Lightning flashes through the air as thunder crashes over a red flying ship. A long, thin, glowing green shape flies towards the ship, prompting its passengers to all whip around to watch it as it approaches them.
"Take positions." Master Wu tells the ninja who all quickly comply and leap onto the deck where they carefully watch the green shape grow even closer.
It quickly flashes by them, revealing itself to be a sickly looking ghost dragon with a vague resemblance to Lloyd's own Elemental Dragon, only now corrupted by Morro. And on top of it sits Morro, once again in control of Lloyd's body.
"Ah!" Cole exclaims, taking a step backwards. Turning to the others he says, "I give you this much." He turns again to point at Morro, "That ninja never quits."
The ghost dragon turns in the air to face the Bounty instead of flying alongside it. Then it roars and shoots a blast of corrupted energy towards the ship.
"Port side!" Zane shouts, and Nya successfully maneuvers the Bounty out of the way.
The ghost dragon shoots up into the air high above the Bounty. It pauses for a moment there before diving back down towards the ship again.
Jay and Cole run towards where the dragon is going, and Cole points at the cannons that are on the deck and says to Jay, "The cannons!"
Jay then runs over to one and jumps into the seat. He aims at Morro and shoots at him ten times, but Morro manages to avoid every shot. The ghost dragon turns and shoots another blast of corrupted energy at the ship, but Nya once again dodges it.
As the Bounty quickly swerves to avoid the blast, Jay slides back on the deck before falling forwards and catching himself on his hands. Panting he turns to his left and says to Master Wu, "Ok, let me get this straight. You're just now telling us that you had, not only another student before us, but they also just so happen to be your SON that you never told us about, and now his cursed spirit has possessed Lloyd, all so that he can take your staff?!"
Master Wu grimaces slightly and nods, "Morro will not stop until he gets what he is after." He looks to his staff which still has tea powder stuck to it, "There is a secret message engraved on it. All these years, I had no idea."
Jay groans and says in an exasperated, sarcastic tone, "Of course! Ha, just another day in Ninjago!"
Just then, Morro and his dragon fly up alongside the Bounty, and the ghost glares at everyone on the deck as the dragon lets out a roar.
"If this is as fast as the Bounty goes, I think we're in for some serious trouble." Cole says, pointing towards Morro.
The ghost dragon and Morro pull away from the Bounty, only to then fly upside down above it. As they pass overhead, the ghost dragon disappears and Morro falls onto the deck. With a low, evil chuckle, Morro straightens up, and two ghostly blades appear in his hands as he faces the ninja.
- Kai -
Kai narrows his eyes as Morro stands up. He growls and starts to reach for the katana strapped to his back. But before he can unsheathe it, Master Wu turns and says to them, "I need ink and parchment to make an imprint to see what is on the staff."
Zane places a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention to him, "Kai and I will take you to my quarters, while Jay and Cole will keep him busy."
As Zane runs to the hatch leading below deck, Cole sarcastically says, "Oh, that's honorable of you to nominate us."
"Yeah, we didn't fare so hot last time. Why is it you get off with the easy task?" Jay inquires.
Kai blinks in surprise and adds, "Uh yeah why do I have to go with you? Why can't I fight?"
Zane turns and taps the side of his head with one finger as he says, "Because I am the intelligent one."
"But that doesn't explain why I can't fight too." Kai protests, "Why does Sensei need two people to go with him? Wouldn't it be better if more people distracted Morro?"
"Statistically speaking you are correct, having more people distracting Morro would be better." Zane starts, "But currently your emotions are clouding your judgment, and therefore you are much more likely to take huge risks if you were to fight Morro in this state."
Kai grumbles and looks away as Zane continues, "So logically the best option is for you to come with me to ensure you do not do anything stupid or reckless."
"Fine! Fine, I'll go with you." Kai mutters, before jumping down below deck after Master Wu, with Zane right behind them.
The three of them start to walk down the hall. Zane's cabin on the ship is at the very back of it, and somehow he's the only one of them that keeps ink and parchment with him.
