A dark shape flew by in the desert. It landed on a telephone wire by the road, now a falcon, scaring away some birds, then looked directly at Zane.
"Wake up, Zane," it said in a deep voice, "I know where you come from."
Zane quickly lifted his head up, waking, and smashed it on the bottom of Kai's bed. With a gasp and a groan, he rolled out of his bed. He looked out window and smile, the falcon was out there. He noticed that the other boys and Ani were not in their beds.
Zane opened the door the bridge and walked in.
"The hunt starts early today," he remarked.
"A watchful eye never sleep," Sensei Wu looked up from a map.
"As long as Lloyd and the Serpentine roam freely, "Nya said, "no one in Ninjago is safe."
"Where are the others?" Zane asked.
"Training on the upper deck," the old man answered.
Zane walked out of the bridge and to the upper deck, only to find it empty. He noticed the swirling clouds around the ship, meaning they were flying. A cawing sound caused him to look up, though. The falcon was sitting on the top of the mast.
"You were in my dream, little friend," Zane said, "Last time I saw you, you led me to good fortune. What reason have you returned?"
The falcon cawed again, and flew off. Zane ran, following the bird until it flew past the ship and Zane could not follow it. The white ninja continued watching it; however, a dark presence alerted him.
"Lord Garmadon," Zane realized as he turned around, "But, you were banished!"
"Only to return for the weapons of Spinjitzu," Lord Garmadon said and then pulled two silver swords off his back, "Soon, I will have the power to re-create Ninjago... in my own image."
Zane jumped as the Dark Lord swung his two swords, and the ninja landed behind the lord of darkness, and whipped out his shurikens.
"Give me your shurikens of ice!" Lord Garmadon demanded.
"You'll have to take them from me!" Zane shouted, "Ninjaaaaa-Go!"
With that, he spun into his tornado and moved towards Lord Garmadon, only to get caught by the throat and flung back into a pile of metal and machinery by the dark lord.
"So be it," the villain muttered, slicing a rope.
At the end of a rope was a large crate directly above Zane. Once the rope was severed, the crate came hurtling towards the ninja. Zane looked up and raised a hand to his face instinctively. He closed his eyes... and didn't feel the crate. Zane opened his eyes again and saw a blur of green holding the crate up. The blur moved, and Zane could then clearly see it.
"The Green Ninja," Zane marveled, "The legend's true."
And it was true. The Green Ninja stood before him, glowing with a faint green light. Zane then turned his attention back to Lord Garmadon. The lord of darkness brandished his swords and flipped towards the two ninjas. The Green Ninja moved with agility and attacked Lord Garmadon in mid-flip and with some invisible power, pushed the Dark Lord back a few feet, his hand never actually touching him. The ninja stood in front of Zane, who watched in awe, the emerald hero seem to know every move his opponent was going to make before it even happened!
Lord Garmadon narrowed his red eyes and rushed towards the Green Ninja, who jumped up and landed on the flat sides of Garmadon's swords. The ninja was hurled towards the mast, and he swung around the width of the mast. He dodged the swords and whirled into a green tornado.
The white ninja was dumbfounded as he witnessed the Green Ninja then fight Lord Garmadon with the golden nun-chucks. The Green Ninja finally ended the battle and flung the villain off the side of the ship, into the clouds. Zane looked to the other ninja, whose eyes were now burning like fire. He held a ball of flames in his right hand, and the falcon sat calmly on his left arm, an aura of pure energy surrounding the two.
"Who are you?" Zane asked and got up, "Kai? Ani? Is that you?"
Something black flashed in front of his face and again.
"What's the meaning of this?! Who are you, Green Ninja?!"
Again and again, over and over, black shapes shot by close to his face, until he was surrounded by dozens and dozens of falcons. The Green Ninja just stood there, watching him.
Zane woke with a start, hitting his head on the underside of Kai's bed. He groaned in pain then opened his eyes and saw the three other male ninjas already awake.
"Oh, sleeping in?" Jay's voice reached his ears, "You're gonna be late for training. Ani's been out there since before sunrise."
