Kai yelled as he fell through the portal, landing hard on his back on a tarp. He groaned. He looked up at the portal in time for Jay to come flying, landing on him with enough force to knock them both down. The portal closed behind them.

"You can get off me now," Kai grumbled.

Jay chuckled, quickly climbing off the red ninja and looking around.

"Where are we?" Jay asked.

"I have no idea," Kai replied, looking around the room. "And where are the others? They followed us in, right?"

"Cole fell through right behind you," Jay turned to Kai. "I thought he would've been here."

"Maybe it dumped him in another place," Kai groaned, slowly reaching his feet. "We should look around and figure out where we are."

Jay nodded, jumping to his feet and following Kai to the door. Not knowing what was on the other side, Kai slowly opened the door, peeking out. It was a hallway lined with doors. A blue curtain blocked their view at one end, while the other had a set of double doors leading outside.

"There's a way out," Kai looked at Jay over his shoulder. "Come on."

Jay nodded as Kai threw open the door. Both raced down the hallway, only to hear a voice call their names.

"Kai! Jay!"

Both boys slid to a halt, turning around in a panic. They'd been caught, but clearly, someone knew who they were. It was an older lady, probably mid-thirties, with dark hair pulled back and away from her face. A pair of black-framed glasses sat on her face, matching her black dress and shoes. Whether this was a good guy or not was yet to be determined.

"You both know there is no running in the halls," she frowned. "And where are you taking off to in such a hurry? Rehearsal isn't over for another twenty minutes."

Both boys looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

"We uh-" Kai hummed, panic set in.

That's when Jay noticed a couple splatters of paint on the back of Kai's gi. The lady had said something about a rehearsal, and an idea popped into his head.

"We finished painting everything you need. It just has to dry," Jay stepped in front of Kai. "Since we can't do much else, we'd take off for dinner early."

The lady looked impressed and nodded, "Alright, fair enough. Just no running, please. I'll see you both next week."

She turned and disappeared through the curtain, and both boys let out the breath they were holding.

"How did you come up with that?" Kai turned to Jay.

"Well, we fell into a room with lots of paint and art stuff, and I'm thinking you landed on some wet paint, seeing how your back is coated," Jay motioned to the back of Kai's uniform. "And when she said rehearsal, I figured she intended to check on us and see how the painting was going. I just went for it after that."

As the blue ninja turned and walked towards the doors, Kai looked at him, shocked.

"You figured all that out on your own?" Kai asked.

"You sound shocked," Jay chuckled.

"I am," Kai agreed, chuckling.

Both boys pushed open the doors, stepping outside into the sunlight. They looked around, shock setting in as they realized they were in Ninjago City.

"Wait a second, I thought Borg said we were going to another realm," Kai frowned. "This is just Ninjago City. We never even left."

"Are you sure? Because things seem a little off to me," Jay frowned, turning to Kai. "I mean, look around; it's quiet and peaceful. And I don't see much in the way of technology anywhere."

Kai nodded, slowly realizing Jay was right. The giant screens lined the sides of most buildings downtown were nowhere to be seen. Many buildings looked much older, with no signs of damage, as if they'd never been attacked.

"Ok, so maybe it worked, just not how Borg expected it to?" Kai suggested.

"Maybe," Jay hummed. "But, where are the others? Shouldn't they have landed here too?"

"I don't know," Kai sighed. "They've got to be around here somewhere, though. Right?"
Jay nodded. They were leaving to find the others when a voice called them.

This one was too familiar.

"Kai? Did you get out of rehearsal early?"

Both spun around, taking a defensive stance with their hands hovering over their sheathed weapons. Garmadon stood about five feet from them, slightly taken aback by the response.

"Whoa, chill," he chuckled nervously, hands in the air.

"Sensei Garmadon?" Jay questioned, relaxing as he realized it was an ally, not a foe.

"Yes?" Garmadon replied, his arms moving back to his side in confusion. "What's going on here?"

"I'd be asking you the same thing," Kai growled, still tense and ready to strike.

