(A/N: Well, I'm stuck at home, because I discovered I've got Covid for the second time, but it's for the best)
The doors open as Lloyd, Jay, Nya, Gewuji and Hayden all enter the temple, where ahead of them was a dojo. The door soon closed before fast music started to play. "The music again?" Nya asked. "How can it get harder?"
"This must be the final boss battle." Jay replied.
Soon, images of Lloyd, Jay, Nya, Gewuji and Hayden appear in front of them. Lloyd, Jay, Nya and Gewuji's images depict them in their gis before entering the game while Hayden's depicted him in his police uniform. "Choose your champion." An announcer called out.
"So now it's an old school fighting game? Make up your mind, dude!"
"What does he mean by, 'Choose your champion'?" Hayden asked.
"Choose your champion." The announcer repeated.
"I think one of us has to fight the boss." Gewuji said.
"I'll take this one." Lloyd replied.
"Are you sure?" Nya asked.
"You only have one life left, Lloyd." Hayden said.
"Same as you all." He replied.
Reluctantly, they all nod as Lloyd touched his image. "The champion has been chosen." The announcer said as Lloyd stood forward into the arena as a forcefield appears behind him, surprising the others. Lloyd stopped upon seeing Unagami's symbol appear in front of him, followed by his avatar. "Unagami will now choose your opponent." Images of Clutch, Aspheera, Oni, a chicken, and several more appear as Lloyd summoned his sword. "Fighter 2 will be..."
Once the opponent was selected, Lloyd felt determined before the opponent appears in front of him. The sight of his opponent made Lloyd gasp. It was a replica of Harumi, with red face paint and wearing an orange tight-suit. "Lloyd." She said.
"Ha..." He stuttered. "Harumi?"
Jay, Nya and Gewuji were completely surprised while Hayden looks confused. "Who is she?" He asked, referring to Lloyd's opponent.
"Harumi." Nya replied. "She used to be our friend."
"Until we found out she was The Quiet One." Gewuji said. "Leader of the Sons of Garmadon."
"Harumi blamed Lloyd for her parents' deaths, so she decided to bring Garmadon back from the Departed Realm." Jay said. "And that was what we came home to."
"It's good to see you again, Lloyd." Harumi said and started to approach him.
"How?" Lloyd asked, coming towards her.
"It's not her, Lloyd!" Jay called out.
"It's just a trick!" Gewuji yelled, moving forward, only for the forcefield to stop her. "Of course, a forcefield."
"Lloyd!" Nya yelled.
"No, no, no!" Jay yelled, banging on the forcefield.
"Don't listen to her!" Hayden yelled, punching the forcefield.
"Lloyd!" Gewuji yelled.
Unfortunately, he couldn't hear their protests or them hitting the forcefield beyond it as he approached Harumi. "Did you miss me, Lloyd?" She asked. "I think about you so much. Sometimes I wonder... If things could have been different... Maybe in another time or place..." She moves her right hand behind her back. "Maybe when you leave Gewuji, we can be together." A sword appears in her hand. "You and me..." She then screamed in anger as she revealed the sword and stabs him. Soon, a holo-board appears, showing Lloyd and Harumi on it, with hit bars, as Lloyd loses a bit due to the stab.
"Lloyd!" Nya and Gewuji yell.
Lloyd backed away as Harumi moves to strike him, but Lloyd blocks it, and they clash until he moves to the side and forced her back. They start to move around each other in a circle as Lloyd felt hesitant. "I can't fight her!" He said.
"It's a simulation!" Jay yelled.
"It's not her!" Hayden yelled as they bang on the forcefield.
Harumi soon spun to strike Lloyd, but he quickly moved to the left, deactivates his sword and somersaults before Harumi backflips and spun in the air to strike Lloyd, who reactivates his sword and blocks the strike, but she swung it down, striking him and forcing him back, losing more of his health bar. Lloyd feels where he was struck before looking up at her. "Harumi, please!" He said. "Don't do this!"
