At the Bounty, the team was trying to figure out how to stop Pythor from unleashing the Devourer, while examining a Fangblade hologram.
"They got the first one, but there are three more, and we just need one to stop Pythor. " Nya said.
"They have a map, and we don't, so they question remains: how are we gonna find them first?" (Y/n) added.
"I still can't get over the fact that you were the mysterious Samurai. Is anyone else blown away like I am?" Jay commented, making Nya smirk.
"We're over that. Can we move on?" Kai said, upset. "whe-bo-bo-bo! Someone's a little hot under the collar." Jay said with a smirk.
"It appears his impatience is because he has not found inner peace and unlocked his True Potential like you and I have, Jay." Zane infromed, causing Kai to glare at him.
"Great observation, Mr. Roboto, but Cole and (Y/n) haven't found it either." Kai retorted.
"I got it!" Cole said suddenly. "You've unlocked it?! Oh, why am I the only one!?" Kai yelled in frustration. "No, I figured out where I recognized the Fangblade from. I have a picture of it." Cole said, running to their room to get the picture.
"Did you already forget I haven't unlocked mine yet?" (Y/n) asked Kai, earning a nervous smile from him. "I got it!" Cole said, coming back with his photo album. He opened it and showed them the picture.
"That's it!" Jay exclaimed.
"Can I ask why you have a picture of the Fangblade in a trophy?" (Y/n) asked, taking the album from Cole so she could get a better look. "Back when I grew up, there's this pretty big competition where every year the winner gets the Blade Cup. My dad won it multiple times." Cole answered.
"You never told us your dad was an accomplished athlete." Zane commented.
"Yeah, what sport does he do?" (Y/n) asked, turning her attention to Cole.
"Oh, h-he's a, uh...a blacksmith." Cole stuttered. "There's nothing wrong with that." (Y/n) commented.
"Yah. My was dad a blacksmith, too. But I've never heard of a competition—" Cole cut Kai off.
"That's because he's not a "blacksmith" blacksmith. He's a.... Royal Blacksmith." Cole corrected, leaning closer to (Y/n) so he could turn the page to a picture of his father. This made everyone but (Y/n) snicker.
"That's your dad?" Jay asked through a smile.
"Says the boy born in a junkyard." (Y/n) whispered to him, causing him to stop chuckling.
"But how did the Fangblade become a trophy?" Asked a confused Kai.
"Well, supposedly, the Blade Cup was made by this guy who collected priceless artifacts. His name was something like, uh, Dutch...no...." Cole struggled to remember the name of the guy until (Y/n) spoke up.
"Clutch?" She suggested. "Yeah, Clutch Powers! Anyway, it gets passed on to each year's winner." Cole continued.
"Who has it now?" Zane asked him. "I don't know. I haven't talked to my father in years." Cole confessed.
"Well then, we'll call him up." Kai said, pulling out his phone. "You can't! He thinks I'm in training at the Marty Oppenheim School of Preforming Arts." Cole said, letting out a groan. "He wanted me to follow in his footsteps. Learn to sing, dance, get a girlfriend, but when I couldn't sing or dance, well I...I ran away. When he sees I can't dance, he'll know I've been lying in all the letters I've been sending him." Cole said, looking down and ashamed. (Y/n) walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"He doesn't know you're a Ninja?" She asked in a gentle manner. "What? You gonna crack some joke that my old man wears a tutu?" Cole asked defensively. "Of course not!" (Y/n) remarked. The two shared a shy, caring smile. However, Kai had to interrupt the moment.
"Sorry Cole, but if we're going to have any chance at getting that Fangblade before they do, we better get our own act in tune." He said, standing between the two friends and wrapping his arms around their shoulders.
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At the Realm of Madness, Wu and Garmadon were climbing up the Mountain of Madness.
"I had hoped to reach the summit before the moon has risen. The Craglings never miss a midnight snack." Garmadon said, looking at the sky.
