In the desert, the Serpentine entered a snake themed pyramid, where the second fangblade was located.
the Serpentine made a turn at a corner and down a hallway. Until Pythor suddenly stopped and held up his arm to make the rest of them halt.
Skales was looking at the map as he bumped into Pythor. "Why musssst we sssstop when the next Fangblade it's just ahead of us?" He asked in irritation.
Pythor answered by slamming his staff to hit the ground, causing the path in front of to crumble into a pit below.
"What good is unlocking the Great Devourer with the four Fangblades, if we're not around to see it?" Pythor scolded Skales.
Skales gulped and nodded, "Alright, we'll sssend in sssomeone small enough to do it," He suggested before turning to Burmesia, "Well girl, time to earn your keep." He said.
Burmesia's eyes widened, "Wait, me?!" She asked in surprise.
"Yesss you, you are the smallessst one here and-OW!" Skales was cut off when Pythor hit him on the head with his staff as Skales turned to see his leader glaring at her.
"When I said, we mussst do what ever it takesss to claim the Fangblades, it doesss not include me niece'sss life Skalesss!" Pythor told the Hypnobrai General, "I have someone more, expandable in mind, get the boy!" He ordered.
Skales nodded frantically and turned around, "Bring out the boy!" he ordered a Serpentine from behind, doing anything to avoid his leader's wrath.
A Venomari and a Fangpyre was bringing Lloyd wrapped in chains to them before they released him from the chains. "Oh! You're letting me go?" Lloyd asked hopefully, causing Burmesia to chuckle a little.
"Only to fetch a little something, Lloyd." Burmesia told him as he led Lloyd to the side of the pathway. "But I would recommend you ssstep carefully."
Lloyd then steadly walked across the narrow walkway, pressing himself against the wall to avoid falling into the pit. But when he tried to jump across, he stepped onto a weak stone and almost dropped. He screamed and grabbed on to the ledge, looked down before pulling himself up onto the other side.
He turned to Pythor, "Bring back the Fangblade, and we'll let you go," he said with narrowed eyes.
Lloyd whimpered and took a few steps but then stepped on a trap stone and galloped across the floor as it fell to pieces. He jumped to safety but set off another trap as spikes from the ceiling started moving to squash him. Lloyd crawled as fast as he could, narrowly escaping the spikes. As he stood up however, he set off another trap and swarms of arrows shot out from the walls and he rushed down the hall, miraculously he managed to get to the other side, without a single arrow in him.
Lloyd leaned against a pole to catch his breath, and then noticed the shrine room ahead, with a beam of light shining down on a pedestal. The Fangblade was just ahead, but then as he went to get it, he pushed the pole he was leaning on out of alignment, causing dirt and rocks to rain down on him, he managed to avoid them as a pile of sand and stones pushed him face first into the room. Lloyd got up, walked up the stairs, and towards the pedestal but all he found was a layer showing an indentation of where the Fangblade once laid.
Lloyd turned back to the exit and called back to the Serpentine, "It's gone!" He yelled.
His echo was heard by Pythor, who was left shocked by this revelation. "It's gone?!" he repeated in shock.
"Sssomeone mussst've found the blade before usss!" Burmesia summarized in realization.
"Then Where issss it?" Skales asked him, Pythor though furious, thought for a moment. But his thoughts were interrupted when Lloyd asked.
"Do I still get to be free?" Lloyd asked from within the chamber
"You don't have the Fangblade, so NO!" Pythor shouted back immediately.
Lloyd heard that and grunted. "Dang it!" He griped.
At the Destiny's Bounty, the Ninja are looking at a hologram of the fangblade in the bridge as they try to figure out their next move.
"Though they got the first one, but there are three more, and we just need one to stop the Serpentine." Nya stated.
"The only problem is that they have a map and we don't, so the question remains, how are we gonna find them first?" Lydie questioned her friends, since they don't know where the other Fangblades are. "They could be clear across Ninjago." She added.
"I sill can't get over the fact that you were the Mysterious Samurai." Jay said to Nya as Nya turned to her boyfriend with a flirting smile. "Is anyone else blown away like I am?" He asked his friends.
"You know what blows me away? The fact you changed your old dress for that one, just because of Jay." Kai said, gesturing to Nya's light blue and silver phoenix dress.
"What? Blue's my favorite color. Besides, it fits since I'm cool minded and you're hot headed, big brother." Nya teased with a smirk and pose.
"Hey!" Kai retorted, "If you're done making jokes about me, can we please just move on!?" He demanded.
Jay then did gibbering sounds, stopping Kai's rant. "Someone's a little hot under the collar." He teased as Nya gave her brother a teasing smile too.
Lydie stepped forward, "That's probably because he's still bugged that he didn't get to be called the Green Ninja yet." She teased as Kai frowned at her in irritation.
"And it also appears his impatience is because he has not found inner peace and unlock his full potential like you, Jay and I have, Lydie." Zane added with a small smile.
"Great observations Mr. Roboto and Ms. Daughter of the Dark Lord," Kai snarked at them, "But Cole still hasn't found his either." He pointed out.
"I got it!" Cole suddenly spoke with his arms raised as everyone turned to him in surprise.
"You've already unlocked it!?" Kai asked in shock. "Oh! Why am I the only ONE?!" He yells while looking at his hands in frustration.
"No, I figure out where I recognize the Fangblade from." Cole explained as he rushed out of the Bridge. "I have a picture of it." He said before he ran out the door.
"Oh, ha, ha, is that it? Heh." Kai said embarrassingly for complaining about the only one. "Good." He said as Cole came back.
"I got it!" Cole said as he held up a photo album and place it down on the table as he opened it to reveal the fangblade on a trophy.
Jay took the album as he took a closer look as the others huddled up. "That's it!" Jay said.
"It's the fangblade all right. How did your father get that, Cole?" Lydie asked the Earth Ninja in wonder.
