Five Times Wu Trusted His Team

2. Direction

Raymond Smith was not known for his brilliant sense of direction, nor for his keen survival instincts. He was not a natural-born survivalist, and he lacked the necessary skills to become one. Almost everything he did when 'roughing it' in the great outdoors ended in disaster, and his numerous failed escapades as team leader on wilderness missions had become a standing joke among his teammates.

Despite all of this, he was in charge of direction when he and Wu were asked by local farmers to stop the thieves that had been raiding their village every night from coming. Raymond Smith wasn't known for his willingness to admit his faults, either.

"You're getting us lost," Wu grumbled as he and his friend trekked through the grasslands, swatting at flies and watching as they passed by dead tree after dead tree. Ray ignored him, his head held high as he marched onward confidently, the map held out in one hand before him, swinging his free arm at his side like a soldier marching off to battle.

"Can't you let me look at the map?" Wu asked in annoyance, to which Ray simply shook his head stiffly. "I'v got this," he said, "trust me."

"It would be a lot easier to do that if you hadn't gotten that map from a store called 'Barney's Things for Less Than Thirty Cents'."

"Okay, wise guy," Ray said, turning around halfway to address his friend, "where would you have suggested we go? That total rip-off place where a map cost eight dollars?"

"It's not an unreasonable price," Wu replied, and Ray rolled his eyes.

"You're just jealous that Garmadon put me in charge and not you."

"What Garmadon said," Wu said stiffly, "was that you'd better make sure nothing happened to me or he'd rip your ears off. And I'm pretty sure he was joking."

Ray tossed his head. "Well, was he joking when he told me I should read the map?"

"Definitely."

Huffing, Ray turned on his heel and faced the other direction. "Jealous," he said, and Wu snickered.

The journey went on for some time before night began to fall and Ray suggested they take a break. "Good idea," Wu said sarcastically, "tell me, Ray, where in the world does all this knowledge come from?"

Ray slapped him on the arm and laughed. "At least I'm not like you. You're so boring, you're practically a robot."

"I am not boring," Wu said, "I'm Ninjago's finest hero."

"So?" Ray challenged. "You spend all your spare time reading and writing poetry--"

"That's not boring!" Wu cried defensively, but Ray ignored him.

"--you prefer tea over coffee, or even beer--"

"--there's nothing wrong with that--"

"--and you always slink away and hide when people want to talk to us after we do something cool. I mean, what's up with that?"

Wu stiffened. "I don't like talking to people I don't know."

"Yeah," Ray said teasingly, "because you're shy."

"I am not!"

"Wu is shy, and he gets nervous around girls," Ray sang, dodging the punch Wu aimed at his arm, "he hides behind his big brother, and all his big friends..."

"Shut up," Wu said, but he was grinning. "I don't get nervous around girls." He smirked. "I'm not nervous around Maya or Alex."

"You were with Alex when you first met her," Ray said, "and the only reason you weren't scared of Maya was because she was already taken."