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Jul 30

Rise of Snakes and Heroes: Chapter 4: Never Trust a Snake

Previous Chapter / AO3 / Master List

The falcon Zane saw flies through the air, landing on a telephone pole wire. It rests there, looking down for a moment, before looking directly into someone's eyes.

"Wake up, Zane!" The falcon orders in a deep, calm voice.

"I know where you come from." The falcon reveals.

-------------------

Zane lets out a scared gasp before pulling himself up, only to hit his head on the roof of the bunk bed. Zane gasps in pain for a moment before trying to control his breathing. Soon, he pulls himself out of bed, rubbing his throbbing skull.

Soon, Zane hears the falcon. He walks over to the half-pulled-up blinds and sees it fly past. Smiling, Zane runs after it, entering the bridge. There he sees Sensei Wu looking at a paper map, despite a digital one behing behind him.

"The hunt starts early today," Zane tells his teacher with a smile, causing Sensei Wu to pull the map down.

"A watchful eye never sleeps." Sensei Wu informs him calmly.

"As long as Lloyd and the Serpentine roam freely, no one in Ninjago is safe," Nya adds sternly, as if she had just appeared.

"Where are the others?" Zane asks, confused, still in his white pajamas.

"Training on the upper deck." Sensei Wu informs Zane.

The white ninja quickly leaves, feeling like something's off, and soon reaches the upper deck. However, he sees no one on the deck. All he sees are some old cannons lying around in the middle of the deck. Zane looks around in confusion before hearing the falcon's cry again. He looks around and sees it's on the figurehead, causing him to smile before walking over to it.

"You were in my dream, little friend," Zane reveals to the falcon.

"Last time I saw you, you led me to good fortune. What reason have you returned?" He questions as he grows closer to the animal.

The falcon lets out a cry before flying off. Zane watches them go, not noticing the shadow growing behind him, the familiar, sinister shadow. As the shadow slowly closes in on him, Zane places his hands on the bannister, looking for where it went.

However, Zane hears a grunting and heavy breathing coming from an all-too-familiar voice behind him. His senses run into overdrive as his eyes widen in realization.

"Lord Garmadon!" He shouts in alarm before turning around to see the shadow man glaring at him.

"But you were banished!" Zane shouts, as if forgetting he escaped.

"Only to return for the weapons of Spinjitzu." Garmadon reminds him, pulling out two katanas.

"Soon. I will have the power to recreate Ninjago." Garmadon tells Zane as he prepares to slash at the boy.

"IN MY OWN IMAGE!!!" Garmadon announces in a deep, boisterous, echoey voice that screams power as he slashes at the ninja.

Zane quickly flips over Garmadon and pulls out the Shuriken of Ice. He then turns mid-air and lands facing Garmadon.

"Give me your Shurikens of Ice!" Garmadon orders angrily, pointing a blade at Zane.

"You'll have to take them from me!" Zane shouts back determinedly to keep them from Garmadon

"Ninja go!" Zane shouts before charging at Garmadon with his Spinjitzu.

However, Garmadon looks far from intimidated by the ice tornado. In fact, he almost looks bored. The corrupt man reaches his hand out to the oncoming attack and grabs Zane by his throat. The boy gasps as he's forcibly pulled out of his attack and thrown into the cannons.

"So be it," Garmadon says in a calm, unimpressed voice.

He then slashes a wire next to him, causing a crate to fall directly toward Zane. The white ninja gasps and closes his eyes. However, the impact never comes.

Zane opens his eyes to see a shocking sight. Standing above him is the Green Ninja. The man holds the crate above them with the ease that Zane has seen Cole pick objects up. They then throw the crate away with ease before looking down at Zane.

"The Green Ninja," Zane says in amazement as the ninja proudly stands before him.

He's wearing his full ninja robes, preventing Zane from seeing their features. Aside from the green robes, he has a dark green sash with a silver buckle, dark green gloves, star-shaped silver metal on his forehead, and silver shoulder pads. But most notably, a golden glow seems to surround them. It's almost like they have the energy of a sun.

"The legend is true," Zane exclaims excitedly, then remembers the situation and looks to Lord Garmadon.

Unlike with Zane, Garmadon seems on guard, raising his swords for a fight while glaring at the new ninja. He then flips off the front of the ship and heads for the newcomer. The Green Ninja flips forward too, and the two meet halfway.

Zane watches from the ground as the Green Ninja punches Garmadon in the face, then backflips over a slash from the dark lord, kicking him in the process. Garmadon backs away in pain as the Green Ninja lands ahead of Zane. The two then glare at each other before Garmadon charges again.

He tries to stab the Green Ninja with both swords, but the other warrior jumps up and stands on the blades while glaring down at Garmadon. The ninja then flexes at Garmadon, causing the dark lord to growl before spinning the ninja around and throwing him into the sail pole. But the Green Ninja quickly uses the momentum to spin on the pole and safely drop ahead of it.

Garmadon growls as he sees his enemy is still fine and throws his swords at them. The Green Ninja quickly ducks under them, and the blades embed themselves into the pole. They sidestep out from under the blades, and Zane watches in amazement as they perform Spinjitzu.

The Green Ninja's tornado is unlike any Zane has seen before. And yet, it looks similar to one in particular. The tornado glows a dark green, with a golden glow similar to Sensei Wu's radiating within it.

Zane watches in astonishment as the tornado circles the pole, like the Green Ninja taunts Lord Garmadon. The dark lord meets this taunt by jumping onto the front of the deck and trying to punch the Green Ninja after dropping his Spinjitzu.

However, the Green Ninja swerves his head to the side before countering with his own punch, landing dead on into Garmadon's face. The man growls before throwing another punch, only for the Green Ninja to backstep out of reach, then jumps to perform a spinning kick. Unfortunately, Garmadon avoids that kick by ducking, but the Green Ninja seems to predict that, quickly landing before kneeing Garmadon in the face, sending them on their back.

Garmadon grabs the floor, raises his legs, and launches himself forward at the Green Ninja. But the ninja flips over Garmadon and lands on the lower-middle area of the deck. Zane could have sworn they sounded like Adrien for a second as they grunt in exertion.

He then watches in shock as the Green Ninja pulls out Jay's golden weapon and raises it above his head. The weapon seems to vibrate and screech with power as Garmadon retrieves his blades and charges at them.

"Look out!" Zane shouts as he sees Garmadon charge at the Green Ninja's exposed back.

However, the ninja quickly turns and slams one end of the nunchucks into Garmadon's head. Garmadon is launched to the side, and Zane watches in amazement as he falls through a gap in the bannister.

The dark lord screams as he falls, and Zane turns back to the Green Ninja in astonishment. And that astonishment quickly grows when he sees a literal fire blazing in their eyes as one hand burns with flames like Kai, while the ninja's other arm is outstretched, letting the falcon perch on him. Beside the ninja's head, there was a small red creature Zane didn't recognize. However, its form was blurry. Zane couldn't make out any features.

"Who are you?" Zane can't help but ask as he finally stands and curiously stares at the Green Ninja.

"Kai?" Zane asks, looking at the fire radiating from them.

"Is that you?" Zane questions as he takes a few cautious steps forward.

But he's forced to stop when something passes by him at high speed. He looks toward it and sees another falcon landed on the deck. Then another passes Zane's face, causing him to turn in that direction. Soon, an entire cast of falcons lands on the deck, surrounding Zane and staring him down.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zane shouts, suddenly feeling threatened by the presence.

He quickly looks back and glares at the Green Ninja in frustration.

"Who are you, Green Ninja?" Zane demands as he gets ready for a fight.

-------------------

Zane screams as he slams his head into the bottom of the bunk bed above him again. The white ninja groans, holding his head while Cole stares at him in surprise.

"Oh, sleeping in. You're going to be late for training." Jay tells Zane after finishing making his bed.

Zane lets out a few heavy breaths as he pulls himself up and sits on the side of the bed to stare at the others. After finally gathering his thoughts, he looks at the others in confusion.

"How come no one awakened me?" Zane questions in confusion and hurt.

"We didn't think you wanted us to. You looked like you were having some dream." Kai says with an amused smile, remembering how much the white ninja tossed and turned.

