Cole handed Garmadon a controller. "It'll be fun."
He hesitantly took it. Why am I doing this? He felt Kai's glare on him.
"You know how to use that, right?"
"What?"
"The controller."
"Oh…yes."
Cole nodded, then sat by Jay again. "Okay, guys—round two! Uh…someone should teach Garmadon how to play."
"Just let 'im lose…" Kai grumbled.
Lloyd shook his head, sighing. "I'll teach him…"
Kai scowled.
Garmadon blinked.
The other ninja exchanged uncertain, surprised glances, but didn't say anything.
"Okay…I'll start the round, then." Cole clicked a button, and the level began.
Garmadon looked at his controller, then the TV.
"Kay, so Da—uh." Lloyd cut himself off, instead pointing to the screen. "See those guys there? We need to beat 'em to get to the next level. Use that—" he pointed to a button on Garmadon's controller—"to land hits. The joystick allows you to move your character. Uh…you probably knew that though. Never mind. Just…follow my lead." Lloyd moved his character over to what Garmadon assumed was a minion of the villain.
Also he wasn't sure what was going on and how this was a multiplayer game and how Jay had lost…and how they were….were they replaying the game again?
Garmadon bit his lip, then moved his character to follow Lloyd's. His character's movements were choppy, not smooth like the ninjas'. When he'd played those video games Wu had mentioned back when he'd been helping them save Lloyd from the serpentine…he actually hadn't known what he was doing. He was pretty sure one of the ninja had even commented he was playing the game wrong. He hadn't cared back then.
Now…he kind of did.
The other ninjas' characters converged on the minions, blasting guns and swinging swords. P.I.X.A.L. and Cole seemed to be the most skilled, then Lloyd, then Nya. Garmadon was last in the skill department.
He attempted to help where he could, moving his character to a minion guy. The katana his character held swung choppily at the guy, and then the minion guy landed a hit on his character. His health went down to seventy-five percent. He winced. Ouch.
Lloyd and Nya's characters quickly came and saved him.
"Use your shield so their hits don't do so much damage." Lloyd pointed to a button on his controller. "It'll lower your hit strength, but you'll survive longer."
There's more to life than surviving. Lloyd's sharp words rang through his mind. It'd been from when the oni had invaded Ninjago, after Cole had fallen. Garmadon had been set on survival…but his son had been mourning his lost friend.
And of course, he hadn't understood that and made everything worse. Like he always did.
"Hey, did you hear me?"
Garmadon glanced at Lloyd, blinking. "Oh…yes. Sorry." He clicked the button Lloyd had pointed to.
Lloyd nodded, watching him for a second, before turning his attention back to the game.
They played for a bit—maybe half an hour? Garmadon got better at the game, but he was no expert. The ninja were way more skilled. Which gave him the impression they played a lot. And probably when they were supposed to be training, too.
Wu should really discipline them more. His brother wasn't light on that sort of thing, but he was surprised that the ninja weren't more disciplined. After all, according to their father, discipline was also a virtue. So he wasn't sure why Wu—
"Boss round!"
Garmadon jumped a little.
Cole and Nya cheered. So did Jay.
"Okay, you guys ready?" Cole asked.
"Yup. We need a strategy." Lloyd gestured to Kai and Cole. "You guys land the big blows, Nya and I will cover for you. P.I.X.A.L., you keep track of our progress and who needs to go where. And you can cover for anyone who needs it, so you'll also be backup."
"Wow, Lloyd…we're not even on a mission!" Kai laughed, patting him on the back. "Relax, bro. We got this."
Lloyd rolled his eyes, though it was good-naturedly. "This is a video game, Kai. And we wanna win. So you gotta strategize. It's just like the bad guys we fight. Same concept."
Like me. Garmadon bit his lip. Although…the ninja had never strategized too well when fighting him.
"Nuh uh." Kai rolled his eyes back. "Just go in and beat 'em up."
"Let's just go with Lloyd's idea." Nya smiled amusedly. "We all know you can't strategize, Kai."
Kai huffed, crossing his arms. "I am deeply offended by that."
She laughed.
Lloyd smirked. "Right. Everyone know what they're doing, then?"
