The Master of Nature

Kids Again?

A few days later, Hope noticed that Lloyd seemed very unmotivated to train. She saw him looking outside longingly when he saw some kids playing.

At first Hope was confused, then she realized that Lloyd was missing the chance to have fun. That particular day, everyone had gotten up really early to train Lloyd.

That late afternoon, Hope noticed that Lloyd seemed tired. He kept yawning while training. Finally, the ninja asked him what was wrong.

Lloyd sighed. "Well... The latest issue of Starfarer just came in at Doomsday Comix and it's a limited run, so if I don't go out and get it, it's going to sell out. Last they left off, intergalactic rogue Fritz Donnegan was surrounded by the Imperial Sludge, and if I don't find out if he gets out alright, I think I might have my own doomsday."

"The fate of Ninjago rests on your shoulders," pointed out Kai. "As the Green Ninja, you have a giant responsibility to hold. I'm sorry, but you don't have time for such childish things."

"Other kids get to play and have fun. All I ever do is train," complained Lloyd.

"He has a point," said Hope. "I mean, he is a kid."

Nya suddenly came up to them. "Guys, there's been a break-in at the Ninjago City Museum of History and the security cameras picked up you-know-who."

"Garmadon!" said Cole.

"We have to stop him before he uses the Mega Weapon to start another one of the dialogical plots," said Jay.

Lloyd looked up at them, hoping to join in, but one look from the ninja told him that he wasn't coming.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can't go and it's safer if I stay here and train," grumbled Lloyd.

Hope felt a little bad for Lloyd. He wasn't having much of a childhood. It was bad enough that he would have to fight his father someday, but now he had no time to play.

The ninja went to the Ninjago City Museum to find out that Garmadon planned to use the Mega Weapon to bring a creature called a Grundle back to life. The ninja went to try to stop him but ended up falling off the Grundle skeleton.

Kai managed to knock away the Mega Weapon using a sword and interrupting the process. Garmadon decided to clear out, but the Serpentine generals tried to steal a golden sarcophagus. The ninja ran after them.

For some reason, they were all much slower than usual. But it didn't matter for the Serpentine generals had been unable to fit the sarcophagus down a manhole and abandoned it.

"I can't believe we couldn't catch up to them. I'm usually faster than that. It's as if my legs were half the size," complained Jay.

"Er, Jay, why does your voice sound so funny?" asked Hope, but then she noticed that her voice was strangely high pitched.

"I don't remember that thing being so big. Did it grow?" asked Kai.

"Or did we shrink?" asked Zane.

Suddenly, Kai noticed their reflection in a glass door. All of them were now very small.

Jay took off his hood and shrieked. "Ah! WE SHRUNK!!!!!!!!"

"We're...we're kids!" said Kai.

Everyone was now freaking out and screaming.

"Oh, it's impossible! We must be dreaming, Zane! TELL ME WE’RE DREAMING!!!!" screamed Cole.

"Nindroids don't dream," said Zane. "Perhaps Garmadon succeeded in turning back the clock, but instead of reviving the Grundle, it only affected us."

"Yeah, but Nindroids don't turn into kids. Explain that, genius," said Jay.

"I've extended my logic parameters, but nothing is coming up. This does not compute!" said Zane adorably.

"Oh, but I can't be a kid again!" said Cole. "I hated being a kid! You can't drive, nobody listens to you! Oh, no.... BEDTIMES!!!!!"

"I... I want my Mom and Dad!" said Hope. "The last time I was this small, I was still living with my biological parents. I think that right now Lloyd's older than me."

Just then, a police car came up to the ninja-turned-kids. Two policemen came out.

"Well, well, what do we got here? Looks like we've caught our culprits to the museum heist. Who would have thought it was just a bunch of brats? What have you got on, Apple Dumpling Gang? Pyjamas?"

Annoyed, Jay said, "These aren't pajamas! We're ninja!"

"Yeah, yeah, and I'm Santa Claus," said a policeman mockingly.

Kai tried to prove their point by doing Spinjitzu, but his Spinjitzu was very shaky and he knocked all of them on the car hood.

It all ended with the five of them getting arrested. Hope burst into tears.

"Are we going to prison?" she asked.

"Whoa there little girl, you're not going to prison. You're only a minor."

"Look, officers, this has been a grave misunderstanding. My friends here and I are simply trying to help out," said Kai.

But the police officers were certain that the ninja were just silly children with huge imaginations. "Hey, you can tell all the stories you want when we return to the museum tomorrow to explain why you stole this."