by Tracey West
Zap! Zap! Zap! Jay watched helplessly as the little toaster bot blasted Ninjasaur. The big bot started to sizzle and shake. Then it stopped moving. Black smoke poured from its nostrils.
“Mr. Peepers wins!” Ed yelled, and the crowd cheered. Suzie walked up to Jay and held out her hand.
“Nice try,” she said.
Jay shook her hand. “Yeah, thanks.”
He patted Ninjasaur’s smoking head. “It’s back to the scrap heap for you, buddy!”
Sparks were flying outside New Ninjago City, too, at the Heart of Steel Foundry. Inside, giant kettles bubbled with superhot liquid metal. Workers in head-to-toe fireproof suits melted scrap and poured it into molds to make machine parts.
“We’re rebuilding Ninjago piece by piece,” the foreman told Kai when he had applied for the job. “But those kettles can reach almost three thousand degrees. I hope you can take the heat.”
Kai grinned. “No problem!”
Now Kai stirred a steaming, sparking kettle of molten metal. He wore a silver fireproof suit and a protective shield over his face. As he stared into the bubbling, orange goo, it almost hypnotized him.
For the first time in days, he felt relaxed. I’m not going to do this forever, he thought. I just need a break. A break from Jay and Cole fighting. A break from missing Zane …
Suddenly, someone bumped into him from behind. Kai almost toppled into the kettle, but he stopped himself just in time.
“Hey, watch where you’re going, buddy!” Kai cried.
The worker who had bumped into him turned. He had a thick head of hair and reminded Kai of a big, angry bear.
“Who you calling buddy, buddy?” the burly man growled.
“Listen, dude, I almost fell into that vat,” Kai said, pointing.
The big guy laughed. “What’s the matter, you can’t take the heat?”
Kai’s eyes flashed angrily. “Oh, I can take the heat. Nobody takes the heat like I can!”
The man leaned right in Kai’s face. “Break room. Noon,” he hissed.
Kai wondered what the guy had in mind. Was he looking for trouble? Well, his mistake, Kai thought. The guy didn’t realize there was a ninja under Kai’s big silver suit. But, boy, would he find out!
When the lunch whistle rang, Kai headed for the break room.
The big guy was sitting at a table, surrounded by some of the other foundry workers. He had two bottles of hot sauce in front of him.
Kai took the seat across from him, and the big guy slid one of the bottles over.
“First one to stop loses,” he challenged.
Kai grinned and picked up the bottle. “It won’t be me!” he bragged.
Kai looked at the label: “Captain Vick’s Impossibly Hot Volcano Juice.”
Ha! Silly name, Kai thought. This is going to be easy.
A short guy walked up to referee the competition. “Ready, set … go!”
Kai picked up the bottle and started to chug. At first, he didn’t feel anything. But a few seconds later … bam! A searing heat filled his mouth and poured down his throat. It was like he was drinking fire!
He paused for a split second and took a look at his opponent. The big guy’s face was bright red. But he wasn’t giving up.
Fighting back tears, Kai kept chugging. So what if it was hot? He was the Ninja of Fire! He could take it!
But the heat got worse and worse. Sweat poured out of him like water from a fire hose. He was about to give up, when …
Slam! The big guy pounded the bottle on the table. It still had an inch of hot sauce left in it. He looked like he was going to explode.
“He’s done!” somebody yelled.
Kai finished his bottle and slammed it down. “I win!” he yelled.
Whoosh! A flame came right out of his mouth! It flew across the table and took off the top of the big guy’s wavy hair. It left him with a big, bald stripe!
The guy stood up. “That. Was. Not. Cool.”
Then he lunged across the table.
Kai jumped up, ready to deliver a dropkick. But suddenly, he stopped.
He was a ninja. He should be fighting evil guys trying to take over the world, not getting into scraps with regular guys over who could drink the most hot sauce.
Zane wouldn’t want this.
Kai landed and swiftly left the room. Working at the steel factory had been fun, but it wasn’t worth getting into trouble over.
There must be something better out there.
