Chapter Text
One year, three months, a week, and five days.
Has it really been over a year already? That can't be right.
Lloyd looks up at the building where it all happened, shoving his hands into his pockets as a cold breeze blows past. Letting out a sigh as the memories come rushing back. It was hard to believe that a spot where so much tragedy took place seemed so… normal now.
The place where Zane had given his life seemed so peaceful. But then again, that's what he fought for, isn't it?
A shiver ran through Lloyd, but whether it was from the memories or the slowly cooling autumn air was undetermined. He lets out a frustrated sigh. If only he had done more. It was unreasonable to think, he knew. But it's hard not to feel helpless when thinking in hindsight.
What would Zane do if he were here now? All the ninja split up, with seemingly no desire to talk to one another. Zane was always good at this kind of stuff. Always able to bring people back to the present instead of holding their emotions against each other. A trait Lloyd wished he was able to pick up from him.
Lloyd couldn't help but feel frustrated at his teammates as well. Why couldn't they see that they worked best together? That people in the city continue to suffer without ninja to save them?
He's never felt to lonely in his life. Not when his mom left him. Not when he ran away from Darkley's all those years ago. Not even when his dad took the Golden Weapons for himself, leaving him all alone again.
Now that Lloyd knows what it's like to have brothers of his own, losing them hurts all that much more.
He swallows back the tightening in his throat. Focus. He had a chance to get them back. That is, if they actually met him at Chen's Noodle House. He felt he did a decent enough job convincing them to show up. But convincing them not to leave once they actually got there was a whole different story.
Speaking of which… based on the sun slowly setting behind the tall buildings of Ninjago City, Lloyd was going to be late if he didn't leave now.
He hesitantly turns and begins walking down the sidewalks, feeling his shoulders slump slightly. What was he going to say? It was hard enough to keep them from arguing before. It'd surely be ten times harder now. He grimaces at the thought. It feels like he can already hear their shouts now.
Wait… no. That wasn't just his imagination.
Lloyd's eyes narrow momentarily as he tries to pick up where the sound is coming from. Before he can even think of what he's doing, he's racing towards the shouts, coming from a nearby alleyway. The air seems to get colder and more violent the closer he approaches, like being too close to a hurricane.
Before he can properly assess the situation, he has to stop himself from crashing into an elderly woman standing by the mouth of the alleyway. She looks just as surprised to see Lloyd, her eyes wide and darting between him and a scuffle between a few other figures further away.
The figures seem to be locked in combat. One wearing a gray jacket with their hood up. Another with a bright purple mohawk, the third with a red beanie. The latter two of them with strange tattoos covering their arms. The purple haired one seems to sneer at gray hoodie, eyes filled with a combination of malice and excitement. Lloyd can't see gray hoodie's face, their back turned towards him as they swing out a punch towards the nearest tattooed man. It lands, sending the beanie man staggering back.
Lloyd's breath catches. He wasn't expecting to encounter anything like this today. Deep breath. Assess the situation.
"What's going on here?" Lloyd asks the older woman, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She looks up at him, shaking her head as she clutches her purse a little tighter. "The two men with the tattoos tried to take my purse! But then the other guy showed up…"
She trails off, pointing at gray hoodie, who dodges a punch from mohawk. Gray hoodie thrusts their elbow into the other one's stomach, then ducks down, sweeping their leg out to knock the first one off their feet.
"Are you hurt?" Lloyd asks.
She shakes her head, making Lloyd breathe a little easier.
"Go. Get somewhere safe." He tells her, taking a step further towards the fight.
The woman doesn't argue, scurrying out of the alleyway without hesitation. Once he's sure the woman is a safe distance away, he returns his attention to the matter at hand. Gray hoodie seems to be handling themself pretty well, though the tattooed assailants seem to be back on their feet.
Gray hoodie seems to be so distracted with dodging punches from beanie that they don't even notice mohawk creeping up behind them, ready to strike.
Lloyd's eyes widen at the sight, reading his elemental powers. There's no way he could get there in time, but maybe he could blast them from afar. "Hey, watch out!"
But there's no need. They throw their hands out in both directions, a gust of wind blowing through the alleyway. The two attackers fall back to their feet, shooting glares up at gray hoodie.
… What? Is that even possible?
Gray hoodie seems totally unaffected by the sudden wind, pulling their hands back into a defensive position as they stare down at the tattooed men.
