The Hands of Time
It was another Day in Ninjago City, the people were waiting outside the Borg Store for the unveiling of the new BorgWatch. After the Overlord Virus Incident, Borg tech changed the future of Ninjago with harmless appliances such as phones, tablets and other devices. Over the city was the Borg Blimp, detailing the release of Borg's new product.
Far away from the city, at the remains of the Monastery of Spinjitzu, which now had vegetation and animals growing out of it, Master Wu sat in meditation as he then opened up his hand-clock.
The moment Wu opened his pocket-clock that showed the time at 5:30 p.m, thunder is heard as above the Monastery was a four-sided portal with red, blue, green and yellow color in it as coming out of was a man wearing a hood, his clothing was black, red and silver, on his chest there was the symbol of a gear and the hands of a clock while his eyes are goldish brown with black selca and green facial markings on it.
"Right on time." Wu spoke simply.
"What?" The man said in surprise as he turned and saw Wu behind him.
"Long time no see," Wu said. not turning from his watch.
The Man seemed to recognize Wu's voice, "Master Wu?" He asked in surprise as he looked at Wu. "You look… old. As if your best days have passed. Not unlike your Monastery." He commented as he looked at the ruins of the Monastery once he saw it completely burned down and destroyed.
Wu put away his watch and stood up, "I still have plenty of days left, shall we finish what we started?" He asked the man, "I've been waiting decades for this."
"Really?" The man mused as he reached for his sword behind his back, "It doesn't feel that long to me." He stated.
Wu narrowed his eyes. "This ends now." He declared as the two stared at each other while waiting for the first move.
At Ninjago City's Museum, the Ninja were in the building with their greatest challenge as Jay starred Samukai dead in the eyes.
"This ends now, Samukai." Jay said seriously to the Skulkin General… or rather the plastic head of the Skulkin General's statue, "Nope, pretending this is the actual Samukai doesn't make cleaning up the museum any more interesting." He said boredly. "This is so lame. We're Ninja, not janitors." He complained.
Lloyd then came rolling by with a wagon with a Chen statue. "Come on, Jay. We're all kind of responsible for the damage to the museum." He reminded him. "After all, if we hadn't had that massive battle on the Day of the Departed, this place would still be in one piece." He added as he moved out the room.
"Yeah, and who's fault is that, Cole?" Jay asked as he turned to the Earth Ninja as he was placing a portrait of Yang in a wagon with other things.
Cole then sighed. "Okay, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry for accidentally unleashing the ghostly forces of evil that attacked Ninjago?" He questioned as he placed the portrait away.
"How high can you count?" Jay questioned as Cole was about to pick up his wagon, but his hands glowed as he accidentally dropped the cart and looked at his hands, "Speaking of which, you're still not used to having your old hands back?" He asked.
Cole picked up the cart again. "I'm working on it." He said, since it's been a while since he was human again as he wheeled the statue away.
"Well it's good that you're human again, Cole." Melissa told him before giving a stern look. "Because I am sick and tired of you Kai and Jay pranking me where you just appear behind me."
"Hey, you screamed everytime I just casually walked to a corner. And that was before I discovered my ability to turn invisible." Cole said in defense.
"Well it still sucked and was not funny." Melissa said with a brow. "But at least you're human again, and Seliel is overjoyed for that as well. And frankly, it was getting old having a ghost around."
"But you're still scared of ghosts, and Skylor proved that, hehehe." Kai said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, and I paid her back with the classic Melissa Punishment." Melissa said with a smirk. "You like one too, Kai?" She dared with a smirk.
"Uhh, no thanks, I'm good." Kai said with a nervous smile.
Nya was carrying a crate as she grunted a bit before she put the crate down. "This is exhausting." She said as she cracked her back and laid on the crate. "If I could go back in time, I'd tell Dr. Saunders we were too busy to help." She commented.
"Nya, you may recall that the rest of us once time travelled." Zane spoke when he came up to Nya while pulling a wagon that had a Cryptor statue on it. "It can have devastating effects, and should not be used lightly. Certainly not to get out of labor." He stated.
"It's just an expression, Zane." Nya said with a dull look.
"Besides it's you guys who time travelled, Lloyd and I didn't do anything." Melissa told them.
"Yeah, from what you guys told us, we were affected by the time effect when my dad traveled to the past." Lloyd said with a brow.
"Yeah, it was a very complicated day." Jay said with a nod.
"But that time reversal Jay did with his last wish with Nadakhan definitely feels like time travel for a do-over." Melissa said with a shrug.
"Yeah, don't remind me about that." Nya grumbled.
"Oh, uh, sorry, Nya." Melissa said with a frown, forgetting that in that timeline, Nya was killed by the venom to stop Nadakhan.
