It seems like a peaceful time in Ninjago City as Wu and Misako are taking a nice walk through the park. "Oh, Misako, all the time we have known each other…" Wu started.
"Someone wise once said: We do not go forward by looking back." Misako told Wu with a smile.
"When did I say that?" Wu asked in wonder.
"Never. I did." Misako said with a smile as the two shared a laugh before they heard screaming as they turned and saw the Hands of Time and the Vermillion Warriors coming out of hiding as the people ran in fear as the Hands of Time advanced towards the two.
"Stay by my side, Misako!" Wu said as he got into a stance, but got no answer. "Misako…?" He repeated before he turned and saw Misako turned to dust as Acronix and Krux then gave an evil laugh, which Wu tried to block out while feeling shocked by what just happened to Misako.
"No!" Wu gasped as he woke up in his bed. "Misako…" He said as he turned and saw Misako at the side of the bed. "At my side." He said in relief as he leaned back.
"Of course. As I always will be." Misako said with an assuring smile. "And as you always will be for me." She said as Wu then gave a frown as he turned away. "What is it, Wu?"
"I haven't told anyone." Wu said as he turned back to Misako. "But when I fought Acronix at the Monastery, something happened. Something bad." He said as Misako looked at him in concern.
At the Samurai X Cave, Nya was still trying to reboot Zane. "This is bad." Nya said in concern. "I told everyone to go back to the Airjitzu Temple while we got Zane back online and still nothing." She said as while typing into the monitor. "All Igot left is trying a total system reboot. Let's hope it works." She said as she pressed a button, which caused Zane to twitch before she pressed another button, which awoke Zane as he twitched with grunts before he stood up and turned to Nya.
"Nya!" Zane said with a smile, which the two girls did in return.
"Oh, we're so glad you're-" Nya tried to say, but Zane cut her off.
"That potato was a flange. 41-823." Zane suddenly said as he then walked off past them. "A narwhal horn is too red as weather is greater than pudding. Fifty sheet auto doc feeder." Nya quickly grabbed Zane and brought him back to the desk.
"Okay, Zane. Take it easy. That's it." Nya said softly as they brought Zane back to his spot.
"Banana curtain nine." Zane said.
"Oh, come on!" Nya as she picks up a screwdriver. "I've tried everything. What is going on in there?" She questioned as she hit Zane's head with the screwdriver.
Inside Zane's head, Pixal is seeing the whole thing while Nya keeps hitting Zane with the screwdriver while Rivet watches. "What is going on is I'm trying to unscramble Zane's neural pathways so we can go rescue my father." Pixal said to them. "And you haven't tried everything. You need to realign Zane's neural inputs." She said, but Nya didn't hear her since she's inside Zane's head. "Can you hear me? Hello?"
"Hello? Carrot dog rainy day in seven." Zane said with a smile as the two girls looked at him weirdly and shook their heads.
"Okay. Heh, heh. I think we may still have a few bugs to work out." Nya said with a weird smile before she then had a thought. "Maybe what Zane needs is-" She started.
"Don't say, a new binary power core." Pixal pleaded, while holding her head.
"-a new binary power core!" Nya finished with a smile. "I'll be right back!" She called as she rushed off.
"Wait! No! Don't leave…" Pixal tried to say.
"Plate! Show! Clipboard…" Zane said while tapping his head before Pixal sighed.
"I suppose, If you want something done, you must do it yourself," Pixal told herself as she went offline.
"And then he struck me with what he called a Time Punch." Wu started while explaining the full story to Misako from what happened at the Monastery. "Now I am rapidly aging. I would estimate one day every hour. The effect is accelerating." He said as Misako was shocked by this. "And will continue to do so until-"
"Uncle Wu?" Lloyd's voice spoke up as they heard knocking at the door.
"Say nothing." Wu whispered to Misako. "The Ninja must not be distracted at this crucial time."
"They might be able to help you." Misako insisted as they heard knocking again.
"Uncle, may we come in?" Lydie's voice asked this time.
"My fate is inevitable, Misako." Wu said to her. "Like the sun rising in the East. Like fall turning into winter."
"Wu-" Misako tried to say but the Garma-Twins entered.
"Uncle Wu?" Lloyd asked as Wu gasped quietly.
"You must keep my secret." Wu whispered as Misako nodded in understanding as Wu closed his eyes.
"How is he?" Lloyd asked as Wu gave a fake snore.
"Still recovering." Misako said with a small smile.
Wu then shot up. "So little time, so many lessons!" He frantically said as he turned to the Garma-Twins. "Fight with your back to the sun. Eight cups of water a day is a myth. You should have been there when I fought Acronix but I-I-" He mumbled before he closed his eyes with a sigh.
"He's right. We should've been at his side." Lloyd said in guilt.
"We failed our uncle." Lydie said before she and Lloyd shared a determined look. "We will not make that mistake again." She added with determination.
Outside the temple, the Ninja were training as Kai fought three sparring bots, Morro and Rose were sparring, and Cole was punching some punching bags Jay was holding. "Zane is down. Demir is captured. Folks disappearing all over town, and we can't do a thing to help!" Cole said as he did a few punches. "If we just knew why Acronix and Krux are taking people…" He said as he did another punch.
"You know, my theory…" Jay tried to say.
"For the last time, they are not hostages!" Cole said as he did another punch.
"How can you be sure?" Jay questioned.
"No ransom note." Cole answered as he did another punch.
"Oh! Maybe they're gonna hypnotize them into being an army?" Jay suggested.
"They are not the Hypnobrai Jay!" Rose told him as she threw a punch at Morro.
