Chapter eleven

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Cole flipped through his family photo album, cringing at some of the sights. "Oof chubby baby." Cole muttered, skipping photos of him as a child. "Hey! What're ya doing?" Jay asked, peering from behind Cole. "Don't do that." He hissed, pushing the blue ninja away. "Is that you, how cute." Jay teased, snatching his album.

"You were a big baby." Cole took the book back, glaring at his teammate. "You feeling homesick?" "No, just looking for something." He answered, flipping through pages again.

"What's happening here?" Nya asked, walking in, Cole groaning in annoyance. "Why is everyone bothering me today?" "Oh, don't be like that Cole, no harm in us being here." Nya stated, giving a wide grin. "I was dragged against my will" (Y/n) stated, causing Nya to giggle slightly.

"Ha! Found it!" Cole exclaimed, showing the photo of a trophy that held a certain important item. "How do you have a photo of the fangblade?" Nya asked, tilting her head a bit. "Back where I grew up, there's this big competition, where every year the winner gets the blade cup, my dad has won it a couple of times."

"What did the events consist of, trophies aren't given for free." (Y/n) stated, showing a slight interest. "Ah, he's.. a blacksmith..." "Nothing to be ashamed of, Kai said our dad was a blacksmith too, but I don't think they have competitions-" "That's because he's not a blacksmith-blacksmith, he's a royal blacksmith."

Cole flips through another page, showing what most likely is his father with three other people. "That's your dad?" Jay snickers. "How did it even become a trophy in the first place?" Nya asked. "Theres this guy, I think his name is Dutch Powers, he collect ancient artifacts." Cole closes the book, stretching a bit. "The winners get the trophy each year."

"That's good, if the fangblade is at that talent show then we have a huge lead!" Nya exclaimed. "Not that long of a lead, if the serpents go where they are expecting a fangblade, I say we have a day before they find out where it is currently being kept." (Y/n) theorized. "You're surprisingly chatty." Jay stated, getting a shrug from her. "That information was given to my ally, you were just in hearing proximity."

"Alright, so then you go to your dad and ask where the fangblade is." Nya cuts in, pushing inbetween Jay and (Y/n). "We can't, he thinks I'm in Ninjago city training at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts." Cole stated, hugging the book closer. "But when I found out I couldn't dance, I just ran away, if I go back he'll see I've been lying in all the letters I've wrote."

"So your father has no knowledge of you being a ninja?" (Y/n) asked. "What, gonna crack a joke that my old man wears a tutu." "Two two?" The girl looked at him confused. Nya placed a hand on the earth ninja, giving a small smile. "If we have any chance of getting the fangblade before the Serpentine then we need to get that trophy as fast as possible."

Cole looked at the cover of the book and sighed. "Alright, let's get this over with..."

___

"Put your weapons in the case." Cole ordered. Jay immediately took the order, while Nya and (Y/n) were a bit hesitant. "Come on, Nya if you put your weapon in, so will (Y/n)." Nya groaned before putting in her gear, (Y/n) doing the same. Nya smiled, she felt good that (Y/n) would follow whatever she did. It was a small gesture of trust but still had a great impact on her.

Cole let out a sigh, before knocking. The door opened up to an angry looking man. "Hey dad, been awhile!" Cole faked excitement. "What, to good for the doorbell?" He slammed the door closed, leaving the four shocked. "Use the bell, son." Cole did just that, hearing male voices harmonize welcome.

"Did your father trap someone?" (Y/n) stared at the door confused. "Come in my son, how long has it been?" He asked, hugging Cole. "What did you bring, a quartet?" He asked, walking to the three behind Cole.  "two beautiful young ladies and a handsome young man." Cole groaned, sliding a hand across his face.

"I'm Lou, Cole's father." He said, shaking  Jay's hand and kissing the two girl's knuckles. "I'm Nya, He's Jay and this is (Y/n)." She responds. "Please come in, make yourselves at home." They all enter his home, Nya politely thanking him. "So, what brings my son to visit after all this time, what do you need?" Before Cole could say anything, Jay scooted beside him. "Hypocrite." He whispered, Cole growled, pushing the blue ninja away from him.

