Qurencia - Asher_King - LEGO Ninjago (Cartoon 2011-2022) [Archive of Our Own] (2024)

Chapter 1: Introductions

Chapter Text

Lloyd Garmadon Headcanons

- Emerald green eyes; Turn red when angry

- White/Honey blond hair; Very soft with a slight curl when its longer

- His hair was brown at birth but was completely blond by the time he was 8; Gained a golden sheen after the use of the Tomorrow Tea

- 4'8; Malnourished, he wasn't very tall until his growth spurt from the Tomorrow Tea

- 5'10 (After the Tomorrow Tea)

- 12 years old

- Chronologically 12; Mentally and Physically 18

- It wasn't just his body that grew when he was hit with the tea. His mind aged as well and he is functionally a young adult even if he was only born 12 years earlier

- Japanese, Egyptian, and Norweigan

- The First Spinjitzu Master was Half-Dragon, Half-Oni so his ethnicites come from his Grandmother, who was Japanese and his Mother, Egyptian and Norweigan.

- Small, almost unnoticable, scars in the corners of his eyes from crying and rubbing them too much; Accompanied by dark marks from crying that almost hide the scars for the most part

- Ant bite scars along his arms, torso, and legs mostly centered along his back because of a bad reaction to fire ants

- Multiple other scars from scraps and fights at Darkly's and on the streets.

- Fighting Styles known; Brazilian Ju-jutsu, and Aikido

- Has begun leg toughening, finger toughening, and body toughening to learn the Imperial Crane Kung Fu

Jiang Kai | Kai Kalama

- Amber eyes; Flicker like flames in times of pure anger

- Reddish-brown hair; Coarse and spiky because of the products he uses in his hair but fluffy when left alone

- Styled in a mohawk lineup

- 5'10

- 19

- Hawaiin, Cuban, Chinese, and Persian

- Multiple burn scars up his arms from blacksmithing though none are very bad

- Very co*cky, and is often considered non-reliable though he gets better

- Known Fighting styles; Kickboxing, Aikido, Judo

- Has begun leg toughening, finger toughening, and body toughening to learn the Southern Tiger

- A large bite mark on his lower right leg. A starteeth bit through muscle so he only had a temporary limp.

Jiang Nya | Nya Kalama

- Steel blue eyes

- Blue-black hair; Soft, shiny hair cut into a sleek chin length bob

- 5'9

- 17

- Hawaiin, Cuban, Chinese, and Persian

- Small electrical burns and cuts along her hands from building her Mech

- Sometimes trains with [M/n], since he never underestimates her for her sex, rather her inexperience

- Very good at recognizing patterns

Jay Blu Walker

- White-blue eyes; Flashes like lightning when he uses his element

- Struggles with keeping eye contact because of the odd coloring of his eyes

- Auburn; Curly hair that he flat irons so it has a coarse texture

- 5'7

- 18

- Scottish Gaelic and Italian

- A large burn scar across his jaw from working on one of his numerous projects

- A knock in his eyebrow from playing with his dads wrench as a kid

- List of Styles known;Capoeira, Aikido, and Judo

- Has begun leg toughening, finger toughening, and body toughening to learn the Imperial Asp

Cole Auron D'Angelo-Brookstone

- Hazel eyes

- Onyx hair; Coarse, medium length, wavy hair that he sweeps to the side

- 6'2

- 19

- Italian and Honduran

- Primarily spoke Italian for most of his youth and sometimes struggles with Ninjaoan

- Sucks at cooking exactly like his mother did

- Acts like an older brother even though he has no siblings

- List of Styles taught; Hung Gar, Aikido, and Judo

- Hung Gar is known for strong stances

- Aikido and Judo are styles for redirecting and grappling

- Has begun leg toughening, finger toughening, and body toughening to learn the Imperial Lion

- Silvery, teeth marks along his left hand from the Starteeth that bit him. His left hand is a little weaker than his right because it bit through a ligament and muscle.

Zane Julien

- Baby blue; Have always glowed unnaturally but it became brighter after he learned he was a Nindroid

- White blond; Braided dreadlocks pushed back with an undercut

- 6'

- Age N/A

- Egyptian and African

- Has oddly unblemished skin, no old scars or facial markings

- His hands are extremely cold while his chest is very warm

- Can speak, read, and write all recorded languages near fluently or at least somewhat accuratly

- List of Styles known; Tai Chi, Aikido, and Judo

- Has begun leg toughening, finger toughening, and body toughening to learn the Imperial Hawk

- The Falcon is based off of a Peregrine Falcon

Sensei Wu

- Pale blue; Flash golden when angry

- His pupils slit like a cats when he's angry

- Straw blond; Soft short hair

- 5'9

- 7,200-ish years old (Looks like an old man in his 60's or 70's)

- Puts a lot of pressure on the ninja for different things

- He wants them all to be better than him so they don't make the same mistakes he did but refuses to share his mistakes

- Has legally taken in four of the ninja as wards; Kai, Nya, Zane, and [M/n]

- Knows nearly half of the worlds Martial Arts, though he is not an expert in them all. He is experienced in a large chunk of them because his age gave him time to master them. Those he only knows the basics of are ones that did not suit him, or were seen as evil.

Lord Garmadon

- Ruby red; Glow like hot coals

- Reflect light like cat or dog eyes

- Eyes used to be a honey brown

- Onyx; Fluffy and unstyled

- His hair used to be brown before it darkened with the transformation

- 6'5

- 7,250-ish (Doesn't look human)

- Fingers are all tipped in long silver claws, erring just on the side of unnaturally long

- Knows several Martial Art styles; Black Scorpion Kung Fu included

- Surprisingly calm at times for a Dark Lord but the venom builds up so he blows up

Morro

- Icy jade green eyes

- Onyx with green streaks; Wavy hair that falls to the nape of his neck and his chin

- Uses leather ties or Kanzashi to hold his hair back depending on what he is doing

- 6'

- Died at 22

- The Caves of Despair were named after his death because of the way his element made his voice echo as he died

- The wind functions differently than most of the other elements because it came from Wojira; As such it holds memory and is incredibly helpful towards [M/n] as it 'remembers' him

- Imperial Panther, Aikido, Judo, Tai Chi, Golden Leopard

- While in the Cursed Realm he learned the art of the sword from a disowned Samurai

- Uses his energy to cross the boundary of the Realms for short periods of time; Can only do this because of [M/n] and is the only one able to do so

- He cannot bring others through

[M/n] Caelestis

- Swimmer body type; Sinewy, flexible, fit, agile

- Morally Grey

- Husky but dead voice; Does this on purpose because it unsettles people

- Honest; Rude, Insensitive at times

- Strategic; Caculating

- Introverted; Closed off

- Silver-tongued

- Observant; Nosy

- Loyal

- Mature

- Callous; Cruel

- Nightvision

- Fox-like behaviors and abilities

- Is in possession of the Tessens of Death

- Imperial Leopard, Golden Leopard, Krav Maga, Muay Thai, Brazilian Ju-Jutsu, Aikido, and Judo

- Knows a lot of Martial Arts but is only profficient in Imperial Leopard, Muay Thai, Aikido, and Judo

Elemental Masters (In General)

- Naturally tougher than normal people; Harder to break bones

- Heal slightly faster than normal people

- Have different connections with their element

- Personalities tend to match their elements

- Elements came to being after FSM created Ninjago and gave people a home. As he grew older, he realized what his power had done to Ninjago and knew he could not leave it unguarded. Especially with Wojira and Overlord still out there.

- The first Elemental Masters were given the Element based on how well it would mash with them, which is why it often seems to match personalities.

- Each Generation of Elemental Master has given power to the Element and made it stronger with each generation.

- This means each generation has had to deal with a more powerful Element that leaves the holder unable to perform more precise attacks without extreme practice.

Ninjago

- When the First Spinjitzu Master, who gave himself the name Ra, first created Ninjago, he created it in the image of the First Realm where balance is everything.

- Ninjago is always balanced on the center of the scale, so when it starts to tip too far the veil thins and bad things happen such as the Overlord crossing.

- Ninjago is a conduit of power because of the FSM, Overlord, Kovidar, Nyaid, and Wojira. The power of these 4 considered Gods and Goddesses, makes Ninjago itself powerful.

- Kovidar, Nephthys, Zoi, and [M/n] can feel the scales because of their ability to control Nether and Aether. This makes them more vulnerable to changes.

Legends of Ninjago

- The Legend of Wojira has morphed over time, with multiple versions existing; Some consider her as a benevolant Goddess who would bring rain to farms and storms to enemies. Others saw her as a cruel Serpent who destroyed cities.

- The Legend of the Three is an Old Fairy Tale about three Oni who were born in Ninjago and created three masks; Vengeance, Deception, and Hatred

- The Legend of the First Spinjitzu Master, or Ra, has also changed over millenia.

- Kovidar has only a small piece in any Legend as he did his best to completely erase his presence to protect his family.

- Ying-Yang is the belief of interconnecting forces that maintain harmony; This is believed to be metaphorical but the people of Ninjago do not realize how literal it really is.

- The Serpentine; While originally believed to only be an Old Wives Tale, the Serpentine are real but they are quite different then the legends often state

- The Serpentine all descended from the same ancestor but eventually split off with different adaptations according to where they lived; Many pictures depicting the original Serpentine are wrong because they look like the modern day Serpentine

Chapter 2: S1 E1: Rise of the Snakes

Chapter Text

Above the empty courtyard — overlooking the coiling, gold statue of the Golden Dragon, the First Spinjitzu Masters personal symbol — perched on the warm sun baked red tiles was [M/n], reading peacefully in the sunlight.

The sounds of the ninjas video game echoed slightly within the spacious courtyard as he read through a book, gifted to him by Zane. It wasn't loud enough to truly irritate, acting as background noise while he allowed the sun to warm his skin. It was easy enough to ignore them, though he paused his reading when the great oak doors leading inside opened but were unaccompanied by the sound of footsteps.

"Have you seen your brothers?"

"Gaming Room."

Wu sighed, disappointed. "Of course."

The large, red oak door closed behind him and the courtyard was once more filled with faint sounds of yelling and cheering. The shouts became louder, more distressed, as they yelled at Sensei Wu for whatever he had done to stop them, irritating [M/n]. Sitting up, he placed a bookmark in place and set the book aside, away from the edge so it wouldn't fall.

His hand drifted to rest on the handle of one of the Golden Tessens sheathed at his hips, allowing his mind to wander.

The 5 Golden Weapons were unlike anything he'd ever seen, though he, of course, had a natural preference for his own. The fabric covering the 9 'bones' of the fan had black thread in the shape of a foxes long, fluffy tail. Each bone had a hidden, retractable blade that was strong enough to slice through skin, muscle and even bone.

The rest of the fan was a beautiful shade of gold that [M/n] had never seen before, though his memory couldn't exactly be considered reliable after being in a coma and waking with amnesia.

For the past 6 months — since he had retrieved the Tessens, as the sun fell and the moon rose, the time when his Nether felt strongest — he trained. The Tessens worked as an anchor, giving him a point to summon his element towards but he refused to allow himself to use the weapons as crutchs.

The increase in shouting pulled him from the depths of his own mind, and he tilted his head to the side to try and pinpoint the cause.

Footsteps. Heavy but coordinated, he placed them as Nyas and patiently waited for her. He was proven right as she burst through the Monastery doors, searching the courtyard for him as her breathing picked up slightly.

A sharp whistle had her head snapping up, eyes finding his. Without prompting, she shouted "Lord Garmadon’s returned! He’s been spotted in Jamanakai Village!”

The poor girl was then nearly ran over by the ninja running out as they scrambled to get to the stables where their dragons waited.

[M/n] dropped to the ground, twisting into his Spinjitzu once he had landed solidly, changing into his GI. The soft shade of purple had once made him the target of the ninjas jokes but after he collectively whooped their asses, and saved them, it had stopped.

Making it to the stables he was witness to the ninja struggling to climb onto their dragons, who looked bored. Wu, on the other hand, looked on in genuine disbelief as if he hadn't realized the ninja had been slacking off on their training for well over two months.

Ara, the previous Guardian of the Tessens, was still curled up within his stall, completely unhurried. Sensing his approach, the wyvern lifted his head, happily pressing his nose into [M/n]'s gloved hand. Stunning imperial blue scales shifted as Ara moved, allowing [M/n] to climb into the saddle placed at the base of his neck. Pale iris colored feathers shifted audibly as he moved, slowly standing to his full height.

[M/n] forewent the straps so, when Ara landed, he would have a quicker dismount. The others were still struggling but the purple ninja felt no need to rush.

Lord Garmadon had escaped through a portal, a powerful swell of energy that [M/n] had felt beneath his skin, and would have to return through one. With no recent swells, it was impossible for it to be Lord Garmadon.

His attention narrowed in on Nya who was gently stroking Flame's snout, earning a contented huff from the irritated beast. "Uh, can I help?"

Kai, who had finally made it into his saddle, shook his head, "Sorry, sis, where we go danger abounds. This is a job for the ninja.”

Nya's shoulders dropped, watching as her brother struggled to grab hold of the reins. Realizing he needed help, he gave her an awkward smile, "Uh . . . Uh, a little help? Heh-heh.” Sighing, she passed them up before joining Wu off to the side, out of the way so she wouldn't be run over by the dragons.

Seeing they were ready, Ara strode forward, pausing at the edge of the cliff with an irritated huff. Stroking his scales, he soothed the wyvern before sitting back. "Ųύγα!” (Fly!)Ara jumped, using powerful wings to catch himself before he continued forward.

"Yeah!" Cole cheered as Rocky took to the skies.

Together they rose through the air, picking a solid pace that the dragons could maintain for the half hour trip.

Cole was happily lavishing Rocky in attention, scratching beneath a spike, "Just like old times, eh, Rocky?”

"You guys believe what Sensei said about unlocking our full potential?” Kai asked.

"He may be onto something. I mean since we got these Golden Weapons, we haven’t had to use them. I wonder what they do?” Jay mused.

"[M/n]?" Zane called. "Do you know what our weapons have in store for us?”

"They are ancient weapons that built Ninjago, the world we know today. They have an untapped power, unmatched by any living thing. The Weapons have secrets only their holders can unlock.”

All four of them stared at the purple ninja, trying to figure out what he was telling them. It sounded odd, like a riddle some old creature had recited instead of an answer from a teenager.

"I have no idea what you just said but it sounded like our weapons are kickass,” Cole said, grinning. Everyone happily voiced their agreement as [M/n] sighed. "Is anyone else a little excited about battling Lord Garmadon? I’ve been looking forward to trying out some new Spinjitzu moves. Could be the perfect opportunity.”

"Ha-ha! Race you there?” Jay challenged, before Wisp shot off in a burst of speed.

Rocky, Flame, and Shard chased after the nimble lightning dragon, leaving Ara behind. [M/n] chuckled when Ara gave the draconic equivalent of a sigh, reluctantly picking up the pace, though he hung back so he wasn't mistaken for being apart of the race.

The four dragons landed near simeoultaneously, heavy bodies creating loud thumps as they landed. Ara's landing was far softer, barely stirring the dirt beneath his claws. In one smooth motion, [M/n] dismounted, landing softly and silently.

The four ninja were arguing about their race, much to [M/n]'s annoyance.

"Ha-ha! I was first!”

"No! No one was faster than me!”

"Ha-ha-ha! My feet were down before yours!”

"You were all disillusioned! It was clearly me!”

Their argument fell silent as the unnatural silence of the normally bustling merchant village. Screaming from further within the village had them all on edge, hands reaching for weapons, and the slamming of doors had them all twitching. A long shadow stretched out from an alley, cruel laughter bouncing off the walls.

"Stay sharp, fellas. Whatever happens never let your guard down,” Kai ordered, pulling his sword from his sheath. [M/n] kept his hands on the handles of his Tessens, but kept them sheathed as he noticed the way the laughter began changing.

The shadow shrank and the laughter pitched up as the figure slowly came into view.

"It is I, Lloyd Garmadon! I demand all the candy in town! Or else!”

The boy, Lloyd Garmadon, had white blond hair in a bowl cut and a black hoodie with painted bones, a green five, and a purple obi wrapped around his waist. Climbing onto the lip of the fountain, he flung his arms out in display.

"Lloyd Garmadon? I thought we were gonna face Lord Garmadon,” Jay complained, head falling back.

"It’s his son,” Cole stated, earning an unhappy grunt. "Looks like he escaped his Boarding School for Bad Boys again. And to think we could’ve been doing Spinjitzu already.”

[M/n]'s lip twitched, the only physical sign of his dislike of the school. When he'd first woken up from his apparent coma, the school had been a subject he had needed to research in the hopes he would find out about his past. Unfortunately, it hadn't done anything but irritate him, making the itch in his brain worse.

Darkley's had recently celebrated their 30th year of being built, but that wasn't right. At least his brain was telling him that, even though there was no evidence to prove it. But what did he know?

When the villagers left their homes, without candy, Lloyd got nervous seeing the looks of irritation and anger. "Er . . . er . . . Gimme your candy or I’ll release the Serpentine on you!”

Lloyd whipped out a can, pulling a string that sent rubber snakes flying into the crowd of booing villagers. The shouts grew louder and they began pelting him with vegetables as he hunched over to protect himself.

"No way! I asked for candy, not vegetables! I hate vegetables!” He yelped as he was knocked into the fountain water.

[M/n] damn near took an involuntary step, body jerking slightly as he forced himself to stay still.

At the center of his chest the strange warmth that had been a constant pulsed with heat, urging him to go to the boy.

"He’s gonna have to do a lot better than use an old bedtime story to scare people,” Kai scoffed.

"The Serpentine are real, Kai. They’re not something to joke about,” Zane warned.

"Serpentine? Real? We’re talking about the ancient race of snake people who once ruled Ninjago and were supposedly locked underground.”

Jay whimpered, wringing his hands. "Sealed in five different tombs to separate the warring tribes and ensure they don’t unify to exact their revenge upon those who put them there.”

"Έξι φυλές,” [M/n] corrected quietly, mostly tuning them out. The odd tidbits of information he spouted at times, that even the others didn't even know, didn't really surprise him anymore.(Six tribes)

"It was an old wives tale to teach kids not to poke their noses where they don’t belong. Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious no one’s ever found one of their tombs?” Kai began pushing through the crowd of villagers to get to Lloyd, who had dragged himself out of the fountain.

"Well that’s because you’d be a fool to look for one. If there was anything I hated more than dragons it was . . .” Cole paused, losing the word. ". . . serpenti. Rubber or not.”

Jay grabbed Lloyd underneath the armpits to lift him, recieving a can to the face. "Unhand me!”

"Don’t worry, folks! We’ll take care of this. Nothing to see here,” Cole called, as Jay continued to fight to hold Lloyd still.

"Bow down to me or suffer my wrath! I’ll give you to the count of three! One! Two!”

"What are we supposed to do? Spank him?” Kai asked. Jay lost the fight, releasing Lloyd who immediatley tried to flee.

A heavy gloved hand fell on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

The flash of purple he saw out of the corner of his eye had him shrieking fearfully as the rest of the ninja laughed. Turning, the four began discussing his punishment giving [M/n] the opportunity to slip away.

Picking up Lloyd, he set the boy on his hip and began pushing through the crowd to get to the closest alley. The villagers watched, grumbling at the lack of a visible punishment but were satisfied the ninja was going to handle it.

Lloyd trembled in his arms, thinking of all the rumors surrounding the dreaded Purple Ninja, whose mask left only his cold [e/c] eyes visible. "Please don't hurt me."

His voice shook, lacking the confidence and defiance he'd shown previously.

"I don't hurt kids."

"I'm not-" Lloyd's teeth audibly clicked as he realized how stupid it would be to contradict the ninja. Especially when he'd just been given a free pass. "What’re you gonna do then?”

"I'm not going to punish you." Answering the unasked question beneath it.

Lloyd waited for more, but nothing came. He was unprepared to be set down and stumbled slightly, regaining his balance after a moment. The Purple Ninja crouched down, tugging his mask off so his entire face was visible.

"Do not threaten the village again. It is unbecoming of Lord Garmadon's son to demand candy when he could steal it.”

Lloyd's jaw nearly dropped at the unsolicted advice. "Wha-Why is it un-un-whatever?!”

"Lord Garmadon took what he wanted. He did not need to demand it.”

Blinking owlishly, the young boy eventually nodded only to be further surprised when a pouch filled with yen was pushed into his hands.

The older villages much preffered yen over the other available currency for whatever reason.

"Thank you," Lloyd mumbled, remembering his manners if only for a moment. "But your team is still my enemy! My mortal enemies!”

[M/n] chuckled, a low raspy sound, standing. "We shall meet on the battlefield then Παιδί.”(Kid)

Lloyd puffed up in pride as the ninja slipped away, disappearing into the shadows like a ghost.

Alone, he couldn't help but wonder about the malicious rumors surrounding the so-called 'Bringer of Death.'

'Cause he'd been nice, far nicer than he needed to be. I mean, he'd given him money and advice, asking for nothing in return. He even said they'd meet on the battlefield, basically calling him an equal.

---------------

Finding the ninja back in the grassy clearing just outside the walls, [M/n] watched for a moment as they struggled to make it into the saddle once again. Kai jumped up, lost his grip and fell, kicking his saddle bag on the way back down. A scroll tumbled from the saddle bag, catching everyones attention since they didn't normally carry scrolls in their bags.

"Huh? I don’t remember putting this here,” Kai said.

"That’s Sensei’s bag. You must’ve accidentally taken it in the rush,” Zane stated, climbing down from Shard.

"What is it?" Jay asked, trying to see the scroll.

"It’s a scroll, windbag,” Kai sassed.

"I know it’s a scroll, but what does it say? It’s written in chicken scratch."

"Not chicken scratch. The ancient language of our ancestors,” Zane corrected.

"Ancient Ninjaoan," [M/n] added, pausing at Flames head. He ran a gloved hand over warm scales, earning a low rumbling purr.

"Uh, can you read it?” Kai asked, crowding closer to Zane.

"Well, I can try. These kanji mean ‘prophecy.’”

"Prophecy?” Jay asked.

"It means it tells the future,” Kai said.

"Of course. Ha-ha. I knew that."

"'One ninja will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja, the ninja destined to defeat the Dark Lord,’” Zane translated.

"Oh, look a picture,” Jay said, happily examining it.

"Hey." Kai noticed a piece of the scroll flipped inward, revealing more chicken scratch. "It looks like theres a back.”

Zane flipped it over, revealing another picture. This one had a ninja dressed in silver with a Nine Tailed Fox around them.

"'The protector of the Green Ninja, the Silver Ninja, child of Life and Death. What was lost at the toll, shall return,’” Zane translated, humming in interest.

[M/n] mouthed the prophecy to himself, listening to them talk.

"Era criptico,” Cole mumbled to himself.(That was cryptic.)

"Wait, the Green Ninja prophecy said the Dark Lord, right? Do you think it means Lord Garmadon? And was the picture us? Is anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?” Kai eagerly asked.

"Like how good I’m gonna look in green?” Jay pointed out, smugly.

"Isn’t it obvious I’m gonna be the Green Ninja?”

"The color obviously suits me."

"Technically, I am the best,” Zane stated.

"Everyone, stop it! Remember why Sensei brought us together in the first place. We're a team. We weren't meant to see this and probably for good reason. Come on, let's head back home. We have training to do,” Cole ordered.

Ara nudged his rider, having silently made his way over.

"It’s about time I added some finesse to my routine,” Jay decided.

"Well, I could use some exercise."

"Yeah, I gotta work on some new moves."

[M/n] climbed into the saddle, urging Ara to take off without a word. The flight back was completely silent as everyone contemplated the two prophecies.

Arriving at the Monastery, they all trekked back up the stairs.

"So then we all agree. The prophecy states that one of us will become the Green Ninja and one will become the Silver Ninja and the issue will not rest until it is decided,” Jay stated, bringing it up first.

"May I suggest a tournament?” Zane offered. “Last two ninja standing are the best.”

"And will be declared the Green and Silver Ninja! I love it!” Kai shouted, energized. [M/n] wondered if they'd even payed attention to the prophecies.

Cole pushed open the outer door to the Monastery's courtyard, letting them see the obstacle course had been set up. Nya was running it, practicing.

Noticing them, her focus split and she was thrown from the course with a yelp of alarm. Jay laughed shyly, helping her up.

"Hey, Nya. Closer to beating your brother’s speed record?”

"I’m getting there. Heard what happened in town. Just a false alarm?” Nya asked, curious as ever.

"Just his son," [M/n] stated.

"Yeah. Uh, but we’re gonna need the space. Sorry, sis,” Kai apologized, hitting the button to deactivate the obstacle course.

"[M/n], you competing?" Cole asked. The purple ninja shook his head, uninterested. "Two matches, then. The winners of each face off for the titles. Armors for our own protection. It’s time to see what these babies can do.”

Cole threw a kendo helmet at Jay, who had been focused on Nya, connecting with a thunk. "Hey!”

"Hey, Nya. Wanna stay and watch me mop the floor with them?” Kai asked, co*cky as ever.

"No, thanks. I think I’ll just visit Jamanakai Village. Knock yourselves out,” Nya said, turning only to nearly jump out of her skin. She had assumed the purple ninja had headed inside but no, he had decided to stand in her blind spot only a foot or two away, waiting for her to turn.

"I’ll take you. I want to check the market.”

"Uh, ok. Works for me," Nya said, before mumbling, affectionately, "Lolo." (Crazy)

"Alright! First up: Kai versus Jay!” They left before the fighting began, making their way back to the stables where Ara was patiently waiting.

Nya smiled as Ara lowered his long neck so she could scratch around the feathers of his mane. "Gorgeous as always, Ara.”

The wyvern preened, smugly glancing to his rider who looked distinctly unimpressed. "You spoil him."

"He deserves to be spoiled." Ara offered her his wing to give her a boost so she could reach the saddle easier. He then refused to do the same for his rider, who climbed up the saddle the normal way, unbothered.

Ara pushed off, swooping forward and settling into an almost lazy pace.

"So what was the tournament for?”

"Two prophecies they weren’t supposed to see.”

"So, your not interested? Like . . .”

"I know what I need to. The rest will come in time.”

"Sometimes I wonder if you're related to Sensei Wu. It would make sense, think about it,” Nya added, feeling him sigh.

They traveled in a peaceful silence, watching as they passed the world beneath them.

Ara chose to land where they had previously in the large clearing, crouching to allow his passangers the room to slide off.

Running a hand over Ara's feathers, [M/n] gently murmured, "Πήγαινε φίλε μου. Θα είμαστε λίγο."(Go, my friend. We will be a while.)

Huffing, the wyvern waited patiently for the two to back away before he took off. [M/n] used Spinjitzu to change into his civilian clothes as the dragon rose, straightening his leather jacket.

"I’m gonna go get some vegetables and fruits, Jamanakai’s had some good ones recently,” Nya stated, already walking away.

[M/n] headed towards the opposite end of the market where jewelry was sold.

Earlier that week he and Zane had visited and he had seen a Kanzashi stand manned by an old woman. Her sign had said handmade kanzashi, which piqued his interest.

He found her stall, tucked away in the back with her leaning over her wares and checking over them.

"Ma'am," [M/n] greeted, trying not to startle her.

"Hello, young one. Anything that caught your eye?”

Beginning to shake his head, as he'd only wanted to look, he paused when one of her kanzashi caught his eye.

A yinglong dragon made of jade that had been broken and then pieced together using silver. An odd choice since most people used gold in the art of Kintsukuroi. It was carved in a circle, biting its own tail, with a simple unembellished pin of jade cutting across it meaning it was to be placed around a bun.

Gently picking up the exquisite piece he found the eyes to be made of uncut onyx, giving them an oddly malicious look.

"A gift for someone, perhaps?”

"No, just . . . It’s beautiful. How much?”

"2,000 yen.”

"Here.”

She placed it in inside a padded velvet bag, carefully pulling the strings closed before handing it over. He left with a softly murmured thank you, placing the bag in one of the hidden pockets on the inside of his jacket.

Perusing carrots Nya didn't notice him until she lifted her gaze to the shopkeeper and saw the look on the shopkeepers face as he watched someone behind her.

Quickly finishing up the interaction she stuffed the carrots into the newly bought cloth bag at her side. The man had given her a reduced price since the Purple Ninja himself, who was apparently notorious even without his GI, was standing right there. Hovering.

Turning to check out a different stall, screams began filling the air.

"What now?"

Nya looked past the nearest stone archway only to gasp, eyes flying open in shock. Serpentine.

"Take the candy! Take it all!” Lloyd cackled.

Nya felt, rather than saw, [M/n] take up a position by her side, calmly peering around the corner. "Hypnobrai."

"How do you- Not important,” Nya quickly decided, watching in horror as people were hypnotized, the eerie rattling of their tails filling the air.

Seeing a group of, armed, Hypnobrai [M/n] grabbed Nya by the arm tugging her away from the panicking flood of people, pushing their way past.

Using the back alleys they fled, with [M/n] ignoring the blurry figures in the corner of his vision as a memory tugged at him. Finding a good place to hide didn't take long and [M/n] quickly boosted Nya up onto the roof before following.

Nya ducked behind the chimney, crouching as she panted slightly. Glancing to [M/n], she went to ask what the plan was but paused at the wide eyed look on his face. His skin was paler than normal and hsi focus seemed shot, his gaze on the distant horizon instead of the Hypnobrai, the enemies.

"[M/n]?"

In the corner of her vision she saw Ara dive down before curving violently to the side to head back towards the Monastery.

Knee on the ground, [M/n] watched as the small platoon of Hypnobrai worked their way through the already evacuated village. On his own, he knew not to engage, orders from Wu, but he needed to blow off some steam.

A Hypnobrai soldier paused in the alleyway, turning to call out to his platoon and [M/n] struck, slicing down their back. They screamed, collapsing and the rest of the platoon shouted and charged.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he fought the 7 other soldiers, dodging spears and swords and dancing close enough to use his Tessens, leaving gaping wounds that left them unable to fight. But alive.

The pommel of a sword slammed into his head and he stumbled, fumbling with his Tessens as he tried to straighten. Stumbling away, he turned blinking away the dots in his vision. He was forced to go on the defensive against this soldier, the leader of the platoon, and he was losing.

The soldier kicked out his legs and he dropped onto his back, gasping. The soldier raised his sword and swung it down, meeting the blades of his Tessens. It became a battle of strength and [M/n] wondered if maybe it wasn't worth it to fight.

How bad could it be to just let the sword hack into his chest? He was alone anyways. Wu had pulled away, blaming him for the loss of his student and the other Elemental Masters weren't close to him.

A black bo staff slammed into the soldiers head and he dropped like a sack of flour. Garmadon murky red eyes blazed with fire as he dragged the younger ninja up onto his feet.

"What were you thinking?! My brother told you not to engage!"

[M/n] didn't respond, flinching slightly at the loud voice that rang in his ears. Seeing the small movement, Garmadon scowled further and softened his voice. "From now on you are stuck with me. I get that you are mourning but this will not happen again. You will not throw yourself into battle with the hopes of losing your head, do you understand?"

"Yes, Garmadon. I understand." They held each others gaze for a moment before Garmadon gave a firm nod and left, leaving [M/n] to follow.

[M/n] wondered how differently it would've gone if Garmadon had been any later and felt guilt worm its way into his chest, curling around the cold that had encompassed his chest since he had died.

How could he claim Sensei blamed him? If anything the man blamed himself. Glancing up he saw-

The world snapped back into place around him like a rubber band, and he gasped startling a little when he found Nya directly in front of him. His hands jerked upwards but he calmed, recognizing her.

The teenager watched nervously as her friend calmed himself down, taking deep, slow breaths counting to himself. Shaking his head, he ran a hand through [h/c] hair scratching lightly at his scalp.

"What was that?" Nya questioned, voice small.

"I don't know."

Nya bit her lip, wanting to push for more but knowing the other tended to shut down, at best, or, at worst, lash out whenever interrogated.

It was luck that the roars of the other dragons were heard, distracting them both. Diving, the dragons headed towards the clearing as [M/n] tugged Nya back towards the chimney. Peering around it they had a good enough view of the ninja rushing inside and their confrantation with Lloyd.

Lloyd was leaning over a wheelbarrow full of pilfered sweets, cheering, "I’m never coming down from this sugar ride! Woo-hoo!”

"Sorry to bust your buzz, little Garmadon,” Cole called, announcing their position.

"But it’s already past your bedtime,” Jay taunted.

"Get them!” Lloyd shrieked to the General. The massive Hypnobrai lifted himself up higher and rattled his tail, scaring the ninja who had not originally seen him.

"Seize them!" General ordered.

Kai stopped, jaw dropping. "The Serpentine? They’re real?”

Hypnobrai soldiers and the hypnotized villagers began closing in on them.

"It’s not just them we have to worry about. The whole village has been hypnotized,” Cole realized.

Jay pulled his Golden Nunchucks out slipping into position only for Zane to shove his weapon down, "No! Our weapons are too unstable. We would do more harm than good."

"I guess that leaves us with RUN!!”

The four split up, darting into different alleys as Nya and [M/n] followed from above, using the roofs.

When the group met up again, Nya and [M/n] down and joined them. "Huh, Nya. You’re okay.”

"[M/n]," Zane greeted, relieved.

"Barely. They’ve hypnotized everyone in town."

"Mind control? How is this possible?” Jay asked.

"When you hear them rattle their tails, don't look in their eyes. That's how they get you," Nya answered.

"Well, what’re we supposed to do? We can’t use our weapons and now we gotta fight with our eyes closed? Ha, perfect,” Jay complained, dropping his head into his hands.

"The Generals staff,” [M/n] began, easily pulling their attention. "The gem holds the anti-venom. We can use it to wake the hypnotized villagers.”

"Look, guys. Forget about the whole Green Ninja thing. Let’s make Sensei proud. The five of us. We’re a team,” Kai said.

"Now you’re talkin’.”

"Oh, and Nya, you can be our honarary member,” Jay added, smiling.

"Gee, thanks."

Kai led the charge, bursting from the alley and lifting his hands up into a traditional boxing stance against the first Hypnobrai he saw. "You wanna play? How about a little Spinjitzu? Ninja Go!” Barely even a few seconds into using his Spinjitzu he was violently thrown out.

"Okay, we’re really out of shape,” Jay realized.

Lloyd cackled at the scene, running away with the wheelbarrow. "Ha! Consider this a warning, ninja!”

"Ninja go!" Zane threw his shurikens towards the wheelbarrow, sending the candy and Lloyd flying out.

Approaching the boy, who was struggling to get up, he was stopped by a purple bō shuriken landing by his feet. It was a very clear warning.

That was close enough to the boy.

"My candy!" Lloyd wailed, seemingly not noticing his bleeding palms.

"Sensei was right. Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today. We should’ve dealt with you ourselves the first time around,” Zane stated, making Lloyd flinch.

"Retreat!" Lloyd screamed, scrambling to his feet.

"Retreat!" Slithraa echoed.

As the Hypnobrai retreated, one stayed behind to go after Cole who had the staff in hand. "Go ahead. Give me a reason." Skales lunged, trying to take the staff but was quickly thrown off since Cole didn't want to let him stay too close, still unsure of the Hypnobrais abilities.

The space gave Skales an opportunity. "Look into my eyes, I control you.”

"You control-”

"Cole!" Nya slammed her food into Skales' head, knocking him down and freeing Cole from his control. "You have the anti-venom!"

"Santo cielo, you're right!"

"Quick! The fountain!"

"Got it." His way was blocked by the still hypnotized villagers, and he really didn't want to hurt them, even to rescue them. Looking around desperately he saw the purple ninja over halfway to the fountain with a semicircle of - likely dead - Hypnobrai and a couple of knocked out villagers at his feet. "[M/n]!"

He threw the staff. [M/n] jumped, using a villager to gain enough height and catch it before making it to the fountain. Standing on the lip he tapped the bottom of the staff against it and allowed the anti-venom to drip from the fangs into the water.

A thick blue mist began pouring over the lip of the fountain freeing those that breathed it in. Those that were released began pushing the mist towards the others, freeing their fellow villagers.

[M/n] hopped down and was joined by Sensei Wu who Ara had brought. The rest of his students eventually gathered around him at the fountain after realizing the villagers were doing fine on their own.

"We’re sorry, Sensei. If we had dealen with Lloyd properly before he became a problem, none of this would’ve happened,” Kai said, sending [M/n] a look but the teen was unrepentant. He wasn't going to punish Lloyd for something so small.

"Even lessons learned the hardway are lessons learned. Mmmh . . . a great evil has been released. I fear troubling times will come. This is only the beginning,” Sensei Wu mused, stroking his beard.

"Then we will train and be ready for the Serpentine,” Zane said.

"It may not be Lord Garmadon, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be bringing our A-game,” Cole stated.

"Help us train. Help us realize our potential."

"Yeah. Teach us the secrets behind the Weapons of Spinjitzu,” Jay added. "In a hopefully non-cryptic way.”

"Hmmm . . . There is much to teach. We must return to the Monastery."

The ninja all happily agreed heading back towards their dragons, who greeted them.

Ara gently nudged his blood flecked rider, worry shining in silver eyes as [M/n] spaced out, mind running through the memory over and over.

"When am I gonna get my own dragon?” Nya asked, as Jay perked up, distracting [M/n] from his own mind.

"Patience, Nya. Your time will come.”

[M/n] gestured for her to join him before Jay could offer. He waited until she was at his side before murmuring, "Ara is always ready to fly with you. Just ask.”

"Thanks [M/n]. Are you going to be alright after what happened?”

"I will be. Thank you, Nya.”

-------------------------

While everyone headed back inside to relax after such an exciting day, [M/n] stayed back in the stables. He unsaddled the wyvern and began meticulously grooming him, allowing himself to get lost in the process.

A fight against the Hypnobrai was impossible. The Serpentine had been trapped for nearly 70 years and there had been no cases of loose Serpentine running around. So how had he faced them when he was only 17 years old? It couldn't have happened recently, not since he'd woken up, but he would have been too young for it to happen before his coma. Right?

Besides that, what had pushed him to the brink of suicide?

Who was this other student?

Why had the memory cut off like that?

Had Wu lied about he and the four being his only students?

His mind was a jumbled mess and he hated it. Hated how the memories seemed just out of reach, just close enough to feel but not enough to remember.

Since he'd woken up, he'd done everything he could to keep his mind in order, to try and regain his memories. Training, meditation, and sewing seemed to work best, clearing his mind and allowing him to compartmentalize. But how could he just shove this away into the recesses of his mind?

Chapter 3: S1 E2: Home

Chapter Text

[M/n] sat on the engawa facing the courtyard, sharpening the black blades of his Tessens as he supervised the ninjas training.

"Ugh! Come on!" Kai complained, having been thrown from his Spinjitzu again. He'd been getting better, holding it for longer and longer each time.

"Oh, you want a little more? Take this!” Cole taunted the dummy he was attacking, working on his scythe skills.

"Haha! Watch me beat this!" Jay dodged the arrows with a fancy flip, jumping high enough that they passed harmlessly beneath him.

Zane sat, off in the corner, meditating, completely zen even as the others shouted and caused general chaos throughout the different sections of the courtyard.

The door behind [M/n] slid open and Wu silently joined him, radiating pride. "You did not wish to join them?"

"What challenge would I face? I know their moves long before they know mine. Besides, they wished to practice solo."

"Ninja go!" Kai, once again, used his Spinjitzu, maintaining his hold on it.

Like a flip had been switched, Zane jumped up breaking out of his meditation.

First, he jumped in front of Jay, dodging the next round of arrows, forcing Jay to drop to the ground to avoid getting hit himself. "Hey!"

Zane darted away, using a disarming move on a surprised Cole to take his scythe. He then used it against the dummy as Cole watched, dumbfounded. "Hey! What?!"

With a cry of "Ninja go!", he used his Spinjitzu and ice spread from beneath him. The shurikens had activated, causing the ice, though [M/n] couldn't tell if it was on purpose or simply a reaction.

"Woah, oof!" Kai yelped, crashing to the ground and sliding across the ice.

Scowling, the three slowly made their way across the ice to the engawa where Wu and [M/n] were. The steps, which had mercifully been left unfrozen, became their perchs as they glared at the white ninja.

"This roof isn’t big enough for the four of us,” Kai hissed.

"Correction: This roof isn’t big enough for him,” Cole said.

"It’s like he’s in his own little world,” Jay muttered before turning and raising his voice. "I BET HE CAN’T EVEN HEAR US!”

[M/n] scowled, standing.

"Sensei, Zane’s . . . weird,” Kai complained.

"What is weird? Someone who is different or someone who’s different than you?”

[M/n] shoved past them, shoulder checking Kai as he passed, nearly knocking him off the step. Crossing the ice was fairly easy, and he quickly made it to Zane who was practicing his katas on an unfrozen patch of cobblestone.

"May I join you?”

"Of course, my friend.”

Together they ran through the basic katas of Aikido, Zanes preffered fighting style. They moved in unison, counting the steps as they moved.

