Grave Danger
At the bottom of the Endless Sea, R.E.X was piloting through the water with the Ninja inside. "We're almost to the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master." Zane informed them while looking at the coordinates.
"Yeah." Cole said with a smile. "Can't believe we're almost there, after all we've been through." He said while Kai looked nervous.
"I can't believe I'm underwater." Kai said as he looked out to the ocean in fear.
"You? What about me?" Cole questioned, reminding Kai that he's a ghost surrounded by their one weakness. "Just how thick is this glass?"
"Suck it up, boys." Melissa said to them. "We're on an important mission here." She reminded them before the monitors turned on to reveal Wu and Misako on the Bounty.
"We're heading to your location now." Wu told them. "With Morro already ahead of you, and able to foresee the traps protecting the tomb with the Sword of Sanctuary, it's going to be up to you five to find the Realm Crystal before he does." He instructed.
"Heh, Cole's a ghost, Kai can't swim, we have no magical sword or Elemental Powers except for Melissa." Jay sarcastically said with a chuckle. "What can go wrong?"
"Well according to Murphy's law, possibly losing power, the engine exploding, drowning or being crushed by the pressure," Zane commented casually.
"We really need to work on your small talk functions, Zane." Jay muttered as they moved past a squid like creature who opened its eyes when it spotted them.
"I may not know the three tests you're about to face." Misako said before she held up a scroll. "But I discovered a riddle that makes reference to it that may help." She said as she opened up the scroll and read it. "'A Spinjitzu Master can. A Spinjitzu Master can not. To move forward, don't look ahead to find his resting spot'." She read.
"Huh, that's food for thought." Cole commented before Jay saw something that made him gave a nervous gulp.
"Uh, speaking of food," Jay started before the others saw the squid swimming towards them. "We're about to be some!" He exclaimed.
"A Leviathan! We have to go faster! Much faster!" Kai called out as Cole went full speed as the Leviathan used one of its tentacles to make a crack on the glass screen. "Why did the tomb have to be underwater?!"
"Hold on!" Cole called as he controlled R.E.X. as they moved around to avoid the Leviathan while it swam after them.
"Ugh! What kind of weapons is this thing equipped with?" Jay cried out in a panic.
"We don't need weapons," Melissa said with a glare as she pointed ahead. "Aim for that rock, Cole!" She ordered.
"You got it!" Cole said as he steered R.E.X towards the cave as the Leviathan tried to follow but it got stuck.
The five Ninia cheered in victory, "Thatta boy, R.E.X! Thatta Boy!" Jay complimented.
"Glad that's over with." Melissa said in relief. "Let's hope that even with the Sword, Morro is slowing down a bit after going through that."
Meanwhile within the tomb, Morro opened a door to an open chamber where a golden staff rests on a pedestal far ahead. He looks around before looking at the blade of the Sword of Sanctuary as it shows him multiple traps coming from everywhere, giving him an idea on what he needed to do to advance.
Below the water, R.E.X. steered itself upward until it resurfaced. Upon breaching the cave, the Ninja could see a statue with candles close to an entrance as they exited the ship, after Melissa put Morro's emblem and picture in her Gi, and hopped on solid ground.
"If you wanna hide a tomb, this looks like a good place." Cole commented. "We're here." He said with a smile.
Melissa then saw a piece of green/golden cloth on a branch, next to them. "Yep. This is a piece of Lloyd's Gi. Morro definitely got here first." She said as she inspected the cloth.
"Well, there goes any hope Morro couldn't find this place," Jay complained.
"Hey, stay positive," Kai told the two, "We're about to go through traps we know nothing about and all we have to rely on is each other. At least feel lucky we got this far." He said optimistically.
"Oh I'm sorry, you're right. What was I thinking?" Jay said sarcastically, "There goes any hope Morro couldn't find the tomb! We're not alone! Yay! Now we're gonna have to fight him again! Sure we got our tails handed to us last time, but you never know in the future, because Ninja Never Quit." He ranted before giving a look. "Better?"
"Eh. I'll take it." Kai said with a shrug.
"Jay, be grateful I didn't slap you out of your rants that time." Melisssa said with a brow. "You boys are lucky that I still have my powers to back you all up."
"Yeah, and we're glad that you are not being a scared little baby every time you see a ghost." Jay joked with a chuckle as Melissa gave him a deathly glare.
"Do you wanna know what Nya feels every time I give her the treatment, thunder head?" Melissa asked with a glare.
"Uh, no thanks. I'm good." Jay said with a nervous smile with his hand raised.
"Look." Zane said as he pointed to the statue with the candles behind them as they turned and saw the statue that looked like Wu and Garmadon.
"The First Spinjitzu Master." Cole said in awe, as were the others.
"Creator of all Ninjago." Melissa added in awed
"Whoa." Kai muttered in breath.
