After making it into the city, the Ninja lost both Arin and Riyu. "How can we lose a dragon?" Lilly asked as they walk around.
Suddenly the city started to shake.
"Cole, could you stop doing that?" Lloyd asked turning to the black Ninja. The Earth Ninja frowned and shook his head. "It doesn't matter how we got here, but we're still guests in this city."
"That's not me."
"It felt like it came from over there." Raya points in a direction.
The Ninja quickly head down a street. Finding Arin and Riyu, talking to a Serpentine. Sora picked up speed.
"Arin, Riyu!" The pink haired teen smiled. "There you are!" She slid to a stop and the others come up behind her. "We were so worried."
The Serpentine stares at them. "You're here with the Ninja?!" He turns to a smiling Arin.
"Ha, I told you you wouldn't believe it." Arin turns to his friends. "Hey everyone. This is my old friend, Frak."
"You mean Frack Frack?" Sora asked. "Like the guy who taught you how to make pies?"
"If that's true, we're gonna have to thank you." Cole said as he came up to rest his right arm on Sora's shoulder. "I'm normally a cake guy, but even I have to admit, Arin's pies are the best." He quickly turns to Lilly, who came up on his other side. "Do not tell your mother I said that." He added seriously.
Frak was beaming. "The Cole likes my pie recipes?" He laughs nervously, like he's ready to faint.
"It's ok, Frak." Arin assured. "You wanna come hang out with us?" He offers.
The Serpentine turns to him. "Are you serious!?" He cried with excitement. "I."- He quickly trails off when his phone starts to vibrate. Frak pulls out his phone from his back pocket and looks at it. "Oh, wait, my master just sent a training alert."
Nya leaned to Raya. "Better having him on the phone then in your ear." She whispered to her niece, who giggled.
"Can't have girl talk with Master Wu accidentally listening in." Raya whispered back.
"My master does not like anyone to be late." Frak continued.
"That sounds like our Master too." Lloyd said with a friendly smile. "And our master was my uncle."
Frak smiled at the team. "I gotta run. So, raincheck?" He asked.
"Of course." Lloyd nods. "Have a good training."
Frak smiled. "It's so good to meet you all!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you too Frak." Nya smiled.
"Nya knows my name." The Serpentine gives a stunned shiver. He backs away from them waving, before he turns and runs off.
"Arin." Lloyd approaches him. "We're now officially apart of the games. So we're getting a tour. This is Roby, Master of Ceremonies, and his Uncle Bleckt, the Minister of Ledgering." The blonde stumbled. "Did I get that right?"
Bleckt nods. "Welcome to the."-
"Try Minster of Boring!" Roby cuts off his uncle. "Ha, I kid, we're family. He loves it, now come on." He leads the Ninja away.
XxXxXxXxX
The Ninja follow Roby and his uncle around the city. "Behold, Foundation Street, the traditional center of the city. "
The Ninja watch as a crowd cheers on an arm wrestling match. Arin frowns as he turns to see a group sitting laughing as they talked.
Lloyd comes up to Lilly, Raya, and Arin. "This tour is a chance to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious." The blonde told the two. "Arin, remember the real reason we're here." He reminds.
"How come your not reminding them?" Arin asks, pointing at the girls.
"Born into the Ninja." Lilly reminds. "We're here to find out who killed the Matriarch." She finished quietly.
"And stop whoever that person is." Lloyd nods.
"On it!" Arin nods. "Using my keen detective skills." He vows.
Both Raya and Lilly roll their eyes.
"It takes more than that, Arin." Raya huffs.
"Yeah. No offense, but you don't have the stealth and training that we have." Lilly added.
"Girls, please." Lloyd gives them a look.
"Just stating the facts." Raya added.
"No, what you're doing is rubbing it in." Lloyd told her firmly. "Arin's doing a great job."
"Observe the arrangement of architectural features as the."-
"Arrangement of blah, blah, blah." Roby cuts his uncle off, getting board. "Ha! Sorry, Uncle, but is your plan to put the Ninja to sleep?" He asks cheerfully.
From the back, Lilly leans to Raya. "He has a point." She whispered to the red head, who gave a nod.
