Day of the Departed
(Musical Guest Star: Jeppe Riddervold)
In the Sea of Sand, Kai was driving a large tread bike across the dunes, making a jump before driving on, "Move, move, move! We're running out of time! Pick up the pace!" Kai called out to the others behind him.
"Yes, Ninja! It's up to us to save the day… again!" Cole called as he rode in his deep stone offroader car as the others caught up, Nya riding on a bike like Kai's, Zane riding in a tumbler car.
"Roger that, Kai!" Nya nodded. "Zane! Do you have a read?"
"ETA… too late, unless we break all speed limits." Zane stated. "Increase velocity!"
"Already on it." Pixal spoke up as they drove through the desert.
Then speeding across the sand was Lloyd in a larger, cycle-like tank and Melissa riding in a purple motorbike beside him. "Ninja, Misako, Rachel, Luci and I have reached the rendezvous point. Where are you?" Wu spoke up through the monitors.
"The museum is still 5 klicks away!" Lloyd said.
"We're on our way!" Melissa told them.
"Look out, kids! Jay just save the day!" Jay spoke up as he got on another jet vehicle. "Race ya there!"
"Guess we should be glad that adventure on the Dark Island gave us these sweet rides!" Cole told his team.
"I still don't understand how you got the super stealth raider jet." Lloyd said in wonder.
"Uh, 'cause I call dibs." Jay said with a smirk under his mask. "Guy who calls dibs first gets it, right, Cole?" He asked, but then Cole then drifted off as he started to fade in and out. "Right, Cole? Cole?" He asked again as Cole kept flicking off and on that not even his Deepstone vehicle could help.
"Cole?" Melissa asked.
"Let me go get him, he's drifting off again!" Jay said as he turned his jet around to fly towards Cole.
"No… No!" Come shouted, trying to keep himself from fading as he began to drive uphill. "Come back! Come back!" Cole's vehicle then moved uphill. "No!" He cried as he was heading toward Jay the air.
"Cole! Look out!" Jay shouted as Cole went over him as he landed on the ground as Cole managed to regain control.
"Sorry, Jay." Cole apologized as Jay sighed.
"I know you're a ghost, but I'm still in the living world. And I kinda want to keep it that way." Jay commented as the Ninja kept going.
"Ninja, time is of the essence!" Wu spoke up
"He's right. Engage!" Cole declared as the Ninja then drove side by side with each other.
"We have one last shot if we want to make it." Lloyd said seriously. "Combine for maximum impact!" He ordered as his tank transformed as Kai and Nya road in close as they connected to Lloyd's tank.
"Locked!" Kai started.
"Loaded!" Nya spoke next.
"And jet speed reporting for duty, sir." Jay quipped as he attached his jet to Lloyd's vehicle on the back.
"Fire all engines!" Melissa shouted as they went into overdrive as they declared as they raced towards the city.
As they raced down the streets, most of the people of Ninjago City were wearing costumes and carrying lanterns before they stopped at the City Museum where Wu, Misako, Rachel, Luci, Seliel and Skylor were waiting for them.
The Ninja then parked their vehicles in front of them as they hopped off and rushed to them. "Master Wu, are we too late?" Jay asked anxiously.
"There may yet be time." Wu said, looking up at the sky.
"NINJA, GO!" The Ninja all did Spinjitzu as they made their way into the museum with Wu, Rachel, Luci, Seliel, and Skylor following after them.
A bit later, the Ninja then exited with lanterns in their hands. "Mission accomplished." Jay said with a smile.
"Good thing we got to the gift shop before it closed." Lloyd said with a smile.
"Yes. A Day of the Departed celebration is incomplete without a Day of the Departed lantern." Zane said with a smile as he held up a lantern.
"You got that right Zane." Melissa said with a chuckle.
"Oh, this is my favorite holiday." Nya said with a smile as she looked at the lanterns. "I love all the lights."
"And the costumes." Kai added as he saw some kids in costumes walking by.
"And the candy." Jay finished. "Hit me kid." He said as one of the kids gave him a piece of candy. "Best day of the year."
"Yes, enjoy the fun and festivities, but never lose sight of the true meaning of the Day of the Departed." Wu spoke up wisely. "Today is about remembrance. We light lanterns to remember our ancestors, and to settle our debts."
"Yeah, got it, got it, lanterns, ancestors, debts but candy too, right?" Jay said with a smile.
"But it's also about remembering all of our fallen family members and friends, paying tribute to them and never forgetting them and how important they were in our lives." Melissa told him.
"Melissa is dead on accurate." Skylor said in agreement.
"The Ninja. The Master Wu. And friends." A voice spoke up as the Ninja turned and saw a man with a long mustache and glasses heading their way.
"Dr. Saunders." Misako greeted him.
"Oh, please, we are all friends." Dr. Saunders waved off. "You must call me by my first name, yes? Sander, yes?"
"Uh, Dr. Sander Saunders?" Seliel whispered to Cole with a grin.
"At your service." Dr. Saunders said with a chuckle. "I am so pleased to be seeing you at this now. We are opening our new exhibit. Come. You see, come." He said as he led the Ninja through the museum before entering a room that showed statues of familiar faces, "Might I be presenting, The Hall of Villainy!" He declared as they all gave sounds of wonder.
"Cryptor." Dr. Saunders started, gesturing to the Nindroid General.
"A plastic mannequin." Zane commented.
"Kozu."
"Uncanny," Cole commented.
"Chen."
"Memories." Skylor muttered as she glared at her father's statue.
"Pythor!"
"Charming as always." Melissa said with a look.
"Samukai."
"Is he looking at me?" Jay asked nervously.
"Maybe from the past." Wu said to him.
"And Morro!" Dr. Saunders added while gesturing to the Master of Wind. "And check this out. We don't just open on Day of Departed. It's Day of Departed lunar eclipse. A special eclipse." He said as he gestured to the star charts.
"The rarest Yin-Yang Eclipse." Wu finished.
"Oh, poetic, is it not?" Dr. Saunders asked. "Scary holiday, scary exhibits, scary moon, there is magic in the air. Boogily-boogily!" He exclaimed in a spooky tone while the Ninja looked at the statues of their old enemies.
"It's every villain we've ever faced." Kai said as Cole walked forward a bit.
Cole sat down his lantern and looked around for a bit before he noticed a familiar painting hanging above some sort of weapon. "Not every villain." He said to himself as he was looking at the painting of Sensei Yang.
"No, there are many more to unpack." Dr. Saunders told them. "Overlord, Lord Garmadon, all the ones who tried to destroy you, exciting!"
"Uhh, yeah, exciting." Jay said uneasy.
"I'm not sure I'm comfortable having my father in this hall." Lloyd said uneasily.
"Me either." Melissa said in agreement. "I'd rather forget my father."
Cole walked forward to Yang's picture as he read the descriptions. "Although known to some as the master without a student, Kodakuna Yang will be remembered by most as the creator of Airjitzu, the one of the most powerful martial arts in history.'" He read as he sighed. "Pfft, actually I remember Yang is the guy who turned me into a ghost." He said bitterly while looking at himself before turning back to the weapon.
Cole then walked close to it. "Hey, uh, Dr. Saunders? What's the story on this thing?" He asked as his hand phased through the glass as he was about to touch it, but he backed away and turned around. "Hello? Dr. Saunders? Anyone?" He asked as the others walked up to him.
"Look at that!" Nya said as she rushed up to the blade. "Cool!"
"Ah, you have a good eye, Nya." Dr. Saunders said to her.
"Her?" Cole questioned as he got in front of them. "I'm the one who spotted--" He trailed off as they went past him. "Hey! Watch it! You guys are walking right through me!"
"So what's the history of this blade, Dr. Saunders?" Rachel asked.
"The Yin Blade belonged to Master Yang." Dr. Saunders spoke up while gesturing to the weapon. "It is said to possess much dark magic."
"They don't hear me, or see me." Cole muttered to himself as he then turned to Seliel. "Hey, Seliel, can you hear me? Seliel?" He asked as he waved his hand through her shoulder, which Seliel waved off. "Even she can't see me. It's like I don't exist anymore." He then glared at Yang's picture. "And it's all your fault!"
The portrait of Yang then moved a bit. "Cole… Come, come." He whispered as Cole was surprised as he walked towards it.
"Uh… Tell me you heard that." Cole said fearfully.
"Come…Cole…" Yang's voice called out again as Dr. Saunders continued to tell the Ninja about the Yin Blade.
