The Invitation
Deep within the jungle, Nindroids were spotted as they had taken control of an area of that jungle. As one passed by some flowers, In the middle of them, a single eye blinked. Soon the owner of that eye quickly moved before one of the Nindroids was quickly pulled down and vanished. Another one was kicked when someone swung his way before two more were kicked down.
The rest were struck down by shurikens, pulled away from behind as Green and Purple silhouettes flew over the last one's head before kicking him down.
Coming from behind the bushes are Lloyd and Melissa, who are panting, "Come on, it's this way," Melissa told her boyfriend as they rushed further into the jungle.
Later, the two found themselves in a cave with lasers blocking their way. The Ninjas of Yin and Yang quickly and carefully maneuvered between the Nindroids before laser beams shot them. Approaching were more Nindroids, Lloyd dodged the laser fire and blasted them with his green energy while Melissa did some ninjutsu on them as she quickly punched and kicked them down.
They turned to see more coming. "NINJA, GO!" They both yelled, doing Spinjitzu, punching and kicking the robots caught in their Spinjitzu Tornadoes before flinging them against the walls.
Melissa then sensed something coming as she turned. "Lloyd! Move, move!" She called as Lloyd then turned to see a large boulder coming straight at them.
The two ran and grabbed a rope. Melissa tied it around her waist and nodded to Lloyd with a thumbs-up. Melissa then jumped down a hole with a beam of light pulsing in it while Lloyd held onto the rope.
The Purple Ninja stopped falling just a few inches from the floor when she looked up, seeing the Golden Armor, except it had a more platinum appearance.
"Quick. Grab it." Lloyd whispered.
"I'm trying." Melissa said as she swung closely to it but just when it was within reach, it vanished as she slouched in disappointment as Melissa sighed in defeat. "Dang it," she muttered.
"You both got closer than I thought you would," Lloyd and Melissa turned to see Borg and Wu, revealing the mission to be a virtually simulated training exercise. "But then again, I didn't think either of you'd be quite so rough on my security droids," Borg mentioned as he looked toward some of his destroyed droids.
"Sorry Mr. Borg, but we aren't known for being gentle," Melissa apologized, "Besides, I don't really trust those Nindroids after that whole fiasco with my 'father'," She added with air quotes.
"Hmm yes, perhaps I should make them appear a little less…threatening," Borg agreed, "But still, pretty impressive. You two were nearly close." he complimented.
"If we can't steal the Golden Armor, I'd be surprised if anyone else could," Lloyd said as he pushed Borg's wheelchair. "It's secure, but where is the real one?"
"Some secrets are best kept safe," Borg explained, "But don't worry, it's properly secured and won't fall into anyone's hands." He told them as Wu walked up to his nephew and his girlfriend.
"Lloyd, Melissa, where are the others?" Wu asked as he noticed that the other boys weren't in attendance, "I asked for all of you to take part in this test,"
"Oh, well they wanted to come but," Melissa tried to explain before she looked down, "They had other stuff to take care of," She said solemnly as the other three caught on to what she meant.
It had been many months since the defeat of the Golden Master and the sacrifice of Zane. It was such a heavy blow that Ninja broke their team apart and went their separate ways.
"I understand perfectly well," Borg said with a solemn look, "The loss of Zane had affected us all. I haven't even heard a word from my daughter Pixal since his memorial, it's heartbreaking." He added with his head down.
"I can't imagine how Pixal feels," Melissa said feeling bad for her Android friend, "Maybe me and Nya could take her out on a girls night out, to cheer her up a bit." She suggested.
"I'm afraid Pixal hasn't been seen or heard from for the last few weeks, I imagine without Zane she wishes to be alone," Borg explained with a solemn frown.
"If we dwell too long on what's missing, we fail to see what can be gained," Wu told them. "The absence of Zane will either tear you five apart or bring you closer together. The choice is yours."
"Then what should we do?" Melissa asked her sensei.
"Rebuild your team and help them see that even with what we lost, we still have much to gain," Wu advised them.
"We'll do what we can, but it won't be easy, uncle." Lloyd sadly said. "I mean, Zane was more than a friend, he was our brother, and without him, it's just not the same."
"I hate to say it Lloyd but Sensei's right. We have to accept that we have to protect Ninjago without Zane," Melissa said before rubbing the back of her head, "Which is why I wanted to tell you, I thought of bringing something new to the team,"
Lloyd was aghast, "You want to replace Zane?!" He exclaimed.
"Of course I don't!" Melissa said in a defensive tone, "I was just… I was just thinking that to protect Ninjago we need as many ninja out there as possible."
"The guys won't like the idea of someone taking Zane's place," Lloyd told her.
"I know but what choice do we have?" Melissa asked him as Lloyd crossed his arms as he was conflicted about this, "Look, just bring the guys to Mister Chen's Noodle House and I'll bring the new guys with me, deal?"
Lloyd was still hesitant about this but then the more he thought about it the more he realized that his girlfriend was right, "Alright I'll go get the guys." He told her before he realized what his girlfriend had just said, "Wait a minute you already found someone to join the team?"
"Two, actually." Melissa corrected.
"And you are telling me this now?" Lloyd asked, "I thought we don't keep secrets from each other?"
"Like Nya said, a girl's gotta have her secrets," Melissa said with a small smirk.
"Well, let's hope the guys would be okay with it." Lloyd said with a frown. "Because I have a feeling they might take it hard."
"Don't I know it." Melissa said with a frown, knowing the guys had it harder than them after what happened to Zane.
"The greatest lessons never are easy. But you have to try, for Zane's Memory." Wu said to her.
