It smelled clean, that odd sort of chemical and vacuum odor in professional buildings. Garmadon stroked Ochre's head, heartbeat thudding in his chest. The room was large, with a front desk by the left wall. Chairs stood around, and three halls led further into the building. One to the left, and two straight. Everything was a beige color, with some dark brown here and there for trim.

Wu walked over to the front desk, and Misako and Garmadon followed.

A lady looked up at them from the desk. She smiled. "Hello. How can I help you?"

"We're here for an appointment? With Phil Thomas?" Wu said.

She nodded, typing on her computer. "This is for…" She paused for a moment, glancing at Wu, then Garmadon, then back to the screen. She swallowed. "Er…um, Garmadon?"

Wu nodded. "Yes."

"Does he have a last name?"

"No."
"Alright… Yes, Mr. Thomas will be out in a minute. You may wait out here in the waiting room, and he'll come out to meet you soon."

Wu nodded again. "Thank you." He headed over to the chairs.

Misako and Garmadon followed.

Wu sat down in a chair to wait. Misako sat beside him, and Garmadon took Wu's other side. Ochre sat between Garmadon's legs, tail wagging as he sniffed everything for smells.

There were a few people there, a mother and child, two teens, and one other women. One teen stared at Ochre, and the child begged his mother to let him pet the dog. The mother said no.

Garmadon was glad about that. He was anxious enough as it was.

Wu patted his shoulder. "Just relax, brother. It will be fine."

He bit his lip, stiffening at the touch.

They waited a few minutes. Garmadon ran his fingers through Ochre's thick fur, staring at the way the fur moved and then settled again. He studied his black collar, feeling the rough materiel. At least it grounded him a little bit.

"Garmadon?"

He jumped, looking up—that hadn't been Wu or Misako's voice. A man stood a few feet from them, with grey hair, soft brown eyes, and an easy smile. He wore dark grey pants and a white shirt, with a dark blue sweater over it. A clipboard and a notebook were in his hand.

Wu stood. "Hello. Are you Mr. Thomas?"

The man nodded. "Yes, I am. But you can call me Phil." He smiled, then looked at Garmadon. "I'll be your therapist."

Garmadon nodded slightly, his grip on Ochre tightening.

Phil looked back at Wu, then Misako. "I'd like to speak with you both first, then I'll speak with Garmadon alone."

Wu and Misako nodded.

Phil walked off, heading down the right hall going deeper into the building. Wu patted Garmadon's shoulder, telling him to wait here and not to worry, then followed with Misako.

Garmadon bit his lip, watching them disappear. Ochre wagged his tail, whining. Then he tilted his head up, licking Garmadon's face.

He stroked the dog's nose anxiously.

Phil gestured for them to sit, sitting down in a chair across from a two-seat couch.

Wu sat on the couch next to Misako.

The therapist readied his notebook, pencil in hand. "Now, could you tell me about what you've been seeing with Garmadon? Struggles, lifestyle, health, background, things like that. Anything you can think of that you'd like me to know."

Wu nodded, trying to remember everything he'd been worried about with his brother. He felt a little apprehensive sharing his brother's struggles with a stranger, but…he didn't know how else to help him. He didn't want to betray Garmadon, but he didn't think they had a choice about this. "He's…had panic attacks, a lot. I've found him a few times having one, and once during meditation. He's always anxious. He can't relax—I don't think I've ever seen him do it. He wasn't eating anything for a while, which we hadn't noticed for a couple weeks. After we found out though, we've been making sure he's eating. Same with water, he rarely drank anything until we started forcing him. He's gotten better with that though. I don't think he'd sleeping well. He usually looks tired."

"I suspect nightmares…" Misako said. "Especially since he looks tired, that's what I'd assume is happening."

Wu nodded. "He's almost always in a low mood, down, sometimes snappish. He flinches with everything. And is very distrusting, it's a miracle we know any of these things. And…he doesn't seem to like ice cream scoops."

Phil looked up from his note-taking. "Ice cream scoops? That's oddly specific."

