Serendipity

by simplygracie

Summary:

"Aren’t you gonna ask me my name?”

I smirk at him, waving off his question. “I already know your name.”

His eyes widen, clearly taken aback. “Really?”

“Yep. You’re Goldilocks, right?”

---

When invited to a mysterious tournament, two strangers must work together for a greater good.

Chapter 1: Here We Go Again

—
Lloyd
—

1 year, 3 months, 1 week and 5 days. That’s how long it’s been since Zane… well. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. That’s how long it’s been since Zane sacrificed himself to save Ninjago from the Overlord.

But, I mean, who’s counting?

I shove my hands in the pockets of my hoodie as I walk down the streets of Ninjago City. The sun is beginning to set in the distance, and a cold gust of wind ruffles my hair. I sigh, wondering if the others will meet me at Chen’s Noodle House. I feel like I didn’t do all that great of a job at convincing them that the team should get back together, so my hopes are slim.

I kick a stray pebble on the sidewalk, hoping to release some of my pent-up frustration. It clatters against a nearby trash can, the sound echoing against the empty streets. But… that’s not the only sound I hear.

My ears prick up as I hear a voice calling out from an alleyway, maybe a block down the street. From what I can tell, it sounds like… someone calling for help! My brows furrow as I instantly begin to sprint down the street towards the source of the sound.

As I approach, I see an hooded figure in a dark gray jacket dart into the alleyway. Adrenaline begins to flow through me as I near the alleyway, bracing myself for whatever I may face inside.

I turn the corner, evaluating the situation. An older woman is standing near the mouth of the alleyway, clutching her purse and looking around with wide eyes. Meanwhile, the figure in the gray jacket is positioned in a fighting stance, facing away from me. There’s two other men in black ski masks facing gray jacket, their faces curled up into sneers.

Before I can ask what’s happening, gray jacket lunges for the two men. They duck down and thrust their elbow into the closer one’s stomach, then sweep around and kick the second one off of their feet. My eyes widen as I glance at the older woman.

“What’s going on here?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

She looks up at me and shakes her head. “Those two men in the masks were trying to take my purse! But then that other guy showed up…”

I nod as she points at gray jacket, taking a step further into the alleyway. “Go. Get somewhere safe.”

The older lady doesn’t hesitate, scurrying out of the alleyway, and I return my attention to the ongoing fight. gray jacket seems to be handling themself pretty well, although the masked assailants are both back on their feet.

One of the masked men curses, lunging a fist at gray jacket. They easily dodge, and throw their hands out towards the two attackers.

That’s when the weirdest thing happens.

A gust of wind blows through the alleyway, sending the two attackers flying backwards into the wall. They crash into it, hard, and pass out on the ground. I curse, my eyes widening as I look at gray jacket. They’re still standing, glancing down at the men on the ground as they let their hands fall to their sides.

My heart pounds in my chest, unsure of what action I should take next. Should I bring them to the police? Should I thank them for helping that lady? Should I ask them how the hell they knocked out those two guys with some sort of wind power?

I nervously take a step closer, reaching a hand out towards them. “Hey, I-”

“Shit!” The hooded figure jumps at my voice, quickly glancing at me before darting away from me. I catch a glimpse of pink hair tucked into their hood as they run away. I begin to chase after them, but end up staring in awe as they jump inhumanly high onto the top of the buildings nearby. I stagger back slightly, a gust of wind pushing me back as they jump.

There’s nothing I can do but watch as they run, disappearing into the night of Ninjago City.

—

I dart up as I see a familiar head of spiky brown hair enter Chen’s Noodle House. I thrust my arm up into the air, waving to get his attention. “Kai! Back here!”

I grin as Kai approaches our table, glancing at the others. Kai raises a brow in disbelief as he slides into the booth beside Cole. “Jay? Cole?”

Cole laughs, glancing at Kai before returning his attention to the conveyor belt of food. “You too?”

Jay frowns, jabbing a thumb out in my direction. “That runt tricked us all.”

I roll my eyes, swatting Kai’s hand away as he reaches for a plate of sushi sliding across the conveyor belt. “We talk first, then eat.”

Cole grunts, glancing at me before turning to glare at Kai, folding his arms across his chest. “Trust me, do you know what kind of restraint I’ve had to have staring at all of this noodle goodness? You’re late!”

Kai slumps against the back of the booth, frowning at me. “Make it quick.”

I sigh, shaking my head. “Look, I know without Zane things have been different but… we have to move on.” A pang of guilt stabs at me, and I swallow my nerves, forcing myself to continue. “The reason I brought you all here is because...”

Memories of the encounter I had in the alleyway earlier flash through my mind. Of the mysterious gray jacket person that somehow used the wind to defend themself. I hesitate, looking at Cole, Kai, and Jay respectively. “Maybe we should add someone new to our team.”

Kai shoots up in his seat, glaring daggers at me. “A new ninja?”

“Are you crazy?!” Jay yells, throwing his hands up.

“C’mon, Zane’s irreplaceable!” Cole agrees, turning his attention away from the food.

I frown, turning my gaze towards the ground. “I cared for him too, but now it’s time to care about this team.”

“Maybe without Zane, there is no team.” Kai mutters, crossing his hands across his chest.

We sit in silence for a few moments after that. I run through ideas in my mind, trying to come up with anything that could somehow bring us all back together. But nothing comes.

The doors to Chen’s Noodle House swing open, and three muscled men covered in purple and black tattoos step in, catching our attention.

Jay peers around the booth to get a better look at them, brows furrowed with concern. His voice drops to a whisper as he speaks. “Oh. Don’t look now, but we’ve got trouble.”

I look up over the booth, narrowing my eyes as they shove a customer aside to approach the man at the register. Shakily, the worker opens the register, and the three men begin grabbing cash out of the machine. After they take all the cash from the machine, they lift the worker and throw him onto the conveyor belt, letting food slide all over his face.

Cole glances over his shoulder, picking up his unused chopsticks. “All right. Now they’re our problem.”

We all slide out of the booth and approach the muscled men. Cole takes the lead, crossing his arms as he looks down on them. “Excuse me, it’s not polite to touch someone else’s food!”

Kai can’t help but grin, leaning against a nearby counter stacked with plates. “I’d listen to him if I were you. He’s no fun to be around when he’s hangry.”

The tattooed man closes turns, swinging his arm out to punch Cole. Unfortunately for him, Cole catches his fist in his chopsticks and grins as the man pulls back. He tries to swing and kick at Cole again, but is easily stopped by Cole.

Meanwhile, Kai jumps up onto a table near the sushi conveyor belt, kicking off some food towards the men as it speeds up. “All right, I admit it. We make a good team.”

Cole laughs in agreement as he picks up a piece of sushi out of the air with his chopsticks, putting it into his mouth as he avoids the attackers. He grins, glancing up at Kai, who is still kicking food all over the place. “Yeah! Everything’s better on a full stomach.”

The attacker fighting Cole grabs a full plate of food and smashes it, causing Cole to shove him onto the conveyor belt in anger. “I was gonna eat that, asshole!”

Kai runs across the conveyor belt, kicking one of the attackers. It causes all of the tattooed men to fall like dominoes on the belt, seemingly exhausted from the fight. I grin at my friends as Kai does a flip and returns to where we’re standing.

“How can you walk away from this?” I gesture to the men on the conveyor belt. But as I turn to look at them, they leap off the conveyor belt and dart out the back door. One of them pauses before going through, meeting my gaze and raising his eyebrows mockingly.

“Let’s get them, guys!” Cole exclaims as we all rush towards the back door in pursuit of them. We all run out into the back, the cool night air greeting us. But to our surprise there’s no one there.

“Shit! Where did they go?!” Kai yells, looking frantically around the alleyway. His eyes widen as he spots a small table near the wall, slowly walking towards it. We follow in pursuit, wary of what might happen next.

Upon closer inspection, the table has two long, lit candles placed on either side, and four fortune cookies on a plate in the middle. There’s incense burning near the edge of the table, and a paper tacked to the wall with a knife.

“What’s this?” I ask as we approach the table, looking at the face painted on the paper tacked to the wall. My heart nearly stops as I recognize it.

“It’s Zane,” Kai breathes in disbelief.

“What does it say?” Cole asks, glancing back at me. I push past them, grabbing the paper off the wall to read it better.

I scan over the paper, feeling my heart pound in my chest. “It says… he’s alive!”

The others gasp in surprise, sharing excited glances with each other. For the first time in a long time, I feel a flicker of hope inside of me. After a moment, Kai shakes his head.

“I don’t think those thugs were delivering a message to the noodle house… I think they were delivering a message to us!”

We stand in silence for a few seconds, before Jay throws his hands up. “Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean, it says ‘he’s alive?’”

I frown at him, looking up from the paper in my hands. “Hey, I’m just telling you what it says.”

“Why would those thugs lead us here?” Kai asks, glancing over his shoulder to the back door of the noodle house.

Cole sighs, shaking his head. “You know, this has to be some cruel joke. And I’m not laughing!”

I turn my attention to the fortune cookies on the table, gesturing towards them. “I think this was meant for us, too.”

“Fortune cookies? Very peculiar.” Jay reaches for the plate, gingerly taking one and inspecting it closer.

“Should we?” I glance at Kai and then to Cole. My eyes widen as Cole puts the entire fortune cookie inside of his mouth, chewing and then swallowing it. Jay’s mouth falls open as Kai snickers.

“Uh, you do realize there’s a fortune inside, right, dumbass?” Kai pulls apart his fortune cookie, revealing the small slip of paper inside.

“Oh, so that’s why they’re called that!” Cole grins. I roll my eyes as I read the message on the piece of paper once inside the cookie aloud.

“Master Chen has personally invited you to participate in his Tournament of Elements…” I pause as I think on that. Tournament of Elements? Are there… more Elemental powers out there? I think about the hooded figure I saw in the alleyway and the wind that was summoned out of nowhere. It can’t have been a coincidence.

“Wait a minute. Are you saying that Mr. Chen, the same guy filling my belly with delicious goodness, is actually Master Chen?!” Cole exclaims, putting his hands on his hips as he peers down at my fortune cookie.

“Secrecy is of the utmost importance. Tell no one, or suffer the consequences.” Kai continues reading the message, followed by Jay.

“If you ever want to see your friend again, meet on the pier at midnight and leave your weapons behind.”

We stand in silence for a moment after that, until the fortune in Jay’s hand turns into dust with a pop. Kai’s follows, then mine. We all turn to look at Cole. He yelps as we hear the same pop coming from inside his stomach, and he burps up some dust. He smiles sheepishly. “Well, at least I know I was invited.”

We all laugh, but my mind is elsewhere. There’s just so much about this that doesn’t make sense. How could Zane be alive? There’s no chance he could have survived his face-off against the Overlord… right? “You don’t think…”

Kai sighs, looking over the group. “It could be a trap. A lie to lure us in.”

Jay pipes up, a hint of urgency and desperation in his voice as he speaks. “Yeah, but what if it’s not? What if Zane’s alive? ”

I look over the paper again, staring at the painting of Zane. “The Tournament of Elements. I’m starting to think this Master Chen makes more than noodles.”

“You can forget about bringing in a new ninja, Lloyd.” Kai turns, heading back towards the back door of the noodle house. “Let’s go see about an old one.”

—

I almost stowed away a sword or two in my bag before I remembered the ominous warning about leaving out weapons behind. I sigh, beginning to zip up my bag as I hear a knock at my bedroom door. I look up, seeing my father peek inside.

“I was just on my way to help Nya and Wu restore the Bounty. Would you like to join? I guess you could say it’s all hands on deck.” He laughs at his own joke.

I smile at him, desperately racking my brain for some sort of excuse. I feel guilty for not telling him where I’m going, but I don’t want to find out what the consequences of others knowing might be. “Uh, sorry, the guys and I are going fishing. Team building exercise.”

Garmadon smiles at that, humming in response. “Good to hear the team is back together.” He begins to leave before I walk forward, wondering if there’s anything he may know about our Elemental powers.

“Dad-? Our Elemental power… are there others out there with powers like us…?” I ask, tilting my head in curiosity.

Garmadon’s eyes narrow as he turns back, resting a hand on the doorway of my room. “Why would you ask?”

I quickly turn away from him, waving him off. “No reason. It was just on my mind.” I grab my bag and dart out the door, worried he might think something is wrong if I linger any longer. “See ya. Early bird catches the worm!”

—

It’s already nearing midnight by the time I reach the city pier. There’s many people standing on the dock, talking quietly amongst themselves. I spot Kai, Jay, and Cole in the crowd and walk over to stand by them.

“The Tournament of Elements.” Kai says, turning to look over the other people standing on the dock. “Do you think all of them have powers like us…?”

I glance over my shoulder to ensure no one’s listening in on our conversation. “When I asked my dad about it, he got really suspicious. Like there’s something he’s keeping from me.”

Cole takes a step forward, his eyes narrowed. “The fortune cookies said ‘tell no one’ or else there’d be consequences.”

I roll my eyes, crossing my arms across my chest. “I didn’t tell him anything. We’re fine.” I turn my attention back to the people standing on the dock. I don’t seem to recognize anybody here. That is, until I see a figure wearing a gray hoodie.

My eyes widen, and I’m about to say something to Kai when I hear the horn of a boat approaching. A fairly large boat pulls forward and settles next to the pier, with two men on the boat throwing down a board in order for people to step across.

A man with a slicked back black ponytail dressed in all red walks across the board onto the pier, looking us all over. My eyes narrow as we begin to walk towards the boat.

“We don’t know yet if this is a trap. Wherever they take us, we have to stick together.” I remind them. I place a hand on Kai’s shoulder as he stares at somebody dressed in all orange as they step onto the boat. “We can’t let anything distract us. You hear me, Kai?”

“Huh? What- uh- yeah. Whatever you said.” Kai nods, his gaze not leaving the person dressed in orange.

The person that came off the boat grins at us as we finally step forward to board, his mustache curling up with his smile. “Master Chen will be charmed to see that you’ve accepted his offer. A Master of Spinjitzu shall fare favorably in his tournament.”

Jay glares at him, waving him off. “Hey. We’re not here to fight. We’re here to save a friend.”

The man in red hums in response, tilting his head as he looks us all over. “Don’t be so petty, Master Jay. Everyone here has something to fight for.” He pulls a pair of nunchucks out of Jay’s bag, and Jay smiles sheepishly.

“Chopsticks. I’m a big eater.” Jay laughs nervously as the man in red tosses the nunchucks off the pier and into the sea. With that, Jay walks onto the boat, followed by Cole and Kai. I’m about to step onto the boat when I hear a familiar voice behind me.

“Lloyd! If you get on that boat, you may never return.” I turn, surprised to see my father walking across the pier towards us.

“What are you doing here, Dad?” I ask, my eyes wide.

Garmadon ignores my question, continuing towards us. “Master Chen is a dangerous man who should never be trusted. Whatever he promised you, do not believe him.”

“Lord Garmadon. It’s been a while.” The man in red says, crossing the board to re-enter the ship. “It’s Sensei now, correct? I can’t remember.”

“Clouse.” Garmadon mutters back, glaring up at him. “I see Master Chen still has you running his errands.”

I shake my head, turning back to face my father. “I have to go, Dad. This is about Zane. It’s about family. If we’re ever gonna be whole again, I have to get on that ship.”

The man in red, Clouse, turns back to face us once he’s on the ship. “Last call. Are you in… or out?”

I cross the board, entering the ship. I hear my father sigh behind me. “I can’t stop you, son. But I can join you.”

Clouse interrupts, holding a hand out as two tattooed men begin to pull the board back into the ship. “Sorry. No more room on the ship.”

“No room?” Garmadon asks, jumping forward and bouncing off the board, flipping and kicking one of the tattooed men into the water. He lands effortlessly on the boat, and Clouse glances over his shoulder at him.

“I stand corrected. There’s room now.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to compete.” Garmadon clarifies, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Only to look out for my interests.” I grin at him as Clouse yells for the boat to start, and we set on our way.

Garmadon, Jay, Kai, Cole and I all walk through the boat together, looking in awe at what we see. There’s a bearded man with huge metal fists punching an oil can up into the air. There’s someone else meditating as smoke comes off of them. Somebody makes long vines grow out of a wooden staff, and there’s even someone who’s translucent!

I look up at my father as I see the man in red walk by. “You know him. You said his name’s Clouse.”

“Don’t be fooled by his attire. He is a Master of Dark Arts and Master Chen’s number two,” Garmadon responds, his eyes narrowing as Clouse passes.

Cole laughs, putting a hand on his hip. “Huh. I thought Master Chen’s number two was an eggroll and fried rice.”

I roll my eyes as Kai turns to Garmadon. “Why haven’t you or Wu ever told us there are others with powers like us?”

Garmadon sighs, shaking his head. “Because there are some things we don’t want you to know. You were led to believe you were special. Yet you never questioned where your powers came from.”

Jay frowns, narrowing his eyes at my father. “Uh, are you implying that I’m not special?”

“Everyone on this ship is a descendant of an original Elemental Master.” Garmadon continues.

“Elemental Master? Who were they?” I ask, surprised that there’s so much about our powers that we still don’t know about.

“They were the First Spinjitzu Master’s guardians. Each endowed with an Elemental power that has been passed down through generations.”

“If that’s true, then so’s Nya. But she can’t do what I can.” Kai points out, tilting his head.

Garmadon turns back to Kai with a smirk. “Can’t she? Power lies in all of you. It only needs to be awoken. The fighters here serve no master and have managed to unlock their own true potential.”

My father points at several people on the ship, explaining who they are and what Elemental power they have. My thoughts drift off, thinking about the person in the gray hoodie I saw on the dock. I remember sudden bursts of wind appearing when I saw them in the alleyway. They must be an Elemental Master… but of what? Air, maybe? Wind?

As if on cue, gray hoodie rounds the corner, looking around the boat to take in their surroundings. I pause, turning to Cole to whisper in his ear. “I’ll be right back.”

He opens his mouth to respond, but I’m already walking away. I realize as I approach the person in the gray hoodie that I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to say to them. They have their hood up over their head again, and I remember noticing that they had pink hair when I got a glimpse of them back in the alleyway. If I can see what color their hair is, I can determine if it is the same person from the day before.

I clear my throat, causing them to look up at me with wide eyes. I pause as I take in their features. A round face, with rosy pink cheeks littered with freckles. Their brown eyes narrow, arching a brow as I stare at them. My gaze drops to her lips as she frowns, and I feel my face heat up ever so slightly.

Shit! Don’t get distracted, Lloyd. You’re better than this.

I silently curse myself as I force my eyes back up to meet hers. I remind myself of why I’m really here; for Zane. I can’t let myself get distracted by this random girl, no matter how pretty she may be.

“What color is your hair?” I blurt out, instantly wishing I had said something different.

She pauses as she looks up at me. “Excuse me?”

I clear my throat, speaking with more confidence this time. “I was just asking what color your hair is.”

She hesitates again, looking me up and down. “Why?”

I open my mouth to respond, then shut it again as I realize there’s no normal way to explain that I saw her use powers to beat up some muggers yesterday. “Uh, just curious. That’s all.”

She raises a brow, clearly not buying that there’s no ulterior motive here. I smile sheepishly, and we stand there in an awkward silence for a few moments. Just when I think she won’t tell me, she pulls back her hood, revealing light brown hair with bright pink highlights near the ends. My eyes widen as I realize that I was right- this is the person from the alleyway yesterday.

She glares up at me, folding her arms across her chest. “Happy now, Goldilocks?”

I sputter at the nickname, feeling my cheeks turn pink as I glare down at her in return. “Don’t call me that.”

She rolls her eyes, turning and walking away from me. “Piss off, then.”

I almost follow after her before stopping myself and returning to my father and the others. Why would I follow this random girl? I don’t even know her. Although… Now I have some idea of what her powers might be.

My eyes widen as I see Kai’s fists ablaze, throwing punches at the man with the metal fists from before. I turn to my father, a hint of concern in my voice. “What did I miss?”

Before he has a chance to answer, Clouse’s voice booms through the ship. “Enough!” The metal fist man backs away from Kai, and the person dressed in orange from earlier helps Kai to his feet. They say something to him before darting off, leaving a goofy smile on Kai’s face.

“We’re here. Welcome to Chen’s Island.” Clouse announces. We all head to the side of the boat, looking off to see the island in the distance. We stare at it before Jay turns to me, nudging me in the side.

“Who was that you were talking to, Lloyd? Did you know her?”

Cole nods in agreement. “She seemed pretty… What's the word… smitten? Yeah. Smitten with you.”

I roll my eyes in response, cheeks flushing as I remember the girl from earlier. “I think pissed would be more accurate. And no, I don’t know her.”

My father sighs as he looks out at the island, an expression on his face that I can’t quite put my finger on. Regret? Sorrow? “I swore to never return.”

“They say you should never swear. It’s a sign of weak verbal skills.” Jay responds. Kai mutters something under his breath that sounds very similar to a “fuck you.”

I ignore Jay, taking a step closer to the edge of the boat as we speedily approach the island. “If Zane’s on that island, we’ll find him. We have to.”

Chapter 2: The Fall

Summary:

"Would you believe me if I said I was worried about you?"

"Not a chance."

Notes:

(Enter Gracie.)

—
Gracie
—

Holy shit. This is the nicest carpet I’ve ever felt in my life.

I know I should probably be taking this more seriously. Placed onto a foreign island with people that have Elemental powers just like I do. Being told we’re going to fight each other in this tournament. Probably should be worried for my well being. But as we all gather around in the throne room, seated cross-legged on the carpet in a big circle, I can’t help but admire the soft padding beneath me.

I look around the room, surveying the others that have been put onto this island with me. I pause as I look at the blonde boy from earlier. The one that just waltzed up and asked me what color my hair was for seemingly no reason.

The blonde boy and a man that looks to be his father are talking quietly, eyes darting around the room warily. My stomach does an uneasy churn as his green eyes suddenly meet mine. I hold his gaze for a moment, narrowing my eyes. Who the hell does he think he is?

Without warning, a gong crashes, the sound echoing through the room. I break the boy’s stare as a pre-recorded song begins to play, and Clouse clears his throat.

“All rise for Master Chen!” He commands, lifting an arm up to the sky. I scramble to my feet, eyes widening as I see a throne descend down from the ceiling.

Seated on the throne is a plump man, wearing a robe made of red and purple fabric, adorned with gold jewelry. He’s wearing a headpiece that almost looks like the skull of a snake, with a rubber purple snake coiled around his shoulders. He grins as he looks over all of us, his goatee curling up as he does so. My heart sinks as I realize that this must be Master Chen.

“Welcome to the Tournament of Elements!” He holds up his hands, looking down on all of us from where he sits. “Now everyone can all die.”

I jump as I hear the doors we came in through slam shut. Several gasps echo around the room as we glance back at the door and at each other. A wave of uneasiness washes across the room.

“Awesome. We’re royally fucked.” My sibling, Nico, sighs from where they’re standing next to me. Well, my half-sibling. We share the same mom, but different dads. Our mom must have had a knack for scouting out Elemental Masters, because our dads were both Masters of different Elements.

