Darkness Shall Rise
A bit of time had passed since the Great Devourer's attack on Ninjago City as everyone was pitching in to get it back on its feet. The Ninja were helping out, but it wasn't so easy for them, especially for the boys, as Garmadon had stolen the Golden Weapons and they had lost their ability to use their elemental powers.
The boys were currently trying to put in a lamp post as Kai stood nearby.
"Ah, finally, all fixed up and Serpentine free," Cole said with a smile.
Kai then tried to use his powers, but so far, only got a spark as he tried to light up a flame. "Ugh, this is frustrating. Our weapons are gone and most of our elemental powers are gone." He groaned as the others tried to balance the lamp post. "I mean, we can still do Spinjitzu but…" He then tried again as some heat was shown.
…from Zane's blowtorch as he welded the lamp post in place.
"I just feel so, I don't know, limited," Kai continued. "And thanks to the Devourer, our tank is out of commission, our dragons are hurt, and now that the Bounty is destroyed, we don't even have a place to sleep!"
Zane then flipped up his mask. "No one ever said being a hero is easy." He said as Kai frowned. "Though our good deeds may never make us rich, they make us rich in other ways."
"Yeah, well, I don't feel rich," Kai sighed.
Jay then lifted the junk and headed to a nearby trash can. "I for one enjoy pitching in. I've always wanted to feel part of a community." He said as he dusted his hands. "Speaking of which, has anyone seen Nya? She said she was supposed to help out."
"And I have," Nya spoke up as she and Wu rode on a two passenger bike and Nya held up a pamphlet. "I may have found us a place to live." She said as she parked in front of the Ninja.
"Really? But there's a waiting list a mile long to live in Ninjago City," Jay pointed out. "How did you do that?"
"I know this guy, who knows a girl, and she knows this girl who knows a guy," Nya explained as Jay looked at her in surprise. "Well, this guy knows a girl who's a real estate agent, and she can help you find us a place, if you catch me drift." She said as he gave Jay a pamphlet.
"And where are you off to?" Jay asked them.
"We have to find a couple of components to fix the Ninja Tank and my dragon ointment has finally arrived," Wu explained as he was holding his teapot. "It's a day's trip, but once we get back, Ultra will be flying once again." He said as he then gave a playful chuckle. "Also, I love scenic drives. Ha, ha. Punch it, Nya." He eagerly said.
"Ay, ay, Sensei," Nya nodded with a smile as she he revved up and drove off with Sensei Wu.
"Yee-haw!" Wu shouted as they disappeared across the street.
"'Patty Keys, Real Estate Queen'," Jay read with a smile. "Ha, this is exactly what we need. Once we get a roof over our heads, we can start properly training Lloyd and Melissa." He said.
"Good, because if we know Lord Garmadon, he's not going to be taking any breaks," Cole reminded them. "Remember, the Serpentine are still at large. We're lucky Melissa made a new Sacred Flute, so even without our powers, we can still face them head-on." He added.
"Yeah, but without Pythor, they're without a leader, so I doubt they'll be too big a problem," Kai said assuringly. "Also, has anyone seen the kids?"
"I believe they are just a couple of blocks away cleaning up," Zane said as he pointed down to the right side of the street.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Lloyd, Melissa, and Rattalia were cleaning.
"All right, looks like that's the last of it," Lloyd said as he tossed some junk into a trash bin. Melissa kept sneaking glances at Lloyd from time to time, but quickly looked away when Lloyd turned to her. "I'm gonna go see if the guys need any help. Be right back girls." He said as he walked off.
"S-See ya, Lloyd," Melissa said with a wave and a light blush as Rattalia waved back while noticing Melissa still waving. Rattalia smirked before she flicked Melissa's head. "Ow! Hey!" She called, snapping out of her flustered state as she turned to Rattalia.
"Melissssa, you were fonding over Lloyd again," Rattalia said with a smirk.
"No-no I wasn't!" Melissa tried to deny it but her red face failed her.
"Melissssa, you need to sssstop lying to yoursssself. Jusssst admit it, you have got it bad for Lloyd," Rattalia said to her, while Melissa groaned in defeat.
"OK, yes, I do have a crush on Lloyd," Melissa said in defeat as Rattalia gave a victorious smile.
"Heheh, I knew it," Rattalia said with a smirk.
"But can you blame me?" Melissa questioned. "Lloyd has always been there for me and I have always been there for him ever since our time together from Darkley's Boarding School and during our time traveling Ninjago to opening up the Serpentine tombs."
"How long have you had thissss hidden crush on Lloyd?" Rattalia asked in wonder.
"For just a while, I guess. At first, it was just a friendly bond," Melissa said with a shrug. "But then I found out it was more than that when Lloyd was captured by Pythor and the Serpentine that one time. I got so worried that I trained to be a ninja to save him. That's when I found out I had a crush on him."
"But you're sssscared, aren't you?" Rattalia asked as Melissa looked down.
"Yes, I'm scared. I just don't know how to tell Lloyd this? I don't know if he has the same feelings or that I might ruin our friendship if I say it out loud," Melissa said uneasy. "Not only that, but Lloyd is not the kind of person who likes these kinds of things."
"True," Rattalia nodded, seeing the point. "OK, I don't want to make you ssssay that you need to tell Lloyd right away. How about you take it sssslow and sssteady, and when the time's right then tell him, does that ssssound good?"
Melissa still looked a little bit uneasy but a bit calm now. "But when is the right time?" She asked.
"You will know when it comesss to you," Rattalia assured with a smile. "Trussst me. Sometimes, moments have their way."
Melissa thought about what Rattalia said and she realized that she was right, and then she gave her Serpentine friend a hug. "Thanks, Rattalia. You're a good friend to both me and Lloyd." She said with a smile.
"Anytime," Rattalia said with a smile as the two girls walked off. "Come on, let'ssss catch up with Lloyd and meet up with the otherssss." She suggested as the two girls made their way to where Lloyd and the Ninjas were.
