In the dead of night, someone took the Green Ninja's outfit.
Outside, Cole, Jay, Moon, and Zane were training against dummies.
"Earth!" - Cole slammed his scythe into the ground, toppling the dummy.
"Lightning!" - Jay used Spinjitzu to knock another one down.
"Aura." - Moon leapt from the mast and struck a dummy with her Golden Staff.
"Ice!" - Zane froze his dummy with his shurikens.
"Good training," - Nya turned on the spotlight, illuminating the only four ninjas training - "Your powers are getting stronger. But where's Kai?" -.
In the end, it was Kai wearing the Green Ninja's suit, desperate to unlock his true potential. The others arrived and laughed at what he was saying.
"Nice. Maybe if you say something like 'Stupid Fire!' it might work," - Cole mocked with a smirk.
Kai removed the mask.
"Ah! Since when were you guys here?" - he asked in surprise.
"The Green Ninja outfit is amazing!" - Jay complimented.
"Well, I was just looking through the Sensei's stuff for clues and found this," - Kai explained.
"But you know only the one destined to defeat Lord Garmadon is chosen to be the Green Ninja. Only he should wear the outfit. Sensei's going to be very..." - Zane was interrupted by Kai.
"I know, I know. But I thought trying it on might help me unlock my true potential. It's not fair that you've all unlocked yours and I haven't. Besides, Sensei left and we don't know if he's coming back..." -.
The sound of a door opening caught their attention.
"Hello? I'm back." - Sensei Wu's voice made them all smile.
"Wow, that was fast," - Moon murmured, surprised, before stepping forward.
"Sensei!" - the boys exclaimed, happily running toward him.
Kai stayed behind to change clothes again.
o0o0o
"Ah. It's good to be home!" - Wu said joyfully.
"We're happy you're back!" - Zane said.
"Did you bring us anything?" - Cole asked, obviously hoping.
"Oh, Sensei, you missed a lot. Zane being a Nindroid, Nya the mysterious Samurai, Moon being fun, Cole a dancer..." - Wu interrupted.
"Zane is what?" - Wu asked, confused.
"You've been gone a long time. We'll explain later. But you should know that all of us, except for Kai, have discovered our true potential," - Zane explained with a smile.
"Really? Where's Kai?" - Wu asked, not seeing him there.
"I'm here!" - Kai arrived, wearing his red outfit again - "I'm so glad you're back!" -.
Suddenly, from behind Sensei Wu, four shadowy black arms appeared. Emerging from behind Wu, it was Lord Garmadon.
"Sensei! Behind you!" - Kai leapt into action.
"Master Garmadon!" - Moon exclaimed in shock.
"Sensei!" - Zane jumped to defend Wu, as if blocking a shot.
"Ah! He has four arms!" - Before Kai could continue his attack, Moon stepped in.
"So, we meet again," - Garmadon said.
Moon was blocking his Golden Sword with her Golden Staff.
"Moon! Ah! I knew this would happen! Sensei! He must've followed you!" - Kai tried to get past Moon, but she stood firm.
"Kai, stop! He's the reason I came back. While Pythor is with Lloyd, he'll be our guest," - Wu explained, causing Kai to pause.
"We have to live with him?" - Cole couldn't believe it.
"But, Sensei! He has four arms!" - Zane gestured, still stunned.
"Don't you remember that ever since he turned evil, he's been trying to take our Golden Weapons?" - Jay reminded Wu.
"That's enough!" - Wu raised his voice.
Everyone fell silent and bowed their heads.
"Yes, Sensei."-.
"This has nothing to do with weapons. It's about my son!" - Garmadon stood up.
"From now on, you will obey and respect my brother," - Wu said firmly.
"Yes, Sensei." -.
"Now, let's focus on more urgent matters," - Wu continued forward.
"And Moon, we'll talk about your failure in the mission I gave you," - Garmadon's stern tone made her freeze for a second.
Before walking off, Garmadon gave Kai a sinister smile.
"Are you okay, Moon?" - Nya asked, noticing her tension.
The girl said nothing and followed quietly.
"So, how are we doing with the Fangblades?" - Wu asked.
"Well, Pythor has two, but there are still two left," - Jay replied.
"And we only need one to stop him from releasing the Great Devourer," - Cole added.
"Any clues on their whereabouts?" -.
"Not yet. But the Falcon is programmed to alert us if it sees anything suspicious," - Zane responded.
