An Ill Wind
Chapter 1
Replaced
*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.
The loss of Zane had torn the team apart. Grief takes many forms, and it manifests in everyone differently. Some people take their frustration out on others, lashing out against petty opponents as they desperately look for a fight where there is none. People may adopt a flashy and flamboyant appearance, acting eccentric and erratic in order to hide their true feelings. Other people distance themselves from their loss, trying to eliminate any possible reminders of what they once had. There are countless other ways to deal with one's grief, but that was how the Masters of Fire, Lightning, and Earth tried to limit their pain. Every ninja chose a tactic of distraction; they all tried to avoid and repress their feelings instead of actually dealing with them. Well, all of them except for one, that is.
Lloyd was the only one who was able to move on. His role on the team had always been in flux, but it now seemed that he was the prime position to lead. He was the Green Ninja, the Master of Energy; more powerful than all the others combined. Lloyd embodied an Elemental Essence, one of the few powers directly leftover from the First Spinjitzu Master himself. When he had first joined the ninja, Lloyd had been a scared little boy. He had been a bratty villain, lashing out with malice in hopes of attracting the attention of his father. But under the careful tutelage of the ninja, and due in part to the accidental use of Tomorrow's Tea, Lloyd had grown into a determined young man.
And Lloyd had been previously poised to lead after unlocking his True Potential, but the Nindroid Conflict threw a wrench in those plans. Due to the Overlord's resurgence and the tremendous target his Golden Power made him, Lloyd had been forcefully sidelined for most of the battles. The Golden Power was too important, a dangerous force Lloyd had needed to protect with his life, but he had lost. Most of his power was taken from him, and he given the last little bit of it to the ninja so they could once again access their elemental powers. And although Lloyd had led them as they stowed away on the Project Arcturus rocket, it was Zane who had stopped the Overlord. And while his sacrifice may have saved Ninjago, it was now destroying their team.
Lloyd had managed to convince everyone to meet with him. It had taken all of his cunning and trickery, but he had been ultimately successful in bringing them all under one roof. As he looked over the group, he saw division and hostility. To his left, he saw Jay resentfully glaring at Cole. He wasn't returning the look, instead gazing longingly at the line of food that was passing by their table. That was a good sign, but Lloyd could tell there was a lot of bad blood between the pair, which was definitely going to make this much more difficult. Looking across the table, he saw a solemnly bored Kai, as if this was the last place he wanted to be. Lloyd quietly sighed; he was disappointed by how poorly his friends were dealing with their grief.
"I know that without Zane things have been… different, but we have to move on." he said, wincing slightly as he saw their dismayed reactions. "The reason I brought you all here was, well, maybe we should think about adding someone new to the team." Lloyd knew that no one could ever replace Zane, but he also understood that the fate of Ninjago seemed to always depend on them. Without their team, the realm would be basically unprotected from criminals and evil forces. It's not like the Police have ever done jack shit for this city. he thought. But none of his contemporaries saw it that way.
"A new Ninja?" Kai said incredulously, practically scoffing at the concept. He didn't look angry about the idea, which Lloyd thought was somewhat encouraging, but at best, he was indifferent to the proposal.
"Are you crazy?!" Jay screamed, his voice shrill and hoarse. Yeah, that's on brand. he thought.
"Come on, Zane's irreplaceable!" Cole cried. Alright, that went about as well as I could have hoped for. Lloyd sarcastically thought. He had expected a pretty lukewarm reception, but not this much derision and scorn. "I cared for him just as much as any of you did, but now it's time to care about this team!" Lloyd declared, his temper rising with annoyance. How can they possibly be this selfish?
"Maybe without Zane there is no team!" Kai fired back, before crossing his arms and staring at the ground in contempt. Lloyd looked at his friend with confusion; he found himself somewhat flustered by Kai's recent mood. There was something was off about it, he just wasn't acting like himself. The fire and impatience was still there, but it was marred by a bitter and bleak temperament. He had become quieter, significantly more reserved with his comments, and it was concerning to Lloyd. Well, it's not that he's less talktive per say. Just far more deliberate and calculated with his comments. His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as a trio of thugs loudly barged into the restaurant. They were dressed lavishly, sporting expensive leather jackets and sunglasses. The clothing was cut and open in order to show off their purple tattoos. The serpents were intricate and precise, the unsettling designs were displayed with meticulous detail.
