Even as a child, Jay had been described as a flash of lightning.
Whether it was something as simple as illuminating the metaphoric dark sky that loomed over his parents or his ramblings being so quick that no one knew what he had said, all he knew was that his brain, his hands and his mouth moved faster then everyone's around him and usually before he could fully grasp the impact of the decision he had made.
So when he crashed through a window with wings made out of scraps attached to his back only to find himself sitting beside a man with a long white beard and a teapot sitting next to his crossed legs, he wasn't exactly surprised to hear the man say that the lightning sparked brightly inside of him.
What had been surprising to the fourteen-year-old was that just based on that one conversation about impossibility he found himself journeying with the man, who he learned was named Wu, up a large mountain to his monastery where he would "begin his training to harness the lightning inside".
Despite his first lesson being entirely focus-based and nothing to do with the training course that he watched the other two teens adorned in black do from the windows, Jay couldn't lie when he said that he was excited despite envying the Sensei's other students.
"I know that focus doesn't come easily to you, that you would much rather be outside and meet your fellow teammates," Wu had spoken in the dimly lit room as the two sat across from each other and the smell of the incense burning in between them made Jay's nose twitch, "but in order to harness lightning, one needs to have some sense of grounding."
"But if I have to control lightning, shouldn't I be near it?" Jay questioned with as much of a respectful tone as he could despite the fact that his sensitive nose was going to make him sneeze sooner rather than later.
"We are not in a storm right now."
"No, I mean outside. Near the clouds and the fresh air and-"
"If I was teaching you to control the lightning, yes," Wu cut him off before neatly folding his hands back together, "but, there is a difference between control and command and I am teaching you command. After all, control means that there will be resistance, whereas command means that your internal element will work with you."
"So I need to work with the lightning?" Jay couldn't stop himself from questioning Wu's teachings but his curiosity always seemed to get the better of him even when he knew that it wasn't for the best.
But, he was surprised to see a smile grace the Sensei's face, "Precisely, Jay. Some say that fire is the most destructive element with the way it burns and destroys. Others would say wind is due to its tendency to be stubborn and unpredictable. I am of the opinion that it is lightning because it combines the destruction of fire with the spontaneity of wind, which is why it is imperative that you work with it so it cannot work against you."
"I'm sorry, Sensei Wu," Jay apologized as he bowed his head in respect, "but I think you got the wrong guy. I'm not dangerous unless it's my stupid mouth and I'm not this super strong lightning master either. I'm just a kid from a junkyard."
"You are not a master yet," Wu corrected while standing, "and you are not just a kid from a junkyard. You have great potential, Jay Walker. I am just here to guide you as you work to harness the lightning," he reached over and moved the small bowl of burning incense away from Jay before going to exit through the sliding door, "that is your lesson for the day, but I encourage you to ponder what we have discussed and finding what grounds you."
And with that, he had left the room leaving Jay with swirling thoughts as he continued to sit in the dark room. After all, he had never come across a problem that he couldn't figure out. 'Why would this one be any different?'
…
Four years later, Jay would argue that he had gotten very good at controlling lightning.
Yes, there had been that scrimmage with Morro that had him realizing just why Master Wu had been so meticulous in warning him about the dangers of wind, as well as the battle against Nadakhan that he'd rather forget, but aside from that, the feeling of lightning flowing through his veins before finding its exit from his fingers was something that would never get old.
Even when it had its downsides, like causing lichtenberg figures to appear across his body that made his hands tingle whenever he was stressed or attracting storms to The Destiny's Bounty forcing him to be the ship's one defense by acting as a lightning rod, Jay couldn't be more happy that he had been found all of those years ago by Master Wu.
But the current events around him as the ship rocked back and forth in the harsh storm, he was feeling anything but happiness; it was impossible to feel happy as the group sans Nya, who was making calls and piloting the ship, crowded around an unconscious Lloyd.
Lloyd, who was usually the one to bring the rest of them out of their individual funks, was laying on the metal slab where they had repaired Zane just a few days before, his breaths coming in and out too fast to be normal and blood mixing in with the tattered green fabric that covered his more than likely broken bones.