"You left me, Lloyd!" She replied. "All the people you save... and where were you when I needed you?" She starts to approach him. "Where the fuck were you?!" She holds her sword out to him. Lloyd looks away briefly before looking back to see Harumi about to strike him, but he quickly raised his sword to block it and tries to force her back, but she moves to the left. Glaring at him briefly, Harumi attempts to stab Lloyd, who quickly ducks down and backs away as she runs after him. She starts to spin while swing her sword around and Lloyd tries his best to block it or dodge before jumping back as Harumi tried to strike him while straightening herself. She then tossed her sword in the air, jumps and somersaults while catching the sword and prepared to stab him, but Lloyd raised his sword to make Harumi land on it before she backflips off of it, he swung it to the side, spins around, and kicks her, sending her moving back before she skids to a halt, the strike resulting in her losing some health. Harumi then tries to strike him again, but Lloyd manages to block it and moved it along her side as she ran past, losing some of her health in the process. Jay, Nya, Gewuji and Hayden gasp in shock. Harumi charges at Lloyd and tries to stab him, but he quickly moved to the side, dodging the sword before punching it, forcing her to move to the left while he spun and struck her from behind, resulting in her losing some health while he backflipped away and she gets back up. She then spun and charges at Lloyd, who does so as well, and they end up striking each other, both losing some health as they move back with both opponents stabbing their swords into the ground as they land before pulling them out. Lloyd spins his sword backwards as Harumi charged towards him, and he does the same before they jump, raise their swords high and struck, only to clash their swords before Harumi backs away, spun, and tries to stab Lloyd, who moves to the side to avoid it before she spun again and raised her sword as Lloyd did so as well and strike, only to clash their swords before backing away and moving in a circle. They charge and clash their swords before looking at each other. "Lloyd, I don't have long. But I wanted to say... I'm sorry." Lloyd started to feel sympathetic. "I'm sorry for everything. If you could only give me another chance..."
"Harumi? Is it really you?"
Jay, Nya, Gewuji and Hayden keep trying to get his attention. "No, Lloyd!" Hayden yelled.
"It's not Harumi!" Jay yelled, banging at the forcefield.
"The computer is just trying to get into your head." Gewuji said.
"It's nothing but a program!" Jay bangs at the forcefield again.
Somehow managing to hear it, Lloyd jumps back to stare at the copy of The Quiet One, who made him break Gewuji's heart the first time, who deceived him into resurrecting his father, and who believed she and him should be together. "Harumi, what did we do the first night we were alone together?" He asked. "That one night that made Gewuji and I break up the first time?"
"Watched the sunset?" She asked, a little confused. Lloyd frowned a little. "Listened to music?"
"We went to the canals in Ninjago City. To give food to the poor." He then held his sword out to her. "The real Harumi would've remembered that." He moves it back. "You're not Harumi!" They soon charge at each other before Lloyd jumps while moving his sword upwards, striking her into moving backwards, losing some health in the process while he spun backwards before landing as Harumi spun to get back on her feet. She then charged at Lloyd as he does a handstand and bounced to flip, only for Harumi to spin and struck him in the back, resulting in him losing some health. He stabs his sword into the ground while landing before swinging to kick Harumi in the back, forcing her forward and losing some health. She lands on her front before rolling forward and spun to get back on her feet. She soon charged at Lloyd to try and stab him, but he moves to the side to avoid it, then quickly turned to swing her sword multiple times to hit him, resulting in him losing some health. She then jumped to charge at Lloyd while spinning, but he swings his sword to strike her, sending her flying back, and losing some health. She quickly got up and charged at him to stab him, but Lloyd swung his sword at Harumi, blocking hers and making them spin before turning back to clash, move forward of each other and turn back to face each other. They move in a circle with looks of determination before they charge at each other, screaming with determination before they swung their swords.
They soon had their backs to each other before Harumi disappears and Lloyd turns into an Energy Cube. "No!" Jay yelled.
"Lloyd!" Nya yelled.
They try to move to it, but the forcefield was still up. "Why isn't this shutting down?" Hayden asked.
"It's a draw." Gewuji replied, guessing the reason.
"No official winner has been declared." The announcer said as a drone appears and absorbs Lloyd's Energy Cube before flying away. "Therefore, a new champion must step forward." Jay, Nya, Gewuji and Hayden's images soon reappear in front of them. "Choose your next champion."
Jay, Nya and Gewuji huddle as Hayden watched them. "What do we do?" Nya asked.
"One of us will have to go do this." Gewuji replied.
"Yes, but we all have one life left." Jay said. "One small mistake, and we're cubed."
"I'll go. Believe me, this is something I must do."
"No, it should be me." Nya said.
"The new champion has been chosen." The announcer said aloud, which made them turn to see that it was Hayden, who pressed his image, and the forcefield deactivates.
"Mantis?!" They all ask.
"I may not be a Ninja, but I will fight like one." Hayden replied as he started to move onto the arena.
"Mantis, wait!" Nya yelled as they try to stop him, only for the forcefield to reactivate and hold them back.
"Mantis!" Jay said, banging the forcefield.
(A/N: I decided to add that Hayden would take on an opponent himself, since the match between Lloyd and Avatar Harumi was technically a draw, so be ready for his fight in the next chapter)