"Speech"
'Thought'
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(3rd POV)
In her room, Akira lay on the couch in a meditative sleep when her eyes snapped open, glowing with a contained, destructive violet light, before returning to their natural state.
"So, he's returned." She mumbled with a small chuckle. Getting up from the couch, Akira slithered up to the bed where Lloyd was sleeping and began gently twirling his hair with her right hand. With her left hand, she pinched her finger and thumb together, then slowly separated them.
A marble-sized orb of her dragon energy materialized between them, slowly taking the shape of a small ethereal dragon. The dragon then gently flew into Lloyd's chest as a vibrant green energy swirled around him before quickly fading away.
"Oh. I know that I can't protect you forever, my little Vælnok," Akira admitted, whispering to Lloyd, knowing that he couldn't hear her. "But, I can help you protect yourself." She sighed, getting up from the bed and slithering to the table. Using her Golden power, fresh chocolate chip pancakes with bacon and eggs materialized in thin air, along with food containers to keep them warm.
After storing the food, Akira glided out the door and slithered off to meet with Selma. As she trekked across the sandy roads of Ouroboros, she heard whispers of distrust, snide remarks, and even admiration. Akira did not seem bothered by the snide remarks or the whispers of distrust, nor did she seem enthusiastic about the admiration.
Instead, she simply smiled fondly at memories of her past. 'The mixture of snide remarks and words of admiration really remind me of home,' she mused as she continued her small journey.
A few minutes later, Akira reached a small training ground where Selma was with her friends, who were chatting about what Akira had planned for Selma.
Selma's friend group consisted of two Hypnobrai, their dull purple scales identifying them as females. A young, single-headed female Fangpyre whose scale color patterns were inverted, with red being white and white being red. And surprisingly, a female Constrictai who was taller than usual and had red markings along with longer fangs.
'A hybrid? Between a Constrictai and Fangpyre no less. How rare, even in new Ouroboros,' Akira mused. She stayed quiet, waiting for them to notice her presence.
"Is it true? That Lady Akira gave you an elemental power?" The slightly older female Hypnobrai hissed with calm enthusiasm. Selma nodded sheepishly.
"Well, yes, but—"
"What is it! Can you show us?" The younger Hypnobrai asked energetically, interrupting Selma before she could answer. "Calm down, Thalia, you aren't giving Selma time to answer." The white-scaled Fangpyre said to the now-named Thalia, who whined. "Come on, Lycora, you know that you wanna know too." Thalia countered. "What about you, Pyralis?" She turned to and asked the Constrictai/Fangpyre hybrid.
"Hello? Pyralis?" Thalia waved her hand in front of her face before turning to see what Pyralis was staring at. Thalia's eyes widened with surprise, before quickly shifting to excitement at seeing Akira.
Thalia gasped, before rushing toward Akira. "By the Devourer, it's really you! Is it really true that you gave Selma an elemental power?" Akira chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Yes, I did." Akira glanced at Selma. "In fact, that's one of the reasons I asked her to meet me here. Though I didn't expect her to bring friends."
Selma chuckled sheepishly, scratching her arm. "I'm sorry, they sort of just... followed me here." She exhaled softly before regaining her composure. "That's Thalia, as I'm sure you've heard." Selma said, pointing to the younger Hypnobrai. "And this is her older twin sister, Aella." She gestured to the older twin Hypnobrai who waved in greeting.
The Fangpyre stepped forward shyly. "I'm Lycora, it's nice to meet you in person." While the others introduced themselves, Pyralis stared at Akira nervously, seemingly frozen in place. Akira, seeing this, made an attempt to calm her down.
"Sweetheart, Pyralis, was it? You don't need to feel nervous around me." She began softly as Pyralis calmed down and began fidgeting with her fingers in embarrassment. "Not unless you've done something to piss me off—a pleasure that only Pythor has managed to accomplish with such effectiveness." She quipped, earning a snort of laughter from Pyralis as she relaxed further.
Akira smiled at this, before glancing back at Selma. "Today I'll be training you to partially unlock and use your new elemental power. Your friends can watch from a safe distance," she said, emphasizing "safe." The five serpentine's eyes shined, though only Thalia showed visible excitement.
