After the Master of Speed defeated the Master of Gravity, and the Master of Mind defeated the Master of Nature, it finally came time for the third fight of the day: Fire versus Smoke.

Nya had taken over babysitting Lloyd, which Skylor suspected she had planned so she didn't have to watch her brother fight. Now Skylor sat with Seliel and Pixal in the stands, which were positioned next to a bubbling canyon of lava. Sharp spires of rock poked through the molten river, and a single, thin bridge linked the two fighters in the distance, the Jadeblade on the bridge between them.

"This oughtta be good," Seliel said.

"Yes, a chance to assess their skills," Pixal agreed. "We haven't yet seen what the ninja can do with their weapons."

Seliel huffed. "'Their weapons.' They may be able to control the four elements, but they still stole the weapons from Sensei Garmadon. They have no right to wield them."

Skylor remained silent and turned her attention to the fight.

"Kai, Master of Fire," Skylor's father announced, "versus Ash, Master of Smoke. Fight!"

As soon as he gave the signal, Kai brandished his sword and sent a bout of flames at Ash. The smoke master flipped over it and landed on the bridge hard enough to make it rock violently on its supports. Both Kai and the Jadeblade were flung from the bridge, Kai narrowly catching a handhold on the planks with his free hand. The Jadeblade fell down towards the lava and miraculously landed on one of the flat-topped rock formations below.

"Come on, Ash!" Seliel shouted, actively rooting for their enemy's enemy. Next to her, Pixal merely watched with detached interest, probably studying their fighting patterns. But Skylor secretly hoped Kai would win. She'd much rather he stayed in the tournament than Ash.

Ash was charging towards Kai while he struggled to pull himself back onto the bridge. The sword in his hand was already proving to be an obstacle. He heaved himself onto the planks just as Ash reached him and rolled away from a harsh punch to where his head had just been.

As they exchanged blows, Ash proved to be just a hair faster than Kai, who struggled to pin him down. Kai swung his sword left and right, fire spitting from its blade, but Ash would simply vanish before the flames touched him. And because they fought on such a flammable surface, Kai's fire had to come weak and at a short range. Ash was just toying with Kai, wearing out the fire master before he could land a single blow. Skylor clenched her hands in worry, bunching up the pant legs of her gi and silently hoping that he would figure this out for himself. Kai would have to find another way to fight him if he was to win.

Ash landed a blow that sent Kai flying. Kai crashed into the bridge, breaking a dozen boards before he nearly fell again into the fiery canyon. He dangled with his free hand above the open air as splinters of wood were sent tumbling down into the hungry lava. Most of the rest of the audience was applauding Ash for what looked like a sure victory.

Ash threw puffs of smoke at Kai, and the fire master had to use his momentum to swing out of the way. Skylor saw him cast a glance at the churning magma beneath his dangling feet. She couldn't stand to watch and had to look away.

"Ninja-go!"

Skylor looked back when Kai used his Spinjitzu to land safely on the bridge. Ash had to scramble hastily backwards so as not to be caught up in the cyclone. Skylor saw that Kai had sheathed his sword, relying now on his fists alone.

Still, as he punched and kicked at the smoke master, Ash simply disappeared, reappearing moments later to strike a blow of his own.

Come on, Skylor silently urged him. You can't defeat him directly!

Ash dodged around Kai, materializing at his back and restraining him from behind. Smoke wafted from Ash's body, filling the air around him so that Kai was choking on it. He squirmed in Ash's hold, and Skylor couldn't see why he didn't just break away until Kai drew his sword again, nearly slicing through Ash's arm. Ash gasped but was too slow to stop Kai before he aimed a ball of fire at the ropes holding the bridge up. The rope and planks went up in flames, eating through the supports until it snapped away from the opposite end of the bridge. Kai finally broke free as he and Ash leapt off the collapsing bridge, landing nimbly on the stone pikes near the Jadeblade.

Kai sheathed his sword as Ash landed opposite from him. Their eyes met, and they sprang at each other.

It looked as if Ash was done running from the fight now. They exchanged blow after blow, wrestling for the Jadeblade that stood nearby. Lava spewed around them, threatening to gobble up either one of the fighters for a misstep.

They landed precariously on another stone, hands locked as they pushed against one another in a battle of strength. Then Ash threw a glance at the Jadeblade, and with a devious smile, he vanished. Kai pitched forward, almost falling into the unforgiving canyon.

Ash was drifting toward the Jadeblade, but he kept a wary eye on his opponent. Kai whipped out his sword again, then leapt and sent a burst of flames at the smoke master. Unsurprisingly, Ash evaporated from view, and Kai passed right through him. Kai reached for the Jadeblade as he flipped overhead, tugging it from its purchase. He landed safely on another rock, a sword in each hand.

"Winner!" Chen announced.

Skylor, lost in the moment, punched the air. "Yes!" Then she realized that Seliel and Pixal were staring at her in bewilderment. "Uh . . . I mean . . ."

Ash slumped in disappointment as the crowd that had rooted for him only moments ago now cheered at his opponent's victory.

"Loser! Master of Fire moves on." Chen pressed one of the many buttons on his throne and a trapdoor opened up under Ash. The smoke master dropped into the abyss, and that was the end of it.

. . . 

As Jay followed his brothers through the halls of Chen's palace, he was preoccupied with thoughts of what Nya had said to him earlier. Her words had been echoing in his mind all day. Had he really been wrong to incense the Shadow Master? What was so wrong about standing up to the guy? Jay couldn't let a jerk like that push him around, especially not in front of a girl. Jay had had enough of that in the past. He'd learned that the only way to deal with bullies was to strike first and strike harder. Then they'd know not to cross him ever again. 