Emotions clouding my judgment. Baugh!
Zane doesn't know what he's talking about.
Kai mentally scoffs as he thinks about Zane's reasoning for both of them escorting Master Wu down the hall.
He then pauses in his thoughts for a moment as he recalls what had happened at the tea shop.
Although… what Morro said did throw me off… and I really want to punch him now…
…ok maybe Zane was onto something.
He sighs and gives Zane a sideways glance as his decision starts to make more and more sense.
Then the floor starts to tilt under his feet, causing him, Master Wu, and Zane to all fall and slide sideways into the wall as the ship flips on its side.
As he pushes himself to his feet, Kai notices Morro entering the hallway from the deck. Growling slightly, he narrows his eyes and starts walking towards him on the now floor wall.
"My quarters are not much further. Go, Sensei, Kai and I will hold him back." Zane tells Master Wu before following the red ninja.
Reaching behind him, Kai unsheathes his katana and brings it up in front of him just as Morro sends a flying kick towards his chest. Kai catches the kick on his blade but gets knocked down as the Bounty suddenly jerks underneath him.
Morro punches Zane and knocks him down the hall. And as Kai manages to get to his feet, the Bounty rights itself and sends them both falling onto the floor. Zane runs back over and tries to attack Morro from behind, but the ghost simply whips around and deflects all of his attacks with ease.
Getting to his feet once again, Kai hears the whistle of something flying through the air and ducks just in time to avoid getting hit by a crate that flies down the hall. Unfortunately Zane isn't as lucky and the crate smashes into him, sending him falling all the way back to the stairs at the other end of the hall. The impact knocks the Nindroid out cold somehow, leaving Kai and Morro alone to fight.
Kai glances at Morro then quickly turns, catching the ghost's hands with his own. Morro pushes against him as he tells him, "Your team will fall apart without its precious Green leader."
Gathering up all his strength, Kai manages to push Morro back up against the wall, "You're wrong, I'll lead them. And save Lloyd if it's the last thing I do. Sensei says you won't give up. Well neither will I!"
Morro laughs and pushes Kai back, an evil glint appears in his eyes, "Speaking of Lloyd, I'm gonna have to punish him for that stunt he pulled back there on the ground. And you know, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it!"
Rage flares in Kai's eyes, "Don't you dare hurt him! I won't let you!"
The ghost just laughs again, "Do you really think you can beat me? This–This is like child's play for me!"
As Kai is about to snap back a reply, the whole Bounty violently shakes and a section of the wall gets torn off behind him.
The sudden change in air pressure starts to pull Kai out of the Bounty, but luckily he manages to grab onto the side of the hole, clinging there as the rest of his body whips around in the air.
"I am coming, Kai!" Zane's voice comes from down the hall.
The white ninja almost reaches Kai but the Bounty suddenly tips backwards, causing him to slip and slide all the way back to the other end of the hallway.
- Morro -
Morro stands in front of Kai, arms crossed and a smirk on his face as he watches the red ninja hang on for dear life.
He chuckles evilly and blasts a steady stream of wind towards him, trying to make him fall.
Kai's grip falters for a moment and he almost does let go, but then a voice comes from behind him.
"You want the staff?"
Morro turns at the sound of Master Wu's voice, stopping the wind as he does so.
"Take it!"
As Master Wu throws the staff Morro makes a wild grab for it, but he misses and it falls through the hole in the side of the ship.
Immediately he dives after it, dislodging the red ninja as he does so. He's vaguely aware that the white ninja manages to catch his falling brother as all his attention is focused on his Grandfather's staff that continues to fall below him.
Gritting his teeth, Morro summons the corrupted dragon again, and using its speed, grabs the staff before it hits the ground.
He hears something whistling through the air in the distance and turns, watching as the flying ship crashes in the Forest of Tranquility.
Laughing, he turns, flying away from the so-called 'protectors' of Ninjago.