"Back where I grew up, there's this pretty big competition, where every year the winner gets the The Blade Cup." Cole explained as his friends listened. "My dad's won it multiple time, even a few times with my mom after they got married." He added with a small smile.
"You never told us your parents were an accomplished athletes." Zane commented. "What's sport?"
"Oh. My dad's uh, um, a blacksmith." Cole answered sheepishly.
"Nothing wrong with that." Kai stated as he gestured to himself and Nya. "Our father was a blacksmith, too." He said.
"Yeah, but we never heard of a competition-" Nya was about to asked before Cole continued.
"That's because he's not a 'armor making' blacksmith." Cole said as he stood up, "He's a Royal Blacksmith." He said as he showed the picture of his father holding the Blade cup, who is a dark gray-haired man still in the prime of his life, with well-defined cheeks and small wrinkles near his eyes. He has bushy eyebrows like Cole, and also boasts a small mustache and actually much skinner than Cole.
The boys and snorted, "That's your dad?" Jay snickered before they saw Lydie looking at him awestruck, "Uh, captain?"
Lydie immediately shook her head and beamed to Cole, "Your dad is one of THE Royal Blacksmiths?!" She asked.
"Uhh, actually he's the leader." Cole answered, surprised by Lydie's excitement.
"Dude! They are my favorite singers in all of Ninjago!" Lydie excitedly squealed. "I listen to their latest songs on TV or radio every friday!" She exclaimed while jumping up and down like a fangirl.
The others, especially Nya, looked at Lydie weirdly as they watched her in fangirl-mode while Cole felt uncomfortable as Lydie stopped and looked at them before she gave an embarrassing blush.
"Sorry, huge fan." She said while rubbing the back of her head.
"We didn't know you are an admirer of show tunes, Lydie." Zane said in surprise as the purple ninja gave a chuckle.
"It's something I considered a hobby when nothing is going on. Plus, they're songs are really good." Lydie explained as she held up an album. "I have a collection of their songs in this album." She added.
Kai then turned to Cole, "Okay, but how did the Fangblade become a trophy?" He asked.
"Well, supposedly, the Blade Cup was made by this guy who collected priceless artifacts." Cole explained while placing a finger on his chin. "His name was something like, uh, Dutch…" He tried to remember the name before it came back to him. "No, Clutch, Clutch Powers!" He said as he walked around. "Anyway, it gets passed on to each year's winner." He finished.
"Who has it now?" Zane asked in wonder.
"I don't know." Cole said as he shook his head. "I haven't talked to my father in years. Not since my mom…" He Kaied off as he looked down in slight sadness before shaking his head. "Anyway, my dad is probably the only one who knows where the fangblade is now."
"Well, then we'll call him up." Kai suggested as he held up a phone.
"You can't!" Cole called out as he snatched the phone out of Kai's hands.
"Why not, Cole?" Lydie asked in confusion.
"My dad doesn't know I'm a ninja! He thinks I'm in Ninjago City training at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts!" Cole pointed out as he walked up to the wheel while in a guilt expression. "He wanted to follow in his footsteps, but when I couldn't sing or dance, I ran away, and if he sees that I can't dance, he'll know I've been lying in all the letters I've been sending him."
"He doesn't know you're a ninja?" Zane asked as the others gave him sympathy looks.
Cole let go of the wheel as he look towards them. "What, you gonna crack some joke that my old man wears a tutu?" He retorted.
"No, Cole, not that." Lydie assured as she walked up to him as she place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But if we're gonna have any chance at getting that Fangblade before the Serpentine do, we'd better get our own act in tune." She added as Cole gives a thoughtful look at seeing his father again. Then Lydie gave an excited look, "Also, who misses a chance to see THE Royal Blacksmiths, in person?! Set a course fellas!" She declared while walking to wheel.
Cole then facepalmed, "Oh, boy." He groaned.
Meanwhile back in the Darkness Realm, the Spinjitzu brothers and the royal sisters were reaching the peak of the Mountain of Madness as Garmadon turned to see the moon. "I had hoped we had reached the summit before the Moon had risen." He said while narrowing his eyes and looking around, "The Craglings never miss a midnight snack." He said and pressed onwards.
"Craglings?" Wu repeated in worry. "What is this place? There's no such thing in Ninjago." He pointed out as he looked at the landscape.
"There are horde unlike any you've seen." Garmadon said turning to Wu. "Not all places exist to be found, brother. Sometimes one must reveal in the shadows to truly see the light." He said as the brothers saw them too and looked ahead to the clumping up together to become giant Rock Golems.
As the Rock Golems approach them, they took a few steps back as they were outnumbered before Sensei Wu nearly fell back as they were near the edge of the cliff. Garmadon then drew two swords and yelled as he charged at them, striking them down. Wu then pulled a flail and charged after their brother.
As all for them charged, one by one they knock down each Rock Golem. Just as they were making their way up the mountain, one of the Rock Golems grabbed Wu. Wu was knocked off his feethis feet and was about to be crushed until Garmadon rushed to his younger brother's aid.
"Watch out, brother!" Garmadon said as he took down the Cragling.
"Thanks," Wu said as he stood up and the two regrouped. They were soon cornered by a horde of Craglings, but were not afraid as they stood back-to-back.
"Just like old times," Wu said as he stood ready for battle.
"Just like old times," Garmadon repeated. Then the two did Spinjitzu, Garmadon's tornado was just like Lydie's.
"NINJA-GO!" They shouted as the Craglings back away from the two tornadoes.
Back in Ninjago, the Destiny's Bounty flies over the town where Cole used to live. The Ninja (Wearing casual clothes), jumped down, summoned their vehicles, with Lydie riding with Cole since Umbra is too noticeable, as they landed just outside of Cole's home.