"Craglings? What is this place? There's no such thing in Ninjago." Wu said with a fearful voice. "They're a horde unlike any you've seen. Not all places exist to be found, brother. Sometimes, one must revel in the shadows to truly see the light." Garmadon said, as he continued to walk. Suddenly, Rocks gathered together and formed the Craglings. The duo was fighting them off, but Wu had gotten pinned down.
"Watch out, brother!" Garmadon yelled, as he destroyed the Cragling. "Thanks. Just like old times?" Wu said in a suggestive matter. "Just like old times." Garmadon said, and the two bothers both used Spinitzu to fight the Craglings.
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The Ninja had finally located Cole's father's, whose name Cole told them to be Lou, house, and had just arrived there. Each of them were in everyday attire in their colors. Before approaching the house, Cole opened an instrument case.
"Alright, hand them over." He said.
"Ah-uh. But no mortal shall possess all four. Jay joked, chuckling as he and the other boys put their Golden Weapons in. (Y/n) stuck her bladed fans in her purse.
"Very funny." Cole aid, glaring at Jay.
"You wanna remind me again why we can't keep our weapons?" Kai demanded as he and Zane put their weapons in the case. "I told you, my dad can't find out I'm a Ninja. And I don't feel like making up excuses why I'm carrying a giant Scythe around with me." Cole reminded them, closing the case and turning to walk towards his dad's house.
"Why don't you tell him its a prop?" (Y/n) joked, making Cole roll his eyes. "Just remember the plan: we find out who has the Fangblade trophy, we snatch it, and then we get the heck out of town." He said, walking up to his dad's front door. However, he hesitated to knock. (Y/n) walked nest to him and held his had. She gave his a squeeze, and looked at Cole with a reassuring smile. The boy returned the smile, and finally knocked on the door.
"Just a moment!" A voice said, before Lou opened the door. "Hey, dad! How long has it been?" Cole greeted. Lou only gave him a stern look. "What? You too good for the doorbell?" He asked offended, before slamming the door on them. Cole gave off a confused look. "Use the bell, son." Lou informed. (Y/n) pressed the door and a group singing 'Welcome' sounded. Then Lou opened the door again, this time with a welcoming smile. "Haha. Come on in, son. It's been forever. What did you bring? A quartet? And who is this lovely lady?" Lou said, looking at Kai, Zane, Jay, and (Y/n). Then, Lou looked down and noticed (Y/n) and Cole's intertwined hands and gasped. "Your girlfriend?!" He said in both shock and excitement. His comment made both Cole and (Y/n) blush. "Come in, come in. I've got a kettle of on the stove right now." Lou said, stepping aside to allow the group into his home.
When they got inside, the ninja all sat on a couch and drank some tea. Lou had a gramophone playing some background music, which made Cole groan. Then Lou turned to (Y/n). "So, (Y/n). Did my son tell you I broke my foot? It was the cha-cha but I swear the percussionist had it in for me." Lou said wanting to start a conversation with the girl. His story made (Y/n) giggle, but Cole roll his eyes.
"No, dad. I didn't tell her about your silly stories." He said with an annoyed tone. "Silly stories?" Lou repeated, slightly offended.
"Oh, what he meant was, we've been busy training at the...uh..." Kai tried to save the situation, but couldn't remember the name of the school.
"Uh, the Martha Oppenheimer. Yeah." Jay said, proud of himself, even though he messed up. Suddenly, the background music stopped.
"Martha Oppenheimer?" Lou repeated, wondering if he heard that correctly.
"What my friend is trying to say is the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts." (Y/n) spoke up, correcting Jay's mistake.
"Right! Well, um, see, we have this final research paper we're doing on the history of Ninjago talent, and what we really wanted to know was how can we get our hands on the Blade Cup?" Cole said, getting to the point rather quickly. Lou took a sip of his tea.
"You're talking about getting your hands on the Blade Cup? The most prized and heavily guarded award in all of Ninjago, the symbol of excellence in harmony and grace? You can't just get it, you have to earn it. You have to exhibit style. Perfect pitch. Push the boundaries of artistic license and win this year's Ninjago Talent Show!" Lou said excitedly.
