Partners In Crime

Chapter 33: Ninja Roll

Aria was awoken with a bright light in her face. She whined and covered her face with a pillow.

"Rise and shine," Clouse chuckles

"What the hell?!" Lloyd whines from the couch "It's the asscrack of dawn!"

"He's not a morning person, is he?" Clouse turns to Aria.

"Not at all." Aria yawned as she sat up in bed "What's going on?"

"Your first match," Clouse replies as he turns away "Master of Darkness."

Lloyd shot up from the couch immediately "What?!"

The Elemental Masters skate toward the arena. Clouse directed Lloyd to the podium where Chen sat.

"Why do I have to be up here?" Lloyd asks angrily.

"You're not a competitor, and to avoid you interfering with the match, you have to stay up here." Clouse tells him with annoyance in his voice.

Aria stood in front of the other elemental masters beside Chamille facing Chen.

"Welcome to my favorite event. Thunderblade!" Chen announces happily.

"A Jadeblade for you Aria, Master of Darkness." Chen tosses her a blade and a purple helmet, which she catches. "And another for Chamille, Master of Form." He tosses her a blade and orange helmet. "Haha. Rules are simple. Each lap you complete with your blade in possession, a point. Most points before time expires, you win."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What about us?" Griffin questions "Are we supposed to just stand here?"

"You get to help anyone you wish or hurt for that matter." Chen gestors to the purple and orange helmets on the wall "You're free to choose sides. I'm not a dictator."

The elemental masters looked between Aria and Chamille.

"Arias got no hope," Kai mutters "everyone's hated her since the minute she interfered on the boat."

The elemental masters grabbed the orange helmets and stood beside Camille. The ninja looked at each other, deciding who to choose.

"Let's go boys!"

Aria turns to look beside her, where Reika stood with a purple helmet.

"Reika, we didn't agree to help her!" Jay shouts

"Listen guys, I'd follow this ass anywhere." Reika says, "Besides look at flat chested Camille over there, how can you compare this to that."

"I don't know whether to thank her or punch her," Aria mutters.

Camille looks annoyed as the ninja sighed and grabbed purple helmets.

"Interesting," Chen chuckles

"To be clear this doesn't mean we like you," Kai tells Aria as he wobbles on his skates.

"Trust me, you'd do me more good on the enemy team." Aria comments.

"Ungreatful-"

"Aria, Master of Darkness, versus Chamille, master of Form. Most laps with their Jadeblade when time runs out wins. Loser is out. Thunderbladers on your mark, get set," Chen pauses "Now go!"

Aria and Chamille head out before the other elementals.

"Oh, how about some spectator ambience?" Chen presses a button to make the speakers cheer.

The other elemental masters skated after the two.

"Why did we choose to help our enemy?" Kai whines

"This tournament wouldn't be fun if I couldn't look at her anymore," Reika replies.

"Seriously?!" Kai shouts.

Jay skates ahead and pushed Paleman into the wall, making him fall. Jay caught up and skated beside Aria.

"You seem to be doing well on your own," he says.

"Well, when Lloyd's staring me down I kinda have to win or he'll throw a tantrum," Aria replies.

"You're right about that," Jay sighs "right now let's put our differences aside and get you ahead."

"I thought you were the scaredy cat of the group," Aria comments.

"I am, you're insane." Jay tells her "But- im putting that in the back of my head."

"You ninja make no sense," Aria says.

"Forget it, it's the time to skate faster" Jay jumps over Kai and Griffin, who fell "Haha! Watch out for the Poison cloud!"

Aria jumps over it while Jay skates around it, Kai however goes right into it. Reika laughed as she also went around it.

"Well, the good news is you're tied right now," Reika tells Aria as she caught up to them.

"Not good enough for me," Aria says.

"My question is how is this fair?" Kai asks, "I mean, there's no traps, he's not pulling any stunts either."

"Well ninja it's like Garmadon told you," Aria smirks "You can't trust me."

"Wha-"

"Hold off the elementals," Aria interrupts Jay "I'm going for Camille."

Aria skates ahead of the ninja as they shrug and do their best to keep the other elementals preoccupied. Aria pushed Camille into the wall, as she got to her feet a hand seemingly made of darkness reached out of the wall and grabbed her.

"Ah!" Camille shouts "What is this thing?!"

Aria crosses the finish line and Lloyd cheers as Garmadon stares down at the wall where there were now multiple hands holding onto Camille.

"Winner!" Chen shouts with a laugh.

Aria snaps her fingers, and the hands release Camille, disappearing back into the wall.

"W-What the hell?!" Camille shouts, completely out of breath.

"Aw, did my little friends scare you?" Aria mocks

"Form loses," Chen calls out.

A trapdoor opens under Chamille, and she falls through. The other elemental masters glared at Aria as the ninja just looked confused. Lloyd ran over and hugged Aria as she smiled to him.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Lloyd asks.

"A great master never reveals her secrets," Aria replies before turning to the other elementals "It was fun guys, better luck next time."

Lloyd laughs as he and her walk off. Garmadon approaches the ninja.

"This isn't good," Garmadon says "Not at all."

"What the heck was those things?" Jay asks.

"They were hands Jay," Reika replies "really... really creepy ones."

"Aria must have found one her mother's spell books," Garmadon tells them.

"Spell books?" Kai questions "Was her mother a witch or something?"

"You could say that" Garmadon sighs "at this rate, Aria may become a greater threat then we thought. I wasn't so concerned as she was just a child with no experience with her powers.. however, she's always been a fast learner."

"Great, look what your simping did sis." Kai turns to Reika "We're going to regret helping her."

"Uh," Reika rubs her head "Woops."