Lydie then pulled out the case for their weapons and held it out for her friends, "Alright, hand them over boys," She told them, as Cole places his Scythe inside it.
"Ah-ah, but no mortal shall possess all four." Jay joked as he place his Nunchucks in the case. "And the daughter succeeds where her father fails."
"Very funny, Jay." Lydie said dully as the others placed their weapons in the case.
"Wanna remind me again why we can't keep our weapons?" Kai asked after placing his Sword in the case.
"I told you guys, my dad can't find out I'm a ninja," Cole reminded them. "And I don't feel like making up excuses why I'm carrying a giant scythe around." He pointed out.
"So for now, the Golden Weapons stay in the case for now." Lydie said as she closed the case as Cole lead the way to his old home.
"Just remember the plan, we find out who has the Fangblade trophy, we snatch it, and then we get the heck out of town." Cole tells them the plan.
"After we get an autograph from your father!" Lydie said as she held up her album and pencil while looking excited.
"Geeze, is she that much of a fangirl?" Jay asked them.
"I've seen others fan over my dad before, so she's just another one." Cole said with a non-surprise tone. "And that's not why we come here, Lydie." He remind her.
"Hey! We're Ninja, we can multitask! And this is my chance to actually meat Lou of the Royal Blacksmiths!" Lydie exclaimed and prancing excitedly.
Cole just sighed with a hand to head and knocked on the door. "Just a moment." Lou's voice called out as he opened the door.
"Hey, Dad!" Cole greeted with a smile, "How long has it been?"
Cole's father however was not amused, "What, you too good for the doorbell?" He asked sternly, before slamming the door. Cole was confused before his father called, "Use the bell, son."
Cole did as his father asked and rang the bell.
"Welcome~!" a recording sang as the door chime.
Cole's dad then open the door with a bright smile on his face. "Come on in, son. It's been forever." They hugged as the man saw Cole's friends, "What did you bring? A Quintet? Come in, come in. I've got a kettle of lemon honey tea on the stove right now." He welcomed as they all walked in.
"Ohmygosh, ohmigosh, ohmigosh!" Lydie cheered as she shook Lou's hand after he put on some music, "It is such an honor to meet you mister Brookstone! I am a huge fan of your group's music! I have all your latest hits on my album!" She said, pulling out her album of the Royal Blacksmiths.
"Hehehe, I see my son have a fan in his group." Lou said with a small smile as he sighed her album. "It's nice to meet a fan. So, how is my son?" He asked curiously.
"Well, you know, hard as a rock." Lydie said as Lou chuckled.
"Heheh, that's my boy." Lou said with a small chuckle.
Cole rubbed the back of his head as he and the others sat on the couch as music was being played while Lou gave the Ninja each a cup of tea.
"Did my son tell you I broke my foot?" Lou asked them. "It was the cha-cha, but I swear the percussionist had it in for me." He said as Cole sighed.
"No dad, I didn't tell them about your silly stories." Cole retorted.
"'Silly stories'?" His father asked when he heard him say that as Lydie hit him on the shoulder.
"Cole, be nice." Lydie said firmly before turning to Lou apologetically, "What he meant was, we've been busy training at the...uh..." She struggled to remember the name of the art school Cole told them about.
"Uh, The Martha Oppenheimer, yeah." Jay chimed in.
Lou stopped the music as he turned to the group, " Martha Oppenheimer?" he repeated with suspicion.
"What he's trying to say is The Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts." Zane corrected quickly.
"We been so busy that we kinda forgot the name and Cole barely had time to tell us stories about you." Lydie explained.
"Right. Well, um, see, we have this final research paper we're doing on the History of Ninjago Talent, and we really want to know was, how can we get our hands on the Blade Cup?" Cole asked.
Lou took a sip of his cup and looked at them seriously, "You're talking about getting your hooves on the Blade Cup? The most prized and heavily guarded award in all of Nya, the symbol of excellence in harmony and grace?" He asked them, "You can't just get it, you have to earn it. You have to exhibit style. Perfect pitch. Push the boundaries of artistic license and win this year's Ninjago Talent Show!"
"Um, perhaps there's an easier way?" Zane asked
Suddenly, Lou's eyes widened with a sudden realization. "Is this why you came? You knew I was injured and when my quartet insisted we shan't go on, you five have come to take our place." Lou asked in a happy tone. "Haha, ingenious! My son, bringing forth the next generation of the Royal Blacksmiths! Let me hear the sweet, sweet sound of harmony." He said with an hand to his ear.
There was a moment of silence before Jay jumped up and sang before the others, except Cole, jumped in.
Jay: Harmony…
Zane: Harmony…
Kai: Harmony…
Lydie: Harmony…
Cole facepalmed himself as his dad cringed his face at the awful, off-key singing he heard. But it changed after Lydie went last as he smiled pleased while the boys turned to Lydie in surprise at the sound of her voice.
Lou laughed happily and turned to his son, "Well Cole, the boys could use some work but this one," He started, pointing to Lydie before giving a lip smack, "Marvelous! An S-class singer you have there." He said to his son.
Lydie rubbed the back of her head in slight embarrassed. "Just, Years of practice." She said sheepishly.
Cole then stood up and changed the subject, "Look, dad. We just need the trophy." He told his father.
"Yeah, we're bringing home the gold and we want you to train us." Kai said as Cole looked shock.
Lou made a happy sob and sniffled. "I've never been more proud. If you'll excuse me, I need to write a song about my feelings." He said as left the room.
"What are you doing?" Cole asked the others.
"Look, we enter this competition so we can get close enough to the Blade Cup." Kai explained it to him. "How hard can this be? I mean with your dad's help and Lydie's voice, we might steal the show too!" He pointed to Lydie who looked a surprised as they turned to her, "And why didn't you tell us you can sing like that."
"Uh, I get stage fright, or something." Lydie simply said with a slight chuckle, which the boys assumed was just a joke.
