Chapter 112
Old Chums

.:Violet:.

Pythor. Pythor. Pythor. Out of all the enemies she and the team faced together Pythor had to be the most interesting one aside from Garmadon. It was probably because the evil in his body no longer exists and he's on their side. Violet couldn't really pin point why Pythor was the most interesting one. Maybe it was because she knows him better than the other villains they have faced. Maybe it was because he somehow outsmarts her or maybe, it's because he's purple like her ninja gi and can turn invisible. Either way, it didn't surprise her a big deal when she found out Pythor was the cloaked figure – possibly it was because she expected him to come back. Come on, it's Pythor! He always come back one way or another, almost like a pestering mosquito. He's this persistent being, always determined to complete his goals. If they weren't enemies and if he probably wasn't a snake, she wouldn't be surprise if they were friends. What can she say? He's an interesting character.

However she knew Pythor helped or did something to turn Sensei Wu into what he is now. Pythor told her that the Overlord had plans to change Wu into one of his mindless drones but she wasn't sure if Pythor was implying that the Overlord have did this or Pythor carried out the plans in the Overlord's absence. Either way she can't forgive him – if anything, it makes her hate him even more. Now here she saw, stuck behind another set of bars as Pythor and Techno Wu (she decided to call him, mentally calling him Sensei Wu brought back too many bittersweet memories) left to power more nindroids in junkyards and so on. The ninja knew they would also venture to Jay's parents' junkyard and she was immediately worried for her team. They all agreed after the power shut down they would all meet up at Ed's and Edna's junkyard… She just hoped that with her six day absence they would move on from the junkyard and to somewhere else.

But this meant Pythor and Techno Wu left her to the one person she didn't want to be alone with: The Overlord. His virus roamed the room she was currently imprisoned in. The lighting was a deep orange colour with his 'face' on the screens surrounding her. She doesn't know where exactly his voice is coming from since she can't see any speakers but his raspy and haunting voice bounced off the metal walls.

"Six days it has been since the power has been out and yet, no signs of your pathetic team. They left you all alone; to die and to rot. They don't even care for you."

"You're wrong," she hissed through clamped teeth as she narrowed her eyes towards the screen. "They care enough to entrust me to do this."

"And what is that exactly?" The sneering of his voice vibrated deeply in her ears, slightly making her winch. "You haven't done anything. You're captured, you haven't destroyed me or any of my forces. The only reason they trust you is because they're too afraid, they want you to do all the dirty work. They're more cowardly than you."

"Shut up! You don't know anything about them or me!" Violet yelled, her voice sounding hoarse as it ripped through her throat.

"Oh please. I'm older than you. Wiser than you. I know these things, I've seen it before."

"Yes because you're the one whose cowardly hiding in a screen and letting your 'forces' do all the dirty work!"

"Don't talk to me about being a coward!" The Overlord's voice was so loud that it boomed through the room, leaving the metal walls and flooring to vibrate violently with every syllable he pronounces. The lighting of the room flashed dangerous red and it seemed his aura behind the screens grew and darkened. "I'm not the one who's scared to face my opponents while your teams runs and hide fearful! Once I get my hands on your precious green ninja, we'll see who will be the cowards running scared with their tails between their legs!"

"You're the most pathetic person I've ever met," Violet hissed lowly. She could feel her anger bubbling up inside her gut, ready to explode like a volcano. "You're such a hypocrite and you don't even realise it yourself. You have this obsession in being right that it's so sickening to listen to. You're the one who's weak; you're reliant on your army to bring you the person who you'll only steal power off from. You're the coward here!"

