Three
Two Steps Back
"Gamera would totally beat Godzilla!" Kai exclaimed.
"Godzilla's a classic, though," said Cole. "And he's a classic cuz he beats every adversary he runs across. Gamera, on the other hand, dies every time and has to come back to life by kids clapping their hands like a fairy."
Nya laughed. "He's got ya there, Kai."
"But then again, maybe it's just cuz Gamera fights tougher villains. Like Guiron with the blade face," Kai shrugged.
"So have we changed it to who is more powerful Guiron and Rodan?" asked Zane raising a brow.
Before Zane could get an answer, Jay added his two cents, "Well, would Godzilla be able to beat that Bowser-spinning shell flying attack?"
"Godzilla breathes fire too," said Nya. "How 'bout if both Gamera and Godzilla faced the Megalodon?"
"If those kids were clapping for Gamera maybe they could," Cole teased.
"I'm not sure I understand, Cole," said Zane. "The children do not clap their hands to revive Gamera. They just believe in him."
"That's what he means, Zane," said Nya patting him on the shoulder.
Taking a break from training, all of the students were perched about in odd places along the walls, except for Jay who was leaning his head backwards over the arm of the couch.
"Well, if Gamera and Godzilla were in the water, I would say that even together they probably would not stand a chance against the Megalodon," Zane said.
"Agreed!" said Cole taking a sip of his soda as he leaned against Zane's shoulder.
"How 'bout Gamera verses Smaug?" suggested Jay leaning further back along the couch.
"Hey," said Lloyd coming in around through the front door instead coming out the way he had come. "Training over already?"
"It's called a break," teased Nya.
"We were just relaxing and deciding which monster is the strongest in leisurely conversation," Zane explained. "We agreed that the Megalodon would probably defeat both Gamera and Godzilla together in battle, but we did not reach a decision about Gamera versus Godzilla. We are now changing it to Gamera versus Smaug."
"Well, just one on one, it would probably be Smaug," said Cole.
"But what about those clapping kids you were talking about?" asked Kai innocently.
"Smaug," said Jay.
"Smaug," said Nya.
Jay grinned.
Kai shook his head. "But we're not talking about coolness level or special effects. If they made Gamera just as digitally awesome and he and Smaug had a dual who would win?"
"Wouldn't Gamera, because he's the hero?" offered Lloyd with a wry grin despite himself.
Kai pointed to Lloyd. "See, see? Lloyd's with me." He grabbed him around the shoulder.
"Actually, Lloyd does pose an interesting point," said Zane. "If we are basing these things on the rules of the franchises they both exist in, Smaug could not win the battle, because he is the villain of the movie, and Gamera is not allowed to lose a fight even when he is virtually defeated to the point of death."
"Aww, c'mon, doesn't that take the fun out of it?" laughed Cole. "We mean monster verses monster, one on one fight, one power versus another. Besides, in the first Gamera movie, he's pretty much a villain in my book."
"Except that we're supposed to feel sorry for him somehow," Nya teased.
"It's getting late," said Cole suddenly, "and I gotta date. Maybe the rest of you should go home too. I'm beginning to think that this whole meeting was more about Lloyd talking to Master Wu than us training, anyway."
Lloyd rubbed his temples very annoyed.
"But I thought we were training again after our break," said Zane.
Lloyd let out moan.
"Was it a tough mentor talk, bro?" asked Nya.
"You might say that," said Lloyd.
"I wonder what he's even got to talk to you about, anyway," said Kai. "I mean, we did defeat Garmadon."
"Mostly about leader stuff," Lloyd quickly fired. "It was pretty dry."
"See? The reason for the meeting," Cole said. "Well, see ya, guys."
"Well, if Cole's gone, there's no reason to train anymore," said Nya after Cole had gone.
"Why does it matter if Cole's here or not?" asked Lloyd. "Y'know, one of the things Master Wu did happen to mention is that we can't afford to be lazy."
"There's no more bad guys, though," said Jay with hands almost touching the floor now. "And before Garmadon and the Serpentine Clans there were no bad guys in Ninjago, and it was the most peaceful city ever. I'm pretty ready for Ninjago to be a peaceful place."