"How do I know this isn't a dream-" Zane starts, since he already had a dream in a dream.

However, Cole cuts him off by walking up to him and slamming a pillow into his head.

"Does that feel like a dream?" Cole chuckles as Zane glares at him in pain and annoyance.

"No." Zane shakes his head while scowling at the other ninja.

"Thank you for your help." Zane thanks him in annoyance, causing the other four boys to chuckle.

-------------------

After getting dressed, the boys head onto the deck and meet up with Nya and Tikki. Currently, Destiny's Bounty is in the middle of the ocean, safe from any Serpentine tribe that's trying to track them. They also dropped Jay's parents and Marinette off once it was safe.

As the group walks, Kai can't help but note how slow the white ninja is today. Usually, Zane is the first to be ready and most disciplined. But today, Zane was the last to finish everything.

"A little slow today, huh?" Kai can't help but ask with a grin, causing Zane to blink in confusion.

"What exactly did you dream about?" Kai asks Zane, curious what's got him so frazzled.

"I saw the falcon again," Zane reveals, causing everyone's eyes to widen.

"You saw it out here!?" Nya asks in alarm as she looks around, causing Zane to shake his head.

"No. In my dream." Zane reveals.

"Whoa. Zane, every time you see that bird, something big happens." Jay argues before Adrien cuts in.

"True. It did lead us to the Hypnobrai's tree base." Adrien points out, causing Tikki to nod.

"That's right. The Hypnobrai would have attacked the monastery anyway to retrieve their staff. It's one of their biggest weaknesses and a symbol of leadership. It was good that we destroyed their base before then." Tikki adds to ensure nothing bad comes from the reminder.

"And it did lead you to the Bounty." Cole points out as Sensei Wu walks out.

"All right. Stretches first." Sensei Wu orders.

"First. The swooping crane." Sensei Wu states as he gets into a crane stance.

The six humans quickly follow their master's display and get into crane stances themselves. However, they're not focusing on the training, instead shifting to a whispered conversation, hoping Sensei Wu won't hear.

"This time, it showed me the Green Ninja," Zane reveals, causing the others to gasp.

"The Green Ninja?!" They and the Kwami say in surprise.

Unfortunately, they forget to keep their voices low, causing Sensei Wu to turn to them with a stern expression.

"That looks like the shocked monkey." He tells the group.

Out of shock, everyone but Zane loses their stances and stares at Zane, hands raised in various positions.

"Bad form. More focus." Sensei Wu reprimands before turning back around, reapplying his crane stance.

"You can't just drop a bomb like that. Spill the beans." Jay begs as the others continue to look at Zane while he looks forward at Sensei Wu with a neutral expression.

"Yeah. What else did you see?" Kai demands, causing Zane to turn to him.

"He was fighting Lord Garmadon," Zane informs them.

"That's what the prophecy said. That the Green Ninja would defeat the dark lord. But did you have a chance to see which one of us was him?" Kai asks hopefully.

"Or if it might have been Adrien or me?" Nya suggests hopefully.

"Yeah, yeah." Jay nods.

"Did you see?" Cole asks desperately.

"Come on. Tell us." Adrien pleads.

The Kwami watch all the students talking, and Plagg smirks.

"Oh, this is not going to end well for them." Plagg chuckles.

"I could not tell. They shared attributes with all of us." Zane reveals.

"Now, Pinching Crab!" Sensei Wu orders, spreading his legs and leaning forward.

He puts his hands next to his face and keeps them forward, squeezing them like a crab closing its claws. The teens all follow his lead, but continue focusing on their conversation.

"Well, tell us everything. And don't spare any details. There has to be a clue that tells us which one of us-" Kai orders Zane, not realizing Sensei Wu can hear him and has had enough of his disruption.

The old master walks over to Kai as he speaks and pulls on the red ninja's hair, causing Kai to scream in pain. Sensei Wu keeps a firm grip on his hair for a few more seconds before letting go.

"Hey!" Kai cries out in shock and outrage, glaring at Sensei Wu.

However, the man is far from intimidated, staring back with a displeased and stern expression.

"What was so important to ignore my teachings?" Sensei Wu demands, causing Plagg to grin.

"And here comes the show." He says, causing Tikki to sigh.

"Hopefully it won't be making them swim laps the whole day." She mutters while giving the group a look of pity.

"Uh, nothing," Kai says nervously.

"We weren't ignoring them," Nya promises in a panic.

"It was nothing, Sensei," Jay tells Sensei Wu anxiously.

"Yeah, we don't talk while you teach," Cole promises.

"My Dad taught me out of that," Adrien adds quickly.

"Everyone was paying attention," Zane promises.

But Sensei Wu doesn't believe any of them. Instead, he puts his arms behind his back and stares at them all with a calm expression.

"Since you all appeared to be lacking in focus, then you can all share in the punishment." Sensei Wu states, causing everyone to groan.

"It was all Zane!" Cole shouts while pointing at Zane, making the white ninja panic.

"I was merely answering their questions!" Zane promises desperately, hoping to avoid his teacher's wrath.

"No free time and no video games!" Sensei Wu shouts, throwing his arm out for emphasis, his formerly composed face giving way to a stern, angry expression.

"The rest of the day can be used for training." Sensei Wu states with a warning glare before walking away.

Before he even takes a step, he turns his head back, and his stern glare seems to grow intenser.

"And tomorrow, for that matter." He adds before walking away.

"Training? For how long?" Kai asks desperately, not wanting to suffer this punishment for long.

"Until you can answer this simple riddle. What is the best way to defeat an enemy?" Sensei Wu asks, causing some of the group to grin, already having answers.

"Easy. With a sword." Kai says as he does a flip, then makes sword-waving movements.

"Your fists!" Jay shouts as he punches the air.

"Spinjitzu!" Cole shouts as he spins around a bit, but not enough to actually create a tornado.

"The Tornado of Creation?" Zane suggests.

"Cataclysm, easy!" Adrien grins while holding his palm out.

"Tossing them out of the battle," Nya suggests, making a throwing motion.

The group speaks over the other, and their answers are barely coherent. However, Sensei Wu understands it all, making him shake his head and sigh in disappointment.

"Pace yourselves. You have a lot of training ahead of you." Sensei Wu warns as he walks up the deck stairs.

"Make sure you sharpen your mind as well as your Spinjitzu." Sensei Wu orders, looking down at them one last time before walking away completely, causing everyone to look down dejectedly.

"Ugh. What's the best way to defeat an enemy?" Cole groans as he heads over to where they keep their training tools.

"It could be anything!" He shouts in frustration as he spins a bowstaff.

Meanwhile, the training machines from the monastery's training course that the group installed onto the ship shoot out and begin spinning. Jay walks up to the one with the axes and begins flipping through it.

"Come on, guys. We're smart. We can figure this out." Jay tells the group as he trains.

"Why would it be Spinjitzu, though? Nya and I haven't even learned that?" Adrien can't help but ask.

"Then why would it be Cataclysm?" Zane fires back.

"Because Cataclysm is awesome. You saw what I did to that base and robot." Adrien grins, causing Plagg to smirk.

"Yeah. My power's pretty great." Plagg brags before Tikki rolls her eyes.

"Oh, please. Obviously, the answer is to undo the damage they caused." Tikki argues back.

"Oh, and where was that ability when the group was facing the Fangpyres?" Plagg asks with a smirk, causing Tikki's face to turn even redder in rage.

"Hey. I had to use Lucky Charm to get us over there." Nya fires back.

Meanwhile, Kai is using one of the machines' sandbags as a punching bag, watching for Sensei Wu to go inside. When he does, Kai grins before walking toward Zane.

"Let's hear more about this dream," Kai tells the white ninja, causing the others to stop and walk toward Zane.

"Let me just say, the Green Ninja is awesome!" Zane announces with a grin as the others surround him.

-------------------

Meanwhile, in the snowy mountains of Glacier Barrens, the Fangpyre army stomps toward the Hypnobrai tomb, swords and spears in hand, while their various vehicles lead the charge.

At the very front, Fangtom rides a Serpentine Bike, and Lloyd rides next to him on Motofang.