"How can you-" Jay tried to say.
"Krux and Acronix already have an army of samurai snakes!" Cole answered as he punched harder.
"Well, you know my other theories…" Jay tried to say.
"Do not say alien abductions again." Cole said as he threw another punch.
"Or dimensional rifts." Rose said as she tried to deliver a flying kick to Morro, who avoided it.
"Or elfin magic portals!" Cole yelled as he punched harder as he summoned his Earth Punch and slammed down on the ground, causing the others to scream in startled as Jay was sent flying and the Temple went down a bit before Jay crashed into the ground as he groaned.
"Dude! What did we say about the Earth Punch?!" Morro told Cole with a look as he picked Rose up, "And Rose, when did you get so aggressive?" He asked the pink ninja.
"Well excuse me for trying to prepare to face those Time Twins and their stupid snake Samurais who captured our friend!" Rose said harshly much to everyone's surprise. "Sorry, It's just, I'm so worried about Demir, all alone and with those finks, Krux and Acronix,"
"Hey, Demir's tough," Jay reminded her, "He's the Master of Metal, remember?"
"I know that but… argh!" Rose groaned in frustration as she swung her fists down as thorny vines burst out. "Ever since he was captured, I've been feeling off for reasons I can't understand and I don't know why." She said as she dismissed the vines. "What is wrong with me?"
"Well, you're probably just worried for Demir." Morro suggested. "But for some reason, you're so worried that your powers are mimicking your emotions but you're acting a lot more worried than a…" He stopped when he realized what was wrong with Rose as he gave a teasing smirk. "Oh, I see what's wrong with you, Rosey."
"She's a bit more mean and she went out of her fancy talk?" Jay guessed before Rose smacked him on the head. "Ow! Hey!"
"I'm standing right here you know." Rose said with a look. "And what in heavens are you talking about?"
"It's either whatever Jay just said or our resident flower girl has a king sized crush on the Metalhead." Morro said with a teasing smirk.
"W-What?!" Rose exclaimed in shock as her cheeks went red. "Th-That's preposterous, th-there's no way that I am attracted to D-Demir!" She stated, turning away with her head up.
Just then Cole, Morro, and Jay all laughed as they shared a high-five. "Denial is the clincher! You're in love, flower petal!" Cole teased with a smirk.
"Rose and Demir, sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N-" Jay teased before a vine grew and whacked him in the back of his head. "Ow!"
"Real mature, boys. Real mature." Rose said with a look as she waved her hand down as the vine vanished.
"Why am I the one getting the karma?" Jay questioned while rubbing his head.
"You kinda had that coming, buddy." Cole said with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm tired of speculating. We need to take action! Right, Kai?" He questioned as they watched Kai spare harder. "Kai? You okay? You haven't been the same since you and Lydie squared off against Krux." He said in concern.
"Yeah. And Lydie hasn't been herself either since that fight." Morro added with a frown, having seen Lydie's behavior lately since Krux. "Did, did he do something to you two?"
"More like said something." Kai said as he did a few punches before he stopped. "No. Nothing. I'm fine." He said.
"Good, 'cause I was just saying it's time to stop guessing and to start fighting!" Cole declared.
"So you're suggesting we capture one of those snake guys and bring them back here for Wu to question?" Kai guessed.
"I just want to fight somebody. But okay, we could do that too." Cole said with a shrug.
"No wonder it was easy to beat you guys." Morro said with a bored look at Cole. "You're all brawn and no brains," he said, poking Cole's head.
"Hey." Cole said as he swattled Morro's hand away.
"Anyway, that plan won't work." Lloyd said as he and Lydie walked out from the temple.
"Why not?" Kai questione.
"Because Uncle Wu still hasn't recovered from his battle with Acronix," Lydie explained, "All he does is sleep and when he does wake up, he rambles crazy stuff,"
"We think he's a lot more hurt then he lets on." Lloyd finished.
"Oh dear." Rose said with her hand over her mouth.
"Ah, great! All this and now we have no leader, either?" Kai complained.
Lydie then gave a look, "Ahem?" She cleared her throat, "Aren't you forgetting that while my Uncle is down, the acting Leader of this team is…"
"The Purple Ninja." Cole finished.
"Correct. With Lloyd as second leader in case I'm not around." Lydie said as Lloyd nodded.
"Seems logical." Rose said with a shrug.
"They are the leaders." Morro nodded with his arms crossed.
"Wait, do we call her Master Lydie or Master Garmadon?" Cole asked in confusion.
"Temporary Master Lydie, you mean." Kai said with a smirk.
"In training." Jay added as Lydie gave them a brow.
"Okay, Temporary Master Lydie in Training, we mere Ninja await your words of wisdom." Cole said playfully. "Which I assume involves kicking some butt till we get a few answers. Right?" He asked as the boys, san Morro and Lloyd, all cheered and high-five in agreement as they rushed off.
"Wrong. Too random and not well thought out." Lydie said with her arms crossed. "We need a plan." She said as the three boys stopped.
"We have a plan; go kick some butt." Kai told her with a wink.
"Really? Who's butt, the Skulkin? A random bystander? The Empress?" Lydie questioned with her hands on her hips.
"We'll work it out down there." Kai said with a shrug and smile.
"Wrong!" Lydie shouted with her staff out, "If you rush into battle without a plan it always ends in disaster. We need to think about our plan here and now," She said firmly while walking towards the Monastery.
"Heh, like father, like daughter." Jay joked with a chuckle.
"Silence!" Lydie said as she hit Jay on the head with her staff. "Close your mouth, and open your ears." She said while walking into the Temple.