"Most Ultimate Extreme Ninja Challenge Ever!" A crowd of creatures cheered as Jay, wearing a game show host outfit with his Hair done up, walked out, in front of an obstacle course.
"I'm Jay Walker, Ninjago's most lovable Ninja, here before the Gauntlet of Humility to see who will be Ninjago's next hero and whose dreams will be gone…" Jay spoke into a microphone before he paused for dramatic effect, "In a flash!"
He tossed away his microphone before he concentrated and used his lightning power to lift himself off the ground. He then flew his way over to the first platform where a woman in a pink jumpsuit was seen standing. Another microphone was tossed to him, which he grabbed as he turned to the crowd.
"I'm here with Cathy, tireless mother of four, pillar of the PTA, and returning contestant." Jay then turned to the contestant. "Tell me, Cathy, after being humbled by the Gauntlet the first time, what makes you think this'll be any different?"
"Because Ninja never QUIT!" Cathy yelled in determination as Jay winced from the feedback.
He then chuckled.
"Okay, Cathy. Start the Doomsday CLOCK!" Jay declared as the timer started.
Cathy started moving through the Gauntlet. She got past the ropes, moving onto the rollers. She started running and dodging the boxing gloves. She had almost reached the end… until a boxing glove punched her off and onto the ground. The crowd and Jay gasped as the show host rushed to Cathy who got up and simply laughed while rubbing her head.
"I got further than last time." The crowd cheered Cathy for her good try.
Later, Jay was in his dressing room, as he sighed into his mirror and turned to a photo of him and the others. "Ninja never quit, huh Zane?" He asked, looking at Zane in the picture.
"The team needs you now more than ever Jay." Lloyd's voice spoke out, spooking Jay as he turned and saw Lloyd jumping down.
"How did you get in here?" Jay asked in surprise.
"I'm a Ninja." Lloyd said with a smile before pointing at Jay's face, "And you are wearing makeup," He teased.
Jay then sputtered in defense, "It's Concealer! Time-moderned tool of the Ninja!" He retorted, "And what team? I refuse to work alongside Cole. There's nothing you can say that'll get me back with that girl-stealing, black-hearted, rock-pounding-" He ranted on before Lloyd stopped him.
"Jay, Nya still speaks of you. And what would Zane say if he heard you," Lloyd questioned as Jay looked down in sadness and guilt, "You don't belong here Jay, this isn't you. You're the Master of Lightning, not the Master of Lighting." He reminded him as Jay walked up to his chair and sat down. "You'll know where Melissa and I will be if you change your mind." He said as he vanished from sight.
Jay knew he left as he picked up his brush and added a little make up to his face, but stopped as he turned back to his picture of him and his friends, more importantly, Zane as his face gave a determined expression and threw the brush to the mirror before marching out the door.
At the Ninjago City Gardens, a girl with Blonde and Auburn hair down, wearing a sunhat, a green gardening apron and gloves was taking care of some of the plants, planting and watering them just so.
"Dig, place, cover up, water and repeat," The girl said after she planted a daisy before she noticed one plant was a bit droopy, "D'aww, poor thing," She said before raising her hand that glowed green as the flower became revitalized, "There we go." She smiled.
"You always have a way with flowers, Jasmine." Melissa's voice spoke up as Jasmine got startled a bit as she turned and saw the Purple Ninja inspecting a flower. "Always with a green thumb, and other means for plants." She said as she walked up to Jasmine.
"Melissa." Jasmine said in surprise as Melissa walked up beside her. "You certainly know how to sneak up on others."
"That's what Ninjas do." Melissa said with a smirk. "Anyway there's something I have offer for you,"
"Really?" Jasmine asked in surprise. "What is it?"
"Would you like to join the team?" Melissa asked, which made Jasmine surprised. "We could use someone of your talent."
"If, if this is about what happened to your friend," Jasmine started.
"Zane will be missed." Melissa said with a solemn look before she recomposed herself. "But he wouldn't want us to go on mourning him. We have to move on. I've seen what you can do and I think you might be able to help us."
Jasmine looked in thought for a moment before nodding, "Where do you want me to meet?" She asked.
"Come to Mister Chen's this evening, we'll all be there," Melissa said before disappearing again.
Jasmine looked surprised by the offer she was giving before she saw another whittled flower that was dying, but she used her powers to give it life as it bloomed beautifully before she looked at her hands and thought of what Melissa said to her.
In the forest, some lumberjacks were hauling some wood while Cole was swinging an axe on some branches.
"The team needs you now more than ever," Lloyd told him as he was hanging upside down by a rope.
"I thought I was good with a scythe," Cole starts before striking the branch. "Turns out I'm even better with an axe!" He strikes the branch again and sighs. "I'm tired, Lloyd. Tired of skeletons, tired of Serpentine, tired of Stone Warriors, tired of Nindroids, tired of… losing." He then looked down at his co-workers. "Out here, no one knows who you are, no one expects anything from you."
"But what would Zane expect?" Lloyd asked him as he stood on one of the branches. "You're the Master of Earth, Cole. You don't belong in trees. Your feet should be planted on the ground. You can't hide who you are." He then flipped down next to Cole.
"Sorry, Green Machine, this is my life now," Cole said while gesturing to his axe.
Then one of the men standing on the logs noticed the crane dropping another close to him as the others started to come loose. "Oh, cracked stem! She's falling hard!" he warned the other lumberjacks.
Cole saw the logs rolling towards them as he jumped down quickly and used his powers to stop them.
The lumberjacks all cheered for Cole. "Who is he?" A lumberjack asked.
"Not one of us," Another answered as Cole sighed and decided it was time to leave.