"Same here," said Zane.
"And some thugs or something would be more fun than anything else," Nya said.
"It's not like we're gunna become couch potatoes or anything," said Kai.
"Perish the thought," agreed Zane.
Again Lloyd only sighed.
"To prove to Master Wu that we haven't become lazy, we might as well train a little more anyway, then," Zane added.
Lloyd nodded. "Thank you, Zane!"
"Besides, Lloyd has not been able to train all evening," Zane added happily.
"Well, we did just get warmed up, I guess," Kai agreed.
Jay sighed, and not being careful with his balance, he was not ready for Kai to jump on the back of the couch to say, "How 'bout the Green Ninja versus me?"
"Whoa!" cried Jay as he tumbled onto the floor.
Nya laughed a little.
Then they began to train. Fortunately for Lloyd, the gang was not that into it anymore, because he was much too distracted with his mental lesson to think hard about the physical. He tried to watch Nya trying to be tougher than she was, and the heartsick Jay facing Zane while watching Nya out of the corner of his eyes. Zane's obliviousness to the odd friction between them was evident enough. He thought about Cole shirking his training to go on a date like a normal person without thought to his duties as a secret protector. He thought of Kai feigning kicking him in the face. Yes, they were all different. They all had faults, but he was not supposed to focus on negative things. He was supposed to focus on positive things. It was what his whole training had always been about. He did not understand what Master Wu was trying to tell him until suddenly Lloyd simply jumped out of Kai's way.
"Ah!" cried Kai as he tumbled right into the couch himself. "Hey, warn me next time you do that!"
"It's called training there, Kai," teased Nya. "That's the whole point."
"I gotta talk to Master Wu," said Lloyd not paying the least bit of attention to the others. "I need to ask him something!"
His teeth clenched, he rushed out of the room as fast as he could.
The others were left in silence for a few moments except for the sound of a gull outside.
"What was that all about?" Jay asked with a blank blink.
Kai shook his head.
"Obviously Master Wu has given him quite the mental puzzle," Zane said.
#
"Master Wu!" cried Lloyd. "Master Wu!"
He was no longer drinking tea, nor was he in his new spa tub, nor was he maintaining balance by sitting on the top of his stick standing upright on the ground while writing a poem on a scroll with a calligraphy brush in ancient script.
Then Lloyd heard the faucet in the bathroom. Thankfully, the door was open wide; it seemed Master Wu was brushing his teeth.
"Uncle Wu!" gasped Lloyd.
"Mrph?" asked Wu with the toothbrush brushing through his thick beard and mustache supposedly getting at his non-visible teeth underneath. The frothing bubbles of the toothpaste shifted back and forth.
"Uncle Wu, I have no idea what you're asking me to listen for. It all just seems like I'm just trying to find all their faults and tear them apart when there's no need! I'm not understanding your lesson at all!"
Wu held up his free hand. He brushed a little more. Then he leaned over to spit. As he was washing it down the drain, Lloyd asked, "Why are you brushing your teeth now?"
"I thought I would have an early rest this evening," muttered Wu.
"Uh... okay, but before you do that can you tell me what I'm looking for?"
"First!" said Wu. "You are not just looking for faults for the sake of faults. Being sensei is like being a parent. You must see both the good and the bad in those under you or they will not be able to grow. That is how a child is spoiled. That is how a student never learns."
Lloyd bit his lip.
Wu closed his eyes and put his arms around his back importantly. "The foundation," he then said.
"The foundation," repeated Lloyd. "The foundation of what?"
"What are we talking about?"
"The team?" said Lloyd.
"Right."
"Aren't you the foundation, Uncle?" asked Lloyd.
"I'm not the team. I'm just your teacher."
"Then what's the foundation?"
"A house cannot stand with a shaky foundation. If the foundation is firm then the rest of the house is much easier to fix," replied Wu turning off the faucet and putting his toothbrush away all quite casually and hardly looking at Lloyd.
Thinking back on what Wu told him the first time, Lloyd tried, "The self-discipline of household chores?"
"Not even close," said Wu, "but I'm glad you soaked in our conversation like steam in the spa."