"Which is why it is encased in solid Clearstone, the hardest substance known to human." Dr. Saunders explained. "Impenetrable…"
Cole heard her before going back to the portrait. "Cole…" Yang spoke again.
"Yang." Cole replied as he looked up at the painting.
"Close the circle…" Yang spoke up as it moved.
"Close the circle?" Cole repeated.
"Close the circle…" Yang continued.
"Close the circle," Cole repeated as he shook his head to snap out of it before he saw the others were not around as he walked up to the window and saw them at the entrance.
Cole then saw the group saying goodbye to Dr. Saunders. "Thank you so much for such an informative tour, Dr. Saunders." Wu said as Dr. Saunders nodded after shaking each other's hands as he walked back inside. "Ninja, at the eclipse's peak, we will return here for the concert. But first, we must go forth and honor those we have lost. Those who have departed." He said as they walked up to their vehicles.
"Mind if me and my moms join you and Misako to honor Garmadon, Lloyd?" Melissa asked.
"The more the merrier." Lloyd said with a smile.
"Sweet." Melissa said with a smile as they began to get into their vehicles.
"Why do I get the feeling we're forgetting something?" Seliel asked with a confused look before she shrugged and walked off.
"They don't realize I'm gone." Cole said before he had a thought as he looked in horror. "Maybe I'm departed." His words echoed as his friends drove off.
The Ninja are in their vehicles while driving through the desert. "See you guys soon." Jay said to them as they waved to each other.
"Happy Day of the Departed, everyone!" Nya called next as they all split up in separate directions.
At the Corridor of Elders, Rachel, Luci, Misako, Lloyd, and Melissa are by Garmadon's statue as Lloyd released his lantern as it floated up past the statue as Melissa held Lloyd's hand. "We honor our ancestors. Because if we never look to the past, we cannot envision the future." Wu spoke up in everyone's mind.
At Four Weapons Blacksmith shop, Kai, Nya and Skylor lit their lanterns for pictures of Kai and Nya's parents and Skylor's mother.
In Birchwood forest, Zane was putting his lantern in the hand of an ice statue of his creator. "On the Day of the Departed, we pause to remember those we've lost." Zane then used his ice powers to freeze the statue in his face as he kept looking at his father.
At Jay's parents junkyard, Jay and his parents are sitting by the benches while going through old pictures. "And enjoy our time with those we are still fortunate to have."
At the ruins of the Monastery, Wu was in the middle with pictures of his father and brother as he had his lantern lit and poured himself some tea. "I raise this cup of remembrance tea to you both, father and brother. We never forget." He said as he took a sip of the tea.
With Cole, he drove his ride through the desert with a fierce determined expression after finding out he has been departed and forgotten by the others, going to the one place that made him be like it in the first place.
"Cole?" Lou asked, sked in concern while holding a lantern, looking for signs of his son. "Cole, where are you?" He asked before he sighs as his bandmates appeared behind him. "My son was gonna meet me before the show to light a lantern for Lily." He said as he and the Royal Blacksmith then sang.
The Royal Blacksmiths:
Give you your voice,
Give you your song,
Put music in your heart,
Now my heart is gone,
To pieces.
Pieces.
Pieces.
Then, Dareth came into the Royal Blacksmiths with canes. "Hey, guys? Hey, listen." He said to them, but they kept singing. "Guys? Guys. Guys! Stop it!" He yelled, which made them stop. "Ah, kids. Always letting you down. That's why I don't have 'em. Not cause Gayle keeps turning down my marriage proposals, even though I'd make an excellent provider. Ahem, anyway. It's a good thing your manager is here to help you focus on the important things." He said as he gave the singing canes to them.
"What's more important than family?" Lou asked.
"A paying gig for a festival audience." Dareth said as he took the lantern from Lou and grabbed a microphone. "Have a good show boys."
Dareth then rushed on stage. "Hello, Ninjago!" He called out as the crowd cheered. "Hey, look at you! Look at that once-in-a-lifetime lunar eclipse! It's really happening!" He called out as the Yin-Yang Eclipse began its formation. "How about a warm Day of the Departed greeting for the Royal Blacksmiths!" He announced as he stepped aside as Lou and his band came in twirling their canes while singing.
The Royal Blacksmiths:
Be my,
Day of the Departed baby .
Cold and spooky-hearted love,
Still my love for her is off the chart-ed.
They continued while Dareth from the side stage while the crowd started cheering. Amongst the crowd, Ronin saw how many people there were, "If everyone's here, no one's at home," Ronin mused to himself, "Time for a little Scrap hunting," He said before walking away while everyone was distracted.
Seliel was in the crowd listening to the song, but for some reason she can't help but feel like she's forgetting something. "Hey, Seliel!" A voice called out as Seliel turned her head and saw Ryan and Jasmine waving to her.
"Oh, hey Ryan, Jasmine, you two here for the concert?" Seliel asked.
"Jaz is a huge fan of the Royal Blacksmiths and she dragged me along." Ryan explained.
"Shut up! I like this song!" Jasmine said as she danced to the music as Seliel and Ryan gave a laugh and enjoyed the song, but Seliel still wondered what she was forgetting.
Meanwhile, Cole could have sworn he could hear his father singing but shook his head as he continued on. Soon he reached the spot where Yang's Temple once stood before he looked up and saw it was still in the air. Once he was under the temple, he got out of his vehicle and used Airjitzu to fly up to the temple.
He landed on the ground as he walked up to the temple doors and burst the doors open with a glare as he looked around. "Alright, Yang. Show yourself! You hear me?! Show yourself!" Cole ordered.
Yang then came from beside the stairs as Cole turned to him. "You received my message." He said with a grin.
"I got it, alright." Cole said with a glare. "And I got one for you. It's direct from the business end of your own weapon." He said as he brought out the Yin Blade he took from the museum.
The site of the Weapon made Yang gasp in surprise. "The Yin Blade… but how?" He asked Cole. "I thought it was lost forever. And the last I heard, it was founded and placed in Clearstone. That case is impenetrable."
"Not a ghost." Cole told him as he approached Yang. "Which thanks to you, I still am and my friends have forgotten me!"
"What are you going to do?" Yang asked nervously.
"There's magic in the air. You know, eclipse and all?" Cole sarcastically said.
"Please, where is your holiday spirit?" Yang asked as he walked up behind a vase. "It's the Day of the Departed."
"Uh-huh, and I'm settling my debt!" Cole yelled as he charged at Yang and swung the blade, which extended from the chain and broke a vase, which caused Yang to laugh sinisterly, which made Cole confused. "What? What's so funny?"
"This. That. All of it." Yang said with a smoke as he gestured to the eclipse as the light then shined down on the broken vase as it started glowing green.
"What's happening?" Cole asked nervously.
"My plan." Yang said as he closed his eyes and green mist came out of the vase as Yang laughed as Cole watched the green mist exited the temple and floated off down to ground level.
"What… What was that?!" Cole questioned Yang in fright as the green mist exited his temple and then started spreading throughout all of Ninjago while also turning every lantern green.
In Ninjago City, the green mist flew past the buildings as all the lanterns in the city then turned ghostly green before heading to the museum, which flew into the Hall of Villains as it spread around each statue, which shockingly, brought them to life as Kozu spoke his language.
Back at Yang's Temple, green mist kept spilling as Yang turned to Cole with a smirk. "You never should have played with dark magic, boy." He said to the Earth Ninja. "This Day of the Departed will be remembered as my Night of the Return. The Yin Blade, if you please."
"Yeah, I don't think so." Cole said firmly as he kept the blade away from Yang.
"I do." Yang said as Cole tried to get away but was surrounded by Yang's students.
"What?" Cole asked before he was captured by Yang's captured students around him as they tackled him and tied him in Vengestone cuffs before taking the Yin Blade from him and giving it to Yang. He laughed with a smirk as he finally had his old weapon again.
Back at the Museum, the statues of the villains, possessed by their ghosts, began to move as they looked at their new forms. Morro was the first to make a groan as he moved before he looked around. "Huh?" He asked in surprise.
"Huh?" Samukai said in confusion before looking around. "Who… who are you?"
"I should ask you the same thing." Morro said, jumping off the pedestal.
"I am Samukai." Samukai answered as he twirled his axe. "Skulkin General, fearsome Master of the axe!"
"Ha! Fearsome?" Kozu questioned in amusement as he swung his sword. "You call that fearsome? This is fearsome!" He yelled as he swung his sword, destroying a pillar as it fell. "I am Kozu, destroyer of all foolish enough to challenge me."
"Yeah, so how did you do against a guy who destroyed you?" Cryptor questioned, which enraged Kozu.