"Ow! Oh come on! Three times in a row?! Are you guys trying to make a record?!" Jay questioned as he rubbed his head.
"Sorry guys, but like Lydie said, that would Wu and my father would do." Lloyd said as he entered the temple. "Come on!"
"Oh, yay, I just love sitting around and talking instead of doing." Kai complained with a sigh.
"Cut them some slack guys. Lydie and Lloyd are doing the best they can." Cole said to them.
"Now let's go before Lydie whacks our heads next." Morro said as they entered the temple.
In Ninjago City, parking meters were being pulled underground, a garbage man lost the lid while also losing the trash can when he noticed they were gone. "Aw, come on. Jimmy! You ain't gonna believe…" He tried to say before he saw the garbage truck was gone. "Jimmy?!" He asked in shock.
Everyone around was talking on their phones while two pony men picked up each other's phones. "Hey, hey! Just calling to tell you that I'm walking to the coffee shop now!" He called his partner, who was next to him.
"Cool! I'll see you there!" The second man said, but then the antenna tower a bit far then suddenly collapsed, taking out communication.
"Hello? Hello?" The first man asked before he looked at his phone. "No bars. What's going on?"
The second man sighs. "Can you hear me now? Now?" He asked worry before he turned and saw something that made him scream as his partner behind him looked and gasped.
"The cell tower is down!" The first man called out as everyone then screamed and ran off.
In Dareth's old dojo, Dareth screamed when he saw his fake trophy shelves were gone. "My trophies! Why would someone steal them?!" He asked, falling to his knees, "Why?! WHY?!" He cried out dramatically.
On top of a building somewhere, two of the Vermilion commanders were watching their soldiers gathering some more people and a bunch of metal objects. "Yes!" Raggmunk cheered. "Soon we will have all the metal we need, courtesy of the Vermillion Warriors!" He called as he gave a laugh.
"Really?" Blunck questioned.
"What?" Raggmunk asked his partner.
"All the metal? Like that's it? Finito?" Blunck questioned.
"Yeah. Why?" Raggmunk asked with a confused look.
"Nothing. Nothing." Blunck said. "It's… fine." He said as Raggmunk gave a blank look. "Acronix and Krux signed off on it?"
"Oh, who cares?" Raggmunk asked nervously. "Now let me concentrate!" He called as he focused on the hive mind. "Increase Operation Heavy Metal!"
"Really? That's the name you're-" Blunck tried to question.
"Oh, it doesn't matter!" Raggmunk exclaimed with a look.
In a shop, Ronin was dusting around with a smile while outside, Dareth was screaming as he ran up to Ronin's shop and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Help! Someone stole my trophies!" He exclaimed in panic and a high pitched voice.
"I have an alibi!" Ronin quickly said before he realized something. "Wait? Why would anyone steal your fake trophies?
"I know! They were irreplaceable!" Dareth cried out before he smiled. "Which is why I'm here to buy replacements."
"You want world championships this time or just intercontinental?" Ronin asked with a smile while Dareth thought of the suggestions.
"Uh. Let's mix and match." Dareth replied.
"On sec." Ronin said as he went to the back before Dareth heard some rattling and turned to see some Vermillion Warriors grabbing some metal objects as Ronin came back with a trophy and gasped.
"Uh, they're not here with me." Dareth said with a shrug.
"Fellas, we have a very strict store policy against shoplifting." Ronin said firmly while showing a sign, which Ronin then flipped a switch and smacked the Vermillions down as they looked out the door as Dareth saw his trophies being carried away.
"Hey! Those are my trophies!" Dareth yelled as he rushed outside and grabbed one of his trophies. "Give them back!" He called as he tried to get one of his trophies free, but was having trouble as Ronin came out of his shop with his mech and grabbed Dareth as they flew away.
In the Temple of Airjitzu, Lydie stood before the others sitting down, with a chalkboard behind her, as she wore glasses and pointed to the pictures of Borg Tower, Mega Monster Amusement Park, The Lighthouse Prison, Mystake's Teashop and the Zoo, "So I think we can safely rule out…" Lydie started before Jay started slurping, which Lydie stopped as she turned to Jay, who stopped slurping. "...these places as hiding spots for the missing people." She said as Jay gave a loud slurp again, which she turned as she continued. "These are too small. These are too public and these are too obvious-." She said as Jay gave a loud slurp. "Do you mind, Mouth of Lightning?! I'm trying to concentrate!"
"What? I'm thirsty." Jay said in defense. "Anyway, either they're too obvious, or they are so obvious that they're actually the perfect hiding spot?" He suggested.
Lydie was about to speak, but stopped herself as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Mm. Interesting suggestion." She said as she turned back to the board as Jay continued slurping, much to her annoyance, as the others were.
"What are you doing?" Cole questioned in annoyance.
"I'm bored. So I'm messing with her." Jay said with a smile.
"But now Lydie's starting all over!" Kai complained. "She's gonna take even longer."
"As if your obnoxious slurping isn't slowing her down as it is!" Rose added with a look.
"You know I can still hear you guys, right?" Lydie questioned with a firm look and her arms crossed.
"I gotta be honest, you guys weren't good whispers." Lloyd commented with a shrug.
"No, you are not." Morro said while leaning back. "And I thought Ninja were supposed to be quiet."
Just then, Ronin and Dareth came in. "Sorry to interrupt what looks to be the most boring party game ever, but the city's under attack down there." Ronin explained.
"Yes!" Kai, Cole, and Jay cheered from the news before they saw the others giving weirded out looks.
