Finally I'm free from S4, now I can get to S5! :D
There is only one song in this chapter.
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*Lloyd and Nalia are trapped at the top of a mountain.*
"Hurry—too late!" said Nya through their incom.
"Tell us where we need to go. I can't use my Dragon power, so if anyone is close—" said Lloyd but the radio dies out. "Nya? Nya? Can anyone hear me?" The radio buzzes again. Lloyd starts to drive the noodle truck.
Nalia let out a yawn while sitting in the passenger seat and looking out of her window.
"You should get some rest while you can, this is gonna be a bit until we can get to the others." Lloyd suggested.
Nalia shook her head at his suggestion. "I promised I would stay awake, and I will keep to that."
Lloyd let out a sigh, he was glad she wasn't one for breaking promises but at times she would be very stubborn about it.
As the two were driving down the mountain, Nalia got some time to think back to her feelings for Lloyd and snuck a few glances at him. Causing her cheeks to fluster. "Is this a good time to tell him? Or is it too soon? I wanna tell him, finally giving him an answer. But I don't wanna come off too strong about it."
Nalia's head was filling up with thoughts on how and when she should confess her feelings for him.
"No, don't think too hard about it. Just tell him straight up, I'm sure he will be happy about it." Nalia shook her head and with a determined expression she turned to look at him.
"Lloyd I wanna tell you something."
"Nalia I wanna tell you something."
The two look at each other as they spoke at the same time.
"You go first." Lloyd insisted.
"No, no, you go ahead. I can go after." said Nalia shyly as she blushed.
"You sure?" Lloyd asked, slightly nervous.
Nalia nodded with a bright smile. "I'm always up for hearing what you have to say, whatever it is."
"Okay then." Lloyd cleared his throat as his tone became serious. "After we've stopped Chen, I'm dropping you from the team."
The smile on Nalia's face disappeared. "What? Please say this is a joke, right?"
"Lia, you were tortured by Chen and Clouse. You haven't had any time to recover. You can hardly keep yourself awake even when fighting." Lloyd explained with a sigh. "I get that you are strong and a little different from a normal human. But seeing you hurt or in any danger scares me."
"And you think dropping me from the team is gonna help..." Nalia asked, feeling her heart sink in her chest.
"It's for the best, if you aren't part of the team you could focus more on your singing career. And be out of any danger." Lloyd told her.
"But I've already told you, between being a ninja or a singer. I'll always choose being a ninja first over a singer." Nalia told him.
"I know, but you've already been through a lot." said Lloyd concerned as he pointed with a free hand towards her throat. "I don't wanna see you in more pain."
"But I can always just sing to heal my injuries like I always do." said Nalia crossing her arms.
Lloyd could feel himself slowly getting frustrated but gave a sigh. "Yeah, and what happens if someone goes for your throat again and you lose your voice permanently?"
Nalia stopped speaking as she thought back to how she felt when she wasn't able to speak for so long because of the scars around her throat. "... I'll be careful, that way it won't happen again."
"But you can't be sure about that. Nalia, I care a lot about you. But for your own safety and to be able to keep singing. You can't be part of the team after all of this." Lloyd told her, slowly losing his patience.
Tears started forming in Nalia's eyes as she felt like she was being left behind again, but this wasn't someone leaving her behind because of death. But someone close to her, someone she finally understood that she loved for the first time.
"But if I leave the team, I'll hardly have any time to see you guys." said Nalia, her voice slightly breaking.
"I know... we'll still show up for your shows whenever we can." said Lloyd giving her a small smile. "Though you being a full-time singer. Probably means we wouldn't be able to date, but it might be for the best as much as it pains me to say."
At those words Nalia's heart just broke into a thousand pieces. Tears running down her face. "... Do you really want me gone that much?"
"Of course not, but as the leader I have to make choices that is best for the team." Lloyd told her.
"And me not being a part of it is for the best." Nalia narrowed her eyes at him.
Lloyd took a deep breath and answer bluntly otherwise he might change his mind. "Yes."
Nalia didn't say anything else, speechless with tears running down her face.
Lloyd knew she wasn't happy about any of this and that he had broken their promise along with her feelings. But if it meant keeping her safe from harm, he'd accept this decision.
As he was driving the truck, a sudden shock almost knocked it over. He took a looking around to see what he hit, until he saw part of the front of the inside the truck had what looked almost like claw marks.
Lloyd turned to look at Nalia who had turned her back to him, not saying another word.