They all nodded, except for Garmadon.
"Um…what am I supposed to do…?" He looked at Lloyd, who had apparently missed him.
His son blinked. "Um…well…"
"He's good at destroying things." Kai shrugged. "He can land blows, can't he?"
Garmadon winced.
Lloyd frowned. "Well…I guess." He looked at him. "Also, since you're not too good at the game yet, we can cover for you. So you're with Cole and Kai."
Garmadon bit his lip, but nodded. He was good at destroying things…it was in his element. It was his element. He'd destroyed the city, his family, his reputation, people, and the ice cream scoop a little bit ago.
"Now, let's go in." Lloyd moved his character into the boss arena.
Everyone else's characters followed his in. Garmadon hesitated, then also moved his character in.
Inside, a large red, blue, and black dragon stood. It spewed flames from it's mouth, moving it's head back and forth. Then it went still, waiting to face them. It looked to be robotic and techy, like everything in this game.
He was pretty sure the ninja had gotten trapped in this game once, too…though he didn't know very many details about that. He'd only sent Wu those photos of the different battles, with Wojira and Unagami and so on, trying to get him to understand the Overlord was going to return again. Though of course, his brother hadn't understood.
Which in hindsight, was understandable. They were only photos.
"Everyone know their jobs?" Lloyd asked.
They all nodded, tensing in preparation to battle the dragon. Garmadon didn't, since he was already tense from anxiety. The boss just added to that anxiety—though he didn't know why.
"Good. Ninjaaaa…go!" Lloyd led the charge.
The other ninja also shouted the familiar phrase, rushing the dragon. P.I.X.A.L. followed, though stayed a little behind for backup. Garmadon steered his character close to Lloyd, not entirely sure what he was supposed to do.
Kai and Cole started landing as many blows on the dragon as they could. Nya and Lloyd covered for them, coming in to distract the dragon so Kai and Cole weren't hit. Nya and Lloyd were using their shields, so they inflicted less damage, but they could take more hits than Kai and Cole, who didn't have their shields on so they could land the devastating blows.
Garmadon bit his lip, freezing his character on the battle field uncertainly. In real life, he would have just blasted the thing with his power and used a katana on it or something. But in the game…he found he was pretty useless in battle.
"Kai, hit six o'clock. Cole, head for twelve," P.I.X.A.L. instructed. "Lloyd, please cover for Kai. Nya, cover for Cole. It's health needs to be brought down simultaneously, not in spurts. This will cause the dragon to go back and forth between players and will confuse it."
Lloyd grinned. "Great idea, Pix!"
Nya nodded, also grinning.
Jay sighed. "Guys, we've played this game a million times…" He looked bored, slouched on the couch by Nya. He'd lost the first round, so that made sense.
"What's six o'clock mean?" Kai asked.
"Back of the dragon, Kai." Nya smiled amusedly. "It's like a clock—six o'clock is south, or the back of the way you're facing. So north is twelve, the front."
"Ohhh…"
She shook her head.
"Hey, Da—Garmadon—head for nine o'clock." Lloyd gestured distractedly to the left, eyes fixed on the screen. "I can't cover for you, but see if we can get the dragon to try hitting us from three ways. You won't have a shield, so he can hit you hard, so try to dodge. Okay?" He looked at him.
Garmadon blinked, then nodded slowly. "Okay. Got it."
He smiled a little, before quickly looking back at the screen. "Great. Everyone, give it all you got! It's health bar is halfway!"
The ninja cheered.
"Perhaps I should get everyone more snacks?" Zane wasn't in round one, or two. He was still waiting for his turn to play. He was probably bored, like Jay.
"Stay for the grand finale, buddy!" Cole said.
"Oh. Alright."
Cole smiled.
Kai suddenly yelped. "Agh—! No!"
"Kai, how'd you die?" Cole gaped.
"Kai!"
"Kai, how?"
Kai scowled, tossing his controller to the ground and crossing his arms. "Lloyd. You were supposed to cover for me."
Lloyd shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry…"
Kai sighed, then pulled him into a headlock, ruffling his hair.
