Chapter 17: The Ophidian Forest
Kai led Skylor into the cabin of the Bounty. The Master of Amber was confused and asked, "Why'd you bring me here, Kai?" She looked at her boyfriend and saw his distressed face, "You seem down. What's wrong?"
Kai just shook his head and sat down on his bed, "I don't really know, Sky. It's kind of about Harumi." He sighed.
Skylor raised a brow, "'Kind of'?" She questioned, not believing that it was only 'kind of' about Harumi.
"Okay, it's definitely about Harumi. But you can't blame me, Sky. She... How do I put this?" He paused to exhale, "She's a villain. A manipulative one at that. I was only trying to be nice to her for Lloyd's sake. She tricked us once in the past, so how can we trust here again?" He bit his lip, "You know the saying, 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me'."
"First of all, Kai, how do you know she's still a villain? Maybe she really did change. Second of all, when we first met, I manipulated you into thinking I was trustworthy when in reality, I was working for my dad. But look at us now," She sat down beside him and took his hand, "We're happy together. If you had never came to my dad's island and competed in the Tournament of Elements, we would've never met. Everything happens for a reason. You can't really say that Lloyd only met Harumi to get heartbroken by her, right? Maybe there was another reason that we just don't know about yet."
Kai looked at Skylor's hand, the one that was holding his hand, and smiled. "I want to say that you're right but..." He trailed off.
"But?" She asked while cocking her brow.
"But what if she'll just use us again? What if this is all just a ruse? What if she was the one that released the oni? What if she was telling lies all this time? What if-" Kai rambled on and on about what if's but Skylor smacked a hand over his mouth to make him be quiet.
"Enough with the 'what if's', Kai." She took her hand away from his mouth, "When have I ever known you to be the one to think negative? I always thought that that was Jay's thing." She joked which got a small laugh out of Kai. She smiled again, "If she is lying about all this, then we can just turn her in. She can't beat all of us. I'm pretty sure she knows that."
Kai looked down and nodded his head with a small smile, "I guess so." He took a deep breath and looked at Skylor, "Thanks, Sky. You always know what to say when I'm feeling down." He turned his body around to face her and he hugged her. Skylor hugged back and closed her eyes.
"Hey, I'm just saying what I've learned. But thank you for the compliment, I guess." She replied, "It feels nice." She opened her eyes.
Kai chuckled, "The compliment or the hug?" He asked jokingly.
"Both, Kai. Both." She responded gently. Kai nodded in satisfaction before Skylor added, "Then again, maybe the compliment was better but the hug also feels nice." She made a witty remark.
Kai broke the hug and gave Skylor a light, playful slap to the shoulder while laughing. The redhead laughed along and elbowed his side playfully, "I'm just joking. Geez, Kai." She snickered.
He raised his hands up in defense, "I know, I know. I was just testing you," He then turned to her with a smirk while stroking his hair, "And anyway, I'm way too fetching to resist." He leered at her.
She scoffed, "Says the person checking me out." She smirked back. She then looked at him from the top of his head and down to his shoes.
"Ha!" He suddenly shouted, startling Skylor, "You checked me out too. That means we're even." He smiled smugly.
"Fine. I guess we're even." She then got up to his face, "But you did do it first, so it means I still won." She teased while smiling back.
Kai waved a hand at her, "Okay, okay. I admit defeat. You won." He said in a dramatic way.
Skylor smiled in satisfaction while crossing her hands, "Always been a drama king, huh, Kai?" She asked.
"Aw, come on. You of all people should know that." He laughed.
"I do know that." She admitted, "But I just wanted to see your reaction. And it was worth it." She laughed.
Kai smiled dreamily at her. Always thinking things like, what would I do without her? She's an angel, I could never live without her. She always knows what to do and say in situations like this. I can't compare to her, she's beautiful inside and out. He can get entranced by that warm smile of hers, and he was in a trance. Daydreaming about the future between him and the love of his life.