He then looks up to see Lloyd. "If you change your mind, Cole, you know where Melissa and I'll be," He told him before throwing down a smoke pellet and vanishing into green smoke.
Once he was gone, Cole remembered a promise he made long ago, a promise he vowed to never break. He then sighed and continued walking.
In the Auto Bodyshop, a boy with dirty blonde hair, with one bang combed to the right side, wearing a jumpsuit was working on the undercarriage of the car, cranking a wrench,
"Ah, here's the problem," The boy said before rolling out and bent out car piece. He then concentrated and then the part was twisted back in place, "There we go," He said before rolling back under the car to fit it back in.
After adjusting the piece back into place and securing it, the boy smiled at his work before he got out from underneath and saw something above them that made him yelp, in front of him was Melissa. "Hi, Ryan." She greeted him with a wave.
"When did you get here?" Ryan asked in surprise.
"Just a few minutes ago." Melissa answered. "And just be glad that you weren't under the car or else you would've hurt your head… again."
"Yeah, still sore about that," Ryan said with a look before sighing, "Anyway, what do you want Melissa, I got work to do," He said, gesturing to a few other cars.
"I wanna ask if you wanna join the team?" Melissa offered much to Ryan's shock.
"W-Wait? You want me to join the greatest protectors in Ninjago?" Ryan asked with a conflicted look. "Uh, I don't know. I have a good job here." He said.
"I know you do Ryan and I understand that." Melissa said in an understanding tone. "But I've seen what you can do with the powers you have, you'd be a great addition to the team."
"I know, I know. I would like to help, but I'm not sure if I'm cut out for it." Ryan said, feeling uncertain about the offer.
"Just think about it. You have a gift that can help others rather than just fixing cars." Melissa said to him as Ryan was deep in thought. "If you change your mind, meet me and the others at Mister Chen's Noodle House." She said as she threw a smoke bomb down as she disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.
Ryan waved the smoke away as he looked at his shop while also looking at his hands and thinking he can do better than fixing cars.
In a club/bar like arena, Serpentine and humans alike were gathered around the ring. After the Serpentine helped evacuate the people of Ninjago during the Golden Master's Assault they were given full rights as citizens to live among the people of Ninjago.
A Hypnobrai host, Mezmo, was seen in the center. "Welcome to the Yang Slither Pits Final!" he declared to the crowd. "In the left corner, we have Kai Smith, the Flaming Shogun!" Mezmo just turned to Kai, now wearing a red, yellow, and black wrestler outfit and a red mask over his face.
"And in the right corner, we have Nuckal!" he pointed towards him, who was getting a little message from Kruncha while Wyplash was leaning against a wall.
The crowd cheered as this was going to be an interesting fight before the bell dinged. Nuckal was then pushed forward as he approached Kai.
"NINJA, GO!" Kai declared as he did Spinjitzu and easily defeated him by scattering his bones. "Didn't your mama ever warn you not to play with me?" he asked with his arms crossed.
"No," Nuckal winced as the bell rang and the announcer walked to the center.
"Victory of the Slither Pit, and undefeated Champion," Mezmo started, raising Kai's arm. "Kai Smith, the Flaming Shogun!"
Kai then pulled away and stormed off. "The 'Red' Shogun! RED Shogun!" he corrected while kicking Nuckal's head.
Kruncha then picks up one of Nuckal's legs. "Some fight that was!" he stated.
"Let's get out of here!" Nuckal suggested only to see Krunchal stroking his leg and laughing. He then kicked him in the face. "Wyplash, you said to go down in the first!"
"I said 'Don't be the first to go down!'" Wyplash l corrected him as he and Kruncha dragged Nuckal's pieces away while Kruncha kicked his head.
At the drink stand, Kai was slurping down some juice. "You shouldn't drink so much juice." Kai looked to his right and saw Lloyd sitting next to him to his right. "It's filled with more sugar than you realize." He said.
"Oh, it's you," Kai said dully before turning away.
"The team needs you now more than ever," Lloyd tells him, placing a hand on Kai's shoulder.
Kai just scowled and shrugged him off. "Who says the great and powerful Ninjas of Yin and Yang needs a team?" he asked bitterly. "You and Melissa seemed to be holding down the fort on your own."
Lloyd shook her head. "I get it, Kai. You've run out of bad guys to fight out there, you gotta come to a place like this," He said, gesturing to the bar. "But where's the honor in that? Where's the Master of Fire?" he asked.
Kai then turns to him. "It's the Red Shogun now! And where's the Master of Ice, huh?! He's gone! But I'm still here," He states before looking down sadly. "Who cares about honor? It should've been me. I should've taken the Over-"
"You always thought you should've been the one," Lloyd interrupted him with a firm look. "First it was being the Green Ninja, now this. When are you gonna start thinking of someone other than yourself?" Kai didn't answer and then turned to see Lloyd was gone.
"If you change your mind, you know where Melissa and I will be," Lloyd said from somewhere. Kai stood there for a moment, before pulling off his mask and leaving it on the table.
Sometime later, Kai is walking through Ninjago City, which is not so techno-advanced anymore. After the Overlord's second defeat, the city was degraded to balance technology and nature to bring balance in honor of Zane.
Kai then walked into the park where he went up to the statue of Zane, moss having grown overtime. He saw a couple of birds flying down and resting on the shoulder of the statue before Zane's Falcon flew down and cawed at them to make them go away as Kai rubbed his hands on the leg part of Zane's statue, missing him dearly as he wished he was here as he walked off, having paid his respect to his fallen brother.