The white ninja sat up in his bed and asked, "How come no one awakened me?"
"We didn't think you wanted us to," Kai answered, "Looked like you were having some dream."
"How do I know this isn't a dream…?" Zane was saying before he got interrupted by Cole whacking him in the face with a pillow.
"Does that feel like a dream?" Cole grinned.
"No!" Zane snapped, rubbing his head, sarcastically adding, "Thank you for your help."
The other boys laughed.
The boys walked out onto the upper deck, where bright flashes of light could be found. Zane blinked and saw Ani's bright orange tornado spinning and swirling on the deck, periodic strings of energy pulses running through. When she stopped, she turned and cupped her hands together, sending a dummy back four feet. Zane starred in awe at her last move, similar to what he saw in his dream, and didn't notice Kai tapping him on the shoulder.
"Ha-ha-ha! A little slow today, huh?" Kai said to Zane.
Ani heard him and stopped what she was doing. She stretched and walked to the boys.
"Morning, guys," Ani yawned, "What's up with Zane being 'a little slow'?"
"He had a dream," Cole replied.
"What exactly did you dream about?" She looked confused.
"I saw the falcon again."
She blinked and Jay said, "Whoa, Zane, every time you see that bird, something big happens. First, it led you to the secret tree house."
"Then, it led you to the Bounty," Cole added.
While they were talking, Sensei Wu walked out onto the deck and stopped in front of them.
"Alright," he instructed, "Stretches... First: the swooping crane."
He turned around and assumed a pose. The five ninjas copied him.
"This time, it showed me the Green Ninja," Zane whispered.
Four shouts of "The Green Ninja!" were heard. Sensei Wu turned around and saw Zane and Ani copying the pose, Cole covering his ears, Kai covering his eyes, and Jay covering his mouth.
"That looks like the 'shocked monkey'," the old man said, "Bad form, more focus."
He turned around and posed again, the others following.
"You can't just drop a bomb like that," Jay explained, "Spill the beans."
"Yeah, what else did you see?" Kai asked.
"The Green Ninja was fighting Lord Garmadon," Zane answered.
"That's what the prophecy said," Kai confirmed, "That the Green Ninja would defeat the Dark Lord."
"Zane, did you get a chance to see which one of us was him or her?" Ani asked.
"Yeah!" Cole copied.
"Yeah, didja see?" Jay repeated.
"I could not tell," Zane admitted, "Whoever it was shared attributes each one of us possess, even Ani's powers."
"Now!" Sensei Wu crouched low to the ground, "Pinching crab!"
They copied him and Ani spoke up, "So, the Green Ninja might be me?"
Zane shrugged, "He had your power and seem to have your 'battle premonition,' so it may be possible."
"Well tell us everything! And don't spare any details," Kai said, "There has to be a clue that tells us which one of us is gonna be the Green Nin… Ow, ow, ow! Hey!"
While Kai had been talking to Zane, their teacher had walked up to him and pulled his hair.
"What was so important to ignore my teachings?" the man asked.
"Uh, nothing," Kai responded.
"It was nothing, Sensei!" Cole insisted.
"Yeah, we don't talk while you teach," Jay shook his head.
"Everyone was paying attention," Zane said.
"Zane had a possible vision concerning the Green Ninja and we were trying to decipher it!" Ani admitted.
"Since you all appear to be lacking focus," Sensei Wu said, "Then you can all share in the punishment!"
"What?!"
"Punishment?!"
"It was all Zane!"
"I was merely answering their questions!"
"But I told the truth."
"Yes and as my senior student, you shouldn't have been discussing this behind my back."
Ani grabbed her shoulder, feeling guilty.
"No free time, and no video games," their sensei decreed, "The rest of the day can be used for training.. And tomorrow, for that matter..."
He began walking away.
"Training?!" Kai complained, "For how long?"
"Until you can answer this simple riddle," their mentor turned around, "'what is the best way to defeat an enemy?'"
"Easy, with a sword!" –Kai.