Selma looked slightly confused before asking her question. "Akira, what do you mean by partially unlocking my elemental power? Shouldn't I be able to use it now, since you gave it to me instead of me having it as a child?"
Akira shook her head. "No. Just because I gave it to you, doesn't mean you can use its full power right away," she answered. "You won't be able to use your element's full capacity until you've reached your full potential. Something that not only comes with time and training, but requires you to figure out whatever might be emotionally holding you back."
"For example, Cole, the earth ninja, only unlocked his full potential after rekindling his relationship with his father, something that had been holding him back for quite a while based upon what I could tell." Selma slowly nodded in understanding. "Okay, I think I got it."
Akira smirked mischievously. "Well, then let's get started." Akira then proceeded to use Spinjitzu and passed through Selma, leaving her spinning slightly, now wearing a dark purple ninja suit with pink accents, silver shoulder armor, a pink half mask, a purple hood, and finally a cyclone design on the back in gold.
"W-what? How did you...." Selma stuttered with utter confusion as she looked over her back, inspecting her new attire. Surprisingly, Lycora was the first to respond to Selma's new outfit as she walked around her, mumbling comments about the material and quality. "It's so soft," Lycora said softly, attempting to use her claws to slash or poke through the fabric. "It's strong, elastic and yet, slightly baggy."
Thalia's eyes shined as she squealed. "Ooh my gosh! You look so pretty!" Selma blushed at the attention, whilst Aella nodded in approval. "Cool," Pyralis commented.
"Okay you four. Time for to go watch over there." Akira pointed to a set of sandstone benches. "Okay, Selma. Whilst I am training you, you will call me Sensei. Is that understood?" Akira began with an authoritative tone, getting her attention as she straightened up in response. "Yes, Sensei." Selma answered respectfully.
Akira began to slither around Selma at a slow pace, her hands behind her back.
"While elemental powers don't usually have any drawbacks or harm the user, an example being if an elemental master of light overuses their element, their skin can become permanently invisible, the only cure being to have their elemental powers nullified or removed completely." Selma nodded attentively.
"So, what would essentially be the drawback of the elemental power of plasma would be its volatility. In other terms, you could accidentally blow yourself up if you're careless." Akira added, which caused Selma to begin shifting nervously. "Explode." Selma squeaked out.
Akira softly chuckled. "Don't worry, you won't have any... explosive problems while I'm here." She said, calming Selma down. "Either way, once you get the hang of it, you'll have little to no chance of your powers backfiring on you."
Selma sighed. "Okay, how do I start?" Akira raised her eyebrow. "Oh, I mean, how do I start, Sensei." Selma corrected herself. Akira hummed softly. "I want you to try and feel for the elemental energy within you, don't worry about not getting it on your first try."
Selma nodded and took a deep breath. Akira could sense as the elemental energy slightly shifted within Selma. "Just keep trying to move it around your body to get the hang of it." She said calmly. "Now, usually you would try to focus the elemental power to come out through your hands, but with the elemental power of plasma, you can shoot it out from your mouth, basically just like a dragon."
'Okay.' Selma thought, focusing on her elemental power. 'Just like a dragon, so just imagine yourself as a dragon.' She inhaled deeply. Selma could feel the elemental energy moving through her body, feeling as it slowly began flowing into her throat.
Selma opened her jaws as widely as she could, revealing the inside of her throat glowing purple. "Release it, Selma! Like you're trying to spit something out of your mouth." Akira said with an excited smile. Selma released her hold on the plasma as it launched out of her mouth at a high velocity, knocking her onto the ground before the plasma blast exploded in the air with a small, but powerful shockwave.
"Whoa." Aella was in awe, amazed at the display of power.
Thalia's eyes were wide with disbelief. "And she said that she only got it a few days ago." She mumbled.
"Fucking awesome!" Pyralis exclaimed bluntly. "Amazing." Lycora commented.
Akira smirked, before helping Selma to her feet. "Congratulations, you've just got a taste of your new power." Selma inhaled deeply, coughing after violently ejecting plasma from her mouth. Akira patted her back, patiently waiting for her to catch her breath.