The sounds of festive music could be heard as Kai made his way to a noodle house where above the door was a large animatronic bearded man statue, holding a bowl of rainbow noodles. "There's only one Master Chen's Ninjago's number one Noodle House," A recording played as he entered the restaurant.
Kai entered the restaurant as he looked around before Lloyd stood up with his arm raised. "Kai, back here!" He called out.
Kai walked up to her before he noticed the rest of them. "Jay? Cole?" He asked in surprise, seeing his two old friends.
Cole then turned to him. "Ha. You too?" He asked as he turned and leaned on his hand.
"The runts tricked us all," Jay told Kai, gesturing to Lloyd and Melissa.
Kai was about to grab some food from the converter, but Lloyd stopped him. "We talk first, then eat." He said to the Master of Fire.
Cole sighed as he turned to Kai as he sat down next to him. "Seriously, do you know what kinda restraint I had staring at all this noodle goodness?" He asked. "You're late."
"Make it quick," Kai said to them.
"We know that after…what happened to Zane, things have been rough but we have to move on. Evil never sleeps in Ninjago," Melissa explained before she got to the ugly part, "The reason we've called you guys here is because, I wanted to introduce you to the new members of our team,"
"A new Ninja?" Kai questioned with rage.
"Have you gone crazy?!" Jay yelled out.
"Come on! Zane's irreplaceable!" Cole stated firmly.
"I know, I know!" Melissa quickly said to calm them down. "Zane's not being replaced, but with him gone there's a void we need to fill. Which is why I brought in two candidates that might help us."
Ryan and Jasmine then walked in, the former wearing a gray hoodie and blue jeans while the latter wore a pink floral-printed short-sleeved shirt, with her belly exposed and a white skirt,
"Uh, good evening, gentlemen," Jasmine greeted with a small wave.
"Boys, this is Jasmine and Ryan," Melissa introduced the two.
"Melissa, how do you know these two?" Lloyd asked.
"I met them some time after Zane's Memorial, we talk every now and then, so I know they can be a great addition to the team," Melissa explained.
"You start talking to a pair of random teens and just like that you decide they can join our team?" Kai asked rudely, "Come on, they can't even do something like this," He stated, holding up a flaming fist.
"Kai, trust me, they can help." Melissa said to him before turning to the new pair. "Care to show them what you can do?"
"Well, if you must know, I have a thing for metal," Ryan said to them as he focused while putting his hands together before pulling them apart to generate a blob of liquid metal which then molded into a wrench, "A really big thing," He added before erasing the wrench.
"And I am quite good with plants." Jasmine said as she looked at a pot at the center of the table and so she placed her hand on the pot and her hand started glowing green before a magnificent plant grew out of it.
"Whoa." Cole muttered while the others looked surprised by this while Jasmine caressed the plant. "H-How did you do that?"
"And what was that liquid metal thing that turned into a wrench?" Jay asked in amazement
"Let's just say that you're not the only ones with powers." Ryan said as he moved some metal a bit more before he put it away. "I was born with the power to control metal, which makes working at the Autoshop a snitch."
"And I was born with the power to bring life to plants," Jasmine said while caressing her plant. "Does wonders for the city gardens."
Kai then turned to Melissa, "So with Zane gone, you think we need a metal guy and gardener?" He questioned her.
"Kai, I cared for Zane too, but now it's time to care about this team." Melissa stated.
"Well maybe without Zane, there is no team." Kai said firmly as he turned away with his arms crossed as the Ninja all looked down in sadness and silence while Ryan and Jasmine looked at the group in sympathy, seeing that the loss of their fellow Ninja had affected them dearly.
Then, the door opened as a trio of punks, led by one with a black mohawk and blind eye, walked in.
Jay saw them. "Oh, don't look now, but we've got trouble," He told the others.
"Just ignore them, these street hooligans aren't our problem," Jasmine advised.
The three punks walked up to the cashier and he immediately handed them all the cash he had. But the leader gestured to him to give more, but the cashier shrugged, indicating he did not have anymore. The three then grabbed him and put him on the food bar, blocking the food riding on it.
"Okay, now they're our problem," Cole stated as they got up and marched toward the laughing punks. "Excuse me, it's not polite to touch someone else's food!" He said with his arms crossed.
"I'd listen to him if I were you," Kai said as he leaned on a counter. "He's no fun to be around when he's hangry." He advised.
One of the punks tried to deliver a punch to Cole before he quickly caught it in his chopsticks. He then taunted the three punks to come after him before that punk tried to kick him. Like before he caught it in his chopsticks before he made the punk turn around. He then dodged another punch before he made a goofy smile on the punk's face with his chopsticks. Kai then got onto the conveyor belt to deal with the other two punks just as the first one made the conveyor belt go a little faster.
Kai started kicking the food at the punks. "All right, I admit it. We make a good team." He confessed as he kept kicking the food as it flew towards Cole, who was still fighting the leader.
Cole saw the food and grabbed it with his chopsticks and ate it. "Mm, everything's better on a full stomach," He said, eating the food flying by before the leader smashed a plate. "Hey! I was gonna eat that!"
Cole then threw the leader onto the conveyor belt and he fell down face-first in a bowl of noodles. The other two punks chased Kai across the conveyor belt until he kicked one causing him to tumble into his buddy and they crashed on the leader as Kai jumped over them and flipped next to the others.
"How can you walk away from this?" Lloyd asked them.
"Hey, watch this," Jasmine said with a smirk, as she manipulated the plants at the tables as they made the conveyor belt go faster while the punks spun around on it before it went in reverse and then returned to normal speed and direction as the punks were very dizzy.
"Okay, that was cool." Jay said with a smile. "Maybe you two might have the potential to be a ninja."