Then he turned full-faced to Lloyd, and his expression was gentle and patient.
"If the team is a house made of people then what would be your foundation?"
"A member of the team?" asked Lloyd slowly.
"The foundation may not be the actual chores of household self-discipline but you will have to look back to that time when you all wanted a sword instead of a mop and wanted to hear me play 'Kung Fu Fighting' instead of 'Happy Working Song' on my flute."
"And then what do I do with the foundation?" asked Lloyd who had a prickling feeling that it was himself.
Everything had to revolve around him, after all. The Green Ninja. Even with his family back together he was getting sick of being the center of attention and everything having to secretly do with him. It was even at that moment that he realized that part of him had almost wistfully wished that now that his dad was on his side he would no longer be needed as the Green Ninja as anything more than a title. Maybe...he could have even been normal like Cole seemed to want to try out. Have a girlfriend, marry her, settle down with some normal job, maybe even have a family and pursue a normal hobby like painting or bike racing— something like how Cole had his music. Over the summer he had been writing a few songs that he was getting ready to sell on I-tunes.
Lloyd made a face.
"Lloyd," said Wu.
Lloyd blinked and looked at his uncle for a brief pause as Wu looked back at him very steadily.
"I know you're deeply contemplating over all of this, but... do you mind?"
Wu pointed to the toilet.
"Oh!" gasped Lloyd. "Sorry. Sorry."
Quickly, he left the bathroom and Wu shut the door.
There was no use wishing for anything other than what he was, Lloyd knew. He sighed with a shrug. Besides, he knew also that he would probably get bored pretty fast in a normal life. They all would. But as for this 'foundation'...was it him or someone else? Or something else entirely? He thought of asking Wu once he got out of the bathroom, but he decided it was better to just go home. It was kind of late. He assumed Jay would go home too soon if he had not already and that Kai, Nya, and Zane would set up the surround sound with a movie or something for the evening.
Lloyd had school tomorrow.
Maybe he could talk his mom into letting him do the rest of it online. That would probably help, and he was sure he could get his dad to side with him on it. It would certainly give him more time to think about the 'foundation'.
#
Peg turned to Hayden with a yawn. "So why do we still hang out in Garmadon's Volcano if Garmadon doesn't want the volcano anymore and he's a reformed villain leaving his warlord ways behind to spend time with his wife and kid and become a productive member of society?"
Hovering over one of the ill-lit tables in the cafeteria of Garmadon's X-lair, they were even still wearing their ocean-themed suits. An ancient florescent light bulb whined above their heads, and dried-out cafeteria food lay untouched on the trays before them.
"I mean, why don't we make something of ourselves and give ourselves the self-dignity of getting jobs, settling down, and acting like human beings."
Hayden sniffed. "When I devoted my life to being a kick-butt, action, bad-girl I vowed to never go home and have a normal life with kids and cookies."
"Oh," said Peg rolling her coffee around at the bottom of her Styrofoam cup. "I thought it was because we didn't have a life."
Hayden shrugged with a rather, lost vacant stare. "Uh! Yeah, that too."
"Perhaps I can make your lives more interesting..."
Both girls looked up and went into action-mode immediately, because it was no voice they recognized general, goon, or otherwise. In their action poses and grim grimaces their suspicions that this was an enemy were well-founded. A smooth voice like that which had just spoken so confidently and coldly with just a hint of ironic humor as well as a little class could only come from the throat of at least the type that would want you to clean your room. But it was more than some vigilante butler standing along the balcony rail leering down at them.
It was a very Planet of the Apes type character. Half monkey and half human, he wore clothes that were almost black but not quite. His nice jacket had a Mandarin collar with a silvery monkey-head clasp. His pants were the same color as the jacket, and he wore a thick pair of sandals on his bare monkey feet. Aside from his strange monkey-like head, however, the main feature was a golden banana hanging on a golden chain. It was a loose piece not painted onto his person and quite otherworldly in its sheen and detail. He fingered the bling tenderly in his clasp-like hand as he looked down at the girls with much derision behind his gentle smile.
"How did you get in here!?" demanded Hayden.