"Yes…he broke the one we have at home. And the next time he saw it he panicked."

"Hmm…has he ever shown that with ice cream scoops before?"

"Never. It's highly unusual…"

"Alright." He wrote something else down. "Anything else?"

"Well…he got hit by a car last week."

Phil looked up again, eyebrow raised. "A car?"

"Yes."

"Did you notice any change in behavior after that?"

"Not really… He did seem to be doing better at the hospital. But he went back to the anxiety and panic attacks after that."

"Have you talked to him about this car accident?"

"A little."

"What has he said?"

"Well…nothing."

"Do you believe this car accident affected him in any way?"
"I don't believe so… At least, I haven't noticed anything."

Phil nodded. "Anything else?"

"We…do suspect something."

"And that is?"

"I…torture."

"Hmm. What evidence do you have?"

"He has…scars. And wounds we didn't know about until the car accident, when the doctors checked him over. And then there's the metal on his face, too."

The therapist nodded. "Alright." He jotted something down.

"There's one more thing."

"And that is?"

"He's run into a group of people a few times. We don't know who they are. But Lloyd—Garmadon's son—and I found these people beating him up. I think it's happened a few times before, too. And someone in the car that hit him…we think they may be associated with the same people."

Phil frowned. "Hmm."

"I believe that's everything. Other than his dog, he almost never leaves it."

"What about his past?"

"Well…he is Garmadon. Wouldn't you already know his past?"

Phil looked up. "I know what the news has said, yes. But I don't know his personal story. I don't know how much of what I've heard is actually true."

Wu nodded a little, feeling a sudden sense of respect for this man. Most people wouldn't question about what they'd heard about Garmadon—they just assumed he was a monster. "Thank you. Yes, I believe there is more to the story than the news has shown."

"And what is that?"

"Well…he was bitten by the Great Devourer at a young age. That…turned his path towards corruption and evil. After the Final Battle he was turned good again, the venom purged. But then…he died, and Harumi resurrected him. He was…much more evil after that. Then he turned good again…sort of. Then he vanished for seven months."

Phil quickly took notes, nodding. "Vanished? Then what happened?"

"He…I found him in Jamanakai, looking like how is now. Good. I had to convince him to come back with me. He's…that's what began these problems, with the panic attacks. It's nearing a month now since I found him."

He nodded. "Was he worse then, or better? Back then, when you found him."

"Much worse, I would say. He has improved a little bit."

"Do you know where he was those seven months he was missing?"

"No."

"Do you know why he vanished?"

"We do not. We've been trying to figure it out…but we haven't gotten far."

"Alright. Thank you. One more question, what was his childhood like?"

Wu blinked. "Well…ordinary, I suppose."

"It was not 'ordinary', Wu." Misako shook her head.

"Our father was the First Spinjitzu Master, so I supposed that would make it 'un-ordinary'. But other than that, it was."

"Did anything happen back then?" Phil asked. "Anything traumatic?"

"What do you mean?"

"Anything that would cause him mental trauma. Something that would stick with him for life, something that would cause mental scars, something he couldn't forget."

"Well…other than the Great Devourer biting him, I don't believe so."

"And that was traumatic?"

"I would assume so."

"Alright. Thank you." Phil skimmed over his notes.

"What do you think? Do you know what's wrong? Do you believe you can help him?" Wu sat straighter, hopeful, desperate. After all, if this therapist didn't know what was wrong, if he couldn't help, then who could?

Phil looked up. "I suspect a few things. One is Major Depressive Disorder. The other is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, otherwise known as PTSD. There may be some sort of phobia with the ice cream scoop, but that could also be from the PTSD."

Wu nodded slowly. "Alright…and what do those both mean?"

"Major Depressive Disorder is a category of depression. It means he has a low mood, like you mentioned, and that he's probably not feeling too great about himself, things like that. PTSD is major emotional trauma, which can cause panic attacks and flashbacks."

"I see…I suppose those would make sense."