He felt someone waving a hand in front of him. He shook his head and snapped out of his trance. He saw Skylor. She was smiling, "Good morning, Kai." She laughed.
Kai smiled at her, thinking, "What would I do without her?"
None of the two even realized that Jay was outside the door. Listening to their conversation. He sighed before smiling. He missed those times he could do that with Nya. She always knew what to do when he was down. Always knows the right things to say. She could always brighten up his day just by smiling at him. He loved everything about Nya.
He smiled, "Oh, Nya. When all this is over, maybe we can be together again. If what Harumi said was true, we'll be reunited again." He frowned, "But what if it's all a lie? I don't know what to believe... Please, help me. What should I do? Do I believe Harumi or not? I don't know what to think." He slid down the wall, into a seating position. He buried his face in his hands, "Help guide me. I need you. Help me, please?" He pleaded. He looked up, nothing happened.
He walked up the stairs again and walked towards the deck. He took a seat and looked at the clouds while giving out a sad face. He heard a small creak from the floor and looked down. He looked behind him and saw Cole, "Oh, hey, Cole. What's up?" He asked.
Cole frowned at him, "Not again, Jay. I already told you, everyone knows that you've been sad ever since Nya. You don't have to try and change the subject. So what's wrong? We just talked about her yesterday. What's bothering you now?" He queried.
Jay sighed and gave him a head shake, "This whole thing... About Harumi knowing a way to bring Nya back. What if it's all a lie?" He looked at his best friend, "I don't want this all to be some cruel joke. If I really will get Nya back, I hope this isn't all just my imagination." He admitted sadly.
Cole patted his back, "I told you this as well. I miss Nya too. We all do. It hurts, I know. But you can't let this bring you down. What would Nya want?" Jay shook his head, signaling that he doesn't know. Cole, however, wasn't giving up in trying to cheer up his best friend, "Whatever it is, I know that Nya wouldn't want you to give up. Wherever she is, she would want you to keep going, Jay."
Jay was about to say something when he felt a drop of water on his hand. Then on his face, and soon, all over his body. He looked up and saw that it was raining. He smiled and whispered, "Nya." He simpered. Cole looked up in amazement.
"Heh. See?" He looked at Jay, "She doesn't want you to give up. So do it for her." He encouraged.
Jay nodded right before he felt a gust of water flow across his face. The water danced in the air for a few seconds before it formed into Nya's water symbol. It stayed like that for a while before it disintegrated. Jay smiled again, "Thank you, Nya." He turned to Cole, "Thanks, buddy."
"Anytime. If you need any help, you can always let me know." Cole said before leaving to go find Vania.
Jay looked at the rain again and sighed, "I will find you, Nya. I promise." He promised his Yang. The water seemed to form a small heart before it disappeared again, making Jay smile even wider. He looked behind him and started walking to the bridge.
Harumi walked to the deck and looked over the railing. They were over the clouds so she couldn't see much. It was raining lightly. She remembered the time when she and Lloyd were on this exact spot, looking at the Dead Man's Squall. She felt guilty for toying with Lloyd's emotions and she had to admit to herself that she really did fall for the Green Ninja. In the past, she didn't want to believe it, but now, she wants to and she knows that she fell for him.
She wouldn't tell this to anyone, but before Lloyd looked over at her at the public speech, she was looking at him first. He didn't notice her though. After she and Lloyd fed the poor, she figured out that Lloyd did have a crush on her, and she used it to her own advantage. At the time, she pretended to like him back but in reality, she really did like him back. When they were walking through Primeval's Eye, she had told Lloyd that she had always dreamed of being with him, which was true but she didn't admit that to anyone, not even herself.
She never admitted her feelings to anyone after her parents passing. She got rid of her feelings and emotions. Sometimes she wonders what would've happened if she had listened to them. Maybe if she did listen, she would've abandoned all her revenge plans to be with Lloyd. Would she be in a better place than she is now if she had done it? She would never know since she can't go back in time and undo all her mistakes. All the bad things she's done can't be undone. They had already happened and she can't do anything to undo them.
