Author note:
Sorry for the wait, I don't think I did a good job with this chapter to be perfectly honest.
Sorry if this feels out of character for Lloyd as well, but let's just get to the chapter
1 month ago:
"Could someone please wash the dishes?" I pleaded, staring at the mound of dirty dishes waiting there.
"No can do Lloyd! I'm about to beat my high score in Prime Empire!" Replied Cole, mashing buttons quite vigorously
"And I cannot afford to miss it." Stated Jay
I rolled my eyes, he has used that excuse so many times that it's hard to count.
"What about you then, Kai?" I asked
"Well, I'm running low on hair gel, so I've got to get more." He responded
"Zane, you've got to be free!" I begged
"I'm not free. I have arranged with Nya to go on some missions today, sorry." He said
"Excuses! All excuses! I've got to rake the leaves outside without using Spinjitzu because if I do Master Wu will get angry, and that's going to take ages! I just don't have the time to do the dishes afterward! When's the last time any of you did anything around here?! I, for one, have done all of the work, washing the dishes, sweeping the floors, cleaning after you!" I muttered
I felt something deep down inside of me, urging me on. Fuelling the fire burning deep inside. The fire that I have desperately been trying to put out. I would've carried on, I would've poured oil into the fire…
But I didn't want to make a bad example of a leader. Leaders have to be calm and controlled in all situations.
But how can I be calm if they won't listen? If they won't care? I thought to myself
Don't I have to make them care? If they can't even tidy up their pizza boxes, then how will we be organized and coordinated in battle?
No, I must be lenient with them, they're my friends, I can make exceptions, can't I? But for how long will I have to make exceptions?
Time skip to 2 weeks ago:
It was a nice albeit pretty hot day. I decided to do some training in the early morning as I had nothing worthwhile to do. I also didn't want to get sloppy. The rest of the team seemed to forget about training. Nobody else was around. Probably asleep or playing video games, I thought.
I was striking a training dummy when suddenly someone came up behind me.
"Hey there little Lloyd!"
I turned around, ready to fight if needed, when I calmed down slightly realizing it was just Kai with a sly grin smeared across his face
"Do you mind? You scared me to death." I hissed
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize little Lloyd was afraid of the master of fire?" He teased
"It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that you came out of absolutely nowhere! And will you stop calling me little Lloyd? It's infuriating!" I snapped
"Well then, little Lloyd, it seems like my presence is agitating you, the master of fire shall be off then." He carried on
I had to resist the overwhelming urge to punch him in the face. What kind of a nickname was that? 'Little Lloyd' is the stupidest thing I've ever heard! I was practically fuming. When will he ever stop? It's just to annoy me at this point.
Again, came the feeling of a fire, flickering inside me. Growing bigger and bigger. As I didn't want anything bad to happen, I hid the remaining anger.
Time skip to earlier this week:
We were on a mission, we had gotten some intel that there was a criminal organization base located in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Ninjago City. This was the first full-team mission that we have done in a long time. It's not going to go well, is it?
"Why do criminals seem to love abandoned and empty places?" remarked Jay
"So that nobody's around to find out about them?" Answered Cole
"Well we found out about this place anyways, so I don't think it's worked that well for them." Commented Jay
"We're nearing the location of their base, be prepared." Warned Zane
"You heard Zane, so stop blabbering and focus," said Kai
Within a minute we had arrived at a small, secluded warehouse that looked like nobody had been inside it for years.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Asked Jay
"Yes, this is where all the clues led," I answered
"But it looks like nobody has set foot in here for years. What if it's an ambush, or a trap, or-" insisted Jay
"Shut up Jay, the criminals might hear you." Whispered Cole
"This place has got 3 entrances, one from the top and two from either side of the building. We'll enter in pairs. me and Zane will go in from the top, Kai and Nya from one side, and Jay and Cole from the other. We'll each enter quietly once the signal is given. Be careful, we don't know who, or what's inside. Understood?" I ordered
Each pair went to their stations, and the signal was given. We all entered stealthily, not making a sound. The warehouse had tall, steel shelves, carrying multiple boxes of stolen goods, ranging from useless junk to expensive jewelry.
"Nobody's here," remarked Jay
"Well thanks captain obvious." Joked Cole
"Everyone, go look for leads about who runs the group or any other important information," I stated
We all set off to look for clues when suddenly we heard a door open.
"Well look who it is. The ninja are here to save the day! What a welcome surprise. Boys, deal with them. I'll get the trucks loaded." Said a female with short dark hair, a black bandana, and a long, dark cloak.
We were outnumbered and it had been a long time since we had all fought together. We were incredibly uncoordinated and ultimately lost the battle. We had to make the difficult decision of retreat.
When we arrived at the monastery, I couldn't hold back the anger anymore. It was all their fault. When was the last time they had trained? I've been nagging them to train, as we didn't want a repeat of the tomb incident. But never have they listened. All with the excuse of winning a big battle, and needing rest, when it's been 2 months since we defeated the overlord. This is what happens when you don't train, I thought
"I've been telling you guys to train, but you've always refused. Look at where that's gotten us. You're all out of shape. How do you expect us to protect the city when we are so unorganized that we can't even stop low-level thugs?" I hissed
"Well, we needed to rest! It was hard work defeating the crystal king. How will we fight if we're all tired?" Replied Jay
"It's been 2 months! Don't you think that's at least BIT overkill?!" I responded
"It hasn't been 2 months, it's only been 3 weeks, hasn't it?" Said Jay
"Lloyd is correct, actually. It has been exactly 2 months and 4 days since we defeated the crystal king." Stated Zane
I truly wanted to keep arguing, after all, they've got to learn. But something held me back. A lingering memory
'That's the spirit! Just like your father! Anger makes you stronger!'
Those words stung. I want it to be a lie. But I know she was right. I am just like him, aren't I? I can never escape it. I shall always be known as Lloyd Garmadon, the son of Lord Garmadon in the eyes of others. Whether intentionally or not. No matter how hard I try, No matter how much I do for Ninjago it will never change. It is hopeless. But the words that hurt the most?
Just like your father.
Those 4 words kept playing on repeat in my head. Like a broken record. A never-ending cycle of guilt.
I quickly snapped out of it and buried the remainder of the frustration.
But the anger was only going to grow the more I held it back, wasn't it?
Author note:
Please leave feedback and ideas for the coming chapters. I find it hard making original ideas and would love to see the ideas you come up with. Thanks for reading :)