A/N: Ayyyyy, guess who just got accepted into her college of choice!! I'm so excited, I finally finished community college and now I'm gonna transfer to a big 'ole university! There's still the little matter of funds, I don't have near enough what I need yet, but I'm trusting God to help me work that out  (prayers would be greatly appreciated!) That being said, I expect I'll be pretty busy over the summer, especially since I'll be moving out-of-state, but I will still be updating every week, I just might not be able to answer comments all the time. We'll see though, and I'll keep you updated if anything affects my posting schedule. Now on to the chapter!

. . .

Late on the night after the first round of the tournament, Pixal gently knocked on Skylor's door. The girls had agreed to meet regularly throughout the tournament, so that they could discuss a plan of action as events unfolded.

A few moments passed, and when the door opened, Pixal didn't miss the brief look of distraction in Skylor's eyes, as if her mind was already elsewhere. But she perked up when she saw Pixal and asked, "Did you have any trouble?"

"I did come across a guard, but I told him that you wanted to see me and he left me alone, as you predicted."

Skylor nodded. "Well, I'm glad to know that worked. My dad has probably all but disowned me in front of his staff, but that doesn't erase the years of respect I've built up among them. The whole island practically helped raise me, after all."

Pixal stepped into Skylor's room, locating potential weapons, escape exits and hazards. Skylor's room was simple enough, though not nearly as simple as Pixal's, which contained little more than a lavender bed and a small closet. But Pixal liked it that way. Any extra decorations and furniture were unnecessary in her mind.

The floors here were made of amber-colored wood, and the walls were a warm yellow. There was a sword rack off to one side, and a large red rug with a similar symbol to Master Chen's snake motif. Pixal stopped short, her eyes skimming over a painting of Master Chen that took up a large part of one wall.

"Ugh, I know. Awful, isn't it?" Skylor said. Pixal had to agree, it wasn't exactly a masterpiece. "You know how my dad's been planning this tournament for so long? Well he did my room ages ago. That painting was one of the first things we put in here. I didn't get much say in the matter, but at the time I didn't care. Now I have half a mind to burn the thing."

Pixal looked to her friend and felt a stab of sympathy. At times, Skylor acted like she hated Master Chen, but anyone could see that wasn't true. In spite of everything, he was still her father, and there would probably be a part of Skylor that would never forget that.

Another knock sounded from the door. Skylor opened it again to find Seliel. "I know you said that this place is well-guarded," she said as she walked in, "but I still didn't expect there to be so many. I ran into a couple of your dad's henchmen and they were real jerks until I mentioned your name. That shut them up real quick."

Skylor gave her a wry look. "You better not start name-dropping for perks."

Seliel laughed. "Now that you mention it . . ."

The door opened a third time and the girls were distracted by a loud commotion.

"Okay, okay, just let me go!"

"Not a chance," came Nya's voice. "You're in big trouble, mister."

The water ninja was tugging a small, cloaked boy through the doorway, who was struggling against her iron grip. Pixal, Skylor, and Seliel all gasped.

"Lloyd?!"

. . . 

Cole was outraged at the sight of Kai's room. It was lavishly decorated, with warm red tones, glossy wooden floors, and the most comfortable cushions in all of Ninjago. He even got his own painting! Although, Cole would have to say he had a better selection of food, Kai's room looked way more cozy than his own. He did enjoy the shell peas, though, and took the liberty of munching on a few while he reclined on the chaise lounge.

Now that the first round was over, he was feeling a lot more relieved. His team had made it through, and even though it had been  a close call for Kai, all-in-all it hadn't been that bad. They had an idea of what they were up against now, and Cole was confident that they could handle it. 

Zane sat next to Cole, gazing around Kai's room intently as if he was trying to memorize every detail. Cole wondered what his room looked like. Master Chen took their elements so literally, it was probably like an icebox in there.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Nice digs," Jay commented when he saw the room.