"It's fine, but at least that helped me and Jay fix up our relationship." Nya said with a smile.
"True enough." Jay said with a smile as they went back to work and Nya turned to her brother before he noticed him looking at a picture.
"I… I don't believe it." Kai said in shock.
"What is that?" Nya asked in confusion.
"I think it's a portrait of… our parents," Kai revealed while he and Nya looked at their parents.
Nya took a closer look at the portrait as she looked at the back and saw the date that it was made. "Whoa. This dates to when I was, like, 3 years old." She said in surprise.
"Shortly before they disappeared," Kai recounted, "We know so little about them, Nya."
Nya then turned to her brother, "Well we do know that father was the original Master of Fire, and Mother was the Master of Water." She recalled while creating a bubble of water.
"They left us the old blacksmith shop, and little else," Kai said solemnly.
"They left us our powers," Nya said before she smiled at her brother before dismissing her bubble and walking up to him, "And each other." She said while hugging Kai.
"Guys, look what I found!" Cole called out as they all came to him as they saw a portrait of warriors with Wu and Garmadon in their young years fighting two men while holding two claw gauntlets each at the Monastery.
"Uh, isn't that Garmadon?" Jay asked while pointing at the auburn man.
"It is! Lloyd, that's your dad." Cole said to the Green Ninja, who walked towards them.
"And there's Master Wu." Kai added as he gestured to young Wu.
"He looks so… young." Melissa commented.
Lloyd walked up to the Painting with a smile, "Look at them. My father and uncle, Ninjago's two greatest Elemental Masters," He said proudly before he frowned. "I wonder if I'll ever live up to their legacy." He said with his head down.
"Something tells me you have, Lloyd." Melissa said with a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "And I'm sure your dad is already proud of you."
"Thanks Melissa." Lloyd said with a smile.
"First Kai and Nya, now Lloyd." Jay said with a chuckle. "It's family picture day at the museum."
"Now we just need to see an image of Melissa's father, hehehe." Nya joked with a chuckle.
Melissa just gave a bored look before she Ninja sped past Nya, making her turn before she grabbed the backside of her waistband and yanked her up in a hard wedgie yank, causing her to shriek quietly as Melissa let her drop as she hopped around as Melissa gave a frown with her arms crossed.
"That was a joke, Melissa." Nya said as she fixed her underwear.
"You know how I feel about my father, Nya." Melissa said with a frown. "If I so much see a dragon version of him, I'll scream."
"Yeah, sis, you think you would know by now to not compare Melissa with the Overlord." Kai said with a brow.
"That's her Number 1 pet peeve." Lloyd added.
"I was just trying to make a joke, is it wrong to try and have a sense of humor?" Nya asked with a look.
"Only if it's related to my father." Melissa said with her arms crossed. "Besides, didn't he turn you into a dark corrupted servant?"
Nya opened her mouth to try and say something, only for nothing to come out as she just closed her mouth and looked away while crossing her arms.
"That's what I thought." Melissa said with a victorious smirk.
"In any case, does anyone recognize this battle in the painting?" Cole asked, getting back on track of the picture.
"Pixal, analyze." Zane said as he stepped forward to the painting as Pixal did a scan on Young Wu and Garmadon.
"Facial contour mapping indicates this scene takes place 40 years ago, after the Serpentine Wars." Pixal explained after taking the scan.
"After the Serpentine Wars?" Cole asked in confusion. "But Ninjago was at peace after the wars. Who would they be fighting?"
"Probably these two guys." Melissa said, pointing at two warriors with helmets on. "But who are these guys?"
Just then, Dr. Saunders came by while holding a tray of eight cups. "Refreshing time." He announced. "Hot, sweaty work deserves a cool drink." He said.
The Ninja gathered around as they each grabbed a cup. "Ah, thanks, Dr. Saunders," Kai said as they all took a sip.
"Enjoy the Pickled Beet Tea." Dr. Saunders said joyfully.
The Ninja who drank the tea immediately spit them out while Cole and Jay didn't have theirs yet as Cole looked at his cup. "Uh… Oops!" Cole said as he dropped his cup on purpose. "New hands. So clumsy." He said while pretending that he dropped his cup.
Jay looked at them for a moment before he shrugged. "Eh." He then took a sip of his cup before humming at the taste.
Melissa gagged a little bit seeing that before giving a strained smile. "Thanks, Dr. Saunders." She said slowly.
"What's this painting?" Lloyd asked while gesturing to the painting behind them.
"Oh, this?" Dr. Saunders asked while looking at the portrait. "Nothing. Minor skirmish. No historical significance. That is why I don't hang it in the main gallery." He explained.
