son, an unreadable expression on his face.
"I don't want to fight you, but I will if I have to!" He declared, moving to stand in front of Lord Garmadon.
"Take the shot, Lloyd!" She heard Jay cry.
"Come on, he's vulnerable!" Kai yelled.
Lloyd looked at his father, at the abrasions and lacerations covering him. He was vulnerable; the ninja must have fought him earlier. But...he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not like this. Not when there was still a chance to stop the fighting.
"Let's go!" He suddenly yelled, turning to the ninja. "We have to stop the Celestial Clock!"
The ninja + co. nodded, before taking off back into the jungle. Jin heard Garmadon order his troops to catch them, but she wasn't worried. Stone Warriors moved at a snail pace compared to them.
"Wu should be waiting at the clock," Misako told them, and only then did Jinlong realize that not only was the old woman there, but she also had the helmet.
When they reached the clock, Jin's allotted usefulness ran out, and she was left standing there as the ninja scrambled about the mechanical masterpiece, trying to find the helmet's resting place. Frustration welled up in her; she was supposed to be past this! She was an equal, now, she was helpful.
So helpful that she resorted to kicking the base of the stupid thing, like some little kid.
"We only have 10 seconds!" Misako nearly screamed, but at that exact moment, the Stone Warriors caught up with them.
"No!" Someone screamed, and suddenly, there were blaring horns echoing all around them.
"The horns of destruction," Misako gasped. "We were too late!"
The ninja + co. moved closer to the cliff's edge, but suddenly it began to crumble, sending them, rather slowly, falling towards the sea. But Nya was still on the cliff, surrounded by Stone Warriors.
"No!" Jinlong gasped, and shifted into a dragon. She leapt from the ledge, crumbling it and sending the ninja, Wu, and Misako, into the ocean, but it propelled her back onto the cliff. She shifted back into a human, with the intention of telling Nya to run, but something collided with the back of her head with a crack.
The last thing she heard was the ninja, screaming worriedly from below.
Announcer voice: Next time, on Way of the Dragon: Jinlong has died. She is faced with an impossible choice, one that will determine the fate of everything she's ever loved.