the other side | ninjago

unexpected ally

The team, now down two members, sat in a daze, unsure of what to do. Lloyd was extremely disheartened by everything that had occurred. He was prone to blaming himself for everything, and this was just another burden he could bear. They could all tell it was getting to him, but no one knew what to do about it.

He found himself in his room, as usual, just thinking to himself. Until there was a knock at the door.

"Hello, Lloyd." It was Sensei Wu.

"Hello, Sensei," he said.

"We need to get you back on track. The team needs hope." Sensei stated.

"How can I have hope when we've already lost two members of our team?" Lloyd was in desperate need of something to help him get back on his feet.

"That should only serve as motivation for you, Lloyd. It's now up to you to save them. They require your assistance now more than ever," He stated.

Lloyd knew what he had to do after hearing this line. He had no choice but to rescue his friends in any way he could.

"Thank you, Sensei," Lloyd said, sprinting upstairs to get everyone as motivated as he had just been.

He dashed over to the team and declared that it was time for them to reclaim their city.

"Alright guys, we need to do something," Lloyd exclaimed, eagerly awaiting a response.

"How are we supposed to move ahead if we don't know where they are?" Kai wondered.

"I'm not sure, but sitting here isn't going to help us, and I, for one, am ready to get our friends back," Lloyd stated.

"Me too, Lloyd, but I'm at a loss for what to do," Jay said seriously for the first time.

Nya burst into the room just as the conversation was getting going.

"They're back!" she said.

They all suited up and returned to Ninjago City. They had no idea what to expect, but they knew they'd have to fight their friends again. They all missed their teammates, and the team was not the same without them.

As they approached the city, they noticed their usual foe. Vines swept through the streets, capturing people and causing mayhem. They needed to find the source. They got closer and noticed the masked figure with Cole to their left, but Zane was nowhere to be found. Where had he gone? They suspected he was close behind and decided to keep an eye out for him.

"Kai and Nya, get Cole, Jay, Wu, and I'll go after them," Lloyd said, gradually regaining the ambition he had been lacking.

Running towards Cole, Kai found himself struggling to gain momentum to fight his friend. Kai knew he'd have to fight him now that they were face-to-face. As he got closer, the ground shook beneath him. He had to jump back and forth between small land fragments of once flat land as it began to crack. Cole was once again using his powers to a level they have not seen.

Kai and Nya both threw punches left and right, but Cole deflected them all. It didn't help that he was aware of all of their strategies and battle tactics before they implemented them.

Ninjaaa-go!

Lloyd, Wu, and Jay, on the other hand, pursued the masked figure. When they arrived, they discovered them putting civilians in harm's way. The three of them continued to run forward.

They finally got to them and were able to throw a few punches. They had never had the opportunity to fight them before and now was their chance. Lloyd and Wu fought off vines left and right, careful not to get caught because they knew they would suffer the same fate as one of their friends if they did.

Jay followed the two, but as he ran, he slipped on a patch of bare land. But, Zane was not present. Why was he slipping? He brushed it off, reasoning that it was his clumsiness that was causing the problem. He finally caught up to the team, and as he did, he was struck from behind. He turned around to see Cole standing behind him.

"Weren't you two supposed to handle him?" yelled Jay.

"Yes, but he is just so quick," said Nya.

They were all together now, and their main goals were to rescue their friends and figure out who this foe was. Cole and Kai continued to fight to the side. Just as they were about to use a planned attack on the masked figure, the villain picked up a bystander to keep them from attacking. The bystander who was apprehended was a small blonde girl who appeared to be terrified for her life.

Oh my God, it's her.

Lloyd recognized her; she was the girl from Chen's. She was terrified and fighting for her life, and Lloyd knew he had to help her. His determination was evident throughout his body, and he acted on instinct. No one had ever seen him like this before, and they'd been in a lot of fights. Lloyd has a chance to take them down while Kai is still distracting Cole.

"What are you doing?" Nya yelled, hoping he didn't get hurt.

He was unconcerned. He continued on his way. He finally got to them and landed a few punches. They'd never let him get close before, so how now did he land so many hits? Nonetheless, he had only one goal in mind: to save that girl. He hadn't been able to get her out of his head for weeks, and now she was right there. He still had no idea why she seemed so familiar to him.

After a few hits, the figure began to rise on a platform of rocks that Cole had lifted for them to stand on. Lloyd ended up on the same mountain as them, and it only grew taller from there. The figure remained motionless, but the vines that held the girl were now dangling over the side.

She would be hurt if she fell, but if he focused on her, the figure would flee. He had to make a decision once more. He didn't have much time to think because the figure dropped her off the side the next second.

"Help!" she screamed as she began hurtling towards the ground.

The team stood motionless as Lloyd had to make a choice. He made his decision. He leaped off the ledge, allowing the figure to flee.

"No!" yelled the team as he and the girl collided with the ground. After the rubble cleared, the team saw Lloyd carrying the girl over to them.

"She's okay!" said Jay, as she began to open her eyes.

"Hello?" she said as her eyes opened. She jumped up. "You saved me! Thank you so much, green ninja!"

She threw herself into his arms and hugged him. They sat there for a moment before breaking apart.

"Thank you once more! I work at the Ninjago City coffee shop. If you ever need anything, I will gladly assist you. I realize it's not much, but it's the least I can do. Oh, and my name is Sadie by the way!" She stated.

Lloyd was speechless, as she started to walk ahead. The rest of the team thanked her and kept their gaze fixed on Lloyd watching her walk away.

"Okay, buddy, you've had your fill of staring at her. Let's go home, shall we? "Jay stated. The rest of the team burst out laughing, but Lloyd remained in shock.

They had let the enemy escape once more, but they now had another ally.