I was leaning against the railing on the bridge as Nya was driving the Bounty, I heard footsteps and looked, Jay walking over to us all. "Am I the only one freaking out about this?" Jay asked, panicked.
I sighed softly, we now had Garmadon on the ship since we need to figure out how to fight that black cloud. Nadine clung to me as I held her, I frowned. "Why freak out? Our deranged, psychotic arch-nemesis is now our house guest." Kai said. "...I find the term freak out inadequate and imprecise. I prefer to say I am deeply troubled." Zane chimed in, Nya turned to Lloyd.
"Lloyd, are you sure he can be trusted?" She asked "No, of course not." Lloyd said. "Of course not? That's not what you're supposed to say! You're supposed to say yes!" Jay whispered "What choice do we have? If Master Wu and Asteria are right, we're under attack by the Oni, then my father may be our best chance. And he doesn't even have his powers...so how much trouble can he really cause?" Lloyd said.
I heard a beep and looked, seeing Garmadon had pressed a button. "Did he just turn off the...?" Zane started "Yes...yes he did." I said and groaned, we all started to fall, I was sent back and hit my back against a wall. Nadine screamed as she held onto me.
"He turned off the engines, we're gonna crash!!" Jay screamed "Asteria, hit the ignition switch!" Nya yelled to me, since I was the closest.
I grabbed the computer system and groaned as it was hard to reach the button. "I see the ground! We're coming in fast!!" Jay yelled, I slammed my hand on the button and the engine turned on, we flew back up in the air and I landed facefirst in the ground.
"Ughh..." I groaned and sat up, feeling my face. "Hm..that button should be labeled." Garmadon said as he started to go to the ladder, climbing down.
"It is labeled! It says, Don't push while in motion!" Nya yelled at him "Perhaps it would be wise to accompany your father, Lloyd" Zane suggested. "Argh...can't believe I have to babysit my own father." Lloyd said and walked off, following Garmadon down the ladder and inside the Bounty.
I rubbed Nadine's back as I jumped down the ladder, walking to the railing of the dock. "Hey, it's okay..." I reassured my child. I heard footsteps and looked, seeing Nya walking over "Is she okay?"
I nod "Yes, just a bit frightened."
She held her hands out and I handed Nadine to her. Nya smiled as she held Nadine, wiping her tears away "Shh, it's okay. You're safe with us. We won't leave you, Nadine."
Nadine leaned into Nya and smiled. My cheeks flush at the sight of Nya holding Nadine and I smile.
I heard Zane's voice on the speaker "All hands to the bridge."
We got to the bridge and I stood next to Nya. "...The Oni entered this realm through a portal or rift between our world and theirs. There are only one or two ways this is possible, and I'm willing to wager, it would have been through the Realm Crystal" Garmadon explained as we all listened. "To stop this darkness from spreading, the crystal must be destroyed" Garmadon said.
"But...the Realm Crystal is underneath Borg tower, in the middle of Ninjago City" I said. "Um, we just escaped from there, remember? It's engulfed in a giant black cloud of destruction! Now you're asking us to turn around and go back?!" Kai asked Garmadon "Tch...most likely telling us to." I scoffed and glared at Garmadon.
He wasn't that good father that I met all those years ago.
Nya gently held my arm, I looked and held her hand softly, I frowned.
"The Dragon is right. I am telling you that if you wish to stop the darkness the crystal must be destroyed" Garmadon explained.
"And I'm telling you forget it. Just one of those black cloud tentacle things touched my foot for a second and nearly froze me solid. We wouldn't last a minute inside the darkness" Cole argued.
Garmadon replied "That is correct, you are merely human. I however, am an Oni. I can enter the darkness, make my way to the crystal and destroy it. I will of course require a weapon."
"Ha! Fat chance!" Cole shot a glare at Garmadon.
Lloyd approached his father "Do you really expect us to just hand you a sword and let you go?"
Garmadon replied "If you wish to live, yes."
"Well forget it! No way! I wouldn't trust you with a...A...A..." Lloyd tried to think of something.
"A pillow?" Kai inquired and we all glanced at him.
"...It's the most harmless thing I could think of" Kai tilted his head and we faced Garmadon again.
Lloyd argued with his father "It's not gonna happen! You're not going anywhere. Not without me, I'm your son remember? I'm Oni too."
Garmadon glared "No, you are part Oni. That means you might survive." He explained as he walked away.
"Well I guess we'll find out." Lloyd glared.
~~~
I approached Nya as she was steering, Nadine was playing my brother currently "Huh...Would you look at that?"
"Yeah. Pretty creepy huh?" Nya said and I nod "A bit, yes" I responded and looked at Nya slightly.
I felt my body get hot from how nervous I was and I sighed to calm down.
I cleared my throat "Uh, hey Nya?"
"Hm?" She hummed and turned to me. "There's uh, something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time..."