After catching her breath, Selma suddenly began laughing melodically. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! That felt great!" Her voice was filled with glee. Soon after, the other four stood up from their seats and rushed toward Selma. "Are you alright, Selma? Did it hurt?" Surprisingly, it was the quiet Aella who announced her worries. "Yes, I'm fine. And it did burn, but just a little, so nothing to worry about." Selma replied, brushing off Aella's concerns.
"Okay, seeing that you're not hurt. "Thalia began, pausing slightly. "How did it feel?!" She exclaimed her question, slightly catching Selma off guard. "It was exhilarating." Selma breathed out.
Before the other two could speak, Akira interrupted. "Okay, okay. I know you want to ask her questions, but right now we have to focus on her training, okay." She said. The others nodded.
"Yes, Lady Akira."
"Of course." Both Pyralis and Aella responded respectfully.
Akira chuckled softly. "Don't worry, we'll only be doing this for a while longer, so you can continue talking about after. Capeesh?" She added, more aimed towards Thalia. "Yes, ma'am." Thalia replied.
Akira clasped her hands. "Well then, let's get started."
(Scene break)
Akira and Lloyd were in their room playing a board game with Selma, Thalia, Aella, Lycora, and Pyralis, with Thalia raging at herself as she just lost and was out of the game for the rest of the match. "Devourer, dammit!" She exclaimed in anger at the loss, as it was Pyralis who was the one who caused it. "Ha-ha. I fucking got you, bitch!" She exclaimed with laughter.
"Can you two tone down on the slurs, there is a youngling at this table!" Lycora exclaimed with equal volume and a surprising motherly tone whilst Lloyd watched the exchange unbothered, with his cards in his hands.
"Akira says that as long as I don't repeat any of this in front of my Uncle then I'm fine." He commented casually, with Akira nodding affirmatively. "He can curse at Pythor all he likes." She added with a glint of mischief in her eyes and a bit of sardonic amusement.
Suddenly, Pythor burst into the room, a scowl on his face and a few serpentine warriors behind him, carrying the same cage that Lloyd was in when the ninja came to rescue him. "We've found the next Fang Blade and we are taking you and the boy are coming with us." He hissed, attempting to push his authority over Akira. Akira rolled her eyes dismissively. "Whether you like it or not." He added with a growl.
Akira huffed as she got up from her seat and placing her playing cards on the table. Feigning to comply, she held out her arms allowing a Fangpyre to cuff her with the Vengestone cuffs.
Glancing at Lloyd, she gestured to the cage with her head, her eyes flickering a dark pink. Lloyd nodded and begrudgingly, but willingly entered the cage, allowing a Constrictai to lock its door and easily hoisting it up above the ground.
As they were leaving, Pyralis also got up from her seat and followed them as she was a Constrictai warrior herself, leaving Selma and the twins to finish what was left of the match, with Thalia grabbing Akira's cards as she got back into the game.
Pyralis walked next to Akira as they left Ouroboros, taking glances at her as they boarded the Fangpyre bus before finally speaking up once they sat down. "Lady Akira." Akira glanced at her in response and a nod of acknowledgement. "Why did you give Selma a ninja suit? Do you plan to have her become a ninja?" Pyralis asked, whispering, with a hint of worry in her voice.
Sensing her worry, Akira gently nudged her shoulder. "Don't worry, I will not force the decision onto her, it is her choice whether she would like to become a ninja or not." Pyralis looked out the window to view the desert scenery, before glancing back at Akira. "If she does decide to, will she be joining the other ninja?"
Akira shook her head. "No. She would be in her own team, along with a few others." She whispered her answer. Pyralis nodded in relief, as the bus slowly passed by trees as it left the desert.
(Scene break)
After reaching the beginnings of a dense forest, the serpentine were forced to abandon the bus and trek the rest of the way toward the Fire Temple's volcano on foot. "Hey! Watch it!" Lloyd exclaimed angrily as his cage jostled, bumping against a few trees. In response, the Constrictai who carried the cage chuckled before he flinched as Akira hissed at him, causing him to back down and start carefully avoiding the trees.
Eventually, they began trekking along a path toward the temple, with the trees lowering in numbers as they approached the volcano. As they neared the temple, Akira noticed the falcon flying overhead and landing on the tree branches, its eyes glowing blue as it observed them. Akira quietly chortled, licking her lips in anticipation. 'They know we're here now. I'll be seeing you soon, Garmadon.'