"Ahem, so we're doing a final project about the history of ninjago talent, and we were wondering how to get our hands on the blade cup?" His voice got smaller with every word. His father paused, slowly turning to his son. "You're talking about getting your hands on THE blade cup, the most prized and guarded award of all Ninjago, you don't just get it, you earn it." Lou lectured. "You have to exhibit style. Perfect pitch. Push the boundaries of artistic license and win this year's Ninjago Talent Show!"

"I suppose that would not be much of a problem, my ally and I are very talented." (Y/n) stated, standing beside Nya. "I believe our problem is timing, when is this competition?" Lou eyes began to become teary. "Is this why you came, you knew I was injured and when my quartet insisted we shan't go on you four have come to take our place?" Cole tried to protest but was cut off by his father. "My son, bringing forth the next generation of royal blacksmiths, come now, let me hear the sweet sound of harmony."

"Harmony!" Jay sang, doing a small pose.

"Harmony.!" Nya cringed at her voice cracking a bit, but kept going.

"Harmony?" (Y/n) was confused as to why they were suddenly say that but joined either way.

Cole's embarrassment only grew. "Look dad, we only need the trophy-" "Yeah! We're bringing home the gold and we want you to train us!" Nya quickly chirped in, getting a glare from the black ninja. Lou wiped a small tear from his eye, looking at the four teens with a wide smile. "I have never been more proud, if you'll excuse me, I need to go write a song of my feelings."

After Lou left, Cole had turned to Nya. "What did you go and do that for!?" He yelled, not loud enough for his father to hear but loud enough to be intimidating. "I know you're mad, but you heard what (Y/n) said, we have about a day before the Serpentine find out the blade isn't where it's supposed to be." She answered, putting distance between herself and Cole. "Let's humor him for a bit, and once we get close enough to the fangblade we'll  take it."

(Y/n) nodded, lookong at Cole. "That is the best route to take, for now." "And hey, it's just a little singing, I'm  not a bad singer, so it shouldn't be that hard." Jay tried reassuring his friend. "Ha! You've obviously never heard of my father's reputation." He shook his head, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Let's get this over with."

For three hours straight, Lou was harsh with there training. "From the top!" He said, hitting his cane onto the floor. "Five, six, seven, eight!"

"Bop till you drop!"

"Shake it till you break it!"

"Move it till you lose it~"

"Spin it till you win it."

"Ugh, no no no, if my ears weren't attached to my head they'd be running away." Lou walked behind the group, measuring them up. "Nya, love the energy, hate the hair." He said, bonking her head. "Ack!" "Jay, you're giving a lot but I need more." He stopped behind (Y/n), giving a smile. "(Y/n), you were absolutely perfect, don't change a thing." The girl turned a bit red at the compliment, and nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Cole, try and pretend that you genuinely want to be here."

He walked back to the piano, taking a seat. "Alright, moving forward, let's lppk at the big show-stopping climax, we can't have history repesting itself, Cole." His son groaned, rolling his eyes. "Dad, it was the Triple Tiger Sashay, I was seven." "What's the Triple Tiger Sashay?" Nya asked, wanting to postpone the intense training. "Only the most difficult dance move ever created!" Cole exclaimed. "True, many professionals dared try their luck, but it has never been successfully completed." Implying that people have done the whole routine but somehow gotten hurt.

"Which in the back of someone's crazy mind, thought a SEVEN YEAR OLD could magically do it, but he ended up falling on his face humiliating himself and letting down his quartet." Cole huffed, crossing his arms. "The competition is tomorrow afternoon, not enough time, but we'll make due, go on now, get some rest." Lou stated, pushing the group into a room. "I'll be back with some extra blankets, Cole, let the young ladies sleep on your bed, you can sleep on the floor." "Whatever dad."

After Lou brought the extra blankets, they all moved things around to get comfortable. Well, (Y/n) wasn't  helping, she was looking at the photos around the room. There was one in particular that drew her attention. It was a photo of a young woman, holding onto a small child. (Y/n) pressed her fingertips onto the photo, her eyes glowing that voilet color.

