Wu let each of the pairs pick a vehicle to travel in.
Of course, Jay wanted the bikes. He called dibs and was more than willing to fight someone for them.
Cole, on the other hand, was terrified.
He was used to carriages, horseback, and more or less walking everywhere. A motorcycle was not on the list of things he's ridden.
Or on the list of things he knew existed until now.
So, of course, Jay volunteered to drive them. Cole was okay with that, as he didn't know how to operate one.
Big mistake.
Because Jay didn't consider his friend hadn't even seen one before, he didn't consider how terrifying it would be, especially since it was so fast. Or that Cole would be clinging onto him for dear life. Which was way too tight with his super strength.
So the relief that washed over them as the junkyard appeared in the distance was immense. Jay quickly pulled up, parked and turned off the bike outside.
Only Cole didn't budge.
"You can let go now," Jay called to the prince, still clinging to him. "We are here."
Cole looked up, looking around. He looked ahead, quickly pulling his arms away with a sheepish chuckle.
"Right, I knew that," Cole chuckled, scrambling off the bike.
Jay laughed, rolling his eyes. "You are such a dork."
"This thing is utterly terrifying," Cole retorted, pointing at the bike.
"It wasn't that bad," Jay persisted.
"Dude, I haven't been on any motorized vehicle in years," Cole argued. "That was terrifying."
"Ok, you win this one," Jay sighed, still smiling.
"Jay, my boy-o."
Both teens turned, watching an elderly couple walk over to greet them.
"Ed, dear, remember, he isn't our Jay."
"I know, Edna. That doesn't mean I'm going to treat him any different."
"So, did Wu call you guys then?" Cole asked.
"Yes, dear," Edna smiled. "He told us the situation and told us you two would stop by."
"Come on in," Ed grinned. "We've got some drinks and snacks inside."
"Ooo, snacks?" Cole's eyes lit up.
Jay snickered, following Ed and Edna into the Junkyard.
He looked around as Cole raced to the trailer. Piles of scrap and damaged tech lay around the property. He didn't know what half of it was. He did recognize some things: car parts, light stands, rugs, carpets, and more.
"See anything you like, kiddo?"
Jay turned, seeing Ed watching him.
"Not really," Jay shrugged. "Some things look familiar, but it's all broken. Nothing I could use."
"Not unless you know how to fix it," Ed smiled.
"Fix it?"
"You aren't very tech-savvy, are you?" Ed asked, seeming disappointed.
"Not in terms of repairing damaged things," Jay replied. "I work with the theatre back home as their tech guy, but I run lights, work with microphones, sound effects, music, et cetera. So, I repair it sometimes, but nothing serious. Normally, changing batteries or frayed wires. Stuff like that."
"So, you don't build anything?" Ed asked.
"No, not really," Jay sighed. "I've wanted to, but my dad has me in acting school, and he wants me to be an actor like him."
"I see," Ed sighed.
"Are you two coming in? The hot cocoa is going to get cold!" Edna called from the trailer.
"Coming, dear!" Ed called back, then turned to Jay, "We can talk more inside."
Jay nodded, following Ed to the trailer.
Inside, Jay found Cole sitting in a recliner, kicked back with a blanket draped around his shoulders and a steaming cup of hot cocoa.
"You sure got comfy fast," Jay chuckled.
"Your parents are amazing!" Cole awed. "Mrs Walker makes the best hot cocoa I've ever had."
"Do they have hot cocoa in Shintaro?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, and it sucks," Cole leaned back in the chair. "It's always watered down because of how expensive it is. I only get it because I count as royalty."
"Royalty?" Ed echoed. "Are you a prince?"
"Step-prince, but yeah," Cole nodded.
Ed and Edna exchanged looks, then turned back to Jay.
"Are you also royalty?" Ed asked, curious.
"Oh no, nope," Jay shook his head. "Just son of a celebrity."
"Are you hearing this, Ed?" Edna asked.
"I am, dear," Ed replied. "I'm standing right next to you."
"I'm guessing this is news to you two?" Jay asked.
"Well, our Jay is still a celebrity, but not because of us," Ed spoke. "He's one of the famous ninjas, after all."
"The ninjas are really that famous?" Cole asked.
"Of course," Ed smiled. "They've saved Ninjago countless times."
"Saved from what?" Jay asked, sitting down next to Cole.
"Evil people who want to take over the world," Ed said ominously.
Edna nudged him with a frown and handed Jay a cup of hot cocoa, "Don't be trying to scare them, Ed."