"Let's go, General!" Lloyd screams as he points forward.

As the Fangpyre continues pushing forward, the Hypnobrai army can be seen atop the hill. Skales is leading his tribe, raising his staff to order them to prepare for the fight. The Hypnobrai around him chant in excitement for the battle as Lloyd glares up at the Serpentine general that ruined things for him.

"The Hypnobrai. Now to teach them a lesson for betraying Lloyd Garmadon!" He screams as he raises his hands in the air, Motofang's eyes narrowing as he stares at his rider's enemies.

Hearing the yelling, Fangtom looks toward Lloyd, who stares back awkwardly.

"Uh, do your thing, General," Lloyd says while motioning forward.

"I let you out of your hole for a reason." Lloyd reminds him, causing Fangtom to look forward.

"Attack!" Right cries as Fangtom throws his staff forward.

His declaration gets a roar from his army before they all charge forward.

In retaliation, the Hypnobrai let out a louder cry as they march forward. The two groups slowly converge before stopping. Fangtom leaves his staff on his vehicle, while Skales slams his into the snow. The Fangpyre then jumps down, and the two glare at each other.

Lloyd watches as neither general moves, believing they're sizing each other up. Meanwhile, Fangtom's heads widen in shock as he registers who the Hypnobrai general is.

"Skales!" Left screams into the air excitedly.

"My old chum!" Right adds as Fangtom stretches his arms out.

The two generals quickly slither toward each other, Right continuing the conversation.

As they meet, the Fangbeat the Fangpyre beatbox suddenly plays some upbeat guitar music.

"I didn't think." Right says joyfully.

"I'd be fighting you," Left adds, equally excited as Fangtom and Skales fist bump.

"Moved up in the world, haven't we?" Fangtom laughs as the two heads continue to grin.

"Well, if it isn't the Fangpyre," Skales says in a similarly joyous tone, grinning at Fangtom's heads.

"Of all the cold-blooded to creep up on usssssss, I'm glad that it is a friend." He tells the other general happily as he seems to relax in front of Fangtom.

"Wait. I thought you were enemies, not friends!" Lloyd shouts as Motofang drives between them.

"We were at war." Right reveals with a nod.

"But seeing that Skales is now leading them and not that hypnotic meathead," Left adds, motioning to Skales.

"Well, I don't see why we can't be comrades." Fight finishes with a laidback shrug.

"Had you released the Constrictai, the Venomari, or heaven forbid the Anacondrai, then we would have had a tussle." Skales smirks at Lloyd.

"A tussle? A tussle!?" Lloyd questions in outrage as he jumps off Motofang.

"But I'm Lloyd Garmadon! Bringer of evil!" Lloyd shouts in frustration, unable to believe his plan failed this horribly.

The two generals smile at each other before laughing at Lloyd's frustration. They then start a conversation that freezes Lloyd faster than the cold ever could.

"What should we do with him?" Skales asks, causing Lloyd's eyes to widen.

"I could turn him." Left starts.

"Into one of us." Right finishes the suggestion, causing Lloyd to stare at Fangtom in betrayal.

Skales hums in thought as he considers the option. Then shakes his head.

"Nah. The little tyke is pretty useless." Skales states nonchalantly, causing Fangtom to chuckle.

"What if you hypnotize him and make him think he's a pig?" Fangtom suggests gleefully.

Hearing their plans for him, Lloyd panics and backs away fearfully. However, he soon finds his arms grabbed by both a Fangpyre and a Hypnobrai. He looks at the two as they smile gleefully toward him and struggle in their grip.

"Hey, let me go!" He shouts as he desperately tries to get free.

"That'd be pretty funny." Skales agrees, imagining the little headache clucking like a chicken.

Both generals laugh as Lloyd struggles against the two Serpentine.

"Can you imagine?" Left chuckles as Lloyd looks to Motofang.

"Motofang, help!" Lloyd shouts.

The former unicycle nervously looks between its general and Lloyd, as if trying to figure out who to side with. As it does, more Serpentine start to surround Lloyd as the generals continue to chat.

"Oh, what if." Right starts.

"You make him create an army of snowmen and say he's the king of the mountain," Left adds.

"Then we run it all over." Right finishes.

"Oh, that'd be funny." Skales chuckles.

Finally, Motofang's eyes narrow before he dashes toward Lloyd. He quickly tackles the teen, uses his handlebars to catch them, and speeds off.

"Get back here, you traitor!" Fangtom shouts, seemingly angrier about Motofang saving Lloyd than Lloyd escaping, as he watches them gain distance.

Lloyd pulls himself off the handlebars and looks down at Motofang's seat in joy.

"Motofang! You're still helping me!?" He shouts joyfully, ecstatic that at least someone is still staying with him.

Motofang makes a revving noise as if saying 'yes' before jumping and launching Lloyd into his seat. The two then continue to drive down the mountain to safety.

-------------------

Meanwhile, back on Destiny's Bounty, Zane finishes retelling his dream to the other teens, everyone listening with more focus than some use for Sensei Wu's lessons.

"With his fist on fire." Zane finishes describing the last scene before the birds surrounded him.

Everyone lets out sounds of amazement before Kai places a hand to his chin.

"So, I'm the Green Ninja," Kai concludes calmly, like it's a fact.

"What are you talking about!? He had incredible strength to lift the cargo and save his life! It's me!" Cole points to himself, knowing he's the only one with that kind of strength.

Even Nya and Adrien struggle against his strength when they're transformed.

"No, no! Did you miss the part of the story where the guy pulled out my weapon!? It's me! I have nunchucks!" Jay shouts at them, pulling his golden weapon out for emphasis.

"Don't forget the part where he said it sounded like me!" Adrien calls out before Nya pushes him away.

"What about the fact that it sounds like Tikki was next to him?" Nya shoots back.

"I think you're all missing the point of this dream," Zane tells everyone as he puts an arm on Cole and Kai.

"The point is the falcon flew on his arm, and it was my dream. So, naturally, it's me." Zane states firmly as Kai and Cole shake him off.

"I think we can cross Cole off the list! I could've lifted ten times-" Jay starts, causing Cole to glare at him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Cross me off the list! Anyone can hold nunchucks!" Cole snaps at Jay.

Sadly for the group, they fail to notice Sensei Wu walking up behind them. But the Kwami don't.

"And here comes round two." Plagg chuckles as Tikki facepalms.

"They keep making it worse." She groans as Sensei Wu glares at the kids.

"Since you are not training, you must have already found the answer to my riddle." Sensei Wu states, causing everyone to freeze before turning to him.

"What is the best way to defeat your enemy?" He demands, looking at them calmly for the answer.

Everyone looks at the other nervously, hoping they have an answer. All while Kai fumbles with his words.

"Uh, the best way to defeat an enemy is to..." Kai starts, looking around slightly, but no one is giving him anything to work with.

Finally, something comes to mind, and he looks to Sensei Wu.

"Train... Sensei." He suggests somewhat hesitantly.

The others look to Sensei Wu to see if Kai's right. But the man glares.

"Feeble and incorrect." Sensei Wu says swiftly, turning his head to them.

"Maybe more training will help you focus." Sensei Wu suggests, causing them to look down.

"Remember what happened to your vehicles when you lost focus. A razor-sharp weapon is an extension of a razor-sharp mind." Sensei Wu states, backing down the stairs as he continues to talk.

The teens all groan and look down.

"How am I supposed to focus when we don't know who the Green Ninja is?" Jay demands, looking at the others.

"I don't want to be training all day. Let's work together on this riddle. We can figure it out." Cole promises as he walks toward a training machine.

"What if it's teamwork? I mean, all our best fights have been as a team." Adrien points out.

"Maybe. But does that feel like a Sensei Wu answer?" Kai questions.

"At this point, I'm thinking it has to do with a Miraculous or our powers," Nya adds, reaching for her earrings.

-------------------

Back in Destiny's Bounty's former home, the Sea of Sand, Lloyd rides Motofang through the desert, using his map as a guide.

"Had you released the Constrictai, the Venomari, or heaven forbid the Anacondrai, then we would have had a tussle." Lloyd angrily mocks Skales' words as Motofang follows his directions.

