A/N: Surprise! It's here!! 

I am definitely done editing this, I'm so sick of rereading it over and over again XD But I'm also so excited to share it with you guys! I actually haven't been able to finish the cover yet, but I figured you all have waited long enough. I can't even believe that I'm here now because I never thought I would finish the first book, let alone make it all the way to a third! Thank you everyone who's coming back to continue this story with me, and welcome to everyone who's checking it out for the first time!

(Also I'm changing my publishing date to Mondays, if you couldn't tell)

So this Third book is only going to cover half of Season 4, and the Fourth book will wrap it up. It may sound like we're getting sidetracked, but I promise  that it all has to do with the main plot. I really couldn't do what I want without going to Chen's island first. 

Not to mention that each of these books have a wordcount that's almost two times more than the previous one. So buckle up buttercups, because things . . . are about to go down. I hope you're ready for drama, I hope you're ready for action, I hope you're ready for FEELS

Okay, it's time to see what the girls are up to, I'll get out of your way now. Ninja-GOOOO!!!

. . . 

In the bright light of the morning, five ninja were gathered in the courtyard of the Monastery of Spinjitzu, preparing to test their newest contraption in the names of science and progress. 

Nya was shielding her eyes from the sun as she gazed up at Seliel, who stood on the roof of the monastery with the contraption strapped to her back: a pair of bat-like wings that fanned out behind her. It was partially inspired by what they had seen Wu's ninja use when retrieving the Nunchucks of Lightning, though Seliel had mostly created the design herself.

Ever since their battle against Wu's ninja, Seliel and Nya had been working tirelessly to make improvements to their gear, and the glider was their most recent project. But so far, Seliel hadn't lasted in the air more than a few seconds . . . it was still a work in progress.

Beside Nya, little Lloyd Garmadon held up a stopwatch, his thumb hovering over the button in preparation. "Take-off in T-minus thirty seconds!" he called, although there was no such thing.

"How about you stand back here," Nya suggested, guiding him away from Seliel's flight path. She had let him take over the job of time keeping in the hope that he wouldn't get in the way so much, and yet he still managed to make things difficult. But she supposed that was just how younger siblings were. Sometimes she wondered if this was how she used to make Kai feel when they were kids.

Despite the fact that she was still angry with his decision to stay with Master Wu, Nya couldn't help her thoughts occasionally wandering back to him since his disappearance through the portal created by the Golden Weapons. She often wondered where he might be, if he was safe, and if he would ever come back.

Nya shook her head. She didn't want to think about that now. She turned back to Seliel. "Ready?" she asked.

Seliel nodded, sunlight glinting over her helmet's visor. "Yep. You?" She looked to Pixal who was standing with her hands outstretched, ready to manipulate the metal in Seliel's glider in case she fell. Pixal nodded.

"Don't die!" Skylor called out encouragingly from the sidelines.

Seliel took a couple steps backwards for a running start. "Okay, here goes." She charged forward and leapt off the edge of the roof. The mountain breeze picked her up and held her aloft for a tense moment. Then the wings wobbled, and Seliel flailed her arms as she began to fall through the air.

Pixal's brow furrowed with concentration as she used her power to buoy Seliel into a more steady descent. A second later, Seliel's feet gently touched the ground in the middle of the courtyard.

"Nearly two whole seconds!" Lloyd ran up to her, waving his stopwatch.

"But you made it almost halfway," Skylor said as she approached.

Seliel grunted as she lifted her helmet and shook out her bright hair. "It's still no good."

"What went wrong?" Nya asked, equally frustrated.

"The design still isn't strong enough to support very much weight. The hollowed-out rods can't hold me."

"I could feel the strain in the frame," Pixal confirmed. "It's too brittle to hold much of anything."

Nya huffed. "I don't get it! We try one thing and the wings are too heavy, then we adjust it and they're too light. We'll just have to figure something else out."

"That can wait." Nya turned to see Sensei Garmadon coming down the steps of the monastery. "Right now, it's time for you to train."

With a sigh, Seliel shrugged off the glider and gently set it off to the side. "I guess so. But we'll get back to the glider as soon as we're done."

"We've got to be close to a breakthrough. If we can just tweak the design a little, I'm sure it will fly."

"Hey, maybe it'll hold me up!" Lloyd suggested.

Nya ruffled his hair. "Nice try, but that's not gonna happen."

Lloyd swatted her arm away. "Oh come on, you guys always treat me like a little kid."