Akira retracted her wings as they began to enter the temple.
(Scene break)
Inside the temple's volcano, Pythor had the serpentine warriors digging in the available ground for the Fang Blade throwing the stones into the lava, while Lloyd was still in his cage with Akira holding onto it —not only to make sure that he wouldn't fall into the lava due to crumbling rocks, but she was also absorbing the heat around him to keep him from overheating.
"Keep digging! We'll find it eventually!" Pythor called out, while he himself was still looking at the map instead of helping with the digging. Most of the serpentine warriors groaned at the heat, especially Pyralis, but continued digging.
Akira could sense the Golden Weapons' energy as the ninja approached the entrance. She smirked as she could also sense the elemental power of Destruction, signifying that Garmadon had come as well.
Akira looked up at the entrance that was at a higher ground level, further away from the lava. She spotted the ninja, Wu and Garmadon scouting the area, before spotting her and Lloyd, with Jay pointing in their direction.
"There's Lloyd and Akira." She heard Jay whisper over the chattering serpentine. Garmadon gasped. "Ah! Son." He whispered, impulsively attempting to rush down to get his son only for Wu to stop him.
After a little more digging, a loud "Clang!" of metal was heard as the Hypnobrai who was digging closest to Pythor hit the Fang Blade with his shovel. Pythor immediately looked up from the map, gasping. "Argh, out of my way, fool!" He exclaimed with unhinged excitement as he violently smacked the Hypnobrai out of his way.
Akira glanced over at the commotion as the ninja, Wu and Garmadon quietly snuck down to the dig site. Pythor bent down to grab the blade. "The third Fang Blade is ours!" He exclaimed as he pulled it out of the rock, this particular Fang Blade having a reddish tint.
Akira's eyes flashed with a near uncontrollable draconic urge to steal the blade and add it to her collection, only holding herself back in order to protect Lloyd.
All the serpentine laughed — with a few exceptions such as Pyralis — as Pythor got out of the hole and inspected the Fang Blade with a malicious grin. He held it out in front of him with a chuckle, checking himself out as he stared into its reflection as if it were a mirror.
Pythor slightly turned the blade, only to see the ninja in its reflection as they were creeping towards him. "Ninja?" He murmured, before quickly turning around and pointing the blade at them. "Attack!" He commanded.
"Light as a leaf." Wu said, brandishing his staff. "Attack like there's no tomorrow." A Hypnobrai warrior attempted to strike first, only for Wu to smack him off the small bridge with his staff. The Hypnobrai was barely able to catch himself before falling into the lava, slowly climbing back up.
Wu knocked some more serpentine off the rocky platforms as he continued toward Pythor as he began his retreat.
Jay and Cole fought separate groups of serpentine, with Jay knocking a Fangpyre to the ground. He was about to jump towards another group of serpentine when a stream of lava surged in front of him. Using his connection to his Golden Weapon, he summoned a small portion of the element of Wind to clear a path through the lava. "Wind!" He jumped through and knocked out the remaining serpentine in his area.
Zane backhanded two serpentine behind him, before using his elemental power to create an ice bridge over the lava. "Ice!" He used the ice to slide-kick into another group of serpentine warriors.
As Akira followed closely behind the serpentine carrying Lloyd's cage while following Pythor's retreat, she saw Kai brandishing the Sword of Fire, causing the volcano to react to its power as the lava seemed to get hotter by the second. The lava was bubbling as it increased in heat, threatening to rise.
"Let's get out of here!" Pythor called out as he, the serpentine, the caged Lloyd, and Akira headed towards the hole that they had burrowed through to get into the temple's volcano. "But not before we leave them with a parting gift." Pythor added mischievously. "Boys?!"
In response, three Constrictai soldiers burrowed into the ground, before popping up out of some of the rock platforms, quickly running away as lava softly erupted from the holes. The three Constrictai then drilled into the wall to escape the now slowly rising lava.
Rocks began falling into the lava from above, causing it to rise faster. Akira fidgeted with her fingers as she waited for the right moment to snap her cuffs and get Lloyd away from the danger of the volcano. "Dad!" Lloyd cried out to Garmadon, who jumped across the lava and onto a group of serpentine that lagged behind.