But her comment had still stung. All day, he'd wondered whether or not Master Wu really would be proud of him. Surely he would have wanted Jay to stand his ground like he did? They ninja had never been separated from their master like this for this long. It was turning out to be harder to predict what Master Wu would want them to do than Jay thought.

In some ways, Jay felt bad for Nya. He didn't so much pity her, she didn't seem like the kind of girl who needed pity, but he supposed he sympathized with her. It couldn't be easy fighting her own family. And yet, she stubbornly stuck to her guns and fought for what she believed. One thing was for certain, that girl knew exactly what she wanted.

"I almost thought he had you!" Cole's voice stirred Jay out of his contemplation and back to the conversation at hand. They were on their way to finally speak with Master Chen again. In the intermission after Kai's fight, he had discreetly called them to his palace arena, most likely to regroup and discuss how the plan would progress going forward.

Kai was still gloating about his victory over the Master of Smoke, taking advantage of the attention and praise he received from it. "Me, too! I was getting so sick of his disappearing act, but then I thought, hey, if he wants to keep doing that, why not use it against him?"

"I have to say, it was an impressive move," Zane said.

"Heh, thanks. Sometimes I even impress myself."

Jay shook his head, amused. He wondered if Nya had as big an ego to match her brother's.

They reached a pair of double doors which Master Chen's guards opened for them. When they entered, Jay saw Master Wu's shadow to one side of Chen's throne, and Clouse on the other.

"Congratulations on your victory, Master of Fire!" Chen said as they entered.

"It wasn't easy, no thanks to you," Kai answered, suddenly serious. "This isn't all fun and games you know. If I would have lost –"

"Ah, but you didn't lose, did you? I don't doubt that you four can defeat any fighter in the tournament. But – if I were to tip the scales in your favor, don't you think there would be suspicion?"

Kai crossed his arms and looked to Master Wu, as if he hoped to get some support from him. But Wu only said, "Master Chen is right. If the other ninja caught wind of our plan, everything would fall apart."

Cole stepped forward. "They're already suspicious of us. We overheard them plotting ways to take us out."

Master Chen clapped his hands. "Ooh, I love secrets! Tell me what you found out."

Jay glanced at Wu, trying to gauge his reaction, but his master's shadowy silhouette betrayed none of his thoughts.

"We didn't learn much," Cole admitted. "We've been trying to figure out what each of their elements are –"

To Jay's surprise, Chen merely scoffed. "Well you could have just asked. I know all of the elements! There's Skylor Master of Amber – that's the best one – and Seliel Master of Teleportation, oh and your sister the Master of Water," Chen said to Kai. "Isn't that fun? And the other one is . . . uh . . . oh what was it . . . ?"

"Pixal," Clouse spoke up. "Master of Magnetism."

"Oh yes, that's it. I hope you discovered something else that's actually interesting."

Well that was easy. Jay had to suppress an "I told you so" as Cole continued.

"They were with some kid. I guess he was one of the fighters, but it sounded like Garmadon was coming to get him or something."

"Garmadon?" Chen asked, his curiosity piqued. "Coming here?"

"Likely come to retrieve his son," Clouse said. Now Jay was curious as well, and he saw the same surprise reflected in his brothers. That kid was Garmadon's son? Did that mean he was capable of great evil, too? "We were lucky enough that the boy ran away to participate in the tournament. If what Wu tells us is true, then we cannot afford to lose him."

"I can assure you that it's true," Master Wu said calmly, though he shot Clouse a harsh look. He turned back to Master Chen. "I advise you not to let Garmadon onto the island. His students are crafty enough on their own, but with his help, they may discover what we're up to and put an end to your tournament."

"Pfft, let him try! He was useless in the Serpentine Wars, he'll be just as useless now. Everything will work out, wait and see."

Chen and Wu would often talk about the mysterious 'Serpentine Wars,' but they never filled the ninja in on the details. Jay had never encountered a serpentine himself, and he hoped he would never have to. It was clear that there was a deep history there, but Jay figured it was better not to ask questions. Supposedly the creatures were locked up in tombs hidden all across Ninjago. Jay had heard enough bedtime stories in his youth to know what bad news they were.

"Might I remind you," Master Wu said testily. "That we won that war. My brother has already defeated us both before, it would be foolish to underestimate him again."

Clouse took a step forward. "Master, I would also remind you that we have agreed to eliminate Garmadon's ninja from the tournament as quickly as possible. Yet only two of our fighters are scheduled to face his ninja. If Garmadon is coming, it may be wise to expedite the process."

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing," Master Wu said, agreeing with Clouse for what Jay thought had to be the first time ever. "You're wasting time, Chen, time that neither of us have."

Clouse held out a hand that was wreathed in purple wisps of magic. "I beg you, let me use my sorcery to put an end to this."

Chen smiled in spite of Wu's scolding. "We'll use your magic in time, but not now. Not when there are other ways of whittling them down. You may have confidence in your students, Wu, but I don't." Jay frowned, and he saw Kai and Cole tense as they exchanged a look. "Perhaps it's time to switch things up!"

Then Master Chen laughed to himself with a lack of sanity that Jay didn't find very reassuring, and he had to wonder just what Chen had planned for Nya and her friends.

. . . 

A/N: Lol, you can probably tell where this is going! Wow, chapter 14, I can't believe how far the story has gotten already (and we're not even halfway through yet X'D) FYI, I'm currently cross-posting a couple short stories here from my FFN account, so if you want to read something from me where the ninja are actually good and normal and happy, I recommend you check those out.