"Thank you." Jasmine said with a smile.
"Told ya." Melissa said with a smirk as the gang leader lifted his head to show sushi stuck to his eyes and carrots in his mouth. A girl saw him and screamed in fear before her mother frowned and whacked the punks with a plate, scaring them out of the restaurant…or so it seemed until the Leader shot the Ninja a smirk before rushing out after his cronies.
"Hey, let's get them guys!" Cole called as they rushed out to the back, but only saw nothing.
"They're gone!" Melissa said in shock.
"Where'd they go?" Kai wondered as they looked around, but then caught sight of a table with candles, seven fortune cookies, and a note with the image of a familiar picture on it.
"What's this?" Lloyd wondered as they walked up to the note.
Once they got close enough, the five Ninjas saw a familiar face they hadn't seen in a long time. "It's Zane." Kai gasped in shock.
"What does it say?" Ryan asked as Melissa took the message and looked at the writing with wide eyes.
"It says, he's alive." Melissa said in shock and a bit of joy as the four Ninjas gasped.
"I don't think those thugs were sending a message to the Noodle House. I think they were sending a message to us." Lloyd said in realization.
"What do you mean it says 'he's alive'?" Jay questioned Melissa.
"Hey, I'm just telling you what it says." Melissa stated. "There's not much else written here."
"Why would a bunch of random street thugs lead us out back just to send a message about your friend?" Ryan asked, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, this has got to be some cruel joke, and I'm not laughing," Cole added.
Jasmine then spotted a plate of Fortune Cookies in front of them. "Hey look, I think these were left for us too," She pointed out and the others looked and saw that there's seven Fortune Cookies.
"Fortune Cookies?" Jay said, taking one, "Very peculiar?"
"But why are there Seven Cookies?" Ryan asked in confusion "Me and Jaz aren't part of your team." He added
"Not yet at least." Melissa said as she and the others grabbed a cookie but Cole grabbed his and quickly ate it, which surprised the others. "Uh, Cole, you do know that there's a Fortune inside the Cookie, right?"
Cole swallowed his cookie, as well as his fortune. "Oh, so that's why they're called that." He realizes with a smile.
Lloyd looked at his fortune that got his attention. "Listen to this. 'Master Chen has personally invited you to participate in his Tournament of Elements.'" He read.
"Wait a minute." Cole said as he realized something. "Are you saying that Mr. Chen, the game guy filling my belly with delicious goodness, is actually Master Chen?!" He asked in shock.
"The Tournament is where you will compete with those like you," Ryan read his fortune.
"You will also battle in battle in which no two will be identical to each other," Jasmine read her fortune as well.
"Secrecy is of the utmost importance, tell no one or suffer the consequences," Kai read his next.
"If you ever want to see you're free again, meet on the pier at midnight and leave your weapons behind," Jay read after him.
"And always remember that once you've entered the Tournament, Only One Can Remain," Melissa finished reading hers as they all looked concerned before her fortune went poof, which surprised her.
One by one, the whole group's fortunes then went poof as well as they turned to Cole, since he ate his fortune. They looked at him for a moment before Cole's stomach bloated a bit with a bang, which made Cole yelp before he gave a burp as some puff of smoke came off.
"At least I know I was invited." Cole joked as they all shared a laugh.
"I wonder what Cole's Fortune would've said," Jasmine said with a laugh
"We will never know," Ryan said while Lloyd stopped laughing and turned to Melissa with a frown.
"I wonder, do you think?" Lloyd started.
"That is all one big scam?" Melissa finished in suspicion as well.
"It could be a trap, a lie to lure us in." Kai said.
"Yeah. But what if it's not." Jay said next. "What if Zane's alive?"
Melissa gave it a thought before she looked at Zane's poster again. "The Tournament of Elements? I'm starting to think this Master Chen makes more than noodles for his restaurant." She said,
"You and me, both Melissa." Lloyd agreed with his girlfriend.
"You two want a chance to prove yourselves, well you got it," Kai told Ryan and Jasmine. "Let's go get an old friend of ours." He declared.
"We'll help you get your friend back. You helped save Ninjago many times, I think it's time we return the favor." Ryan said.
"Agreed," Jasmine nodded.
"Then it's settled, everyone go home and grab everything you need and then we meet up at the pier," Lloyd told them as they all nodded and looked at the picture of Zane.
At Garmadon's Monastery, Sensei Garmadon walked by and saw his brother, wife, and Nya with blueprints that he's familiar with. "Mmm. Are you planning on fixing the Bounty?" Garmadon asked.
"Yeah, but we could use some help." Nya said while Wu poured himself some tea.
"Perhaps Lloyd and Melissa could help," Misako suggested to her husband.
"An excellent suggestion," Garmadon said with a smile. "By the way, how's Rachel and Luci doing since they arrived?"
"Why don't you ask us yourself." Garmadon, Misako, Wu and Nya turned around and saw Rachel and Luci approaching them. "So, are we gonna get this bird in the air, or what?" Luci asked.
"Let us just check with our son first," Misako told them as she and Garmadon left for Lloyd's room.
"Let us know if you see Melissa anywhere," Luci asked them.
"And please make sure she and Lloyd aren't doing anything that Teenagers their age should do," Rachel added "I am not ready to be a grandmother this early."
"Consider it done." Garmadon said with a nod as he and Misako walked out to where Lloyd's room is.
In Lloyd's room, he was packing some of his things in his duffle bag as he went to the weapons section, but he stopped himself as he remembered what the message told him. 'Leave your weapons behind.' He reminded himself in his head as he lowered his arms with a smile before he heard a knock and turned and saw his parents coming in.