"Your fists!" –Jay.
"Know your enemy?" –Ani.
"Spinjitzu!" –Cole.
"Tornado of Creation?" –Zane.
Sensei Wu sighed and walked up the stairs, saying, "Pace yourselves… You have a lot of training ahead of you. Make sure you sharpen your mind, as well as your Spinjitzu."
The ninjas lowered their arms and their whole bodies drooped for a moment. Cole walked to a box full of training gear.
He pulled out a sparring stick and sighed, "What's the best way to defeat an enemy? ... It could be anything!"
Jay set up the training equipment and began using it, saying, "Come on, guys, we're smart. We can figure this out."
Kai threw a blow to a punching bag, and then looked up, Sensei Wu was gone. He, Cole, Jay, and Ani gathered around Zane.
"Yeah, but let's hear more about this dream," the red ninja said.
"Let me just say," Zane began, "The Green Ninja is awesome!"
The entire Fangpyre army marched across the white snow, the mutated vehicles led the way. Lloyd shouted orders to the army and watched their progress to the Hypnobrai lair eagerly.
Far ahead, the Hypnobrai army marched forward, with Skales at the front.
"The Hypnobrai," Lloyd muttered, raising his hands from where they were resting on Fangtom's tail. "Now, we teach them a lesson for betraying Lloyd Garmadon!"
Fangtom stared at the boy who then replied, "Um... do your thing, Fangpyre, I released you for a reason."
"Attack!" Fangtom's second head shouted.
Lloyd's ears almost burst from the roar of the Fangpyre and the Hypnobrai armies. Both tribes charged forward, until Skales saw Fangtom. He stuck his staff in the ground as Fangtom jumped off the vehicle he was on and slithered to him.
"Skales, my old chum!" Fangtom's first head exclaimed.
"I didn't think I'd be fighting you!" his second head said, "Mmm, moved up in the world, have we?"
He bumped fists with the new Hypnobrai general.
"Well, if it isn't the Fangpyre!" Skales hissed, with a snake-ish smile on his face, "Of all the cold-blooded to creep up on ussss, I'm glad that it is a friend."
"Wait," Lloyd said, "I thought you were enemies... Not friends!"
"We were at war," Fangtom turned around.
His second head spoke, "But, seeing as how Skales is leading them, well... I don't see why we can't be comrades."
"Had you released the Constrictai," Skales said, "the Venomari, or, heaven forbid, the Anacondrai… then we would've had a tussle."
"A tussle? A tussle?!" Lloyd yelled, "But, I'm Lloyd Garmadon, Bringer of Evil!"
The Serpentine generals chuckled.
"What should we do with him?" Skales asked Fangtom, loudly enough for Lloyd to hear.
"I could turn him into one of us."
"Hmm... Nah. The little tyke is pretty useless."
"What if you hypnotize him, and make him think he is a pig?"
"That would be pretty funny!"
The two Serpentine generals laughed. While they were distracted, Lloyd climbed off the mutated vehicle and began running. He stopped for a moment and realized the Fangpyre were slowly cutting off his escape. He hopped onto the tail of another mutated vehicle, which felt him and threw him off. Lloyd landed face-first in the snow a few yards away.
"…With a fist on fire," Zane concluded.
The four listening ninjas "Ohhh"-ed and Kai mused, "So, I'm the Green Ninja."
"What are you talking about?" Cole said, "He had incredible strength to lift the cargo and save his life. It's me."
"Did you miss the part of the story where the guy pulled out nun-chucks?" Jay took out his nun-chucks, "I have nun-chucks!"
"I think you are all missing the point of this dream," Zane interrupted, the four looked at him, "The point is, the falcon flew on his arm, and it was my dream. So, naturally it's me."
"Guys, enough, fighting won't get us out of training and it won't reveal the Green Ninja's identity," Ani calmed them down, "This is serious, we have to tell Master Wu about this. He knows more about the prophecy and elemental power better than anyone else alive today."