"It looks pretty significant to me." Jay said while looking at the painting. "This thing is huge."
Yes, a huge myth. The folklores." Dr. Saunder stated.
"Even if it is a myth, who are these men Masters Wu and Garmadon supposed to be fighting?" Zane asked as he walked closer to the painting. "I have no data on them." He added while pointing at the two warriors that looked almost the same, but one with a mustache while the other has a goatee.
Saunders sighed and placed his tray down, "There is a legend, Twin brothers called the Hands of Time." He explained.
"The Hands of Time…" Kai muttered while rubbing his chin in thought.
They could allegedly manipulate time itself." Dr. Saunders explained turning to the Painting, "Speed it up, slow it down, reverse it and even pause stop it, all sorts of things." He said as he gave a small laugh. "See what I mean? Manipulate time? A ridiculous fairy tale." He said as he gave a laugh.
"Who's this one?" Nya asked, pointing to the mustache hand of Time.
"Oh this handsome-looking fellow?" Dr. Saunders asked with a laugh, "The legends say, his name is Krux."
"And who is the nasty-looking guy?" Lloyd asked while pointing to the one with the goatee.
"In the stories, he's called Acronix." Dr. Saunders answered.
At the Monastery, Wu and one who appeared to be one of the Hands of Time Twins, still circled each other while waiting for one of them to make the first move.
The H.O.T. man groaned. "You might as well give up, Wu. I'm the superior fighter and your brother isn't here to bail you out." He pointed out since he noticed Garmadon wasn't with him.
"No. But neither is yours, Acronix." Wu shot back while readied his staff.
"And whose fault is that?" Acronix questioned with a glare as they stopped.
"Garmadon and I did what we had to do to protect Ninjago," Wu stated as he twirled his staff.
"And I will do what I have to do." Acronix declared as he drew his soto blade and strike at Wu as he blocked Acronix's strike.
The two clashed each other as Wu whacked Acronix back to a burned pillar as Wu twirled his staff as Acronix duck a strike as he climbed on top while Wu was about to strike his staff, but Acronix swipe his soto as he cut a piece of Wu's staff off.
"Huh. More spry than I would expect." Acronix commented as he saw that Wu hadn't lost his touch. "Let's see if you can keep up."
Wu climbed to the top of Acronix as the two clashed again.
Meanwhile, at the now Restored Temple of Airjitzu, Ronin walked in with a box while he, Dareth and Misako are moving some boxes into the Temple now that they have a new home.
"Where do you want this last one, Misako?" Ronin asked while carrying the box.
"Anywhere you can find room," Misako answered with a slight chuckle as Ronin placed the box down a breather. "Ronin, Dareth, thank you again for helping me set up our new Ninja temple." She thanked them. "With Rachel and Luci looking after Garmadon's Monastery and the other students, they have their hands full right now to help."
"Haha. Happy to do it." Dareth said as he was sitting on some boxes while eating Ninja chips.
"Do what?" Ronin asked with a brow. "Three hundred boxes airlifted into this place and you didn't carry a single one of them!" Ronin told the lazy Brown Ninja.
"I told you, I got a bad back." Dareth said in defense as he rubbed his back. "Besides, this unpacking isn't gonna supervise itself."
Misako then opened one of the boxes as she saw something in it. "Oh! This came to the wrong place." She said as she held up Nya's old Samurai X helmet.
Ronin and Dareth gasped when they saw it. "Sweet sword fighter, get a load of that thing." Dareth said in awed.
"Nya's Samurai Suit." Misako answered. "This should have gone to her Samurai X Cave." She stated.
"What for?" Ronin asked in confusion. "I thought she gave up being Samurai X for the Water Ninja." He said, since he recalled that Nya gave up her Samurai life when she first discovered her powers.
"Mm, she did." Misako said as she looked at the helmet. "But she kept the mech so I'm sure she'd want this too. If nothing else, it's a souvenir of a past life." She explained.
Ronin chuckled and looked at the armor, "Heh, if it were me I'd sell the whole kit and caboodle online, one of a kind tech like that, some collector would pay a fortune." He said as he looked at the Samurai X suit. "With that kind of cheese, she could buy all the souvenirs she ever wanted. Fill the palace with snow globes." He stated as he gave an interesting look. "Uh, tell Nya I'd be happy to broker a deal. For a small fee, of course."
"Sell it?" Dareth asked in shock as he picked up the helmet. "This baby belongs in a museum… or my dojo." He said in thought as he put on the helmet and did some playful moves. "Look out, Ninjago, here comes Samurai D."
"Uh…" Misako said in confusion.
"Huh?" Ronin asked as well in the same expression.
