"Keep your eyes peeled for anything that looks edible, little master," instructed Cole.

    "Like this?" asked Wu as he pointed toward some sort of squash-like plant. 

    Cole was a bit surprised that they had found something so quickly. "Yeah. That looks good. Grab as many as you can, and we'll bring them back to the others."

    As Wu collected the squashes, he came across a pair of scaly talons. He looked up and found himself face to face with what appeared to be a young dragonet. He gave frightened gasp and stumbled backwards.

    Noticing Wu's fear, Cole reassured him, "Don't worry. Dragons are our friends."

    Cole reached out to try and pet the blue dragonet, but it snapped at his hand. He quickly pulled back his hand and nervously declared, "See. He's just a cute little guy."

    Wu didn't look convinced.

    The dragonet gave a small growl and tried to steal some of the squashes that Cole held. When Cole stepped back and pulled the squashes out of reach, it let out a loud screech. 

    "Whoa! Okay, I'm sorry, but we need these. Go find your own food," ordered Cole. He was met with another angry, ear-piercing screech from the dragonet that made his ears ring. 

    Suddenly, Cole and Wu heard a strong roar from close by, answering the young dragonet. 

    "You know what. Let's go. I think we've got enough of these squash things, little master," decided Cole. He looked around nervously in search of the dragonet's mother who sounded very terrifying. 

    Wu let out a high pitched scream as a very large dragon swooped down and breathed lightning at him and Cole. "LIGHTNING DRAGON!"

    "RUN!" shouted Cole as he ducked an incoming ray of lightning directed at him.

    Cole and Wu were thankful that the lightning dragon did not consider them enough of a threat to her dragonet to chase after them. When they safely reached the remains of the Destiny's Bounty, they were breathing heavily. 

    "Did... you get... the food...?" gasped Cole. He dumped the two squashes he managed to save on the ground.

    Wu gave a small apologetic smile as he pulled out a tiny squash and dropped it next Cole's two. 

    When Cole saw Wu's sad and disappointed face, he pointed out, "Well, it's better than nothing."

    "Hey guys! We're back! And we got food!" shouted Cole. He was confused and worried by the complete silence he was met with.

    "Maybe they all fell asleep," suggested Wu after a short, quiet pause. 

    Cole snorted at that idea, "Uh, I'm pretty sure at least one of them would've heard me, especially Zane. Plus, we're never this quiet, even when we're asleep. Jay sleep talks and Kai snores." 

    In the bright moonlight, a dark object in the pale sand caught Wu's attention. He knelt down to inspect it and felt scared when he realized what it was. "Cole, look at this."

    Cole's eyes widened as he stared at the discarded length of chain in the sand. He looked around more closely and noticed more details of a struggle."Why can't we just have a few moments of peace?" he groaned.

    "At least whoever attacked them left tracks for us to follow," noted Wu optimistically.

    "Looks like we're going to be walking for a long time. Might as well start now," sighed Cole. He saw Wu try to hide his yawn and added, "If your tired, little master, we can sleep right now and wait until morning. After all, growing boys need their sleep."

    "I'm not tired," denied Wu stubbornly as he tried to hide another yawn.

    Cole rolled his eyes and decided to humor Wu, "Alright, let's get going then."

    Cole was surprise by how resilient Wu was because they were able to walk a good six miles before they decided to rest. They even managed to catch a glimpse of glowing campfires in the distance. 

    Before Cole drifted off to sleep, he hoped that his brothers would be okay and in one piece when he found them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

     When Kai, Zane, and Jay were finally conscious, they found that they were all locked up in a small vengestone cage together and that the people who captured them had set up camp for the night.

    "Jay, get off! You're crushing my ankle!" yelped Kai.

    "Aww, Kai. Just learn to live with the pain and embrace it," replied Jay.

    Kai shoved Jay and griped at him angrily. "Moooove!"