Master Chen clears his throat. “Direct your attention to me.” He giggles, jumping to his feet as we all nervously return to our seats on the floor. “Never before have so many Elemental Fighters been under one roof. I see Master of Fire, Earth, Shadow…”

Nico grins as Master Chen points to them, lifting their chin up ever so slightly.

“Even a prophesied Green Savior.” Chen points to the blonde boy from before, and I can’t help but snicker under my breath. He can’t possibly be serious. Right?

“And a former pupil has returned.” Master Chen continues, looking at the blonde boy’s father. Chen turns back, gesturing towards the large gold gong that was rung just a few minutes ago. There’s a pattern of a snake swirling across its diameter, engraved into the gong. “This symbol before you is for the Anacondrai, fiercest Serpentine warrior to ever roam this land. Its creed: ‘Only one can remain.’”

The gong crashes again as he looks over at all of us. Nico and I share an uneasy glance. Well, that’s exactly what you want to hear when you’re stuck on an unknown island with over a dozen powerful strangers.

The gong slides open, revealing what looks to be a fighting bracket behind it. I squint my eyes to inspect it further. It looks like I’m placed against the Master of Lightning first, while Nico is put against the Master of Earth.

I glance around the room to spot the Master of Lightning and the Master of Earth sitting in the same group as the blonde boy and his father are in. I roll my eyes. Just my luck, huh?

Master Chen points to Clouse, who holds up an intricate, semi-transparent green blade in his hand, turning to make sure everyone in the room sees it. “Behold, a Jade Blade. Here, it represents life. Obtain it, move on. Allow your opponent to take it… Loser! The rules are simple. Every match will be different. No two fights will be the same. Your powers will keep you in the tournament. Use it or lose it!”

Karlof, the man with the big metal fists, grunts, looking up at Master Chen. “What does Karlof win?”

Chen grins, looking down at Karlof before speaking. “Win and stay on the island. Win it all, and you’ll receive fortunes beyond your wildest dreams, and… lifetime supply of Master Chen noodles!” He steps back, walking around the room. “But no one is here because of the noodles… You want the glory of being the greatest fighter in all of Ninjago!”

That summons a round of applause and cheers from everyone seated on the floor, excluding me and everyone in the blonde boy’s group. I glance at Nico, knowing fully well that the only reason we agreed to come was to hopefully win enough prize money to meet ends. Living in Ninjago City wasn’t easy. But I can see Nico’s eyes sparkle at the prospect of being the greatest in all of Ninjago.

Master Chen’s former pupil lifts a hand in the air, raising a brow. “And what happens if they lose?”

Chen laughs in response, rolling his eyes. “ Lose? Who here likes to lose?” A chorus of laughs sounds throughout the room as Chen turns away, walking back to his throne.

“Now, please. Enjoy my island! It’s a super fun happy place! Fun time on me!”

Clouse speaks up, staring down on all of us from where he stands near the door we came in through. “You’ll now each be shown to your rooms.”

He claps, and a line of Kabuki women all dressed in kimonos and white face paint enter. Each stands in front of an Elemental Master, and I blush as the one standing in front of me grabs my hand.

“This is weird,” I mutter to Nico as the Kabuki lead all of us out of the throne room and up the staircase. Nico nods in agreement as we climb up the stairs, eventually reaching the third floor.

Nico sighs in relief as we’re led to rooms right next to each other. “Thank the First Spinjitzu Master. I think I might’ve actually killed someone if we weren’t next to each other.”

I roll my eyes. “Don’t be dramatic.”

“What do you mean?”

The Kabuki woman opens the doors in front of me, and my eyes widen as I step inside. I mutter a thanks as I look around my room. There’s a plush bed pushed to one wall, with a couch and table on the wall opposite the entrance. A suite bathroom is across from the bed, with a bookshelf near the door. The bedroom is light academia themed, with everything colored in shades of cream or soft pastels.

I grin, slipping off my backpack and throwing it onto the bed. My gray jacket follows suit, leaving me in my white tank top, dark jeans, and red sneakers.

“This is awesome,” I mutter to myself, tracing the spines of the books on the shelf. There’s all kinds of different books- fantasy, romance, thriller, sci-fi- you name it, it’s there. On the table is a sketchbook with colored pencils and markers sitting next to it. A record player sits on a bedside table, with a shelf full of vinyls underneath. I’m half hoping the tournament won’t ever begin just so I can stay camped up in my room until the end of time itself.

I slide open the door across from the entrance, which leads to a balcony overlooking the jungle outside of Chen’s palace grounds. I smile as I rest my arms on the balcony, my eyes falling shut as the island breeze ruffles my hair. A few minutes must have passed like that before I lean back, smiling to myself as I take in the view. Damn, this place makes my apartment in Ninjago City look like a dumpster fire.

Somebody clears their throat, and I jump in surprise. After whipping my head towards the sound, I see the blonde boy from before standing on the balcony next to mine. I take a moment to steady my breathing, then glare over at him. “Do you mind?”

He grins in response, his green eyes crinkling at the edges. “Not at all.”

“How long have you been standing there?”

“Doesn’t matter. Hey, I never caught your name.”

I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. “That’s because the first thing you asked when you met me was ‘what color is your hair?’ Dumbass.”

He frowns, slightly leaning over his balcony towards me. “Well, what is your name?”

I pause, raising a brow at him. I wonder if giving him my name will end up providing consequences that I might regret. But I then realize that he’ll learn it eventually, regardless of if I tell him or not. “Gracie.”

He nods, a small smile tugging at his lips as he repeats my name. We stare at each other in silence for a few moments before he speaks again.

“Aren’t you gonna ask me my name?”

I smirk at him, waving off his question. “I already know your name.”

His eyes widen, clearly taken aback. “Really?”

“Yep. You’re Goldilocks, right?”

His smile instantly drops, his expression shifting to glare at me. “That’s not my name.”

“Are you sure?” I grin, feeling a flutter of excitement in my chest from annoying him.

“Yes, I’m sure!” He yells, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “My name is Lloyd, thanks for asking.”

I turn back to the balcony door, sliding it open. “You’re welcome. See ya, Goldilocks.”

Lloyd begins to yell at me, but his sounds quickly become muffled as I step inside and slide the door shut behind me. His yelling ceases for a moment before I hear him curse loudly, his door slamming shut as he stomps back into his room.

I roll my eyes as I flop onto my bed, relishing the feeling of the soft fabric beneath me. The carpet from the throne room had absolutely nothing on these bedsheets. I begin to think I might actually be in heaven when Master Chen’s voice crackles on the intercom system.

“Fellow fighters! Hidden around my island are enough Jade Blades for every participant except for one. The one who returns to the Palace Arena empty-handed loses. The tournament begins… now! May the best fighter win.”

I spring to my feet as he yells in excitement, his voice echoing throughout the building. I slide open the door to my room, darting out into the hallway. There’s already several people running past, eager to try to grab a Jade Blade tucked away inside a piece of furniture.

I scan the hallways, trying to see if there’s any Jade Blades hidden out of sight. I catch a glimmer of light on a horizontal support beam near the ceiling, and quickly glance around to see if anyone’s spotted it yet. Luckily, everyone seems too distracted on trying to shove past each other to even notice.

Without wasting another second, I use my powers to give myself a small boat as I jump up to the ceiling beams. I grab hold of it and swing myself over, grabbing the Jade Blade in my hands. My eyes narrow as I look down, watching as the Masters of Speed, Smoke, and Sound fight with Nico over the Jade Blade.

Lloyd exits his room, immediately looking up and catching my gaze. His expression turns sour as he sees the Jade Blade in my hand. “I have a feeling we’re not gonna get along.”

I show him my middle finger before jumping off the support beams towards the ground. “I have a feeling you’re right, Goldie.” I roll as I hit the ground, not bothering to look back as I sprint towards the Palace Arena.

—

“Two Jade Blades remaining,” Clouse announces. Just then, the doors open, and the Master of Earth, Cole, comes running in, holding one of the blades in his hand. He tosses it towards Clouse, who easily catches it and sets it alongside the others.

I scan the room, noting the familiar faces that have made it back already. Nico is standing beside me, hands on their hips with a triumphant smirk. Lloyd and the Master of Lightning- Jay- have also returned. But there’s no sign of the last person in their group, the Master of Fire.

“What’s your deal with the green one?” Nico leans toward me, whispering in my ear.

I tilt my head in confusion, turning to them. “What do you mean?”

Nico rolls their eyes. “The Green Ninja. You’ve been glaring daggers at him ever since he walked in. What’d he do?”

I pause, not even realizing that I had been staring at Lloyd before responding to my sibling. “I think that he annoys the shit out of me,”

They chuckle at that, but don’t have time to say anything as a pair of footsteps sound through the room. Everyone turns to look at the entrance, where Karlof walks in, laughing as he holds up the Jade Blade.

“Karlof wins!” He grins, a few cheers sounding from the others. But before he can step any further, the Master of Fire pops up behind him and quickly unscrews a bolt in his metal fist.

“Looks like you got a screw loose,” Kai notes, grabbing the Jade Blade and using his fire powers to launch himself across the room to where Master Chen and Clouse are standing. Karlof growls as Kai places the blade amongst the others, and a round of cheers and applause comes from the audience, especially the ninja.

We all turn back to face Karlof as Master Chen speaks. “We have a loser!”

“That’s not fair. He cheated!” Karlof points out, throwing a fist in Kai’s direction.

“I did what I had to do.” Kai holds up his hands in defense.

“That is not how you win.” Lloyd’s father says disappointedly, shaking his head up at Kai.

Karlof sighs, growling as he steps further into the room. “Fine. I lose. Karlof never wanted to be on stinking island.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear you did not enjoy your stay. I guess this worked out for the best.” Master Chen grins as he takes a seat on his throne. He reaches out and presses a button on the side of his throne. “This is goodbye.”

A trapdoor opens beneath Karlof, and he screams as he pummels down into the dark. My heart drops in my chest as I glance over at Nico. They’re clearly thinking the same thing as I am; that we definitely don’t want to meet the same fate Karlof met.

“As you can see, lose and you are out. Break any rule, you are out. Never bite the hand that feeds you… Master Chen delicious noodles!” Chen grins as one of his tattooed men takes Karlof’s photo off of the fighting bracket. “Now, rest up. Tomorrow the tournament will recommence.”

—

“Oh, hell no. They can’t be serious about this!” Nico throws their hands up as we stare at the fighting bracket. It’s been a day since Karlof got eliminated, and Nico and I are in the Palace Arena to make sure we know who we’re up against.

Yesterday it looked like I was up against Jay, and Nico was against Cole.

But today, the brackets seem to have switched.

Nico and I are scheduled to fight each other.

I run a shaky hand through my hair, looking at Nico. “They can’t do this, can they? This can’t be happening.”

“Better believe it,” One of Chen’s guards mutters, grinning down at us. “After all, only one can remain.”

Nico shakes their head, turning away from the fighting bracket. “No no no. I’m not gonna fight Gracie. She’s my sister!”

I sigh, looking up at Chen’s guards. “Do you know what would happen if we both refused to fight?”

The guard thinks on that for a moment, before looking down at both of us with a devilish grin that makes me feel sick to my stomach. “You both would be eliminated from the Tournament.”

My heart sinks at that as I turn to Nico. We stare at each other in silence for a moment. “So one of us has to move on. Or neither of us will.”

Nico spits out a string of curses, pacing back and forth. “How are we supposed to decide which one of us will move on? This is fucking impossible!”

I turn back towards the door, seeing Lloyd standing awkwardly near the entrance. He looks nervous as he approaches where Nico and I are standing. It’s obvious that he’s overheard the conversation between my sibling and I. I curse, running a hand through my hair as he steps closer. “Great. Just perfect.”

His expression morphs to one of concern as he sees my anxious expression. “Hey, I-”

I turn, glaring up at him. There’s so much rage that’s built up inside of me from Chen that I don’t know where else to release it. “Can you piss off?”

Lloyd looks a little taken aback at my words. It’s definitely not the first time I’ve said them to him, but it seems to affect him more than usual. “I heard what happened. With the fighting brackets. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

I clench my fists at my sides, taking a step closer to him. “I don’t need your sympathy! I don’t need your pity! I’m not your friend, asshole. I’ve told you a million times already to go away. Why can’t you just leave me alone?!”

A look of hurt flashes in Lloyd’s eyes before he steps away. His expression becomes cold as he nods, turning back towards the door.

I immediately feel a wave of guilt run through me. I open my mouth to say something, but am quickly cut off by Master Chen’s voice ringing throughout the intercom system.

“The Tournament of Elements continues!”

—

It’s finally time for the fight between Nico and I. The sun is setting in the distance, and I clench my hands as we wait for the go signal. We had tried to discuss what our plan of action would be, but there was no time with all the other fights going on.

I can hear my heart pounding in my chest as I concentrate on breathing in and out. It’s a cold night, and the wind nips at my bare arms. I find it more comforting, than anything, knowing that the wind will be on my side no matter what.

We’re out in a grassy clearing, with Master Chen and the other fighters seated near the palace so they can watch from a safe distance. In the center of the field is a Jade Blade, lying quietly on its side. Nico and I are standing on either side of the clearing, facing each other. I want to say something to them, but their eyes are closed, head tilted toward the ground.

After what seems like forever, Master Chen finally speaks. “Gracie, Master of Wind, versus Nico, Master of Shadow. Whoever ends up with the Jade Blade will move on in the Tournament. Now… fight!”

I look up at Nico, but… they’re gone. I curse, realizing that they must be using their powers to blend in with the environment. It’s already so dark out that I won’t be able to tell the difference between them and an actual shadow. I slowly spin around, looking for any clue that might point out where they are.

Before I even know what’s happening, I’m suddenly kicked to the ground. I yelp, holding out my hands in an effort to catch myself. I turn back as I scramble to my feet, looking up at a now visible Nico. Their expression is unreadable, and I take a step back.

“You can take the Jade Blade, you can move on,” I breathe, feeling like my heart might burst out of my chest. “I’m not going to fight you.”

A strong wind blows past us, almost knocking us both off our feet. I curse, knowing that my worrying is the thing causing it. “Just go. I’ll pretend to fight you so Chen doesn’t get mad. But promise me you’ll win this thing.”

They pause, then nod. They lunge past me toward the Jade Blade. I turn and try to chase them down, but realize my feet are stuck to the ground. I look down and see that my own shadow is holding me down, and I can’t help but laugh to myself. I couldn’t beat them even if I tried.

Nico grabs the Jade Blade, then turns back to me. “No. You’re the one that’s going to move on.”

I open my mouth to respond, but am quickly cut off by them throwing the Jade Blade at me. I curse, reaching out and catching it midair. My eyes widen as I realize what they’re doing. “Nico! Don’t you dare!”

They smile sadly at me as Master Chen rises to his feet, giggling as he claps his hands together. “We have a winner! Gracie, Master of Wind, moves on!”

I throw the Jade Blade to the ground, freeing myself from the shadows as I run towards Nico. “No, no no no,”

“I’ll see you later, okay?”

I’m almost there, almost able to grab them when Master Chen presses a button on his throne, and the ground drops below Nico, letting them fall into the darkness. I curse, dropping to my knees as the ground seals up behind them. I tug at my hair with a shaky hand, not knowing exactly what I should do.

“Good work, everyone! The Tournament will continue tomorrow. Rest up, now!” Chen exclaims, giggling as he and his guards turn back towards the palace.

I stare dumbfounded at the rest of the audience, searching their expressions. Most of them are getting up to head inside, and I feel a bit of anger at their reactions. To them, it’s almost as if nothing had happened in the first place.

A powerful gust of wind blows past, sending some people in the audience staggering back, shooting nervous glances at me. It wasn’t on purpose, but I can’t bring myself to care at the moment. I yank at a strand of my hair, willing myself not to cry in front of everyone. I squeeze my eyes shut as I yell up at the sky.

My shoulders slump in defeat once I’m done yelling, my teary eyes slowly opening to look up into the stars. After a few moments I look down to the bleachers where Master Chen and the other Elemental Masters were sitting before.

Only Lloyd remains standing in place, the rest of the ninja and Garmadon making their way down the bleachers and back toward Chen’s palace. I lock eyes with Lloyd for a moment, and I swear there’s something similar to empathy in his gaze. But before I have time to think of it any further, he follows his friends down the stairs and back inside.

I shake my head, silently scolding myself for allowing myself to get so distracted.

Nico is gone. And I have no idea where they went.

A feeling of dread, concern, and rage washes over me as I wonder what exactly could have happened to them. A million possibilities run through my mind, but I know that there’s only one way to find out for sure.

—

Maybe sneaking out during the middle of the night isn’t the greatest idea. But it’s the only way I can think of to find Nico without being eliminated myself.

I pull on my jacket before slipping out the door of my room, shutting it silently behind me. I begin to creep down the hallways, my eyes darting around to ensure that there aren’t any guards wandering around. There’s nothing obviously suspicious that I can see as I start down the hallway. Everything looks normal.

I curse silently as I continue onwards, standing on my tip toes as I head down the staircase. There’s nothing that could tell me about where Nico is or what could have happened to them. When I reach the first floor, I feel a strange sense of panic. I spin around, evaluating my surroundings. There’s so many shadows that somebody could be hiding in.

I take a step back to the staircase. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Before I can reach the staircase, I feel a hand being wrapped around my mouth, and I’m pulled into the shadows. I struggle against my assailant, but their grip is firm as I’m pushed back against the wall. I narrow my eyes, trying to adjust so I can see in the dark room. My breath hitches as I recognize who it is.

Lloyd glares down at me, one hand covering my mouth, the other pushing my shoulder against the wall, preventing me from moving. I struggle against him, but he squeezes my shoulder, leaning in to whisper in my ear.

“What the hell are you doing? You’re going to get caught, dumbass!”

I glare up at him, my cheeks flushing pink as he whispers in my ear. I try to shove him away, but it’s almost as if I were trying to move a concrete slab.

Lloyd pauses, sighing before whispering again. “I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?”

Before I can even wonder what that might mean, Lloyd reaches out and grabs a light fixture connected to the wall, pulling it towards him. The wall we’re pressed against flips, putting us into a dark tunnel system. My eyes widen as I realize that there must be secret passageways inside of the palace- and he knew about them before I did.

I squirm under his grasp, feeling my heart race at the sudden adrenaline. I break free from his hold and swing out my fist towards his face. His eyes narrow as he dodges to the side, easily avoiding the punch.

“Are you out of your mind? Sneaking around past curfew is against the rules,” Lloyd whisper-shouts as I attempt to kick his side, which he dodges without much effort. Even in the dim tunnel I can see the heated glare on his face. I curse under my breath. Something in my gut told me that being down here was a bad idea. I could get kicked out of the Tournament for pulling something like this.

“You’re doing the same thing,” I retort, grabbing a hold of his wrist and twisting it behind his back. He gasps in surprise as I shove him face-first against the wall. My free hand darts out to grab his other arm, effectively trapping him in place. “What do you want?”

“What do I want?” Lloyd sputters, trying to wrangle out of my hold. “ You’re the one sneaking around in the middle of the night! You’re lucky I didn’t let you get caught by Chen’s guards!”

I glare down at him as I push him against the wall even harder, fully preventing him from moving. “Please. You’re probably just leading me to Chen’s guards yourself so you can take the credit for catching me.”

He curses, falling still as I press him against the cold, stone wall. “You’re an asshole, you know that?”

“And you’re an idiot.” I roll my eyes, shaking my head to get a loose strand of hair out of my face. “But we’re not here to tell each other things we already know about each other. Why are you really down here?”

He tilts his head in an attempt to look back at me, smiling sheepishly. “Would you believe me if I said I was worried about you?”

“Not a chance.”

Lloyd sighs grumpily, muttering something under his breath that I can’t quite make out. “I save you from getting caught, and this is how you treat me?”

I glare down at him, feeling my patience run thin. I still need to find Nico, and I don’t want to stick around here long enough to get caught by any patrolling guards. “I’ll ask one more time. Why are you down here?”

He pauses, studying my expression for a moment. Usually I’d get all flustered being examined this closely by somebody like him. But all I feel from his gaze is myself getting more pissed off. I furrow my brows, tilting my head in a gesture for him to go on. He shakes his head, letting out a soft sigh. “I lost somebody too.”

I raise a brow, not daring to loosen my hold on him any. He still might be trying to get me caught. I remind myself that I don’t know anything about him; that he’s competition for the remainder of my time on the island. “So?”

He frowns at me, and I feel his arms tense under my grasp. “I have reason to believe that my friend is trapped on this island somewhere. I need to find him.”

His words echo in my head as I think them over. I narrow my eyes at him. My gut is saying that he’s telling the truth, that I should help him in any way I can. But the logical part of me says differently, that he’s lying to gain my trust. I repeat his words slowly, gauging his reaction. “Your friend is trapped here?”

Lloyd nods slowly, his expression turning softer as I echo his words. “Yes. His name is Zane. He’s been gone for over a year now. He’s the only reason my friends and I came to this island in the first place.”

“How do you know he’s here?” I ask hesitantly, feeling the adrenaline from before beginning to cool down. I loosen my hold on him ever so slightly, giving him room to breathe a little easier.

“We got a letter from Chen,” He says after a moment, his eyes dropping to the ground. The worry is evident on his face, and I can’t help but feel my heartstrings tug at his expression. “These tunnels are the only place that he might be. We’ve searched the rest of the palace.”

I pause, turning over his words in my mind. It doesn’t sound like he’s lying. But I can’t afford to trust him fully. Not yet. “So you’re down here looking for him? By yourself?”

Lloyd nods again, meeting my gaze as he responds. “My friends all agreed that being in these tunnels was a bad idea. When we were down here last night we almost got caught by a huge snake.”

I smirk at that, imagining Chen and all of his guards and employees. “Yeah. Clouse is a pretty big snake.”

He laughs breathlessly, shaking his head. “No. I mean, like, an actual snake. About the length of a school bus, if I had to guess.”

My heart stops in my chest, my eyes widening as he speaks. “Are you serious?”

He nods, his expression turning grave as he studies my face. “Yeah. So we should probably go.”

I frown, feeling the adrenaline begin to surge back up. A small gust of wind blows past, and I curse myself for not getting that under control yet. I let go of him, and he turns around to face me, his arms crossed over his chest. “But you said there’d be guards outside. How do we get out?”

Lloyd glances around the tunnel, then starts off walking in a random direction. “Kai had a hidden entrance in his room. If we can find it, we can exit through the balcony and get back to our rooms.”

I hesitantly follow after him, sticking behind him close enough that I can still make out his silhouette in the dark hallway. I hold my hand out against the wall and walk alongside it, careful not to trip over any stray rocks on the ground. “Kai? The red one?”

Although I can’t see Lloyd’s face, I could swear that he was smiling based on the tone of his voice. “You don’t know much about ninja, do you?”

I roll my eyes as I follow after him, throwing my hand in the air for no one to see. “I’m so sorry I’m not a huge fan. Although if you’d wanted to give me an autograph, I’d happily take it. I could probably sell it on eBay for a quick buck.”

He laughs quietly at that, glancing at me over his shoulder as he makes a left turn. “Yeah, Kai’s the red one. Master of Fire, and master of pissing the rest of us off.”