"Uh, you sure there's not an easier way?" (Y/n) asked, rather nervously, but Lou didn't answer her. "Is this why you came? You knew I was injured and when my quartet insisted we shan't go on, you four have come to take our place! Haha, ingenious! My son and his, bringing forth the next evolution of the Royal Blacksmiths, with his beautiful girlfriend at his side! I can already see the little kids running about the house!" He gushed, making (Y/n) and Cole turn red as tomatoes. The two awkwardly scooted away from each other slightly. "Let me hear the sweet, sweet sound of harmony." Lou continued, putting a hand to his ear, his eyes closed, and a smile on his face.
"HaRmOnY..."
"HaRmOnY..."
"HaRmOnY..."
As Jay's, Kai's, and Zane's attempt of harmony died down, Cole groaned, (Y/n) hid her face in her hands, while Lou cringed. Desperate to move things along, Cole stood up and walked towards his Dad.
"Look, dad. We just need the trophy." He said, before Kai walked over to the two of them.
"Yeah, we're bringing home the gold and-and we want you to train us!" He said out of no where. This made Lou sniffle.
"I've never been more proud. If you'll excuse me, I need to write a song about my feelings." He said, walking into another room. Once the door was shut, Cole turned to glare at Kai.
"What are you doing?!" He said through gritted teeth.
"Look, we enter this competition so we can get close enough to the Blade Cup. Once we get the Fangblade, we leave town. How hard can this be?" Kai said.
"And just like that, Flame-head has cursed us all." (Y/n) commented, making Jay chuckle
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Meanwhile, two Serpentine were walking around Ninjago, when they spotted a poster advertising the Talent Show.
"Hey, get a load of that!" Mezmo said to his partner, pointing at the poster.
"Oh, look. A singing competition. I like singing." Snike cheered. Mezmo slapped him upside the head. "No, you idiot! The trophy! It's the Fangblade." Mezmo pointed out. "Wait, that's what Pythor's looking for!" Snike said eagerly, earning an eyeroll from Mezmo. "We have to tell the others." He said, taking the Poster.
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Back at Lou's house, the Ninja, minus (Y/n), were training for the talent show.
"Okay, from the op. Five, six, seven, eight." Lou said, as (Y/n) played some notes on the piano, cuing for the boys to each do their parts.
"Bop till you drop."
"Shake it till you break it."
"Move it till you lose it."
"Spin it till you win it."
They were sounding better than when they started, but Lou still wasn't pleased. "Stop, stop. Ugh. If my ears weren't attached to my head, they'd be running away!" Lou said, walking over to them. "Kai, love the energy, hate the hair." He said, hitting Kai on the head with his staff. "Jay, you're giving a lot, but I need more. Zane, you're like a machine. Don't change anything." His comment made Zane smirk. "And Cole, try to act like you wanna be here." He finished, calling Cole out. "Okay, moving forward. Let's take a look at the big show-stopping climax. Cole, we can't have history repeating itself." Lou stated.
"Dad, it was the Triple Tiger Sashay. I was seven!" Cole groaned, trying to defend himself.
"What's the Triple Tiger Sashay?" Kai asked.
"It's the most difficult dance move ever created." (Y/n) spoke up from the piano.
"It's true. Many professionals have dare tried, but it's never been successfully completed." Lou explained. "Hence, my father thought a seven year-old could! But I ended up falling on my face, humiliating myself, and letting my quartet down." Cole added. "If you're going to win, you have to go big! Alright, time for a break. Take five." Lou said, walking out of the room.
"Uh, I'm starting to see why Cole is so closed off. It's cause twinkle-toes here couldn't deliver the goods. Is that why you ran away?" Jay asked, sending Cole a slightly sympathetic smile.
"Oh, I could deliver the goods—" Cole started, clearly offended, before calming himself down. "Look. I'll deal with my father, but let's stick with the plan. All we have to do is keep this charade long enough until we can get our hands on the trophy." Cole explained, reminding them of the plan.
"I don't know. I'm starting to think you guys can win this thing!" (Y/n) said, smirking. "(Y/n), I'm going to throw you out the window." Cole warned, glaring at her. "Okay, okay. We'll stick to the plan." (Y/n) laughed.