Hours passed since they left Ninjago for the Ophidian Forest. She wasn't very excited to go there. She was afraid that the events that happened at the Dead man's Squall would repeat. The Bounty going down then having to hack their way through the forest, again. She was afraid that it would happen again. If it did, it might make her look guilty since that's what happened the last time she was here.
She shook those thoughts out of her head. She didn't want to jinx them so she tried to not think about the negative things that could happen. The thing that she hopes to happen is for them to make it across the snake-infested forest smoothly, without any interruptions. The whole reveal of her being Harumi happened in the morning and her story took a few hours. After that was done, they had lunch and went to do their own things again. So now it was about 3 in the afternoon.
She still wasn't trusted to be around the Bounty alone. It was understandable so she allowed someone to watch over her while she roams around the place. No one really wanted to watch over her though. Most of them had their significant other with them right now, so that was one of the reasons. Jay wasn't with Nya right now but he didn't want to watch over her for several reasons, one of them being him wanting to do some other important things. What important things? She doesn't know. With 4 ninjas out of the picture, that only left one. Lloyd.
It kind of shocked them both but Lloyd said that he didn't have anything else to do so he didn't really mind. Harumi knew better than that though. She and Lloyd still aren't good on terms yet, considering what happened in their last encounter. Lloyd was still pretty heartbroken by Harumi and Harumi was still mad at Lloyd for being the indirect and unintentional cause of her parents' death. It sounds ridiculous for her to still be mad at him for it, but if someone stepped into her shoes then they would understand how she feels.
Being hurt by your own hero is heartbreaking. Harumi idolized the ninja in her youth. While other girls wanted to become princesses and royalty, she wanted to be a ninja. Her favorite ninja out of all of them was Lloyd, the Green Ninja. The youngest but most powerful protector. The chosen one. They both have a lot in common. Harumi found out about this when they talked over the canals. When she told Lloyd that they truly were kindred spirits, she wasn't joking. Their personalities weren't much different from the other. The only thing that separated them was the fact that Harumi wanted to bring back Lord Garmadon. She thought that she was protecting the people of Ninjago. But she was hurting them without even realizing it.
Lots of people lost their lives to the colossus that day. She almost lost her own, but she was able to make up for that mistake to that one family that she saved. They forgave her. They might've been complete strangers to Harumi but she still helped them. She couldn't bear to see another child go through the same thing she did. She understood what Lloyd meant about having someone endure the same fate she had. His words on the first night the colossus attacked were still stuck in her head...
Harumi came up behind Lloyd and spoke up, "Running will do you no good. Give us the child." She stuck her hand out.
Lloyd turned around and looked at Harumi, "Is this what you want? To destroy the city, create more victims? Just think how many others will be made like you. This isn't what you want." He desperately tried to reason with Harumi.
Harumi shook out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps behind her. She looked back and saw the one person who broke her heart and the one person whose heart she broke. Lloyd.
"Hey." He started awkwardly as he stopped to look down the railing beside Harumi. She had time to clean up after explaining herself. Her hair was kept in its natural white-blond and it was back in its bun while being held up with chopsticks, like when they first met. And she was still wearing the gi that PIXAL gave to her.
Harumi looked at him for a second before returning to look down at the clouds, "Hey." She replied, trying to not make the atmosphere any more awkward than it already is.
Silence filled up the space around the two former enemies. Lloyd cleared his throat and decided to ask, "Um, how are you doing?" He asked without looking at her.
Harumi didn't look either as she replied, "Okay, I guess..." She sighed.
"What were you doing?" He questioned since she was quiet the entire time she looked over the railing, "Just thought I'd ask."
She shook her head, "Nothing, really... Just thinking about some stuff." She uttered truthfully.