"You asked me to pick you up after rehearsal," Garmadon frowned. "You said you and a friend wanted to hang out, so I was going to drive you over to the shopping district and let you guys chill for a while."

"Wait, what?" Kai frowned, his hand moving away from his sword. "I asked you to pick us up?"

"Yeah," Garmadon nodded. "I'm thinking something's changed then?"

"A little," Jay mumbled.

"Hold on, Jay," Kai turned to the redhead. "This is proof Borg's thing worked. We are in another realm, especially if Garmadon is still alive."

"Yeah, I know," Jay nodded. "But what about the others? Where are they?"

"Another realm?" Garmadon frowned. "What are you talking about? What do you mean by the others?"

"Back in our world, an inventor named Cyrus Borg made a portal with the realm crystal and asked us to help him try it out. We thought it didn't work initially, but it clearly did."

"The realm crystal?" Garmadon asked as concern crossed his face. "Do you have it with you?"

"No, Borg needs it to run his invention," Jay shook his head, "were you listening at all?"

"Don't worry about it," Garmadon shook his head, knowing he'd need to talk to his brother about that. "How about I get you two back to the Dojo and into more casual outfits. Then we can go find these friends of yours."

"I guess," Jay shrugged, looking at Kai, who shrugged back.

So both boys followed Garmadon to his car. Luckily for them, it was only a few minutes to drive to Garmadon's Dojo. The car ride was quiet, as no one knew what to say to the others. So when they arrived, Garmadon quickly pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off.

"Come on," Garmadon mumbled.

Both boys hopped out of the car, following Garmadon through the back door. Both were still on high alert, unsure if they were walking into a trap.

"Kai usually leaves a couple outfits here in case he wants to change after rehearsals or lessons," Garmadon explained. "So there should be a couple in his room."

"My room?" Kai asked. "I have a room here?"

"You are one of my weekend instructors," Garmadon turned to him.

He pulled open a door, letting the two walk in. It was a small office-like room. A small desk sat in the far corner with a bookshelf of martial arts books and papers. A dresser sat against the wall with a maroon hoodie thrown on top.

"Just, please leave the weapons here," Garmadon asked. "I don't want to explain why two teens carry around a million daggers, throw stars, etc."

Kai and Jay nodded. Garmadon closed the door, leaving them to change and walk down the hall.

"What are you making of all this?" Jay asked.

"I honestly don't know," Kai sighed, looking around.

He walked over to the desk, looking at the corkboard on the wall above it. It was covered in schedules, ribbons, photos, and messily drawn pictures from what he assumed were his students.

"It's almost like we never became ninjas," Kai mumbled, looking at the board.

"I don't think we did," Jay sighed. "And it seems so much calmer. Not just for the people, but for us."

"I know," Kai sighed. "I mean, I'm teaching here under Sensei Garmadon. Are we both part of a theatre club? This is-"

"Weird?" Jay asked.

Kai simply nodded, unsure of how else to explain it.

"Well, we should change then," Jay sighed. "The faster we get out of here, the faster we find the others and get home."

Kai nodded, watching Jay pull open a drawer on the dresser. He pulled out a t-shirt and frowned.

"Are we sure this isn't Cole's stuff?" he asked.

Kai frowned, walking over and looking inside. It was all dark clothing; greys, blacks, browns, with two maroon T-shirts. Kai pulled open another drawer, seeing a similar colour scheme.

"Is alternate me emo or something?" Kai asked, bewildered.

"Maybe," Jay chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Kai glared.

"I'm just trying to imagine you with an emo haircut," Jay snickered.

"You tell the others about this, and you won't tell them anything again," Kai threatened.

"Yeah, yeah," Jay waved him away. "None of this is my colour either, ya know."

Kai rolled his eyes, grabbing a grey t-shirt and a pair of black track pants. Jay grabbed a navy blue t-shirt and black jeans. Both quickly changed into their more casual outfits. Luckily, everything fit them, so they didn't have to worry about that.

"What do we do with our stuff?" Jay asked, holding his gi and the few weapons he brought.