'You're going to grow up and be a wonderful young man, my sweet baby boy.'

(Y/n) flinched when that small memory was suddenly gone, now seeing the photo laid down flat, a hand pressed onto it. "The bed is ready, you can sleep now." Cole said, his eyes and hand never leaving the photo. (Y/n) was a bit hesitant, patting the head of the earth ninja. "She was very lovely, Cole." She said, going to the bed where Nya laid.

Cole let out a heavy sigh, picking up the photo. He looked at it for a while, his hands shaking. When it became unbearable, he threw it into a drawer, going to the floor and falling asleep.

___

"I absolutely hate this!" (Y/n) screeched, scratching at the small skirt, as if she was trying to rip it off. "(Y/n), honey, stop." Nya laughed, trying to get her friend to calm down. "I don't know about any of you but I feel like I rock this outfit." Jay cooed, doing a few poses, being overly confident. "Oh, well, I am so glad you are enjoying these torturous apparel, Jay." She hissed, glaring daggers at the blue ninja. Jay smiled as she said his name, it sounded threatening, but he was happy nonetheless.

"Well, you don't have to worry about wearing that any longer." Cole said, pushing his hat off. "We're this close to getting that blade cup, just keep acting natural until we can steal it." The three froze as he said that, causing the master of earth to become confused until he heard his father's voice. "You... were going to steal it?" Lou voice sounded as if it had been shattered.

"Dad... I didn't mean for you to hear that." He started, having a regretful look plastered onto his face. "But... But I'm glad you did, there's something we need to talk about." He began walking towards his father. "All this time you thought I was singing or dancing, is the time I was actually training to become a ninja." He stopped in front of his father. "Dad, what we're doing, it's right, we need to steal that fangblade- I mean blade cup, if we don't then there's going to be bad people who will, Serpentine, people will get hurt."

Lou, looked away momentarily, before looking back at his son. "I'm proud of who I am... Can you be proud for me too?" He asked, opening his arms wide, his smile grew. His father backed away shaking his head. "I will never be proud of a son who thinks stealing is right, I will not sit and watch you as you make a mockery of our family's legacy." "Dad wait-" His father left without uttering another word.

Cole's arms fell to his side, Jay rushing over to check on his friend. "You okay, man?" He asked, placing a hand on his back. "Yeah, feels good to get all that off my chest." Nya frowned, grabbing his hand with both of hers. "I'm sure he didn't mean any of that, he'll come around."

Just then, a group of snakes with wigs came out from behind a door. "Ha, I was correct, it took them a day to find out." (Y/n) stated, pleased with how accurate she was. "Guess we weren't the only ones planning on stealing that cup." Jay stated. "And Pythor's one of the judges, go figure." Nya rolled her eyes, stepping away from the curtains.

"What do we do, Cole?" Nya asked. "Whatever you say, we'll follow." Jay said with a smile. Nya nudged (Y/n), trying to get her to say words of encouragement. "In the end we will get the fangblade, whether you choose to steal or win it." Cole cheered up a bit at there attempts. "Alright, let's win this thing, but we'll win it our way." (Y/n) perked up at that. "Could I rip these off of me then?" "Don't do it here." Cole chuckled awkwardly."

The four went to change into something more casual while the group of serpents sang. The crowd was covering there ears, groaning at the distasteful sound. "Ah, what lovely song they sing." Pythor hummed, putting up a sign with the number ten. They other two pulled up numbers of six, but quickly changed into a nine after pythor's hissing threats. "Next up on stage, Spin Harmony!"

One by one, the four turned around to face the crowd and begin there dance. In such a short amount of time they pulled a quick routine, while Nya was still messing uo in a few places, (Y/n) was there to cover it up and make it unnoticeable, which Nya was incredibly grateful for.

Serpentine were given an order by Skales to attack, as they made there way onto the stage. Jay and Cole were the only ones doing the fighting. (Y/n) kept Nya close to her, as she knew none of the serpents would dare try to combat her.

As the song was nearing its end, Cole did the most difficult dance move that's been created. "HE'S DONE IT, HE'S DANCED THE UNDANCEABLE!" The commenter yelled, shaking one of the judges with excitement. This lead to them getting two tens, while Pythor gave them a zero, with a smug look.