They heard beeping coming from R.E.X. "Destination reached. Auto return initiated," they heard a computerized voice say.
"Auto return?" Jay questioned before they all turned and saw R.E.X. going back into the water. "No, no, no. Bad R.E.X.! Bad!" He called out as they rushed towards it, but R.E.X. was already out of reach.
"Our Aeroblades were in there!" Zane exclaimed as the ship dived out of sight.
"Not to mention our only way back!" Kai added before Jay turned to him with a smile.
"Hey, stay positive! Who needs a way back when we gotta go that way?" Jay said as he pointed to the tunnel.
"Jay's right." Melissa said. "No swords, no powers, no problem. We can do this as long as we have each other's backs. Right?"
"As Iron Sharpens Iron." Kai started.
"Siblings Sharpen Siblings." Cole finished as they headed down the corridor.
They continued down the tunnel before they entered a room with sixteen doors with different symbols with the FSM holding a crystal in different formations as the door they walked through closed behind them.
"This could be the first test." Cole said to them.
"Ooh! Why did it have to be tests?" Jay asked nervously. "Why can't the tomb just be protected by dragons? We're good with dragons." He questioned as they looked at each door.
"Well one of these doors has to be the right way." Melissa said in thought. "And this is good, I like puzzles, puzzles are my thing, we can solve this, guys."
"She's right, we can do this." Cole said with determination.
"Yeah, but which one do we choose?" Kai asked.
"Uh, what was it Misako said?" Jay asked.
"A Spinjitzu Master can. A Spinjitzu Master can not. To move forward, don't look ahead to find his resting spot." Zane recited as they looked around.
"A Spinjitzu Master can. Can what, exactly?" Melissa muttered before she noticed something, "Wait, count the doors. There's sixteen of them."
"Sixteen doors, for sixteen realms?" Jay theorized.
"Well, it could be." Cole said to them. "But let me guess, pick the wrong door and we'll be in a realm of hurt."
"Oh, I wish we had the sword right about now." Jay complained.
"We can figure this out." Kai assured him. "A Spinjitzu Master can. Can." He muttered while the group thought while trying to figure out which door before Jay spotted one with a tornado.
"The symbol above this door, it's a tornado," Jay said to them. "This could be the one, right?" He suggested.
"You could be right," Kai said as Jay walked up to the door to open it.
But then Zane steps in. "Jay, wait!" He called out, stopping Jay from opening it as Pixal scanned the carving on the door.
"Picture recognition analyzing. Pattern discovered." Pixal informed as Zane saw a pattern from the three figures on the doors moving the crystal around.
"Step away from that door, Jay." Zane said as he moved Jay away from the door he was gonna open.
"What is it?" Jay asked in concern.
"We're inside a zoetrope," Zane answered.
"A zoe-what?" Kai asked in confusion.
"A zoetrope," Zane repeated. "The engravings in rapid succession creates a moving image." He explained.
"Uh, I don't get it." Cole said in confusion.
"No, I think Zane is onto something." Melissa said as she thought. "If this is a zoetrope, and this test is that a Spinjitzu Master can solve, then maybe if one of us do Spinjitzu we can figure out which door is the one we need to take." She said in realization. "Think about it, a Spinjitzu Master can do Spinjitzu. That's what the first clue means."
"Are you sure that'll work?" Kai asked.
"Only one way to find out." Melissa said as she stepped in the middle of the room and did Spinjitzu. Inside her tornado, she saw the patterns of the F.S.M. with the crystal moving in formation before it began to form a yin-yang shape. "The images are making a symbol!" She said as she stopped her Spinjitzu and pointed at the door they came in. "That one! That's the door we need to go through."
"She is correct." Zane said in agreement. "I believe she is 99.9 percent correct."
"Uh, I don't know." Cole said uncertainty. "Isn't that the same door we came in? Are you sure?"
"Are you sure you want to doubt a Nindroid?" Zane retorted with a brow.
"It was the exact pattern the symbol showed me." Melissa said to him. "So, I say we go through this door."
"Open the door. Let's find out." Kai said as Jay opened the door, but instead of showing their way in, it revealed the room Morro was in earlier.
"But… that wasn't there before." Cole said in shock as they entered the room. "How can it be the way in, if that's the way we came in?"
"Welcome to the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master, Cole. Expect the unexpected." Melissa commented.
"Hey, hey! Nice one, Zane." Jay complimented. "Who needs a Sword of Sanctuary when you've got a Nindroid?" He questioned with a smirk as they looked at the new room.
The Destiny's Bounty flew then flew over the ocean where the tomb is below as it landed on the water while the others looked out, "These are the coordinates Ronin's ship had directed them too," Misako said as she, Rachel, Luci and Wu stepped out from the bridge.
"Then the tomb is right below here." Wu said while pointing down to the water.
"Let's hope they get the Crystal before Morro does." Rachel said with hope.
