In a deep jungle, was Lloyd hiding from nindroids. Taking them out one by one without getting caught. Soon he entered a cave and dodged laser, before accidentally trigging one. More nindroids appeared and started to attack him, but he used spinjitsu to take them out. With a rope around his waist, he entered a hole in the ground and reached for the golden armor, when it suddenly disappeared. Wu, Cyrus and Julien walked in. "You got closer than I thought you would." Cyrus said and Julien nodded in agreement. "Especially with the nindroids's new updates." He pointed towards the nindroids who was fixing themselves after the training.

After Overlord was destroyed, Julien and Cyrus managed to reprogram the nindroids to be on their side. So they gladly helped with training and being guards of Borg's industries. "If I can't steal the golden armor, I'd be surprised if anyone else could. It's secure, but where is the real one?" Lloyd asked as they headed out of the training room. "Some secrets are best kept safe." Cyrus answered as Wu looked around. "Lloyd, where are the other ninja? I asked for all of you to take part in this test." Lloyd expression dropped while he looked away.

"Uh, they, uh, they really wanted to be here, but they, uh...all had other plans." Cyrus let out a saddened sigh. "I understand perfectly well. The loss of Zane has affected us all. I haven't even heard word from my assistant Pixal since his memorial. It's heartbreaking." Julien nodded. "Some nights I can't sleep without thinking about Zane and how I miss him." Cyrus grabbed his hand in comfort. "If we dwell too long on what's missing, we fail to see what can be gained. The absence of Zane will either tear you four apart or bring you closer together. The choice is yours." Wu said and Lloyd nodded. "I'll do what I can, but it won't be easy." He said. "The greatest lessons never are." Wu answered.

At a TV studio was Jay walking onto stage, now a host of a game show. "Most Ultimate Extreme Ninja Challenge Ever!" The audience exclaimed in unison. "I'm Jay, Ninjago's most lovable ninja, here before the gauntlet of humility to see who will be Ninjago's next hero, and whose dreams will be gone, in a flash!" Jay winked and used his powers to fly onto a platform where a contestant were standing. "I'm here with Cathy, tireless mother of four, pillar of the PTA, and returning contestant. Tell me, Cathy, after being humbled by the gauntlet the first time, what makes you think this'll be any different?" He asked.

"Because ninja never quit!" Cathy shouted and Jay chuckled. "Okay, Cathy. Start the doomsday clock!" The timer started and Cathy went through the obstacles course, before getting hit by a giant boxing glove. Everyone gasped as Jay ran up to her. "Heh, I got further than last time!" She exclaimed and everyone cheered. When the show was over, had Jay arrived to his dressing room. His eyes landed on a group photo of them all, soon landing on Zane. "Ninja never quit, huh, Zane?" A sorrowful sighe escaped him.

Lloyd's voice soon startled him. "The team needs you now more than ever." Jay quickly turned around to see Lloyd. "How did you get in here?" He asked. "I'm a ninja, and you are wearing makeup." Lloyd smirked and Jay scoffed. "Hey, hey, hey, hey. It's concealer, a time-honored tool of the ninja. And what do you mean "team?" Without Zane it's not the same. Sure me, Cole and Kaya are still in contact because I'm going to be their ultra best man on their wedding. But being a team after what happened, it won't work." Lloyd sighed. "You don't belong here, Jay. This isn't you. You're the master of lightning, not the master of game shows. You know where I'll be if you change your mind." He soon was gone without a trace.

Cole was chopping wood in blackwood forest, dressed as a lumberjack. "The team needs you now more than ever." Lloyd said from a branch over him. "I thought I was good with a scythe. Turns out, I'm even better with an axe. Ugh, I'm tired of fighting, Lloyd. Tired of everything ninja related. Out here, no one knows who you are. No one expects anything of you. Me and Kaya can start a new, normal life. Without anything related to being a ninja." Cole answered and Lloyd shook his head. "But what would Zane expect? You're the master of earth, Cole. you don't belong in trees. Your feet should be on the ground. You can't hide who you are." This made Cole think a little.