Far away, Cole trekked across a wide meadow. He couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened in the noodle shop. Even though he was angry, the fight had been silly. What kind of ninja got into a noodle fight?
Not the old Cole. The old Cole was sturdy and strong and calm.
But new Cole — new Cole’s head wasn’t right since this Nya thing. If he was being completely honest with himself, he wasn’t even sure if he liked her that way. But why shouldn’t he? Nya was awesome. She was smart and nice and funny, and she had amazing samurai skills. So when it seemed like maybe she liked him, well, it was hard to explain how that made him feel.
I just need to get away from it all, Cole thought as he hiked toward a thick forest. He wore a red plaid shirt and carried a dark backpack. It held all the supplies he would need for a few days.
Butterflies passed as he traipsed through the tall grass. Then he came to the edge of a dense, green pine grove.
It was different here. He could feel it. Pine needles crunched under his feet, and a peaceful quiet filled the air. Cole was the Ninja of Earth, and this place felt just right to him.
“Time for lunch,” Cole said. He opened his backpack and rummaged through it, pulling out a broccoli and peanut butter sandwich he had made earlier that morning. He had never eaten one before, but he liked broccoli and he liked peanut butter, so why not?
“And there’s nobody here to make fun of my cooking,” he muttered as he carefully spread out a cloth napkin on a flat rock. Whenever he cooked for the ninja, they always complained about his food. Well, those days were over!
“There’s nothing like being out in nature!” Cole said loudly, gazing up at the trees.
He placed the sandwich on the napkin and then went to the stream to get some clean water. But when he came back, the sandwich was gone!
“What the —?” Cole asked. And then he saw it. A squirrel sat on a tree stump, clutching the sandwich in its paws.
“Hey, that’s my lunch!” Cole cried.
He lunged for the squirrel, but the critter jumped off the stump. It put the sandwich between its teeth and scurried up a tree.
Cole scrambled after it. The squirrel stopped on a branch, took the sandwich out of its mouth, and made a noise that sounded a lot like laughter.
Is this squirrel mocking me? Cole wondered.
“Gotcha!” Cole yelled, reaching for the sandwich. But three woodpeckers flew out of nowhere and started pecking at him.
“Hey, quit it!” Cole cried. “Stop it right — whoa!”
Cole tumbled out of the tree. Luckily, he wasn’t too high up. He landed with a soft thud on a bed of pine needles.
He jumped to his feet. “Very funny! I’ll — whoa!”
Cole tripped and fell flat on his face. Looking back, he saw two chipmunks holding a stick by his feet. They had tripped him on purpose!
“That wasn’t very nice,” Cole scolded as they scampered off. He got back on his feet and looked up. The squirrel sat on the branch, still holding the sandwich.
“Just give it back!” he pleaded.
Thud! A blue jay flew past, slamming into him. He fell backward again.
“Ow!” This time, he landed on something sharp. He craned his neck.
He had landed right on top of a porcupine!
“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Cole cried, pulling the sharp spines out of his pants. The squirrel stayed on the branch, chattering.
“Fine!” Cole called. “Eat it! It’s yours!”
The squirrel held the sandwich up to
its mouth and began to nibble. Then it stopped.
“Squeak!” It made a face and threw the sandwich off the branch. Cole’s sandwich was disgusting even to a squirrel.
“Not you, too,” Cole said with a sigh.
Maybe getting back to nature wasn’t going to work out after all.
Jay slumped across the couch in his parents’ trailer. The TV set blared on the other side of the room.
Ed and Edna walked in.
“There’s my boy,” said Jay’s mom. “But what’s with that frown?”
“Do you have to ask?” Jay moaned. “My awesome Ninjasaur was beaten by a tiny Junkbot named Mr. Peepers. It was humiliating!”
“Oh, it wasn’t so bad,” Edna said.
“Actually, that was pretty embarrassing, son,” Ed pointed out. “Did you see that little guy? He zapped your dino pretty darned good.”
“Yes, I know!” Jay said, pulling a pillow over his face.
“Well, you didn’t have as much time as the others to work on your Junkbot,” Edna reminded him. “And you’re a good inventor, but that’s not what you’re best at. You’re best at being a ninja. The Ninja of Lightning.”