"Good evening, Lloyd." Misako said with a smile. "We were just on our way to help Nya, Rachel, Luci and your uncle restore the Bounty."
"Would you and Melissa like to join us?" Garamadon asked. "I guess you can say it's all hands on deck." He joked as Misako chuckled at the quip.
"Uh sorry, the guys and us are going camping for the next few days," Lloyd lied nervously, "Team building exercise."
"Hm, good to hear the team's back together." Garmadon said with a proud smile.
"Well, we'll be sure to let the others know you'll be out for some time," Misako said before giving a grin, "Though if you and Melissa plan to have some 'fun' in the wood, with the birds and the bees, I would advise protection," She teased while pointing to Lloyd.
"MOM!" Lloyd exclaimed with a huge blush while Garmadon gave a small laugh. "W-We're not like that!"
"If you say so, son." Garmadon said with a chuckle. "Melissa's mothers just wanted to be clear on that."
"And we also want you to know we'll only want grandkids until after the wedding," Misako added.
"Okay, that's enough, please?!" Lloyd pleaded as his parents chuckled as they were about to leave, but Lloyd then had a thought as he spoke up. "Mom, Dad? Our elemental power… Are there others out there with powers like us?" He asked, which got their attention.
"Why would you ask?" Garmadon asked in confusion.
"No reason. It was just on my mind." Lloyd said innocently, but his parents gave suspicious looks as they then noticed a noodle box next to Lloyd's bed as they had a thought. "See ya. Early bird catches the worm by the lake." He said as he took his duffle bag and walked out.
As Lloyd walked out, Misako and Garmadon turned and saw that Lloyd didn't take his tent or fishing rod before turning back to the noodle box. "Do you think…" Misako started, feeling a bit pale as she had an idea what Lloyd was telling them.
"Chen." Garmadon growled with hate at the thought.
Misako then got concerned. "We have to go after them before they leave the docks." She said to her husband.
At the Ninjago City pier, the Ninja arrived each wearing different robes. Kai wearing his first suit, Jay wearing his ZX suit, Cole wearing his Dragon suit, Melissa in her Kimono Suit and Lloyd still in his Techno suit while Ryan and Jasmine had their casual clothes.
When they arrived, they saw how they each wore something different. "Gah, I told you we shouldn't have worn them," Jay complained.
"It's the only way that they don't know we're working together," Melissa said to him.
"Me and Jasmine maybe, but you guys stick out like sore thumbs," Ryan commented.
"Not only that but everyone knows that The Ninjas of Yin and Yang are boyfriend-girlfriend." Jasmine added.
"Yeah, no surprise there." Melissa said with a brow. "But either way, this has to work."
Kai looked at the many people around the pier. "The Tournament of Elements. You think all of them have powers like us?" He asked them.
"When I asked my parents about it, they got really suspicious," Lloyd stated to them. "Like there's something they're keeping from me."
"The Fortune Cookies say 'tell no one or suffer the consequences'." Cole reminded him.
"Lloyd, your parents didn't get suspicious did they?" Melissa asked
"No they didn't." Lloyd answered, "But they did make things… a little uncomfortable." he added while blushing and had an uncomfortable look.
"What do you mean?" Melissa asked as Lloyd looked at his friends before whispering in Melissa's ear, which made her eyes widened and gave a blush from that. "What?! They seriously asked that?!"
"Asked what?" Ryan asked with a brow.
"Nothing!" Lloyd and Melissa yelled in unison as they were saved from humiliation as they saw a steamboat chugging into port. Once the boat stopped along it, a gangplank was lowered onto the dock as a black-haired mustached man dressed in red and purple walked out.
"We don't know yet if this is a trap," Lloyd whispered to the others as all the competitors got in line to climb aboard. "Wherever they take us, we have to stick together."
"Watch your step, madam," The man said as he and the woman stepped aside and let the first competitor climb aboard.
Said competitor had an orange hood up before she turned to look at the others. Kai was in awe at the sight of a red-haired girl before he had a dopey smile on his face and sighed.
"We can't let anything distract us," Melissa whispered harshly to him. "You hear me, Kai?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah," Kai responded. "Uh, got it. Whatever you say."
The girl up front turned back and walked on board with the other competitors following close behind.
"Master Chen will be charmed to see you've accepted his offer, Ninja," The man said as Jay walked forward. "A Master of Spinjitzu shall fare favorably in his tournament."
"Hey, we're not here to fight," Jay assured him. "We're here to save a friend."
"Don't be so petty, Master Jay," the man told him before he pulled out a pair of nunchucks from Jay's bag. "Everyone here has something to fight for."
"Chopsticks. I'm a big eater," Jay said with a nervous chuckle before the man threw the nunchucks into the water. Jay let out a loud gulp before the man gestured to him to climb aboard.
Lloyd was the last one before he heard a familiar voice. "Lloyd, wait!" Garmadon called out as Lloyd turned and saw him and his mother walking towards him. "If you get on that boat, you may never return."
"Mom, Dad? What are you two doing here?" Lloyd asked in surprise.
"Please, Lloyd. Master Chen is a dangerous man who must never be trusted." Misako pleaded as she and Garmadon walked up to their son.
"Whatever he promised you, do not believe a word of it." Garmadon added.
The man then turned and gave a smile as he saw a familiar face. "Lord Garmadon. It's been a while. It's Sensei now, correct? I can't remember." He mocked as Garmadon glared at him before he noticed Misako next to him. "And I see you brought dear Misako with you." He said as he walked up to the boat.