"Samurai D." Dareth repeated as Ronin groaned while Misako shook her head. Dareth lifted the helmet as he gave them a dull look. "The D is for Dareth." He explained.
Back in the Monastery, Wu and Acronix are still clashing hard, Acronix seem to have the advantage but Wu was more slippery than he assumed as he climbed more to the top.
"Give it up, old man. I've got decades on you." Acronix stated as he followed Wu. "I'm faster, stronger!" He boasted.
"That's your mistake." Wu retorted. "You assume your youth is a greater weapon than my experience."
Aronix then jumped up as Wu blocked his strike as he held onto the edge as he tried to strike Wu again before Wu leaned back before he caught himself from the edge as Acronix jumped up and Wu dodge his strike.
"Arrogant to the finish." Wu said. "Just like your brother."
"Arrogant? No… confident!" Acronix yelled out as he was about to strike Wu again, but Wu blocked and kicked him off as Acronix was about to trip over the edge as he dropped his soto blade.
Just as he was about to fall, Wu caught him by the cape and at that moment Acronix knew he was in deep stew.
"Arggoant." Wu declared, "It was Krux's downfall, and now it's yours. Do you yield?" He questioned.
"Never." Acronix answered.
"There's no escape this time Acronix." Wu said as he let go of Acronix's cape as he screamed before Wu caught him again as he was dangling further down. "Do you yield?" he questioned again.
"I… yield." Acronix conceded.
Wu gave a small smile as he pulled Acronix up. "So 40 years after it began, the battle of the Elemental Masters versus the Hands of Time finally ended at precisely 6pm." He said as he opened up his hand-clock as it showed the precise time.
And not a second later did a vortex like the one Acronix appeared from opened up as a strange looking gauntlet with a green glow landed and suddenly Wu and Acronix appeared next to it as a wave of green Elemental energy rolled throughout Ninjago.
The wave approached the Airjitzu Temple where Dareth was playing around with the Samurai Helmet as Misako was getting annoyed by Dareth's lack of care for Nya's belongings.
"Dareth, please give me that back," Misako ordered.
Ronin then smirked. "Oh, allow-" Just then, the three disappeared as they reappeared with Misako holding the helmet while Ronin was on top of Dareth. "-me?" He finished in surprise.
"Oh! Oh, my back! My back!" Dareth cried out when he felt Ronin's foot on his back.
"When did I get on top of Dareth?" Ronin asked himself in confusion.
The wave moved past the temple as it was about to hit Ninjago City.
At the museum, the Ninja rushed out the exit with relieved looks.
"6pm, quitting time." Kai said before he and the others got hit by the wave and disappeared for a second and then reappeared on the Bounty as they were all caught off guard and Jay even fell over as the Bounty alarm started to go off.
"What the heck just happened?" Melissa asked.
"Time just…" Lloyd started off.
"Moved forward?" Kai asked with a surprise look.
Back at the Monastery, Wu was caught so off guard by what happened Acronix managed to free himself and grab the gauntlet and then turned to grab Wu's watch and read that in a single second, one minute had passed, "And at 6:01, the battle began again!" He declared.
Wu narrowed his eyes and fought back against Acronix. This time, Arconix was prepared as he struck and deflected it as Wu blocked the strikes.
At the temple, Ronin and Misako are wondering what just happened. "How did I get this?" Misako asked as she held up Nya's old helmet. "I have this strangest feeling. It's like deja vu, but in reverse." She stated.
"It's like time skipped a beat," Ronin said in confusion.
Misako then looked at the clock and noticed the time. "No. it skipped an entire minute." She pointed out.
"Please get off of me!" Dareth groaned as Ronin was still on his back.
On the bounty, the Ninja were wondering what happened too, "Weren't we just outside?" Cole asked in confusion. "When did we get here?"
"How did we get here?" Nya added.
"My circuits are picking up an energy displacement," Zane stated.
"There was a displacement all right. It displaced right in here." Kai pointed out.
"Something is wrong here, guys." Melissa said cautiously.
"What is going on?" Lloyd questioned in thought.
Jay stood up as he covered his ears. "I don't know, but it's loud!" He yelled out to try and block out the sound of the alarms.
Back at the Monastery, Wu and Acronix are still fighting but Wu is now struggling as when Acronix held the gauntlet, he seemed to be getting the edge as he pushed Wu back.
"You had your chance, old man, you should've let me drop." Acronix taunted as he chuckled, "Now, let's see if your experience is more powerful than…" He raised his hand holding the gauntlet up as it was hit by a bolt of green energy making it glow even brighter, "...The Time Blade!" He declared as Wu took a ready stance.
Back at the Bounty, the Ninja are at the monitors to try and check what is going on.
"These energy readings are off the charts!" Nya spoke out over the alarms. "Where is it coming from?!" She asked the others.