"Except for his brother, Lord Garmadon," Kai countered, eyes wide in realization, "That must be why he hasn't returned yet; he's also looking for the Green Ninja."
"And stop that person from fulfilling the prophecy while he or she is still untrained and not powerful enough," Jay quickly caught on to Kai's train of thought.
Cole got on board, ""Whether by killing the Chosen One or somehow convincing the future Green Ninja to join him."
"That theory is sound and highly probable," Zane admitted, "And I do not like where either of those outcomes will lead to."
"Then it's settled, we have to continue training and keep anything that might lead us to the Green Ninja between us and Master Wu," Ani instructed, "If Garmadon even thinks he knows who the Chosen One is, that person will be in serious danger."
The boys nodded in agreement. However, neither noticed their master walking towards them.
"Since you are not training…" The five broke off with little jumps and turned around and saw their master, "You must have already found the answer to my riddle: What is the best way to defeat an enemy?"
"Uh..." Kai thought for a moment, "The best way to defeat your enemy is to... train, Sensei?"
"Feeble and incorrect!" The sensei said, "Maybe more training will help you focus."
"Wait! Master, we need to know something!" Ani spoke up, "Once we have unlocked our full potential, how will we know if one of us or someone else is the Green Ninja? Zane's dream says it's one of us but we want to be sure."
"That answer shall remain a mystery for you five until the time your full potentials are discovered, not a moment sooner," Was the response, Ani groaned.
"Remember what happened to your vehicles when you lost focus," the old man continued as he backed into a lower part of the ship, "A razor-sharp weapon is an extension of a razor-sharp mind."
And with that, the door slammed shut. The ninjas sighed.
"How am I supposed to focus when we don't know who the Green Ninja is?" Jay whined.
"That's not an immediate priority at the moment," Ani stated, "Believe me, if Master Wu wasn't a good man, he would keep us from fighting the Serpentine until we solve this riddle."
"I don't want to be training all day," Cole said, "Let's work together on this riddle."
"Had you released the Constrictai, the Venomari, or heaven forbid, the Anacondrai, then we would've had a tussle," Lloyd mocked the Serpentine generals as he walked across the desert.
He lowered his map and immediately saw a large, off-white fang marking the desert.
"I found it!"
He ran to the door just under the fang and brushed away the sand and dust.
"The Anacondrai," Lloyd whispered, "The most feared and powerful Serpentine of them all! If they're afraid of the Anacondrai, then the Anacondrai is what they're gonna get! Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
He opened the doors and walked inside. He had to become braver over the past three months that Ani had been gone. She used to fight for him, take care of him, and protect him, but not anymore. Now that she was a ninja, he didn't see her anymore, except when she and her guy friends come to mess things up for Lloyd. He puffed out his chest slightly as he thought of his bravery in even thinking of releasing the Anacondrai.
Lloyd realized it was dark, then, and became proud of himself for remembering to bring a flashlight. He flicked it on and swept the beam of light around. The light fell several times on snake-like skeletons, making the boy shiver slightly. He walked deeper into the cave, until the sunlight from the door eventually disappeared. And then he heard it: something hissed in his ear.
With a yell of fright, he tumbled head-over-heels and let go of the flashlight. The boy sat up and was immediately met by a purple face with glowing pink eyes.
"My sincerest apologies, young man," the Anacondrai snake said with a bit of a British accent.
He picked up Lloyd's flashlight, "Due to my unfortunate appearance, I tend to have an unsettling effect on people."
Lloyd stood up, and the snake handed him his flashlight, "Oh, I believe you dropped this."
"Oh... um... thank you," Lloyd stammered, turning the light on once again, "What happened to the others?"
"Poor unfortunate souls," the snake said, "All those years, locked away, with nothing to eat. Must've slowly starved away, until they were just scales and bones."
The snake's stomach rumbled and Lloyd set the beam of light onto it, with a slight feeling that the snake wasn't telling the whole truth.
"And who may you be, my little appetiz- err... I'm mean, friend?"
"Lloyd Garmadon, son of Lord Garmadon, and future Dark Ruler!"
