Lloyd huffed, tugging at his training shirt. Neither noticed Kai approaching, having already called out for the young boy.

“Lloyd?” Kai sighed, irritated. “Lloyd! Break’s over! You’ve gotta concentrate!”

The boy spared the kids one last longing look, before turning back around with a scowl, though he did not leave [M/n]’s side. 

“Now that the Bounty is in our possession again, we can train you more effectively. But you'll have to focus. One more time," Zane instructed gently. “Then you can take a longer break for dinner.”

“But–” [M/n] rested a hand on his head, interrupting him.

“This will be the last time,” [M/n] calmly announced. “Then he gets the rest of the night off. Go ahead, Lloyd.” 

Lloyd sighed, reluctantly trudging his way towards the center of the deck before settling into his basic stance. He prepared himself. 

Kai attacked first, throwing a punch that Lloyd caught and used to gain momentum into a hip throw. The red ninja grunted as he was slammed violently into the ground. Zane and Jay came from above in unison, hoping to throw Lloyd off his rhythm. 

“Ninja go!” Lloyd’s Spinjitzu had improved since the pirates had invaded - being more stable and leaving it less likely that he would be thrown from it himself -, so both were caught inside the tornado and thrown back across the deck. When he stopped, he yawned, eyes sliding closed. 

A mistake. 

Cole came at him from behind, kicking him halfway across the deck before he could hold back after realizing the boy wasn’t paying attention, sending the boy crashing across the deck with an alarmed cry. [M/n] was quick to go check on him, sending Cole a sharp look. 

“Scuza, raggazo,” Cole apologized. Lloyd was already sitting up, wincing slightly. (Sorry, kid.)

“Where does it hurt?” 

Lloyd pulled up his tshirt, showing his back. [M/n] carefully pressed on the area where the kick had landed, palpating the area and waiting for a response, but Lloyd only winced slightly. “It doesn’t hurt as bad as the other bruises,” Lloyd admitted, glancing back. 

“It doesn’t look like it will be bad,” [M/n] agreed. “But we can ice it to make sure."

“Can I go read now? This was fun and all, but I’m tired.” Kai approached, frowning slightly. “Are we done?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, come on. You’re better than this. What’s on your mind?” Jay asked, stretching his arms over his head. 

“Well . . . The latest issue of Starfarer just came in at Doomsday Comix and it's a limited run, so if I don't go out and get it, it's going to sell out," Lloyd began, getting more excited. "Last they left off, intergalactic rogue Fritz Donnegan was surrounded by the Imperial Sludge, and if I don't find out if he gets out alright, I think I might have my own doomsday."

“The fate of Ninjago rests on your shoulders. As the Green Ninja, you have-" Kai grunted, not prepared for [M/n] to stand and grab him by the arm to drag him off to the side. He was released once they were far enough to have some semblance of privacy.

“I am not sure if you have forgotten this simple fact, but Lloyd is only 13 years old. There is enough responsibility on his shoulders with training, we do not need to continuously remind him of the Final Battle. One he will likely wage against his own father. Continuing to push this narrative upon him will only make him a self-sacrificing martyr. Our job is to prepare him for the battle, to train him, not to teach him to be a savior with the weight of the world on his shoulders.”

“That’s the whole point of being the Green Ninja,” Kai hissed. “If he doesn’t win, Ninjago is screwed!”

“We do not have to shove that fact in his face when he is a child.”

“The Final Battle could happen at any time-”

“It could happen tomorrow. It could happen in 20 years,” [M/n] retorted, cutting him off. “But he needs time to grow. Without being crushed. Our job is to protect him until then, to hold the burden until he is strong enough to take his own portion. The Final Battle will come, and when it does, his life will be forever changed. He will never be able to go back to who he was. Would you wish a fate like that upon Nya?”

Kai gritted his teeth, glancing away, “No.”

“Then why are you shoving it upon him? Is it because he is the son of our enemy? Because he is not related to you?”

“That is not why!”

“Then why?”

“If he fails, everyone dies. All of us, Nya, Sensei. We have to prepare him.”

“And we can do that. Without ripping away his childhood.”

Nya came out from the Bounty’s inner bowels, “Guys, listen up, there's been a break-in at the Ninjago City Museum of History and the security cameras picked up you-know-who."

“Garmadon!”

“We have to stop him before he uses the Mega Weapon to start another one of his diabolical plots," Jay said. Lloyd perked up, faltering when he looked over at [M/n], who was shaking his head. 

He slumped, scowling, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can't go and it's safer if I stay here and train."

“Lloyd.” [M/n] crossed the deck to kneel before him. “Have you forgotten how young you are? Take this time to read or do something fun for yourself. Besides, it is safer for you to be on the ship with Nya and Wu. I do not wish for you to get caught up in battles with your father before it is time.” Lloyd looked away, still sulking. “I will stop by the comic store and see if Mother Doomsday has any copies left. Will that make you feel better?"

“Yes, yes, yes! Thank you!” Lloyd happily hugged [M/n], who chuckled.