He then pets the side of Motofang's head for what feels like the hundredth time.

"Thanks again for not abandoning me like the others, buddy." He gives Motofang a heartfelt thanks, causing Motofang to rev in happiness.

"Don't worry. We're going to get payback on those traitors after we find this next tomb." Lloyd promises.

Only for Motofang to come to an abrupt stop, slamming Lloyd into the handles.

"Hey!" Lloyd shouts before looking down.

He hears Motofang hissing and sticking his tongue forward to point ahead. Lloyd looks up and sees a giant structure on a sandy hill. It looks like a giant, curved fang being held up by a bunch of rocks in the distance.

"We found it!" Lloyd says excitedly, driving Motofang closer.

The two stop before two wooden gate doors hidden under the fang. Lloyd quickly jumps off Motofang to rub sand off the door.

"The Anacondrai. The most feared and powerful Serpentine of them all." Lloyd says excitedly.

As if emphasizing Lloyd's words, Motofang backs away, growling at the door, its instincts seemingly screaming that this is a bad idea. But Lloyd doesn't realize this, too excited about the prospect of revenge.

"If they're afraid of the Anacondrai, then the Anacondrai is what they're gonna get," Lloyd promises before laughing maniacally.

Motofang hisses more violently as Lloyd places his arms on the doors. But Lloyd ignores his companion, pushing the doors open and revealing a completely dark tomb inside. There's absolutely no light within it aside from the sunlight entering through the open door.

Luckily, Lloyd came prepared with the same flashlight he used when searching for the Fangpyre Tomb. He quickly flips it on and enters. Motofang watches Lloyd go and looks nervous for a moment. However, they soon follow after.

Within the tomb, Lloyd and Motofang see nothing but skeletons. Not ordinary skeletons, either. They look to be the skeletons of Serpentine. Still, the duo continues going deeper into the tomb, hoping to find something else. But their nerves are starting to grow.

"Okay, this is creepier than the Fangpyre," Lloyd utters worriedly, Motofang hissing nervously near him.

Unknown to the duo, they're far from alone. Behind them, a Serpentine slithers near, observing them as he grows closer. The scariest part about this Serpentine is how its body can't be seen. And it's not because of the darkness. It's like they're almost completely transparent, with only their fangs, narrow red eyes with black slits, yellow markings, and a pearl-like gem where their forehead likely is visible.

The Serpentine is leaning toward Lloyd from above Motofang, as if sizing the boy up. It isn't until Lloyd looks in their direction that they see the Serpentine.

"AH!" Lloyd screams as he sees the transparent face.

The Serpentine hisses before the rest of their body becomes visible, revealing a purple body with a long neck that's practically the height of their torso, and black markings surrounding the yellow ones on the back of their neck and forehead.

The sudden appearance of the rest of their body causes Lloyd to let out another scream as he and Motofang jump to the side, Lloyd losing his flashlight in his panic. Seeing the fallen boy, the Serpentine slithers toward him. Motofang sees this and lets out hissing and revving noises to ward him off. Unfortunately, it's not working, and Lloyd finds himself face-to-face with the creature again, allowing him to see similar markings and a similar pearl on the Serpentine's torso.

"My sincerest apologies, young man." The Serpentine surprisingly apologizes in a warm, soothing, sophisticated tone.

He then rises to his full height, causing Lloyd to realize further how he's the tallest Serpentine he's seen so far.

"Due to my unfortunate appearance, I tend to have an unsettling effect on people." The Anacondrai explains as Lloyd continues to stare up at him in worry while Motofang rolls next to Lloyd protectively.

The boy quickly pulls himself up while looking at the Serpentine.

"I believe you dropped this." The Anacondrai states as he hands Lloyd back the discarded flashlight he picked up.

Lloyd takes it, causing the Serpentine to smile.

"There you are." He nods as he lets go.

"T-thank you." Lloyd stutters out in fear.

He soon gets a better look and realizes the Serpentine has a long, general tail, like Fangtom and Skales. He then looks around for anyone else.

"What happened to the others?" Lloyd asks, staring at the skeletons.

The Anacondrai puts a hand on Lloyd's back and leads him around the cave, Motofang following cautiously behind.

"Poor unfortunate souls. All those years locked away, with nothing to eat. Must have slowly starved away until they were just scales and bones." The Anacondrai explains as he and Lloyd move around the cave, his tone filled with sadness and pity.

But that's not the only sound Lloyd can hear. At the mention of food, Lloyd hears the Anacondrai's stomach growl, causing him to flash his flashlight at it while his anxiety grows.

Luckily, the Anacondrai lets Lloyd go and slithers ahead of the boy so they can talk face-to-face.

"And who might you be, my little appetiz-" The Anacondrai begins, slithering ahead before realizing his words and abruptly stopping.

"I, uh, mean friend." The Anacondrai fumbles for his words to save the conversation.

Luckily for him, Lloyd didn't seem to notice or understand the last word he was about to use, as the boy smiles proudly at the Serpentine.

"Lloyd Garmadon. Son of Lord Garmadon. And future dark ruler." Lloyd reveals while raising his arms with a proud grin.

The Serpentine chuckles at the boy like they're old friends before grinning down again.

"Oh, how deliciously evil." He lets out in the middle of his chuckles as he places his hands on his chest.

"If I had feet, ooooooh, I'd be trembling in my boots." The Anacondrai promises in delight.

"And, uh, who are you?" Lloyd questions with a raised eyebrow.

"Humbly, I am Pythor P. Chumsworth." The Anacondrai reveals with a slight bow.

"And since you've freed me, I'm eternally in your service." He states, smiling at Lloyd, making the boy tilt his head and look in surprise.

"Really?" Lloyd can't help but ask, raising an eyebrow.

"You're not going to trick me?" Lloyd demands while leaning toward Pythor, Motofang doing the same with a warning glare.

"Oh, why would I trick you?" Pythor can't help but ask, then looks to Motofang and makes a face of realization.

"Ah, I thought they looked familiar. You must have already released the Fangpyres, and they tried to bite you." Pythor notes, observing Motofang.

He then turns to Lloyd and gives his best soothing smile.

"But rest assured. I will not do the same. I have no reason, too," Pythor promises before looking around.

"As you can see, I hardly have any friends," Pythor states, while motioning to the skeletons around him.

Hearing this, Lloyd gets excited.

"Oh, I hardly have any friends too!" Lloyd says excitedly.

"You don't say!" Pythor shouts in astonishment, causing Motofang to headbutt Lloyd.

"Ow. Yeah, Motofang is my only friend." Lloyd states while rubbing his leg.

He then gets an idea and smiles at Pythor.

"How would you like to be my loyal henchman with Motofang?" Lloyd asks before turning around.

"I've been betrayed by the Fangpyre and Hypnobrai, and I'm looking to get a little revenge on them," Lloyd tells Pythor proudly, not knowing what the Serpentine is doing.

The Serpentine is carefully observing Lloyd and soon spots the map in his pocket. He leans down toward it, but Motofang quickly gets between them and hisses at Pythor.

"And I'm gonna get a little revenge on some heroes and ninja too," Lloyd adds, not noticing the confrontation between the two.

Pythor pulls his head away and raises his arms to show Motofang he means no harm. However, Motofang continues to glare at him suspiciously. But Lloyd soon turns around, and Pythor quickly smiles at him.

"I love revenge!" Pythor joyously shouts, clapping his hands in excitement.

He then gasps and looks down at Lloyd.

"You know Floyd." Pythor starts.

"It's Lloyd." Lloyd corrects with a smile as Pythor gets closer and puts a hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"Whatever," Pythor whispers under his breath before leading Lloyd toward the entrance, before he can register his words.

"I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful friendship between us all," Pythor states as Motofang drives to Lloyd's other side and makes his presence known to the snake.

-------------------

Back on Destiny's Bounty, the heroes are training hard, watchful for Sensei Wu popping up again. Cole is rapidly spinning a training scythe, Kai is using a sandbag, Jay is flipping around, and Zane is training his balance. Meanwhile, Adrien and Nya are training their Spinjitzu by performing exercises, spinning repeatedly, sometimes jumping on one foot and moving around.