    A man with mechanical legs came up to the cage and banged on it roughly. He ordered them in a harsh, accented voice, "Be quiet, Oni! Some of us are trying to sleep."

    "Huh? What?" questioned Kai in confusion. "We aren't Oni."

    The man spat inside their cage and sneered at them, "That is what they all say."

    "Well that was weird," commented Kai as the man walked away.

    "Yeah, poor guy. He looks tense," noted Jay. "He should learn how to stretch properly."

    "I SAID QUIET!"

    The captured group settled into a comfortable silence for a few minutes and Jay ended up falling asleep during that time.

    Kai turned to look at Zane when he felt him shift behind him. He saw Zane staring up at the moonlit sky with a distant look in his eye. "You good, Zane?" he whispered.

    "I wonder what events are occurring in Ninjago at this moment," sighed Zane. "My greatest concern is that if no one saw us use the Traveler's Tea, everyone in Ninjago must believe that we are dead."

    Kai cringed. He hadn't thought about that. He didn't like the idea of Ninjago believing that they were dead and that Harumi and Garmadon had won. He attempted to console Zane. "I'm sure someone saw us. I mean, who could miss all those bright stars and sparkles when we used the Tea? By now, I'm sure that Lloyd and Nya have already found a way to kick Garmadon's butt."

    Zane saw that Kai was trying to comfort him and gave him a small smile, but Kai could tell that something else was troubling Zane. 

    Kai took a wild guess as to what was bothering Zane. "Are you missing Pixal?"

    From the uncharacteristic slump of Zane's shoulders, Kai knew he had guessed correctly. 

    "Indeed, I miss her very much so," murmured Zane sadly. "I am immensely dismayed that our efforts to communicate with Ninjago were unsuccessful. I suspect that Pixal is unaware of our current state because I sense great despair and sorrow from her. It—"

    "Wait," interrupted Kai in astonishment. "You can sense what Pixal feels from this Realm? How?!"

    "I am uncertain. The only reasonable explanation I can imagine for this strange ability is that since Pixal and I share a heart together, we have a strong, unique bond that allows us to feel what happens to each other," hypothesized Zane. 

     Zane's expression grew mournful and he told Kai sorrowfully, "It pains me to think that Pixal believes that we are gone. I strongly desire to embrace her and let her know that I am not deceased. She is too sweet and beautiful to be haunted by such thoughts of grief for a second time."

    Kai gave Zane a wide grin. It was not often he heard Zane speak of his affection for Pixal so openly. He nudged Zane encouragingly. "When we get back to Ninjago, you can give Pix the biggest hug ever. Maybe even a kiss," he added playfully as he stretched out in the cramped cage and got comfortable.