"Good one, Lydie." Jay chuckled. "But seriously, how you learn to sing like that?" He asked.
"Well, when you are raised and working in the orphanage, singing the kids to sleep is part of my passion." Lydie explained to them while covering it up. "I am a pretty good singer, I just never had the chance to sing since becoming a Ninja." She added.
"Well, with your singing, we can beat the contest, make Cole's dad proud, and we get the Fangblade and then we rescue Lloyd and stop the Serpentine." Kai said with a determined smile.
At the mention of Lydie smiled confidently, "Well then, let's get to work!" She declared.
Meanwhile in a desert village, the Serpentine were stirring up trouble as they searched for clues to the Fangblade's location.
An Ancondrai, Hypnobrai and Constrictai walk around before the Anacondrai notices a poster, "Hey, get a load of that!" She said as the other two snakes turned to the Poster that said 'Ninjago's Got Talent' with a picture of the Blade-cup on it.
"A talent show?" The male Hypnobrai said. "Never been to one of thossse."
"Ooh, a ssssinging competition? I like ssssinging." The Constrictai said in eleation, clapping his hands before the Anacondrai hit them both on the head.
"No, you idiotsss! The trophy!" She told him, noting at the silver blade contrasting the gold trophy, "It'sss a Fangblade!"
The Constrictai saw it as well, "Wait, that'sss what Pythor'sss looking for!" He said.
"Ssso that's where the one from the pyramid went!" The Hypnobrai realized as the Anacondrai took off the poster
"Let's go boysss! We have to tell the Generalsss! There'sss no time to loose!" The Anacondrai said as the three rushed off to report what they found.
Back with the ninjas, they all were in a dance studio while Lou was in behind a piano. "Okay, from the top. Five, six, seven, eight," he said as he started playing.
"Bop it till you drop it." Kai sang as he posed.
"Shake it till you break it," Jay sang as he posed.
"Wail it till you nail it," Lydie sang as she posed.
"Move it till you lose it," Zane sang as he posed.
"Spin it till you win it," Cole finished as he posed.
"Stop! Stop! Ugh!" Lou shouted as he walked around the piano. "If my ears weren't attached to my head, they'd be running away! Kai, love the energy, hate the hair." Kai groaned as Lou moved to Jay. "Jay, you're giving a lot, but I need more." He then moved onto Lydie, "Lydie, you're a star, not a mouse. Act like it!"
"Yes sir!" Lydie quickly saluted nervously.
Lou moved over to Zane. "Zane, you're like a machine. Don't change anything." Zane smiled as Lou moved to Cole. "And Cole, try to act like you wanna be here."
"He's worse than Sensei Wu." Jay whispered to Kai.
"Okay, moving forward." Lou told them. "Let's take a look at the big show-stopping climax. Cole, we can't have history repeating itself." He said pointedly at his son.
Cole sighed in exasperation, "Dad, it was the Triple Tiger Sashay. I was seven." Cole complained.
"What is the Triple Tiger Sashay?" Zane asked.
"Only the most difficult dance move ever created." Lydie answered, having heard of it herself. "Only the original creator of the move has ever successfully performed it."
"It's true." Lou confirmed. "Many other professionals have dare tried, but never been successfully completed."
"Hence, my father thought a seven-year-old could!" Cole shouted agitatedly. "But I ended up falling on my face, humiliating myself, and letting my quartet down."
"If you're going to win, you have to go big!" Lou said before walking out, "Alright, time for a break. Take five." he closed the door as the Ninja talked amongst themselves.
"Uh, I'm starting to see why Cole is so closed off. It's cause twinkle-toes here couldn't deliver the goods," Jay snarked before Lydie elbowed him.
She then turned to Cole, "Is that the real reason why you ran away? Because you're afraid to embarrass yourself again?" she asked him.
"No. Besides I could deliver the goods-" Cole defended before realizing what he was saying and returned to the subject at hand, "look. I'll deal with my father, but let's stick with the plan. All we have to do is keep this charade long enough until we can get our hands on the trophy."
Jay however looked confident, "I don't know. I'm starting to think we can win this thing." He said before gesturing to Lydie who was looking away in concern, "Once Lydie gets the singing to pair with our smooth moves we might actually have a shot."
Lydie flinched at that while Cole grunts at him. "Okay, okay. We'll stick to the plan." he relented as they all went outside to 'practice'.
Outside, a man hold cover was pushed up as Burmesia and Pythor poked their heads out.
"It'ssss here. I can feel it, uncle." Burmesia said as she and Pythor looked around.
"Calm down. There's no need to attract unwanted attention." Pythor told her as they pulled our binoculars and looked around.
Burmesia then noticed something, "Look, the ninja." He said as he pointed the Ninja practicing their routine to Pythor.
"Bop it till you drop it." Kai sang as he posed.
"Shake it till you break it," Jay sang as he posed.
"Wail it till you nail it," Lydie sang as she posed.
"Move it till you lose it," Zane sang as he posed.
"Spin it till you win it," Cole finished as he posed.
Burmesia then sighed in defeat, "Oh, we're never gonna sssteal it now." She said.
"Patience. We're snakes, remember. They'll never see us coming. Hmm." Pythor said before he got a look at the flyer the three Serpentine found and gave him. "'Open audition'?" He chuckled as they slithered back down the sewers.
Back in the Realm of Madness, the two Brothers were finishing off the last of the Craglings. Once they stopped, they had reached the top of the Mountain of Madness. "The vortex back to Ninja is just over that bluff." Garmadon told them. "Please, you first."
"Though we live in two different worlds, I still see good in your heart, brother." Wu said as they climbed to the top and he looked down at the blue swirling vortex in the mouth of the mountain.