I feel a small smile tugging at my lips, but I shake my head, forcing it down. I promised myself I wouldn’t get distracted. “You’ve been down in these tunnels before. Do you know what happened to… to everyone that got eliminated?”

Lloyd stops in his tracks, and I almost bump into him. I curse quietly as I peek around him, wondering why we had stopped. My eyes widen as I take in the scene before us.

It’s a wide cave-room, lit by torches lined up around the walls. Rows of Chen’s guards stood in the middle, chanting and bowing away from us. Chen stands in front of them, grinning as he holds up a long, serpent shaped staff. I narrow my eyes, looking at the glimmering crystal in the center of the staff. But my breathing stops when I see Nico in front of them, their wrists cuffed. They look unstable as they stand, glaring up at him.

“Get the fuck away from me!” They shout, struggling against their chains.

Chen simply laughs, glancing over them and his guards, his smile growing wider as he hears their chants. His eyes sparkle as his gaze returns to Nico, and he raises his staff up into the air. Clouse appears next to him, chanting something I can’t quite make out from where I’m standing.

Nico curses loudly as they’re lifted up into the air, particles of shimmering light flowing from their chest up to Chen’s staff. I grit my teeth, beginning to shove past Lloyd to go to their aid.

Lloyd grabs my wrist, pulling me back before I can make it even an inch into the cave. “Are you crazy?”

“I can’t just stand here and do nothing!”

“He’ll take your powers if you go in there!”

I curse, glancing back at him and toward Nico with wide eyes. My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest.“Is that what he’s doing? He’s taking their powers?”

Lloyd nods slowly, his expression unreadable as he looks down at me. “Yeah. We saw it happen to Karlof. Chen’s taking their Elemental Powers. That’s the real reason he brought us all here.”

I stand there, my head spinning from the information he just gave me. Lloyd’s grip tightens on my wrist as I try to pull away from him, stepping closer to the cave. “I don’t care. Nico is my sibling. And I’m not going to just watch as they get their powers taken away.”

His brows furrow, expression hardening as he looks down at me. “The only way we can stop this is by winning the Tournament. If you go in now, you’ll be ambushed. And I’m not gonna come in to save you again.”

I glare up at him, feeling my resolve crumbling at the seemingly hopeless situation. I open my mouth to say something, but my voice dies in my throat. I shake my head, glancing back at Nico, who’s now slumped against the floor. “There’s no other way?”

Lloyd pauses, then slowly shakes his head, letting go of my wrist. “We should go.”

I curse under my breath as he quickly turns and darts down the hallway, disappearing from sight. I can feel tears slowly fall down my face at the sight of my sibling being stripped of their powers, but I force myself to turn and follow Lloyd down the dark passageway.

My chest heaves as I catch up to him, falling into step beside him. After a few minutes of running, he slows down, turning to face the wall. I narrow my eyes, trying to spot whatever it is he’s looking for.

“It’s around here somewhere…” He murmurs, tracing his hand lightly against the wall. With a click, his hand pushes forwards, and a wall slides open. I squint from the sudden brightness, taking a moment to adjust my eyes.

Lloyd curses as he steps inside, looking at the room we had entered. I follow closely, rubbing my eyes as the door shuts behind us. “Wrong room. But it’ll work fine.”

When I open my eyes again, everything’s green. All of the furniture, the walls, everything. It’s a bedroom coated entirely in different shades of green with gold accents. Above the bed I spot a photo of four young men and a girl around the same age standing behind an old man and a younger boy, all dressed in bright, vivid colors. I raise a brow, glancing over at Lloyd. “This room yours, Goldilocks?”

He glances at me with a glare as he walks over to the balcony door. His voice drips with sarcasm as he speaks. “How’d you know?”

I shrug as he pushes open the balcony door, and I walk outside into the cold night. “Just a hunch.” I hoist myself up onto the ledge and jump over, landing on the balcony adjourned to my room. A soft breeze blows past as I turn back to face Lloyd, feeling the exhaustion from our journey finally catch up to me. “I’d say it’s been a pleasure, but I feel like you’d call me an asshole for saying that.”

Even in the dark night, I can see his eyes roll as he steps back, folding his arms across his chest. “Don’t expect me to swoop in next time you do something stupid.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Goldie.” I call over my shoulder, stepping inside my room and shutting the door behind me. I stand there for a moment, turning over the events from before in my head. I hear Lloyd say something, but I can’t quite make out what it is.

It’s not before I hear his balcony door slide shut that I even consider thanking him.

Chapter 3: Crumbling Facades

Summary:

“I’m gonna wipe the floor with you, Earth Boy.”

Notes:

Toxic yaoi

—
Cole
—

When the tournament bracket said I was going to be up against the Master of Shadow, I wasn’t too worried about it. My element is solid, unbreakable. Theirs was fluid, unstable. I didn’t think much of it.

But I remembered Nico smiling at me with a devious grin when I saw them for the first time. I recognized them from the bracket instantly, and they must have recognized me too, based on our first and only interaction.

“I’m gonna wipe the floor with you, Earth Boy.” They had laughed, pushing past me without so much as a glance back in my direction. I stared at them with a neutral expression as they walked away. They’re probably just trying to get under my skin, I had thought to myself. Sure, I haven’t fought any Elemental Masters other than Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Energy. But how tough could they really be?

But as I watched these first few rounds in the Tournaments of Elements, I felt my nerves become more and more shaky. These guys were good. Like, really good. We ninja are as well, obviously. But we work better as a team. Being split up… isn’t exactly our strong suit.

When the bracket got switched and pitted the Master of Wind and the Master of Shadow against each other, it was all anyone could talk about. I briefly wondered who I was up against next if my opponent got switched, as I didn’t go and check the bracket for myself. But I didn’t dwell on the thought for too long.

Now I wish I had checked earlier as I push past the crowd, Lloyd, Kai, Jay, and Garmadon following closely behind. The crowd whispers quietly amongst themselves, glancing over at us with excited grins as we get close enough to read the bracket.

“What’s all the commotion?” Jay asks, frowning as he scans over the board.

I feel my stomach drop in my chest as I see it. For a moment I feel like I’m dreaming, but the other’s gasps let me know that this is all too real.

Jay and I are scheduled to fight against each other in the next match.

“No- he can’t do this!” I shake my head in disbelief, glancing back at the others. “Lloyd, I thought you went to go check the bracket yesterday! Why didn’t you tell us?”

Lloyd pauses, and I can see the gears turning in his head as he thinks. “I went to go check. But… I didn’t make it quite that far. I… I’m sorry.”

Jay and I lock eyes. His face is flushed, brows furrowed in a nervous expression. He looks just as scared as I feel right now. He runs a shaky hand through his hair and takes a hesitant step back.

“We have to fight each other.” I breathe, feeling like my heart might burst out of my chest. The room seems to spin around me, and all I can think of is the horror that awaits me of having to fight one of my best friends.

“Why does it say that? It didn’t say that before! It was supposed to be my day off.” Jay exclaims, tearing his gaze away from mine to look back at the bracket.

“They must’ve put you there when they changed it for the shadow and wind siblings to fight,” Kai murmurs to himself, crossing his arms over his chest.

I turn to Jay, feeling anger bubble up at him. How can that be all he’s worried about? We have to fight each other. Loser gets their powers drained, making Chen that much more powerful. And all he can think about is not having a day off?

“You should’ve gone and checked the bracket yourself instead of having someone else doing it for you.” I growl, my expression morphing into a glare. “You’re never prepared for anything!”

Jay opens his mouth to retort, when another voice speaks from behind us, causing the five of us to turn around toward the source.

“Is there a problem, ninja?” Clouse asks, an obvious smile on his lips as he speaks.

“Yeah, there’s a problem!” I yell, gesturing toward the board behind us as I glare at Clouse. “You keep on switching up the brackets!”

Clouse shrugs in return, his grin only widening at our reactions. “Oopsie,” is all he says as he turns, a guard to the side laughing as the two of them exit the room.

Lloyd lets out a frustrated sigh, his brows furrowed as he turns to his father. “What do we do? They can’t fight each other… we came here to become whole, not fall further apart.”

We fall into silence for a moment. I think of the two siblings that had to fight yesterday and how they handled it. I frown as I think of the reaction the wind girl had when they lost their sibling, how enraged they looked. Was that going to happen to Jay and I?

“You can’t undo what’s been done. My only advice is to be at peace with it.” Garmadon says, his gaze hardening as he looks over us.

“Peace?!” Jay echoes in disbelief, pushing past Kai to glare at Garmadon. “One of us has to lose! Oh god. It’s totally gonna be me.” He glances back at me as he waves his hands in the air, worry evident on his face. “He’s got super strength, and what do I have? Nothing, that’s what! I’m screwed!”

Lloyd cuts Jay off, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t listen to my dad. We just need to find Zane. Then none of us have to battle. Your fight isn’t until later this evening- we still have time to figure out what Chen’s up to and stop this.”

Kai frowns, glancing over at the door. He pauses, thinking over something for a moment before speaking. “I think I know just the person who can help. And I think he already knows.”

—

The sun has already gone down by the time we find him, crickets chirping in the greenery lined around the courtyard. He’s seated on a rock near the center, facing away from us. I share a hesitant glance with Lloyd as we approach, but neither of us say anything.

“We need your help, Neuro.” Lloyd calls out as we step closer, Jay, Kai and I following behind him.

Neuro doesn’t turn around, keeping his fingers pressed against his temples as he replies. “You think I can get close to Chen to read his mind, so you can find your robotic friend and not have to fight.”

I glance at the others in surprise. I guess I shouldn’t have been too shocked- he is the Master of the Mind, after all.

Kai clears his throat, holding up a hand in the air. “Don’t forget-”

“You still need to know what Chen’s up to because he’s hiding something.” Neuro continues, his voice quiet as he speaks.

Jay grins up at him, putting a hand on his hip. “That’s really impressive, Nerdo.”

I roll my eyes, swatting the back of Jay’s head as Neuro stands up, glaring down at us. Jay yelps in surprise, glancing over at me with a frow, but quickly returning his attention to Neuro.

“It’s Neuro, ” He corrects, running a hand through his black and white hair. His eyes are tired as he looks down at us, worry etched into his face. “And Cole thinks Jay won’t last long in a fight.”

My eyes widen at his words, and Jay scoffs as he turns to me. “You think that?”

“You just said it yourself!” I hold up my hands in defense, narrowing my eyes in return.

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to believe it!” Jay shoves me in the chest, causing me to step back. I glare at him, forcing my hands to stay at my sides. I’m just itching to shove him back, but I know that there are more important things to be focused on right now.

“Don’t be offended, Cole,” Neuro speaks up, putting his hands on his hips as he surveys each of us. “Jay here thinks you’re the least valuable ninja.”

My heart drops at his words, my gaze leaving Jay’s to look up at Neuro. His words sting more than I care to admit, but there’s no chance in hell that I’d let him know that. Jay’s expression morphs into one of guilt, and he opens his mouth to speak. But he changes his mind, clamping it shut as his eyes drop to the ground.

“You don’t say,” I murmur, shoving Jay’s shoulder and sending him stumbling backward. Jay’s eyes light up with anger as he readjusts himself, but Lloyd pushes past him toward Neuro before he can do anything.

“We wanted your help, Neuro, not to make things worse.” Lloyd sighs, holding his hands up in the air toward him.

Neuro’s eyes narrow at that as he frowns down at us. “But why would I help? You’re competition. The sooner you’re out, the better for me.”

Lloyd’s gaze hardens as he locks eyes with Neuro. “If you want what’s best for you, just look into my head and you’ll see what this tournament is really about.”

A few moments of silence pass as Neuro’s eyes shut, holding his hands up to his temples. You could hear a pin drop in the courtyard as Neuro scan’s Lloyd’s mind, and I feel my heart racing inside of my chest as I remember what I saw down in the secret passageways.

Neuro gasps, his eyes widening as he staggers back. His face turns pale as he registers what Chen is really doing, and he curses under his breath.

“It’s only a matter of time before Chen steals your power, too. So,” Lloyd pauses, glancing back at the reset of us. “Are you in?”

—

I pace back and forth in the cell I’m in. There’s less than five minutes until Jay and I are scheduled to fight, but time can’t go by fast enough. I sigh, running a hand down my face as I glance over at a punching bag in the corner with Jay’s face on it.

Outside of the cell, Lloyd sighs as he looks over at Kai and Neuro on the other side of the arena, standing in front of where Jay’s being held. Lloyd’s gaze drops to the ground as he turns, grabbing the bars dividing us.

“You don’t have to say it. It was inevitable we were gonna have to face each other,” I murmur softly, staring down at my hands. “It may as well be Jay. This fight’s been a long time coming.”

Lloyd shakes his head, his expression sorrowful as he looks back up at me. “Well, I’m not at peace with this. But that doesn’t mean you still can’t find peace with each other. We don’t have control when we fight… but we do have control how we fight. Jay’s not your enemy. Chen is. Remember that.”

I sigh, thinking over his words as I meet his gaze. “Master Wu once said the best way to defeat your enemy is to make him your friend. But… how are you supposed to defeat your friend?”

He doesn’t have a chance to respond before the fanfare starts, and he backs away from the cell. I can hear the crowd cheering up above, and I pull my mask up over my face. I do my best to steel my nerves, wishing for my heart to slow down inside my chest.

The steel bars in front of me begin to slide down, and I step out into the arena. I squint as I adjust to the bright lights shining down from above, a stark contrast to the dim lighting of the cell I was just in. I spot Jay across the arena, and we lock eyes at the same time.

“Let the Tournament continue!” Chen’s voice rings out over the speakers, sounding more excited than ever to be watching a fight. “Jay, Master of Lightning, versus Cole, Master of-”

Chen doesn’t have time to finish his sentence. Jay and I are already sprinting towards each other, and I feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Jay yells as he thrusts out a hand in my direction, sending multiple lightning bolts crackling toward me. I launch myself into the air, flipping over his attack. I bring my fists down to the ground as I land, feeling my Elemental Power surging through me. The ground cracks, rocks and earth flying into the air as it approaches him.

Jay flips back, easily avoiding the attack. I can hear the smile in his voice as he speaks, which only ticks me off even more. “That’s all you’ve got? You’re an asshole, not to mention the least valuable ninja-”

“Eat dirt, Blue-belle!” I yell back, summoning a mound of earth and sending it flying towards him. He grunts in response as he counters the attack with a surge of lightning, sending it back in my direction.

The crowd screams in the distance, but it’s as if I can’t even hear it over the fight. All I can hear is the blood pumping through my head and the earth vibrating beneath me as I bend it to my will. All I can think of is all the rage I have pent up toward Jay.

I send a flurry of rocks and earth through the air toward him, but he sends multiple bolts of lightning out at the same time. Our attacks meet midair, leaving the rocks suspended midair. I grunt as I try to push them forward, but Jay’s lightning pushes back, inching closer and closer to me.

“Stronger than you thought, huh?” Jay pants, his lightning bolts continuing to push toward me. “That’s your betrayal flowing through my veins!”

I grunt in response, doing my best to focus on my own powers. “You know, I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet when you’re out of the Tournament.” I feel his powers loosen at my words, and earth goes flying toward him. He falls back into the ground, calling out in pain.

My eyes widen as I look down at him, a surge of guilt running through me. Why were we so angry at each other in the first place? Right. It was because of that stupid matching simulator back at Borg’s tower… but why had I even gone after Nya? She’s like a sister to me- she’s always been, ever since I first met her. Maybe I was jealous of their affection for each other. Maybe I wanted someone to care about me the same way they care about each other.

Either way, I had fucked up big time. And I had to do something to make it right.

“What am I doing?” I say to myself, taking a small, hesitant step towards Jay. “I don’t want you out. You’re not my enemy… Chen is.”

Jay grunts, slowly lifting himself off the ground. His face is full of rage as he staggers on his feet, holding his hands out in a defensive position. “Oh, sure. Lower my guard by pretending to be my friend, then swoop in to steal the prize. Typical Cole maneuver,”

He slowly walks toward me, lightning bolts crackling out of his hands and toward the floor. I shake my head, feeling the ground rumble beneath me as I step back. “I never meant to hurt you, Jay. If I had known it’d destroy our friendship… I’d take it all back.”

Jay stops in his tracks, his lightning swiftly coming to a stop. He searches my gaze, and I can tell that he sees the truth and vulnerability in my eyes. “Well… if we’re being honest, I was upset about losing Nya. But I take blame for that. I was more upset about losing you. We used to be good friends.”

I nod, a hint of a smile tugging at my lips. The crowd’s cheering dies down as our powers stop, but I can’t bring myself to care any. “We should’ve just been honest with each other instead of bottling this up.”

“Agreed. But how are we supposed to stop fighting? We can’t both win,” Jay points out, glancing up at where Chen sits on his throne.

I pause, hating the fact that he’s right. “Well… maybe we can draw it out ‘til they call it a tie. Quick- attack me! But not hard.”

Jay and I sprint towards each other, our hands up in fighting positions. He sweeps out a leg in an attempt to knock me off my feet, but I jump and land behind him. I swing out my elbow towards his side, but he dodges easily. The crowd’s cheering from before quickly morphs into boos and groans, and I feel my stomach drop as I glance up at Chen’s bored expression.

Before I realize what’s happening, large doors on the sides of the arena swing open, letting out large, almost tank shaped vehicles out into our space. They have swinging blades attached to the sides, and Chen’s thugs grin down at us as they steer them in our direction.

I glance at Jay with a horrified expression as we inch back towards the center of the arena, facing away from each other. I do my best to steel my nerves despite feeling my heart race in my chest.

“I’ve got your back,” I call over my shoulder, my eyes narrowing as I survey Chen’s machines.

“And I’ve got yours.” Jay responds.

I meet his gaze, and we both nod in unison. “Ninja-go!”

As one of the machines turns and speeds towards us, we twist into Spinjitzu, hurling off in different directions. The driver yelps in surprise, unable to slow down in time before he crashes into the wall. He flies out of his seat, landing face first against the hard bricks.

I can’t help but grin as Jay and I slow, stopping in the center of the arena. All right- one down, three to go.

As another machine approaches, I sprint towards it. I allow my Elemental Powers to surge through me, jumping up and slamming my fists into the ground. It effectively creates a ramp that the vehicle launches off of, and I take the chance to grab its snake-looking tail as it’s suspended midair.

I grunt as I pull the tail, swinging it around my body. When another car gets close enough, I let go, allowing the swinging car to crash into the first. Both the drivers yell in horror as their vehicles go crashing into the walls, sparks flying at the colliding metal.

Before I realize it, another vehicle is slowing down behind me. Jay stands on top, shooting lightning bolts at the driver. I grin up at him, silently thanking him for saving me.

The crowd cheers as Jay jumps down, and I clap his fist in my own. I can’t help but laugh as I glance up at the audience, hearing Kai and Lloyd yell far louder than anyone else.

“Enough!” Chen shouts, every pair of eyes turning to look at him. He jumps from his seat, and I can see the rage in his gaze as he glares down at us. “I know what you are trying to do. If neither of you will win, then both of you will lose!”

Tiles on the arena floor start to drop as he presses multiple buttons on his seat. The crowd roars in response, and I feel my palms becoming clammy as the floor starts to drop beneath me. I jump to the side, desperate to find a stable place to stand.

Jay and I dart and jump around the arena, the tiles beginning to fall faster and faster beneath us. I glance up at the Jade Blade in the center, propped up on a long wooden pole. My heart races in my chest as I turn to meet Jay’s gaze. “We can’t both lose! Chen’s right, there can only be one.”

He nods in understanding. “And it should be you. You and I both know that I’m lucky to have even made it this far. Take the Jade Blade- hurry!”

My stomach churns at his words, but I turn and sprint towards the center of the arena anyways. I scale the wooden beam quickly, reaching up and tugging the Jade Blade out of its spot once I’m at the top.

I stare into its reflection for a moment, looking at the exhaustion etched into my face. And behind me, I see Jay, standing frozen in fear. I know what the right thing to do is. And before I even have time to second guess what I’m doing, I turn to Jay and hurl the blade towards him.

He instinctively catches it, his eyes widening as he stares down at it. Chen’s voice booms around the arena, sounding much more pleased than he was before.

“Winner! Master of Lightning moves on.”

I drop to the floor, pulling down my mask as I take a few steps towards Jay. Although he’s halfway across the arena, I can see his flushed expression, and his brows furrowed in guilt.

“She’s yours, Jay. I should’ve bowed out long ago.” I call out. I’m not just talking about the Jade Blade, and he knows it. We lock eyes, and he nods slightly. “Win this thing.”

Jay opens his mouth to respond, but I feel the floor drop beneath me, sending me hurling into the unknown.

I hit the ground, hard. I grunt in pain, feeling my back ache from the sudden contact. A pair of footsteps echos on the ground, walking toward me. I slowly open my eyes, looking for whoever’s approaching me.

I’m prepared for the worst, bringing my arms up in front of me to defend myself. But what I don’t expect is for them to hold out a hand in an offer to help me up. After a moment, my eyes adjust, and I shoot up in surprise as I see the familiar, smiling face staring down at me.

“Hey, Earth Boy.”

Chapter 4: Bladed

Summary:

“You know her?”

Lloyd and I pause, sharing a hesitant look as we shake our heads.

“No, not really.”

“He keeps showing up and I can’t get rid of him.”

Notes:

TW for detailed injury/gore(ish)

—
Gracie
—

For the first time maybe ever, I’ve arrived early.

The next match is supposed to start in maybe 5 minutes, but it’s only now that everyone else is filing into the seats. We’re seated on an overlook over a training room, lined with exquisite vases near the walls.

I don’t bother looking over as people begin filling the seats on the other benches, my thoughts elsewhere. Mainly on Nico and what might have happened to them.

My biggest worry right now is that they’re dead.

Chen took their powers- what use does he have of them now?

I know I shouldn’t be thinking negatively like this. But it’s really hard not to, considering the reality of the situation.

“Hello? Earth to Gracie?”

I jolt up in surprise, staring at the hand that’s waving in front of my face. I feel my cheeks heat up as I turn to find the owner of the hand.

Lloyd stares down at me, smirking as he arches a brow. His father, Sensei Garmadon, and the Master of Lightning, Jay, stand behind him, talking quietly to each other.

“Can we sit here? Everywhere else is full,” Lloyd asks softly, leaning a bit closer as to not disturb the almost silence of the room. I nod, not bothering to respond as I slide over to give them more room.

They all sit down, and I try not to flinch as I feel Lloyd’s shoulder brush against mine. He turns to me, a hint of concern in his gaze. “You okay?”

I nod absentmindedly, continuing to stare ahead. I try to brush off his question, reminding myself that I still don’t know him. Even if he did save my pathetic ass the other night. “Never better.”

Lloyd frowns in return. He watched helplessly as I lost Nico. And I had to watch helplessly as he lost Cole. I hated that he knew exactly how I felt. “We’ll save them. I don’t know how, yet. But we will.”

I turn to him, studying his expression. I know his words were meant to inspire hope, but all I feel is numb. There’s no reason he’d go out of his way to save my sibling. I know the real reason he’s here. He’s here to save his friends, and then get the hell out.

