The Ninjago Tournament of Elements!

Chapter 10

It's time to play an epic game of truth or dare!

Contestants remaining (8): Kai - Fire, Jay - Lightning, Lloyd Garmadon - Energy, Skylor - Amber, Tox - Poison, Camille - Form, Riptide- water, Twilight- wind

Losers (10): Griffin Turner-speed, Paleman-light, Karloff-metal, Cole- Earth, Bolobo-Nature, Gravis-Gravity, Jacob-Sound, Ash-Smoke, Shade-Shadow Neuro-Mind

Twilight's Account

Twilight's hair blew around her as her ninja team sheltered in the wind temple. "We need to get our stones back." She announced solemnly. "If we don't, there's no way we can defeat Lord Shangri and his minions, Chassis and Galactic." Lark snorted. "Great idea, oh wise and fair leader. However," she smirked, "may I ask how?" Twilight grit her teeth. Out of all the ninja, Lark was certainly the worst at following orders and listening to plans. But although she was...difficult, Twilight firmly believed that Lark had other talents. Besides, they had been friends before, so Twilight knew that Lark was usually this mean only when she was scared. She let her gaze drift over her team. Lark trying to be brave and with a fierce scowl dominating her pale features; Riptide, with her cobalt eyes set and ready to fight; Sunset, her gentle face relaxed and ready to make peace and heal others; Illusion's sun-browned complexion tight and ready to complete any task. Twilight smiled grimly. She had a great team to fight with. Suddenly, she noticed their sensei, Sensei Dude, standing up and hobbling over. She remembered when they had met, and her fits of laughter over the name "Sensei Dude". He had patiently put up with her, training and straightening out every wrinkle in her fighting technique. "I have an idea," Sensei rasped, holding up a flyer. Twilight scanned it. Pictures of a metal human and a cluster of stones dominated the page, along with a caption: Join the Tournament of Elements today!, and a list of competitors on the back. Twilight gasped. Not just any cluster of stones! Those were their stones: the Apocalypse Stone, the Hurricane Stone, the Harmony Stone, the Nature Stone, and the Pathway Stone! "Great idea, Sensei!" She praised gratefully. "We should all go!" Sensei shook his head violently. "No. I foresee great danger if anybody other than Twilight and Riptide goes. I suggest they go together." Twilight blinked. "Okay," she agreed, turning over the page. With a gasp of surprise, she realized that all her elements were already included in the list! "But, Sensei, it says one element per person, and all my elements are taken!" Sunset quietly looked up. "Borrow my Wind." She offered curtly. "I'll use my Water!" Riptide announced. Twilight looked around at her team. "Great. It's decided then. We'll leave in the morning."