He attacked vigorously as he knocked one into the lava, one into the wall, and stealing their weapons before running up the stairs towards another group of serpentine who attempted to stop him. Garmadon pushed through, knocking several into the lava as he got closer to Lloyd and Akira's position.
Pythor glanced over and growled. "Argh, lose the boy!" He ordered impulsively, his eyes widening with fear as he remembered Akira's presence.
Obeying Pythor's orders, the serpentine who carried the cage attempted to swing Lloyd's cage into the lava, only for Akira to quickly grab it before Lloyd could fall into the lava, snapping the Vengestone cuffs in the process.
Akira pulled up the cage and immediately ripped off the bars and gently pulled Lloyd out, hugging him to her chest with one arm and discarding the cage into the lava. "Shh, you're safe." She comforted Lloyd, as Garmadon defeated the remaining serpentine in his way before he stopped next to Akira.
Lloyd slightly pulled away from Akira and saw his father. "Dad!" He cried out, jumping into Garmadon's four arms. "Son." Garmadon embraced Lloyd with a smile.
Akira watched their little reunion with a smile. Garmadon stared at her with gratitude. "Even though we were enemies, thank you for protecting my son." He said, clearly grateful. Akira nodded, before turning back to gaze at Pythor, her pupils becoming slits as her eyes glowed a chaotic red.
"The Fang Blade's mine!" Kai rushed up the stairs past Garmadon and Akira. "Come back, it's too dangerous!" Cole called out to Kai. "The whole place is going to explode!" He added. Kai kept running toward Pythor. "Then I better be quick!" Just before Pythor could escape with the Fang Blade, Kai threw his sword, knocking the blade from the serpent's grasp and pinning it to the wall.
Pythor released a roar of anger and slight pain as his right hand was cut by the Sword of Fire; a small amount of blood began trickling down his hand. Kai continued to rush to the top of the stairs as Pythor attempted to yank the sword from the wall to retrieve the Fang Blade. He grunted as the sword didn't budge.
Just then, Skales poked his head out of the tunnel. "Hurry, we must leave here at once!" He urged Pythor, who only obeyed after a small stream of lava nearly splashed onto him, with a large boulder falling from above and covering their escape.
Akira and Garmadon, who was carrying Lloyd, had climbed up to the Temple's original entrance with Wu and the ninja —excluding Kai— to get ready to leave the volcano.
"Leave it, Kai! It's not worth your life!" Jay called out. "Not without that Fang Blade," Kai impulsively countered as he vaulted over a fallen rock. He then stepped back before a stream of lava that burst out of the ground hit him, continuing toward his sword and the Fang Blade once it settled down.
"But what about Kai?" Lloyd asked, worried. He turned around and called out for Kai. "Kai!" Just then, the ground under him began to collapse, causing him to fall. "Lloyd!" Garmadon cried out as he tried to catch his son. Cole attempted to use the Scythe of Quakes to reach out for Lloyd and catch him but missed.
As Lloyd was falling toward the lava, Akira dove down toward him, catching him and pulling him into her embrace. She quickly sprouted her wings and wrapped them around Lloyd to keep the lava from splashing over him as she landed on a large rock that floated in the lava.
'You'd better make the right decision, fire ninja, or so help me that I will be the one to end you,' Akira thought as her plan to help Kai unlock his full potential came a little earlier than expected.
Once the lava finished trickling down her wings, she allowed Lloyd to poke his head out, but still covering his body. "Dad!" He cried out, as the floating platform they were on wobbled.
While this happened, Kai was struggling to remove his sword and the Fang Blade from the wall. "Dad! We're sinking!" Lloyd cried out again, holding on tightly to Akira's body. "It, unh, won't budge." Kai grunted. More rocks were falling into the lava, assisting its rise.
Kai finally pulled both weapons out of the wall, but the Fang Blade had fallen onto the rocks below with a small clang. Its angled position caused it to very slowly slide into the lava.
Wu, the remaining ninja, and Garmadon were forced to leave before they were trapped by the falling debris.
Kai jumped down onto a rock and knelt as he tried to grab the blade, only for it to be just out of his reach as it continued to slowly slide into the lava. "Come on, why won't my power unlock?" He asked himself with frustration as he stood up. "Kai! Help us!" Lloyd cried out, causing Kai to look toward him and Akira; the rock they were on was slowly crumbling.