"No, I want to hear more," Cole interjected. "I want to hear about the ninja."
"Well, if you say so," Ed grinned.
Ed then rambled on for almost an hour about the ninja. His Jay was the best, and the rest of the team was great, too. He talked about the Great Devourer, The Overlord, Chen, Morro, Hands of Time, etc. Both boys hung onto every word, surprised at the amount they'd been able to accomplish.
"And they've just gotten their powers back after battling the Overlord again," Ed finished.
"That's insane," Jay uttered.
"Being in our world must be a nice break for them," Cole added. "As far as I'm aware, nothing ever happens there."
"Almost makes our lives seem boring," Jay chuckled.
"You and I have the least boring lives in our world," Cole turned to Jay. "Like, you are the son of a famous actor, are you not? How is that boring?"
"It just is," Jay shrugged. Then he paused before turning to Ed and Edna. "Jay here is adopted, right?" He received nods, "what happened there?"
"He was left on our doorstep as an infant," Edna replied. "He was the most adorable baby, wasn't he, Ed?"
"Yes, he was, dear," Ed agreed.
"He had a note and a key with him. Jay told us the key was to a mansion his father owned," Edna continued. "The letter didn't help much."
"Help with what?" Cole asked.
"Finding out who his mother was," Ed replied. "Our boy-o knows Cliff was his birth father, but he still knows nothing about his mother."
"Really?" Jay asked, seeming disappointed.
"All the previous elemental masters still around have some stories of her, but it's not a lot," Ed sighed. "Jay sure hoped something, but he never thought it would be this hard."
"He's been pretty happy with the information he has found," Edna commented. "Everyone does say he's got his mother's personality."
Jay smiled, looking away. He never realized just how different his life here was. The fact that he didn't even know his mother in this world, or his father, never got to meet either of them and continued like normal was unreal to him. Jay had his parents back in his world. He didn't know what he would do without them or where he would be otherwise.
"Jay?"
The redhead looked up, meeting Cole's gaze. His friend frowned, concerned at the change.
"I'm ok," Jay mumbled. "Just trying to grapple with everything."
Cole nodded, exhaling before looking up at the two elders in the room. He watched Ed open his mouth and close it a few times, trying to find the right words.
"Say, boy-o," Ed hummed, hesitating slightly. "Why don't you and I find some stuff in the junkyard and build something together? You said you always wanted to, right?"
Jay gave a soft smile, nodding. He quickly stood, following Ed out of the trailer.
He wandered out into the junkyard, looking around at the towering heaps of material. Broken mechanisisms, car parts, scrap metal, wires, gears, old tech, if you could think it, odds are it was here.
"So, any ideas?"
Jay looked up, seeing the old man looking back at him.
"Not sure," Jay hummed. "I've never been given the opportunity to do anything like this."
"My boy-o was a natural from a young age, so I wouldn't be surprised if you are too."
Jay smiled, looking around. Maybe something would catch his interest and get the ideas going. Of course, there wasn't time for anything too ambitious. They were only here for a couple hours at max, especially if Cole decided to go visit his parents.
So what could he do? He'd never done anything like this before. Sure, he'd helped repair tech stuff at the theater, but he always had a manual or guide of some sort. Now, it was just up to his imagination.
Of course, his first instinct was to build something for Cole. A trinket maybe? Something they could take back with them that Cole could keep. But there really wasn't much.
Jay's eyes landed on the bike parked outside the Junkyard as an idea formed.
"Do you think we could make a sidecar for the bike?" Jay asked.
"Oh, probably," Ed replied. "Jay and I built a whole bike within a few hours before. That won't be too hard."
"Great! What do we need?"
"We'll need a couple of wheels, some scrap metal, stuff to make a frame," Ed started listing things, but Jay was already zoned out and looking around for a couple of wheels. Surely, there were several around the junkyard; the trick was finding the right size. Not too big, not too small, and still the same size as each other.
Jay started wandering around, grabbing scrap sheets of metal and bars they could use as a frame while looking for wheels. After a couple of minutes, his hands were too full, and he wandered over to the trailer, finding Ed laying out the tools and parts he'd gathered.
"Whatcha got, kiddo?"
"Some metal for the frame and the outside," Jay replied, dumping it on the ground.
Ed flinched at the crashing metal as it hit the ground. Then he smiled up at Jay, "Great find. These will work perfectly."
"We still need some wheels, though," Jay replied.
"There should be a couple of piles behind the trailer," Ed pointed. "I'll see if I can scrounge up more parts for the frame. Maybe a seat of some sort, too."