“We’ll meet up as soon as we’re done,” Kai promised Nya, grinning. 

“We’ll be waiting for your safe return,” Nya deadpanned, rolling her eyes.

Nya then headed up to the Bridge to lower the Bounty, so they could unhook the Sonic Raider from where it had been chained up to the bottom of the flying ship. [M/n], instead of taking his Nethercopter, rode on the back of the tank, mainly because he had chosen to leave his Golden Tessens behind. 

He’d had a bad feeling about bringing them along. 

The moon had risen by the time they made it to the block where Ninjago City’s Museum of History stood proudly, Zane turning off the tank so they could quietly make it inside using stealth. Climbing in through a second floor window, they crept across the second floor platform in search of Lord Garmadon – instead finding Skales and the other Serpentine Generals in the Archeological Wing of the Museum. 

The Hypnobrai General hissed, tail rattling as he observed an old oil painting, “How wrong they were.” The painting had been done by the child of a Villager displaced by the Serpentine War but it seems they had never faced the Serpentine. While it held some resemblance, the painting could be more accurately described as someone being told about the Tribes. 

“Why have we come to a museum if we are not going to steal anything from it?” Acidicus questioned, six eyes blinking out of sync. Jay shuddered when he noticed, looking away. 

“Because Master Garmadon . . . has another plan to destroy the ninja," Fangtom hissed.

“‘Master Garmadon’? Ha! He’sss no Master of mine! Hisss so-called Mega-Weapon hasss failed at every turn. I do not see why we continue to allow him to ‘call the shotsss’,” Skales hissed. 

“Because this time I will not fail,” Garmadon answered, melting out from the shadows. His appearance rattled Skales enough that he dropped his flashlight, rearing up slightly. 

“Yesss, Lord Garmadon.” Acidicus, Fangtom, and Skalidor all bowed their heads beneath his piercing red gaze. 

Skales was slower to follow, tongue flicking out, “Yesss, Lord Garmadon.”

Smirking, Lord Garmadon turned his attention to the prize of the Archeological Wing: a complete skeleton of a recently extinct reptilian beast, positioned to look terrifying. “Dromaeosaurid Theropod Grendelicum, otherwise known as the Grundle. Although now extinct, when it lived it was a feared and dangerous creature, known as one of the most dangerous in Ninjago’s history. It had claws that could slice through steel, heightened senses that could detect its prey from miles away, impeccable night vision, it was the perfect predator, the perfect hunter. The Grundle could track even the stealthiest of ninja, for once it had your scent there was no losing it. Forever would it hold a grudge, so there was no prey it ever allowed to live.”

[M/n], throughout Garmadon’s speech, felt his heartbeat speeding up, leaping into his throat in panic. It took every bit of willpower he had to ignore the hot, wet, putrid breath fanning across the back of his neck, only feeling grounded when Jay began to speak.

“The Grundle? Mom used to read me stories about them. Boy, am I glad we live in an age where we don’t have to deal with these things?” Jay said, shaking his head. Zane, who was more focused on [M/n], reached over to gently touch his shoulder, only for the ninja to jerk away in panic. The sharp movement had his boot kicking Cole in the thigh, who grunted in slight pain. 

“Thanksss for the history lesson, but what are we gonna do with a pile of bones?” Skales asked, trying to hide a scoff. 

“I am going to make the beast walk again.” Lord Garmadon walked to stand before the Grundle. “Rise, Grundle, and feel the strength of the Mega Weapon! I wish to create the power to make you young. Turn back the clock so that you are no longer extinct . . . but hungry, hungry for the ninja!" 

[M/n] could hear his own blood rushing throughout his body, hear his own heartbeat, before the skeleton morphed into the red scaled form of an adult, angry, Grundle as saliva dripped from its flat maw. 

Morro dropped [M/n]’s wrist, horror dawning on his face. “Run.” [M/n] couldn’t move, feet frozen. “Run!” Startling him into movement, the two fled from the Grundle as it roared, taking off after them. It moved far faster than anything that size should have been capable of, beginning to catch up with the two young men.

[M/n], shorter than Morro and already exhausted from rushing to find him in the dense Wildwood, began to fall behind - huffing and puffing as his lungs burned. He had no idea how much longer he could keep himself from the Grundle’s long claws and sharp teeth, with Morro reaching back to grab him by the hand to forcibly drag him along when he realized he was slowing. 

As the Grundle continued to close the gap, Morro paled, terrified he had just put he and his partner in death's path. Glancing back to the shadowed path ahead of them, he saw the white robes of their Sensei. 

“Sensei!!! Help!!”

Instead of running towards them, Wu used Spinjitzu to climb up a tree - seemingly abandoning the boys to the Grundle. [M/n]’s heart dropped, his vision blurring as the fear coated his throat. He was unprepared for his teacher to snatch him up by swinging on a vine, somehow grabbing Morro in the same pass much to the anger of the Grundle. It clawed at the tree trunk, howling and snarling madly. 