He nodded his head in understanding and they were met with silence once more. It didn't last as long as before since Harumi spoke up, "How about you? How are you doing with all this?" She asked, this time while looking towards him.
Lloyd noticed Harumi looking at him so he looked back at her, "I'm doing okay. After you get used to these kinds of things, it becomes normal. But I haven't been on one of these types of important missions in a year so... I don't really know how to feel." He admitted.
She blinked a few times before asking, "Do you think it'll work?"
"What are you referring to?" He asked, just to be sure about what she's talking about.
She paused, "The Pearl. Do you think it'll work? To, you know, bring your friend back?" She asked again, more specifically this time.
Lloyd understood the question and said, "Maybe. I'm not sure, but I'm hoping that it'll work. Jay hasn't been the same ever since." He commented with sad eyes, "And you don't have to refer to Nya as 'my friend'. Just say 'Nya', it's fine."
She nodded and looked down at her feet before locking eyes with Lloyd again, "Jay? The joker whose mouth is as fast as lightning?" She repeated the phrase she said the first time she met the ninja in person.
"It's hard to believe but if you lost a loved one, it's possible." Lloyd turned to her, "You of all people should understand that." He stated coldly.
Harumi's facial expression was filled with surprise. Then it turned to anger, "Huh, that's rich. Coming from someone who's also experienced the same thing I did." She stated back.
"If you're talking about my father, you were the one who brought back the evil Lord Garmadon. Not me." He shot back at her. Now it just turned into a game of insults.
"You're acting as if you've never made a mistake in your life, Lloyd." She fired back, again.
"Well, of course, I've made mistakes in my life. Plenty! But at least I don't do them on purpose!" He blew up in anger. If it weren't for them being so far at the front, the others probably would've come already.
"Hey! I didn't choose to make those mistakes on purpose!" She yelled.
"I'm a ninja. I'm, at least, trying to make up for my mistakes!" He shouted back, "Unlike you."
"Well, we aren't all ninjas now, are we? Besides, what do you think I'm trying to do now? Continue my mistakes? No!" She paused for a bit, "And it's not my fault that you killed me on the Day of the Great Devourer." She accused him.
"Me?! Why are you still accusing me?! It was an accident! What part of 'an accident' do you not get?! I was just a kid!" He defended himself.
"Weren't we all?! We both lost our parents when we were young." She slowed down, "But at least you got yours back! Both of them! Evil or not." She scowled as she turned her back to him, "I never did..."
Lloyd backed up in surprise. He looked in the other direction in guilt, "Maybe I shouldn't have said all those things to her..." He sighed and looked back at Harumi who was still looking away from him. He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Harumi. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all those mean things... I wasn't being myself." He apologized.
Harumi slowly turned back to look at him, a sad frown plastered on her face, "I forgive you about all those things, but about my parents? Still no... And I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have blown up on you after that remark you made. What you said was true anyway... I guess I kind of deserve some of the things you said." The corners of her mouth slowly turned into a small smile.
Lloyd nodded, "I also deserved some of the things you said," He started smiling shyly while rubbing the back of his head nervously, "And I forgive you about all those remarks. I started it anyway. It's kind of my fault that that argument started." He chuckled nervously.
"We both deserved it." Harumi said in a playful manner, "At least I did."
"I deserved it too." He replied slowly.
Harumi smiled at that and was about to say something else when PIXAL's voice was heard through the speakers, "Everyone, head to the bridge." Her voice was heard throughout the whole ship through the speakers. Lloyd and Harumi looked around then at each other with concerned stares before running towards the bridge. They were soon met up with the others.
Lloyd walked up to the female nindroid, "PIXAL, what's wrong?" He asked in concern.
"We have reached the Ophidian Forest, and we may have a problem." She stated.
"What kind of problem?" Harumi questioned, she knew that this forest was dangerous to be around so she was really concerned about this news.