"I'm trying to pinpoint the location!" Zane said to Nya as the two typed away.
Jay kept his ears covered while Kai crossed his arms next to him. "How about pinpointing the location of the off button?!" He questioned. "These alarms are giving me a-!" He trailed off when Kai pressed a button, which turned off the alarms while Jay gave a sheepish look. "...headache. Haha. Thank you." He said to Kai sheepishly.
Zane hummed, "Mm. This is surprising." He said as he looked at the screen.
"No, it's not." Jay said, thinking Zane was talking about him. "I've always had sensitive ears and-"
"I meant, I think I know how we suddenly appeared on the Destiny's Bounty." Zane revealed as he showed the monitor of a map of Ninjago.
"How?" Cole asked as the others turned to him.
"The displacement we experienced wasn't caused by any normal energy," Zane explained as the other Ninja looked at him, "It was temporal energy."
Jay looked confused before he gave a smile. "Oh, well, temporal energy. Of course. Everyone knows that's, um… powerful." He said, pretending to know what Zane meant as he scratched his head.
"You have no idea what 'temporal' means, do you?" Melissa asked with a small smirk.
"I do not." Jay admitted with a smile.
"It means 'time'." Lloyd answered.
"Precisely," Zane answered. "Whatever created that displacement can warp the very fabric of space-time." He explained.
"Which is powerful, right?" Jay asked.
Zane nodded, "Very, all the normal rules of existence no longer apply to such a force." He said.
Jay looked at Melissa smugly, "Told ya it was powerful." He said while doing some punches.
At the Monastery, Acronix jumped as Wu blocked his strike with his staff as he was pushed back a bit before as they clashed weapons, punching or kicking each other as Wu was pushed back.
"That's right, flee, Master Wu!" Acronix taunted as he clashed his Time Blade at him before Wu pushed him back in a distance as Acronix stood up with an amuse look. "'Master'. Ha. To think my brother and I ever took orders from you!" He mocked before striking again.
Acornix missed Wu by a piece of his white beard as Wu jumped back.
"Weak! Afraid! Lacking any ambition!" Acronix listed as he circled Wu.
Wu narrowed his eyes at Acronix, "Your only ambition was to rule." He stated.
"Because Krux and I deserved to rule!" Acronix shot back before looking at him questioningly, "Do you recall what said on this very ground, forty years ago?" He asked.
Wu nodded, "Control time," He started when there was a thunderclap before he finished, "Control everything."
"Excellent memory, old man." Acronix mocked. "And look who controls time again." He said as he looked at his Time Blade. "Just need a moment for my Time Blade to recharge." He stated before he clashed with Wu again.
The two fought as they tried to strike each other as they dodged each other's attacks before Wu knocked Acronix back as he hit some wood piece that fell on him as Acronix moved them out of the way to see that Wu vanished.
"Gone?" Acronix asked in surprise as he stood up and looked around for Wu.
Wu was hiding behind one of the remaining walls of the Monastery as he surprised Acronix with a sneak attack as they blocked strikes. "It ends now, Acronix." Wu declared.
Acronix then held the Time Blade up as it glowed brighter green. "It certainly does." He said with a smirk under his hood.
Wu was about to strike but Acronix vanished and appeared behind Wu as he struck the air as Wu turned to him in shock. "No, no, no, I'm not there now." Acronix quipped as he tried to strike Wu but he rolled away. "That's where I was then."
Acronix strike again but Wu rolled out of the way as he kicked Acronix to one of the burnt supports as he saw Wu about to strike him, but he dodge before Wu struck the portbeam, which caused the tower part of the Monastery to collapse as Acronix and Wu moved out of the way as Wu has some of the wreckage fell on him.
Acronix jumped on top of the wreckage as Wu stood up as Acronix held the Time Blade as it glowed brighter. "You know what that means. I'll see you in just…" He disappeared as he reappeared beside Wu. "...a moment." He finished.
Acronix then struck Wu as he blocked it with his staff, but the Time Blade then released a discharge as it struck Wu as he was sent flying with some green time energy around him as he crashed into some burned wood.
"Control Time, control everything!" Acronix mocked as Wu looked at him, his whole body felt wrong and he started trembling.
Back at the Bounty, Zane is hooked up to the monitor as Jay sighed. "Okay, yes, there was a little hiccup in time that may or may not have been caused by an Elemental Master. But just one." He pointed out. "I'm sure it was nothing. They probably happen all the time, and we don't realize it. You know, like deja vu." He insisted as the others stood in silence. "Can we go home now?" He whined.
The others looked at Jay with brows up from what he said. "Seriously, we just cleaned up an entire museum!" Jay reminded them. "Aren't you guys tired?" He asked.