"You guys still haven't gotten Spinjitzu down?" Jay breathes out as he flips past the two.

"It's harder than it looks!" Nya grunts out in frustration as she tries to keep her balance.

"I don't know how you guys managed to achieve it so quickly," Adrien adds exhaustedly before falling onto his back.

"It might have to do with the fact that the four of us have elemental powers," Zane states calmly.

"So what? I need to tap into something to get my Spinjitzu working?" Adrien questions from his spot on the floor as he looks at Zane.

"It doesn't work like that," Tikki promises as she flies over to the two wielders.

"Elemental powers provide a boost to Spinjitzu. However, it isn't a requirement to master it." Tikki promises the duo.

"Yeah. Trust Sensei Wu, kid. He'll get you to the point where you can do crazy stuff with Spinjitzu." Plagg promises his tired wielder.

"Anyone got a solution to Sensei's riddle yet?" Cole calls out curiously.

"It can't be that hard," Jay adds, knowing Sensei Wu can keep them simple to throw the group off.

"What's the best way to defeat an enemy?" Jay repeats the riddle for everyone.

"Zane, you're smart. What is it?" Kai tiredly asks, his mind starting to wander from the constant exercise.

"I do not know. But I sense that Sensei is going to keep us here if we don't work together and find an answer." Zane states, causing Adrien to raise an arm.

"See. Then it sounds like we need teamwork to defeat this enemy." Adrien calls out.

"We get it, Adrien. We'll try that next time." Kai calls over to the blond.

"But that bothers me. While we're working our butts off in the middle of nowhere here, that means the enemy is playing." Cole states, slamming his scythe into the boat, causing it to shake and Nya to fall.

"Cole!" She shouts at him angrily, causing Cole to wince.

"Sorry." He apologizes.

-------------------

Meanwhile, back in Jamanakai Village, Lloyd is attacking it once again. Attacking may not be the right word, though. Right now, Motofang is pulling a scooter that Lloyd and Pythor are riding. Lloyd is sitting atop the handlebars while Pythor uses his tail to knock over any trashcans they pass.

The trio chuckle as they continue to cause havoc while the villagers look at them with expressions of annoyance, anger, confusion, and fear.

-------------------

Later, the trio goes to Kai's village. But instead of doing anything to the village or the blacksmith shop, the duo is staring at a 'keep off the grass' sign. Without hesitation, Motofang drives onto the grass since he doesn't have feet to walk and performs donuts on it.

Meanwhile, Pythor and Lloyd laugh before Pythor picks the sign up and tosses it away. Lloyd then joins Motofang on the grass, rolling on it gleefully.

-------------------

Then, the group returns to the village. The trio is now enjoying all the ice cream from an ice cream stand. Lloyd and Pythor have a massive cone full of at least a dozen scoops. Meanwhile, Motofang is sitting on the vendor while using his snake tongue to enjoy a bowl set in front of him.

-------------------

The trio then heads over to a pond in the village, where they see two kids floating their miniature boats. With mischievous grins, Pythor and Lloyd pick up rocks and throw them at the boats. The kids cry as the duo laughs. And they soon laugh even harder when Motofang pushes the two into the water.

-------------------

The trio soon returns to the village and steals all the candy they can find. Currently, Lloyd is taking candy from a row of babies that Pythor placed in front of him while Motofang tows the wheelbarrow they're using to carry the group's loot.

-------------------

After doing the candy raid to finish their day's evil activities, the trio returns to the Anacondrai tomb. They're all now lying on its floor, the wheelbarrow of candy tipped over and the sugary treats surrounding them. Even Motofang is lying on his side and letting out a groan of fullness.

"Hehe. You guys are the best henchmen a mastermind could ever have." Lloyd tells his two Serpentine friends with a smile.

Python chuckles fondly before smiling at Lloyd.

"Lloyd, you're the best mastermind a henchman could ever have," Pythor promises, Motofang hissing in agreement.

Hearing that makes Lloyd chuckle contentedly. As he does, Pythor hums curiously.

"Why is it that you have no friends?" Pythor asks curiously, causing Lloyd to frown.

"I could have had friends back at my boarding school for bad kids, but I decided to run away and never let them see me again," Lloyd explains before letting out a maniacal laugh as he waves his cotton candy around for emphasis.

Pythor looks down at him in surprise.

"Really? Why would you run away from making friends?" Pythor asks in surprise as Motofang looks to Lloyd for answers too.

"Everybody needs friends. Even tyrants." Pythor points out, causing Lloyd to frown again.

"Oh, um." Lloyd begins to stutter, looking away slightly.

"Maybe I didn't run away. Maybe I, uh, got kicked out." Lloyd reveals hesitantly, causing Pythor to gasp.

"From the boarding school of bad kids? I don't believe it!" Pythor shouts indignantly, staring at Lloyd in shock.

"I hear they are thee breeding ground for the truly despicable. And if you ask me. Oh, ho, ho, you are a handful." Pythor states.

"Well, thank you, Pythor," Lloyd states as he pulls himself up.

His face then turns to a frown as he looks down at the ribs he painted on his hoodie.

"But they told me that I wasn't bad enough. They said I lacked the moral ambition to be one of tomorrow's masterminds." Lloyd sighs as he recalls what he was told.

Hearing this, Pythor rises and grins down at Lloyd.

"Well, you'll show them," Pythor promises, causing Lloyd to smirk.

"That's right, I will show them." Lloyd agrees as he stands up.

"Then why don't we?!" Pythor questions, throwing his arms out.

"Why don't we what?" Lloyd asks in confusion.

"Let's get revenge on the very school that rejected you," Pythor announces as he lifts Lloyd by the waist.

"When the ninja come to the rescue, we'll have a trap laid out for them," Pythor promises, while looking off in the distance.

"A double revenge?" Lloyd asks excitedly.

"A double revenge." Pythor nods before setting him down.

"Get some rest. A day of evil is a lot for anyone." Pythor tells him, leaning in close.

"And if you're going to rule the world, well." Pythor begins before letting out an excited chuckle.

"You're going to need to get your sleep," Pythor states, then his eyes widen in realization.

"Oh, and one more thing." He adds, leaning back in.

"Yes?" Lloyd asks with an anticipating smile.

"I'll be your friend," Pythor promises in a low, kind tone that's filled with resolve.

Lloyd smiles at this and quickly hugs Pythor's long neck. As he hugs the snake, he lets out a tired yawn. Meanwhile, Pythor rests his head atop Lloyd's. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to see the calculating look in Pythor's eyes or the cunning smirk on his face. Not even Motofang sees this, since Pythor's back is facing him.

"Oh, Pythor. You're the best." Lloyd can't help but say before they end the hug.

He then lies on the ground and prepares to sleep. As he does, Pythor sees the map to the Serpentine tombs sticking out of his pocket again. With a malicious grin, he reaches for it, only to pull back quickly when Motofang gets between them.

For a moment, Pythor panics, thinking the Serpentine vehicle caught him. However, he soon relaxes when he sees Motofang close his eyes and head off to sleep next to Lloyd. Still, seeing his chance stripped away causes Pythor to growl.

"Blasted soft-scaled imbecile." He growls out.

Still, he backs down, knowing he'll have another chance later.

-------------------

Back on Destiny's Bounty, Sensei Wu is using an ink brush to sketch something on some parchment. However, his relaxing activity is soon interrupted when the six teens slam his door open and peer inside.

"Oh, you must have found the answer to 'what is the best way to defeat an enemy." Sensei Wu notes, staring at the smiling teens.

"We have, Sensei." Adrien nods before grinning at the group.

"Ready, everyone?" Adrien asks the group, making everyone smile.

"One, two, three." Adrien counts off before everyone puts their hands together.

"Teamwork!" They shout in unison as they throw their arms up.

"Is this what you all think?" Sensei Wu questions everyone. Everyone nods, some voicing their agreement. The group all have proud smiles on their faces, believing they've got it right this time.

"Sadly, you are all wrong." Sensei Wu states before going back to his work.

"What!?" Adrien shouts in shock

The others also voice their disagreement and outrage.