"Lia?" He nervously spoke.
"... Don't call me that. You want us to be strangers after this. Fine, but I don't wanna hear you call me that." Nalia gave him a painful look over her shoulder. "Only those I care about, and who care about me can use that nickname."
Lloyd slowly turned his attention back to the road, gulping as he felt like he had just broken off with her by this, even though they had never been dating. "I didn't think my decision would screw it up so bad between us."
The two didn't speak another word for the rest of the ride, the tension between them being thick enough you could cut a knife through it.
*Lloyd, Nalia and Neuro meet with each other.*
"They're heading west. I tried to stop them, but I'm just a mind reader. I couldn't help anymore." said Neuro before noticing the tension between those two. "I'm not sure I wanna know."
"But you can help me. Can you send a message to all of the fighters at once?" Lloyd asked, ignoring the tension between him and Nalia.
"I can try." Neuro does so, and they meet up at the Samurai X Cave.
Nalia kept her distance away from Lloyd, pretty much giving him the cold shoulder.
"Thank goodness you got my message." said Neuro with a relieved sigh.
"Look at you." said Kai when seeing Skylor.
"The spell is wearing off, but my father's antics sadly have not." said Skylor.
"Tea?" Wu gives it to Misako.
"He knows about the letter?" Lloyd asked his father.
"The message was delivered." said Garmadon with a sigh before noticing the tension between him and Nalia. "What happened between you two?"
"I... I told Lia—Nalia that I'm dropping her off the team after we've stopped Chen." Lloyd explained.
"Lloyd we need to stand united, fighting between yourselves isn't gonna help." Garmadon explained to him and placed a gentle hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm sure you had your reasons and meant well, but you should never break a girl's heart."
"I know, dad. But I don't wanna see her being put in any more danger." Lloyd explained with a sad glance towards Nalia.
"My son, would you stop being the Green Ninja if it meant to avoid any danger while your friends risk their lives to help those in need of help?" Garmadon asked.
"Of course not, I could never do that. I know being the Green Ninja means there will always be danger following. But even so I would still take that risk for those that can't protect themselves." Lloyd told him.
"Then you should understand how Nalia feels about you wanting to drop her from the team." Garmadon had his son turn around to face Nalia. "She knows the risks, and still chooses to face them. You can't force someone to sit still and not do anything."
Lloyd gave a heavy sigh. "I know..." He looked over at Nalia but even with his father's words he wasn't gonna change his mind.
"Sensei, what is going on with me? I've been nothing else but sleepy. Am I getting sick again?" Nalia had gone to Wu, hoping for some answers.
Wu took a glance at her and noticed a few loose scales on her face and her right hand. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. You are just growing older."
"But I shouldn't be falling asleep while fighting. It has never happened before." said Nalia find that more strange.
"Yeah, I saw that. You just need some good rest and you'll be full of energy again." said Wu with a smile. "Now, mind telling me what is happening between you and Lloyd?"
Nalia huffed and crossed her eyes as she pouted. "I don't wanna talk about it... or him." Tears slowly forming in the corner of her eyes.
"So why were we asked here? We should be fighting snakes." Griffin asked, waiting on an answer.
"Because anyone can fight. Only one side can declare victory." said Wu.
"In the time it took you to get here, Chen has taken over the entire Eastern seaboard and is moving inland. With each village destroyed, they grow stronger." Nya told them a she showed all the spots mark red on the screen with a map.
"That's a lot of red. Karlof not like red." said Karlof.
Nalia raised an eyebrow and looked at her red scarf.
"How are we supposed to stop them? Most of us have lost control of our Dragons, not to mention we're outnumbered eleven to one." Gravis asked.
"Actually, 62.4 to one." Zane said.
"What? How does that make sense?" Nalia asked.
"Look, I'm scared like the rest of you. It may look like we've lost, but it's not over. When we thought we lost Zane, it nearly tore us apart. But we didn't quit. We let it fuel us. We grew stronger." Lloyd told everyone.
Though still upset at him, Nalia did listen to what he was saying.
"There's hope. The Corridor of Elders." said Wu.
"Corridor of Elders?" Shade asked.
"I know we don't stand much of a chance taking on his entire army at once, but after he's controlled the East, he'll move West tomorrow and have to pass through Echo Canyons. Our best tactical position is to make our stand where it bottlenecks: here, at the Corridor of Elders, the monuments honoring our ancestors. It's the narrowest channel, but our greatest chance." Wu explained while showing it on the screen.