"Good. If we find the Fangblade, we find Lloyd. Kai and Nya, prepare the deck and the anchor. We need to be ready to act," - Wu ordered.
"Yes, Sensei," - Kai and Nya went off to obey.
"I'm watching you," - Kai said, eyeing Garmadon, before walking into a wall - "Ow!" - Nya pulled him along since he was taking too long.
"Jay, did you say the Falcon is programmed?" - Wu asked curiously.
"Yeah, I did... Look, I don't even know where to begin..." - Jay started explaining.
"Moon, come here, let's talk," - Garmadon walked to a more private area, and Moon followed without hesitation.
Once there, he turned to her with such a dark aura that her legs trembled.
"How could you fail?! You worthless girl! It was a simple mission! Find, protect, and serve my son! Look at what you've done!" - Garmadon's tone was loud and furious - "After this is all over, I'll make sure you're severely punished." -.
She bowed, swallowing hard.
"Yes, Master." -.
"Until then, you'll resume your training. The time you spent with the ninjas softened you to a ridiculous level," - he scoffed and rolled his eyes - "Let's go. This conversation ends here." -.
"Yes, Master." -.
o0o0o
And so began the routine with Garmadon. The boys brushed their teeth with toothbrushes, but Garmadon used a dagger to sharpen his teeth.
At lunchtime, everyone except Moon was present.
"Where's Moon?" - Wu asked, not seeing her.
"Training. She'll eat later. I am her Sensei after all," - Garmadon chuckled before returning to his strange food.
The boys frowned. On top of enduring Garmadon, they'd also have to keep an eye on Moon to make sure she was okay.
"What's he eating?" - Cole asked, staring in disbelief at the plate.
"Condensed evil. They say it's low-fat," - one of the black grubs flew out, and Kai had to swat it away with a fork - "What? Get out!" -.
Nya and Jay were watching a romance movie, but Garmadon suddenly switched it to something more intense, catching Nya off guard. He just laughed at it.
Then, the ship sailed into a massive storm.
"Where are Garmadon and Moon?" - Zane asked.
"Sunbathing and training..." - Kai replied, looking at the deck.
Garmadon was calmly tanning while Moon trained, unaffected by the ship's violent movement.
o0o0o
Moon finished her daily training. Her limbs trembled, and phantom pain ran through her muscles.
(No complaints about my training.) - Moon decided to head to the bridge to check on the situation.
Apparently, they found Lloyd and the location of the third Fangblade, the Fire Temple. But the volcano housing the temple was unstable and could erupt at any moment.
"Oh, great! I love this! Fighting deadly snakes in a highly flammable environment ready to explode!" - Jay's sarcasm was clear.
"We must fulfill our duty," - Wu stated.
"Yes, Sensei. But where are our weapons?" - Everyone looked around.
"And where's Lord Garmadon?"- Kai suddenly asked.
"Kai," - Wu tried to stop him.
Only Moon had her weapon since she had been training, and Garmadon wouldn't mind her holding onto it for now.
Moon ran after Kai, sensing he was going to confront Garmadon.
"Better stop the Red Ninja!" - Moon called out, going to open the door.
But Kai had locked it. Moon tried to open it. Soon, the others arrived too.
"He locked the door," - Moon gathered aura in her hand.
"If we don't open it, he's gonna be minced meat!" - Cole exclaimed.
She blasted the lock open with aura and opened the door. Kai appeared to have defeated Garmadon, standing over him.
"I beat him! I did it! Are my eyes glowing? Did I unlock my power? Is this my true potential?" - He was thrilled and hopeful but quickly realized nothing happened - "Ah! Why didn't it work?!" -.
"Because you can't defeat someone who allows themselves to be defeated," - Wu knelt beside him to help.
"I wouldn't hurt you, boy. I was just admiring the weapons," - Garmadon explained.
"You were trying to steal them!" - Kai insisted.
"I asked him to take them. Maybe it's better you don't unlock your true potential. Someone might get hurt," - Wu said sternly.
Everyone glared at Kai, making him feel hurt.
"Congrats, hero," - Cole said sarcastically.
"Oh, poor thing, let me help you," - Nya offered.
"Yeah... poor thing..." - Kai was barely holding back his frustration.
Then the ship shuddered.
"Looks like we've arrived." -.
They rushed outside to find the lava-filled Fire Temple.
"The Fire Temple." -.
"The volcano is close to erupting, guys. All indicators show this place is getting more unstable. Even a small disturbance could make it blow," - Nya warned over the communicator.
"Then we must not use our weapons," - Wu ordered.
