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Chapter 3: Silver Lining

"I'm sorry, Brad, but we can't afford to continue our current curriculum. Not with all hands on deck with the City." Dareth found himself explaining to the boy why they had to cancel the rest of the years classes, which the students did not take kindly to. Not even Gene. Now, the students had traveled all the way to Ninjago City to meet with their mentors face-to-face in Borg Tower, but all they were met with were Dareth and a distracted Lloyd, who continued to study the texts on the table behind them.

"But substitute-teacher/Grand Sensei Dareth-"

"Just Dareth, please."

"We don't want to go back to our normal lives. You know our upbringing; we were taught to be the next generation of evildoers. Our parents won't accept us now. They think we're too "corrupted" by Lloyd's teachings. We have nowhere else to go!" the other students nodded and clamored in agreement, causing Dareth to look at Lloyd for support. The green Ninja sighed as he looked up from the writings at his former classmates. "What would you have us do instead, Brad? We cannot go back to Darkeley's, and my father's own academy of students has also had to be disbanded as a result."

The young ones all looked at each other for an answer, when Gene stepped forward. "Lloyd, we know everything. We know Principal Wu was killed, and that Mr. Jay sacrificed himself to protect our land. What if you allowed us to continue their legacy?"

"What exactly are you proposing Gene?"

"Borg Tower is your new base of operations. We saw the training floor on our way up. What if instead of teaching us to be scholars, you continue your Sensei duties by teaching an entirely new generation of Ninja, comprised of both us and your father's former students." Smiles spread across the faces of the classmates at this possibility, and Dareth looked once again to Lloyd for an answer. The young Sensei thought quizzically for several minutes before speaking again.

"If, and I mean IF, we do this, your training will be grueling. None of you have elemental powers. Your mentors all have their own duties outside of teaching. It won't be easy, you understand?" Dareth smiled.

Brad and Gene looked at each other, than at the rest of their classmates. "That is why we want to do it."

"Then let's gather everyone."

Several hundred miles off of Ninjago Island's coast, cultists of Chen continued there obligatory work, though in the last few days, they noticed a drstic change of pace and direction in their tasks. "What do you think Master Chen is planning, Kapau?" Chop asked as he carried more munitions to their jet.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it's gonna be biiiiiig. Master Chen always knows what is going on."

*In Chen's Throne Room*

"Clouse, what is going on? In the span of a day, you have successfully diverted all of our resources to fueling the jets and mechs without telling me, causing a collapse in the Noodle factory! And without so much as a warning, you send my daughter to-"

"Master, please trust me. We will be off this island without any resistance met from Ninjago's forces. I have experienced a shared vision. Our plan must changeif we are to survive what is to come."

"And... what is to come?" Clouse chuckled as he held on to his spell book. "A new order, Master. One for all enemies of the light, not just us. As I told, Wu is now dead. With him out of the way, we can finally make our move soon. Imagine: a world with no Ninja, no interference from troublemakers. We will have a shared control."

"Yes, YES- wait, shared?" Clutching his staff, he was prepared to further question his underling before Eyezor marched in.

"Master Chen, Clouse, the Jets are prepared for departure. What location shall I inform our pilots to prepare for?"

*Later*

"I'm back! I brought more of Chen's noodles!" Kai announced his entrance from the elevator, expecting Cole and Dareth to rush forward for Puffy-pot stickers. Instead, he found the entire room full of people. Besides Zane, Pixal, Nya, Cole, Dareth, Lloyd, Misako, and Cyrus Borg, there were several children, many of whom he recognized as his students from Darkeley's.

"But... uh, not enough, it seems." Nya shook her head out of secondhand embarrassment, and Zane tilted his head out of confusion. "This is your third day in a row getting takeout from Mister Chen's Noodle's, Kai."

"Oh yeah, there just gre- WAIT, no distractions! Why is there a small army of children in our HQ?" Brad and Gene crossed their arms in frustration, as did several others. Misako decided to answer instead of letting a small riot to break out. "Kai, Lloyd has decided that it is time you all resume your duties as mentors. But not in the classroom; you will teach them to be Ninja." The red Ninja almost dropped his delicious takeout.