Lloyd yelped, trying to jerk away—and keep his eyes on the screen. "Hey!"
"That's what ya get for making me lose." Kai grinned, removing his hand and sitting back again.
Lloyd tried to fix his messed up hair, but then had to dodge the dragon's fireball, leaving a part of his hair sticking up oddly.
Cole, Jay, and Nya laughed.
Lloyd shook his head. "Okay, we're a ninja down, guys. You all gotta step up for Kai."
"It won't be much of a 'step up'. Kai wasn't doing much." Nya smirked playfully.
Kai scoffed indignantly. "What? You insult my skills."
She laughed. "What skills?"
Kai looked about to retort, but Lloyd interrupted. "Guys, focus! We gotta beat the boss!"
"Ack!" Cole winced, then smiled at Lloyd sheepishly. "Uh…I just died too."
Lloyd sighed.
"Great…that just leaves four of us." Nya shook her head. "Cole, aren't you the one who's good at this game? You play it all the time."
"Well…yeah." Cole rubbed his wrist dramatically—though this level really hadn't been that hard. "But not lately. I'm out of practice."
Because Garmadon had stolen the living room. He bit his lip guiltily. He always did something. No matter how hard he tried. That's why Wu was the favorite—Garmadon was a failure. Just like Ichor said—
He cut his thoughts off violently, trying to focus on the game again. No need to go to that dark abyss.
"Right…" Lloyd drew their attention. "Nya, Da—Garmadon and I will land the big hits. You and P.I.X.A.L. cover for us."
Nya nodded. "Right."
P.I.X.A.L. also nodded.
Lloyd looked at Garmadon. "You got that? And try not to die…" He looked away, suddenly swallowing uncomfortably.
Garmadon nodded. "Yes…" He didn't miss why Lloyd had suddenly grown uncomfortable. Garmadon had actually died once—and not in a game. Somehow, little reminders like that still hit hard. It didn't have to be big, like the ice cream scoop. It could be a simple, thoughtless comment that could trigger unwanted emotions and memories.
"Alright, the boss's health is down to twenty percent! Let's get 'im!" Lloyd's character ran at the dragon. "Come on!"
Nya followed close behind, ready to cover him.
Garmadon stayed near Lloyd, and he saw P.I.X.A.L. at his heels.
Lloyd landed a hard blow on the dragon, making his character flip back before the flames could get him. The dragon swept it's tail, nearly hitting Nya.
Garmadon took a breath, trying to steady his nerves. It was just a game, anyway. Why it sent adrenaline through him was a mystery—it was a fake battle. He pressed a button, landing a blow on the dragon. He made his character run to the right, dodging the flames at his back.
P.I.X.A.L. quickly hopped in, firing a couple shots from her gun.
The dragon spewed flames at her instead.
Lloyd swiped at its hind-leg, making a white, glowing cut. The cut faded, but the dragon's health went down a little.
Garmadon landed a blow to the dragon's wing, making his character flip up to reach.
The dragon swerved to try and get him, and Garmadon instead found himself on the dragon—not his intention at all.
"Hey, nice!" Nya smiled approvingly. "Lloyd, distract the dragon at the front. Garmadon, get it's neck!"
Garmadon frowned. Land the killing blow? That's what he'd done to…a lot of people. The citizens of Ninjago, Mystake, Ichor… He swallowed. "I…the neck?"
"Yup." Nya maneuvered her character to the front of the dragon, covering for Lloyd. "Hit it's neck. It's its weak spot."
Garmadon had trouble getting his character to just stay on the dragon, let alone hit it. "Are you sure you two can't get to its neck?"
They both stared at him. P.I.X.A.L.'s character quickly came over to distract the dragon so they didn't die.
"We can't really, not with it shooting fireballs and slashing its tail like that," Nya said. "Just bring your character along its back to its neck. Just like in real life. You've done something like that before, haven't you?"
Garmadon frowned. "I…guess, probably." He concentrated, his character almost slipping off, but he managed to stay on the dragon's back and reach its neck.
"Great! Now hit it!"
The ninja all straightened excitedly—this would mean winning the game.