Smoke drifts up from the wreckage of the Bounty. Kai and Zane stand by the hole in the hull of the ship, looking out at the forest surrounding them.
Hearing footsteps coming from behind them they turn, seeing Jay and Nya running over to them.
"Are you two ok?" Nya asks, lifting up her Samurai X helmet to look at the two.
Kai nods, then winces as his shoulder flares up, reminding him that it was both dislocated and aggressively thrown around within the span of an hour or so. "I've been better."
"After running a thorough diagnostic on my systems, I appear to be functioning properly." Zane announces, "But Kai, you should let me take a look at your shoulder, it appears to have been recently dislocated."
Kai gives Zane a sideways glare, he hadn't wanted his injury to be announced like that. Especially around Nya who's surely going to start worrying about him, even though he's perfectly fine.
"Man, just think, if Sensei hadn't gotten rid of the staff, it could've been worse." Jay says, surveying the damage to the Bounty.
"Yeah, but now we don't know the message." Cole says, coming over with Master Wu right behind him.
"Not exactly." Master Wu starts, "I managed to make an imprint."
He leads them to Zane's bedroom where across several sheets of paper are three symbols messily imprinted in black ink. The first symbol is a shape that looks very similar to Spinjitzu, the second one is of a sword surrounded by clouds, and the third symbol is a skull with a crack in it.
Jay stares at the images, then at Master Wu, "But what does it all mean?"
Master Wu strokes his beard as he looks at the three symbols, "My father told me long ago that he would leave a message, leading me to his final resting place." He turns to face the others, "After he passed, I looked everywhere for it, not knowing it was in my hand all this time."
He brushes past the ninja, heading towards the hole in the Bounty's side as Kai starts to ask, "You mean to tell us–" Master Wu cuts him off with, "Yes," He jumps down to the ground, the others following close behind, "These symbols will lead us to the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master."
He walks into a clearing near the Bounty and turns to face the ninja, "Only problem is, I have not the foggiest idea what any of them mean."
"Well, if Morro is trying to find the tomb, we gotta find it first." Kai says.
"Hey, maybe Misako can help decipher the clues since she's a total history buff." Cole points out.
Kai mutters under his breath something about 'horrible' and 'abandoning', earning him a whack on the head from Master Wu who had somehow heard it, and also had somehow found another staff-like branch already.
While he's rubbing his head where he was whacked, Zane pulls out a small, shiny, cylinder shaped object from his gi, "Pixal, please release the Falcon and give her our location."
From the cylinder object, wings and a head pop out, revealing it to be a new version of the Falcon. Zane lowers his hand before launching the Falcon into the air where it flies off to tell Misako where they are.
As they watch it fly away, Master Wu announces, "Good, then we set up camp."
It is now nighttime in the Forest of Tranquility. The ninja have just finished setting up a campfire and now sit on several logs around it. An owl hoots in the distance.
"Care to hear a ghost story?" Master Wu inquires.
"If it means stopping Morro, of course." Zane answers.
With a sigh, Master Wu starts speaking, looking into the fire as he does so.
"Morro may have been my son and first pupil, but he was also my greatest regret."
(A/N: Ok, so now this is that flashback part in the show where Wu is sometimes talking over his past self and past Morro, so whenever the past people are talking it'll be in regular text, whenever present Wu is talking it'll be in italics.)
The sun shines brightly over the Monastery of Spinjitzu. Three trash cans are lined up outside the gates, in which are three young boys, searching for food.
"Before he was a cursed spirit, it was not I who found him… but he who found me."
A younger Wu opens the gates, scaring off two of the boys. As he watches them go he realizes that there is still one boy in the trash cans. Wu slowly approaches him, trying not to scare him off as well.
When the boy looks up from the trash can, he finds Wu standing almost over him. His eyes widen and he immediately tries to run around him, but Wu blocks his way, grabbing his arm when it looks like he's about to slip off the edge of the mountain.
"Woh there, I am not going to hurt you." He calmly tells the frightened boy.