The men on the ground seem to finally take notice of Lloyd, whispering to one another. A shiver runs down his spine at their piercing gazes, but he forces himself to ignore it. He opens his mouth to call out to gray hoodie.
Before he gets the chance to get a single word out, the two tattooed men jump to their feet, helping each other scale the buildings nearby and scurrying away onto the rooftop.
Gray hoodie lets out a frustrated groan as they stare up the buildings. "Oh, come on! Just let me take you to the police, already!"
Lloyd's heart is racing by this point, his brain scrambling to come up with an explanation for the sudden gust of wind at the stranger's command. There's one thing he knows — he needs to figure out who this person is.
"Hey, I—"
"Shit!" The hooded figure jumps at his voice, shooting a glance back at him before darting away. In that half second, he catches a glimpse of pink hair tucked into their hood. He begins to chase after them, but is held back by a gust of wind pushing him back.
Lloyd can't do anything else but stare as they jump inhumanly high onto the rooftops, chasing after the tattooed strangers.
"Can you get back here already? I'm supposed to be getting groceries before they close!" Gracie shouts as she rushes after the tattooed men, who are somehow several meters ahead of her.
That was her own fault though. She shouldn't have gotten startled by some rando watching her. Which is weird. Most people usually just walk past whenever she stops small thieves like this. After all, it's none of their business, right?
The tattooed men don't seem to slow in the slightest, running across the rooftops almost as easily as she is. Gracie lets out a huff as she uses her powers, boosting her forwards in an attempt to catch up with them. Her hood falls back, pink-streaked hair flowing in the wind as she runs, bounding across the rooftops.
The tattooed men seem to notice that she's slowly gaining on them, and they drop back down through the buildings to the ground, using some apartment balconies to slow their fall. Gracie groans again as she stares down at them, watching as they weave their way into the busy streets of the city.
You came this far, can't give up now.
She follows in suit, using her powers to allow her to drop easily to the ground. The loud voices of the citizens hit her ears, making her wince. She makes her way into the crowd, careful to avoid hitting any people as she follows the two thieves.
But with the sheer amount of people passing around her, it's hard to keep track of where they went. Gracie's eyes narrow as she pushes herself harder to keep up. She's barely able to dodge a man in a red jacket as he walks past, nearly poking her eye out with his spiky hair.
"Hey! Watch it, kid!" He shouts as she runs past him, not bothering to look back. On any other day she would apologized… probably. But there are more important matters at hand right now.
Gracie straightens herself as the men keep running, barely visible through the crowds of people. They were gaining ground. She was losing them.
Her legs feel like they're on fire at this point, screaming for a break. Barely able to keep up with her as she continues, tripping over a stranger's foot and, by some miracle, managing to stay upright.
She tries not to focus on the loud voices of all the people, making her ears ring. Instead she focuses on the sound of her sneakers pounding against the cement as she chases the men. After what seems like a year or two of weaving in and out of people, the two men duck into another alleyway. They glance back at her, as if to make sure she was still following, before disappearing into the darkness.
It's not long until Gracie follows them into the darkness, a hand on the wall to make sure she doesn't run face first into anything.
When she finally feels like she might have caught up to them, she sees it.
A dead end.
But… that's not all.
There's a small table, with lit candles lined up neatly around a small envelope. Gracie frowns, eyes narrowed as she looks around for the tattooed men. Nowhere in sight.
… That doesn't make any sense. There's nowhere else they could've gone. It'd be impossible for them to scale the walls with nothing for them to grab onto. Not unless you were someone like her, which she was pretty sure they weren't.
She takes a deep breath as she approaches the table. It's nearly silent now, only the echoes of the crowds of people resonating in her ears. When she looks down at the envelope on the table, her blood runs cold.
It's addressed to a Gracie and Nico Solace.
"It's… Zane," Kai breathes as the four of them look at the paper tacked to the wall with a knife.
A few beats of silence pass between them, all suspended in utter disbelief.
Cole's the one to break the tension first. "What does it say?"
Lloyd grabs the paper off the wall, taking a moment to look at the drawing of his friend's face. He scans the writing on the wide, his heart pounding against his chest, threatening to burst out as the words register in his brain.
"It says… he's alive," Lloyd whispers.
The others gasp in surprise, sharing excited glances with one another. Lloyd tries not to let himself get too excited. But for the first time in what feels like forever, he feels a flicker of hope inside him.
Kai shakes his head, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. "I don't think those thugs were delivering a message to the noodle house… I think they were delivering a message to us."