"But what has brought us back?" Chen questioned before he noticed his throne. "Oh! Buttons, buttons, buttons!" He called as pressed buttons, which caused different features of his throne to activate, one of them was an inflated raft and the second one was spitting out fortune cookies, the third button made legs pop out of the chair as he had trouble controlling it.
"Oh. Brake? No." Chen said as he tried to find the off button as his throne kept walking. "Brake? No!" He cried out before he crashed, which made the villains cringed. "I'm alright!" He called before another crash was heard. "Still alright!"
Samukai looked unimpressed before looking at the other villains. "What is going on here?" He asked.
"Well, the skinny man in the silky girl robe can't control his chair and--" Cryptor tried to say.
"No! I mean with us!" Samukai pointed out while gesturing to their bodies, trying to figure out how they were brought back.
"Perhaps he can explain." Morro said while gesturing to the portrait of Yang, sensing ghost energy through it as the villains huddle together in front of the painting.
"Still alright!" Chen said as his chair caught up with the other villains.
Yang's portrait then came to life as it moved. "My magic has brought you back from the Departed Realm to Ninjago, but you can only remain for the duration of the eclipse." Yang explained. "Unless…"
"Unless?" Chen questioned.
"Unless you destroy the Ninja who destroyed you," Yang explained, "Use your Departed Blades, and you'll take their place among the living." He said as the Villains all looked at their Departed Weapons.
Just then, Pythor then entered the museum with a pampflip. "Hall of Villainy?" He questioned as he looked around and saw the statues gone. "More like Empty-ny. Hmph." He huffed before he turned to the remaining statue, which was him. "Huh, nice." He said as he took the Weapon version of his staff.
"The Ninja are dispersed around Ninjago, divided and vulnerable." Yang told them, "So tonight, you will have revenge." He promised as they all cheered.
"Did someone say revenge? I want in," Pythor said, slithering in before turning to the familiar faces, "Cryptor, my loyal friend." He chuckled before turning to Chen, "Chen," He said neutrally, not exactly happy to see him.
"Pythor." Chen said in the same tone while giving a dull look.
"Oh, frosty." Kozu commented as Samukai nodded in agreement
"You must each choose a Ninja and-" Yang tried to say.
"I call Zane!" Samukai exclaimed with his arms raised.
"No! He's my clone." Cryptor protested.
"Technically you're his clone." Pythor told him.
"The blacksmiths brats are mine!" Chen said in anger.
"How come you get two?!" Pythor questioned as they all started arguing as they clashed their blades with one another.
"SILENCE!" Yang yelled, breaking up the fight, "Time is wasting! And I've got my own thing going on! So work. It. Out!" He ordered as the painting returned to normal.
"Well, it should be easy for us to split ourselves up between 6 Ninja," Cryptor started.
"Well I have a score to settle with my backstabbing daughter." Chen spoke up. "So she's mine, her boyfriend and his sister too."
"Lloyd and Melissa." Pythor spoke up. "I destroyed the young Garmadon's father, mmm, more or less. It's finally time to destroy the son. And as for Melissa, I have a lesson to teach her after turning my niece against me."
"I'll take Zane." Cryptor spoke up.
"Master Wu." Morro spoke up. "We left things unfinished. I will settle our debt once and for all."
"Ugh, that only leaves Jay." Samukai groaned as he turned to Kozu. "One Ninja but two of us, okay, Rock, Paper, Scissors." He suggested as Kozu gave him a look. "One, two, three! One two three!" He tried to do Rock, Paper, Scissors only for Kozu to walk away. "Doesn't seem to work."
Kozu looked out the museum window and saw Dareth walking through the crowd. "I want the Brown Ninja!" He said in anger, remembering how he took control of him and his army which led to his demise.
"Yes!" Samukai cheered as he gets Jay.
Then it's settled." Pythor said with a smile. "Although, the Ninja won't go easily. Perhaps we could use some help?" He suggested.
"The Hall of Sidekicks." Cryptor said as he held up the pamphlet.
"Hahaha, convenient, is it not?" Pythor asked as the villains walked off to get their sidekicks.
Back at Sensei Yang's Temple, Cole sat in the middle of Yang's students as he looked at each of them. "So, guys… what do you say to helping me out?" He asked them as none of them gave a response. "You know, Ninja to Ninja… Hello? Look, I know Yang is your Master, but how can you be loyal to him?! He turned you all into ghosts!" He exclaimed as they stood in silence.
"Your pleas are useless." Yang spoke up. "My students, well, they're loyal to no one but me."
"Come on, guys!" Cole spoke to them. "Yang is like the definition of evil!"
"Actually, Yang means good while Yin means bad." Yang explained. "But I always did inspire greatness. You see, I dedicated my life to the study of martial arts. I mastered them all and even created my own. Airjitzu was my first achievement, but it was nothing compared to what I would discover next."
"And what would that be?" Cole questioned as Yang looked at his Yin Blade.
"You see, my research revealed the location of this blade, a weapon whose magic was so powerful it was said to hold the key to eternal life." Yang told him. "To control more powerful magic, and I'll be forever remembered as Ninjago's Greatest Master! Outranking the First Spinjitzu Master! I first tested the blade on a small plant, and it worked. After practicing on more plants, immortality was so near. It was time for my ultimate test… myself." He said before he frowned. "But something went… wrong. As can you see, when I used my blade on myself and the temple, it gave me a different kind of immortality, the ghostly kind…" Cole thought about it for a moment before he pieced it all together.
"Are you saying that your curse was all an accident?" Cole asked Yang in surprise.
"Believe me. And as a ghost, I was forever cursed to haunt this once-proud temple as Master of the House. Never able to return." Yang said while clutching his blade. "Until tonight. Thanks to you." He said with a smirk.
"Thanks to me? How?" Cole asked.
"You said it yourself." Yang said with a smirk as he aimed his blade at Cole. "There's magic in the air. On the Day of the Departed, when there's a Yin-Yang Lunar Eclipse, the Yin Blade can cut the Rift of Return." He explained with a smirk. "So thank you for this."
"You're not welcome." Cole replied with a serious look. "And you won't get away with it. I'm supposed to meet my friends soon. When they see I'm missing, they'll come for me."
"'See you're missing'? Ha!" Yang called out in amusement. "Look at you. You can barely see yourself. And as I recall, you said they forgot about you." He said as Cole signed before the Yin Blade glowed. "Besides, you've caused quite a few problems for your friends." He said as he showed Kai, Nya and Skylor.
At Four Weapons, Skylor, Nya and Kai looked at the lantern, "It feels strange being back here after all these adventures," Nya commented to her brother.
"Still, it must be nice celebrating this time at home, with your family," Skylor said a little sadly while looking away.
Kai then held her shoulder, "Hey, don't forget Skylor, you're part of our family too," Kai told his girlfriend with a smile.
"And you'll always be welcomed here." Nya added as Skylor smiled.
"Thanks guys," Skylor thanked as they walked outside and Kai looked out to the night.
"Still, Nya, do you think we'll ever find out whatever happened to Mom and Dad?" Kai asked his sister.
"I could tell you!" Chen's voice spoke up, which shocked the three as they looked ahead and saw Chen on top of his chair in the form of a dinosaur mech. "But you have bigger things to worry about." He smirked.
"Chen/Dad?!" Nya and Skylor asked in complete shock as Kai rushed back to the shop and grabbed swords and tossed them to the girls.
"I don't know how you're back, but it's three against one!" Kai exclaimed.
"Is it?" Chen asked with a smirk as Zugu and Eyezor, in Anacondrai form, came in on their Condrai Crushers as they advanced forward. "Goodbye, Ninja!" He called as he pressed a button, which caused a punching bag to appear and hit him in the face as he pressed another button, causing a flower to appear while squirting water on him before an ice cream appeared next before Chen pressed another button, which caused music to play and a disco ball to appear. "Nope… hm. Uh, almost…" He muttered.
While Chen was pressing buttons, everyone all looked at him and each other strangely before techno music started playing. "Ah. Found it. Yes." Chen cheered before he pressed a button as the music stopped playing and a missile launcher came out of his chair with multiple weapons appearing, shocking the three. "Toodle pip, Ninja." He said with a smirk before he fired the missile.
At the Birchwood Forest, Zane was admiring the sculpture of his father before he saw it shake and fall apart as he backed away until he saw Cryptor and his Nindroid squad in front of him. "Oops. Did I hurt your dear old dad? Or should I say, our dad?" He mocked.
"Cryptor?!" Zane said in shock.