The doorbell rang, exciting the three on the stairs, who shouted in unison, "Mail!"

Rushing to the door, one of them flung open the door to reveal the exhausted, panting postman who'd had to climb up the mountain. It took him a moment to catch his breathe before he began passing out letters.

"Let’s see. A letter from Jay’s parents.” Jay seemed happy enough to take the letter. "Kai has a fan letter.” Kai greedily snatched the letter and tore it open to read. "Oh, something from Cole’s father.”

Cole frowned, taking the thin package. "What, no package? I’m expecting something from my Aunt for Rocky.”

"No. Nothing from . . . uh-uh. Here it is!” He passed the package over to an excited Cole.

"Ha! Rocky’s gonna love this!”

Zane had paused in his katas to watch them recieve their letters, and decided to head back inside after seeing how happy they were.

"Hey. Zane. How come you never hear anything from your parents?” Jay asked, then seemed to realize something else. "How come you don’t hear from your parents, [M/n]?”

"I don’t remember my parents. I’ve been an orphan all my life,” Zane admitted.

"Orphan," [M/n] said, shrugging.

At least he assumed he was one. Sensei Wu hadn't informed him of any family, so he figured he'd been picked up off the street. The slight memory he had of pickpocketing, and his ability for it now, backed him up on that particular theory.

"You mean you’ve never had a home?” Kai asked. Zane shook his head timidly.

"The Monastary is your home now,” Wu stated, meeting their gazes evenly.

[M/n] nodded and retreated back to his own room, hidden in the back hallways of the Monastery. Wu had originally set him up closer to the others but he'd sought out the room that was most familiar to him.

Locking the door behind him, he pulled an old rucksack from the closet. Sitting on his bed, he pulled out the objects within and set them before him.

The Kanzashi he'd bought that day in the village had recently joined his collection.

He had a red orange twining ribbon made from the fabric of an old, tattered kite that he sometimes wore in his own hair. Two other kanzashi's, a simple set of metal chopsticks and a delicate jade and white gold comb. The last item was an, obviously, homemade bracelet of pretty rocks and river smoothed stones wrapped in leather.

Every singly item made his heart ache for someone, but he still didn't know who.

In the memory with the Hypnobrai, Garmadon had mentioned him mourning. Maybe the items had belonged to this other student or had been gifts from the student? Wu hadn't given him an actual answer, expertly shifting the conversation away before retreating.

Taking the ribbon, he gently wove it into his hair, liking the look of it and the sense of security that came from it.

The other items were all placed back inside, and the rucksack tucked away in the closet.

Khēlai was sprawled in the bay seat, snoring away in the form of a house cat. The shape shifter had been extremly lazy recently, since the fight with Lord Garmadon, and spent his days snoozing or hunting whatever he pleased.

Someone knocked on his door. "Come in."

"Hello, [M/n]. I was wondering if you wished to help me make dinner? The groceries are going to go bad soon, so I assumed a big dinner was in order.”

"Of course, I’ll help,” [M/n] stated, standing and brushing off his jeans. He followed Zane back to the kitchen where they began the long process of actually deciding what to make.

In the end they made: a rosemary roasted turkey, chicken stuffed dumplings, garlic butter shrimp tempora, pakora, vegetable tempura, and miso soup.

The kitchen filled with the sounds of chopping, stirring, and the bubbling of boiling water as the delicious scents filled the room. Neither felt the need to speak, basking in the silence, content.

While Zane finished cutting the turkey into slices, [M/n] placed all the different dishes on the dining table, listening the chatter of the others.

"Mmmh. Oh I love it when it's Zane’s night to cook,” Jay said, before seeing [M/n]'s raised eyebrow. Scrambling to explain himself, he tripped over his own words. "No-Wait, I mean - It’s just - It all looks delicious! But your foods delicious too-!”

"You’re digging yourself a deeper hole,” Nya stated, giggling.

"Hmmph, I didn’t hear any complaints about my duck chowder last night,” Cole said, sulking.

"That’s because it glued our mouths shut. You really thought Jay was speechless all throughout dinner?” Kai asked in disbelief.

[M/n] was only a little surprised by that, since he'd seen before how bad Cole's cooking was. Luckily, he'd long since made a habit of disappearing on Cole's days to eat his own leftovers, since he cooked the day before the black ninja.

"Yeah. Please don’t make that again."

Zane entered the dining room carrying the half cut, golden rosemary turkey, wearing a ruffled pink apron. It had been a gag gift from [M/n] that he'd found in Jamanakai that Zane had since fallen in love with.

"Dinner is served,” Zane announced, setting down the plate.

As they all busted out laughing, [M/n] began making him and Zane plates. He knew them well.

"What’s so funny?”

"Zane. You’re wearing a . . . Even I wouldn’t wear that,” Nya said, giggling louder.

"You laugh because I take steps to ensure I’m clean after cooking?” Zane asked, frowning and brushing the front of his apron off.

"Haha! No! We laugh because you came out wearing that ridiculous outfit!” Kai laughed.

"I guess we don’t share the same sense of humor,” Zane said.

"Well, how ‘bout this?” Cole slammed the plate of shrimp into Kai's face. The aromatic garlic butter dripped down his face as the shrimp stuck to his dark skin.

The rest of the table roared with laughter as Zane looked on, upset, and [M/n] let out a low hiss of breath.

"How could you not find that funny?” Cole asked, not noticing Wu come up behind him with the bowl of miso soup in hand. "Ah!”

"Now, you are brothers."

A food fight erupted, with [M/n] and Zane quickly retreating back to the kitchen with their plates in hand. The two ate over the island in the kitchen, listening to the sounds of their hard work be tossed around.

Doing their best to ignore the group, they quietly talked about maybe visiting one of the bigger merchant villages to pick up some new cutlery and dishes. They hoped to even find some new steel knives as the set there had begun dulling too much.

Unsurprisingly they were left to clean up the dining room as everyone went to shower.

"Why was it so funny to them? My apron.”

"It’s pink. A non-masculine color. And it has frills.”

"Oh.”

"You don’t have to wear it if their laughter bothers you.”

"No. You gifted it to me. I can handle their laughter.”

[M/n] allowed a small smile to curl his lips.

Zane offered to take the trash out, seeking a little bit of peace to think, so [M/n] headed to his room. Opening the window, he slid out lifting himself up using the lip of the roof. Khēlai shifted into a Barn Owl to follow and perch on the roof beside him.

The moons soft light was comforting, and his eyes slid closed, bathing in her gentle silver light.

Khēlai hopped closer, finding a good spot do he could keep watch over his holder through the night.

Dream

A low reptilian hiss filled the strange, empty space. Except it wasn't empty. Two young men were in the center, one with black hair the other with blond, pressed back to back as something in the shadows circled them. Finally, it came into sight.

A lung dragon, with twisted and tattered bony wings that gave of a sickly green light. Its black scales were cracked with the scales of its belly being that same sickly green of its wings. Long, wickedly hooked claws clicked against the ground leaving nicks as its long tail dragged across the ground creating a disturbing sound that would make your hair stand on end. Its maw was filled with all kinds of teeth, arranged awkwardly so its purple tongue hung from its mouth. Long black horns pointed straight back, creating an ominous shadow as bright ruby eyes glowed maliciously.

The sick creature slowly circled them, gradually getting closer before a loud roar filled the eternal space. A large wyvern landed behind the two, dropping onto its large wings to encircle them. The dragon looked so similar to Ara, except for a few key differences and its size.

Snarling, the twisted dragon swiped with a long, crooked forearm only to be rammed into and knocked backwards. Tendrils of something grabbed onto its body and dragged into back into the shadows as the wyvern lowered its head, baring impressive fangs. The two teens seemed unbothered by the wyvern and focused on the shadows.

A womans voice came from the shadows, smooth as honey and light as clouds but it was undercut by the sense of impatience one got. There were no words to be heard, just the sound of her voice.

Dream

[M/n]'s eyes snapped open and he quickly took stock of his surroundings. In the distance, the sun was just beginning to rise as Khēlai turned his head to face him, focusing large orange eyes on him.

"I'm fine. Just . . . Just a nightmare."

Khēlai clicked his beak together but slid back into the soulspace, or the Chóropsych, he resided in.

Climbing back inside, he chose to head to the kitchen and make himself a London Fog, a new drink he'd discovered and fallen in love with. For nearly an hour he sat in the kitchen, silent as the grave.

He was broken from his stupor when Zane rushed in and asked to meet him and the others out front. Hearing the urgency, he did as asked, though he went back and grabbed his Tessens first.

The others gathered at the front, and Zane led them down the mountain and through the nearby Forest of Tranquility.

“I don’t think Zane even knows where he’s going,” Kai grumbled. “Uh, tell us how you stumbled upon Lloyd’s secret headquarters.”

"I followed a bird.”

"Why did you follow a bird?” Jay asked.

"Because it danced.”

"Oh . . . okay. Was it a cuckoo bird?” Jay joked, making Cole and Kai laugh.

"Of course not. Everyone knows cuckoo birds are not indigenous to these forests,” Zane stated. The three stared at his back in confusion.

They came to a stop just outside a massive clearing filled with Hypnobrai building a treehouse. "Watch it! No, bigger! Come on, we don’t have all day! It’s not time for a lunch break!” Lloyd shouted angrily.

[M/n] saw, and heard, the irritated Hypnobrai and felt a little worried for Lloyds safety.

"Holy cannoli! Frosty was right!” Cole hissed.

"We can’t let that brat and those snakes get a foothold in Ninjago. We gotta destroy that thing before it becomes operational,” Kai decided.

"Whoa! Are you sure? It looks like a pretty cool tree house. There’s a ropes course . . . Ooh, a tree swing!” Jay pointed out, delighted.

"Hey! Remember who’s team you’re on. Alright, guys. What do we do?” Cole asked.

"It looks like the entire place is being supported by those three trees. Once those ties are severed, the whole thing is gonna fall like a house of cards,” Kai said.

"But why would one make a house of cards? Such construction would be careless,” Zane wondered, curiously.

"Oh, brother,” Kai grumbled.

"I’m going after Lloyd.” Kai turned to object, but the Purple Ninja was already gone, having slunk into the shadows.

"Travel in shadows, boys,” Cole said, grinning.

[M/n] traveled from shadow to shadow, pausing each time to make sure none of the Hypnobrai saw him. It was pathetically easy to make it to the side of the tree house. Picking the side facing the least amount of Hypnobrai, he began climbing up, keeping a slow pace.

He came up to the floor where Lloyd was and listened in.

"It’s almost finished. Soon, my fortress will be complete. You! Hold up that sign!"

A soldier held up the sign that read 'No ninja or girls allowed'. The ground fell out from beneath the soldier as Lloyd pulled a lever, and he fell screaming.

"Booby trap!” Lloyd cackled.

Above them, on the trees, Jay and Zane used their Spinjitzu to cut the ropes, sending the tree house listing heavily to one side.

A large chunk of Serpentine were flung from the treehouse from the force of the listing, screaming as they fell and broke bones slamming into the ground.

Lloyd cried out as he was flung into the wall, giving him the perfect view of Kai, clinging to the side of the building as well. "I said no ninja! Attack!”

"Everyone! Retreat!” Skales ordered, contradicting Lloyd.

All the Hypnobrai began fleeing en masse, leaving Lloyd behind.

Kai paused in his climbing to shout to Cole who was positioned at the last rope. "Cole! Wait till we’re off the treehouse, then cut the line!”

Skales ducked out onto a lower porch, and pointed up at Cole, "You! You will obey my every command!”

[M/n], still hanging from the side, lept into action. Literally. He dropped two floors, landing on the railing without a problem, and darted along it towards Skales who shrieked. Panicking, Skales shoved another soldier into [M/n]'s path and fled back into the treehouse.

The soldier shoved in his way was granted a swift, clean death with a slice through the throat that scraped the bone of their spine. Dropping the body over the railing, he realized that Lloyd was no longer upstairs so he began searching the floors for him.

His ears picked up thuds and shouts from the roof as Cole fought against the others, having been hypnotized and forced to fight.

From about two floors below, [M/n] heard Lloyd's voice, pitchy and panicky, "Don’t go! We have to protect my treehouse fort!”

[M/n], without even thinking, dropped out the window, using his Tessens to catch himself.

"Your treehouse? It’s about time we did this!” Skales spat. Before he could pull the lever of yet another trap, [M/n] appeared in the window, balanced on the sill.

Skales whipped around, red eyes meeting cold, [e/c] eyes, the eyes of a predator. Like a fox watching a snake, waiting for the opportunity to catch its next meal.

Lloyd was shocked still, watching as Skales fled, more afraid of the Purple Ninja than he was angry at Lloyd's treatment of his tribe.

Huffing, [M/n] waisted no time in crossing the room to toss Lloyd onto his shoulder and climbing through the window to balance on to outside sill. Lloyd panicked, wiggling to get free as he realized they were going out the window.

"Calm down. I won't drop you."

"What! How can I trust you! You’re with the ninja!”

"I’m not asking you to trust me. I’m telling you I won’t drop you. Hold on.”

With no other warning, he dropped off the windowsill. The ground was 150 ft below them, giving [M/n] the time to pull Lloyd down, and tuck him into his arms, so when he hit the the ground he could roll without hurting Lloyd.

Lloyd screeched as the air buffetted him, unable to even process he was being moved until the ninja was hitting the ground and rolling to keep the pressure from breaking his legs. Once they were on solid ground, Lloyd stopped his screeching but could not stop the trembling of his body.

"Easy, Παιδί. We’re on the ground.” [M/n] carefully sat him on the ground before hearing Jay shouting as he swung past on a rope.

"THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD!!”

"Get moving," [M/n] ordered, taking off back towards the treehouse. He climbed up as quickly as he could, easily scaling the wooden treehouse since he no longer had to worry about being spotted.

"No, Cole! Don’t!”

"No! No, Cole! No!”

[M/n] climbed over the lip of the roof and found Cole positioning his scythe over the rope. Lunging, [M/n] crossed his Tessens and using them to block his scythe, holding it in place.

Cole put all of his weight behind the scythe, making [M/n] grunt as he struggled to hold up 200 pounds of force. Lips twisitng into a snarl, [M/n] pushed back to try and throw Cole of balance so he could get the room needed to knock him out.

A melencholic song filled the air as the pressure on [M/n]'s Tessens slowly lessened until Cole finally pulled away. The red of his eyes faded with every blink until there was no trace of it left in hazel eyes.

"Huh? Where - Where am I? What are we doing?” Cole asked, looking around.

Flame roared as he flew closer to the roof, carrying Wu, while Ara silently did the same, Nya perched in his saddle. "We’re getting outta here because this whole place is coming down!” Nya shouted.

Kai, Cole, and Jay all joined Wu on Flame, questioning the flute in his hands. Across from them Zane and [M/n] climbed onto Ara.

"That flute!”

"It cancels their powers."

"It is as old as the Serpentine themselves. But we must hurry! The Monastery is unguarded! Quickly!” Wu ordered.

Ara, sensing [M/n]'s worry for the unguarded Monastery, picked up the pace, passing Flame with ease. Meaning they saw the destruction of their home first.

The Monastery was gone with only a burned out, blackened husk left behind. Fire still ate away at the few parts left. Ara roared, voicing his own fury, and the other dragons responded fearfully, still trapped within the stable.

"We’re too late,” Kai whispered.

"Rocky!" Cole flung himself from Flame's saddle, racing down to the stables to pull the lever and release all of the dragons.

"Our home," Kai murmured.

The three dragons circled over head, anxious and fearful.

"Shard! Put this out!” Zane ordered, before allowing himself to observe the damage. "The training equipment. Gone.”

"Our video games. Gone!” Jay cried out.

"They stole their staff back,” Wu stated. [M/n] was devestated by the destruction of the one home he knew. But there was something deeper as well.

"What do we do now?” Cole asked.

"Παίρνω τα κεφάλια τους ως πληρωμή,” [M/n] hissed, furiously. Ara echoed him, long serpentine neck twisting as his feathers flared in a threatening display. (I take their heads as payment.)

Kai's sorrow turned to fury and he whirled on Zane. "If you hadn’t followed that f*cking bird, none of this would’ve happened!”

"Kai . . .”

"No, Sensei, he’s right!” Jay snapped, turning on Zane. "Because of you, my high score has been deleted!”

"This is a teaching moment. We must learn from this,” Zane stated softly.

"A ‘teaching moment’? What's wrong with you? Don't you get it?! EVERYTHING IS GONE!” Cole shouted.

"Enough!" [M/n] barked. They turned their attention to the ninja, who was facing the destruction. "Do not pin the blame on Zane when we all agreed to follow him. All five of us left.”

"[M/n] is correct. We are all at fault. Zane is your brother. Apologize at once,” Wu ordered, banging his staff on the cobblestone. The ninja all flinched, suitably chastised, and turned to apologize to Zane, who had already taken off on Shard.

"I’m sorry Zane, I-” Kai began.

"Zane?"

[M/n] could see the Falcon leading Zane and Shard away, and wondered what it would lead him to this time. Unable to ask and unwilling to follow he began digging through the rubble for anything salvageable.

Everyone eventually joined him, packing up their saddlebags with everything they could find. None of the food had survived, seeing as the fridge had become a blackened, melted, deformed mess.

[M/n] was able to find his rucksack, a little burnt and worn but still whole with everything still inside. Cradling the bag close, closing his eyes as relief filled him.

Prying open the burnt oaken chest that sat at the end of his bed, he found his other GI's, a pair of his civilian clothes, and the weapons he'd stocked up on, from a set of senbon in a bamboo wrap, to seaxe knives in their sheaths.

The others found a few pairs of clothes, with Jay finding some video games he'd shoved into his closet. Cole found the book of old Italian stories his mother, who had died when he was younger, had gifted.

Once they had searched through the Monastery for anything else salvagable, they packed it all up and left. The Mountain of Impossible Height became their temporary home for the night.

Cole had caught dinner so they all gathered around the fire, trying to chase away the cold that the wind brought with every gust of breath. The hastily thrown together canvas that sat above their heads swayed ominously with the wind.

Scattered around the camp were the dragons, who were all relatively unbothered by the wind. [M/n], having chosen to stay away from the other ninja, was sat with Ara, tucked between his long neck and his wing creating a mini shelter that kept him warm.

"Wh-what are we eating again?” Kai asked.

"Mud Newt. Not bad for something that lives underground,” Cole answered, wincing as he took a bite.

Jay was disgusted and spat out the bite he'd taken. "What?" Sighing loudly, he grabbed a nearby pebble and threw it into an empty can with a loud clanging that had [M/n] glancing his way. "Yeah! New high s-sc-score!”

"Remember, we must be thankful for what we still have,” Wu stated.

"What do we have?" Cole asked, shaking his head. "La nostra casa non c'è più."(Our home is gone.)

"You know. I don’t miss our home. What I really miss is Zane,” Kai admitted.

[M/n]'s grip on his rucksack, holding said ninjas GI, tightened. Even knowing Zane would return did not stop the worry of the Serpentine or other enemies attacking him or slowing him down.

"Yeah, I miss Zane,” Jay agreed.

"Zane?" Nya asked. [M/n] frowned, turning to look at her only to see Ara turn his head around and focus on something in the distance.

"Yeah, Zane. You know. White Ninja. The smart, strange one,” Jay explained, genuinley worried that she had forgotten him.

"No!" Nya cried, pointing out into the distance. "Zane!"

Heading towards them was Shard, carrying Zane and followed by the Falcon.

"Zane!"

Shard landed, calling out to Ara with a low rumble that sounded like ice cracking. The wyvern responded with a beautiful song-like croon, pulling himself up to greet the other.

Zane hopped down and moved away from the two, as everyone rushed towards him. He was wrapped in a tight hug by everyone, except for [M/n] who hung around the edges.

"Zane. We’re so sorry for everything we’ve said. We’re a team and that means we’re all responsible,” Jay rushed out, terrified the young man was still upset.

"You don't need to apologize to me,” Zane stated, pulling away.

"But what about all those awful things we said? Isn’t that why you left?” Kai asked, frowing slightly.

"Of course not. I saw the Falcon again and I followed him."

"That’s our Zane,” Cole laughed, hugging him again. [M/n] watched, at peace with how calm and happy Zane was to see them all again. It was only once everyone backed off that [M/n] hugged Zane himself, relishing in the cold Zane gave off.

"We’re happy to have you back,” Nya said.

"Why? Is it my turn to make dinner?” Zane asked, tilting his head. Everyone laughed, even [M/n].

"Yes, Zane. We would love for you to make dinner,” Wu stated.

"But I already made it. Come. I want to show you what I’ve found. I think you will all be pleased."

They took that as their cue to pack up their saddlebags, distrubuting the weight more evenly now that they had more room. All five dragons were excited, shfting constantly, calling to each other, and just generally being loud.

Zane led them all through the Sea of Sand, until he landed Shard just behind a large dune. The Falcon perched on the dragons large horns, watching them with eerily intelligent eyes.

"I can’t explain it, but I feel a strange connection with the Falcon. I think he’s trying to help show us the path we need to take.”

As he spoke, he led them up to the top of the dune before gesturing to the large, beached ship with faded colors and a dragon figurehead. "Our new home," Zane introduced, proudly. No one said anything, to amazed and shocked by the sight, until Jay caught the scent of something on the wind.

"Do I smell pie?"

"Cobbler berry. Oh, and I made myrtle berry and apple and-” He didn't even get the oppprtunity to finish as Kai, Nya, Jay, and Cole raced away to the Destiny's Bounty, tripping each other up to get there first.

"I’m proud of you, Zane. One day, I promise. We will find your family,” Sensei Wu stated, gently.

"But I’ve already found them." Zane and [M/n] shared a smile.

"I feel there's more to you than meets the eye. There’s something special about you, Zane.”

"Sensei, will I become the Green Ninja? Or perhaps the Silver Ninja?”

[M/n]'s smile dropped, and he looked away. Wu's eyes were on him, watching closely before he spoke. "It’s too early to tell, but if it’s in your path, you’ll know. Come now. It would be a shame to let them eat all that pie."

They joined the other ninja at the old, rickety dining table.

[M/n] glanced out the open door, so they could see the night sky and her stars, and wondered if Lloyd was alright.

Once they had all had their fill, they set about finding rooms for them all, only to realize there were only three rooms with a larger area down below for crew.

The three larger rooms all had beds inside, with the largest having three sets of bunk beds squished in, so the ninja took it.

The second largest had a second living space attached, so Wu chose that room while Nya took the smallest room.

[M/n] claimed the bunk next to the bathroom, since it was tucked into the corner on the far side of the room. The others chose to share, with Kai and Zane sharing the one closest to the door and Cole and Jay sharing the one beside [M/n]'s chosen bunk.

Chapter 4: S1 E3: Snakebit

Chapter Text

The four ninja spent most of the night chatting and discusing their new home, until [M/n]'s patience finally snapped and he snarled at them to shut up or they'd lose a very valuable part.

A gong woke them all up the next morning from their very short night of sleep.

Cole rolled over to face the wall, cursing in Italian. Jay just whined out loud as Kai buried his face into his pillow. Zane sat up, looking around in confusion as the sound reverbarated. [M/n] sat up, popping his spine as he glared at Wu.

"Evil doesn’t sleep and neither should you!” Wu stated, entirely too awake. "In order to reach your full potential, we must greet everyday as a new opportunity.”

"Okay okay, we’re up,” Kai groaned, removing his face from his pillow. "But if you want us to reach full potential shouldn’t we at least get a full night of rest?”

"You call that a rest? I think my back has more lumps than the mattress,” Cole grumbled, stretching.

"We were up so late, talking about how cool it is to have a new headquarters, I guess we lost track of time. Since the Serpentine burned down our monastery, I’m just glad we have a roof over our heads” Jay stated. As he talked, he prepared his toothbrush not even noticing the sand that poured from the faucet. Squeezing out a dollop of toothpaste, he stuck it in his mouth yelping at the sand that was suddenly coating his mouth.

"Without [M/n]’s interference we likely would’ve stayed up longer,” Zane admitted, swinging his legs over the side. [M/n] eyed the weak and rotting boards apprehensively. "What is our lesson today, Sensei? Mastering the Strike of the Scorpion? Or perhaps the Grace of-”

The boards collapsed and he dropped into the ground with a yelp.

"Chores,” [M/n] asnwered dryly, carefully lowering himself to the ground. "Todays lesson should be chores.”

"What, no way?!” Jay cried.

"Yes, I believe it should be,” Wu agreed.

"Chores?!”

"Ninja fight, Sensei, they do not clean,” Cole insisted.

"In order to respect ourselves, we must respect our new home and where we are from. And this place is a long way from becoming a Ninja headquarters. I expect things to be spotless when Nya and I return. And put your backs into it,” Wu ordered, before leaving to go get Nya.

"This place is gonna take forever to clean up,” Kai complained.

"Unless we put more that our back into it, huh?” Jay wiggled his brows at them.

Splitting up, they used their elements to begin cleaning the ship.

[M/n] slowly walked through the ship, using his Tessens as a conduite to control his Nether and eat away at the mold and cobwebs that had grown.

Within about two hours they'd managed to fix up the floorboards in their room, turned on all of the lights of the Bounty and rewired the electricity to the control room.

Finished, the four sat down in the living room and hooked up the old tv and began playing a video. [M/n] sat in the corner on a pillow, crossing legs and resting his arms on his knees, relaxing and sinking into meditation.

Within Chóropsych

[M/n] opened his eyes to a shadowed forest, with tall tree that grew close together, keeping the light away. Hidden within the bushes were foxes of different sizes and species, watching him closely as he walked through the forest, unafraid of the protectors of his soulspace.

Within the heart of the forest was a moon lit clearing filled with flowers crawling up the Red Oaks and herbs of all kind along the ground. Closing his eyes, he took in the sweet smell of all of the flowers floating across the light breeze. After a moment he approached the large Wisteria in the center of the clearing, the representation of his soul, lovingly brushing its bright hanging flowers and observing the blooming Moon Flowers before noting a new flower blooming.

The regulars along the ground swayed as he approached the new flower. Golden snapdragons reached upwards, tucked against the roots surrounded by fiery poppies, soft bluebells, gladioulus, and hydrangeas as [M/n] stepped over them, moving with the breeze.

He delicately lifted the petals, observing the flower perched on one of the lower hanging branches. Red along the tips faded to orange and yellow closer to the center with long pistols.

A Daylily.

It was only a few flowers, nothing compared to the hundred around them. But they had been buds for so long that [M/n] felt a sense of relief. Pulling away, he reached for the Moon Flowers, sighing softly as the memory of trust and a loyalty so deep. It was calming.

Khélai, who had approached when he was distracted, wrapped around him as a Caracal before hopping up and shifting into a Red Hawk to balance on [M/m]'s shoulder. Nipping affectionately at his ear, the shifter pointed him to the one of the large Oak tree towering over the Wisteria only a couple hundred feet away.

It had ivy crawling up the trunk with sweet smelling magnolias dotting the branches. Pressing a hand to the trunk, he was nearly overwhelmed by the sense of love, protection, and strength that radiated from it, a sharp reminder that he'd had family at one point.

Turning away, his mind wandered to the prophecy of the Silver Ninja.

It had said 'What was lost would return at the toll.' What was lost was his memories, obvioulsy, and the toll was likely a bell of some kind, but what bell was the question.

A part of him longed to go searching for the bell himself, to get his memories back but it would likely start the Final Battle, or, at the very least, speed up the timetable. The Green Ninja would need time to train and prepare, to grow and mature as the Savior of Ninjago. [M/n] was patient. He could wait as long as the Green Ninja needed.

Out of Chóropsych

[M/n] woke up just as Nya and Wu entered, looking genuinly surprised by the cleanliness of the Bounty. Though it was far from done.

"What took you so long?” Kai asked smugly.

"Wow. This place looks amazing! You guys did all this?” Nya questioned, genuinly surprised.

"Ninja don’t just fight, Nya. We clean,” Cole stated.

"Oh, you have exceeded my expectations . . .” Wu said, glancing out the window as a car honked. ". . . but can you keep it up?”

[M/n] stood up to look out the window himself, smiling slightly when he saw the Jalopy pulling up.

The memory of fetching Jay from the Junkyard to bring him back onto the Monastery was one of [M/n]'s fondest memories. Ed and Edna had been delighted to host him as Jay packed, bombarding him with stories from his (Jay's) childhood.

"Looks like we’re about to have some visitors, and loud ones at that,” Nya said, peering out the window herself.

"Ugh . . . It’s my parents. Please, if they start yappin’, just don’t let them get going, okay? They don’t know when to quit. And if you start talking then they’ll start talking, and suddenly half the day is done before you know its ended-”

"We get it! They talk a lot!” Kai cut in, rolling his eyes. "The cherry doesn’t fall far from its blossom.”

Jay led them all outside to greet his parents, plastering on a fake smile to try to hide the frustration. "Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?”

"Oh, look it’s my baby boy! It’s been so long since we heard from you! And [M/n]! Oh, it’s wonderful to see you, dear!” Edna chirped, delighted. [M/n]'s smile was soft as he stepped forward to press a kiss against her cheek and hug Ed.

"It’s good to see the both of you as well. Looking radiant as ever, Edna.” She and Ed both laughed, happily taking his affection.

"Ma, I called you two days ago,” Jay reminded her through gritted teeth.

"Oh well . . . It’s not enough son. When are ya’ comin’ out to the junkyard? You say you are comin’ an-an . . . and ya don’t,” Ed said, shrugging helplessly.

"Dad . . . Do we have to talk about the junkyard in front of my friends?”

"He hates it when we tell people he was raised in the junkyard,” Edna explained, before noticing Nya. "Oh. And who are you? You are so cute! Just my sons type!”

Jay looked mortified. "Mom!"

"It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sure if you want, Jay can give you a tour. He worked very hard on it,” Nya stated, smiling.

"We’d love a tour!"

They all followed behind, taking long pauses as Edna shared stories from when Jay was a kid. Lunch was a fun affair for everyone except Jay, who had his head down, trying to hide how red his face had gone.

It was late in the afternoon that they began finishing up the tour. "And this is the bridge. This extends into a periscope. This tells what’s going on in Ninjago. And this . . . If a Serpentine’s not giving us the answer we want, and we’re up late at night . . .”

"A neuro apparatus to read their minds?”

"An audio appliance to make them talk?"

"No, a cappuccino machine,” Jay deadpanned, making himself a cup. He needed the caffeine

"Haha. Amazing, son! We’re so proud of you,” Ed said.

"Why don’t you tell them about the button,” Cole encouraged.

"Heh heh, its not ready yet,” Jay hissed through gritted teeth.

"Oh, what’s the button?” Edna asked eagerly.

"He’s working on a special defense system."

"Something every ninja headquarters needs."

"It’s quite unique."

"Oh, really? What does it do? Can I help?” Ed asked.

"No, it’s okay. I don’t need your help, dad. Let’s just leave it alone. Hey, look at the time. Don’t you need to get back before it gets dark? I told you, there’s dangerous Serpentine out there,” Jay reminded them as he ushered them outside.

"Uh, I suppose we could get back,” Ed agreed, frowning slightly.

"Jay is right,” [M/n] agreed, finally taking pity on the ninja. "The Hypnobrai are dangerous, and it would be safer if you didn't travel at night.”

"Oh, alright. Thank you, dear,” Edna said. [M/n] pressed a goodbye kiss to her cheek as he walked her and Ed over to the Jalopy.

"Edna, it was a pleasure hearing about Jay’s first potty time,” Cole stated, grinning.

"Oh, if you thought that was good, wait until you hear the story about the time I caught him kissing his pillow!” Edna chirped, mortifying Jay who turned bright red.

"Snakes, Ma! Snakes!” Jay cried, voice edging into hysteria.

"Okay, we’re going. We’re going,” Edna said. “So you promise to come to the junkyard to visit your mother and father?”

"Yes, I promise! But only if you leave. I don’t want you to get hurt. It’s getting dark." Once they got in the car, he stepped back and glanced down to their headlights. "Uh, your headlights are working, right?”

[M/n] looked to the side, eyes closing as their lights turned on and blinded everyone else.

"Heh, like ‘em? I used a little extra juice,” Ed asked, happily flipping off the lights with a whistle. "Yep. Bye, son. I couldn’t be more proud.”

"Oh, and [M/n], join him will you? And bring Nya along, dear, I can see why you like her,” Edna added.

"Mom!”

The Jalopy pulled away, leaving Jay completely mortified.

"Now that they have left, perhaps Jay can teach us the Art of-” Wu cut off, giggling. "-kissing pillows.”

"Argh!” Jay shrieked, stomping back inside.

[M/n] slipped away as the group all laughed at Jay's misfortune, choosing to visit the stables one last time before Ara and the others left.

He spent two hours with the wyvern, delicately preening the dead feathers from Ara's mane and helping remove the dead patches of scales from his legs and back. The stables were quiet as the other dragons settled in for a nice rest before their journey the next morning.

Leaving his own dragon to get some rest, he ducked into his shared room with the ninja. Luckily it was empty since the ninja had decided to play more video games after being interrupted by Jay's parents.

Still too early to fall asleep, he chose to meditate normally.

---------------The Next Morning---------------------

Their cleaning the previous day had left them with piles of junk to sort through, so it was yet another day of chores. Jay worked on his button while the others sorted through the junk and took everything outside to either sell or scrap. Whichever came first.

"Sure got a lot of junk piling up. If only there was a place we could get rid of it . . .” Kai trailed off, passing by Jay's workstation with a box of junk.

"If you don’t mind, I’m trying to focus,” Jay said, scowling.

Cole passed by next.

"Hi, dad. Of course, I’d love to visit. What kind of son would I be if I didn’t want to?” Jay turned around to glare at the ninja who was holding up an old phone to his ear like it actually worked.

"Hehehehe. I know what you’re trying to do. Okay, look, I might have promised to visit my parents, but there’s a lot of my stuff on my plate,” Jay snapped, standing up.

Nya came in with the toolbox for the Control Room repairs she planned on making. Noticing her, Jay tried to scrub off the grease off his face as he turned pink. "Hehe. Hi, Nya.”

"You gonna visit your parents today?”

"Uh, sure am. Just about to leave,” Jay lied, smiling.

"Tell them I say hi." Nya ducked back out the door to work on her 'special' project as she had been for the past few weeks.

Everyone gave Jay varying looks of doubt, completely unimpressed, Kai especially. "What? So my plate’s not that full.”

"Θα μπορούσατε να προσπαθήσετε να είστε διακριτικοί,”[M/n] murmured, brushing past the blue ninja.(You could try to be subtle.)

Jay grumpily led them out to the makeshift stables where the dragons all seemed to be napping.

He tried leading Wisp out of his stall with the halter but the blue scaled dragon dug his claws in and refused to budge. "Come on, Wisp! It’ll be a quick visit. Just in and out, nothing more.”

"Hm, it is as I suspected. The dragons are molting. They’re shedding scales,” Wu informed them, appearing from behind Wisp.

"What does that even mean?" Jay asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"Every adolescent dragon goes through a transformation before it becomes an adult. We must allow them to migrate east to the Spirit Coves for their transformation.”

The mood instantly turned somber. The dragons had been with them for nearly a year, and were an important part of their lives.

"Will we ever see them again?" Jay cradled Wisps large head in his hands, worried for his dragon.

"Yes," [M/n] stated, guiding Ara from his own stall. He carefully undid the dragons saddle, setting it of to the side. "They will return to us once they finish growing."

"We need to allow them to follow their path."

"Rocky’s going East?” Cole asked, despondant. He pressed his forehead to Rocky's large nose, trying not to cry. "Say it isn’t so, Rocky.”

Zane ran a hand over Shards icy scales, quietly mourning the loss of his friend. Jay pulled away from Wisp and wondered over towards where Kai and Nya were lathering Flame in attention.

"Well, I guess I gotta go on this long walk all by myself. Sure be nice to have company . . .” Jay trailed off hopefully, as Nya began to nod.

"Of course we’ll go, buddy,” Kai said, smiling.

"I could use a break,” Cole agreed.

"All you had to do was ask."

[M/n] nodded, amused as the three shared sneaky grins behind Jay's back.

Wu tagged along as well, playing the sacred flute as they walked, the dragons flying in the opposite direction.

It was a beautiful tune, vaguly familiar in a way the made [M/n] want to claw out his own ears in frustration.

"Of all days to lose our ride,” Jay sighed, running a hand through his frizzy auburn hair.

"That flute. You’ve never told us why it’s so special,” Zane pointed out. It had been prominently displayed in a glass case for as long as any of them could remember.

"Long ago there were many flutes, created to combat the powers of the Serpentine and drive them underground. But over time, Ninjago's forgotten its ancestors' wisdom, and now this is the only one,” Wu explained, blue eyes flicking back to [M/n], who was lazily scanning their surroundings.

"I get the lesson; respect your elders or else suffer the consequences. Boy, you guys are laying it on thick,” Jay complained.

"Perhaps you are only hearing what you need to hear," Wu chuckled, playing the same beautiful tune. Jay paused, staring at the giant metal walls that surrounded the Junkyard.

"What is it?" Nya asked, seeing him pause. [M/n] put himself on alert, scanning the tops of the walls as his hands rested on the handles of his Tessens.

"It's quiet. My family's never quiet," Jay stated, breaking into a flat sprint as he led them to the gate. Flinging it open he called for his parents, but no one answered.

[M/n] heard muffled shouting and clanging from a rusted fridge held shut with a chain. "Jay!" He sliced through the chains with his Tessens, dragging it open so Jay could help his parents climb out.

"What happened? Who did this?"

Jay and [M/n] undid the ducktape from their faces and the rope from their torso and arms, revealing green scales along their cheeks and pointy fangs with slightly forked tongues poking out nervously.

"Sweetheart, dearie, you came!" Edna cried, elongating her 'ssss's unnaturally.

"Oh, you gotta get out of here. You shouldn't have come, it's the sssssnakes!"

"The Bite of the Fangpyre! Once they sink their teeth in, their venom can turn anything into a serpent. It's only a matter of time before the full transformation is complete," Wu recognized the beginnings of the transformation.

"We need the Generals staff to create the antidote," [M/n] reminded them, tensing up as he realized he was being watched.

Cole turned to [M/n], freezing as he made eye contact with something behind the purple ninja. "Uh, is that, uh, chain ball thing staring at me?"

"What?" Kai asked, turning as well. "Oh, sh*t!"

"Duck!" Jay shouted, knocking his parents to the ground as the others dropped just in time for the ball to swing overhead. [M/n] dropped ontop of Nya almost automatically, protecting her as it passed by once more.

"Thankssss, sssson," Ed said, standing.

"Lloyd!" Wu shouted, spotting Lloyd atop a pile of trash with a speaker beside him.

"Hello, uncle. Looks like we're not the only family reunion. I'm glad you brought the ninja. I could use some help taking out the trash. MUAHAHA!"

"[M/n]'s right. We need the Generals Staff," Nya hissed, keeping her voice down.

"Second dose, to the dirt!" Everyone dropped again, pressing themselves flat to the ground.

The Fangpyre that had gathered on the trash piles laughed as they were forced to roll out of the way or be crushed by the hissing wrecking ball.

"Easier said than done, sis," Kai said, gesturing to the Fangpyre around them. "We're a bit outnumbered."

Lightning gathered along the Golden Nunchucks traveling up Jay's arms and flickering in the air around him. "Nobody messes with my family! Ninja Go!"

Nya and Wu rushed Ed and Edna out of the way as their son threw himself at the closest Fangpyre with a war cry.

[M/n] led a small group of Fangpyre away from the center of the action, waiting until he found a dead end to strike. The Fangpyre laughed, believing they had him backed in a corner, but he only smirked. Their laughter quickly stopped as the first fell to his Tessens, head hanging by the spine alone.

It's blood sprayed, coating the ground in blood as [M/n] swiftly stepped back. The path was soon drenched in blood and the air was blissfully silent, as their screams were silenced.

Only one walked the path back.

[M/n] scowled behind his mask as he approached the center of the junkyard where loud music had begun playing. Likely drowning out the Sacred Flute.

His pace was almost unhurried, trusting the others to deal with the Fangpyre still there but when he heard, felt, loud mechanical footsteps he picked up the pace. Racing through the maze of junk, he found the others just as the massive robot rounded the corner across from them.

Jay shrieked, "Ah! What is that thing?!"

"It was supposed to be in your honor," Ed said, wringing his hands nervously. His tongue flicked out, longer than before and thinner. "Do you like it?"

"Thanks. But no thanks."

They fled from the robot but were stopped when they crossed the path of the wrecking ball.

"Why'd you have to be born in a junkyard?!" Cole shouted, diving to the side.

"I know. Tell me about it." The wrecking ball swung back their way and five hit the dirt, the others having gotten out of the way In time.

Kai glanced over them all as they stood and paused, "Uh, wasn't there five of us?"

None of them noticed Jay climbing up the wrecking balls chain, preoccupied with a new enemy.

A massive fist swung at them, the robot having finally caught up. Cole caught the fist on his Golden Scythe, wheezing at the force behind it. "Don't worry, I got this." He began loosing ground as it pushed forward, other arm lifting to hit Cole while he was distracted.