Well…" Zane is the first to speak.
"Well?" Nya asked.
"I located the source's epicenter," Pixal said as she was on the monitor as she showed the map of Ninjago.
"Where, Pixal?" Zane asked her as the others listened.
Pixal then brought up a picture of a place that they hadn't been to in a while. "The Monastery of Spinjitzu." She answered.
"The Monastery?" Cole asked with a surprise look. "That place totally burned down. Why would anyone or anything be up there?"
"Don't know, but if they are there, then it's no surprise something bad happened." Melissa said with a serious look.
"We should find out." Lloyd declared.
Jay groaned. "Oh, why?" He whined. "Cole's right. There's no reason for anyone to be up at the Monastery. Zane's probably malfunctioning." He suggested.
Zane stood straight as the others looked at him. "Self-diagnostic indicates negative." He said before Jay smacked him on the head.
"How about now?" Jay asked again.
"No." Zane answered naturally.
"I agree with Lloyd and Melissa. We should go." Kai said. "Where there's smoke, there's usually fire."
"And where there's massive energy displacement, there's usually trouble," Nya added in agreement.
Jay then spoke, "Well, maybe it's, you know, it might be a friendly Elemental Master creating harmless Elemental energy displacements." He said as the others looked at him dully and he facepalmed, "Come on. Seriously, I'm exhausted. We did our good deed for the day." He complained.
Melissa then remembered something. "Wait, didn't Sensei say that he was going to the old Monastery to deal with something?" She asked.
"Yeah, something about finishing an old fight?" Lloyd remembered. "He said this was something he should do alone." He said as they all looked at each other in thought as they all had the same idea.
Jay sighed, seeing that there was no arguing about it as he gave a determined look. "What are you waiting for?! Get us to the Monastery!" He ordered as the others were shocked by his outburst.
Immediately, the NInja then got the Bounty into the air as it took off to the Monastery at high speed.
Back at the Monastery, Wu was still trembling as he felt the Time Blade's energy coursing through him as he had a bit of trouble getting up as Acronix watched in amusement.
"Ouch. That last hit hurt, didn't it?" Acronix mocked as Wu managed to stand. "The blade gives it a little extra kick. I think I'm going to call that one the Time Punch. And its effects are devastating." He said with a smirk as Wu trembled and looked at him.
Wu then looked down. "I… I made a mistake." He said as he shook his head as he knew what the Time Punch did to him.
"Yes, you did," Acronix said in agreement. "You never should have challenged me. Not 40 years ago. Not today." He stated as he walked up to Wu. "Don't worry. I'm honorable enough to be merciful. I figure one more charge, one more Time Punch, and it'll all be over fast." He said as he aimed the Time Blade at Wu as he stood back a bit. "Oh, how I wish my brother were here to see this."
"Me too." Wu said in agreement as he conjured as much strength as he could. "NINJA, GO!" He did Spinjitzu as he knocked Acronix into the air as he landed on a roof part of the Monastery as he dropped his Time Blade.
Wu gave a cry as he charged at Acronix, but he still felt weak as Acronix kicked him over the edge as Wu fell from the mountain side before he grabbed a branch and lost his staff.
Acronix looked at Wu in amusement, "Heh you know what they say: If the Time Punch doesn't kill ya, the fall will." He quoted until he realized it wasn't a real quote, "Actually, no one says that. But they should." He told himself.
Acronix then waved to Wu. "Farewell." He waved to Wu as he walked off. "I'd like to stay to the end, but I have somewhere to be." He stated as he hopped off the ruins and prepared to make his way down the mountain. Until he saw a pirate ship flying towards the Monastery, a ship he recognized, "I don't believe it, the Legendary Destiny's Bounty of Captain Soto." He said in awe. "But what is a 200-year-old Pirate ship doing here and now, and Flying? This has been a strange day." He commented as he saw the Bounty was different and more upgraded and not to mention flying.
On the bounty, the Ninja stared down at their old home, "Hey, does anyone see Master Wu?" Lloyd asked as they searched for Master Wu.
"No. But I only see that guy down there." Melissa said while pointing down at Acronix.
"Who's that?" Cole wondered.
"I don't know. Let's find out." Jay said as he walked off to the anchor.
"No, no, wait, what if…?" Lloyd tried to say before Jay lowered the anchor and rode it down. "Hey, Jay!" He called out as Jay went to ground level and walked up to Acronix.
"Ahem. Excuse me, I'm looking for someone." Jay said naturally.
"That's no Pirate." Acronix muttered at seeing Jay.
"What's he doing?" Lloyd questioned with a brow as the others watched.
"Who do you seek, Ninja?" Acronix asked, recognizing the Gi.