With Jay, he was sitting by his father. "Uh, Edna, dear, is that crumb cake ready?" Ed asked out. "Jay's starving."
"I'm fine, Dad." Jay said to him with a smile.
"I know, son, but I love your mother's crumb cake." Ed said with a smile before they heard Edna struggling as the door opened to reveal Samukai holding Edna in his arms.
"Guess who's back?!" Samukai said with a smirk as Edna screamed as some skeletons came in on mechs while Jay and Ed looked in shock.
"Samukai?!" Jay asked in shock.
At the Corridor of Elders, Lloyd, Misako, Melissa, Rachel and Luci were watching the lantern fly up into the air. "I know Dad's gone, but sometimes it's like he's still with me." Lloyd said to them.
"And he is, in here Lloyd." Melissa said as she pointed to his heart. "And up here." She added pointing at his head.
"Melissa is right, son." Misako said in agreement. "Your father may be gone, but his memories will live on."
"And he will never be forgotten." Luci added which made Lloyd smile.
"Now, how about we go meet up with the others, shall we?" Rachel suggested as they all agreed and began to make their way to Lloyd and Melissa's vehicles, but then they heard something as they looked around and spotted a familiar white Anacondrai hiding behind a rock.
"Pythor?" Lloyd asked in shock.
"What are you doing here?" Melissa asked with a look.
"When we last met, I decided to help you and Garmadon defeat Chen." Pythor siad with a smirk. "Do you remember why?"
"You said something about how if anyone was going to take over the world, you'd rather it be you." Lloyd recalled with a shrug.
"Precisely." Pythor said as he held his Departed Blade. "Time to finish the job." He declared.
At the ruins of the Monastery, Wu looked at the eclipse in wonder. "An eclipse is always an omen, but is this one a sign of good… or bad?" Wu wondered as Morro snuck up behind him.
"Bad. Very bad," Morro whispered with a smirk as Wu's eyes widened in realization.
Back at Yang's temple, Cole saw the whole thing from the mist Yang showed him. "My friends! What have you done?!" He questioned while glaring at Yang.
"No, Cole, what have you done?" Yang corrected with a smirk as he laughed.
"How? How could I steal the Yin Blade and release those ghosts?" Cole questioned about his mistake.
"You were scared you were departing, and that your friends had forgotten you." Yang said with a smirk. "So I took advantage of your fragile mental state to trick you." He said as Cole flinched. "Oh, oh, you weren't literally asking, were you?" He teased as Cole glared at him as he struggled to break free. "Give up, Cole. You're by yourself. There's no one to help you. Now, excuse me, I have a rift to open." He said as one of his students placed Cole down before Yang turned to the other. "Watch him, just in case." He said as he and the rest of his students walked off.
"All by myself." Cole muttered as he looked at the clock that was 13 minutes until midnight. "Mmm." He hummed as he had an idea as he gave a determined look.
At the Corridor of Elders, Pythor slithered after Lloyd and Melissa with his Departed Blade ready. "Pythor! What are you doing?!" Misako demanded with a look.
"Giving Lloyd and his little girlfriend a one way ticket to join Garmadon!" Pythor said as he raised up his blade to strike.
"Sorry, I don't feel like going on vacation." Lloyd said as he blocked Pythor's weapon.
"Neither do I!" Melissa said as she quickly double kicked Pythor to the chest and knocked him back. "So consider this a refund!" She added as she took a stance.
Pythor then looked up and saw a statue just above Melissa as he gave a sinister smirk. "But it's a holiday, respect your elders!" He said as he threw his blade to hit the statues head as it was about to fall on Melissa.
"Melissa, watch out!" Lloyd exclaimed as he pushed Melissa out of the way as the head landed on him.
"Lloyd!" They all exclaimed as the dust cleared to show him using his strength to hold up the head
"You know, I'm feeling a little generous, so let's make it a family trip, shall we?" Pythor said as he approached Misako, Rachel and Luci.
"No!" Melissa called out as she rushed towards Pythor and spin kicked him back with her sword ready. "There's no way you're hurting them!"
"Then let's finish this." Pythor said as he swung his blade.
At the blacksmith shop, Kai ducked a missile as he, Skylor, and Nya turned and saw Chen still having trouble controlling his chair. "Who designed this thing?" Chen questioned as he walked backwards.
"Even as a ghost, my dad still has trouble with his chair," Skylor muttered with a brow.
"We'll handle this, Skylor, you hang back," Nya told their friend.
"Okay." Skylor said as she moved back as she sighed, "Just let my friends fight my battles."
"Raider bikes!" Kai said as he and Nya hop onto their bikes and revved them up as the cultits started clashing with them on the field while bumping into each other before a blade hit the front of his bike, causing it to be flip over as Kai gave a scream as he was flung out fell in front of Chen.
Chen gave a laugh as he pressed a button, which made his t-rex chair get boxing gloves. "Oh, good." He said before he pressed another button that created saws. "Better." He pressed another one that had armed cannons. "Best." He said with a smirk as Kai stood up and saw Nya grabbing him before Chen fired the cannon.
In the Birchwood Forest, Zane was backed up against a tree as the Nindroid approached him, "Escape is futile Zane, you and I share a programming. I know your every move before you even make it." Cyptor boasted.
"Even this one?" Zane questioned as he did Airjitzu onto the tree but to his shock, Cryptor did the same and landed across from him.
"If you know it, I know it," Cryptor said smugly as Zane turned and saw the other Nindroids taking to the air on jetpacks as he managed to avoid their attacks and knocked one back with n ice blast as he blocked Cryptor's attack before he jump into a next tree while knocking back another Nindroid. "Enjoy the Departed Realm and say hi to dear old dad." He taunted as he swung his blade at Zane, pushing him back.
Zane fell from the edge and grabbed hold of the branch as the Nindroids flew up behind him.
At the burnt down Monastery, Wu had a feeling that it was Morro as he kept his calm look. "Well, my former student." Wu said as he turned to face his former pupil. "How have you returned, Morro?"
"The question is not how, but why." Morro said with a smirk as he swung his weapon
At Yang's Temple, Cole talked to one of Yang's students who was watching him. "So I didn't get your name." Cole said, but the student didn't say a word. "Okay, I'll just call you 'Chuck'. Look, Chuck, I know you think you're Yang's student, and maybe you were once, but now you're his prisoner." He said, trying to get through to him. "Don't you see? He's not your friend. He's your captor. You gotta shake off his spell. Then, we can stop him, together. You and me." He said with determination, but 'Chuck' didn't react an inch.
"Okay, no pressure, but you have three seconds to decide." Cole said to him as the clock was close to midnight. "One… two… three." He said as the clock chimes midnight as Cole then jumped up and did a flip and kicked 'Chuck' back before he walked up to the door with a smirk. "Guess I'm working solo, Chuck." He said as he looked around the hallway.
At the junkyard, Jay was in a ready stance while glaring at Samukai, who was holding his mother as Ed stepped forward. "Don't worry, Edna." He said as he was about to charge forward, but Jay held him back. "I'll take care of those piles of bones." He said as the mech skeletons walked forward.
"Oh, now, Ed, be careful." Edna said to her husband. "Dr. Berkman says not to strain."
"I got this, Dad." Jay said with a serious look as he charged up his powers as electricity came from his horn to his hands. "Lightning!" He called as he shot a lightning blast at the two skeletons mechs, sending them flying. "I have no idea what you want with my parents…" He started while doing air kicks.
"It's not your parents I want, Jay." Samukai said as he spun Edna around before tossing her away. "It's you!" He declared as he charged at Jay, who quickly took out his nunchucks as Ed quickly caught his wife.
Jay then charged Samukai as the two clashed weapons while Ed and Edna watched. "Feisty. He's his mother's son." Ed said while giving Edna a smile as a skeleton walked towards them while watching the fight with a few electric shocks while another came up from the otherside.
Samukai saw this as he turned to the skeletons. "Don't just stand there! Grab them! Then he won't fight me!" He ordered as his skeletons then grabbed Jay's parents.
"No!" Jay yelled as he rushed towards Samukai, but he did a spin and knocked him down.
"Oh, yes!" Samukai gloated as Jay landed on another pile.
At the concert, the Royal Blacksmiths are still singing while the crowd cheered on while Dareth and Dr. Saunders clapp in applause to them while Jasmine cheered with the crowd while Ryan and Seliel watched with smiles as they moved their heads to the song as the Royal Blacksmiths then ended on a note after tossing their helmets up while landing perfectly on their heads as Dareth went on stage.
