Cole whistles in the factory, feeling rather happy.
"Why you whistling?" Karlof asks. "Yesterday Cole was sad. Not today. What changed?"
"Things are looking up, Karlof," Cole answers. "We came here to find a friend, and I found him. All I gotta do now is get Zane and bust him out."
"Not so easy. Chen's made it nearly impossible to escape this place."
"I'm still working out the details, but Zane's a Nindroid, a walking computer," Cole says. "If I can get to him, he'll solve anything Chen throws at us in no time."
Karlof groans. "Karlof wished he had friend like that."
"But first order of business," Cole says. "I gotta let the others know I'm busting him out," He adds, placing a piece of paper in a fortune cookie.
"You put message in cookie?"
"I know, right? That's why it's called a fortune cookie."
"Well, if you get out, don't forget about Karlof."
"Yeah, sure. Of course," Cole reassures before turning to an Anacondrai Warrior. "Special order for the banquet's ready."
"I hope you have the good fortune for it to end up in the right hands," Karlof says.
"You and me both, Karlof," Cole says. "Now all I have to do is figure out how to get out of here."
"Aah," Zugu says, attempting to grab a cookie as the Cultists stop him.
Cole looks at Zugu, noticing that he has the key. Now all he had to do was get them and bust Zane out.
Nya and Dareth watched as Chen's Kabuki entered the palace.
"All right, Dareth," Nya says. "Let's move in."
"Wait a minute," Dareth says before leading her to the back of the D.B Express. " Have I ever told you that I am master of disguise?" He asks, opening a makeup kit.
"Is that makeup?"
"No, no, this is the master of disguise kit."
"No, no."
"Get ready to go undercover," He says, covering Nya in makeup. "Oh, yeah. Oh, that. Oh, perfect. Oh," He says before Nya coughs. "Presenting Miss Kabuki. Yeah!"
"What? How did you manage to change my clothes?" Nya asks.
"A true ninja never reveals his secrets. You should know that, Nya. Hmm."
The Kabuki in the palace begin to serve the fighters food.
"Try the horned wasp eggs," Chen says. "Delicious!"
"Uh, I think I'll pass," Lloyd says.
"Oh, lighten up, Green Ninja," Chen says as Y/n pushes aside the plate. "This isn't a trick. This is a feast to celebrate the nine of you making it to the second round," He adds as the Kabuki laugh. "And I must congratulate the Master of Shadow's defeat over Master of Poison. She was a bit hard to swallow, am I right?" He jokes as the Kabuki laugh. "Laugh harder! Hahahaha!" He laughs as the Kabuki force out a laugh.
"You can relax, Lloyd and Y/n," Kai says. "Even if there was a fight, now that we told the others about Chen's dirty plot to steal our Powers, we're safe in our secret alliance."
"I tried to enlist Shadow, but that dude's throwing some serious shade," Griffin says.
"Well, at least he lives up to his element," Y/n says.
"Well, if you plan to stop Chen, you'll need everyone on board," Garmadon tells them. "Each fighter that loses gives him strength. Soon he'll be too powerful for even all of you combined to overcome."
A Kabuki came out with fortune cookies.
"Ooh, fortune cookies! Bring them to me!" Chen demands.
"But they are for your captured—" Clouse says. "I mean, honored guests."
"I'm not gonna eat them, Clousey Clouse. Just read the fortunes," Chen says. "They're my favorite part."
"Might I warn you our guests are fond of whispering, and I don't think it's about your food," Clouse tells his master. "I've heard word they have allied themselves. The ninja have told them about our secret ceremony."
"Do they know about the spell?"
"Not yet," Clouse says. "But we must get ahead of this."
Chen puts the cookie back and the Kabuki bring them to the Masters.
"It has come to my attention that there are rumors floating about that I am stealing everyone's power," Chen says. "I am," He admits as the masters gasp. "But it's all for this staff," He says, clapping as the Kabuki wave their hand fans. "No, no. Not you, staff. I mean my real staff," Chen says as the staff is brought to him. "The Staff of Elements," He intorduces. "It holds the power of your fallen foes, and soon it'll hold all but one. For the last standing in my tournament will win this prize and be the greatest fighter ever in the history in Ninjago!"
The whispering begins.