"How? We have no time for that when Lord Garmadon is out there!" They shared his concern, but as the Commissioner had explained, there have been no sightings of the dark Army since the Overlord's defeat. Lloyd had already considered that when he came up with his plan. "Kai, it's already been decided. They'll live here in Borg Tower Dareth and I will start them with the basics while the rest of you finish your duties to the City, and Misako and Mystake continue to teach me everything I must know as a Sensei. Once we reach that point, you all will continue to teach them more advanced forms. They will be ready when we must face Darkness once more. We owe this to Wu. We owe this them both."

A long, stubborn silence followed. Eventually, Cole spoke up. "What if danger shows up before that point? It always shows up whenever we least expect it."

"I have been learning about a large assortment of artifacts and individuals we need to find who can help us when that happens. There are several things that you don't know that will help us on our quest to bring absolute peace; several things my Grandfather and his children left behind. Our first priority: we need to find all of the elemental Masters."

The blackness of night hovered above the large camp at the mountaintop. At Garmadon's command, the Dark army had begun to construct a quasi-temple at the mouth of the molten pit, using any and all necessary resources. Eventually, Pythor approached Garmadon with a few fellow serpentine behind him.

"Err, Lord Garmadon. You asked to speak with me?" The Dark Lord turned towards the albino Anacondrai, still clutching onto the Golden Armor. "Yes, King Pythor." He did not like the way Garmadon pronounced his title. "I wanted to ensure your... cooperation...when you learn of our next phase."

"I will do everything necessary for the cause!"

"I believe you, but only because I know the cause also serves you. As I've said before, we need to expand our horizons in order to expand our vision. In order to do so, we need to expand our forces." Pythor nodded in agreement, knowing all of this from before. He was not entirely sure where he was going with this. "Yes, my Lord. What would you have me do?"

To the serpent's surprise, he stepped forward and put one arm on his back, leading him toward the nearest edge of the mountain. "I would have you agree with what is about to happen. Nothing more, nothing less." He was confused for only a moment before he saw several shapes emerging from the clouds in the distance.

A skulking scout also spotted it. "INCOMING AIRCRAFTS FROM THE SOUTH!" Bikers, Nindroids, Serpentine, Stone Warriors, and Skulkin all rushed to prepare for a fight before Garmadon raised an arm to put them at ease. "No. These are the allies I spoke of." Pythor leaned forward to make out what they were. The shapes seemed... familiar. Almost as if they were...

OH NO. "CHEN?!" Surely enough, several hundred snakehead airships, many of which carried stone mechs modeled after the serpentine's, landed lower down the mountainbase. At the end of the fleet was one significantly larger ship carrying a cage.

With Pythor and Harumi at his sides, Lord Garmadon stepped down the mountain, the camp making way for him. From the landing ships, an old Master Chen approached upwards, with Chen and a one-eyed warrior at his sides. The two groups met at the end of the Camp.

"Chen."

"My former student. I was worried you would have forgotten me in your rebirth." Garmadon's fists tightened. "You will address me as LORD Garmadon, your superior. I was once a lord under you, now I have risen far above your petty desires." At the sound of a borderline threat, Chen's cultists started to draw their weapons for a fight, but they were easily outmatched by the Dark Army, who already responded to their movements by drawing their own weapons.

Chen, however, was unmoved. "If what you say is true, why do you need me? Clouse here tells me that he was told to have my forces join your army, under you. Why should I?"

"You know exactly why. It's the only reason you bothered to come. Together, we stand strong. We will be patient, building up our forces, but through our vision, Ninjago will be ours." Chen looked to Clouse, who nodded. He looked to Pythor, who sneered slightly before bowing his crowned head as a sign of respect. Then he looked back to his cultists, and to the Dark Army. Without any warning, he barked out a laugh.

"HA! Well, I guess there is a silver lining in losing your prized student after all. Very well, my Lord, the Order of the Anacondrai is now one with the Dark Army." He extended his arm, and Garmadon grabbed on his forearm in agreement. Cultists cheered, Eyezor shook hands with Mohawk, Kapau and Chope high fived each other and every new ally they could, Clouse and Harumi consulted one another with their own spellbooks. In the rush of cheering, Pythor only stared blankly in the crowd, before the entirety of the Dark Army was silenced by the celebratory roar of one EXTREMELY large purple Anacondrai serpent emerging from its cage. Pythor stared at his old friend, a large smile spreading across his face.

"OK, I can get used to them."

There we go! I know this was a shorter chapter, but not to worry, there is plenty more on the way! PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!