Jay gulped, his trademark sense of fear replacing the malice and hatred he felt towards Cole. "Oh. Don't look now, but we've got trouble." he whispered loudly. Lloyd wasn't sure whether he should be annoyed or thankful for their arrival, but at the very least it might force the other ninja to see his point about how important they were to Ninjago's safety. While the ninja had to deal with huge, world-ending level threats on a pretty regular basis, they still had a duty to stop even the lowliest of criminals.
The one sporting a mohawk, evidently the leader of the group, took off his sunglasses to reveal a sterling silver eye. "Jeez…" Lloyd said under his breath. Whoever these smug bastards are, they've got a strong backing. He quickly looked over to see that they had begun harassing the poor cashier. The main guy suddenly leapt over the counter, grabbing the old man and slamming him into the sushi line. "All right, now they're our problem." Cole firmly stated, honing his frustration through his love of food. "Excuse me, it's not polite to touch someone else's food!" he yelled, holding his chopsticks tightly as his hands shook with anger.
"I'd listen if I were you." Kai quipped, a smile slightly peeking through the veil of frustration. "He's no fun to be around when he's hangry." Lloyd beamed as he glanced at his friends, now completely sure that the crooks showing up had been a blessing in disguise. Each ninja was determined and focused on the task at hand. He saw no sense of grief in the eye, no bitter resentment over a lost love. All those complicated emotions just fell away, because they needed to work together. I guess I'll need someone to launch a large-scale campaign to take over Ninjago to really sweeten the pot. he mused. Lloyd was overjoyed by the sudden development; he could make his pitch so much more effectively now, considering that the importance their team held to the well-being of the realm was being actively reinforced.
The thugs yelled loudly, and silver eye punched out towards Cole. He laughed slightly, easily stopping the attack with his chopsticks. This infuriated his attacker, but he continued parrying every strike with only the eating utensils. His foe gave up quickly, backing away in defeat. Meanwhile, Kai had jumped onto the food conveyor to get towards the other thugs. The other guy got a bright idea, moving to crank up the conveyor speed to throw off the ninja's balance.. The tactic backfired however, as Kai just began kicking the incoming food towards his opponents. "All right, I admit it." he yelled over the din, trying to target the comment in Cole's general direction. "We make a good team." Lloyd felt strangely indebted to the lawless strangers. The ninja had only needed that tiny spark of danger in order to move past their differences, and he knew how best to get through to them now.
Cole ran over to the conveyor, using their fight as an excuse to take some of the food being flung through the store. He snatched up the items with his chopsticks, successfully multitasking between poking the thug and plucking food out of the air. "Oh yeah, mmm." he mumbled while chewing on a dumpling. "Everything's better on a full stomach." Cole stole a bit of rice, a few noodles, a tail of shrimp; he was thoroughly enjoying their petty confrontation. His happiness was forever tarnished as his opponent smashed one of the plates flying past them. "Hey! I was gonna eat that!" The chains were off now, this was personal. Cole grabbed the man by his jacket collar and tossed him across the room. He landed on the food, instantly hit by a barrage of noodles. Kai managed to knock down the other two thugs, and the trio of crooks met a cruel fate of being slowly pushed around the restaurant in defeat.
"How can you walk away from this?" Lloyd asked, pouncing on the opportunity to push his plan once more. They all rolled their eyes at the comment, but he could tell that the message had gotten through to his friends. But as he looked up from the sigh of relief, Lloyd noticed one of the thugs smirking at him as they made a quick exit. What an asshole. he thought.
"Hey, let's get them guys!" said Cole. No one objected, and the team ran across the store. Bursting through the back door, they found that the alley was noticeably empty. "Where did they go?" Kai asked, furious that the thieves had been able to escape. His anger turned to confusion when he spotted what looked to be a shrine to Zane. "Huh?"