"Sorry, Green machine, this is my life now." Suddenly a pile of logs fell and the other worker panicked before Cole quickly jumped down and used his powers to stop the logs. The other workers cheered. "Who is he?" One of them asked. "Not one of us." Another one answered. Cole grunted before packing up and leaving. "If you change your mind, Cole, you know where I'll be." Lloyd said before disappearing.

Kaya was at her old boss Nick's dojo, teaching kids self-defense and martial arts. The class consisted of both humans and snakes. After helping the citizens when Overlord was the golden master, the citizens welcomed the snakes as one of them. "Good keep it up. Now remember, the important thing isn't the attack. It's the defense. Without it, you would be defeated very fast." Kaya said with a gentle smile. "Yes Sensei Kaya." The kids bowed before class ended. "Okay everyone. That's it for today." Kaya changed into her normal clothes.

(Kaya's new civilian outfit)

Nick walked up to her with a paycheck. "I gotta say Kaya. You really know how to train those kids." Kaya nodded. "Thanks. Being a ninja really helped." She said before seeing her check. "Nick, this is too much for how much I've worked." Nick just shook his head. "You deserve it. You're the best teacher I've ever had." They both smiled at eachother before Kaya headed home. On her way, Lloyd showed up. "The team needs you more then ever." He said and Kaya smiled gently at him. "Oh. Hi Green bean. I know that we should assemble the team again, but without Zane. It's not the same." She looked down at the ground.

"I know Kaya. But we need to do it. Without the ninja Ninjago is unprotected. You know it's true. If you change your minds, you know where I'll be." Lloyd said before Kaya looked up and saw him being gone. With a heavy sigh she went to Zane's Statue. Around it people left flowers to honor him, even the falcon was still on it's shoulders. Kaya smiled at the statue and put some flowers infront of it. "Don't worry Zane. We won't drift apart." She said before hearing movement behind her. Quickly, she turned around but didn't see anyone.

Her eyes scanned the area before she gently smiled. "Okay young man. I know you're there." She said before the person made himself visible. It was a young anacondrai named Pyther.

(Pyther. And before you ask about the hair. In chapter four of the season three chapters, I made a point that in this fic, snakes can get hair, but it's really rare)

"Pyther, you know you shouldn't sneak up on people." Pyther smiled a little. "I know mom. But I can't help it." Kaya giggled a little before smiling gently pulling him into a motherly hug. "It's okay. Let's go home." She said before they headed home. After Zane's memorial, both Kaya and Cole found Pyther who was the second last anacondrai. His eggs had survived for years before hatching. So he was forced to survive on his own for a year before Kaya and Cole found him and adopted him. He was so happy for it.

(A/N. Yes, Pyther is in this book. I love him and don't wanna throw him away.)

The two soon arrived at their apartment where Cole already was. "Hi Firefly, hi sport. How was your day?" He asked before Kaya gave him a small kiss. "Good. The students are doing great." She answered. "Me and the other kids played football. It was fun. Even if I don't have feet." Pyther playfully said before Cole hugged him. "Atleast you had fun. That's the most important." Kaya nodded before seeing his work bag. "I guess the tree business didn't go well." A sigh escaped from Cole. "No. The others found out about my powers, and now I will stick out. Just what I wanted to avoid." He looked down.

Kaya was starting to make dinner while thinking about Lloyd. "Did Lloyd talk to you too?" She asked and Cole nodded. "Yeah. He's right about gathering the team again, but it doesn't feel right without Zane." An agreeing nod came from Kaya. "I know. But I think Zane would want us to go on and assemble the team. If it was me, I would have wanted that." Cole smiled before pulling her into his arms. "You're right. As always, you know how to convince me." Kaya giggled before they shared a kiss. "Ew, please don't do that infront of me." Pyther said as his parents laughed.