Cole threw up his hands. "I know! His room is so much nicer than mine!" He rolled over on his stomach, pointing at the bowl of snacks. "Look, chocolate-covered shell peas. I love these!" He snatched up the bowl and leapt onto Kai's bed, crashing there with a contented sigh. "And look how soft your pillow are! Man, mine are made of rock. What a crock!"

"Okay," Jay said, getting back to business. "It was almost impossible to get here. This place is swarming with guards. Any ideas on how we get around the island?"

Kai had a simple answer for that. "We travel by shadow. Cover every square inch of this place until we find out what Chen is really up to."

"I doubt we'll discover anything we don't already know by searching the compound," Zane said. "If we are to find out what deeper secrets he's hiding, we will probably need to go below ground . . ."

Their fearless team leader was listening in on their discussion, only slightly distracted by the shell peas he was tossing into his mouth. If he was the leader, anyway, shouldn't he have the nicest room? Maybe he could get Kai to trade with him. 

But as Cole stretched on the comfy mattress, he heard a click and was suddenly flipped upside down!

He shouted in surprise as he was dangled upside down, struggling to hold onto the bed sheets as he tried to figure out how to undo what he'd just done. Another click and he was spun back around, and found himself gazing at the ceiling of Kai's room again. Bewildered, he slowly sat up, careful not to trigger anything. "Uh, guys, this bed is, uh . . ."

Kai was more than a little annoyed. "Cole! I get it, you like my bed. Will you stop playing around?"

But an idea was forming in Cole's mind and he grinned. "I think I know how we can get below the island."

. . . 

"What are you doing here?!" Seliel practically shouted at the young ninja.

Nya had finally released Lloyd, but stuck close to his side, probably ready to stop him in case he tried to run. "I found him on my way here," she said. "He thought he could pass right by without me noticing, but I could tell that something was up. You should have seen it! I got him talking, and he was trying to disguise his voice and everything. But I got a good look under the hood and then dragged him over here."

Pixal was admittedly a little ashamed that she had not recognized him before now. She had noticed the hooded figure keeping his distance from any other fighters in the tournament, but she never would have guessed it to be Lloyd.

The little ninja grinned sheepishly. "I didn't want to let you guys go without me . . . I was invited, too . . ."

"Lloyd, that' s exactly why you can't be here," Skylor explained testily. "My father is after power, and your element is pure energy. This isn't a game, he just wants as many elements as he can get his hands on."

Lloyd glared at his feet. "I never get to do anything. You and Mom and Dad always get to be part of the action. But I want to fight, too! I've trained for this."

Skylor sighed and knelt down to his level, resting one hand on his shoulder. "You'll get your chance, Lloyd. Someday, when you're older."

"That's what they always say," he grumbled.

"And it's true. When you're big enough, you'll be able to help out and fight alongside us. That's what your parents have been training you for, right? Don't you think they'll let you use the skills you've learned someday?"

Lloyd didn't answer.

"I guess we better call your parents," Nya said. "They must be worried sick."

Now it was Skylor's turn to look guilty. She stood back up. "I suppose I don't have any room to speak. I would just be setting an even worse example if I tried to get mad at you for doing the same thing I did."

Seliel glanced around the room. "So anybody got a phone, or . . . ?"

Pixal raised her hand. "I can help with that."

. . .

Cole had convinced the others to lie next to him on the bed, but he was disappointed to find that nothing was happening.

"I feel . . . ridiculous," Zane stated.

Jay sighed contentedly. "You're right! The pillows are soft!"

"Is this meant to be a joke?" Zane asked, genuinely confused.

"I must have done something to trigger it." Cole couldn't understand it either. What had he done to open the secret passage? He tried retracing his steps. "I was laying here, then I stretched –" As Cole repeated his movements, the bed flipped into the floor and the boys found themselves hanging below Kai's room.

"Whoa, secret passage way!" Jay exclaimed. "Cool!"

They dropped down to the ground of what appeared to be a lengthy underground hallway where they could see the frame of the surrounding rooms. It was musty and damp, reminding Cole of their days in the Underworld.