"The City of Temples must be treated with reverent respect!"
"Forget the old rules, Uncas." Roby places a hand on his shoulder. "It's a new era! The realms are merged. These are the first games where I'm in charge, and tradition is out. It's time for disruption!" He looks over his shoulder for a brief moment as they walk. "Ninja." He turns back around. "Saddle up. I'm about to show you the tightest thing in the city."
The group walk up to a tall building with a picture of a dragon with 7 heads on wall. "Check it, Seven Headed dragon!" Roby cheers, then makes animated noises. "Sweet, right?"
"Yes, all the yeses!" Wyldfyre exclaims. Roby turns to her and winks.
Wyldfyre laughs.
"Ugh." Lilly makes a face, as Raya grabs her shoulder.
"I think I threw up in my mouth."
"See!" Roby cheers, turning to his uncle. "She gets it!" He straightens up. "She's clearly the smartest one."
"Now that's insulting!" Lilly folds her arms. "And there's no such thing as a 7 headed dragon!"
"I have no record of a 7 headed dragon, in the history of any realm with which I am acquainted." Zane said.
"That's cause it's not real." Roby told them. "You two need to brush up on imagination."
"I'll show you, imagination!" Lilly growled, starting forward.
"Lillian!" Cole snaps, making Lilly freeze and folds her arms with a huff.
"Sorry." She huffs, looking away.
"Ah, don't worry about it." Roby shrugs it off. "It's interpretive art representing the Seven Source Dragons of myth, if you believe in that."
"Then why didn't you just open with that?" Raya asked, resting her left arm on Lilly's shoulder.
"You ladies are party poopers." Roby pointed at the two, then his cheerfulness returned. "But the name is awesome! And it's been here, like, a million years, so it's' almost as old as Uncle Bleckt." He cackles.
"Not as old as Master Wu." Lilly said, not impressed.
"Yeah!" Raya agrees. "Lloyd's uncle is a thousand years old, which makes Ninjago older!" She brags.
"Lillian!" Cole snaps.
"Raya!" Nya snaps. "Behave you two!" She scolds.
"Anyhow, like the fairy tale goes, all Elemental Powers come from dragons. The Source Dragons."
"We know that." Raya snapped, only for Nya to quickly clamp her hand over her niece's mouth.
"For once, stop acting like your father!" Nya scolds, giving her niece a glare, she turns back around. "I'm very sorry for my niece. If my brother was here Raya would not be acting like this."
Roby shrugs. "Like I said, they're both ok, not bothering me."
"It is not a fairy tale, Roby!" His uncle exclaimed.
"Whatever." Roby looked board. "The games were created forever ago to celebrate the gifts of the 'Source Dragons'." He uses air quotes. "So Elemental Masters are called to compete. It's pretty much a celebration of your awesomeness."
"What does the winner get?" Cole asked.
"Daddy!" Lilly scolds, but Cole shrugs.
"I'm just asking. Lloyd. You saw what Chen's staff did to Kai!"
Raya was surprised. "What happened?"
"With everyone's Elemental Powers sealed inside the staff, it started to corrupt Kai." Lloyd answered as the slightly faded memory came to him. Cole busting the wall behind us from another room, had Kai dropping the staff and Eleanor broke it. Giving back everyone's element."
"Whoa!" Roby cried. "We gotta talk rules first! When someone loses a match, they give their power to this Elemental Cup." A guard comes over to give him what looked like a diving helmet with a ruby on the top. "And with it, I give their powers to the winner, who then has both powers."
"But that's not fair!" Lilly folds her arms. "The winner gets to keep their opponents powers? I don't like that."
"Not finished." Roby gives her a board look.
"Sorry, please continue."
"Thank you." He clears his throat. "This goes on as each competitor that wins gains more and more power to compete with. The winner ends up with everyone's Elemental Powers."
Cole and Lloyd look at each other.
"The champion then returns the elements to their rightful Masters in a victory ceremony." Bleckt added as he approaches his nephew, who yawns. "That commemorates the Source Dragons, allowing mortals to be given Elemental Powers."