"Royal Blacksmiths, everybody! Aren't they fantastic?!" Dareth called out to the microphone with a smile. "Hey! Speaking of fantastic, it's my duty as manager to remind you that there's fantastic merch available in the gift shop!" He called.
At the giftshop, the worker fell asleep on his desk before Dareth's voice woke him up with a startle. "There's hats, CDs, mugs, show you're a real fan!" Dareth continued. "Now, before my boys continue, I just wanna say thank you for coming and getting into the spirit of the night. Ah, look at those costumes." He said while seeing people in their own costumes. "Funny clowns, and aliens, and astronauts, wow!" He called as he saw Kozu and some of his Stone Soldiers walking up to them. "Those Stone Warriors. So realistic."
"Revenge will be mine!" Kozu declared.
"Well, normally my guys don't take requests. But uh, it is a special occasion." Dareth said as he turned to the Royal Blacksmiths. "Boys?" He asked before the Royal Blacksmiths then started signing 'Revenge will be Mine'.
"Wow, those are really cool Stone Warrior costumes." Jasmine commented.
"Yeah, they look very realistic." Ryan said in agreement.
"Yeah, a little too realistic." Seliel said cautiously.
Soon, Kozu and his soldiers got closer as Kozu gave a yell and jumped high on the stage with a stomp, which made the soldiers follow as Dareth turned to them. "Hey, that's… no costume!" Dareth yelled in realization.
"They're real Stone Warriors!" Seliel exclaimed in shock.
"W-What?! I thought you and the Ninja said that they were all gone!" Ryan called in shock as Jasmine looked with wide eyes.
Dareth screamed as he ran off stage with the Stone Warriors following. "Can we at least talk about this!" He screamed.
"Revenge!" Kozu yelled out.
"Okay, we're talking." Dareth said in fear as they rushed up the museum's stairs.
"Destruction!" Kozu yelled.
"Talking is good!" Dareth screamed.
"Crazy!" Kozu added as they entered the museum.
"HELP!" Dareth screamed out from inside the museum while Jasmine, Ryan, and Seliel looked in shock.
"Uh, perhaps we should go help him?" Jasmine suggested with a shock look.
"Yeah, because if we don't, Dareth's gonna get cooked." Ryan said with a cringe look.
"Let's go!" Seliel said as the three rushed into the museum, following after Dareth and the Stone Warriors.
In Yang's Temple, Cole is searched around for Yang while still having the cuffs on him before he opens the door to the dojo. "Haha! Yes!" Cole cheered before he saw two of Yang's students. "No." He groaned. "Hey. So any chance you wanna tell me where Yang is opening the rift?" He asked as the two students grabbed some weapons. "So… that's a no?" He asked as he backed away. "Whoa, let's not be hasty. This isn't a fair fight. I'm handcuffed." He pointed out.
Both students charged at him as he did his best to dodge their weapons, but the one with the sword cut his cuffs, freeing him. "Oh. So you might want a few more guys." Cole said with a smirk as he then grabbed the sword and sliced the bow staff in half as he charged at the two students.
Outside the dojo, fighting can be heard and grunts before Cole exited the dojo with the sword and stuff. "Okay, sports fans, the score is Cole: 3, evil possessed students: 0." He said before he stopped at the stairs to see Yang.
"Hurry up! I haven't got 3,000 years!" Yang called as Cole then went to the dumbwaiter and went up to the top floor before he rushed up and saw Yang and his students on the ladder to the attic.
"Okay, Cole, it's showtime." Cole said to himself in a ready stance.
"Deal with him." Yang ordered as his students charged at Cole, but Cole clashed them down and landed on his feet before tossing the staff and picking up a nunchuck.
"Maybe I can do this myself. Whew!" Cole said as he went to the ladder and climbed up. "I'm coming for you, Yang!" He called as he entered the attic where Yang is in. "It's over. You don't have any more students. You're all alone."
"Oh, I am not alone. Not at all." Yang said as more students came out in the shadows and surrounded Cole.
"What's the matter, Yang? Too afraid to take me on by yourself?" Cole mocked.
"Too busy." Yang said. "The eclipse is beginning to fade, Cole." Yang said to him. "Just like you. Take him." He said as the students charged at Cole, who clashed weapons with him while Yang went out to the window.
At the Monastery, Morro swiped his sword as Wu spun his staff. "We have fought twice before. Although it pains me, I will do so again if I must." Wu said with a serious look.
Morro spun his sword before holding it upside down. "No, you misunderstand. I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to warn you." He said and offered his sword to Wu, which surprised him. "Master Yang has put your team in terrible danger."
"What has Yang done?" Wu asked in worry.
"He's made you forget one of your own. One who is already slipping away." Morro explained.
"Tell me more." Wu said as they then walked down the stairs to the Bounty.
"I will, but aboard the Bounty. We have to warn the others." Morro said as the two walked down to the Bounty.
Back at the blacksmith shop, Kai and Nya are driving around with the cultists chasing them while Chen keeps firing cannons. Skylor was watching from the side lines.
Chen laughs evilly at the chaos as he kept pressing more buttons and fired missiles at Kai and Nya, who avoided them the best they could as Nya turned right. "Duck!" Nya called as Kai turned and saw they were gonna hit a tree branch, but they ducked as they went past it but Zugu hit it instead as he fell to the ground.
"Gross!" The two siblings exclaimed before they saw Zugu turn into a ghost and floated away.
Eyezor saw this and snarled while increasing speed as Kai came to a stop,
"This is my stop. Skylor, move aside!" Kai called as she moved aside. "NINJA, GO!" He then did Spinjitzu, breaking one of Eyezor's wheels causing him to swivel. Eyezor crashed into a rock, destroying their mannequin while their ghosts flew away.
"Nice on, Kai!" Skylor said with a smile. "Eat it, Eyezor!" She called to the ghostly Eyezor as he floated away and turned to her father. "Like you once said, dad, Only One Can Remain." She said with a growl as Chen looked in rage at his minions being beaten.
At the Corridor of Elders, Lloyd was struggling to hold the head while Melissa fought Pythor, keeping him away from Misako, Rachel and Luci. "I'm starting to see why our daughter hates him." Rachel said, glaring at the snake.
"Welcome to my world, mom!" Melissa said as she clashed her sword with Pythor's blade.
"Can't… hold… on!" Lloyd said, struggling to hold the head, keeping it from crushing him.
"Yes you can!" Misako called out.
"Don't give up!" Luci added.
"Fool! You and your pathetic girlfriend continuingly underestimate me, Lloyd!" Pythor shouted while he held Melissa in a blade lock. "You're so like your father!"
"He's right, Lloyd!" Misako called out as Lloyd continued to strain. "You're brave, and noble, and--"
"And a Master of Spinjitzu!" Lloyd said with determination while looking at his father's statue. "You are still with me, dad! NINJA, GO!" He called out as he did Spinjitzu and threw the statue head away as Pythor growled seeing this before Melissa low blowed him, which made him let her go as she and the four women rushed up to Lloyd as he got out of his Spinjitzu as Melissa helped him up.
Back in Yang's Temple, Yang was on the roof as he saw the eclipse. "Good to see you, rare eclipse." Yang said to himself. "Now help me to finally open up the rift." He said as he drew his Yin Blade.
Inside the attic, Cole was getting tired from fighting all of Yang's students. "Alright, guys, time to take a break." He said as the students advanced towards him. "Or not." He said as he fought and clashed weapons with the students as he knocked them back with ease.
"Open the rift, set me free." Yang said as he spun his weapon as it stood stiff and started spinning with magic specks around.
"Okay, okay, how about that break?" Cole asked as he tossed the sword away and held up a bow staff as he continued to knock away more of Yang's Students. When they circled him, Cole got on the staff and spun on it as he kicked them down. "You guys are more tiresome than Jay." He said to them as he flipped and jumped from the wall as he rolled on the ground.
On the roof, Yang then cut a glowing blue rift in the sky next to the eclipse. "Yes! It's working!" Yang called with glee.
Back at the Scrapyard, Samukai stood over Jay with his axe up, "For what's worth, this isn't personal, Jay," Samukai told the Blue Ninja.
"Um, it kinda feels like it is, Samukai," Jay said nervously, scooting back.
"It's only so I can return." Samukai said with a smirk as he raised his ax up. "I promise that as soon as this is over, I'll release your parents."
"I'm on that one!" Ronin's voice called out as he showed up in one of his old mechs and picked up Ed and Edna away from the skeletons as Samukai tried to strike Jay with his blade, only for Jay to roll out of the way and Ronin's mech kicked Samukai into a pile of junk.