"Well, the defenses were down, I noticed, on the way in," remarked the monkey with a voice that quite captured the quality of Roddy McDowell even if it was just a touch deeper and perhaps just a touch less authentically English. He shrugged. "I suppose that makes sense since Garmadon has abandoned this place. And he's living in Ninjago then, I take it?"
"Uh, yes?" said Peg.
"It's not for sale!" snapped Hayden. "We live here now."
"And so do vermin live in a house before the exterminator comes."
"It's not just us two here, you know!" Peg snapped. She pushed an alert button under her table.
About a hundred of Garmadon's old crew piled into the cafeteria in an instant with an assortment of silly determined pouts and clenching teeth. Hands were at the ready. Not to mention their weird aquatic themed helmets. Many had actual weapons, at least.
"I know," muttered the monkey as he let his necklace fall, and here he let out a deafening, savage and very monkey-like shriek which chilled the volcanic remains to the core.
What chilled the X-henchmen more however were the shrieks that echoed this monkey, because it was not just one or two. It was hundreds. They were all coming closer and closer like the shrieking goblins in Khazad-dûm. From all directions they came, and the cafeteria happened to have a few exits even if some were rather unorthodox.
Peg and Hayden looked at each other and cringed.
Then they poured in. Monkey upon monkey upon monkey, and they were all equally as scary as a goblin. They immediately jumped in eating anything the cafeteria had to offer and pushed anybody out of the way to do it. Many of the volcanic vermin ran away screaming. Some pathetically tried to fight back, but most fell flat on their faces before the monkey king.
"We surrender, O mighty monkey!" wailed Hayden. "Just make the monkeys stop!"
"Call me Master Kinkomi!" grinned the monkey-like man. He said it with emphasis on the "kink".
"We beg you, Master Kinkomi!" sobbed Peg.
All the exits were blocked. No one could escape that was still trying to. Mostly everyone gave up, though, and watched their food being devoured with miserable faces and empty stomachs, but with a flick of Kinkomi's hand the monkeys, with full cheeks, all stopped and looked at Kinkomi.
"Stop for now," said Kinkomi calmly.
The monkeys all stopped.
"Now, there's this dual I've been looking forward to for a very long time, and I hope that Garmadon's reformation has made him more honorable towards one. Far more honorable than our last encounter, anyway. We can't expect too much from a lunatic with a half-fried brain, now can we?"
After this, Kinkomi let out a deranged series of swirl-eyed shrieks. One of the monkeys immediately grabbed a banana off of the floor and brought it to his master.
"Ah! Thank you," said Kinkomi calmly and proceeded to eat it.
"Garmadon could probably squash a monkey like you in battle one on one," said someone in the crowd called Dyke. He said it only as a matter of fact, and Kinkomi was not at all offended.
"Maybe if I was simply just a king of the monkeys," replied Kinkomi tossing the now suddenly empty peel over the rail so that it hit a fish-bowl helmeted X-general right over the eyes, "but I earned this title not because of my elegant manners but because of my skills in the ancient art of Pow Dur! Hmm, let's invite him to a home-coming party, I'm thinking. Who here knows his address?"
"Well, all you gotta do is turn on GMN to see where he lives," said Dyke.
X-general Hayden picked up a remote. "Yeah, GMN covers his new life pretty clear."
A large screen pulled down from the ceiling, showing a football game at first, but Hayden quickly changed the channel to GMN. There they were, literally larger the life, the reporters of Good Morning Ninjago, ready just on cue to explain the quietude of the new villain-deprived city of Ninjago.
"Just look at that peaceful home!" said one reporter to another.
"Ha, ha! It's hard to believe that this simple, peaceful minka-style house on the far western side of Ninjago City is home to what would have been just last spring the most notorious, evil warlord Ninjago has ever seen! But now Garmadon is as gentle as a lamb!"
"Except for those buildings he now legally destroys at the demolition sites!"
"And he sure does a good job on those, doesn't he, Michael!"
"He sure does, Robin!"
They laughed and they babbled on some more, but all Kinkomi had to do was take one glimpse of the street name and house number in front of the house on screen, and he was already shrieking in monkey language for a paper and a pen.
"I'm inviting him theold fashioned way," said Kinkomi serenely.