PIXAL shook her head, "I am not sure. But the radar is picking up something. Something is approaching us from below." She explained.
"Then it's a good thing we're really high up in the air." Kai scoffed.
Skylor elbowed him, "You better not jinx us, Kai." She glared while Kai rubbed the spot she elbowed him at.
Ignoring the fiery couple, Harumi spoke up, "It has to be a snake. This forest is filled with them." She replied.
"Okay, but what kind?" Jay asked.
Cole nodded, "You said this forest was filled with them. But what kind is following us?"
"How am I suppose to know?" Harumi stated the obvious. Jay and Cole sighed in annoyance.
"Keep our distance from the ground, PIX. Whatever it is, we don't want to encounter it." Lloyd ordered.
Vania smiled, "Maybe if we don't disrupt it, it won't attack us." She said.
"Vania could be right. Let's just stay in the rain. We have a bigger chance of not being spotted in here." Cole suggested.
Lloyd nodded, "We'll keep moving in the rain. The fog should keep the creature from spotting us." He commanded as Harumi started walking to the balcony of the bridge.
"Is it just me? Or do I hear something that sounds like a whistle?" She asked while trying to adjust her hearing.
Everyone, excluding PIXAL and Zane, came towards her and also tried to hear what she was hearing. They all started nodding slowly in agreement.
"Hey, I hear it too." Jay smiled.
"Same here." Cole nodded.
Lloyd tilted his head in confusion, "But what's it coming from?" He asked.
Harumi shook her head, "I don't know." She then turned to PIXAL and Zane, "But I have a feeling that we should leave."
Skylor nodded, "I'm with Harumi. I'm not in the mood to find out what it might be. It could be nothing or it could be bad- " She got cut off by something hitting them for the second time this day.
Jay whined again, "Don't tell me it's the oni again." He frowned in annoyance.
Lloyd stood up and looked over. His eyes widened and he shook his head while walking backwards, "No... It's worse." He quickly turned to run to PIXAL, "PIXAL! We need to go. Now!" He shouted.
PIXAL nodded and flipped the switch. They blasted off but something was still chasing them, "Whatever hit us. I think that it is coming back." PIXAL pointed out.
Kai ran up to the trio, "Is this as fast as the Bounty goes?" He asked.
"It won't go any faster." Zane stated.
"Are you sure?" Kai pushed.
Zane looked at him, "Are you seriously doubting me? I am a nindroid." He stated.
Harumi quickly ran back to the side of the ship, "I see something. I can't see it clearly but something's definitely coming towards us." She warned.
Jay ran up beside her, "It's as fast as a bullet!" He cried out.
And before anyone could respond, whatever was chasing them, hit the back of the ship at full speed, causing the Bounty to head for the ground. The thrusters were still working so PIXAL was able to regain control of the ship before it hit the ground.
"I don't think it'll matter on how high up we are, it's trying to take us down either way!" Vania shrieked.
Cole pulled her arm and brought her close to him, "Yeah, I think we kinda already figured that out." He said.
Lloyd turned to PIXAL again, "PIXAL, get us out of here!" He yelled.
"I'm trying but the Bounty is severely damaged from the back." She explained while trying to control the ship.
Harumi pointed at the radar, "It's coming back!" She cried out.
"Did anyone see what the creature looked like?!" Jay asked while holding onto the railing.
"No!" Everyone yelled at the same time.
"What do we do?!" Jay cried, still holding onto the railing.
The screen, which showed the picture of the whole Bounty, lit up. And one of the thruster's lit up red. "It's targetting the thruster!" Kai pointed out.
"I can see that Kai!" Jay yelled.
No one was able to respond to that remark when something hit the Bounty from below, destroying the first thruster. Since the creature came from below, it was still in the sky and everyone could see it clearly. They all gasped.
"That has to be the third biggest snake I've ever seen!" Jay gulped while shrinking back to the railing.
"You think, Jay?!" Kai cried out.
