" Did you expect this to happen?!" Mia yelled, covering her head to shield herself from the fire sparks, which, at the moment, were flying everywhere.

" After everything we've gone through, yes." Nelson replied, running to the controls and shutting it down.

" Sheesh, they never stop coming." Mia muttered, dusting her clothes.

" Well, on the bright side, at least that's over." Nelson grabbed Mia's hand, and together they traversed to the surface.

" I think.... Wu is up there." Mia pointed to a far distance in the mountains which were surrounding them.

" Really?! He said he'd be stuck in a waterfall, but no! He's stuck in a mountain! A large, twisty mountain with barely any H2o, or oxygen, or anything! We could die!" Nelson ranted, listing out all the odds.

" Never tell me the odds, Nels. Besides, how hard can it be?" Mia shrugged, and started walking up the path.

" Very." Nelson muttered, but followed.

It turned out, in fact, that Nelson was spot on. Not about his ranting montage, but how hard it would be to climb. Because, after a while ( Okay, five minutes) of running, they began to become weary.

" Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Mia huffed, stopping to take a breather.

Just then, a guttural growl echoed from behind them, sending shivers down their spines. They whirled around to find a hulking, monstrous creature blocking the path, its glowing red eyes fixated on them. Its body resembled a twisted amalgamation of rock and shadow, pulsating with an unnatural energy.

Mia's bravado faltered for a moment, replaced by a surge of primal fear. "What is that?!" she gasped, her voice barely a whisper.

Nelson, though wide-eyed, managed to stammer out, "Looks like some kind of mountain guardian? Maybe Wu upset it somehow..."

The creature roared again, a sound like boulders grinding together, and lunged at them. Mia, adrenaline surging through her veins, shoved Nelson aside. "Run!" she yelled, already sprinting up the path.

Nelson stumbled back, but quickly regained his footing and followed. They scrambled up the treacherous path, the creature's heavy footsteps echoing behind them. Loose rocks tumbled down, some scraping against their legs as they desperately tried to outrun the monster.

Mia's lungs burned, her legs ached, but she couldn't stop. She glanced back, her heart pounding. The creature was gaining on them, its monstrous form filling their vision.

With a desperate cry, Mia spotted a narrow crevice in the rocks ahead. It was barely wide enough for one person, let alone two. But it was their only hope.

"Nelson!" she screamed, pointing to the crevice. "In there!"

Nelson didn't need any further encouragement. He squeezed through the opening just as the creature's massive paw swiped through the air, missing him by a hair's breadth.

Mia followed, her body scraping against the rough rock as she squeezed through. Once inside, they huddled together, panting for breath, the sounds of the creature's frustrated roars echoing from the other side.

"That was close," Nelson whispered, his voice shaky.

Mia nodded, her mind racing. They were trapped, for now. But they couldn't stay here forever. They had to find a way to bypass the creature, find Wu, and escape this treacherous mountain.

Suddenly, a faint light flickered deeper within the crevice. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there. Hope flared in Mia's chest. Maybe this wasn't a dead end after all.

"Look," she whispered to Nelson, pointing towards the light. "Maybe there's a way out on the other side..."

" That would be unlikely." Blackie meowed, squeezing through the other crevice. " There's nothing but rocks."

" Rocks.... to hide secret passages!" Mia exclaimed. " Let's go!"

Blackie's eyes widened with mock judgement at Mia's words. "Secret passages?!" he exclaimed, rolling his eyes. Nelson, ever the skeptic, rolled his eyes as well.

But Mia, fueled by a surge of optimism, wasn't deterred. "Rocks are exactly what we need!" she declared, a playful glint in her eyes. "Rocks can hide secret passages!" Ignoring Nelson's bewildered stare, she grabbed a loose stone from the floor and began tapping the wall near the faint light source.

Blackie, ever the opportunist, hopped onto a nearby rock, his tail twitching with amusement. Nelson, with a resigned sigh, followed suit. For several minutes, Mia tapped away, listening intently for any hollow sounds that might indicate a hidden passage. Just when Nelson was about to declare it a waste of time, Mia's face lit up with a triumphant grin.

"Bingo!" she exclaimed, pointing to a specific spot on the wall. With renewed vigor, she began pulling and pushing at the seemingly solid rock face. To their surprise, a section of the wall gave way with a grinding noise, revealing a narrow passage bathed in the same faint light they had seen earlier.

"See?" Mia beamed at Nelson, a hint of "I told you so" in her voice.

Nelson, suppressing a smile, had to admit she was right. "Alright, alright," he conceded, "You win. Secret passage it is."

Blackie, ever the practical one, squeezed through the opening first, disappearing into the darkness with a confident strut. Mia and Nelson followed cautiously, their hearts pounding with anticipation.

The passage was narrow and damp, the air thick with the smell of ancient stone. They navigated their way through a series of twists and turns, guided only by the faint light which seemed to emanate from deeper within.

After what felt like an eternity, the passage began to widen. They emerged into a vast cavern, illuminated by an ethereal glow emanating from a crystal formation at its center. And there, in the center of the cavern, stood Wu.

" Wu? Is that you?"

" Does this sound like Wu?" A deep voice replied, startling Mia and Nelson.

" Whoever you are..... you should know..... we are elemental masters, and have a degree that allows us to kick your butt." Nelson said, nervously. 

The voice laughed.

" You can't kick my butt 'cause I don't have one."