"Those aren't all that's here." Nya said as she looked through a telescope and saw Bansha and Soul Archer on their boat across the way. "Morro's friends must have paid a visit, but I don't see Ghoul-Tar." She noted, seeing a certain scythe ghost nowhere in sight. "The Ninja must have already taken care of--" She trailed off when she saw Soul Archer looking his telescope in their direction as Nya gasped. "They know we're here! Should I arm the cannons?" She asked frantically as she rushed up to one of the cannons.
"No, Nya. We shouldn't fire just yet." Luci said to her.
"Luci is correct." Wu said as he stepped forward to Nya. "Getting into unnecessary battles only distracts us from preparing for the necessary ones that lay ahead," He advised. "We wait. But just in case, how is your water training coming?" He asked her.
"Eh, who knows?" Nya shrugged off. "I can move water, but it's not like I can control it. Whatever." She said as the three walked off.
"Whatever?" Wu asked in surprise while Misako, Rachel, and Luci smiled. "Ronin's indifference is rubbing off on Nya."
"That girl has always put too much pressure on herself," Misako stated before she smiled. "If she's moving water, perhaps it's working." She said with a smile as they looked at the three keeping watch.
"That, or she got another one of our daughters 'treatments'." Rachel joked as they shared a laugh.
Over on the ghost ship, Soul Archer continued to stare at the Destiny's Bounty through his periscope as Banshee was getting a little impatient. "Why don't we attack?!" Banshee asked Soul Archer.
"Look where we are," Soul Archer told her as he gestured to the water below them. "We can't risk losing our boat. So, let's see who flinches first," he said as they kept their eyes on the Bounty.
Back in the tomb, the five Ninja looked at the golden staff. "The staff of the First Spinjitzu Master." Kai said in awed.
"Wait, this could be another test." Melissa said as she looked around the room. "Zane, what do you think?"
Zane then let Pixal scan the room for any clues but got nothing. "Pixal can see no pattern. For this riddle room, I'm at a loss." He said with a frown.
"Think about it. The first test was 'A Spinjitzu Master can.'" Jay reminded them. "So this one's 'A Spinjitzu Master can not.' Though saying it out loud, I don't like the sound of that."
"Mmm." Kai hummed as he stepped forward and suddenly, the stone he stepped on sunk into the ground, "Uh oh." He muttered before stone arrows shot out from the wall and the Ninja barely dodged them.
"Is everyone okay?" Cole asked, covering his head.
"Phew, that was a close one," Zane commented as he got out of the pose he took to avoid the arrows.
"Every step, uh, a trap," Jay gulped in fear.
"How does one reach the staff if it becomes more difficult with every step to get there?" Zane questioned, "If correct, this riddle room poses quite the conundrum,"
"So if a Spinjitzu Master can't do it, how are we supposed to reach the staff?" Cole questioned.
"Watch and learn." Kai said as he did Airjitzu towards the staff.
"Kai, wait!" Melissa called as Kai landed on a pillar, which spikes extended out from a wall.
"Huh? Wha-? Uh oh!" Kai yelped as he let go and avoided the flying spikes and dropped to the floor, setting off more traps.
"Uh, no wait!" Cole called.
"Not that one!" Jay told him.
"Wait!" Melissa exclaimed.
"Just stop!" Zane called as the four dodged a swinging wrecking ball and Jay accidentally set off another trap.
"Aw no!" Kai called as the floor started breaking up and the boys backed away as a large stone appeared and rolled towards them as they, minus Cole, jumped towards Kai.
Another wrecking ball swung into Cole but it phased right through him, "Wait, I'm a ghost. What am I worried about?" Cole asked as he got his answer as the wrecking ball cracked the wall and water started spilling in. Cole yelped and barely dodged the water, "Okay, that! That I can worry about!" he said in worry as they looked at the staff.
"I can make it!" Kai called in determination as he rushed forward, which he set off more traps he set off with every step.
"Kai!" Zane yelled out as Kai avoided poison gasp.
"No!" Cole shouted as Kai ran across the falling floor.
"Kai, wait!" Melissa shouted as the Fire Ninja had the staff in reach but was stopped by more spikes and forced to jump back and he gasped when he realized what he did as he and the others had only a single stone to stand on.
"WILL EVERYONE PLEASE STOP MOVING?!" Jay yelled out in anxiety.
Back on the surface, Soul Archer and Bansha are still spying on the Bounty while waiting for either side to strike. "Still no movement?" Bansha questioned.
"They are waiting, like we are." Soul Archer answered while still looking through the spyglass.
"Why are we waiting?" Bansha questioned impatiently. "We should be attacking when they least expect it. I thought we weren't afraid of anything." She complained.
Soul Archer knew that she was right. "Very well, but now is not the time." He said to her, "We'll need to be strategic about it. Patience." He said as he kept a lookout.