"This is only based upon what I've heard you say, though. I'd need to properly assess Garmadon and get to know him more before making am official diagnoses."

Wu nodded. "That's understandable. We went to the doctor yesterday as well and Garmadon got a SPECT scan. They mentioned PTSD would be a possibility."

Phil smiled. "Oh, that's helpful."

"Yes, they said so too."

"Well—" Phil stood, closing his notebook—"Thank you. All of that information is very helpful."

Wu and Misako also stood as well.

The therapist looked at them. "That is all. I'll see Garmadon now."

"Thank you for trying to help him. It means a lot to me," Wu said.

Phil smiled. "I help anyone I can. It's a pleasure and an honor."

Garmadon felt the blue chair's rough fabric, fingering the edges of the seat. The armrests were black plastic. It felt uncomfortable. When were Wu and Misako going to get done? He'd been sitting out here for…for a long time. He actually wasn't sure how long it had been.

Ochre was growing a little restless too, sniffing the floor and the chair and Garmadon. And anything else he could.

He stroked the dog's back, biting his lip.

Misako, Wu, and the therapist suddenly came back down the hall. They spoke to each other, but once they reached ear-shot, they stopped.

"Hello, brother." Wu walked over to him. "Did everything go alright out here?"

Garmadon nodded a little, glancing at…what was his name? Phil?

Phil—if that was his name—smiled. "I can speak with you now, Garmadon. If you'll follow me?"

Wu nodded to him. "Go on, brother. We'll watch Ochre for you."

Ochre wasn't coming? He stiffened. But he stood, since he didn't have a choice.

Wu took the dog's leash.

Phil headed down the hall.

Garmadon swallowed, fists clenching and unclenching. He followed obediently.

The therapist led him to a dark brown door, opening it. He stepped aside. "This room will be where we meet each session."

Garmadon looked in. It was a small white room, with a grey two-seat couch. A chair sat to the front of the couch, and to the far right corner was a bookshelf. It held books, games, and puzzles. A few cheery paintings were on the walls, mostly blue themed. A window was on the back wall, letting in white, natural light. The room was bright and cheery looking.

"What do you think?"

He looked at Phil. "Um…it's fine…"

"I'm glad you think so. Would you like to go in?"

No. He did not. Garmadon hesitated, but walked in.

The therapist followed him, shutting the door, and sat down in the chair across from the couch. "Would you like to sit?" He gestured to the couch.

Garmadon glanced at the door, tensing. His breathing quickened. He reluctantly sat down on the couch, clutching the edges of the cushion.

"My name is Phil Thomas, but you can call me Phil."

He looked at him.

"This first session is just going to be me telling you about myself. Unless you wanted to jump right in?"

Garmadon shook his head, looking at the door again.

"It isn't locked. This is a safe place."

He looked at him again. No place is "safe".

Phil opened his notebook, writing something down.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking notes. It's to record your progress, notes I can look back on to help you, things like that."

"Oh…"

"Now, is there anything you'd like to know about me?"

He paused. "Yes…why are you 'helping' me?"

Phil looked at him. "I believe everyone has a story. Everyone should have a chance to heal, no matter what they've done or who they've hurt." He smiled. "I believe you can heal. I'm here to guide you to recovery—but you'll need to do the work. You'll get out of this as much as you put in. I can't do it for you."

Garmadon frowned. "Do you know who I am?" He suddenly had an urge to defend himself, to make some excuse. Phil didn't want to help him—he was a monster. He obviously didn't know that. And it was Garmadon's responsibility to make sure he knew before he hurt the poor man.

"I know what the news has said. I know your name is Garmadon, and I've heard about your reign over the city. I know all of that. But I don't know you."

He frowned, stomach clenching at the mention of his "reign".

"Any other questions?"

Garmadon shook his head. He didn't believe him. He was probably getting paid extra. Or maybe he really did want to help—but he didn't know he couldn't be helped. It was in his DNA, his destiny.

Phil smiled. "That's alright. I'll tell you a little about myself. Is that alright?"

He nodded a little.