Ronin opened up his mech as Jay turned to him. "Oh, Ronin! Thanks for coming!" Jay cheered in relief.
"Yeah, I uhh, came to help." Ronin said with a sheepish smile. "I definitely wasn't making sure your parents were at the concert so I could uhh, borrow, some free scrap metal for one of my old M.E.C.'s"
"Uh, what?" Jay asked with a surprise look.
"Uh, nothing." Ronin quickly said as he closed up his mech. "You're all clear, kid. Finish them." He encouraged as he took to the air with Jay's parents as Samukai and his two skeletons backed away a bit as Jay glared at them while charging up his powers.
Back in the Birchwood Forest, Zane was still dangling from the tree branch as the Nindroids landed next to Cryptor. Zane then quickly flipped upwards and sliced the branch they were standing on as the Nindroids quickly engaged their jet packs.
"Zane, they have flight capabilities." Pixal told him, "You seemed to have miscalculated."
"No I didn't." Zane said as he threw some shurikens as the Nindroids jetpacks which caused them to fly out of control as the two Nindroids yelled as they fell hard onto the ground, which made them go back into ghosts and floated away.
Back at the Corridors of Elders, Melissa, Lloyd, and their mothers hop on one statue after another as Misako landed on her husband's before Pythor came up behind her and pushed her over, which made Misako gave a yell as she held onto the hair piece of Garmadon as Lloyd, Melissa, Rachel, and Luci landed behind the snake as Pythor turned to them.
Lloyd then released an Elemental blast that knocked Pythor back a bit as Melissa charged over and kicked his weapon off as it fell over as Misako managed to flip back up top as the group glared at the Anacondrai in ready.
At the museum, Dareth was searching in the back storage room where the real Helmet of Shadows was placed as he searched for it. "Helmet of Shadows, where are you?! You control the Stone Warriors, so I can control the Stone Warriors!" Dareth called before Kozu and his soldiers burst through the wall, causing Dareth to scream.
Just then, Seliel kicked a Stone Warrior away as she, Ryan and Jasmine got into a stance. "Dareth! Hurry! Go find the helmet!" Seliel told him as Dareth nodded and rushed off to go find the Helmet of Shadows.
Ryan then sees a metal helmet with two holes on each side just sitting around, so he picks it up and uses his powers to mold it into a metal hammer. "Let's go bust some blockheads!" He said with determination.
Jasmine, Ryan, and Seliel kept fighting the Stone Warriors while Ryan's was giving the edge against them with his metal hammer while Dareth kept searching for the Helmet of Shadows.
Back at Yang's temple, he was still opening the rift while waving his blade around as the rift grew bigger. "Ah, here it comes." He said with a smirk.
Inside the attic, Cole was panting heavily as he was tired from fighting Yang's students. "Ugh, they just keep coming." He said tiredly. "I can't do this much longer." He said as he did a split kick before seeing more coming. "One last time. Ninja, go!" He called as he did Spinjitzu and knocked them down.
At Four Weapons, Kai and Nya were knocked back by Chen's missiles, "Kai! Nya!" Skylor said in panic as she rushed up to them, helping the two siblings up, not noticing the energy traveling up her arms.
"Urgh, it's no good," Kai groaned, struggling to get up.
"We're sorry," Nya told her.
"Fair fight. I win." Chen bragged with a smirk as Skylor looked at him in worry. "Look on the bright side, Skylor. Once I take care of these two, I will return. You should be happy your family is coming home."
"No," Skylor said quietly as Chen took aim, "You. Are not." She started as her hands then had fire and water as Chen was about to press a button. "MY FAMILY!" She roared as her eyes glowed orange as she then shot her hands out, which shot out both fire and water from each hand.
At the same time, Chen pressed the button that fired the missile, but Skylor's combined Elemental Powers blocked it before she redirected it back at Chen, which he watched in horror. "Unfair!" He cried out before the missile hit him, and the three watched as Chen's chair was in flames while Chen's spirit flew away.
Kai, and Nya looked in awe at what just happened as Skylor panted before she realized what happened, "Did, did I just," She said, looking at her hands in shock while the siblings rushed up to either side of her.
"Skylor, your powers. They're back!" Nya cheered.
"Haha, better late than never," Kai joked.
"But I thought they were gone forever…" Skylor said in confusion.
"Power is never lost," Kai told his girlfriend as she looked to him, "The power of Amber was always a part of you, your father can never take that away from you nor does he get to decide who you should be with." He told her.
Skylor then gave a smile as she then brought Kai into a hug, which he gladly returned as Nya smiled before Skylor grabbed her and brought her into the hug, which made Nya laugh as the three enjoyed the moment.
Back at the junkyard, Ronin got his mech down on top of the trailer, dropping Jay's parents on it as they watched Samukai and his skeletons trying to escape, but Ronin flew over and blocked Samukai.
Jay then used his powers to break the chains of a magnet, which crushed the two minions. "Old foe, new trick!" Jay called as Samukai turned to him. "Watch me, Samukai!" He called as he charged up his nunchucks with his powers and tossed it up in the air before blasting Samukai with it, breaking him to pieces.
Back at Birchwood, Zane turned as he saw Cryptor charging at him as Zane blocked Cryptor's blades with his arms, "I know your every move, I know how you hit, I know how you will kick, and I know you never give up!" Cryptor mocked as the two robots pushed against each other.
"Then I give up." Zane smirked as he stopped pushing, confusing Cryptor before he tried to strike at Zane, only for Cryptor to hit himself with it, which made him go ghost as he floated away while Zane watched.
Back at the Corridor of Elders, Lloyd, Melissa, Rachel, Luci and Misako surrounded Pythor as the lantern they released fell into Misako's hands.
"It's over, Pythor." Melissa said as she and Lloyd started to power up. "You are surrounded five on one!"
"So it's time for you to call it quits!" Luci added with a look.
Pythor looked down to the ground below them. "No, just time for a spectacular exit." He said before he jumped off the statue, which made them all gasp as they looked down and saw Pythor hit the ground hard.
"You think he's gone for good?" Lloyd asked them.
"I highly doubt that." Melissa said with an eye roll.
"Melissa's right, son." Misako said in agreement. "Pythor is as much cat as he is snake. He has nine lives."
"Which means that someday he'll return." Luci said with a frown.
"But we'll be ready for him for when he does." Rachel assured as they walked off.
On the ground, Pythor hit the ground so hard he left an imprint of himself. He got out of his hole with a groan. "Next time I'll take my own advice and bring some sidekicks." He muttered before using his blade to keep his balance as he limped away.
Back at the junkyard, Jay and his parents are enjoying themselves with some crumb cakes while Jay hummed in satisfaction. "Great crumb cake, mom." Jay said to his mother, which Edna smiled as they then turned to Ronin, who was carrying a sack filled with scrap.
"Happy Day of the Departed, guys." Ronin said as his mech opened. "Oh and uhh, thanks for the bag of scraps."
"All you had to do was ask." Ed told him.
Back at the museum, Seliel, Ryan and Jasmine continued fighting Kozu and the Stone Warriors as Dareth continued looking for the Helmet of Shadows. "Dareth! Have you found the helmet yet?!" Seliel called out as she kicked a Stone Warrior in the face. "We can barely keep these rock heads back!"
"I don't know if we can hold them off much longer!" Jasmine said as she avoided a Stone Warrior attack.
"I'm searching!" Dareth called out as he kept searching before he spotted the helmet. "Helmet of Shadows! I found it!" He called out as he picked up the helmet of Shadows and put it on, which caused the Stone Warriors, san Kozu, to stop as they went stiff while Kozu looked at his troops in shock. "Security, eighty-six this guy."
The Stone Warriors then pick up Kozu with a yell. "No! No! Release me!" Kozu yelled as he and the Stone Warriors ram themselves at the wall many times before they break into pieces.
"Hahahahaha! That takes care of them!" Seliel laughed as Dr. Saunders came rushing into the museum and saw what happened.
"My museum!" Dr. Saunders exclaimed in shock. "What have you done?!"
"Hehe, sorry doc." Jasmine said sheepishly.
"And uhh, sorry for this old helmet." Ryan said, holding up the metal helmet he forged back together and handing it to Dr. Saunders, who quickly snatched it away.
"Thank you, now go, go! Out of the museum!" Dr. Saunders said as the four made their way out of the museum before Dr. Saunders looked at the helmet with a firm look. "That was a close one."