"You know, I'm kinda surprised that nobody is freaking out around you," Melissa said, noticing that none of the people in the town were running away from Rattalia.
"And I prefer to keep it that way," Rattalia said before she whispered in her ear. "And between you and me, I ssssometimes go invisible to stay out of ssssight so that they didn't see me the whole time we've been cleaning up," she whispered.
"Hmm, smart," Melissa commented with a smile. "But what do you think the other Serpentine are gonna do without your uncle leading them?" She asked.
"I honestly don't know," Rattalia said with a shrug. "But without my cowardly Uncle Pythor, they are probably electing a new leader by now."
At the remains of the Bounty, the Serpentine were crowded at the cave as Skales spoke.
"My fellow Sssserpentine, even though that madman Pythor issss finally gone, we need a new leader. But fear not, my friendssss, I will lead you all!" He announced.
"Lead ussss to where?" A Hypnobrai questioned. "The City of Ouroboros has been desssstroyed, our underground fortressss is gone, and our tombsss are completely barren! We have no home!"
"You want to lead usss ssso badly," a Fangpyre pointed at Skales. "Why ssshould we trussst you?" She asked.
"Becausssse Sssselma and I were the ones who told you in the first place not to awaken the Devourer!" Skales answered, "But no, you lissstened to that madman of a leader, Pythor!"
And then footsteps could be heard as a familiar voice spoke. "You want a home…" Garamdon started as the Serpentine turned to him in surprise. "I'll give you a home." He finished with a smirk.
"Lord Garmadon!?" Skales and Selma asked in shock.
"Forgive me, I haven't been myself lately," Garmadon said to them as he held up the four Golden Weapons, which shocked Skales, realizing the Ningas didn't have their powers. "But now that I have my father's Golden Weapons, it's time that I got back to business." He said as the Serpentine murmured in interest as he walked up to them. "If I'm going to rule Ninjago, I know I can't do it all by myself." He pointed out, the Serpentine were even more interested. "The skeletons served their purpose, but I've always been partial to snakes." He said as the Serpentine were humbled by his comment. "If you want someone to follow, follow me!" He announced as the Serpentine started cheering.
"Wait, you can't follow him! You are to follow ussss!" Skales called out while gesturing to himself and the other Serpentine generals, which the Serpentine all muttered before they turned and walked up to Garmadon, choosing a side as the Serpentine generals and Selma stood in the cave.
Garmadon then decided to convince them even more, turning to the Bounty's remains. "You want a home? I give you a home!" With hands glowing, drawing power from the Weapons, Garmadon lifted the broken pieces of the ship into the air, reconstructing it and repainting it black and purple.
"The power of the Weaponsss..." a Hypnobrai said in awe as they saw what they could do.
"I give you the Black Bounty!" Garmadon introduced their new home as the Bounty landed and they all cheered.
"What are you all doing?!" Skales shouted as he rushed towards them. "Do you not remember that he was one of those who sssealed usss away in the firssst place?! Now you all follow him becaussse of his wizardry!" He demanded. "He's not even Serpentine! Rule with me, and we rule asss brothersss and sssistersss!" He promised.
"Or rule with me," Garmadon started as the Serpentine turned to him and he pointed the Sword of Fire to the throat of a Hypnobrai, "Or else…" He warned with a smirk.
The Hypnobrai nodded fearfully as the Serpentine, except for the generals and Selma, all boarded the Black Bounty.
"All hail Lord Garmadon!" They all chanted as the Black Bounty took to the air and flew off.
"Well that'sss not good," Selma said in worry.
"Not good at all," Skales said in dread, knowing that Garmadon was now an even more serious problem.
In the skies, Garmadon was steering the bounty and had a Serpentine from each of the tribes on the bridge with him.
"Your Eminence, excussse my ignorance, but why isss it we fly in the opposssite direction of the Ninja, when you have the Golden Weaponsss in your possssessssion?" The Hypnobrai asked him.
Garmadon turned to him. "Because they have my son! And it is written that he and his friend Melissa will one day defeat me." He explained as he raised a brow. "What good would turning Ninjago into my own image be when that victory would be fleeting?"
"Then we dessstroy Lloyd and Melissa!" The Constrictai suggested.
Garamdon gave him a growl and a glare. "Argh! Lock him in the brig!" He ordered before the Hypnobrai took away the Constrictai. "No one will touch my son. But by getting rid of my brother and those pesky Ninja, Lloyd will never reach his Full Potential. The prophecy will never be fulfilled and Ninjago will be mine... forever!" He declared.
The Fangpyre then cleared his throat. "But why are we flying away from the city?" He asked.
"Because, we are heading to the Golden Peaks, wellspring of the gold for the Golden Weapons." Garmadon answered. "Even they have secrets yet to be unlocked, and once I uncover their full potential, nothing can stand in my way." He answered.
"But what ssshould we do with Melissssa?" The Fangpyre asked in confusion. "Sssshouldn't we take her down, too?"
"Melissa won't be an issue if my son never gets strong," Garmadon said to him. "After doing some research on the Ninjas of Yin and Yang with her, if they're both not in sync or at their strongest together, neither one will defeat me." He explained. "And besides, Lloyd would never forgive me if I ever harmed her and if I did, Lloyd would have a reason to fight me."
"Are you sssure?" Venomari asked him, skeptically.
Garmadon smirked. "I have never been more certain." He declared as the Bounty's thrusters then boosted as it flew faster.
In an apartment in Ninjago City, a woman with a lavender shirt and black hair opened the door as the Ninja, along with Melissa, an invisible, and Lloyd who joined them, showed them their apartment, which was rather sketchy and cheap looking.
"There's two bedrooms, one bath, is a cozy dream. Who needs extras when everything is in arm's reach? Now, wait until you see the lighting," Patty said as she turned on the light, but the bulb flickered, burned out, and fell to the ground. She chuckled nervously. "Uh, who needs lights when you have this view?" She opened the window blinds, but the view was really a brick wall.