"Oh!" The snake laughed, "How deliciously evil! If I had feet, ooh, I'd be trembling in my boots!"
"And, uh, who are you?"
"Humbly, I am Pythor, P. Chumsworth. And since you've freed me, I'm eternally in your service."
"Really?"
Lloyd was intrigued. Forget the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre! This Anacondrai dude, Pythor, was his servant!
Then, he remembered what the two other tribes had done, "You're not gonna trick me?"
"Oh, why would I trick you? I hardly have any friends."
"Whoa! I hardly have any friends, either!"
"You don't say!"
"Well, I sorta do have one, but she joined the ninja."
"She? Ohhh, is she your special friend?"
"Wha...! No, no way! She's my sister!"
"Oh, my apologizes," Pythor said, "Ah, why did she join the... ninja?"
"I dunno, probably got brain washed..." Lloyd suddenly thought of a brilliant plan, turning his back to the snake, "Hey, how'd you like to be my loyal henchman? I've been betrayed by the Hypnobrai, and the Fangpyre, and I'm looking to get some revenge on the ninja my friend joined."
Pythor noticed and stared at the map in the boy's back pocket.
"I love revenge!" Lloyd turned to see Pythor holding his arms in a fan-girlish way, "Oh, you know, Floyd…"
"It's Lloyd," the boy corrected.
"Whatever. I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
"Has anyone figured it out, yet?" Ani's voice broke everyone's concentration.
The four boys looked up to see her hand-standing on the edge of the Bounty.
"I'm beginning to think we're never going to be able to answer it."
"It can't be that hard," Jay thought aloud as the others resumed training, "What's the best way to defeat an enemy?"
"Zane, you're smart," Kai threw blows to a punching bag, "What is it?"
"I do not know," Zane answered, balancing on one leg, "But, I sense that Sensei is going to keep us here until we can work together and find an answer."
"That bothers me," Cole said, spinning a three-foot-long wooden pole around his body, "'Cause while we're working here, that means the enemy is playing."
He slammed the pole into the ground, and then swung it over his shoulder, accidentally knocking his female counterpart over the edge, screaming. The boys burst into laughter as she hauled herself back up, her hair and clothes soaking with seawater and a murderous glint in her eyes. She narrowed her eyes and charged at Cole. While she chased the black ninja around the deck, she hoped Lloyd was staying out of trouble.
Not getting into trouble was far from what he was doing now; Lloyd was instead perched on the front of a scooter, causing trouble. Pythor was pushing the scooter along with the end of his tail.
"Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Lloyd laughed as the pair knocked over crates and boxes.
Then, they went on a rule-breaking montage, which involved Pythor taking a 'No Walking on the Grass' sign out of the grass and Lloyd proceeding to roll over it, the two taking over an ice cream cart, throwing pebbles at little boys' boats and sinking them, and actually taking candy from babies.
Then, laughing semi-evilly, semi-gleefully, they traveled back to the Anacondrai tomb.
"You're the best henchman a mastermind could ever have!" A candy-faced Lloyd declared.
Pythor chuckled, low and deep, "Oh, Lloyd, you're the best mastermind a henchman could ever have."
Lloyd laughed, a bit loopy on candy.
"Why is it that you have no friends?" Pythor suddenly asked, catching the boy off-guard.
He hesitated, "Well, I could've had more friends, back in my Boarding School for Bad Boys, but I decided to run away and never let them see me again!"
He waved a cone of cotton candy around.
"Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!
"Really... Ah, why would you run away from making friends? Everybody needs friends. Even tyrants!"
"Well... um... uh... maybe I didn't run away... Maybe I, uh, I got kicked out..."
"From the Boarding School for Bad Boys?" Pythor and Lloyd sat up, "I don't believe it! I hear they are the breeding ground for the truly despicable. And if you ask me, ho-ho, you are a handful!"
Lloyd smiled, then frowned slightly. That's what Ani always called him whenever he got into trouble. Then, the memory faded away as he realized Pythor was complimenting him, in a criminal standpoint.