They stand in silence for a few moments, thoughts racing with a million possible explanations of why this could be happening. Lloyd's mind is reeling. This can't be possible. Can it?
Jay throws his hands up, brows furrowed in disbelief. "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean, it says 'he's alive?'"
Lloyd looks up from the paper in his hands, frowning at Jay. "Hey, I'm just telling you what it says."
"Why would those thugs lead us here?" Kai asks, glancing over his shoulder to look at the back door of the noodle house.
Cole sighs, shaking his head. "You know, this has to be some cruel joke. And I'm not laughing!"
At that, Lloyd turns his attention to the fortune cookies on the table. He gestures towards them. "I think this was meant for us, too."
"Fortune cookies? Very peculiar," Jay reaches for the plate, gingerly taking one and inspecting it closer.
"Should we?" Lloyd glances at Kai, and then to Cole. His eyes widen as Cole reaches for a fortune cookie, putting the whole thing in his mouth and swallowing it. Jay's mouth falls open as Kai snickers.
"Uh… you do realize there's a fortune inside, right, dumbass?" Kai pulls apart his fortune cookie, revealing the small slip of paper inside.
"Oh! So that's why they're called that!" Cole grins. Lloyd rolls his eyes as he breaks apart his own fortune cookie, reading the message aloud.
"Master Chen has personally invited you to participate in his Tournament of Elements…" Lloyd pauses as the thinks on that. Tournament of Elements? Are there… more Elemental Powers out there? He thinks of the hooded figure he saw in the alleyway, the gusts of wind that seemed to flow at their command. It can't have been a coincidence.
"Wait a minute. Are you saying that, Mr. Chen, the same guy filling my belly with delicious goodness, is actually Master Chen?!" Cole exclaims, putting his hands on his hips as he peers down at Lloyd's fortune cookie.
"Secrecy is of the utmost importance. Tell no one, or suffer the consequences." Kai continues reading the message on his own fortune cookie, followed by Jay.
"If you ever want to see your friend again, meet on the pier at midnight and leave your weapons behind."
They stand in silence after that, processing the information they'd been given. Until the fortune in Jay's hand turns into dust with a pop. Kai's follows, then Lloyd's. They turn to look at Cole. He yelps as they hear the same pop coming from inside his stomach, and he burps up some dust. He smiles sheepishly. "Well, at least I know I was invited."
Everyone laughs, but Lloyd's mind is elsewhere. There's just so much about this that doesn't make sense. How could Zane possibly be alive? There's no chance he could have survived his face-off with the Overlord. Right? "You don't think…"
Kai sighs, looking at the group. "It could be a trap. A lie to lure us in."
Jay pipes up at that, a hint of urgency and desperation in his voice as he speaks. "Yeah, but what if it's not? What if Zane's alive?"
Lloyd looks over the paper again, the painting of Zane seeming to stare back at him as he does. "The Tournament of Elements… I'm starting to think this Master Chen makes more than noodles."
"You can forget about bringing in a new ninja, Lloyd." Kai turns, heading back towards the door of the noodle house. "Let's go see about an old one."
"Tournament of Elements, huh?" Nico asked, leaning back on the couch as Gracie flipped the letter over, looking for any sort of hidden meaning or message, finding none. "Sounds fun."
"Fun? It sounds sketchy as hell." Gracie mutters, shooting their half-sibling a tired look as they toss the letter on the small table nearby.
"Yeah. Fun." Nico grins in response, green eyes sparkling with excitement.
Gracie sighs as she slumps into a chair, dragging a hand down the side of her face. "I don't think so. Sounds dangerous."
"That's sort of what a tournament implies, Gracie." Nico deadpans, picking up their bowl of noodles and taking a bite. "Besides. What if the prize is big enough for us to move out of this hellhole?"
That statement makes Gracie pause, looking around at the dingy walls of their two-bedroom apartment. The small living area and even smaller kitchen. The never ending drip of the faucet in the bathroom. The noisy neighbors. Yeah, it's pretty bad. But it's all they can afford right now.
"Mom told us that we should avoid other Elemental Masters," Gracie protests quietly. "That they'd try to hurt us. Or use our powers for their own gain."
Nico groans at that, shooting her an annoyed look. "Oh, come on. Mom hadn't even met any other Elemental Masters other than our dads, did she? And it's not like she's coming back. She's not gonna get mad at you if we go. And," They continue, a crooked smirk appearing on their face. "I bet we're strong enough that we'll wipe the floor with everyone else there."