But while he had his back turned Garmadon crept up behind Wu, "The battle between our worlds is inevitable." Garmadon said as he raised his foot, "You put too much trust in me." He then gave his brother a strong kick in the back but he grab onto the ledge.
"But I came for your help to save your son," Wu said as he struggled to hold on. "Did you lead me here to destroy me?"
"If I did, I would've done that by now." Garmadon said. "This portal is a way to return to Ninjago, but in order for it to work, I need someone who came from the destination realm to pass through first in order to pass myself." He explained with a smile, "Remember how I asked 'what took you so long'?"
"You were stuck here even with the portal on this mountain but still couldn't return home?" Wu said in realization. "You were waiting for me this whole time."
"Yes." Garmadon answered. "Because of my prolong time in the Underworld, my connection to Ninjago was severed, so I needed someone like you to breach the portal for me to set it to home."
Wu struggled to hold on, "So, you were planning to, use me to escape and take the weapons?" He asked.
"At first, but when you mention my children in danger, a slight alteration was needed. So all I have to say is," Garmadon then raised his foot again, "See you the other side," Then with one push to his hand, Garmadon sent Wu off the cliff and into the vortex before Garmadon laughed and jumped in with him. "I am free!" Garmadon declared before he disappeared through the rift.
Back in Ninjago just outside of Ignacia as the night was beginning, a blue vortex opened over Ninjago. Some of the villagers were startled by this and were blown back and off their feet as Wu dropped out of the portal and landed on the ground.
But he wasn't the only one who returned. Garmadon then stood back up, his arms spread. "I'm back, Ninjago." He said as his shadow fell over some of the villagers as they sat up and he howled with evil laughter.
The greatest evil Ninjago had ever known, had returned.
Meanwhile in Ninjago City, at the music hall the audience gathered in the sits to watch the performance. Nya was also there to cheer the Ninja on as she took a seat.
Behind stage, the other performers were preparing their acts, even the Ninja were doing one last practice before the show. "Then kick ball change, barrel roll, barrel turn, and we all do the double wings-" Cole said as he did the dance steps and they follow along but on the double wings, Kai accidentally hit Jay.
"Ow! Dude, you gotta follow me." Jay told Kai.
"Follow you? You're two beats off." Kai told Jay.
"Actually, 2.72 off of the beat." Zane corrected.
"Guys, guys!" Cole cut in. "Let's not make this harder than it needs to be. Just stick to the plan and keep up the charade until the trophy's revealed. Once we steal the Blade Cup, we can argue all we want once we get back home."
"But this is your hometown, Cole, don't you even want to try and win this?" Lydie asked.
Cole groaned, "Ugh. The only dance step I wanna perform is called 'get-me-out-of-this-nuthouse-and-let's-burn-these-memories-from-my-head.'" He told them.
"What?" A familiar voice asked. Cole turned around to see his father with a shocked look on his face
.
"Dad. I..." Cole stammered, trying to come up with an excuse.
"You-? You were going to steal it?" Lou asked, sounding a bit heartbroken.
"Dad, I didn't mean for you to hear that, but- But I'm glad you did." Cole said as he walked over to his father. "There's something I want to tell you. All these years, I haven't been training to be a singer or a dancer. I found something new that I'm really good at. Dad..." Cole then did Spinjitzu and was in his gi. "I'm a ninja."
Lou gasped in shock as he recognized the suit Cole wore as his son went over to the case with their weapons in it and got out his scythe while the rest of them took off their hats.
"And the truth is, if we don't steal that Fangblade- I mean, Blade Cup. There are other people that will. Dangerous people. Serpentine. And we need it to save the world." He said, walking up to his dad, "I know how ridiculous the sounds, but I'm proud of who I am, and I want you to be proud of me, too." He finished, placing a hand on Lou's shoulder.
But the man brushed it off, "I can't be proud of a son who thinks stealing is right, and I'm not going to watch you abandon everything your mother has taught you about being an honest man… or watch you make a mockery of her memory!" He said to Cole before marching out the door.
"Dad, I-" Cole tried to explain, but Lou was already out the door. Cole groaned in shame as the others gathered around him.
"I'm sure he didn't mean that." Kai assured.
"He just doesn't understand." Lydie added.
"Maybe if he saw you in action," Jay purposed.
"No, it-It's okay." Cole said, feeling guilt for not telling his father the truth and for thinking this whole singing and dancing is lame and hurting his feelings.
And then, they saw a Constrictai, a Hypnobrai, a Fangpyre, a Anacondrai and a Venomari coming out of a dressing room with wigs on their heads and sunglasses. The door to the dressing room closed and they could see a name on the bottom of the star on it.
"'Treble Makers'?" Kai read the name.
"Wait a minute, what are they doing here?" Jay asked.
"Wait, if they're here, then that would mean…" Lydie was cut off as Pythor's voice called out.
"I can't help it if I offend anyone, My only job will be to tell the truth!" Lydie peaked through the curtains and saw Pythor was one of the judges while wearing a beard, And paled a bit at the sight of the crowd.
"You don't look anything like your photo," The judge said.
"Ah, sadly, but the camera adds a few pounds." Pythor explained with a smile, "I'm just happy to have the opportunity to judge this prestigious competition."
Then suddenly a muffled voice spoke up, "Wait a minute. I'm still here!" The voice said from, inside Pythor's belly?! "He swallowed me! He's not a judge!" The real judge exclaimed while the other two judges gasped in shock.
"Quiet!" Pythor demanded, hitting his stomach, "Or else I won't let you out."
"My apologies." The real Judge replied. He then turned to see two guards, holding the Blade Cup Trophy and carried it over to its pedestal on next to the judges.
"The Fangblade." Pythor said in awe.
The judge then made an unsure chuckle, "Uh, yeah. You mean the Blade Cup?" Je asked.
"Yes, yes. Whatever." Pythor said absently, as Burmasia and some other Serpentine sat down and the former readjusted his beard. Lydie pulled back from the curtains and turned to the others.