Jay peeked out from the pillow. “What good is being a ninja without a bad guy to fight?” Or a team … or Zane, he thought miserably.
“Jay, you don’t need a bad guy to fight if you want to do good in the world,” his mom said. “You will always be a ninja, no matter what you do.”
Ed settled into an armchair. “Speaking of ninja, my favorite show is coming on!” He turned up the volume on the TV.
“Who out there is Ninjago’s next hero?” an announcer’s voice blared from the television. “Who has it in them to be …”
“Ninjaaa … Now!” yelled the audience.
Jay sat up. “What is this?”
“Only the best game show ever,” Edna said, sitting on the couch next to him. “Haven’t you seen it? The contestants face the Gauntlet of Humility.”
“It’s an obstacle course, and, boy, is it a doozy!” Ed added. “Nobody ever makes it all the way to the end!”
A man in a black tux came on the screen. “I’m Fred Finley, your host. Let’s see who will be Ninjago’s next hero — and whose dreams will be gone in a flash!”
Jay watched, fascinated, as the first contestant approached the Gauntlet. She ran across a wall while guys dressed as monkeys threw giant stuffed bananas at her. She kept her balance and sprinted wildly to a spinning platform. Then she ran through a tunnel, dodging a huge foam boulder that rolled through it. Finally, she zip-lined over a pool filled with chocolate pudding … but she lost her grip and tumbled in! Splat!
Jay’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Hey, I could do that!” he said.
“Of course you could, son,” Edna said.
“I bet you’d be the first one to make it to the end of the course,” Ed added.
Jay nodded. “Yeah, I bet I would.”
Maybe he didn’t need a team to be a ninja. Maybe he could be the most awesome ninja ever … solo style!
One week later, Jay was on the set of Ninjaaa … Now! He wore elbow- and kneepads over a blue padded suit, and a white helmet. In front of him loomed the giant Gauntlet of Humility. Soon, he would be conquering it!
The show’s producer, Rachel Sparrow, walked up to Jay.
“We’re very excited to have you on the show,” she said. “A real ninja! You’re a perfect match for the game.”
“Yeah, a perfect match,” Jay repeated, suddenly thinking of Nya. He used to think maybe he was her perfect match, but now … He pushed away the thought. He had a game show to win!
“So, because you’re a real ninja, we’ve pumped up the Gauntlet for you a bit,” Rachel said.
“Pumped it up?” Jay asked.
“You’re going to love it,” Rachel assured him. “Now, go get ’em!”
Fred Finley was standing in front of the Gauntlet.
“Who will be Ninjago’s next hero, and whose dreams will be gone in a flash?” he asked, and the crowd cheered. “Let’s meet our first contestant. You know him as the Ninja of Lightning. Does he have what it takes to be Ninjaaa … Now!? Please welcome Jay Walker!”
Jay jogged out to the Gauntlet, pumping his fists in the air.
“Hey, Fred,” he said. “How’s it going?”
“Great!” Fred replied. “I get to say the same thing over and over every day, and I can’t stop smiling! See this smile? I’ve had it for seventeen days. Can’t get rid of it.”
“Uh, yeah,” Jay said. “So, I’m ready for the Gauntlet!”
“And the Gauntlet is ready for you,” Fred told him. “Just for you, we’ve pumped up our Gauntlet with super extra mega power!”
“Ooooooooooooh,” said the crowd.
“Super extra mega power”? Jay didn’t like the sound of that. But he didn’t let on.
“Yeah, like I’m worried about a bunch of monkeys,” Jay said. He turned to the crowd. “Do you know why monkeys like bananas? Because they have appeal!”
Everybody laughed. That was all Jay needed to hear. He took the microphone.
“Speaking of bananas, what did one banana say to the other banana? Yel-low! Get it?” The crowd laughed again. From the sidelines, Rachel gave him a thumbs-up.
Fred took the mic back from him. “Very funny, Jay. Now it’s time to get started. Climb up to the first platform!”
As Jay began to walk to the stairs, he had an idea. The show wanted a real ninja? He’d show them a real ninja! He turned and faced the audience.