    Right before he fell asleep, Kai swore that he heard Zane answer him, "Perhaps I will kiss her when I see her."

~~~~~~Ninjago~~~~~~

    "Alright everyone! Time to get up!" announced Mr. Pale brightly. His voice resounded loudly within the spacious room.

    Apparently, he was one of the few morning people in the rebellion. While Skylor and Misako were more functional than most people in the morning, they were not quite as awake as Mr. Pale was. Skylor was starting to sleepily prepare breakfast, and Misako was brewing  a lot of tea and coffee for everyone.

    Many annoyed groans came from all across the room. Loud snores came from Dareth and Karlof who were the only ones who remained asleep.

    "Shut up!" growled Shade. He was curled up next to his girlfriend and quite comfortable with where he was situated. 

    "Yeah," agreed Mystaké grumpily. "Do you think I got to be this beautiful without sleep?"

    "Oh my Ninjago. I'm so sore," groaned Nya tiredly as she slowly sat up and began stretching. She perked up a little once she smelled the coffee.

    "Me too," yawned Lloyd. "I suppose we can take it easy. Maybe we can make more renovations to this place and train a little bit today."

    After a few hours, the others realized that when Lloyd said "train a little bit" he actually meant a lot. In Lloyd's and Nya's eyes, the exercise was not that difficult; but because most were not used to ninja training, it was extremely taxing.

    "No más! No más!" groaned Skylor as she leaned against a wall for support. During all that running, she realized she was not in as great shape as she originally thought she was.

    Lloyd and Nya had set up an agility course and made everyone, even Misako and Mystaké, go through the course about twenty times already. Everyone was definitely feeling the burn. 

    "Tired already? I thought you were stronger than that, Miss Noodles," teased Nya. 

    Skylor glared and stuck her tongue out at Nya. "Hey! I'm just a little out of practice."

    "My lungs... are going... to... explode!" panted Tox as she doubled over to catch her breath.

    As Dareth finished stumbling through the last few hurdles of the course, he came to an abrupt halt and promptly threw up... all over Tox. Everyone either gasped or stifled a chuckle. Once he finished throwing up, Dareth began to profusely apologize to Tox.

    If Tox was less exhausted, she would've murdered Dareth. Dareth got lucky that all he got was a strong punch in the face and a kick to his stomach. Sure, it was painful, but way preferable than death. 

    "I'm going to go change," stated Tox in an anger-filled voice as she stalked out of the room. She was thankful that she was able to bring a few changes of clothes along. Secretly, she was slightly happy to find an excuse to get out of training. 

    Dareth cautiously and shamefully walked out of the room after Tox to clean himself up as well. 

    "Karlof can barely feel his legs anymore!" panicked Karlof from his spot on the floor where he had collapsed.

    Ronin tried to make himself look even more miserable than he felt. "You guys are cruel to make an injured man exercise."

    "Suck it up. You're fine, Ronin," responded Nya heartlessly.

     Pixal trotted over to Ronin and scanned his bandaged hand. "Your hand should not hinder you from partaking in the agility course."

    Nya gave Ronin a smirk that said "see, I was so right. You're just being a whiny wimp."

    As Lloyd examined his little militia, he was not disappointed. Sure, there were different techniques each of them could brush up on, but overall, each member was powerful. By putting them through this course, he could gauge each of their strengths and weaknesses. 

    Even though almost all of them had a higher level of endurance than regular people, Lloyd found that most of those in the militia did not have the same high endurance level that he and Nya possessed, except for Shade who only seemed to be panting lightly after all that exercise. 

    In all honesty, his mother and Mystaké were the two who seriously scared him. He knew that they had outrun the Sons of Garmadon along with the rest of them with little difficulty, but he had written off their ability to keep up with everyone as a simple rush of adrenaline. Today showed Lloyd that the two women were in excellent shape for their ages.

    "Hey, where's Mr. Pale?" questioned Lloyd after he had done a head count of everyone. When he got no reply, he threatened Mr. Pale, "If you don't show yourself right now, I'll make you go through the course another five times."

    "Whoa! No need for that! I'm right here!" exclaimed Mr. Pale hurriedly. He did NOT want to go through that torture course anymore.