And as she yelled that sparks erupted from the screens and the machinery around her. Immediately, her eyes widen as she watched in slow motion as the electric currents shoot from the machines into the metal walls. Then, it travelled to the metal flooring and towards her. Being electrocuted was more than just a slight tingle that ran underneath her skin; it was like someone had attached a live wire to each and every nerve and sent waves through her body. It felt like lava was eating away at her insides; as if needles was stabbing everywhere; as if bugs were crawling within her nerves in a fast hum. The ninja could feel her body convulsed as the violent electrical current pulse through her, erupting a pained wail to escape her lips. In the background she could hear the Overlord yelling at her but her ears couldn't make out a single word. It was like every single sense was distorted, like nothing in the world made sense but this agony that took over her body. Once it was all gone, blackness seeped at the edges of her vision as her body lean weakly against the cage. Violet didn't care how uncomfortable it would be because she couldn't feel a thing. Finally, her consciousness was zapped away.

.::.

When her eyes weakly opened, Violet found herself in a different place – staring off to the side. She immediately knew she was no longer in a constricting cage but one that was big. She could lie on the metal floor and not worry about hitting the bars if she happened to roll over. In her sight of vision, she could see machinery or computers to the side of the room with cogs and bolts on the ground… only one cog seemed to be in reach. But instead of focusing onto this, she felt a hand against her shoulder. Immediately, she flinched away – her mind tricking her that it was a cold yet burning touch.

"Violet, it's just me." Upon hearing this voice, she turned around to stare in green eyes that were bright; green eyes that could only belong to one person to knows.

"L-Lloyd?" His name left her tongue and lips with a strange taste, like tasting something you haven't had in a long time but love – like seeing a friend you haven't seen in forever. It was like her body was on autopilot and within seconds, she was up from her crumpled position on the ground and flinging her arms around the blonde boy that sat with her in this cage. "I can't believe you're here- wait, what are you doing here?"

And all that happiness left in a similar way her consciousness last left her. Violet's face turned into a picture of concern as she pulled back from the brief hug and looked at him with a frown.

"The Overlord, Pythor and Uncle found dad and I… but he's…" The boy's voice trailed off but Violet could easily identify the sorrow and grief in his voice. Her own eyes widen at the fact Garmadon was dead.

"I-I'm so sorry Lloyd," she whispered softly as she hugged him again, not like the bone-crushing one she just gave him but one of comfort. She could feel Lloyd's arms hug her back with his head resting on her shoulder. Slowly, she could feel tears leak from his eyes and into her still ruined shirt.

The grief and pain that Lloyd felt radiated off him. Violet could feel her heart clench with sadness at the broken boy in her arms. She knew the feeling all too well – far too well but the problem was she was always the one experiencing it. The female ninja remembered how the staff at the orphanage would share half-felt sympathy for her before tossing her grieving little body into the chores. She also remembered how the team: Sensei Wu, Kai, Lloyd, Zane, Cole, Jay and Nya expressed their sympathies and gently cared for her for Scarlett's death.

But she knew all Lloyd needed was a hug; his mindset and body was too much in a fragile state that the only thing that would be registered is the guilt and regret. She knew that if she tried saying her words of comfort now he wouldn't register it, it just won't settle in well. So she hugged him for as long as he needed and allowed him to cry into her dirty shoulder – not that she cared but she half consciously wondered if he would even though he's showing no signs of it.

Hours have passed. Violet was glad that no one have even came in to check on them. She knew Lloyd didn't need that kind of stress right now but it made her wonder where Pythor and the Overlord was and if Techno Wu was with them. They wouldn't have leave them alone, especially with Lloyd who was conscious while she was 'unconscious'. But her mind softly drifted away from this as she realised that the sobs had faded away into sniffles. Based on his still irregular breathing patterns, the blonde boy haven't cried himself to sleep. Violet looked to her hand which was still rubbing circles into his back. Once she stopped, her hand turned numb.

"Sorry Violet…" The young man muttered that she did nothing but rest her head against his.

"It's okay Lloyd. I know it's tough," she whispered softly – half tempted to rub circles in his back again but her hand protested.

"I thought finding out that I have to kill my father was hard… but this is much worse…"

"You guys bonded so well after the battle and to have him ripped away from you like that… I know how it feels." And she gave him a half smile as she started to stroke his hair with her other hand.