"So, it's only temporary then?" Lilly asks with a slight smile. "Can I take back what I said?"
"Victory ceremonies are boring. Ours will be an extreme victory extravaganza!" Roby exclaims.
Nya rocks an eyebrow. "Aw, doesn't that seem super risky?"
"Yeah, what if the winner is evil?" Arin added. "They'd have everyone's powers."
"They could go rouge and take over the world or something." Sora added.
"Stop stressing." Roby's shoulder slack. "Nothing like that's ever happened, and it couldn't. The Elemental Cup's like a safety switch. Someone tries something stupid, I just pull the powers back into the Cup, and only the Games Master, me, knows the secrets of the how to use this Cup."
Sora, Lloyd and Arin look at each other. Raya and Lilly look at each other.
"I still don't like this." Lilly said. "Something smells, and I'm not talking about my dad being in the kitchen."
"Lloyd! Arin!" A cheerful voice calls out and everyone turns to see a snail creature approach. "What a pleasure it is to see you old chums."
"Zant-Tanz?" Lloyd smiles. "No way!" He moves to the creature. "This is the guy Arin and I told you about, leader of the Mother Garden. You're an Elemental Master?" He asks the snail. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I didn't even know until I got invited to this delightful convivial convention." The snail creature admits.
"What's your power?" Arin asks.
"Plants." The snail creature answered. "Witness a whimsical demonstration." He showed off some of his power, creating an arch with vines. He laughs as the flowers bloomed. "Flower shower." The flowers flutter around them. The Ninja are amazed and give compliments.
"Oh, I am such a sucker for whimsy." Zan-Tanz admired his work. Roby and the Ninja never noticed when a petal fell on Bleckt's shoulder the old man shoved the petal off.
"And you didn't know you were an Elemental Master?" Nya asked.
"I just thought I was very good at gardening." Zan-Tanz admits. "And I have splendid news for your tummies. I'll be bringing my extra sweet Mucoid Berries to tonight's banquet."
Both Lilly and Arin looked extremely excited, Arin for meeting other Elemental Masters and Lilly for the food.
"Banquet?" Sora asked confused.
"Yep." Roby's voice had the Ninja turn their attention back to him. "Pre-tournament festivities include dining and delights, and you're invited of course. You'll meet some of your competitors!"
XxXxXxXx
Soon, day turned to night. The Ninja walked into a hall, where they found everyone there. Cole and Lilly quickly find the table to where the food is located. The Brookstone's shove through Sora and Lloyd as they race each other towards the food.
"I don't know who's more complicated when it comes to food." Lloyd shook his head as he watched the father and daughter fondly. "Cole or Lilly."
"Remember Lloyd. Never get between the two when they're hangry." William grins.
"That does not to be reminded." Lloyd said with a chuckle.
Roby suddenly appears in front of the Ninja. "Aw, here's my favorite team. Of course, don't tell anyone else I said that. There's a full buffet, but also take a menu. You can order anything your heart desires." He hands the menu to Wyldfyre, who looks at it confused.
"Do not tell the Brookstone's that." Raya told Roby. "They literally will eat your out of house and home!"
"Mostly Cole." Zane confirmed. "My brother-in-law has no will power when food is involved."
Roby looked concerned, then shrugs. "Come on, let me show you around this epic banquet."
Nya starts to follow, but does a double take. "Tox! Is that you?"
Standing to the side is Tox and the Invisible Man.
"Nice hair." Nya smiles, then points at the Elemental Master. "Mr. Pale, so good to see you." She smiles as she, Zane and Raya approach the two. "Uh, not see you." She laughs.
"Nya, Zane." Tox smiles. "Been too long."
"What happened to your brother?" Mr. Pale asks, pointing at Raya. Earning an elbow to the ribs from Tox.
"Unfortunately my brother couldn't make it." Nya tried to explain by not giving details to what really happened to him.
"This is Raya." Zane introduced as Raya stood in the middle of him and Nya.
Tox choked on her sandwich. "No way, this is little Raya?" She smiles at the teen. "Wow, I haven't see her sense you were a little tyke."
Raya smiled a little. "It's nice to meet you Tox and Mr. Pale. My dad has told me a lot about you guys."