"That's because you are a little kid, kid," Seliel said. "Maybe when you're older, you can be part of the action."

"You wait until I'm older," Lloyd muttered, still loud enough for them to hear. "I'll show you."

"Lloyd," his father said in warning.

Lloyd crossed his arms and looked away, but said nothing more.

Skylor was already warming up. "You guys need to focus more on your technique instead of those machines. Those things aren't going to be much help in a fist fight."

"Hey, we've been getting a lot of practice in," Nya objected. "And Sensei said we're getting better. These gadgets just give us more of an edge."

"Do not be fooled," Garmadon warned. "While it's true that you've made significant progress recently, you still have far to go before you can reach your full potential. The road ahead is long, filled with many twists and many secrets. If you are to be ready, you must continue to train."

"True Potential," Skylor repeated quietly. "I've heard of that before. But what is it?"

"Oh, oh, I know this one!" Lloyd said, bouncing up and down. "It's when you power gets, like, ten times stronger, and you can do all this cool stuff and you fly up and there's all this energy that comes out like zwoosh, fwoom, bam!" Nya had no idea what Lloyd was trying to illustrate through his wild gestures, but she had to take his word for it.

"It's more than just power," Garmadon said patiently. "You each have the potential for greatness inside of you." He gestured to each of the girls with his staff. "But inside all of us, there are obstacles – our fears, our doubts, our demons. Mental blocks, which keep us from becoming who we are truly meant to be. If you can learn to overcome the obstacles within you, you will unlock your True Potential."

"I've never seen it for real," Lloyd admitted. "But the scrolls make it sound pretty awesome."

"I'm sure your demonstration did it justice," Nya said.

"Don't worry, Sensei. We'll be strong enough when those ninja come back," Seliel growled, punching her hand with her fist. When she saw the look that Garmadon was giving her she quickly added, "And any other threats, of course."

"Mm hmm," Garmadon droned, not looking convinced.

"So what's the plan for today?" Skylor asked.

"It's time that we start pushing the limits of your elemental power and exploring ways to use them. Each one of you will take turns facing your teammates with nothing but your element. We will devise practical applications later, but for now, I want you to get accustomed to thinking on your feet."

"Great. We get to use our powers," Skylor said dryly. She never really used her own element because, well, Nya and Seliel and Pixal never really offered up theirs. Thinking about it now, Nya supposed that it was a bit unfair. But water was her element, and hers alone. If someone else mastered it, especially someone like Skylor, when Nya herself still needed practice, well that would be even more unfair, she thought.

But to everyone's surprise, Garmadon said, "Skylor, you will be the first to demonstrate."

"Me?"

"Girls, take off your gloves and roll up your sleeves. We don't want to make it too hard."

"Hold on, we're all going to fight her at once?" Seliel asked.

"Don't worry, Seliel, you'll get your turn," Garmadon said, as if he thought she was only jealous.

"What about me?" Lloyd piped up. "Can I join?"

"You can watch," Garmadon said.

Lloyd's interest suddenly waned. "Or I could just go inside and play?"

"Take a seat, Lloyd. I want to quiz you on their strategies later."

Lloyd begrudgingly trudged to the monastery's deck and plopped down, head in his hands.

"So I'm allowed to use their elements?" Skylor asked, starting to get excited.

"Your element, Skylor. And only your element. Remember, you are not allowed to make physical contact except to change elements. Use each to your advantage. As for you three, take this as an opportunity to find weaknesses in your powers that you will fix later on."

Skylor moved to the center of the courtyard and stood at the ready while the other girls got into a loose ring around her.

When Garmadon gave the order to start, Seliel was the first to rush forward. Skylor ducked to avoid her fist, sidestepped, and grasped Seliel's arm. The next instant, she Kapowed out of sight, reappearing next to Nya.

For a moment, Skylor looked just as confused as Nya felt. Then she attacked, putting Nya on the defensive until she could sap Nya's power. Nya tried to spray her with a jet of water, but Skylor caught it just in time. She held it in place while they wrestled for control. Nya lost her hold and gasped as she was soaked to the bone in her own element.

By this point, Seliel and Pixal had run toward them. Seliel kicked but Skylor caught her leg. Seliel was caught off guard, which gave Skylor just enough time to boop her on the nose and pop away again. Nya whirled around in search of the amber ninja as the sound of Skylor's dematerialization echoed through the courtyard.

"There!" Pixal pointed. Skylor was trying to regain her balance on the porch step nearby.