"Here," Wu grabs some nearby rocks, and as the boy stares at them, Wu's eyes glow with a golden light and the rocks turn into a plate of shrimp. He holds out the food to the boy who looks between it and him, aw and hesitation in his eyes.
"Go on, I promise it is safe to eat." Wu says, even taking a bite of one of the shrimps to prove they weren't poisoned.
The boy licks his lips, looks at Wu one more time, then snatches the plate out of his hand and runs towards a nearby rock, sitting upon it and scarfing down the food as fast as he can. He then pauses, glances back at Wu, and gives him a small smile before turning back to the food and continuing to eat it.
"My brother had just gone off to train under Master Chen, leaving me alone in the Monastery."
Wu sits and watches the boy eat, wondering where he came from, and where his parents were.
"Do your parents know where you are?" The boy looks up at the question, swallowing and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "I don't have any parents."
Wu blinks in surprise, though, judging by the boy's tattered clothes and the fact that he'd been searching for food in trash cans, he should've guessed.
"Oh, then where do you stay? Who takes care of you?" The boy only shrugs, picking at the last piece of shrimp on his plate, "Anywhere, I'm all alone, no one wants me."
"When I saw him there, all alone, it sparked something in me. A kind of feeling I had never felt before."
"Well, if you would like, you could stay here at the Monastery. I have space and it would be nice to have someone else around."
The boy's head shoots up, eyes wide as he takes in Wu's offer.
"Y-You what? You actually want to have me around?" He asks with cautious optimism.
Wu smiles, holding out a hand to him, "Yes, everyone deserves to have someone. My name is Wu, what is yours?"
The boy looks at Wu's hand, then his face, then his hand again, searching for any sign of deception, or a hint that this was all some cruel trick. But he finds none of that.
So, though a bit hesitant, he grabs Wu's hand and smiles back, "Morro, my name is Morro."
"The first few days were awkward, as expected. But slowly he began to warm up to me, and one day, something incredible happened."
Morro pokes his head into Wu's room, watching from afar as the man who'd taken him in quietly reads a scroll, occasionally jotting down something in a blank one next to him.
As he's about to leave, Wu glances up from his scroll, "Hello Morro, can I help you with something?"
Morro pauses, unsure of how to answer, "I-I'm sorry for interrupting you! I didn't mean to!" He lowers his head, twiddling his thumbs as he waits for Wu to surely reprimand him for interrupting what is obviously very important work.
But instead of him getting mad, Wu simply smiles and puts down his scroll, "It is quite alright, I was not doing anything very interesting, just cataloging different types of tea."
"Oh." Morro takes a deep breath in relief.
"In fact, I was just about to put on a pot of water to make some tea, would you like to have some with me?"
Morro thinks for a moment, "I've never actually had tea before." He admits.
Wu blinks in surprise, "Well, then you absolutely must try it. I will start making some right away." With that he whisks out of the room, presumably to the kitchen to boil some water.
Morro is about to follow him when he notices something in the corner of Wu's room. Curious, he walks over and picks it up. It's some strange large, thin, red piece of paper in an odd shape with yellow and orange patterning on one side while the other has some wooden sticks and a long string attached to it.
He's still looking at the strange contraption, trying to figure out what it's used for, when Wu comes back.
"Ah, I see you found my kite." Morro flinches slightly and hurriedly starts to put the kite back where he'd found it, "No, no, no. It is ok, you can have it. I myself do not use it all that much."
Wu smiles gently as Morro picks the kite back up, "How about we go outside and try it out? It is a wonderful day to fly a kite."
"I- …I've never seen a kite before." He once again admits.
"Oh, well then I will show you how it works. Come, let us go outside."
Once outside, Wu is about to start demonstrating how to use the kite when the tea kettle inside starts to whistle loudly.
He glances between Morro and the Monastery before giving the boy an apologetic smile and saying, "Ah, my apologies, I will be back in a moment."
After he leaves, Morro looks at the kite, then at the sky, wondering how it works and why they needed to go outside.
