Return of Doom (Ninjago in the future)

Part 20: Shintaro

A/N: the final battle begins!

Despite it being the middle of the night, the entire Monastery was awake and rushing around in minutes.

As soon as Zane announced the attack, I scrambled to my room to grab my weapon and — thanks to Lloyd — my very own Ninja gi. All of us somehow got new gis last night, courtesy of Zane and Lloyd. Mine was a light purple, wrapping around my front with a sash tying it off-set from the middle. A silver shoulder pad rested on my right shoulder, and a silver symbol shimmered in the moonlight over my left arm. When I asked Lloyd, he told me it was his language's letter L. After that, I noticed the same letter on his own gi, which was a similar design to ours but green.

When we gathered on the Bounty, ten minutes after the alarm call, I realized how similar our uniforms looked. They each bore the first letter of our names on the left arm near the wrist, even if it was in the old Ninjagan letter system. Zane's was white, Summer had light blue, Ben's dark blue, and Sparky's red. Each matching our element.

Zane and Lloyd fussed over the controls of the Bounty, aiming it towards the north and putting it on full speed. I yelped as it shot forward, the wind almost knocking me over. A glance to my right revealed Lloyd and Zane crouched slightly, raising an arm to protect their faces against the wind. I copied their stance and immediately felt more balanced.

It'll take us about a day to get there, Lloyd's memory said in my head. I blinked, startled. That wasn't my thought. I glanced at Lloyd, noticing his determined gaze. Yet...there was a trace of fear in it. He thought we wouldn't make it.

Lloyd, I thought. Ever since he told me he'd infused me with his memories, and we were connected, I'd had the idea to try talking telepathically. With more control, I thought again: Lloyd.

His head whirled around to find the voice before landing on me. He must've seen my hardened stare, because he nodded.

I slipped into my dream form, pulling my hood over my face. Without the wind to push me back, I easily ran onto the deck. My friends were in the cabin, safe from the speed of the ship, so I didn't have to worry about them. I crouched, then pressed my hands to the ship.

This is crazy. I thought. I don't know what I'm doing.

You can do it! Lloyd's voice said in my head. I looked back at him from over my shoulder, and he grinned. I huffed and turned back to the front of the ship, closing my eyes to focus.

I imagined giving the boosters extra fuel. I pictured a blade-like formation in front of the ship, cutting through the air and making the ship more aerodynamic. I felt the ship speed up as the air pressure on the front lessened. Then again as I added fuel.

"What's going on?"

I startled, momentarily losing concentration. I quickly regained focus and put my powers back into the ship. The voice had some from right next to me, but no one was there. I rolled my eyes as I realized the gis must have comms inside the hoods. Sparky's alarmed cry went through the comms, right into my ear.

"It's just me!" I replied quickly. "I'm getting us there faster. Hold on!"

I pushed the deck, sending out a shockwave of extra energy. I felt Lloyd's panic as he began slipping, so I created a rope to anchor him and Zane to the bridge of the ship. Safely secured, I pushed the ship to fly faster, not realizing that I had just solidified my magic to touch the real world.

I didn't realize how quickly we were traveling until I looked up to see the clouds part and reveal the Ivory City itself.

I immediately let go of my powers, then pitched forward, panting. My friends ran up to the deck as I stood, shaking slightly. Lloyd steered us closer and Zane stood with us to assess the situation.