Jay nodded, heading towards the trailer. He wandered around back, seeing the piles of tires Ed mentioned. The only issue was there was no organization to them. Each pile ranged in tire sizes, from tiny, little wheels you would find on office chairs and carts to tires for transport trucks and buses. At least the massive tires were piled elsewhere, as Jay could see the stack of tires for construction vehicles.
He started scanning the piles, pulling any wheels that looked like a good size. He started creating his piles, trying to figure out the best fit. He didn't want anything too small, but he needed something smaller than the wheels on the bike. Well, it depended on what they were doing for the sidecar.
It would be connected to the bike, so he could just do one big wheel, but most of the big wheels here were either too big or unstable. Two smaller wheels on the side made the most sense.
He pulled one more wheel out of the pile, thinking this would work best. He turned, scanning the piles behind him and seeing another that matched. Perfect!
He brought both over to where Ed was.
He saw the older man walking the bike over to the work area. Two piles of metal lay around him: piping for the frame and the other sheets for the body.
"How'd ya manage, kiddo?" Ed asked, dropping the kickstand on the bike.
"I think these will work," Jay replied, holding up the tires.
"Alrighty," Ed smiled, "We'll get started then. We can always change them if we need something bigger or smaller."
Jay nodded, setting down the wheels. He glanced around them, looking at everything Ed had collected quickly. Both piles had significantly more metal in them than Jay initially brought over. In addition, Ed had brought a toolbox and some other things over. He recognized the welding machine as the theatre used a similar one for small frames for sets and builds.
"So, what'cha thinking?"
Jay looked down, seeing the elder looking up at him. "Well, something that Cole can ride in. He didn't seem fond of riding behind me on the bike."
"So, a simple ride-alone car would work then," Ed replied.
Jay nodded. He watched Ed pull out a pad and pen before handing it to the teen. "Sketch out a rough idea. I will go see if I can find something for a little windshield then."
Jay nodded, dropping to sit on the ground as Ed wandered off. He'd never done something like this, but he'd draw several times before. Surely, it couldn't be too challenging, right?
By the time Ed wandered back, Jay had a nice sketch of the idea. He showed Ed, who seemed impressed. Both turned and started working on the frame for the bike. They laid out the pieces before Ed started showing Jay how to weld. Which, no surprise, Jay was a natural.
Jay was on the bike within an hour, driving around the yard for a test run. He pulled beside Ed, smiling with pride as Edna and Cole exited the trailer.
"Seems like you two were busy," Edna hummed.
"Did you make that?" Cole asked, pointing at the sidecar.
"He sure did," Ed grinned as Edna walked beside him. "With a little help, of course. But he did most of it."
Jay turned the bike off, and Cole walked over.
"I made it so you'd feel a little more comfortable travelling," Jay hummed.
"So, you made it for me?" Cole asked.
Jay nodded, a faint pink tinting his cheeks as he stepped off the bike. "Do you like it?"
Cole pulled Jay into a hug, surprising the redhead for a moment before he returned the gesture. "Thank you," Cole hummed, smiling.
"Well, if you're wanting to get to Lou's place before dark, you best be going," Edna called.
"Lou?" Jay questioned, pulling back from Cole in confusion.
Cole shrugged, looking away. "Edna and I talked about it, and I think it would be good to go and visit him after all. Maybe when we return, it can help me find and meet him in my world."
Jay smiled, patting the prince on the shoulder, "OK then. I'll be here by your side then."
Cole returned the smile before both turned back to Ed and Edna.
"I did pack you two some snacks," Edna smiled, holding up a bag.
Cole ran over, hugging the lady and happily taking the bag from her. Jay and Ed chuckled as Cole quickly looked inside with excitement.
"Remind me to come back here if we can," Cole grinned. "Your mom makes the best snacks."
Jay chuckled, hugging Ed and Edna goodbye. "Thanks for a great day. Hopefully, we see each other again."
"Best of luck to you two," Ed grinned as the boys walked to the bike.
"And be careful out there," Edna called, "Lots of scary things happen after dark. The ninja would vouch for us if they were here."
"We know, we'll be careful," Jay called, starting the bike.
Jay glanced over, seeing Cole happily munching on a cookie Edna packed.
"You better save some of that for me," Jay chuckled.
"You better drive fast then," Cole replied, "I fully intend to eat until we are there."
"Ah, so you are a nervous eater?" Jay snickered.
"Shut up and drive."
Ed and Edna watched the two drive off, Jay laughing while they did so.