Back in the tomb, Kai gave a sigh. "I could make it. It's just a hop, skip, and a jump." He said while eyeing the staff as he did Airjitzu, but failed as he fell to the floor, which collapsed more as he quickly crawled back to his pillar.
"Kai! Would you please just stop for one second!" Melissa exclaimed in annoyance. "And I thought your sister was more stubborn!" She said before thinking about what she just said. "Actually nevermind, you're both equally as stubborn."
"Hey, at least I'm trying!" Kai said in defense.
"But what else comes with a hop, skip, and a jump?" Cole asked with concern. "You trigger one more trap, I don't know how much more we can take."
"The clue clearly said this is a test a Spinjitzu Master can not do." Jay reminded them with a look. "So why are we not listening to the clue?!" He exclaimed in anxiety.
"Trust me, I can make it!" Kai confidently called.
Wait! What if it's a trick?" Cole asked with realization. "What if the reason we can't do it is because we were never meant to reach the staff? What is the first rule of being a Ninja?"
"A Ninja Never Quits." Zane answered.
"Exactly, and that's why we can't do it," Cole told them. "Because a Ninja would never give up,"
"He's right, we just need to work together and figure out how to solve this." Melissa said to them.
"What are you two trying to say? We just quit? Are you both insane?" Kai asked in disbelief.
Cole said nothing as looked down into the abyss. "This time, trust me." He said before he jumped over and fell into the abyss with a yell.
"Cole!" The others all screamed as Cole stopped screaming, which made them concerned.
"Whoo-hoo! Ha, ha!" Cole cheered from the abyss below them. "Come on down, and enjoy the ride!"
"He's alive!" Zane said in relief before he jumped down with a yell as Jay and Melissa followed, leaving Kai behind.
Kai looked up at the staff, still tempted to get it, but he sighed, knowing that saving Lloyd and getting the Realm Crystal was more important as he jumped down with a scream as he entered an ice slide. "Seriously?" He questioned as he saw the others sliding down. "Try to stay together!"
But they each flung around onto different slopes. "Stay together?! I'm just trying to stay in one piece! Aah!" Jay screamed in panic as they all kept going in twisty-turning slides and each going in different sections.
"No!" Cole shouted as they kept sliding down.
Kai slid upside down before he stopped. "Oh, great!" He called as he fell and landed on Zane. "Sorry!" He apologized before Cole landed on Kai next, then Melissa before Jay came up from behind and collided into them, knocking them down before they saw they were heading for an edge.
"Iceberg ahead!" Jay warned before they quickly grabbed hold of the icicle.
"No! No!" Zane cried out in panic before he crashed into Kai, causing the two to fall with screams while Melissa, Cole, and Jay tried to hold onto the icicle, but they were slipping.
"Uh, oh." Jay muttered before they lost their grip and continued to slide down as they saw many icicles poking out ahead of them.
"Aw, come on!" Melissa yelled out as they went through the icicles as she realized she was holding a couple in her hands. "Huh." She said in thought.
"Whoo-hoo!" Jay cheered loudly with a smile while riding the two icicles from his foot like skates. "I love skiing! Haha!" He exclaimed.
Soon, Melissa followed Jay's example as she stepped on her icicles. "Whoo-hoo! Now this is fun!" She called out as she skated ahead.
"Yeah!" Jay cheered as he skated forward while Kai, Cole, and Zane were ahead while enjoying the slide.
"Alright!" Cole said with a smile.
Kai then looked ahead and gasped, "Wall!" He shouted, as pointed ahead.
They turned as they all screamed when they saw the ice wall ahead. First Kai, Zane, and Cole went in through the ice wall first, followed by Jay, who tripped and went through the wall upside down, and finally Melissa as ice figures of themselves were on the wall.
Soon, the Ninja were on the ground, groaning from the impact as they got their bearings and realized they were in some sort of ice maze.
"Is everyone okay?" Zane asked.
"Define okay, Zane," Melissa muttered with a brow as she rubbed her head. "But at least the ride is over."
"What did we get ourselves into?" Kai asked as they walked into the maze.
Jay climbed up an ice pillar and looked around, "Jay, what do you see up there?" Melissa asked.
"Heh, it's a maze! I'm great at mazes!" Jay cheered with a smile, seeing a huge ice maze around them.
"First realm doors, a booby trap room to try and get the staff, and now mazes?" Melissa questioned tiredly. "Is the First Spinjitzu Master giving us riddles or games? Because I ain't laughing."
Kai looked around before he saw his reflection, but he saw himself as a middle aged man wearing a different Elemental attire as he gasped. "Huh! Whoa!" He said in surprise as he looked at his reflection. "If my reflection means anything, I'm starting to think we won't be breaking out of this maze anytime at all."