He opens his mouth, about to say something else when two people enter the room below. The first one is tall, dressed in an orange mask and gi and holding a long, wooden oar. The second one is significantly shorter, with curly black hair and dark sunglasses. He carries a guitar, and stands near the center of the room, seemingly unaware of the other.

“Skylor, Master of Amber, versus Jacob, Master of Sound!” Chen calls out, looking down at the two fighters in glee.

Jacob strums a chord on his guitar, and I can tell that he’s using his powers to survey the room. I must admit that what he’s doing is impressive, even if I’m not exactly rooting for him. Skylor’s eyes narrow, and she holds out her oar, pointing it from vase to vase.

“Eenie, meanie, minie, mo… catch a Jade Blade by its toe.” Skylor calls out, hurling the oar into a vase closest to her left. It cracks upon impact, and a bow and quiver of arrows is revealed. She darts towards it, picking up the items and readying an arrow. Jacob just barely dodges it as she sends it flying, and he gasps in surprise.

Skylor ducks behind a vase, but it’s too late. Jacob plays a chord, and the sound waves go flying through the air toward her. The vase shatters, and I wince, pressing my palms against my ears as the high frequency resonates in my chest.

“The Master of Sound’s gotten stronger since the last time I saw him,” Garmadon remarks, his gaze not leaving the room below as Skylor runs to hide behind another vase. She creeps around on her tiptoes, doing her best to trick Jacob into thinking she’s somewhere she’s not.

He picks up some shurikens, hurling them towards Skylor. She leaps up into the air, narrowly avoiding the assault, and lands silently on her feet. My eyes widen, and I’m impressed by her technique. She’s light on her feet, and knows how to outsmart others. I might want to try and get to know her better if either of us survive this.

I can hear multiple people grunt and curse under their breath on the bench, and I turn to see what the commotion is about. Kai is making his way down to where the ninja are sitting, and stepping on multiple pairs of toes in the process. He grins as he plops down next to Jay, running a hand through his wet hair.

“Sorry. All these temples look the same. And with the rain… anyways. Did I miss anything?” Kai asks, turning his attention to the room below.

“Looks like you didn’t miss much.” Jay rolls his eyes, gesturing to all the people Kai walked right on top of. When I look over, almost everybody is glaring at Kai, and some people are even holding their feet in pain. “Maybe we shouldn’t be sitting together. I mean… the more they think we’re a team, the bigger targets we put on ourselves.”

Lloyd shakes his head, eyes narrowing as he stares at Jay. “Don’t say that. We are a team. Sure, we just lost Cole… and we still can’t find Zane… but we’re a team. Just… smaller.”

Kai jumps up, leaning against the lookover railing, a wide smile on his face as he looks down at the fighters. “Skylor’s fighting?”

“What’s got him all excited?” Garmadon asks, turning to Jay with an arched brow.

“Oh, that. He had a crush on her until he found out they might be related.”

My eyes widen, covering my hand with my mouth to try and hide a smile. I know I shouldn’t be eavesdropping on their conversation, but I literally can’t help it. They’re overwhelmingly loud.

I feel my face heat up as Lloyd, Garmadon, and Jay glance at me. I clear my throat, doing my best to seem as inconspicuous as possible as I stare down at the ongoing fight.

“Her element isn’t fire,” Garmadon replies after a moment, returning his attention to Jay. “She’s the Master of Amber. Power of absorption. She can emulate the power of anyone she’s touched.”

Down below, Skylor grins under her mask as she shoots a beam of fire towards Jacob, lighting his guitar ablaze. He quickly tries to shake it out, but his efforts are futile.

Kai’s face lights up as he slowly turns to Garmadon. “You’re telling me we’re not related?”

“Oh, boy. Here we go again.” Jay drags a hand down his face in exasperation.

The crowd cheers as Skylor breaks open the final vase, reaching to secure the Jade Blade. She holds it up triumphantly, spinning around for the whole room to see.

“Yes! Go, Skylor!” Kai whoops, bouncing on his feet as he pumps a fist in the air.

“Winner! And… loser!” Chen cheers. Jacob screams in surprise as the floor drops beneath him, sending him into the darkness. It unnerves me a little how used to this we’re all becoming. It’s a daily routine now. Nobody bats an eye.

Chen grins, looking over the remaining participants as one of his thugs moves Skylor forward on the bracket. “I hope the Tournament of Elements has entertained you as much as it has me. To thank you, I wanted to give everyone fancy jewels and untold shiny things.”

My eyes widen as he holds up a platter full of sparkling diamonds, rubies, pearl necklaces, and much more I can’t even recognize. That sort of thing could let Nico and I live comfortably in the city for years! Everyone else seems as excited as I am, cheering and raising their hands into the air.

“But then, in yesterday’s battle, Master Jay and Cole tried to undermine me by teaming up and refusing to fight each other.” Chen continues, his smile dropping as he looks over at the ninja, tossing the platter behind him. “And that made me very upset. For their insubordination, all of your fancy quarters will be taken away, and tonight, everyone must sleep together in the Chow House. That is all. Thank you. You can go.”

I feel my heart drop along with the fancy jewels Chen just shattered. All of the participants glare over at the ninja, and I can’t help but feel the same way. This is the nicest place I’ve ever been in. And now I have to sleep in the Chow House with all of these strangers that are out for blood.

I shake my head, reminding myself of why Jay and Cole did what they did. I had practically done the same thing with Nico. I know exactly how it feels to be in their situation. And I can’t blame them for the actions they took, even if it did mean misfortune on my behalf.

“Nice one, Jay.” Kai growls, elbowing Jay in the side.

Jay frowns back at him, shoving him off. “Woah. Easy, Romeo.”

I instinctively take a step forward, glaring over at Kai. I hadn’t spoken a word to him or Jay before, but something in my gut is telling me to step in. “Would you have done anything different if you were in his place? Maybe you should be grateful your friends are looking out for you. ‘Cause who’s gonna take the fall for you if they won’t?”

The four of them whip their heads toward me, eyes widening in surprise. Either they had forgotten I was there, or simply didn’t care in the first place. They stare at me with dumbfounded expressions, but I could swear I see Garmadon’s lips tugging up in a small smile.

I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. “For being a team, you guys sure argue a lot. You’re never gonna find your missing friends if you keep acting like this.”

Kai narrows his eyes, raising a brow as he glances between Lloyd and me. “You know her?”

Lloyd and I pause, sharing a hesitant look as we shake our heads.

“No, not really.”

“He keeps showing up and I can’t get rid of him.”

I shrug as Lloyd glares at me, obviously not pleased by my choice of words. Kai turns to properly face me, putting his hands on his hips as he stares down at me. “What’s going on, here? Don’t give me any bullshit. I can tell when people are lying.”

I pause, glancing at Kai, Jay, Garmadon, and Lloyd. I study their expressions for a moment, before letting out a soft sigh as my shoulders slump. I have to tell them the truth. I can’t think of anything else I could say.

“I know why you and Cole didn’t want to fight,” I begin, nodding at Jay. “Even if everyone else is giving you hell for it. I get it. I had to do it too.” I hesitate, glancing over at Lloyd before continuing on. “And I think you guys need allies just as much as I do right now.”

Kai nods slowly, looking over to Lloyd for any input. “Do you trust her?”

Lloyd pauses, studying my face. I can almost see the gears turning in his head, but he nods curtly after a few seconds. “She’s an asshole. But I don’t think she’s tricking us. She wants her sibling back as much as we want Zane back.”

Jay grins, stepping forward and shoving out a hand toward me to shake. “Good enough for me! I’m Jay, Master of Lightning.”

I hesitate, then shake his hand quickly, giving him a faint smile in return. “Yeah. I know. I think everybody knows.”

Kai frowns down at me, crossing his arms over his chest. “And who exactly are you, wind girl? And how do you know Lloyd?”

I glance over at Lloyd, furrowing my brows. “I’m Gracie. And I have no idea. He approached me on the ferry ride here and asked what color my hair was.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him,” Jay snickers, grinning at me as he jabs out his thumb at Lloyd. Lloyd rolls his eyes in return, but my attention is focused on his father as he smiles down at me, taking a step closer.

“It’s nice to see Lloyd is finally making friends around his age. You seem like a nice young woman.” Garmadon nods, and I feel my face heat up under his gaze. He offers a hand out to me, and I shake it firmly. “I’m Sensei Garmadon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Friend isn’t the word I’d use, sir. Your son is a bit of a menace.” I blurt out. I instantly regret my words, but Garmadon only laughs lightly, placing a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder.

“He gets it from me.” Garmadon smiles. Lloyd rolls his eyes again, but is unable to contain a smile from spreading across his face at his father’s words.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now, let’s get over to the Chow House. We’ve got a long night ahead of us.”

—

I roll over in my bed for what feels like the hundredth time that night. In the bed beside me, the Master of Speed snores loudly, and I groan, dragging a hand down my tired face. Restless, I throw the covers off, rising up from the bed. Anything is better than listening to everybody snoring for countless hours.

My eyes dart around the room, wondering if anybody else is still awake. As if on cue, Jay, Kai, and Lloyd get out of their beds, all meeting near a corner of the room. I adjust my jacket, walking towards them.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” Jay asks, nodding a hello as I join their group.

“Not when we still have to get Zane and Cole back.” Kai sighs, crossing his arms over his chest in frustration.

Lloyd grunts, leaning to stretch out his spine. “Speaking of backs, these new beds are the worst.”

“Tell me about it. Plus all the snoring? I don’t know how anybody’s sleeping like this.” I frown in agreement, running a hand through my messy hair. I open my mouth to say something else, but before anything can come out, the lights turn on. The sound of a gong crashing resonates throughout the room, and the four of us all jump up in alarm.

“Quick! Back in bed!” Kai whisper-shouts. We hurry back to our uncomfortable beds scattered throughout the room, quickly trying to pretend we had been sleeping the whole time. I yank the covers over my head, trying to stop my heart from beating so fast, adrenaline pumping through my veins.

The other Elemental Masters all begin to wake up, groaning and muttering as their sleep was so rudely interrupted. I peak out from under the covers of my uncomfortable bed, watching as Clouse and a handful of Chen’s thugs walk into the room, grinning as they ring the gong to wake us up. I narrow my eyes as I watch the others begin to stir. What could they be up to?

“Good morning, fighters!” Clouse grins, lifting his hands into the air as he continues into the Chow House, looking over at all the disoriented fighters. “Oh- that’s right. It’s the middle of the night.”

“Hey, what are you doing-?!” Lloyd begins, voice raising above the complaints of the other fighters.

“Do you know what time it is?!” Jay chimes in, clearly not pleased about their plans being ruined.

I begin to question what it is the ninja are so concerned about, but yelp in surprise as I feel the covers being yanked off of my bed. Before I know what’s happening, one of the thugs is standing at the end of my bed, strapping roller skates to my feet. “What the hell-!”

I hear Kai gasp as he rises to his feet, eyes darting around at all the Elemental Masters, all of them also wearing similar footwear. “Roller skates?!” He begins to fall over, but is steadied by Skylor, who simply smiles at him.

“Let me guess. Another of Chen’s impromptu battles?” Lloyd mutters as he skates nearby, Jay following close behind. I grit my teeth as I rise to my feet, trying to remember the last time I had gone roller skating. Before I can ask any of the thugs or Clouse what’s going on, they’re already headed toward the exit.

Jay grins, turning so he’s skating backwards, a clear attempt to show off. “Oh, yes! I love roller skates!” He does a small flip as he does a circle around Lloyd and I. We share a quick glance, not amused by Jay’s enthusiasm.

“We have better things to be doing, Jay. All this means is that we need to watch another battle.” I roll my eyes, putting a hand on my hip as I glance over at him, now skating towards the exit.

“Yeah. We should be getting used to this by now.” Lloyd nods in agreement as we follow Jay, concern flashing in his eyes.

“Did I ever mention I once placed first in the Mother-Son Skate-Off?” Jay chuckles, seemingly unbothered by our hesitant demeanor. He leaps up on top of a serving counter, skates grinding against the material as he does another flip and then hops down. “I should have never admitted that.”

“Weirdo.” The Master of Light mutters. Although his body is entirely translucent, I could swear that he’s rolling his eyes at Jay.

Clouse clears his throat, smile widening as he surveys us from the exit to the Chow House. “Master Chen wants everyone in the Royal Arena. I wouldn’t be late if I were you.”

Skylor skates towards him, eyes narrowed as she speaks, voicing a thought that I’m sure most of us had been thinking as well. “If most of us have already fought, why are we all in skates?”

“Only two of you will be fighting. But the rest of you will have a chance to… affect the outcome.” Clouse responds, folding his hands behind his back. I frown, put off by the tone of mystery in his voice. But it only seems to make the other Elemental Masters more excited.

Griffin Turner, the Master of Speed, grins as he skates over to Clouse, a few others following closely behind. “Who’s fighting? Tell us now.”

Clouse begins to back into the doorway, shadows masking his face. “The Green Ninja versus the Master of Form.”

Everyone in the room starts to whisper about that, with several glances being shot in Lloyd’s direction. I notice him stiffening beside me, and I glance over to him. His brows furrow, clearly nervous about the fight he was to be participating in.

“Master of Form…? Who’s that?” Lloyd murmurs, glancing over at Kai, who had skated up a moment or two ago.

“You haven’t heard? I hear she can look like anyone. She’d be right under your nose, and by the time you figure it out, she’s already discovered all your weaknesses. Then it’s game over.” Kai explains, skating around Lloyd before stopping, placing a hand on his shoulder as he smiles. “But you’re the Green Ninja. What weaknesses could you have?”

Lloyd groans in response, frowning as he stretches out his back, eyes darting between Kai and I. “Aside from the sore back? Not many.”

Kai grins, giving Lloyd a small salute as he skates away. “Thanks.”

Jay whoops in amusement as he skates over multiple dining booths, doing flips in between each one. I’m about to make a comment about it, but then a voice I swear I had just heard mutters from behind me.

“Skates. Why did it have to be skates?” Kai mutters, holding out his arms in an attempt to balance himself as he skates over to where Lloyd and I are standing. We both whirl around in surprise, eyes widening as we look over at him.

“Kai?” Lloyd exclaims, watching speechlessly as Kai loses his balance, falling face-first onto the floor.

I look over to where I thought Kai had gone, and see him standing a few meters away, grinning at us. There were two Kais?

Lloyd and I share a confused look, unsure if we were imagining things.

Oh, god. I’m finally going insane.

“Watch your back, Green Ninja.” The other Kai mutters, turning away from us. Then, his appearance changes right in front of us, to a girl with purple hair and red lipstick.

Jay’s jaw drops as he skates up next to us, looking as bewildered as I feel. “Oh my god! Did you guys see that too?”

“I don’t know why I’m surprised.” Lloyd sighs, running a hand through his hair as he watches the Master of Form skate off down the hallway that Clouse went through. “Pretending to be Kai to ask about my weaknesses? I have to admit, that’s a good strategy.”

I shake my head, giving Lloyd a firm look as I skate towards the door. “So? Don’t look so ready to give up already. I thought you were tougher than that, Goldie.”

“I am tougher than that.” Lloyd shoots me a glare, helping to steady Kai as the three of them follow me to the doorway and starting down the hallway. “It’s just… unnerving.”

“No kidding.” Kai breathes, face scrunched up in concentration as he tries (and fails) to steady himself. “Having somebody steal my devastatingly good looks wasn’t something I was expecting to happen.”

Jay nods in agreement, letting out a sigh. “This is stressful. I never thought we’d have to face off against so many enemies all at once. Well… except for the Serpentine, the Skeleton Army, the Stone Warriors, the Nindroids…”

My eyes widen as I glance over at Jay. “Sounds like you have a colorful history.”

Jay laughs, giving me a wide grin as he attempts to humbly wave off my comment. “Yeah, we’re sorta celebrities ‘round Ninjago City. You’ve probably heard of us…” He trails off, looking at me expectantly.

I simply shrug in response, refocusing my gaze on the hallway ahead. Sure, I had heard of the ninja- who hadn’t? But I never cared enough to learn their names or their history like some others did. There were fanclubs dedicated to these people- which is not something I want to get myself into.

After a moment or two, Lloyd sighs, brows furrowing with worry as he looks ahead at the other Elemental Masters. “I don’t like the look of this.” He admits, his voice lower when he speaks to the rest of us.

Kai shoots Lloyd a smile, skating up to him and patting his back. “Don’t worry! We’ve got your back.”

He sounds so confident that I actually believe him for a second. That is, until he loses his balance and falls back onto the floor with a groan. Jay just snickers as he helps his friend up, but Lloyd somehow looks even more anxious than before.

Up ahead, there’s a trap door opened, leading us all into a wooden skating rink. We all skate out, looking around with wide eyes. The trap door closes behind us, and Chen’s voice booms over the intercoms.

“Welcome to my favorite event.” He grins, doing some sort of walking-skating combination as he walks over to us. “Thunderblade!”

The Master of Speed perks up at that, causing our attention to turn to him. “Hey! I know this game! It’s just like–”

“No! It’s not like that! It’s my game! I made it up! Fully original!” Chen shouts, brows furrowing as he wobbles over in front of us. He pulls out two Jade Blades and two helmets, tossing one of each to Lloyd, and one of each to the Master of Form. “A Jade Blade for you, Lloyd, Master of Energy. And another for Camille, Master of Form. Rules are simple! Each lap you complete with the blade in your possession, a point! Most points before time expires, you win.”

The Master of Speed– Griffin Turner– huffs, his smile quickly dropping. “Woah, woah, woah. What about us?” He asks, gesturing down to the roller skates on his feet. “Are we supposed to just stand here?”

Chen’s grin widens as he looks over the rest of us, eyes sparkling with mischief. “You get to help anyone you wish, or hurt, for that matter. You’re free to choose sides. I’m not a dictator.”

Griffin and the Master of Light shove past Lloyd and Jay, grabbing helmets that match Camille’s. My heart sinks as I realize that almost everybody is grabbing Camille’s color of helmet. They’re all against Lloyd.

Lloyd seems to have the same realization, brows furrowed as he glances over at Jay. “What was that you said about us having targets on our backs?”

Kai shakes his head, determination on his face as he skates over. “Don’t worry. We’re still a team–” He trails off, his voice growing higher pitched as he skates off, unable to stop himself as he stumbles to the ground. Jay, Lloyd, and I all wince at the sight.

Jay shakes his head, letting out a sigh. “I gotta be honest. This doesn’t look good.”

“You said it.” Lloyd mutters in agreement, looking over at the other Elemental Masters, who are all glaring over at us. He scans the crows, eyes narrowing, as if he’s looking for someone. But he can’t seem to find them, and his eyes widen as he glances back at me. His voice is hesitant when he speaks, a bit quieter than before. “Are you with us?”

I look over at Lloyd, Jay, and Kai (who’s still on the ground). I sigh, feeling a pang of nervousness. Am I with them?

The truth is; yes. I am. Lloyd showed me where my sibling is. He didn’t let me get caught by Chen’s guards last night. I may not trust or even like any of them, but I can be their allies. At least, for now.

I nod slowly, meeting Lloyd’s gaze. “Yeah. I’m with you.”

Lloyd’s face seems to light up at my agreement, his lips curving up into a lopsided smile as he looks at me. I roll my eyes, skating over to the rack of helmets and grabbing a green one. I huff, tossing one to Jay and one to Kai. “Don’t make me regret it.” I mutter, shooting Lloyd a quick glare.

He shakes his head, his smile unwavering. “Don’t worry. You won’t. I hope.” He adds, his voice quieter than before as he glances over at the other Elemental Masters.

Chen clears his throat, now outside of the skating rink sitting in his signature throne. Clouse stands at his side, expression unreadable as he surveys the rest of us. Lloyd gives me a quick nod as he skates up to the starting line next to Camille, while Jay, Kai, and I join the others a couple yards behind them.

“Lloyd, Master of Energy, versus Camille, Master of Form!” Chen shouts, his voice giddy as he bounces up and down in his chair. “Most laps with their Jade Blade when time runs out wins. Loser is out.”

Jay and I share a nervous look, glancing over at Kai (who’s barely managing to stay up on his feet), and then to the other Elemental Masters. My heart sinks as I realize how outnumbered we really are. Did I do the right thing? Am I making a mistake? What would Nico do if they were here?

Before I have time to second guess myself too much, Chen’s voice brings me back to the present. “Thunderbladers! On your mark…”

I steel myself, eyes narrowing as I look at the path ahead. I shake out my hands, trying to rid myself of the increasingly growing anxiety welling up in my stomach.

“Get set… gooooood luck to everyone!” Chen cheers, spinning around in his throne. “But mostly to Camille because we all want the Green Ninja out. Now, go!”

An air horn rings overhead, and Camille and Lloyd skate off. I feel my heart pound against my chest as I watch them, neck in neck as they go forward. I run a nervous hand through my hair, barely noticing as Jay turns his head to speak to me.

“How good are you at skating, exactly?” He mutters, a hint of anxiety in his voice as he glances over at the other Elemental Masters. I shrug, shaking my hand in a so-so gesture. He frowns, but doesn’t have time to respond as the air horn goes off again. He shakes his head, and we all start skating forward.

“It's us against the world, guys.” He calls over his shoulder to Kai, who’s somehow following a few feet behind us. “If Lloyd has any chance of moving forward in the tournament, it’s up to us.”

“Then let’s get moving.” I mutter, narrowing my eyes as I pick up the pace. Jay nods, quickly catching up as we skate forward.

Tox, the Master of Poison, quickly jumps ahead of us, shoving Jay’s shoulder and throwing him off balance. He yelps in surprise, and I reach out and grab his arm, helping to steady him.

“Thanks.” He mutters, shooting Tox a glare.

“Don’t mention it.”

The bell rings overhead, indicating that Lloyd and Camille have finished a lap. I glance over my shoulder, seeing the two contestants starting to catch up behind us. Camille skates forward, quickly slipping past multiple other Elemental Masters. They block the path behind her, preventing Lloyd from getting through. I narrow my eyes, quickly informing Jay.

“They’re blocking Lloyd!” I shout, gesturing in Lloyd’s direction.

“We have to give him room.” Jay agrees, turning to Kai. “I’ve got an idea. Don’t touch anyone.”

Kai sputters in surprise, eyes widening as Jay skates forward. “Wh- then who am I supposed to hold onto?”

Jay doesn’t answer, his hand darting out to shoot lightning at the Elemental Masters blocking the way, pushing them all to the side. He laughs in triumph, and Lloyd gives him a nod as he skates by. “Thanks.”

Kai yells as he follows closely in Lloyd’s trail, clearly struggling to stay up on his feet. I wince as Kai crashes into Lloyd, sending them both to the ground. Some of Chen’s workers laugh nearby, and I roll my eyes as I stop nearby.

“What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to get him to lose?” I yell at Kai, offering out a hand to help Lloyd up. Lloyd takes my hand, hoisting himself to his feet as Kai’s eyes widen.

“Use your powers!” He shouts to Lloyd, pushing himself up on his hands.

“On roller skates? Are you crazy?” Lloyd shouts back, steadying himself on his feet as he grabs his Jade Blade. “I’d never stay on the track!” He skates off, and I shoot Kai a glare as I hurry behind him.