Kai hummed, looking around the room. They didn't want to leave it here, in case they wanted it later. That's when he noticed a black duffle bag under the desk. He pulled it out, looking at the contents.

"Well, this looks like alternate me's bag," Kai shrugged, "he won't mind if we borrow it."

He dumped everything onto the desk, then passed the bag to Jay. Jay tossed his uniform inside, along with his weapons. Kai did the same, holding onto a small dagger.

"You really think we'll need that?" Jay asked.

"You never know," Kai replied, sheathing the weapon and sliding it into a pocket against his right leg. "We both know trouble comes looking for us. Just because we are in another realm doesn't mean we are any safer here."

"Fair enough," Jay shrugged.

Kai zipped up the bag, slinging it over his shoulder and nodding a 'ready to go' look at Jay. The redhead led them out of the room. Kai closed the door to the office behind them as they walked down the hallway in the direction Garmadon disappeared in. There were several more offices, a few storage rooms, and a laundry room. Then it opened into a large room. The dojo.

In the corner opposite them, Garmadon stood talking to another guy who looked vaguely familiar.

"About time," Garmadon frowned.

"Well, Kai's gotten a haircut," the other guy chuckled.

"I know that voice," Jay mumbled.

"Dareth?" Kai questioned.

"Yeah," Dareth nodded, looking confused. He leaned over to Garmadon, "You weren't kidding when you said they aren't from here."

"That's why I told you to behave and not start anything," Garmadon muttered, shaking his head.

"That's why you looked familiar," Kai nodded. "Only, ya know, you aren't-"

Kai glanced at Jay, quickly realizing what he was saying could be offensive and needed a way out. Jay raised his hands, shaking his head as if he wanted no part.

"I mean, you're more, um," Kai bit his lip, "fit than the Dareth we know."

"And what does that mean?" Dareth frowned. "Are you calling me fat?"

"Were you not listening?" Jay asked. "He just said you're more fit. Our Dareth has probably never worked out a day in his life."

"Excuse me?!" Dareth cried, dropping the weights in his hands.

"Alright, that's enough of that," Garmadon quickly jumped in. "We are going now. We've got things to do and people to find. You're in charge, Dareth. Don't burn the place down."

Garmadon quickly ushered the teens out before they could offend Dareth anymore. He pushed the teens out the back door and into the parking lot, turning to lock the door behind them.

"So, who are these friends you guys keep talking about that we need to find?" Garmadon asked.

"The rest of the team," Jay replied. "Cole, Zane, Lloyd and Nya."

"Lloyd and Nya?" Garmadon echoed, pondering it for a moment. "Like my son and your sister?" he motioned to Kai.

"Yeah, that's them," Kai nodded.

"I know where they are," Garmadon claimed, walking towards his car.

"You do, that's great!" Jay grinned.

"Yeah, they went for dinner together," Garmadon nodded. "They should be at the restaurant right now."

"Wait, they went to dinner together?" Kai asked. "Like, the two of them?"

"Yeah, wouldn't it be weird if they were with someone else?" Garmadon turned, now confused. "I mean, they could be on a double date."