"You lied," Lloyd accuses. "What about the spell?"
"Spell?" Clouse asks. "What spell?"
"Don't believe him," Lloyd tells the other elemental masters. "It's just another trick. Neuro read Clouse's mind and saw it. Tell them what you saw, Neuro."
Clouse stares hard at Neuro, trying to intimidate him.
"I—" Neuro stutters. "I don't remember. Truthfully, I'm a bit more interested in knowing more about that staff."
"And why should we be so quick to believe everything you say?" Griffin asks. "How do we know you're not lying to get the staff for yourself?"
Skylor reads Cole's message for the Ninja and gasp.
"It worked," Clouse says. "Their alliance is crumbling."
"So much for the alliance," Garmadon comments.
"They believe him over us?" Lloyd asks.
A Kabuki gets closer to Jay, fanning him a little too closely.
"If we're gonna convince anyone, argh," Jay says as the fan hits him. "We need proof. Ugh. We need too, oh, find that spell. Would you cut it out?!"
"Jay, it's me," Nya says.
"Nya?" The ninja ask.
"Lower your voices. I'm undercover," Nya says. "And to be completely honest, a bit out of my element. And I heard what happened to Cole. That was big of you both."
"Love is like war, Nya. Everybody gets hurt," Jay says.
"God, that's cheesy," Y/n sighs.
"Is it just you, sis?" Kai asks.
"Dareth's also on the island."
"What up, ninja?" Dareth asks from a communication device.
"And in contact with Wu via mobile base," She adds.
"If you're undercover, that means you can get close to Clouse's spellbook," Kai says. "All we know is that it's on page 149. I think he might have it in his quarters."
"I'll look into it," Nya says. "And it sounds like you have your work cut out for you too."
"What makes you say that?" Y/n asks.
"How do you think they found out about your little alliance? Someone in your circle of trust is a spy."
"A Spy?" They ask as she leaves before Clouse notices her.
"Do you know that servant girl?" Skylor asks, approaching them.
"Uh—Know that girl? Uh, of course not. Why?" Kai asks. "Jealous?"
"God, I hate it here," Y/n groans.
"My fortune tells me Cole and your friend Zane will be breaking out," Skylor says, passing Kai the message. "You're lucky this didn't end up in the wrong hands," She says before leaving.
"He found Zane, I can't believe it," Kai says. "Thanks, Skylor. It's good to know there are some people here we can trust."
"A spy?" Jay asks. "Who do you think it is?"
"I have my suspicions," Lloyd says, looking at Shade.
"Yeah! Haha!" Dareth cheered in the vehicle, playing air guitar.
"Dareth," Nya says, using her communication device. "Dareth, are you there?"
"Ah," He says, stopping tge music. "Loud and proud, Nya. Talk to me."
"Tell Sensei our objectives are set. I'm gonna find the spell and get proof Chen's up to no good while the ninja sniff out the spy in their alliance," Nya instructs.
"Aye, aye, Samurai X. Brown Ninja out," Dareth says before messaging Wu. "Breaker, breaker. Come in, Wu. The falcon has landed."
Timeskip
Time passes by and Cole notices an oppurtunity when Zugu is distracted.
"It's time," He declares.
"But shift not over for hours," Karlof points out.
"It is for me. Hehe. I've been waiting to do this for a long time."
Cole climbs onto a machine and eats the noodles, making everyone cheer.
"Get him!" Zugu says.
"Let there be food! Ha! All you can eat. Eat it, guards! Whoo-hoo!"
"Go, Cole, go!"
"Whoa!"
"Gotcha Zugu says.
Cole belches. "Now I feel better. You got any cake?" He asks before being thrown into the dungeon. "It was all worth it! For these," He says, pulling out Zugu's keys.
"Zane!" He says, freeing the nindroid.
"Cole? You've returned."
"Of course I did. I made a promise," Cole says. "Now come here, you shiny new tin can. Ah," He says as he hugs his best friend. "Can you feel the love?"
"No," Zane replies. "But the longer we stand here, the shorter time we have to escape."
"Ha! You kow, you always were the smart one. Let's go."
At that moment, Zugu notices that his keys are missing and immediately sounds the alarms. Nya sneaks into Clouse's quarters and finds the book.