"How is that not the answer, Sensei?" Adrien can't help but ask, causing the man to look up.

"It is not the answer because it's not the answer I seek. While it is a clever one, it is not quite the best way to defeat an enemy." Sensei Wu states, causing Adrien to slump before they all walk out.

"I'm starting to think whoever figures out this riddle can be the Green Ninja," Cole states in frustration as they all head back on deck.

But the frustration everyone feels soon turns into panic as alarms flare within the ship and red lights illuminate it.

"What's that?!" Jay shouts, not remembering installing the alarm.

"It's a Serpentine alarm I installed. It lets us know if Lloyd and the Serpentine are causing trouble." Nya reveals while covering her ears.

"Who cares? It's something else besides training." Kai points out.

The others quickly realize he's right and run for the bridge to see what set off the alarm.

The others quickly realize he's right and run for the bridge to see what set off the alarm. Once there, Nya checks the digital map and sees a red icon.

"Lloyd and the Serpentine are attacking Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Kids," Nya explains to the group.

"That's a real place?" Adrien asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. That place is a cesspool for the crooked and the misbehaved." Jay grunts in disgust.

"Doesn't mean they don't need our help." Cole points out before looking to Zane.

"Step on it." He orders.

Zane quickly flips over to the jet button and slams his fist into it. Destiny Bounty's sails unfold, and its engines roar before the ship flies out of the water and toward the school.

"Ninja go!" The group shouts together as they blast off.

-------------------

Darley's Boarding School for Bad Kids is a massive, eastern-style tower-like building. It's covered with cyan roof plates and has a giant clock on the front, a floor above the entrance.

Currently, the emergency alarm bell is ringing as Pythor and Lloyd laugh together, leaving a girl with short black hair with purplish-blue tints wearing a lab coat and gloves tied up in the chemistry lab. The girl, about Marinette and Adrien's age, struggles and screams behind her gag as she threatens violent revenge against the duo.

"I must say that one was rather violent. I never expected to hear so many threats involving dissection from one so young." Pythor can't help but admit as they leave her behind.

"Yeah, Azure should have been locked up in the loony bin a while ago." Lloyd agrees as he spins a finger near his head.

As they talk, they pass by another classroom, where a girl with long black pigtails is currently tied up via her hair and hanging from the ceiling on a hook. Near her, a girl with long red hair and green eyes basically looks like a chicken, with feathers glued on her and a kazoo stuck in her mouth. On the tied-up girl's other side is a rather tall girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail and green eyes. The girl is also tied up, but also wearing a baby bib that says 'messy crier' and has a binkie stuck in her mouth.

All three girls look to be Marinette and Adrien's age as well. The four seem to be some form of seniors at the academy. And right now, all three are screaming their heads off. Well, the tied-up girl is while the redhead makes kazoo noises and the one with the binkie let out muffled screams.

"Oh, taking those three down a peg was so satisfying," Lloyd states, then the duo sees Motofang moving at full speed toward them from down the hall.

Behind Motofang, a male student the same age as the girls is tied to a skateboard and struggling as Motofang carries him around. The boy has dark blond hair, brown eyes, and a purple clown nose. And right now, he's screaming his head off.

"This isn't funny, Lloyd! You're going to pay for this!" He screams before Pythor and Lloyd move to the sides of the hall to get out of Motofang's way.

Motofang moves past them, makes an abrupt turn, and slams the student into a wall before dragging him off.

"Don't let up, Motofang! That guy owes me for so many pranks!" Lloyd screams after his vehicle friend before continuing the walk with Pythor.

They soon come up to a locked trash bin that's wildly shaking.

"Let me out of here!" A rather deep male voice screams from within the trash.

"Hehehe." Lloyd chuckles gleefully as he looks at the struggling trash.

He and Pythor then grab two skateboards they left nearby and use them to move through the halls faster, passing another classroom filled with many smaller students tied together. But in the center is another teen girl with long blond hair tied in a ponytail, white-framed circular sunglasses resting on her head, and sapphire blue eyes.

All of the students are wearing the same uniform. A black long-sleeve, V-neck sweater with a skull mark and a purple horizontal line wrapping around the waist over a white undershirt with a purple tie, grey pants, and grey shoes.

"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! You can't leave me tied up with these runts! Do you know who I am?" The blond screams in absolute entitled outrage.

"How are the booby traps coming?" Lloyd asks Pythor, causing the Serpentine to grin.

"Every door, window, and hole into this place is spring-loaded," Pythor promises with a grin.

"Good. I'm sick and tired of those ninja sneaking their way into my evil-doings." Lloyd states with a frown.

"And those Miraculous users always with them, breaking my stuff," Lloyd adds with a bitter tone, causing Pythor's eyes to widen.

"Miraculous!?" He screams in alarm before looking down at Lloyd.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before? Which ones are helping them?" Pythor asks in alarm.

"Oh, um. The Ladybug and Black Cat." Lloyd says in surprise at Pythor's sudden panic.

"What! Those two are out and about?!" Pythor screams in fear as he comes to an abrupt stop.

"Yeah, why?" Lloyd asks in confusion.

"Oh, my boy. Those two Miraculous are the most dangerous and sought-after ones of the whole set." Pythor reveals in a mixture of worry and temptation as he explains.

"Why, they allow anyone who can wield them both to make any wish they want. Why, the power they hold makes them even more powerful than the legendary djinn." Pythor explains, causing Lloyd to stare at him with wide eyes and amazement.

"Whoa. So if I claimed them, I could make any wish I want?" Lloyd asks in excitement.

"Why, of course, my boy. You could make the whole universe in your image." Pythor reveals, causing Lloyd to grin.

"Then let's get those Miraculous," Lloyd tells Pythor before skating off, not noticing the smirk on Pythor's face.

"Oh, we will. But they'll be of use to me instead." He utters in a low, dangerous voice before skating after the boy.

-------------------

Outside the school, Destiny's Bounty arrives and hovers above it, giving the heroes an aerial view of their target.

"Looks quiet down there? Should we infiltrate using stealth?" Zane asks in a hushed tone in case the people below can somehow hear him.

"Maybe. What if we use our golden weapons and turn into vehicles?" Kai suggests.

"I'm still working out the kinks on that," Cole states, shaking his scythe, being unable to bring out his vehicle again.

"Anyone have any other good ideas?" Cole asks, causing Jay to walk up.

"Hmm, well, I have one idea. But you guys gotta trust me." Jay states, causing Kai to groan.

"Oh, I don't think I like the sound of this." He mutters.

-------------------

Below them, Lloyd, Motofang, and Pythor stand atop the school's roof, waiting for any sign of them.

"Relax, we've made the perfect trap. We're in broad daylight, so there aren't any shadows." Pythor points out, trying to ease Lloyd's nerves as the child paces back and forth.

"But even if they could get in." Pythor continues before Lloyd sees something.

"What's that?" Lloyd screams urgently before backing away from the edge of the roof.

Pythor quickly aims the cannon on the top of the roof in the direction Lloyd was looking. It fires a net that slams onto the ground, actually managing to catch something. Sadly for them, it's only a lizard.

Oh, good." Lloyd sighs in relief before looking at Pythor in embarrassment.

"Yeah, good reflexes. I was just testing you." Lloyd promises the snake while he frowns at Lloyd.

"If I know these ninjas, they're cleverly sneaking their way right past us at this very moment," Lloyd states as he regains his confidence and continues to watch for any sign of them.

-------------------

Unknown to him, the ninja are still standing above him. However, the four of them are now standing atop the anchor while Cat Noir and Corinae look at them.

"You realize this is a bad idea," Corinae states, looking down at the quartet flatly.

"This'll get us in quickly before they can react. We don't all have magic suits that protect us." Jay points out, motioning to the two Miraculous users' clothes.

"You guys should really work on that." Cat Noir jokes.

"Just as soon as you work on your Spinjitzu." Cole fires back.

"She's right, though. I don't think this is a good idea." Kai tells Jay, holding the anchor for dear life.

"Just hold on tight," Jay tells Kai before motioning to the bridge.