"Oh, I mean, that's horrible." Jay quickly said.
"Terrible!" Kai added.
"The worst." Cole finished.
"There's a bunch of samurai and snakes stealing every piece of metal they can find." Ronin told them.
"They took my trophies!" Dareth spoke up. "My trophies!"
"Any sign of Krux and Acronix when this happened?" Cole asked the two.
"Or more importantly, Demir?" Rose asked.
"Demir gone missing? And who's Clocks and Acquaintance?" Ronin asked in confusion.
"Oh, right. We didn't spread the word." Morro muttered while placing his hand over his face.
"Doesn't matter." Cole said to them. "Let's go!" He said as they walked off.
"Wait! This doesn't make sense." Lloyd said in confusion. "Why are they after metal?"
"We can ask as we pummel them." Jay said to them.
"Guys, last we fought those Snake Samurai we barely beat them," Lydie reminded them, "And what if this is a diversion to keep us away from Uncle Wu while the Time Twins come for him? We need to stay and think of a strategy."
"We can't just ignore the damage they're doing." Cole stated.
"Nor that they have my trophies." Dareth dramatically said.
"Really?" Rose questioned Dareth with a brow.
"We're not leaving Uncle Wu unprotected again." Lloyd said firmly as Lydie nodded her head.
"But we're going." Kai said firmly as they started to walk off.
"Guys, you can't just go charging in without a plan!" Lydie told them, "I'm telling you as your leader to at least stay so we can come up with a plan!" She ordered.
"And we're ignoring that order," Kai said before he and the three boys walked off as Lydie glared at them.
"Fine! Go ahead! Ignore a leader's order!" Lydie shouted in anger. "By the time you get there, things will fall apart quickly without a plan!" She snapped as she planted her face onto the table while Morro, Rose, Lloyd, Dareth, and Ronin looked at her in concern.
"So…?" Ronin muttered.
"Just go." Lydie muttered with her face on the table as Ronin and Dareth rushed off. "You two better go too. Just to keep those guys out of trouble." She said to Morro and Rose without facing them.
"Uh, if you say so, Captain." Morro said awkwardly. "But are you sure?"
"GO!" Lydie shouted getting up and pointed to the door while her eyes were glowing.
Rose and Morro flinched as they rushed out of the room as Lydie realized what she did as she groaned and faceplanted on the table again. "Are you okay, sis?" Lloyd asked as Lydie gave her brother a look. "Right, stupid question."
"Ugh. The boys are really starting to get on my nerves." Lydie muttered as she got her face out of the table. "With uncle out of commission, it's like they can do whatever they want, and the only thing they want is action instead of a plan."
"Hey, at least Rose and Morro followed your instructions." Lloyd said optimistically as Lydie nodded as Lloyd brought out his phone. "And Nya will have our backs…" He said as he tried to use his phone.
Back at the Samurai X Cave, Nya's phone showed no signal, which made Lloyd unable to call her as Nya came back in with a binary power core. "Okay, Zane, I have got -" She tried to say before she gasped when she saw some Vermillion Warriors that wrecked the area while trying to tear Zane apart. "Zane!"
"Nineteen!" Zane cried while struggling to break free. "Gargle my pudding! My pudding!" He cried before some Vermillion Warriors saw Nya and went towards her. Nya quickly started fighting back as she knocked a few of them down.
"Get away from my friend!" Nya demanded as she kicked a few down before launching herself right towards another before getting to Zane as she knocked them off she helped Zane up. "Come on, Zane! Let's do this!"
"Executive cucumber!" Zane called as he stood up and waved his arms around before a Vermillion warrior kicked him back as Nya bumped into him and fell to the floor.
"Or… maybe you should sit this one out." Nya suggested.
"Fiber zinc taco! Fiber zinc taco!" Zane talked nonsense as the Vermillion Warriors surrounded them.
"Brace yourself, Zane. I'm rerouting all existing power to your chest. In three, two, one…" Pixal counted down as Zane gave off an electrical shock that sent the Vermillion Warriors flying and out of their armor as their snake forms slithered around while Nya held the weakened Zane.
"Ah, total electrical overload!" Nya said in shock. "Nice move, buddy!" She complimented. "I knew you were in there somewhere. Of course, now Ihave to reboot you again, but that-" She stopped when she saw the rank where her old suit was as she gasped and gave a glare. "They stole my Samurai X Gear! Those thieving snakes!" She yelled with a glare as she brought out a vehicle from below.
"I hate not having tunes on the ride, but the USB port is the only way to power you back up." Nya mentioned as they carried Zane to the vehicle and placed in the backseat. "Those snakes stole from the wrong girl!" She declared as she and Zane drove out of the cave.
In the sewer tunnels, the Vermillion Warriors are carrying some metal and hostages while Acronix and Krux are leading the way. Acronix even made a few modifications to his armor as he now has an MP3 player and a BorgWatch. "Ah, all these tunnels under the city look the same, huh?" Acronix questioned his brother with a look. "Pretty confusing, I'll bet."
"It's a secret lair. It's supposed to be hard to find." Krux reminded him while looking at the map.
"Yeah, but not for us." Acronix told him.
"I'll figure it out in a second." Krux said while still looking at the map.
"Oh, get with the times, brother." Acronix told him before he held up his watch. "My new BorgWatch has a built-in GPS… The-unh…" He trailed off when he noticed he didn't have any signal on his watch.
"What's wrong?" Krux asked his brother with a brow.
"Um…nothing." Acronix said sheepishly. "Just respecting your feelings about tradition and…" He was cut off when Krux took his brother's arm and saw the watch with no signal.