"Page 102, 122, aha. Page 149," She says before reading the spell. "Oh, this would change everything."
Footsteps begin to sound, making her gasp. In time, Zugu stops Clouse from entering the room.
"There's been a breach in the factory. Master Cole has gone missing," Zugu says as Nya tears off the page and hides.
"Release my pet," Clouse says. "She'll make sure he doesn't escape," He says before seeing his book with the kabuki powder. He hums before leaving.
Timeskip
"Not that way. That will only take us back to where we started," Zane points out.
"Unh. Maybe you should be leading," Cole says before they hear a growl.
"I am not familiar with that sound."
"I am. We need to move!"
"I thought I was leading," Zane states.
"Trust me, you'll wanna keep up," Cole says.
They run like their lives depended on it, which in a way, it did. They reached a dead end.
"This isn't a wall," Zane states. "It's the body of a large serpent."
"Come on, we have to find another way. Argh. Another dead end."
"The serpent's strategy appears to be to surround us and coil inward. Very clever," Zane says.
"Yeah, well, my stragety is to not be eaten," Cole responds as the snake corners them. "It was nice knowing you, Zane. I think this really is our dead end. I don't supoose you can freeze him?"
"Chen took my powers like everyone else," Zane says. "Pixal, calculate escape scenarios."
"Pixal?" Cole asks. "You got a girl stuck in your head?"
"Calculating escape routes," Pixal says. "Activating explosive shurikens."
Zane aims his shurikens at the ground, making a hole small enough for only them to go through as they escape.
"Heh, I'm going to like the new you," Cole says.
"We must move quickly."
"Lead the way."
"Like I said," Shade says as they gather in Kai's room. "I ain't joining your little alliance. I'm gunning for that staff."
"Hey, this isn't about an alliance," Lloyd says. "This is about finding out who the spy is. No one leaves this room until we find out who is passing information to Chen."
"Why are you looking at me, Greenie? I'm not your spy," Shade argues.
"Perhaps I can help," Neuro says, using his powers. "I don't know who, but someone here isn't who they say they are."
"How do we know we can trust you?" Skylor asks. "Maybe I should use your power and see inside your head."
"I'd like to see you try, power hoarder."
"And besides, how do we know we can trust you?" Y/n challenges. "If Neuro here can lie, I'm sure you can do so as easily."
"This is what Chen wants," Kai says. "For us to fight. But we don't have to. There has to be a more civilized way around this."
"There is," Garmadon says. "Everyone who's ever worked for Chen has the Anacondrai tattoo on their back. Find the tattoo, find the spy."
"Anyone object?" Lloyd asks.
Neuro shows his tattoo-less back. "Can I go now?"
"Not until we check everyone," Lloyd says. "Who's next?"
"Let's get it on, Griffin says, showing his back.
Clouse brings his spellbook to Chen.
"You're harshing my vibe," Chen says as Nya spies on them. "You better tell me they've caught the escaped prisoner."
"Sadly, Master, not yet," Clouse replies. "But I have far worse news to report. Someone has stolen the spell."
"Do you need the page to do the spell?"
"Of course not. But if it gets into the hands of the ninja, the fighters will know we've lied, then they'll rise against us."
"Then we must find that page! Argh! Kabuki paint, uh, it gets everywhere," Chen says as Nya gets pulled in by a kabuki.
"Hmm," Clouse says, noticing the kabuki paint on the book, "Master, I have a feeling a spy may well be in our midst."
"A kabuki servant? Well, well."
"The spy may have the page still on them. Guards! Search every servant in this room!"
"They call me Dareth the Man with the big, bad guitar sound. Oh, I said spin. Spin like a record, come on. Yeah, spin, Dareth, spin. Spin like a record, come on," Dareth sings before accidentally hitting a switch which broadcasts his music for the whole island to hear. "Dareth the Man and the big, bad guitar band."
"What is that racket?" Chen asks.
"It's coming from the island," Clouse replies.
"It's coming from the spy. Find the signal, find the spy."
"You heard him. Find the spy."
Nya attempts to leave but Clouse stops her. "As for you, stay put."
"Dareth, what have you done now?"
Back at Kai's suite, everyone had been checked except for Shade and Skylor.
"Well, only two left," Lloyd says.