Lloyd took a sniff as they walked in, "Um, why do I smell old people?" He asked Patty.
"Ewww, I see a dead rat," Melissa said with a cringe.
Patty then turned to Lloyd and Melissa. "Look, dolls, I'm trying to work around your budget." She told them. "This is all you can afford."
"Uhh this looks… promising," Cole said while looking around a bit sheepishly. "Remember, guys, Sensei told us our main objective is to train Lloyd and Melissa, not kick our feet up in some swanky suite." He reminded them. "If this is all we can afford, this is all we can afford."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's not rush into any decision," Jay pointed out, "I mean, if it's really all about Lloyd and Melissa, don't we need to live in some place that'll make their training easier?"
Kai caught on to what Jay was doing. "Yeah, Jay's right. If we have to get Lloyd and Melissa ready to save Ninjago from Garmadon, shouldn't they at least have their own rooms?" He asked as Lloyd and Melissa smiled at their thoughtfulness.
"Technically, that does not matter, he only..." Zane tried to argue only for Kai to gently elbow him.
Jay then gave her a sheepish smile. "We're only thinking about the children." He chuckled.
"I do have another property that you'll just love," Patty said as she led them out of the crummy apartment.
Patty then led them to a much larger and more fancier apartment as the Ninja all gasped in awe.
"Oh man," Jay said with a smile.
Patty then held her hands out, "Now, this is the eleven-bedroom Hero Suite. Floor-to-ceiling windows, digital wall television, state-of-the-art game console..." She listed out as the Ninja were amazed.
"Uh, it seems a little out of our price range," Cole said.
"Oh, sure it costs a little more, but you deserved it," Patty said with a small smile. "I forgot to mention, there's also a dragon keep on the roof." She said as she gestured above them.
Outside the building, Ultra was flying near the building when they saw the dragon keep Patty mentioned.
"Nice," Jay said with a smile as they all walked up to the window. "Maybe, we can get a hero discount. After all, we are the Ninja who saved the city." He suggested.
"I thought Lord Garmadon saved the city?" Patty pointed out as Jay crossed his arms.
"Um, ma'am, Lloyd over here is the son of Lord Garmadon," Melissa said, gesturing to Lloyd beside her.
"Hehe, yeah, he's my dad," Lloyd said with a sheepish chuckle.
"Then, if that's the case, with the son of the savior of the city, I guess I could lower the price a bit for you," Patty said with a smile as the others smiled back in response.
"And the rest of us can get day jobs to pay for the extra expenses," Kai suggested.
"We always said we could use a little more responsibility," Zane added.
"But we have to train Lloyd and Melissa," Kai said as he placed a hand on their shoulders.
Patty then moved behind them with a remote in her hand. "Did I mention the in-house training facility?" She asked as she pressed a button on it and showed them an indoor training ground, with all the equipment they needed to train Lloyd and Melissa.
"We'll take it!" All the Ninja said in unison.
With that, the Ninja began their duties.
Jay became a pizza delivery boy, Cole became the Ninjago City Bank security guard, Zane became a chef, and Kai became a party entertainer while the kids: Melissa, Lloyd, and Rattalia, stayed at the apartment for Melissa and Lloyd to train while Rattalia watched as the Ninja were busy trying to pay rent.
At first, Jay, Cole, Zane, and Kai had an easy time with their jobs, getting good pay and filling up their rent jar. However, they were so occupied by their jobs, that they did not have a chance to train Lloyd and Melissa.
However, over the next days, Jay was getting tired from running all over the city and had gotten less and less tips, Zane received more and more customers and was forced to speed up his body, Cole began to grow sore from standing and often mistaking normal people for robbers, Kai had gone from being a party entertainer to a living-punching bag for rough playing kids, and with no instructions or proper training from the Ninja, there was still a lot Lloyd and Melissa didn't know yet.
"Oh..." Cole groaned as he placed his legs in a bucket of ice water after a long day at work as Lloyd was training with a dummy before getting punted as Melissa and Rattalia cringed a bit while they were behind the punch bag. "My feet! I can't feel my feet!" He called out.
"There were so many of them," Kai said as he was covered in bruises and patches of dirt as he lay back on the couch. "And they wouldn't stop." He moaned with a hand over his face.
Zane was oiling his arm before spinning it. "My gears locked up several times. I didn't even know my gears could lock up." He said in surprise, being a Nindroid means he didn't get tired, but his inner workings weren't without their limits.
"I don't even have enough energy to play video games," Jay groaned in exhaustion as he tried to reach out for the controllers before he fell to the floor.
"But I thought you guys were gonna train us when you got home," Lloyd said as he, Melissa, and Rattalia came out of the training area.
"Yeah, we might need our teachers to prepare us for what we have to do in the future," Melissa pointed out.
"And I jusssst sit back and watch while they train," Rattalia said with a shrug.
"Sorry, champs, we can't until we make rent," Cole told them before he looked at Jay. "How close are we, Jay?"
Jay looked at the jar which was only a third full. "Gah! Is this thing getting bigger? We're not even close!" He stated.
"And our rent is due tomorrow!" Zane told them as he oiled his arm again.
"Well, I can call a double shift," Cole suggested.
"And I can do overtime," Zane added with a smile.
"Maybe, I can sling a few more pizza pies," Jay said as he leaned up a bit.
"And I can make a little extra if I do the living pinata..." Kai said, causing the others to look at him with wide eyes. "Ugh, don't ask."
"Great, then our priorities are set," Cole said "Tomorrow… we make rent."
"And, uh, what about us?" Lloyd asked on behalf of him and his two friends.
"How about either of you help out and fetch me some more ice, huh?" Cole told him as Lloyd, Melissa, and Rattalia all frowned.
A bit later, Melissa was walking down the hall while seeing a good view of Ninjago City through the windows. "Well, the guys may have been busy paying rent instead of training us, but at least this place is a bit more great than that rundown apartment." She said to herself. "But I just wish they would at least spend time for my training, along with Lloyd's, so we can be prepared to face Garmadon."