"What's this?" Lloyd wondered aloud, perplexed by the memorial. There was a set of candles marking the opposite sides of the table , as well as a tray of fortune cookies in the center. A sketch of Zane was fixed to the wall by a knife, and he spotted a bit of writing on the side of the paper. "It's Zane!" Kai gasped. Yeah of course it's Zane. he thought. "What does it say?" asked Cole. Lloyd pushed the ninja out of the way and walked over to the shrine. Pulling the drawing off the wall, he began looking over the text. Lloyd's eyes widened as he read the startling message. He's alive? No, it has to be a trick, that's clearly impossible.
Lloyd was caught in a dilemma. If he told them the truth, then none of them would be able to move on from Zane's death. And if it indeed turned out to be a lie, then all of his careful planning would be nullified. But this was a surefire way to get them on board and back together, and there was a chance, albeit small, that it could be true. "It says he's alive." Lloyd said after a long pause, his voice stiff and tense with concern. His friends jumped back in surprise, gasping loudly at the shocking revelation. "I don't think those thugs were delivering a message to the noodle house." Kai began. Well yeah, they weren't really saying anything. Lloyd mused. How could they have been delivering a message by trying to rob the place? "I think they were delivering a message to us." he finished, his voice full of childlike wonder and awe.
"What do you mean it says he's alive?" Jay questioned, not able to comprehend the very simple message. "Don't ask me, I'm just telling you what it says." Lloyd retorted, his tone a bit more scathing and snappy than he intended. Ooh, I didn't mean for it to come off like that, but seriously Jay? It's pretty obvious what it's supposed to mean. "Why would those thugs lead us here?" Kai asked, but any answer was cut off as Cole jumped into the conversation. He was taking the news rationally, which meant they were about to get a heavy dose of skepticism.
"You know," he started, his voice annoyed and bothered, "this has to be some sort of cruel joke. And I'm not laughing." His arms were crossed in resignation, glaring with malice at the odd monument. Lloyd had to agree with him, but as he looked back at the table he noticed the cookies more clearly. "Look!" he called, pointing at the tray. "I think these were meant for us too."
"Fortune cookies? Very peculiar." Jay picked up one and peered at it intensely, as if he expected to find some sort of defect or blemish. Seeing nothing obviously concerning, he broke open the cracker to reveal the fortune inside. "Should we?" Lloyd offered, before grabbing one. Kai quickly snatched up the next, which also happened to be the final one.
"Hey, why are there only three?" Cole whined, annoyed that he would miss out on the snack. Lloyd had been wondering the same thing himself, but was unsure of what the absence could possibly hint to. "They probably just forgot one in the rush." Kai answered, and the theory seemed to make sense. There's nothing to be worried about, so why am I still nervous? he asked himself. He shook the creeping doubt from his mind and turned his attention to the fortune.
"Listen to this." he said, motioning towards the message on the paper. "Master Chen has personally invited you to participate in his Tournament of Elements."
"Wait a minute." Cole interrupted. "Are you saying that Mr. Chen, the same guy filling my belly with delicious goodness, is actually Master Chen?" Lloyd refrained from delivering his harsh response, choosing instead to ignore the query. Yeah, that's pretty obvious Cole. Why do you guys have ask so many dumb questions all the time?
"Secrecy is of the utmost importance." Kay began."Tell no one, or suffer the consequences."
"If you ever want to see your friend again, meet on the pier at midnight and leave your weapons behind." Jay said concernedly. Then the papers suddenly exploded, leaving no evidence of their existence. Cole was still very much annoyed that he had missed out on the snacks, but now he looked more scared than angry. There was something fishy about this whole situation, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Why would these thugs go through all this trouble just to tell us that Zane is alive? They didn't make any demands, no ransom note, nothing! What is that they want with us?
"You don't think…" Lloyd started, still unsure if he should believe the threats and effective ransom note.
"It could be a trick. A lie to lure us in." Kai answered, guessing correctly what Lloyd was going to ask. I mean either way they're luring us in, but whether or not it's true is the important part. He didn't trust the guys who had left the messages, and he didn't trust this Master Chen either. They were criminals after all, and even if the low-level thugs of the operation weren't anything to write home about, whoever was calling the shots was certainly cunning.