"A date!?"
~~~

Lloyd and Nya both stepped out of the portal, looking around in confusion.

"A restaurant?" Lloyd mumbled. "Why are we here?"

"I don't know," Nya replied, looking around.

"I've got some water here for you two," a voice called out.

Both teens turned as a waitress walked up to them.

"Is everything alright? Did you want to move tables? Do you have to leave? We can reschedule your reservation if you need, Mr. Garmadon," the waitress said.

"Mr. Garmadon?" Nya echoed, chuckling under her breath.

"No, it's fine," Lloyd shook his head.

He shuffled into the booth, and Nya followed suite, glancing at him confusedly.

"Do you need a couple minutes to look at the menu?" the waitress asked. "Your father said it's covered, so you can get whatever you want."

"A couple minutes would be nice," Lloyd nodded, uncertain about the situation.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes," the waitress nodded.

Both watched her walk away, and Nya's attention focused on Lloyd.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Clearly, this stuff is for us," Lloyd shrugged. "I mean, she called me Mr. Garmadon, which is kinda who I am. And if my father's paying, whoever that is, so I don't see why we can't have something to eat. We didn't have lunch anyways."

"I guess," Nya hummed, contemplating it. "Are you sure we won't get into trouble?"

"I highly doubt it," Lloyd hummed. "And if we do, we say it was a mistake and leave. Plus, they have a lot of good options here."

Nya glanced down at her menu, reading a few entrees and quickly realizing how hungry she was.

"Alright, fine," she sighed. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay and eat something."

She could just get something small to eat. Something inexpensive, so if they had to pay for it, she could afford it.

But that didn't happen.

Both ordered an appetizer to share, plus a steak entree and a giant chocolate sundae for dessert. After everything, they were both stuffed and ready to leave. The waitress came over with a small envelope and handed it to Lloyd.

"Here's the change for your father," she smiled. "Have a good day."

Lloyd looked at the envelope and nodded, worry now crossing his mind. The waitress walked away as the two walked towards the door.

"What do we do if your dad really is here?" Nya whispered. "Like, evil Garmadon?"

"I don't know," Lloyd replied. "I didn't think about that until now."

"Well, better come up with something fast," Nya muttered. "We don't know what we are dealing with here."

"I know, I know," Lloyd grumbled. "I mean, we could take him, right?"

"Are you sure about that?" she asked.

"Pretty sure," Lloyd replied, not as confidently as he'd hoped.

"Pretty sure about what?"

Both looked up to see Kai standing in front of them. Jay was close behind, with Sensei Garmadon behind both of them.

"Kai?" Nya's eyes lit up.

She lunged, tackling Kai in a hug, thrilled her brother was ok. She turned and embraced Jay, who quickly returned it.

"Good to see you two are ok," Lloyd smiled.

"Same to you," Kai nodded.

He watched Nya and Jay step apart, holding hands as Nya leaned against Jay.

"So," Kai smirked. "How was the date?"

"What date?" Lloyd asked, looking at Kai confused. He turned to Jay and Nya, "When did you two go on a date?"

"He isn't talking about us," Jay chuckled, seeing Nya equally confused.

"What are you two on about?" Nya asked.

"He's saying you two were on a date here," Garmadon explained.

Lloyd and Nya looked at each other, their faces bright red as Kai laughed.

"That's not true," Nya blurted out, quickly turning to Jay. "You know I love you, right babe?"

Lloyd was shaking his head, repeatedly mumbling 'ew' at the idea of being on a date with Nya. He then turned and shoved the laughing red ninja, who caught his hands and tried to get control of his breathing.

"Ok, ok, I'm done," Kai said as he tried to control his breathing.

"Well, if that's over," Garmadon interrupted, "we should get going."

"Right, we've got to find Cole and Zane still," Jay nodded.

"Where do we even start looking, though?" Kai asked.

"Well, how about with more than just first names for me," Garmadon frowned. "Maybe I'll recognize a name, which gives us a start."

"Zane Julian and Cole Brookstone," Lloyd answered. "Masters of Ice and Earth."

"Brookstone?" Garmadon mumbled, looking worried for a moment.

"You know Cole?" Kai's eyes lit up. "Great, we can go and get him, then figure out how to find Zane."

"No," Garmadon shook his head.

"But you just-" Jay started.

"Everyone in the car," Garmadon ordered, his voice deeper and more stern than before. "I need to talk to my brother about all this before we go any further."

The four exchanged worried looks but listened and followed Garmadon back to the car.