"And a pleasure to meet you young Smith." Mr. Pale said. "Didn't Cole have a rugrat of his own too?" He asks.
"Cole and Lilly are stuffing their faces with food." Nya said with a laugh.
"Is that a good thing?" Tox asked.
"Don't put your hand in front of one of them when they're hungry and eating." Raya answered. "You might lose it."
"Sounds like what Eleanor had almost did with Shade." Mr. Pale comments. "When she was expecting."
"She did bite his hand." Nya chuckled a little.
Commotion is suddenly heard, everyone turns to see Wyldfyre with her hands lite.
"Aunt Nya, can we please feed Wyldfyre to the Forbidden Five?" Raya begs. "Please!?"
"She won't go down without a fight." Nya reminded her, she turns to face her niece. "Yes, she hurt you with her powers."
Tox and Mr. Pale both gasp in surprise. "She hurt you!?" Mr. Pale demanded angrily.
Raya nods. "Yeah." She held out her left arm, showing her burn.
"Why I outta!" Mr. Pale started to move, but Nya grabbed his jacket and pulled him to a stop.
"Don't, Kai already went full fire rage on Wyldfyre."
"Humph." Mr. Pale folds his arms. "A girl like that." He points at Wyldfyre, who had her Heat. "Should not have a power. At. All."
"And that's not fair." Tox said as she moved. "Kai is the only one who should have fire, then it should awaken in Raya."
"It may look like Wyldfyre has fire." Zane starts as they approach only to find Wyldfyre wanting to throw her power at Cinder and his goons. "But she has the Elemental Power of Heat."
"Hmm." Tox hummed as she thought. "Was she born with it?" She asks.
"We don't know." Nya admits. "She never told us how she got the it, she never told us."
"And we never asked." Zane added.
"No fighting outside the arena." Roby was saying. "Big time rule."
Wyldfyre shook her hand, still holding her Heat. "But I gotta mess this guy up!" She turns to see Raya standing next to Nya and two more Elemental Masters. "Raya! We can tag team!"
Raya looked hopeful, she started to move, but Nya grabs her shoulder to stop her.
"Love that energy." Roby smiled. "Love it. But save it for the games. Or else, sad face, you'll be expelled. Don't blame me." He folds his arms. "Just how it is."
"Like Master Wu's rules at the Monastery." Zane said simply, and Raya's shoulders slacked in disappointment.
Nya moves over to Wyldfyre. "Roby's right. Don't let your anger get the best of you. We'll have a chance to beat them."
Wyldfyre took a deep breath and her Heat disappeared. "Ok. I won't fight." She glares at Cinder. "Want to, but won't."
With that Roby, security, Cinder and his goons all walked away.
"Ugh, Cinder and his goon squad is going to try everything to provoke us and make us fight." Raya whines.
Arin notices a look on Sora's face. "What's wrong Sora?"
"Not sure. Something strange just happened."
"Uh, yeah!" Raya said with a duh tone in her voice as she shoves her way between the two, making Sora give her an annoyed glare. "Ras has to be here if his goons are here too."
Over by the food table, Lloyd looked hungrily at a pie, he reaches for it, but it was suddenly grabbed. "Hey!" He turns to see a creature now holding the pie. "Hey." His irritation disappeared. "You're a Devonian, right?"
The creature moves silently to grab a bowl of noodles. "I've never actually." His smile fades as the creature leaves with his food. "Nice to meet you too."
Lilly approaches. "That was very rude!" She huffs.
"He probably can't speak." Lloyd said as he folds his arms.
"Still, he could've at least mouth something, or maybe a hint of a smile." Lilly accidentally knocked over an empty water bottle. "Oops." She moves to pick it up, but jumps when the bottle had rolled to a stop at someone's foot, the foot moved and crushed the bottle. "Hey!" She straightened up.
"Lilly!" Lloyd cried, reaching for her, once he grabbed her the Green Ninja pushed her behind him and quickly looked around for Cole, but couldn't find him.
"Did I startle you, Lloyd?" Ras snarled.
"Ras." Lloyd growled as he stood protectively in front of Lilly. "If you've come to fight."