"Yeah, but what if it's not?" Jay argued, playing devil's advocate in the debate. "What if Zane's alive?" The other ninja didn't press the issue, there was no logical defense they could make. As skeptical as they all were, none of them would pass up on the opportunity to have their friend back. "The Tournament of Elements." Lloyd muttered, still perplexed by the title. For all he knew, they were the only people with Elemental Powers. And having the four ninja fight each other wouldn't be much of a tournament, so how is this going to work? Something was clearly being hidden from them.
"I'm starting to think this Master Chen makes more than noodles." he said quietly, incredibly suspicious of the crime boss they were apparently beholden to. "You can forget bringing in a new Ninja Lloyd." Kai said, his voice determined and confident. ""Let's go see about an old one." He nodded along in response, but the statement frightened him. If this turns out to be a trick or lie, then we'll be back at square one. All my work to bring the team back together will have been for nothing.
The ninja slowly walked up the wooden pier, treading lightly under the starry sky. They had all chosen to wear ninja attire, but all of them had chosen a different outfit. Kai had worn his original training suit, the plain red robe with a simple rope as a belt; fastened by his elemental symbol. Cole had chosen his Dragon eXtreme Gi, the variant he had been awarded upon overcoming his fear and taming Rocky. Jay had picked out his Zen eXtreme Armor, a more enhanced suit with better protection. He had always liked the silver and chrome highlights, thought it gave the look a bit more personality. And Lloyd had gone with his Techno Gi, although he had decided to remove the Stone Armor in order to preserve the aesthetic design of the suit.
As the team passed by, they became increasingly wary of the other people on the pier. The ninja were getting some funny looks, and it wasn't just because they stood out in the crowd. Sure, most of the other attendees were wearing far more casual and laid-back attire, but what stuck out most about the ninja was just how divided they looked. While they may have been united under a common goal, motivated by their desire to see Zane again, they were not a team. The other ninja hadn't taken to Lloyd's more commanding role as leader very well so far, and with all their bent up emotions, he was finding it quite difficult to keep them on a straight path.
Lloyd was stirred from his thoughts as a large paddle steamer suddenly docked at the pier. A pair of grunts quickly leapt up, throwing down a wooden plank in order to allow people to board. No, not to let us board. Lloyd corrected. For a rather smug and greasy looking man had just sauntered off of the ship, blocking the path of the crowd. He quickly moved past to let the guests on board, but only after they organized themselves into a single file line. Probably wants to search us. he thought, and although it annoyed him, it wasn't a particularly unreasonable request.
"Watch your step madame." the man said, addressing a cloaked figure at the front of the queue. The woman in yellow suddenly looked back, staring longingly towards one of the ninja. An admiring smile quickly formed on Kai's, and he sighed softly; overcome completely with infatuation. Seeing the dopey grin on his friend's face, Lloyd rolled his eyes. Hoo, boy…
"We can't let anything distract us." he said through gritted teeth. What the hell is he doing? We're here to find Zane, and nothing else! Lloyd saw that his warning had done little effect, so he reiterated his point. "You hear me Kai?"
"Huh?" Kai was still staring at the beautiful woman in the distance, but tried his best to acknowledge Lloyd's presence. Of course he had no idea what his friend had said, but Kai hoped that he would be convincing enough. "Uh, yeah. Uh, got it. Whatever you said." he muttered, his voice absent-minded and blank. Lloyd glared at him, easily seeing through the terrible fib, but he decided not to push the issue any further. You all were the ones who wanted to be here in the first place! he internally moaned. If any of you lose sight of what we're really here for, it's not my problem. Lloyd's spiteful thoughts would come back to haunt him soon enough.
By now the other guests had boarded, and Jay approached the bouncer with hesitance. What a creep. he thought, thoroughly disturbed by his appearance and mannerisms. "Master Chen will be charmed to see you've accepted his offer." the man said, putting Jay on edge. He spoke in a low drawl, a conceited and almost bored voice. It had an odd paradoxical effect, sounding both condescending and disinterested at the same time. "A Master of Spinjitzu shall fare favorably in his Tournament."