"My reflection," Zane spoke up as he looked at his own reflection and saw that his model looked older while wearing robes with each Elemental symbol down both sides. "Is this…me? I look older, but our attire is different. I don't believe these reflections reveal our inability to escape, but a mere glimpse of our future selves."
"Really?" Melissa asked as she looked at her reflection as she saw a Master's Gi while having wrinkles on her face with her hair a bit grey lines. "Huh, I don't look so bad." She said with a smile.
"Misako said to move forward, don't look ahead, is that what it means?" Cole questioned as he went next to the ice but noticed that he didn't have a reflection, "Wait a minute, why is it I can't see my reflection? Where is my reflection?!" He asked in worry.
"It's probably because you're a ghost!" Kai told him as Zane brought Cole over and they saw in their reflection nothing where Cole should be.
"Ghosts cast reflects, Kai. He's probably just looking in the wrong place," Zane told them.
"I am looking in the same place you are!" Cole stated in frustration.
"Hey guys, guess what? I get an awesome eyepatch!" Jay said excitedly as he saw himself having a goatee, mustache, and eyepatch along with robes like the others, "And there's something else," He said before he saw an older Nya walking up to him and snuggling close to him as he smiled happily.
"What, Jay?" Cole asked irritably, "What is so great that you see that I clearly cannot?" He questioned.
"I end up with Nya," Jay whispered happily before shaking his head, "Nothing just an eyepatch," He told them.
The Ninja spread out as Kai focused on his reflection, "Wait, I think I see something too," He said before he saw Skylor, who looked older too, walk up to him and held his reflection lovingly. "Whoa! I end up with Skylor?" He asked in surprise before he smiled. "Oh, Sweet!"
"Seriously?!" Cole questioned in disbelief. "Even Skylor is there when she's really not?!"
"I see something too," Zane said as next to his reflection was Pixal wearing a purple business outfit as she held Zane from behind as he gasped, "Pixal," He said in awe.
"It's, me," Pixal said, just as amazed.
"Okay, seriously?! Pixal is in your head, Zane! How can she be there?!" Cole questioned in frustration as he groaned and walked off from them.
Melissa then looked at her reflection before she gasped silently as she saw Lloyd, in a Master's robe, coming in as he held her arm close as the two leaned on each other. "Lloyd." She said with a smile. "I end up with Lloyd!"
"And the sky is blue and the grass is green." Kai said jokingly. "Those are the things that we know." He said with a chuckle.
Melissa gave a dull look from that. "Are we that obvious?" She muttered.
"Yes!" The boys said in unison before they shared a chuckle.
"Okay, moving on." Melissa said with a look.
"Wait a minute, I think I see me." Cole said as he noticed a spot on his reflection glowing green, but it wasn't him as he saw it moving on its own as he gasped. "It's Morro! He's in the maze too!" He called as Morro swung the Sword of Sanctuary, breaking the ice wall and sending Cole back as Jay rushed to them before facing Morro.
"All you Ninja do is talk. Blah, blah, blah." Morro said in annoyance as he raised the sword at Jay while backing him into a wall. "I'll stop you from talking!"
"Aah!" Jay screamed as he dodged a swipe from Morro as he ran off with him chasing him, "He's attacking an unarmed man!" He cried as he dodged the swings from the sword.
"Hang on Jay! We're coming!" Kai called as he and Zane rushed off.
As they ran however, Pixal noted the direction they were going in, "This is not the way!" Pixal told Zane as he stopped.
"Not that way?" Zane asked in surprise before he turned around and went into another direction as Kai followed after.
With Jay, he came to a dead end as he panted before he duck to avoid another swipe as Morro cut two icicles, causing a few more to grow in their place as Jay screamed. But then Zane came in and tackled Morro on the back while Kai joined him as Jay pulled out an icicle and used it as a weapon as he and Morro clashed weapons.
"Zane and Kai are here, but Cole, where are you?!" Jay called out.
Cole was rushing around the maze trying to find the others but wasn't having much luck, "I don't really know, but I'm coming!" Cole said before ran through a wall and crashed into Morro, "Huh, why didn't do that sooner?" He asked, forgetting he could go through walls.
The four then started fighting Morro with the icicles but against the Sword of Sancutary, they didn't have a chance, and the slippery ice and Morro foreseeing their every attack wasn't helping.
Melissa was watching the fighting, seeing that the boys were outmatched against Morro because of the sword. But then she noticed that everytime Morro breaks icicles, more grow in place while being doubled every time he cuts an icicle. "Huh." She said with a smirk, getting a plan before Morro used his wind power to push the four boys back.
Melissa then broke off a large icicle and held it like a staff and charged at Morro, clashing with him, "Well, the scared little girl is trying to be brave again." Morro taunted.
"We're close to the Crystal, Morro. And close to stopping you." Melissa said as she and Morro clashed.
"We'll see about that." Morro said as he swung the Sword at her.