The ninjas slung their weapons on their backs.
"Kai," - Nya called out when she saw him still holding his sword.
"Alright, alright. No Sword of Fire," - he sighed - "I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the recovery of the Fangblade," - he sheathed his sword.
"Or my son!" - Garmadon added.
"There. The snakes must be at the core. From here on, we walk in shadows," - Wu said, running after Jay, who followed Garmadon.
Soon, they reached the spot where the snakes and Lloyd were, the latter trapped in a cage.
"Look, there's Lloyd," - Jay pointed.
"Young master..." - Moon murmured, clenching her fist tightly.
"Son!" - Garmadon looked genuinely distressed.
"Out of my way, fool!" - Pythor shoved a snake aside for a better view - "Aha! The third Fangblade is ours!" -.
The snakes celebrated their prize.
The ninjas crept closer. Moon took a side path instead of going behind them, knowing she could leap in and surprise them.
"Ninjas?" - Pythor spotted them through the blade's reflection - "Attack!" -.
"The light is a blade! Fight like there's no tomorrow!" - Wu ordered.
The battle began: ninjas vs snakes, to recover Lloyd and the Fangblade.
Moon jumped behind several snakes, hitting them with unaura'd punches.
"Aura!" - she shouted, releasing a wave of energy that knocked snakes away.
She dashed toward Lloyd.
"Moon!" - he gasped in surprise and relief.
But Kai had drawn his Sword of Fire, still lacking the confidence of someone who hadn't unlocked his true potential.
"Stupid Red Ninja!" - Moon growled under her breath.
A snake blocked her path, and another managed to carry Lloyd's cage away. The snakes began escaping.
"Don't get in my way!" - she snapped, clearly furious.
Her eyes glowed intensely. Her temper was wearing thin, and her aura started leaking from her eyes- after all, - "The eyes are the windows to the soul." -.
"Throw the boy!" - Pythor ordered near the exit.
"Lloyd!" - Garmadon and Moon yelled at once.
"Dad! Moon!" - he shouted, panicked.
Moon ran as fast as she could, using parkour. Garmadon was battling a swarm of snakes.
She knocked one out, grabbed its spear, and extended it to the cage, whose floor was melting from the lava.
"Dad!" - Lloyd grabbed Garmadon as the cage got close.
Garmadon hugged him tightly and wasn't letting go.
Kai went to retrieve the Fangblade.
Meanwhile, the ninjas, Lloyd, Wu, and Garmadon made their way to the other exit.
"Come on, Kai! Come back! The blade isn't worth your life!" - Jay shouted in distress.
The volcano was erupting; the longer they delayed, the greater the risk of dying from the lava, fire, or falling rocks.
"I'm not leaving without the blade!" - he yelled, moving even faster.
The lava began to rise.
"But what about Kai? Kai!" - Lloyd called out for him.
The ground beneath Lloyd collapsed.
"Lloyd!" - Moon gasped and ran to reach out her hand to him, but ended up falling with him.
The Purple Ninja held him tightly in her arms as they landed on the platform. Unfortunately, the height was great, and Moon landed awkwardly on her ankle. She heard a crack and winced in pain.
"Dad! We're sinking!" - Lloyd said in panic - "And I think Moon got hurt!"b-.
A bubble of lava exploded and was about to splash on them, but Moon used her aura to push it away and protect them.
The other ninjas, Wu, and Garmadon were forced to retreat.
Kai saw that the blade had fallen even farther away.
"Why won't my power unlock?!" - The Red Ninja was furious.
"Kai! Help us!" - Lloyd begged in fear.
Their platform was close to completely sinking into the lava.
Faced with this difficult choice, get the Fang blade or save Lloyd and Moon, the ninja chose what his heart told him, what was right, and what was best:
Save them.
Save them both.
Save the Green Ninja.
Save the "....".
"Let's get out of here!" - Kai jumped to them.
The Red Ninja easily picked up the girl in his arms.
"Lloyd, hold on as tightly as you can to my back." -.
Lloyd did exactly as Kai ordered, gripping his shoulders tightly.
"Ninja Go!" - Kai deserved an award for doing Spinjitzu while carrying two people.
They had no way out, trapped in the middle of the volcano and its flames.
Moon felt something warm, not like the heat of the lava, but something comforting.
"Red Ninja, you..." - She saw he had unlocked his True Potential.
He glowed red, his body surrounded by a fiery aura.
They escaped the volcano through a blaze of fire, safe.