The one who had always seemingly been the strongest out of all of them was so broken that it was hard to tell if he was still in there and still fighting.
"-need to stop the bleeding-"
"-running a fever-"
"-signs of a punctured lung-"
The scattered yells of his teammates trying to stabilize Lloyd went in one ear and out of the other as Jay pressed his back against the wall; he had never been good with the medical side of being a ninja, just barely completing any of the lessons Sensei had given them regarding first aid on the battlefield, but he did know when to stay out of the way.
After all, between Zane and PIXAL's expertise, Kai's knack he had for knowing where to start when a multitude of injuries occurred and Cole there to hold Lloyd's hands for both support and to keep him still, Jay wasn't entirely convinced that he was needed in the control room of The Bounty to the point where he was about to slip out the door to see if his girlfriend needed help.
Until he heard two of the most terrifying noises to date; the sound of the medical equipment dying with the power around them and Cole's panicked shout of "he stopped breathing!"
As the shouts only grew more frantic, Jay lacked to find his own voice in the chaos; all he could focus on was Lloyd's slack body as Zane's metal hands started to rapidly press down on his chest and the crunching of ribs under the weight of compressions.
"You have great potential, Jay Walker. I am just here to guide you as you work to harness the lightning." Wu's voice echoed in his mind, instantly bringing him out of the outsider perspective and to the present.
'First Spinjitzu Master, help me save Lloyd.'
He pulled himself away from the wall and rushed forward, powering up just enough lightning in his palm as he shouted "open his shirt! I know what to do!"
Jay ignored the shouting around him as the green gi was pulled away from Lloyd's chest and despite his stomach churning at the sight of the bruising that adorned his body and pressed his lightning-filled hand to just above his heart while shouting "back up!"
The lights flickered as Lloyd's body pushed upward into his hand, but when he pulled away, his body remained still and his ears started to phase out the shouts surrounding him.
"-didn't work!-"
"-start compressions again-"
"-ome on, Lloyd…don't do this-"
"There is a difference between control and command. I am teaching you command." Wu's voice echoed in his mind again, forcing Jay to take a deep breath while charging up his hands again as he thought to himself, 'command the lightning, Jay. Don't control it.'
"Clear!" He shouted again to give Zane a warning before pressing both palms to Lloyd's chest while the lights flickered around them again, feeling his slack body arch into his touch again.
The energy coursed through him violently, ripping through his veins and filling Lloyd's as Jay desperately fought against fate but when he let go and his knees collapsed under him with exhaustion, the lights stayed on and the hum of the medical equipment returned as it powered back to life.
But despite Jay fighting against his body's need to fall unconscious, he did succumb to the mind-numbing darkness only after he heard Cole's voice stutter with relief, "h-he's breathing."
…
Jay wouldn't even have the chance to turn eighteen before he was commanding lightning into Lloyd's body for the second time in a year.
The events had been more blurry and chaotic, with the Oni attacking the monastery as well as using the Tornado of Creation for the first time in four years, leaving him light headed and exhausted even without the screams of panic when they discovered Lloyd's lifeless body under the broken doors of the monastery.
When Wu had held his nephew's wrist in his palm before saying "there is nothing to be done", Jay had stepped forward automatically, the lightning under his command in his palms as he pressed them against Lloyd's chest.
He would never be used to feeling a slack body arching involuntarily into his touch as the lightning tore out of his veins. In the aftermath, Jay could only feel relief when it had only taken one burst of power to send Lloyd gasping and coughing while his heart started to beat once more.
The cheers of relief from the others despite Jay sinking to the ground were short-lived when Lloyd tried to sit up, only to fall back with an arm over his ribs and a harsh hiss through his teeth filled with pain.
Despite the woozy feeling that filled Jay's body where the surge of lightning had once resided, he could feel his heart start to split at the seams as the others helped take Lloyd to his bedroom and he heard the boy's voice shake as his soft plea of "dad" echoed in his head.