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(Y/n) was just outside Lou's house when Cole approached her. "Hey, look. I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier." He apologized. (Y/n) chuckled.
"It's okay. I get where you were coming from." (Y/n) said with a smiled. "How about to make it up to me, you show me your hometown? I am supposed to be your girlfriend after all." She teased. She had a smirk even though there was a light blush on her face. It wasn't as bad as Cole's blush, however. The boy groaned and face palmed. "Oh, right. I'm so sorry about that. My dad really wanted me to get a girlfriend, and he has a bad habit of assuming stuff." He said, apologizing once again. (Y/n) let out another laugh.
"It's okay. I'll help you out a little and play the role of you owe me!" She smiled, causing Cole to smile too. "Really? Thanks. So, how about that tour of my hometown?" Cole replied, putting his hands in his pockets, trying to act cool. "Lead the way, my good sir." (Y/n) said, motioning for him to start their little tour.
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Back at the Realm of Madness, Garmadon and Wu had just finished off the last Cragling.
"The vortex back to Ninjago is just over that buff. Please, you first." Garmadon said, allowing his brother to go up first.
"Though we live in two different worlds, I still see good in your heart, brother." Wu commented, as he started to climb the rest of the way. When he got there, he spotted the vortex in the mountain. "The battle between our worlds is inevitable. You put too much trust in me." Garmadon said as he pushed Wu down the vortex, but Wu grabbed the ledge. "But I came for your help to save your son. Did you lead me here to destroy me?!" Wu asked, sounding betrayed. "See you on the other side." Was Garmadon's only response, as he pushed Wu down, the old man screaming as he fell. Garmadon let out an evil laugh as he jumped in after Wu. "I'm back, Ninjago." Garmadon said, when he and Wu landed in a village, letting out another evil laugh.
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At the Concert Hall, contestants were backstage practicing singing, beatboxing, and juggling. The Ninja were also backstage, practicing their routine.
"Then kick ball change, barrel roll, barrel turn, and we all do the double wings—" Cole said, as the group practiced their dance, but Kai and Jay bumped into each other.
"Ow! Dude you gotta follow me." Jay complained.
"Follow you? You're two beats off." Kai retorted.
" Actually, 2.72 off of the beat." Zane corrected.
"There they go again." (Y/n) muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Guys, guys! Let's not make this any harder than it needs to be. We just stick to the plan and keep up the charade until the trophy's revealed. Once we steal the Blade Cup, we can argue all we want once we get back home." Cole said. (Y/n) turned around and her eyes widened when she saw Lou approaching. "Uh, Cole?" She said, shaking his arm a little. "Not now, (Y/n)." He said, brushing her off.
"But this is your hometown, Cole. Don't you want to try and win it?" Jay asked, confused with Cole's motives. "Ugh, the only dance step I wanna perform is called 'get-me-out-of-this-nuthouse-and-let's-burn-these-memories-from-my-head'." Cole said as Lou got closer.
"What?!" Lou spoke ups, startling Cole and the other boys. "Dad, I..." Cole trailed off, not knowing what to say. "You...you were going to steal it?" Lou asked, not wanting to believe what Cole said. (Y/n) looked down, wanting to avoid the conflict. Cole sighed. "Dad, I didn't mean for you to hear that, but-but I'm glad you did. There's something I've been wanting to tell you. All these years, I haven't been training to be a singer or a dancer. I found something new that I'm really good at. Dad..."Cole used Spinjitzu to change into his gi. "I'm a Ninja." This new made Lou gasp. "And the truth is, if we don't steal that Fangblade—I mean, Blade Cup—there's other people that will. Bad people. Serpentine. And we need it to save the world. I know how ridiculous this sounds, but I'm proud of who I am, and I want you to be proud of me, too." Cole said, putting a hand on his father's shoulder. Lou only pushed his hand away.
"I can't be proud of any son who thinks stealing is right. And I'm not gonna wait around to watch you make a mockery of our family's legacy." He said, glaring at Cole as he walked away. "Dad, I—" Cole was cut off by the exit door closing, causing him to groan. (Y/n) put a hand on Cole's shoulder.