"No service. That's why I don't get with the times." Krux said as he shoved his brother back. "The old ways are still superior. Follow me!" He called as they continued on before they reached a dead end as they all smashed into each other. "Okay, that one's on me." He admitted in embarassment.
"I hope things are going this well topside." Acronix grunted.
On the surface, some Vermillion Warriors are taking the support metals from an unfinished building. "Yes! Operation Heavy Metal's so good, the Ninja don't even know what's up." Raggmunk boasted. "Nothing will stop us!" Just then, the Ninja arrived in their vehicles.
"Way to jinx it!" Blunck retorted.
"Last one up is a rotten Ninja!" Jay said as the five Ninja started climbing up the support beams.
"Do we even have a plan besides just fighting!" Morro called just as Nya and Zane arrived in their ride as Nya then started climbing as they all knocked some snakes down.
"Clear off as many snakes as you can!" Kai said to them as he jumped in and they started fighting.
"That's not even a plan!" Rose said as they tried to knock some Vermillion Warriors down.
Ronin and Dareth came in as Dareth got his hood on while Ronin was in his mech. "Wow! Total snake invasion!" Dareth exclaimed.
The ninja continued to climb up the scaffolding while knocking down as many Vermilion Warriors as they could. Kai then noticed a bucket hanging on a hook as he was surrounded by a few of them before he quickly jumped and landed on another platform. "Why am I so good? It's a curse, really." Kai bragged.
But then all the armor the Vermillion Warriors formed together into a bigger version and grabbed onto the platforms. "You're right, it is a curse." Rose said sarcastically with a look.
"Ookay, maybe knocking them down together wasn't the best plan," Kai said sheepishly before it cut a support bar from the platform and caused the boards to fall, which Kai nearly lost his balance before his sister grabbed him by the hands. "Nya, what are you doing here?" He asked as Nya pulled him up.
"I came to warn you about the metal-stealing snakes, but it looks like you already know." Nya said to him.
"How's Zane?" Kai asked.
"He's, uh…" Nya trailed off as they looked down to where Zane was.
"Avocados are not vegetables! 53-11!" Zane rambled.
"Uh, we're still working out some kinks." Nya said sheepishly before the giant Vermillion came up behind them, but they dodged as Nya spin kicked it down as it crashed into some others before crashing into the ground.
"Wait, the Vermillion are stealing metal, and what is Zane made of?" Morro asked them as the others realized what he was getting at.
"Oops," Kai, Jay and Cole said sheepishly, realizing what happened.
As the armors and snakes scattered before they reformed into a mixed version of it as it gave a laugh as Ronin and Dareth stood in front of Zane to protect him.
"Spleen sauce, cow-box!" Zane rambled.
"That's right, bring it on!" Ronin challenged as he ready his mech as the snake ran towards them as Dareth screamed and ran off. "Oh boy…" the Giant Vermilion Warrior started shaking his mech before opening it up and grabbing hold of him. "Feel free to jump in, Dareth." He grunted.
"These guys took your trophies!" Ronin reminded him, which really set off Dareth.
"Brown Ninja Vengeance!" He shouted as he flipped his hood up and charged at the giant Vermilion Warrior. He went into the giant warrior as it let go of Ronin as he ripped some snakes away in rage.
Dareth jumped down as he kept waving around before he kicked Ronin, sending him flying until he hit the ride Zane was in. "Ahh! My leg!" Ronin cried. "I think you broke it!"
"Gotta get more snakes!" Dareth yelled as he kicked more Vermillions down before landing in a split.
"You left Zane unprotected?!" Rose told the others.
"Uh, not exactly. From how Dareth and Ronin handle those snakes down there, I think Zane is okay." Nya said with a sheepish look as she kept climbing.
"Well, now Dareth's distracted, Ronin's injured, and you just knocked down a bunch of metal stealing snakes to a robot who can't even defend himself!" Morro yelled to the boys.
"We did not think this through." Jay muttered.
"Uh, don't worry! I have a plan!" Nya said as she continued climbing.
"If it involves hitting Samurai Snakes, don't!" Rose said, giving a look.
"Nya, where are you going?!" Kai called out to his sister, who was climbing to the top of the building.
"Come on, I have an idea!" Nya called out to the others.
"Well, I'm following the one who actually has a brain in this group," Morro said, giving Cole, Kai and Jay a look.
"Can we just go?!" Kai questioned as they all started climbing with the Vermillions behind them.
"So, does anyone have a plan?" Jay asked nervously as the Vermillions came up.
"Welcome to Ninjago!" Nya called as she moved the crane and smacked the Vermillions off the building and dropped them and the metal beams down as they crashed into the floor.
Raggmunk and Blunck saw this as Blunch looked in shock. "No! They've failed! And we haven't collected nearly enough metal yet." Blunch said in grim as Machia came in from behind.
"No, you haven't." Machia said to them, which the two commanders turned to her in surprise.
"Uh, was she here the whole time?" Raggmunck asked in confusion.
"Your plan didn't just have a stupid name." Machia interrupted as her snakes hissed. "It was also a stupid idea. So now it's my turn." She said as she walked to the edge and focused on the hive mind. "Commence with Operation Blackout." She said as the Vermillion Warriors reformed and began to move on with their orders. "That should buy the time you'll need to collect more metal." She said to the two commanders. "Assuming you don't mess that up as you did this." She said as she walked off.
"Operation Blackout." Blunch repeated. "Good name." He commented.
Back on the building, the Ninja were taking a breath, "Okay, that's a little messier than our fights usually go," Jay commented.