Inside it, Sensei Wu watches them before hitting a button. Suddenly, the anchor drops rapidly as the ninja scream in shock and fear.

"There they go," Corinae states as the heroes watch them go.

"Guess we better follow." Cat Noir jokes before jumping off.

Corinae shakes her head but has a fond smile as she jumps down after him.

-------------------

The Evil Trio hears what sounds like screaming above them. They look up, and their eyes widen in shock and panic as they see the anchor dropping rapidly toward them. All three barely have enough time to dodge.

The anchor sinks straight through the roof, taking the cannon with it, and slams into the floor below it. The ninja let out a sigh of relief, believing it's over. Unfortunately, the weight and force from the anchor make the floor crack and slam through the next floor, where the guy in the dumpster was, causing it to fall over and break open to reveal a tall boy that looks similar to the girl in the laboratory falling out, surrounded by old fruit and other garbage.

The ninja let out disgusted noises before the floor cracks again, and they fall to the bottom. The ninja now find themselves lying on the floor, coughing from the dust and trying to pull themselves together.

"Okay, let's agree to never do that again," Cole tells the group.

His decision gets nods from the rest of the group before they're interrupted.

"Um, excuse me." A rude female voice snaps ahead of the group, causing them to turn to see the group of tied-together students.

"Could you hurry up and free us?" She demands with a scowl.

"Yep, cesspool." Jay nods as Cole pulls his scythe out and cuts the ropes.

"Finally." The blond snaps in annoyance.

"A thank you would be nice," Cole tells her, causing the girl to scoff.

"Please. Like I'd thank you for getting dust all over me." The girl scoffs before walking away, following after all the younger students who ran after being cut free.

After cutting them free, Cole looks at the two familiar figures, hanging from the ceiling around the tied-up students.

"Well, well, well. Kruncha and Nuckal." Cole states as he glares at the two while placing his scythe's butt on the ground.

Surprisingly, the two skeleton lieutenants are on the surface. And in a position far from intimidated, hanging upside down and gagged.

"Substitute teachers, eh?" He asks them, causing the two to shrug.

"If we cut you down, we better not catch you hanging around Ninjago again." He tells the duo, causing Nuckal to nod rapidly while Kruncha shakes his head.

"Or else." He warns the two before cutting them down.

The two skeleton soldiers quickly get up and run in panic. However, in their panic, they keep running into each other before finally running past the other in opposite directions while the ninja watch.

-------------------

Back atop the roof, the Evil Trio stare at the hole in shock.

"What the heck happened?" Lloyd shouts in surprise.

"We're dropping in!" A voice calls out above them, causing the Evil Trio to look up and see Corinae and Cat Noir fall.

The two heroes quickly land on opposite ends of the roof, surrounding the trio.

"Whoa. You're a big Serpentine." Cat Noir says in surprise, gawking at Pythor.

"Why thank you. I'm proud to say we Anacondrai are often considered the tallest of all Serpentine tribes." Pythor thanks the teen for the compliment as he observes every detail of the Miraculous users.

"My, my. You two are quite young. I'm guessing you both only recently got your Miraculous?" Pythor questions, causing the duo to tense.

"And why are you wondering that?" Nya demands, causing Pythor to smile.

"Why, you know what they say, 'know thy enemy' and whatnot," Pythor states.

He suddenly vanishes from sight, catching the duo off guard.

"Pythor! Where did you go!?" Lloyd shouts in alarm, just as caught off guard as the heroes.

Everyone on the roof is searching for the large snake. Soon Cat Noir's enhanced ears catch something. It's the shifting of tiles. Tiles near Corinae.

"Watch out!" Cat Noir shouts toward Corinae.

The girl's eyes widen at the panic in Cat Noir's voice. She looks around, but still doesn't see anything. Suddenly, she feels something brush near her head, toward her earrings. Instincts kicking in, the girl spins around and kicks at the feeling. She soon feels contact while nothing is still there, and uses it to jump away.

"Ow. Now that was rather harsh." Pythor states as he becomes visible again, holding his side.

"I merely wanted to take a closer look at your fabulous jewelry. They ooze strength." Pythor states with a smile.

-------------------

Back on the bottom floor, Kai jumps on the anchor and points upward.

"He's on the top floor!" Kai shouts as he sees Lloyd, who's too busy watching the fight between his minions and the Miraculous users.

"Let's get him!" Kai shouts to the others, finally attracting Lloyd's attention.

He looks down and hears the ninja shout their catchphrase. Then watches as they separate, Kai and Zane using Spinjitzu while Jay runs for the room door and Cole climbs up the anchor.

The kid gulps as he watches them move.

After leaving the room, Kai and Zane immediately find a stairwell and use their Spinjitzu to blitz up it. But Jay takes a different route. One far less taxing than the other three's choices.

He takes the elevator, presses the button, and jumps in before hitting the top floor. As he listens to the surprisingly peaceful elevator music, he looks at all the graffiti on its walls.

"Yeesh." He can't help but utter as he stares at some of the nasty stuff they wrote.

Back outside the elevator, Kai and Zane continue racing up the stairs before deciding to check a door. Unfortunately for them, the door was to the chemistry lab and a trap was set.

As soon as they open the door, a bucket dumps over them and they're suddenly trapped in a gelatinous slime-like substance that quickly prevents them from moving an inch.

"I-I can't move," Zane shouts in alarm.

"Ah, this is disgusting," Kai mutters as he feels the substance all over him.

Lloyd sees this and smirks from above the two as Motofang and Pythor continue to fight. The Serpentine vehicle repeatedly charges at Cat Noir, and the cat teen has to keep jumping out of the way.

"Okay, but what were you before the Fangpyres got to you? A mechanical bull?" Cat Noir jokes as he notes all the vehicle is doing is charging.

Meanwhile, Corinae and Pythor are locked in a close fight, the girl being cautious about his invisibility.

"Really, my dear, I believe you shouldn't be wielding those. They're far too powerful for someone so young." Pythor tries to advise Corinae before attempting to slam his tail into her.

"Yeah, like I'm going to listen to that." Corinae fires back before jumping off the roof.

As she falls, she throws her yo-yo and wraps it around an edge of the roof. She then pulls and zips around before launching herself back up and toward Pythor, slamming a brutal kick into his chest that almost sends him falling off.

"Oof! Well, it seems I'm out of practice." Pythor grunts as he holds his chest and pulls himself up.

However, Lloyd's smirk soon drops when he sees Cole climbing quickly. Unknown to him, Jay is coming at a decent pace as well in the elevator. But the music almost makes him fall asleep.

Lloyd looks around for anything he can use to stop Cole. He then remembers something important he grabbed while in the chemistry lab. With an evil grin, he pulls out a small grenade-like orb before staring down at Cole. As the black ninja closes in, Lloyd throws the orb at Cole. It blows up upon contact with him, releasing a white dust-like substance.

"Ah, what is this?!" Cole shouts, covering his eyes while the dust envelops him.

He then suddenly feels itchy. Like, really itchy.

"Ah, ow, it's itchy!" Cole shouts as he can't help but scratch himself, barely holding onto the chain.

"Homemade itching powder!" Lloyd calls down victoriously before letting out an evil laugh.

Unfortunately, he doesn't hear the elevator ding, signaling Jay reached the top floor. As soon as Jay steps out, he sees Cole desperately itching himself.

"You okay, there?" Jay calls over in confusion.

"Itching powder. Just hurry up and get up there to help." Cole snaps at the blue ninja.

Jay nods before running up the remaining stairs to the roof.

"They're coming, they're coming, they're coming!" Lloyd screams as he realizes one got by. Hearing this, Pythor grabs a slab of wood and throws it onto the door. But Corinae quickly knocks it away with her yo-yo, letting Jay burst onto the roof.

"Shocked to see me?" Jay asks as he spins his nunchucks.

Only to abruptly stop as he stares at Pythor's figure in shock.

"Whoa! That's a big snake." Jay states while taking in Pythor's form.

Seeing the numbers evened out, or the evil trio now at a disadvantage, Motofang, Lloyd, and Pythor quickly regroup.

"Do something!" Lloyd shouts toward his henchmen in a panic.