"I'll go talk to him" She said, running after Lou.
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Lou hadn't gotten very far, when (Y/n) caught up with him. "Mr. Lou! Wait!" She called out, getting Lou's attention. He turned around and had a shocked face when he saw tat it was her. (Y/n)'s running came to a stop as she neared the man.
"What is it? If it's about Cole, then I don't want to hear it." Lou said, turning away from (Y/n). "Well that's too bad, because I'm going talk anyway." She said, glaring at Lou's back, before walking in front of him. "Look, I get it. You're mad. You're hurt. You feel betrayed by your own son. I mean, he lied to you about his life!" She said, making Lou frown. "But, you didn't see what ab amazing person he has become. He's strong, kind hearted, and smart. He may not be a singer or a dancer, but he is someone who protects the world from the bad people that want to cause it harm. Before we showed up at your house, Cole was terrified. He was scared of letting you down." (Y/n) explained, making Lou uncross his arms, but he still wouldn't look at her.
"What Cole was saying is true. The are Serpentine running amuck in the city. They are after these things called Fangblades. One of them is held in the Blade Cup. Cole isn't stealing it because he thinks stealing is right. He is stealing in because he knows it may be his only option to keep the citizens of Ninjago safe. He wants you to be proud of him. And... forgive me, but if you can't be proud of everything that Cole has accomplished, then you are a fool." (Y/n) said, finishing her statement. Lou was silent for a few minutes, before he spoke up.
"You aren't really my son's girlfriend are you?" He asked, making (Y/n) blush a little. She sighed. "No sir, I'm not. I'm also a ninja. All five of us are. I'm the leader of the team." She explained, using Spinjitzu to change into her suit. Lou chuckled. "That's too bad. I've seen how he looks at you. It's the same look I gave his mother before we married." He said with a soft smile. "I think you two would make a great couple. I would love to have you as my daughter-in-law." Lou continued, making (Y/n)'s blush deepen. Lou chuckled. "I'm going to go watch my son preform. You coming?" He asked. "I'll be there in a minute." She said, smiling. Lou smiled back at her, before walking back to backstage. (Y/n) watched him go with a smile, before someone snuck up on her and put a hand over her mouth, and a knife to her throat.
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The boys had just finished their preformnce. They had decided not to steal the cup, and win the show their way. Some Serpentine had attacked them, but they managed to make it look like apart of their act. Cole even successfully completed the Triple Tiger Sashay.
"Oh, he did it! The Triple Tiger Sashay! He's danced the impossible!" The announcer cheered in excitement. The judges gave them a 10 but Pythor, who had infiltrated the show as a judge, gave a 0. This made the audience boo him. Judge 3, whom Pythor swallowed, managed to get his arm out and wrote a 1 on his score card, turning it into a 10. The crowd began to cheer again.
"What? Wait. I didn't write that." Pythor said in shock. "It's a perfect score! Spin Harmony wins the Blade Cup!" The announcer said, as the Blade Cup was handed to Cole. "Oh, this is a travesty of epic proportions! I demand for there to be a recount!" Pythor whined, but no one listened to him. Cole searched for his father in the audience, hoping that (Y/n) got through to him, but his seat was empty. This made Cole groan.
"I've never felt more alive!" Zane cheered.
"Hahaha! We did it!" Jay exclaimed, as the group walked backstage. Everyone but Cole chuckled.
"No, Cole did it. Because of you, Ninjago will sleep safely tonight." Kai stated, he and the others smiling at Cole. He didn't return the smile.
"Thanks, but go on and celebrate without me." He said, handing the trophy to Kai. "Winning this doesn't feel the same without my dad being able to—"
"Cole!" Lou called out, catching Cole's attention. "Dad?" He said, running to his father. "I saw it all, son. I saw it all." Lou said, as the two of them embraced. "You saw me dance?" Cole asked with a smile. "More importantly, I saw you fight. Those Serpentine were up to no good, trying to steal the show, and I saw you stand up for what is right. I was wrong. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard to follow in my footsteps. Everyone is born with a special talent inside that's just been waiting to get out. And you were born to be a Ninja!" Lou explained, making Cole's smile widen. "You're not mad?" He asked him. "How can I be? My son's a hero!" Lou cheered. Suddenly, Cole realized something.