"So this is what it feels, huh?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Violet replied softly.

"It's all my fault…"

"I'm sure it isn't Lloyd. That exactly how I felt when my parents and Scarlett died but I know now that it isn't my fault – at all. Even though in my lowest downs I want to believe it is but I know deep down it's not."

"Of course it's my fault!" He yelled as he roughly pulled away from her to show red and watery eyes. "If I didn't leave him to fend against the Nindroids, Pythor would have never used him as blackmail to hand myself over! I-I should have stayed back and helped him f-fight! I-If I stayed back, t-this whole t-thing could… could have b-been… a-avoided." Lloyd's voice lowered from a yell to a small wavering in voice. Sensing he was about to burst into tears again, Violet swiftly closed the gap between them and hugged him again. Like last time, his upper body curled around her – as if trying to absorb the comfort from her. After a few seconds, he began to sob. "Why does it hurt so much?" Lloyd asked her with a broken and cracking voice that made her chest clench even more. Is this how the others felt to see her grieve? To see her this sad and broken when she normally tries to act strong?

"Because you loved him like he loved you, a love only shared between father and son," she said tenderly as his body shook violently to match his sobs. "A bond and a love like that becomes an everlasting attachment to your life." And her eyes met with the cog and spotted that it was close enough to grasp. She gently leaned to the side (while taking Lloyd's weight with her) and grabbed it before softly pushing him back so he could see the cog she was holding. "Your memories and bond with your father is like a cog to an antique grandfather clock-"

"But that's a cog to some stupid machine."

"Well I'm saying it's a cog to an antique grandfather clock. Where's your imagination Lloyd?" And with that, a small but sad smile appeared onto his lips but it was only brief. It quickly vanished when his hands went to wipe his teary face. "A grandfather clock can't work without its cog, just like no one can cooperate with the loss of loved ones. Now that the cog is gone, the clock is broken. Now that your father is gone, you're broken." And with a kind smile, Violet placed a hand on Lloyd's cheek and gently used her thumb to wipe some tear stains he missed. "We all know it's hard to buy new parts for grandfather clocks, they're antique and one of a kind. The parts are irreplaceable… just like your bond and memories with your father. No one, and I mean no one can ever replace your father or those memories, you can't just get a new father and hope that everything will be okay; like how a grandfather clock can't get a new part because it won't fit or work."

Upon this, she let go of his cheek and went to grab his hands before coaxing them open and place the cog inside his hand.

"You can't buy a new part; the only option left is to fix it yourself. The only way to fix this grief and these bittersweet memories is to not think of the bad experiences you had with your father or the scene of his death. The only thing you need to think of is the good times you had with him. Your father was- I mean is a very wise man. Use his teachings to guide you through life's greatest challenges; let him become your sunrise to every day." And she lured his hands to close around the cog. "We both know your father loved you. We both know he would want you to be happy instead of being sad; for you to become the greatest person you can be; for you to be you. He wouldn't want you to keep grieving for him."

And again, she lifted her hands to cup his cheeks and wipe the new tears that fell freshly against his skin.

"Thank you Violet," Lloyd finally said after a minute of silence.

"Feel better now?"

"Surprisingly… Yes. I always wondered if words actually have that much of an effect of people… maybe it's just because they're your words of wisdom."

"No, I just said what people have said to me when I had to deal with the death of my family but I didn't get all of it at once so I'm glad I'm able to nail it down for you," Violet said as she gave his shoulder a slight squeeze.

"As much as this is sweet and all but I have to intervene; the Overlord isn't that patient you know."

Violet muttered a curse under her breath as Pythor slithered into sight with two nindroids by his side. They had these weird packs on their backs that glowed bright blue – she couldn't exactly see what it was but she knew it wasn't good; it was powering the nindroids. She could feel Lloyd tense by her side and she felt rather glad she just wiped all his tears away – they can't afford to show any weakness here.