Gracie frowns at that, still not quite convinced. She looks over the letter on the table again. Is it really worth risking their life for something like this? They have no idea what they're getting themselves into.
"Well, I'm going." Nico declares, standing up from the couch with a determined expression. This startles Gracie, her eyes widening.
"What? No, you're not. We've barely discussed this." Gracie frowns, watching as Nico walks to their room, grabbing a bag and beginning to throw some clothes in them.
"So? You can't exactly tell me not to. I'm not a little kid anymore." Nico points out, not looking at Gracie as they pack their things.
Gracie's face flushes with embarrassment, hands clenching into fists at her sides. "That may be true, but I'm still supposed to be taking care of you."
"I'm fully capable of taking care of myself." Nico frowns, glancing over their shoulder at her, standing awkwardly in the doorway. "It's not like I'm gonna mysteriously disappear at this tournament. If you don't wanna go, you don't have to."
"Nico, be reasonable about this."
"I'm being so reasonable about this."
Gracie pauses at that. "… You're not giving this up, are you?"
Nico shakes their head, blinking at her.
A defeated sigh falls from Gracie's lips. "Fine. I'll go with you. I'm not gonna let you rush headfirst into this all alone."
Their expression changes completely, eyes lighting up as they beam at her. "Really?"
"Just don't make me regret it, yeah?"
Lloyd had almost stored away his favorite sword in his duffel bag, out of habit. That was, until he remembered the ominous warning about leaving all weapons behind on the fortune cookie. He sighs, zipping up his bag as he hears a knock at his bedroom door. When he looks up, he sees his father peeking inside.
"I was just on my way to help Nya and Wu restore the Bounty. Would you like to join? I guess you could way it's all hands on deck." He laughs at his own joke.
Lloyd smiles at him, desperately searching his brain for some sort of excuse. He had always been terrible at lying to his father. He feels a pang of guilt for not telling him where they're going, but he doesn't want to find out the consequences of telling anyone about the tournament. "Uh, sorry. The guys and I are going fishing. Team building exercise."
Garmadon smiles at that, letting out a soft hum in response. "Good to hear that the team is back together." He begins to leave before Lloyd takes a step forward, wondering if there's anything he may know about other Elemental Powers.
"Dad—? Our Elemental Powers… are there others out there with powers like us…?" He asks, tilting his head in curiosity.
Garmadon's eyes narrow slightly as he turns back, resting a hand on the doorway of Lloyd's room. "… Why would you ask?"
Lloyd quickly turns away from his father, waving him off. "No reason, it was just on my mind." He grabs his bag and darts out the door, worried he might think something is wrong if he lingers any longer. "See ya. Early bird catches the worm!"
It's already nearing midnight by the time Lloyd arrives at the city pier. There's about a dozen people already standing on the dock, talking quietly amongst themselves. Lloyd spots Kai, Jay, and Cole in the crows, walking over to stand next to them.
"The Tournament of Elements," Kai says, turning to look over at the other people standing on the dock. "Do you think all of them have powers like us…?"
Lloyd glances over his shoulder to ensure no one's listening in on the conversation. "When I asked my dad about it, he got really suspicious. Like there's something he's keeping from me."
Cole takes a step forward, eyes narrowed. "The fortune cookies said 'tell no one' or else there'd be consequences."
Lloyd rolls his eyes in response, crossing his arms over his chest. "I didn't tell him anything. We're fine." He turns his attention back to the people standing on the dock, scanning over the people there. There's all sorts of different people, but he doesn't seem to recognize anyone. That is, until his eyes land on a figure wearing a familiar gray hoodie.
His eyes widen in recognition, turning to say something to Kai. Before he can get anything out, the sound of a horn blares in the distance, approaching the pier. A fairly large boat pulls forwards and settles next to the pier, with two tattooed men on the boat throwing down a board in order for people to step across.
A man with a slicked back ponytail dressed in all read walks across the pier. He looks all of them over, eyes scrutinizing every one of them. Lloyd's own eyes narrow in response as the crowd begins to walk towards the boat, boarding it in a single file line.
"We don't know yet if this is a trap. Wherever they take us, we have to stick together." Lloyd reminds them. He places a hand on Kai's shoulder as he stares at somebody dressed in all orange. "We can't let anything distract us. You hear me, Kai?"