Mia and Nelson exchanged a look.

" You.... can't?" Mia asked, attentively.

" No. I can not. And, just so you know, I can not move, either."

"How can you-"

" I'm a rock, young lady."

Confusion replaced the fear on Mia and Nelson's faces. Blackie, ever the pragmatist, hopped onto a nearby rock and flicked his tail dismissively. "Honestly, wasting your time talking to a rock. Let's find Wu and-"

But Mia, ever curious, knelt down beside the speaking rock. "Can't move, huh? But you can talk?"

The voice rumbled again, this time with a hint of amusement. "Indeed. A rather unfortunate predicament, wouldn't you say? Stuck here, unable to see the world, yet cursed with the ability to hear every boring conversation that passes by."

Nelson, ever the skeptic, scoffed. "A talking rock? Yeah, right. And I'm the King of Ninjago."

The rock let out a sound that could only be described as a frustrated sigh. "Look, believe what you want, young one. But if you're searching for Wu, this cavern might hold the answers you seek."

Mia's eyes widened. This wasn't just any talking rock. This could be a valuable ally. "Why do you say that?" she asked, her voice filled with newfound respect.

"Because," the rock rumbled, "I have been here for millennia, a silent observer of the earth's secrets. And I have felt a disturbance... a shift in the very core of the mountain. A surge of energy that coincides with your arrival."

Intrigued, Nelson crouched down beside Mia. "So, you're saying Wu might be... down there? In the earth's core?"

The rock chuckled, a deep, echoing sound that seemed to vibrate through the cavern. "Not quite. But the source of the energy... the disturbance... it lies deep within this mountain. Perhaps it is connected to the reason you were drawn here."

Mia and Nelson exchanged another glance. This talking rock, despite its limitations, might be the key to finding Wu. But venturing deeper into the mountain, especially after their encounter with the monstrous guardian, seemed like a risky proposition.

"Alright, rock," Mia declared, a determined glint in her eyes. "Tell us what you know. Where is this energy coming from, and how do we find Wu?"

" Please, call me Rocky."

" Okay..... Rocky. Can you help us?" Nelson asked.

" Help?!" The rock scoffed. " Help is my middle name, King of Ninjago!"

" His name isn't the king of Ninjago!" Mia put in. " It's Nelson. And I'm Mia." She picked up her cat. " And this is Blackie."

The rock's ears ( If  he had any) perked. " Blackie, you say?"

" Yes. My name is Blackie. Most commonly known as, ' Mia's pet'."

" No, Blackie? As in, the cat who has the ability to speak? To humans?"

Blackie gave the rock a curious look and replied, " Yes, why do you ask?"

The rock gave out a happy squeal. " Oh, Blackie! Old chum! It is I-"

" Rocky Terrance?!" Blackie hopped out of Mia's arms and strode to the rock. " Rocky, how'd you get stuck in a rock?!"

" A spell. At the place called, ' Rocky Terrance'."

"Rocky Terrance?" Blackie repeated, his voice tinged with disbelief. "But that was... centuries ago! Last I saw you, you were a dashing sorcerer's cat, not... well, a rock."

Rocky, the self-proclaimed name sticking now, let out a disgruntled rumble. "Dashing sorcerer cat, indeed! Thanks to a particularly nasty curse from a disgruntled troll. Stuck here, unable to move or even shape-shift. It's been a real hoot, let me tell you."

Mia, ever the pragmatist, cut through the reunion. "So, you knew Blackie back when he could talk to humans? And this curse... does it have anything to do with the disturbance and Wu?"

"Bingo!" boomed Rocky. "Blackie and I were good friends, back in the day. Powerful sorcerer cat and talking feline – we were quite the team. As for the disturbance... it's definitely linked to the curse. The troll who cursed me was known for manipulating earth energy. My guess is, someone has awakened his magic, and it's causing the chaos you've been experiencing."

Blackie, pacing nervously around Rocky, added, "And if it's the same troll I remember, he wouldn't hesitate to capture someone like Wu to amplify his power."

This news sent a shiver down Mia's spine. Wu captured? The situation was more serious than they initially thought.

"So, finding Wu and breaking your curse are probably connected?" Nelson asked, scratching his head.

Rocky rumbled in agreement. "Indeed. There's a hidden chamber deep within this mountain where the troll kept his artifacts. If someone's messing with his magic, that's where they'd go. And if Wu's captured... well, the troll might be using him as a power source."

Mia stood up, her jaw set with determination. "Then we have no choice. We need to find that chamber and stop them. Rocky, can you guide us?"

Rocky paused, a hesitant rumble echoing from the rock. "It's a dangerous journey. Full of traps and... well, let's just say the troll wasn't known for his pleasant interior decorating."

Mia met his metaphorical gaze (if a rock could even have one). "We've faced worse. Besides, Blackie and I have a talking rock who was a cat and a grumpy cat on our side. What could go wrong?"

Blackie shot her a withering look, but despite his protests, a flicker of determination gleamed in his golden eyes. Nelson, ever the optimist, grinned. "Exactly! Together, we're unstoppable!"

Rocky let out a long, mournful sigh. "Alright, alright. You win. But don't come crying to me when you're dodging enchanted boulders and fire-breathing salamanders."

" Fire breathing salamanders? Wow, you sure have a vivid imagination!" Mia squeaked, following the rest of the group through the secret passage.