Melissa dodged the swipe as she stepped back to get close to come icicles as she gave a smirk. "Come on! Catch me if you can!" She sang tauntingly.
Morro growled as he did a huge swipe, which Melissa dodged as she jumped away as Morro cut the icicles. Just then, some icicles grew around Morro, trapping him as he tried to cut himself free, but with each swipe, more icicles grew, trapping him completely. "No! NO!" He screamed as he was now stuck and the boys regrouped with Melissa, who all smiled at Morro trapped in a cage of his own making.
"That will keep you there for a while to cool off." Melissa taunted with a smirk.
"You can't trap me! I'll find a way out, Daughter of the Overlord! Just wait! You'll see!" Morro yelled out.
"Yeah good luck with that, Windy Boy," Melissa taunted and gave a taunting smirk.
"Hehehe, Windy Boy. Nice one." Kai said with a chuckle as they all walked off to find a way out.
"Quick. How do we get out of here?" Jay questioned as they all looked around.
"To move forward, don't look ahead." Cole recites as they all thought of what the clue is before Jay tripped on a crack, which made him look down.
"Don't look ahead. Look below!" Jay called, seeing light in the cracks, which the others took notice of.
"There's light!" Melissa said in shock. "Everyone, dig!" She called out as the five then started digging on the cracks before they fell through the floor into a new chamber with a river flowing by. Melissa looked down and gasped, "Boys, look," She pointed down and rushed down the stone steps.
"What? What is it?" Jay asked as the boys followed after Melissa.
They all walked down before they stopped at a skeleton's remains wearing a broken down rice hat while its hands were holding a large blue crystal. Melissa gasped as she realized who this was. "It's him. The First Spinjitzu Master." She said in shock as she and the boys all kneeled down in respect for the creator of all Ninjago.
Kai then noticed the crystal in the skeleton's hands, "There's the Realm Crystal," He said as Melissa slowly reached out to the Crystal and plucked it from the F.S.M. hands as they all looked at the Realm Crystal.
"How does it work?" Kai asked in wonder.
"How it works is you'll hand over the Crystal, or say goodbye to your friend!" Morro's voice called out, which made them all turn to see Morro had exited Lloyd's body while holding the weakened Green Ninja while holding the Sword of Sanctuary.
"Lloyd!" Melissa called out with her arm raised.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't stop him." Lloyd said weakly to his girlfriend and friends.
"So what will it be?" Morro questioned with a glare as the Ninja looked conflicted.
"If we hand him the Crystal, he'll use the reign of his Master, cursing Ninjago and every realm." Zane whispered to Melissa.
"But if we don't, when has he never made good on a threat?" Cole questioned.
"Hate to say it but he's right. Look at Lloyd, he's too weak to defend himself," Kai added as they saw Lloyd was too weak.
"Aargh! Either option totally stinks." Jay groaned before turning to Melissa. "What do you think, Melissa? What do we do?"
Melissa stood silent as she looked between the Realm Crystal and Lloyd. "Looks like the decision is up to you, Darky. So choose, the Crystal or your boyfriend?" Morro said sarcastically as he raised the sword up while Melissa was conflicted between saving Ninjago and all the realms or her own boyfriend from Morro's wrath.
Back on the surface, Luci was eyeing a sea stack in concern, "What is it?" Wu asked as he came to her.
"Their ship went behind that sea stack five minutes ago but has yet to pass." Luci explained, which made Wu give a serious look.
"Raise the sails. Now!" Wu called as he turned to the sea stack and saw the ghost's ship boosting towards them as he saw the Soul Archer firing a ghost arrow at them.
"Nya!" Rachel called out as Nya then raised her arms as she focused her powers. "If that arrow ghosts the Bounty, there's not gonna be a lot to stand on."
Nya focused hard as she created a water wall beside them to block the ghost arrow as Nya then lowered it after she blocked it. "That was close." Nya said with a concerned look.
"Indeed, but we may not be so fortunate a second." Wu said before he turned to Misako. "Hurry, Misako, I said raise the sails." He said to her as Misako had her back turned before she turned to him with her eyes glowing green.
"Not Misako, only Bansha!" Misako yelled while her voice mixed with Bansha's, which shocked them while on the ghost boat, Bansha was using her powers to control Misako from her end.
Back in the Tomb, Melissa was still struggling to make a decision and Morro was getting impatient, "Stop stalling! Give me the Realm Crystal or else!" He shouted.
"We're not stalling, we're thinking!" Melissa shouted back before she and the boys huddled together. "He's totally right, I'm stalling. What are we gonna do? I'm open to suggestions here." She said quietly to them.
"It's either we save the 16 realms or we save Lloyd," Kai stated.
"This guy really chaps my hide." Cole said before he slammed his fists together. "I swear when this is all over…" He started before he felt the earth moving a bit on his feet.