Twilight sat up in bed, panting heavily. Her hair was dangling around her face in sweaty tangles. Grimacing, Twilight stumbled out of bed. She changed into her ninja suit and brushed her hair, then put it up in a ponytail. Suddenly, Master Chen called everyone to the Hall. Twilight grumbled and shoved her mask on. She was not a morning person. Then again, she didn't know a single ninja of Darkness who was. Or, come to think of it, another ninja of Darkness. Twilight pushed aside her thoughts and stalked down into the Hall. "Good morning, contestants!" Chen laughed maniacally. Twilight wondered if Neuro was right, and if he really was working for Chassis and Galactic. She and Riptide would have to be extra careful, she decided. "Today's contest is truth or dare, and nobody will lose today! We'll all sit in a circle and draw a Truth or a Dare out of a jar, and you can complete it, or back out. If you choose not to complete your Truth or Dare, you're out of the game. Last Master standing gets to not participate in tomorrow's challenge!" Chen signaled to Clouse to start passing out the Truths and Dares. Clouse solemnly held out a blue, ceramic jar to Kai. He drew "Survive your opposite again". Kai winced as he was sprayed with water, but didn't get out yet. Jay drew "Eat a plate full of live worms". Jay grimaced and began to eat, but threw up halfway through and refused to eat any more. He was carried back to his room, but Twilight noticed Riptide staring after him. Lloyd drew "Stay stuck in quicksand for ten minutes". Lloyd looked nervous, but tried to relax and floated on top of the quicksand until his time was up. He was breathing hard, and his face looked pale, but he appeared to be fine. Skylor drew "Do one hundred push-ups". Twilight snorted. That's easy, she thought, but Skylor backed out. Twilight noticed her smiling secretly to herself. Twilight wondered what was going on, and hoped she didn't have some awful revenge plan in store for her. Tox drew the first truth: "Who did you want to win, other than yourself, when you first arrived?" Chen brought out a lie detector. "Camille." Tox answered nervously. "You're lying..." Chen called out in a singsongy voice. Blushing furiously, Tox sighed. "Ash." Camille drew "Jump into a pile of the filthiest mud on the island". Camille agreed, but backed out when she caught a whiff of the mud pit's stench. Riptide was told to ride a dragon, but fell off in the first five seconds. Twilight knew that Riptide was great with dragons, and must be purposefully failing to go help Jay. Once it was announced that she was out, she bolted away down the hallway. With a triumphant glance at her friend, Twilight noticed that she had been right. Twilight drew Skylor's "Do one hundred push-ups", and completed it easily. Chen announced Round Two, and Kai drew a truth: What was the most embarrassing moment of your career as an Elemental Master? Kai, grimacing, told the story of training with Sensei on the training course. Lloyd had to walk barefoot across burning coals. He did it, but complained angrily afterwards and rubbed his feet in pain. Tox had to experience a falling sensation for ten minutes. Chen brought out a simulator. After seven minutes, she couldn't take it any more and gave up. Twilight had to run three miles on a treadmill with no stopping or water breaks. She managed to complete it...barely. She was panting afterwards. Suddenly, she recalled her Sensei, Sensei Dude, telling her to not show weakness. Sighing, she straightened up. Master Chen announced Round Three, all the while giggling with anticipation. Only three contestants remained! Kai had to hug a porcupine, which growled a warning when he touched it. When he was done, he had spikes all over himself and was grumbling angrily. Lloyd had to break dance, and, surprisingly, he was quite good at it. Twilight had to let Chen examine her element and announce what it could do to everyone. She thought frantically, knowing that if Chen searched her, he'd discover her real powers. She furiously turned down the dare, and sat back to watch with everyone else. Chen was laughing like a maniac as the announced Round Four. Kai drew out of the bowl: Kiss your favorite competitor of the other gender. The room fell silent as he thought. Twilight thought her head might explode from the waiting. Who would he choose? After another interminable moment of thinking, he strode over to Twilight and gave her a long, passionate kiss. Twilight was shocked. He chose her? Over everyone else? She found herself blushing. Kai wasn't the ugliest guy, and he was kind of nice... Maybe, just maybe,after the competition... A loud voice crashed through her thoughts. "Kai's got a girlfriend!" Jay and Riptide burst into the room, laughing. Face burning, Twilight scowled at Riptide. Did she really have to ruin this perfect moment? She shrugged. Riptide would be Riptide. Nothing would change that. Kai stepped back into the circle, grimacing as Lloyd stared at him. Next, Lloyd had to watch a clown perform and not laugh. He smothered his giggles and passed the dare. Chen squealed Round Five's arrival, happy that his game was making it this far. Kai had to be chained in a room with serpentine who wanted to kill him for ten minutes. He refused, unwilling to die. Lloyd accepted Kai's championship dare, and, ten minutes later, he was carried out of the room in a full body cast. "Lloyd is the winner," Chen announced. "so he won't have to compete next time in....the key hunt!"

Author's Note:
Arrgh, Lloyd won AGAIN! What is it with him and his crazy luck? Ah, well, looks like he won't be competing in the key hunt! Skylor still hasn't gotten her revenge... Is she waiting for the right moment to strike, or is this all part of her plan? And did you see what Kai did? Was it just the dare, or was it really...? Hmmm, all that must've made Skylor furious... Speaking of Skylor, something VERY unexpected will happen in the next chapter concerning her...! :D