"Spinjitzu Master. About yay tall, long beard, goes by the name Wu." Jay explained while walking up to him.
"Haven't seen him." Acronix lied, which made Jay stop.
"Mmm. That's odd." Jay said as he then brought out his nunchucks. "'Cause judging by all the slash marks around here, I think you have." He said seriously as he charged up his weapon with lightning, seeing that Acronix was lying since he noticed the new slash marks the Monastery has that weren't supposed to be there.
"Jay just pulled out his nunchucks." Lloyd said seriously, seeing a fight was about to happen. "Nya, you'd better get us down there fast."
"Not gonna work," Nya said as she shook her head. "There's not enough room down there." She pointed out.
"It's just one guy. I'm sure Jay can handle... uh, whoever that is." Cole assured them.
"Who is that guy anyway?" Melissa asked.
"Pixal." Zane said as he looked down as he zoomed in on Acronix.
"Scanning." Pixal said as she scanned Acronix before getting a match. "It appears to be…"
Zane then gasped. "Arcronix!" He exclaimed, which got the others to look in shock.
"Acronix?! As in Acronix and Krux? The Hands of Time?" Cole asked in shock.
"From the painting?" Kai asked next. "But Dr. Saunders said that battle wasn't real."
"Well apparently he was wrong." Melissa said with a serious look.
"Real or not, it was forty years ago." Lloyd added. "Acronix would be an old man today, like Uncle Wu. But that guy down there is young." He pointed out, seeing that Acronix is still young.
"But that's impossible!" Nya said in shock. "Unless… he time travelled?" She realized.
"We have to get down there! Now!" Zane called as Nya then moved the Bounty a bit closer.
Jay then charged at Acronix as the two clashed weapons before Jay gave a hard punch, which knocked Acronix back. Jay then shot a lightning blast at him, which Acronix blocked with the Time Blade before he vanished before Jay could give another one.
Jay looked around in shock and confusion, wondering where he was as Acronix appeared behind him and whacked Jay from behind, which sent the Lightning Ninja flying and crashing into a couple of pillars, knocking some wood on him and pinning him down.
Acronix then walked towards Jay. "A moment ago, I had no quarrel with you. Unfortunately for you, I do now." He said as he raised the Time Blade up, intending to strike.
The Ninja then quickly rides down the anchor chains after seeing this. "Did you see that?! It's like--" Lloyd started.
"He jumped forward in time!" Kai finished.
Cole then charged up his Earth fists, "Yeah? Let's see him jump this!" He said as he shot some dirt Element at Acronix, who stopped when it shot between him and Jay as he turned and looked up as Cole landed on the ground and jumped at him before Acronix caught his arm and tossed Cole as he crashed into the others.
"More Ninja? Curious." Acronix said in interest as Jay managed to get out of the rumble while readjusting his arm and regrouping with the others as they stood together.
"NINJA, GO!" The Ninja all did Spinjitzu as they charged at Acronix, but Acronix then used the Time Blade to warp to the other side as the Ninja all yelled in surprise and Spinjitzu'ed each other and ended up in a tangled pile of limbs.
"You only missed me by a few seconds." Acronix said in amusement.
Nya groaned as she leaned on her back. "Sometimes I wish I was still Samurai X instead of a Ninja." She said to herself.
Down below, Wu's branch was beginning to break.
The Ninja got back up and faced Acronix as they put on their masks. "You're fast." Kai said as he then summoned his fire. "But faster than this?" He questioned as he shot a fireball at Acronix, but he simply side stepped out of the way as it hit the ruins of the Monastery and set it ablaze… again, "Oops." Kai said sheepishly.
"Kai!" The others shouted in annoyance as Nya tried to put out the fire but it was quickly spreading.
Acronix gave an amused chuckle. "Elemental Masters of Fire and Water. I've encountered previous Masters like you both before." He said.
Kai and Nya were shocked at what he just said. "You knew our parents?" Kai asked in shock.
Acronix said nothing as he used his Time Blade to disappear as the Ninja looked around for him as Nya saw him on top of the ruins. "There he is!" Nya shouted.
"Ninja… Come out and play." Acronix taunted them while waving at them.
"This guy is more frustrating than Nya." Melissa said in annoyance.
"Hey!" Nya said with a look.
"It's a hard truth Nya, live with it." Melissa said with her eyes rolled.
"Jay, Cole, Melissa, Kai, we get Acronix." Lloyd said to the team. "Zane, Nya, use your Elemental Powers to put out this fire."
"Ninja… Come out and play." Acronix repeated as he gestured for them to come for him with his Time Blade waving around.
Jay then looked at them with a brow. "Hang on. Who put you in charge of choosing? Why can't I help with the flames?" He complained.