"Our powers." Kai said with a smile after seeing it. "Now that Morro's out of Lloyd's body, they're starting to come back." He said as he lit his hand and summoned a small flame
"Which means, we have a chance." Melissa said with a smile as Jay summoned a bit of electricity with a bit of effort.
"Yeah, but like Lloyd, they're weak." Jay said to them, feeling their powers are as weak as Lloyd. "And we're in no position to fight back."
"I think I have an idea." Melissa said as she held the Crystal to Kai. "Kai, you think you can heat this up a little bit?" She asked with a smirk.
"I think I see where you're heading." Kai said with a smirk. "Be ready."
"Time's up!" Morro shouted, having lost his patience completely. "You leave me no choice-!"
"Wait! Don't hurt him!" Melissa shouted while Kai heated up the Realm Crystal. "We'll give you the Realm Crystal!" She said as she turned to Kai with a nod.
Kai nodded as he tossed the Realm Crystal to Morro, who cackled as he tossed Lloyd aside and caught the Crystal, but felt the heat coming off it as he screamed in pain and let go of the Realm Crystal as it fell into a river flow. "The Crystal! What have you done!?" He yelled as Lloyd found the strength to kick the Sword of Sanctuary out of Morro's hand before he blew Lloyd over the edge and into the water.
"Lloyd!" The others yelled in panic as Lloyd resurfaced and tried to stay afloat.
Back on the Surface, Nya was still blocking the ghost arrows while Wu, Rachel and Luci fought against the mind-controlled Misako. "I can't keep this up for much longer!" Nya struggled to hold up the wall.
"We're not doing well here either!" Rachel said as she avoided a punch from Misako.
"Bansha is controlling her, but I can't remember how to reverse the spell!" Wu explained as Misako had him on the defensive.
"How's this for a refresher!?" Nya called as she focused her powers into her hand and shot out a water beam, splashing onto Misako as she was soaked and wet, but when she opened her eyes, they were normal.
Misako looked around in confusion. "What just happened?" She asked as Wu placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll explain later." Luci said to her.
With the two ghosts, Bansha opened her eyes after being kicked out of Misako's mind before their boat crashed, causing it to sink as the two ghosts quickly flew to higher ground.
Back in the tomb, Kai, Melissa, and Cole were chasing after Lloyd from the current, who was struggling to stay afloat, while Zane and Jay fought off Morro as the three Ninjas tried to catch him.
"I can't get to him. I can't swim!" Kai called as he tried to reach out.
"You can't swim?!" Cole questioned him. "I can't touch the water! I'm a ghost, remember? And you two had at least had a reflection! What happens to me?!"
"Who cares?! We need to save Lloyd!" Melissa told them. "And since you two are scared of water, I'll go!" She said as she jumped into the current. "Holy crap this water is cold!" She called while the Realm Crystal floated underneath the water while being pulled by the current.
Morro was still fighting the two Ninjas as he fought Jay, but then Zane fired his ice at the Sword, freezing the blade. "Nice one, Zane!" Jay complimented as the two ninjas fought Morro together while Morro avoided their attacks while breaking the ice of the Sword.
Lloyd was close to drowning as he gasped for breath as Melissa swam towards him and grabbed him by the arm, but the current was strong for her. "A little help would be nice!" Melissa called out to the two boys.
"They're gonna drown!" Cole exclaimed.
"Aw, this is crazy! What am I doing?!" Kai questioned himself before he did a crazy move, he jumped into the water and grabbed Lloyd on his other side as he and Melissa swam back up to the surface.
Jay fired a lightning shock, which Morro dodged as it hit Zane, which electrocuted him as he sat down. "Oh, no!" He said in concern as he checked Zane as Morro rushed off before he turned to the others. "Kai and Melissa's got Lloyd, but who's got them?!" He asked as the three Ninjas were being pulled by the current while struggling to swim.
"The current's too strong!" Melissa exclaimed as she tried to swim.
"Oh, come on!" Cole exclaimed at the issue they're having.
"You have to grab them, Cole! Before they both go over!" Zane shouted in concern.
Cole rushed to the edge, staying clear of the water and just as Kai, Melissa and Lloyd were about to fall, and grabbed Kai's hand before pulling them up as he saw the Realm Crystal going over, "No!" Cole called as the Realm crystal fell into the abyss below before Morro caught it with his power as he gave a laugh and made a run for it.
"Everyone, run!" Cole shouted.
"No!" The others called as Cole turned and saw the others tending to Lloyd.
"I'm sorry." Lloyd said weakly.
Back on the surface, Morro exited the tomb through the cave before he saw his ghost boat in pieces while seeing Bansha and Soul Archer hanging by the sail as he groaned. "Must I do everything?!" He questioned in frustration.
"You have the Realm Crystal!" Soul Archer called, seeing the Crystal in Morro's hands. "Let's get out of here!"