"Why must you face Garmadon?" A woman's voice spoke up, which made Melissa flinch as she saw two women. One of the women had brown hair tied into a braided ponytail and was wearing a green jacket with a black shirt underneath and wearing blue jeans. The second woman had blonde short hair, wearing glasses, and wearing a black and white striped long sleeved shirt and black jeans as they walked up to Melissa.
"He did save the city," The brunette woman stated.
"Oh, uhh, just wondering since, well, this is Lord Garmadon, The Dark Lord," Melissa said with a sheepish look.
"True, but despite all that he's done, saving the city from the Great Devourer was pretty impressive," the blonde haired woman stated.
"Yeah, he does seem nice," Melissa said with a shrug. "But he stole the Golden Weapons from the Ninja after destroying that giant snake."
"Oh my, that is bad," the blonde haired woman said with a hand over her mouth.
"And that's why it's up to me and my friend Lloyd to stop him, 'cause we are the Ninjas of Yin and Yang." Melissa told the two women.
"Wow! That's wonderful," The brunette woman said in surprise with a smile. "I bet the Ninjas are doing an excellent job training you both."
"Ehh, kinda," Melissa said with a shrug. "They're too busy paying the rent to even train us, let alone have energy for it."
"Oh dear, that is a lot of work to do," the brown-haired woman said in concern. "Does it take all four of them just to pay rent?"
"Trust me, the apartment we're in now is way more than just a little cash," Melissa said with a frown as she sighed. "But at least it's better than that rundown apartment we checked out. It was tiny, the lights didn't work, and a bunch of dead rats, ugh!" She shivered at the thought of the dead rodent.
"My word, that sounds like a rough budget," the blonde said with a sympathetic frown. "Couldn't you just find a place where you don't have to work so much, so your teachers could train you and your friend?" She asked.
"Trust me, if there was a place, Patty would've given it to us," Melissa said with a frown. "It's not like we can have at least a decent apartment to stay in that is comfortable and a bit cheap, so we don't have to pay much so the guys would have enough time to train me and Lloyd."
The two women looked at each other before they nodded and looked up to Melissa.
"Perhaps we can try and help you and your friends," the brown-haired woman said to her, which surprised Melissa.
"What? Wait, why do you two wanna help? I don't even know who you two are," Melissa said in confusion.
The two women smiled.
"Then allow us to introduce ourselves," the brown-headed woman said. "My name is Rachel, and this is my wife Luci." She introduced as Luci waved with a smile.
"Hello there," Luci said with a smile. "And we are helping because you Ninja have already done so much for Ninjago, it's the least we can do."
Melissa was surprised before she smiled. "Uh, thanks." She said.
"Now, tell us where your current apartment is so we can help make some arrangements for your friends," Rachel said as Melissa smiled at their kindness.
"Well, Sensei Wu and Nya are coming back tomorrow and that's when our rent is due, so would that work?" Melissa asked as Rachel and Luci were surprised for some reason.
"Wu?" Rachel muttered in surprise.
"He's around?" Luci asked with a smile.
"You know him?" Melissa asked.
Rachel and Luci smiled at her.
"Dear, I believe we can really work things out with your sensei," Rachel said with a smile as Luci nodded, making Melissa a bit more confused, but she nodded.
"That's great. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess," Melissa said as she walked up with a bit of a confused look.
Rachel and Luci smiled, watching her head back to her friends before turning to each other.
"It's been a while since we have seen him," Luci said with a smile.
"I think it's a great time for a reunion," Rachel said.
Deep in the Ninjago City subway lines, Skales, Selma, and the other generals were discussing their next move.
"Our fellow Ssserpentine followed Garmadon and with Rattalia joining the Ninja, we need to do ssssomething to keep Rattalia ssssafe and find a way to win the Serpentine's respect back," Skales explained to them.
"Sssso, let's brainstorm ideas on how we can do that," Selma said to the generals.
"How about we unleash the Devourer!" Skalidor announced.
"Skalidor, we have already done that and look at all the damage it's caussssed," Skales told the Constrictai general.
"Not to mention what happened to Pythor," Selma added with her arms crossed, "Next idea."
Acidicus suggested his own idea. "How about releasssing the ssswarm of evil beesss?"
"Ugh, Acidicusss, where would we even get evil beesss?" Selma groaned.
"I don't hear you two offering any ideasss," Fangtom pointed out as Skales groaned.
"If we had, don't you think we would've come up with one by now?" Selma pointed out in annoyance.
"We are sssurrounded by idiotsss," Skales muttered to Selma who nodded in agreement.
Back in the streets Jay just got off his scooter and quickly ran over to his boss that had a few pizza pies ready.
"Pizza delivery, 21st and Union," the manager told Jay, shoving the pizzas into his hands. "Get it there in time, or else it's on you."
Jay was concerned about when he would get there. "Uh, how much time is left?" He asked his boss.
"Five minutes," he answered casually.
Jay however was gobsmacked. "But I'll never get across town in five minutes!" He expressed frantically.
"Then, I guess, it comes out of your pocket," the manager answered rudely. "Now, get going!"
With that, Jay revved up his bike and rolled out. He drove past some people going by on his bike and went as fast as he could to deliver the pizzas. A big truck drove by in his path, so he quickly ducked under and kept on driving.
As he drove, he heard someone yelling. "Help! Help!" he turned and saw a woman being harassed and being robbed by three thugs.
Jay knew he was pressed for time, but he also had a duty to protect the people of Ninjago
"Help!" the woman yelled again as Jay turned around and zoomed towards the thugs to help the woman as they laughed.
The thugs were still trying to yank the lady's bag from her.
Jay pulled up into the alley. "Hey, what's going on here?" He asked
"Mind your own business, ninja," one of the thugs said.
"No way," Jay glared.
