Chapter 48
Off Balance

.:Violet:.

"It's roasting out here." She heard Jay complained as they all walked outside. The boys each held a Fang Blade but her.

"Heh, if you can't stand the heat then get out of the kitchen." Kai countered back but Violet's mind drifted away from the boys' conversation and to her surroundings. Unlike Temple of Fire's volcano, Torchfire Mountain was much hotter and much bigger. Thick clouds of smoke risen from deep within the volcano and already she was sweating like a pig.

"What's with Sensei?" Once she heard this from Jay's mouth, she looked down to see Sensei Wu looking down at the volcano from the rails on the decks. He had a difficult face to read and she already grew deeply concerned.

"I do not know. He's been distant all morning." Zane replied and he walked down the stairs from the dining room. She followed after him with the other three boys in toll. "Sensei Wu, we're ready for the destruction of the Fang Blades. You seem disinterested."

"You do not need my approval to finish the task."

"But Sensei-"

"Butts are for sitting and besides, there will be a time where you have to go on without me."

"Sensei Wu, you're not planning on leaving us for good are you?" She asked. Violet didn't know what have caused Sensei Wu to suddenly talk about this. She was sure he still has plenty more years until he'll pass away and she was sure by this time peace will be restored in Ninjago.

"Because Sensei Wu, you're a sunrise and we won't be able to start a day without you." She heard Zane added but Wu kept looking deep within the volcano.

"But even the sun must go down so a new day can begin."

"Hey, I really don't like metaphors so what are you trying to say Sensei Wu? Will you be leaving us again?" Cole asked. It was true, she understood Zane's little speech perfectly but when Wu said about the sun setting, she didn't get it at all.

"In meditations, my smoke visions have come to an end and tomorrow I cannot see. This worries me."

"But it could be a good omen saying we have destroyed the Fang Blades and everything goes back to normal." Jay reasoned but a frown and tired expression was still on their sensei's face.

"Let's just get rid of them." He said and they all nodded. Violet helped Zane to place a plank over the side of the bounty and she stood back as Kai stepped on it. But suddenly, the bounty tipped to the side and the ninja of wind lost her balance. Her feet slipped underneath her body and everything went downhill from there.

"Sensei!" She heard the boys yelled out and she swiftly got up to see Sensei Wu hanging from the wooden plank. She ran onto the wooden plank and walked quickly yet carefully towards the edge. She crouched down and held the old man around his right wrist but the Bounty jolted once again and she fell off the plank along with Wu. She turned her head and tried to hook her feet onto the plank but she missed by a centimetre. She couldn't concentrate to fly, she was already panicking and it was too hot.

"Got ya!" She heard Cole's voice and she turned around once again and saw that he grabbed her ankles while Zane grabbed his, then Jay and Kai who was holding them from the plank. She knew sooner or later the plank would give out to the weight distribution.

"Thank you Ninja." She heard Wu said and she smiled.

"You're not leaving us that easily."

"Pythor's on board!" They all heard Lloyd's voice on the speaker. Instantly her mind was shouting many questions at once. She didn't understand how Pythor could be on board. The others would have seen him… of course they wouldn't, he must have come on while he was invisible.

"Sorry I can't lend you a hand," she turned her head around to see Pythor standing on the plank with the Fang Blades in his arms, "but I'm really in a rush. I got this whole Devourer thing going on so todoloo!"

"Violet, can't you get us back on the decks?"

"I can't concentrate, especially not when I have blood rushing into my head." She groaned back.

"Don't let go Kai!" Jay then yelled and she craned her head to see struggling on hold onto the plank with just his feet.

Violet could feel her heart thumping rather painfully against her chest as smoke started to fly around Wu and into her face. She was lucky enough her element filtered the smoke from the oxygen that was entering her body but she wasn't sure how the boys were faring. In less than seconds, she heard them started to cough and groan and each time they did, the chain they formed shook back and forward. She looked back to Kai with stinging eyes to see him coughing into his arm as he still held onto Jay's ankles.

"You don't think I know that?" Kai shouted back and Violet took a deep breath. She knew she had to do something before they fall into the volcano. Breath in, one, two, three, breath out, one, two, three. Once she was calm enough, she made the breeze blow harder from underneath Wu and in her head –with her eyes close- she imaged them floating back onto the decks. When she opened them, they haven't even more an inch and she groaned in frustration. "I don't think I can hold on for much longer!"

"Hold on Kai!" She shouted and she tried again. This time, she blocked out everything and went back to basics. She felt the hot air brush against her skin and she focused on the feeling then the hue of lavender blue entered her vision. Exhaling, she looked around her again. Light clouds of smoke rose from the volcano and Wu seemed to be looking at her as if telling her whatever she's thinking of doing, do it. She looked over her shoulder to see sweat dripping down the boys' faces and Kai's scrunched up face. He looked like he was struggling to hold on. That was when she closed her eyes and inhaled. She felt cool air brush against her skin and she felt weightless. The grip on her ankles loosened. For a moment, she thought she had failed and Kai let go but instead, her feet found the ground. She opened her eyes and she sighed with relief when she found out she have succeeded.