With a sigh he sits down, placing the kite on the ground next to him. But like Wu had said, 'It is a wonderful day to fly a kite'. In the blink of an eye, a strong gust of wind has picked up the kite from the ground.
Morro jumps up from where he was sitting, trying his best to grab it before it gets too far. But the kite just barely slips between his fingers, quickly whisking away off the side of the mountain.
"NO!" Morro shouts, desperation thick in his voice.
As a last resort he throws his hands out, squeezing his eyes shut tight as he wills the kite to come back to him, even though he knows it's impossible.
Deep inside of him, he can feel something flutter, like a piece of paper moving because of a light breeze. Acting more so on instinct than anything else, he grabs onto that thing that fluttered, and suddenly it's as if his blood was replaced with air. He feels lighter than anything, even the air around him. He feels as if he could run for miles and miles without getting tired, faster than even the wildest winds. Powerful enough to tear through anything standing in his way, stronger than the strongest hurricane or tornado.
A loud gasp makes him snap back to reality, his eyes fly open and whatever he'd felt vanishes. Looking back, he can see Wu staring, mouth hanging open, at him and then the sky behind him. Confused, Morro turns, looking at the sky where Wu is looking.
Floating gracefully on a genial breeze is a kite, the same kite that, only moments ago, had been flying away from him in a wild wind.
Morro blinks in surprise as the kite falls into his hands. Hands, he realizes with a jolt, that are glowing a soft white. The white fades as he grabs ahold of the kite.
Behind him he hears something shatter and he flinches at the sudden noise. Turning around he finds Wu still staring at him, a pile of ceramic pieces lay in a puddle of liquid at his feet, from the cups of tea he'd just dropped, Morro realizes.
"Oh my Father…" Wu's whispered voice is filled with awe as he stares at the boy in front of him, innocently holding a kite and looking at him with confusion in his eyes.
"You can… You are… I can not believe…" He can hardly form a sentence as he tries to wrap his head around what he'd just witnessed, "Could it be…"
"I had shown him things he had never seen. And he showed me a few things too. He had a power over the Wind I had never seen. He was a descendant of an Elemental Master. It was then I knew I needed to train him, help him find his true potential. And maybe, one day, he would wear green."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up." Jay waves his hands in front of him, breaking off Master Wu's story, "You're saying Morro, the Master of Wind, was gonna be the Green Ninja?"
The wind shifts, making the fire in front of them grow bigger.
Cole shifts nervously, moving slightly further away from the fire, "Uh, did that just happen? Maybe I don't like ghost stories."
Everyone ignores him entirely, Zane instead asks, "What happened next, Sensei?"
"After that I started his training. Morro was the perfect student. He did everything that was ever asked of him."
Some time later, Wu watches Morro sparring with other young boys from nearby villages. The young wind master is doing fairly well, managing to dodge nearly every punch and kick the others throw at him. But eventually one gets a lucky hit on him and he falls to the ground.
"Get up, a Ninja Never Quits." At Wu's words Morro leaps to his feet, ready to take on the other boys again.
"After having Morro around in the Monastery for a couple years, something changed in our relationship. He was more relaxed, more at home. And I felt that perhaps it was time to take the next step."
Wu walks into Morro's room, holding something behind his back. The boy looks up from the scroll he was reading, giving Wu a smile as he notices who it is.
"Is it time for another lesson?" Morro inquires.
Wu shakes his head, the hand behind his back starts shaking slightly, "No, I uh, I have something to ask you."
Curious, Morro sets down his scroll, turning to face Wu and giving him his full attention.
"Morro, I was wondering if um, if you would uh, if I could uh," Wu stutters and trips over his sentences, trying to find the right words to say. Finally he takes a deep breath and holds out what he'd been hiding behind his back, "Morro, I would like to ask if you would like to become my son, if I could adopt you."
Morro stares in shock at both Wu and the papers he's holding out to him, adoption papers he realizes.
"I wanted to get to know him more, to protect him, to let him know that he was wanted and loved in this world. Because I did, I loved him like the son I never had."