"Well, thank you, Pythor," the boy responded, "But, they told me I wasn't bad enough. They said I lacked 'the immoral ambition to be one of tomorrow's masterminds'. Plus my sister's a ninja with superpowers and they're more afraid of her than my dad."
"Well, you'll show them!"
The pair stood up.
"That's right! I will show them!"
"Then why don't we?"
"Uh... 'Why don't we' what? Lloyd asked.
"Let's get revenge on the very school that rejected you!" Pythor explained while he lifted Lloyd into the air, "When the ninja come to the rescue, we'll have a trap laid out for them! We might even rescue your sister."
"A double revenge plus rescue?"
"A double revenge plus rescue. Get some rest, hijacking an ice cream truck is a lot for anyone! And if you're going to rule the world, well, ho-ho-ho, you'll need to get your sleep! Oh... and one more thing..."
"Yes?"
"I'll be your friend."
With a yawn, Lloyd hugged Pythor and settled his head on the snake's long neck.
"Aw, Pythor, you're the best."
Pythor set the boy on the floor again, and Lloyd immediately curled up on the ground, the map sticking clearly out of his pocket as he fell asleep. The snake then chuckled evilly and went to grab the map, but just then Lloyd turned on his side, hiding the map. Pythor growled lowly, mentally cursing his bad luck.
The door to the elder's room burst open and five heads peeked in.
"Huh?" the old man looked up and spotted the ninjas, "You must've found the answer to what is the best way to defeat an enemy."
The ninjas filed into the room in a semi-circle and Cole said, "We have, Sensei, it's, on three guys…One, two!"
With a chorus of "Teamwork!" five hands were placed together.
"Is this what you all think?" the sensei asked.
"Totally!"
"Yeah!"
"Correct!"
"Yes!"
"Absolutely!"
"Sadly... you are all wrong," Sensei Wu went back to his paper and his students groaned.
The five left their teacher's room, went into the hallway walked to where everyone's rooms were.
"I'm starting to think whoever figures out this riddle can be the Green Ninja for all I care!" Cole snarled.
Suddenly, red lights began flashing and a loud alarm started blaring.
"What's that?" Jay shouted.
"Who cares?" Kai exclaimed, "It's something else besides training!"
The ninjas ran to the bridge, where Nya was waiting beside the large screen.
"Break it down for me, sis," Kai said.
"Lloyd and the Serpentine have overtaken Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys," Nya explained.
"That place is a cesspool for the crooked and misbehaved!" Jay clenched one of his hands into a fist.
"It doesn't mean they don't need our help," Ani reminded, "After all, the students are still just kids."
"Step on it," Cole ordered Zane.
The white ninja complied, running and flipping to the button and pressing down on it. With a whoosh, the sails opened. And a roar of the engines, the Bounty prepared for flight. The team of five ran to the upper deck and with five cries of "Ninjaaaaa-Go!" the ninjas put their hands together once again. The engines began working and the rockets roared to life. The Bounty lifted into the air and headed for the boarding school.
The school's bell rang.
"Muah-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
In a science classroom, several boys were tied up, as well as the two substitute teachers, both of whom were gaged and upside down.
Lloyd and Pythor rode along the corridors on skateboards a few stories up.
"Hey! How are the booby traps?" Lloyd asked.
"Every door, window, and hole in this place are spring-loaded!"
"Good! I'm sick and tired of those ninja sneaking their way into my evil doings..."
High above the boarding school, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Ani were contemplating on how to get down.
"Looks quiet down there," Zane observed, peering over the edge, "Should we infiltrate using stealth?"
Kai sighed, "We've done that. What about using our Golden Weapons and turning them into vehicles?"
"Yeah, I'm still working out the kinks on that," Cole replied, his vehicle stuck between the railings.
"Anyone have any other good ideas?" Ani asked.
"Hmm..." Jay mused, "Well, I have one idea. But, you guys gotta trust me."
Ani edged away from him and Kai sighed, "Oh, I don't think I like the sound of this."