Kai gently laid Moon and Lloyd on the ground before collapsing from exhaustion.
o0o0o
"Your left ankle will be fine in some time, it's just a sprain, nothing's broken." - Nya said after wrapping it.
Moon silently watched Garmadon and Lloyd interacting, this time, without masks.
(I'm... happy...) - she smiled inwardly - "Thank you." -.
"You're welcome." - Nya smiled and went to check on her brother.
(Red—... Kai... I need to thank him later) - She glanced briefly at him.
"Dad... why do you have four arms?" - Lloyd asked, curious and confused.
"He's going to be fine!" - Cole exclaimed in relief.
Everyone cheered joyfully.
"Thanks, Kai." -.
"But how did you survive, how did you discover the secret to unlocking your powers?" - Zane asked.
"Oh. I found out when I had to make a choice. I just wanted the Fang Blade to prove I could be the Green Ninja. But then I understood. All my training to be the best ninja wasn't to become the Green Ninja... it was to protect him." - Kai looked at Lloyd - "And also to protect her." - He glanced briefly at Moon.
Then, everyone caught on to what he said and looked confused at that last part.
(What do I have to do with that last part?) -.
"What? Why are you all looking at us like that?" - Garmadon stepped away.
"You mean..." - Nya approached with Kai and Jay's weapons.
Kai took Zane's; Cole had his own. Moon stepped up, giving her staff one last hold before placing it with the others.
The five Golden Weapons began reacting to Lloyd's presence, floating and releasing a green energy.
"Lloyd is the Green Ninja. I thought it would be one of you, but it was always him! It all makes sense. You four.I mean, five, were chosen not only to protect the Golden Weapons, but to protect the chosen one." - Wu approached Lloyd.
"You mean..." - Garmadon's smile faded.
"The battle lines have been drawn. Sadly, our family has split even more... brother against brother, and now, son against father." - A brief, tense silence.
"This would make a great movie." - Jay ruined the climax - "But now can someone tell me what happened to the Fang Blade?!" -.
"And another thing, why'd you include me in all this? Sure, you helped me, but I'm pretty sure it was just because I was nearby." - And there she goes, underestimating herself again.
"What?! Are you out of your mind?! Of course that wasn't the reason!" - Kai exclaimed, frowning - "It's just that... I also felt... something telling me to save you, just like to save Lloyd." -.
"Wait, what? Could it be? Moon, step closer to the Golden Weapons." - Wu asked, wanting to confirm something.
"And then what? If they react, will I have to change suits?" - She raised an eyebrow.
"No, just do it... please." - Wu asked with puppy eyes.
Moon hesitated but stepped forward. The Golden Weapons reacted immediately, but unlike Lloyd, they didn't float—instead, they released a strong aura, visible to everyone.
It was a mix of blue and purple.
"What?! She's also the Green Ninja?! Wasn't there supposed to be only one?!" - Kai's face of indignation was priceless.
Wu was stunned. He'd have to revisit his father's scrolls about this.
"Certainly, there's only one Green Ninja... Moon is the Purple Ninja, I must have missed something." - Wu turned to Garmadon - "Now... the battle lines are wider than a canyon... Student against Sensei." -.
"Sensei Aaron, are you and '...' the strongest in terms of Spinjitzu?" - A young Moon once asked her first Master - "Also, why do people compare you two?" -.
"Uhm. Maybe. He grew up with Dragons and Oni, I grew up with Elemental Avatars... Our life journeys are kind of similar, but different..." - Aaron looked to the side - "Listen to me, Moon. One day, there will be others who will become the 'strongest.' Life never stops; it's always changing. But if one day you become one of those people, never become someone evil... Your power may be stronger than other elements, able to hurt many, but also protect even more." - He knelt down and hugged her - "I'll tell you the truth... I fear the future, live the present, and remember the past." -.
Moon was confused when she noticed him trembling a little, as if nervous about something.
"Are you okay, Sensei Aaron?" - She asked, worried.
"I'm fine." - He sighed and pulled back - "Alright! Let's continue training!" - He ruffled her hair.
"Okay!" -.
(He knew... You... knew... Aaron... you bastard... you knew!) - She trembled with anger, but held it in.
"Are you okay?" - Lloyd seemed to be the only one who noticed her reaction - "Does your ankle hurt?" -.
"I'm... fine, it's just a little sore, nothing major." - She assured in a soft tone - (I fear the future, live the present, and remember the past... What a great line... Unfortunately, it belongs to you.) -.