Son of the Raging Tide

Chapter 8

Kai ran through the battered streets of Stiix, avoiding the ghosts as best he could. All around him his friends were creating distractions to get the ghosts off his tail until he could get close enough to Morro. If Kai could just draw him away from the Realm Crystal, Lloyd could get close enough to destroy it.

The green gi he was wearing was even more uncomfortable than his own gi. It was heavier with the Deepstone armor, and a little tight considering that it was tailored to Lloyd and not him. But he looked enough like the green ninja, and that was all he needed. Morro wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

High above Kai, ghostly dragons wheeled in the sky. He glanced up as one roared overhead, and wondered if it had spotted him, and if they were able to communicate with the ghosts. His question was answered when he was stopped short by a ghostly figure rising before him.

"Look what we have here." It was Soul Archer, and he had an arrow trained on Kai.

There was movement behind him and Kai turned to see that Morro was already there with a couple more ghosts. They soon had him surrounded.

"The Green Ninja," Morro drawled. "So rude. Hasn't anyone told you it's not polite to be late to the party?"

Kai had to resist the urge to deck him on the spot. Part of his job was to buy Lloyd time, so he bit his tongue as they led him to Ronin's old shop where they had set up base. Blue light flashed through the windows, confirming that the crystal was active inside. The ghosts forced him to his knees in front of Morro.

"Now that we've got him," Bansha said, "What do you want us to do with him?"

"Surely it's not just you. I know your ninja are never far." Morro glanced around, as if he expected the rest of the ninja to leap out at any moment. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" Morro called. "I have your beloved Green Ninja."

Kai tried to ignore Morro's taunting and readied himself to fight. He focused in on the water he could feel all around him and directly under his feet. But Morro's annoying voice was difficult to block out.

"You think you can come into my home and steal the crystal I rightfully earned? You think I'll just hand it to you just like the green gi was handed to you? Tell me, tell all of us that I'm better than you, and I'll let you go." Morro made the mistake of pushing Kai down, and that was about all he could take.

While he was still solid, Kai kicked Morro in the gut, sending him sprawling backwards. Before the other ghosts could react, Kai leapt to his feet and removed his own mask.

Kai thought about summoning water, and to his relief, a rippling ball of water actually formed over his hand. Kai grinned. "You're in deep water, now, Morro."

Morro gaped. "He's a water ninja. He's – Protect the Realm Crystal!"

A handful of ghosts closed in around Kai, but he just turned and shot them each with a jet of water, and they disappeared in a cloud of green smog. A couple more tried to sneak up on him from behind, but he spun and sprayed them, too.

When he turned back to Morro, the ghost was already backing away slowly. Kai smirked. "Where ya goin'? I thought party just started!" Kai raised his arms and called for as much water as he could summon and threw it at Morro. But Morro just held it back with a mighty gust of air, until Kai had to drop it and water splashed all over the wooden planks.

Morro then leapt into the air, floating above Kai's head, and blasted him with winds so strong that Kai had to throw up his arms to shield his face as he slid backwards . As soon as he relented, Kai tried hitting him with another stream of water. It was difficult to shoot it at him with enough pressure to reach so high up, and Morro meeting his shots with air didn't help.

But at least the plan was working so far. Morro was distracted, and Kai was getting some pretty good target practice. What better way to train your newfound elemental abilities than by fighting for your life?

Kai tried to find a different angle to attack from, but Morro hit him with a gust so strong that it sent Kai flying through the air. He landed hard on the creaky wooden planks and was reminded that deep waters lay waiting below the precarious stilted town.

Relax, Kai told himself. I control the water now.

Kai was shook his head clear only to see that the ghosts he'd already taken out had returned and were coming for him again. Kai pushed himself back to his feet and dowsed them all. They vanished again, and Kai hoped that they would stay down this time.

A distant roar caught his attention. Kai turned his head to see a couple of the ghostly dragons looking right at him. They dipped towards him, and Kai hesitated, unsure if he would be able to summon enough water to get rid of the large creatures.

Kai saw a flash of white out of the corner of his eye, and the next second, the dragons were enveloped in a block of ice. Zane's mech had come to his rescue. Just as he'd said, Kai's friends were still there to watch his back. But there were more ghosts coming now, and Kai didn't have the time to thank him.

Before he knew it, Kai was surrounded again. There were too many ghosts for him to shoot all at once, and they just kept coming back when he did. He shot one, then another, trying to create a space large enough for him to get through. The ghosts crept slowly closer, just waiting for him to slip up so they could attack.

An explosion in a distant part of the town caught Morro's attention from where he was watching the fight on the roof. "The ninja are winning!" Kai heard him tell his subordinates. "Get out there and stop them!"

Only a few of them floated away, and Kai was still trapped. He nailed a couple more ghosts, but seconds later they came floating out the doorway once again. They almost seemed to be coming back faster and faster every time he took them out. 

"Seriously? Isn't it time for you guys to take a break or something?"

They all rushed him at once, and Kai sprayed them in a wide arc. Morro created another huge blast of wind that knocked Kai hard on his back.

He landed near a gap in the planks, where he could hear the water lapping indifferently at the supports under him. "I could use a little help here" he said, as if the water was a creature that could hear him. "It's not enough, I can't keep up with all of them." Almost as if in response, Kai got an idea. 

As another wave of ghosts filed out towards him, Kai got back to his feet and reached for the water below. There was another gap in front of Kai and as the ghosts drew near, Kai raised the water up and created a geyser, shooting through the hole and between the planks to drench the ghosts until they dissipated. 

That, at least, gave him a moment's respite. Kai leapt onto the roof next to Morro. Hethrew jets of water at him like he would throw punches, but Morro just blew him backwards off the roof and Kai sailed through the air, landing once again on the planks below.

"Is that all?" Morro jeered. "Is that all you've got?"

Kai rubbed the back of his head. "Come on, man, I've only been training for a few days. What more do you want?"

But when Kai had finally shaken the stars from his eyes, the ghosts were back, closing in quickly. He lifted one arm, but he didn't know if he had the strength left to fight back.

Then there was a burst of green light and Kai had to shield his eyes. When he looked again, Lloyd was there and all the ghosts were gone.

Kai was, admittedly, relieved to see Lloyd, but Kai was supposed to be keeping Morro occupied so Lloyd could sneak inside to the crystal. But truthfully, Kai wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up on his own.

"Go on," Kai said. "I wore him out for you."

Lloyd went to meet Morro, and Kai hung back for a moment to catch his breath. He wasn't used to this much action. But he watched Lloyd, ready to jump back in if he was needed. It was a lot better than having to watch helplessly from the sidelines. 

"Stay strong, kid," Kai whispered. "You're not alone." 

. . . 

A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter... Kind of hard to make a background fight very interesting. Oh well, it is what it is.  I'm thinking there's only gonna be one more left, so stay tuned.