"If we can't stop them here, the rest of Ninjago will fall like dominos." said Garmadon.
"Karlof not like to lose. Karlof fueled!" said Karlof.
"Then we have one day to save tomorrow." said Wu.
*Everyone cheers.*
Kai at Ninjago Doomsday Comix. "I wish I could say we're not facing an army unlike we've ever seen, but we have, and we know what they're capable of."
*At Mega Monster Amusement Park, Anacondrai Cultists chase citizens and cause the mascots to faint.*
Jay at Ed & Edna's Scrap N Junk. "Right now, our cities and villages are falling, which is why we're asking everyone to rise up."
Zane at the Titanium Ninja statue. "We all may have different backgrounds, but we all share the same future."
Cole in Kryptarium Prison. "You may wonder why we're asking you to fight for Ninjago. We aren't. We're asking you to fight for each other."
Lloyd outside Ninjago City Bank. "We're asking you to fight as one."
Nalia had changed into a ninja outfit and was wearing her ninja mask to cover her face as she was at the news station with her masked face appearing on everyone's screens.
Gently pressing two fingers against her throat under her scarf to change her voice a bit. "Please, we need everyone's help. We are stronger when we work together than if we fight alone."
Nalia's manager Mr. James still couldn't believe she had called him and asked for help, let alone finding out she was one of the ninjas. Which now made a lot more sense. So of course he helped her get in front of some cameras while hiding her true identity.
*The Cultists made their way to the Canyons. Chope. Kapau, Eyezor and Zugu are carrying Chen in the Roto Jet.*
"Uh, maybe Master Chen knowing our names isn't such a good thing." said Kapau.
"Yeah. Tell me about it." said Chope.
"I'm hot and this skin doesn't breath like my old one. How much further?" Chen asked as he complained about the heat.
"The Corridor of Elders is just up ahead." said Zugu.
"Good. Maybe we can stop for a break." They sigh. "And you four can carve my image into the walls in my honor." said Chen much to their's dismay.
"Huh. There's so many of them." said Jay.
"Yeah, a lot of them." said Nalia.
Lloyd marks the ground with his Energy. "We fight for each other. We fight as one." Everyone cheers.
"The ninjas." said Chen when he saw them.
"Hold the line." said Lloyd.
"Charge!" Chen shouted.
"Hold the line. Hold!" shouted Lloyd as the Cultists fall through the hole.
"Trapdoor? That's my signature move. Ugh, destroy them!" shouted Chen.
"Now!" shouted Lloyd.
Zane covers the hole with Ice.
"Lightning!" shouted Jay as he used his powers.
"Fear? Fear isn't a word where I come from!" said Rufus.
"Unh! Push them back!" shouted Karlof.
"Not backwards, forwards! You're Anacondrai! Crush them!" shouted Chen.
"I'm slipping!" shouted Cole.
"Ugh. Don't let up." said Kai.
"Don't give up, keep going!" shouted Nalia, her eyes glowing as she put more force into pushing them back.
"Push!" shouted Lloyd.
"Push harder! They can have the ground. We'll take the skies." said Chen as they tried flying ahead without noticing Shade taking control of a Blade-Copter.
"Push!" shouted Zugu.
"Hold the line!" shouted Lloyd.
"Unh! Oh, they just keep coming." said Jay.
"Push!" shouted Zugu.
"Unh! Don't give up! Ninja never say quit!" shouted Kai.
Nalia growled as she began pushing a few of them back. "You are not getting past me."
Those that got pushed back by her suddenly seemed surprised as they noticed a faint silhouette of a dragon in her place.
"The new girl hates feeling left out. Now!" shouted Nya as she and the others appeared with the Bounty.
"Ships aren't supposed to fly. Sink it!" shouted Chen.
"Ninja, go!" shouted the ninjas as they used Spinjitzu against the army.
"Misako, Nya, drop it like it's hot!" shouted Wu.
"Aye, aye, Sensei." said Nya dropping the anchor.
"No!" Skales shouted before the Bounty destroys a Condrai Crusher. "Never thought I'd be happy to see that ship again."
"You alright Skales?" Nalia asked after kicking a few Cultists away.
"Besides being in this crazy fight against fake Serpentines, I am quite alright. But thanks for your concern." said Skales before taking on another Cultist.
"Break through the line!" shouted Chen.
"We can't. The canyon's too narrow!" shouted Zugu.