Cole nearly slumped in relief as the pressure was taken off him when the wrecking ball slammed into the robots chest, knocking it back. "I told you I had it."

"Retreat!" Lloyd ordered, echoed by the General. Both retreated onto a platform hanging from a Rattlecopter that swiftly lifted them away.

Jay groaned as he jumped down from the wrecking balls control area, realizing they had escaped. With the staff no less.

"He's getting away with the staff!" Nya shouted as everyone ran to the front of the junkyard as the Rattlecopter flew away.

"Right now would be a good time to have those Dragons," Jay said, fists curling in frustration.

"It'ssss okay, ssson," Ed comforted, patting his shoulder.

"There is still a way," Wu began.

"How?"

"Part of reaching your own full potential is understanding your weapon's potential. Once it is in tune with a focused heart, its secrets and powers can be unlocked," Wu stated, earning blank and frustrated looks.

"Oh, this is not the time to be cryptic," Jay snapped. [M/n] went to answer but was cut off with a finger poking his chest. "We don't need anymore cryptic talk."

"He's saying our weapons are vehicles themselves," Zane translated as [M/n] pointedly smacked Jay's hand away.

"Don't tell me I have to ride this thin like a broomistick," Kai mumbled, giving his sword a distinctly uncomfortable look.

"Jay, concentrate on unlocking your Golden Weapon. Let your heart guide you. Imagine you're taking flight."

Jay closed his eyes, taking a steadying breath. Swinging his nunchucks, they began glowing before, in a flash of lightning, they surrounded him and formed the Storm Glider. He whooped, shooting off into the sky. "Whoa! Haha! Did I just do that?"

Grinning, the others followed suit.

Kai summoned the Blade Cycle.

Cole summoned the Tread Assault.

Zane summoned the Snowmobile.

[M/n] summonded the NetherCopter, a black armoured coaxial helicopter with purple detailing and silver tipped blades. The whirring of the blades was oddly soothing and [M/n]'s grin widened as he checked out the inside.

"Ha! I hate to hurt Rocky's feelings, but I think he's just been replaced," Cole cheered, driving off.

Pulling up on the collective lever that sat on his left side, he smoothly rose up into the air. Once high enough, he pushed on the throttle and the copter jumped into motion, easily following the others.

In the distance Jay overshot the Rattlecopter, mumbling into the comms. "Oops, haha. Overshot that a little."

The Jet flipped back around. "Lets see what this baby can do." He shot back past the Rattlecopter, opening the co*ckpit to snatch the staff from the Generals hand. "Whoa! I got it? I got it!"

His celebration was cut off when the Storm Jet disappeared from beneath him, dropping him midair.

"Jay, you have to concentrate," Kai shouted over the comms.

The Rattlecopter turned back around to go back for the staff but [M/n]'s NetherCopter cut them off. Forced to stop the two were caught in a standoff, but [M/n] easily won, his copter was made for a fight with armoured sides and coaxial blades for quicker movements.

"I CAN'T!"

The three argued about catching him, a pointless arguement that led them all to losing their focus and crashing.

The RattleCopter retreated back towards the marching group of Fangpyre, as [M/n] lowered the NetherCopter to the ground, landing with a jolt.

Jay, luckily, fell onto the seats of the Jalopy, which skidded to a stop beside the other ninja.

"Huh? Why isn't this thing working?" Kai asked, shaking the sword.

"Your weapons is merely an extension of your mind. If your mind is immobile, so is your weapon."

"Oh, boy. Oh, gosh. Oh, golly, oh, duh. Get in, boys!" Ed shouted, opening the doors.

"We have to get back to headquarters!" Jay shouted frantically, righting himself in the backseat of the Jalopy.

They all feared for the state of their new home, worried it would face the same fate as their beloved Monastery.

Cole and Zane both joined [M/n] in his NetherCopter while Kai climbed into the Jalopy. Both took off in near unison – passangers secured – but [M/n] made it first.

Dropping onto the the deck, Zane and Cole rushed downstairs to turn the Bounty on and prepare her. Hopefully Jay's button would work. If not, they were screwed.

The Jalopy skidded to a stop barely a few feet from the Bounty and all six rushed out, passing [M/n] without a glance to get to the Bridge. As the army of Fangpyre marched towards the ship, [M/n] prepared himself for a fight.

He also ignored the small feeling - voice - that inisted he make sure Lloyd was alright.

Rumbling filled the air as the sails snapped into position and the boosters shifted into place, firing. It was a slow process but they began to rise before Nya stepped on the gas, metaphorically, and they flew away, using the clouds to hide.

[M/n] huffed, amazed as the ship slowly flew through the air, relaxing now that they didn't have to worry about being chased. Joining the others, he found Ed and Edna back to normal and was quickly embraced by the couple who had been worried for him.

Once everyone was suitably distracted Jay led Ed and Edna outside to apologize for his behavior. Unknown to the three, they were observed by [M/n] and Wu who had stepped outside for a break earlier, the bridge far too loud to handle.

The young ninja ached for that familial warmth as he watched the family embrace, skin itching for contact.

Wu rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing, "You will get your memories back one day, [M/n]. And then we will find your family. I promise."

"Thank you, Sensei."

Chapter 5: S1 E4: Never Trust A Snake

Chapter Text

[M/n] fixed the belts across his chest, tightening them and making sure his knives were securely attached. His gaze lazily flicked over to Zane, who was still sleeping which was odd for the ninja as he was an early bird in all senses of the word. It wasn't uncommon for he, Wu, and Zane to drink tea together while the others slept in.

Shooting up, Zane smacked his head on the wooden boards of the top bunk. Wincing, he rubbed at his scalp and checked his dreads.

"Oh, sleeping in? You're gonna be late for trainimg," Jay sang, delighting in not being the last ninja awake.

"Oh, how come no one awakened me?" Zane asked, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"You were having an interesting dream, I assumed you'd wish to finish it," [M/n] stated shrugging.

"How do I know this isn't a dream?" Zane asked looking around. Cole took the opportunity to smack him in the face with a pillow gleefully.

"Does that feel like a dream?"

"No. Thank you for your help," Zane said, expressing genuine gratitude to the amusem*nt of the other ninja.

After allowing him to dress, they all headed up to the deck together for morning exercise, something Wu had recently decided to be a thing. After realizing how much the ninja had been slacking off, morning stretches had become mandatory, and the man seemed to be planning on adding other days full of training too.

Zane was obviously caught in his own mind, barely paying attention to his surroundings so Kai commented on it. "Hehe. Little slow today, huh? What exactly did you dream about?"

"I saw the Falcon again."

"Whoa, Zane. Everytime you see that bird something big happens. First, it lead you to the secret tree house," Jay listed, ticking off a finger.

"Then it lead you to the Bounty," Cole added, so Jay ticked off another finger.

"All right, stretches. First, the Swooping Crane," Wu called, demonstrating the position.

They mimicked him but only [M/n] put any effort into the pose, preoccupied with Zane's dream.

Zane lowered his voice to a whisper, "This time, it showed the Green and Silver Ninja."

"The Legendary Ninja?!"

[M/n] stiffened but kept himself in position while the others completely lost their attention.

Wu turned around, attention caught by the quiet shrieks, "That looks like the Shocked Monkey. Bad form, more focus." He turned back around, repositioning himself.

"You can't just drop a bomb like that. Spill the beans," Jay insisted in a harsh whisper.

"Yeah, what else did you see?"

"They were fighting Lord Garmadon."

"That's what the prophecy said. That the Green Ninja would defeat the Dark Lord, and the Silver Ninja would defend him. But did you have a chance to see which of us was them?" Kai asked, completely ignoring Wu.

"Yeah."

"Did you see?"

"I could not tell. The Green ninja shared attributes each of us possessed, while the Silver Ninja did not give enough hints for me to tell," Zane explained.

"Now, Pinching Crab."

"Well, tell us everything. And don't spare any details. There has to be a clue that tells us which of us are gonna be the Legendary Nin-" Wu, with no warning, grabbed Kai by the ear. "Ow, ow, ow! Hey!"

"What was so important to ignore my teachings?" Wu asked, raising an eyebrow as he released Kai.

"Uh, nothing?" Kai rubbed at his ear.

"It was nothing, Sensei," Jay insisted.

"Yeah, we don't talk while you teach, Sensei," Cole agreed.

"Everyone was paying attention," Zane added.

"[M/n]?" Wu asked, earning a dismissive shrug. "Since you all appear to be lacking in focus, then you can all share in the punishment."

"What?"

"Punishment?"

"It was all Zane," Cole accussed.

"I was merely answering their questions," Zane defended himself.

[M/n] continued to act dismissive, as if the entire situation didn't bother him.

"No free time and no video games. The rest of the day can be used for training. And tomorrow, for that matter," Wu decided.

"Training? For how long?" Kai asked, completely missing half of the punishment. [M/n] rolled his eyes, thinking him an idiot and based on the look Wu was giving him, he thought so as well.

"Until you can answer this simple riddle: What is the best way to defeat an enemy?"

[M/n] could practically feel the answer on the tip of his tongue, the riddle eerily familiar.

"Easy, with a sword."

"Your fists."

"Spinjitzu."

"Tornado of Creation?"

"Death."

Wu sighed, disappointed. "Pace yourselves. You have a lot of training ahead of you. Make sure you sharpen your mind as well as your Spinjitzu." He walked away.

"Ugh. What's the best way to defeat an enemy? It could be anything, ugh!" Cole complained, halfheartedly smacking at the dummy.

"Come on, guys, we're smart. We can figure this out," Jay encouraged, stretching.

Kai lashed out at the punching bag, waiting until Wu had gone inside to stop. "Yeah, but let's hear more about this dream."

"Alright. Let me just say, the Green Ninja is awesome." Zane began.

Zane woke up alone. Confused, he left their shared room to go to the Bridge.

Inside Wu and Nya were drinking tea and studying the map of Ninjago respectively. "The hunt starts early today."

"A watchful eye never sleeps," Wu stated.

"As long as Lloyd and the Serpentine roam freely, no one in Ninjago is safe," Nya warned, pulling away from the map.

"Where are the others?" Zane asked, glancing out the window.

"Training on the upper deck, I believe," Wu stated, sipping his tea. Zane nodded in thanks and headed out to the deck, only to find it empty as well.

He spotted the Falcon perched on the mast, watching him. "You were in my dream, little friend. Last time I saw you, you led me to good fortune. What reason have you returned?" Zane questioned, watching the Falcon reverantly as it took to the skies. A large shadow slowly appeared on the deck, going unnoticed until his sixth sense went off.

Spinning around, he found Lord Garmadon at his back, grinning. "Lord Garmadon? But you were banished?!"

"Only to return for the Weapons of Spinjitzu," Lord Garmadon hissed, unsheathing two katanas from his back. "Soon I will have the power to recreate Ninjago in my own image."

Lord Garmadon charged at him, blades clanging against the Golden Shurikens that Zane had only barely been able to unsheathe in time. He pulled away from the blades, backing off to give himself more room to recover.

"Give me your Shurikens of Ice!" Garmadon demanded.

"You'll have to take them from me!" Zane shouted, using his Spinjitzu. With ease, Lord Garmadon plucked him from his Spinjitzu and tossed him into the mast, and he lost his grip on the Shurikens.

"So be it."

Garmadon cut through a rope holding a large crate above Zane's head, sending it crashing towards him. Zane yelled out in fear, ducking his head and closing his eyes.

When no pain came, Zane slowly opened his eyes. Standing before him, holding the crate above his head, was the legendary Green Ninja. "The Green Ninja. The prophecy is true. But where-"

Garmadon lunged for the Green Ninja, likely hoping to get in a hit on his undefended side but was knocked to the side by the Silver Ninja. Without any fear, the Green Ninja exposed his back to toss away the crate, obviously trusting the Silver Ninja.

Together they jumped into battle, weaving around each other in a dance and song that only they knew.

Lord Garmadon struggled beneath the onslaught, trying to focus his attention on the Green Ninja but was stopped each time. Not once did Silver give him the opportunity to hit Green, defending him valiantly.

Using Silvers loyalty and protectiveness against him, Lord Garmadon threw him to the side so he could focus on Green. Twisting midair, Silver landed on his feet but did not rejoin the fight, instead allowing Green to take the lead.

Green pulled the Nunchucks of Lightning from somewhere and struck the Dark Lord in an arc of lightning. The blow completely knocked him off the Bounty, and his screams echoed as Silver and Green stood side by side.

Together they faced Zane, shoulder to shoulder.

Greens eyes glowed eerily in the strange lighting, right hand alight with green tinted fire as the Falcon perched on his outstretched left arm. Its sharp talons dug into the sleeves of his Green GI but he was completely unbothered.

Silver stood loyally at his side, glowing eyes lined with kohl. A strange silver cloud-like substance curled around his form, gently wrapping around Greens leg in a show of protection.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you?"

". . . Neither answered before I awoke."

"Whoah." Was everyones collective answer. [M/n] had to admit it was quite impressive, especially for a dream.

"So I'm the Green Ninja," Kai said, nodding to himself. A fight sparked up immediatley.

"What are you talking about? He had incredible strength to lift that cargo and saved his life. It's me," Cole refuted.

"No, no. Did you miss the part of his dream where the Green Ninja pulled out nunchucks? I have nunchucks!" Jay shouted, hysterically shaking said nunchucks.

"I think you're all missing the point of this dream. The point is the Falcon flew on his arm and it was my dream, so naturally it's me," Zane argued.

"I think we can cross Cole off the list. I could've lifted ten times—"

"Whoa, cross me off the list? Anyone can hold nunchucks," Cole snapped.

Wu approached as they argued, unnoticed until he spoke. "Since you are not training, you must have already found the answer to my riddle. What is the best way to defeat your enemy?"

Freezing, the four looked between themselves before Kai offered up an answer, "Uh, the best way to defeat your enemy is to...train, Sensei?"

"Feeble and incorrect."

"Sensei," [M/n] muttered, stepping up beside the man to answer the riddle. Nodding, Wu sent him on his way turning back to the others.

"Maybe more training will help the rest of you focus. Remember what happened to your vehicles when you lost focus. A razor-sharp weapon is an extension of a razor-sharp mind."

The answer to the riddle seemed to have been the key to unlock a memory as he could feel it creeping up on him on his way to his room. Laying on the bunk beneath his, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be fully enveloped in the memory.

[M/n] was tucked against a training post, eyes peeking over his knees as he watched Morro train. The other refused to meet his gaze, set in ignoring him after their arguement that morning. It had been a stupid one about training but it had led to a reminder of the prophecies, so Morro was insistent.

Skin crawling, he watched Morro strike the wooden doll with his bo staff, creating harsh bangs. At one point he struck hard enough that one of its carved limbs fell from its place.

"Is there a reason you are not training togethor?" Wu questioned, startling [M/n]. He unfolded to flop gracelssly to the side in alarm, making the man chuckle.

"Uhmm, we . . ." [M/n]'s gaze flicked to Morro and his head lowered further. "We got into a fight. He said he didn't want to train with someone who would hold him back."

Another harsh bang punctuated his sentence.

"I see," Wu said, frowning. "Well then. I guess we shall have to fix it. Morro!"

Scowling, the older teen pulled away from his training - self-imposed punishment - and slowly made his way over. Once the two were shoulder to shoulder Wu spoke. "For your excellency in working together I am choosing to begin teaching you the Golden Leopard, one of the most difficult styles. Unfortunately, that training will not begin today."

"What?! Sensei–!"

"No. Let me speak." Morro's jaw clicked shut. "Your training will recommence when you can give me the answer to this riddle. And you must find it together. 'What is the best way to defeat an enemy?' Find me whenever you believe you have your answer."

Silence enveloped the courtyard as Wu headed back inside.

Hunching further in on himself, [M/n] kept his gaze angled away from Morro who was flexing his hands on his staff. "How-?" He flinched when jade cut eyes snapped to him, staring him down.

After a second, Morros shoulders dropped and he turned away, hair falling into his face. "Any ideas?"

"No," [M/n] whispered. "Maybe the library would have something?"

"Hah," Morro huffed. "Knowing Sensei he pulled it straight out of his ass."

"Probably," [M/n] agreed, gigling slightly. The tense atmosphere lifted but there was still an underlaying tension.

"I'm . . . I'm sorry, [M/n]. I shouldn't have said any of those things. You are my partner, I should have listened, not just shoved your concerns off to the side."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have pushed when you said you didn't want to talk about it."

"Guess we're both at fault." Morro gently offered his hand, grinning awkwardly, more used to taunting smirks. Smiling sweetly, [M/n] took his hand, squeeling when he was tugged into Morros chest, muffling his laughter.

Laughing, the two dissolved into playful fighting with Morro dropping his bo staff to properly wrestle his partner to the ground. In a truly heinous move, [M/n] rolled over Morro and began peppering kisses all over his patterned skin.

"What the- You little sh*t! That's cheating!"

"Nope!" Cheerfully pressing a big smacking kiss on his cheek. "Not cheating! Just winning!"

"No way!" Grunting, [M/n] was knocked over and suddenly had about 130lbs of lanky teenager squishing him. Giggling he tried valiently to escape but Morro was a mastermind and he was unable to move.

"I see you two have made up," Wu stated, adjusting the sleeves of his black and white robe.

[M/n] muffled another giggle, nodding as Morro gave a far more sheepish nod, sitting up to free him. "Sorry Sensei. We ugh . . . didn't solve the riddle."

"I did not expect you too. I simply wanted to make sure you two did not lose the very valuable relationship you have because it will be a very important in your training from now on."

They shifted to sit on their knees before the man, watching him with open curiosity.

"'What is the best way to defeat an enemy?'" Wu repeated. "It is to make them your friend."

"Are you- what?" Morro was distinctly unimpressed, but [M/n] was nodding along.

"Tomorrow we will begin your training in the Style of the Golden Leopard. Get some rest, I will make us dinner."

The man wondered back inside as the two shared excited looks.

The alarm blaring had [M/n] snapping back into awareness, body jolting into action before his mind had really even registered what was happening. Racing upstairs, he joined the others in the Bridge, evening out his breathing.

"Lloyd and the Serpentine have overtaken Darkly's Boarding School For Bad Boys," Nya reported.

"That place is a cesspool for the crooked and the misbehaved," Jay stated.

"Well, that doesn't mean they don't need our help. Step on it," Cole said, nodding to Zane. The young man pressed the booster button and they shot off.

Arriving quickly, Nya guided them into the clouds to keep them from being spotted while the ninja – all on deck – came up with a way to get down. Peering over the railing, they all searched for whatever Serpentine Lloyd had released this time. "Looks quiet down there. Should we infiltrate using stealth?" Zane asked.

"Ah, we've done that. What about using our Golden Weapons that turn into our vehicles?" Kai offered, snapping his fingers.

"I'm still working out the kinks on that," Cole admitted, gesturing to his scythe. "Anyone have any other good ideas?"

"Hmm. Well, I have one idea, but you guys gotta trust me," Jay said.

[M/n] was a little hesitant but nodded. He trusted Jay.

"Oh, I don't like the sound of this," Kai mumbled, but ultimately agreed as well.

Jay had them all standing on the four pronged anchor – Zane and [M/n] were sharing due to a slight height difference – with all of the ninja eyeing it apprehensively.

"Jay, I don't know about his," Kai said.

"Ποτέ ξανά," [M/n] hissed.(Never again.)

"Just hold on tight!" Jay chirped, signalling Nya to drop 'em.

Free falling, the four screamed as [M/n] lost some of his color, knuckles going completely white. He hoped they hadn't hit Lloyd, but he did hope they hit the Serpentine.

After crashing through five floors, they stumbled off coughing from the dust filling the air. "Okay," Cole wheezed. "Let's agree to never do that again."

Tangled in a net hung from the rafters, luckily far enough out of the way that none had been injured, were all of the kids while Kruncha and Nuckal were tied up in front of them. A very loud redhead was ranting, and being ignored by his fellow classmates only shutting up once Cole cut them down.

The kids whimpered as they came face to face with a very buff Italian teenager with a massive styalized Golden Scythe. "Stay out of school, kids." The group fled en mass.

He prepared to cut the two skeletons, dressed in ties, loose next. "Well, well, well. Kruncha and Nuckal. Substitute teachers, eh? If we cut you down, we better not catch you hanging around Ninjago again. Or else."

Releasing them, the two landed in a pile of bones and then freaked out and fled.

Kai happened to glance up then, meeting the green eyes of Lloyd. "He's on the top floor. Let's get him!"

They split up, with [M/n] and Jay both taking the elevator. [M/n] chose it because he knew Lloyd and the Serpentine would have to have a safe path up and down and the elevator would be quickest.

Opening to the top floor, they found Cole doubled over and hacking up flour. "He's got a Serpentine with him! Watch out for booby traps!"

"What kind of Serpentine?" [M/n] asked, only to be ignored as Cole was sent into another fit of hacking coughs.

Luckily Jay spotted said Serpentine and freaked out, "Ah, that's one big snake!"

Together the two raced after the Serpentine, following him up the small set of stairs that led to the roof. The wooden door was barricaded shut but three well placed kicks from [M/n] had the entire thing splintering violently.

Jay hopped through first, swinging his sparkling nunchucks. "Shocked to see me?"

[M/n] stalked through the splinters, eyes reflecting the light from the setting sun as he kept Khêlai from surging forth and attacking.

"Do something!" Lloyd cried, backing up to the edge of the roof. The large Anacondrai smirked and reached into his back pocket and pulled a rolled up map out. Lloyd's entire face dropped, eyes wide and devestated. "Wh-what are you doing? I thought you were my friend."

The wobble in his voice had [M/n]'s hackles raising as a low rumbling growl set the Anacondrai on edge.

"All you wanted was to make the Serpentine your slaves. Well, my dear boy, I have other plans."

With that, he dissappeared, scales shifting so he blended in with his surroundings. Snarling, [M/n] flicked his Tessen and sent a bō shuriken slicing through the air.

A yelp made him smirk, confirming his aim.

Lloyd paled, trying to escape along the edge of the roof as Jay tried to approach, crowding him towards the edge. [M/n] grabbed the other ninja by the shoulder, forcing him to pause. "Wait by the door."

Grumbling and complaining, he headed back over to the door.

Sheathing his Tessens, he slowly approached Lloyd treating him as a wild, petrified, animal. Humming, he crouched so he was at eye level, smoothing his features into something softer.

Lloyd glanced over his shoulder, spotting the other ninaj waiting impatiently at the door. None seemed to plan on disobeying [M/n]'s order, even though they seemed irritated.

"Are you alright, Παιδί?"

"Wh- Uhm, yes?"

"Good. Come." Lloyd was a little surprised to be scooped up and placed on [M/n]'s hip again – it frustrated him a little as well – but curled a little closer as the ninja approached.

The Bounty lowered itself until it was level with the roof, allowing Wu to yell over at them, "Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon! You get on this ship right now!" He hadn't realized the boy was already in [M/n]'s arms, so he looked a little surprised to see them all ready to board.

"What should we do with him?" Cole asked. "Wash his mouth out with soap for a year?"

"Ground him indefintely?"

"Have him sit in a corner for a century?"

"Chores for the next decade?"

As the four debated punishments, they walked up the gangplank to where Wu was waiting. "I know exactly what we must do."

Lloyd sank further into [M/n]'s arms, taking comfort in the safety the teen provided.

He was surprised when he was told to take a shower to get rid off all the grime and dirt that had collected on his skin and in his hair. His clothes were taken away to be washed and he was given a t-shirt and a pair of boxers to sleep in. Jay made grilled cheese and tomato soup for everyone, which Lloyd had scarfed down in delight.

Now, he was curled up in an old futon in the room connected with extra blankets wrapped around him as Wu read him a story.

[M/n] was propped up against the wall, allowing his thigh to be used as a pillow since the young boy felt more comfortable with him close. He was incredibly amused by this as well.

Killer ninja being used as a comfy pillow.

"And that is why Jack the Rabbit never trusts a snake. The end."

"Oh, if my dad had read me that book, I would never have made that mistake. I'm sorry, Uncle." He leaned back into [M/n]'s fingers scratching along his scalp, combing through his white-blond hair.

"Oh, you don't need to apologize. I am sure that if your father was still here, it would be the first book he'd read. Goodnight, nephew, [M/n]. Sweet dreams."

The old man stepped outside to deal with the ninja grouped around the door, irritated by the treatment of their sworn enemies son.

[M/n] kept up the soothing ministrations of his hands, enjoying the feel of his recently washed hair as he tilted his head back and listened to Wu's lecture.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Lloyd asked, tilting his head back awkwardly to look him in the eyes.

"You are a child. I have morals, however few."

"Morals? Like . . ."

"Someones personal standards for what they will and will not do. I will kill, while your Uncle will not. That is because our morals differ."

"Oh. You kill people? Like my dad?"

"I do." [M/n] was a little worried that would scare him, but the boy rolled over to look up at him, emerald eyes sparkling.

"Will you teach me?"

"No. I can teach you to protect yourself, but until you are older I will not teach you to kill." [M/n] tilted his head to the side thoughtfully, eyes sparking. "Your father would kill me if I did."

"Really?"

Lloyd looked so genuinly surprised that his father would do that for him that had [M/n]'s heart aching.

"Your father would kill all those who hurt you, he would burn the world, and gift you cities if it would make you happy."

Lloyd smiled, giddy as he settled back down, going back to using his thigh as a pillow.

"Sleep, ΜΙΚΡΟΣ. I will guard you."(Little one.)

Lloyd gave a sleepy little hum, cuddling closer.

--------------------------

[M/n] woke to Lloyd jerking around in his sleep, and quickly set to wake him up. "Ξύπνα μικρέ. Είναι μόνο ένας εφιάλτης." (Wake up, little one. It is only a nightmare.)

Lloyd jerked awake, eyes wide and fearful as he searched his surroundings, eyes puffy and rimmed red. The sight worried [M/n] who gently bundled him up in the blankets and pulled him onto his lap, keeping him close.

"Shhh, you are safe. I will not let you be touched."

Lloyd sniffled and [M/n] faintly remembered being sung a lullaby as a small child. His humming was faint and a little awkward but it grew steadier as Lloyd shifted to press his ear against his chest.

'Two birds on a wire

One tries to fly away

And the other watches him close from that wire

He says he wants to as well

But he is a liar

'I'll believe it all

There's nothing I won't understand

I'll believe it all

I won't let go of your hand

Two birds on a wire

One says, "C'mon" and the other says, "I'm tired"

The sky is overcast and I'm sorry

One more or one less

Nobody's worried

I'll believe it all

There's nothing I won't understand

I'll believe it all

I won't let go of your hand

Two birds of a feather

Say that they're always gonna stay together

But one's never going to let go of that wire

He says that he will

But he's just a liar

Two birds on a wire

One tries to fly away and the other

Watches him close from that wire

He says he wants to as well, but he is a liar

Two birds on a wire

One tries to fly away and the other'

Lloyd's breathing had begun evening out closer to the middle of the song but [M/n] continued, finishing the song completely. Shifting down so they weren't propped up against the wall, the older made sure to keep Lloyd facing the wall just in case.

He would not let anyone harm Lloyd. And any who tried would fall.

Chapter 6: S1 E5: Can of Worms

Chapter Text

[M/n] woke as soon as the door slid open, but kept his eyes closed and body relaxed. Shifting slightly, he reached for the blade beneath his pillow, only to remember he was not in his own room and had not brought the blade with him.

"Easy, my student," Wu soothed, allowing [M/n] to relax. Sitting up, he carefully manuevered Lloyd from his grip. "I have an important job for your charge this morning."

Tilting his head, he silently inquired further but Wu shook his head.

"I shall explain once he is awake so I do not have to do so twice."

Huffing, [M/n] gently shook Lloyd awake before climbing off the futon so he could dress. As he pulled on his regular jeans, forgoing his GI till there was a mission, he listened to Wu's instructions and lesson for the day.

Tugging off his sleep shirt, he felt Lloyd's wandering attention focus on the tattoo spanning across his back and the surrounding scars.

"Woah," Lloyd said, completely forgetting about his uncle. Luckily the man had kept his instructions short in case he got distracted. "When did you get that?"

Chuckling, Wu stood and left, leaving them to plan and prepare.

"No idea."

"No idea? How do you not know when you get a tattoo?"

"I don't remember because I have amnesia, Παιδί."

"Amnesia? Like you can't remember anything?"

"That is the definition."

"Oh. Do you know what it is? 'Cause it looks really cool."

"I have a vague idea of what it is."

"What's the weird creature on this side?" Approaching, he poked at the image so [M/n] knew which one he was talking about.

The 'creature' he was talking about had long, bovine hind legs, branching horns, a long lion-like tail with a tuf of fur on the end, and a flat, mask-like face with tusks. A more traditional Oni depiction, if [M/n] remembered correctly.

"It is called an Oni. Creatures of Darkness, and Destruction. Old legends surround them, but the oldest is the Tale of the Three."

"The Tale of the Three?"

"I will tell you tonight. As a bedtime story."

Lloyd squawked, refusing to be treated like a child and conveniantly forgetting about the bedtime story read to him the night before. His loud squawking gave [M/n] time to finish dressing.

"Now, do you have any ideas for your . . . mission?" [M/n] questioned, cutting him off.

"Uhm, well, wasn't Cole cooking something last night?"

"Yes. It was his . . . famous Violet Berry Soup. You plan to ruin it?"

"Yeah! But who do I blame it on?"

"Jay. He is the most vocal of his dislike of Cole's food."

"Ooh, and then Kai was talking about some video game against Jay, and saying it was his. Uhm, oooh! Fist to Face 2!"

"Cole can be blamed for that. And I'm assuming you don't know about the other two."

"Yeah."

"Jay's been fixing up a training bot for us, so I can mess with it and blame it on Zane. He's the only other one of us able to be blamed for that. And Zane's GI's are likely in the washer so if you stick Kai's GI in, it will ruin it."

Lloyd bounced in place, delighted to have his 'revenge' on the ninja for destroying his treehouse.

"You do the video game and the laundry, I'll do the other two. Now go, hurry, before they wake." Lloyd nodded and raced out the door to go get one of Kai's GI's for the laundry.

[M/n] headed straight for the kitchen, dumping in some of every spice they had in the pantry into the soup. Shuddering at the smell, he quickly covered it back up and headed up to the deck to find the training bot Jay had been working on.

Switching some of the wires around was all he did since he wasn't technical genius of any kind. Hopefully it would be easy enough for Jay or Nya to fix up afterwards.

Lloyd crashed into him in the hallway, not budging the ninja, giggling to himself. "Done, Παιδί?"

"Yep! Let's go, I saw them waking up!"

Lloyd went to the living room first, where Kai was just beginning to get comfy for a day of lazing around. "Hey Kai!Ha. Saw Cole beat your score. You should've seen it. It was spectacular."

If Kai had actually been paying attention, he would have realized that what Lloyd was saying wasn't possible since all of the ninja had gone to bed and woken around the same time.

"Uh, you must be talking about Sitar Legend. This is Fist to Face 2. No one beats me on my game."

"Huh. Could be wrong. See ya!"

Lloyd had barely made it to the end of the hall, where [M/n] waited, when Kai cried out, "Huh? Cole!"

Their next stop was the kitchen, where [M/n] quietly opened the door, finding Cole hovering over his soup, talking to himself. "Mm-mm! Violet Berry soup, my culinary achievement. If the recipe is not followed exactly . . ."

He took a spoonful just as [M/n] spoke, screaming around the spoon to the others hidden delight. "I would be careful. Jay was in here earlier talking about 'improving your food', I believe. Hope you can fix it."

Shouting, he spit out the soup into the sink, "Jay!"

Next was Jay, who was up on the deck preparing to face off with the training bot, decked out in kendo armor. "Let's ease our way into this. How about level 2?" Jay mumbled to himself, unaware of the two standing at the railing.

"Zane was trying out his mechanical skills on the bot this morning, I would be careful."

"Wait! What!" Jay shrieked, alarmed as the bot's level jumped straight to 9. Attacking, the blue ninja tried to flee. "No, no, no! Zane!"

Zane was at the other end of the deck – preparing to seperate his clothes for folding – sending curious looks in Jay's directions as he heard muffled shrieks.

"Good morning, [M/n], Lloyd. What brings you up here this fine morning?"

"Kai said I had to grab his GI. Said it was 'punishment'," Lloyd said, using air quotes.

"Babysitting."

Grinning, Lloyd dug through Zane's baby pink GI's until he found Kai's red GI. "Aha! Thanks, Zane." The young boy practically skipped away, followed by [M/n] who turned his head so Zane couldn't see his smirk.

Unlike the others he did not voice his fury but the air grew colder as he stomped downstairs to find the others already yelling.

"You couldn't just be happy with the top score. You had to rub it in my face!"

"Sai quanto tempo mi ci è voluto per realizzarlo? Tre giorni. Tre giorni!"(Do you know how long that took me to make? Three days. Three days!)

"It's an unsaid law, okay? You don't touch a mans robot!"

"How am I supposed to strike fear in this? It's pink!"

[M/n] watched, leaning against the side of his bunk as Lloyd hid behind the partially closed door of their bathroom.

Wu calmly entered the room, silently crossing it to open the shoji doors, signaling Lloyd to let out his most dramatic sounding cackle.

"You did this?!"

"Boys, I get first dibs on . . ." Cole started, fully prepared to punish Lloyd. [M/n] stepped in front of Lloyd, staring Cole down with cold [e/c] eyes. He immediatley came to a stop, not willing to risk the youngers wrath.

"No dibs. I put them up to this for today's lesson. I wanted to show the destructive power of rumors and that jumping to conclusions can only lead only to trouble. Did you ever think to find if the accusations were true?" Wu asked, arching an eyebrow at the sheepish looks he recieved.

"Uh, no offense Sensei, but let me jump to this conclusion: today's lesson is lame," Cole said.

"Yeah, why can't you just teach us to paralyze your enemy with one finger, or find out if a man is lying by the twitch of his nose?" Jay asked, punching the air.

[M/n] scowled as Lloyd peeked around him, hiding a grin.

"Because not all lessons are about fighting," Wu said. "And I seemed to have misplaced my lesson book."

Lloyd muffled a snicker, but Kai still noticed. [M/n] had noticed the lesson book in his pocket once they'd finished setting everything up, but had chosen not to say anything.

Kai stalked forward – closely watched by [M/n] – snatching the lesson book from Lloyd's back pocket, and holding it up for everyone to see. "You mean this lesson book?"

Lloyd scowled, adorably, preparing to yell and rant at the ninja but [M/n] dropped a hand on his head, stopping him with a look. "Stupid ninja."

Nya's voice came over the intercomm system. "If you guys are done foolin' around, I could use you on the bridge. We do still have a snake problem to attend to. Over and out!"

"It's one thing to let the son of your nemesis live with you. But having my sister here? I mean, come on! I thought this was a ninja headquarters."

"Nya is part of our team," [M/n] stated.

"You do know I can hear you . . . And thank you, [M/n]. Over and out!"

Kai's face burned, embarressed, and he rushed ahead of everybody so they couldn't see it.

"Last we heard of Pythor, he stole the Map of Dens from Lloyd and is now on his way to open the last two Serpentine tombs," Nya explained, pulling up a map of Ninjago to show them.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Lloyd grumbled.

"Pythors our most dangerous threat. If he finds those tombs before we do, with his intellect and all four tribes released, there's no telling what he'll do," Wu added, shaking his head. Lloyd winced, shuffling in place.

"But those tombs could be anywhere. Without the map, we might as well just throw darts at a map," Jay complained.

"Good idea. Why don't we?" Nya threw three darts, each one landing where a den had previously been discovered and opened. "These are the two locations of the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre."

"Show off," Kai mumbled, still embarressed.

"And that is Pythors tomb." Nya couldn't help the little smirk she gave her brother, taunting him a little, as sisters do. "After a couple hours of uh . . . thinking on why the tombs were placed in these three precise locations, I discovered a secret pattern. If you can tell, all three are in line with old Ninjago symbol for Serpent."

She pulled up the image, lightening it until you could see them both line up together.

Jay bounced over to the map with two darts to put them in place on the symbol. "So, the last two tombs must be here and here. Ah, you're so smart."

"Was there ever any doubt?"

"Never."

"There's little time. Kai and Jay, you head to the Venomari Tomb. Cole, Zane, and [M/n], you take the Constrictai Tomb. And take this. You might need it if you run into Pythor. Good luck, ninja."

"What am I gonna do?" Nya asked.

"Yeah, what are we gonna do?" Lloyd looked up to [M/n] eagerly.

[M/n] – guessing what Wu's answer was gonna be – answered first. "Nya, Pythor could choose to go after the Bounty in revenge just as the Hypnobrai did." She frowned a little but nodded. The teen crouched down before Lloyd, putting them at eye level. "Lloyd, I'm sorry but you're too young right now. But I will teach you so you are not defenseless."

Lloyd was a little glum at being left behind but was excited at the prospect of being trained. "Okay."

"Let's go, boys. We got some snakes to club," Cole said, smirking. He'd been itching for a fight.

----------------------------------------------

Arriving at the base of the mountain, [M/n] landed the NetherCopter next to where they parked. Vehicles dissappearing, the three looked up at the massive, looming mountain warily. Zane then glanced down at his bright pink GI, and sighed despondantly.

"Well, mine and Zane's vehicles won't make it up there, but yours should, right [M/n]?"

"I can get us about 3/4ths of the way, but those rocks on the top will make it difficult for me too get close without losing concentration on my vehicle."

"Alright, so you can drop us off and then we'll climb the rest of the way up. My way."

[M/n] summoned his NetherCopter, letting the two climb in before it rose into the air and climbed higher. Carefully, he flew next to the mountain until Cole spotted a good enough spot for them to begin climbing at.

A solid ledge was their starting point so [M/n] held the copter steady, allowing the two to jump off. Focusing, [M/n] jumped from his copter and releasing his focus so it turned back into his Golden Tessens. Landing on the lip, he tilted back a bit but Cole grabbed onto his forearm to steady him.

"Thank you."

"My way now."

Cole carried Zane on his back, finding foot and hand holds for [M/n] who followed behind. Since the climb had started nearly 3/4ths of the way up the mountain, it was not nearly as exhausting or intesive as it would have been.

But it was still exhausting for Cole who had carried Zane and led [M/n] up the mountain, so when they made it to the top he collapsed, panting.

Zane noticed the open hatch, and frowned, "Looks like Pythor was already here. Perhaps we should investigate."

"Give me a second," Cole huffed, rolling onto his back. "Phew go on and start without me."

Zane nodded and led the way down the rope, landing on the ground with a thump. He rested his hands on his Golden Shurikens, looking around the cavern. [M/n] followed, doing the same as Zane.

When no Constrictai appeared, they relaxed and began investigating the massive cavern.

[M/n] found himself in front of the closest wall, gently running a hand over the hieroglyphs. Specifically, one of a massive Constrictai Serpent curling around a temple.

Cole slid down the rope, saw the hieroglyphs and immediatley started cracking jokes, "Huh, didn't momma snake ever tell them not to draw on the walls?"

"They are hieroglyphics. Stories, legends, and their history. Not pictures."

Zane gestured to the wall he had been checking out, "These images describe a legend about one tribe uniting them all."

"The snakes have been at war with each other for centuries," Cole pointed out.

"Well, it says here, once they unite, they can find the Four Silver Fangblades that will unleash the Great Devourer, an evil that will consume all of the land, turning day into night," Zane read.

"You get all that from those little pictures?"

"This gives me deep concern. If Pythor's not here and unites all the tribes together before Kai and Jay find him—" Cole interupted him.

"Relax, Zane. They're a bunch of dumb snakes who believes in fairy tales. If anything, we've got all the—Did you feel that?"

"What?"

"There's something in the ground. Don't move," Cole ordered, reaching for his scythe.

"Constrictai," [M/n] warned, Tessens unsheathed.

The ground erupted as a Serpentine came from below, winding around Zane and constricting, crushing the white ninja in the coils of his tail. The General of the Constrictai. "I've been waiting for you. Pythor sends his regards."

"Did you stay behind just to tell us that? Pathetic," Zane hissed, wheezing as the pressure on his ribs increased.

[M/n] ran through everything he could possibly remember about Constrictai: Super strength which made their grip difficult to escape, powerful, heavy bones for digging, and the second thickest scales of the tribes.

"Look who's calling who pathetic, Pinky."

"Only I call him Pinky!" Cole shouted, he slammed the back of the blade into the Generals head and he uncoiled to move away. "Go for the rope!"

Diving beneath the ground, Skalidor disappeared from sight. The three ran towards the stoe platform that was just beneath the rope, but the ground fell out from under Cole and he dropped.

Zane and [M/n] both stopped on the platform, turning back to look for their fallen comrade after realizing he was no longer in sight.

"Cole?"

Skalidor reemerged, Cole in hand, crushing his throat. The teen tried to play the flute but the General increased the pressure and he couldn't even play a singular note.