"It's three blades against none," the second thug pointed out as all three pulled out daggers.
Jay narrowed his eyes and revved up his bike and charged at them. The thugs panicked and made a run for it, only for Jay to ride on the walls and cut them off. "Blind alley, guys!" Jay quipped as the three ran away in the other direction with Jay right behind them. The Blue Ninja then jumped and dove towards them. "Banzai!" he cried out, landing on the three as the woman smiled at him.
"Thank you," she thanked as Jay handed her back her bag, "Pizza Ninja." Jay then rode as fast as he could towards 21st and Union.
Thankfully he arrived, but he was surprised to see there were only a few houses here.
He then saw a man walking by, "Hey, isn't this 21st and Union?" He asked, wondering if he made a wrong turn.
"Sure is, but there hasn't been anything built here in years ," the man answered and on he walked.
Jay then got off his bike and took the pizzas, wondering if whoever ordered them was here. "Hello? Anyone here?" he called out, before hearing a familiar voice.
"Alright, lissssten up, you three, me and Sssselma have ssssomething important to do, ssso here's the plan," Skales' voice spoke up as Jay looked down a sewer tunnel and saw Skales with two of the other generals with him and Selma. "After you rob the bank, we embark on phase two! Ingenious!" He declared.
"But, bosssss, when are we going to get pizza? I'm hungry," Skalidor complained.
Then Selma sighed. "Isss food all you think about?" She asked.
"Rob the bank?" Jay repeated, backing away from the pipe only for Acidicus to grab him from behind with a knife to his throat, causing him to drop the pizza into the hole.
"Hey, look, pizza!" Fangtom said.
"Lunchtime!" Skalidor said, as munching sounds were heard while Jay tried to break free from Acidicus's hold.
"Ah, ah, ah… Where do you think you're going?" Acidicus asked him with a smirk. "We haven't given you your tip."
Jay gulped, realizing getting fired was the least of his problems.
Three of the generals took a subway cart and drove off while they left Jay tied up.
"Oh, come on, Jay, you got to warn the others," he told himself. "You can figure a way out of this." He struggled to get free before realizing they were too tight for him to get free from, "OK, maybe not."
He then noticed the map on the wall that showed the subway routes and one that led to the bank. "So, that's the Serpentine's master plan. Wicked! Guys, I'm coming!" He then managed to get on his legs and started hopping down the subway line. "Unh! Hopefully, Cole can stop the bank robbery." He said frighteningly as he hopped through the tunnel.
Meanwhile, at the bank, Cole was sleeping on the job until the bank owner came out.
"Everything OK?" He asked, waking up Cole.
"Aah!" Cole yelped. "Nothing out of the ordinary, boss," he assured.
"Thanks for taking the double shift," the owner thanked before inside back he headed.
"My pleasure," Cole assured before he yawned. "And now, for a little more beauty rest," and so, he fell asleep again. Little did he know that inside the bank vault, the three Serpentine generals burst out of the ground and the alarm sounded, waking him, "Uhh!"
"Take it all!" Acidicus told the generals as they grabbed as much money as they could.
"Shouldn't we wait for Skales and Selma?" Fangtom questioned.
"No, Fangtom you fool, they are carrying out the resssst of the mission, remember?" Acidicus reminded him.
"Oh, yeah," Fangtom nodded.
"Let's get out of here," Acidicus said as the generals went back into the hole as Cole then arrived in the vault but was already too late.
"Huh?" He looked down and recognized the hole as a Constrictai hole. He then heard voices.
"Now, let's take the subway!" Acidicus said.
"Subway?" Cole repeated.
Meanwhile, at the park, Kai was entertaining another party and blowing up balloons. As he blew the balloon even bigger before it popped, he heard the alarm at the bank go off.
"Trouble? Sounds like they need me," Kai then tried to leave, but he was stopped by the woman with the kids.
"Not so fast, I still have you for another hour," She told him.
"Uh, but the bank," Kai told her. "People are in danger."
"Not until my son is done playing," the woman told him as she looked toward her son only to turn and find only the balloons in her hands. She scowled at the retreating Kai. "Huh, you're fired!" She shouted.
Meanwhile, at Zane's job, he was about to serve the food he made when he overheard a man talking.
"It's true, at the bank," the man told the woman next to him. "I hear they stole all that money, and no one's doing anything about it."
Zane was so distracted by the conversation that he accidentally dropped some eggs on a boy's head. He started crying and his parents glared at him.
"Uh, uh, I'm sorry," Zane apologized only to end up ruining their food even more as the head chef came out and was not pleased.
"You're fired!" He shouted as Zane's artificial skin covering his eye started falling off.
"It must be my hard drive overheating," Zane tried to defend as the family were freaked, "I mean... never mind. I'm going!" He then ran out of the restaurant.
Kai and Zane then headed to the bank as Cole tried to explain himself to the bank owner.
"I'll make it up to you, I swear," he said.
The owner, however, looked unconvinced. "Hmmm, no, why don't you go home and get a good night's rest, and go ahead and sleep in," he said sarcastically. "In fact, sleep in all day for all I care, because you're fired!" He then marched back inside as Cole sighed and his two friends joined him.
"Ugh, looks like we're all in the same boat," Kai said as all three of them got fired in one day.
"Eh, that's OK, I hated that job anyway," Cole assured. "Let's go. The Serpentine generals are getting away."
"Which way did they go?" Kai asked.
"I overheard them saying something about the subway," Cole told them.
Zane nodded. "Good call, but shouldn't we wait for Jay?"
"No time, Let's go!" Kai said as the three ran.
"NINJA, GO!" They did Spinjitzu and put on their armor and hoods.
As they ran, Cole spoke up, "Hey, has anyone seen Jay by the way?" He asked.
Back in the subway, Jay continued to hop with his legs still tied up down the line. "Hello? Anyone?" he called before sighing. "Boy, I think I may have picked the wrong track. I hope I see someone soon." He said as he kept on hopping.