Later that evening after putting Pyther to bed, the two went to Chen's noodle house. It was the most famous restaurant in the whole city. As they walked in, Lloyd stood up. "Kaya, Cole back here." He said before they came to sit. That's when they saw Jay already sitting there. "Hi Jay." Kaya said and Jay smiled a little at them. "Hi guys. Guess the runt tricked us all." Cole looked at the food on the conveyor belt and tried to take some. But Lloyd stopped him. "We talk first, then eat." With a sigh they sat down. "Okay. Make it quick." Cole said and Lloyd took a deep breath.

"I know that without Zane, things have been different, but we have to move on. The reason I brought you all here is because... maybe we should add someone new to our team." This caused the others to look at him as if he was crazy. "A new ninja?" Kaya asked. "Are you crazy!?" Jay exclaimed. "Come on, Zane's irreplaceable!" Cole argued and Lloyd sighed. "I cared for him too, but now it's time to care about this team." Kaya gave him a gentle look. "Lloyd, I know you mean well, but we can't just replace Zane. That's not right." They all looked down in sorrow, when suddenly three thugs walked in.

Jay nervously looked at them. "Oh. Don't look now, but we've got trouble." He pointed towards them, and they all watched as they forced the owner to open the register and giving them money. Then they put him on the conveyor belt, laughing. "Excuse me, it's not polite to touch someone else's food." Cole said with his arms crossed as they went up to the thugs. "I'd listen if I were you. He's no fun to be around when he's hangry." Kaya said before they started to fight. She quickly jumped onto the conveyor belt and kicked food plates at the thugs. "We still make a good team." Cole nodded as he grabbed the food that Kaya kicked.

"Yeah, mmm. Everything's better on a full stomach." He smirked before one of the thugs named Eyezor shattered one of the plates. "Hey, I was gonna eat that." Cole said and threw him onto the conveyor belt. Kaya and Lloyd threw the others onto the belt aswell as Jay used his powers to speed it up, making the thugs fly off. "How can you walk away from this?" Lloyd said with a smirk before they saw the thugs running out of the back. "Hey, let's get them, guys." Cole said before they ran after them.

But when they arrived in the back alley, the thugs was gone. "Oh, where did they go? Huh?" Kaya said before seeing a table with a not and fortune cookies. "What's this?" Lloyd asked before they saw the picture on the note, making them gasp. "It's Zane." Kaya pointed out. "What does it say?" Cole asked as Lloyd read the note. "It says, he's alive." The others gasped. "I don't think those thugs were delivering a message to the noodle house. I think they were delivering a message, to us." Kaya said in shock.

"What do you mean it says he's alive?" Jay asked and Lloyd turned towards him. "Hey, I'm just telling you what it says." They all started to wonder. "Why would these thugs lead us here?" Kaya asked as Cole crossed his arms. "You know, this has to be some cruel joke. And I'm not laughing." Soon Lloyd looked at the fortune cookies. "Look. I think this was meant for us too." Jay scoffed. "Fortune cookies? Very peculiar." Lloyd looked at the others. "Should we?" Before they could react, had Cole already eaten one. "Uh, dear. You do realize there's a fortune inside, right?" Kaya said and Cole chuckled. "Oh, so that's why they're called that." Kaya just laughed.

Lloyd started to read. "Listen to this. Master Chen has personally invited you to participate in his tournament of elements." Cole looked at him in shock. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that Mr. Chen, the same guy filling my belly with delicious goodness, is actually master Chen?" Kaya continued to read. "Secrecy is of the utmost importance. Tell no one, or suffer the consequences." Jay read the last part. "If you ever want to see your friend again, meet on the pier, tomorrow at midnight and leave your weapons behind." Suddenly the fortunes exploded, including the one Cole ate. But luckily, he just burped without any injuries. "Uhh. At least I know I was invited." They all started to laugh before Lloyd looked at the others, his mind full of questions.

"You don't think..." Kaya nodded. "It could be a trap. A lie to lure us in." She said and Jay looked at them. "Yeah, but what if it's not? What if Zane's alive?" Lloyd thought about the fortune. "The tournament of elements. I'm starting to think this master Chen makes more than noodles." Kaya looked at the others with a smirk. "You can forget bringing in a new ninja, Lloyd. Let's go see about an old one." They all nodded in agreement.