"We've all come to fight." Ras reminded, gesturing around. "My team's here to win the tournament. And honor the Source Dragons."
Lilly snorts from behind Lloyd. "You're a villain. Evil does not understand honor!"
A bell rings before Lloyd or Ras could make a reply.
"Ting-ting, ding-ding, ding-ding, ting-ting." Roby copied the bell's chime as he held something. "Hi, hi. Attention, Masters! One night before the New Tournament of the Sources, I am reminded of what the Cragling poet, Rockworth, once said."
"Is this guy real?" Lilly whispered to Lloyd as Roby made growling and rock grinding noises.
"Shhh." Lloyd shushed as Cole approaches the two.
Suddenly the doors on the other side of the room burst open to reveal a woman. "I have been betrayed for the last time!" She announces with anger.
"Beatrix!" Raya gasped. "No way!"
"How'd she return?" Arin asked, just as stunned.
"This can't be!" Lloyd gasped.
The woman leaps down from the flight of stairs and stalks further in the room towards Roby and his uncle, the security bots quickly surround the two, aiming their weapons.
Lloyd grabs Lilly, then Cole before moving and the Ninja quickly move to stand between the approaching Beatrix and the hosts of the tournament.
"We've beaten you once, Beatrix." Lloyd said as he and the Ninja stood their ground. "And we'll do it again."
"Beatrix?" The woman chuckled as she places her hands on her hips. "So you must be the Ninja who dethroned my sister." She approaches the Ninja. "You had no right! I spent years plotting my revenge on my twin, and you stole that from me!"
"Not our fault you didn't get the memo about the Merge." Raya said darkly. "Your power hungry sister had to be stopped. You weren't there to stop it. Where were you?"
"How dare you talk to me like that!" The new arrival yelled, still enraged. "And you!" She points at Sora. "How dare you turn your back on your people!"
"Are you done?" Raya asked, her voice is laced with board.
"Just beginning."
"Who are you?" Lloyd asked.
"Zeatrix!" Roby yells, shoving his way between Lloyd and Cole. "Yeah." He said lazily. "Don't love you storming in. All your sloppy drama's messing up my big speech."
"A banquet to which the Elemental Master of Shockwave was not invited is a grave act of betrayal!" Zeatrix yells in his face. "I will not forgive!"
"Ugh." Roby stands his ground. "Everything with you is grave act of betrayal this, a pox upon your house that. I'm sure not inviting you was just an oversight, right, Uncle Bleckt?" He and everyone turn to the old man.
The man didn't say anything as he looked away as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Oversight?" Zeatrix repeated, then gasped. "I still haven't been assigned quarters like every other competitor." She waves her hand around the room at everyone. "And now I'm excluded from the welcome banquet? I know what you're doing." She activates her powers as her eyes glow. "You're sidelining me because you know I'm destined to destroy every single one of these so called masters in the games."
In the corner, some competitors caught, not bothered at all of Zeatrix. "Yeah right."
The Devonian from earlier shook his head.
"Your sister didn't find you so difficult to defeat." Ras' voice from behind her, had Zeatrix instantly dropping her powers and turning sharply to face him.
Nya and Raya gasped. "Ras!" The two snarl and start to lunge, but Cole and Zane both grab them and pull them back.
"What are you doing here!" Zeatrix demands with shock. "You're no Elemental Master!"
Cinder, Not and Jordana approach to stand behind Ras. "I command Elemental Masters."
Zeatrix narrows her eyes on Ras. "I know you conspired with my sister to take my father's life. I look forward to you meeting the same fate."
Raya folds her arms. "She's not wrong on that."
"Roby." Zeatrix turns to him. "Any more oversights and you will pay, personally." She threatened, making Roby fall backwards into Lloyd.
Everyone watches her leave. "Zeatrix, Elemental Master of Buzzkill, am I right?" Roby tries to change the tension in the room. "Dude, my speech was gonna be epic. But the moment's gone." He sighs. "Everyone eat, eat." He starts to leave. "Game's tomorrow, whatever."
The Ninja turn their attention back to Ras, who leaves too.
