The Master of Nature

New Introductions

Hope felt in a whirl. She had wanted to write to Alyssa to tell her, but the others told Hope that it was risky. But Hope felt that she would burst if she kept quiet about her new revelation - that she was the master of nature.

Hope had experimented with her powers a little. She could make plants grow and flowers bloom, but at uneven rates.

The boys told her that she still had to stay behind during missions. Hope would need to train a little before she could be an official ninja.

Nya had explained to Hope that she had been secretive because she hadn't wanted Hope to find out that she was the samurai. "That was why I was nervous about sharing a room with you," she said. "All my Samurai X stuff was in there."

So far, the ninja had failed to get two Fangblades before the Serpentine. But they refused to be discouraged.

A few days later, Hope was in her room looking at a small plant. Her powers were unpredictable. Was it because she had just started using them? Had she been unconsciously suppressing these powers her entire life? Had she always had her powers, or had they just appeared?

"Fire! Unlock Fire! Uh, Fire go! Shoot flames! Oh, come on. Everyone else can do it. So can you. BRING HEAT!"

Kai? thought Hope. What on earth was that hot-headed ninja doing now? She decided to investigate. 

And guess what she saw? Kai wearing the green ninja suit and yelling out different catchphrases. Hope didn't know whether to laugh or not. 

"Very nice." said Cole. "Perhaps if you tried the phrase 'Fire dork,' maybe it might work."

Kai looked embarrassed as he took off his hood. "How long have you all been watching?"

From what Kai explained later, it seemed that he felt insecure from being the only one who hadn't discovered his full potential. Zane had discovered his full potential after discovering that he was a Nindroid. Jay had discovered his after Nya had told him that he didn't need to change who he was. Cole had discovered his full potential the other day after reconciling with his father. 

"Besides," Kai was saying, "Sensei's gone and we don't know when he's coming back —"

"Hello? I'm home," came a voice.

Hope turned around in surprise. "Come on," said Cole. "It's time to introduce you to Sensei."

Hope hung back a little behind the others as they greeted Sensei Wu. She always felt shy in front of strangers.

"Oh, Sensei, have you missed a lot," said Jay. "Zane's a Nindroid, Nya's the mysterious Samurai, Cole's a dancer—"

"Zane is a...what?" asked Wu.

"You've been gone a while," said Zane. "We'll catch you up later. But you should know, all of us except for Kai have discovered our True Potential."

"Have you now? Where is Kai?" asked Wu.

Just the, Kai came running, back in his own gi. "Right here. So glad you're back safe."

"Oh yeah," said Cole. "This is Hope Mason. She apparently is the master of nature."

Sensei Wu seemed to see Hope for the first time. "Oh, I didn't see you earlier," he said. "It's nice to meet you."

"Er... nice to meet you too," said Hope. She felt uncomfortably shy, an effect of being abused by her foster parents for years. Although she was okay with people her age, she always felt wary around adults. Just then, she saw four arms appear behind Wu. 

"Aah! Sensei, behind you!" yelled Kai.

Hope screamed as she came face to face with Lord Garmadon. She quickly ran away. 

Wu quickly stopped Kai from attacking Garmadon and explained that he had recruited him to help save Lloyd. Hope was still frozen in shock. 

Later, Hope watched the other ninja give reports of their missions to Wu. She felt really uneasy. Soon, Wu turned his attention to Hope.

"So you are an elemental master?"

"I guess," said Hope.

"How long have you known?"

"Not very long."

"Interesting. Have you started training yet?"

"No," said Hope.

"We decided to let her get used to her powers first before starting her training," said Cole. "She has had a rough last few years. Her foster parents were horrible and abused her."

"I see," said Wu. "But the first thing we need to do is to get her a gi."

"Oh. Thank you Sensei," said Hope, already feeling comfortable in his presence.