After a few moments we catch up to the group of Elemental Masters, once again blocking Lloyd’s path. I huff, shooting out my hands and blasting them with a gust of wind. They stumble to each side, creating a path for Lloyd to skate through. His eyes widen as he glances over at me, and I gesture to the path.

“What are you waiting for, a red carpet? Go!” I yell, and he doesn’t waste another second as he darts through, quickly overtaking the others.

Out of nowhere, the track slants up in front of Lloyd, sending him up on a ramp. He yelps in surprise, but rolls as he hits the ground, skating forward faster than before. I let out a gasp, eyes widening as I watch him. Okay, maybe these ninja are more impressive than I originally thought.

Jay eventually makes his way back to where Lloyd and I are skating, eyes narrowing as we watch Camille whisper something to the Master of Light up ahead. He nods, quickly disappearing in front of us.

“Wh- where did the Master of Light go?” Jay shouts, eyes widening as he looks around. Before any of us have time to react, the Jade Blade is plucked out of Lloyd’s hand by some invisible force. Lloyd quickly tries to take it back, but it’s already out of his grasp.

Jay lets out a frustrated huff as the Master of Light reappears, the Jade Blade in his hands. Jay skates forward, quickly catching up to him. He shoves the Master of Light in the side, throwing him off balance, and snatches the blade out of his hands.

Lloyd’s eyes widen, and we share a surprised look as we skate up to Jay. “You didn’t learn that in your Mother-Son Skate-Off, did you?”

Jay just rolls his eyes as he tosses the Jade Blade back to Lloyd, who catches it with ease. “It was a fierce competition, Lloyd!” He shouts in response, pushing the Master of Light off the track and face-first into some of Chen’s goons. “And this isn’t the time to judge. It’s the time to skate faster.”

“Okay, okay!” Lloyd laughs, holding his blade up in the air as he finishes another lap. The bell rings, and we continue skating forward.

Up ahead of us, is the Master of Light, Griffin Turner, and Tox. Tox says something to Griffin and laughs as she turns back to face us. I narrow my eyes as she skates backwards, shooting out a stream of poison in the air out in Lloyd’s direction. I instinctively skate up and shove Lloyd out of the way of the poison stream.

He manages to avoid it unscathed, but the poison makes contact with the upper part of my left arm, right below my shoulder. I curse in pain as I feel the poison seep into my bloodstream, shooting Tox a glare. She just laughs, waving innocently as she catches up to the others.

An engine of a large vehicle revs behind us, and we barely manage to dodge out of the way as a large buggy drives past, Camille holding on to the tail as it pulls her along. She laughs as she passes by, waving her Jade Blade at us.

“She has the lead and she gets a lift?” Lloyd sputters, eyes widening as he regains his footing. “I know Chen wants me out, but this is getting ridiculous!”

The Master of Light and Neuro grab Lloyd’s arms, trying to prevent him from progressing any further. Jay growls in frustration, trying to shove Neuro off. But before he knows it, Griffin grabs Jay’s arm, smiling over at Neuro. “Check this out!”

Jay yelps in surprise as Griffin pushes him, using his speed powers to send him around the skating rink time and time again. Jay yells as they pick up more and more speed, and I wince as I watch him crash into Lloyd, sending them both toppling to the ground.

“We are so not loved.” Jay whines, adjusting his helmet.

I narrow my eyes as I glance from Griffin to Lloyd, a thought starting to form in my head. I skate up to Lloyd, who’s starting to get back up onto his feet. “I have an idea.”

He sighs, brushing a strand of hair out of his face. “At this point, I’ll try anything.”

“I hope you’re good at steering.” I link my elbows with his so we’re back to back, and lift my arms out, using my Elemental Powers to push us forward. He laughs breathlessly in surprise, steering us so we avoid any of the other Elemental Masters on the rink.

Jay cheers as we pass the lap marker, pumping his fists into the air. “Yeah, go Lloyd!”

All is going well with my plan for a while, and we manage to make two laps in the time it takes Camille to make one. I’m beginning to feel a spark of hope in my chest as I push us forwards, glancing up at the scoreboard.

But out of nowhere, a burst of fire shoots toward me, and my heart drops to my stomach as I lock eyes with Kai. It’s obvious he didn’t mean to aim at me, but I can’t help but cry out in pain as the flames make contact with the poison wound already embedded into my shoulder.

I curse as Lloyd spins out of my grasp, looking over at me with wide eyes. “Keep going!” I grit out, my entire body aching as the fire mixes with the poison. If he says anything in response, I don’t hear it. My head is pounding, and I clutch the wound on my shoulder with a shaky hand. The skin seems as if it's boiling under my touch, and I stagger to the edge of the rink, propping myself up against the edge.

I let out a breath of relief as I watched Lloyd continue to skate forward, even if my vision was growing more and more fuzzy by the second. Kai shoots me a concerned look over his shoulder, but doesn’t bother to stop as he skates right past me.

I stand there, propped up against the edge of the rink for a few moments, watching helplessly as I watch all the fighters skate on. I contemplate trying to rejoin and help out in any way that I can when a voice clears their throat from behind me. When I turn around to the center of the rink, on the other side of the railing, I see Sensei Garmadon staring back at me.

“Are you okay?” He asks gently, brows furrowed with concern as he takes in my appearance, his gaze lingering for a moment on my shoulder.

I swallow the lump in my throat, trying to ignore the ringing in my ears as I look at him, my brain scrambling for something, anything to say. “I–”

He slowly pries my hand from off my shoulder, his face turning into a grimace as he looks at the wound. I feel nauseous at his reaction, my heart pounding against my chest as I look down at my injured shoulder. “That’s not good. Not good at all.” He murmurs, leaning forward to study it.

The skin sizzles from where the fire made contact with the poison, welts of flesh bubbling up out of place. Blood and poison oozes down my arm, dripping onto the wooden tiles of the skating rink. My nausea intensifies greatly, and it takes all of my concentration to not vomit on the spot. “Oh god.”

Garmadon winces at the sight, his face paling as he looks at the wound. He sighs, turning back to where Chen and the others are sitting. “Is there a medic available?” He calls out, grabbing Clouse’s attention.

Clouse frowns as he looks at me talking with Garmadon, eyes narrowed as he slowly approaches us. “I’m afraid the island’s medic isn’t awake at this time of night. If you have an injury, you’ll have to wait until the morning to get it cleaned up.”

A sigh escapes Garmadon’s mouth as he takes in Clouses’s response, clearly not pleased. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to make do, then.” Garmadon reaches into his robe, pulling out a small first-aid kit.

My eyes widen in surprise, jaw dropping slightly. “Wh– where did you get that from?”

Garmadon just smiles in response, gesturing for a nearby opening by the railing of the skating rink. “A Sensei never reveals his secrets. Now, come. I’ll take care of your injury.”

I nod slowly, my gaze drifting off to where Lloyd and the others are skating. I bite the inside of my cheek, hating myself for feeling so helpless in this situation. “Do you think he’ll be okay on his own?”

A moment of silence passes between us, and Garmadon follows my gaze to watch Lloyd. He sighs, his face filled with concern and empathy when he speaks again. “He will be. He has to be.”

Chapter 5: Troublemaker

Summary:

Shit! What am I doing? Why am I helping this idiot?

Notes:

Sorry it's a shorter chapter :(

—
Nico
—

“You can take my clothes and power, but you’ll never take my super strength!”

A grunt, followed by a pause.

“Alright. So you got that too.”

I try not to laugh as I follow Clouse to the cell Cole’s being held in, covering my mouth with my hand in an attempt to hide my grin. Cole bolts up in surprise as Clouse unlocks the cell, standing in the doorway.

Cole’s eyes widen as he glances from me to Clouse, clearly confused. “You’re letting me go?”

“Of course not.” Clouse grins, his hands folded neatly behind his back as he stares back at Cole. “Your presence is required in the factory.”

“The factory?!” Cole’s brows furrow at that, and he crosses his arms over his chest, shaking his head. “Lock me up for all I care! I’m never gonna lift a finger for you, you despicable–”

I can tell he’s about to go on, but one of Chen’s goons yanks him by the collar of his shirt, dragging him to his feet. Cole yelps in surprise, trying to swat the other man off. “Hey, I’m going, I’m going!”

Cole shoots me a look of confusion as we follow Clouse and the goon toward the factory. I meet his gaze with tired eyes, simply shrugging in response. He’d learn soon enough.

The doors to the factory open, and the four of us step inside. Cole’s eyes bug out of his head as he takes in the scene, laughing breathlessly. “A noodle factory?! Why didn’t you say so?” He beams, his entire face lighting up as he runs deeper into the factory. “This is my kind of place!”

I try not to laugh as I watch Cole run around the factory, inspecting all the machines and what each of them do. It was a change from the dreary routine down here, that’s for sure. I follow him as he explores the factory, my arms folded over my chest. He laughs as he picks up a fortune cookie, turning and showing it to me with wide eyes. “You know there’s a fortune inside those, right?”

“There’s only one rule.” Clouse calls out, eyes narrowed as he watches Cole inspect the factory. “No eating the merchandise.” He steps back, the factory doors slamming shut behind him.

Cole’s smile drops in an instant, a small gasp escaping his lips as he looks down at the fortune cookie in his hand. “No eating the merchandise?” He echoes in disbelief, turning to glare at one of Chen’s goons. “How cruel can this place be?! You’re evil!”

He huffs as he turns around, trying to sneak a fortune cookie into his mouth. But one of Chen’s goons catches him, and plucks the fortune cookie out of his hand, promptly eating it. Cole sighs, a frown tugging at his lips as he turns to me. His eyes narrow slightly as he looks me up and down, noting the matching, dingy orange uniform’s we’re wearing. That all the former Elemental Masters are wearing.

I shrug, leading him to the noodle machine where Karlof is working. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it soon enough.”

Cole scoffs. “Get used to what? Not having powers, or not eating the merchandise?”

“Why not both?” I smirk in response.

Karlof smiles at us as we approach, gesturing for Cole to come closer. “Earth Elemental! Since you new, I show you how to chop noodles.”

Cole and I watch as Karlof pulls the lever down, chopping the noodles into even-sized pieces. Cole looks at me, as if he were silently asking if this was for real. I sigh, my shoulder slumping slightly as I look around the factory. “It’s not ideal. But I can’t figure out anything else we can do in this situation.”

Karlof’s brows furrow as he looks over at Cole and I. “Don’t make trouble.” He mutters, returning his attention to the noodle machine in front of him. Cole sighs, pulling a lever in front of him, mimicking Karlof’s instructions.

Jacob, the former Master of Sound, speaks up from a little ways next to us. “Well, I for one don’t like following rules. The minute you tell me the coast is clear, I’m busting out of here.”

I frown, putting a hand on my hip as I glance over at the shorter, blind man. “Let’s say you do manage to get past the guards. Even then, there’s still the labyrinth, guarded by Clouses’s big-ass snake. Just how do you expect to get past those?”

Cole arches a brow as he looks over at me, clearly a little surprised by my knowledge about this place. Jacob frowns, continuing to work at the noodle machine as he speaks. “You may have already lost hope, but not me. And not my buddy Cole here, am I right?” He grins, looking over to his right.

“Actually, I’m on your left.” Cole clears his throat, glancing over at me with a frown.

“Oh.” Jacob laughs awkwardly, turning his head to the left. “You moved on me. Sneaky ninja.”

—

After what feels like hours of working, the guard nearby walks out the door. Jacob frowns as he listens around, and I can’t help but watch as he begins to sneak around. I sigh, returning my attention to my work.

Cole perks up nearby, starting to walk over toward Jacob. I frown, grabbing his collar and yanking him back. “Bad idea, Earth Boy.”

He shoots me a glare, glancing over to Jacob. “What do you mean? The guard left! This is the perfect chance for us to escape!”

“You’ll see.” I murmur, pointing over to the shorter, blind man. We watch in silence as Jacob sneaks around the factory, slowly getting closer and closer to the door in which we came in. I have to admit, I’m impressed by his manner of getting around, especially due to his blindness. But I know it’s not that easy. It never is.

Jacob presses his back to the wall, opening the door behind him. As the door opens, I can see Clouse walking toward the factory. Cole’s eyes widen, and he begins to yell out toward Jacob. I cup my mouth over his hand, glaring at him. “Shut up!” I whisper-yell in his ear.

Clouse grabs Jacob by the collar of his shirt, frowning down at him. Jacob yelps in surprise, eyes widening behind his dark glasses. “Hey! Not one of you could have warned me?”

Cole struggles under my grasp, but I hold him firmer, refusing to let him turn the other’s attention towards us.

“Make an example of him. Take him to feed my serpent.” Clouse mutters to one of Chen’s goons nearby, shoving Jacob over toward him. Jacob squirms as Chen’s goon picks him up and begins carrying him down the hallway into the labyrinth. The door slams shut behind him, echoing around the factory.

After a moment I let go of Cole, his eyes wide as he glances from the door, to Clouse, and back to me. “Feed his serpent? He doesn’t mean–”

“Karlof not make trouble. Karlof make noodle.” Karlof mutters to himself, his accent thick as he pulls on a lever nearby. I try to warn Karlof that it wasn’t the right lever, but it’s already too late. A bag falls from the ceiling, covering Cole from head to toe in white flour. I wince at the sight, and Cole just sighs.

“I am so not into this dumpling dump after all.”

—

I sigh as we walk down the hallway, bound in a single-file line by thick, heavy chains. My mind is elsewhere, mainly dreading having to sleep tonight. Dreading the nightmares that are awaiting me as soon as I close my eyes.

I’m dragged out of my thoughts as I hear footsteps behind me. I look over my shoulder, eyes narrowing as I watch Cole walk near a cell door nearby.

“What the hell are you doing now?” I murmur, glancing up ahead at the other powerless Elemental Masters. I feel a surge of fear bubble up inside me, but I do my best to shove it down. It’s not my problem. He’s not my problem. Just ignore him.

Cole ignores me, his eyes bright with hope as he peers into the small window in the cell door. “Zane? Is that you?”

“Who the fuck is Zane?” I ask, my face scrunching up in panic as he stops, the chains tugging the rest of the prisoners back.

One of Chen’s workers glares back at us, eyes narrowed. “What’s the holdup?” He barks, surveying our every move.

I curse under my breath, dropping to my knees. “Sorry! Just a sec, I need to tie my shoe.” I call out. Shit! What am I doing? Why am I helping this idiot?

I laugh nervously, pretending to tie my non-existent shoe as I glance back toward Cole. He’s whispering to someone inside the cell, a wide, lopsided smile on his face. I mutter a string of curses as I pretend to tie my shoe, my heart pounding against my chest as I wait for Cole to finish up… whatever he’s doing.

I let out a sigh of relief as Cole catches back up, unable to contain the smile on his face. I scowl back at him as I rise to my feet, dusting my bright orange pants off. “What was that all about?”

Cole just smiles, clapping his hand on my shoulder as he leans closer, whispering into my ear. “From here on out, Nico, I’m making more than noodles. I’m making trouble.”

I arch a brow, glancing at him over my shoulder as we begin to walk forward again. “Oh? And what do you mean by that?”

“Chen can try his best to split up our team.” He starts, his eyes sparkling with determination as he stares at me. “But he’s about to find out what happens when we put ourselves back together.”

Chapter 6: Looking Back At Me

Summary:

“Please prove you’re not the spy. Please.”

—
Lloyd
—

“Try the horned wasp eggs! Delicious!”

I try not to gag as one of the Kabuki ladies offers out a bowl full of wasp eggs covered in honey out toward me. The smell is unbearable, but I force a smile on my face as I glance over at Chen.

“Uh… I think I’ll pass.”

Chen scoffs, throwing a hand out in the air in exasperation as another Kabuki woman offers out a bowl of noodles toward him. “Oh, lighten up, Green Ninja! This isn’t a trick. This is a feast to celebrate the eight of you making it to the second round!”

The Kabuki women laugh, clapping their hands at Chen’s announcement. I frown, looking over the table. He’s right, there are only eight of us left now. Griffin, Skylor, Neuro, Mr. Pale, Gracie, Kai, Jay, and me.

Gracie and I share an uneasy look, both wondering if there’s more to Chen’s celebration than meets the eye.

“And I must congratulate the Master of Light’s defeat over Master of Poison!” Chen calls out, gesturing to Mr. Pale. “She was a bit hard to swallow, am I right?”

The Kabuki ladies begin laughing and clapping again, wide smiles on their faces as they stare over at Chen. They laugh harder as he commands them to do so, and I feel an uneasy chill run down my spine.

Kai clears his throat, and I glance over to him. “You can relax, Lloyd. Even if there was a fight, now that we’ve told the others about Chen’s dirty plot to steal our powers, we’re safe in our secret alliance.”

I nod, looking over at the other Elemental Fighters. Garmadon places a hand on my shoulder, his voice quiet when he speaks. “If you plan to stop Chen, you’ll need everyone on board. Each fighter that loses gives him strength. Soon, he’ll be too powerful for even all of you combined to overcome.”

At the head of the room, Clouse is muttering something to Chen. They both look displeased, and I narrow my eyes. I nudge Gracie’s shoulder, nodding toward the two older men.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” I murmur, leaning slightly closer to her so nobody can overhear.

She frowns, looking over in their direction. She pauses, her voice uneasy when she speaks again. “I’m not sure. But whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

As if on cue, Chen turns his gaze to us, clearing his throat as he looks over the Elemental Masters. “It has come to my attention that there are rumors floating about that I am stealing everyone’s power.”

I hold my breath, absentmindedly taking a fortune cookie from a plate offered out to me as I listen closely to Chen’s words. Chen smiles, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he meets my gaze. “That’s because I am.”

Several gasps echo around the room, and I glance over as some of the other Elemental Masters begin to whisper amongst themselves. Chen’s grin widens, and he gestures to a door near the side of the room.

“But it’s all for this staff.” Chen goes on, the door opening up to reveal a long, blue staff shaped like a snake. My eyes narrow as I watch one of the Kabuki women bring it to Chen, bowing as she hands it over to him. It’s the staff from before!

“The Staff of Elements! It holds the power of your fallen foes. And soon… it’ll hold all but one.” He cheers, holding the staff up into the air for all to see. “For the last standing in my tournament will win this prize and be the greatest fighter ever in the History of Ninjago!”

I frown as I hear the Elemental Masters begin to whisper to each other again, and I push up from the table, glaring over at Chen. “You lie! What about the spell?”

Clouse’s expression is indifferent as he takes a step forward. “Spell? What spell?”

I grit my teeth, glancing over at the Elemental Masters to my right. “Don’t believe him. It’s just another trick. Neuro read Clouse’s mind and saw it.” I point out, gesturing over to the Master of the Mind. “Tell them what you saw, Neuro.”

Neuro’s expression turns uneasy, his brows furrowing as he glances from me to Clouse. “I– I don’t remember. Truthfully, I’m a bit more interested in knowing more about that staff…” He murmurs, clasping his hands together as his attention fixes onto the staff. My heart sinks to my stomach at his words, and it only goes downhill from there.

“And why should we be so quick to believe everything you say?” Griffin asks, grabbing a fortune cookie off of a plate as it’s offered out to him. “How do we know you’re not lying to get the staff for yourself?”

My face morphs into a scowl, and I ball my hands into fists underneath the table as I sit back down in my seat. Do they seriously think I would do something like that? I’m a ninja! We’re here to help people? Why can’t they see that?

Garmadon sighs next to me. “So much for the alliance.”

“They believe him over us?” I ask, my voice raised slightly in disbelief as I gesture over to Chen.

Gracie frowns, leaning closer to the table as we whisper to each other. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure out how to convince them. Somehow.”

“Well, if we’re gonna convince anyone, we need proof.” Jay points out, trying to ignore a fan from a nearby Kabuki lady swatting his face. “We need to– to find that spell– would you cut it out?” He yells, turning his attention to the Kabuki lady.

The Kabuki lady glances around, hiding her face from Chen as she whispers in response. “Jay, it’s me!”

My eyes widen, and we all let out a gasp of surprise. “Nya?”

Nya glares over at us, pressing a finger over her lips. “Lower your voices, I’m undercover.” She whisper-shouts, glancing back nervously at Chen. She sighs, her eyes darting down to her elegant dress and the fan in her hand. “And, to be honest, a bit out of my element.”

My thoughts trail off slightly as she continues whispering to Jay. How did she know we were here? How did she even get here? I can’t help but worry for her - this island is dangerous to anyone that steps foot on it.

“Care to introduce me?” Gracie mutters, snapping me out of my thoughts. My eyes widen as I glance from her to Nya, and I nod, trying to clear my head of my worries.

“Right. That’s Nya. She’s Kai’s younger sister.” I respond, gesturing toward Nya.

“Is it just you here?” Kai asks, glancing around the room to make sure no one else is listening in.

“Darreth is also on the island.” Nya shakes her head, lifting up her arm to show a bracelet, lighting up and crackling as a voice comes through. “And in contact with Wu via a mobile base.”

“Wu is our sensei. And my uncle. Darreth is… well, it’s a long story.” I explain to Gracie.

Gracie nods slowly, her eyes lighting up as she speaks. “Nya, if you’re undercover… that means you could get to Clouse’s spellbook without anyone noticing.” I tilt my head to the side, thinking over her idea. It’s smart, I’ve got to admit.

“Good thinking!” Kai grins, latching onto her idea immediately. “All we know is that it’s on page 149. I think he might have it in his quarters.”

Nya nods, glancing between the group of us at the table. “I’ll look into it. And it sounds like you have your work cut out for you, too.”

Jay frowns, never breaking Nya’s gaze as they continue speaking. “How so?”

“How do you think they found out about your little alliance?” Nya’s voice drops even lower, eyes narrowing as she looks around the room. “Someone in your circle of trust is a spy.”

My heart sinks at her words. That’s… not ideal.

“A spy?” We all gasp at the same time. Clouse glances over at us with a gaze of steel, and Nya shrinks away, rejoining the other Kabuki ladies.

My thoughts begin to race as I look over at the other people at the table. Griffin, Skylor, Neuro, and Mr. Pale. Griffin and Neuro seemed awfully interested in the staff Chen brought out. Could it be one of them? But at the same time, Mr. Pale would have an easy time sneaking out to tell Chen about our plans. And then again, Skylor could mimic the Master of Form’s powers to disguise as a guard and get in close with Chen.

“Who the hell would be working with Chen? Do they have a death wish or something?” Gracie scowls, surveying the others at the table.

Her voice drags me out of my thoughts, and I study her hardened expression. As hostile and angry as she seems, I’m almost certain she’s not the spy. Chen stole her sibling, and she seems dead-set on getting them back. Plus, she’s been the only one that’s sided with us since the beginning. It puts me at ease a little, to know she’s one of us.

I barely notice when Skylor approaches our side of the table, handing a small slip of paper to Kai. “My fortune tells me Cole and your friend Zane will be breaking out. You’re lucky this didn’t end up in the wrong hands.”

My mouth gapes slightly in shock. Thank the First Spinjitzu Master. We could use all the good news we can get right now.

