The Master of Nature

Training

It had been decided that Hope and Lloyd would train at the same time. That way, there would be fewer complications.

The first thing the two amateur ninja were told to do was to run through an obstacle course. Hope was confused.

"I don't get it," she said. "I thought that I was going to learn some fighting moves or something."

"This is how we all learned Spinjitzu," said Jay. "Just make sure to complete it fast."

"Sensei timed us by drinking his tea, and we had to finish the course before he finished it," said Kai.

"What?" asked Lloyd. "But that would only take a couple of seconds."

Hope and Lloyd ran through the makeshift training course. Both of them were sloppy with no skill.

Hope kept falling and tripping all over the place. Once Wu saw her and said, "Failed."

"Hey!" said Hope, feeling a little offended. "I have been training all week."

Luckily for her, Kai was nearby and explained to her that the course did more than teach her Spinjitzu.

"I only got to do the course once per day," he said. "When I failed, I could only try again the next day. The idea was to teach me patience."

"You're still pretty impatient," grumbled Hope. But she did try to be less impatient.

Lloyd didn't fare so well on the course either, but the little boy stayed determined. Sometimes he attempted to do Spinjitzu himself, which the others thought endearing.

Lloyd would call out made-up moves on the spot. Hope sometimes watched him train and she would giggle at his adorableness.

The other ninja also trained, but they were more focused on evading the Serpentine.

A few days later, the ninja were planning to sneak into the Serpentine's underground fortress. Hope asked if she could join in.

"Well, I suppose that we could take you along," said Cole. "But are you ready for it?"

"I think that I'm ready," said Hope.

"Alright, but remember, if a Constrictai puts you in a squeeze, try to relax," said Cole.

"Like the Devil's Snare in the Harry Potter movie?" asked Hope.

Everyone except Zane looked confused. Hope sighed.

"Nevermind," she said.

"Wait for me!" said Lloyd as he ran up to them.

"This is not your fight," said Wu. "The Green Ninja is too important for a future destiny. You shall stay with me."

However, Nya had provided a seat on her Samurai X mech for Wu to sit in, so it was decided that Lloyd and Garmadon would stay behind on the ship.

Hope felt herself trembling as she went along with the other ninja. She had never directly interacted with the Serpentine before.

In spite of the ninja's attempts to sneak in the fortress, they were all eventually discovered. Nya tried to call Lloyd and Garmadon, but the connection was bad.

"Ugh, I'm not getting anything," complained Nya.

"Forget them," said Wu. "We need to fight back. Ninja, show them what you've learned."

Most of the ninja didn't hesitate to battle the Serpentine, but Hope hung behind, nervous.

"Hope, what's wrong?" asked Nya.

"I... I'm scared," said Hope. "I don't know how to fight."

Just then, a Fangpyre appeared in front of Hope and tried to bite her. But Jay quickly zapped it in time.

"Hope, are you okay?" he asked.

"I can't do it," said Hope. "I'm not ready. I just thought that I was."

Just then, a Hypnobrai tried to hypnotize Jay. He managed to dodge it, but slipped and hung at the edge.

"Jay!" called Nya. She flew to save him.

A Constrictai grabbed Hope. She started to panic.

Relax! Just relax! But the fear and terror made her panic even more.

"Well, it looks like there's a new addition. You don't seem very tough."

"Please... Let go," Hope whispered.

"Oh, a girl? How pathetic."

Something about being pathetic seem to make Hope snap. Her foster parents had called her that too many times to count. For too long she had allowed them to bully her. And now she was in a better place with people who cared about her.

"I will not... Let... Anyone... Bully me... Again!" Hope suddenly burst out into Spinjitzu and went through three snakes.

"Hope, you have done Spinjitzu!" said Kai.

"Yeah!" said Hope. She suddenly wasn't scared anymore, and started to fight.

However, everyone got trapped in a cage a short while later.

"Oh, this isn't good," said Kai. "Where's Lloyd when you need him?"