[M/n] moved first, using Skalidors tail to gain height and grab the flute from Cole. Tossing it to Zane, he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground as Skalidor pulled his tail from underneath him. Barely getting his arms up in time, the General slammed his tail into him and he was unceremoniously thrown into the wall with a sickening thud.

His jaw hung open as he tried to get air into his spasming diaphragm, hand pressed to his chest. Sitting on his knees, he had the perfect view as Skalidor caught Zane in his tail and used his Tessen to summon a bo shuriken.

Aiming, the bo shuriken sliced through a patch of nerves and his tail violently reacted, releasing Zane as it spasmed. Rolling away, Zane held up the flute and began to play.

Skalidor tried to hold out, head shaking but he lost, dropping Cole to place his hands over his ears to muffle the sound. Once again, Cole raised his scythe and slammed the back into the base of Skalidors head but this time the Serpentine passed out, collapsing to the ground. "Wrap your head around this."

"Ha, good one," Zane said, gently patting Cole on the back as he coughed.

[M/n] joined the two, eyeing the knocked out Serpentine as he took slow, even breaths.

"Thanks. But if he was expecting us, I think Kai and Jay might be walking into a trap," Cole pointed out, straightening.

"If we hurry, we can catch up before they make it to the Toxic Bogs," [M/n] agreed, turning to begin climbing up the rope.

All three jumped off the cliff, summoning their vehicles to catch themselves. They pushed themselves to make it to the Toxic Bogs before the other two got caught in a trap.

They arrived just in time to see Kai and Jay being surrounded by the Venomari. Cole and Zane drove up beside the two, vehicles disappearing as [M/n] dropped from the trees above, using tree branches to slow his fall and landing in a roll.

"Anybody order a little kickbutt?" Cole asked, his voice echoing down the empty tunnel. Jay laughed though it was tinged with hysteria and nerves.

"Boo!" Pythor shouted, appearing from the tunnel.

"Aagh!" Jay shrieked. Zane reacted quickly, lifting the flute to his lips to play but Pythor was quicker. He stole the flute from his hands, reappearing back beside the Venomari.

"No, let's not let music ruin things," Pythor sneered as the Venomari began closing in on them. They backed away, but were soon put too close to the toxic bog and so they jumped onto a slowly dissolving tree trunk. "I've got a sinking feeling this may be the last I see of you five."

Khêlai formed from the surface of [M/n]'s skin, taking the form of an Artic Tern. He quickly disappeared into the tree tops, much to the irritation of some of the Venomari.

"That's it. I used to hate Dragons, but now I officially hate snakes," Cole snarled, accent slurring his words in his anger.

"Wait, do you see that? A magic floating rope. We can climb to safety," Kai mumbled, voice weirdly dreamy. He tried to step forward but was held still by Jay and [M/n], keeping him on the log.

"Boy that Venomari Venom is some powerful stuff," Jay grumbled.

"For whatever it is worth, it was an honor to fight beside you all," Zane announced.

"Me too."

"Yeah, ditto."

Khêlai landed on a branch above their heads, and [M/n] knew help was on the way.

A rope unfolded before them with no discernable attatchment.

"Hey, what?" Cole asked, startled.

"The magic rope," Kai whispered.

"Quick. Everyone, climb over," Jay ordered, climbing up first. The others all followed and they were lifted back over the bog and set back down on the hard earth.

A large Samurai Mech landed barely 20 feet away, and the chest piece opened revealing someone covered in similar armor to the mech. They attacked the Serpentine, firing darts at the nearest few before spotting Pythor.

"Pythor target confirmed. Time to bag and tag," Samurai stated, sending a dart directly into Pythors tail. He managed to escape, unfortunately.

"Who are you?" Cole asked.

"How about the coolest thing I've ever seen," Jay cheered, impressed by the mech and how beautiful it was.

"Santa?" Kai questioned, delirious.

"Thank you, mysterious warrior. I owe you my life for saving-" Zane began only for a dart to sink into his shoulder, dropping him near instantly.

"Now that wasn't nice," Jay snapped, reaching for his Nunchucks. He ended up with a dart in his shoulder as well, and Cole and Kai followed closely behind.

[M/n] simply sheathed his Tessens, nodding towards the young woman as Khêlai returned to his Chóropsych. Hesitantly, she fired the dart into his shoulder, dropping him just as the Bounty arrived overhead.

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The room around [M/n] slowly bled back into focus, with his hearing coming into focus first. He could hear the engine humming as the scent of garlic shrimp floated through the air. Tucked against his side, radiating heat, was Lloyd, half asleep and flipping half-heartedly through a comic.

"You should be eating, Παιδί, not reading a comic." He figured it hadn't been too long since he'd passed out, though he didn't have an accurate measurement of time with no windows or clocks.

Lloyd spun around, completely forgotting about the comic, "You're awake!"

"I am."

Emerald eyes searched his face, lip trembling slightly. Seeming to realize it was trembling, he caught in his teeth beginning to knaw on it.

[M/n] softened and flicked him in the forehead, "Don't chew on your lip."

"But-but . . ." Lloyd trailed off, shifting in place. "Darkley's said you can't let them see you cry."

"Who ever said that is wrong, Λιακάδα," [M/n] murmured, tenderly brushing the back of his knuckles over Lloyd's cheek as tears began to fall. "It is healthy to cry."

His face scrunched up and more tears fell. "You looked dead. An-and I didn't-!" Cutting himself off, he tucked himself into [M/n]'s side.

"I'm alive, Λιακάδα." He guided his head to rest over his heart. "What else can I do to prove that?"

"Sing," Lloyd demanded.

[M/n] chuckled. "And what would you like me to sing?"

"Something different?"

[M/n] hummed, head tilting to the side as he thought. Running a hand through Lloyd's hair, he remembered a song he'd heard sometimes when his heart ached the most.

'I'll swim and sail on savage seas

With ne'er a fear of drowning

And gladly ride the waves of life

If you will marry me

No scorching sun nor freezing cold

Will stop me on my journey

If you will promise me your heart

And love . . .

And love me for eternity

My dearest one, my darling dear

Your mighty words astound me

But I've no need for mighty deeds

When I feel your arms around me

But I would bring you rings of gold

I'd even sing you poetry

And I would keep you from all harm

If you would stay beside me

I have no use for rings of gold

I care not for your poetry

I only want your hand to hold

I only want you near me

To love and kiss to sweetly hold

For the dancing and the dreaming

Through all life's sorrows and delights

I'll keep your laugh inside me

I'll swim and sail a savage seas

With ne'er a fear of drowning

And gladly ride the waves so life

And you will marry me'

[M/n] blinked away the slight wetness that stuck to his lashes, letting out a slow breath. The song wasn't meant to be sung alone but here he was.

Lloyd seemed to like the song, and luckily hadn't noticed the way [M/n] had stuttered at some points, waiting for a second person to join in.

"I've never heard that one before. Where'd you learn it?" Lloyd asked, glancing home.

"I don't know. Since I've woken up I haven't heard it anywhere. It could be a family song," [M/n] mused, having wondered the same thing himself.

"That'd be cool if it was a family song."

A knock interrupted them.

"Come in."

Nay opened the door, though she didn't come inside, looking relieved to see [M/n] awake and alert. It was easy to see that she was nervous, fingers tapping against the wooden door. Easy enough in fact that Lloyd seemed to pick up on it as well, glancing between the two.

"Oh, good. You're awake. We were starting to get worried, but since you're awake I guess everythings all right. Right?"

[M/n] raised an eyebrow at the lack of confidence – and confusing wordplay – before nodding slowly, "If you're asking if I'm all right, I am."

"Oh, yeah. That-that's what I was asking. Also, dinners ready and Sensei wanted me to check up on you and Lloyd."

Humming, the ninja gently nudged Lloyd away so he could stand up and stretch. Glancing down he noticed his missing boots, and top, so he was left wearing a long sleeve compression shirt and the pants.

Lloyd, trying to break the worried silence, began talking about the comic series Jay had lent him. He'd gotten through several of them while they'd been gone apparently.

Eyeing Nya, [M/n] sent Lloyd on ahead to the dining room so they could talk. The boy was hesitant but agreed, and disappeared down the hallway.

"You wan-"

"Please don't tell the guys," Nya interrupted, glancing down the hall. "I mean you guys have your little ninja club, and I wanted to be included but saving you guys felt really good, I guess, so I think I'm more suited to being Samurai X-"

[M/n] covered her mouth before she could spill her secret any louder. "It's not my secret to tell. I wish you luck in your . . . endeavers."

She floundered a little, stunned, as he turned to continue to the dining room. Sliding open the door, he let her in first before closing the door behind him.

The ninja were all talking over one another, describing their encounter with the Serpentine and the strange Samurai. Lloyd listened eagerly, leaning into [M/n]'s side as he sat down.

"So then, just as we were about to bite it, this huge mechanical robot-"

"Samurai. It was a Samurai Mech," Zane corrected Jay, who stuck his tongue out.

"A sama-what?" Lloyd asked.

"A high-class warrior who fought with nobility and honor on the battlefield. They eventually became ninja once stealth became needed as less battles happened around the continent," [M/n] explained, taking a bite of shrimp.

"He was a hundred feet high, with weapons coming out of every part of him," Kai added, swaying in his seat. He leaned closer to Cole, nearly flopping onto the others lap and whispered loudly, "Look at Sensei's beard. It's moving like snakes."

"When is this Venomari Spit supposed to wear off? It's starting to get annoying," Nya complained, sitting down at her brothers side. Just in time to watch him try to eat a shrimp and drop it on his face.

"Okay, don't let this mysterious Samurai cloud what's really important. All the Serpentine are out, and if Pythor can unite them, the legend states some Great Devourer is gonna consume the land and-"

"Great Devourer?" Nya asked, overpronouncing it.

"They were guardians of their Tribes, but died out, though no one is sure why," [M/n] stated absentmindedly. Everyone turned, waiting for more but he simply stared them down and took another bite.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't opened the first hatch, none of this would've happened," Lloyd lamented, setting his chopsticks down.

"We cannot change the past, but we can affect the future. At least we have the Sacred Flute in our possession, so—"

"You haven't told him?"

"Yeah, ahem. About that . . ." Jay trailed off.

"Pythor sort of stole it," Zane stated.

"The last Sacred Flute gone?" Wu sighed, shaking his head. "You five are Ninjago's last hope."

[M/n] switched his chopsticks to his other hand, resting it on Lloyd's shoulder to comfort him and pull him closer.

The alarm blaring had everyone jumping up. "Cold Vision must have caught something. The Serpentine must be gathering for something."

Abandoning the food, everyone ran up to the Bridge.

"Oh no! Ninjago City?!" Cole cried, seeing the red dots covering a large section of Ninjago.

"How many are there?"

"Looks like all of them," Kai said.

"Pythor must be trying to unite them," Zane added.

"Go. We mustn't let the five tribes unite," Wu ordered.

Nodding, the five ran out to the deck. Using Spinjitzu they all changed, though Kai stumbled out of his still a little woozy.

Zane glanced despondantly at his still pink GI. "I must get this taken care of."

"You look fine."

Jay patted Kai on the shoulder as he stumbled over his own feet, "Don't worry, it's wearing off already. For now though you're coming with me."

Without needing to discuss it, they all threw themselves off the side of the Bounty, plummeting. Kai screeched, still affected by the venom, while the three muskateers cheered and whooped. [M/n] was silent, but there was a slight smile on his face as tge wind whipped against him.

"Ah. I love the smell of land hurtling towards you in the middle of the night," Cole called, summoning his vehicle. It was something that was quickly becoming second nature for the five.

Landing, their vehicles disappeared. The brilliant neon lights of the city lit everything up in a multitude of colors, impressing the ninja who had never gotten to visit Ninjago City before.

"Whoa."

"Ninjago City."

"Amazing."

"Always heard stories of this place."

"Biggest city in all of Ninjago. Always wanted to come here."

"Yeah, I always dreamed of being on one of the, uh, big boards for mountain climbing," Cole admitted.

"You too?"

"Yeah, I did too."

Zane looked around the alley, frowning as he realized what was wrong. "Uh, but may i remind you where are the snakes? We should be standing in the middle of a massive Serpentine gathering."

[M/n] whistled sharply, gesturing to the manhole cover at his feet.

"Ugh, I hate snakes," Cole groaned, removing the cover.

[M/n] led them all down the ladder, carefully stepping off so he didn't break the weakening iron bars. They all followed after him as he led them towards an intersection, relying on his sensative hearing to pick up on the faint sounds of talking and hissing.

The intersection was a circular room with two floors and four tunnels. All five tribes had gathered in the center and a makeshift stage had been crafted in front of the farthest tunnel. Just behind the stage were the four Generals and Pythor discussing something before he climbed on said stage.

"Ah. Showtime. Friends, enemies, and enemies who pretend to be friends," Pythor called, throwing his arms open as the Serpentine laughed. "I welcome you!"

"That's a lot of snakes," Cole mumbled. [M/n] shook his head.

"The tribes are far bigger. These are likely the higher ranking soldiers or something similiar."

"There are more?" Jay hissed, shifting anxiously. "What are we gonna do?"

"I have an idea. Follow my lead," Kai stated.

As Pythor joked around, the five ninja walked around the upper platform and set up ropes. "And what is with the Constrictai and their vice-like grip? Let it go already."

Now that the Serpentine were relaxing and no longer so tense around the other tribes – some were even mingling– Pythor steered the conversation towards the real reason he was there. "Heh, but in all seriousness, the reason why I called this gathering is because...the good people of Ninjago imprisoned us in those insidious tombs, and I want to return them the favor."

The Serpentine nodded and a cheer of agreement quickly rose. Due to the heavy shadows in the back, no one noticed Kai slide down one of the ropes positioned behind the Venomari.

"That sounds like a great plan, but you know the Hypnobrai will screw it up!"

"Who said that?!" Dissent began to spread as the others called out insults of their own.

"Those buck teeth can bite my rear end!"

"I bet they're drinking their own venom!"

"All that digging must have given them dirt for brains."

"Why should we trust an Anacondrai? They betrayed us in the War!"

[M/n]'s comment seemed to stir the hornets nest the most, and the voices grew louder than before.

The ground rumbled lightly beneath them. Multiple Constrictai burst forth, capturing Cole, Jay, and Kai in one move. Zane managed to flee, having been futher down the tunnel, and was pursued by several more Constrictai.

[M/n] climbed back up the rope, slipping into the heavy shadows that the twisted pieces of metal created by the old platform. Four Constrictai came from the wall and searched the platform but they couldn't find him.

None thought to investigate the shadows themselves.

Pythor and Skales were both irritated by the missing Ninja but decided they couldn't be much of a threat on their own. Their negligiance gave [M/n] the perfect opportunity to creep down and slowly make his way towards the captured three.

Zane swung in from above, further distracting the Serpentine. Chuckling, [M/n] darted through the Serpentine sending a Venomari flying into a Constrictai as it sprayed venom and caught others. The venom had chaos spreading further and the purple ninja was easily able to get to the wardrobe the three had been shoved inside.

Freeing them, they joined Zane in front of one of the tunnels as Serpentine began to advance.

"Now, let us blow this popsicle stand. Ninja, go!" Zane shouted, joining them. Using his Shurikens he completely froze the tunnel behind them, then summoned his vehicle for everyone to climb on.

[M/n] crouched above the wheel, as Jay sat on the back, laughing. "Popsicle stand. Haha, I like it!" A bump had him nearly slipping off but he was grabbed by the back of his blue GI and hauled back on.

They returned to the Bounty with no trouble, the Serpentine unable to follow through the iced tunnel.

Lloyd had met them all up on the deck and had confessed, to [M/n], that he still hadn't been able to wash the color from Zane's GI. So, [M/n] went down and poured bleach into it and set the cycle back on for him, then went back upstairs to cook dinner for everyone.

Gathering for dinner, they happily discussed their successful mission.

"You know, whether it was in a lesson book or not, we used the destructive power of rumors to our advantage," Cole stated, taking a helping of spanakopita.

"And now the Serpentine are further away than ever from getting their act together," Kai agreed, leaning over Jay to grab some of the falafal the blue ninja was trying to hoard. "Hey, you can't just keep it all to yourself!"

Jay stuck his tongue out, but passed over the plate. "You know, I don't think we would've gotten out of there if it hadn't been for Zane."

"Don't thank me. Thank Lloyd and [M/n]. If it hadn't been for their 'laundry skills,' we all would've been found." Zane took the plate of lemon potato wedges he was passed by [M/n]. The white ninja smiled when he noticed the second plate, loaded with a little bit of everything. "Everything smells delicious."

"Thank you and your welcome."

[M/n] felt a sense of pride as everyone excitedly reached for his food, and fought for more portions. The door slid open, and Lloyd walked in carrying Zane's GI and a can.

"Well, it took me twenty loads and [M/n] introducing me to the miracle of bleach, but your suit's no longer pink. And to show that I'm sorry, Cole, I got you a can of nuts," Lloyd announced, passing out the two items.

He happily dropped into the seat beside [M/n], though he eyed his plate when he saw the greens and reds of vegetables. "Eat, παιδί. You need the vegetables."

Lloyd stuck his tongue out, "Veggie's are gross."

"I made them so they would not taste so gross, but I guess you don't want dessert then. Unfortunate."

His jaw dropped and he quickly shoveled a bite into his mouth, making [M/n] chuckle.

Cole grinned, shaking his head as he stood, can in hand. "Haha, yeah. Don't think I don't see what this is. When I open this, a bunch of snakes are gonna pop out, right? Yeah, no thank you." He set the can on the counter in the connecting kitchen, opening the fridge and activating the prank.

Rubber snakes flew through the air, making Cole shriek and fall backwards. Everyone laughed as he sat, stunned, in a literal pile of snakes.

Lloyd cackled the loudest, body shaking as he supported himself against [M/n], who was laughing as well. It took Cole a second but he began cracking up too and joined them back at the table.

The rest of their dinner was lively, trading stories back and forth of pranks they'd all played on each other back at the Monastery. The most entertaining part though was everyones reactions when they realized [M/n] had actually pranked them after he offhandidly mentioned how he had never been caught.

For Zane, he'd rearranged the kitchen and then gaslit him into thinking it had always been like that.

For Kai, he simply replaced all of his fan mail with really weird newspapers and pictures that gave him nightmares for a month.

For Jay, he replaced every one of his video games with kids shows.

For Cole, he'd glued several objects to his ceiling.

Not a single one of them had ever even considered that the purple ninja had been a part of the prank war, completely forgetting that he'd been caught in the aftermath of several of theirs.

Lloyd though watched the older with stars in his eyes. "How come you didn't plan the pranks for them earlier?!"

"You looked too excited and I wasn't going to ruin that. Besides, I prefer long cons. Let them think they're going crazy before revealing it was a prank," [M/n] stated, smiling in a way that flashed his canines.

"That—," Jay began, bringing everyones attention to himself. "–is terrifying. How did none of us realize that?"

"We blamed each other," Zane said, remembering the arguement. "I blamed Cole, he blamed Jay, Jay blamed Kai, and Kai blamed me. We did not even realize he was a player."

"Check. Mate."

Chapter 7: S1 E6: The Snake King

Chapter Text

The ninja were enjoying breakfast together, discussing the Serpentine Tribes and Pythors efforts to reunite them. Lloyd had joined in, after finally waking up, and the conversation turned to facing the different Tribes.

"First, I'll stomp on his tail. Then when he turns, a thunder clap to his ears. Then when he's stunned, I'll disarm him," Lloyd demonstrated, jumping around the small dining area. He looked to [M/n], seeking approval but the others were quick to shoot him down.

"Too late, he's already hypnotized you and now you're under his control," Cole said.

"Or he's already put you in a squeeze," Zane offered, hand dropping to his ribs in remembrance of the Constrictai Generals grip.

"Or spit on you with his hallucinatory venom. Trust me, bad stuff," Kai grimaced.

"Uncle, what's the best way to stun a Serpentine if you don't know what kind they are?" Lloyd asked, sitting back down beside [M/n].

"Sadly, it was the Sacred Flute you five carelessly lost," Wu stated, sending a sharp look towards the ninja.

[M/n], ignoring him, leaned down a bit to whisper, "I'll teach you how to identify which tribe they're from, don't worry."

"Hey, no, no, no, we didn't lose it. Pythor stole it," Jay argued, ignoring [M/n] in turn.

"Whatever the case, without it I fear we have nothing to combat their powers. We may have prevented them from uniting in the past, but they will try again, and one day they will be stronger."

"Don't worry. I've almost reached my Full Potential, and when I become the Green Ninja, we're not gonna need any magic flute," Cole stated, flexing his muscles.

[M/n] sighed, pressing his pointer and middle finger to his forehead as an argument started up. Again.

"You're gonna be the Green Ninja? Hahaha, don't make me laugh."

"I thought it was decided that I was destined to become the Green Ninja."

Lloyd looked around in confusion, having never actually heard of the Green Ninja until now. He looked up, tried too, when a hand dropped on his head and ruffled his blond locks. "Please don't grow up to be idiots like them."

"No way. I'll be way cooler."

"Oh! The only thing decided about you, Zane, is that you're weird."

Lloyd's attention was caught when Wu stood and retrieved a box from the Postman, quietly sitting back down. Realizing the ninja were all too focused on their arguement, he raised his voice, "Yeah, yeah, yeah! What's in the box?"

"Your new uniforms," Wu said, passing out the GI's.

The four tore open the clear packaging around them, admiring their GI's. [M/n] was more meticilous, removing his and carefully scrutinizing it as Lloyd looked it over in awe.

Seperate from the GI was a silver pauldron, sculpted into the shape of a fox. Surprised by the extravagent piece, he ran his fingers over it, admiring the detail and metal work.

"Whoa! They've got, like, armor," Jay realized, holding up the fully armoured sleeve.

"I love the gold highlights," Kai added, referring to the golden pieces of armor.

"Battle claws!" Cole cheered.

"The material is really light and breathable," Zane murmured, running his hand over the fabric.

"They are beautiful, Sensei."

Lloyd looked disappointed when he realized he wasn't getting anything. "Oh, nothing for me?" [M/n]'s gaze instantly flicked to Wu, who gave him an awkward, unsure look in return.

"Um, you get, uh, the box." The man looked absolutely relieved when the alarm went off, distracting everybody.

Gathering in the Bridge, they patiently waited to be debriefed as Nya had taken to calling it.

"A small faction of our slithering friends are stirring up trouble at Mega Monster Amusem*nt Park," Cole stated, reading the article Nya pulled up.

"Amusem*nt park? Can I go? Can I go with you, please? Let me make things up. I can help," Lloyd practically begged, looking between his Uncle and [M/n].

"I'm sorry, nephew. You will stay here, where it's safe," Wu refused. Before Lloyd could try and argue, [M/n] stepped in.

"I'll take him." Wu still looked hesitant, so [M/n] elaborated. "I can protect him, besides it is unhealthy for a young boy to be cooped up for too long."

Wu relented, nodding. "You are not to leave [M/n]'s side, am I understood, Lloyd?"

"Yes, Uncle! I won't!" Lloyd agreed, bouncing in place with barely restrained excitement.

"What do you say, guys? Time to try out the new merchandise?" Jay asked, holding up his GI.

Up on deck, they all used Spinjitzu to change into their new GI's.

Lloyd oohed and aahed appropriately over [M/n]'s GI, especially enamoured with the fox pauldron and black leather chest guard.

"All right. This new stuff feels like it'll really protect us," Cole said, flexing his bicep.

"Yet, provides more mobility," Zane agreed.

"You wanna strut your stuff on the catwalk, or get down to that amusem*nt park so we can go on some rides?" Jay sassed.

"I love a good old fashioned roller coaster, but nothing beats this," Kai stated, throwing himself off the ship with the other three.

[M/n] carried Lloyd, unwilling to risk him not being caught in his NetherCopter. Summoning his Copter to slow their decent, he kept Lloyd in his lap.

At the last second all of their vehicles disappeared and they landed on the large cement wall surrounding the entire amusem*nt park.

"Haha! Check that out. And not a scratch on me," Cole announced smugly, brushing off his sleeve.

Hopping down, they all noticed the cheering crowd that had gathered and the four mistook it as excitement to see them.

"Haha, ladies, relax, relax, we have arrived," Jay said, pushing his way through the crowd to get to the center.

Which is where they found a small group of Serpentine tied up as a group of ladies swooned over their mysterious savior.

"Uh, what just happened?"

"Oh, you totally missed it. There were like, icky snakes, and then this mysterious Samurai came in and saved everyone," Woman #1 stated. [M/n]'s brows pinched together as he struggled to understand her accent and what she was actually saying.

Glancing to the side, he saw Cole with a similar look.

"He was, like, gorgeous," Woman #2 added.

Kai perked up. "You saw his face?"

"No, but we could totally tell." Nya appeared behind the ladies, carrying two sticks of cotton candy with cheeks a little flushed, and hair a little messier than normal.

"Nya, you're here," Jay realized.

"Yeah, you boys just missed the action. That samurai you were talkin' about? He just flew in and took care of business, and then flew off. It was pretty cool," Nya admitted, cheeks darkening when she saw the look of amusem*nt [M/n] was giving her.

People around them began talking about the Samurai, dismissing the ninja which upset the four. Lloyd, who was growing bored, bounced beside [M/n], looking around trying to decide which ride he wanted to go on first.

"Ugh, who is this guy?" Kai grumbled.

"Whoever he is, he's stealing our thunder," Cole complained. Lloyd, the precious little thing he is, happily interjected.

"What thunder?" He glanced up to [M/n] with a cheeky grin. "[M/n]'s got all the thunder."

Nya grinned and added, "He's a thunderstorm."

Sighing, he tilted his head back. "Skellions."

He led Lloyd away from the ninja as they began devising a competition of sorts against the Samurai.

"I wanna ride that one first!" Lloyd announced, pointing to one of the larger rides. [M/n] was perfectly content to be led to ride after ride and forced to try several different fair foods.

They ended up saving the Ferris Wheel for last, so [M/n] paid for multiple go arounds. Lloyd couldn't help but notice how the older teens hands constantly rested on the handles of his Tessens. He vividly remembered the striking golden fans with their black iron blades.

"Hey, [M/n]?"

"Hmmm?"

"Where did you get your fan thingies?"

"My fan thi- Oh, my Tessens. I retrieved them from The Temple of Death where Ara, my dragon, was guarding them."

Lloyd's head snapped around to look at the older, jaw dropping. "Tell me more! You have a dragon?!"

"Yes. He's molting in the Spirit Coves but he'll return. I know he will. Do you wish to hear the full story or the shortened-"

"The full story!"

[M/n] chuckled, leaning back against the seat and getting comfy.

Closing his eyes he brought the memory to the forefront of his mind, trying to find a good place to start. He was aware of the boys gaze on him, but assumed he was impatiently waiting for him to begin.

He couldn't see how the moonlight reflected off his features, giving him an ethereal look and highlighting the features that made him seem so menacing.

Bare trees arched upwards, fingers creaking as the wind wove through the old cemetary, sliding across headstones and plaques before curling around its mysterious intruder in welcome.

The intruder didn't know it at the time but the Wind had been a fierce protector of the Temple and the surrounding cemetery and forest, chasing others away with whispers, hisses, and screams.

"Γεια σου φίλε μου," [M/n] murmured, understanding the wind wasn't out to harm him. Even without memories he knew the Wind was a friend and ally, not an enemy. (Hello, my friend.)

Whispering, it curled around his hand and lifted it in an odd mimicry of tugging. Smiling curiously, he followed along, dodging low hanging branches that threatened to get caught in his hair and carefully placing his feet to dodge the patches of dead leaves that always crunched obnoxiously.

The Temple of Death loomed ahead, made of dark stone with two, weathered, stone statues guarding the doors to the temple. Having stood there for so long, through sunshine, rain, and snow, the statues had long since lost the more intricate details. The four swords it held had been filed down and know looked like oblong sticks with holes, giving it a far creepier and ominous look.

[M/n] rolled his shoulders as he passed the two, looming statues, feeling like he was being watched. Picking up the pace, he paused in the archway, pressing a hand against the doorway as the Wind released him and retreated back towards the cemetary and forest.

He wished the wind could accompany him inside but the Temple would not take well to intruders. Other Elements would be chased out if they dared intrude.

Pushing at the doors had them slowly opening without a sound and he slowly crossed the threshold, pausing. Even when he wasn't chased away or killed immediately, he still didn't relax.

'To relax too soon is to leave yourself vulnerable. And vulnerability is death.'

He didn't know where the saying had come from or where he had learned it, but he knew he needed to abide by it.

The sanctum had multiple sets of stairs, leading both up and down, but he walked directly to the stairs tucked away in the corner and took them to the floor above. Most people, if they could even make it inside the Temple, would assume the Weapons would be underground and take the stairs downward.

On the top floor was an observatory, which was surprising, with a raised platform in the center holding the Tessens of Nether. Curled around the platform was a marble wyvern that looked eerily lifelike.

When it moved, [M/n] wasted no time in retreating back down the stairs, pausing halfway down and listening carefully. The Temple was silent but now he could pick out the slow, even breaths of the dragon that he had, wrongfully, ignored. Hesitating, he knew he had to continue.

Leaving meant the Tessens would fall into the Skulkins bony hands and be brought to Lord Garmadon, who would then have the power he needed.

A silent sigh escaped him as he prepared himself. Every step was chosen and placed carefully, muscles held tense as he readied himself for the need of quick movement. His first step onto the painted marble floor of the observatory did not wake the dragon but he still paused, taking in its beauty.

Imperial blue scales with an almost purple undertone resembled the night sky, especially with the silver scales dotted around its flank. Iris colored feathers lined its long, slender neck and face forming a crown of sorts. More ran down its spine, stopping halfway.

Large grey-blue wings with silver veins were tucked beneath its sharp, angular jaw and its tail was loosely curled around the base of the platform. He wouldn't be able to get close without waking the, admittedly beautiful, dragon.

Circling around the dragon, since it had a pretty good view of the stairs from where its head was positioned, he stayed behind it as he tried to think of a solution. Shouting from below, accompanied by the clicking of bone on marble, had the wyvern stirring.

Feathers shifted as it slowly began to wake, lifting its head up to look towards the stairs with silver. Hissing, its feathers began to move together creating a strange sound beneath its own voice that had shivers running up and down [M/n]'s spine. Standing, it shook itself off, having likely been asleep for a very long time.

Khêlai, the strange shifter that somehow resided wirhin him, his soul/mindspace apparently, surged beneath his skin. Curious and wary, he really wanted to face this dragon but [M/n] kept a tight hold, focusing on the fight to come.

Skulkin, a small group luckily, rushed up the stairs pausing at the landing when they came face to face with a dragon. None of them moved for a moment before one lifted its sword and shouted. Roaring, the wyvern crossed the space in a few long strides and snatched up the Skulkin in its maw as grey-purple fog poured out.

Flinging it to the side, the Skulkin did not reform scaring the others. How could you kill something that was already dead?

Taking the opppotunity, [M/n] ran for the platform and the Tessens. Grabbing them, he was completely enamoured by the coldess the Tessens gave off. Staring at the twin fans, he didn't even notice the wyvern slowly approaching until Khêlai reacted, snarling visciously.

Spinning around, he came face to face with it.

The Temple was silent as silver met [e/c]. For several minutes nothing happened, until [M/n] felt the slightest touch on the edge of his mind. Curiosity, not his own or Khêlai's, bloomed at the edge of his mind.

He knew the curiosity came from it, him, and then he felt the impression of flying. The dragon wanted to fly with him.

And so, [M/n] returned to the Monastery atop the Guardian of the Golden Tessens.

Lloyd was so amazed he was bouncing in place, spitting out so many questions that [M/n] was struggling to answer them all.

The entire way back to the Bounty was like that, with Lloyd genuinly curious about the Temple, the Wind, Ara, and everything else that had caught his attention in the story. Once he was tucked into his futon, with [M/n] stretched out beside him, he passed out, completely exhausted from his excitement filled day. Both slept through the night.

The alarm went off early that morning and [M/n] was quick to wake and get to the Bridge where Nya was. Still dressed in their pj's, the ninja gathered around as she pulled up locations on their map of Ninjago. "Multiple snake sightings! There everywhere!"

With so many, they were forced to take 4 to 5 each. And that was just from that night.

At each location there were only a few, never more than five Serpentine, that were terrorizing the people. While this made it easy to take care of them, whether by knocking them out or killing them, it was still exhausting. For everyone.

Even with the Samurai's help, they returned to the Bounty exhausted day after day. With them all so busy, the ninja had taken to dropping Lloyd off within the nearby villages so he could entertain himself, rotating days.

[M/n] returned one night, after visiting nearly 9 villages, and passed out as soon as he laid down, no blankets or pillow. His sleep was uneasy, as he reached out for Lloyd but never found him. After only 5 short hours of sleep, he completely woke and searched the ship for Lloyd.

The sun had risen sometime during his search, so he headed towards the dining room where the rest of the ninja were. He came up just as Wu asked, "Where is my nephew? I thought you were looking after him."

[M/n] slammed the shoji door open, nearly breaking it, "He's not here."

Everyone in the dining room went still beneath his piercing gaze.

"Cole was supposed to pick him up," Kai declared, throwing the blame away from himself.

"I went to the arcade, but he wasn't there. Jay was—"

Jay violently shook his head, leaning back, "Don't bring me into this. I babysat yesterday. I had nothing to do with this, I didn't lose him."

"We have not seen him," Zane stated.

"We must find him," Wu ordered, blue eyes flashing with something. When [M/n] turned to leave, Wu reached out and grabbed him by the arm, stopping him. "It would be best if you stayed here, [M/n]. Your emotions-"

"I am in perfect control of my emotions, Wu. I know exactly what I'm gonna do who took him."

[M/n] pulled away, stalking up to the deck with the others close behind. He jumped off, summoning his NetherCopter as Kai took the lead on his Blace Cycle, taking them to the arcade he'd left Lloyd at.

"Lloyd? Lloyd? He was right here. Someone must have seen him," Kai said, ducking back out from the shop.

Cole had a gentle hand on [M/n]'s shoulder as the ninja stared off into the distance, worried, as Zane gently pressed against his other side. Jay was looking around, a little worried as well, and spotted the camera positioned above them. "Hey, guys. Check this out."

Popping inside the arcade, Jay asked to borrow a tablet from someone. Surprisingly, someone let him and he rushed back out to connect the tablet to the camera and pull up the footage.

The tablet was given to [M/n] after Jay had found when Kai had dropped Lloyd off. Everyone crowded around him to watch the footage.

"What is he up to?" Jay asked, leaning over [M/n]'s shoulder to get a better look. After Kai left Lloyd went down the alley before ducking into the costume shop next door and dressing up like a Serpentine before going back down the alley.

When he didn't come back, [M/n] shoved the tablet into Jay's hands and went straight to the alley. They found footprints leading towards a back road, hidden behind the buildings.

"I sense these are Lloyd's footprints, but they come to an end here. Why?" Zane asked, leading them to the tire tracks. [M/n] growled, a low rumbling sound that had them all on edge.

"Something tells me we're going for a ride. Come on, boys," Kai said, summoning his vehicle. [M/n] hadn't even let him finish his sentence, the NetherCopter moving faster than normal.

As they followed the track deeper into the desert, a city that had not been there a few days before appeared on the horizon.

"What is that place?" Cole asked.

"Looks like snake city," Jay offered, shrugging.

"Ourobourus," [M/n] rasped, voice distorting unnaturaly over the comms. No one commented on it, deciding not to bring it up to the pissed off purple ninja.

"Let's get a closer look," Kai decided, releasing their vehicles so they could sneak closer.

Slipping into the shadows of the large Serpent statues, [M/n] left the ninja behind to move quicker on his own. None of them noticed him slip away.

A Venomari guarding one of the entrances fell to [M/n] blades, head barely hanging on by a thread. He slipped to the edges of the arena as the ninja rushed in and were caught in the trap that Pythor had set up.

Their Golden Weapons clattered to the ground as the Serpentine cheered. "Ninja!" Lloyd cried, uncurling from the ball he'd been in.

"Looks like we've caught the main event," Pythor announced, reinvigorating the Serpentines cheers until a shrill scream echoed the arena before it was brutally cut off. Just like their head.

The decapitated head of a Hypnobrai was visciously kicked into the arena and multiple Serpentine scrambled away from the ominous shadows that hid the purple ninja.

The four ninja watched in horror as blood pooled around the head, while Lloyd went still, a feeling of protection settling over him.

Nothing would touch him. [M/n] was coming. Death was coming.

"Let them all go," [M/n] ordered, voice soft and calm. Sweet and honeyed like a hornets honey. "And I don't kill every Serpentine in this arena."

Pythor laughed, taking it as a bluff even as the wound on his arm throbbed painfully. Skales backed away, fully ready to flee the moment the ninja moved. "Now, why would I do that? I promised a show to my fellow Serp-"

A bo shuriken sank into the eye of a nearby Constrictai, sinking so deep the sharp end stuck through the other side. When he spoke, a growl tinged the edges of his words, "Let. Them. All. Go. Or I kill you all."

"You think you can kill ussss all? We are the SSSSSSerpentine!" Skalidor shouted angrily. Khêlai lunged from the shadows, a massive tiger that ripped out the spine of another Venomari, roaring in triumph.

[E/c] eyes turned purple, glowing in a way that casted a purple light across his cheekbones and highlighted the blood splattered across his bare face.

They were out of time.

[M/n] lunged, a fox pouncing on the vipers around him, and sliced through a Constrictai's head, exposing the squishy brain inside. Grinning ferally, he began his Dance of Death with Khêlai leaving behind a path of decapitated bodies, heads, and assorted appendages along the battlefield.

Blood was streaked across his face and GI, as he dodged a swipe of a sword. Khêlai's entire maw was drenched in blood as were his massive paws and the pair proved a fearsome sight, sending many of the Serpentine fleeing deeper into the city.

Unfortunately, the two were not infallible and lucky shots began to pile up. Forced to conserve energy, Khêlai retreated back into the Chóropsych leaving [M/n] alone on the battlefield.

A slice across the back of heel, cutting through his boot, had him spinning to dig his blades into the offenders eye only for another to slam a club into the back of his skull. Gasping, he lashed out slicing through the Constrictai's throat as he dropped to his knee, panting to work through the pain.

Lloyd screamed as a second blow to the head had [M/n] nearly collapsing forward. Turning, he cut through the skin of the Hypnobrai's stomach and their guts poured forth, landing on the ground with a heavy splat.

Pythor, finally gaining an ounce of courage, slowly slithered forward, throwing out his arms in display, "What did you say? You'd kill us all?" He couldn't help but taunt the slowly collapsing ninja.

Snarling and using the last bit of his focus, even as black began to creep into his vision, he sent a Bo Shuriken into Pythor's shoulder, only a few inches away from where his artery was. Though, even if it had hit, it likely wouldn't have sunk deep enough to do any damage.

Shrieking, Pythor retreated as he held a hand to the wound, waiting until the ninja finally collapsed. The ninja watched in horror as blood poured from the back of his skull, where they could see pieces of bone from his skull peeking through. One of his legs was twisted slightly, with more blood pooling from the numerous cuts along his body.

Lloyd clung to the bars, tears streaming down his face as he saw his protector slowly bleeding out in front of him. He whimpered, and a Hypnobrai slammed their sword on the bars making him stumble back in fear.

Kai, who saw, shouted in rage as his sword began to heat up. "Don't f*cking touch him!"

Cole was trembling with barely restrained fury as Jay sparked in fear. Zane gave no outward reaction but the air around him was unnaturally cold.

In the Inbetween

[M/n]'s eyes sprang open, and he was forced to rapidly blink away the bright influx of colors and light. One moment he was blacking out, after injuring Pythor, and now he was standing just before the large red doors of the Monastery. Except . . . the Monastery was a burnt husk after the fire, but this Monastery was whole and beautiful with nothing out of place.

He was so lost in thought, he did not even notice the stranger leaning against the railing of the engawa until he spoke, "Wonder where you learned all those little tricks?"

Spinning, [M/n] found a young man watching him and his hands dropped down to where his Tessens sat, but they were not there. Instead of panicking, he simply slipped into the first stance of the Imperial Leopard.

The man wore his black, green streaked hair loose allowing it to fall into cat-like jade eyes that watched him closely. Standing out the most were the strange markings along his skin, like a Hypnobrai's markings.

Jade eyes flicked over his body, reading him with ease. Keeping his body relaxed, he mused out loud, "You don't remember me? Do you?"

"Should I?"

The slight smirk that had been playing across lips, fell for just a moment. "We grew up together. Spent damn near every waking moment together. Got worse when we got together."

"Got together? We were . . ."

"Star-crossed lovers? Soulmates? Partners? Take your pick."

[M/n] lowered his hands, dropping his stance. "Idon't understand. If you are my partner why were you not-"

"I died. A long time ago. So . . ."