“I don’t need the stairs,” he said, and he held out his arms, palms facing down. “This is how the Ninja of Lightning does it!”
Zzzzzzzzzap! Arcs of lightning shot straight down from his palms, propelling him up. The crowd went wild, cheering him the whole way. Jay stepped onto the platform.
“Okay!” Fred said below. “Start the Doomsday Clock!”
A clock with colorful flashing lights descended from the ceiling. The big, yellow neon hand started to tick. Jay waved at the crowd one last time before he headed out onto the Monkey Wall.
“Ready, set … Ninjaaaaaaaaaaa … NOW!” cried Fred.
Jay began racing across the wall. He could see the guys dressed as monkeys down below. He kept his balance, but the guys weren’t even throwing bananas yet.
“What are you waiting for? Quit monkeying around!” Jay yelled down.
Then he saw several yellow objects flying up at him. Yellow … and orange … and red? As the first one whizzed past his face, he felt a wave of heat.
“Holy flaming bananas!” Jay yelled.
Now he really didn’t like the sound of super extra mega power!
Kai found Nya at Sensei Wu’s Academy.
“What’s up, big brother?” she asked him hopefully. “Are you back? For good?”
“No, I just wanted to see you,” Kai said. “I can’t stay here. It’s just not the same without … the other guys.”
“Maybe if you come back, they will, too,” Nya urged.
“Why should I be the first one to come back?” Kai asked stubbornly. “Jay and Cole are the ones who started this whole thing. Actually, you started it when you took that dumb test.”
Nya held up her hands. “Hey, back off,” she said. “I’m not some emotionless droid. I have complicated feelings. That’s just how it is.”
Kai sighed. “Yeah, I guess,” he said. “Anyway, I got this job at the steel foundry, which was awesome, because it was super-hot in there and I got to work with metal again, like when we were little. But then I got into a fight with this hotheaded guy, and —”
“Kai, maybe you need to cool down,” Nya told him. “You know, chill out for a while. Meditate and try to figure things out. That’s what Zane would tell you to do.”
Kai nodded. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “I guess I just don’t know where to start.”
He sighed, and his eyes wandered to a flyer on the academy bulletin board.
“
NINJAGO ICE RINK. FIRST SKATING LESSON FREE!”
“Ice rink,” he said thoughtfully. “That’s a cool place.”
“Well, I didn’t mean literally cool —” Nya began, but Kai was already heading out.
“Thanks, Nya!” he called behind him.
“Clear the ice, please! Clear the ice, please!” a mechanical voice blared over the speakers in the Ninjago Ice Rink.
Kai loved his new job! He got to ride the Rambooni, the big machine that smoothed out the ice after people had been skating on it for a long time. The hum of the engine was soothing. It felt good to see the ice get nice and smooth after the machine passed over it. He definitely felt a lot calmer.
“Nya would be proud,” he said out loud as he mounted the Rambooni. And Zane would be, too, he thought. He never went very long without thinking about his lost friend.
Kai settled into the seat and started the engine. The rink workers cleared the ice. Skaters eagerly waited outside the barriers for the ice to be ready again.
“Won’t be long!” Kai called out cheerfully. Then he steered out onto the rink, slowly making his way across and back again.
He actually found himself humming as he worked.
I could get used to this, he thought.
As he made another turn, he spotted something across the rink. A dad and a bunch of kids were skating on the ice, over by the party area. It was the dad’s son’s birthday. They were supposed to wait like everyone else for the ice to be smoothed out. A rink worker yelled at them to get off the ice. But the dad just ignored him.
Kai felt a flare of anger. “Hey!” he yelled. “You’re putting those kids in danger!”
The dad didn’t even look at him. All Kai could see was the back of his bald head.
Kai forgot about his smooth back-and-forth motion. He zigzagged across the ice toward the dad. One of the workers was getting the kids out of the way. But the dad wouldn’t budge.
Kai stopped the engine. “Hey! You need to get off the ice!” he yelled.
The dad turned around. Kai recognized his big, angry face. It was the guy from the steel foundry!
“You!” the guy growled.