Back in Yang's temple, Cole is still doing Spinjitzu before he stops and knocks some more students down as he panted in exhaustion before seeing the last one at the window. "Don't make me hurt you too." He warns tiredly as the student realizes that even in his tired state, he's no match as he dropped his sword and ran off as Cole tossed his staff away and picked up the sword as he made his way to the window.
Once he climbed out, he could see the rift becoming bigger by the second as Yang continued to wave the Yin Blade around. "Stop it, Yang!" Cole called out before Yang Airjitzu over to the rift.
"Freedom! Return! It's all mine!" Yang cheered as he flew his way to the rift.
"No!" Cole yelled as he put his weapons away as he tiredly tried to do Airjitzu. "You… are not… going… anywhere!" He yelled as he successfully did Airjitzu and flew towards Yang and grabbed him by the legs.
The two struggled before they got out of their Airjitzu and started hitting each other while falling from the sky and back onto the roof of the temple as they groaned from the fall.
At the museum, Jay came back on the Raider Jet and got out of it and approached Lloyd, Melissa, Kai, Nya, Zane and Skylor all standing outside of the museum. "Guys! I have the ghost story to end all ghost stories! You will never guess what just happened!" Jay said in excitement.
"You battled the possessed mannequin of an old enemy?" Kai started.
"Him and his goons tried to send you to the Departed Realm with magic blades?" Nya added.
"They almost had the upper hand on you until you outsmarted them?" Melissa added.
"And then you defeated them?" Zane added.
"And saw their ghosts fly off into the night?" Lloyd finished.
"Oh, okay, fine you guessed." Jay said with a smile.
"Me and Lloyd didn't face any ghosts, we just faced Pythor." Melissa told him. "The others fought the spirits of Chen, Samukai and Cryptor."
"And the three of us had to help Dareth deal with your Stone Brother, Kozu and his Stone Army, Melissa." Seliel said as she, Ryan and Jasmine approached them.
"And those Stone Warriors were not easy to take down." Jasmine added.
"Thank goodness Dareth found the Helmet of Shadows in time." Ryan said in relief.
"Even Kozu as well?" Melissa asked before groaning in annoyance. "I think at this point I have gotten over my fear of ghosts and is now turning into an annoyance."
"So you're not scared of ghosts anymore?" Skylor asked with a teasing smirk.
"Nope, I'm over that fear." Melissa said confidently.
"That's good, cause there's a ghost standing behind you right now." Skylor said with a smirk, which made Melissa's eyes widened as she gave a frightened scream and jump up as Lloyd caught her as Melissa shivered a bit before seeing there was no ghost as everyone gave amusing laughs as she glared at Skylor.
"Not funny!" Melissa yelled out with a look.
"You're right, it's hilarious!" Skylor laughed as Melissa got off of Lloyd and went up behind Skylor without her noticing as Melissa quickly grab Skylor's waistband and gave it a hard yank, which made Skylor gave a started scream as she lifted up a bit and receive a couple of bounces before Melissa placed her in an atomic wedgie by placing Skylor's underwear over her head while Melissa gave a satisfying smirk.
"Now that's funny." Melissa said with a smirk and a small laugh as Seliel leaned in to Skylor.
"Don't take it personally. She does that to the others, mostly to Nya, many times." Seliel whispered with a smirk as Skylor grunted and got herself out of the atomic wedgie. "And that's what happens if you mess with Melissa."
"Duly noted." Skylor muttered. "But still, facing the ghosts of our past enemies is surreal."
"You got that right." Nya agreed before she leaned towards Jay. "Let's be glad that we didn't face Nadakhan again." She whispered to him. "Who knows what would happen if we faced him again after what happened."
"Agreed." Jay nodded in agreement. "But since we know so much, why were those ghosts out here?" He asked, getting back on topic about the ghosts.
"Because distracting you, was part of Master Yang's plan." Wu said as he approached them.
"And he had help." Morro said as he came up behind Wu, which shocked them.
"Morro!" Lloyd exclaimed with a look as he readied his weapon as the others did too.
"Oh come on!" Melissa yelled out in annoyance. "More ghosts?! Especially the ghost I hate the most!"
"Hey! I resent that!" Morro said with a look.
"Well we've stopped five villains! What's one more?" Kai asked as they were about to attack.
"Put away your weapons! He's here to help!" Wu quickly said, which made the Ninja stand down. "Morro, tell them."
"Yang tricked Cole into helping open a rift to return to Ninjago." Morro explained to them.
"Cole?" Jay said in confusion. "How did he trick you?"
"Jay, Cole isn't here." Zane told him.
"You sure?" Jay asked. "He's been fading a lot recently, so he's pretty easy to miss."
"Wait, has anyone seen Cole when we left the museum earlier?" Melissa asked the others as they looked around before they all gasped in realization.
"We forgot Cole!" They exclaimed in shock.
"Oh my gosh! We've completely forgotten about him!" Seliel shouted as she facepalmed herself.
"To the Bounty! He must be at the Temple of the Airjitzu Master." Wu said as the Ninja nodded as they rushed off as Wu then turned to his first pupil. "Thank you, Morro."
"Happy Day of the Departed, Master." Morro said to him with a smile.
Back at the museum, Morro walked into the Hall of Villains as he jumped onto his spot and placed his statue back in place before his spirit left the mannequin, returning to the Departed Realm in peace.
At Yang's Temple, Yang and Cole regained their bearings as they got up and glared at each other. "Just give up already!" Yang yelled.
"No! I'm keeping you here until the eclipse ends and the rift closes!" Cole countered as he readied his sword while Yang picked up the Yin Blade. "Your evil will never return to Ninjago!"
Yang and Cole then started clashing blades as the students came out of the temple and watched the two fight. "What are you even fighting for?! Your friends have abandoned you!" Yang yelled as they clashed weapons before he smacked Cole back as he gave a laugh. "Your Master has abandoned you as well! Your girlfriend has abandoned you! You are all alone!"
"Nooooooo!" Cole shouted before he quickly got up and the two jumped at each other. But Yang managed to kick him down as he continued to keep him down. He swung his Yin Blade at Cole's sword as it broke off until the handle remained as Cole screamed as Yang laughed. "Can't… go on… alone." He muttered.
"Yes. Yield!" Yang said with a smirk before looking at the rift. "Soon I will be gone, but you will remain forever Departed, destined to haunt this temple forever as the new Master of the House!" He declared as Cole sadly took off his hood as Yang laughed.
Cole saw himself as he saw that he was fading. "I'm… fading away." He muttered sadly.
"Just one lonely ghost without a friend in the world." Yang said as he turned to be ready to jump through the rift. "Not a friend in the world." He added with a laugh as Cole looked down in defeat, ready to accept his fate.
"Cole!" They heard a familiar voice called out before they looked up to see the Destiny's Bounty flying in.
"Huh?" Cole asked as a smile formed on his face.
"What? Who's that?!" Yang questioned in shock.
"My friends!" Cole said in joy as he focused and he stopped fading and put on his mask as he used his newly spirit to kick Yang in the gut, sending him flying as he landed on his feet. "Ghost or not, I'm gonna do what I came here to do, Yang!" He called as he gave a yell as he engaged Yang with his fists, which Yang blocked with his blade as the two fought.
"We have to help Cole!" Seliel called out while she and the others felt the wind pressing against their faces.
"I can't bring it any closer." Nya grunted as she tried to bring the Bounty closer, but the wind kept pushing them back. "The wind's just too strong!"
Yang and Cole kept fighting each other while Cole avoided his strikes. "And you're wrong! I'm not the one who's alone! You are!" Cole called as he pointed to Yang.
"No! I have my family!" Yang yelled as he gestured to his students watching.
"No! You have prisoners!" Cole corrected before he looked at the students. "That's not family! That's captivity!" He continued to fight Yang as the students listened to him before Cole delivered a punch to Yang's gut, which sent the master flying to the roof with a groan. "Whoa. I feel… different." He said as he looked at his hands and saw them glowing orange as they traveled up to his body. "Like, like, I can punch through…" He started as he ducked a pounce from Yang and turned to him. "Anything!"
Cole then raised his hands and gave a mighty punch to Yang's Yin Blade, shattering it while sending Yang flying as the Master yelled and hit the edge of the roof as the hoods on his students' heads faded as they all gasped and looked around in confusion.
"No! No! You broke my spell!" Yang cried out.
"The rift!" Cole called to the students as he gestured to the rift. "If you hurry, you can be free of this place forever!"