"Are-Are you serious?" He whispers, taking the papers and reading them.
Wu nods, nerves still fluttering in his stomach, "Yes, I would li-love to have you as my son, Morro."
He crouches down in front of the dark haired boy, looking up at his face with a smile, "You have shown me a side of myself I never knew I had. But it is your choice, so take as much time as you need to decide, and I promise I will accept whatever yo-"
Morro cuts Wu off by suddenly jumping up and hugging him, gripping the papers tightly in one hand and smiling so hard that his cheeks start to hurt.
Wu rocks backwards a bit as Morro's sudden hug catches him off guard. But once he recovers he hugs the boy back, the two of them locked in a seemingly never ending hug.
But of course, all good things must come to an end, and after a while they separate, and when they do, Morro is practically exploding with happiness as he clutches the adoption papers and bounces up and down in place, "Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes! A thousand times yes!"
Wu smiles, a soft, loving, but also slightly nervous smile. Now he has a son. He has a son. An amazing, talented, and oh so joyous son. And he can't wait to see what's next for them.
"As the years passed, Morro's fighting skills and control over his power grew. And eventually, when I felt he was ready, I told him about the prophecy of the Green Ninja."
Wu and Morro sit together in Wu's meditation room. Several years have passed, Morro is now around fourteen or fifteen, Wu wasn't sure exactly how old he was when he took him in, neither was Morro. But he was young, perhaps six or seven.
"So you see, son, there is something I have been wanting to tell you for a while."
Morro perks up at that, he always loves learning something new, and he's found that his father knows a great deal of different and interesting things.
"There is a legend, a prophecy, written by Quanish the Elder. It foretells a final battle in which the four masters of creation will face an ultimate evil, the Dark Lord. 'One ninja will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja, the ninja destined to defeat the Dark Lord'."
The young wind master listens intently as Wu tells him about the prophecy. And finally, that he might be the Green Ninja.
"Woh, so I might be the Green Ninja?" Morro's eyes are wide as he takes in all this new information.
"You could be." Wu confirms, "But it is up to destiny to decide. Only the strongest ninja will be able to become the Green Ninja."
Morro nods his head, a grin spreads across his face, "Then I guess I've got some more training to do."
"After I told him he could be the Green Ninja, there was a hunger unmatched. I had seen before how competitive and driven he could be about things, but never had I thought this would be one of them."
Morro faces off against several other boys in the courtyard of the Monastery. They all rush at him together, but he manages to defeat them all.
"Come on, is that all you've got?" He taunts them, "Get up. Get up and face me, you wusses."
Wu gets up from where he'd been watching, "Enough."
Morro turns to face him, he now has a streak of green in his hair. A testament of his desire to become the Green Ninja, "But dad, if I'm going to be the Green Ninja, I need greater tests."
"I said enough, Morro. A ninja does not need to further fight an enemy that has already surrendered."
Morro huffs and crosses his arms, turning away from his father.
"There was an arrogance in him. I feared I had made a terrible mistake. He was convinced that he was the Green Ninja. But as I told him, 'it was up to destiny to decide'."
Months later, Morro opens the sliding doors to Wu's meditation room. Wu stands inside, holding the Green Ninja gi. The four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu lay in a circle in front of him. Morro bows and walks forwards until he's standing in the center of the circle of weapons.
Smiling, he closes his eyes, Wu looks down at the Golden Weapons, searching for any sign that Morro would be the Green Ninja. But nothing happens.
Wu lets out a sigh of disappointment, causing Morro to open his eyes, "What? What is it? Did they tell you? Am I the Green Ninja?!" The excitement in his eyes makes Wu's stomach twist, he'd never meant for his son to become this obsessed with the idea of being the Green Ninja.
"I am sorry, son. Destiny has spoken, it looks like you are not going to be the Green Ninja after all."
Morro's smile falls as he hears Wu's words, each one feeling like a stab to the heart, "No, no no no!" He starts backing away, almost tripping over the Shurikens of Ice, "I am the Green Ninja! You made me believe!"