(Y/n) gave a smile smirk, snapping her fingers as her eyes glowed. Pythor's sign flickered a voilet color, changing into a ten. "Wait! I didn't put that!" He yelled, desperately trying to erase the number. "See, we would have won eaither way." She stated smugly, getting Nya to giggle. "Oh, what would we do without you." She cooed.

While Cole, Nya and Jay went backstage to gloat victory, (Y/n) stayed in the front, watching as some fans went to there favorite contestants. "I thought you would have stayed in the underworld." (Y/n) said, turning to the pair of skeletons. "Awe, no I miss you, or how awesome we are, you're very cold (Y/n)." She only glared at the two. "What is it, why are you here?"

Nuckal pounced to her side, placing an arm around her shoulder. "We just wanted to hear how life is in the realm of Ninjago." He answered, placing a pink flower into her hand. She looked at it for a bit, her face twisting in confusion. "Why did you give me this." "Awe, don't tell me you forgot what it meant." Nuckal faked saddness, but it didn't last long as a smile immediately replaced it.

"No, I know what it means, just... why do you miss me?" She betrayed them, in the end they knew it would end like this, but they always continued to stay with her. "What happened to Samukai left us lost and confused, but in the end of it all, you were following orders, why would we blame you?" Kruncha asked, ruffling the girl's hair. That was an easy answer. 'Everyone always blamed me'. "Besides, we're fine now, nothing really changed, we're all still the same, bones and everything." Nuckal ripped his arm from his body, doing a small wave with it.

(Y/n) looked back down at the flower, smiling. With a glow of her hand, an extra pink flower appeared, she handed them back to the two. "I suppose I did have a slight hint of home sickness." She said, causing the two skeletons to show excitement. While Kruncha was harder to notice, Nuckal let out every emotion he felt, bringing them all into a  tight hug.

___

They all sat down at there table, now in the bounty, Mrs. Walker was preparing a meal for them. It took a while for her to calm down after a day of not being present, but after that storm was over with, the three needed to face a different storm. (Y/n).

"How. In under five minutes I am not there, do you lose the fangblade?" Of course she was angered, she hand to wear clothing that was very uncomfortable for five hours before they decided to wear something comfortable. And in the end, the toture was in vain. "Don't get too mad at them, Cole was having a bonding moment with his dad, and then he got crushed." Nya answered.

She let out a sigh, unfolding her arms. "Not all was in vain, if I remember correctly, you had mentioned Cole has unlocked his true potential." Zabe chimed in. "Yup, super strength, this'll come in handy." He chuckled to himself. "So I guess that leaves Kai, speaking of which, where is my idiotic big brother?" Zane thought for a bit, before shrugging. "He never landed the bounty, Kai should still be on board."

The group of teens then heard a voice shouting fire, but not out of fear. "Huh, think Kai unlocked his too?" Jay asked. "We could check." And that's what they had done, only to find the red ninja in a green suit, hyping himself up. (Y/n) found it a bit sad while the rest of the group found it hilarious. "The color is not what makes the ninja." She told him, watching his face turn bright.

"Shut up! Quit laughing!" He shouted at her. "I am the only one who did not find this humorous-" "Woah! The green ninja suit." Jay said in awe. "I was thinking that maybe, if I wore it, it might give me a clue on unlocking my potential." Kai justified. "Well, Sensei Wu would most certainly be angered by the fact of you are wearing the gi." "Well Sensei isn't here! And who knows how long he'll be gone, leaving us running on a wild goose chase--" "Hello? I'm home!" Kai's eyes widen with fear, the rest of the team happily ran towards there master, and (Y/n) annoyingly followed behind.

The group hugged their Sensei. "It's good to be back." He sighed, hugging them gently. (Y/n) was about to leave until she noticed something behind the old man. She smiled walking towards it before coming to a stop and freezing completely. He held something in his hand, a yellow flower. It spun between his fingertips, as he slowly looked up at her. It was a carnation flower to be exact. "Hello, child." She hated that flower.