Pythor looks to Lloyd and smirks before doing something. However, it's not something Lloyd was expecting. He takes the map from Lloyd's pocket.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lloyd shouts in surprise as Pythor unfolds the map.

"I thought you were my friend!" Lloyd shouts at Pythor in hurt, not expecting the betrayal.

"All you wanted was to make the Serpentine your slaves!" Pythor shouts at Lloyd in a surprisingly angry tone, nothing like the calm sophistication he displayed before.

He then slithers away from Lloyd and looks toward Motofang.

"Well, sorry, my dear boy. But unlike the vehicular coward, I have other plans." Pythor states before going invisible again.

Cat Noir tries to listen for Pythor again. But the snake seems to be extra careful not to make a sound this time. Lloyd now finds himself and Motofang alone, cornered by the three.

Panicking, Lloyd gets on Motofang and shouts toward him.

"Go, go, go!"

Motofang drives along the roof, looking for somewhere to go. But Jay quickly blocks the roof exit. And it's far too high for the duo to jump. All they can do is back away in fear as Destiny's Bounty slowly descends toward the roof and the others make their way on it.

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon! You come here right now!" Sensei Wu snaps once he's on the roof.

Lloyd looks terrified of his uncle, but there's nowhere for him to go.

"I got him," Jay states as he picks the boy up off Motofang.

The Serpentine vehicle hisses, but an itchy Cole picks him up too.

"Don't even think about it. I'm already irritated with the itching powder, and I will throw you off this roof." Cole angrily warns the Serpentine, causing Motofang to stop.

"Hey, let me go!" Lloyd screams as the duo is carried toward Sensei Wu.

"What should we do with him? Wash his mouth out with soap? For a year." Cole suggests.

"Ground him indefinitely." Kai jokes.

"Have him sit in the corner for a century?" Zane adds.

"Do the chores for a decade." Nya fires out.

"I know exactly what we must do." Sensei Wu states forebodingly, causing Lloyd to gulp.

-------------------

"No way, Sensei!" Jay screams at the older master as everyone rests at Destiny's Bounty.

Currently, the blue ninja is blocking the doorway to a spare room they have where Sensei Wu was going to put Lloyd.

"Step aside, Jay." Sensei Wu orders, but the blue ninja ignores him.

"No! Not this time. Not after what that brat did to my parents!" Jay snaps, pointing at Lloyd, who quickly hides behind his uncle.

"Jay. You shouldn't talk to Sensei like that." Zane advises the blue ninja, but Jay glares.

"No. I will if he's not even going to punish the brat for everything he did. He's the whole reason we're dealing with the Serpentine." Jay argues back.

"Jay. Maybe you should calm down." Adrien tries to reason with his friend, causing Jay to glare at him.

"Would you be saying that if he wanted Marinette to stay permanently again?" He asks, causing Adrien to flinch and back down, knowing he wouldn't like that.

"Jay. Do you know the best way to defeat your enemy?" Sensei Wu calmly asks Jay.

"No, I don't, and I honestly don't care right now." Jay snaps at him.

"It is to make them your friend." Sensei Wu reveals before motioning to Lloyd.

"By making your enemy your friend, you defeat them and gain an ally for the future. That makes it the best way to defeat one's enemy. While Lloyd was your enemy, we have the chance of making him an ally who could one day be very important." Sensei Wu sagely explains to his student, but it doesn't seem to do anything to mitigate the teen's anger.

"Yeah, well. I don't want a brat who caused all of this and tried to hurt my parents as an ally. And there's no way I'm letting him stay on the ship I repaired." Jay snaps at Sensei Wu.

"Uh, we repaired." Nya reminds him, frowning as he stares at Jay's standoff with Sensei Wu.

"Right. Sorry." Jay quickly nods to her before turning back to Sensei Wu.

"The point is. I don't want him here. There's no way I'm staying in the same place as him. If he's staying here, I'm going back to the monastery." Jay tells Sensei Wu bluntly, causing the man's eyes to narrow.

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but Jay's not wrong." Kai pipes in, causing Nya to glare at him.

"Kai!" She shouts, causing Kai to raise his arms.

"Look. The kid's the whole reason we're dealing with the Serpentine. He even has one that can turn us into snakes on board." Kai points out, motioning to Motofang.

"Plus, he lost the map, and now we don't know where the Serpentine he was with is going." Kai points out.

"They're not exactly wrong, Sensei." Cole reluctantly admits.

"Besides. It isn't fair. You had us train all day for talking. But you were willing to let him get off scot-free." Cole can't help but point out.

"You all are allowing your anger to cloud your judgment." Sensei Wu warns sternly.

"And aren't you letting the fact that he's family cloud yours?" Jay demands while pointing at Lloyd.

That gets a massive glare from Sensei Wu, but Jay isn't backing down.

"Look. I'm not saying we have to leave him to fend for himself. I'm saying I don't want him on the ship we use to hunt the Serpentine." Jay argues with Sensei Wu, exaggeratedly motioning to Destiny's Bounty.

"And do you all feel this way?" Sensei Wu asks, looking to the others, particularly those who haven't already voiced their thoughts.

"Well, I'd rather have Jay here than him." Adrien awkwardly says while rubbing his head.

"I'm fine with Lloyd staying here. But I am worried about having a Serpentine on board." Nya admits, looking at Motofang.

"Lloyd has shown himself to cause a lot of trouble. However, I trust your judgment, Sensei." Zane states while bowing to Sensei Wu.

Sensei Wu sighs before shaking his head.

"I'm very disappointed in all of you. But I can understand where you are coming from." Sensei Wu states, causing Lloyd to look up at him in hurt.

"However, I am not willing to leave my nephew alone. So, he will be sleeping here until I can find a suitable place for him to stay." Sensei Wu tells the group, causing Zane to raise a hand.

"Can't we ask Marinette to watch over him?" He asks, causing everyone to look at him.

"She once told me she used to babysit. She and her parents can probably watch Lloyd for us." Zane states matter-of-factly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Zane?" Cole asks nervously, looking at Zane.

"I'm sure they can handle the little brat. I'm more worried about his pet." Kai states while pointing at Motofang.

"You're not taking Motofang from me! He's all I have left!" Lloyd shouts at them while hugging his companion.

"Enough. We will decide everything in the morning once I talk to the Dupain-Chengs." Sensei Wu announces, having had enough of this conversation.

He pushes Jay aside with his staff and brings Lloyd and Motofang into the room before closing the door.

"They really don't like me, do they, Uncle?" Lloyd asks sadly, causing Sensei Wu to sigh.

"They need time, Young Nephew. The wounds are still fresh. But they will close with time." Sensei Wu promises, picking Lloyd up and laying him on a mattress.

"For now, why don't I read you a story?" Sensei Wu asks, then suddenly pulls out a children's book.

"I'd like that. Dad never had the chance to read me any." Lloyd says sadly, causing Sensei Wu to grow sad as well.

"I know. And I'm sorry. But I can promise you that your father loves you." Sensei Wu promises the young boy as Motofang rests at Lloyd's feet.

"Can Motofang stay?" Lloyd pleads while pointing at his companion.

"Of course." Sensei Wu nods.

And with that, Sensei Wu opens the book and begins reading it to his nephew. Meanwhile, the heroes all look at the door and at each other in uncertainty.

And that is it for this chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it! I'm sure you all were caught off guard by the fact that the group pushed back against Sensei Wu about Lloyd staying. But I couldn't help it. Not only because it gives me a chance to add Marinette to more of the story, but also because it felt like the wounds were still pretty fresh from Lloyd's actions. For me, it made a bit of sense that there was a moment like this. It just felt like they glossed over Lloyd's actions too much. I won't blame you if you don't agree, though. He was a kid put in a literal school for evil at a young age.

On another note, this chapter's extra special to me. Not only did Chloe make a cameo/short appearance in this chapter, but so did my friend TheFCguy's ocs from his Haunted Class on Tumblr. I don't know if I'll be giving them extremely important roles later on. But I might do so to help fill in some of the Miraculous elements I'm adding to the Ninjago story, like The Kingdom.

Anyway, hope you look forward to the next chapter.

Next Chapter

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