His arms crossed as he began to close off and shut down, obviously disliking the topic they were heading towards. Narrowing his eyes, [M/n] slowly crossed the courtyard until he stood barely a foot of space between them. "I don't remember your name. It sits on the tip of my tongue in every memory I recieve but I can't remember it whenever it ends. But I remember I loved you. I remember mourning you. I know you used to use Kanzashi to hold your hair up. You made me a bracelet of river stones. You used to fly a kite. And I know the Wind is yours. But I don't. Remember. Your name."

Breath shuddering, the man reached forward and gently cupped his face with calloused and scarred palms, looking at him so gently. "Morro, 私の愛." (My love.)

"Morro," [M/n] repeated softly, smiling slightly. The name fit perfectly, like a puzzle piece clicking into place. Morro shuddered, shoulders trembling as he leaned forward to press their foreheads together, eyes closing to savor this moment.

"f*ck. I forgot what your voice sounded like." Morro tugged him close until their entire bodies were pressed together, fitting together easily with [M/n]'s head tilted back slightly so he could look at Morro. "I'm so sorry."

Desperation tinged the edges of his apology, and [M/n] pulled away a bit in confusion and worry. "What? What are you sorry for? Morro?"

"I can't. Its almost time for you to go home. Get that boy back. Take care of him."

"I will. But-"

"No. If you stay much longer you will die. You have to go."

"Where do I go?"

"Just walk out those doors, 虹彩."Morro nearly begged, eyes squeezing. (Iris)

"Okay. Okay," [M/n] soothed, pulling away. "I- I love you, Morro."

"I love you too. Now, go. Before its too late."

Nodding, [M/n] went for the doors hesitating for only a second to look back but Morro was already gone, likely returning to the Departed Realm.

He pushed open the doors and everything went black.

Real World

The room was entirely silent as everyone sat around [M/n]'s bedside in the temporary Medbay Wu and Nya had set up. Zane sat on a stool at [M/n]'s side, holding one of his hands in his own as he bowed his head.

It had taken hours for him to finish stitching [M/n] up, and it was a miracle he hadn't bled out before the Samurai had rescued them. Of course their crash landing had nearly made his open wounds worse, filling them with sand and putting him further at risk for infection.

No one knew what to say. The ninja, a teenager now that they thought about it, had always seemed untouchable, invincible always coming out of fights with ease. Now, he was laying limp on a cot with bandages wrapped around his too small form, and making him so small and pale.

Nya couldn't take it, the silence or seeing her friend like this, and fled back to her own room, trying to hide frustrated tears in anger.

"How do we tell him?" Cole asked, breaking the silence as the door violently swung from Nya's abrupt departure. His accent was more noticable than ever, slurring his words. "How do we tell him we failed? That he nearly died and they still have Lloyd?! That we couldn't—?!"

He cut himself off, cursing to himself in Italian as he looked at the teenager in the cot. "We left Lloyd. We've all— we've all seen how much he cares for him. This is . . ."

"It's going to devestate him," Jay mumbled, wringing his hands and tearing at the skin around his fingers.

Kai looked away, fists curling.

"I will tell him," Wu decided, looking older than ever in his own chair as he watched over his oldest student gravely. "Lloyd was my responsibility. I should have watched over him myself. As such, it is my responsibility to tell him of our failure."

Jay curled in on himself, eyes misting over a bit as he looked to the purple ninja before he left. Kai followed, heading to the training room. Zane and Cole both stayed, keeping vigile as Wu meditated.

Chapter 8: S1 E7: Demesne

Chapter Text

[M/n], who still couldn't be left alone because of his concussion even after two weeks, was leaning back against the wall and watching as Wu studied an old, well kept, katana pensievely.

Most of his shallower wounds had healed and were little more than scabs, but the massive head wound still worried Zane so he had been banned from anything strenous. He wasn't even allowed to summon Khêlai, in case he exhausted himself further.

Glancing over to the door, he could hear the ninja making their way towards Wu's room. "Well, every morning I do five hundred push-ups."

"Five hundred? Ha, try a thousand."

"Hahaha, I do a thousand and one."

"What is this, amateur hour? Sounds like my warm-up. Sensei, what does True Potential look like if--" Cole began, pushing open the mans door without asking for permission.

"Our apologies, Sensei. We've interrupted you," Zane interrupted, coming to a sharp stop at the sight of his Sensei.

"I'm sorry if I've been distant lately. My mind has been elsewhere since Lloyd has gone missing. What can I help you with?" Wu asked, smiling weakly.

"Sensei, what if we've done enough training? What if we've reached our True Potential? What if we're ready?" Cole questioned, eagerly gathering around the man. Jay nearly tripped over [M/n]'s outstretched legs, but quickly recovered.

"Hm. You might have reached peak physical condition, but you've yet to reach your inner potential. In each and every one of us, there are obstacles that hold us back. Only when you conquer that fear will your heart be free. Only then will you reach your True Potential. Only then will we have a fighting chance to stop the Serpentine from releasing the Great Devourer," Wu explained, stroking his beard.

"There's more to the Great Devourer than you've let on, isn't there, Sensei?" Zane asked, noticing the change in Wu's voice.

"I too have obstacles within my own heart. There's a story I've never told you," Wu admitted, gesturing for them all to settle in. He placed a pillow in the center of the half moon circle the five created to sit on and began. "Long ago, when I was a young boy, Garmadon and I were more than brothers. We were the best of friends-"

"Wait a minute. Now, I know you two were brothers, but really? The King of Cruelty, the Doer of Destruction, the Captain of Chaos, and you two were friends?" Jay interupted, bewildered.

"Please, no interruptions," Wu stated, just as [M/n] leaned forward and whacked Jay upside the head, having needed a moment to move his stiff limbs. "You see, he did not always have a wicked heart. One day, I lost this very katana. Knowing our father would be mad, my brother told me to go retrieve it. But I refused. He told me not to put off what can be done today and went to get it himself. When my father found him, he was very ill, for he was bitten by a legendary snake that would grow forever as long as it consumes. A great evil had found its way into my brother's heart, for the snake's venom could turn the purest of things wicked."

Wu's face was grave and sad. It was obvious to the five that the man still blamed himself for it, even so many years later.

Closing his eyes, Wu paused, taking a steadying breath, "The snake is the same one the Serpentine want to reawaken today. It is the snake that took my brother away from me."

His eyes grew sharp, gold flashing beneath the blue, a reminder of his strength.

"So the Great Devourer turned your brother into the Dark Lord?" Kai asked, frowning.

"It was all my fault. You four have finished your training. You must now focus on stopping Pythor from collecting the Fangblades. But never lose focus on the obstacles that lie within each of your hearts that holds you back from true greatness. Unlock your True Potential," Wu stated, standing tall.

"But how are we supposed to do that, Sensei?" Zane asked.

"It is up to each of you to discover. Now I must go on a personal journey of my own. And I will need [M/n]'s help." Wu said, glancing to the ninja who had begun standing at his name. Cole was quick to support him, grabbing his crutches for him.

"Where are you going?" Jay asked, shifting anxiously. His anxiety had been at an all time high recently and his fingers were covered in bandages from his bad habits and tinkering.

"To a place you cannot follow."

"If you're going for Lloyd, the City of Ouroboros is filled with hundreds of Serpentine. [M/n] tried and nearly died. If he couldn't do it alone then you can't either Sensei," Cole stated, frowning.

"We are going to find someone who can be of aid. The Serpentine have united and grown stronger and we will need all the help we can get."

Zane and Cole both helped escort [M/n] up to the Bounty's deck, while Jay went back to their room with a list of supplies to pack for him. He'd tried to make them leave him be but they'd insisted, and had been practically on top of him as he climbed up the stairs.

Nya lowered the Bounty so it was beside the mountain above the village they needed to go to. Wu took both bags, and crossed the plank first before helping [M/n] over. Pulling away, they waved goodbye then began their trek down the side of the mountain.

The sun had already begun to set by the time they made it to the village nestled in the shadow of the mountain due to [M/n]'s injuries. Tucked away into the backstreets was the shop Wu had said they'd needed to visit.

Already in the alley leading to the shop were Nuckal and Kruncha, who panicked at the sight of the two, "Aah, Retreat!" Their fearful retreat was ignored as [M/n] observed the dingy little shop, 'Mystake's Tea Shop.'

Wu helped [M/n] inside, and he leaned back against the wall to relax for a moment. An old woman emerged from the back, face pinching when she saw the two.

"I would like to purchase some Traveler's Tea. As well as Healers Brew."

"Never heard of it!" Mystake snapped, scowling. Wu dropped a pouch full of coins on the counter and the woman reluctantly went back into her storage and brought the teas back out. She had a kettle out that she used to begin brewing the Healers Brew as she counted out the coin. Pouring it into a cup she slid it over alongside the Travelers tea. "He looks like he needs it or else he'll keel over."

Wu took the cup to [M/n] who hesitantly held it up to smell.

"You know, those who drink this never return."

"Then we will not bother you again."

They left and [M/n] finally took a sip as they made it to the base of the mountain. Wu did not wish to stay within the village for this.

[M/n] nearly tripped when he first felt the sensation crawling along his skin, crutches catching on a loose rock. His skin was stitching itself back together and the back of his skull, the bone, was repairing itself making his skin feel incredibly itchy and odd.

By the time they found a place to pause, about halfway up the mountain, he felt better than before. Reaching up, he found the area where the head wound had been but felt only the raised skin of a scar.

Wu started a fire, preparing the Travelers Tea. Silence reigned as they prepared themselves. Standing, he took the tea pot off the fire and poured it over the flames, turning them a vibrant purple.

[M/n] felt the portal open in his bones as he watched. Together they stepped through, stepping out onto a rocky ledge with very little light, as if they were in a cave rather than outside.

Across from them stood Lord Garmadon, silver fangs glinting in the light as his red eyes burned. "Hello, brother. What took you so long? You brought the katana from our youth. Funny, you never had the courage to cross the temple wall, yet now you have the courage to come here. And you even brought your prodigy along."

"Why have you come to this place of darkness?" Wu asked, holding out a hand to keep [M/n] from advancing.

"A place as wicked as me? Don't you see? Here I feel at home. In Ninjago, I was physically unable to hold all four Spinjitzu Weapons. But here, dark magic has made me stronger and what was once impossible is now possible," Lord Garmadon hissed, revealing a second set of arms. Wu gasped as [M/n]'s eyes widened a little, surprised.

"You came here only to possess the Weapons of Spinjitzu?"

"What of your son?" [M/n] demanded, hitting the man where it hurt. Garmadon snarled, a terrifying sound.

"You know nothing! I refuse to let you, your petty ninja, or your prodigy stop me!" Lord Garmadon shouted, abandoning all pretense. Summoning four weapons to his hands, he lunged at them.

[M/n] and Wu were forced on the defensive, dancing around each other as Lord Garmadon slashed, his reach different than they were used to. One after the other, he tossed them into the mud below, dropping down with a feral grin.

"Brother, I've not come here to—" Wu tried to explain, only to be cut off by a swipe from Lord Garmadons sword that barely missed its target.

"You will pay for your visit. Mud monsters, converge! You don't belong here, old fool. You should've known better than to try to stop me," Garmadon snarled, mud monsters grabbing onto their pants and beginning to cover them.

"Lloyd is in danger!" [M/n] shouted, struggling furiously trying to free his legs from the mud monster. Shocked, Lord Garmadon didn't react immediately so the monsters nearly swallowed them both whole.

"Lloyd?" Realizing they were about be drowned, he pulled them free, sending the mud monsters back into the ground now that he now longer had any need of them. "What has Lloyd gotten himself into?"

"Danger."

"He has opened a can of worms I fear I will never be able to close," Wu admitted, kneeling on the ground to catch his breath.

"You mean we will never be able to close. Get up. You can tell me more later. First, we need to return home. How did you find me?"

[M/n] pulled himself back to his feet, hating the twinge of his muscles from the lack of movement for so long.

"Traveler's Tea. But we used it all and now have no way back," Wu explained, standing.

"There is only one way to return to Ninjago. But to get there, we must pass through the Mountain of Madness and it is a long and dangerous road ahead," Lord Garmadon stated. [M/n] nodded willing to do anything to get back to Lloyd and save him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"We should leave. Now," [M/n] insisted, wanting to get back as soon as possible.

"We should. Before it gets really dark," Lord Garmadon agreed.

Lord Garmadon directed them towards the looming Mountain of Madness several miles away. [M/n] chose to walk behind the two, hands on his Tessens as his senses were rubbed raw by this realm.

"So what kind of trouble has Lloyd gotten himself into?" Lord Garmadon asked, frowning.

"He released the Serpentine," [M/n] answered. "The last member of the Anacondrai Tribe has brought the four Tribes together. He plans to gather the four Fangblades and use them to bring back the Great Devourer. The same that bit you."

"The same that bit me?" Lord Garmadon repeated, shocked. "No, it can't be."

"It's true," Wu stated.

"Why would Lloyd open the tombs?"

"He just wanted to be like you," [M/n] murmured, glancing to Lord Garmadon who seemed saddened by his answer.

"I never wanted him to be like me. Thank you for watching out for him, [M/n]. Wu."

"You may think of me as your enemy, but I was first your brother."

Lord Garmadon nodded and they continued their journey towards the mountain in silence. At the pace they walked, the three mile trek took just under an hour.

Wu eyed the mountain apprehensively. "We're here. The Mountain of Madness."

"The only way back to Ninjago is up there?" Wu questioned, frowning.

"The worst is yet to come," Garmadon revealed ominously. Khêlai wrapped around his legs as a bobcat, looking up at [M/n] in amusem*nt.

"Είναι λίγο δραματικός, έτσι δεν είναι?" [M/n] mumbled to Khêlai, who bobbed his head in agreement.(He's a bit dramatic, isn't he?)

In front of them, Lord Garmadon chuckled looking back at them, "Πρέπει να σέβεσαι τους μεγαλύτερους σου."(You should respect your elders.)

[M/n] was a little surprised, but wasn't afraid to snark back, "Περισσότερο σαν απολιθώματα."(More like fossils.)

Lord Garmadon laughed, delighted by his snark, while Wu sighed. He had tried to teach his student better and not be so crass or rude but . . .

Those lessons had never stuck.

As they trekked up the mountain, the moon rose catching Lord Garmadon's attention. He came to a sharp halt, frowning, "I had hoped to reach the summit before the moon has risen. The Craglings never miss a midnight snack."

"Craglings?" [M/n] asked, frowning. Khêlai pressed himself against his leg, baring his teeth silently.

"Craglings? What is this place? There's no such thing in Ninjago," Wu stated, shaking his head as his grip on his staff tightened.

"They're a horde unlike any you've seen. Not all places exist to be found, brother. Sometimes, one must revel in the shadows to truly see the light," Garmadon said, eyes glowing.

The ground trembled as the pile of rocks around them began to move, forming large, hulking creatures. Wu, surprised by their sudden appearance, was quickly caught off guard and flung to the side as [M/n] and Khêlai split up to take on two Craglings alone.

"Watch out brother!" Lord Garmadon shouted, blasting the Cragling with destruction, eating away at its rocky skin until it was nothing but dust.

[M/n] and Khêlai worked together to create cracks along the Craglings skin so he could use his Nether to eat through it further. Specifically, they went after the legs until it could no longer hold itself up and fell of the cliff.

Against the second one, they led taunted it until it was close enough to the edge that they could knock it off the side and let it fall to its death.

"Ninja go!"

A second group descended upon them and they were forced to fight their way through. Eventually, the rest of the horde had either retreated or been destroyed so the three stood in a pile of rubble and dust.

"The vortex is not much farther ahead. If we hurry, we can make it within the hour," Lord Garmadon stated, setting a quick pace for them to match.

Khêlai eventually grew bored and retreated back into the Chóropsych for a nap.

"The vortex back to Ninjago is just over that buff. Please, you first." He gestured for the two of them to begin their climb.

"Though we live in two different worlds, I still see good in your heart, brother," Wu stated, smiling. "Come, [M/n]."

Climbing up over the ridge they found the vortex, swirling with purple and black energy. [M/n] stared into the vortex, nearly overwhelmed by the feeling of its power, all of his senses focused on it.

Coming up behind them, Lord Garmadon grinned noting their distraction. "The battle between our worlds is inevitable. You put too much trust in me."

Wasting no time he shoves them both, but Wu manages to grab onto a ledge jutting out just above the vortex, barely managing to grab onto his students hand in time.

"Εσύ προδότη! Ο γιος σας-!" (You traitor! Your son‐!)

"But I came for your help to save your son!" Wu shouted, interupting his furious student. "Did you lead me here to destroy me?!"

"See you on the other side," Lord Garmadon hissed, using his element to break the ledge. Wu cried out in fear as they fell, heart breaking at the betrayal.

[M/n] felt as the vortex changed around him, and twisted to land on his feet. He managed to catch himself but dropped to a knee at the suddeness of the landing. Wu fell onto his back, wheezing slightly but he'd recover quickly.

Glancing around, [M/n] realized they were in a rice patty field filled with farmers who were eyeing them wearily.

Lord Garmadon dropped from the vortex before it closed behind him. Landing on his feet, he threw back his head and laughed, "I'm back, Ninjago!"

The farmers, seeing the Dark Lord, fled back towards their homes. [M/n] glared at the mans bacl, knowing he couldn't attack without squandering their chances of getting Lloyd back.

The man might be an asshole but he loved his son and would kill to rescue him if need be.

Wu was simply relieved that the man hadn't actually been trying to kill them, and was quick to let it go so they could focus on the next part of their journey. Finding the Bounty.

Chapter 9: S1 E8: The Legendary Ninja

Chapter Text

The journey to find the Bounty had taken nearly a week, but they had finally found it. Docked, luckily, so they simply walked right onto the empty deck.

Garmadon fell behind as they walked further on board, blending into the shadows perfectly with his black skin and grey markings to break up his defined shape.

"Hello! We're home!" Wu called.

From within the ship, multiple voices shouted, "Sensei! [M/n]!"

Nya made it on deck first and nearly threw herself into [M/n]'s arms, happy to have him home. Pulling back she gasped as she saw how much healthier he looked, "Your wounds?! They're gone!"

[M/n] chuckled, nodding but didn't tell her why, deciding to keep that one to himself for a little while. The other ninja, sans Kai, made it up and were quick to greet Sensei Wu and [M/n].

Zane tugged [M/n] into another hug, long dreads brushing the others cheek as he bent down a little.

"Ah. It's so good to be home," Wu stated.

"We are so glad you both are back," Zane said, pulling back from [M/n] with a soft smile.

"Did you bring us anything?" Cole teased.

"Oh, Sensei, have you missed a lot. Zane's a Nindroid, Nya's the mysterious Samurai, Cole's a dancer—" Jay began, only to cut himself off when he saw the bewildered looks the two were sporting.

"Zane is a...what?" Wu asked, brows furrowing. [M/n] realized Nindroid meant robot and looked to Zane who was watching him worridly. He reached out and clasped a hand on Zane's shoulder.

Zane was still his brother, no matter what.

"You've been gone a while. We'll catch you up later. But you should know, all of us except for Kai have discovered our True Potential," Zane reported, relieved that his closest brother held no judgement to this newfound knowledge.

"Have you now? Where is Kai?" Wu asked, looking around for the red ninja. Said ninja came running up the stairs, panting a little as he came to a stop in front of them.

"Right here. So glad you're back safe," Kai stated. Lord Garmadon chose that moment to step out from the shadows, making Kai's eyes go wide. "Aah! Sensei, behind you!"

Kai went on the offensive, lunging for Lord Garmadon as Zane jumped in front of Sensei Wu to protect him. "Ugh! He's got four arms!"

"Kai, stop! He is the reason I left. For so long as Pythor has Lloyd, he will be our guest," Wu ordered, forcing Kai to come to a stop as all four ninja gaped at their Sensei.

All of them began talking over one another.

"We have to live with this guy?!"

"But Sensei, he has four arms!"

"Uh, must I remind you ever since he turned evil, he's been trying to get our Golden Weapons?"

Wu's eyes flashed gold but he was quick to take control of himself and force it down. "ENOUGH!"

Nya, who had stayed silent the entire time, looked to [M/n] who seemed calm and wholly unbothered by Lord Garmadons presence. She wouldn't trust him but she'd tolerate him as long as he was needed.

"Yes, Sensei."

"This isn't about the weapons. It's about my son," Lord Garmadon stated. Kai nearly scoffed but [M/n] stared him down until he looked away.

"From here on out, you will obey me and you will respect my brother," Wu ordered, looking each of his students in the eye.

"Yes, Sensei."

Wu chose not to reprimend [M/n] for not agreeing, simply because he knew the ninja would tolerate Lord Garmadon until Lloyd was rescued. At the very least he wouldn't antagonize Lord Garmadon, unless they were sparring or he was provoked.

"Now to the bridge. We must put our attention to more pressing matters," Wu stated. He was obediantly followed up to the bridge, everyone a little cowed by his brief display of anger. "So, where are we at with the four Fangblades?"

"Oh, Pythor's managed to take the first two, but there's still two left," Jay admitted, shuffling his feet.

"And we only need one in order to prevent him from unleashing the Great Devourer," Cole added.

"Any luck finding their whereabouts?"

"No, but the Falcon is programmed to alert us if he sees any suspicious activity," Zane explained, not noticing the strange look Wu gave him before he recovered.

"Good. If we find the Fangblade, we find Lloyd. Kai and Nya, prepare the deck and double check the anchor. We need to be ready when we first get word of activity," Wu ordered.

"Yes, Sensei," the siblings chorused.

"I've got my eye on you," Kai hissed, as he passed Lord Garmadon. He ran into the door frame – having been too focused on the Dark Lord – making Nya groan and grab him by the arm to forcefully drag him out of the Bridge.

Digging his heels in, he made the universal sign for 'I'm watching you' as Lord Garmadon scoffed.

"Zane, did you say the Falcon was . . . programmed?" Wu asked. [M/n] chose that moment to slip away, needing a moment of privacy.

His feet took him to the deck but he paused when he heard Kai's ranting. The ninja had held a grudge against Lord Garmadon ever since their fight in the Temple of Fire. "But Nya, did you see he has four arms? Wherever Sensei and [M/n] found him, he's now made it possible so that he can possess all four weapons at once. I don't trust him. Not one bit."

"You have to remember, he's not just the Dark Lord, he's also Sensei's brother and Lloyd's dad. Though he's pure evil, Sensei holds him close to his heart. And [M/n] cares about Lloyd and really wants him back so he's not going to object against his presence if it means Lloyd will be rescued," Nya pointed out.

"That's it."

"What?"

"To unlock my power. Sensei said the heart is the key. Maybe if I stand up to Lord Garmadon, I'll find my True Potential and then everyone can see I'm the Green Ninja! Ha! Nya, you are a genius!" Kai cheered.

"I don't quite follow your logic," Nya admitted.

"No time to explain. I have to go train. If I'm gonna confront Garmadon soon," Kai began, doing a backflip and landing on the lower deck with a thump. [M/n] sank into the shadows, retreating down the hallway to wait. "I gotta be at the top of my game."

"But Sensei said he's our guest."

"Garmadon might've fooled Sensei, but don't think for a second I'm not keeping my eye on him. Nya, the Lord of Darkness just became our roommate!" Nya watched helplessly as her brother took off running, before going back to her job.

Kai nearly ran right past [M/n] until the teen stepped out, directly in front of him. He barely stopped in time to avoid bowling the younger ninja over. "[M/n]! Is there something you need? I really need to-"

"You don't 'really need' to do anything," [M/n] hissed, making Kai go still. It was the same tone he'd used when speaking to Pythor and it slid down his spine like a knife. "Hear me when I speak. If you attack Lord Garmadon or threaten our chances of rescuing Lloyd I will give a front row seat to a bloodbath. Do you understand me?"

"Wha- But- Sensei wouldn't-"

"Do you think he could stop me in time? Besides," [M/n] snarled, stepping closer to whisper into his ear, "I know exactly where to cut you to make you bleed without killing you."

[M/n] pulled away and dissapeared further into the Bounty without a sound. He took the long way to get back to the Bridge, savoring the silence of his journey.

In the Bridge he sought out more about Lloyd's disappearance even though they'd seen nothing of the boy since Ourabourus. Zane eventually came to find him for dinner, unbothered by how silent [M/n] was, mind running through hypotheticals.

While eating, he noticed what Garmadon was eating but ignored it. It wasn't any of his business what the mans diet was, plus he seemed to be f*cking with Kai.

"Cosa sta mangiando?" Cole whispered to himself as he eyed Lord Garmadons plate.

Kai answered, guessing at what he was asking, "Condensed evil. Supposed to be low in fat."

One of the grubs made its way off Lord Garmadon's plate and Kai recoiled as it came towards him before flicking it away.

After dinner everyone went their seperate ways until bed.

[M/n] once again found himself in the Bridge staring up at the screens. Zane joined him not long after. "We can set up a watch to alert us if the Falcon sees anything," Zane offered. "It's not healthy for you to be up here all the time."

"It's my fault he's still there. I should be the one-"

"And what happens when we do find him and you are in no state to help?"

"I was working on little sleep and exhaustion when we went to Ourobourus the first time. You saw what I did."

"And what if it is not enough? Last time you had the drop on them because they were expecting you to be in the cage with the rest of us. If Pythor is smart enough he will have done his research and found ways to hurt you," Zane pointed out. [M/n] wanted to argue but he knew the other was right.

He leaned against the console, careful not to touch any buttons.

"What do you think he thinks of me now?" [M/n] asked, laughing humorlessly. "Khēlai and I slaughtered well over 30 Serpentine in that Arena before I dropped and I do not doubt I left more injured."

His accent thickened his words as he looked away.

"I think Lloyd will know that you care very deeply for him. Lord Garmadon has killed before, and I doubt Darkley's strayed away from that information."

"They wouldn't. If you were to become a Dark Lord you had to understand how to wield and witness death." Zane was a little surprised but took it in stride.

"You care about Lloyd. And I know it goes deeper than being his Protector."

[M/n] smiled slightly, unsurprised. "How long have you known?"

"A while. There were clues I was able to put together but I doubt the others have."

"You really think Lloyd will understand what I did? What I do?"

"Yes. I believe out of all of us he will understand the most."

"And how do you feel about it?"

"I understand why you do it. But I do not agree. I also know it would be a pointless fight as our morals and eithics differ. We are friends, [M/n]."

"Thank you, Zane. I will take the first watch. Tonight. We can figure out the schedule at breakfast."

[M/n] smiled, eternally grateful for his brother and the two headed down to their room to change. Brushing their teeth, neither noticed Lord Garmadon lifting a dagger to his teeth until it created a piercing, grating sound that had [M/n] flinching and hunching in on himself.

Rushing through his routine, he hurried to dress in more comfortable clothes as the others glared at Lord Garmadon. He chose more workout-esque clothing because he needed to stretch out his muscles, still tense from the near two weeks of little movement.

He left just as Lord Garmadon's hands sparked with dark purple lightning, making everyone groan.

Nya passed by with a mumbled good night before stumbling into her own room.

[M/n] spent the night stretching and practicing yoga and checking the screens in rotation. He still remembered how he'd looked after his coma. Skin barely clinging to his bone, the complete lack of muscle anywhere, and the color of his skin had been unhealthy since he hadn't had the proper nutrition for months.

Morning came with a storm so it was all hands on deck. Everyone was in the Bridge in case it got worse.

"Where's Garmadon?" Zane asked, noticing the man was not with them.

"Sunbathing," Kai sneered, gesturing outside. [M/n] peered out the window and found Lord Garmadon laying on a towel with sunglasses and shorts on doing exactly as Kai said he was.

"Ο Λόιντ δεν θα με πιστέψει ποτέ," [M/n] mumbled, shaking his head in amusem*nt.(Lloyd will never believe me)

Since the storm was already beginning to recede, [M/n] headed downstairs to their room to take a needed nap. When he woke, he went in search of Wu and found Zane, Kai, and Cole all watching Lord Garmadon as he played a video game with two controllers.

"He's not even playing the game right. He's just shooting and destroying things," Kai complained.

"I've noticed when he isn't so focused on trying to turn Ninjago into his own image, he's actually quite fascinating," Zane admitted.

"Sure, the four arms are freakish, but all in all, he doesn't seem that bad of a guy," Cole stated, shrugging.

"He might be pulling the wool over all your eyes, but not mine. He's up to something. And I'm gonna be ready for it," Kai snapped, scowling as the two rolled their eyes at him.

[M/n] spoke up, making all three jump, something he delighted in, "His priority right now is his son. You would do well to remember that."

Kai barely held back a flinch as [e/c] eyes cut over to him, before the ninja continued on his way to find Wu. The old man had caught him on his way to his room earlier and asked him to find him after he woke up.

He found him, and Nya, waiting outside of a small storage room. Wu lead them both inside, surprising them both when they saw the Golden Weapons resting on the small table inside.

"I have come to understand the mysterious Samurai is no longer a mystery," Wu stated, firmly closing the door.

"Oh yeah, you heard about that. I guess I picked up a thing or two," Nya said, shrugging even as her face reddened.

"Humble," [M/n] teased, leaning back against the wall.

"It was foolish of me to think that a girl could not be the destined Green Ninja," Wu admitted, gesturing towards the Golden Weapons as Nya stared at him dumbfounded.

She glanced to [M/n], who was far too calm, and he could see the gears turning before it clicked. "You're the-"

"I keep your secrets, you keep mine," [M/n] stated, cutting her off. Their little eavesdropper could figure it out on his own.

"When the four weapons are laid out before the destined one, the weapons will react, revealing the identity of the Green Ninja," Wu revealed.

"But, Sensei what if I don't want to be the Green Ninja?" Nya asked, a little anxiously. "You've seen what its done to Kai. I like being Samurai X."

[M/n] moved closer, gently resting a hand on her shoulder, comforting her. "Approach the weapons," Wu instructed kindly.

Nya stepped forward after taking a deep, steadying breath, only for the weapons to stay stationary. Seeing that, Nya relaxed.

"Then the Green Ninja is still out there."

Nya was quick to leave, but paused at the door when she found Kai and Lord Garmadon staring each other down and arguing just outside the door. "Guys, guys, what are you doing out here?"

"Perhaps you should be asking Mr. Snoopy Pants that question," Lord Garmadon hissed, smirking as Nya spun on Kai.

"Kai, were you spying on me?"

"What? No way! I was, uh, keeping watch. So are you the Green Ninja? Or the Silver Ninja?" Kai asked eagerly. Nya scowled, struggling to keep her eyes on her brother so she didn't reveal [M/n]'s secret.

"What? Of course not."

"So the weapons didn't tell you. Ah, that means I still have a chance," Kai said.

Wu sighed, worried and a little dissapointed. "Truth is, she never wanted to know."

"At first, all I wanted was to be like you, but after seeing how obsessed you've become and discovering what I could do on my own, I'm happy being a Samurai," Nya stated.

"So, then who are the Legendary Ninja?"

"Perhaps we will never know." Jay came flying down the nearby stairs, nearly tripping from how fast he was moving.

"Kai, you were supposed to be in the bridge. Zane's Falcon spotted them," Jay reported.

Lord Garmadon and [M/n] both pushed past the blue ninja, making there way up to the Bridge as quickly as they could. Zane and Cole were already there, running through the video.

"Lloyd," [M/n] whispered, seeing the boy stuck in a bird like cage.

"My son," Lord Garmadon rasped.

Wu, Nya, and Kai rushed up the stairs with Jay lagging behind a little bit.

"Looks like Pythor is at the Temple of Fire," Nya stated, recognizing the Temple as the group of Serpentine, mainly Constrictai, made their way closer.

"That means the Fangblade is there," Kai said.

"And Lloyd."

"That's the same Fire Temple where Kai and Lord Garmadon first faced off," Jay added before shrinking back at the looks he got.

"If my memory serves me correct, I'd say one of us cheated back when we last fought," Kai sneered.

"And I remember someone needing their Sensei to save them," Lord Garmadon retaliated, stepping closer.

"Hey! For the sake of the Fangblade and Lloyd, can we please just get along?" Cole asked, grabbing Kai by the shoulder to stop him from advancing.

Lord Garmadon scowled, but backed off. Wu stepped up beside his brother and asked if he would retrieve the Golden Weapons from below to bring them back up. With the incoming fight, they would be needed.

"Since the last time we've been there, it looks like the volcano has grown unstable. The place is a powder keg just waiting to blow up. This will be a highly combustible environment," Nya explained.

"Oh, great. Just what I like. Fighting armed and deadly snakes in a highly combustible environment about to blow up!" Jay shrieked, flapping his hands.

"We will do what we must," Wu stated.

"Yes, Sensei. But where are our weapons?" Zane asked, remembering that Wu had taken them earlier.

Kai, who was next to the door, scowled and muttered to himself, "And why is Lord Garmadon not here?" He was quick to leave the room while everyone's backs were turned.

Cole was the first to notice, and since Lord Garmadon was also gone he quickly pieced it together. "Kai!" He took off with everyone else hot on his tail, but they made it to late as Kai slammed and locked the door.

"Kai?! What are you doing?!" Nya demanded, fiddling with the doorknob.

"Discovering my True Potential!" Kai shouted.

Jay tried to kick the door down but the locks were strong and the door was thick.

"Unh! The door won't budge!" Jay cried.

"Kai thinks he'll unlock his power if he stands up to Lord Garmadon," Nya remembered.

"Why would he think that?!" Zane asked.

Nya made the cuckoo gesture. "'Cause he thinks he's the Green Ninja!"

"Well, if we don't open this door soon, I think he's gonna be mincemeat! Stand back!" Cole shouted. He summoned his True Potential, glowing bronze as he prepared to break the door down. "Earth!"

Breaking down the door, they found Lord Garmadon pinned to the ground by Kai. "I defeated him. I did it! Are my eyes glowing? Did I unlock my powers? Is this my True Potential? Argh! Why isn't it working?"

[M/n], who had been still the entire time, lunged, filling the room with a snarl. He flung Kai into the wall, throwing a smaller hidden knife from his sleeve that sliced through the ninjas cheek. Kai tried to stumble away, but [M/n] blocked his path eyes glowing.

"I warned you." He seemed ready to lunge again, but he was stopped by Lord Garmadon grabbing him by the shoulder.

"I wasn't going to hurt you, boy. I was only fetching your weapons," Lord Garmadon stated.

"But you were trying to steal them!"

"I asked him to get them. Perhaps it is best you do not reach your True Potential, or else someone could get hurt," Wu's lamented, shaking his head.

"Way to go, hero," Cole snapped.

"Are you alright?" Nya asked Lord Garmadon, frowning at her brother.

"I'm fine, my dear, thank you for asking."

[M/n] followed on Lord Garmadon's heels as he led them all back up to the Bridge. The ship suddenly slowed, having arrived to its destination.

"Sounds like we've finally reached our destination," Cole stated.

Everyone geared up and gathered on the path to the Temple of Fire. "The Fire Temple," Cole muttered, staring up at it.

It was beautiful in a dangerous way, with the entire thing made of volcanic rock and surrounded by pools of lava that even ran down its sides.

"The volcano seems to be on the verge of eruption, guys. All recent indicators tell me that this place is becoming increasingly fragile. Even the smallest rupture can make the whole thing go off," Nya explained, using the Falcon to communicate. [M/n] placed his Golden Tessens back in their sheaths and palmed two knives instead.

"Then we must not use our weapons," Wu stated.

"Kai," Nya said, voice strict and sharp.

"Yeah, yeah. No Fire Sword. But only because I wouldn't want anything to prevent us from getting that Fangblade," Kai said callously, shoving his sword back into its sheath. Lord Garmadon and [M/n] growled in unison, sending shivers down his spine.

"Or my son."

From there the entire group made its way up to the entrance of the Temple where the symbol of fire had been carved above the menacing archway.

"There. The Serpentine must be inside the inner core. From here on out, we travel by shadows," Wu decided, spotting a branching tunnel that had not been there on their previous visit.

Lord Garmadon and [M/n] took the lead, with the former giving them all a viscious grin, "It's the only way I know how."

Creeping their way down the tunnel, they came to a stop behind a grouping of boulders that let them overlook the entirety of the spacious cavern. Pillars of stone conected by paths created an odd maze like structure over a pool if lava while stairs had been carved into the side of the room itself.

Jay tapped [M/n] on the shoulder, pointing to Lloyd, "There's Lloyd."

[M/n] and Lord Garmadon immediatley sought him out, finding the boy still within that bird cage and swaying precariously over the lava.

"Son."

"Lloyd."

Pythor, at that moment, lifted the Fangblade from its place in triumph, "The third Fangblade is ours!" He held it closer to admire its beauty and observe the carvings along its edge when he noticed something in its reflection. "Ninja? Attack!"

"Light as a leaf. Attack like there is no tomorrow," Wu ordered.

The ninja split up to fight, but [M/n] and Lord Garmadon stayed together and made their way towards Lloyd. Serpentine that faced [M/n] were killed with sharp slices to artery's and necks but Lord Garmadon's enemies were flung into the lava below, left to scream and scream until they finally burned away.

A sudden trenor had everyone pausing to keep their balance as the lava below bubbled loudly. [M/n] looked around, originally believing the Constrictai to be at fault, and found Kai with the Sword of Fire in hand bringing the Temple to life.

"Kai, the weapon is compromising your safety," Nya warned as the Falcon swooped over their heads.

"I will do what I must."

Kai went after Pythor who was attempting to flee out another tunnel. Constrictai began digging into the walls making the tremors beneath their feet worse.

"They're making the volcano unstable," Zane shouted, surprised by how far Pythor would go to get the Fangblade.

"Any minute, this place is gonna blow. We have to get out of here," Jay cried.

"Not without my son!"

"Not without Lloyd!"

Lloyd heard his Father's voice and sat up to look around, having been previously watching the other ninja in fear. "Dad!" His cage was suddenly dropped and he screamed as the pole got caught in the rocks, barely stopping him from plunging into the lava below.

"Son!" Lord Garmadon roared, flinging Serpentine away as he picked up the pace to reach him. [M/n] summoned Khêlai, who swooped ahead in the form of a Lammergier and began tearing at the lock as they approached.

Ripping the lock off with his talons, Khêlai pushed off so Lord Garmadon could get to his son. Sharp claws dug into the rock as he grabbed his son from the cage before he hauled them both back up onto solid ground.

"Dad," Lloyd sobbed, pressing his face into his dads armoured shoulder.

"Son," Garmadon whispered, pressing his forehead to his sons blond hair. Lloyd lifted his head and happened to see [M/n], standing off to the side watching him and Garmadon with open relief.

Garmadon was startled as his son tried to get down before he let out a strangled cry, "[M/n]!"

[M/n] froze, for barely a moment, before stepping forward and accepting Lloyd into his arms. Garmadon was surprised by the way Lloyd reached for the purple ninja, sobbing renewed, and passed him over.

The volcano rumbled again and they rushed back to the cave opening, meeting up with the other ninja and Sensei Wu. Kai was the only one who stayed, trying to reach the Fangblade that was balanced on a rock, slowly sinking into the lava.

"Leave it, Kai! It's not worth your life!" Jay shouted.

"Not without that Fangblade!"

Lloyd dropped out of [M/n]'s arms to move closer to the edge, shadowed by his protector. He remembered how Kai had shouted out to defend him in the arena and he wanted to return the favor. "But what about Kai? Kai!"

Another rumble had the ground cracking, and before either could react, the ground dropped from beneath them. The slab fell onto the lava and knocked the breath from [M/n]'s lungs but he'd caught Lloyd in time so the boy was mostly unnaffected.

Wheezing, he heard Zane and Garmadon screaming for them as Lloyd screamed back, "Dad! Dad! I'm sinking!"

He listened as the two were forcibly dragged away, while another tremor knocked more rocks loose and more cracks began to form. Sitting up, he was able to get a look at their surroundings.

The rock wall was close, barely a few feet away, so he figured he could likely climb up with Lloyd on his back so they were not stuck so close to the lava. Reaching out he grabbed onto the wall, searching for a handhold that was stable enough to take their weight.

The lava below bubbled. Than it popped, sending a spray across his extended left arm, hand, and neck. A few droplets hit the skin across his cheek and beside his eye, creating a sizzling sound.

At first, [M/n] froze feeling nothing but surprise for a moment before the pain began in earnest. It consumed him.

[M/n] screamed, a high pitched wail, pitching backwards as he curled in on himself, trying to protect his injured side. Lava ate through his skin and muscle and began trying to go through his bone, turning it black from the heat. Lloyd wailed, tears streaming down his face as hovered over the older fearfully.

Smoke rose from his burning body and the smell of cooked meat wafted through the air. Lloyd screamed when [M/n] promptly collapsed, unable to take the pain any longer.

"KAI!!! HELP!!!!"

Kai stared at them in shock, unable to register what he was seeing. He stared at the ninja who had threatened him only an hour ago, and days ago as well. But he couldn't fit the image of the entitled, arrogant ninja over this image of him injured, worse even than he had been after the Serpentine Arena.

Instead he remembered the ninja that would throw himself into a battle with the odds tipped so far against him for the son of their enemy. Remembered how he'd protected them all and treated them like brothers, even if he didn't always like them.