Harumi turned to them, "We can't let it get the second thruster! Making a journey through the Ophidian Forest on foot is almost impossible!" She shouted.
"I'm trying to steer away but I can't seem to get control of the Bounty anymore!" PIXAL said in shock.
Since PIXAL wasn't in control of the Bounty anymore, they were dangerously close to the forest. They all could see the giant snake already landing back on the ground, unharmed. Making Jay gawk, "How in Ninjago did it survive a fall like that?!" He asked no one in particular.
"Who knows?" Cole started, "It's a giant snake! It looks almost identical to the Great Devourer!" He yelled before turning to a terrified Harumi, "Are you sure that snake isn't related to the Great Devourer?!" He asked.
Harumi glared at him, "I had lots of research for this mission, and yes! I'm sure!" She paused to breathe, "You can only breed snakes to make them related to the Great Devourer." She stated.
"Okay, but how do we stop it?" Lloyd asked, holding onto a support beam.
"I... Don't... Know!" Harumi screeched in annoyance, "Stop asking me!"
PIXAL left the ship on autopilot and had already moved to hang on to the table beside the wheel. She saw the radar beep and looked over, "The snake is coming back. And it's targeting the second thruster!" She yelped.
Jay gulped before saying, "We have no control over the Bounty, we can't move to higher ground... Haha, we're doomed." He said before Kai looked over the side.
Seeing the snake, he turned back to everyone and yelled, "Incoming! Brace yourselves!" He shouted before running to hang on to something himself.
Everyone complied and hung on to something. The snake hit the Bounty from below, hard, but it somehow also managed to hit the second thruster. Since it came from below, the impact caused the Bounty to be shot upwards before it started going down.
"It got the second thruster!" Jay bit his lip, "This is Dead Man's Squall all over again!" He whined.
When the Bounty started going down really fast, that's when everyone panicked. They kept themselves calm with Harumi saying, "If we crash land in the middle of the forest, our chances of survival are very little." She informed the ninja.
Zane pointed at the sails, "It is possible that if we can create enough drag with the sails, we might be able to control the crash, and perhaps, steer towards the end of the forest."
Kai looked up, "It's worth a try." He started climbing up the pole, "Come on!"
Kai ended up getting Lloyd, Jay, Cole, and Zane to help. They all climbed up towards the sail and started pushing the top of it downwards. The wind was caught in the sail and it started slowing down the fall.
"Haha! It's working!" Cole cheered.
"Yes!" Kai followed.
"Hold it!" Lloyd strained while trying to lock the sails in that position.
Harumi looked towards the front of the ship and saw the ground getting dangerously close, "Hurry!"
Lloyd heard a click and felt the sails locking into place. He looked at the other boys and then looked at the ground, his eyes widened, "Brace for impact!" He yelled as he plus the other boys jumped down.
They all grabbed onto something just before their ship came in contact with the ground. The sails may have slowed down the fall, but as soon as they hit the ground, everyone screamed as they started getting roughly thrown across the floor.
Some were able to keep their grip and only got thrown around in the exact spot. But some weren't as lucky, they lost their grip on whatever they were holding onto and started getting thrown around the deck. All of their weapons fell off of their back and also started getting thrashed around the place. It was a miracle that no one got stabbed or hit by any weapons jumping around the place.
The crash lasted for a few more seconds before the Bounty stopped. All of them took a minute to breathe and groan before helping each other get up. The place was trashed. Weapons and objects were scattered everywhere.
Cole helped Vania get up before turning to the others, "Is everyone okay?" Everyone nodded.
"A few bumps here and there, but I'll live." Skylor said while massaging her arm.
Kai nodded as he walked towards Skylor, "Same here." He winced.
Harumi groaned as she got up. She was one of the victims that lost their grip and she ended up getting thrown around the deck, almost falling off the ship. She shook her head and grabbed her shoulder while wincing, "That didn't go well." She sighed, "We're still in the forest."