Nya charged alongside Seliel, while Pixal tried to attack from farther away. Skylor glanced at them, and right as the two girls were about to reach her, she teleported away again. Seliel stopped short and Nya ran right into her. The two girls crashed and fell on top of each other in a heap.

Nya was dazed for a moment, but looked up just in time to see Skylor pop up next to Pixal and place a palm on her forehead. Quicker than even the android could react, Skylor magnetically pushed her backwards and into the wall.

Skylor lowered her arm and turned to Garmadon. "You think that's good enough, or should I beat them harder?"

"I think that's enough for now," Garmadon agreed, not-so-subtly trying to hide a smile.

"Yeah, Skylor!" Lloyd was cheering.

Nya slowly got to her feet next to Seliel, groaning at the bruises she could already feel forming. Garmadon tapped the ground with his staff. "Now that you know what a practiced fighter is capable of with your elements, it's time you truly mastered them."

"Did you have to douse me?" Nya asked, still cold and dripping over the stone ground.

Skylor shrugged. "It was all I could think of."

"Hmph."

"Not so easy to hop from one place to another, is it?" Seliel teased.

"I'll admit, I have the most trouble with that one. But I think I can get the hang of it, given time."

"I admire how well thought out your strategies are," Pixal commented. "You certainly think quickly on your feet. Will you help me find practical ways to apply my element?"

"Sure. Part of it is just improvising, so if you can figure out your go-to moves . . ."

. . . 

The sun reached its peak as the girls continued with their training, experimenting with their abilities and discovering just how far they could push themselves. They were on the training course now, practicing against dummies and automated obstacles. Lloyd had been sent inside to take a break. He was just a child, after all, and couldn't keep up for as long with his elder counterparts.

Garmadon observed his students from the deck, but his mind was elsewhere. He hardly noticed when his wife came to stand beside him.

"There's something troubling you, isn't there?" she asked when she saw the look in his eye.

"I've been thinking that it's time they have a proper leader. I won't always be around when they go on missions, and someone has to be able to make hard decisions at a moment's notice. But I can't be sure which of them would be best suited for the job."

"Well, what do your instincts say?"

Garmadon sighed and looked to the edge of the courtyard where Skylor was dancing through moves with speed and precision. "Skylor would be my first choice. She has the most experience, even if a little, and she understands the discipline it takes to be a proper ninja. However," he said, running a hand through his gray hair. "She lacks the sense of justice and honor that motivates the others. Skylor operates by her own motives, and the lack of unity could cause a rift. And, if I'm being honest, I'm still not confident about what it is that she truly wants."

Misako hummed in thought. "Do you think Wu could tempt her into joining his side?"

"I don't think so," Garmadon said after a moment's hesitation. "When I first found her, she was reluctant to leave her home for fear of betraying her father. Her loyalty is undeniable, and after their last adventure together, I trust her to protect this team. But until she decides for herself, once and for all, what kind of person she wants to be, I don't think she can handle the responsibility of guiding their decisions."

"So why not the others?"

A hint of a smile played on Garmadon's face. "I would like to suggest Seliel, but her mind is easily corrupted with thoughts of revenge. Normally, her moral compass is strong, and she has the will to lead the others through even the darkest moments. But when it comes to Wu and his ninja, Seliel is too focused on all the wrong things. As for Nya and Pixal: one is too brash, the other too timid. They balance each other out, but neither of them could be a strong enough leader on her own."

"So what does that leave us with?" Misako asked, egging him on.

Garmadon released another heavy sigh. "Again, I come back to Skylor," he answered. "And so it's been these past few days, going in circles, weighing the pros and the cons, until I can find that one thing that will be the deciding factor."

"Perhaps more time will tell. They'll find their own leader. With or without you."

Garmadon turned to his wife in surprise. "You think I should let them decide for themselves?"

Misako simply shrugged. "I think you should watch them closely and see who emerges naturally. After all, the leader will have to be someone that they can all agree to follow."

"Maybe you're right," Garmadon murmured thoughtfully.

"You'll figure it out in time, you always do. But for now, why don't you focus on making sure Seliel doesn't hurt herself?"

Garmadon blinked. He'd nearly forgotten that he was supposed to be keeping an eye on the girls' progress. Seliel had teleported to the top of the pole in the center of the courtyard, perched rather precariously without a glider or anyone to spot her.

"Seliel! Come down at once!" he shouted as he scrambled down the steps into the courtyard. Yes, they most definitely needed a leader, if only to give him a break.