"You did it." Violet heard Kai say from behind her and she turned around to smile at him.

"I had a bit of problem concentrating but I guess I did. It's really thanks to you since you were able to hold onto us."

"Yeah but my feet paid the price, they're killing me-"

"Pythor got away with the Fang Blades!" And that's how reality returned to Violet. She rushed over to the other side and saw the Anacondrai snake escaping in one of the Serpentine helicopters. She then heard heavy footsteps from the stairs of the bridge and she saw Scarlett rushing down.

"We still should be able to catch them. Lloyd can you get their weapons?"

"Okay…"

Once Lloyd returned with a large brief case, Violet took it off him and placed it on the floor. She picked up her bow and the boys picked up their respective weapons.

"Am I going with you guys?"

"Sorry Lloyd, but why don't you stay here with Scarlett?"

"But you just saw me kick Pythor in the face Nya; I'm capable enough to do it!"

"Give it time Lloyd." Kai then sighed.

"Ahh, the student became the teacher."

.:Kai:.

How were they going to get close enough to mutant bus? Even as Kai tried to get closer, the tail at the end would powerfully slap the ground making him retreat back. At the moment, two gun-like contraptions appeared on both sides of the bus and they shot up in the air. As soon as Kai looked up, he saw they were aiming for Jay, Nya, Violet and Wu. The ninja of fire heard the low grumble of engines accelerating and his attention was back to the motor vehicle. Two serpentine-transformed motorbikes rode along the roof of the bus and when they were on the tail, it flicked up making the bikes fly behind Kai and his comrades. He looked over his shoulder and saw them made a hard brake turn before driving up to them.

It wasn't long before both motorbikes were on either side of his vehicle. The red ninja looked down and saw a spare katana along the side of his seat. He picked it up with his left hand while the right one steered. He then thrust the katana through the front wheel of the motorbike. He looked back to motorbike on his right but he saw that it wasn't there. When he was about to look over his shoulder, he felt something hit the back of his neck painfully. He ducked down and used his left arm to feel what it was. When he felt a foot, he recognized it was a serpentine.

"Let go of my foot!"

"Then get off!"

"I can't when you have my foot."

"Alright then." Kai pushed down on the pedal and let go of the snake. With the momentum, the snake flew off his vehicle. Once he caught up with the others, he softly released his foot. He must have missed out on the plan because the tail end of the bus detached and he saw Zane waving to it. Once they were close enough, he dismounted his vehicle and it turned back into his golden weapon with a buzz and he jumped onto the bus. He heard another buzz and saw Violet and Jay drop from the sky and onto the green roof of the bus.

"Let's split up." He shouted over the roaring engine and the wind that kept going into their ears. He ran along the top while Jay, Zane and Cole broke through the roof or the windows to go into the compartment.

"Looks like it's just you and me up here." Violet shouted and he nodded. It seemed the wind had little effect on her but he felt like he could get blown off any second.

"Watch out!" He then bellowed when he saw power lines. He ducked down and he looked behind to see Violet jump over them and landed further away from him.

"Stop looking at me, you got company!"

At this, he turned to the front and saw snakes coming out of the hatch on the roof. The first one didn't last long since he just flew off with the bus' speed. But due to his distraction, a Venomari snake hit him square in the jaw. Making him fall and roll over the edge of the bus. He held onto the hot metal and saw the snake coming towards him. He quickly climbed up to see the venomari snake had suddenly disappeared.

"You should really stop watching the fight." He heard Violet's voice and he breathed with relief.

"I should know my surroundings and what's happening around me. I remembered you told me that before." He told Violet referring the time she went to Jamanakai village with them while she acting Zane's cousin. But they both turned their faces when the ground behind their feet vibrated and a loud thud was heard. It was Nya and Wu in/on the Samurai suit and they dealt with the remaining the snakes.

"Hey, I needed to act weak then." Violet continued.

"But you still should have saw Cole coming to use you as a punching bag-"

"Guys, is this really an appropriate time to bicker?" They both turned their heads to see Nya scolding them from inside the Samurai X but he narrowed his eyes to see a large sign coming towards them.

"Duck!"

"What?"

"Duck down!" Sensei Wu yelled right after him.

"I'm trying!" But it wasn't long until the sign came and knock Wu and Nya off the train. He quickly got up and looked around to see Violet wasn't in sight. He turned around in a complete circle and found her running to the hatch on the roof.

"Come on Kai!"

"Coming!"

I'm extremely sorry for the short chapter but I promise I'll make it up and make the next chapter longer. School started and already I'm bombed with homework. I hope you all can forgive but thanks to: ElementzGirl7, MortalNinjas, BrightnessAndDarknessStories, ShadowNinja27, LightningDanino23, CarlyShi208 and KaiRulesSuckers.

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