Meanwhile, Cole , Kai, and Zane had made their way into the subway and saw a train coming. They then hopped onto the train, and inside the generals heard them land on the room.
"Ssssoundssss like we got company, boyssss," Acidicus said.
"But I only heard three, aren't there four?" Skalidor asked.
"No stupid… We caught one of them," Fangtom reminded him.
On top of the train, the three ninja were crawling along, trying to avoid getting blown off.
Cole looked down to find a way in but found none. "Ugh, isn't there an easier way to get inside?" He asked, still holding on.
Kai grunted. "Not without a ticket!" he then felt something grab him. "Huh? Aargh!" he yelped as he was pulled into the train, leaving a hole on the roof.
"What the?" said Cole.
"I believe Kai just found it," Zane concluded as they looked at the opening.
"Nindroids first," Cole offered.
"Oh, you are such a gentlemen," Zane complimented and in he jumped.
Inside, Kai was bound by Skalidor as Zane landed on the floor and Cole landed on his back.
"Let me go, snake!" Kai demanded as the other two were surprised.
"Welcome to the part-ugh?!" Skalidor commented before Kai elbowed him.
Acidicus then approached them. "Care for a drink?" he quipped as he sprayed his venom at Cole, causing him to fall onto Zane.
"Sorry about that," Cole apologized for standing on Zane.
"That's quite alright. Venom can't hurt..." Zane tried to assure, only for Fangtom to whack him with his staff and laugh. Zane rubbed his head. "But that stings a little. Let me have this dance, snake." He said before grabbing Fangtom and throwing him to the ground.
Cole stood up, "One down, two to go..." He was interrupted when Fangtom got back up, punched him, and then tried to bite him while Acidicus restrained Zane.
"These generals are a lot harder to defeat without our Weapons!" Kai grunted as Skalidor increased his grip.
Cole just kept dodging Fangtom's attacks. "Don't worry, these guys don't have Pythor to be their brains anymore." He assured. "Just keep fighting, we are not gonna let these fools get away with this!" He then threw Fangtom against the window as it broke.
"Get away? We aren't trying to get away," Fangtom told them. "We're trying to distract you long enough… Ssso that Ssskales and Sssselma could kidnap Lloyd and Melissssa."
"What?!" Kai asked in a concerned tone.
Fangtom then explained. "We never had any interessst in the money… We just needed the children." He said as she smirked at the three ninjas. "Who'sss the fool who needsss Pythor now?!" He mocked as the generals laughed.
Back at the apartment, Lloyd, Melissa, and Rattalia were playing some video games together as they laughed and had a fun time.
"We should've done this after training," Lloyd said with a smile.
"Agreed, now eat my dust, Rattalia!" Melissa exclaimed with a challenging smirk.
"How about you eat thisss Blue Shell, Melissssa!" Rattalia retorted with the same smirk as they kept playing.
"Nonono! Gosh darn it! I hate those dang Blue Shells!" Melissa yelled in rage while Rattalia and Lloyd chuckled at her outburst.
While the three children played, they didn't see Skales and Selma coming down from a lift on the window sill. But once they saw their reflection, they yelped as they turned to the window as Skales knocked on it.
"Hello, children," Skales greeted.
"Help us!" Lloyd shouted as he got up and ran to the door while Melissa stood up in a stance as Lloyd typed in the code, but it gave a beep.
"Door is locked," the computer lock said as Lloyd struggled to get it open.
"I know! I want it open!" Lloyd cried as he struggled as Skales used his staff to cut a hole in the window and he and Selma entered.
"W-what do you two want with us?" Melissa questioned while standing in front of Lloyd and Rattalia.
"Sssskalesss? Sssselma?" Rattalia asked in surprise. "What are you two doing here?"
"We're here because Lloyd isss the only thing hisss father cares about," Skales said as he and Selma went up to them.
"And we told the other three generals that we're gonna take you two hosssstagesss," Selma said, which made the three flinch fearfully.
"But that'ssss jusssst a little fib, ssso they won't know why we are actually here," Skales revealed, which made the three look surprised.
"T-Then, why are you here?" Lloyd asked as he kept typing at the panel.
"We're here to give you three and the Ninja a warning about your father, Lloyd," Skales said to him. "Ssso, hurry, 'cause we don't have much time."
Just then, a knock could be heard from the otherside of the door.
"Hello? What's going on in there?" Wu's voice spoke up while he and Nya were on the other side of the door, returning from their trip.
Back in the subway, Zane ducked under a venom spit from Acidicus before he ran up the side and got behind him, punching him.
"We have to save Lloyd, Rattalia, and Melissa!" Cole told them before blocking a punch from Fangtom.
"Just give me a weapon, and I'll take care of these snakes!" Kai grunted as he tried to break free of Skalidor's grip.
Zane then grabbed the railings. "Who needs weapons when you can make your own?!" He took apart the railing and used the circular piece as a makeshift shuriken and knocked off Skalidor, freeing Kai.
"Ha! Smart thinking, Zane!" Cole cheered as he kicked Fangtom down and took off a pipe. "Here, Kai!" he threw the pipe to Kai who used it as a sword to knock Skalidor into the wall when he tried to run.
Skalidor got up and saw Kai holding him at weapon point. "Unh! Uh, uh, uh...this was all a big misunderstanding." He tried to explain nervously.
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he asked before he heard Cole speak.
"Guys," Cole said as he looked out the window. "I think I found Jay." Up ahead, he saw Jay, still tied up and hopping right towards the speeding train.
Jay saw the light on the side opposite him. "Ah, finally the way out," he sighed in relief but it soon turned into terror as he realized the light was actually a train speeding right towards him. "Ah! Not good, not good, not good!" He then started hopping as fast as he could but against a speeding train he would never outhop it.
Back on the train, Zane and Cole hurried to the front while Kai kept watch on the three generals. When they reached the front, they saw there was no driver.
"Where's the driver?" Cole asked as they flipped up their hoods.