"Huh? What— uh— yeah. Whatever you said." Kai nods absentmindedly, his gaze not leaving the person dressed in orange as they board the boat.
The man with the ponytail grins as we finally step forward to board the boat, his mustache curling up with his smile. "Master Chen will be charmed to see that you've accepted his offer. A Master of Spinjitzu shall fare favorably in his tournament."
Jay glares at him, waving him off. "Hey, we're not here to fight. We're here to save a friend."
The man hums in response, tilting his head as he looks all of us over once again. "Don't be so petty, Master Jay. Everyone here has something to fight for." He reaches out and pulls a pair of nunchucks out of Jay's bag.
Jay smiles sheepishly. "Chopsticks. I'm a big eater." He laughs nervously as the man tosses the nunchucks into the sea. With that Jay walks onto the boat, followed by Cole and Kai. Lloyd is about to follow when he hears a familiar voice from behind him.
"Lloyd! If you get on that boat, you may never return."
Lloyd turns, surprised to see his father walking across the pier towards them. "What are you doing here, dad?"
Garmadon ignores his question, continuing towards the boat. "Master Chen is a dangerous man who should never be trusted. Whatever he promised you, do not believe him."
"Lord Garmadon, it's been a while." The man with the ponytail says, crossing the board to re-enter the ship. "It's Sensei now, correct? I can't remember."
"Clouse," Garmadon mutters in response, glaring daggers up at him. The coldness in his voice makes Lloyd shiver. "I see Master Chen still has you running his errands.
Lloyd shakes his head, trying to push aside the conflicting thoughts in his head. "I have to go, dad. This is about Zane. It's about family. If we're ever gonna be whole again, I have to get on that ship."
The man with the ponytail, Clouse, turns back to face us once he's on the ship. "Last call. Are you in… or out?"
Lloyd crosses the board, entering the ship. He hears his father sigh behind him.
"I can't stop you, son. But I can join you."
Clouse interrupts, holding a hand out as two tattooed men begin to pull the board back into the ship, seemingly preventing him from crossing. "Sorry. No more room on the ship."
"No room?" Garmadon echoes, jumping forward and bouncing off the board. He flips and kicks one of the tattooed men into the water, landing effortlessly on the deck beside Lloyd. Clouse glances back over his shoulder at him.
"I stand corrected. There's room now."
"Don't worry. I'm not here to compete," Garmadon clarifies, placing a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Only to look out for my interests." Lloyd grins at him as Clouse yells for the boat to start.
The boat rumbles to a start, swaying slightly as it travels across the water into the night. It isn't nearly as smooth as the Destiny's Bounty though, Lloyd thinks to himself.
Garmadon, Jay, Cole, Kai and Lloyd all walk through the boat together, looking in awe of what they see. There's a bearded man with huge metal fists punching an oil can up into the air. There's someone else meditating midair as some sort of smoke swirls around them. Somebody makes long vines grow out of a wooden staff, and there's even someone who's transparent.
Lloyd looks at his father as he sees Clouse walk by. "You know him. You said his name's Clouse."
"Don't be fooled by his attire. He is a Master of Dark Arts and Master Chen's number two," Garmadon responds, obvious disdain in his voice as he watches Clouse pass.
Cole laughs at that, putting a hand on his hip. "Huh. I thought Master Chen's number two was an eggroll and fried rice."
Lloyd rolls his eyes as Kai turns to Garmadon. "Why haven't you or Wu ever told us there are others with powers like us?"
Garmadon sighs, shaking his head. "Because there are some things we don't want you to know. You were lead to believe you were special. Yet you never questioned where your powers came from."
Jay frowns, eyes narrowing at Lloyd's father. "Uh, are you implying that I'm not special?"
"Everyone on this ship is a descendant of an original Elemental Master." Garmadon continues, ignoring Jay.
"Elemental Master? Who were they?" Lloyd asks. He's shocked that there's so much about their powers that they still didn't know about. So much that his father or uncle never told them.
"They were the First Spinjitzu Master's guardians. Each endowed with an Elemental Power that has been passed down through generations."
"If that's true, then so's Nya. But she can't do what I can," Kai points out, tilting his head to the side.
Garmadon turns back to Kai with a smirk. "Can't she? Power lies in all of you. It only needs to be awoken. The fighters here serve no master and have managed to unlock their own true potential."