"Clouse," Garmadon growled hatefully. "I see Master Chen still has you running his errands." He sneered.
"I have to go, guys." Lloyd said to his parents. "This is about Zane. It's about family."
"Zane? He's alive?" Misako asked in shock.
"We're not sure but this might be our best lead to finding him," Lloyd explained. "And if we ever going to be whole again, we have to get on that ship."
"Last call." Clouse spoke as he turned to them. "Are you in or out?" He questioned.
"Sorry. But me and the others have to go, and you know you can't stop us." Lloyd said before he entered the boat as Garmadon and Misako looked at each other and nodded.
"We can't stop you, son." Garmadon started.
"We might as well join you." Misako finished as she and Garmadon walked up to the boat before Clouse raised his hand.
"Sorry, no more room on the ship." Clouse said with a smirk as the two goons pulled up the wooden plank to ship off.
"No room?" Garmadon questioned as he and Misako gave a smirk as they flipped onto the blank and onto the boat as they kicked the two goons off the boat as they fell to the water.
"How about now?" Misako asked with a smirk.
Clouse looked quite surprised before turning with a slightly intrigued smirk. "Oh, I stand corrected. We have room now." He said.
"Don't worry, we're not here to compete." Misako assured as she and her husband went up to their son.
"Only to look out for our interests." Garmadon finished as the family smiled at each other.
"Let's ship out!" Clouse called out as the steamboat then shipped off from Ninjago City and traveled across the ocean.
The group decided to look around the ship, watching as many people from far and wide were harnessing their own Elements. They could see a man with big metal hands ramming a barrel as he juggled it into the air. A man hovering above the ground with a few crates hovering behind him. There was even a short man playing a guitar as they could see reverberating wavelengths every time he played. They then looked over at Clouse walking by with three goons behind him.
"You two know him. You said his name is Clouse." Lloyd said to his parents.
"Don't be fooled by his attire." Garmadon said as they watched Clouse and his goons walk by. "He is a Master of Dark Arts and Master Chen's number two." He warned.
"Huh. I thought Master Chen's number two was an egg roll and fried rice." Cole commented with a smile.
"Why haven't you two or Wu ever told us there were others with powers like us?" Kai asked the two adult Garmadons.
"Because there are some things we don't want you to know." Garmadon explained.
"You all were led to believe you were special yet neither of you ever questioned where your powers came from." Misako added.
"Uh, are you both implying that I'm not special?" Jay asked in insult.
"Well we're asking now, so please tell us," Jasmine asked them.
"You seven and every competitor aboard this vessel is a descendant of the original elemental master," Garmadon answered.
"Elemental Master?" Lloyd repeated, "Who were they?"
"They were your Grandfather's Guardians, selected after his victory over the Overlord to protect Ninjago," Garmadon started. "Each endowed with an elemental power that has been passed down through generations." He explained as he looked at each Elemental Master.
"If that's true, then so is my sister Nya." Kai realized. "But she can't do what I can."
"Can't she?" Misako asked with a smirk. "Power lies in all of you, Kai. It only needs to be awoken." She explained.
"The fighters here served no master and have managed to unlock their own true potential." Garmadon continued as he gestured to an invisible man with his body invisible while wearing a hat, glasses, red coat and pants, a green shirt, a golden necklace, and wearing gloves. "For instance, that's Paleman right there. A distance relative to the Master of Invisibility. Watch closely and you'll see how he's stayed hidden all these years." He explained as the Paleman turned invisible, much to the Ninja's shock.
Then a white blur sped past them as they saw a man with red highlights and a white robe as he did many poses. "And that is Griffin Turner. Grandson to the Master of Speed." Misako explained.
"Come on, you can't lay a hand on me!" Griffin boasted zipping around the Ninja and around the boat. "I'm faster than fast, swifter than swift!"
"Master of Speed?" Jay scoffs. "That's not an element."
"So ask the Master of Lightning." Garmadon snarked with a smirk as they walked past Jay.
"Oh, snap, he got you there." Cole said in amusement as Jay gave him a look as they continued on.
Griffin Turner then saw Melissa and he smiled and he sped towards her. "Hey there, hot stuff come here often?" he asked as he gave her a flirtatious wink to which Melissa responded by elbowing him in the stomach, which made him groan.
"I have a boyfriend, idiot." Melissa told him as she walked away while Griffin Turner held his stomach.
"You deserved that." Ryan told the Master of Speed before following the others,
As they were walking, Melissa's eyes widened as she realized something. "Hey wait a minute, Zane was a Nindroid, how could he have inherited his powers?" Melissa asked the two Garmadon's.
"We were just as surprised as you are when we first found out he was a robot." Misako said with a shrug.
"But elemental power can either skip a generation or the owner can pass on their powers to those they see worthy." Garmadon continued. "We believe the previous Master of Ice met Zane at some point and passed his powers onto him." He explained.
"Wow, that's pretty cool." Lloyd asked in surprise.
The group then rested on the top floor and Kai noticed the orange hooded girl leaning against the rail. "And uh, who is she?" he asked.
"We don't know. Most of the people we've never met before," Garmadon told him. "But they will all be gunning for you."
"You are Ninja. You serve with honor," Misako told them as the man with the large gloves walked over to the girl. "Here, that means very little." Kai noticed that the metal-handed man was pestering the girl and would not take 'no' for an answer.
Kai narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, well maybe honor means something to me," He said while standing up.
He walked up to the two as the woman turned to him. "It's okay. I can handle myself." She assured Kai.
"This none of his business," The man growled at Kai. "Karlof cold. Karlof just wants her cloak!"
