S E L C O U T H. || Ninjago

9. The Royal Blaksmiths.

—NYA: "THEY GOT THE FIRST ONE, BUT THERE ARE THREE MORE, AND WE JUST NEED ONE TO STOP PYTHOR. They have a map, and we don't, so they question remains: how are we gonna find them first?"

—Jay: "I still can't get over the fact that you were the mysterious Samurai. Is anyone else blown away like I am?"

—Kai: "We're over that. Can we move on?"

—Jay: "Someone's a little hot under the collar."

—Zane: "It appears his impatience is because he has not found inner peace and unlocked his full potential like you and I have, Jay."

—Kai: "Great observation, Mr. Roboto, but Cole hasn't found it either."

—Cole: "I got it!"

—Kai: "You've unlocked it? Oh, why am I the only one!?"

—Cole: "No, I figured out where I recognized the Fangblade from. I have a picture of it."

—Kai: "Oh, haha, is that it? Heh. Good."

—Cole: "I got it!"

I examined it.

—Me: "looks like a trophy."

—Jay: "That's it!"

—Cole: "Back where I grew up, there's this pretty big competition where every year the winner gets the Blade Cup. My dad's won it multiple times."

—Zane: "You never told us your dad was an accomplished athlete. What sport?"

—Cole: "Oh, h-he's a, uh...a blacksmith."

—Kai: "Nothing wrong with that. My father was a blacksmith, too. But I've never heard of a competition—"

—Cole: "That's because he's not a "blacksmith" blacksmith. He's a...Royal Blacksmith."

He shows us a picture of his dad.

—Jay: "That's your dad?"

—Kai: "But how did the Fangblade become a trophy?"

—Cole: "Well, supposedly, the Blade Cup was made by this guy who collected priceless artifacts. His name was something like, uh, Dutch...no, Clutch. Clutch Powers! Anyway, it gets passed on to each year's winner."

—Zane: "Who has it now?"

—Cole: "I don't know. I haven't talked to my father in years."

—Kai: "Well then, we'll call him up."

—Cole: "You can't! He thinks I'm in Ninjago City training at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts."

—Me: "So you lied."

—Cole: "He wanted me to follow in his footsteps. But when I couldn't sing or dance, well I...I ran away. When he sees I can't dance, he'll know I've been lying in all the letters I've been sending him."

—Zane: "He doesn't know you're a ninja?"

—Cole: "What? You gonna crack some joke that my old man wears a tutu?"

I squint.

—Me: "What's a... "To-To"...?"

—Jay: "It's a usually layered skirt for dancing, specifically Ballet"

I nod though I didn't know what "Ballet" was.

—Kai: "No matter, if we're going to have any chance at getting that Fangblade before they do, we better get our own ACT IN TUNE."