Nya raised an eyebrow as I stood back slightly. I held the medallion behind my back "Will you...-" I started but Garmadon stepped in between us.
Nya shot a glare at him "What do you want?"
"Absolutely nothing." He replied and walked away. Nya groaned "That guy gives me the creeps. What were you going to say?"
"Uh...It can wait." I replied and put the medallion away.
~~~
We reached Ninjago City. Zane put a headband around Lloyd's forehead "This will allow us to see what's happening inside the cloud."
I frowned and approached Lloyd as I set a hand on his shoulder "Be safe."
Lloyd nods "I'll be fine."
Garmadon grunted "That assumption is unfounded. You are mostly human. That side of you is weak."
The bean sprout glared "It's also stubborn. Let's go. Give him a sword Cole."
Cole took the sword out of the floorboards and faced Garmadon "...Uh, are you sure about that?"
Lloyd gently nodded and Cole hesitantly threw the sword to Garmadon.
He suddenly jumped at Cole and my eyes widened "Look out!"
Cole jumped back as he tried blocking Garmadon's sword with his hammer but was thrown back.
I watched the others fight him but realized what he was doing. "Guys stop!" I tried shouting to them but they didn't listen.
Cole clutched his hammer "Try that again. I'm ready this time!"
Garmadon glared as his power returned purple flames on his fists. He sighed "That's better." He said and jumped off.
"...Okay what was that?!" Cole yelled and I approached them "The battle fuels him. He was powering up."
"He did all that just to get his powers back?!" Jay shouted.
"I do not trust him." Cole grunted as he clutched his hammer tightly.
"Lloyd are you sure you want to go through with this?" Nya questioned. Lloyd deeply sighed "No...But I don't really have a choice" he said as he dashed to the edge of the ship and jumped off.
We all watched as he descended below.
Moments went by and Zane gasped "The camera feed! Come on!" We all ran up to the bridge and watched the camera feed as Lloyd dove down into the black cloud and suddenly started to float down safely.
"He just opened his parachute" Zane informed us and I watched as Lloyd turned his head and the black cloud tentacles were seen from afar on a building.
"What are those?" Nya questioned. "They look like...Tentacles" Kai said.
"Aah! That's one of the things that grabbed my foot. Ah...It was terrible." Cole shuddered.
Lloyd soon landed on the ground and he started to choke. My eyes widened "Lloyd." I muttered in a panic.
"Oh no!" Nya exclaimed in worry. "We have to get him out of there!" Cole exclaimed.
"Wait..." Zane said and pointed on the screen as Lloyd sighed and stood up.
Nya sighed "He's okay..." I exhaled, glad he was alright.
~~~
I heard a static voice come from the computer "If anyone can hear me..."
Zane tried to tell them we could head them "We hear you. Come in!"
The static voice spoke "Signing off."
I raised an eyebrow "What was that?" I inquired. "I believe it was a distress call but we have lost the audio" Zane replied.
"Can you trace the signal?" Cole questioned. Zane started to press buttons "I will attempt to triangulate the source."
The navigation popped up on screen and Zane spoke "There. Several miles east of us. It appears to be a television station in the outskirts of Ninjago City."
"Maybe some people who didn't evacuate in time" Cole said "We gotta help them!" Kai exclaimed.
"What about Lloyd?" I inquired and raised an eyebrow. Nya replied "If someone's in trouble, Lloyd would be the first person to tell us to help."
Zane nods "That may be. But Lloyd is incorrect. There is literally nothing more imperative than the success to his mission. If he fails all of Ninjago is lost."
Pixal added "Perhaps there is a way to be in more places than one. I can remain behind in the Samurai X mech while you take the Bounty and investigate the distress call" Nya spoke up "What if you run out of fuel?"
Pixal frowned "That will not be good. Let us hope you are back before that happens" she said and pressed a button on her watch as the Samurai X flew down on the lower deck. "Be safe" I told Pixal and she nods as she jumped in the Samurai X suit and took off.
Nya pulled the lever next to the steering wheel and we took off towards the television station.
~~~
The computer would static at times and Zane spoke "He must be needing the source of the darkness. The Realm Crystal seems to be interfering with the signal."
I watched as Lloyd and Garmadon approached a room and walked in, the Realm Crystal all black. Garmadon went to strike it down but was hit back by a black vein stick.
Something started to ascend from the black smoke and an Oni stood. "What is that?" Lloyd asked his father.
"Whatever it is, it's about to experience my full wrath!" Garmadon shouted and attacked the Oni with his power but was thrown back. Lloyd shouted and used his Spinjitzu to hit the Oni but was hit back by its stick and the headband flew off as it started to go full static.
I started to push buttons "Zane how do we get the signal back?"
"...The signal is lost, Asteria." Zane informed me and I frowned as I stood back and looked at the computer.