And with that one word alone, Jay found the strength to stand again and push himself toward the Oni that towered over him who was trying to make a quiet escape down the steps of the monastery.
"Garmadon!" He managed to shout, watching as the large figure turned with a raised eyebrow that still filled his heart with fear, but he held it together, "I'm talking to you!"
"What do you want, blue ninja?" He seemed indifferent, maybe even annoyed, but Jay held his ground as he pushed back thoughts of letters and Cliff Gordan and unknowns.
"I don't know why Lloyd insists that there's any part of our former sensei inside of you, but he called out for you. He was pleading for you."
"That boy is pleading for a distant memory," Garmadon brushed him off, sending angry heat into Jay's cheeks, "I am not what he thinks I am."
"He just died, for the second time I might add, because of you!" Jay shouted, unable to keep any part of himself neutral in the situation as Lloyd's desperate plea rang in his ears, "the least you could do is take five seconds and look out for someone who was once your son!"
"I did," Garmadon snarled, taking a step forward to look into Jay's eyes, "I stayed and watched as you sacrificed your power and energy to revive him for what you said was the second time. But regardless of whether there is any good in me or not, he will never forgive me for what happened in Kryptarium Prison and I do not blame him. I am not the Garmadon he remembers."
"You can't just leave!" Jay shouted as the Oni turned away again, but he refused to acknowledge him again and continued to descend down the steps, leaving Jay at the entrance while his legs wobbled under him, threatening collapse.
He forced himself back onto even ground before his adrenaline ebbed away and he was forced to sit with his head against the wall, his head spinning with thoughts of inheritance and abandonment until Nya approached and sat beside him, letting him rest his head on her shoulder.
That one comforting touch of her hand in his messy hair made the dam burst as he started to sob as everything fell together in a wave of emotions; images of Lloyd, Cole and Garmadon swirling in his mind as she held him close, his body shaking against hers.
"None of it is on you," she insisted, her hand moving up and down her back as he continued to replay the moments in his head.
Cole fell when he was right there beside him and Lloyd's slack body under his palms and Garmadon disregarding not only his pleas but the pleas of his own flesh and blood when it didn't seem so long ago that he would have broken his own personal beliefs to protect Lloyd.
He was overwhelmed with the events of the last twenty four hours, every single scar from using his powers ached painfully and he was so, so tired; in fact, when his sobs subsided, he let his yang guide him on shaking legs to his room, unable to help her change out of his dusty gi and into his pajamas.
She pulled the blankets over his shaking body and gently ran one hand through his matted hair while the other cupped his cheek, her voice coming out in a whisper as she told him to "get some rest" which was impossible to refuse while drifting into the blissful dark of sleep.
…
It took Jay two days to gain the strength to see Lloyd.
In his defense, he had spent the better part of that time sleeping as his body regained its strength as well as holding onto Nya like a lifeline as he fully processed what had occurred.
However, he could not defend purposefully avoiding the green ninja and avoiding having to admit to the conversation he had with Garmadon on the steps of the monastery.
"Lloyd is going to be alright," Wu insisted when he came to check on Jay that afternoon, "while I hate to be the one to say this about my nephew, he has survived much worse than a few broken ribs."
Jay nodded as he bit the inside of his cheek, his mouth tinged with the metallic taste of blood as a result.
"But, Lloyd's condition is not the only reason I came to see you," Wu admitted as he sat down in the chair that had been occupied by Nya for the last day, "do you remember the first thing I taught you when you arrived here?"
"Command versus control," Jay replied as he refused to look his master in the eyes, choosing to focus on his tingling hands, "that I had to learn to command lightning instead of letting it control me."
"Exactly," Jay looked up to see Master Wu nod in agreement, "you learned control with the nunchucks of lightning as well as when you were granted your raw, elemental power. But from what I've been told by the others, you only learned command that night on The Destiny's Bounty after the fight against Lloyd and his father."
Jay nodded, his voice tangled in his throat as he remembered the flash of sending everything into Lloyd's chest like a general commanding an army.
"And after seeing you do it again a few days ago, I can now say that you only have one thing left to do before you complete the very first task I gave you four years ago," Wu explained while standing and starting to head toward the door, "finding what grounds you."
