Morning came and Skylor was on her way to get some breakfast for herself and Lloyd. She was still thinking about everything that had happened last night. Part of her didn't understand why Nya was so upset. What business was it of her friends who she liked? Maybe Kai had done some bad things, but maybe he was just misguided. He didn't really seem like such a bad guy. Besides, hadn't Skylor been on the wrong side at one time, too?

"Skylor!"

She froze at the sound of someone calling her name, whispered in secret. Skylor looked at the shadows around the square for the source of the voice. Then she spotted a familiar gray head crouching in the shadows of a narrow pathway between two buildings. She hurried over as the head ducked back into cover.

Garmadon and Misako were waiting when she crept into the walkway. "You're here!" she exclaimed, a smile breaking across her face. Then she thought to herself, I've really got to stop having these secret meetings with people.

"Skylor, how are you? Is everyone alright?" Garmadon's tone was urgent, but she was surprised that he didn't seem very angry.

"Thank goodness you've come, we could really use your help. We've already lost Pixal."

"What?"

"Last night my dad changed the matches to make Nya and Pixal fight each other. Pixal sacrificed herself so that she could find the staff." Skylor sighed and looked away. "Honestly . . . I'm starting to think that it was a mistake to bring them all here. We've done okay so far, but Dad will do whatever it takes to make sure we lose . . ." Skylor trailed off as Garmadon put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It wasn't your choice to bring them, Skylor. It was their choice to come. Nya, Pixal, and Seliel knew the risks, and they decided to fight anyway."

"It's not easy doing the right thing," Misako added. "But we believe that you four have the power to stop Chen together."

"I hope you're right," Skylor looked up at her sensei again, pushing her anxieties to the back of her mind. "You should know, Wu's students are here. We found out that my dad has teamed up with Wu, and they're working together to get us out of the tournament."

Garmadon's expression became grave. "Then the situation is even worse than we feared."

"Wu must be helping him in the hope that he'll take their elemental powers away," Misako mused.

"That was our guess, too. Oh, check this out!" Skylor plucked a leaf off a nearby bush and held it between her thumb and forefinger. The middle of the leaf started sizzling and a thin trail of smoke wafted up. Soon, a small hole began to open, orange embers eating away at the edge of the expanding circle. "Pretty cool, huh? I've been practicing all night. Thanks to that Fire Ninja, I'll be ready for my fight later."

"Well done, Skylor. You seem to be mastering your own element very well."

Skylor beamed at his praise. "Thank you, Sensei."

"Well, I think it's about time I see my son and give him a stern talking-to," Misako said. "Where is he?"

"My room, second floor in that building. First door on the right from the stairs. We've all been taking turns babysitting; I was just about to grab some breakfast for our little green gremlin."

Misako turned to her husband. "You go meet up with the girls and make sure Skylor is prepared for her fight. I'll see to Lloyd."

Garmadon looked worried. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

Misako smirked. "Who's the one that got us here in the first place?" She kissed him on the cheek. "I can find him without getting caught. Don't worry about me, worry about your students."

"Come on, the others will be relieved to see you." Skylor led him out of the narrow passage, but they didn't get very far before another voice called to them.

"Sensei Garmadon . . . . It's been a while."

They both recognized the voice instantly. "Clouse," Garmadon said, turning to meet the sorcerer's gaze. "I see Master Chen still has you running his errands."

"Leave us alone, Clouse," Skylor said. "There's nothing in the rules about outside help. He has every right to be here as my Sensei." Clouse had never liked Skylor, she knew that. She suspected it was either because he was jealous of the attention she got from her father, or because he thought she was a distraction from their plans. Either way, she was almost certain that any influence she might have once had over him was gone since she ran away from home.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to compete," Garmadon reassured him. He glanced at Skylor. "Only to look out for my interests."

"I can't say I'm surprised. I thought I saw your son competing in the first round, but . . . I'm sorry to say that he seems to have since vanished."

"I sent him home," Garmadon said, without giving away the slightest hint that Lloyd was, in fact, still on the island. "This tournament is no place for a young boy."

"Hmm. You're probably right. It is rather dangerous . . . even for a boy wearing the Green Ninja's gi."

"I'm sure you know how unruly children can be, getting into things that aren't theirs. And I have five of them."

"I do indeed," Clouse said, looking pointedly at Skylor. She had the sudden urge to stick her tongue out and show him just how childish she could be. But she kept her cool, wanting to get out of this conversation as soon as possible.

"I will let Master Chen know that you're here," Clouse said. "I'm sure he'll be delighted to see an old acquaintance."

They went their separate ways, and Skylor breathed a sigh of relief. "I was almost certain he would kick you off the island. I'm surprised he was willing to let you stay at all."

"I'll bet Chen will find some advantage in it, even if to get rid of me once and for all." He glanced around before saying, "We mustn't let them know the truth. If they knew Lloyd was still here, he and Misako would never make it off the island."

Skylor nodded. "Of course. But . . . why was Clouse so concerned about Lloyd's gi color?" Skylor didn't miss much, and she thought it was odd that Clouse would mention it at all. 

Garmadon sighed. "It's a long story, one that I'd rather not worry about now. Perhaps I'll tell you all about it when this is over."

Skylor spotted the chow house ahead. Right now she wasn't concerned about much else besides winning. As confident as she was, a part of her worried what would happen if she did lose her match. She had to wonder, if she was captured, would her father treat her the same as any other prisoner?

. . .

Zane's fight with Skylor wasn't scheduled to take place until later in the day, after the fight between the Master of Sound and the Master of Form. This, at least, gave Zane some time to prepare.

Cole had Kai and Zane practicing together in the square all morning. Jay was almost surprised that Kai hadn't complained even once. He'd been quiet and focused all day. He must have felt really bad about the mess he'd made. Jay did sympathize with him though. That girl had tricked him just to get his power. That couldn't feel good.

It wasn't until noontime came that they finally took a break so Zane could rest up before the fight. Then it was a long, tense wait until the match started. There was a lot riding on the Ice Ninja's shoulders. But surely, because of their alliance, Master Chen wouldn't let Zane lose?

Dark clouds were rolling in as the hour drew nearer. The wind was picking up, the air growing colder. A storm was brewing, and Jay wondered if they could be lucky enough for it to break in time for the fight.

"What do you think Master Wu will do if we fail?" Jay asked as they walked through the palace grounds towards the arena.

Cole glanced sideways at him and simply said, "Master Wu is fair. But I don't want to hear any talk about failure."

Jay sighed. "I miss when being a ninja was just fun and we weren't fighting people who hated us."

"Yeah, well, life's not all fun and games," Kai said, still in a sour mood.

"I would appreciate more positivity," Zane said. "You know, a little encouragement can go a long way."

"Sorry. It's just, it feels like nothing is going the way we wanted. I know that one of the girls is out, but we didn't even do that, it was Master Chen."

Cole huffed. "Chen may be our ally, but we don't need him to win our fights for us." He turned to Zane and said, "Just do your best. That's all anyone can ask of you."

Zane nodded. "Of course."

Jay still couldn't shake the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hoped his brothers were right.

. . .

A/N: Oh no who's gonna wiiiiinnnn? ? ? Come back next week to see the fight and find out!