"What now does that coward wants?" She asked with a slight snap to her voice, deciding to take a sort of intimidating approach to the three. The nindroids seemed to be rather startle by her insult while Pythor blinked a couple times before his head shook on his long neck.

"It's time to begin the process. Get him."

She didn't know how but she knew they were going to separate Lloyd from her so they can steal his golden powers and transfer it to the Overlord. Instantly, she stood up while dragging Lloyd up behind her.

"You're not going to get him."

"I admire your bravery and loyalty but right now isn't the right time. Try again in a couple hours though," Pythor sneered as the three figures approached the cage's door. Violet quickly walked back and she felt Lloyd shuffle backwards behind her while slipping the cog she given him into her hands.

"Well if you want to get him, you have to go through me."

"Oh, just stop be cliché will you? You're hurting my ears."

And as he said that, the two nindroids that flanked his side opened the hatch into the cage. Immediately, she went to bounce into action but the nindroids were faster. They swiftly dodged her arm with the cog and elbowed her hard in the gut, sending her stumbling back into Lloyd's arms.

"Violet, we can't fight them…" He whispered into her ear but Violet stubbornly shook her head, not wanting to believe Lloyd was already giving up.

"Listen to your friend Violet, he's right you know. You're clearly no match for them. You're weak," Pythor laughed.

The girl clenched her fists. Sure she's in pain, hungry and so on but that didn't give him the right to call her weak – or the Overlord for that matter. Looking down to the cog that remained in her hand, she quickly threw it. She watched as it sored through the bars of the cage and straight into Pythor's eyes.

"Ahh! You stupid girl! Just get the boy you two idiots!" The purple snake addressed the two robots. "And knock her out if you need to, just get him!"

And upon his command, Violet didn't get to blink twice when the same feeling of electric currents took over her body and plunging her mind into darkness once again.

Hi everyone! I was meant to post this chapter a couple days ago but exam block has started and won't end until another week I hope you all are doing well though. I also deeply apologise for leaving the chapter on a cliff-hanger but I hoped you all enjoyed it. Massive thanks to: Kai4Ever, NinjagymnastgirlK, ALookIntoMyWorld, Bobby Drake, Samantha Rutledg, FlameNinjaofDarkFire, Bl0ndie, CarlyShi208, ElementzGirl7, Kairocksrainbow and all my silent reader!

ALookIntoMyWorld: I was meant to PM you earlier but I'm afford it slipped my mind. Anyway, the violin isn't that hard to learn. What is hard is being mindful of being able to do the correct techniques and do them all at once. Like while trying to play in tune, you hold on the bow must be correct as well as being mindful if you are bowing the strings straight and how close you are to the bridge or the finger board. But it is such a beautiful instrument to play; it is often what I do when under immense stress. So in a way, maybe learning violin is hard – it is told it is one of the hardest instruments to play but the tone of it is just beautiful. There is like 9-10 grades (including preliminary) and so far I'm on the fifth grade in less than three years – then again I have an amazing teacher. I highly recommend it but it's up to you my friend. :)

Bobby Drake: I can never see anyone who have helped me in a negative light. Although I love your idea for the word rearrangement for 'Uncovered', unfortunately (and at this stage of time) I;m firm with my choices. I like to link the title into the plot as seen at the beginning of this story and 'Underestimated' can just help me to keep the implied theme throughout the sequel. And if you don't mind me asking; how old are you? If it is too personally there is no need to answer. You just sound like this very mature and wise person :)

Samantha Rutlegd: I am so sorry I left the last chapter on a cliff hanger and this one as well. I hope you can forgive me but hopefully the next chapter will end on a good note.

Hopefully updates will be faster but I have no promises. I am on holidays the week after next so I am so excited to write more chapters and hopefully get the sequel up and running. But massive thanks to everyone who have supported me up until now. Love you all!

Xoxo – ZaneLoverFan88