"The train appears to be automatically controlled," Zane explained.
Jay meanwhile was still hopping as the train was getting closer. "Oh, no! Oh, no! Aah!"
"So, it's not gonna stop?" Cole asked as Jay kept on hopping faster.
Zane pulled on the brake handle, but the train was still going too fast as it screeched on the rails. "It's not slowing down!"
Cole then helped Zane pull the brakes, but the train still wasn't stopping.
Back with Kai, he could hear his friends struggling, and knew they couldn't do it alone.
"I'm sure they could use your help, but what do I know?" Acidicus asked with a grin.
Kai growled, knowing that if he left to help, the three generals would escape. "Ugh, we're not strong enough!" He heard Zane grunt. After that, Kai knew what he had to do.
"I'm coming!" Kai shouted as he dropped his pipe and ran to the front.
The three generals were surprised by his loyalty to his friends before they looked up at the hole and then climbed out of it to escape.
Jay kept on hopping until he fell over and he saw the other three ninja pull on the brake handle.
"Together!" Cole said as all three pulled as hard as they could and on the roof the generals were slithered as fast as they could to get off.
"AH! OH, OH MAN! AAHH!" Jay screamed as the train was a few feet away from running him over and he closed his eyes, bracing for impact.
Then with one final pull, Cole, Kai, and Zane finally managed to get the train to stop and in the room, the generals fell off from the sudden stop.
They got up and slithered on, realizing that Skales's plan was a failure and who they should follow now.
Jay opened his eyes and saw the train stopped, just barely touching his legs, he gasped in relief and saw his friends. "Hey, there you guys are!" He said as he tried to loosen himself again. "Um, I could use a little help here." He said sheepishly.
Soon, the Ninja returned to their apartment as they rushed into the room. "Lloyd, Melissa, Rattalia!" Cole called.
"They're not here," Zane said as they looked around the apartment and the training area, seeing that it was completely empty.
"Oh, we shouldn't have left them," Kai groaned.
"We shouldn't have taken those jobs in the first place," Cole said as he looked down in guilt."What were we thinking? Losing the kids is by far our greatest loss."
"But it could be your greatest lesson," Wu's voice spoke up as the Ninja turned and saw him with Nya, Lloyd, Melissa, and Rattalia.
"Kids!" The Ninja cheered in relief as they came up to them.
"You're all OK!" Kai said in relief.
"We thought we were gonna be in trouble, but then something unexpected happened," Melissa said with a surprised look.
"Like what?" asked Jay.
"Well, Skales and Selma were here, but instead of trying to attack us, they came here to warn us about my dad," Lloyd explained, which shocked the group.
"Apparently, Garmadon took control of the Sssserpentine and used the Golden Weaponsss to rebuild the Bounty and took off ssssomewhere in Ninjago," Rattalia explained.
"Wait, Garmadon rebuilt the Bounty with our weapons?!" Cole asked in shock.
"Mmm, Garmadon has truly become powerful enough to control all four weapons," Wu said while rubbing his beard.
"And Skales and Selma told you guys?" Kai asked in disbelief.
"Trust us. We were surprised as you are," Lloyd said with a shrug.
"But out of all the Sssserpentine, Sssskales and Sssselma are who I trusssst the most. They are basically what my uncle isn't," Rattalia said with a sad look as Melissa comforted her.
"They were smart enough and cared for you so much to warn us, Rattalia. If their plan was to get their generals off their tail to warn us about my brother, we couldn't have known what had occurred," Wu said with a smile, which made Rattalia smile back.
"I go away for a day and everything falls apart," Nya commented as the others all smiled.
"We learned we don't need all the fancy stuff, we just need each other," Kai said with a smile.
"You want us to help you clean up?" Wu asked.
"Well, we are a team," Kai said with a smile.
"Nya, I think it's time for another road trip," Wu said to Nya, who nodded.
"Actually, I forgot to say this yesterday, but I ran into two women who are willing to give us a home," Melissa said with a smile. "And that's them over there." She said as she pointed down the hall as Rachel and Luci walked up to them.
"Sorry we were late. We had trouble finding the right condition," Rachel explained.
"Rachel? Luci?" Wu said in shock at seeing them while the others, sans Melissa, were surprised.
"Hello, Wu. It's been a long time since we saw each other," Luci said with a smile as she and Rachel walked up to Wu.
"It certainly has," Wu said with a smile.
"Wait, Sensei, you know these two?" Jay asked in surprise.
"Oh, right," Wu said as he turned to the others. "Everyone, this is Luci and Rachel, old friends of mine from back in the day." He introduced them with a smile. "And I see you met them, Melissa."
"I just happened to run into them the other day while I was in the hallway," Melissa said with a shrug and a smile.
"And she explained to us about your rent and payment issue," Luci said with a smile. "Which we can tell you didn't pay the rent here, so we found a perfect place for you all to have a comfortable home and a cheap payment for the rent." She explained.
"And before you say it, no it's not a rundown apartment," Rachel said when Cole was gonna speak.
"Really?" Cole asked in surprise. "Then what will it be?"
A bit later, the Ninja followed Rachel and Luci through Ninjago City with many of their belongings they managed to save from the Bounty when the Devourer destroyed it as they entered what looked to be a decent apartment, far cheaper than the hero suite and much more homely then the rundown apartment.
"We managed to find this place thanks to Patty's help," Rachel said with a smile. "We realized how expensive it was, and she doesn't want us to stay in a rundown apartment, so she did some digging and found a decent place for us to stay." She said as she gestured to the new apartment.
When the Ninja entered the apartment, they saw proper walls, a kitchen next to the living space, and a couple of rooms close by and two bathrooms in them as the Ninja looked in awed.
"There's at least three bedrooms, a proper bathroom with a couple of closets, a kitchen and a living space close to each other," Luci explained with a smile. "And unlike the Hero Suite, you can afford this place and relax without having to live in that rundown apartment."