Looking back to the Fangblade, he knew there was only one option.

Abandoning the blade, he jumped across the rocks to make it to the slowly sinking platform. "Hold on, kid. We're gonna get out of here."

As carefully as he could, he slung the unconscious ninja over his shoulder, trying not to touch his burns. Unfortunately, [M/n]'s arm scraped across his red GI and he whined, a pathetic sound that had Lloyd's sobbing renewing.

Leaning back down, he scooped Lloyd up onto his hip as [M/n] did. He couldn't help but realize how light they both were as he jumped off the sinking platform to a – hopefully – more stable one.

When the piece beneath him began to shake, Kai cursed and used his Spinjitzu to get away since the next platforn was so far. Unfortunately there were only so many platforms left as the lava began to rise and spray into the air threateningly.

Glancing down at Lloyd – who had reach across his chest to grab onto the bottom of [M/n]'s GI – he learned something. Kai wasn't meant tobeone of the Legendary Ninja, but be theirprotector.He let go of his ambition, and suddenly everything clicked into place.

His eyes began to glow while a pale red sphere surrounded them just as the volcano was pushed to its limit. Lloyd looked at it in awe but cried out in fear when the vilcano erupted and they were sent flying before Kai could take control. Already panting from keeping it stable, he let out a sigh of relief when he spotted the Bounty.

Hurtling towards the Bounty, Kai only slowed once he got closer but he still lost control and their landing was far from stable.

Kai nearly dropped Lloyd before he was nearly torn from his arms by Garmadon but his attention was on [M/n]. Laying him down, he could hear Zane and Sensei Wu asking him questions but they were just noise in his ears.

Zane – realizing Kai was in no state to answer questions – focused on [M/n], taking in the extensive burns as Jay and Cole nearly wretched at the sight and smell combined. "Cole, find me a stretcher. Now!"

Cole nodded and ran back inside, returning only a minute later with stretcher from the MedBay. Together, he and Zane carried the injured teen down to the MedBay with Kai and Nya trailing behind.

Getting him on the cot was difficult as it rubbed at his burns, making him moan and whine. Once he was on it, he went completely silent. Zane wanted to cry, as he searched for a pulse. When he found one, the entire room breathed again.

"Nya, there should be an oxygen mask. Kai will likely need it and so will Lloyd."

Cole hovered but Zane had most of it handled, until he began cleaning out the wounds in earnest and the screaming began. Cole was forced to hold him down, with tears in his eyes. From above, his screams were matched by Lloyd's own as he feared for [M/n]'s life.

Once the wounds were clean, Zane carefully wiped a burn salve across them, as it was all they had, and dressed then for now. He would need to return to take them off and let then air out so they could heal.

By the time he'd finished, everyone had made their way down to the MedBay to wait for news of the teen. Of their brother, friend, and student.

After letting everyone in, it took a few minutes for everyone to settle in since the room was so small. Lloyd immediately crawled into the bed, on [M/n]'s uninjured right side, and carefully sat beside him. Garmadon sat in the chair at the bedside to watch over his son and the ninja who had been so set on rescuing Lloyd over the Fangblade.

"How did you survive? How did you discover the key to unlocking your powers?" Zane asked quietly, busying himself with putting everything away.

"I knew when I had to make a choice. I wanted the Fangblade so badly, to prove I was good enough to become the Green Ninja. But then when [M/n] was injured, I figured it out. All of my training to become the best ninja wasn't in preparation to become the Green Ninja. It was . . . to protect the Green Ninja," Kai explained, glancing to Lloyd.

"What? What is everybody looking at me for?" Lloyd asked, shrinking back a little.

"That means . . ." Nya began, piecing everything togethor. All four pulled their Golden Weapons from their sheaths and held them before Lloyd where they were caught in a field of green and gold energy and floated in place.

The energy – unknown to those present – seemed to wake something within the Protector and his breathing, that had been laboured and shallow, evened as the pain lessened.

"Lloyd is the Green Ninja. I had thought it would be one of you, but it was him the whole time. It all makes sense. Not only have you four been chosen to protect the Golden Weapons, but also to protect the Chosen One," Wu stated, pride slipping into his voice.

"That means . . ." Lord Garmadon said, red eyes weary and old. Before the weapons could fall, the ninja caught them not wanting to disturb the unconscious teen.

"The battle lines have been drawn, brother. Sadly, our family has only become more divided. Brother versus brother, and now, son versus father." The room went silent as Garmadon watched his son who looked confused and distraught.

Jay cleared his throat, already partway out the door, "Hehe, this is heavy and all, but whatever happened to the Fangblade!?"

Everyone, reluctantly left, but they had to come up with a plan now that Pythor likely had the third Fangblade and was that much closer to releasing the Great Devourer.

Garmadon and Lloyd stayed, the former having only come to save his son and the latter too worried and scared to be seperated from his Protector.

The room was silent until Lloyd couldn't hold back his tears, little sniffles and whimpers breaking Garmadons heart. Leaning forward he pressed a large clawed hand to his sons back, trying to comfort him.

"Lloyd." His gentle tone seemed to be the last straw and Lloyd promptly broke down.

"It's my fault!"

Garmadon's face crumpled in shock and horror. "It is not your fault-"

"It is! If I hadn't been caught he wouldn't have come after me! He wouldn't have been injured! Why?!" Lloyd sobbed, confusing Garmadon who reached out with a second hand to gently stroke his white blond locks.

"Why what, my son?"

"Why did he come after me? Why did he get injured for me? I don't understand." The last word became a wail.

A trembling hand gently wiped away the tears, startling father and son who stared down at the ninja who barely seemed conscious. "I came because I am your protector. I came because you are mine and I am yours. I will always come for you."

Garmadon knew that Lloyd could not hear it – and if he could, he would not understand it – but he could hear it plainly. The Other that was in his blood. Lloyd though did not hear and so his sobs simply picked up as he sat there unsure if he could even embrace his protector.

[M/n] made the decision for him, gently guiding him onto the right side of his chest, his uninjured side.

"[M/n]!" Lloyd sobbed, tucking himself in the crook of his arm. Garmadon pulled himself from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking through boths hair to soothe them. The purple – or would it be Silver ninja know? – was crying silently, pressing his cheek onto the top of Lloyd's head as his breath hitched.

It was obvious to Garmadon that he was in pain and hurting – emotionally and physically – but he was focused on comforting Lloyd.

Chapter 10: S1 E9: Vestigal

Chapter Text

It took Lloyd and [M/n] an hour to calm themselves, with Lloyd having cried himself to exhaustion while [M/n] simply had no more tears to shed. Garmadon glanced around, searching for a blanket to cover them with and found one folded up on the counter. Quickly fetching it, he draped it across the two as Lloyd struggled to even keep his eyes open.

Looking at [M/n], the man could see that even the little activity had completely exhausted him so he reached for that shred of humanity he clung to, "Sleep ninja. I will guard you from the darkness."

"Thank you," [M/n] slurred, already slipping back into unconsciousness. Lloyd tucked himself more securely against [M/n]'s side, nearly disappearing beneath the blanket, before falling asleep.

Garmadon held true to his word and spent the night awake, though one could not tell at first glance. Reclined in the chair, his head was resting back against the wall, eyes closed with his armor set on the floor beside him. To a stranger, they would think him an easy target for he had no weapon but an Elemental Master is never weaponless.

Morning came with Zane quietly entering to take the old bandages off. He planned on letting the burns air out a bit, to help the process along.

Stopping just before the bed, he was only a little surprised to see [M/n] partially turned towards Lloyd, who was really only a white tuft of hair for he was still hidden beneath the covers.

"He woke not long after you all left."

Zane jumped, having not seen the Dark Lord hidden within the shadows. The room was still dark – as Zane had no need for lights anymore – so all he could truly see were two ruby eyes staring back at him. The rest of Garmadons body blended in too well with the shadows and he had a hard time distinguishing him.

"How long was he awake for?" Zane asked, too drained to be afraid.

"An hour, maybe a few minutes more. He and Lloyd cried themselves to exhaustion but . . . he barely moved and he was absolutely exhausted. Passed out almost immediatley."

Zane was surprised. [M/n] had always taken time to fall asleep, mind always working, and always woke at the slightest sounds. But now that Garmadon mentioned it, the ninja had not even twitched or responded at all to Zane's presence.

"Sensei said he would heal himself but it would be a slow and exhausting and would come at a price. Though he would not elaborate."

"My brother would know all about his Aether, wouldn't he," Garmadon murmured to himself. Zane, who overheard, glanced at him in curiosity.

"His Aether? I apologize but [M/n]'s element is Nether, not Aether."

"His element is a two sided coin. He cannot have one without the other."

Garmadon offered no other information, and Zane let it be.

He did help remove Lloyd from [M/n]'s side so Zane could remove the bandages. Both froze in shock at the sight of his skin.

Instead of gaping holes, blackened bone, and skin there were waxy burn scars.

"How- How is this possible?" Zane asked, undoing the rest of the bandages to find much the same. The burn scars across his face were barely noticable, as only drops had hit his face and there was less damage done.

Zane worried for the possibility of nerve damage and muscle weakness but seeing as the ninja was sleeping so deeply, he decided that it could be tested at a later date.

Garmadon shifted his grip on Lloyd as the boy wiggled a bit, seeming to realize that he was no longer at [M/n]'s side.

"Why now? Why did his . . . Aether heal him now but not when he returned half dead from Ourobourus?" Zane questioned, having quickly figured this other element was why he had healed so quick.

"Elements are fickle things. It could have known he would survive then but not now, or it could be because of something else entirely. I do not have the answers, and I doubt even my brother does."

Zane nodded slowly, running through everything he could find on Aether but very little actually popped up. It was considered Creation because it was the very fabric of the universe as some scientists claimed. He decided to leave it be for now. [M/n] would reveal what he thought necessary whenever he decided to. He could wait.

Glancing to Garmadon as he shifted Lloyd once again as the boy shifted, slowly waking up.

"Breakfast will be ready soon. Do you wish for me to bring it back here or will you join us?"

"We will join you. The ninja needs his rest."

Nodding, Zane simply left in silence, mind full of questions.

Cole stopped by only a few minuted later, eyeing the resting ninja and murmuring something in Italian before retreating.

It was only when the scent of french toast could be snelled from all the way down in the Medbay that Garmadon woke Lloyd. At first the boy refused, wanting to stay but Garmadon refused to let him. Eventually he agreed and followed his dad up to the fining room for breakfast.

Silence fell upon the Medbay as sunlight filtered through the singular window. [M/n] woke when the light became to much for him to ignore, and slowly pulled himself up even as his exhaustion made him want to lay still and do nothing. His attention fell to his left arm, bare to the world, where the waxy burn scars had – further healed – begun to almost blend back into his skin. Running his fingers over them, he was surprised by the lack of pain that he expected.

It had hurt so much and yet all that lingered were scars.

Another look around the room had him wondering where everyone was. At least until he realized he did not know where Lloyd was. The last memory he had was crying and holding Lloyd until they fell asleep. Garmadon had been there as well, watching over them.

Something sat in the back of his throat, so he opened his mouth to speak. Instead a strange bark came out. It was softer than a dogs, higher pitched, but it bounced off the walls of the Bounty until it could be faintly heard throughout the entire ship.

In the dining room, there was very little chatter – everyone far too somber to truly try to hold a conservation. Garmadon, Wu, and Zane all turned their heads toward the faint sound but only the latter realized who it was from.

"Are you finished, nephew?"

"Yes, Uncle." Lloyd looked up to his dad. "Can I go back to [M/n] now?"

"That would be best, my son. He is calling for you," Garmadon stated as Lloyd's eyes went wide. In his scramble to get up, he nearly tripped but quickly righted himself to take off down the halls.

"And you, Zane."

Zane stood as well, far more gracefully, and rushed after Lloyd who had easily outran him with his headstart. As they got closer they heard the sound Wu and Garmadon had heard, calling them closer.

Flinging open the door, Lloyd wasted no time in scrambling onto the bed and into [M/n]'s open arms. Tucked back into his arms, he sniffled a little but kept his tears to himself. Looking up he found [e/c] eyes watching him with this peace in his gaze.

When Zane entered, he turned his gaze to his brother and smiled, a small tired smile but one nonetheless. He settled down at [M/n]'s side, hesitantly pressing their shoulders together but when his brother did not flinch, Zane couldn't help but press a little more firmly.

"I am surprised to see you awake so quickly," Zane admitted.

"I needed to check on you two. And everyone else. But I am still exhausted. I will need to sleep for a while to gain my strength before I return to the battlefield," [M/n] explained, distressing Lloyd who sat up to look at him.

"But- How can you- You almost died!"

"Protecting you. As is my path," [M/n] stated softly, not aiming to hurt. It was the truth no matter how much Lloyd, and Zane, hated it. "I am the Silver Ninja, protector and Guardian of the Green Ninja. Of you."

"So destiny dictates your life is worth less than Lloyd's?" Zane questioned sharply, blue gaze cutting as his ice.

"Yes and no. Lloyd is my priority but I will not throw my life away unless it is the only option. In order to protect Lloyd I do have to be alive," [M/n] stated dryly, glaring right back at Zane as Lloyd's distress mounted. Turning his attention back to Lloyd, he gently tilted his chin up until they made eye contact. He needed to make sure Lloyd understood. "I will not die until our Destiny's are fulfilled. And hopefully not even then. I will not promise to never be injured but I will come back. That I can promise."

Lloyd hesitated, searching his face for deception but found nothing. "Okay. I trust you."

"And I trust you. When you are older you will have my back as I have yours. Until then I believe Zane will have my back."

"I wouldn't dare leave you unguarded, my friend. Who knows what kind of trouble you would get into."

Chuckling, [M/n] noted the worry still present across Lloyd's entire face so he made a decision. "Zane. In the chest by my bed should be a seaxe knife in a black sheath tucked into the corner. Can you bring it here, please?"

Zane raised an eyebrow, but stood to retrieve it. He moved quickly so as to return sooner, still wishing to reassure himself of [M/n]'s survival. Lloyd watched him go in curiosity before looking back to his protector.

"Why do you need a knife?"

"The seaxe is not for me, per se, but rather for you. I will attach it to my hip so that you have easy access to it in case you need to defend yourself or me." Lloyd's eyes sparked in interest and he leaned forward eagerly. "As your training progresses I will give you access to some of my other blades in case of emergencies."

"Really?" Lloyd asked, amazed.

"Yes. You are to be the Green Ninja, the strongest of us all, and I, your Defender, but it will not hurt for you to have a backup in case something happens. I know this will not ease your worry completely but I cannot sit out on these battles."

Lloyd nodded, looking a little more sure and confident.

Zane returned with the sheath and blade, passing it over to [M/n] as he reclined against the wall. Lloyd payed close attention as he explained where exactly the sheath would be placed and explained that they would likely have to practice so nothing happened in the heat of battle.

It would be too easy for [M/n] to take the movement as an enemy and lash out with the intent to kill.

He promised that once he was better, they could begin training but they had no idea when that would be so Zane offered another solution.

"Lord Garmadon could teach him, couldn't he?"

"I don't know if he'd agree to teach his 12 year old son how to use the blade."

"I would rather teach him myself," Garmadon stated, standing in the doorway. "I started younger than my son and have had several centuries of practice. It would . . . ease my mind if I was the one that taught him this."

[M/n] caught the undertone of what he was saying. This was likely the only thing he would ever be able to teach his son if they were enemies.

"Dad!"

"He's all yours." [M/n] smiled, feeling the exhaustion hit like a warhammer.

"Come Lloyd. We can begin the basics today."

"Yes!" Lloyd jumped off the cot, darting towards the doorway but paused to look back. When [M/n] gave him an encouraging nod, the boy took off completely forgetting the actual knife. "Thanks [M/n]!"

Sighing affectionately, Garmadon retrieved it from Zane before following at a far more sedate pace.

The door had barely closed before [M/n] was slumping in on himself, closing his eyes for a moment. After a second he manuevered himself down the bed so he could sleep, mentally and physically exhausted.

Zane hummed, removing himself from the bed, "Sleep, my friend. We will be here when you wake."

"I know."

[M/n] fell asleep as Zane settled into the chair Garmadon had previously occupied.

Once or twice a day for about a week he would wake up and eat, talk to whoever was in the room for a little bit before going back to sleep and repeating the cycle.

When he finally woke with enough energy that he no longer needed to 'hibernate' – as Jay had affectionately termed it – Zane set up a test to check several different things: sight, depth perception, grip strength, and movement.

The entirety of the 'test' Zane set up took well over two hours to complete but by the end of it he was declared healed. No problems had shown themselves, except for tighteness around the scars but that was normal and would dissappear eventually with enough care.

Chapter 11: S1 E10: All or Nothing

Chapter Text

Only hours after [M/n] was cleared the ninja were back in the city chasing after a Venomari spotted stealing from a stand. They hoped to find out more information about what Pythor was up to and were now trying to capture them.

Turning, the Venomari found themself trapped in an alley with Cole at the entrance, blocking them from behind. "Going somewhere?"

"Uh oh!" Looking for another way out proved fruitless as Jay, Kai, and Zane dropped down from the roofs around them. [M/n] stayed up on the roof just out of sight of the Venomari, Khêlai by his side as they watched.

"Thought you could joyride through town and not be noticed, eh? Where's the last Fangblade?" Jay demanded, swinging his Nunchucks threateningly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," [M/n] stated, dropping down to the ground without a sound. The shifter followed, muscles rippling beneath the glossy speckled fur of a jaguar.

"Yeah. The fourth Fangblade. When Pythor finds them all, he plans to unleash the Great Devourer," Kai said, jogging the Venomari's memory.

"Oh, that Fangblade. Haha, you're too late. Pythor's already there now. He's probably already digging it up. If I were you, I'd start preparing for the worst, because when the Great Devourer is awakened, there will be nothing it won't consume!" The Venomari cackled as [M/n] tilted his head, eyes gleaming.

"'Nothing it won't consume?' So it will consume you as well."

Zane nodded, and the cackling abruptly cut off as the Venomari looked between the two of them in fear.

"Ah! Please, you have to stop him. That snake is crazy. I don't wanna unleash the Great Devourer. I'm a snake, not food!" Their hysteria grated on [M/n]'s ears, making him scowl.

"Is it really too late to stop Pythor from getting the last Fangblade?" Kai asked.

"You're days behind him. There's gotta be something else you can do!" The Venomari wailed as they all shared a look.

Leaving behind the suitably terrified Venomari, they returned to the Bounty to bring back their findings.

As they explained what the Venomari had told them, Nya pulled up a map of Ninjago on the big screen. Marked in red dots were the locations of the four Fangblades. "The Venomari's right. By the time we cast sail clear across the other side of Ninjago, Pythor will have already beat us to the last Fangblade."

[M/n] sighed, sinking to the ground to sit criss cross. Lloyd took the opportunity to climb into his lap, still seeking reassurance a week later.

"Oh, come on, guys. This is the last one. We gotta get it. We gotta think of something," Jay said.

Garmadon shifted slightly behind them, an ever present shadow.

Cole hummed to himself, looking over the map as he tried to think of something with the others.

"Hey," Lloyd said, breaking the silence.

"Huh?"

"All we have to do is just get one Fangblade to stop him. What if we take back the other three? Pythor wouldn't risk having them all on him. He's probably hidden them somewhere while he goes for the fourth," Lloyd pointed out as the four ninja stared at him in shock. [M/n] hummed, delighted by Lloyd's foresight as Garmadon allowed a feral grin to appear in pride.

"E' così semplice," Cole whispered to himself.(It's so simple.)

"Huh, why didn't I think of that?" Kai asked.

"It can't be that easy," Jay added, tugging at the sleeve of his GI.

"Just because it seems a simple solution does not mean it will be easy," [M/n] warned.

"[M/n] is correct. My algorithms suggest taking the other three would be far more dangerous. Pythor would undoubtedly have them protected by his top generals," Zane stated.

"Ha, finally. I don't have to hold back." Kai was smug as ever.

"Even if you could steal the other three, you don't even know where they are," Garmadon added, quick to point out the flaw in their plan.

"He's right. For the past few weeks, there have been almost no Serpentine sightings. How are they moving around? It's like they're ghosts," Wu agreed.

"Or snakes. Bridge, give me a sonar sweep of Ninjago," Nya ordered. Nothing showed up.

"See, nothing. It's just like Sensei said."

"Let her finish."

"But what if they aren't traveling above ground? They're snakes, right? Snakes burrow. Bridge, now give me a sonar sweep of Ninjago but twenty feet below surface."

The map showed, about twenty feet beneath the surface, all four tombs interconnected forming a singular massive underground fortress.

[M/n]'s grip on Lloyd tightened on Lloyd subconsciously, as the room went completely silent.

"All the tombs have been interconnected," Kai whispered horrified.

"To make one massive underground-" Cole lost the word, too upset and shocked to remember it.

"Fortress?" Zane offered, realizing Cole's plight.

"Fortress."

"And all this time, right under our noses," Jay mumbled, tugging on his sleeves harshly.

Zane tried to lighten the mood, "Or rather, feet."

"There, that's the most protected area. The Fangblades must be held there," Kai stated, pointing to where a massive cavern laid. Each tomb connected to it in one way or the other and it held the most Serpentine within.

"Then what are we waiting for? Nya, set the course," Wu ordered, eyes golden as the dragon stirred from its slumber. Its was echoed in the glowing red of Garmadons gaze as his own beast snarled in fury.

"Already on it. We'll be there by sunup."

Even with how eager they were to fight, the flight there would last well into the next day before they made it to the closest entrance. For now, they all needed a good night's sleep for the battle to come.

Lord Garmadon slept in the bunk below [M/n]'s with Lloyd in his arms. The boy had been bouncing between beds, much to their amusem*nt, unable to decide who he would rather sleep with.

The next morning came with training for all of the ninja on the deck.

"There is no room for error. The Serpentine have shown that they have great powers, and to combat them, you must turn their greatest strengths into their greatest weaknesses. Kai, how will you defeat the Hypnobrai?" Wu asked.

Kai tugged a blindfold over his eyes. "Their hypnotizing powers are useless if their opponent can fight without relying on his eyes." He began running through his Katas to get used to the movement while being blind.

"Good, Jay, the Fangpyre is fast and his bite sharp."

"But if he can't bite through your skin-" Jay tapped the armored sleeve on his right arm. "-he can't turn you into one of them."

"Yes. Cole, the Constrictai are strong," Wu stated, pressing a button to send a net at Cole who became ensnared. "And they will not let go."

"But instead of fighting back, one must try to loosen up." Instead of fight back against the netting, Cole relaxed his mucles and allowed the net to slide right off him. Grinning, he did a little dance that made everyone snicker. "And a little soft shoe doesn't hurt."

"Zane, the venom of the Venomari can make you see things. Cloud your perception."

"Then I will use my new Falcon Vision." The Falcon swooped overhead as Zane's eyes went completely blue.

"Very good. [M/n], the Anacondrai have impenetrable scales, and the ability to disappear. How will you catch him?"

"Every impenetrable armor has a weak spot. One I can and will exploit. And Pythor is a coward, he will turn tail and flee rather than face me."

"Good. I have trained you well. You are all ready," Wu stated, satisfied and proud.

"What about you, Sensei? Will you fight? We need all the help we can get," Kai admitted.

"My concern is that my old bones cannot keep up, but I will be there in spirit," Wu stated, shaking head.

[M/n] did not look up from the black sheath he was attaching to his hip when he heard Lloyd practically bouncing towards him.

"We're arriving at the Mountain of a Million Steps. You all might want to see this," Nya reported over the intercom.

All peered over the railing to see the massive piles of dirt the Constrictai had created in digging the tunnels.

"Look at all those piles of dirt," Jay mumbled.

"Wonder what those snakes are up to," Kai said, scowling.

[M/n] finally glanced down to Lloyd, finding him dressed in the oversized, baggy Green GI looking up at him with fire in his eyes. "I'm coming too."

"This is not your fight," Wu stated sharply, kneeling before his nephew to roll the sleeves and legs back so he wouldn't trip. [M/n] adjusted the buckles across the back that had been left undone since Lloyd couldn't quite figure them out. "The Green Ninja is too important for a future destiny. You shall stay with me."

Nya landed the Samurai Mech on the deck, "Well, he's gonna have to look after himself, because we made room for you." She gestured to the welded on chair attached to the mechs shoulder. Wu could not help but light up, eyes flashing.

"Well, you said you were concerned that you couldn't keep up, so Jay and Nya rejiggered the design so you could come along. Well, what do you think?" Kai asked, having guessed his Sensei's answer the night before.

"I think...shotgun! Haha!" The four ninja and Nya all laughed at Wu as he easily flipped up to the chair. Lloyd scowled to himself, leaning closer to [M/n] as the other ran a hand through his white blond hair.

"Wu is right about this not being your fight. Your fight will come in time, do not rush it, λιακάδα, alright," [M/n] murmured softly, brushing his hair away from his face.

"I will stay back with Lloyd. I don't enjoy saying this but...good luck," Lord Garmadon said, coming up to stand beside Lloyd.

Everyone nodded and disembarked. Cole attached a rope to a nearby rock, tugging on it to test its strength. One by one they slid down, with Nya lowering her mech in last, arriving in the same cavern [M/n], Zane, and Cole had been attacked in two months ago.

"I thought you said this place would be heavily guarded, Zane," Jay accused.

"Forgive me. Even Nindroids make mistakes."

Cole spotted something on the walls, different from the hieroglyphs that had been there before. "Hey, check this out."

Jay inspected the strange, innacurate pictures of them, groaning at his own, "Pfft. That doesn't even look like me."

"Ugh, they're gonna pay for that," Kai grumbled, scowling pointedly at his own as Nya snickered.

[M/n] was surprised to find his own portrait was fairly accurate, especially compared to everyone else's.

"That's not fair! How come [M/n]'s is accurate?!" Jay demanded.

"They are afraid of him. Why would they try to incur his wrath?" Zane retorted as [M/n] shook his head in amusem*nt.

"I mean, at least give me a decent mustache," Cole added, reaching to scrub the mustache off only for it to be pushed back into the rock. They all fell silent as the entire panel their pictures were on swung open revealing a hidden tunnel. "Uh, I meant to do that."

In a line, the team traveled down the tunnel all the way down to the inner sanctum, a massive cavern several times larger than the Bounty, where several hundred Serpentine roamed around. Closer to the center where the four General, sans Pythor, huddled around something as they spoke.

"There's too many to deal with at once. I say we travel by shadow," Kai pointed out.

"Right behind you," Nya agreed.

"And I'll be right behind you," Wu stated, giggling to himself.

While Kai had come up with the plan, it was [M/n] who took the lead as the best at stealth.

The foot of Nya's mech slipped on the thin ledge they were on, sending rocks clattering to the ground below. Every nearby Serpentine turned towards the sound, prompting others to look until the entire cavern was staring up at them, surprised.

"All right, Operation Stealth was a total bust. We're gonna need reinforcements. Anyone there?" Nya asked, when no one responded to her comm call. Below the Serpentine were shouting and arming themselves. "Lloyd, can you hear me? Ugh, I'm not getting anything."

[M/n] snarled beneath his hood, unsheathing his Golden Tessens.

"Forget them. We need to fight back. Ninja, show them what you've learned," Wu ordered.

They all seperated, jumping into the throng of Serpentine though [M/n] chose to create more space between them so he could kill without guilt or remorse.

Dropping onto the ground, a group of Serpentine – with members from all of the tribes – surrounded him. One, who saw the scars near his eye, wrongfully, assummed it was a blindspot and tried to use it to creep up on him but was quickly slaughtered with a swift cut to their throat.

Far back, using the others as a shield, a Venomari took aim and fired a dart that pierced the skin of his neck, startling him. Snarling, he quickly tugged it out just in case it was laced with anything.

Stumbling was the first sign that he had been right, but it did not take long for numbness to creep up his limbs. Before long, he lost control of his arms and hands and his Tessens fell to the ground before he collapsed legs unable to hold him up. His head smacked painfully against the ground but it was far down on the list of his worries.

Khêlai began to form over him but a manacle was clasped over his wrist and the smoky form melted back into his skin. Within his mind, he could hear Khêlai's fury through deep roars and snarls.

[M/n] snarled as he was grabbed, but had no control to even lift his head up to see where he was being taken. It wasn't until he was dropped onto the cold steel of a cage – and did not move even after the Serpentine left – that anyone realized something was wrong.

Zane thought he was going to have a heart attack – even though he did not have a heart – when his friend was dropped onto the floor. He rushed over, dropping to his knees in fear, "[M/n]! What happened? Are you alright?" The Nindroid was frantic, blue eyes glowing as he searched for wounds.

"Poison," [M/n] rasped, slurring his words due to his heavy tongue. "Not . . . Deadly. Paralysis."

The others all let out sighs of relief, having been hovering over he and Zane. Relieved, Zane gently propped him up against the bars, so he was not laid out so awkwardly.

Nya set to gathering as many pebbles as she could find, littered across the floor of their cage, positioned high above the ground. Once she'd gathered them all, she took to throwing them at her mech, tied up in chains and hanging just a few feet away with the Golden Weapons.

"Lloyd? Lord Garmadon? Is anyone there?" Nya called for the upteenth time. [M/n] began to worry as no response came for several minutes of minutes.

"It's me, Nya. I'm here. But my dad left. How are you guys holding on?" Lloyd asked. Nya threw a stone to answer but missed and Lloyd was quick to become worried. "Nya? Hello?"

"We're fine, but we're a little held up at the moment. Our weapons have been taken, [M/n]'s been poisoned, and we're locked in a cage. It was a trap and we all fell for it," Nya explained.

"And Pythor's returned with the fourth Fangblade," Cole added, glaring down at the returning Serpentine.

Lloyd's voice came through, frantic and tinged with fear, "Poisoned?! Is [M/n] alright?!"

Zane answered for [M/n], throwing a rock with precision, "He is alright for the moment. It seems to be paralysis, which includes the loss of his ability to speak clearly. But he is breathing and stable."

"Lloyd, where is my brother? Why did he not answer the comms?" Wu asked.

"I-I told him to leave. He was trying to steal secrets," Lloyd admitted.

Kai began gloating and [M/n] wished for the poison to abate faster so he could knock some sense into him. "Oh, big surprise there. I told you about that guy, but you guys wouldn't listen."

"My dad's going back to where he came from. But don't worry, I'll save you," Lloyd stated, unable to hear Kai's rant.

"No," [M/n] hissed, forcing his tongue to work. Nya threw another rock, and Wu answered this time.

"You're not ready, Lloyd. Your destiny is too great to risk."

"I hate to break it to you, [M/n], but if we don't get out of here before Pythor unleashes the Great Devourer, I think this will be the end of all our destinies," Cole pointed out, seeing [M/n]'s ire.

"Ugh, I'll get you out of there in a jiff," Lloyd said, and the comms beeped. Completely off, it meant they had no way to get in contact with the Bounty.

[M/n] felt his heart begin to pound, the sound drumming in his ears.

Below Pythor began a grand speech, "Together, we have taken back the four Fangblades. When we return them to the City of Ouroboros, together we will unleash the Great Devourer!" The crowd cheered. "To the City of Ouroboros!"

There was a pause as Pythor and his Generals spoke in low tones before he rose his voice again, "But tonight, we celebrate with a Slither Pit!"

The cheers grew louder still as a fight was quickly set up.

Jay and Cole, nearly bored to tears, created a checkers board out of rocks, hair oil, and random pieces from their GI's. Kai, also bored but unwilling to sit, paced across the cell.

"Patience. Lloyd will figure something out," Wu stated, meditating.

"We're putting all of our trust into the son of the greatest villain Ninjago has ever seen. Uh, is anyone else having doubts about this plan? Just because we don't have our weapons doesn't mean we can't use our powers. We just need to focus," Kai snapped. A low growl came from [M/n] as he glared at Kai, best he could.

"The chamber was built out of Vengestone. Our Elemental Powers are rendered useless. Patience," Wu repeated.

Kai sighed, continuing his pacing for a good five minutes before he grew too impatient and snatched the hair oil off the makeshift checkers board. "Hey, that hair oil was about to be kinged," Jay complained, throwing his hands up as his piece was taken.

"Yeah? Well, I'm just about to get us out of here." Kai began smearing the oil all over himself much to the disgust of everyone else.

"Whoa, greaseball. How about warning us before you do that?" Cole groaned, covering his eyes.

"Unh, you can make jokes all you want, but I don't think we need our special powers to get out of here. Just a little ingenuity," Kai said, smug as ever. [M/n] hissed in disgust as he closed his eyes.

He pushed himself through the bars with a low grunt of pain, balancing on the outer lip of the cage.

Jay's eyebrose rose dramatically, "He actually made it."

"Look at that," Zane mumbled from beside [M/n].

"Alright slickster. Now what?"

[M/n] was suddenly overtaken by a short spasm that left him gasping, but grinning slightly in satisfaction. Zane watched him in worry, but seeing the small grin had him relaxing and turning back to Kai's attempt to escape.

The tips of his fingers and toes were beginning to gain feeling.

"Now, we quietly do a little ball and chain," Kai stated. Rocking back and forth, [M/n] tipped into Zane with a grunt before he was gently lowered onto the ground.

"It's working, keep going," Nya urged.

"Come on, everyone. Let's see if we can throw our weight around," Cole suggested. Everyone began running back and forth, swinging the cage further and further.

"Come on, more speed," Jay cried.

"Next one and I've got it. Push." Kai jumped just as [M/n] shouted out a warning.

"Kai, no!"

Kai landed and began to tip back, only to be grabbed by Pythor and hauled back up. "Uh, uh, uh. Trying to escape, are we?"

"Heh. I bet this looks kind of bad, doesn't it, huh?" Kai asked, chuckling nervously.

He was dragged back into the cell where everyone, except [M/n], were chained to the bars and left far grumpier and agitated than before.

"Great, we're in such a better place than we were before," Cole stated sarcastically.

"And now we can't even play checkers," Zane lamented, shaking his head. He'd been looking forward to his turn.

"I was gonna be kinged, Kai," Jay complained.

Nya, who was chained beside [M/n]'s prone body, rested a hand on his knee. "Don't worry, [M/n]. I have faith in Lloyd. Besides, Lord Garmadon loves him, I doubt he'll let his son fight alone."

[M/n] sighed, murmuring his agreement.

Every once in a while, a spasm would overtake his body furthering the feeling along his arms and legs. The feeling had just returned to his thighs and biceps when he heard noises coming from the tunnel they'd come from.

"Whoosh. Ninja roll. Flying Drag—" Lloyd tripped –likely over a rock based on the clattering sound it made – but quickly recovered. "Whoa! Ninja recover! Whoosh. Ninja roll."

"Lloyd," [M/n] hissed, struggling to push himself up with a still numb torso and neck.

"Hey, look up there. It's Lloyd," Kai said, realizing what [M/n] meant.

"Come on, Lloyd. You're the Green Ninja. You can do this," Lloyd whispered to himself.

[M/n] closed his eyes, focusing on the poison running through his veins and pushed his Nether harder, urging it to cleanse him quicker. A particularly violent spasm overtook his entire body before it calmed and he was able to hear what was happening.

"–don't meet again, Pythor. Unhand the ninja, or suffer humiliation against the Green Ninja!" Lloyd declared.

"Oh, yeah? You and what army?" Pythor asked, laughing mockingly.

"Uh, how about my army of fists?" Lloyd threw a sloppy punch that had him stumbling a little.

"Or this army?" Lord Garmadon stood at the top of the stairs with an army of Skulkin at his back.

"Dad!"

"Lloyd, you helped me realize I do have a choice. And if there is anyone who is going to threaten Ninjago, it better well be me," Lord Garmadon stated.

"The Skeleton army? But why would they fight beside you? You betrayed them and Samukai long ago," Pythor pointed out.

"Because everybody hate snakes!" Kruncha shouted, shaking a bony fist.

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

As the two armies clashed, the lever that lowered the cage was hit and they began to drop towards the acid below.

"Hey, we're moving," Jay said, relieved.

"Yeah, the wrong way," Cole snapped. Panting, [M/n] stumbled to his feet, reaching for one of the hidden blades with his GI and began picking the lock at the door.

"Lloyd!" Nya shouted, as the boy darted between the fighters. The cage had just reached a few feet above the acid when Lloyd made it to the lever and halted the cage in place.

"[M/n]!" Lloyd cried, throwing his arms around his waist. Hunching over him, [M/n] used the blade to pick his cuff before wrapping his arms around Lloyd and tucking him close.

All of their Golden Weapons clattered to the ground, as did Nya's Mech. Cole passed [M/n] his Tessens before diving into the fray.

Khêlai curled around them as [M/n] placed the seaxe knife in Lloyd's hand. "Stay here and keep your eyes closed, Λιακάδα."

As soon as his eyes closed, [M/n] lunged for the nearest Serpentine, dodging and twisting.

"We have the Fangblades!" Kai shouted, calling for a retreat. [M/n] retreated back towards Lloyd, grabbing his wrist when the boy tried to stab him, thinking him an enemy. Scooping him up, [M/n] ran back towards the tunnel with the others close behind.

"Don't worry about us. We'll keep fighting the good fight," Nuckal shouted as they passed.

"I never thought I'd be saying this, but go, ninja, go!"

They escaped back through the tunnel and were quick to climb aboard the Bounty and pull away. Nya got them up into the clouds just in case any other Serpentine tried to go after them.

With the Fangblades in their possession, the ninja decided to throw a party after all the hardships and everything they'd been through. It was deserved after all the injuries and sleepless nights and fights they'd all suffered.

[M/n] noticed Lord Garmadon slipping out the door of the Bridge, face morose. Gently, he guided Lloyd after his father and down to the ninjas shared room where Lord Garmadon had taken residence when he was here. Lloyd was devestated to see his father packing his bags.

"You're leaving?" Lloyd asked, lips trembling.

"Now that you are safe, and the ninja have the Fangblades, there is nothing else I am needed for," Lord Garmadon stated, crouching down before his son.

"I need you," Lloyd whispered, wrapping his arms around his fathers neck. Lord Garmadon held his son close, taking a trembling breathe before he pulled away and stood. "I know you have to leave, but know this: when we meet again, I'm gonna do everything in my power to defeat you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Garmadon said, pride tinging his every word. "Oh, and, son? You're a good boy. Soon, you'll be a great man. Although we're now on opposite sides, I'm still very proud of you."

"I hope to meet you on the battlefield, one day," [M/n] murmured, dipping his head.

"I as well."

"Wait, I can get you one of Jay's gliders. You probably don't need it, but it—" Lloyd darted past his dad to look through Jay's trunk. When he turned, he found only [M/n] standing in the doorway, watching him sadly. "–might help. So long, Dad."

When [M/n] opened his arms, offering a warm hug, he sank into it, sniffling as he was tucked into the olders chest. He didn't object when he was picked up and gently carried over to the bed.

Music filtered in from above, as the others party carried on, but the room remained silent for the time being. Until [M/n] broke it, murmuring to keep the peace, "Do you want to stay here? Or go back to the Bridge?"

Lloyd didn't answer and he didn't push. After a minute, Lloyd made a decision.

"Bridge."

It still took Lloyd a few minutes to get up, but they eventually made their way upstairs. Nya noticed them pretty quickly and brought over glasses filled with purple punch.

"He left, didn't he?" Nya asked, seeing the slight redness around his eyes. [M/n] rested a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, nodding. "Then have some Snogfruit Punch. Cole made it, and it's actually not bad."

Once the cups were in hand, Nya turned and held hers aloft, grabbing everyones attention. "To Lloyd's dad!"

"Hear, hear!"

"To Dad!"

Lloyd was eventually coaxed into a dance by Nya as [M/n] watched, a soft smile on his lips. His smile fell slightly when the hairs along the back of his neck rose, feeling as if he were being watched. Glancing out the window, he saw nothing but the feeling did not leave.

When they all retired to bed, [M/n] summoned Khêlai who sprawled before the door to their room as he held Lloyd close. Tucked beneath his pillow, rested two knives ready to be used at any moment.

Chapter 12: S1 E11: Rise of the Great Devourer

Chapter Text

In the early morning silence, before the other ninja woke, Lloyd quietly poked [M/n] to get the other's attention.

"Hmmm?"

"Will you teach me some cool ninja tricks? Like the ones you used yesterday," Lloyd whispered, before he realized his mistake. [E/c] stared into green, disappointed that Lloyd had directly disobeyed him.

"I seem to remember telling you to close your eyes," [M/n] reprimended, keeping his voice low. Lloyd looked away, figuring that meant he wouldn't be learning any cool moves as punishment. Above him [M/n] sighed. "You need to learn how to throw a punch."

Lloyd perked up instantly. "Really?" He tried to keep his voice down but Jay shifted and grumbled in annoyance.

"Yes, really. You'll have to find some clothes to workout in. Your normal clothes are too restrictive and your GI won't fit for some years."

The two climbed down from the bed, with [M/n] borrowing a pair of shorts from Jay for Lloyd since he was the thinnest of the ninja, before he borrowed a shirt from Nya. Once changed, [M/n] took over one of the inner training rooms for the day and set to teaching Lloyd stretches first.