He continues on, pointing at several people on the ship. He explains who they are and what Elemental Power they have. But Lloyd's thoughts drift off, thinking about the person in the gray hoodie he saw on the dock. Memories of the sudden bursts of wind coming from nowhere when he saw them in the alleyway. They must be an Elemental Master. But of what? Air, maybe? Wind?
As if on cue, gray hoodie rounds a corner nearby, looking around the boat to take in their surroundings. Lloyd pauses, mind reeling as he tries to figure out what to do. He turns to Cole, whispering in his ear. "I'll be right back."
Cole opens his mouth to respond, but Lloyd is already walking away. It's only as he's approaching gray hoodie that he has absolutely no idea what to say to them. They have their hood up again, and he remembers seeing a glimpse of pink hair when he saw them back in the alleyway. If he could see what color their hair is, he could determine if it's the same person from before.
Lloyd clears his throat as he approaches them, causing the figure to look up at them. He gets a good look at the mysterious figure under the hood for the first time. A round face, rosy cheeks littered with freckles. Their brown eyes narrow, arching a brow as they look at him. He can feel his face heat up under her scrutinizing glare. She can't be any older than he is.
Focus, Lloyd. You're better than this.
He reminds himself of why he's really here. For Zane. He wasn't about to let himself get intimidated by this random girl.
"Can I help you?" She asks, clearly annoyed with him. And he hadn't even said a single word yet.
"What color is your hair?" Lloyd blurts out, instantly wishing he had said literally anything else.
She pauses at that. "Excuse me?"
Lloyd clears his throat again, speaking with more confidence this time. "I was just asking what color your hair is."
She hesitates again, looking him up and down. "Why?"
He opens his mouth to respond, then shuts it again as he realizes there's no normal way to explain that he saw her use her powers to beat up some muggers yesterday. "Uh… just curious. That's all."
She raises a brow at that, clearly not buying that there's no ulterior motive here. Lloyd smiles sheepishly, the two of them standing there in a painfully awkward silence for a few moments. Just when Lloyd thinks she's not going to tell him, she pulls back her hood. Turns out his assumption was right on the money. Light brown hair with streaks of pink running through it are revealed, falling down to a little below her shoulders. No doubt about it — this is the person from the alleyway.
She glares up at Lloyd, folding her arms across her chest. "Happy now, Goldilocks?"
Lloyd sputters at the nickname, his cheeks heating up again as he glares at her in return. "Don't call me that."
He's given an eye roll in return, waved off as she walks away from him. "Piss off, then."
He almost instinctively follows after her, wanting to make a rebuttal of her harsh words. Then he comes to his senses, returning back to his father and the others. At least now he has a pretty good idea of what her powers might be.
When Lloyd returns to the others, he's shocked to see Kai's fists ablaze, throwing exchanging punches with the man with the metal fists from before. Lloyd's eyes widen, a hint of concern in his voice as he speaks to his father. "What did I miss?"
Before Garmadon has a chance to answer, Clouse's voice booms through the ship. "Enough!"
The man with the metal fists backs away from Kai, and the person in orange from before helps Kai to his feet. They say something to him before darting off, leaving a goofy smile on Kai's face.
"We're here. Welcome to Chen's Island." Clouse announces. They all head to the side of the boat, looking off to see the island in the distance. It's littered with tropical trees, a grand looking building peeking out from the treeline. Thugs similar to those from the noodle house banging rhythmically on drums at the boat approaches, the sun beginning to creep up from beyond the horizon.
They get a few moments to take it all in before Jay turns to Lloyd, nudging him playfully in the side. "Who was that you were talking to, Lloyd? D'ya know her?"
Cole nods in agreement, eyes sparkling with amusement. "She seemed pretty… what's the word… smitten? Yeah. Smitten with you."
Lloyd rolls his eyes in response, face flushing as he remembers the painfully awkward conversation with the girl from earlier. "I think pissed would be more accurate. And no, I don't know her."
"Our little Lloyd, talking to girls. Oh, they grow up so fast!" Kai grins, wrapping an arm around him before he gets shoved away.
Lloyd turns his attention to his father, who seems awfully quiet.
Garmadon lets out a sigh as he stares at the island, an expression on his face that Lloyd can't quite make out. Regret? Sorrow? "I swore to never return."
"They say you should never swear. It's a sign of weak verbal skills." Jay responds. Cole mutters something under his breath that sounds very similar to cursing him out.
Lloyd ignores Jay, taking a step closer to the edge of the boat, next to his father. "If Zane's on that island, we'll find him. We have to."