"Wait! Where's (Y/n)?" He asked, looking around but not seeing the girl. "Huh, she said she'd meet me here." Lou said in confusion. Suddenly, Pythor showed up with (Y/no in his hold, struggling to break free.
"Oh, sorry to interrupt your little family reunion, but did you know..." He ripped off his fake beard. "It's me, Pythor!"
"(Y/n!) You couldn't fool us, Pythor. Now let (Y/n) go!" Cole demanded, pulling down his mask. "I didn't want to miss our big show stopper!" Pythor said, ignoring Cole's demand. Two Serpentine pushed a crate, which knocked some stage lights down that were right above Lou. Lou let out a scream as the giant object fell at him. "Dad!" Cole yelled, jumping to his father jus as the lights fell on him.
"No! Cole!" (Y/n) screamed. She struggled against Pythor once again, and managed to escape him. However, her hair was moved away from her left eye, exposing it's red hue to Pythor. This shocked the snake, but he quickly overcame that shock and grabbed the Fangblades, laughing as he escaped, and the others coughed from the dust.
"They took the Fangblade!" Jay said through coughs.
"Cole!" Kai yelled. As the group gathered around the pile, they noticed that Cole's Scythe was glowing.
"H-he did it! He found his true potential!" (Y/n) stated, smiling with tears in he eyes. Cole grunted, lifting up the debris with his newfound powers.
"Wha-what? How did we survive that? Son?" Lou asked, looking at his son, who now glowed a bright orange.
"Cole's found his True Potential. His relationship with his father must have been holding him back." Zane stated.
"He's indestructible!" Jay cheered.
"Ugh, great. So now I really am the only one who hasn't figured out my special power." Kai whined, stomping his foot. (Y/n) didn't bother reminding him that she still hasn't either. She only ran up the pile as Cole tired back to normal.
"Is everyone alright? What just happened?" Cole asked, winded.
"Thank goodness you're okay!" (Y/n) cried, running to him and pulling him into a tight hug. The two looked at each other, before pulling away slightly, blushes on their faces, and nervous smiles as they avoided eye contact.
"We're all okay, son." Lou commented, putting a hand on his shoulder.
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Back at Lou's house, the Ninja all sat on Lou's couch, all of them drinking tea.
"Oh, man."
"That was really cool!"
"You found your True Potential!"
"So, I guess the scorecard now reads Pythor-two Fangblades, Ninja-zero." Jay commented.
"Yeah, but all we need is one, and there are still two left to find." Cole reminded them l.
"Who knows? Maybe when I unlock my True Potential, I'll turn into one of the Destined Ninja." Kai boasted.
"Yeah, dream on."
"Ha, okay."
"The only thing you're destined for, Flame-head, is a more inflated ego." (Y/n) joked, punching his shoulder. Just then, Lou entered the room with two picture frames.
"It may not be the trophy, but it sure will look good on my wall." Lou said, hanging up one of them, revealing it to be a picture o the Ninja's victory.
"All right!"
"Excellent."
"Awesome."
"Heck yeah!"
"Nice."
"And don't think I've forgotten you, (Y/n)." Lou said, hanging up the other one, to reveal that it was a picture of Cole and (Y/n)'s little hugging moment. The two blushed and looked each other. Cole smiled and shrugged, wrapping an arm around (Y/n)'s shoulders. "As far as I'm concerned, you're all my family now!" Lou said, pulling the group into a group hug.
"Yeah." Cole said, agreeing whole heatedly with his father.
YOU ARE READING
Ninjago: Rise of the Snakes
FanfictionWhen Lloyd reopens the Serpentine Tombs, (Y/n) and the ninja begin their paths to unlocking their True Potentials and fulfilling their destines. (I do not own Ninjago, or any of it's characters! All those rights go to the Lego company/people who cre...