Lloyd paced along the roof of the school, muttering and mumbling to himself.
"Relax, we've made the perfect trap," Pythor tried soothing him, "We're in broad daylight, so there isn't any shadows. And, even if they could get in…"
Lloyd spotted something darting around a few yards below the school.
"What's that?!"
He moved away and Pythor aimed and fired a net from a cannon at the thing. When the dust cleared, the thing was clearly seen: nothing more than a lizard.
"Uh, good... yeah. Good reflexes, I was just testing you, "Lloyd stammered, "If I know these ninjas, they're cleverly sneaking their way right past us at this very moment."
Actually, no, no they weren't. Instead of stealthily moving up the building's many floors, the five were holding onto the Bounty's anchor.
"Jay," Kai said nervously, "I don't know about this!"
"Just hold on tight!" Jay ordered.
"Got that covered!" Ani shrieked, gripping the anchor so hard, the skin under her gloves turned white.
Jay motioned to Nya to release the anchor, which she did. The anchor fell at an alarming speed. All five ninjas were lifted into the air as they hurtled towards the school. Two figures on the roof moved hastily out of the way as the anchor crashed through the roof, then through three or four floors. They all gave a sigh of relief that the ordeal was over, but only to fall into one more floor.
The boys began coughing, while Ani and Jay hung from the previous floor, groaning.
"Okay," Cole said, "Let's agree to never do that again."
Ani and Jay dropped down from the ceiling, the black ninja walked up to the tied up students and raised his scythe. The boys whimpered and cowered, but Cole only sliced through the ropes, freeing them.
"Stay outta school, kids!" Cole called after them.
Then, he turned to the substitute teachers.
"Well, well, well, Kruncha and Nuckal. Substitute teachers, eh? If we cut you down, we'd better not catch you hanging around Ninjago again."
Kruncha nodded his head in agreement, and Nuckal shook his promising to never come back.
"… Or else."
With another swipe of his scythe, the Skulkin were released. They ran into each other twice before running in opposite directions, only for the dumber of the two to circle back. Cole and Ani shook their heads.
"He's on the top floor!" Kai jumped onto the anchor and pointed at the roof, "Let's get him!"
Ani cried "Ninjaaaaa-Go!" with the others, then followed Cole to the top, pouncing onto the anchor's chain and climbing up it like him, but not as quickly. Kai and Zane swirled into their tornadoes and speeded up the stairs. Jay took a graffiti-fied elevator.
Three floors up, Pythor looked at the door, knowing the ninja were coming. With a yell, Kai kicked down the door, and he and Zane. A green goop suddenly poured over them, instantly hardening.
"Waaa!" Kai groaned in disgust.
"I can't move," Zane realized.
With an evil chuckle, a giant purple snake slithered past the two.
"Mua-ha-ha-ha!" Lloyd laughed.
He looked down and spotted Cole and Ani climbing up the chains. He gulped and ran from the hole in the roof. Jay's eyelids lowered as he grew sleepier. The elevator music was... really... His eyes closed for a moment before they snapped back open again. Cole reached a floor where Pythor was. Ani was lagging behind a few feet down, trying to keep climbing and not have her lungs explode from the strain at the same time.
"Phew," she panted, "I need to climb more."
Cole leaped from the chains and landed on the wooden floor.
He whipped around his scythe, warning, "Prepare to eat dust!"
Pythor yanked on a rope under Cole's feet, releasing a green cloud of gas. The black ninja fell, dropped his scythe, and began coughing harshly. Cole groaned as Jay burst out of the elevator.
"He's got a Serpentine with him! Watch out for booby traps!" the black ninja coughed, pointing towards Pythor.
Jay looked at the one Serpentine.
"Aah! That's one big snake!"
He flipped out of the room and chased, Ani sill continuing her climb, this time going into high gear. She had a sinking feeling that the snake was up to something.
"Wait, what am I doing?" she realized and, using her gauntlet, she sent an orange colored energy rope up to the roof and rocketed up like a reverse zip line.