"A little messier?" Rose questioned, "We barely even managed to drive them off, what was that back there?!" She asked, gesturing to how they carelessly knocked Vermillion down, allowing them to take a bigger form.
"Okay, so it wasn't exactly planned. But we managed to drive them off right?" Kai said with a sheepish look.
"And not only that, but Nya, you left Zane alone on the ground, freshly picked for metal grabbing snakes to get?!" Morro questioned while looking at the Water Ninja. "Why did you even bring him here in the middle of a fight if he was still damaged?!"
"Well, it seemed like a good idea at first when those snakes attacked the Cave and tried to take Zane apart," Nya said, rubbing the back of their head.
"But we still kicked some snake butt, isn't that what matters?" Cole told them.
"What matters is that we have no idea what they needed the metal for, Dareth's no help, Ronin's injured and we have no way of finding the kidnapped people or any way to find Demir!" Rose yelled with a look. "This battle was for nothing!"
"Whatever they need the metal for is probably why they wanted Demir, but the question is why?" Morro wondered.
"Alright, so captain what's our…" Jay started before remembering, "Ooohh," He said in embarrassment.
"Yeah, she's not here, Bolt for brains." Morro said with a dull look.
"You all disregarded her orders, went into battle with a half-baked strategy while disregarding the risks and consequences of it, thinking only of hurting the bad guys with no care or thought for their endgame," Rose stated, pacing in front of them, looking each of them in the eye.
"When you put it like that, that wasn't the best plan." Cole said with a sheepish shrug.
Morro groaned as he waved his arms up. "No wonder it was easy to beat you guys when I was in Lloyd's body!" He groaned in frustration. "Seriously, is every plan you guys do is just kicking someone's butt when Master Wu is out cold?!"
"What are you talking about, our plan's aren't always violence!" Jay said in defense.
"Name one," Morro dared him.
"Well, uhh…" Jay tried to think of something.
"What about that time when…. No, that was Lydie's plan, uhh." Cole said as he tried to think of something as well.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Morro said with a look. "This is why Lydie's the leader, she's the only one who has a brain in this team."
"So does Zane." Kai said while gesturing to Zane.
"Spaceship firefliy to garden square!" Zane called while his head spun around.
Morro and Rose gave a dull look as the others gave awkward looks. "Only when he's not malfunctioning." Nya said with a sheepish look.
"Exactly our point." Rose said with a look. "You Ninja are supposed to be a team, following a leader is the most important one. Yet with Master Wu down, you think you call your own shots when you already have a leader, two of them since Lloyd is second in command."
"You guys need to think before you act." Morro told them. "That's what Lydie does and why Master Wu chose her to be the leader and not any of you. Heck, you guys even fell apart when you tried to lead during our chase to the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master, which resulted in losing the Airjitzu Scroll from me, Zane's voice messing up, and Cole turning into a ghost."
"Okay, those are definitely not our best moments." Jay said, rubbing his head sheepishly.
"Wow, you guys are not born leaders." Dareth commented with a brow.
"Yeah, and I was there." Ronin said with a dull look. "Between all of you, I have to agree with the Blowhard that the Garmadon girl is the only reason you guys still have your heads."
The four Ninja looked at each other as they looked down in shame. "Oh, why is it that Lydie is always right whenever we try to come up with our own plans?" Jay questioned in shame.
"Because neither of you can stand on your own two feet without her." Rose said with a dull look. "Look we're wasting time, we need to come up with a plan on how to take down those blasted snakes."
"But how are we gonna find them now?" Kai questioned before the entire city went dark, much to their surprise as the power went out.
"Like that?" Nya asked with an awkward shrug.
Meanwhile at the Airjitzu Temple, Lydie and Lloyd were pacing around Wu's room with Misako by Wu's side as she watched her children in concern. "You're both worried?" She asked them.
"Yeah, Uncle Wu looks pale and who knows what's happening with the others," Lloyd said, gesturing to Wu and frowning in concern.
"And what of you, Lydie?" Misako asked her daughter.
"I'm fine. Why should I be worried about those freelancers?" Lydie said curtly.
"So you're not worried at all?" Lloyd asked with a raised brow.
Lydie looked down. "Okay, okay I am worried." Lydie admitted. "But you heard Master Wu, he wished we were there when he fought Acronix. I'm not gonna leave and disappoint him again." she vowed.
Just then Wu groaned before opening his eyes and looking at his niece and nephew. "You two did not disappoint me, Lydie." He assured them.
"Uncle!" Lydie and Lloyd said in relief.
"When I said that I wished 'you' were there, I was speaking of 'you the team'." Wu elaborated. "If I had brought the entire group, perhaps things would have been different." He explained as Lydie looked down in shame to which Wu noticed. "You still appear concerned, what is it?"
"I-I don't know Uncle it's just…" Lydie struggled to find the right words. "You chose me to be the leader and I blew it. The others disobeyed my orders just to do their own thing. Uncle, what do I do now?" She asked as Wu sighed and went back to sleep as Lydie sighed and walked out to the window.
"Sis, you are a great leader." Lloyd told his sister. "The others just don't realize how much they need you," He said encouragingly.
"Lloyd, when I first became leader, I couldn't even keep the boys in line." Lydie said with a frown. "Or even get them to train from the start before you released the Serpentine, or knock some sense into Nya when she started doing her own hero thing." She stated as she looked out to the city. "What's the point? I'm no leader. All I do is make mistakes."