While originally against learning so many different stretches, [M/n] was quick to drill into him the need for stretches, sparing no detail. He refused to send Lloyd into a fight without the basics within which a strong foundation was created.

Sufficiently stretched, he fixed Lloyd's atrocious posture and fists and taught him how to properly throw a punch. The boy was at first confused on how he would hold up against older opponents but [M/n] explained that he would need other tricks to do that and for now his priority would be escape. That had upset Lloyd but [M/n] simply pointed out his face off with the Serpentine the day before and how easily he could have been killed without his father's timely arrival.

After being reassured that Lloyd would stop after a half-hour and would come find him, [M/n] headed up to the dining room where Kai, Nya, and Jay were all eating breakfast and looking over several scrolls Wu had found.

During their training session, the Bounty had flown into a storm and the ship was rocking unsteadily.

"Why is it that Torchfire Mountain is the only place we can destroy the Fangblades?" Nya asked, lifting up one of the scrolls.

"Cause the Fangblades are made from the original teeth of the Devourer. They're so strong they can only break down in extraordinary heat," Kai explained. "And Torchfire Mountain has the hottest lava out of any known volcano."

"Uh, could someone pass the salt?" Jay asked, just as the Bounty tipped to the side, sending the salt sliding down the table. Jay snickered to himself. "Hey, thanks."

The door was slammed open by Cole, who looked nauseous as he stumbled inside. "Please. No one talk about food. How much longer until we get there?"

"Not long. Hey, Cole, you're looking a little green over there. How'd you like a mucus salt sandwich?" Cole gagged and fled to go throw up over the side of the ship. Jay snickered before he was kicked in the shin, making him jerk and yelp. "Speaking of green, who would've guessed little Lloyd Garmadon turned out to be the Green Ninja?"

"I know. He was such a brat at first. Well, to everyone except you, [M/n]. It's hard to believe he's gonna become the greatest ninja that ever lived," Nya said, taking the opportunity to poke fun at [M/n].

"Where is that little runt, anyways? Normally he's attached to you at the hip," Kai pointed out.

"Training." [M/n] glanced up at the clock, and stood. "I need to check on him."

Leaving the others, he made his way through the still swaying Bounty, taking note of the ominous atmosphere. When he turned down the hallway of the training room he'd utilized, he stopped. The training door was cracked when he knew he'd left it shut on his departure to keep anyone from distracting Lloyd.

The warmth in his chest crackled with heat, urging him forward. It made him wonder if it was sentient in any way, shape, or form.

Slipping inside, he became livid when he saw Lloyd taped to the punching bag with layers of ductape. As soon as he came into sight, Lloyd began wiggling in place, crying out when the tape tugged painfully at his skin.

"Lloyd!"[M/n] crossed the room quickly, unsheathing one of his blades to cut through the tape.

"Will everyone please place their seat back and tray table in the full upright and locked position? We have reached our destination: Torchfire Mountain. Give it a minute while we settle into position," Nya announced over the intercom.

The blade in [M/n]'s hand had a hard time slicing through the thick layers of ducktape, making him snarl. Under his feet, the Bounty trembled before the entire ship began to tilt onto its side.

Lloyd shrieked as the tape gave way, tearing at his skin. [M/n] grabbed hold of the punching bag and Lloyd, swaying as the ship tilted further causing the equipment to slide into the wall.

"Pythors on the ship!" Lloyd cried, clinging to [M/n]'s hand. "We have to warn the others."

Nodding, [M/n] swung Lloyd towards the intercom until he was able to press the button and shout into it, "Pythor's on board!"

Not long after Lloyd's warning the Bounty leveled back out, and [M/n] dropped to his feet as Lloyd fell onto his back with a groan.

Scrambling onto his feet, Lloyd pulled a bo staff from the wall, "I'll distract Pythor."

"Be careful, Lloyd."

Nodding the boy headed upwards while [M/n] headed back to his room, running through the halls as fast as he could. Throwing open the door, he retrieved the Golden Tessens –still within their sheaths – and clipped them to his belt.

Running back up, he passed by Nya's room where he could hear her changing into her Samurai gear. As he approached the deck, he slowed before he could make it out even as the warmth urged him onward.

"Hey, I've grown up a lot!" Lloyd cried, swinging the bo staff wildly as Pythor dodged.

"Hm, puny strength, no fundamentals, sloppy footwork. You think you can defeat me?" Pythor asked as [M/n] crept through the shadows.

"I'm not trying to defeat you. I'm just trying to keep you busy until the cavalry arrives." Nya's Mech landed behind Pythor as [M/n] slid from the shadows, Tessens out, black blades glinting in the sunlight. Pythor spun around, his confidence melting away. Lloyd, taking the opportunity, punched Pythor in the side making the snake stumble from the strength. "Haha, I hit him. I hit him, guys!"

Pythir hissed loudly, furious and fearful, before calming himself, "Oh, as much as I would like to play with your overgrown toys, I have a ride to catch." Smirking, Pythor dodged between the Samurai's legs and went to fling himself overboard.

[M/n] lunged and his Tessens sliced through the tip of Pythor's tail as he fell. The Anacondrai screamed as he fell, landing on a platform attached to a Rattlecopter.

"No!" Lloyd cried, realizing that the Fangblades were still in his hand.

"Curse you, Ninja!" Pythir screeched, clutching at his tail.

Across the deck, the ninja screamed as they began to fall. Nya was quick to take off and rescue them before they could fall into the bubbling lava of Torchfire Mountain. All four dropped to their knees, panting as sweat dripped.

"We need to get those Fangblades back," Jay said, dragging himself up.

Everyone gathered in the Bridge.

"If Pythor returns the Fangblades to the City of Ouroboros, he'll awaken the Great Devourer," Wu stated, shaking his head.

"Well, we're not gonna let that happen," Nya snapped, taking the wheel and directing the Bounty after the Rattlecopter.

"Oh, what about me?" Lloyd asked.

"You're staying with the Bounty."

"But did you see me punch him? I'm an asset. I kick butt," Lloyd protested.

[M/n] shook his head, crouching to be eye level with Lloyd, "You need to learn patience, παιδί. You do not yet have the training. You will stay on the ship."

"Patience, hmm? Ah, the student has become the teacher," Wu mused.

Together, the five ninja stood at the railing. "What do you say we play a little catch-up?" Jay asked.

"It's my favorite game." Cole whooped as he threw himself over the side. Laughing, the other three followed as [M/n] rolled his eyes.

Jay and [M/n] flew high, meaning they were the first to spot the transformed truck. "I've got him in my sights," Jay reported, spotting the Rattlecopter as it hovered over said truck to let Pythor off.

"What is that? A truck?" Kai asked, coming up behind it.

"That is no truck. It is a moving fortress," Wu warned, and just in time.

The strange tail piece lashed out at Cole, nearly knocking him off the road.

"Argh!" Cole shouted. "Cazzo!"

"Watch out! How are we supposed to get close to that thing?" Kai asked, swerving as it swing his way.

"If we have any chance at getting on that truck, we need to work together," Cole stated.

"I've got an idea," Nya said, flying beside them in the mech. "Jay, [M/n], and I will distract it. Zane, get as close as you can and cool it off."

"Got it."

"Heard."

"Moving in."

[M/n] swooped low over the tail as Jay and Nya did the same, keeping its attention on them until there was an opening for Zane.

"Okay, I'm going in. Ninja, go!" Zane jumped aboard the truck, before using his shuriken to completely freeze the tail. In one blow it shattered falling to the road. "Goodbye."

"All right. Nice one, Zane. Now let's board that truck." Jay dropped onto the truck with [M/n], jet and copter disappearing.

"Let's split up. Last one to the front is a rotten ninja," Kai bet, taking off across the roof.

Smirking, [M/n] followed before he dropped into the next car. Only two Serpentine stood within and both tried to flee when they saw just which ninja had appeared.

He dispatched them quickly before moving on. He found Cole in the second to last cart, looking smug as he saw the purple slip inside.

"Looks like I win."

"Congratulations." The roof was suddenly ripped apart, making both ninja tense and ready their weapons. Nya grinned when she saw the two, letting the others all hop down though Kai stayed up with her.

"Good to see you all," Wu greeted.

The train jerked violently, knocking Kai off the roof and into Zane's arms as everyone stumbled slightly, catching themselves.

"Whoa!" Kai yelped.

"Heh. Nice catch, Zane," Jay giggled, as Kai began to redden.

"Πριγκίπισσα," [M/n] crooned, mockingly. (Princess)

"Last one's a rotten ninja," Cole reminded him, smug.

"Ah, so be it. But one more car to go. Pythor's in there with the four Fangblades. Who's first?" Kai asked, looking around.

Wu, who had slipped away while they joked, unhooked the cars from each other.

"Sensei!" Jay shouted, alarmed as the car shifted beneath them.

"What are you doing?" Cole demanded, steadying himself.

"My destiny is to face Pythor alone. Your destiny is to look after Lloyd," Wu stated, as the main car pulled away. They were left behind, slowing down with no engine to continue pulling them along.

"This is turning into a habit with him. How do we get off this thing?" Kai asked, glaring into the distance.

"We don't know what we're going to be walking into," [M/n] said, sitting on the lip of the small platform that led outside. "We shall wait for Lloyd and the Bounty in case anything goes wrong."

The next few minutes were silent as they waited for the Bounty to catch up.

"This is really boring," Nya mumbled, just in time for a shadow to fall over them. As it passed, the anchor dropped down and sank into the side of the truck, dragging it along behind them.

"Lloyd!"

[M/n] allowed the corner of his lips tick up, as he stood. Nya activated her bracelet ‐ turning on the comm hidden inside of it - to relay instructions to Lloyd. "To Ouroboros Lloyd, as fast as you can."

"Aye, aye, captain," Lloyd chirped, pushing the Bounty as fast as she could go.

Within a few minutes they came upon the crashed remains of the engine car, worrying them all.

"Okay, Lloyd. Put us down right after that truck," Kai ordered. The anchor unhooked itself from the car, but was not pulled up to the Bounty as they expected.

"Wait for me," Lloyd called, sliding down said anchor. Letting go, he landed in [M/n]'s open arms, recieving a sharp, admonishing look before he was set down.

Everyone ran towards the arena of Ourobourus, ignoring the trembling in the ground. In the center, upon the mural of runes carved into the stone were Wu, holding Pythor in place, and Pythor, struggling violently against the mans grip, panicking.

The ground broke into pieces, revealing glowing purple eyes that held no pupil to distinguish its gaze.

"What's going on? Who's that creature underground?" Kai asked, fearfully. Lloyd clung to [M/n]'s GI, knuckles going white from the force of his grip.

"You must do everything in your power to stop the Great Devourer. Go, ninja! Go!" Wu shouted, as the Devourer rose to her full height.

And then dove down, swallowing the two whole.

Chapter 13: S1 E12: Day of the Great Devourer

Chapter Text

"Sensei," Kai croaked, as the Devourer swallowed him whole.

"No," Jay whispered, trembling. [M/n] shoved Lloyd behind him, towards Nya who was quick to lift him into the co*ckpit of her mech. The movement of her brightly colored mech had the Devourer turning her long sinous neck to look at them. "Oh, maybe if we stand perfectly still..."

"Run!" [M/n] ordered, grabbing the back of Jay's GI as he stumbled. Nya took off, flying to the Bounty as the five raced across the sand and between the statues of Ourobourus. Shrieking, she tore off after them, muscles propelling her across the sand.

Jay, panicking as he struggled to get his feet under him as he was unceremoniously dragged, screeched, "Wait! Don't leave me!" Grunting, he released Jay who caught himself and picked up the pace, outpacing the others easily.

[M/n] rounded out the back as the others scrambled up the chain. The Devourer surged closer as she followed after them, the Bounty's engines rumbling beneath them. All five ran to the Bridge where Nya and Lloyd were preparing the Bounty.

"Uh, hate to tell you this, but objects in the mirror are closer than they appear," Jay said, having run right to the small circular window upon entering the room.

"Working on it," Nya snapped. [M/n] stepped behind Lloyd as he tapped away on the board. "Blasters on full."

Lloyd nodded, turning them on to full as she ordered. The Bounty lurched into motion, speeding away as the ninja cheered.

"Whoo-hoo! Take that, you stupid snake!" Kai whooped, earning a demonic shriek as the Devourer sped up.

"Uh, I think it heard you," Jay hissed.

"Nya, we gotta go faster. That thing is gaining on us," Kai called.

"We're going as fast as we can. I'll try to make it to Scattered Canyon."

"Probability of us making it that far is less than 8 percent," Zane reported, having ran the numbers.

"Never tell me the odds!" Nya pushed the Bounty to go faster, but she could only do so much.

"It's coming in for another attack. Port side," Cole warned, as Nya swerved to the side to avoid the lunge.

"We're losing speed. We'll drop to the ground pretty soon," Lloyd cried. The sudden jerk and the pressure on the engines was grinding her gears and slowing the ship down.

"Throw everything overboard," Nya ordered, earning gobsmacked looks from the four.

"What?"

"We need to lose some weight," Nya snapped, furious.

"Port side!" Lloyd shrieked, as Nya swerved violently. [M/n] held his ground, stopping he and Lloyd from being knocked down while the others stumbled out of the Bridge. Once the Bounty leveled out, [M/n] moved to the window and watched as the Devourer began eating the objects thrown overboard.

With a dawning sense of horror, he watched as she grew in size. "Γαμώ." (f*ck)

"What?" Nya asked, glancing back towards him, only to see him running from the room. Lloyd looked to her, afraid, so she offered him a waning smile before turning back to face forwards.

[M/n] saw Cole first and shouted down to him, "Stop! The more it consumes the bigger it grows!"

Cole paled, immediatley turning to echo his warning, "Don't throw anything else overboard!"

Nya shouted out, "We made it to Scattered Canyons. Hold on!"

Cole looked over the railing as they made their way through the canyons, "Ah, we lost him!"

The Devourer burst from the sand and ripped the engine from the Bounty, tipping the Bounty violently. [M/n] snarled, catching himself on the railing before making his way back to the Bridge.

Lloyd was clinging to the table, shrieking as Nya held onto the wheel, trying to stabalize the Bounty. Unable to hold on anymore, Lloyd fell into [M/n]'s arms, yelping fearfully.

"We need to go, Nya!"

Nya looked back at [M/n] desperately, but he shook his head. Letting go, she fell beside [M/n] and the two fled from the Bridge.

"Abandon ship!"

[M/n] held Lloyd securly to his chest as he jumped, summoning his Nethercopter. All six vehicles landed on a large rock platform, just beneath a small rounded cave. Gathering together, all vehicles except for Nya's mech gone, they watched, waiting with bated breath for the Bounty to crash.

Only for the Devourer to burst forth from the sand and snap it nearly in half.

"No!"

[M/n]'s heart plummeted as he watched his second home be destroyed, holding Lloud to his side.

"È andato," Cole croaked, tears pooling in his eyes. Ignoring them, she left, slithering away. (It's gone)

They all ducked into the cave, out of the blistering heat, sitting or standing as they processed what had just happened.

"Oh, that was too intense. All that action makes you so thirsty," Kai joked, hiding his trembling hands by fiddling with his belt.

"There's no time to rest. We need to warn people before it becomes bigger," Zane stated, shaking his head.

"Bigger? Bigger!? That thing in one big bite crushed our entire ship! We need to save as many as we can. Uh, uh, we'll find some kind of refuge, somewhere safe to hide. Ooh, the Serpentine Tombs. Yeah, they're underground. Sure, we'll be without sunlight for months, but they're perfect," Jay ranted, pacing frantically as his hands flapped.

"And what? Just give up?" Cole asked.

"You know as well as I do, we have no chance at stopping that thing!"

"Hey, stop it! Listen to yourselves. Is this what Sensei Wu would've wanted? Us fighting? Running and hiding? Giving up?" Kai pushed the two apart before they could argue any further.

"But he's not here anymore," Lloyd whispered, bowing his head. Everyone followed suit.

"But his teachings live on. Sensei once told me it's not the size of a ninja in a fight, it's the size of the fight in the ninja. All this training, all of these battles we've had with skeletons and Serpentine. We've persevered through so much, we can't just give up now. A ninja never admits defeat. A ninja always pick himself up when he is down. Which is exactly what Sensei Wu would want us to do right now," Kai stated, standing tall.

"But how do we destroy a snake of that magnitude?" Zane asked

"Yeah, it's not like we have an extra Sacred Flute lying around to charm it. Or wait, haha, how about one of our awesome Dragons? Oh, I forgot. They took off and left us high and dry. Or, hey, what about our Golden Weapons? Which will do nothing against a snake that size. Heh, oh, we are so hooped," Jay laughed, burying his face in his hands.

"Ah, Jay's right. We would need a weapon so big," Cole agreed.

"Or an idea that's even bigger! Ha! Jay, you're a genius! You thinking what I'm thinking?" Kai asked, already making his way out of the cave.

"Probably not, but go ahead," Jay mumbled, waving his hand towards Kai.

"There's no time. I'll fill you guys in on the way." He summoned his vehicle as they all scrambled to follow.

"Wha—Where are we going?" Jay asked, summoning his jet. Everyone did as well, with Nya quickly climbing back into her Samurai Mech.

"We're going to destroy that snake once and for all."

It was as they drove towards Ed and Edna's Junkyard that Kai explained his plan.

"Good idea, Kai. If the Devourer likes to consume, this place is a full-on buffet," Cole stated, placing his scythe back into its sheath.

Jay pushed past them to get to his parents trailor, knocking impatiently. When no one answered he slumped a little, relieved his parents would not be in the danger zone. "Looks like my parents are gone."

"Good, better for us," Kai said, pulling a blueprint out from no where. He placed it on the hood of an old, rusted truck so everyone could see it.

"It's so awesome," Jay whispered, tracing the different aspects of the so called Sonic Raider.

Lloyd tugged at [M/n]'s GI unable to see the blueprint because of the way the ninja were all pressed together to see it. Realizing that, [M/n] stepped back so Lloyd could stand in front of him.

"Zane, you still have a recording of the Sacred Flute in your memory bank?" Kai asked.

"It might've been destroyed earlier, but I have its exact tone recorded and ready for playback," Zane confirmed, playing the sound aloud.

"Good. And there should be enough spare parts around here to build this whopper. But we're gonna need to create our biggest Tornado of Creation yet. This is gonna be dangerous and we can't have anyone around."

[M/n] was unable to participate in the Tornado of Creation because his element was of Destriction, and tended to tear whatever was created apart.

In a moment of irony, the Postman arrived whistling a jovial tune.

"Ugh. What's he doing here?" Cole asked, hurrying around the corner with Kai, startling the Postman.

"Uh, well, now, I too have a job to do, and that's delivering the mail, which I plan to do," Postman snapped, pulling out a few letters.

"Look, dude, my parents aren't even here. You really should be on your way," Jay called out.

"Them, too? Uh, let me guess, are they at the "Take Back Ninjago" rally too?" Postman asked, shaking his head.

"Uh, "Take Back Ninjago" rally?" Jay joined Kai and Cole, curious as to what the man was talking about.

"What, you guys haven't heard? Everyone's getting together for a rally in the city. You know, to raise awareness about all the Serpentine problems that have been surfacing lately."

"It's good they're not here." Postman yelped, jumping back as [M/n] practically melted out from the shadows. Lloyd laughed for a second before covering it with a cough when he saw the Postmans glare.

"Whoa, would you look at that. You guys are inspirational."

"Wait a minute, you know what? You guys are right. Wherever you guys are, trouble is always around the corner," Postman realized, nervously looking around. [M/n], who was looking past him, tensed up as he saw the Great Devourer heading their way. "I think I'll be leaving now 'cause whatever you guys are up to, I want no part of it."

Turning to stomp away, he saw the massive snake heading towards them and screamed, "Aah! S-s-snake!"

Wasting no time, [M/n] grabbed Lloyd, dragging him back towards Nya who was already hunkering down, Postman hot on their tail.

"Hey! It's now or never, guys! Ninja, go! Fire!"

"Earth!"

"Lightning!"

"Ice!"

Scraps of metal shot past them, sucked into the tornado as [M/n] held Nya and Lloyd down. Just in case. It took a nearly a full minute for them to build the Sonic Raider, wrecking a good portion of the Junkyard in the process.

The Sonic Raider was far larger than it had seemed on the blueprint with four seperate co*ckpits and multiple weapons hidden across the entire thing.

"Zane, now!" Kai shouted.

Zane fired a controlled blast of the sound but the Devourer flattened her fins to the side of her head and twisted so the shot barely even touched her.

"Zane, what was that? This isn't target practice. You're supposed to hit him, not give him a haircut," Cole complained.

"May I remind you we just magically whipped up this heap of junk?"

"Well, I hope one of us created a reverse feature because...reverse!" Kai shouted.

"How's this for reverse?" Jay slammed down a lever and they drove backwards, slamming into a pile of tires but dodging the jaws of the Devourer.

"I need your help holding him in place," Zane stated, trying to take aim.

"How's this?" Jay asked, firing out a set of grappling hooks that clung to the edge of the Devourers scales. "Got him!"

"Before it gets away! Now, Zane. now! Take the shot!" Kai shouted.

"Charm your way out of this." The audio hit the Devourer in the face as it screamed, a terrible sound that grated on their ears.

"It's working!" Cole cheered.

Rearing in an attempt to escape, the Devourers scream changed into one of anger before it lifted its tail and smacked Zane's co*ckpit.

"Zane!"

Angrier than ever, she fled, leaving the ninja to climb out of their own co*ckpits to search for Zane. [M/n] made it to the rubble first, dragging pieces off to dig for his brother.

"Where's Zane?" Lloyd asked, afraid as his guardian dug through the metal scraps.

[M/n] quickly found and pulled Zane from the wreckage, revealing that half of his face was missing, revealing the titanium underneath as well as the delicate wiring. "Right here. That was close."

"Too close," Kai agreed, helping Zane down.

"Perfect. Now that was a total failure," Jay complained, throwing his hands up. Lloyd was quick to tuck himself against [M/n], who began rubbing his shoulder to soothe him.

"Not totally. Did you guys notice on his forehead? It has a weak spot," Kai revealed. Everyone stared at him, gaping.

"Oh, great, let me make a note of that. Giant snake has wee, itty-bitty weak spot that'll be-" Jay pretended to pull out a notebook before raising his voice. "-TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET AT BECAUSE THE THING IS TOO RIDICULOUSLY HUGE TO DO ANYTHING TO STOP IT!!!!!!!!"

"Are you done?" Nya asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jay shuddered, slumping against a nearby piece of junk, "Yes."

"Because things just got worse. Look." Nya pointed towards the Great Devourer, whowasretreating but towards Ninjago City.

"It's heading toward Ninjago City," Zane realized.

"That's where my parents are," Jay said, standing up straight.

"The rally. Hundreds of people will be there. And the citizens," [M/n] added, squeezing Lloyd against his side.

"If it consumes the biggest city in all of Ninjago, there will be no stopping it," Kai stated, jumping into the Sonic Raider.

[M/n] entrusted Lloyd to Nya – who took him with her in the Samurai Mech – knowing that he would likely be in the thick of the fight and he didn't want Lloyd hurt.

The Nethercopter flew over the Sonic Raider, though it quickly passed them once they made it closer to Ninjago, so [M/n] spotted the Great Devourer first as she burst from the subway and began eating everything in sight.

He spotted Ed and Edna racing towards the Jalopy and dove down, catching the serpents attention to give them time to get away. Shrieking, the Devourers jaws nearly snapped shut on the tail of his copter but he dove to the side, spinning away.

Unfortunately, the Jalopy seemed to be stalling and they hadn't managed to get away when she turned her attention back on them.

Luckily, the Sonic Raider made it.

"Mom? Dad? Leave my parents alone! Lightning!" Jay jumped to his parents defense, nunchucks sparking violently in his anger. A brilliant bolt of lightning left the Devourer screaming and back off, swinging her head side to side.

"Fire!" A fireball slammed into her side and she slammed her tail into the nearby pavillion in pain, shaking the ground.

"Are you getting this?" Reporter asked, crouching behind their van as they watched.

"Roll camera."

"Mind if I borrow this?" Cole asked, lifting their van above his head as his scythe glowed.

"Go, ninja, go!" Reporter whooped, as the van smacked into her head and threw her off balance.

"Ice!" Zane froze the side of her head, forcing her to slam her head into the ground the break it off. Hissing, she turned towards the ninja eyes glowing in her fury.

"Uh, I think we only made it mad," Jay said, paling.

Snarling, [M/n] dropped from his helicopter and sent a bo shuriken into the Devourers eye, earning an ear piercing scream that he reveled in. Angrily, she slammed her tail onto the ground, unbalancing them all.

Kai, Jay, and Cole all fell to the ground but Zane and [M/n] were able to keep their balance. Rearing, they realized she was going to eat them, just as she had their Sensei.

Nya dove in, slamming a lamppost she'd torn up into its mouth and forcing it to stay open, stopping it from eating the ninja.

"Samurai to the rescue. Again," Jay cheered weakly, climbing to his feet.

"Its breath smells worse than Cole's chili," Lloyd reported, gagging through the comms.

"Hey!" Cole cried, offended.

When the mech did not pull away, as they assumed it would, Kai shouted, "Get out of there, sis!"

[M/n]'s heart rate picked up as the Mech jerked back and forth, obviously trying to escape. "I can't! I'm stuck!" Nya shouted into the comms as the jerking picked up.

"Lloyd," [M/n] whispered, muscles tensing as he prepared to leap into battle, only for a bone shaking roar to stop him.

Something slammed into the Devourer from behind, hooked talons sinking into armor like scales as the beast leaned forward and grabbed onto the mech with its large maw. Dragging the Mech from the Devourer's mouth, Ara leaped into the air massive wings getting them out of the way in time for a four-headed dragon to slam into the Devourer.

"Rocky! Our Dragons are back," Cole cheered.

[M/n] and Kai both rushed towards Ara who was carefully setting the Mech down on the ground so he didn't injure the occupants. Lloyd scrambled out from the Mech first and was immediatley swept into [M/n]'s arms as the older dropped to his knees.

"Nya!" Kai nearly knocked her over when he slammed into her but she didn't care, wrapping her arms around his neck and clinging to him like she was a little girl again.

Cradling Lloyd's face, [M/n] pulled away, "Are you alright? Any injuries?!"

"I'm fine," Lloyd said, pulling his face away to go back in for a hug. Above them, Ara lowered his head down to gently sniff the boy who startled at the warm breathe that suddenly washed over him. "Woah! Is that–!"

"Ara," [M/n] murmured, pressing a hand to the wyverns snout. Lloyd was in awe of the feathered dragon who was much bigger than he'd imagined.

Picking Lloyd up, the four joined the other ninja as Ara stood over them protectively.

"It appears Dragons go through a metamorphosis when they reach adulthood. They too have found their True Potential," Zane stated, watching their dragon in awe.

"Ha! They couldn't have come at a better time. Go get them, Rocky! Go!" Cole whooped, practically jumping in place.

"Ice!"

Shard's ice breath coated the Devourer's face as the swooped past.

"Fire!"

Flame's fire licked across the scales that Ara had ripped into, making the Devourer scream, though it was muffled.

"Lightning!"

Wisp's lightning hit the Devourer in her already injured eye, turning it into a blackened, gooey mess. Jay gagged, as everyone else winced, disgusted by the sight. [M/n] was the only one who stared unflinching, tucking Lloyd's head into his shoulder so he couldn't see.

"Earth!"

Rocky slammed into the Devourer, sending her into a nearby building before the four heads roared in delight.

"Can Dragons get any cooler? Seriously."

The group cheered as the Devourer sluggishly pulled herself up while the four dragons prepared to attack again. Turning, it seemed that she was fleeing, too afraid to continue attacking something that matched her in strength.

"Yes! It's running away," Kai said, squeezing Nya to his side.

Diving, Rocky seemed to be preparing to slam into her again, only for her to slam her tail into their side and knock them out of the sky.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

The sickening crack of bones could be heard all the way where they were, horrifying them all. Ara reared back, feathers shifting and flaring in anger before he roared, a deeper one than before.

"No," Cole whispered, seeing as their dragons tried to get up.

"Σκατά. Come up with a plan," [M/n] ordered, setting Lloyd down as Ara crouched. "We'll keep her busy." (sh*t)

Ara snarled, running forward a few steps once [M/n] was in place before lifting off with a powerful beat of his wings. Turning to them, the Devourer was met with razor sharp claws and teeth raking across her scales until they could get underneath.

Screaming, she flung them off, ignoring the blood pouring from the open wounds. She lunged, barely missing Ara's tail, only grabbing a few of the longer feathers. The pinching sensation of his feathers being torn off had Ara roaring, and turning to slam into her in rage.

When Shard roared, Ara pulled away, heeding the call for them to return.

No one actually told him the plan once he landed, too busy putting it into motion. Nya was quick to send Lloyd to him and lead him, Ara, and the four headed dragon towards a roof overlooking a good portion of the city, leaving [M/n] confused and a little curious.

Kai started the plan, leading the Devourer in a chase through the streets before Cole took over and brought her towards Jay. Both of the were picked up by Nya, who brought them up to the roof where they could see the Devourer chasing Jay up a building to Zane before they escaped.

Sliding down Zane's ice slide, they were launched into the air where they were caught by Ara and brought back to the roof as well.

Jay stumbled a bit when he was dropped onto the roof but was quick to right himself, "You think it's working?"

"We're about to find out," Kai answered grimly. If the plan didn't work, they were screwed.

Silence fell over the group as they watched her try to move, her body twisted in knots around buildings. She was stuck.

"We did it! Now, where's Garmadon? She's not gonna hold on for much longer," Cole said, glancing around.

Lloyd, who was looking around as well, found his father first. "Look! Dad!" Standing atop the building above the Devourers head, Lord Garmadon held the weapons as the sky darkened ominously.

"You are the reason evil runs through my blood. You bit me once. Now feel what it's like to be bitten back," Lord Garmadon bellowed furiously.

"Go get him, Dad," Lloyd whispered, leaning back into [M/n].

"Vengeance will be mine!"

He jumped, piercing the small weak spot on her forehead with all four weapons, completely destroying her.

"He did it," Jay said, a little gobsmacked.

"No, we did it!" Cole shouted, sweeping Jay up into a hug as Lloyd turned to throw himself into [M/n]'s arms.

Cheering, they made their way down to the ground where they found Ed and Edna anxiously waiting. Edna rushed forward as soon as she saw Jay, throwing her arms around him as Ed followed.

"Oh my little ninja," Edna crooned, struggling to hold back tears.

Rocky landed, immediatley calling for Cole with a low rumble. "Hey, there you are, you big lug." He rubbed Rocky's nose as the other dragons watched jealously. "It's good to have you back."

Lloyd tugged at the bottom of [M/n]'s GI, "I don't see my dad."

"He should be around here somewhere," Kai said, frowning as he looked around. [M/n] did not even have to look around. The man was gone.

"Your analysis is incorrect. He is not here," Zane refuted.

"Then our Golden Weapons are gone too. Well, isn't that convenient?" Cole complained.

"Look, his footsteps," Nya pointed out. The prints in the blood and guts of the Devourer led away from them, towards the edge of the city.

"I have a feeling you'll see your father again soon," Kai stated, resting a hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"I know, but that's what I'm afraid of," Lloyd admitted, glancing up to [M/n].

"Ah, Sensei Wu!" Cole shoited, surprisimg everyone. They all spun to see the man absolutely covered in the guts of the Devourer, but alive.

"Sensei!" Nya cried, breaking into a run. Everyone raced after her, shouting for their Sensei as they realized he was alive.

"You're alive!" Jay shouted hysterically, nearly crashing into the man.

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you!" Wu announced, brushing past them all to get to his tea pot. They all watched as he poured himself a cup. "The Devourer left a bad taste in my mouth." Everyone was disgusted when he drank the cup, with Lloyd even making a gagging sound. "Ah. Much better. And still hot."

Lloyd shook his head, before remembering what had just happened, "It's good to have you back, uncle. But my father left and he took four of the Golden Weapons."

"Ah, unfortunate," Wu mused, seemingly unbothered. "The Golden Weapons power is great, but the power one holds to make themself better is limitless."

"I couldn't have said it any better myself," Jay teased, grinning as his parents happily hugged him.

"We have what is most important: you," [M/n] murmured, smoothing down some of Lloyd's errant hairs.

"The pupils have become the masters," Wu repeated proudly.

"Am I really gonna have to fight my father one day?" Lloyd asked anxiously.

"One day. But today we can feel good that Ninjago is saved, for tomorrow you will train for the day. Good will finally face evil and a final outcome will be decided for all of time," Wu stated.

"We will teach you everything we know," [M/n] comforted, squeezing Lloyd into his side.

"And make sure you're prepared for that fight."

"Because as we all know, good will always stand up to evil."

"And ninja will always stand up for what is right."

"Go, ninja, go!"

Chapter 14: S2 E1: Darkness Shall Rise

Chapter Text

For the weeks following the Devourers death they slept at Ed and Edna's – who had graciously offered up their home. Every day Edna would drive them down to the city so they could help with clean up since some of the destruction was their fault. During the day – as the five ninja cleaned up – Edna would watch over Lloyd, quite happily in all honesty.

Today, both Ed and Edna had taken the Jalopy so [M/n] took Lloyd up on Ara to give the ninja room in the car. Jay's parents took Lloyd over to the comic book store he adored while they finished setting up the last of the lampposts.

Wu and Nya were taking the day to see if they could find them a more permanent place to stay.

[M/n], Cole, and Jay worked to hold the last lamppost steady as Zane blowtorched the piece into place. Once finished they stepped back to proudly admire the street full of newly put up lampposts.

Kai stood behind them, trying to summon even a singular spark to his hands even though it had been several weeks since their Golden Weapons had been stolen, and so their elements had been unaccesable.

"Finally. All fixed up and Serpentine free," Cole said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Aargh. Ugh, this is frustrating," Kai complained, shaking out his hands as no fire came.

The lamppost creaked ominously before tipping over. [M/n] and Cole were quick to catch it before it fell as Jay scrambled over to help push it back up. Zane kneeled back down to torch it back in place.

"Our weapons are gone and most of our elemental powers are gone. I mean, we can still do Spinjitzu, but..." Kai grunted as his powers continued to falter. "I just feel so, I don't know, limited. And thanks to the Devourer, our tank's out of commission, our Dragon's hurt, the Bounty is destroyed, and we're bumming off of Jay's parents."

"Our elements were not only there because of our Weapons. We simply became too used to using them as crutches when we should have taken the time to practice without them," [M/n] lectured.

"No one ever said being a hero is easy," Zane added, flipping up his welding mask. "Though our good deeds may never make us rich, they make us rich in other ways."

"Yeah, well, I don't feel rich," Kai complained.

"I for one enjoy pitching in. I've always wanted to feel part of a community. Uh, speaking of which, anyone seen Nya? She said she was gonna help," Jay stated.

Nya pulled up on the old motorbike Ed had let her take and fix up, "And I have. I may have found us a place to live."

"Really? But there's a waiting list a mile long to live in Ninjago City. How did you do that?" Jay asked.

"I know a guy, who knows a girl, and she knows this girl who knows a guy. Well, this guy knows a girl who's a real estate agent and she can help you find a place, if you catch my drift," Nya stated, earning blank stares from [M/n] and Cole.

"And where are you off to?" Jay took the pamplet she passed him, glancing down at it curiously.

"We have to find a couple of components to fix the ninja tank. And my dragon ointment has finally arrived. It's a two week trip, but once we get back, he'll be flying again. Also, I love scenic drives. Haha, punch it, Nya!" Wu shouted, leaning over to see them.

"Ay ay, Sensei."

"Yee-haw!" Wu whooped as Nya shot off.

"Patty Keys, Real Estate Queen." Huh, this is exactly what we need. Once we get a roof over our head, we can start properly training Lloyd," Jay said, reading over the pamphlet.

"Good, 'cause if we know Lord Garmadon, he's not going to be taking any breaks. And let's not forget, the Serpentine are still at large," Cole reminded them.

"I'll pick up Lloyd then, and we'll meet you at this Patty Keys Estate place," [M/n] decided. Ara – without needing to be called for – landed on the street as carefully as he could so he didn't break anything.

He likely could have used his Nethercopter but it would have felt like gloating in front of the others and he did genuinly prefer flying with Ara.

The wyvern gracefully glided between the buildings, until they made it to Doomsday Comix, Lloyd's favorite store. Since landing would take to long, for the street was too small for Ara to simply drop in, he pushed off and fell, using Spinjitzu to soften the landing.

He got several stares of shock but he ignored them, simply heading into the comic shop. Passing by Mother Doomsday, he waved before heading towards the back corner where a reading area had been set up, complete with a couch, and beanbags. There he found Lloyd excitedly explaining the plot of Starfarer to Ed and Edna who were happily asking questions and encouraging him to continue.

[M/n] noticed how the young boy was practically glowing with the positive attention. Leaning against one of the shelves, he let Lloyd finish his explanation during which he noticed the two bags full of candy and comics at Edna's feet.

When Lloyd finally came to a stopping point, [M/n] spoke, "It looks like you've had a good day."

"[M/n]!" Lloyd shouted in delight, throwing his arms around his waist. "Did you see what Edna and Ed got me?"

"I saw. Lots of candy and comics. What a day, huh?"

"Yeah!"

Ed and Edna happily came over, smiling at the sight of the two. "You're back early, dearie. Did something happen?"

"Nya found us some places to take a look at, so I figured Lloyd should get to see them too. Thank you for watching him. And for buying him those comics and candy."

"Of course, son!" Ed chirped. "Oh, its been so long since we've had a young one around."

"Besides, he's a sweetheart," Edna cooed, lightly pinching his cheek as Lloyd smiled, reddening at the praise.

[M/n] smiled, leading them out to the Jalopy. "We'll come visit soon. Promise. I wouldn't want to deprive you of Lloyd's company."

"Oh, you jester," Edna laughed, squeezing [M/n]'s arm. "Well have fun! Hope you find a good place!"

The Jalopy pulled away as they waved, patiently waiting for them to turn the corner.

"Are we taking the Helicopter?" Lloyd asked.

"No, Ara's taking us."

"When will I get to fly my own dragon?" Lloyd asked, wartching with wide eyes as Ara carefully manuvered himself to the ground without destroying anything.

"Who knows, λιακάδα. For now, you'll have to fly with Ara and I or Ultra."

Ara lowered his shoulder so they could climb up into the saddle before he carefully pushed off. He flew over the buildings as Lloyd cheered at the speed they were flying, white hair becoming a tangled mess.

Flying over the street where Patty Keys business was, [M/n] noted that no manner of manuvering would allow Ara to land without destroying several buildings. He leaned forward, bending down a little so Lloyd could hear him over the wind, "Do you trust me, λιακάδα?"

"Yeah, why?" [M/n] could not help the warmth he felt at how easily Lloyd trusted him, no matter the things he'd seen.

"Hold on tight." Picking him up, he pushed Lloyd's head into the crook of his shoulder making sure the boy was holding on tight enough before he fell from Ara's saddle.

Lloyd yelped, a muffled sound, as they fell before [M/n] used his Spinjitzu to slow their descent and land. Patty Keys yelped, jumping back at their appearance making Lloyd grin as he was set down on the ground.

Scowling, she led them to a dilapidated apartment building. "This one-bedroom, one-half-bath is a cozy dream. Who needs extras when everything is in arm's reach? Now, wait until you see the lighting," Patty stated, flipping on the lights. The singular lightbulb flickered and died, falling to the ground. "Uh, who needs lights when you have this view? Heh." The curtains opened to reveal the brick wall of the neighboring building.

Lloyd wrinkled his nose. "Uh, why do I smell old people?"

"Look, doll. I'm trying to work around your budget. This is all you can afford," Patty snapped, annoyed. [M/n] stared her down until she became so nervous she couldn't hold their gaze.

"Uh, this looks . . . promising. Remember, guys, Sensei told us our main objective is to train Lloyd, not kick our feet up in some swanky suite. If this is all we can afford, this is all we can afford," Cole said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's not rush into any decision. I mean, if it's really all about Lloyd, don’t we need to live in some place that'll make training easier?" Jay asked, gesturing to the very tiny apartment.

"Yeah, Jay's right. If we have to get Lloyd ready to save Ninjago from his father, shouldn't he at least have his own room?" Kai questioned.

"Technically, that does not matter, he shared--" Zane began only for Jay to clap a hand over his mouth.

"We're only thinking about the children, hehe," Jay laughed, ignoring the look he was getting from [M/n].

"I do have another property that you'll just love," Patty said, smiling falsley. She led them over to a neighboring skyscraper made from titanium and glass.

The penthouse on the top floor was the prospective apartment she wished to show. It had massive windows stretching from the floor to the ceiling, with brand new furniture and newly painted walls.

"Whoa!"

"Oh man," Jay whispered, running a hand over a glossy wood side table.