"Morro I-" Wu starts, but the raven haired boy only glares at him before stomping out, slamming the doors shut as he leaves.
"After that he grew distant, cold, ruthless. He became obsessed with proving destiny wrong. He would spend hours training nonstop, trying to prove that he was worthy of being the Green Ninja."
Wu walks through the Monastery, heading towards his meditation room. On the way he passes the library, Morro's inside, hunched over several scrolls laid out on the table. Wu pauses, backing up until he's by the door again.
He's been like this for days. Every day he'd wake up at dawn, train for hours, then spend the rest of the day holed up in the library. He had heard of the tomb of his grandfather and how his father couldn't find it. So it seemed like the perfect quest to prove that he was worthy of being the Green Ninja.
"I had told him time and time again that the tomb could not be found, for my father had left no message. But he would not listen, insisting that there had to be something, somewhere."
Things between Morro and his father were… different to say the least. They hardly spoke anymore, and whenever their paths would cross, the only words exchanged were curt, to the point messages.
It broke Wu's heart to see his son like this, to see the lively, rambunctious little whirlwind so cold and serious. But he didn't know what to do other than give him space and time.
With a sigh, Wu keeps walking down the hall, sorrow hanging over his head like a raincloud.
"This continued for months and months. Until one day he decided that he needed to continue his research elsewhere."
A soft knock on Wu's door brings the blond out of his thoughts, standing in the doorway is Morro, holding a rucksack over his shoulder.
Wu furrows his brow at the sight, "Hello, son, what brings you here? What is the bag for?"
"I'm leaving." Morro says, blunt and cold as usual.
"Wha- leaving? But why?" Wu asks, surprised.
"I'm going to find Grandfather's tomb, dad, and I can't do that from here."
"Well yes, but," Wu pauses, then sighs, "are you sure? I have told you multiple times that it is impossible. My father left no message."
"Even if he didn't, the tomb has to be out there somewhere, I just need to get out and find it myself."
"But Morro, son, I do not think it is very smart or wise to run off to who knows where, after all, what if you get into trouble and need me, I can not help you if I do not know where you are."
Morro bristles at Wu's words, "I don't need your help dad, I can do this by myself!"
He turns around and before walking away, says over his shoulder, "I'm leaving, and you can't stop me."
"He was right, by that evening he was nowhere to be found. I left the gate open in hopes he would return, but he never came back."
The fire crackles as Master Wu finishes his story.
"I am saddened he was banished to the Cursed Realm. But what worries me more is that he escaped, and for what reason?"
He looks at each of the ninja and Nya, saying, "To save Lloyd and return your powers, you must find the tomb before he does. Or else."
Jay gulps hard, "Or else what?"
"Unspeakable power will curse us all."
Jay lets out a nervous laugh, looking at the others, "Just another day in Ninjago, am I right?"
Kai shakes his head, "No, this is different. Lloyd is at stake."
"But how can we compete against the Green Ninja? He's more powerful than all four of us combined." Cole points out.
"That was before we lost our powers." Zane adds.
"Great!" Jay exclaims, throwing his hands in the air, "We're even more screwed now, perfect!"
"No we're not." Kai stands up, turning to face the others, "We may not have our powers right now, but it's like Sensei said. Our real power doesn't come from our hands, it comes from in here." He taps the left side of his chest over his heart, "This is Lloyd we're talking about. This is one mission we cannot fail."
A small tavern with brightly colored, flashing signs sits on the side of a road, surrounded by rice fields. Rows of bikes are lined up in front of the tavern.
Morro directs his corrupted energy dragon towards the building. Once he reaches it he flips off of the dragon as it disappears above him, landing on the ground in front of the entrance with the staff of the FSM in hand.
Walking into the tavern he finds it full of tough looking bikers, explaining the bikes outside. A couple pool tables are situated down a small flight of stairs, with several bikers playing.