Jay already knew the answer; he already knew that what kept his head steady and his feet on the ground were his teammates and while learning to just be himself had unlocked his true potential, that they were part of the reason he had been able to find his full potential in the first place.
"It's knowing that the others will always be there for me," Jay spoke, peaking Wu's interest, "that after I passed out on The Bounty, Cole and Kai carried me to my room and watched over me. After what happened with Garmadon, Nya was right there to help me when I was paralyzed by my own mind. That no matter what happens, one of them will always be able to help me off the ground."
"Then I think you know what you need to do now." Wu said while exiting the room, leaving him in silence just like he had four years prior.
Only this time, he refused to sit still in the dimly lit room by himself and try to figure out the vagueness in Wu's words because he already knew what he had to do.
Be there for Lloyd the same way the others had been there for him.
Jay knew that none of the others thought of him as someone who thought things through before doing them which is exactly why he made his way towards Lloyd's bedroom with zero idea on what he was going to say.
But when he opened the door, he was surprised to see Lloyd not only awake, but despite the gash on his forehead that had been neatly stitched back together, he looked like himself; he knew that healthy wasn't the right word, since the green ninja was still two shades too pale, but he looked better then he had the last time he had seen him which he considered a major improvement.
But the last thing Jay expected was the words that left Lloyd's mouth after they made eye contact, "what did Garmadon do?"
Not dad, not my father…Garmadon. Jay wasn't sure he had ever heard Lloyd refer to Garmadon by his first name.
"Lloyd, are you su-"
"Just tell me," Lloyd cut him off, "I need to know."
"I asked him to stay, for you. He…" Jay swallowed as the marks on his hands tingled with nervous energy, "he said…that you were calling out for a memory."
"Jay?" Lloyd asked softly, resting his calloused palm over Jay's shaking knuckles, "Jay, why did you ask him to stay?"
"Because you called out for him," Jay insisted, watching as Lloyd's body stiffened with a mix of what he assumed was fear and embarrassment, "when they carried you inside, after I…I shocked you, so you'd start breathing again."
"I…" Lloyd swallowed, tears pricking at the edges of his shiny green eyes with red flecks in them as he shook his head, "I died?"
Jay nodded, pulling Lloyd into the tightest hug he could once he heard the first hitch of breath; his body shook with sobs of realization and while he was mentally kicking himself for not consulting the others about what they were telling Lloyd, Jay knew that the truth was for the best.
"Oh FSM, I died. I wasn't breathing and I…" Lloyd choked out around sobs, his chest heaving against Jay's tight hold.
"You're safe now. You're alive, that's what matters."
"A-and I asked for…him?"
Jay nodded as confirmation, feeling Lloyd hold on tighter and tighter despite the sobs starting to slow; he took in the truth of his words and for once, Jay knew better than to speak. Especially given his own experiences with grief as well as trying to understand the actions of parents who you never really knew.
It wasn't until Lloyd pulled in a snotty sniffle and pulled away from Jay, wincing as he wrapped a loose arm around his broken ribs that the blue ninja let go of him and moved to help Lloyd lay down, brushing his wispy blonde hair out of his face as shiny, green eyes reflected in his blue ones.
"We aren't our parents," Jay finally spoke, his mouth dry as he recounted the night where he had told Lloyd about the events with wishing magic, sky pirates and most pressingly, his biological parents, "even if it doesn't feel like it, we choose our own path."
"I-I know," Lloyd stuttered as he reached his left arm upwards to wipe at his wet cheeks, "you aren't the first one to tell me that."
"Yeah, but you looked like you needed to hear it," Jay shrugged before settling in the green recliner next to Lloyd's bed, watching as the boy's eyes started to flutter shut, "do you want me to stick around for a bit?"
But Lloyd was already letting out a soft snore of sleep, so Jay settled in the chair, grabbed the closest Fritz Donnegan comic from Lloyd's extensive collection and commanded a small flash of lightning to illuminate the small lamp that sat on the boy's bedside table.