"You want to know a secret: Wu makes mistakes, a lot of them. And your father made just as many," Misako said to her daughter as Wu listened with one eye open. "The true measure of a leader is not whether they make mistakes. It is whether they learn from them." She said as her kids turned to her while Lydie just moved her eyes to her without turning her head.
"Wu's mistake was going in alone." Lloyd commented before Lydie had a thought.
"And so was mine." Lydie said in realization. "I'm supposed to be out there, leading my team!" She stated.
"Yes. Even if they don't always follow you, they will be." Misako said with a smile before she noticed something else in Lydie. "Deary, I can see that it's not the only thing you're thinking about."
Lydie looked away from her mother as she took a breather. "Mom. Can I ask you something?" She asked.
"You're my daughter, you can me anything," Misako said with a smile.
Lydie didn't say anything for a bit before she looked her mother in the eyes. "Are you, afraid of me?" She asked carefully as Misako looked confused.
"What sort of question is that?" Misako asked.
"When Kai and I fought Krux, he said something that made me question why you dropped me off at the orphanage, besides the whole preventing us from fighting our father thing." Lydie said to her. "Did you dropped me off because you were afraid that I would've become like my dad because you two met while Dad had the Devourer's venom in him and he said that it was in me too, just waiting to turn me into the next Lord or Lady Garmadon," She said, looking away with a frown.
Lloyd and Misako looked at Lydie in sympathy as Misako walked up and hugged her daughter. "It wasn't exactly like that, sweetie." Misako said to Lydie. "I was waiting for the right time to tell you but it seems that time is now." She said before looking out the window, "When you were born, your father and I were so happy, knowing you would be destined for great things but Garmadon feared that some of his own evil had seeped into you, and would force you down his path,"
"And, was there?" Lydie asked in worry.
"We couldn't be certain, so we took you to a good friend to know for certain if there was any Venom in you," Misako said.
"A friend, who?" Lloyd asked.
"Mystake," Misako answered.
"The Tea shop owner who always says 'Never heard of it'?" Lydie asked in confusion, "How would she know?"
"She knows more than you think." Misako said cryptically much to Lloyd and Lydie's confusion.
"I don't get it." Lloyd said with a shrug.
"Okay, in any case." Lydie said as she got back on topic. "But other than that, if either of us did have the Devourer's venom in us, would you and dad still love us?" She asked their mother. "I mean, for Dad, he would be a bit joyful if we understood his pain. But what about you, Mom?"
"There is nothing in Ninjago that would ever make me stop loving my children, whether they be evil or good, just like their father." Misako said with a warm smile.
Lloyd and Lydie smiled at their mother as they shared a small hug together for a moment as Lydie felt better for getting the truth about her past as they separated the hug. "Now, sis, I think our team needs us." Lloyd said with a smile.
"Yeah, but we don't know where they are." Lydie said before they saw the whole city went into a blackout. "Okay. That's a pretty big clue." She commented awkwardly.
"We better go," Lloyd told their mother as they left the room.
"Thanks, Mom. For the talk." Lydie said as she exited the room as well.
Misako gave a smile to her children as she turned to Wu. "You can stop pretending now." She said as Wu opened his eyes.
"Lydie and Lloyd must learn to make their own decisions." Wu said with a sigh. "Both of them will be real masters soon enough. And by the way, I do not make a lot of mistakes." He said while looking at Misako after hearing that.
"No, just one big one," Misako commented as she looked down at him.
At the power station, the Ninja arrived as they saw Lloyd and Lydie in front of them as they exited their vehicles. "What took you so long?" Lloyd joked.
"We were- Hey, how'd you two know those whatever-they-ares would be coming here?" Jay asked in surprise.
"Well, when all the power went out, we assumed they must be at the source." Lydie said with a smirk and gestured to the power station.
"Boy, am I glad you can get to us." Kai said in relief.
"Not as glad as we are, you guys are okay," Lydie said with a smile.
"The truth is Captain," Nya started with a smile, "We're simply lost without you,"
"Yeah, the bad guys may need a beat down," Cole started.
"But we need our leader," Rose finished.
"We should've listened to you when you said we needed a plan," Kai told Lydie.
"No. I should've been following them with you guys from the beginning." Lydie said with a smile. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, yea. So are we." Jay said with a smile. "So, what's the plan, Temporary Master Lydie in Training?"
"Actually, how about just, Captain?" Lydie suggested with a smile. "I'm used to that name and I like being called Captain."
"Okay. So, what's the plan, Captain?" Jay asked with a smirk.
"We go in there and kick some snake butt." Lydie said with a smirk as she walked up to the door.
"Or whatever passes for a snake's butt." Lloyd said with a shrug.
"Yeah, it's hard to tell." Lydie added with a slight chuckle. "Like it, guys?" She asked her team.
"I love it!" Jay cheered.
"Yeah. That's a great plan." Cole said with a smile.
"The treadmill was invented in 1818." Zane talked nonsense, which made the Garma-Twins look at him weirdly.
"Say wha?" Lydie asked with a brow.
"Ignore him. Zane just has a bug." Morro said with a brow.
"Okay… Let's go." Lloyd said as they all walked into the building with Nya guiding him as they entered the building.
"Alright snakes, time to…" Jay called before they stopped as they saw the place empty. "Where are they? The place looks empty."
"Did we miss them?" Rose asked.
"Zane, are you detecting any snakes?" Lydie asked the Nindroid.
"Uhh, Lydie, remember Zane has a bug and it's hard to communicate with him." Morro reminded his girlfriend.
"Oh, well just shake your head yes or no if you detect any snakes." Lydie said with a shrug.