The therapist sat back in the chair, legs crossed. "Hmm…let's see. I live in an apartment in the city. Sort of on the edge. I have a wonderful wife named Susan, and two sons. And I've got five grandchildren—one girl and four boys. I like the color blue. I decided to become a therapist at twenty-one, after drifting through two colleges. I wanted to help people. I've volunteered in different relief organizations when I was younger. I give therapy to inmates in the local Ninjago City Jail. Not Kryptarium yet, but I'm considering it." He sat straight, looking at him. "I believe that's the basics."

Garmadon picked at his glove nervously.

"Do you have any questions?"

"Can I have my dog?"

"Of course. Normally, we prefer the dog be registered as an official emotional support dog or service dog, but we can get to that later, maybe."

Garmadon nodded, standing.

Phil closed his notebook, walking to the door, and opened it.

He walked out, heading down the hall at a quick pace. Phil followed him.

It didn't take long for Garmadon to reach the waiting area again. Wu and Misako stood upon seeing him, and Ochre wagged his tail excitedly.

Garmadon took Ochre's leash from Wu, stroking the dog's head.

"How did it go?" Wu asked.

Phil smiled at Wu and Misako. "It's going well. He just wanted his dog. Maybe in the future we can get the dog registered as a support dog? Normally we wouldn't allow dogs in here otherwise, but I'm making an exception."

Wu nodded. "Alright. Maybe we'll look into that."

Phil nodded, then headed back towards the room. Garmadon reluctantly followed him, picking up Ochre. He felt a little safer now that he had his dog. But he still didn't trust this 'therapist'.

Once back in the room and seated, Phil opened his notebook again. "Alright. Now, any questions?"

"No…" Garmadon had set Ochre on the floor, who now sat between his legs. The dog sniffed everything its nose could reach, tail wagging excitedly. He was glad Ochre was excited, anyway. He was terrified.

Phil nodded. "As we have more sessions, you'll get to know me better. We'll build trust over time—it doesn't have to be today. Now, do you understand how therapy works?"

Garmadon shook his head.

"That's alright." He smiled. "Lots of people have don't know exactly what it means, or what it's like. Many people don't get therapy because of it. I'll explain the best I can."

He nodded.

"I'm not here to tell you what to do. I'm just here as a guide on your journey. I can give advice, and counsel you, but you will get to decide for yourself whether you will listen to the advice, or accept it. It's up to you. You don't have to listen to any of my advice, or even ask for it. This therapy is for you. I work for you. I'm not meant to just be a friend—this is my job, and I'm here to help you. I'm a professional, and this therapy is my work—it's just like a doctor's appointment, or a cleaner at a hotel, or something like that. So you're leading this therapy. I'm just here as a guide. Does that make sense?"

Garmadon stared at him, blinking.

Phil smiled. "I'm sorry if that's confusing. Do you have any questions?"

He shook his head.

"Alright. Let me know if you do. Now, normally in sessions, patients will talk about what's been going on in their lives, struggles they've been having, things like that. They may ask for advice, or just want someone to rant to. Sometimes, we'll play a game during sessions, or build a puzzle. It's up to you what you want to use this time for. Another I wanted to mention is, I'm assuming your brother and friend forced you here?"

Garmadon nodded a little.

"Usually, someone has to be willing to get therapy. It works best that way. That doesn't mean I can't help you, it'll just be harder."

He nodded again, running his fingers through Ochre's fur.

"Now, there is something that may help your anxiety and the depression for now."

Garmadon looked at him.

"Medication could help bring your anxiety down, and lessen the depression. There's anti-anxiety medication, and depression medication. However, I'm not a psychiatrist, so I can't prescribe anything. You'd have to meet up with a psychiatrist for that."

He bit his lip. Medicine? He didn't need that. He was fine. Besides, he didn't want anything like anyway. Who knew what it would do to him? It could hurt, or mess up his head, or burn him, or make him sick. "No…I don't want that."

Phil nodded. "That's alright. Some people are wary of medication. Perhaps there's something else you could take?"