Garmadon hesitated. Could he…? No. No…he couldn't do this. It was only a game, but he couldn't kill something, real or otherwise. He had too much blood on his hands already. He bit his lip, then slipped his character off the dragon.
The ninja slumped in disappointment.
P.I.X.A.L.'s character died, Garmadon's slip having caused the dragon to whip its tail suddenly in her direction.
"Now, it's just the three of us…" Nya sighed. "This isn't a very successful game."
"I am sorry." P.I.X.A.L. shrugged apologetically. "Normally, my reflexes are much better."
"What happened?"
"I do not know, but I am probably just tired."
"You get tired?"
"Yes. Zane and Dr. Borg upgraded my systems so I may get tired and dream like Zane does about a year ago. I am surprised you do not remember that—you had come along."
Nya smiled awkwardly. "Right…I do remember that. Guess I'm tired too."
She smiled. "That is alright."
"Nya, watch out!" Lloyd suddenly yelled.
Nya quickly jerked her joystick, barely missing being turned into human barbecue—or character barbecue. Garmadon wasn't sure.
"Alright, guys…we gotta win this." Lloyd straightened determinedly. "Nya, cover us. Dad, you and I will hit it with all we've got. Okay?"
The ninja briefly glanced at him, surprise flashing across their faces.
Garmadon blinked. He'd never used the word "Dad" since they'd started, always switching it at the last minute to "Garmadon". Like he was afraid to call him Dad. He bit his lip, deciding Lloyd was probably just distracted by the game, and hadn't realized that time.
"Hey, you got it?" Lloyd looked at Nya, then Garmadon.
Nya nodded. "Oh…yeah."
Garmadon nodded.
"Good." Lloyd fixed his eyes on the screen, tensing in anticipation. "Let's get 'im!" His character went at the dragon again, slashing its chest as Nya dove for its front leg.
Garmadon moved his character forwards, taking a slow breath. He didn't have to kill it. He would only help bring its health down. But doesn't that make me an accomplice?
"Guys, it's at ten percent health!" Nya bounced excitedly.
Jay grinned, watching her instead of the screen. "That's great!"
Lloyd's character landed another blow at the dragon's chest. "Seven percent!"
"Five percent!" Nya landed a blow on it's hind leg.
The dragon spun around, roaring angrily. It suddenly flared up in flames, eyes glowing. The metal on it's body re-positioned itself, making the dragon grow bigger and fiercer-looking. It spewed blue flames straight at Nya's character—she died instantly.
Nya gaped. "Aw, come on…"
Lloyd winced. "Oh, I forgot it does that at five percent health…"
She sighed. "Thanks for the warning…"
Garmadon wondered if this part of the game of Prime Empire was different from round one. He also wasn't sure why he was still puzzling over that.
"Okay…well, it's just you two now." She looked at Garmadon and Lloyd.
"Yeah, kick its butt!" Cole threw his fist in the air. "Avenge us!"
Lloyd smiled a little, though he glanced uncertainly at Garmadon. "Right. Okay. We just have to land a few more hits."
Garmadon nodded, focusing on the screen. He could do this…totally.
Lloyd's character confronted the dragon again. "Aim for its neck and chest. The head if you can, but its nearly impossible to get."
He nodded, swinging his sword at the beast.
The dragon roared, spewing more blue flames. They both hopped out of the way.
"Don't let the blue flames hit you. They kill instantly. The orange flames didn't do too much damage, but these are much more deadly." Lloyd winced, then dodged another blast.
Garmadon mumbled in acknowledgment, gaze glued to the screen.
Lloyd landed another blow, causing the dragon's health to go down to three percent. "One or two more hits, and he's down!" His son grinned excitedly, then bit his lip, leaning to the side as he made his character dodge yet another deadly blast.
It was strange how video games could make one so engrossed that their body leaned the way they wanted the character to move, as if it could help in some way.
Garmadon felt Lloyd briefly brush against him, though his son didn't seem to notice. During the whole game, Lloyd had been careful not to touch him—until now, it seemed.
Garmadon didn't mind. He made his character dodge another fiery blast.