"They're coming! They're coming! They're coming!" Lloyd yelled and began running in circles around the roof as Pythor came up the stairs to the roof.
The snake shut the door to the stairs with his tail, and then threw a wooden beam onto it. They backed up as the blue ninja popped up, spinning his pair of nun-chucks.
"Shocked to see me?"
"Do something!" Lloyd cried.
With a chuckle, Pythor took the map from the boy's back pocket.
"Wha...!" Lloyd looked up, a hurt look on his face, "What are you doing? I thought you were my friend!"
"All you want was to make the Serpentine your slaves," Pythor hissed, "Well, sorry, my dear boy, but I have other plans."
And with that, he disappeared from sight. Lloyd gasped and looked around frantically; he started running away from the advancing blue ninja. He stopped after a moment and peered over the edge of the roof. That... was a long way down...too far down. If he tried, he would be killed.
"Lloyd," a familiar voice spoke in a soft tone.
The boy turned to see Ani standing next to him, though a little weak looking. He didn't care; he just instinctly wrapped his arms around her, knowing that she would do the same. A loud noise made Lloyd looked back up and saw the ninjas' ship. The red ninja was there, as well as the white ninja, the black ninja, the girl in red, and his uncle. Everyone was now on the roof.
"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon!" his uncle shouted, "You come here right now!"
"I got him!" The blue ninja pulled away and picked Lloyd up with ease and threw the boy onto his shoulder.
"Wah! Hey, let me go!" Lloyd complained.
"What should we do with him?" The black ninja asked as the red and white ninjas joined him, "Wash his mouth out with soap…For a year?"
"Ground him indefinitely? The red ninja suggested.
"Have him sit in a corner for a century?" The white ninja added.
"Please just chores around the Bounty. Please just chores around the Bounty," Ani prayed; hoping her master would be a bit lenient to the small boy.
"I know exactly what we must do," The old man said.
Lloyd gulped, he was so hooped.
Before Lloyd's punishment commenced, the boy's uncle had him wash up (much to the grateful satisfaction of the ninjas and Nya; according to them, Lloyd smelled like a ripe fish) and have some dinner. Then the elder took the boy into a room with a mat, a lamp, and some of Ani's landscape paintings. Tucking the child in, the old man read a story about a fictional bunny that had a similar experience as Lloyd.
"…And that is why Jack the Rabbit never trusts a snake," the man concluded, "The end."
He shut closed the book he was reading from and smiled down at Lloyd, who was curled up under the blanket.
"Huh..." the boy said, "If my dad had read me that book, I would never have made that mistake."
Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Ani watched silently from the doorway, hidden in the shadows.
"I'm sorry, Uncle," Lloyd apologized, guilt evident in his tone.
"You do not need to apologize. I am sure that if your father was still here, it would be the first book he'd read," Sensei Wu patted Lloyd's blond hair, "Good night, nephew. Sweet dreams."
Lloyd yawned sleepily, "Good night, Uncle."
Sensei Wu backed up, watching his nephew for a moment. The ninjas flipped away. Then, the sensei turned and left.
"I don't understand, Master," Ani said as she and the other four gathered behind Sensei Wu on the upper deck.
"Why isn't the little brat getting punished?!" Jay whined angrily.
"Yeah," Cole agreed, "We had to train all day and he gets read a bedtime story? It's not fair."
"You're right," the mentor turned around, now facing his five pupils, "I nearly forgot... Why are you not still training? Did you find the answer to the riddle?"
The five let their faces fall and Kai sighed.
"No, Sensei," he admitted, "We still don't know what the best way to defeat your enemy is."
"I don't think we ever will," Ani added, "I guess warriors aren't problem solvers."
The five bowed their heads in failure and turned to walk away. Their master then decided that even though the five needed more focus, they had enough punishment.
"It is," Sensei Wu answered, "To make them your friend."
They "Ohhh"-ed and Zane motioned for them to follow him. His friends complied. They stopped in front of Lloyd's room, where the boy was sleeping peacefully.