The students all spoke out in excitement as they walked to the edge and they all did Airjitzu and flew up to the rift as they entered through it. Once through the rift, they all landed on the temple's ground, no longer ghosts as they are now free as they cheered happily.
On the Bounty, the Ninja saw what happened as they looked in awe before Wu spoke up. "The rift is almost closed!" He called out.
Yang moaned in pain from the punch and after seeing his students went through the rift. "My… My students… leaving me!" He called out in shock. "I…I failed."
"Yeah, you did." Cole said as he was prepared to fly into the rift.
"I always fail." Yang said sadly.
"Yeah, you-" Cole stopped when he realized what Yang just said. "Wait, what?"
"I dedicated my life to studying the martial arts." Yang said as Cole went down to him. "Alone. I got arrogant, I wanted to live forever."
"Why? No one lives forever." Cole said as he helped Yang up.
"Because I knew the day I was gone, no one would remember me." Yang said sadly.
"All of this was so you wouldn't be forgotten?" Cole asked, surprised by Yang's action.
On the Bounty, the others saw this. "W-What is he doing? Is… Is he talking to Yang?" Jay questioned.
"Looks like it." Melissa said in confirmation.
"The rift cannot be open again until the next Yin-Yang Eclipse." Wu told them.
"Which according to my calculations, won't happen for 3,721 years." Zane stated to them.
"We'll be long gone by then!" Seliel said in worry. "Cole needs to go through the rift, now!"
"Cole! The rift!" Kai shouted as Cole and Yang looked up at the bounty. "You gotta pass the rift!"
You must think I'm a fool for having such a petty desire," Yang said in shame.
"No, I get it." Cole spoke up. "Believe me, I get it. I know what it's like to feel forgotten, alone. It… It hurts." He said as he turned to Yang with a smile. "But Master Yang, you are already gonna be remembered forever."
"Me? How?" Yang asked in surprise.
"You created Airjitzu." Cole answered with a smile as Yang felt touched by that as he covered his eyes.
"Cole! It's now or never!" Seliel shouted as the rift began to close as the eclipse was near its end.
"Now come on, there's still time to go through. Both of us." Cole said as he held Yang and did Airjitzu as they flew close to the rift.
"No, I'm afraid that's impossible!" Yang told him. "The curse of Yin Blade requires at least one ghost to remain behind as Master of the House!"
"One of us has to stay here?" Cole asked in shock.
"It must be this way." Yang said as he then grabbed Cole.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Cole asked in confusion.
"Settling my debt." Yang said before he tossed Cole further up as he fell back to the temple while Cole screamed as he was tossed into the rift before it closed. Iit unleashed a bright flash of light, which pushed the Bounty back from the strong wind.
"The wind's too strong to control!" Kai called out.
"Brace yourselves, it's going to be a hard landing!" Wu screamed as they made their way to the Temple.
All around Ninjago, every cone released their Departed Lanterns as they floated up and lit up the sky just as the Yin-Yang Eclipse was passing.
The Ninja got off the Bounty after it crashed on the floating island as they looked around. "Is everyone alright?" Misako asked them.
"Nothing that tightening a few screws can't fix." Zane answered as they got off.
"We're okay." Lloyd said to them.
"Is this what you guys go through everyday?" Ryan asked, feeling dizzy from what happened.
"Yeah, that was wild." Jasmine said in agreement.
"Pretty much." Melissa answered before she gave a frown. "But where's Cole?"
"Cole?" Seliel said, looking around for her boyfriend. "Cole?! Where are you?!" She called out in concern.
"Oh no." Jay muttered.
"Did he make it?" Nya asked as she began to fear the worse.
"He didn't make it. He's gone forever." Jay muttered as the Ninja all gave frowns in grim.
"No." Seliel said tearfully as Melissa, Nya and Skylor went up to her and comforted her.
"I'd give anything to have him back." Jay said as he looked down in sadness as they bow their heads.
"Anything?" Cole's voice spoke up.
"Anything." Jay answered.
"Even the Sonic Raider Jet?" Cole asked as he got out from behind a boulder, which made them turn as they saw that he was human again.
"Cole!" The Ninja called out in joy as they rushed up to him and caught him in a big group hug.
"You're not a ghost anymore!" Lloyd said with a smile.
"You look as good as new!" Nya added.
"Ah, pretty much." Cole said as he rubbed the green scar on his left forehead, which was what remained of his ghost form. Seliel then walked up to Cole as she then punched him in the arm. "Ow! And now I can feel pain again." He muttered while rubbing his arm.
"That's for scarings me, Boulder Brains!" Seliel said with a firm look.
"Oh, is this how it's gonna be now? Be--" Cole tried to say before Seliel grabbed him by the collar and brought him in a surprise kiss, which made Cole stiff up before she separated and gave a warm smile.
"And that's for everything else." Seliel said fondly.
"Heh, thank you, Seliel." Cole said bashfully.
"Speaking as good as new." Kai said as he gestured to the Airjitzu Temple, which was restored to its former glory, as if it was never been cursed.
"Ah, the Temple of the Airjitzu Master has been returned to its original condition." Wu said with a smile as they looked at the temple.
"It's beautiful." Jasmine said with a smile.
"Complete fancy too." Skylor added.
"Way better than how scary it used to look." Melissa said with a shudder.
"You know, that would be a pretty cool place for a Ninja to train." Cole suggested with a smile.
A bit later, Cole, the Ninja, their friends and families gather around the campfire outside the Airjitzu temple as Cole retells the story of their Day of the Departed adventure. "Woah! And was I right or was I right?" Cole asked the group with a smile.
Jay gave a groan. "Yes, you were right. Are you gonna retell the story every Day of the Departed from now on?" He asked in annoyance.
"Only until you and Melissa admit you guys didn't want to move in because you two were scared it's still haunted." Cole teased as everyone, minus Jay and Melissa, laughed in amusement from that.
Melissa and Jay rolled their eyes. "We weren't scared." Jay started.
"Yeah, we were cautious." Melissa added as everyone stood in silence and looked at the two as Melissa sighed. "Okay, fine, I was scared."
"Yeah, me too." Jay admitted. "And we were wrong. There's no more ghosts here."
"There are no more ghosts, right?" Melissa asked nervously.
"Nope." Cole answered with a smile. "No ghosts." He said as he turned to the temple and wink as he saw Sensei Yang watching them as Yang gave a smile and a nod.
"Good, cause I have had enough ghosts for one lifetime." Melissa said with a breather. "There are too many ghosts in this world."
"Agree to that." Lloyd nodded as they all shared a small laugh.
The entire group then lit them up and they let them float away into the sky. "Happy Day of the Departed." Yang said fondly as he watched the group enjoy the holiday.
Meanwhile, at the Museum of History, Dr. Saunders was surveying the damage Kozu and the Stone Warriors caused before entering a hall with Serpentine Artifacts which was still undamaged and he sighed,
"Thank goodness Ryan wasn't much of a history buff to know what this helmet really is, and thank goodness those fools stayed away from this wing." Dr. Saunders said in a much different tone and accent while holding the helmet Ryan gave back to him. "And right on time for his return and for our plan to commence." He said with a smirk as he activated a secret passageway and walked in, with the sound of snakes hissing heard before it closed.
A/N: And that was The Day of the Departed, and I loved this special because it helped Cole turn back into a human, and we saw some old villains from the past. But Yang's plan has been foiled and the spirits of their old enemies have been sent back to the Departed Realm and Cole has been turned back to normal. But it looks like something else is about to happen and it looks like Dr. Saunders might not be who he says he is. But we'll find out in the next season. I hope you all enjoy reading this special, leave a review and tell me what you think.
Here's the Cast List.
Jillian Michaels as Lloyd and Edna; Tara Strong as Melissa; Vincent Tong as Kai; Michael Adamthwaite as Jay; Kirby Morrow as Cole and Lou; Brent Miller as Zane; Kelly Metzger as Nya; Paul Dobson as Wu and Kozu; Kathleen Barr as Misako; Michael Donovan as Yang; Michael Dobson as Pythor; Ian James Corlett as Chen; Richard Newman as Cryptor; Michael Kopsa as Samukai; Andrew Francis as Morro; Veronica Taylor as Rachel; Alyson Court as Luci; Jennifer Hayward as Pixal; Seth Green as Ryan; Cristina Vee as Jasmine; Heather Doerksen as Skylor; Ashleigh Ball as Seliel; Alan Marriott as Dareth; Michael Daingerfield as Dr. Saunders; Brian Dobson as Ronin; Colin Murdock as Ed; Jeppe Riddervold as The Royal Blacksmiths.