The next day at Garmadon's monastery, was he watching Julien, Wu and Nya working on something. "Hm, are you planning on fixing the Bounty?" Nya nodded. "Yeah, but we could use some help." Julien smiled. "With our mechanical skills, we'll do great." Garmadon walked off towards Lloyd's room. Lloyd meanwhile was packing for the tournament. He reached for some weapons, before stopping himself as he remembered that they needed to leave weapons behind. Garmadon soon knocked and walked in. "I was just on my way to help Nya, Wu and Julien restore the Bounty. Would you like to join? Guess you could say it's all hands on deck." He chuckled and Lloyd shook his head. "Uh, sorry. The others and I are going fishing. Team building exercise." This made Garmadon shine up a little. "Hm, good to hear the team's back together." Lloyd then started to think a little.

"Dad, our elemental power...are there others out there with powers like us?" He asked and Garmadon looked at him confused. "Why do you ask?" With a nervous expression, Lloyd scratched his neck. "No reason. It was just on my mind." Garmadon got more confused before noticing a takeout box with the noodle house's logo. "See ya. Early bird catches the worm." Lloyd said before leaving. Garmadon looked suspiciously as Lloyd didn't take his fishing rod with him. He looked back at the box before realizing. "Chen." He hissed.

Kaya and Cole came to Nya's samurai cave with Pyther with them. "Hey sis, we and the others will go fishing for a couple of days. Mind looking after Pyther for us?" Nya smiled. "I don't mind at all. Go have fun, I'll look after him." Cole then looked at Pyther. "Okay Pyther, you listen to Nya and behave. Okay?" Pyther nodded. "I promise. I won't misbehave." He soon got hugged by the two. "See you in a few days." Kaya said and kissed his head before she and Cole left. Pyther turned to Nya with a smile. "Can I help you with the Bounty?" He asked. "Ofcourse. I'll teach you about mechanics." Nya answered and Pyther smiled big.

Night arrived and the ninja arrived at the pier where more elemental masters were. Kaya looked around. "Sensei was right about it being more elemental masters. Wonder what powers they have?" Lloyd sighed. "When I asked my dad about it, he got really suspicious. Like there's something he's keeping from me." Cole looked at him with a serious expression. "The fortune cookie said, tell no one or else there'd be consequences." Lloyd calmed him down. "Relax, we're cool. We don't know yet if this is a trap. Wherever they take us, we have to stick together." Soon a man walked up to them, his name was Clouse.

"Master Chen will be charmed to see you've accepted his offer. A master of spinjitzu shall fare favorably in his tournament." He smirked and Jay looked at him with an annoyed expression. "Hey, we're not here to fight. We're here to save a friend." Clouse grabbed his nunchuks. "Don't be so petty, master Jay. Everyone here has something to fight for." Jay nervously laughed. "Chopsticks. I'm a big eater, heh." His eyes widened when Clouse threw the nunchuks into the water, letting them sink down.

They all walked onto the boat before Garmadon's voice was heard. "Lloyd, wait! If you get on that boat, you may never return." Lloyd looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing here, Dad?" He asked. "Master Chen is a dangerous man who should never be trusted. Whatever he promised you, do not believe him." Clouse looked at Garmadon with a hint of hatred. "Lord Garmadon. It's been a while. It's Sensei now, correct? I can't remember." Garmadon glared at him. "Clouse. I see master Chen still has you running his errands." This made Clouse grit his teeth.

"I have to go, Dad. This is about Zane. It's about family. If we're ever going to be whole again, I have to get on that ship." Lloyd said before walking onto the boat. "Last call. Are you in, or out?" Clouse said and Garmadon sighed. "I can't stop you, son, but I can join you." He was about to walk onto the boat, when Clouse stopped him. "Sorry, no more room in the ship." Garmadon looked at him. "No room?" With that, he jumped onto the boat and kicked one of the thugs off. "I stand corrected. There's room now." Clouse scoffed and Garmadon looked at him. "Don't worry, I'm not here to compete. Only to look out for my interests." Soon the boat started to move.