Going up to the bar, the bartender comes over to him with a glass in hand, "Thirsty?"
A smirk pulls at Morro's lips and he reaches out for the glass, "Insatiable."
There's only a slight, barely noticeable protest from Lloyd as Morro tips the blond's head back and downs the drink in one go. The familiar buzz of whatever alcoholic drink he just downed fills his borrowed body.
He slams the cup onto the counter with a sigh of contentment, "Ah, it's been a while."
Lloyd on the other hand is mentally reeling from the fact that Morro just forced him to drink underage.
Oh shut it you.
Morro mentally rolls his eyes at his prisoner, annoyed with his continuous retaliation against his possession. Most of his victims simply gave up and let him do whatever once he brought forth the memories that would make them falter and allow him to take control. But it seems that this one would be harder to break.
Glancing around the tavern he spots the pool tables. With a smirk he walks over to one, ignoring the bikers that had been playing the game, and spreads a layer of dust over the table with his wind, rolling the staff through it and messing up the pool balls as he does so.
Three symbols appear in the dust, a Spinjitzu-like tornado, a sword surrounded by clouds, and a skull with a crack in it.
Examining the first symbol, Morro smiles as he realizes what it is, "Oh, of course."
The smile drops off of his face as he hears someone approach him from behind.
"You're a bit young for a place like this, ain't ya?" A biker with a mustache wearing a red beanie and aviator sunglasses - at night… inside… weirdo - holds a cue stick in one hand, tapping it into his other one.
"Wrong place to come if you ain't got friends, if you know what I mean." A man in a blue hat with a beard steps up to Morro's other side.
More bikers come over, all holding cue sticks and looking less than pleased that Morro interrupted their game.
But the ghost isn't worried, instead he simply smirks and looks down at the Allied Armor on his chest, "Oh, I have friends."
The armor glows and a wind suddenly blows through the tavern, causing the bikers to back away from Morro.
A flash of green fills the building and as it fades away, a green, translucent, floating figure wearing a hood and very fashionable chains appears in front of Morro.
Morro gives them a nod and immediately they begin to attack the bikers, throwing them into walls, eachother, and even out the windows. Meanwhile, Morro simply grabs the staff and walks towards the exit, the other ghost floats over to them once they're done beating up the bikers.
"Ah, you know where you're going?" The other ghost eyes the staff in Morro's hands as they exit the tavern.
Morro chuckles and tosses the staff between his hands, "I do now. But make sure no one else tries to stop me."
"Hmm. Bold of you to try and order me around." The other ghost hisses, circling Morro with narrowed eyes, "You know I only take orders from Her."
Morro grits his teeth, holding the staff tighter in his hands, "Yes, but if She wants to be free as soon as possible then I can't keep getting slowed down by others trying to stop me." The other ghost pauses in their circling, "So it's in Her best interest if you listen to me."
The other ghost hums as they consider this new information, "You make a good point." They say after a time, "As long as you keep up your end of the bargain, She will keep hers."
"I will listen to you, for now. But…" They rush towards Morro, grabbing the collar of his cloak and holding him a couple inches off of the ground, "if you stray from your task, or try to trick Her, then I will end your miserable existence as a ghost and complete the mission myself. Understood?"
Morro gulps but nods his head, keeping his face as blank and unafraid as he can. The other ghost studies him for a moment then releases him, causing him to fall to the ground on his butt, "Good, now go, She will not wait forever."
Fighting to keep his hands from shaking, Morro slowly gets up, summoning his corrupted dragon as he flips on his hood. The dragon gently nudges him with their snout, rumbling softly as they sense his fear. He reaches out to give them a reassuring pat but hesitates and instead pushes them away and climbs onto their back, silently commanding them to fly.
The other ghost watches them go, a twisted grin on their face. They look towards the rows of bikes that are still lined up outside the tavern before floating over to one and possessing it, turning it into a ghostly monster bike.
They laugh and rev the engine before shooting forwards and somehow up? Disappearing out of sight in a matter of seconds.