Kai had brought his golden sword – Cole had stashed his own weapon under his bed in his room, just to be safe – and set it aflame to use as a torch. "Now that we have a way into Chen's underground lair, he won't be able to hide anything from us."

Zane paused, his eyes narrowing in concentration. "I hear something."

They all fell silent. Cole could just make out voices coming from one of the rooms. He turned to see light filtering through a couple of round gaps in the wall.

"Ooh, secret peep holes!" Jay giggled. "Super cool!" He climbed up to get a look. "It sounds like someone's arguing on the other side of this wall."

"What do you see? Who's fighting?" Cole demanded. He wanted to see, too, but the holes looked like they would be too small for more than one person to use.

"I think it's Skylor's room, and her whole team's here!" Jay whispered. "It looks like they're yelling at some kid."

"Let me see, let me see!" Kai quickly sheathed his sword, extinguishing the flame and scrambled up beside Jay.

"Kai," Cole said warningly.

"What? They're competition," Kai argued."Aren't you the one who said that we need to find out what their elements are?"

Cole knew that he was just making excuses, but Kai did have a point, so he let it slide for now.

Kai tried to shove Jay aside, but Jay wasn't having it. "Wait your turn!"

"We can at least share." They settled for looking with one eye through each hole.

Zane frowned. "I'm not totally comfortable with this. It feels like an invasion of privacy."

Kai didn't seem to hear him. "Aw, her room doesn't reveal anything about her power."

"Wait, what are they doing now?" Jay wondered aloud.

"What? What can you see?" Cole asked, getting frustrated with being left out. It sounded like they'd stopped yelling, but he couldn't see what they were doing.

"It's the android, she's taking something out of her arm," Jay explained.

Now Zane perked up. "What is it?"

"I don't know. Oh, oh, now she's holding her arms up. Is she going to use her power? Shh!" Jay shushed even though he was the only one speaking. "They're talking again."

. . . 

"I swear I had no idea, none of us did."

Pixal waited patiently as Skylor finished up her explanation to Garmadon. She held her hands high above her head, transmitting the signal to Borg Industries satellites so that her friend could reach the monastery. Her creator, Cyrus Borg, had been sure to incorporate a design for communication at any time and any place in Ninjago, extending even to the wide expanse of the Endless Sea clear on the other side of the world. He had seemed intent on making sure that she could contact him whenever she needed to.

Skylor insisted on being the one to call their sensei, seeing as she had to make her own apology for running away. Pixal saw Skylor sigh.

"I'll bring him back. I was supposed to stay at the monastery, too – maybe it's my fault Lloyd ran away at all. But I'll bring him back to you. I'll make it right."

Lloyd sat next to Nya on Skylor's bed, his expression equal parts ashamed and disappointed. His black cloak was wrapped around a green gi that was way too big for him, with the sleeves and pant legs rolled up to fit. Seliel was pacing the room, furious that they were losing a fighter before the second round of the tournament had even started.

Skylor was listening to Garmadon's response. She lifted her head, her eyes wide with surprise. "Really? You mean . . . Okay. Okay. Thank you, Sensei! We'll see you soon."

She hung up and grinned. "He says I can stay!"

"Me, too?" Lloyd asked hopefully.

"Sorry, Short Stack, but you've got to go. He doesn't want us going it alone anyway, so he and Misako are coming here. You're going home with your mom."

"Ugh!" Lloyd flopped backwards onto the bed. "I hate being a kid!"

Seliel was elated. "This is great news! Those boys are so going down. I even have a plan."

"I've been thinking, too," Nya spoke up. "About what Sensei told us before."

"I have also given a great deal of thought to our enemies," Pixal added.

Skylor crossed her arms and sat on Lloyd's other side. "Well it looks like we've got a lot to discuss. Okay, Seliel, shoot."

. . . 

A/N: Thanks so much for reading, you guys! So I know that some of you are excited to see Garmadon and Misako again, but it'll be a little while before they come back into the story. Don't worry though, we'll have some fun when they do finally get here, heh. See you all next week!