"Then make it bigger!" shouted Chen as they shoot down a statue.
"Watch out!" shouted Karlof.
Gravis uses his Gravity to save them, while Nalia used her sand to stop any loose pieces from falling on them.
"We have to stop them!" shouted Lloyd.
"We don't have enough people. Unless you count Nalia being a one-person army with her strength." said Kai.
"We can't hold them all!" Cole exclaimed.
"They crossed the line." said Nya.
Pythor comes riding on the swamp rat. "Come on, Rodrigo! They need our help!" Hiya! He goes to Lloyd. "I have something your father needs to see. Oh, come on. You can trust me because if anyone is going to take over this world, I'd rather it be me. Take me to your father, and he can end this once and for all."
"Let's go." Lloyd grabs Pythor and goes on the Bounty's anchor.
"Haha! Be free, Rodrigo! You've earned it." shouted Pythor.
Nalia kept pushing back those she could get to, but her vision was getting blurry as she could feel herself getting sleepy.
"Lia, this isn't the time to get sleepy!" shouted Jay as he quickly knocked back a Cultist trying to attack her from behind.
"Thanks for the save Jay, and sorry." said Nalia with an awkward smile.
Nalia charged towards another Cultist and knocked him back.
"Aah! Please don't hurt me! I promise not to fight anymore!" The Cultist pleaded in a panic.
Nalia stopped as she watched the guy cowering in fear, causing her to stop with a concerned look. While these guys were bad, they weren't evil and they were only following Chen's order.
"You promise?" Nalia asked.
"Yes please don't hurt me!" The guy pleaded.
"Nalia what are you doing, behind you!" shouted Kai rushing towards her.
"Huh?" Nalia were confused until someone tried hitting her from the back, but her sand acted quickly by forming a shield behind her.
Turning her head, Nalia saw that it was another Cultist who tried to ambush her. She glanced back at the guy in front of her but he was gone.
"You pests are starting to get on my nerves." Nalia gave the other guy a cold glare and began using her sand to push the army back like a wave made of pure sand.
"Go Nalia!" shouted Cole as she was pushing back a lot of the Cultists with her sand waves.
While Nalia could use her other powers against them, she wasn't, because even when this pissed off, she was still going easy on them.
Lloyd is soon seen jump off the Bounty and takes his anger out on the Cultists.
"What's gotten into Lloyd?" Zane asked.
"I don't know, but it's too late. We can't stop them now. Even with Nalia's powers." said Kai.
Nalia turned her attention to Lloyd, while she was upset. She couldn't help but worry for him. She used some of her sand powers to block any attacks that Lloyd hadn't noticed.
Lloyd looked over at Nalia, surprised she would still have his back after what he said.
Nalia gave a small nod before focusing on the Cultists coming her way.
"Looks like she still has my back, despite her being upset at me." Lloyd thought before getting back on the Bounty.
"Tell Lloyd I'm sorry." said Garmadon.
"You can tell me yourself." Lloyd climbs into the Bounty. "If anyone should be sending you off, it's me." He takes the book. "Kenji, suveris, toto-demada, cursono, neeboro." Everyone gasps when they see the portal "Actu, cursono, neeborro."
"I yearned to make the world in my image. I never realized I already had, in you." said Garmadon with a proud smile.
Tears formed in Lloyd's eyes but he kept on reading. "Sono, hokido, bo-rock!" Garmadon screaming and moaning as he's being sent to the realm.
"Is he...?" Misako asked.
"We shall see." said Wu when suddenly he Anacondrai General spirits curse the Cultists.
"The spirits of the Anacondrai Generals." said Kai.
"They're cursing Chen's army." said Cole.
"Arcturus! What are you doing? W-we're on the same team!" Chen exclaimed.
"You will never be one of us. Because you are a liar, a cheat, and an impostor!" said Arcturus.
"I can't be cursed! Aah! Save me, Skylor!" Skylor, now a human again, watches him go in the portal. Everyone cheers.
"All right! Hahaha. Yeah, we did it, guys. We did it." said Kai cheering.
A small smile appeared on Nalia's face, relieved that the war was over.
Misako sees Lloyd frowning. "The war is over. It had to be done."
"Thank you, Pythor. You should be rewarded for your courage and bravery. You have made your ancestors proud. Finally." said Arcturus.
"Oh, what can I say? Everyone can change." Arcturus returns Pythor to his normal size. He gasps. "That's more like it. Haha!"