Morro then held the Realm Crystal high, which got a beam of light as it shot down on the ground before shooting up into the sky, creating a portal that the Bounty saw from the distance as Morro flew right up to the portal with Soul Archer and Bansha beside him as they went back into the Cursed Realm before it closed.
On the Bounty, the group saw this as Nya looked through the spyglass as she frowned. "They took the Realm Crystal." She said to them.
"But what about the others?" Luci asked in concern.
They looked around in worry, thinking they lost them as Nya looked through her telescope again before seeing the cave Morro was from before seeing the others coming out with Melissa supporting Lloyd, which made Nya gasp. "They made it!" Nya cheered as they all cheered in relief and joy as the Ninja stopped as Melissa sat Lloyd down when they heard their friends cheering for them as they smiled.
"My son. They've saved him!" Misako cheered in joy at seeing her son now free from Morro's possession.
"Yes. Yes, they did." Wu said with a smile.
"We knew they would save him." Rachel said with a proud smile.
"They always do." Luci added as they smiled at the Ninja.
"You all sacrificed so much to save me." Lloyd said, having seen the whole thing when Morro was controlling him.
"Of course we did Lloyd." Melissa said, giving her boyfriend a small smile. "You mean a lot to us, and you mean a lot to me."
"And I promised I'd look after you, didn't I?" Kai reminded with a smile, remembering the promise he made for Lloyd.
"But now Ninjago's gonna be cursed." Lloyd said in worry.
"Yes, but now we have you." Zane said with a smile.
"And now our powers are back." Jay said with a smirk as he lifted his hand and summoned some electricity.
"I may be terrified about what's about to come, but with you back with us, we can take down Morro and save Ninjago." Melissa said with determination.
"As you get stronger, so will we." Cole said with a smile as he summoned his powers. "And they haven't even seen us at full strength." He added as the Ninja then each shot an elemental blast in the air, which combined as they created a small explosion.
The Bounty then sailed towards them, when it stopped in front of them The Ninja jumped on board and then Nya pressed a button as the ship flew towards Steep Wisdom.
Misako then went to hug her son. "Oh, I am so happy to have you back my son." She said with a smile.
"It's good to be back, Mom." Lloyd said as he weakly returned the gesture as he grunted a bit.
"You seemed a bit exhausted, Lloyd." Rachel noted in concern.
"Well, that's what happens when you have someone else using your body for so long." Lloyd said while rubbing his arm. "And it's just as painful as I remember it, ow, everything hurts." He said with a groan.
"Uh, yeah, sorry about that buddy." Cole said sheepishly.
"We have time to plan our attack before Morro and the ghosts return." Wu spoke up. "Which will give you enough time to rest and regain your strength."
"Thanks, Uncle Wu." Lloyd said with a smile.
"Now, let us all prepare for the battle to come, and I know just what to do." Wu said as they all made their way into the Bounty leaving Lloyd and Melissa to themselves.
"How have you been since all this?" Lloyd asked his girlfriend.
"If I'm gonna be honest, a bit terrified." Melissa said with a frown. "Trust me, facing Morro has led to many supernatural adventures across Ninjago. Which nearly scared the skin off me."
"I figured." Lloyd said, nodding in understanding. "But I see that you are doing well."
"Yeah, but I know that once Morro uses the Realm Crystal and summons The Preeminent, I am gonna be a scared mess." Melissa said with worry and fear.
"Yeah, that can be bad." Lloyd said with a shudder, having seen that kind of thought when Morro was in his head. "But I promise you this, Melissa, I'll be right here beside you when we face all these ghosts, and that's a promise."
"Right now, Lloyd, I don't care. As long as you're here, that's all that matters then fearing a bunch of ghosts." Melissa said with a smile as the two shared a small kiss before hugging each other. "Besides, this adventure has been crazy." She said before giving a dull look. "Especially since that we actually had to get help from Ronin of all people."
"Yeah, I figured." Lloyd said with a small chuckle, which the two then shared a small laugh as the Bounty took off into the sky.
The Ninja may have lost the Realm Crystal, but now they saved Lloyd and have their powers back as they now need to prepare for a ghost invasion.
A/N: And that was Grave Danger, and The Ninja have saved Lloyd and have their powers back, but Morro has gotten away with the Realm Crystal and is about to summon The Preeminent. How will the Ninja stop this? Find out in the Season Finale. I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter, leave a review and tell me what you think.
Here's the Cast List.
Jillian Michaels as Lloyd; Tara Strong as Melissa; Vincent Tong as Kai; Michael Adamthwaite as Jay; Kirby Morrow as Cole; Brent Miller as Zane; Kelly Metzger as Nya; Paul Dobson as Wu; Kathleen Barr as Misako and Bansha; Andrew Francis as Morro; Brian Dobson as Soul Archer; Veronica Taylor as Rachel; Alyson Court as Luci; Jennifer Hayward as Pixal.