"Uh, I hate to do this, but it's your turn. Can I see your back, please?" Kai asks Skylor.
"How could you not trust me?" The outraged girl asks. "I came to you with the fortune cookie—"
"I'm sorry. but we have to know."
"Wait, where's Shade?" Y/n asks.
"He disappeared through his own shadow," Jay replies.
"There he is! Get him!" Griffin says.
"I ain't your spy, and I ain't your friend either," Shade says. "That staff will be mine."
Lloyd uses his energy on him but a potrait of Kai falls on Jay instead.
Jay screams. "My leg! Ugh! Get Kai off of me!"
Garmadon attempts to stop Shade. "You cast a long shadow, old man."
"It was Shadow. He must be the spy," Neuro says.
"Ow! Oh," Jay says as the picture is removed as he suffers from a broken leg.
"Skylor, look. I'm sorry," Kai says.
"Don't," Skylor angrily replies. "And if you still think I'm the spy, watch me walk out that door," She says before showing a tattoo-less back.
"What happened to our alliance?" Jay asks.
"What alliance?" Lloyd responds.
"Kabuki are always pleased to serve me. Isn't that right, Kabuki?" Chen asks as they laugh. "Now harder! Really get into it!"
"Our spy tells me the Master of Lightning is hurt," Clouse says as Nya gasps, hitting Chen with the leaf fan.
"Ow! Too hard!"
"The Ninja are weakening, Master."
"What about their spy? Have you found where the signals are coming from?"
"We haven't found anything on the island yet, but we will."
"What are you doing?" Eyezor asks Chope and Kapau, who were distracted by Dareth's music.
"I was, uh— I was headbanging," Kapau says.
"Taking a break," Chope says.
"Have you checked out the waterfall?" Eyezor asks.
"Yeah," Chope replies.
"Uh, yeah, it's beautiful," Kapau responds.
"So serene."
"I mean for spies, you idiots!" Eyezor yells, chasing them to said waterfall.
"Yes sir!"
"Right away!"
"Now, come on!"
"Whoo! Yeah! The Brown Ninja!" The oblivious Dareth cheers.
"Dareth! Do you read me? They're coming," Nya says from her communication device. "You hear me? They're coming for you!"
Dareth gasps. "Savages. Uh, where is that cloak button?"
"Check it out," Eyezor says as everyone laughs.
"Now let's test what's under the hood," Dareth says before screaming. "Somebody get me out of here!"
"Autopilot initiated."
"Ha! About time you showed up, little dude. Alright, boneheads. I got a bone to pick with—Oh! Ooh! Aah!" He scarems, shooting the cliff and knocking out some Cultists. "Score one for the Brown Ninja!" He says before autopilot stops working when it sees a cliff up ahead. "Bad autopilot! Bad autopilot!" He says, breaking and almost failing. "I've been taken hostage by the savages! You're on your own. Go on without me!"
"So you're the spy! Ha! The spell!" Chen says.
Nya kicks him. "Oh, and by the wya, your feet stink!"
"Get her! And get that spell!"
Kapau and Chope patrol the tunnels together.
"They've ordered everyone after some kabuki girl," Chope says.
"What about the escaped factory worker?"
"Forget him," Chope says as Zane and Cole listen to them. "Chen will make sure the other workers pay for his actions. Poor spas."
"'Poor saps?'" Cole asks.
"Hurry, the exit is just around the bend," Zane says.
"You go, I can't. A ninja doesn't save himself. He protects those who can't protect themselves. I have to go back. I have to go back and save them all."
"And a ninja never leaves another ninja's side."
"We'll get off this island one day, Zane. But it's either all of us or none of us."
Nya kicks Clouse and runs away.
"Don't just stand there. Find her!" Clouse says.
They fight but Nya manages to escape.
"Get her. And get that spell."
A cultist walks up to Chen.
"My spy, have they found the girl?"
"No, but you may have bigger problems to deal with." Skylor uses the power of form, turning herself back to normal. "Cole's got the metal man, Father."
"Thank you, my child," Chen says. "The Master of Form's power has proved to be useful to you. The ninja's time here is done. Tomorrow, we will end this charade. Tomorrow, we will break up the ninja forever!" He says before they start laughing.