"First off Jay, Lloyd and I are the leaders." Melissa reminded him with a look. "And second, you think lightning is better than water and ice for stopping flames?" She questioned.
"Good point." Jay said in understanding before he gave a determined look. "Let's go!" He called out as he shot a lightning blast at Acronix, who ran off.
Cole jumped as he faced Acronix. "You got lucky last time." He said as he did a spin kick, but Acronix dodge it as Cole was about to punch him, but Acronix moved out of the way as Cole smashed his fist on the remains of a wall.
"Clumsy! Like a fawn standing on her new legs." Acronix quipped.
"One!" Jay called out.
"Two!" Kai shouted next.
"Three!" Lloyd shouted.
"Four!" Melissa finished as the four Ninjas jumped up and charged up their powers and shot them at Acronix, which he avoided as he rushed off on the roof of the Monastery.
With Wu, he is still dangling as the branch was just about ready to snap any second.
Back on top, Zane, and Nya are putting out the fire as best they could while the others keep shooting their powers at Acronix as they are boxing him in.
"Yes. Keep moving him back!" Lloyd encouraged. "He's gonna have to surrender, or else the flames are gonna get him!"
Acronix then stopped as he waved his Time Blade around his face. "Here's Acronix!" He taunted as he playfully waved at them.
The five then shoot their Elemental Powers at Acronix, who brought his Time Blade forwards as it was being overcharged by their Elemental energy as Acronix gave a natural look.
"It's gonna blow!" Kai called out as he saw that the Time Blade was overcharging from their powers.
The Time Blade then released a blast that knocked the Ninja out cold as Acronix disappeared and then reappeared on the stairway of the Monastery as climbed down while leaving the Ninja behind.
In the courtyard, the Ninja lay knocked out from the explosion before Nya groaned, sat up and saw the Monastery was still on fire, "Burned down again? Fire really isn't kind to this place." She commented.
Jay groaned as he looked around as well. "Agreed. Man, this place just cannot catch a break." He added.
The others soon got up too and looked around but saw no sign of Acronix, "Neither did Acronix." Lloyd added.
"Good." Kai said in relief. "You know me, I don't back down from a challenge, but I wouldn't want to face that guy again."
"No way." Cole said in agreement. "He moved at, like, the speed of time."
"Yeah, good riddance." Melissa said with a look.
"Come on, guys." Lloyd said as they stood up. "Let's get back to the Destiny's Bounty."
"But what about Master Wu?" Nya asked, which made their eyes widened.
"We gotta find him! Spread out!" Lloyd quickly said as the Ninja spread out to find Wu.
Cole ran down the stairs where the dragon barracks used to be as the branch Wu was holding onto completely breaks, which he screamed as he was about to fall to his doom, but Cole quickly grabbed him with his Earth Punch. "Gotta… hang… on." He strained as the other Ninja gathered behind him as Cole strained and pulled Wu back up as the others crowded him as Wu sighs in relief. "Barely made it." He said while looking at his hands as they stopped glowing.
"Master, are you alright?" Zane asked in concern as Wu groaned.
"I… fear not." Wu answered as he slowly got back up.
"Why was Acronix here?" Zane asked him.
"How did he do that?" Kai asked next.
"What was that weapon he was using?" Melissa asked next.
"Why were you fighting him?" Jay added.
"There is much to tell you." Wu said weakly. "And not much time." He added, knowing that they would need answers and didn't have any time to waste.
At Ninjago City's museum, Dr. Saunders was looking at his hand clock as it was midnight as he was still in the museum before he saw someone coming in.
"Where have you been?" Dr. Saunders questioned as Acronix came into the room.
"Sorry I'm late." Acronix said, apparently knowing the doctor somehow as Acronix took off his hood. "Ninja trouble. Things have changed since I was last in Ninjago."
Dr. Saunders then removed his long mustache and smirked at Acronix as he revealed to have a shorter mustache and removed his uniform to reveal the same suit Acronix is wearing as Acronix walked up as the two hugged and they gave evil smiles.
"Indeed they have…" Dr. Saunders' voice changed deeper as he revealed his face as his eyes were like Acronix. "...brother." He finished, revealing to be Krux as he gave an evil smile to his returned brother.
The Hands of Time have returned.
A/N: And that was the first chapter of Hands of Time, and it looks like The Ninja have a new threat on their hands and it looks like Dr. Saunders isn't who he says he is, but who are these guys? Find out as the chapters progress. I hope you all enjoyed 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; Michael Daingerfield as Dr. Saunders/Krux; Ian Hanlin as Acronix; Jennifer Hayward as Pixal; Alan Marriott as Dareth; Brian Dobson as Ronin.