He shrugged.

"Hmm. Well, that's all I have for today." He stood, smiling. "Thank you for coming."

Garmadon stood, watching him warily.

Phil walked to the door, opening it, and them went out into the hall. Garmadon followed him down the hall, tightly gripping Ochre's leash.

When they reached Wu and Misako, Garmadon glanced at Phil nervously.

"How did it go?" Wu asked.

Phil smiled at Wu and Misako. "It went well. We're finished now."

"Alright. What now…?"

"I spoke with Garmadon about getting medication for his panic attacks, anxiety, and depression, but he wasn't comfortable with the idea. There's possibly other things we could try instead."

Wu nodded. "Like what?"

"Well…there's different supplements. Similar to medication, but different."

"I don't want that either…" Garmadon said.

"Brother, you need something that will help you." Wu shook his head.

"There are other options," Phil said. "Exercise, good sleep, listening to music, certain teas, a healthy diet—"

"Ah, see? Tea works for everything." Wu smiled. "We could give him tea."

Garmadon frowned.

Phil looked at him. "What do you think of tea?"

"I…um…" Garmadon stroked Ochre. "I guess that's fine…" It was just tea—it wouldn't actually do anything to him. He hoped.

The therapist smiled, looking at Wu. "Alright. Tea it is. I can give you a list of certain tea that would help?"

"That's not necessary," Wu said. "I'm a tea expert."

Misako rolled her eyes.

"Oh. Alright." Phil nodded. "In that case, the last thing to figure out is dates. I would recommend daily appointments for now."

Wu nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Thank you for your help."

"Of course." Phil turned to Garmadon, holding out his hand. "It was wonderful to meet you. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

Garmadon nodded a little, not shaking his hand.

Phil put his hand down, seemingly not bothered by it. "Would morning or afternoon work best?"

"The morning," Wu said.

"Alright. Tomorrow at nine?"

"Yes. That works."

Phil nodded, then walked away.

Wu turned to Garmadon. "Well, brother. I'm glad we have that figured out."

More therapy? Why did he need more? Garmadon bit his lip, much less fond of this idea than Wu was.

Wu patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. This will help you. And I know some teas we could try."

And that made this all ten times worse.

Wu pointed to the different teas, naming them and explaining what they did, as he walked beside the shelf of the tea shop. "We should probably get all of them, just to see which works best."

"Wu, I don't think we need to get all of them. Just a few for now." Misako shook her head.

"I need more tea anyway. Any that Garmadon doesn't drink, I'll just have."

"We're here for your brother. Not for you. You can get your tea later."

"But shouldn't we at least try all of them?"

Misako rubbed her forehead, sighing.

Ochre was busy sniffing everything, as tea tended to have a strong smell. The dog was probably having a field day. Garmadon rubbed behind his ears.

Wu started taking tea off the shelves, handing them to Misako. "I'm going to get chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, green tea, peppermint, rose—" He continued to rattle off tea.

Misako soon held a stack, glaring very irritably at Wu.

Garmadon frowned, watching them.

"Hmm…there's stronger teas, too. Should we—"

"No! Wu, we have plenty," Misako said.

He looked at her. He hesitated, then took another one off the shelf. "I'll get one more. This one is stronger than the others, so in case those don't work, we'll have this one."

She sighed. "And which one is that?"

Wu smiled, seeming to be glad she'd asked. "It's Anxie-tea. And I'm not really sure why so many tea names are actually puns…"

She laughed. "I don't know. Would that be your father's doing?"

"I would think not…he wasn't really one for puns."

"Hmm. Well, can we check out? These are getting heavy. And I hope you don't expect me to carry these all the way back to the Bounty."

"Oh…no. I'll carry them."

Misako looked relieved.

Soon, they'd checked out, got back on the Bounty, and started home. Wu said they would try the tea tomorrow morning, before therapy.

Garmadon was honestly dreading that. Wu and tea was never a good mix, no matter what his brother said. If he died from anything, it would be an overdose of tea from Wu.

Or this therapy.