Jay pushed past the others, rushing to the Samurai's towering mech, ignoring his massive blade rising, prepared to strike. You're no different from these snakes. He thought, gritting his teeth.

Jay skidded to a halt, glaring into the cockpit and meeting the Samurai's concealed eyes. The others were calling for him to get back, but he wasn't planning on stepping away any time soon. Not now, not ever.

"Hey, asshole!" He shouted above the snakes' cheers and his teammates' pleas.

The Samurai tilted his head downward, expressionless.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you!" Jay raised his fists. "If you did anything to Nya, I'll kick your ass!"

The Samurai stepped back, his crimson goggles still staring deeply into Jay's eyes. It may have been his imagination, but he could have sworn the bastard was shaking. Good. You deserve it.

In the distance, he could hear Kai and Pythor cackling, and soon the whole area erupted into laughter. Jay swallowed, standing tall. "I mean it! Now you all better tell me where to fuck she is!"

"Calm down, Jay." Kai called out to him, his laughter coming to a close. "We haven't seen my sister anywhere."

"Enough about the girl." Pythor growled, silencing Kai. "We all came here for a fight! You all best begin, or there will be no man left alive!"

Jay swiveled his head back to the Samurai, only to almost have it taken off. The blade barely missed him by an inch, the Samurai using all of his force to swipe at him.

"Hah! You- You missed me!" Jay called breathlessly, stumbling backward. His heart pounded in his ears as he retreated back to the team, the Samurai's mech reworking itself to stand up again.

"Welcome back, Romeo." Cole rose a bushy brow.

"Shut up, Cole." Jay panted, narrowing his eyes. "Nya could be hurt, and you're making jokes..."

"Guys, I believe we may have bigger problems." Zane spoke up before any arguments could break out. The Samurai thrust a spinning blade at them, once again narrowly missing them.

"What is this, preschool?" Kai suddenly scoffed. "I wanna see some blood!" He stormed to the edge of the area, shouting, "Chop these guys up how you cut up my armies! Or are you scared of the ninja?" He laughed, throwing a red-hot stone at the mech. "Are you their little bitch?"

That seemed to do it for the Samurai. He tightened his grip on his blade and sent it flying towards Kai and Pythor. Kai cried in alarm, retreating back to where Skales was sitting.

"Funny. The only little bitch I see around here is you." The Samurai's robotic voice drawled out loudly.

The arena was reduced to hushed whispers and chuckles at this. Jay's mouth dropped open. If he didn't despise the guy, he would have laughed out loud at that.

Pythor narrowed his magenta eyes, reaching for a lever. "You may think you're so clever, but I am in control of this fight."

With a pull, spikes shot up around the arena's border, and before any of them could make a jump for the weapons and Lloyd, the floor began to tilt underneath them. The ninja and the Samurai tumbled towards the deep pit under the arena, all saved by the long, sturdy spikes. Tightening their grip, the ninja all panicked, unsure of what to do next.

"How the hell are you holding on?" Cole asked the Samurai, staring at his heavy mech.

"I won't be able to hold on for much longer." The Samurai responded.

"Oh, so now you talk." Jay frowned.

"I never had the chance." He shot back. "Now is not the time-"

"Nya's in danger, you asshole, and I'll bet you have something to do with it!"

"Jay, let him speak!" Zane urged.

Jay rolled his eyes, but motioned for the Samurai to speak anyway.

"In case you haven't noticed, I've been missing you on purpose."

"Oh, really?" Cole scoffed. "I just thought you sucked at combat."

"Wait, wait." Jay shook his head. "You... haven't been fighting us for real?"

The Samurai narrowed his eyes. "Just keep up the charade and hold onto my exo-suit."

"Like... jump on?" Jay rose a brow.

"Yes!"

The ninja all swung themselves forward and landed on the suit, clinging on. The Samurai started up the engine in his jets, sending them soaring into the air. Before they could escape, the Samurai himself jumped out of the cockpit and into the arena.

The mech soared into the sky, the three ninja clinging on for dear life as the arena grew smaller and smaller in the desert sand.

"I hate that Samurai." Jay muttered, leaning over to the cockpit and trying to control the mech.

"He'd better rescue Lloyd and get our weapons back." Cole frowned. "Or else this whole thing is pointless."

"Not to mention he just wanted to push us out of the way." Jay added. "Just so he could steal our thunder!"

"Jay, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Zane asked suddenly. "Because we're falling at an alarming rate."

"What? Oh, shit!"

Before Jay could figure out how to pull up, the mech crashed into the sand, separating him from the rest of the team. He stirred for a moment before blacking out, sand billowing around his body.
-
Nya held a tight grip on the weapons, praying that the boys got home safely. Her mech was still pretty new... and speaking of which-

Her jet pack sputtered before sending her plummeting to the sand. She stuck an awkward landing, thankful that she wasn't too far from the ground. Glancing around, she spotted Jay's bright blue uniform a mile ahead of her and gasped.

She sprinted towards him, calling his name. Thankfully, her identity was still concealed, her voice modulated. Kneeling next to him, she slapped his cheek lightly to jolt him awake.

Jay came back to consciousness and sat up, spitting, sand covering his entire body. He scowled once he met eyes with her. "What the hell do you want?"

Nya felt a pang in her chest hearing him say this, but she remembered that she was wearing a mask. It isn't you he's mad at. It's not you. "I... came to return these." She handed him the golden weapons, swallowing. "I couldn't reach Lloyd. I'm sorry."

Jay took the weapons, biting his lip. "And Nya?"

Nya swallowed, fabricating a quick lie. "She was in the custody of Skales. Kai didn't know... I was able to release her and return her stolen jetpack." Nya pointed at a random flying dot on her bracelet. "She's heading to the Destiny's Bounty now."

"Oh god..." Jay sucked in a shaky breath. "Did they hurt her? What did she tell you?"

Nya felt her heart race, thinking about the disgusting snake that... that... Oh god... what am I going to tell him? What the fuck did he do to me? What do I-

"Hey, come on, tell me!" Jay pressed on. "Please. I-I need to know if she's okay."

"I'm sorry, she-" Nya shook her head. "She wouldn't tell me anything. She ran off as soon as I freed her." She paused for a moment, thinking. "But... she did ask me if you were okay. She kept saying your name." Nya placed a hand on his shoulder. "You should talk to her. She looked like she had been through..." Nya drew in a shaky breath, feeling the anxiety close up her throat once more. "A lot. Please."
 
Jay exhaled, biting his lip. "Oh god... That's my girl. Always putting other people before herself." He nodded slowly. "I'll talk to her. I care about her, you know?"

Nya nodded, feeling tears brim her eyes. "Yeah. I know."

"Listen..." Jay swallowed. "Those things I said earlier... I was just worried about Nya. I let it cloud my mind and my judgment, you- you know?" Jay chewed on his lip more. "You aren't that bad of a guy. Thank you... for looking out for her." He glanced up, his baby blue eyes watering with tears.

Nya stood up, summoning her mech. "Go meet with the others, ninja."

"Jay." He swallowed. "Please. Call me Jay."

"Jay." Nya nodded. "I have a feeling we will be meeting again. Very soon."

And, without another word, Nya sprinted for the oncoming mech, leaping into the cockpit and soaring away.