Akira could feel Kai's power fluctuate as he looked at them, then turned to look at the Fang Blade before he finally made his decision as the blade began to heat up as it dipped into the lava. "Come on, let's get out of here," Kai said, as he jumped across the remaining floating rocks onto the platform Lloyd and Akira were on.
"But the Fang Blade..."
"Forget it," Kai rebutted. "This place is coming apart."
'You've made the right choice.' Akira's lips curved upward in a small smile, before she pushed Lloyd into Kai's arms. "Keep him safe." She told Kai, as lava burst up around them like small geysers. Akira spread her wings around them as Kai's power rapidly began to rise in reaction to his Golden Weapon.
Kai's body began glowing red as he unlocked his true potential. He quickly held on tighter to Lloyd before turning to Akira. "What about you?" He asked, worry filling his voice. Akira shook her head. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Lloyd turned his head to face her, a clear amount of worry crossing his face. "Promise you'll be okay," he whimpered.
Her eyes softened as she rubbed his head. "I promise you that I'll be just fine. I'm a dragon, remember?" The volcano rumbled as it got closer to eruption. The elemental energy around Kai formed a flaming forcefield around him and Lloyd, protecting them against the heat and lava as the volcano erupted, launching the two out of the volcano.
Akira remained unharmed and unmoved by the eruption, her eyes glowing orange before her body glowed with silver energy as she transformed.
(Scene break) (POV: Author)
(On board the Destiny's Bounty)
The Destiny's Bounty was already in the air, followed by the Shift-wing, when the volcano erupted. "Kai!" Nya gasped. "Son..." Garmadon murmured. Nya had placed her hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort for their perceived loss.
Suddenly, a sound not too dissimilar to a rocket came from the volcano as a bright red-orange orb of fire launched out of the volcano. The Bounty began flying away to avoid being hit, only for the fireball to slowly float beside it. Jay's eyes narrowed as he looked closer at the fireball, only for them to widen once he saw Kai and Lloyd. "It's Kai!" He began excitedly. "He's found his true potential!"
Kai and Lloyd landed on the ship. The protective shield dissipated, with Lloyd collapsing to the floor unconscious due to stress; Nya gently lifted him to carry him. Kai —who still glowed with his power— pulled down his hood and smiled at Wu, who nodded in response, before he too collapsed from exhaustion.
[ROAR!]
Everyone on the ship—excluding Garmadon—was startled by a loud, guttural, draconic roar. They looked toward the volcano, only to see a medium-sized dragon flying toward them, its silver scales with gold and purple markings catching the light.
"Is that a dragon flying towards us?!" Jay yelled. "It's not one of ours," Zane noted as the dragon flew overhead, before twisting in the air and landing on the main deck with a heavy thud. The dragon's eyes glowed orange, then faded into amethyst, its gold and purple markings seemingly glowing even in daylight.
The dragon—though not as large as the ninja's four dragons who had left to molt—towered over them.
Cole cautiously stepped forward, stopping when he noticed the dragon's clenched right fist. "Hey, guys, it has something in its hand. Or its paw, or... oh whatever." He struggled to find the right words before giving up.
"I believe the correct term would be claws, Cole," The ninja, Wu, Garmadon and Nya heard telepathically, leaving them speechless. The dragon's voice being feminine and having a slight echo that made it sound like multiple voices speaking at once.
Unlike the others, Wu and Garmadon were unfazed; they already knew about this ability, usually found among the matriarch and patriarch class of dragons. Surprisingly, it was Garmadon who approached the dragon.
"Why are you here? And what is it that you are holding?"
She chuckled at his question, before slowly opening her clawed hand, dropping the Fangpyre Fang Blade on the floor. She smirked mischievously as Garmadon, Wu, Nya, and the three awake ninja looked at her with surprise and confusion.
(Scene break) (3rd POV: Akira)
(The Bridge)
Everyone was grouped together on the bridge when both Kai and Lloyd woke up, with Wu steering the ship. Lloyd, still a bit dazed, was being held by his father. "Dad? Is it really you?" Lloyd asked. Garmadon nodded. "It is, son." He answered. "Dad? ...Why do you have four arms?" Lloyd innocently questioned.