"You look like you got enough mittens," Kai joked as he gestured to Karlof's heavy metal gloves and physique. "Why not just leave the gal alone?" The woman was surprised by this before she looked away.
"These not mittens! These crush ninja!" Karlof told Kai.
"Ha, I'd like to see you try," Kai taunted him in a smug tone.
"Save it for the Tournament, Kai." Misako said to him as she and the others watched.
"Don't think Karlof afraid of you." Karlof growled.
"No, you don't think much at all, do you?" Kai asked sarcastically before he was picked up by Karlof. "Ohh! Just jump in whenever you feel like it!"
"You say Karlof not smart?" Karlof demanded.
"I'd say Karlof is smart enough to not start something he can finish," Lloyd commented.
Karlof then punted Kai away, "Oopsiee. Guess Karlof not smart." He said tauntingly.
The Ninja were about to go at Karlof before Misako and Garmadon stopped them. "Kai started this, he can finish it." Garmadon said to them.
Kai got back and glared at Karlof as he prepared his metal gloves. "Fire!" Kai said launching fireballs at Karlof but the man blocked them with his metals before banging them together as the vibrations traveled along his body to increase his size and encase him in metal. Kai gasped before Karlof charged at him, waving his hands trying to hit him.
"That guy is made of metal!" Ryan exclaimed in surprise. "But, that's impossible. I'm the Master of Metal here."
"Not Metal, Armor." Garmadon corrected.
"Oh, well, that clears it up." Jasmine said nervously.
Kai continued to dodge Karlof before Karlof managed to slam him down to the deck. He then knocked him into the air and over to the back of the ship. As Kai set up and rubbed his head, he saw Karlof coming towards him before he rolled out of the way just as he slammed his fists down. He then blocked each of Karlof's attacks as best he could before he was pushed to the edge. Then took a stance before he stepped aside just as Karlof lunged forward at him.
Kai chuckled as he thought that was easy before Karlof grabbed his leg from beneath and pulled him down. They continued to fight as Kai released a fury of blows to his chest before he knocked him back to the railing.
Kai lit his hands on fire as he and Karlof traded blows before he knocked Karlof onto the ship's paddle wheel where they continued their fight until Karlof punched Kai onto the lower deck as Karlof moved to finish the fight while Kai looked worried.
"Enough!" Clouse ordered as Karlof stopped before he retracted his metal form and walked off.
Kai groaned from the hits he was giving as the girl from earlier walked up to him. "I'm sorry if I was cold to you earlier," she said as she helped Kai up, the Fire Ninja not noticing red energy flowing from him to her. He smiled as the girl walked away.
"We're here." Clouse said before he pointed forward and they could all see a large island just up ahead. "Welcome to Chen's Island." As they were all looking out into the distance, Clouse went behind some crates and took out a walkie-talkie.
"Master Chen, Garmadon have returned," Clouse whispered into the walkie-talkie. "Not only that, but he brought his beloved, Misako. They said they would be spectating the tournament and would be looking out for their own interest."
"Interesting," A man on the island said with interest. "You worry too much, Clouse. Everything will work out. Just wait and see." The man speaking into his walkie-talkie then turned it off.
Clouse had a glare on his face after the call was cut. He then glared at Garmadon as he was looking at the island. "I swore to never return," Garmadon said.
"You know, you should never swear," Jay pointed out. "It's a sign of weak verbal skills."
"I don't think he's talking about that kind of swear." Jasmine said with a brow to the Lightning Ninja.
"Oh." Jay said to her.
Misako looked at her husband while placing her arms around Garmadon in a hug. "Don't worry. We'll go through it together and make sure nothing will come of us." She assured him as Garmadon sighed.
"I hope so. But this island is still a dangerous place." Garmadon said as he held Misako close to him.
"If Zane's on that island, we'll find him," Lloyd assured his friends. "We have to," They now know their goal, find Zane, and rescue him. Even if they have to fight through all the Elemental Masters just to do it.
Meanwhile on that island, inside what would look to be a palace dungeon was a purple-cloaked man stepping in front of a dungeon door. "I hold all the cards," he said with an evil chuckle.
Soon that chuckle turned into a maniacal laugh as inside was a familiar droid chained up, only his entire form is now showing all metal. Not only that, but he had the emblem of ice on the left side of his chest. It was clear that this was not any ordinary droid, but the Master of Ice, long thought dead, Zane, as he opened his eyes to reveal glowing ice blue eyes.
A/N: And that was the first episode of Season 4 and we have been introduced to two new OCs Ryan and Jasmine, and I would like to thank my friend HarryBuilder for the OCs. It also appears that Zane is alive and the Ninja have to find him by partaking in Master Chen's Tournament of Elements. I wonder what will happen next. Leave a review and tell me what you think.
Up Next: The Ninja arrive on Chen's island for the tournament, but they are about to embark on a dark secret about the island.
Here's the Cast List.
Jillian Michaels as Lloyd and Cathy; Tara Strong as Melissa; Vincent Tong as Kai and Thug; Michael Adamthwaite as Jay and Lumberjack; Kirby Morrow as Cole and Moglar; Kelly Metzger as Nya; Paul Dobson as Wu and Mezmo; Mark Oliver as Garmadon; Kathleen Barr as Misako; Ian James Corlett as Chen; Scott McNeil as Clouse and Karlof; Cristina Vee as Jasmine; Seth Green as Ryan; Heather Doerksen as Hooded Girl; Veronica Taylor as Rachel; Alyson Court as Luci; Doron Bell Jr. as Griffin Turner; Lee Tockar as Cyrus Borg; Brian Drummond as Kruncha and Nuckal; and Michael Dobson as Wyplash.