Zane nodded, "Yes but it could've been worse. We should be grateful that we only have minor injuries. And we're close to the end of the forest."
"Okay. We need to keep moving. It's getting dark and we need to get the Bounty back into the air." Lloyd commanded.
Everyone nodded but before anyone could make another move, Harumi interrupted, "Wait!" Everyone turned to her, "We're still in the Ophidian Forest. We can't stop here. If we don't move away from the Bounty now, who knows how many more snakes will come here." She pointed towards the direction they came from, "That one snake alone was strong enough to take all of us down. Imagine how much worse it'll be if there's more."
Jay sighed, "It pains me to say this, but Harumi's right. That giant snake took us down with ease. If more comes, who knows what'll happen."
Lloyd grunted, "Okay. Grab what you need. We need to leave as soon as possible." He announced before walking into the destroyed Bounty to grab some things. Everyone started going around the Bounty to grab things.
"Remember, only grab essentials." PIXAL reminded. She clicked something on her Samurai X suit but nothing happened. She got confused and tried clicking a few more times before giving up and groaning in annoyance.
Zane heard her and came up to her, "PIXAL? What is wrong? I sensed annoyance coming from you and that emotion doesn't match up to the task that Lloyd has given to us." He asked, a concerned stare on his face.
PIXAL looked at him, "I tried calling for my Samurai X mech but it didn't work..." She explained in irritation.
Zane raised a brow, "How come? I thought you finished building your mech before we left?" He questioned.
"I did but it turns out that I forgot to add one last thing. It's the most important piece but I forgot to install it in my new mech." She sighed before saying, "I forgot to install the 'home' application. I forgot to do it so now I can't call for my suit." She explained in exasperation. She slumped down on the floor and Zane slowly placed an arm around her, making her confused, "What are you doing, Zane? You should just go and pack, I'll be fine." She insisted.
"I already have everything I need. I'm a nindroid, I don't need food or drink. I only need my scuba suit and my shurikens, and I've already packed both of those things with me since the start of our journey." He smiled warmly, "And besides, I wouldn't be a good boyfriend to you if I just left you alone. I would also be breaking my promise to you if I left you alone. I told you that I would always make time for you, and I'm not about to break that promise."
PIXAL smiled back at him, "Thank you, Zane. I appreciate this." She turned her body and hugged him.
He hugged her back, "Anytime, PIXAL... I love you."
"I love you too, Zane." She nodded.
They broke apart just in time to see the others starting to gather at the deck of the damaged Bounty. Lloyd looked around and silently counted to make sure that everyone was there. When he was certain that no one was left behind, he turned to them, "Everyone have everything they need for the rest of this trip?" He asked.
Everyone nodded and Skylor spoke, "We really don't need much other than food, water, our weapons, and our scuba suits."
"True..." Kai rubbed the back of his head and took something from his back, "I guess I can leave this behind." He threw it away and it was revealed to be hair gel. Skylor looked at the bottle as it rolled away before glaring at Kai.
"Okay." Lloyd started awkwardly, "Let's move, ninjas. We need to get as far from here as possible." He then remembered something, "Does anyone have the map?" He asked.
They all slowly started shaking their head before Zane spoke up, "I took a picture of it but I'm not sure how helpful it'll be if it's only in my head."
"Not gonna be helpful. But thanks anyway, Zane. If we can't find it, we'll have to just cope with listening to Zane." He turned to the others, "Spread out! We need to find that map and leave before the sun sets." He ordered.
But it didn't take long since Vania climbed up to the bridge and shouted, "Oh! Found it!" She exclaimed happily. She jumped down and handed the map to Lloyd, who smiled in thanks.
"Thanks." He rolled up the map and positioned it into his belt, "Okay, now we can go." He finally started walking, and when the others were sure that he wasn't gonna turn back again, they followed. Harumi looked back at the Bounty for a second and frowned. She sighed before catching up with the others.
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