"Hey, we're not here to fight." Jay spat, glaring at the obnoxious douche in charge of the event. "We're here to save a friend." The man smirked in response, and responded in a rather patronizing yet aloof tone. "Don't be so petty, Master Jay." he said, reaching down to grab a pair of nunchucks the blue ninja had hidden in his bag. He shook the weapon in Jay's face, as if subconsciously using them to try and further prove his point. "Everyone here has something to fight for."
"Chopsticks." Jay said quickly. "I'm a big eater." He gulped as the man threw his weapon into the sea, and practically scampered aboard the ship. "Jackass." he muttered under his breath. Kai and Cole quickly followed suit, but the man stepped in front of Lloyd, blocking his path.
"Hey! Let me on the ship!" he whined. The other stopped and looked back, confused why their leader was being held up. "Oh, Lloyd Garmadon. Master of Power, correct?"
"Technically it's Energy, but close enough." he answered begrudgingly. "Now can I board the ship please?"
"No, I don't think you can. I'm sorry to say, but you weren't invited." he said, smiling deviously at the frustrated ninja. "I'm sorry?" Lloyd said, assuming that the guy was just messing with him.
"If you recall, you should have been delivered three fortune cookies. That is because only those three have been invited." he answered tactfully, pointing towards the other ninja. "The Masters of Fire, Lightning, and Earth have all been invited to compete in the Tournament of Elements, but you have not."
"What? That's not fair!" Lloyd whined. It doesn't make any sense, why can't I participate? He always hated the idea of being sidelined, but it was even more agonizing considering how important their mission was. It was about Zane, and Lloyd didn't trust that the other three ninja would be able find their nindroid friend without him. Especially since Kai appeared to be preoccupied with a certain female.
"Oh, I think you'll find that it's completely fair." he responded. "You do not actually possess an Elemental Power, but an Elemental Essence. There is a distinct difference between the two, and as such, you are not allowed to compete in the Tournament of Elements. Additionally Master Chen requested a 16 person bracket, and you would make that 17. You see, that wouldn't be fair to the other fighters, now would it?."
Lloyd stared blankly at the man, shocked by what he had just been told. I have to admit, his argument isn't complete bullshit, but it still reeks of tampering and favoritism. I mean, it's not my fault that I was given a more powerful Element! Oh no sorry, I meant Elemental Essence…
He looked over to see his friends were just as worried and frustrated as he was. They were confused, unsure of what to do, but Lloyd could only shrug in resignation. "What do you say we teach that slimy bastard a lesson?" Kai suggested, a vengeful fire burning in his eyes. Jay returned his fury with a snide grin, and they both began walking towards the man in charge. Cole shook his head, chuckling slightly at their foolishness. Right, because it's such a great idea to attack the people that claim to be holding Zane. How the hell could that possibly go wrong?
Cole's would never know how the fight would have gone however, because they were interrupted by a loud cackling. The pair of ninja whipped around suddenly to see a figure writhing on the floor; clutching his side as he tried to control the fit of laughter. "What's so funny?" Kai asked, calling over to the man. The sound abruptly stopped, and the man quickly picked himself off the ground. He grinned wickedly at the duo, his uncanny appearance causing them to nearly jump backwards in surprise. His jet black hair had a bright green stripe through it, a distinctly lighter color than that of his outfit. The stranger was wearing a green ninja gi, one nearly identical in design to Kai's. It bore a striking resemblance to the Green Ninja suit, but it was darker, a far more ominous shade than Lloyd's. The ropes were a dull gold, held together by a faded grey symbol. And it was that symbol that scared Kai the most, for it was the dragon of Energy. "Who are you?" Kai asked, finding himself simultaneously mortified and confused by the man.
He said nothing in response, simply staring jovially at the red ninja before erupting into another uncontrollable fit of laughter.
So what did you all think of the first chapter? I've been wanting to write him into the Tournament of Elements for a while, so once I finished up my other Ninjago fanfic I got straight to work on this project. I wasn't really expecting to get this done so soon, but yeah, here it is.