Zane nodded as he scanned around the room and got a detection of multiple snakes as he nodded and pointed ahead of them before the Vermillion Warriors came out with some of them in office gear.
"That's a bunch of Office Warriors! Literally!" Jay exclaimed in panic as they drew their weapons.
"Okay, let's do this! All of us!" Lydie declared.
"All of us?" Nya questioned as she gestured to Zane, who was walking repeatedly to a wall.
"Oh, right." Lydie said with a cringe. "Zane, you just…stay here."
"Newt." Zane groaned as he kept hitting the wall.
"NINJA, GO!" They all exclaimed as they charged at the Vermillion Warriors, but some barrels rolled by that caused them to trip .
A giant warrior slithered towards Cole. "You don't look so big." Cole taunted, but the warrior stood up as it showed its full light. "And now you do." He said fearfully as he tried to attack, but the giant warrior slammed him down as he gave a scream.
The Ninja kept fighting as Nya then faced the warrior attached to a desk. "A desk is no good without a chair." Nya spoke as She moved a chair. "Have a seat!" She called as she kicked a chair at the desk warrior, but it grabbed onto the chair and rolled up to them. "Aw, come on!" She exclaimed as sheavoided the chair as Lloyd did Spinjitzu to knock it down.
"I hate not having a full team!" Lloyd called out.
"We could really use Demir's help right about now!" Lydie exclaimed. "He could pry the metal right off these creeps!"
"Actually, Zane might have an alternative." Nya said as she gestured to Zane, which he gave off a spark that attracted some metal. "He can short himself out with a massive blast of power. It creates a magnetic field that yanks off their armor." She explains.
"That'll do." Lydie said as she looked around and saw the electric warning on a machine. "Those turbines. They're basically big rotating electromagnets, right?" She asked Nya.
"Yeah, basically." Nya said as they fought through the snakes again.
"So if Zane were to hook in directly and super charge one of them, all this metal armor the snakes have-" Lydie tried to say as Nya realized where she's getting at.
"I'm on it!" Nya called as she rushed up to Zane. "Zane! I need you." She said as she dragged Zane to the turbine.
"Hog knock!" Zane rambled.
"We have to buy Nya and Zane a little time!" Lloyd called as the others are still fighting the Vermillion Warriors.
Nya then placed Zane's hands on the machine as surges of electricity moved in. "Got it! Now Zane! Now!" Nya encouraged me.
"Gargle my pudding! Gargle my pudding!" Zane cried as he lost power and fell to the ground.
"We need more juice!" Nya cried out as the Vermillion Warriors got closer to them.
"And where are we supposed to get that?!" Rose asked as she kicked a Vermillion away from her.
"Jay!" Lydie shouted.
"On it!" Jay said as he used his powers on the turbine with a yell, super charging it as all the metal, including the armor and the Ninja's weapons got stuck to the turbines as the Ninja turned and saw the Vermillion snakes slithering around.
"Boo!" Morro said with a smirk as the snakes slithered off. "Ahah! That's right, slither away! Haha!" He laughed.
"Way to go, Nya!" Kai complimented his sister.
"It was Lydie's plan," Nya said with a smile.
"Way to go, Captain!" Jay complimented.
"This is why she's the leader." Rose said with a smile.
"Uh, not to ruin the feel-goods here, but maybe we should save the celebration for after we get the power and Zane back on?" Cole mentioned before they looked at the short circuited Zane.
A bit later, they were at the control room while Nya was pressing some buttons. "One more switch and…" She said as she pulled a switch and the monitors turned on as the news played.
"Well, we know civilization has been restored. The TV is working again." Jay said as Zane twitched and was brought back online.
"Hello everyone. What have I missed?" Zane asked as he was fully operational.
"Not much." Jay said with a shrug. "Missing people, Demir is captured, and snakes trying to steal your metal skin. But we kicked their butts, if in fact they have butts." He said in wonder while rubbing his chin. "It's still an open question. But for now, it's game over." He explained to the confused Zane.
"Uh, I'm not sure about that." Kai spoke up with concern. "Look at what's on the news."
"Snakes are attacking Monster Amusement Park. They appear to be after anything metal that isn't nailed down, including the nails themselves!" Gayle exclaimed in panic.
"Ninja, we're leaving." Lydie said to them.
Then they all rushed out to their vehicles as they hopped on while Kai turned to Nya. "Nya, when this is all over, there's something I need to tell you. Something important." He said to her,
"Okay, big brother." Nya nodded.
Lydie then approached Kai and held his shoulder, "Kai, I asked my mother and she confirmed what Krux told me was a load of baloney," She told him, "So who's to say what he told you isn't the same?" She suggested.
"Maybe," Kai mused.
"An amusement park? Really?" Cole asked in shock. "Do these snakes hate fun?"
"Nah! More like they love metal." Morro joked.
"Agreed." Zane nodded. "I cannot think of a better place to steal it from. I'm sure you concur, Pixal?" He asked with a smile, but got no response in his head as he frowned. "Pixal?" He asked, trying to reach her.
"Now, let's roll!" Nya called with a smirk. "I've got a Samurai X Suit to get back." She said as they drove off, but Jay remained behind.
"Wait!" Jay called, but the others didn't hear him as he gave a thoughtful look. "There is a better place. A Junkyard. Like the one that belongs…" He then gasped in realization. "...to my parents!" He cried in terror.
Without a second thought, Jay revved up his bike and drove off to his parents' junkyard, knowing that it had more scrap metal than anyplace in Ninjago for the Vermillion Warriors to be there as he drove to help his parents if they're in danger.