Everyone breathed sighs of relief before most began chuckling. "He's gonna be okay!" Cole exclaimed as the ninja began to cheer. Lloyd glanced around the room and noticed that someone was missing. "Wait. Where's Akira?" He asked worriedly, the cheering dying down as the ninja scratched their heads sheepishly.
"I'm over here, Vælnok." A soft voice came from behind Lloyd. Lloyd quickly turned around to see Akira sitting on the counter next to the cappuccino machine. Her appearance was more draconic, with horns on her head and her dorsal plates seeming sharper. However, her most noticeable change was that in place of her serpentine tail were two muscular draconic legs; her tail still swayed next to her, only slightly smaller and shorter. Her gold and purple markings were also more prominent than in her serpentine form.
Akira got down from the counter just as Lloyd ran up to her, hugging her tightly, which she happily accepted. "You have legs now," he commented after pulling away. "Yep. I suppose I do," she said with a truthful tone, balancing on her left leg while lifting and twisting her right leg, bending it over her shoulder with incredible flexibility.
She let out a satisfied sigh as she stretched her limbs. "It's been too long since I've last used my legs."
Everyone on the bridge was surprised by her unexpected flexibility. "I'm naturally pretty flexible, and even I can't do that," Nya commented. Akira chuckled. "I can help you a bit if you'd like. I've found that such flexibility helps in getting out of things like chains and cuffs, or just to have an easier time moving through smaller spaces."
"Maybe later," Nya replied.
"Thank you, Kai, Akira, for protecting my son," Garmadon said with a nod. Akira smiled. "But how did you survive?" Zane asked Kai. "How did you discover the key to unlocking your powers?" he added with curiosity.
"I knew when I had to make a choice," Kai began. "I wanted the Fang Blade so badly, to prove I was good enough to become the Green Ninja. But then I figured it out."
"All of my training to become the best ninja wasn't in preparation to become the Green Ninja," he paused slightly. "It was... to protect him." Kai finished, his gaze focused on Lloyd.
Everyone—excluding Akira—stared at Lloyd with surprise, especially Garmadon. Akira was messing with the cappuccino machine, not entirely paying attention. "What? What is everybody looking at me for?" Lloyd asked, confused.
"That means..." Nya let out a small gasp before she, Kai, and Cole grabbed the Golden Weapons and placed them around Lloyd.
The weapons began hovering in the air and generated green energy that surrounded Lloyd. "Lloyd is the Green Ninja," Wu began with surprise. "I had thought it would be one of you, but it was him the whole time."
"It all makes sense. Not only have you four been chosen to protect the Golden Weapons, but also to protect the Chosen One," Wu added as he walked to Lloyd and put a hand on his shoulder as the weapons gently fell to the floor.
Garmadon gained a saddened expression at this information. "That means..." He couldn't bring himself to utter what was so obvious.
"The battle lines have been drawn, brother," Wu began solemnly. "Sadly, our family has only become more divided. Brother versus brother, and now, son versus father." he finished.
Jay awkwardly chuckled in an attempt to break the silence. "Well, the good news is that we have a Fang Blade, but the bad news is that Akira won't let us destroy it because she has some sort of possessive instinct to keep it in her collection!" He rapidly exclaimed, before taking a deep breath. "You done?" Nya asked with a bit of sass, to which Jay nodded.
The sound of Akira sipping a cup of cappuccino was heard. Everyone turned to see her drinking from a cup that was a bit too small for her hand. She let out a small moan of delight. "Hmm. I quite like this..." Akira had drunk the last of the coffee before attempting to get more from the machine, only for it to be empty.
She let out a small growl of frustration before turning to Jay, her eyes flickering orange. "You!" Akira pointed to Jay. "Where can I get more of this?" she asked, her tail twitching. "Uhm, from the coffee shop," he answered. "Get more." she asked flatly. "Well, I guess I could get some more coffee tomorrow."
"NOW." Akira pushed, her voice having the echoing effect it did earlier.
"Okay, okay. Jeez, I'll go get more," Jay said, walking out of the room, grumbling.
(End)
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I'll probably add something here later. I'm tired. I'll start working on the next httyd chapter tomorrow.