"And thank you, Master Lloyd. Because of your friends, you have done what we never could: united the Serpentine and your kind as one. Because of you, the balance is restored. And because of your father, our spirits can be free. You will have our eternal respect as the greatest warriors to ever battle for Ninjago." The generals go into another realm.
"Haha! You showed them!" said Griffin as he laughed.
"You mean we showed them. Thanks for fighting with us." said Cole.
"Huh. Smarter than fighting against you." said Karlof as everyone laughs.
"Anytime you need your help, just holler." said Jay.
"Same goes for you. I imagine we all have homes and villages to get back to. Thank you, ninja." said Neuro.
"Thank you, friend." said Zane.
"It was great fighting along side you all." said Nalia with a bright smile.
Kai walks up to Skylor. "Uh, we could use another girl like you in our gang."
"Another girl?" Skylor asked.
"Uh, I mean, ninja." Kai quickly corrected himself.
"Heh. Flattering. But now that my father's gone, someone's got to run the family business. Don't worry, no more underground crime. Just noodles." Skylor is about to kiss him, but Dareth interrupts them.
"Please, you have to tell me." Dareth begged.
"Yes, I will put the puffy potsticker back on the menu." said Skylor.
"Oh, finally. All is right in the world." said Dareth as Skylor and Kai laugh.
"Ah. Keep in touch." said Skylor as she left.
"I'd like that." said Kai.
"This is Corridor of Elders, not Corridor of Trash. Help me clean up mess." said Karlof to the few people that were still there.
*The ninja form a circle around a campfire.*
Wu pours tea in Kai's cup. "To the Anacondrai, the greatest warriors of their time."
"Yeah. Now it's our turn to make our ancestors proud." said Jay.
"Because we're proud of those who were here before us to show us the way. Goodbye, Father." said Lloyd.
Nalia began singing in a soft tone.
(The song she is singing.)
(link to song)
"Drifting past, floating by
One by one in my mind
All these memories hug me tight
And these dreams that I see
Piece by piece, come to be
In my heart, they'll keep shining bright!~"
"His loss will affect us all." said Wu as they all listened to Nalia's singing.
"And now I know and believe
What to do and who to be
Here and now, we must live
Moving forward with hope
The sun above, shining so bright
And with its warmth, these smiles grow with delight
Our bonds and hearts keep growing stronger
I know they'll never fade away...~"
"Not his loss, his life. He made us stronger, and he brought us together." said Misako looking at them all.
"Drifting past, floating by
One by one in my mind
All these memories hug me tight
And these dreams that I see
Piece by piece, come to be
In my heart, they'll keep shining bright!
And now I know and believe
What to do and who to be
Here and now, we must live
Moving forward with hope
The sun above, shining so bright
And with its warmth, these smiles grow with delight
Our bonds and hearts keep growing stronger
I know they'll never fade away...~"
"I am Lloyd Garmadon, son of Lord Garmadon." said Lloyd looking at everyone, a small smile when glancing at Nalia while she was singing in honor of his father.
"Student of Sensei Garmadon." said Wu.
"Drifting past, floating by
As the day turns to night
I will wait for tomorrow's light
'Cause I know that with time,
This bright blue of the sky
Will envelop me, hold me tight
I wished I could blame something or someone else
But with time, I've seen it all so clear
My family, that I treasure, oh so dear
Lives within my heart, and we'll never be apart!
The sun above, shining so bright
And with its warmth, these smiles grow with delight
Our bonds and hearts keep growing stronger
I know they'll never fade away!~"
"He made me who I am today. He was my father. He was my adversary. But in the end, he was my friend." said Lloyd as he looked at the spell book in his hands.
"Because of him, we will live to see tomorrow." said Zane.
"And for every tomorrow, we'll live to honor him." said Kai as Lloyd throws the book in the fire.
"And because of him, we'll be ready for whatever comes next." said Jay as they all turned to watch a statue of Garmadon being made.
"The sun above, shining so bright
And with its warmth, these smiles grow with delight
Our bonds and hearts keep growing stronger
I know they'll never fade away!~"
"Skeletons, snakes, Nindroids, and Anacondrai wannabes. If they can't stop us, what can?" said Cole looking at the others.
"That's for tomorrow to decide. Today, we say goodbye to a legend." said Lloyd.
Nalia nodded. "He will always be remembered, no matter what."
*A ghostly figure emerges from a portal.*
"Morro!"
Nalia turned her head as she felt a small change in the wind blowing against her scarf. "Strange."