"Okay, first there are a lot more people than we thought and Second we're not the only ones interested in the Blade Cup. Pythor and the Serpentines are here." Lydie said to them as she puts on her hat.
"This complicates things," Zane said in concern.
Kai raised a brow at him, "If Pythor is one of the judges, there's no way we'll get perfect tens!" He told him.
"Then I say we make our move." Jay suggested, "We can't risk losing out again. I say we steal it."
"We're not gonna steal it." Cole said as the four turned to him in surprise, "We're gonna win this competition, but we're gonna do it our way." He said with a grin under his hood.
There was a pause before they all said in unison, "Our way?" Jay raised a brow, Kai tilted his head, Zane shrugged his shoulders and Lydie stiffened.
On stage the Treble Makers were singing quite poorly, "My poison lies over the ocean, my poison lies over the sea~." The Treble Makers sang, and as Pythor enjoyed their singing, everyone else had their ears covered from the terrible sound of their singing, including Nya.
"They kidnap Lloyd, strip me of my gear and chain me onto a Roller Coaster in just my bra and panties for all of Ninjago and Jay to see, now they sing a terrible song?" Nya questioned in irritation as she covered her ears. "These snakes really have no class."
"My poison lies over the ocean, so bring back my poison to me!" The Serpentine cheered while the rest of crowd boo'ed.
"Boo! You stink!" Nya shouted while Pythor whistled and gave them a ten. The other two judges gave them sixes, before Pythor saw them and snarled , making them flip their score cards, turning the sixes into nines. The four Serpentine on stage gave a bow to them before they walked off stage.
"And last but not least, the Royal Blacksmi-" The announcer was about to call out before a unicorn walked up to him and whispered into his ear. "Uh, hold on. Uh, this just in. There's been a switch. Taking the stage next is Spin Harmony!"
Backstage, the ninjas were back in their ninja gis instead of their stage show outfits. "
If we're gonna do this, I want everypony to see who we are." Cole told his team.
"I have butterflies in my stomach." Zane told them while holding his chest.
"Aw, come on, that's just nerves." Jay assured him.
"No, I really do have butterflies." Zane pointed out as he lift up his top, opening his chest to reveal butterflies flying out.
"Okay. Glad he got that out of his system." Jay said as he was weirded out by what he just saw.
"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this." Lydie muttered repeatedly before she heard the crowd and looked very nervous. "I can't do this! I can't do this!" She panicked quietly while the boys weren't listening.
"Once more, give it up for Spin Harmony!" The announcer called.
"Let's do this, for Cole!" Jay declared, pointing to Cole.
"If we can do the Tornado of Creation, we can for sure score perfect tens!" Kai said confidently before pointing to Lydie. "Plus Lydie, singing her new song while we dance We-"
Lydie interrupted him as she tapped on his shoulder, "Um, guys, can I talk to you for a second?" She asked with a nervous smile before she pulled the boys in close, "Remember that stage fright joke I made back at Cole's house?" She asked.
The boys already knew what she was trying to say, "Wasn't a joke?" Jay guessed.
"Not even close." Lydie said fearfully.
The boys looked at her in befuddlement, "Um, allow us to understand this properly." Zane asked with a raised brow.
"Your telling us that you, Lydie Garmadon the Purple Ninja and daughter of Lord Garmadon," Kai started.
"Who was the first to unlock her true potential and battled snakes and skeletons without even blinking," Cole continued.
"Is scared to sing in front of a crowd?!" Jay asked in disbelief.
Lydie gave an shameful look. "Yeah, pretty much." She simply said sheepishly.
"Why didn't you tell us this before you join in on the band!?" Jay questioned.
"Because I was embarrassed, okay?!" Lydie said in defense. "I was counting on us stealing the trophy but now I see that's out of the question, so I felt it would best if you guys just went on and performed with out me." She said while turning away in shame.
The boys looked at each other in sympathy before Cole grabbed her shoulder. "Lydie, you don't have to be afraid to sing on your own, we'll be right beside you on stage, together." He said.
"What if I screw up? I mean forget Pythor, the other judges might see me panicked and deduct our points anyway." Lydie said uncertainly.
"You won't." Kai said as the others came up to her in support.
"I sense you will do great out there." Zane said with a smile under his mask.
"Yeah! You are a great singer!" Jay exclaimed in excitement.
"Besides, if I hadn't made you guys come, I would've kept avoiding my dad while keeping him in the dark of being a Ninja." Cole said while giving Lydie a comforting look. "I might not be able to reconnect with my father the best way, but the least we can do is make him proud by doing what we do." He stated with a determined look. "Don't let stage fright stop you from doing things that you wanted to do. You can either go out there and face the crowd, or walk away in shame, like how I've been doing to my dad." He added.
Lydie looked at her friends before looking at out at the stage where the Fangblade, the crowd and the Serpentine are watching as she was deep in thought.
"Last call for… Spin Harmony!" The announcer called out.
Lydie know that she needs to overcome her fear sooner and later and they need the Fangblade. So she took a breath and look at her friends. "Okay, I'll try." She concede with a small smile underneath her mask.
The boys cheered her on as Zane spoke. "I can say anything with you Lydie, and it will only go to elevate our team unity." He encouraged.
Cole and Lydie gave their friends a heartfelt smile. "We're glad you guys are our friends." Cole said first.
"So boys, let's do the whip!" Lydie announced.
"NINJA, GO!" The five then did Spinjitzu together.
On stage, everyone waited for Spin Harmony to come out as Nya was getting worried.
"Come on, guys. Where are you?" Nya whispered in concern.
"Well, it looks like the last act is no longer performing." Pythor told the other judges with glee as reached for the trophy. "Ha, ha. That means I can give it this to the winners-"
But just before he could finish, "Ladies and gentlemen, Spin Harmony!" The announcer interrupted him, sliding in and then stepping off stage as the judge clapped and Pythor crossed his arms.