The ninja watched all the other master displaying their powers. "You know him. You said his name's Clouse." Lloyd said to Garmadon who continued to glare at Clouse. "Don't be fooled by his attire. He is a master of dark arts, and master Chen's number two." Lloyd looked around. "How come other elemental masters show up now? Why haven't we seen any before." Garmadon looked at him. "They stayed hidden, not wanting to draw much attention to themselves like you have. Unlike you, they rather live a normal life than being a hero." The ninja looked at the different masters.

"Everyone on this ship is a descendant of the original elemental masters. The first spinjitzu master's guardians, each endowed with an elemental power that has passed down through generations." Garmadon informed and Kaya thought a little. "If that's true, then so is my sister Nya. But she hasn't shown any signs of powers." She said and Garmadon looked at her. "Power lies in all of you. It only needs to be awoken. The fighters here serve no master and have managed to unlock their own true potential. For instance, that pale man. A distant relative to the master of light. Watch closely and you'll see how he's stayed hidden all these years." Mr. Pale turned invisible, surprising the ninja.

Suddenly someone fast ran past them. "Then there's Griffin Turner. Grandson to the master of speed." Griffin grinned. "Hey, you can't lay a hand on me. I'm faster than fast. Swifter than swift." Jay scoffed. "Uh, master of speed? Pfft. That's not an element." Garmadon smirked. "So asks the master of lightning." The others chuckled as Jay crossed his arms. Kaya soon saw a girl with an orange outfit on. "What about her?" Garmadon shook his head. "I don't know. Most of these people I have not seen. But they will all be gunning for you. You are ninja. You serve with honor. Here, that means very little." He answered.

Suddenly a man named Karlof started to pull on the girl. Kaya glared at him. "Well, maybe honor means something to me." She walked up to them. "Hey! Leave her alone!" Karlof turned towards her. "This none of her business. Karlof cold. Karlof just want her cloak." Kaya glared at him. "May be so. But there's no need being a barbarian. How about Karlof starts using manners." Karlof glared at her before walking closer. "Karlof see that girl wanna fight." Before he could do anything, a purple aura surrounded him, keeping him in place. "I suggest you save that for the tournament, unless you wanna get thrown off the boat." A female voice said and everyone turned to see a girl with a cold expression on her face.

(The girl)

"Karlof will behave." Karlof said before being let go and waking off. Garmadon looked at the girl. "You're Clouse's daughter. Selena." He said and Selena nodded. "I am. My father asked me to help keeping order. So I suggest that you don't mess around until the tournament. It a pleasure seeing again, sensei Garmadon." She said before walking off. Lloyd couldn't help but look after her, feeling how his heart was beating a little. Jay noticed and smirked. "Oooohhh. Seems like someone's caught a certain love bug." Lloyd snapped out of his thoughts and blushed. "No I've not! Let's just focus on the tournament." He walked off as the others chuckled.

Kaya then walked up to the girl in orange. "Are you okay?" She asked and the girl nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for helping me. I'm Skylor by the way." She held out her hand. "Kaya." Kaya answered before they shook hands. Suddenly she felt a small tingle in her hand before Skylor walked off. "We're here. Welcome to Chen's island." Clouse informed and everyone watch in awe as the island was visible. He hid behind a crate and turned on a walkie-talkie.

"Master Chen, Garmadon has returned. He says he will be looking out for his interests." Chen was sitting on his throne and grinned. "Interesting. You worry too much, Clouse. Everything will work out. Just wait and see." He said and hung up before heading to the dungeon. "I swore to never return." Garmadon said as he looked at the island. "You know, you should never swear. It's a sign of weak verbal skills." Jay told him and Lloyd looked at the island with determination. "If Zane's on that island, we'll find him. We have to." The others nodded in agreement.

Chen arrived at the dungeon and stood infront of a cell with a grin. "I hold all the cards." He laughed as inside the cell, a titanium version of Zane opened his eyes.