“He found Zane. I can’t believe it!” Kai breathes, his lips twisting up into a grin as he looks at Skylor, who’s now walking away. “Thanks, Skylor. It’s good to know there’s some people here we can trust.”

“A spy…” Jay trails off, glancing around the table at the others. “Who do you think it is?”

Kai narrows his eyes, his smile dropping as he looks around the room. “I have my suspicions.”

—

“Lloyd, we need to talk.” Kai says, crossing his arms over his chest. We’re in his bedroom, waiting for the others to arrive. We told the other Elemental Masters about a meeting to try and figure out who the spy is, and it should be starting in just a few minutes. My father is standing watch outside, and Jay should be here any second now.

I nod, tilting my head to the side as I turn to Kai. “About what?”

“About Gracie.” He frowns, studying my expression as he goes on. “I think she might be the spy.”

I laugh in disbelief at his words, shaking my head. “What? Are we talking about the same Gracie here?”

He sighs, running a hand through his spiky hair. “Look, I know you’ve gotten close to her. But maybe that’s what she wants. Maybe she wants to get close so she can learn our weaknesses and take us down later on.”

“How the hell does that make any sense?” My smile drops, and I cross my arms over my chest defensively. “She’s been the only one that’s actually been on our side for a while now.”

“Have you met her? She’s an asshole! There’s no way she’s actually trying to help!” Kai points out, waving his hands in the air. “Think about it, Lloyd. She’s the only one that’s been on our side since the beginning. What if Chen sent her to be on our side so we’d automatically trust her?”

“Kai, you’re being ridiculous.” I scoff. I think back to that day I caught her sneaking out, trying to find Nico. She had no clue that there were tunnels there. She had no clue Chen was stealing people’s powers. There’s no way she could be the spy.

“She’s not a good person, Lloyd. She’s just gonna end up hurting you. I don’t want to see that happen.” Kai insists, his voice a bit desperate.

“She’s not the spy.”

“Lloyd, you need to listen–”

“She’s not!”

My voice comes out a little louder than I had expected it to, and Kai’s eyes widen in surprise. I let out a sigh, and I open my mouth to apologize when the door swings open. Jay and Gracie walk through, deep in conversation about something.

Jay’s smile drops as he looks between Kai and me. “Woah, did we interrupt some big-brother-little-brother bonding thing?”

Gracie tilts her head to the side, studying my expression. “You two do act a lot like brothers, huh?”

Kai scoffs, turning away from the others. “Forget it.”

I sigh, forcing a smile as I look over at Jay and Gracie. “It’s nothing. He’s just being pissy for no reason.”

Kai mutters something under his breath that I can’t quite make out, but I decide to ignore it.

“Yeah, what else is new?” Jay snickers, grinning at me. “So, what’s the plan? Just interrogate the shit out of everyone ‘til they ‘fess up?”

“Well… my father was telling me about the time when he studied under Chen. So I have a few ideas on how to get information out of these guys.” I nod, glancing toward the door.

After a little while, Skylor, Neuro, Mr. Pale, and Griffin all arrive. They file into the room quietly, shooting nervous glances at one another. I frown as I survey them. One of them has to be the spy. They have to be.

When everyone settles in, I clear my throat, taking a step forward. “Alright. No one leaves this room until we find out who is passing information to Chen. My father is keeping watch outside the door, so don’t even think about leaving until we’re done here.”

Neuro nods, his voice quiet when he speaks. “Perhaps I can help.” He places a hand to his temple, eyes fluttering shut as he reads the minds of the people in the room. After a couple moments he sighs, his brows furrowed in frustration. “I don’t know who, but someone here isn’t who they say they are.”

Skylor scoffs, folding her arms over her chest as she looks Neuro up and down. “How do we know we can trust you? Maybe I should use your power and see inside your head.”

Neuro frowns, taking a step toward Skylor. “I’d like to see you try, power hoarder.”

It looks like Skylor is about to throw a punch at Neuro, but Kai steps between them, pushing them both away. “Stop! This is what Chen wants. For us to fight. But we don’t have to. There has to be a more civilized way around this.”

I nod in agreement, thinking back to the conversation I had with my father earlier. “There is. My father told me that anyone who’s ever worked for Chen has the Anacondrai tattoo on their back. If we find the tattoo, we’ll find the spy. Anyone object?”

The room falls silent. I swear I see Gracie stiffening in the corner of my eye, but she doesn’t object either.

Neuro steps forward, revealing his shoulder and the top left corner of his back. He doesn’t have a tattoo. “Can I go now?” He asks, his voice annoyed as he looks between us.

“Not until we check everyone.” I interject, taking a step in front of the door to make sure no one tries to sneak out. “Who’s next?”

“Let’s get it on!” Griffin grins, peeling off the top corner of his shirt. No tattoo there either. Jay, Kai, and I follow, revealing our backs after. Obviously we don’t have the tattoo, but we just want to make sure that no one thinks we’re the spy.

I turn to Gracie, who looks a little pale. I frown as I take a small step toward her, tilting my head to the side slightly. “Hey. Can we check you now for the tattoo?”

Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head. “I’d prefer if you didn’t.”

I pause, a little hesitant as I reach out toward her. “It’ll be quick, I promise. We just have to make sure you’re not the spy.”

I reach out to grab her upper arm, and she flinches, taking a step back. My heart sinks at her reaction. No, no no no. It can’t be. She- she can’t be.

She tightens her jacket around her arms, eyes darting around the room nervously. By now, everyone in the room is staring at us, observing what’s happening.

“We need to see your back, Gracie.” Kai growls, his expression dark as he takes a step forward, stopping by my side. “You need to prove you’re not the spy.”

“I– I’m not. I swear.” She stammers, her face flushed red with embarrassment as she looks around the room, backing up toward the wall. Her eyes are wide with desperation as she looks at me, silently pleading for help. “Come on, Goldie. Tell them. You know I’m not the spy.”

“Gracie,” I manage to say, my voice hoarse and slightly shaky when I speak. “Please prove you’re not the spy. Please.”

Her gaze fixes on mine, eyes wide with fear and hesitation. I take the smallest step toward her, but she darts away. Before any of us can stop her, she’s bolting for the sliding doors leading to the balcony.

Kai curses loudly, and we both run after her. But she’s too fast. By the time we even make it to the doors, she’s already jumped off the balcony and landed safely on the cobblestone floor below.

Gracie glances up at me, her face morphed into an expression of pain and regret. But she doesn’t say anything as she slips away, leaving us all behind.

My heart pounds in my chest as I watch her leave, my hands shaking as I grip the balcony railing. There has to be a good reason for this. Right? There has to be some reason why she wouldn’t let us see her back.

But my hopes are fading fast. What reason could be good enough for her to not let us see her back? Why did she flinch when I grabbed her? What is she hiding?

“It was Gracie. She’s the spy.” Kai mutters, glaring down at the ground where Gracie had dropped down. My mind is elsewhere as Kai and I return to the room, sliding the door shut behind us. I barely notice when Skylor reveals her back as she walks out of the room, void of any tattoo.

Before I know it, the other Elemental Masters have left, shooting us glares as they walk out. Jay sighs, flopping down onto a plush bench nearby. “I can’t believe it.” He murmurs, running a hand through his hair. “Gracie’s the spy. I really thought she was on our side.”

I instinctively open my mouth to defend her, but quickly clamp it shut. There’s no denying it. How can I? Everything adds up. She’s the spy.

Kai shoots me a sympathetic look, but I turn away before he can say anything. My heart aches as I leave the room, wondering how I could have ever trusted her in the first place.

Notes:

... is she though

Chapter 7: Escape

Summary:

They look up from the conveyor belt, their nose scrunching in distaste as their green eyes meet mine. They sigh, shaking their head. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

I smirk, eyes sparkling with mischief and excitement as I nod. “Better believe it, sweetheart. ‘Cause it’s happening.”

Notes:

toxic yaoi pt 2 (featuring zane)

—
Cole
—

As much as I love egg rolls, I’ve decided that I love freedom even more.

I watch as the guard covered in Anacondrai tattoos shoves a whole egg roll into his mouth, smiling as he talks to the other guards nearby. Under any other circumstance I would’ve been more interested in the food he’s eating. But today all I care about are the jingling keys attached to his hip.

I return my attention to the conveyor belt in front of me, pretending to work on chopping some noodles. I nudge Nico in their side, a ghost of a smile tugging at my lips as I tilt my head in the guard’s direction.

“It’s time.” I whisper to them.

They look up from the conveyor belt, their nose scrunching in distaste as their green eyes meet mine. They sigh, shaking their head. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

I smirk, eyes sparkling with mischief and excitement as I nod. “Better believe it, sweetheart. ‘Cause it’s happening.”

Before they have a chance to respond, I leap over the conveyor belt and dart across the cold stone floor of the factory. I can hear them calling after me, but I don’t have time to register their words as I jump up onto a different conveyor belt, grabbing the noodles from the dispenser and shoving them in my mouth. My stomach growls in approval, having been craving this for days.

I hear the other factory workers cheer at my display as the guards yell at each other to do something. One of the guards runs towards me, swinging their jagged stone spear at my feet. I leap out of the way just in time, swallowing the last of my noodles as I hop down from the conveyor belt. I can’t help but laugh as the guard stares at me in shock.

“Hey, look out!” Nico calls. I turn around, eyes widening as two other guards approach me from behind. Just before they can reach me, a cart of flour slams into them, knocking them to their feet.

I look to where the cart had come from, eyebrows shooting up in surprise as I realize that Nico was the one who had pushed it. Their chest heaves as they catch their breath, looking just as surprised as me that they had done that.

Another guard lunges at me, a few others following close on his heels. I dodge out of the way just in time, refocusing my thoughts on the plan. I duck, rolling under a nearby conveyor belt. A few guards trip over it, sending them clambering on top of each other as they try to regain their balance.

I don’t have time to stop and catch my breath, as there are more guards approaching me from every direction. I huff as I grab a box of packaged rice bowls, swinging it into the chest of a nearby guard. He topples backwards, knocking a few others off their feet.

Nico grabs a broom from nearby and whacks some other guards over the head. They shoot me a quick glare as they defend themself, clearly not impressed. “This was your plan?”

I just grin in response as I grab a tray of fortune cookies and slam it into a guard’s face. “ My plan was different. I wasn’t expecting you to actually help me.”

“And let you have all the fun? I don’t think so.”

I laugh at that, my heart racing with adrenaline from the fight. The guards are beginning to thin out, but I know that there will be more coming our way soon. I run across the factory, grabbing the keys from the head guard before hitting him over the head with the tray. I look over my shoulder, spotting Nico in a scuffle with a handful of other guards.

Before I even realize what I’m doing, I race back towards them. I hit some of the guards in the back of the head with the metal tray, sending them toppling to the ground. I drop the tray, grabbing Nico’s hand instead and dragging them along with me.

Their eyes widen in surprise and confusion as they stumble to keep up with me, glancing back at the guards hot on our trail. “What are you doing?”

“You’re coming with me.” I answer, not bothering to look back at them as we head for the large set of wooden doors. I shove them open, pulling Nico along with me as we dart out.

I hand them the keys before I shut them as quickly as possible, using a large wooden board to block it closed. I can hear the guards yelling from the other side, banging on the door as they try to break free.

I smirk to myself as I take a moment to catch my breath, turning to look at Nico. Their eyes are widened, clearly a little shocked by the turn of events. After a few beats their lips twitch into the beginning of a smile, a soft laugh echoing through the hallways. “I can’t believe that actually worked.”

“You should learn not to doubt me.” I respond, taking the keys from their hand as I start down the damp hallway of the cave. “Come on. We should get out of here before they catch up to us.”

They scoff in amusement, rolling their eyes as they follow me. “Do you even remember where your friend is?”

I pause, a sheepish smile on my face as I look back over my shoulder at them. “I have… a pretty good idea of where he is.”

“You’re unbelievable.” Nico mutters, although there’s not a whole lot of animosity in their tone as they speak. My smile widens at their response. Despite everything, I could feel myself growing rather fond of them.

We lapse into silence after that, their hand tracing the cold walls of the cave hallways as we walk. I glance over at them, unsure of what to say. I clear my throat after a few moments, grabbing their attention.

“Thanks… for helping me, I mean. I’m not sure I would’ve made it out if it weren’t for you.” I admit quietly, avoiding their gaze as I lead us through the seemingly endless hallways. I can’t help but find myself growing nervous of what their response would be. I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. What the hell am I thinking?

They pause as they look over at me, shrugging. “I just didn’t want you getting yourself killed. No need to thank me, Earth Boy.”

I huff at the nickname, rolling my eyes as I feel my face heat up with embarrassment. “For the love of the First Spinjitzu Master, please stop calling me that.”

Nico laughs at my protest, shaking their head as they smirk over at me. “But it’s just so fun watching you squirm.”

I grumble under my breath, rubbing the back of my neck as we approach the cell where Zane’s being held. I push Nico’s words out of my mind as I peek in through the small windows in the doors, looking for my old friend.

After a few minutes of searching, I find him, a breathless laugh of relief escaping my lips as I use the keys to unlock the door to his cell. Zane’s sleeping (that is, if Nindroids can sleep) when I walk in, Nico following me close behind.

Nico’s eyes widen slightly as they look at Zane, in all his shiny titanium glory. “So… this is your friend.”

I nod, a small smile on my lips as I walk over to Zane, using the keys to unlock the chains on his hands. “That’s right. He’s a lot shiner than the last time I saw him, though.”

They snort in amusement at that, and I shake Zane slightly, trying to wake him up. I would prefer him walking as opposed to carrying him. He’s probably heavy as hell.

“Zane. Zane, wake up.” I say, a rush of relief flooding through me as his eyes open. He blinks as he looks up at me, beginning to smile as he processes me being here.

“Cole… you’ve returned!” Zane grins, and I laugh as I help him to his feet.

“Of course I did. I promised you I would.” I remind him, my smile spreading over my face as I pull him into a hug. “Now, get over here, you shiny new tin can!”

Zane smiles as he returns the hug. He’s a lot colder than he used to be; probably due to his new state and being cooped up down here for who knows how long. After a few moments Nico clears their throat, their arms folded over their chest as they look over at the two of us.

“Look, this is touching and all, but we should really get out of here.” They say bluntly.

I pull away from the hug, nodding in agreement. Zane pauses as he looks at Nico, but eventually nods as well. “Who are you? I do not recognize you in my database.”

Nico scoffs, rolling their eyes. “Nico Solace. Master of… well, formerly the Master of Shadow. I helped your buddy Cole escape.” They say curtly, tilting their head in my direction.

Zane nods in understanding, heading toward the door. “That is good. I concur with you. We should escape before the guards locate us.”

I laugh as Nico glares after Zane, shooting me a look. “He’s a lot… weirder than I expected.” They say, falling into step with me as we follow Zane out the door.

“You’re one to talk.” I retort, nudging their shoulder with my own as we start down the hallways.

They huff, rolling their eyes in response. I just laugh again, looking forward to how the three of us would work together. It was going to be entertaining, that’s for sure.

—

“Not that way! That will just take us back to where we started!” Zane points out as we run.

Nico rolls their eyes. “Maybe the robot should be leading.” They say, clearly frustrated with us both by this point.

I sigh, shoulders slumping slightly as I fall back, allowing Zane to take the lead. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Nico opens their mouth to speak again, but a loud cry from deep in the hallways echoes off the walls, stopping us in our tracks. My heart sinks as I recognize what it is. It’s the damned snake from the first night we were exploring the tunnels to find Zane.

“What the hell is that?” Nico growls, eyes narrowing as they look around the tunnels, taking a small step back.

“I am not familiar with that sound,” Zane agrees, his voice a bit panicked.

“I am,” I breathe, shaking my head as I turn around, running in the other direction. “We need to move! Now!”

Zane frowns as he turns around. “I thought I was leading!”

“Just trust me!” I call over my shoulder, watching as Nico and Zane exchange glances. My heart drops as I hear the roar again, watching the large snake emerge from the hallway behind them. Their eyes widen, and I watch both of them break out into runs, following after me.

“I hate this goddamn island!” Nico yells as they and Zane catch up to me. I swallow the lump in my throat, nodding as we run down the hallways. Our footsteps echo off the walls, the sound resonating along with the loud cries of the snake behind us.

We hardly have time to stop as we turn a corner, seeing a dead end in front of us. I curse, feeling myself begin to panic as I glance behind me.

“This… isn’t a wall.” Zane mutters, placing his hand on the barrier in front of us. “It’s the body of a large serpent.”

I shake my head, backing up. “Come on. We have to find another way.”

Nico and Zane nod in agreement, following close on my heels as we start running again, searching desperately for an exit.

Time after time we run into the body of the snake, until we’re stuck, watching as it begins to move through every opening around us.

“The serpent’s strategy seems to be to surround us and coil inward.” Zane says, spinning as we watch the snake’s walls begin to grow closer and closer. “Very clever.”

Nico growls, their hands clenching into fists at their sides as they look around us for any means of escape. “Yeah, yeah, the snake is smart. Now, if you’re done praising it, I would love to hear your ideas of how to escape!”

Zane begins to respond, but then the head of the snake appears from one of the hallway openings, lunging towards the three of us. We yell in surprise, jumping out of the way just in time. We scramble to move out of the way, ending up at a dead end as the snake moves closer and closer.

“It was nice knowing you guys. But I think this is really our dead end.” I mutter, panic flooding my brain as the snake watches us, slowly creeping closer.

“Now is not the time for jokes,” Nico mutters, their back pressed against the wall as they glance over at me.

The snake lunges towards us. We jump out of the way, allowing its head to slam into the cold, rocky wall. I gasp as I push myself to my feet, glancing over at Zane.

“I don’t suppose you could freeze him?” I ask, my voice almost pleading as I watch him and Nico scramble to their feet.

“Chen took my powers, just like everyone else,” Zane responds, shaking his head as he looks up at the snake. “Pixal, calculate escape scenarios.”

“Pixal? You’ve got a girl stuck in your head?” I ask in disbelief, eyes widening as I watch Zane look around the room.

He then lifts up his hand, dispensing shurikens from his metal body. The shurikens surround us, implanting themselves into the floor. Before I can ask what the hell he’s doing, the shurikens explode, letting the floor crumble beneath us. Nico and I yelp in surprise as we fall through the floor into a different section of tunnels.

I blink in surprise as the three of us get to our feet, seemingly snake-free for the time being.

Nico lets out an impressed laugh, smiling over at Zane. “Okay. Maybe you’re not so bad after all.”

Zane glances at them and then to me, ignoring their version of a compliment. “We must move quickly if we want to escape.”

I nod in agreement. “Lead the way.”

—

“We’ve been roaming these halls for hours. Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Nico groans, glaring at Zane as we follow after him.

Zane nods, unaffected by their complaints.

I pause as I hear voices from down the hallway. I peek around the corner, watching as a pair of guards walks in the opposite direction.

“They’ve ordered everyone after some Kabuki girl.” One of them says to the other.

The other guard frowns. “What about the two escaped factory workers?”

The first one rolls his eyes. “Oh, forget them. Chen will make sure the other workers pay for their actions. Poor saps.”

I frown as I process his words, a sense of dread filling me as I realize what they mean. “Poor saps?”

Zane shakes his head, putting a hand on my shoulder and pulling me back slightly. “Hurry, the exit is just around the bend!”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “You go. I can’t.”

Nico’s eyes widen in surprise, their expression quickly shifting into one of shock and confusion. “What? Why not?”

“A ninja doesn’t save himself. He protects those who can’t protect themselves.” I say, turning around, facing the hallway that leads back to the factory room. My face sets with determination, clenching my hands at my sides. “I have to go back. I have to go back and save them all.”

Zane nods, a small smile on his face as he puts a hand on my shoulder. “And a ninja never leaves another ninja’s side.”

Nico drags a hand down the side of their face, clearly contemplating their options. Then they sigh, nodding in agreement. “You’re right. We can’t just leave them to suffer because of us.”

A ghost of a smile tugs at my lips as I look between the two of them. “We’ll get off this island one day, you guys. I promise. But it’s either all of us, or none of us.”

Chapter 8: Whiplash

Summary:

“Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon! What in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master do you think you’re doing?!”

—
Gracie
—

I hate this. I hate it here. I thought I couldn’t hate it any more than I already did, but I proved myself more than wrong.

No one’s spoken a word to me since the meeting yesterday to find out who the spy was. Other than Chen’s guards poking fun at me, that is. Although I’ve been treated to more than a few glares by the other contestants.

Not that I can blame them.

I mentally cringe whenever I remember how I had reacted when they had asked to see if I had an Anacondrai tattoo. Why the hell had I run away? Maybe if I had just pulled one of them aside to explain, yeah, I have a huge unhealed poison-burn wound on my shoulder and it’s nasty as hell so you probably don’t want to see it…

No, that’s stupid. They wouldn’t have believed that. Even though it’s true.

And now, for some reason, I’m in a blimp. Surrounded by a whole bunch of people who think I’m working for Chen. Which makes me wonder…

Who actually is the spy?

Everyone here believes it’s me. Except for two people: Myself, and the spy themself. They know what they’re doing. They let the blame fall onto me so they could remain undetected. They’re clever, I’ll give them that. I just wish I had any sort of lead as to who it could be. Or any sort of help…

I sigh as I look at the people sitting on the benches of the blimp. Most of them are silent, staring out the window with their arms crossed over their chest. When I look over, I see Kai and Lloyd glaring at me. Jay refuses to meet my gaze, and Sensei Garmadon looks more confused than anything else.

My heart sinks when Garmadon whispers something to Lloyd, and he shakes his head in response. I don’t even want to know what they’re whispering about.

I sigh as I slump back in my seat, fidgeting with my hands. As egotistical and overconfident as they are, the ninja were fun to be around. I wish things had worked out differently. But I can only blame myself for that.

“Tensions are high,” Garmadon murmurs, breaking the uneasy silence in the blimp.

“Not as high as we are now,” Lloyd responds, turning and looking out the window. “I can hardly see the island from up here.”

Neuro bolts up from his seat, glancing frantically around the blimp. His forehead is slick with sweat as he heads toward the cockpit. “I’ve had enough of this. I can’t stand heights… where’s Chen?”

He swings open the door to the cockpit and…

there’s no one there.

Neuro lets out a shaky gasp of surprise as his eyes dart around the cockpit, clearly in disbelief. Before he can say anything else, a large screen flickers to life, showing Chen’s face much closer than I would’ve cared to see. His face is scrunched up with frustration, clearly struggling with something.

“How do I know if this thing is on… oh, I see, the light… oh, I’m on! Right now– ahem.” Chen straightens himself, obviously not really knowing what he’s doing.

The rest of the Elemental Masters have stood up by now, gathering around the small doorway leading to the cockpit, watching the screen. I frown as they all crowd around the doorway, leaving me struggling to see over them.

“Hello final eight! I see you are all eager for the tournament to commence so one of you can win my Staff of Elements!” Chen cheers, lifting his hands in the air excitedly. “Instead of fighting for a Jade Blade, today you will be fighting for something different.”

Chen presses a button and the screen changes, this time to an overhead view of the jungle, zooming in on a familiar young woman. My eyes narrow as it clicks in my head who it is- it’s Nya, Kai’s sister.