The dragon suddenly reared, flames spewing upwards. Then it landed, a huge gust of wind knocking both Garmadon and Lloyd over and across the arena. Their health went down to ten percent.
Lloyd groaned, straightening. "Augh! One more hit and we're goners!" He tried to flip his character to his feet—
The dragon flew at Lloyd, landing directly in front of him.
Lloyd paled, eyes widening. He jerked on his joystick, trying to move, leaning almost fully on Garmadon now as he panicked.
Flames already licked at the dragon's mouth—which were then sent hurtling towards Lloyd.
NO! Adrenaline and pure instinct took over Garmadon, and he jerked on his joystick. Sure, this was just a game, but the adrenaline was the same and it said his son was in danger and he had to go save him—
Garmadon's character leaped at the dragon, bouncing off it's flapping wing and springing to its head instead. He swung his katana without thought, inflicting a white slash mark on the beast. It faded—but the dragon roared, rearing.
Lloyd's character zipped away.
The dragon's health plummeted to zero. The flames grew brighter for a seconds, then fizzled out. It fell limp—dead.
Defeated.
The ninja gaped. Garmadon blinked, then moved his character off of the dragon.
Large red lettering appeared on-screen—"Boss Level Defeated!"
There was a collective holding of breath. Then it erupted, the ninja cheering excitedly.
I killed it— But it'd been for Lloyd. Garmadon let out a slow breath. Besides, it was just a video game. It was fine.
"Way to go!" Cole smiled, looking at him.
Garmadon shrunk lower, biting his lip.
Lloyd straightened, suddenly seeming to have realized he was leaning on him still.
"That was so cool!" Jay awed.
"Yeah!"
"The head is a difficult place to land a blow. Impressive."
"I wish I recorded that." Jay sighed.
Lloyd glanced at Garmadon. "Nice job. And, uh…thanks for saving me." He smiled a little, then quickly looked back at the screen. He pressed the home button.
Garmadon smiled a little, suddenly filled with a happy feeling in his chest.
"Well…Kai's out for round three," Cole said.
Kai huffed.
"We're all getting tired. Maybe we should watch a movie instead?" Nya said.
They all agreed. Everyone was worn out—and even though Zane didn't get to play, the nindroid declared he was tired enough from watching. It had been an intense game.
"What movie?" Nya stood, waking over to the TV stand.
"Starfarer!" Jay and Lloyd both said it at the same time, though Jay was the only one who shouted.
Kai groaned dramatically.
Nya smirked. "Okay. Which movie?"
Lloyd and Jay glanced at each other. Lloyd briefly glanced at Garmadon as well, then looked at Nya again. "Maybe the first?"
"Right." Nya took out a DVD, slipping it into the DVD player. Then she went and sat down by Jay again, skipped through the ads at the beginning, and then finally started it.
They all sat quietly as the movie started playing.
Ten minutes in, and Garmadon felt himself drifting off. He patted Ochre a few times, but it didn't wake him up. He guessed getting triggered earlier had probably contributed to his tiredness…
He glanced at Lloyd. His son's gaze was glued to the screen, leaning forward slightly, with eyes wide as he watched to see what Fritz would do next—even though Lloyd already knew what would happen. He'd watched this movie many times.
Garmadon leaned back on the couch, yawning a little before stopping himself. Of all the times he couldn't fall asleep, tonight he got tired…though he supposed he'd been tired other times too, but still. Fall asleep around the ninja? No, thanks. He'd rather stay awake around Kai. Who knew what the fire ninja would do to him.
When Garmadon was awake and alert, Kai was dangerous. But if he was asleep? The ninja was ten times more unpredictable and probably deadly.
He winced.
He felt his eye closing anyway, exhaustion pulling at him. His head leaned back almost without him realizing, and he scooted forward a little for a more comfortable position. The movie faded, the blasts of guns and the shouts of Fritz and his side-kick dimming.
He folded his hands, finally allowing his eye to fully close as he relaxed. He recalled the video game, remembering how he'd landed the last blow against the dragon. He still wasn't sure if he felt guilty about that or not.
But the smile he'd gotten from Lloyd made it worth it.
Garmadon fell asleep, a sense of peace coming over him.