The four teens sat in the monastery's kitchen, able to hear Garmadon and Wu outside talking. Their voices carried, but no one could make out what they were saying.

"I wish Zane was here," Nya mumbled. "He'd be able to tell what they're saying."

"Yeah, that'd be helpful," Jay agreed.

"What could they be talking about?" Lloyd asked, looking between Kai and Jay. "What did you tell my dad?"

Both exchanged looks, neither wanting to answer.

"Well, he asked what was going on and why we were here instead of the Kai he knows, so we told him?" Kai winced.

"Told him what?" Lloyd frowned.

"About Borg's invention and the realm crystal, along with how we travelled here and don't exactly know how to get back," Kai blurted out, knowing Lloyd wouldn't be impressed with them.

"So my bets are that the Senseis are talking about the realm crystal and how suddenly their students are gone," Lloyd sighed. "Also, probably trying to figure out if we are a threat to them."

"But we aren't," Jay frowned.

"They don't know that," Nya answered. "We did kinda just appear as their world's us disappeared. I would be suspicious."

Everyone went silent as the two senseis entered the room. They looked at the four teens in silence for a moment before Wu spoke.

"So, you four know about the realm crystal?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Kai replied.

"Where did my father take it?" Wu asked.

"He took it with him to his final resting place in a tomb deep below the ocean," Lloyd replied. "Wait, you guys didn't know that?"

"No, we didn't," Garmadon replied. "Although my understanding is that our two worlds are very different."

"Would you mind if I ask you four some questions about this team of yours and your elemental powers?" Wu asked.

"I guess?" Lloyd hummed. "But we still need to find our friends."
"I am aware," Wu nodded. "And we will help you find them, but I must know more about you and what you're capable of if we are to do so."

"Ok, ask away then," Kai shrugged.

"Have you all unlocked your true potential?" Wu asked.

"Yeah," Jay nodded.

"Cole and Zane have, too," Lloyd commented.

"Did you discover them yourselves? Or with a teacher?" Garmadon asked.

"Sensei Wu taught us about our powers," Kai pointed. "I mean, you helped too once you were good, but now your kinda-"

Kai shut up as Nya elbowed him in the stomach.

"He's what?" Wu asked, frowning.

"My dad's kinda dead," Lloyd sighed, looking down at the table. "He sacrificed himself to save Ninjago from Chen and his army."

"Chen?" Garmadon looked down at his son. "You guys battled Chen?"

"Yeah, he ran a whole underground fighting ring, but it was only a trap to lure us in and get our powers," Jay nodded, "but we stopped him years ago."

"He was evil?" Garmadon frowned. "But Mr. Chen is such a nice guy here."

"You weren't much different at one point," Kai said.

"Excuse me?" Garmadon glared, offended.

"Well, you were Lord Garmadon for a while," Kai replied.
"That wasn't his fault," Lloyd turned, glaring at Kai. "Dad was bitten by the great devourer; he couldn't help it."

"Yeah, that snake was a nightmare," Jay groaned. "Yo, you remember when we destroyed it, and Wu came out of its guts drinking his tea?"

"I did what?" Wu frowned.

"That was hilarious," Kai laughed.

"Wait a second," Garmadon interrupted, "You guys defeated the Great Devourer?"

"Yeah, with your help," Jay nodded. "We wouldn't have needed to if the Serpentine weren't released to set it free."

"I'm sorry," Lloyd cried, throwing his hands in the air. "I was a kid; I didn't know any better!"

"We aren't mad, dude," Kai laughed. "Stop getting offended anytime it's brought up."

"Well, stop bringing it up, and I won't have a reason to be offended," Lloyd countered.

"He's got a point," Nya said, looking at Kai.

"Wait, the serpentine was freed?" Wu asked.

"Yeah, but they live in peace now," Kai nodded. "They live under Ninjago City. They've actually helped us a couple times."

"Wait, are they still entombed here?" Jay asked.

"I would certainly hope so," Wu frowned.

"I think we need some time to let everything settle tonight," Garmadon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "How about you all get some sleep, and we can devise a plan for finding your friends in the morning."

"I guess it is late," Lloyd hummed.

"But what if Cole and Zane are in danger?" Kai asked.

"They are both skilled fighters, Kai," Nya assured him. "If they are in a situation, they can handle themselves. But the Senseis seem to think their world is safe, so I highly doubt it."

Kai sighed, knowing he wasn't winning this fight. So he agreed, and the group dispersed to get some sleep.

In the morning, they'd start looking for Cole and Zane.