“Nya,” Kai murmurs, eyes widening with concern as he looks at the screen.

Skylor raises a brow as she glances over at Kai. “You know her?”

“She’s my sister.”

Chen’s voice crackles over the intercom as Nya runs through the jungle. “We have an uninvited guest on the island…”

“And she must be holding the proof that will stop Chen,” Kai goes on, his voice tinged with worry.

“Find her, and you will automatically move on to the final round!” Chen informs us, his voice so cheery it’s almost making me nauseous.

“The spell he plans to use when he takes our powers.” Kai frowns, clearly uneasy.

“Woah woah– he wants us all to hunt her down?!” Jay exclaims, eyes wide with panic. “She won’t stand a chance!”

“Then we have to find her before anyone else does.” Lloyd says, brows set with determination as he looks over at Jay.

Chen’s face reappears on the screen, a devilish grin on his face. “In 10 seconds, the bottom will drop.”

A chorus of gasps and whimpers from the Elemental Masters are heard in response. Neuro, in particular, looks like he’s about to pass out.

“But, to show you I’m not a bad man, I’ve given you eight parachutes!” Chen goes on. From behind us, eight sets of parachutes drop from out of the ceiling. Just then, the floor begins to open up, sending gusts of wind up into the blimp.

The Elemental Masters all scramble to grab the parachutes, yelling and shouting at each other. I’m frozen in place as I watch the floor slowly open, my heart racing as I try to think of a plan.

“Oh, Sensei Garmadon is there too?” Chen asks, his voice far too innocent to be sincere. “Shoot, that makes nine. Well, I was never good with math. Heheh! Toodle-oo!”

My hands are slick with sweat as the floor of the blimp opens more, leaving all of us nearly horizontal.

“This guy’s love for trap doors is seriously starting to get on my nerves!” Lloyd shouts.

Then, the gap becomes too large. Everyone falls out, the parachutes scrambling throughout the air. I can hear screams and shouts from the other Elemental Masters as they try to grab the parachutes. The wind races past us as we fall toward the island, nearly making me feel dizzy by just how fast we’re falling.

“Lloyd! Use your Elemental Dragon!” Jay shouts.

Skylor and Griffin Turner are able to secure their own parachutes, pulling the strings and drifting easily down to the surface.

“I can’t!” Lloyd replies after a few moments, his voice strained and full of panic.

Jay grunts as he lands on top of Griffin’s parachute, rolling off and holding onto the edge of the fabric.

“Get your own ‘chute!” Griffin shouts, clearly not impressed by Jay trying to catch a ride.

After a few moments Jay manages to grab a parachute falling nearby. He shouts with joy as he catches it, quickly slipping it on and pulling the string.

When I look around, Neuro, Kai, and Mr. Pale have also been able to secure their own parachutes. I can hear Garmadon shouting something to Lloyd, but I can’t quite make out what it is.

The island below us is growing closer and closer. Which means I have less and less time to grab a parachute.

Luckily, there’s one just a few feet out of reach. After a few moments of struggling, I manage to grab it, yanking it closer.

When I look over, I’m relieved to see Sensei Garmadon has also managed to grab a parachute. But due to the uneven number, Lloyd has not. He seems to have realized this as well, looking over at me with a cold glare.

He’s too far out of reach to make it to Garmadon in time. He’d hit the island and turn into a green pancake before he even got close.

I curse under my breath as I look at the parachute in my hands. Then I swing it towards him, using my Elemental Powers to boost it in his direction. “Catch!”

Lloyd’s eyes widen with surprise as the parachute flies towards him. He catches it with ease, quickly adjourning it and pulling the string. The parachute releases, letting him fly slowly downward.

I don’t have any time to pat myself on the back as I watch the island grow closer and closer. There’s just a couple of seconds before I hit the treeline. I can feel the adrenaline racing through my veins, the terror in my racing heart. Sure, I was good with heights, but not under circumstances as stressful as these.

I shake myself out of my own thoughts. You can do this. No pressure or anything. You just gotta stick the landing.

Just before I hit the treeline, I shoot my hands forward, using my Elemental Powers to warp the wind around me, slowing my fall. And it does slow my fall. Unfortunately, though, it does not stop the branches from tossing me around as I fall through them, leaving me with more than a few scrapes.

After a few moments I fall to the ground with a small thump, relatively uninjured and, more importantly, alive.

I groan as I roll onto my back, blinking as I stare up at the trees. That was a stupid idea. An awesome, heroic idea, but still stupid.

After a few moments I push myself to my feet, wincing as I dust myself off. I look around, taking in my surroundings. There’s trees and bushes and logs as far as the eye can see. I sigh as I slowly turn around. Where am I even supposed to start?

Before I can think any further on that, Chen’s voice echoes throughout several speakers throughout the forest. Great. Even in the middle of the jungle I’m not safe from his annoying voice.

“I have left a few treats to help you in the hunt! I hope you use them wisely!”

When I look around, I don’t see anything that he would consider treats. But I’m sure that soon enough I’ll stumble upon something.

So without any other idea of a plan, I start off in a random direction, hoping for the best.

Although I don’t make it far before I feel a blunt force to my back, sending me falling forwards.

I yelp loudly as I fall to the ground, quickly trying to steady myself. I glance over my shoulder to see Lloyd, eyes burning with anger as he looks down at me. He’s panting, clearly out of breath, but enraged nonetheless. His blonde hair hangs in front of his face, nearly covering his eyes.

I blink in confusion as I scramble backwards, my back still aching from the blow he landed. “What the hell was that for?!”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Lloyd almost shouts in return, taking a step toward me. “We know you’re the spy. You think giving me your parachute is gonna get you back on my good side? What motive are you working at?”

I huff as I get to my feet, my eyes narrowing as I take a few steps away from him. “I’m not the spy!”

“Yes you are!” Lloyd retorts, following me as I step away. “I should’ve known it from the start. It was so obvious–”

“I’m not!” I shout back, nearly tripping over a root of a nearby tree as I walk backwards, trying to get away from him.

“Don’t lie to me!” He snarls. I try to step back more, but my back meets the wood of a tree, leaving me with the cold realization that I have nowhere to go.

Lloyd steps closer, grabbing me by the collar of my hoodie to make sure I can’t run anywhere. Panic rushes through me as he glares down at me, eyes full of anger… damn, have his eyes always been that green? Wait, what? Focus, Gracie, he’s trying to kill you.

He lifts up his other hand, Elemental Energy swirling around it as he holds it up as a warning. “What’s your motive here?” He asks, his voice low and serious.

I swallow, my gaze darting between his fist and his face. “I don’t have a motive–”

“I told you not to lie to me!” Lloyd yells, his grip on my collar tightening.

Fear overtakes my senses as I look up at him, my mind blanking as I try to figure out what to say. How the hell do I make it out of this alive?

Lloyd opens his mouth to say something else, but another, stronger voice booms from behind him.

“Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon! What in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master do you think you’re doing?!”

Lloyd’s eyes widen, and he immediately lets go of me. I gasp in relief as he turns around, looking at the source of the voice.

Sensei Garmadon walks towards us, a stern expression on his face as he looks between the two of us. “What is going on here?”

Lloyd swallows as he glances over at me, shifting on his feet. “It’s– it’s Gracie, she’s the spy,” he stammers, gesturing towards me.

Garmadon blinks as he looks at his son, shaking his head. “Are you daft? Gracie is not the spy.”

Lloyd frowns, brows furrowing with frustration. “Yes she is! She wouldn’t show her back to show if she had a tattoo while everyone else did!”

Garmadon sighs as he looks at me, understanding washing over his features. “That does not mean she is the spy, my boy.”

“But–” Lloyd starts, clearly confused by his father’s reasoning. “ Why? ”

Garmadon walks closer to us both, looking between the two of us. “Gracie, has your wound from the Thunderblade event healed yet?” He asks gently.

I pause, my face flushing red with embarrassment as I slowly shake my head.

Garmadon nods with understanding. “Do you mind if we take a quick look?”

I bite the inside of my cheek, but I force myself to nod as I tug off my hoodie. I’m wearing a tank top underneath, which very obviously shows my bandaged shoulder… and lack of an Anacondrai tattoo. After a moment of hesitation I slowly peel off the bandages, exposing the wound on my shoulder.

Lloyd and Sensei Garmadon both wince as they look at my wound. I frown as I glance down at it. Scabbing has begun to form over the majority of the area, but poison still sometimes manages to make its way through the cracks if I don’t keep it bandaged tight enough.

“How… how did this happen?” Lloyd asks after a few moments, his voice softer than before as he looks up at my face.

“The Thunderblade event.” I say, pulling out a roll of bandages from my pocket and beginning to wrap them around my shoulder. “Right after I used my powers to push you around the rink a few times. The Master of Poison got me, then Kai somehow hit the exact same spot. It… was not fun.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” I say dryly, not meeting his gaze as I finish wrapping the bandages around my shoulder, making sure they were secure before pocketing the roll again. “But that’s not important. What’s important right now is finding Nya before Chen does.”

After a few moments we choose a direction to start looking, and head off. We quickly fall into an awkward silence as we walk amongst the trees, looking for any kinds of clues. I can’t help but feel like I’m being babysat as Garmadon walks in between Lloyd and me. As if he were nervous we’d break out fighting at any moment.

Which, to be fair, was a pretty reasonable thing to be worried about.

It doesn’t take long before we find a set of footprints embedded into the ground. Lloyd is the first to spot them, and he doesn’t waste any time pointing them out. “Footprints… do you think they’re Nya’s?”

I frown. “I really thought your friend was smarter than leaving footprints out in the open like this.”

“She is,” Garmadon steps forward, taking a closer look. “She wants everyone to follow these.” After a few moments he straightens himself, looking around. Then he points to a small depiction of a samurai cut into a tree, so small I can barely see it from here. “But only us to see this. Her Samurai X symbol.”

I nod slowly, and I can see Lloyd’s face light up with understanding. “She’s leaving clues for where she is.”

“That’s right. And we should get going before anyone else picks up on it.”

For the most part, we walk in silence as we head through the dense jungle. Every so often, we come across another one of Nya’s Samurai X symbols, which gives me a little bit of relief, knowing we’re headed in the right direction.

After finding another symbol, Lloyd turns to his father. “You said that before Master Chen was your Sensei, but… nothing else.” The question is loaded, something he seems to have been curious about for a while. I stay silent, not wanting to impose.

Garmadon sighs as he glances at his son, continuing forward. “Son, there are things from my past I am not proud of. Perhaps it’s time for you to know the truth.”

He pauses for a moment as he looks at me, then goes on, seemingly deciding I was trustworthy of this story. “After the Devourer bit me when I was a child, it took years for the evil to fully consume me. In my early twenties, I studied under Chen, working alongside Clouse. Chen offered a fight between Clouse and me to be his right-hand man and gain lordship… I cheated, but I won.

“It was a time in our history where Man and Serpentine were not getting along. As our sides clashed, we hoped for a truce. But not Chen. I tried to convince him for a truce. But… he distracted me. He had intercepted a letter from my brother to Misako. A love letter. It wasn’t signed… and in my hopes of winning her over, Chen convinced me into signing it off as my own.”

Lloyd stops in his tracks, eyes widening with realization. “Mom thought that letter was from you…?” The way he says it sounds so heartbroken, I can’t help but feel a little guilty for him.

Garmadon’s shoulders slump as he continues walking. “As I’ve told you, there are things in my past I’m not proud of. But I have no regrets.” He turns around and looks back at Lloyd. “You wouldn’t be here otherwise. My fear of losing Misako controlled me and led me down a dangerous path. A path I hope to one day make peace with.”

After a few moments Lloyd nods, following a short distance after his father. I fall into step beside him, not quite sure what to say.

“I’m sorry. That must be really hard to hear about.” I say quietly to him after a while.

He looks at me, his expression unreadable. But then he shrugs. “It’s okay. My family hasn’t ever been… well, normal.”

I let out a soft laugh. “I bet. Having the prophesied Green Ninja as your kid? I’m sure you were a real handful.”

Lloyd’s expression cracks into a smile, and he shakes his head. “No, no. Well, I was a handful. But I didn’t know I was supposed to be the Green Ninja most of my childhood. I, uh, I actually wanted to be a supervillain when I was younger, like my father was at the time.”

“What? No way.” My eyes widen at his confession. There’s no way the Green Ninja, savior of all Ninjago, wanted to be a supervillain as a kid.

“Yeah,” Lloyd laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he glances over at me, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “You know the Serpentine tombs? I was the one who opened those.”

“That was you? ” I can’t help but laugh as I imagine a smaller Lloyd, maniacally laughing as he unleashes the ancient breeds of snakes upon the land. “Man, you were even more of a menace than I originally thought.”

“Yeah, I got an earful from my Uncle Wu about it, don’t worry.” Lloyd assures me, laughing along with me. It feels nice, to be honest. I’ve spent the last 24 hours worrying about how much everyone here hates me. And just like that, I’m not so worried anymore.

After a few moments we catch up to Garmadon and begin to walk alongside him. Lloyd glances over at Garmadon for a second before speaking again.

“Father, I don’t understand. You trained under Chen, yet you fought beside Wu in the wars. What happened to the truce?”

Garmadon pauses, then begins to speak. “When Chen said ‘Never trust a snake,’ he was right. The Serpentine struck first. The Alliance of the Elemental Masters fought back. But they had never seen the likes of an Anacondrai warrior. They were bigger, smarter, natural leaders on the battlefield. The Anacondrai were a proud tribe who fought with every ounce of venom. There was no greater warrior in the land. And with them in command, they proved to be too much for the Alliance to handle.

“Chen stood to gain more if he sided with the snakes, and he wanted me to help him. Though the evil in my veins tempted me, I wouldn’t fight a war for him. I would only fight to see Misako again. From then on, Chen and I went our separate ways. So that I could join my brother in battle. We were the sons of the First Spinjitzu Master. And together, with the Elemental Alliance, we stood a fighting chance.

“But Chen’s influence changed all that. He found a way to turn the Alliance against each other. The battle was all but lost. But in our darkest hour, we found hope. And hope found a way to end the war. The Serpentine were divided and locked away in tombs. Chen and Clouse were exiled. And the Anacondrai generals were given the strictest sentence: Banishment to the Cursed Realm, so that they will never set foot in Ninjago again.”

A few beats of silence pass after that. Then Lloyd speaks up, looking over at his father. “Even after all this time, you never told Wu about your past with Chen?”

Garmadon sighs, his shoulders slumping with guilt. “What would I have said? I would have lost your mother, as well as my brother, not to mention–”

“Someone once told me you need to control your fear, and not let fear control you.” Lloyd points out, hopping over a fallen log.

“Hm, you’re right.” Garmadon smirks, clearly amused by his son using his own teachings against him. “Once we put all this behind us, I’ll make things right. But first, we need to find Nya.”

We continue walking for what feels like hours, searching for any Samurai X symbol we can find. Sometimes, I’m convinced we’re going in circles. And my hope only falters when the sun begins to set beyond the horizon, leaving the jungle bathed in ominous moonlight.

“Is anyone else even a little worried that we haven’t run into anyone yet? Anyone at all?” I ask as I push past a branch in my way.

“It is quite unnerving,” Garmadon agrees.

Lloyd nods and opens his mouth to agree, when a figure runs towards us, nearly slamming into him. It only takes me a moment to recognize her as Nya, and she looks panicked.

“Nya!” Lloyd exclaims, clearly just as surprised as I am to see her.

“They took Jay! They took everyone!” Nya explains, her voice full of desperation as she looks at us.

“Slow down, Nya,” Garmadon tries to assure her, holding out a hand to steady her.

“You two are the only ones left,” Nya looks between Lloyd and me. She hands Lloyd a rolled up page, which he quickly unrolls. “You’re the only ones who can stop it.”

“Stop what?” I ask, looking over Lloyd’s shoulder to see the paper in his hands.

“A transformation spell,” Garmadon reads, brows furrowing with confusion. “It can’t be.”

“Transformation? Transform into what?” Lloyd asks, glancing over at his father with a confused expression.

“An army of Anacondrai.” Garmadon says, and I immediately feel my blood run cold with fear. I had just spent all day hearing about how fierce and strong the Anacondrai were. And now… we were going to have to fight them?

“The tournament may be over, but the next Serpentine War may have just begun.”

Notes:

sorry gang, i really wanted to write this chapter sooner but then i got sick for 2+ weeks!! the fanfic author curse is real :(

Chapter 9: Give ‘Em Hell

Summary:

“That’s okay,” I say after a few beats of silence. “I’ve got your back. And you’ve got mine. Right?”

Gracie blinks as she processes my words. Then she nods, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. “Right.”

Notes:

tw for blood

—
Nico
—

I am so sick of all this food.

When we got back to the underground factory, Cole, Zane and I were all met with surprised expressions. Lots of questions about why we came back. Cole had explained that we were going to devise a plan to get all of them out of there. How, exactly? Well, that was the problem.

At first, Zane had analyzed the sewer systems and found that they would hold up beneath all of our weight. But then, a plump man dressed in all brown was thrown into the factory as well. Cole and Zane knew him – they said his name was Darreth. But his arrival threw Zane’s calculations off. Our sewer escape would no longer work. (I was a little happy about that, to be perfectly honest. I wasn’t particularly thrilled about the idea of walking waist-deep in sewage.)

But then Karlof brought up the fact that he had built rocket launchers at his old job in Metalonia. Cole and I were a bit skeptical of the idea at first, but Zane said that this was our only other means of escape.

So here I am now, pretending to inspect fortune cookies while I watch Karlof hammer away at the rocket launcher in the corner of my eye. But my attention is quickly drawn away from him when I see one of Chen’s guards shove a familiar young man in our direction.

Cole’s usually stoic expression cracks into a lopsided, hopeful smile as Jay steps up to the conveyor belt where we’ve been looking over all the fortune cookies. “Psst!”

Jay turns towards us, his eyes lighting up with recognition as he looks at Cole and Zane. “Cole? Zane? Is that you?” He gasps as he looks Zane up and down, taking in his new titanium form. “You look amazing!”

I quickly shush him, eyes darting around the factory to make sure none of Chen’s guards had overheard his gleeful statements. “Not so loud!”

“They think we’ve escaped and don’t know we’re here.” Cole adds, nodding in agreement.

Jay blinks, clearly in awe but still a little confused with the whole situation. “What? Why would you come back?”

I feel a mischievous smile creep onto my lips as I glance over at Cole. “‘Cause we’re breaking everyone out.” I say quietly as I turn my attention back to Jay, making sure no one but us would be able to hear it.

“Correction,” Zane interjects, pointing to Karlof, who’s hammering away at the large metal jet in the corner of the factory, “We’re building our way out.”

Cole nods, adjusting the bright orange cap on his head, meant to hide our faces from the guards. “They think we’re fixing the noodle machine. But we’re actually fixing a Roto Jet.”

Jay frowns as he looks over at Karlof. “A Roto Jet? But aren’t we underground?”

“Right?!” I agree, throwing my hands up into the air in exasperation.

“That’s what we’ve been saying!” Cole agrees.

Karlof turns over towards us, giving us a grin. “What happened to positive thinking?”

That catches one of the guard’s attention. He leans over the railing of the walkway suspended from the ceiling. “No talking! And hurry up with that noodle machine!”

“Okay, okay,” Karlof nods, hoisting his wrench up into the air. “It will be ready soon! When ready, noodles will fly out of here!”

I try not to facepalm at the obvious statement. Luckily, the guards obviously weren’t too bright. If they picked up on Karlof’s obvious wording, they didn’t seem to show it. I sigh as I return my attention to Jay. “Are you the only one who’s been eliminated from the tournament?” I ask, looking around the factory to find any other Elemental Masters.

Jay’s expression falls for a brief moment at my words. He glances over his shoulder with a nod, gesturing to a few vaguely familiar figures that have begun working in the factory alongside us. “Far from it. Everyone’s been eliminated.” He shakes his head, an easygoing smile returning to his face. “Except Lloyd and Gracie, that is! Which makes everything okay, because surely they’re going to come save us.”

His words make me pause. Will Lloyd and Gracie really be able to get us out of here? Cole, Zane and I were barely able to survive the tunnels underneath the island ourselves. And that was before we had to worry about more than a dozen other people. Not to mention all of Chen’s guards, Clouse, Clouse’s snake, and Chen himself…

I snap myself out of it. Sure, I don’t know Lloyd that well. Or at all, for that matter. But if I know anyone, it’s my sister. Gracie may not be the toughest person, but she’s got the biggest heart out of anyone I’ve ever met. I know that she won’t stop until everyone is safe.

I just have to trust in her.

—
Lloyd
—

“Don’t you trust me?”

“No. Not even a little bit.”

I groan in frustration, dragging my hands down my face as I turn away from Gracie. This girl is so goddamn infuriating… How the hell does she think we’re gonna defeat Chen if the two of us can’t even stay out of an argument for ten minutes?

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I’m no help to anyone if I’m on edge like this. I just need to calm down. I can do this…

After a few moments, I feel my body begin to relax. I turn back to Gracie, who arches a brow when I meet her gaze. Her arms are folded across her chest as she leans against a tree, watching me in silence.

“Look,” I say, trying to make my voice sound gentle and convincing. “We need to be able to work together if we want to stop Chen. You don’t like me. I get it. I’m not the biggest fan of you, either.”

“You accused me of being the spy without any evidence. You tried to kill me after I saved your life with that parachute yesterday. I think I’m justified to dislike you. Or not want to trust you.” Gracie says bluntly, her gaze hardening as she stares at me.

I feel my face flush red with embarrassment. “You didn’t have any evidence you weren’t the spy!” I point out, although the excuse falls lamely from my tongue.

She’s right, and I hate her because of it. She’s done nothing but try to help me since the very beginning. And I’ve been nothing but an asshole to her in return. Honestly, I feel really guilty because of it.

“Oh, I had evidence. You were just too much of an idiot to realize it.”

Nevermind. I don’t feel guilty anymore.

I’m just about to say something just as harsh in response when my father and Nya emerge from the trees, walking over to us with solemn expressions. I let out a soft breath of relief as I turn toward them, grateful I wouldn’t have to be alone with Gracie anymore.

“Anything?” I ask them, trying not to let myself sound too hopeful. I could really use some good news right now.

My father frowns, shaking his head as he sighs. “No openings that we could spot. We scouted out the entire perimeter and found Chen’s guards everywhere.”

I feel my expression fall. My brows furrow in frustration as I peek through the trees, looking at Chen’s palace from afar. “He knows we’re coming. But we can’t just hide here and do nothing.”

“We have to wait until nightfall. There’s far too many. There’s no chance we’d outnumber them.” Nya says, sounding just as frustrated as I feel.

“And then what? Every moment we’re out here, he grows more powerful–”

“Son,” Garmadon starts, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Chen grows strong by taking from others. Real power does the opposite. It empowers those around you. Like the way you’ve empowered me. We will get you to Chen. And you will destroy his staff.”

I can feel my anger begin to fade as my father speaks. His words send a sense of peace through me, resonating in my mind. I nod slowly as I look up at him.

“Besides. Chen probably took everyone’s powers the moment they got back to the palace.” Gracie points out, tilting her head to the side. “He’s already as powerful as he can be at this moment. We don’t have anything left to lose.”