"Now, this is the eight-bedroom Hero Suite. Floor-to-ceiling windows, digital wall television, state-of-the-art game console . . ." Patty explained, as the ninja got more and more excited.

"Uh, it seems a little out of our price range," Cole pointed out.

"Oh, sure it costs a little more, but you deserve it. I forgot to mention, there's also a Dragon keep on the roof," Patty added, gesturing above them.

"Nice," Kai whispered.

"Maybe we can get a hero discount. After all, we are the ninja who saved the city," Jay said, puffing out his chest a bit.

"I thought Lord Garmadon saved the city," Patty retorted.

"Where did he get the weapons to save the city? Who tangled the Devourer up so he could deal the killing blow?" [M/n] hissed, turning his gaze on her. "We helped Lord Garmadon, we are heroes just as he is."

Lloyd nodded, "Yeah!"

Patty scowled, but acquiesced, "Fine. A small discount."

"We could get day jobs to pay for the extra expenses," Kai said.

"We always said we could use a little more responsibility," Zane agreed.

"But we have to train Lloyd," Kai remembered.

"Did I mention the in-house training facility?" Patty asked.

"We'll take it!"

Zane stayed behind to fill out the needed paperwork while they all headed back to Ed and Edna's Junkyard to retrieve their meager belongings. On their way back, [M/n] stopped at a nearby conveniance store to pick up several newspapers that had ads for jobs within.

Once they had moved everything into their respective rooms, they piled onto the massive L-shaped couch to begin flipping through the newspapers. Lloyd, even though he didn't have to, squished himself against [M/n]'s side and tucked his feet under Cole's leg.

Jay found something first. "Ooh, Zane! I found a job for one of those restaurants that cooks in front of you. I bet they'd love your cooking!"

"Thank you, Jay." Zane could not hide the prideful smile.

"Do you think I'd be able to snag a job as a security guard?" Cole asked, reading through the job ad.

"If you listed out the styles of fighting, and your experience being a ninja then yes," [M/n] confirmed.

"I have two," Zane announced, cutting out the two ads. "One for a pizza delivery driver and one for a party entertainer."

He placed the two ads down on the table and Jay and Kai dove for them. Jay came out victorious, doing a happy dance with the delivery driver ad in hand while Kai sulked, glaring at the party entertainer ad.

"Have you found anything yet, [M/n]?" Zane asked.

"A bartending job. For the Obelisk, that new club that just opened."

"Don't you have to be 21 for jobs with alcohol?" Jay questioned.

"You do. I'll be back in a minute, need to make a phone call."

[M/n] stood up from the couch, ruffling Lloyd's hair as he stepped into the closed off, spacious kitchen. Pulling out his phone, he dialed the number he'd memorized over a year ago.

After he'd rescued Ronin during his search for the Tessens of Death he'd memorized his number for the favors he was owed.

"Who the hell is this?"

"Ronin. What a lovely way to answer the phone."

"[M/n]. I'm surprised to hear from ya'. Figured you'd pretend we weren't friends for awhile longer."

"We aren't friends. Acquantences, perhaps. And I'm calling in that favor you owe me."

"Was hopin' you'd forgotten 'bout that."

". . ." [M/n] hoped his silence was telling.

"Alright, alright. Geeze. No need ta' give me tha' silent treatment. What kinda favour do ya need?"

"I need papers forged. As well as a license."

"Like your a wanted man kinda papers or I want to buy alcohol papers."

"I want to sell alcohol as a bartender kind of papers."

"Ha! Seriously! Not a goody two shoes, huh?"

"Ronin."

"Alright, fine. So, license for, say, a 21 year old. Any thing else? Like a job history?"

"I'm a ninja. I don't have a job history and it'd be pretty suspicious if I had jobs I couldn't actually remember how to do."

"Fair enough. I'll have 'em ready by tomorrow night. Where do you-"

"Jamanakai Village. South Gate. I'll be waiting."

"Jamanakai, it is. See ya–"

[M/n] hung up, heading back out to the living room. The sky had long since darkened so he made the decision that it was time for bed for he and Lloyd. Originally, Lloyd protested but he followed as told and happily took over the queen sized bed.

He sprawled violently, trying to take up as much space as he possibly could much to [M/n]'s amusem*nt. Grabbing him by the ankle he tugged Lloyd back down to the edge with a yelp.

"Hey!"

"Change, λιακάδα," [M/n] stated, dropping Lloyd's clothes onto the bed beside him. "Then bed."

"Fine."

[M/n] chuckled as he ducked into the connecting bedroom to change himself, so Lloyd could have the privacy of the bedroom. He waited until until he could hear Lloyd clamboring back into the bed before he joined him. Once settled, Lloud clung to him, no matter the space the bed provided.

When morning came, he asked Cole and Zane to watch Lloyd while he ran an errand. He warned them that it would likely take most of the day, and to not let Lloyd wait up for him.

"Why can't I come with you?" Lloyd asked, clinging to the front of [M/n]'s shirt to try and keep him there.

"The person I am meeting is not someone I wish for you to be introduced to. He is dangerous," [M/n] murmured, brushing a hand over Lloyd's white-blond hair.

"But if he's dangerous, you should have backup," Lloyd insisted.

[M/n] shook his head. "He is not dangerous to me. He owes me too much."

Lloyd watched him desperately, but [M/n] did not budge so he let go and stepped away. "Hurry back?"

"I will, λιακάδα."

Instead of landing just outside of the Southern Gate, as he and the ninja normally did, he had Ara land in the forest to better hide. It would do no good if he was seen with a known mercernary, and deciever.

The forest around them was silent, especially compared to the village that was always bustling with activity during the day. [M/n] stayed in the saddle for a bit but sensed how restless Ara was becoming so he climbed off, allowing the wyvern to go off and hunt.

He took up post against a nearby tree, watching the southern gate. It took well over an hour for his attention to narrow to just the gate, all of his senses completely on the gate. Because of this he did not notice the ghost behind him, watching him.

The back of his neck tingled and he spun around, Tessens out but the blades still hidden in case it was a civilian. He was surprised to find Morro standing just a few feet behind him, staring with that infernal smirk on his lips.

"Surprised it took you that long to notice," Morro snarked, taking a step closer.

"I apologize for being too preoccupied to notice you," [M/n] teased, unable to stop himself for poking fun at the ghost. Morro laughed, a harsh sound that made [M/n] smile.

"Wow."

[M/n] couldn't help the way his smile fell, eyes wandering across the outline of Morro's ghostly greem form. "You told me you were dead. Not a ghost of the Cursed Realm."

"How–?" Morro cut himself off with a huff, shaking his head. "You always were so much smarter than I, or anyone, gave you credit for. I didn't tell you because it wasn't important. You were dying. You didn't need to hear of how I ended up after I left. My . . . Failures didn't need to affect what could have possibly been your death."

"How could your failures have affected my death?" [M/n] pushed, frustrated as Morro shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here now because I wanted to see you. After knowing you almost died . . . It took me a while to gather the energy to see you but I'm here now," Morro stated, completely bypassing the question. [M/n] recognized the tactic, but let it pass focusing on the other information given.

"You were that worried about me?"

Morro looked surprised by the question, eyes softening, "I always am. Even back then, I worried." He took a step closer, till they were nearly pressed chest to chest. "Ka noho koe i aku whakaaro nui atu i era atu mea." (You occupy my thoughts more than anything else)

"Te arero hiriwa," [M/n] responded, unable to hide the blush across his cheeks. Morro grinned, leaning down so their foreheads were pressed together. (Silver tongue)

"I aroha koe ki taku arero hiriwa," Morro teased, licking his lips an action that [M/n] tracked immediatley. (You loved my silver tongue)

"Kei te moepuku koe ki ahau?" (Are you flirting with me)

"Ko ahau ranei?" (Am I)

Morro leaned forward solidifying so they could press their lips together. [M/n] pressed a hand to Morro's chest, feeling the strange coolness as if he were pressing his palm against a solid wall of mist.

"I wareware ahau ki te reka o o ngutu," Morro rasped, pulling away. [M/n] didn't answer watching him softly, [e/c] eyes glinting in the light filtering through the leaves. "Ataahua." (I forgot how your lips tasted. Beautiful.)

"Kaore koe i haere mai ki konei ki te korero mo taku ataahua," [M/n] murmured, pulling away a bit more. (You didn't come here just to talk about how beautiful I am.)

"Kao, kaore au." (No. No, I did not.)

"Na he aha?" (Then why)

Morro didn't answer right away, face tight as a scowl formed, "Ka pa mai tetahi mea kino ka hiahia ahau kia whakawhirinaki koe ki to whekau, me o whakaaro. Ehara i te mea i korerotia ki a koe." (Something bad will happen and I need you to trust your gut, and your senses. Not what you're told.)

"He aha? He aha?" (What? Why)

"Karekau he patai. Oati mai ki ahau. Ka whakawhirinaki noa koe ki to whekau me to hinengaro ka tae mai te wa." (No questions. Just promise me. You'll only trust your gut and senses when the time comes)

"Ka oati ahau." (I promise)

Morro breathed a sigh of relief, an odd thing considering he had no lungs as a ghost. "Pai." (Good) Both of them turned when they heard a vehicle land nearby.

"Ronin," [M/n] muttered, as Morro stepped back.

"Waimarie, 虹彩. Aroha ana ahau ki a koe." (Good luck, Iris. I love you)

He dissappeared as easily as he appeared, leaving [M/n] murmur his own goodbye to the open air. Ronin slipped out from the forest into the clearing barely minutes later.

"Early, I see," Ronin commented, adjusting his red rice hat. "So, how's your days been? What with all this Great Devourer business happenin' in Ninjago."

"Don't pretend to care, Ronin. Just give me the papers," [M/n] said, not in the mood for his mind games.

Shrugging, Ronin pulled them from the satchel at his side, "So, is that all you needed me for?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then my debt is repaid in full."

[M/n] scoffed, "No, it's not. I saved your life, forging me a license is nothing in comparison. You owe me a second favor, a small one. And then I won't ask for any more."

"Now hang on, do you know how hard it is to forge a good license that'll hold up under most scrutiny? And it cost a pretty penny," Ronin refuted.

"You have plenty of money, Ronin and I saved your life. No matter how hard it is, it is little compared to your life."

"Fine. Pleasure doin' business with ya, [M/n]," Ronin sneered, turning away and grumbling to himself. From the clearing he heard Ronin's tell tale whistle, calling for R.E.X. before the man left.

Ara returned as well, stepping out from the woods with his maw still smeared with blood. [M/n] huffed, a small smile forming at how messy his dragon was.

"Let's get back, Ara. Night will fall soon."

Huffing, the wyvern crouched so [M/n] could climb up into the saddle. In two powerful beats of his wings, Ara climbed above the forest and into the sky.

The trip back was longer, only because they were not in a hurry to return. Night had fallen by the time Ara landed on the roof of the penthouse. One of Ultra's heads lifted, crooning in greeting which Ara responded with a happy croon of his own.

[M/n] climbed down, running a hand through Ara's feathers before offering Shard a few scratches along the ridge above his eyes, following the blue marking as he purred in delight.

"Goodnight Ara, Shard. Sleep well, οι δράκοι μου." (my dragons.)

Slipping into the penthouse, he was only a little surprised to see Cole and Lloyd passed out on the couch, with Lloyd tucked against Cole and a blanket wrapped around them. Zane rounded the kitchen counter with a cup of tea in hand, "They only passed out an hour ago. Lloyd was worried."

"I didn't mean to worry him, I just needed to pick something up."

Zane noticed the tense line of his brothers shoulders, "I can help you remove Lloyd from Cole, if you wish to take him to bed."

"That would be appreciated, Zane, thank you."

Together they gently began pulling Lloyd away from Cole, who gave a sleepy hum tightening his grip and peering up at them sleepily. He relinguished his grip on Lloyd once he realized who was standing above him, relaxing back into the couch. Lloyd grumbled, unhappy to be moved, but sank into his chest once settled into [M/n]'s arms.

"Thank you, Zane. I'll see you in the morning."

"Of course. Good night, [M/n]. I shall see you in the morning."

[M/n] headed down the hall to the furthest room, using his foot open the door before kicking it shut behind him. Carefully he set Lloyd down on the bed so he could change into pajama's. Once changed he carefully climbed into bed, chuckling to himself when Lloyd tried to cling to him making it difficult to lay down.

Khêlai formed, perching on the board at the bottom of the bed, watching them with luminous orange eyes.

His sleep was uneasy, waking every once in a while to check on Lloyd and make sure he was alright.

He finally woke up completely when Lloyd burrowed closer, tucking himself into his chest. Humming he ran his hand through Lloyd's hair, "Mornin' λιακάδα," [M/n] rasped.

"Good morning." Lloyd hid his blush before remembering something from the night before, during the movie he'd watched with Cole. "What's a crush? The movie Cole had me watch last night talked about crushes, but I don't- I didn't understand what they were talking about."

"A crush? Well, a crush is when you like someone, you know." [M/n] wasn't quite sure how to explain it when he'd kind of naturally realized what it was to have a crush.

"How do you get a crush? And what does it mean when you like someone?"

"You can get a crush at any point, λιακάδα. But when you like someone, you care about them and you like the qualities that make that person them. So, maybe you like their smile, their laugh, their eyes. Anything, really," [M/n] explained.

Lloyd looked up curiously, "Have you ever liked anyone?"

"I did. And I loved him too."

"Really? Who was it?"

"His name was Morro. He . . . He died a long time ago, λιακάδα."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Its fine. Honestly, I don't really even remember it. I just know he's dead."

Lloyd tucked himself back into [M/n]'s chest, so they stayed in bed for a good ten minutes lounging in the early morning. Remembering the others all had their interviews that day so [M/n] climbed out of bed, forcing Lloyd to follow after him.

Taking over the kitchen, [M/n] made Shakshuka a healthy meal to give the others some energy for their interviews. While he worked on it he called the Obelisk to schedule an interview for the bartending position.

Lloyd watched from the counter, barely paying attention as he tried not to fall back asleep. He woke up when a plate was put in front of him, but instead stared down at the plate unsurely. He'd never seen anything like it so he was unsure of if he really wanted to try it.

Jay flopped down into the chair beside him, partially dressed and surprisingly awake for it being early. Once the plate of shakshuka and croissants was placed in front of him, Jay dug into it excitedly, stuffing his face as quickly as he could. Lloyd had noticed how picky Jay could could be when it came to food, so seeing him devour it made him a little curious.

He took a bite and was surprised by the burst of flavors, so he happily took another one, nearly choking as he shoveled more and more into his mouth. Coughing, he earned a sharp look from [M/n], "Don't eat like Jay. His eating habits will kill him, don't let them kill you."

"Ma ephting . . . habits will not kill me," Jay stated, swallowing halfway through his sentence. He got a blank stare from [M/n] before the teen turned back to Lloyd.

"Eat slower. If you want seconds you'll have to ask after everyone else gets a plate."

Zane arrived next, already dressed and prepared for his interview. Kai followed, stumbling out from his room with hair flopping into his face since it hadn't been gelled up yet. Cole eventually followed, half dressed and following the smell of breakfast.

Their attitudes changed as plates were pushed in front of them. Cole began shoveling the food into his mouth like he was starving, while Kai took large uncivilized bites but at least wasn't spraying food everywhere. Zane was one of the only people who ate like a civilized person.

After breakfast, they showered and dressed before leaving one after the other, leaving the penthouse to [M/n] and Lloyd.

"Lloyd. Go change into something loose enough to fight in."

"Huh? Fight in? You're teaching me to fight?!"

"Just a defensive move. Now go."

Lloyd ran back into their shared room where [M/n] could hear him digging through their drawers in search of clothes. He came crashing back down the hallway in a pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt, skidding to a stop in front of [M/n].

"Now, like I said I'll be teaching you a defensive move today," [M/n] stated, pressing the button to open the door for the training room. The large space was covered in mats with training dummies lined against the wall. "I'm going to teach you everything I learned, in the order I learned it. So we'll work on defense first until you have a stable base to begin working on offense."

Lloyd pouted, before realizing he would still eventually learn fighting moves, "So what move are you gonna teach me? Does paralyzing an enemy with a touch count as a defensice move?"

"You could debate that with Zane," [M/n] mused. He dragged a dummy away from the wall, placing it on the center of the mats. "First, I'll show you how its done both in real time and slowed down then you can practice on the dummy. When you feel confident enough you can practice it on me."

Lloyd stopped moving completely, staring at him, "I can practice it . . . on you?"

"When you feel confident enough, yes."

"Cool!"

"Alright, come here."

"What do I do?"

"I'm going to show you how you should grab your opponent then I'll show you the move in real time," [M/n] explained, positioning Lloyd manually. "Grab the dummies right wrist with your left hand . . ."

The entire morning was spent with [M/n] teaching Lloyd the hip throw, and making sure he had the move down as best he could. Unfortunately, Lloyd did not get the confidence to try it on [M/n] but he was unsurprised. They took a break to eat and drink a simple lunch, before [M/n] taught him cool down stretches so he didn't hurt himself.

For a while they relaxed, well [M/n] relaxed and Lloyd explored the entire penthouse out of curiosity. After a while Lloyd settled down to watch tv while [M/n] got up to make dinner for everyone.

He plated everything for everyone before going back to their room to shower and dress for his own interview. By the time he came back out, everyone had arrived and was sitting at the kitchen table eating.

Joining them, [M/n] listened to their talk of their jobs and how they thought the interview had gone. By the time they'd finished eating it was time for [M/n] to leave so he'd make it on time for his own interview.

"Be good for them," [M/n] mumured to Lloyd, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as he passed by. The club was close enough that he felt comfortable enough walking.

The bouncer let him in easily enough, checking him off a second, smaller list and sending him up to the third floor to talk to the owner. The interview itself was short and simple, mostly questions about how well he worked within a team.

He returned to the penthouse, unable to do anything but wait for a phone call to see if he'd make it. When he did eventually get the call back, confirming that he got the job, he began setting up shifts for opening since he did not wish to be out too late.

And so the cycle began. Every day he'd wake up in the morning to make breakfast for everyone, practice with Lloyd for a little bit before napping for most of the day until Zane woke him after making dinner so he could eat and then he was off to the club.

Day after day at the club he would plaster on a charming, fake, smile and serve customers whatever drink they wished, ignoring the vulgar and unwanted comments with grace and taking his well deserved tips.

This particular day was simply exhausting because of the people around him, including the ninja who had all come so tired that he'd had to wake up early to make them all dinner. At the club, several women and men were quite insistant as they flirted with him, no matter how many times he brushed them off.

Several phone numbers had been pushed his way – conveniantly ending in the trashcan beneath the counter on accident – and complaints of service, not always his and sometimes complaints about things he didn't even deal with, were yelled across the counter.

"Bartender!" A low raspy voice called. He acknowledged the call with a nod, passing a woman her drink as she giggled flirtasiously, passing him a 5 dollar tip much to his pleasure. To thank her, he flashed her a sharp smile, flashing the peak of fangs that had her flushing brighter.

Turning, he moved down the bar to find Shade staring back at him, a slight smirk ticking up his lips. "I'm surprised to see you in Ninjago. You didn't seem to care for the city much when we talked."

"It's been over a year. Things change. It is good to see you again, Shade," [M/n] stated, glancing to the side when he felt eyes on him. "What can I get for you?"

"A mint julep, if ya don't mind. So, what are you doing here?"

"Had some business in town and needed a job to hold a place."

Shade's eyes glinted, flicking up to the tv and commenting, "That Devourer sure was somethin'. Saw it on TV. Watching all that sh*t happen was bad, but at least I wasn't here."

"It was horrible."

"Well, then. Hope you're doin good. Think we can keep in contact while you're in town?"

"Yeah. It'll be good catching up with you, Shade." He wrote out his number on a napkin, handing it and his drink over to the Elemental Master who slipped back into the crowd.

[M/n]'s walk home was silent.

He slipped into the bed beside Lloyd, tucking himself around him protectively. Sleep came to him in short waves, keeping him through most of the night. That made it difficult for him to wake up and make everyone breakfast.

Based on his sluggish movements, he doubted he'd be up to training Lloyd today. Lloyd was a little upset about that but when he saw the bags beneath his eyes he relented.

Heading back to the room, he planned on taking a long nap while Lloyd played on the tv. He passed out pretty quickly and only awoke when the warmth in his chest jolted violently.

Lloyd's screams had him throwing himself out of the bed and flying down the hallway, Tessens in hand. Skales was halfway through the window, looking smug until he noticed the purple ninja coming his way.

Skales felt his heart pick up its pace as he saw the bared canines and the wild, furious look in his eyes.

"Skales."

The Serpentine tried to back away but the only way to go was back through the window. Snarling, [M/n] lunged, kicking Skales head to knock him out.

Both jerked when the door rattled beneath the force of someones fist, spinning towards it. Lloyd settled into the stance [M/n] had shown him, and he could not help the pride he felt.

Stepping front of Lloyd, [M/n] prepared himself for another enemy.

"Lloyd! What's going on in there?"

"Uncle!" Lloyd cried in relief. [M/n] unlocked the door for them before Nya could break it down, allowing the two to rush inside.

If either was surprised to see Skales knocked out on the ground, surrounded by glass and cash, they didn't show it.

"I'll call the cops," Nya said, already pulling out her phone.

It was a pretty quick visit from the cops, taking less than a half hour to take their statements and haul Skales away to the station.

"So, who wants to teach the ninja a lesson?" Nya asked once they had all left.

"What kind of lesson?" Wu questioned, raising an eyebrow. [M/n]'s eyes glinted as Lloyd nodded, always excited to prank people in the name of teaching them lessons.

Nya and Lloyd both hid in the closed off kitchen while Wu and [M/n] melted into the shadows of the living room to wait. It did not take long.

The door was violently flung open by Cole, all four running inside in distress.

"Lloyd! [M/n]!" Kai shouted, spotting the shattered glass and scattered cash along the floor.

"Lloyd is not here. And neither is [M/n]," Zane realized.

"Oh, we shouldn't have left them," Kai said, tugging at his hair.

"We shouldn't have taken those jobs in the first place. What were we thinking? How could we have left them alone? [M/n] was just as much a target as Lloyd," Cole pointed out.

"You are right," Wu agreed, stepping out into the light. "This will be a lesson for you all to remember."

[M/n] followed, barely a step behind as Nya and Lloyd came out of the kitchen. The ninja were visibly relieved by the sight of them, unharmed and alive. Lloyd happily tucked himself back into [M/n]'s side.

"Lloyd! [M/n]!" Everyone cried in relief.

"You're okay!"

"[M/n] was home. I was always going to be okay," Lloyd stated confidently, embarressing [M/n] a little.

"If I hadn't been, he could've been injured or kidnapped."

"Seriously, we're gone two weeks and you guys fall apart," Nya said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I guess we don't need all this fancy crap. Just each other," Kai stated. "Lesson learned."

"You want us to help you clean up?" Wu asked in amusem*nt.

"Well, we are a team."

"Nya, I think its time for another roadtrip."

"Hold on, I got a better idea," Cole said. He directed everyone around the apartment, packing up their things while Nya handled the changing of apartments with Patty Keys.

Carrying everything downstairs and across the sidewalk to the apartment block where Cole gave Nya and Wu the same spiel Patty had given them. "It's not much, but this one-bedroom, one-half-bath is a cozy dream. Who needs extras when everything is in arm's reach?"

Everything was piled outside the door before they got the key, so now they were working on getting all of their belongings into the apartment.

Lloyd came in with a chair at one point, large enough that he couldn't see past it very well, and ran into Jay who dropped a box onto Kai's foot, "Hey!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Ha, feels like home to me. Hey, at least we get to stay in Ninjago City for a little while," Jay chirped, grinning as Kai glared at him.

"And now without the distractions, we can put all of our energy into training Lloyd," Zane agreed.

[M/n] grabbed the other side of the box Lloyd was carrying, startling him. He calmed once he realized it was just [M/n] and they carried the box of pots and pans over to the small kitchenette.

"I know the Serpentine Generals got away, but you never told us: whatever happened to Skales?" Kai asked, sitting down on the bunkbed he'd claimed.

[M/n] grinned, sharp and threatening.

"Oh, he found a home, too. But it’s not quite as roomy as here," Wu stated, making the four laugh.

They split the bunks as they had on the Bounty with Nya taking the bed beneath [M/n] and Lloyd, who were sharing. Wu set up a simple futon on the ground, settling in to meditate as everyone went to bed, exhausted after the day they'd had.

Lloyd passed out pretty quick, while [M/n] slowly dozed off until he was forced awake as something happened.

Wu straightened, eyes flashing gold, "I fear something has been released."

[M/n] settled back down wearily, curling around Lloyd defensively, tucking the boy more securely against his front.

Chapter 15: S2 E2: Pirates vs. Ninja

Chapter Text

The ship rocked from side to side as the waves came and went beneath her. The ropes swayed in the wind, bringing attention to the masts where a silver fox sat, tail . . . no, tails swaying behind it as it watched the deck. After a moment it leaned forward hopping down to the deck, landing just as a cloud of orange smoke appeared with a 'poof'.

A being swept forth with a wordless cry, a sound lost in the wind, as it brandished two cutlasses towards the fox. In response the fox flared its tails, form rippling and shifting into something only vaguly fox-like.

Standing on hind legs, hunched forward, it snarled, short muzzle opening to reveal sharp canines. Atop its head, just beside its long ears, were antlers branching upwards adding to its already creepy look. Four tails flicked behind it, silver fur flashing in the sunlight.

Howling in fury, the creature dove at the four armed being and the two engaged in a short, ferocious battle with the fox-like creature tearing through skin and ripping chunks from the being. In turn, it earned slices upon its skin and face but it never stopped, taking every hit and returning it.

[M/n] woke suddenly but he did not move, muscles seemingly locked in place as he struggled to comprehend what he had just seen. It wasn't a memory, just a strange dream but . . .

The rest of the morning continued as normal, with Kai beginning his own regime with Lloyd. He had chosen to focus on Lloyd's punches, showing him a different stance that would allow him to hit quicker and stronger. As a kickboxer, Kai naturally had a quicker punch than most of them and it packed plenty of force behind it.

"Good, keep it up," Kai praised, taking every one of Lloyd's punchs on the makeshift boxing pads he'd created out of oven mitts.

"Ha! Fists of fury! Unh! You can't even see 'em move, I'm so fast! Ha!"

"Save the gloating. It can only be used against you by your enemy," Kai lectured. Lloyd paused in his assault to scoff.

"Oh, please. I'm ready to face whatever you throw at me," Lloyd said, trying a high kick against Kai who only swept out his other leg, knocking him over.

"Kai is right. Gloating in battle is a good way to get yourself injured or worse," [M/n] agreed, standing from the chair he was in.

"But they all do it," Lloyd pointed out petulantly.

"They have also been training for over two years at this point and know enough to hold attackers off," [M/n] retorted sharply. Lloyd looked up at him, a little hurt but he seemed to take it in stride when the olders shoulders dropped. "When you can knock any of the ninja on there ass than you can gloat in battle all you want. Until then, don't."

"I see the student has become the teacher. You will learn fast, Lloyd, with lessons from the five ninja," Wu praised, tapping his staff against the floor.

Cole piped up from where he and Jay were playing a game of cards, "Great, now that lesson is over, how about some target practice...on Kai?"

"You'll each get your turn, but first, I don't want you to be late for your next lesson with Nya and [M/n]," Wu stated, gesturing towards [M/n], who had already begun heading towards the door. Lloyd bounded after him, any previous upsets forgotten.

"How come you aren't teaching me Spinjitzu yet?" Lloyd asked as they walked up the stairs.

"Spinjitzu is far harder than you realize, λιακάδα. To use it, you are spinning rapidly so things can be difficult to percieve and if you use it improperly you can be thrown from it. It can also be incredibly tiring. Using it in a fight is even more difficult."

"Oh," Lloyd said, pouting a little.

"All the skills you're learning will make it so you can use Spinjitzu just as easily as we can. We were all taught the same way. Given the building blocks and than putting them all together until we were doing it," [M/n] stated, ruffling Lloyd's hair. Beaming, the boy happily ran ahead of him, excited to learn how to fly.

Nya begun her lesson almost as soon as [M/n] stepped through the doorway, "Now that I've given him his medicine, he should be able to fly properly soon. But it's important to take care of him because one day, he'll be yours."

"Mine? Really?"

"Sure. The elemental Dragons were loyal to the four ninja. But Ultra Dragon, he's meant for the Green Ninja to ride," Nya stated, giving Ara a pat on the nose. "Just like how Ara is for [M/n]."

"Wow! I never knew that!"

"See? Even a samurai like myself can teach you a thing or two," Nya said.

"But, uh, I don't know how to fly," Lloyd admitted shyly.

"It's all in the legs."

"We'll teach you everything you need to know," [M/n] promised.

Nya turned back to Ultra, who stood at his full height, rumbling in pleasure, "He'll be the fastest and strongest Dragon in all of Ninjago."

Ara hissed, afronted and she amended her statement, "Sorry Ara. The strongest only. You're the fastest."

"Looks like he's already feeling better," Lloyd laughed, scratching Flame's head as he nudged the laughing boy.

"Go try to get some air, big boy," Nya called, earning a low roar in response. Pulling away, Ultra jumped off the roof massive wings beating furiously to keep him in the air before he settled.

The rest of the lesson was saddle care, teaching Lloyd to clean it and how to place it on Ara's back. They also made sure to explain that it would be different saddling Ultra who was larger and wider than Ara.

Once the lesson was over, [M/n] took Lloyd down to the sidewalk while Nya went to work on her mech.

"It's time we search Ninjago City for a more suitable place to train Lloyd," Wu stated.

"Oh, but Sensei, Ninjago City is huge. It'll take us all day to find it on foot," Jay complained.

"And without our Golden Weapons, we have no Spinjitzu vehicles. How are we going to get around town?" Zane questioned.

"You'll learn to travel with these." Wu passed them all dull gold coins with a rectangle cut out of the center. Lloyd wrinkled his nose as he examined the coin.

"What are those?" Cole asked.

"They can transport you anywhere you want to go in the city," Wu stated dryly.

"Like a magic portal?" Cole asked eagerly.

"Ooh! Or a Spinjitzu vortex?" Jay added, holding the coin to the light.

Cole observed the coin, only for the smile to fall off his face as he realized what it was, "Hey, wait a minute, these are bus tokens." [M/n] and Wu shared a laugh at their expense.

Their first stop was a dojo called Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo.

The inside of the dojo was plain, but well equipped with tatami mats and weapons lining the walls and a massive bookcase filled with trophies against one wall. Cole's brow furrowed as he looked around, used to the fully stocked dojo's within the Bounty and the Monastery. "This is where Lloyd is going to train?"

"Hehe, it's better than our dumpy apartment," Jay pointed out.

A man strutted in, walking in through a curtain of beads wearing a brown GI with golden embellishments. "Welcome to Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo. I am Grand Sensei Dareth, and I Dareth you to join my dojo. Heeya!" He punched the air in demonstration as they all watched, unimpressed.

Sighing, they shared looks of disappointment.

"Face the wall of karate trophies. If you look closely, my name is on all of them. That is because I am a highly skilled karate machine," Dareth said. Kai sighed, speaking up before the man could continue on his rant.

"Look, Dareth, we're wondering if we could share your dojo. You see, we've been put in charge of training this little guy to become the greatest ninja in all of Ninjago," Kai stated, dropping a hand onto Lloyd's shoulder.

"Not possible, for I am the greatest in the land. How many trophies do you have?" Dareth asked, gesturing to his wall of trophies.

"Look, pal, we're the guys that just saved the city from that giant snake," Jay snapped, crossing his arms.

"Ha! Am I looking at Lord Garmadon? Because unless I'm stupid, and I'm not, Lord Garmadon destroyed the Devourer."

"Hehe. That's been a huge misunderstanding. Actually, we were the ones who dest—" Jay began, only to be cut off.

"I'll let you train here but only on one condition. You can defeat me. If you succeed, we will share the dojo. Unh! That's right. I, Grand Sensei Dareth, master of all animal fighting styles, challenge one of you to a battle. I know the tiger. Rawrr. The python. Penguin. Awk, awk!" Dareth cried. Each 'animal style' pose was accompanied by the sound, disturbing the ninja. Done listening, Kai used Spinjitzu throwing the man on his ass. "How did you—"

"You might know animals, but we know Spinjitzu," Kai answered smugly.

"You can train in my dojo anytime."

Wu eventually joined them after a quick call, supervising Lloyd's training as Jay and Cole taught him a new lesson. "You must be light on your feet."

"When you strike with your fists, concentrate. You may be small, but you're strong," Cole stated, setting up boards for him to break through.

[M/n] felt the swell of power, similar to the Scythe of Quakes own, and steadied himself just as Lloyd struck, causing a miniature earthquake that made everyone else stumble.

"That was the power of the Staff of Quakes. And you did it without the Golden Weapon!" Jay shouted.

"That must be why you have the potential to be the greatest ninja. You can harness all of the Elemental Powers," Zane noted, curiously.

"Really? Cool."

"With this power, you must be careful. You must control it before it controls you," Wu warned.

"Sensei is right. You must practice your control," [M/n] agreed.

"I have to admit, not bad for a kid. But instead of ten boards, how about fifty? Stack 'em, boys," Dareth ordered, making Wu sigh.

"And perhaps if I, Grand Sensei Dareth, can break through them all, you will allow me to join your team and become…" Dareth pulled a homemade mask down his face. "...the Brown Ninja!"

"The Brown Ninja? You gotta be joking!" Jay cackled.

"Sorry, pal. Club's already full," Cole denied, shaking his head.

"Okay, okay. Then maybe this demonstration of my superhuman strength may persuade you. Jeffy, Phil, are we ready?" Dareth asked.

"Yes, Grand Sensei Dareth," They chorused.

[M/n] only let Dareth's knuckles hit the board before he caught him by the wrist, hearing his bones already popping out of place. The man shrieked, surprised by the sudden appearance and in severe pain.

"Oh, " Jay winced. "Nice catch, [M/n]."

A large shadow passing over the dojo had them all gathering at the window in curiosity, only to see the bottom of the Bounty passing over them. "Oh, that's our ship!" Jay shouted.

"But pirates?" Lloyd asked, pointing to the men on the street dressed like said pirates.

"Pirates haven't been around for centuries," Cole said, staring at the men.

"I sense Lord Garmadon is somehow behind this," Zane added.

"How are we gonna follow them?" Lloyd asked, looking up to [M/n], who was frowning at his usage of the word 'we.'

"Perhaps this can be of some use," Kai said, holding up the bus token. They all ran outside to the dented bus, climbing aboard. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but follow that ship!"

Turning Kai found Lloyd looking up at him, and he winced, "Ugh, I don't like the kid coming along. It's too dangerous."

"[M/n]?"

"No. You only know the basics, and we will need our attention on our enemies," [M/n] stated, before kneeling to look him in the eye. "Please Lloyd. I need you away from the battle."

"One of these days you'll be able to join us. Sorry kid," Cole apologized.

They all climbed out the emergency exit window to the roof, to prepare to jump onto the anchor hanging from the ship. Then the bus skidded to a stop, nearly flinging them off.

"Come on, people. We're trying to save the city here!" Jay shouted at the woman just beginning to cross the street.

"It's getting away!" Cole cried as the Bounty pulled further away.

The old woman continued to hobble across the street but halfway across the plastic bag she was carrying broke, fruits spilling onto the pavement. Four groans were heard as [M/n] picked up Dareth's screams from aboard the ship, making him sigh.

"Ugh, damn it, Dareth," Kai grumbled.

"We need to get onboard that ship," Cole said, frowning.

Jay spotted a costume shop off to the side and brought everyone's attention to it. "Ah-ha. There are other ways a ninja can hide in plain sight."

While the four went inside to get dressed, [M/n] made his way up to the Bounty, using stealth to hide. Dareth was bound in rope, and being forced down the plank by the time the ninja climbed up.

"Hahaha! How about we have him walk the plank," Soto called, earning cheers from the gathered pirates.

"You're making a big mistake. Don't make me call upon the Dragon," Dareth threatened, trying to come off as menacing.

"Who here wants to see him go splat?" Soto asked. The pirates whooped in agreement, excited to see it.

"Who here wants to see him live?" Jay asked, blending with the pirates in the back. The pirates cheered automatically, cutting themselves off when they realized what had been said.

"Hehe. The plank's getting shorter, huh?" Soto questioned, ignoring the strange call he'd heard in the back.

Dareth panicked, wiggling in place, and began spewing out information, "We don't need to do this, fellas. I'm a lousy martial artist. What I do, I wouldn't even call it an art. I know I'm a brown belt, but I painted it. And my trophies, they're all fake." Kai and Jay facepalmed in unison, unsurprised by the information but disappointed. Soto snarled, irritated, and shoved him off the plank. "Aah!"

Jay and Kai lurched forward but the crowd of pirates were packed tightly together.

Ultra swooped past the ship, a tiny green figure on his back, catching Dareth with ease. They could faintly hear the man celebrating his survival.

"Ninja go!" The four in disguises changed back into their GI's, pulling out their weapons.

"More pajama men?" Soto asked, pushing his way through the crowd with his cutlass drawn.

"Where? I can't see," No eyed pirate spoke, looking around as if that would help.

Soto gave a battle cry and the battle begun.

[M/n] struck out against the closest pirates who barely even had the time to realize there was a fifth ninja until they were already dead. A small group, including Soto, surrounded him.

Soto frowned, eye intense as it looked him over, "A Fox? Here? What has happened to have a fox so far from its pearl?"

[M/n] scowled, lunging forwards, uncaring of the nonsense the captain was spewing. Soto left, choosing to allow his pirates to contain [M/n], only for the boards to grow slippery with blood.

Lloyd suddenly hopped aboard, hitting both Soto and Zane – who had been fighting against each other – on his landing. Cussing violently in his native tongue, [M/n] abandoned his fight and jumped onto the railing to make his way to the upper deck where Lloyd was.

"Lloyd! You are not supposed to be here!" Kai shouted, making it up first. He picked up Lloyd and deposited him in a barrel, but that did absolutely nothing to slow or stop him. Lloyd knocked himself onto his side and began rolling around and knocking pirates off their feet and smacking into nearby objects since he couldn't see.

Kai shrieked as he was knocked over by the barrel, and tipped over the railing.

"Come here, you blurry little munchkin!" Soto shouted furiously.

[M/n] snarled, dragged into another battle that left blood seeping into the boards.

"Ninja go!" Lloyd cried, breaking through the barrel as he spun and knocked Soto on his ass. "Whoa, Spinjitzu! I just did Spinjitzu for the first time!" Lloyd automatically turned to search for [M/n], eager to tell him of his accomplishment.

Soto used his distraction to hit him, making Lloyd stumble into the lever for the anchor, pulling Kai – who had been clinging to the anchor the entire time – back up.

Glaring angrily at the pirate Lloyd's energy swelled violently. "Lloyd, no!" [M/n] shouted, jumping up the stairs to get to him in time.

"Your powers are too uncontrollable!" Kai cried.

Lloyd lost his hold on the energy and it exploded out of him, slamming into the mast, cracking it. As it fell, [M/n] threw himself over Lloyd, ready to defend him as the mast came down. All six were going to be crushed by the mast, lined up near perfectly as they were.

A sudden powerful gust of wind slammed into the mast, knocking it further back so it wouldn't land on them, rather on the railing, trapping them beneath.

"You lose, Pajama People," Soto sneered, walking closer with his cutlass out. "Now you're walking the plank."

Nya landed on the deck, Samurai Mech easily ripping the mast from its place to free them. All of the ninja were relieved at her appearance.

"Who wins between pirates and ninja? It's Samurai!" Jay cheered, climbing to his feet with the others.

Nya chuckled pridefully as Jay giggled, lovestruck. Together they bound the pirates before climbing down to the police that had gathered to arrest said pirates.

"Good work, ninja," Police Officer said, clapping Kai on the shoulder.

"Don't forget to include this little guy," Kai stated, ruffling Lloyd's already messy hair.

"Uh, that your ship?" Officer asked, gesturing to the Bounty.

"It sure is," Jay answered smugly.

"Sorry, you snooze, you lose," Garmadon shouted, flipping them off. Spinning, they saw him standing at the railing, mega weapon in hand.

"Lord Garmadon!"

"Dad!"

"You're becoming stronger, son, but you'll never be strong enough to defeat me. Give up, before it's too late," Garmadon said, offering his hand. Lloyd did not hesitate, stepping back into [M/n]'s grip. "Have it your way. Another day, ninja. Another day."

Jay sulked as the ship pulled away. "Ah, great. Lord Garmadon is back, and now he's got our ship."

"Well, at least we've got this little guy." Cole dragged Lloyd from [M/n]'s grip and lifted him onto his shoulder.

Dareth snuck up behind [M/n], reaching out to grab him only to be sidestepped and tripped. He faceplanted onto the concrete, making Lloyd snort out loud. "Oh, come on, guys. I Dareth you to forgive me."

Laughing, Jay helped him up so they could head back home to rest after such an exciting day.