    Lloyd strained his eyes in the direction he had heard Mr. Pale's voice but didn't see him. "Where?"

    "Right here," answered Mr. Pale. 

    Lloyd finally made out Mr. Pale's golden sunglasses floating in midair, but he couldn't see the rest of his body. 

    As Tox walked back into the room with a fresh set of clothes on, most were mildly bewildered when she jumped when she caught sight Mr. Pale and began scolding him. "Oh my Ninjago! Lu—Paleman, you're so disgusting! Put you're clothes back on!"

    "Awww! But it's not like anybody cares. Nobody can see me. Plus, I'm so hot from all that running," whined Mr. Pale. 

    Tox continued to glare at him.

    Everyone was surprised and grossed out when they realized that Mr. Pale was apparently not using his Element to be invisible.

    As Mr. Pale scooped up his clothes up off the floor and began to dress, he noticed that everyone in the room had paled slightly and was staring at him strangely. "Uhh, do ya mind. I'm trying to get dressed here."

    As everyone awkwardly turned away, Shade suddenly thought of something. "Do we have a name for this small militia?"

    "How 'bout 'The Bottom of the Barrel' or 'Burnt Toast'?" asked Skylor humorously, though there was a slight edge to her voice as well. 

    "'The Cookie Crumbs' or 'The Residue'," contributed Nya playfully.

    Lloyd frowned at their negativity. "Guys, be serious. Shade asked a great question. Think of stuff that actually sounds cool." 

    "Ugh, okay. Maybe something like 'The Rebellion'?" suggested Nya more helpfully.

    "That sounds really plain and boring," commented Ronin.

    "'The Underground Uprising'?" proposed Pixal.

    "Karlof like that name," approved Karlof.

    "Sounds cool," agreed Lloyd. "But I feel like some people might miss the real meaning of the name and think that the ground is actually rising."

    "Why can't we just call ourselves the 'Elemental Alliance' like the time we fought against Chen?" questioned Shade.

    "Because not all of us have Elements," explained Nya. 

    She sent a quick, involuntary glance towards Lloyd which he caught. The small reminder that he did not control his Element anymore stung and made him feel a bit dispirited through he tried not to show it.

    Without warning, Mr. Pale began to list many names quickly and smoothly much to everyone's amazement. "'The Freedom Fighters', 'The Fearless Fighters', 'The Fearless Phoenix', 'The Fearsome Phoenix', 'The Rising Phoenix', 'The Rising Revolution', 'The Revived Revolution', 'The Rising Rebellion', 'The Rebellious Renegades', 'The Resilient Renegades', 'The Resounding Resistance', 'The Roaring Remnant', 'The Hidden Heroes', 'The Masterful Militia', 'The Worthy Warriors', 'The Sage Survivors', 'The Silent Survivors', 'The Selfless Soldiers', 'The Lionhearted Legends', 'The Living Legends', 'The Martial Masters', 'The Arising Alliance', or 'The Obstinate Opposition'."

    Everyone stared at Mr. Pale with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. The invisible man had many surprises up his sleeve.

    "Lloyd, give this talented boy time off from training," demanded Mystaké. "He just got in a full workout for his mouth muscles."

    "How did you come up with all of those names instantly?!" questioned Nya in awe.

    Mr. Pale shrugged. "I've always been pretty good with words. It's just a special gift I have. Did ya hear any names you liked?"

    "'Is it just me or does 'The Living Legends' have a nice ring to it?" questioned Ronin with a smirk.

    "I admit that it does sound nice, except I don't see any legends around here," remarked Mystaké while staring straight at Ronin.

    "No, but I do see a living fossil," muttered Ronin under his breath.

    Shade heard what Ronin had said and began snicker quietly. Mystaké also caught what Ronin had said about her and skillfully threw her cane at him. It neatly hit Ronin in the stomach hard, bounced off, hit Shade in the face, and somehow came shooting back toward Mystaké where she caught it easily. Shade and Ronin looked at her with respect and slight fear.

    "Watch yourselves. I'm old, not deaf."

    "'The Living Legends' sounds really prideful. If we had the upper hand in this fight, then it could possibly work, but we don't," observed Nya. "Personally, I think 'The Rising Phoenix' sounds awesome. I also like 'The Hidden Heroes', 'The Masterful Militia', and 'The Martial Masters'."

    "You just like 'The Rising Phoenix' because that's your Elemental symbol," accused Skylor with a smile. "And the other three you enjoy because they're reminiscent of an army of Ninjas."

    "Well, ya got me there," laughed Nya.