XxXxXxXx
"That could've gone better than expected." Raya said as the Ninja walked into their quarters for the night.
"Like the time when Jay accidentally ate the hosts fern when he thought it was a side salad." Lilly said with a giggle.
"Or the time he, Cole and Kai got into that food fight." William added. "Master Wu was not happy at all on that one."
"Which food fight?" Cole asked as he moved to a bed and dumped his bag down. "Be pacific."
"Does it matter?" Nya asked. "Tonight was in the top ten of awkward dinners."
"I thought I was seeing Beatrix in my visions this whole time." Lloyd said. "But was it Zeatrix?"
"Twins look alike." Lilly states the obviously. "They can easily be mixed up with each other."
Lloyd frowns. "But what's it mean?" He asked. "Nobody knows where Beatrix is sense she was vacuumed up into that portal."
"Maybe was Zeatrix's the one who killed the Matriarch and took her horns." Sora tries to answer.
"What makes you think that?" Arin asks.
"Punishment?" Raya tries to answer with a shrug. "Because Beatrix did banish her."
"Maybe." Sora nods. "We know the horns are a source of power. What if she plans to use them somehow to win the games? She seemed pretty confident she'd win."
"Eh." Raya shrugs with no care. "She's evil. They all say that."
Arin shook his head. "It's gotta be Ras. He's attacked the Matriarch before, and he captured a Source Dragon."
"And Ras did the whole Blood Moon thing." Cole added. "Because he wanted to bring back the Forbidden Five. What if it was for these games?" He reaches into his bag. "And when he didn't get all five, maybe he needed the horns as a backup plan." He said as he pulls out a picture frame of Eleanor and places next to his bed.
"The winner does get everyone's Elemental Powers." William agreed, thinking.
"Yeah, that kind of thing smells like a Ras plan." Nya added. "And ties it all to the Source Dragons."
"I think Ras let out a big ball of gas!" Lilly said, Raya started to laugh.
"And Ras is as lit as Jay when he ate Cole's bean stew surprise!" The red head laughed, she nudges Lilly and soon the two were laughing hard.
"Yak it up you two." Cole huffs.
Zane had started to doze off to sleep, but jumps when the door of their room suddenly slides open and Wyldfyre walks in.
"Crazy dinner. And it's obvious who the dragon killer is." She moves away from the door, leaving it wide open, Zane moves to close the door.
"Right. Ras." Arin replied as he give Cole a pillow.
"Or Zeatrix." Sora said.
Wyldfyre stares at the two. "What? No! It's definitely Bleckt."
Everyone stares at her.
"That old fart?" Raya asked. "He doesn't look the type."
"You've seen how he treats the amazing Roby." She said sweetly, then scuffs. "Jealous much?"
"'The amazing Roby?'" Arin asks.
"I'd like to point out, ew." Raya shutters. "I've seen that look. I know that look."
"Yeah." Lilly agreed as she hops on her bed. "Sea sick."
The two start laughing.
All of these theories are worth considering." Zane said, making the laughter die. "But we do not have enough data to reach a conclusion."
"Zane's right." Lloyd agreed after thinking about it. "We need to know more." He looks around at everyone. "Rest up. The games start tomorrow."
Lilly approaches Cole. "Night daddy."
"Night sweetie." He hugs her. Lilly picks up the frame picture of her mother.
"Night mom." She hugged the frame before giving it back to her dad, then moved to Zane. "Night Uncle."
"Have pleasant dreams." Zane smiled at her.
"I miss Cole's snores." Raya said with a big grin as she approaches Nya. "It'll be good to hear it again."
"Hey!" Cole whined.
Nya laughed as she hugged the teen. "Night honey."
"Night."
Zane clicked the light switch, turning off the lights.
XxXxXxXx
In the dead of night, the Ninja are fast asleep so non of them are aware of a window opening and an intruder comes in. He moves towards Lloyd and pulls out spear, rearing the weapon back.
Lilly groaned sleepily as she slowly awoke, and her eyes landed on a shadowy figure above Lloyd. She instantly sprang up. "LLOYD!"
XxXxXxXx
Once Arin starts to poke around, I'll bring in some OC's