The lights turned on as the music of the Lydie's song turned on the Ninja started their dance as Lydie sang.
[Lydie: We Rise]
Lost in the unknown, so much to see
We are brave, we fight for what we believe
New adventures calling from within
Risin' to the top, yeah!
We're the fire burnin', feel the heat
Rising like a dragon, we ain't weak
Push us down, we get back on our feet
Together we will rise!
So far, the crowd and two of the judges were enjoying their dance as they all cheered and clapped for them, including Nya as she raised her arms.
We fight!
Aim high!
Spin! Fly!
Be a ninja for what's right!
"Go, Ninja! Go!" Nya cheered while waving her hands to her friends as they continued their dance. Pythor however looked at Skales in the crowd and gave a nod. Burmesia then gestured to the Serpentine sitting next to her to go and ruin their performance.
We may fall or fail, but know that we have no fear
Two heroes never quit
New adventures calling from within
Risin' to the top, yeah!
We're the fire burnin', feel the heat
Rising like a dragon, we ain't weak
Push us down, we get back on our feet
Together we will rise!
But the Ninja were not deterred and instead used their fighting in their act. Zane jumped onto to Jay back and kicked away one Serpentine, Cole held onto Kai's hand and spun him around knocking away four more, and Lydie flipped over punched away two more twice before jumping and doing doing Spinjitzu
We fight!
Aim high!
Spin! Fly!
Be a ninja for what's right!
(For what's right!)
(For what's right!)
From above a Fangpyre cut the ropes of a sandbags and tried to drop in on Jay. Zane kicked the sandbag away as Lydie kept singing the crowd soon began to sing along with her.
We're the fire burnin', feel the heat
Rising like a dragon, we ain't weak
Push us down, we get back on our feet
Together we will rise!
The crowd kept singing with Lydie as above her a Fangpyre cut the rope of a Sandbag that moved to drop on her until Cole kicked it out of the way.
We are warriors
We are glorious
Stronger, yeah we never back down
Dragon powers now
Rising from the ground
Fighting, we are legendary, never doubt
Focus and patience
That's what we ninjas are made of, yeah
And when everything falls apart, know that we won't back down
Lydie kept on singing as she and her friends knocked away the serpentine and posed while doing it, acting like it was part of their routine.
We fight!
Aim high!
Spin! Fly!
Be a ninja for what's right!
We! (Woah-oh-oh!)
Aim! (Woah-oh-oh!)
Spin! (Woah-oh-oh!)
Be a ninja for what's right!
Zane, Jay, Cole and Kai kicked away four more Hypnobrai and gave poses for the crowd while Lydie some free style dancing as she reached the end of her song.
Fighting forever!
Help one another!
Spinjitzu power!
We growing hopeful!
Winning the battles!
Go, ninja, go!
Know we're the warriors in our lives!
Behind her Cole saw three Fangpyre running towards Lydie and he rushed to stop them. Everything went in slow-motion as Cole jumped into the air and then stomped on the first one with his right left, pounded the second on with his left hand and then butted his head against the third one's. He landed on his feet perfectly as the three Fangpyres fell down, "Rawr~" he growled and curled his hand.
The others gasped in surprise as they could only guess what that move was "The Triple Tiger Sashay!" Lydie gasped in shocked and amazement.
The crowd was silent for a moment before it erupted with cheers and applaud from everyone. "Oh! He did it!" The announcer told the audience before he bowed down repeatedly to Cole. "The Triple Tiger Sashay! He's danced the impossible!"
The crowd continued to clap and applauded to them, except for the Serpentine and somehow Nuckle and Krunchra who are there to watch the talent show,as the Ninja gathered around Cole, as Lydie hugged him, Kai high fived him, Jay bumped his shoulder while Zane waved to the crowd.
The two judges gave them two perfect tens for their performance. The Ninja, Nya and others turned to the unimpressed Pythor as he held up a zero on his score board as the crowd boo at the Anacondrai general.
Pythor only gave a smirk in response before something traveled up his throat and forced his mouth open. A hand with a pencil came out of his mouth and drew a one next to the zero, making Pythor's zero a perfect ten before going back down.
"What? Wait!" Pythor shouted when he saw the score has been changed. "I didn't write that!" he retorted.
"It's a perfect score!" The Announcer declared as some of the staff swept away the Serpentine and the two guards brought forth the Blade Cup, "Spin Harmony wins the Blade Cup!" The guards bowed to Cole as they handed him the trophy. He looked at the trophy both his parents had one for years in his hands before he held it up with a beam of light shining down on it and the crowd cheered even louder.
Pythor however was less then pleased, "Oh, this is a travesty of epic proportions! I demand for there to be a recount!" He demanded as he threw away his score board and the judge next to him clapped.
As the crowd applauded the Ninja, Cole looked from left to right and noted that there was one empty seat in the VIP section. He sighed, saddened that after all this time he finally learned to perform the dance move that had embarrassed him in front of so many people all those years ago, and the only family he had left was not there to see it.
After the show, the Ninja walked back stage as Nya rushed up to them.
"That was amazing out there!" Nya called out in excitement with a wide smile. "And Lydie, that was the greatest song I ever heard! I didn't know you sing." She said in surprise.
"Thanks. I had some practice and encouragement." Lydie said with a small grateful smile.
"I've never felt so alive before!" Zane said as he and the others laughed and mimicked their dance performance.
"Ha, ha! We did it!" Jay shouted as Cole walked up with a sad look while he carried the trophy.
"No, Cole did it." Kai said.
"Yeah, because of you, Cole, Ninjago will sleep safely tonight." Lydie said with a proud smile.