"This place looks amazing," Cole said with a smile, "And cozy than the other apartment."
Lloyd walked up with a bench he was holding before he went past Jay and Kai, who were carrying a chest before he bumped into them, causing the two to drop the chest as it crushed Kai's foot.
"Owowowowowow!" Kai cried out while holding his foot in pain.
Jay gave a chuckle. "Ha, it feels like home to me." He commented.
"Rachel, Luci, thank you for the help," Wu thanked his two friends.
"Anything for an old friend," Rachel said with a smile as Luci nodded.
"Just remember, if you Ninjas need anything, you know who to call," Luci said with a wink.
"And we get to stay in Ninjago City for a little while," Jay said with a smile.
"And now without the distractions, we can put all of our energy into training Melissa and Lloyd," Zane said with a smile.
"Who's there?" Lloyd asked as he held a bench over his face and Rattalia chuckled as she helped Lloyd with it.
"Kinda surprised you have a Serpentine living with you," Rachel commented.
"Don't worry. Unlike the others, she's a friend of ours," Nya assured her.
"Well, any friend of the Ninja is a friend of ours," Luci said with a smile.
"Thank you for the help, Ms. Rachel and Ms. Luci," Melissa thanked the two women.
"It's the least we can do for you Ninja," Rachel said with a smile. "Now, Luci and I better get going. We have much work to do."
"And if you Ninja need anything or if you wanna talk, just give us a call," Luci said as she gave Melissa their phone number.
"Thanks," Melissa said with a smile as the two women smiled and nodded as they walked out of the apartment.
"Some friends you have, Sensei," Nya commented.
"Indeed, they even helped me through hard times after my brother was banished," Wu said with a smile.
Kai then had a thought before he spoke up, "I know the Serpentine generals got away, but you never told us, whatever happened to Skales and Selma?"
"Well, the home owners saw them and called the police," Melissa said with a cringed look.
"And let's just say they found a home too, but it's not quite as roomy as the rundown apartment," Wu said with a cringed look as well.
As it turned out, Skales and Selma's new home was a prison cell in the city's detention center.
"Well, thissss wasss to be expected," Selma said with a sigh.
"Indeed, but at leasssst we warned them about what hassss happened," Skales said optimistically. "And at leassst we have each other for company." He said with a smile to Selma.
Selma looked at Skales for a moment before she smiled with a light blush. "Yeah, we do." She said with a sigh before she frowned in concern. "I hope Rattalia will be OK if the Ninja don't prepare for the worssst."
"You know, if Rattalia ever decidessss to come back, I do have an idea on what we can do," Skales said with a thoughtful smile.
"Like what?" Selma asked.
"You'll find out in time, Sssselma," Skales said with a smile, which made Selma smile back.
"Lights out!" A guard shouted to them.
"Well, we sssshould get ssssome ssssleep," Selma said as she then lay on one of the beds while Skales lay on the other as the lights turned off, "Good night, Sssskalessss."
"Good night, Sssselma," Skales said back as the two Hypnobrai went to sleep.
Meanwhile, far from the city, Garmadon and the rest of the Serpentine had reached the top of a tall mountain with a hole at the top, emitting a golden light.
"The Golden Peaks, the wellspring of the gold for the Golden Weapons," Garmadon said as he held the weapons up which glowed. From the pit of the Golden Peaks rose an orb of molten gold that floated up in front of Garmadon. The Golden Weapons then flew into the golden orb and something began to happen within it. "Yes, it's working!"
When a dragon's roar was heard, the ball exploded and everyone gasped in awe as the six weapons were replaced with a single golden axe-like weapon. The top of the weapon looked to be the four elements of each weapon collided together as it floated towards Garmadon. He had an evil grin on his face as he reached out for said weapon.
"Behold, the Mega Weapon!" Garmadon declared before he grabbed it and the veins in his hand turned gold as he felt power surging through him and he kneeled, yelling from the overflow of energy.
"Your Eminence, are you OK?" A Venomari asked in concern as Garmadon caught his breath.
"Yes, In fact, I've never felt more powerful!" Garmadon declared as he held up the Mega Weapon. "Now to destroy the Ninja, once and for all." He declared as he gave an evil laugh as it echoed for miles.
Their echoes would soon reach Ninjago City where the Ninja were asleep in their apartment. In each of their rooms, the boys were sleeping on bunk beds, Nya and Melissa were sleeping in a room together, and Rattalia chose to sleep in the living room. Everything was peaceful and silent as Wu sat in his own room and meditated.
Then the flame soon went out as Wu felt a disturbance in the balance and heard the echoes of his brother.
"I fear the balance has already begun to shift," Wu said to himself when he opened his eyes, sensing dark times ahead of them.
To be continued...
A/N: And that is the first chapter of Season 2, and this is just getting started, and I am so looking forward to showing you all the big plans I have for this season, and I also would like to thank my friends JesusGonzalaz21 and HarryBuilder for helping me out, and of course, I thank VengieDemon123 for the help with posting the chapter and also editing as well, so I hope you all enjoyed reading this. Leave a review and tell us what you think.
Up Next: The Ninjas need to find a perfect place to train Lloyd and Melissa while at the same time dealing with some new trouble.
Here's the Cast List:
Jillian Michaels as Lloyd, Selma, and Mother; Tara Strong as Melissa and Female Fangpyre; Vincent Tong as Kai and Venomari; Michael Adamthwaite as Jay and Masked Thug 2; Brent Miller as Zane and Customer; Andrew Francis as Cole and Masked Thug 1; Paul Dobson as Wu, Acidicus, Chef, and Child; Kelly Metzger as Nya; Tabitha St. Germain as Rattalia; Mark Oliver as Garmadon; Veronica Taylor as Rachel; Alyson Court as Luci; Ian James Corlett as Skales and Constrictai; Mackenzie Grey as Fangtom; John Novak as Skalidor and Bank Boss; Cathy Weseluck as Patty Keys and Woman.