I glance over at her, arching a brow. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

She shrugs. “I’m just being realistic.”

Luckily, the sun is already beginning to set, so it should only be an hour or two until it’s dark enough for us to sneak inside. None of us talk much as the time passes. After all, there’s not much to talk about. The silence hangs heavy in the air as we wait, watching Chen’s palace as the sun dips below the horizon and the moon begins to rise to take its place.

I wonder what the other ninja are doing right now. All I know for sure is that Cole was able to sneak a message into a fortune cookie and get it to us. I have no idea what’s happened to him and the others, other than the fact that their powers have surely been taken away. For now, there’s nothing more I can do other than pray to the First Spinjitzu Master that they’re alright.

After what feels like an eternity or two of waiting, it’s finally dark enough out for us to sneak in. We creep through the forest towards the palace, scaling an abandoned tower wall and looking down at the remaining guards.

“Remember, destroy the staff and everyone’s power returns,” Garmadon reminds me, his voice hushed as we peek down over the railing. “You came here to make your team whole. Finish the job.”

I nod, feeling a rush of adrenaline as I pull my mask over my head. Nya shoots her crossbow, launching an arrow with a rope attached to the palace, giving us an easy path to zipline across. I glance over at Gracie, taking in her nervous expression as she stares at the palace. I hesitate for a moment.

“You ready?” I ask her quietly, drawing her attention to me.

She swallows thickly, and I swear I see her face flush red in the darkness as she looks up at me. “I’m probably gonna regret admitting this, but I’m scared as hell.”

Her words make me pause. That was just about the last thing I was expecting her to say. For the couple weeks that I’ve known her, she’s always seemed like this strong, independent person, probably too fearless for her own good. But then I remind myself. She’s just as young as I am, and with far less experience with this type of thing. Of course she’s scared. Anyone in their right mind would be.

“That’s okay,” I say after a few beats of silence. “I’ve got your back. And you’ve got mine. Right?”

Gracie blinks as she processes my words. Then she nods, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. “Right.”

I can’t help but smile in return, feeling a wave of relief at her confirmation. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. “Good. Now, say the thing.”

Her brows furrow in confusion. “What thing?”

“You know, the thing. Ninja-go!”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not saying that. That’s stupid.”

My smile only widens at her words, even though she probably couldn’t see it from underneath my mask. “That’s okay. It’ll grow on you.”

I swear I can hear her snicker in amusement at my words as I grab onto the rope, ziplining across it towards the palace. Garmadon, Nya, and Gracie all follow close behind, landing silently on the roofing alongside me. We quickly run over the rooftops, making sure to stay out of sight of the guards patrolling the area.

There’s an open window on the top floor, and we waste no time making our way towards it before slipping inside. I let out a soft breath of relief as I stare at the empty hallway in front of us. Okay. All that’s left is to find Chen and destroy the staff. I begin walking forwards, my eyes quickly adjusting to the dark hallway.

Behind me, I hear Gracie draw in a sharp breath. “Lloyd, wait–”

But it’s already too late. Before I even realize it, the lights have turned on, and an alarm has begun blaring through the speakers. I curse under my breath as I look down, realizing I had walked straight into a tripwire. That’s not ideal.

A handful of Chen’s guards flood from a door at the end of the hallway, yelling and running straight towards us. We make quick work of them, swinging kicks at them and knocking them out before they have a chance to reach us.

Then, even more guards jump through the window and emerge from a door behind us. I curse again, eyes widening at the sheer amount of them. There must be at least a dozen. “There’s too many of them!”

Nya grunts as she kicks one of them in the chest, knocking him backwards and toppling into some of the others. “I’ll hold them,” She tells us, glancing at us over her shoulder before returning her attention to the guards. “You guys, go find Chen!”

We nod in agreement, quickly darting off down the hallway and rounding the corner. For a moment I begin to think we’re in the clear as we run down the empty hallway. But then I quickly remember that nothing is ever that easy, watching as Clouse jumps out of an adjacent hallway, glaring over at us.

“Watch out!” Garmadon yells as Clouse raises his hands in the air, murmuring under his breath. But we don’t have any time to react before a cloud of glimmering purple energy is launched at us, sending us crashing to the floor. Garmadon and I grunt as Gracie yelps in surprise.

Garmadon is back on his feet in an instant, eyes narrowed as he looks over at Clouse. “Go, son. Leave Clouse to me.”

I nod as I push myself up to my feet. “Good luck.”

Clouse scoffs as he watches us, nose scrunched up in distaste. “Your father doesn’t believe in luck.” He sneers, beginning to walk towards us.

“I know.” I smirk, tilting my head to the side. “I wasn’t talking to him.” I grab Gracie’s wrist and haul her to her feet, dragging her behind me as I turn down another adjacent hallway. I can hear the sound of swords clanking as we run away from them, into the seemingly endless maze of hallways that make up the palace.

“You okay?” I ask her as I glance over my shoulder at her. Her eyes are wide as she looks back at me, but she nods.

I’m about to say something else to her when the floor gives out beneath me. I gasp as I feel myself begin to fall. But then I stop. I look back up to see Gracie grabbing my hand, preventing me from falling. Her breathing is ragged as she tries to hoist me back up, clearly having difficulty holding onto me.

“I can’t hold on–!” She gasps, eyes wide with fear.

I shake my head. “That’s okay. Let me go– we’ll meet back up at the throne room.”

Gracie blinks, clearly opposed to my plan. But she doesn’t have any time to object before I let go of her hand, falling down into the darkness.

I land on my feet, sucking in a deep breath as I look down the dark underground tunnels. A loud, high pitched growl from behind me makes my blood run cold. When I turn around, I see Clouse’s snake slithering right towards me.

“Lloyd! This way! Come on!” A familiar voice calls out. I run towards it without thinking, barely avoiding the snake’s snapping jaws. I dart into a hallway off to the side, letting the snake slide straight past me.

I pull off my mask as I follow Kai down the tunnel, the only light coming from a torch he was holding up. “Kai, you escaped! What happened?”

Kai glances over at me as I fall into step with him, quickly walking down the tunnel. “I managed to slip free, but Chen took all our powers. If we can find them–”

“There’s no time. I have to stop Chen,” I cut him off, feeling a hint of panic begin to rise in my voice. “Gracie and I got split up, but we’ll meet back up at the throne room. The two of us are bound to have a fighting chance against him.”

I pause as Kai stops, falling silent as he turns towards me. His expression is conflicted, but I swear I see a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

“What? What is it?” I ask him.

Kai sighs. “I’m sorry, Lloyd. This will all make sense when it’s over.”

Then, he blows the torch out, sending us into total darkness. I just stand there for a few moments, my mind reeling as I try to process what just happened.

“Kai? Kai, this isn’t funny.” I call out, placing my hand against the wall as I start forwards, walking along in the darkness. Kai doesn’t respond, leaving me to wonder if he’s even still there or not.

I keep going for a minute or two, feeling the ground begin to slope upwards as I continue. Eventually, the wall I’m following along makes way to a large, all too familiar circular room. The lights are off, making it not much brighter than the tunnels I was previously in. I walk towards the center of the room, spotting the tournament bracket in the center. Chen’s face is on one side, while mine is on the other.

“The final round. It all ends here.” Chen’s voice calls out. I spin around, my eyes squinting as all the lights suddenly come back on. I quickly adjust myself to the bright lights, watching as Chen steps forward, holding his staff with a sickening grin.

My heart sinks as I pull my mask on, jumping away from him. Kai had led me right to him. Why would he have done that? “You turned Kai against me?” I realize, yelling at Chen as he raises his staff in the air.

“Like I said…” Chen says simply. “Only one can remain.”

I growl in frustration, summoning my Elemental Powers and shooting a ball of pure green energy at him. He dodges out of the way with remarkable speed, allowing my energy to crash and destroy a lamp behind him.

“Oh, please!” Chen drawls, reappearing behind me. “What use is one Element when I have the rest?”

I whirl around just in time to see him use Nico’s Elemental Power of Shadow to disappear right in front of me. I grit my teeth as I slowly spin around, eyes narrowing as I try to figure out where he’ll appear next.

“I know what you’re up to,” I call out, summoning my power in my right hand. “The Anacondrai Wars are over. You’re living in the past!”

“Wrong!” Chen responds cheerily. I see him appear to my left, and I’m barely able to duck in time when he sends a burst of fire towards me. “ I decide when it’s over. And who doesn’t like a blast from the past?”

“I don’t!” Responds a different voice from behind Chen. His eyes widen, clearly not expecting anyone else. He turns around, but he’s not quick enough to prevent Gracie from kicking him in the side, sending him toppling forwards.

Chen’s smiling face quickly morphs into a frown, obviously not pleased by this turn of events. “That was not nice of you!” He shouts as he steadies himself.

“You’ve been not nice the entire time we’ve been on this goddamn island! I’m just returning the favor.” Gracie huffs, lunging forward and grabbing the staff, attempting to wrench it out of his grasp.

Chen screeches in protest as Gracie grabs onto the staff. He whirls around, knocking her off balance and loosening her grip. I notice her falter, and I run forward to intervene. But before I can get close enough, Chen gets the staff out of her hands and sends it swinging towards her head. It lands with a sickening crack to the side of her head, and she crumples to the ground, unconscious.

My heart drops to my stomach as I watch the scene unfold. My blood runs cold as Chen turns back to me, his smile more confident than ever.

“When my followers become Anacondrai,” He starts, slowly walking towards me. “Ninjago will be controlled by those who deserve it: The most powerful!”

My hands clench into fists at my sides, and I find myself running towards him before I even know it, ready to strike. “You son of a– ”

“Gravity!” Chen says in a sing-song voice, hoisting his staff in the air again.

I gasp as I feel my feet lift off the ground, falling towards the ceiling. I grunt as my back slams against the ceiling, feeling black spots fade in and out of my vision. I shout as Chen uses his staff, sending me crashing into multiple light fixtures attached to the ceiling. Pain shoots through every inch of my body, and it takes all of my effort to stay awake.

“What you have isn’t power! It’s stealing!” I shout as I fall back to the floor. I shake myself back to reality, rolling and landing on my feet as I try to steady myself. “Real power doesn’t need to take from others.”

I run towards him, thrusting my foot out in Chen’s direction in an attempt to kick him. But he turns into a cluster of shadows again, sending me crashing into the tournament bracket. It cracks as I land against it, almost a perfect split down the middle. A grunt of pain escapes from my lips as I push myself back up to my feet.

“Real power stops people like you! ” I shout, sending a burst of energy towards him. But he uses his staff to turn himself into metal, sending the green energy bouncing off him and back towards me. My eyes widen as my own power blasts into me, sending me tumbling back into the tournament bracket again. My head slams against the smooth texture, and I can feel my eyelids begin to grow heavy.

No, no, no… don’t pass out, I can’t pass out, not yet! They need me! I need to keep going! Stay awake, Lloyd!

My thoughts are frantic as I watch Chen walk towards me. The entire world seems to be in slow motion as his face twists into a malicious grin. But my limbs are screaming in protest as I try to move, my head spinning as I try to focus. All too soon I watch the black spots in my vision grow larger and larger, and I feel myself begin to slip into unconsciousness.

“Only one can remain…”

—
Nico
—

“Hurry!” I whisper-shout as I push Cole behind a stack of crates next to the almost finished jet engine. Jay and I had been working on fixing it until Karlof whistled, indicating that a guard was approaching.

So now, Jay, Cole, Zane and I are all squished together, hiding from the guards. I feel my face flush red as I nearly faceplant into Cole’s chest. But I choose to ignore it as I prick up my ears to listen into Karlof’s conversation.

“Uh– please! Almost done!” Karlof stammers, his thick accent echoing off the cold stone walls. “Soon noodle machine will be firing on all cylinders!”

“No, make it now!” The guard yells in return. I hear the sound of Karlof being pushed to the side as the guard’s footsteps grow closer. “Master Chen wants noodles for the big ceremony.”

“What ceremony?” Griffin Turner asks, pausing from pushing a crate full of fried rice.

“Chen defeated the last two competitors in the tournament.” The guard responds, making my heart drop. “The Green Ninja and the Master of Wind. Now no one in Ninjago can stop us!”

I look up at Cole, and he looks just as frightened by this as I am. His face has gone pale, his gray eyes widened when they meet mine.

“Look on the bright side!” The guard goes on, his footsteps approaching the jet engine. “All your jobs just became permanent!”

“Err–” Karlof steps in front of the guard, pushing him away. “There’s still a few minor kinks.”

The guard responds by shoving Karlof into the stack of crates we’re hiding behind, sending them toppling to the ground. Jay yelps as we all scramble out of the way, trying to avoid having them fall on us.

I watch as the guard pulls off the sheet from the Roto Jet. His face morphs into a scowl as he looks it up and down. “This isn’t a noodle machine.”

Karlof gives him a lopsided grin as he gets back to his feet. “That’s the kink. Now!”

Cole wastes no time, shoving another guard out of the way as he climbs into the Roto Jet, flipping a few switches as it whirrs to life. All the surrounding guards gasp as they recognize him.

“It’s Cole! He’s here!” One of them shouts.

I cheer, hoisting my fists in the air. “Damn right he is!”

“I’d get out of the way if I were you,” Zane adds, peeking out from another crate.

The Roto Jet begins shooting out of the front, and the guards barely manage to dodge in time. The blasts land into a machine across the room, making it explode within an instant. The other Elemental Masters cheer as the blasts continue, destroying more than a few machines and crates in the process.

“Woah!” Jay exclaims, ducking as a half-destroyed crate flies over his head. “Easy there, tiger!”

The blasts stop after that, and Cole lets out a breathless laugh from where he sits in the jet. “Oh-kay!”

The other Elemental Masters and I rush to the back of the jet, pushing it from where it sits on the very, very large dolly. Multiple guards rush out as we push the jet across the factory, and Cole quickly blasts at them.

Karlof hops on top of the jet, pulling out a hammer and quickly resuming working on it.

“When will it fly?!” Cole asks hurriedly, glancing up at him as he blasts at Chen’s guards.

“It fly when it fly. No sooner.” Karlof responds, brows furrowed as he concentrates on working on the jet.

Cole huffs, but he doesn’t complain. A door on the other side of the factory swings open, with dozens more guards flooding inside.

“The other side!” Jay yells, pointing to the door.

The other Elemental Masters and I quickly work on turning the jet around, and Cole quickly blasts them down. He frowns as he looks over at Karlof.

“We’ll run out of bolts trying to fend them off! Make her fly, Karlof, or get us out of here!” Cole says, panic creeping up into his voice.

Karlof grins, looking up from where he’s working. “No problem! Push red button!”

There’s a pause, then multiple rockets fire out from the front of the jet, crashing into the large door and crushing it into bits. The other Elemental Masters and I quickly cheer again, high-fiving each other. Then, we begin pushing the jet towards the door and to the system of tunnels beyond it.

“ This is why you don’t make jets underground, Karlof.” Cole sighs, dragging a hand down his face.

“It’s okay! We have the power of positive thinking! ” Jay smiles as he pushes alongside me.

I laugh at that, glancing over at him. “You know, for once, I’m actually on the blue one’s side here.”

We continue pushing the jet through the tunnels underneath the palace, turning whenever Zane tells us to. After a while we arrive at a dead end, which causes Cole to groan.

“Zane, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this is a dead end.” Cole says, arching a brow as he peers over the side of the jet to look down at his robotic friend. “Are your circuits fried again? Because now is really not a great time for that to be happening.”

“No. This is the correct way.” Zane says, looking up at Cole. “The quickest path to where the ceremony is being held is beyond this wall.”

Cole sighs but shrugs as he presses the red button again. “If you say so.”

The rockets launch from the front again, blowing up the stone wall in front of us, opening way to a large room filled with hundreds of skeletons. Bones and rocks go flying forwards, hitting two pillars in the center, as well as Clouse’s snake.

We push the jet forwards as Cole continues shooting. The snake screeches in pain as it attempts to dodge the blasts, and Cole aims the rockets towards the ceiling in response. The ceiling begins to crumble, the rocks and boulders falling from it and landing onto the snake. The snake lets out a final cry as more rocks land on its head. After a moment the only part of it not covered in debris is its tail. And even that finally stills, lifeless.

Everyone cheers, and Cole jumps out of the jet to greet two other people in the room that I hadn’t noticed before. I recognize one as Sensei Garmadon, although I’ve never seen the other before, a girl that looks to be around Gracie’s age.

“We did it!” Cole exclaims, a grin on his face as he helps Garmadon to his feet.

Garmadon laughs. “Well, hello Master of Earth!”

“Don’t forget Master of Lightning!” Jay adds, rushing over to greet him.

The girl jumps to her feet, running towards Cole and Jay. Both their faces light up, their arms raising for a hug. But then she runs right past them, wrapping Zane in a warm embrace.

“Zane! You’re back!” She exclaims, catching Zane a little off guard.

“What? What is on my back?” Zane asks.

I can’t help but snicker as I watch both Jay and Cole’s crestfallen expressions as she runs past both of them. But after a moment they laugh as well at Zane’s cluelessness.

Cole returns to the jet while Jay walks up beside me. “That’s Nya.” Jay says to me, gesturing to the girl. “We kinda have a thing going on.” He says proudly, smirking as he puts his hands on his hips.

I raise a brow. “Okay? And why am I supposed to care?”

Jay blinks, clearly not expecting that answer. He opens his mouth to respond, but he’s cut off by Cole’s loud voice before he has the chance to speak.

“Karlof, why isn’t this thing off the ground yet?” Cole asks, jumping up on top of the jet.

“Two hands can only work so fast,” Karlof sighs, holding his hammer up to Cole.

Cole’s face breaks into a grin. “Well, you’re gonna fix it, Karlof. You wanna know why?”

Karlof pauses, his expression confused. “Sure.”

“The power of positive thinking?” Jay perks up, his lips curved up into a crooked smile.

Cole nods in agreement, pointing down at his friend. “That’s right! The power of positive thinking! Now, let’s go save our friends!”

We quickly make our way through the tunnel, blasting through any walls in our way as we go. I can feel a mixture of hope and adrenaline surging through my veins, and I decide that it’s my new favorite feeling.

It’s not long until we blast through the wall leading into the room where I had my powers stolen from. There’s dozens of guards littering the area, and the Elemental Masters waste no time before jumping into the action to fight them. Clouse is frozen in a block of ice off to the side, Chen’s staff on the floor not far from him.

Chen and Kai leap for the staff at the same time, and for a moment I worry that Chen will reach it first. But Kai is able to jump and grab it just a second before Chen gets there. Kai hoists the staff in the air before bringing it crashing to the floor. The crystal in the center shatters to pieces, and bursts of colorful lights emerge from it, making their way to each one of the Elemental Masters. My lips curve up into a grin as I see a swirl of purple shadows make its way towards me. I laugh breathlessly as I feel my powers coming back to life.

“Now bad guys in big trouble!” Karlof hollers, pushing his fists together as his entire body morphs into metal.

“Prepare to get fucked up!” I agree, harnessing my powers to send bursts of shadow at the nearest guards, blinding them and sending them toppling to the ground.

The ninja spin off into tornadoes of different colors, putting any surrounding guards out of action. The guards scream and shout as they get thrown to the side.

Before long, all the guards have either passed out or surrendered. Cole, Zane and a few other Elemental Masters work on tying them up with some rope stored in the back of the jet engine. But my worries are elsewhere.

I scan the large circular room, desperately hoping I’ll see the face I’m looking for. It’s not long before I spot a flash of pink-streaked hair in the crowd, and I quickly make my way towards her, relief flooding through all my senses.

“Gracie!” I call out. Her head jerks up immediately, her face lighting up into a lopsided smile.

“Nico!” She responds breathlessly as I finally reach her, pulling her into the tightest hug I’ve ever given in my life. She laughs as she hugs me back, patting my back. “God, I am so happy to see you’re okay.”

“Same here,” I say as I pull back. But then I pause as I realize she’s not okay. Blood is dripping from her nose and the side of her head, dripping into her hair and down her neck. My eyes widen as I look at her. “What in the fuck happened to you?”

Gracie blinks for a moment, then wipes her nose and realizes there’s blood on it. “Oh. That.”

Lloyd approaches the two of us, his face full of concern. “Gracie, are you–”

“You bitch-ass motherfucker! ” I shout as I turn to him, having no doubt in my mind that he was the one who did this to my sister. “What did you do to her?!” I yell, grabbing him by the collar of his gi and hoisting him in the air.

His eyes widen as I easily pick him up, quickly stammering to speak. “Wh– I didn’t do that to her!”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“Nico, wait!” Gracie rushes over, pulling me off of Lloyd. “It was Chen that did it! Calm down!”

Lloyd nods in agreement, his eyes full of fear and concern as he holds his hands up in the air, silently pleading innocence.

I huff, still glaring at the blonde boy. “Why didn’t you protect her, then? What’s wrong with you?!” I go on, trying to wrangle out of Gracie’s grasp.

“Nico!” Gracie scolds me. After a few more moments of silently hoping looks could kill, I stop trying to free myself. Once she’s determined I’ve calmed down enough, she lets go, and I turn to face her.

“Seriously though, what happened?” I ask her, taking her face in my hands and looking her over. There’s a nasty gash on the side of her head that’s starting to bruise, but other than that she seems to be okay. Other than the obvious exhaustion in all of her features.

“I’m fine, I promise.” Gracie says, looking between me and Lloyd. “Chen just whacked me with his staff. It’s a flesh wound, it’ll heal.”

Lloyd sighs as he steps closer, getting a better look at the side of her head. “No, Nico’s right. I should’ve done more to protect you. I’m sorry.” He pauses, meeting her gaze. “For everything.”

They stare at each other for a few moments. There’s obviously some unspoken conversation going on between them that I’ll be sure to ask Gracie about later. But then she nods. “I forgive you.” She laughs awkwardly, running a hand through her messy hair. “I am a little dizzy though, still.”

I quickly go to wrap her arm around my shoulder to support her, but it seems Lloyd had the same idea. So now both of us are helping to support her, and she blinks as she looks between the two of us.

“... I was just going to ask if I could sit down.” Gracie murmurs as we start through the tunnels, walking back up to the surface.

I glare at Lloyd, and he glares back. If Gracie notices the obvious tension between the two of us, she doesn’t seem to show it.

“If you hurt my sister, I swear on the First Spinjitzu Master, I’ll kill you.” I whisper to Lloyd, not really caring if Gracie heard me or not.

The sound of laughter draws my attention away from Lloyd, and I watch as Cole approaches us. “Man, looks like you guys are getting along well.” He says lightly, watching as we support my sister.

“Sure.” Lloyd says, his tone carefully neutral.

Cole smiles as he falls into step with me. “You know, the reason we came here was to find an old friend.” He nods over to Zane, who’s talking with Nya, Jay, Kai, and Garmadon up ahead. He pauses as he looks at me, a gentle smile on his face. He tilts his head to the side, eyes crinkling at the edges as I meet his gaze. “I guess I never expected that we would make some new ones, too.”

Notes:

Hey! This is my first time posting a fanfic like this, so sorry if it's not super great lol