"Thanks, but go on and celebrate without me." Cole told them. "Winning this doesn't feel the same without my dad being able to-"
"Cole!" Lou called out. Cole turned to see him at the entrance with a bright smile on his face.
"Dad?" Cole said in surprise.
Lou stepped towards him, "I saw it all son, I saw it all," he said as Cole ran to him and gave him a hug.
"You saw me dance?" Cole asked, flipping up his hood.
"More importantly, I saw you fight." Lou told him. "Those Serpentine were up to no good, trying to steal the show, and I saw you stand up for what is right, just as your mother once did for me." He then looked down in regret, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard to follow in my footsteps. Everyone is born with a special talent inside that's just waiting to get out. And you were born to be a Ninja. Your mother would be very proud of you, just as I am."
"So you're not mad?" Cole asked hopeful.
"How can I be? My son's a hero." Lou said proudly before a familiar voice cut in.
"Ehh, sorry to interrupt your little family reunion, but did you know, it's me, Pythor?" He asked as he came around the curtains and ripped off the fake beard.
"You couldn't fool us, Pythor." Cole told him as he puts his hood back on and the ninjas approached him.
"That beard wasn't even close to a disguise." Lydie added dully. "But what matters is that we have the Fangblade and you don't." She said seriously.
"But if you wanna a fight, bring it on!" Nya dared, wanting some payback for how he humiliated her at Mega Monster Amusement park.
Pythor however looked unbothered, "Oh don't fret, I just didn't want you to miss our big show stopper!" He said as he signaled two Constrictai to push a large crate across the room, causing it to crash into some lights and metal, knocking them down towards Lou.
Lou tried to run but he fell and Cole ran to save his father, "Dad!" He called as he dove for his father just as the rubble crashed down on them and the impact caused the others to be scattered and drop the trophy. In the smoke and dust that followed, Pythor managed to grab the Blade Cup with the Fangblade in the chaos as he slithered off with an evil laugh.
The Ninja and Nya all coughed from the smoke and dust as they stood up, "The Fangblade! Who's got the Fangblade?!" Lydie coughed as she looked around.
"I don't see it!" Nya coughed as well.
"They took it!" Jay coughed since the smoke cleared up and saw that none of them had the Fangblade.
"Cole!" Kai called out as the five rushed up to the pile to see if they get Cole and his father out.
Then they noticed a glow coming from the Golden Weapons' case. "Cole's Scythe." Lydie started in surprise, if Cole's weapon was glowing, than that means…
"Could it be?" Nyas asked as they saw among the rubble there was a glow of an earthly elemental aura as rising up from under it was Cole, but his body was surging with elemental power and his eyes glowing blue. He then tossed the pile off and helped his father up.
"Wha-? What? How did we survive that?" Lou asked before he saw his son elemental form. "Son?" He asked stunned.
Cole leaned back and hover in the air slightly, "Cole's found his True Potential." Frost said as Cole hovered a little in the air.
"His relationship with his father must have been holding him back." Lydie theorized.
"He's indestructible!" Jay shouted with enthusiasm.
"And incredibly strong." Nya said in awe.
Kai was behind the group as he crossed his arms in worry. "Ugh, great. So now I really am the only one who hasn't figure out my special power." He whined before the light surrounding Cole vanished and he shook his head after setting down.
Cole groaned and held his head, feeling very winded, "Is everyone alright? What just happened?" He asked as Lou placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We're all okay, son." Lou said with a proud smile.
The next morning, they all gathered at Landrush's house and were laughing and talking about Cole's True Potential over some drinks.
"I guess the scorecard now reads, Pythor: two Fangblades. Ninjas: zero." Jay complained.
"Yeah, but all we need is one, and there are still two left to find." Cole reminded them.
"Meaning that the race continues." Lydie said with full confident.
"Who knows, maybe when I unlock my True Potential, I'll turn into the destined Green Ninja." Kai bragged the others laughed.
"Yeah, right!" Jay said.
"Dream on!" Cole added.
"Your dreams are as big as your head!" Lydie called out as Zane just laughed.
"Sorry, bro, but not gonna happen." Nya joked with a chuckle as she rested a hand on Kai's shoulder. "The only thing you are destined for is an even more inflated ego." She snarked.
Lydie then turned to Nya. "Hey, Nya, you ever notice that ever since most of the boys unlocked their True Potential, their obsession to be the Green Ninja seemed to have disappeared?" She asked her.
"Yeah, I did." Nya said as she looked to Zane, Cole and Jay, "I guess after overcoming their own obstacles, being the Green Ninja didn't matter anymore." She theorizes.
"Could be." Lydie said as she went closer to her ears. "Meaning if Kai finds his, he might finally stop bragging about being the Green Ninja to shut his fire trap." She whispered as she and Nya snickered.
Lou then walked in with a photo, "Well, it's not the trophy, but it sure will look good on my wall." He then placed it on the wall. The others gathered around and saw it was shown to be a picture of the Ninja winning the Blade Cup and it was right next a photo of younger version of himself with a young woman with her black hair a bun and wearing a silver dress, both holding the Blade Cup.
"All right!" Cole declared.
"Amazing!" Lydie called out.
"Excellent." Zane added.
"Awesome!" Kai said.
"Beautiful!" Nya said.
"Nice." Jay said.
Lou then pulled something from his pocket, a craved stone charm with the emblem of a dragon on it. "Here, son. This belonged to your mother. I kept this after she…" He trailed off as he collected himself as he smiled. "She wanted you to have it. She would be proud that you became the man you are today." He said.
Cole to the charm and smiled at it, feeling like he was actually holding his mother's hand right now, "Thanks dad, and for the record, I think she would be proud of you too." He said.
Lou smile and looked to the group, "And thank you all for looking after my son," He said with his arms out, "As far as I'm concerned, you're all our family now." He said as they gathered around.
"Yeah." Cole said as they each huddled in for a group hug.