    "'The Rebellious Renegades' sounds pretty intimidating. I like it. If Chamille were here, I bet she would also love the name," declared Tox.

    "I don't really like it. It makes us appear bad and evil," argued Lloyd. "Mr. Pale, as much as I love all of cool names, they're kinda lengthy. Could you shorten any of them?"

    Mr. Pale stopped to think for a moment. "Hmmm, the ones that sound good shortened are 'The Opposition', 'The Resistance', The Remnant', 'The Warriors', and 'The Survivors'."

    "All of those are great, but 'The Resistance' is the main one that stands out to me. What do you guys think?" questioned Lloyd.

    "'The Resistance'... Hmm, it's short and simple but powerful at the same time. I love it!" declared Nya gleefully. 

    "Yeah," agreed Skylor, equally as happy as Nya. "It fits our cause without making us look evil or weak."

    "Karlof like it. Just like Ninja. The Resistance never quits," shouted Karlof joyfully.

    "Oh my Ninjago!" exclaimed Nya excitedly. "You're a genius Karlof!"

    "Really?" asked Karlof. He was clearly confused as to what he was a genius for.

    "Yes! 'The Resistance never quits' is the perfect slogan for our group!" beamed Lloyd.  

    Karlof gave huge grin back at Lloyd. He was proud to help The Resistance out even if it wasn't completely intentional.

    "I still think 'The Living Legends' is the best name, but I guess 'The Resistance' is not too bad," admitted Ronin reluctantly.

    "Has anyone seen Dareth? He hasn't come back since he threw up," worried Misako.

    "I don't know. I'm sure he's fine. He'll probably come running back once he smells me cooking," joked Skylor as she went out of the room to prepare everyone's food.

    "Are we done exercise today, Lloyd?" inquired Tox hopefully.

    "Well," started Lloyd slowly. He paused and pretended to think about it. He enjoyed watching the others eagerly and nervously wait for his reply. "I was going to do more training after we eat, but I guess we can use the rest of the day for other activities."

    A huge sigh of relief rippled throughout The Resistance. They were immensely thankful that they didn't have to do any more strenuous work for the rest of the day.

    Skylor's angry shout from the next room grabbed everyone's attention and they turned to see Skylor dragging a guilty looking Dareth into the room.

    "What happened?" asked Lloyd in a stern and slightly annoyed voice.

    "Someone decided that they could just help themselves to our food supplies," huffed Skylor.

    "I'm sorry," apologized Dareth sincerely. "I just thought someone left some snacks out."

    Skylor just rolled her eyes, and Lloyd resisted the urge to facepalm. 

    "Skylor, how many days will our supplies last now?" asked Nya. 

    "Probably two days if we're lucky," answered Skylor with a frown on her face. 

    Lloyd stared at Dareth incredulously. "You ate that much?!"

    Dareth smiled apologetically. "Hey, I threw up breakfast this morning. I had to make up for it. Plus, it's lunch time now."

    "Oh no," groaned Lloyd. "Okay, I guess we can't lay low for as long I originally intended. Who wants to go out and get more supplies."

    "Except you Ronin. We're supposed to help the citizens of Ninjago, not steal from them," clarified Nya when she saw him eagerly raise his hand.

    Ronin put his hand down while grumbling. 

    "Me and Tox'll go," volunteered Mr. Pale. "We know this area pretty well, and we're good at staying out of sight."

    "Okay, just be careful," cautioned Lloyd. He trusted that Mr. Pale wouldn't get into much trouble or steal from others. He wasn't so sure about Tox because he didn't know her that well and hoped that Mr. Pale would keep them safe.

    "This'll give us a chance to show people that The Resistance has risen, especially the Sons of Garmadon," smiled Tox mischievously as she and Mr. Pale strode quickly out of the room. 

    "Please don't take any unnecessary risks," begged Lloyd as they walked out. 

    He turned to the others and asked worriedly. "Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to regret this?" 

    Nya patted his back comfortingly, and Pixal reassured him. "Considering their knowledge of the area, Tox and Mr. Pale are the most suitable for the assignment. Do not fret."

I tried to make this chapter mostly lighthearted and humorous. Sorry if you thought there would be more action in this chapter. Trust me, the next chapters to come will be more exciting.

    "For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to resist or contradict." - Luke 21:15 NIV

    "Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings." - 1 Peter 5:9 NIV