We've Got Training To Do

11: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Previously on We've Got Training To Do:

"Okay, you see the Falcon too, right?" Jade asked Zane.

Zane rose in a beam of blue light.

"Is he programmed to do that?" Cole asked.

"Look out Pythor, we are locked and loaded!" Jade shouted.

"Behold, the location of the five Silver Fang Blades!" Pythor shouted.

"I know where the Fang Blades are," Jade said, holding up a map she had just drawn.

~0~0~0~

Something is very wrong.

I inhale deeply through the nose and realize the problem. "All right, who got into my perfume?" I ask. Kai, Cole, and Zane burst out laughing.

"Perfume? You told me it was men's cologne!" Jay says.

"I get them mixed up," Kai says. Zane and Cole laugh.

"Not funny, guys. That perfume was really expensive," I say.

The Serpentine alarm blares. "Looks like it's time to stomp some snakes," Cole says.

"Before they find any Fang Blades," Zane adds. I open my mouth to tell them about my map, then close it again. Serpentine first, map second.

The guys and I run out. "Jay, are you coming?" I shout over my shoulder.

"Yeah, just a second!" he shouts. A couple minutes later, he runs out.

"Okay, can you take a shower please?! You smell like me, and it's rather unnerving," I beg.

"Come on!" Cole shouts. I roll my eyes and change my Golden Weapons into a helicopter.

~0~0~0~

I stand with Cole, Kai, and Zane near the Ghost Train ride. "Where is everyone?" Cole wonders aloud. A group of people run out screaming.

"That ride was never scary before," Kai says.

"Venomari, do you think?" Zane asks.

"I'll go check," I say. I run into the exit of the ride. Almost immediately I find Pythor, Skales, and a shit-ton of other Serpentine. And they already found the Fang Blade!

"You know," I say casually, leaning against a support beam, "this ride is a lot uglier with you all in it." They turn around.

"It'sss the Bronzsse Ninja!" Skales says. "Get her!" I jump up, dodging a bunch of snakes and causing them to crash into one another. I do an unnecessary somersault in midair, snatching the Fang Blade from Pythor's uplifted hand.

"I'll take that, thank you very much," I say as I land. Kai, Cole, and Zane run in.

"Are you okay, Jade?" Kai asks.

"Fine, thank you," I say. "I got the Fang Blade."

"I see that," he says.

"We should go find Jay and Nya," I suggest.

"Not with the Fang Blade, you're not!" Pythor shouts. "You stole that from me, and I would like it back!"

The Serpentine attack, and the fight goes on until Zane triggers his full-potential powers.

Yeah, that didn't go so well.

All three of them end up trapped in a block of ice. Luckily, I was fighting away from them at this time. "You fail, Zane," I tell him. I shove the Fang Blade in my belt and run out of the ride, the Serpentine right behind me.

A strong magnetic pulse wrenches the Blade from my hand, and into - Nya's! Well, technically, Samurai's. I wink at her as she starts running.

"Stop him!" Pythor shouts. The Serpentine run after her, and I jump-start my tornado. The green tint is still there. I spin into Pythor, and he manages to bite my hand.

"Ow!" I shout instinctively. I take off my black glove to examine the bite. There are two little punctures that are quickly turning purple. Almost immediately, my head explodes in pain. I know I sound insane when I say this, but they're voices. As if I can hear people's thoughts. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to block out the pain, to no avail. It's as if I'm in a football stadium packed to full capacity with fans shouting their conversations at the top of their lungs.

Then, the voices slowly fade away. I can pick out individual voices now. Then it goes out entirely. My eyes open, and I see the Ninjas - except Jay - standing over me. My hand isn't purple anymore, but the two pinpricks are still there.

"Are you okay, Jade?" Kai asks.

"I'm fine," I say. I stand up. "Where's Jay?"

"We haven't found him," Cole says.

"Well, let's go!" I say. "Come on!" I wonder if I can find someone with their thoughts, I think. I concentrate, and Jay's voice stands out clearly. I begin running toward the largest roller coaster.

"Jade? Where are you going?" Kai shouts. I keep running until I get to the roller coaster. I see Jay - well, not quite Jay. He's glowing, for one thing, and for another - hey, the glowing says it all. He must have unlocked his full potential.

~0~0~0~

"You certainly had me fooled. I never would have guessed you were the Samurai," Zane tells Nya.

"I wish I had a sister as cool as you," Cole says.

"Back off," Kai and Jay say simultaneously.

"Technically, I was the one who discovered it first," I say.

"I guess there's no denying it: you're going to be the Green Ninja," Kai says.

"What makes you say that?" I ask, the smile slipping from my face.

"We agreed whoever found out the identity of the Samurai would be the Green Ninja, remember?" Kai says.

"And you would look great in that color," Jay adds.

"I really don't think I'm ready for that kind of responsibility, and power." I say.

"You know what I learned today?" Jay says. "No matter what your secret is, whether you're a snake or a Samurai, it's important to be yourself."

"Yeah, that's cute. You wanna know what I learned?'' Cole says. "Pythor has the first Fang Blade. He's one step closer to unleashing the Great Devourer."

"But we're getting stronger," Zane says. "And soon, we will all reach our full potentials."

"And we learned all this without Sensei," Jay says. "Not bad for five Ninjas and a Samurai."

"This may be a good time to say that I have a map," I say.

"Of what?" Kai asks.

"Of the Five Fang Blades," I say.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Jay shouts.

"I tried, I just never got the chance," I say, grinning again.

"Well then, we are one step closer to stopping Pythor from unleashing the Great Devourer," Cole says.