[M/n] clung to the trunk, shaking badly as Morro balanced on the branch, glancing between his partner and the Grundle. “[M/n]-”

“What were you thinking?” Wu demanded, blue eyes glinting gold. 

“[M/n]!”

The world came back into focus. [M/n] was still laying on the ground at the railing, while the other ninja were on the floor or on the bones of the Grundle. Hesitantly he climbed to his feet and hopped down to join Kai on the Grundle. Landing on its spine, his stomach revolted. The feeling of wrongness assaulted his senses and left him wrongfooted.

“What took you so long?” Kai demanded, struggling to keep his balance as the bones rattled and shook beneath their feet. A particularly violent jolt had them falling off the bones, with Kai landing in Zane’s arms while [M/n] landed on his feet, only to drop down to his knees. Completely off kilter, Cole had to drag him up to his feet, keeping a tight grip on his bicep. 

The Serpentine Soldiers threw weapons at the five, all of them dodging. Jay darted past them all to kick the Mega Weapon from Lord Garmadon’s hands, “Not again! Not again!” He fled before Jay could try and attack him. 

“And you said it wouldn’t fail,” Skales hissed.

“Retreat!” Garmadon managed to grab the Mega Weapon from the ground in his retreat but the ninja were unbothered, assured of their victory.

Jay laughed, relieved and proud of himself, “We stopped them.”

“It didn’t work,” Kai said, just as relieved. 

“Curse you, ninja!” The soldiers followed after Lord Garmadon.

“Well, I think we handled that well,” Jay announced, smug. He glanced to the side when a flash of gold appeared in the corner of his vision. The four Generals, instead of fleeing, were carrying out the Golden Sarcophagus of one of Ninjago’s first Generals, Shinji Tarō, out the back door. “Hey, they’re trying to steal the Golden Sarcophagus!” 

The Generals picked up the pace, rushing out the door, and the chase was on. The five were quick to follow, [M/n] and Jay leading the charge - as they tended to do, being the fastest. But they were slowing down, oddly enough, though they didn’t notice immediately, more focused on the Generals. 

Jay turned a corner, coming to an abrupt stop. The Golden Sarcophagus had been discarded beside an open manhole, obviously too big to fit inside. “I can’t believe we couldn’t catch up to them. I’m usually faster than that. It’s as if my legs were half the size,” he complained, doubled over and panting.

His voice was pitched higher than normal, irritating [M/n], who was already dealing with a headache and crawling skin. 

“I don’t remember this thing being that big. Did it grow?” Kai asked, voice higher as well. 

“Or did we shrink?” Zane questioned, observing the height of the Sarcophagus in comparison to him now. Kai glances towards the glass wall of a building, only to freeze when he sees his reflection. 

“Uh, guys?” He pulls everyone’s attention to the glass wall.

“WE SHRUNK!!!” Jay screamed, ripping off his hood. The others began panicking.

“We’re . . . we’re kids!” Kai yelled, everyone screaming over each other in several languages. [M/n] groaned, burying his face into his hands as his blood pounded violently, more focused on the pain than his new appearance. That did not seem nearly as important at the moment. 

“Oh, oh, oh, this is bad! This is bad on so many levels!” Jay cried, freaking out so much tears were beginning to gather in his eyes as he paced. 

“Oh, è impossibile! We must be dreaming, Zane! TELL ME WE’RE DREAMING!!!!” Cole yelled, pacing around and throwing his hands out. (It's impossible!)

“Nindroids don't dream. Perhaps Garmadon succeeded in turning back the clock, but instead of reviving the Grundal, it only affected us," Zane struggled to explain.

“Yeah, but Nindroids don't turn into kids. Explain that, genius," Jay snapped. [M/n] dug through one of his smaller hip pouches, pulling out 2 small packets of Acetaminophen and tearing it open to take the four pills dry. He doubted it would kick in any time soon, but he hoped it would work eventually.

“I've extended my logic parameters, but nothing is coming up. This does not compute!” Zane began to glitch out, which had [M/n] focusing on him instead. Sending Jay a warning look, he does his best to comfort Zane, waiting for the glitches to stop. 

“Okay, fine. I get it. We're all in this together," Cole said, taking a shaky breath. He paced over towards the Golden Sarcophagus, losing it as the reality of their situation set in. “Oh, but I can’t tornare bambino! I hated being a kid! You can’t drive, nessuno ti ascolta! Oh, no . . . Ora di andare a dormire!” (-be a kid again! - nobody listens to you! Bedtime!)

“Okay, okay, we don’t have to worry. Kai told Nya we’d meet her back at the Bounty when we finished. I’m sure Sensei will know what to do,” Jay added, shaking his hands out. He glanced around when he heard police sirens approaching, the others doing the same.

A patrol car turned the corner, bright headlights and bright, flashing lights had all five looking away, with [M/n] groaning again, in pain. Parking on the curb to block them between the car and the Sarcophagus, the two cops climbed out from the car, already laughing. 

“Well, well, what do we have here? Looks like we've caught our culprits for the museum heist. Who would have thought it was just a bunch of brats? What have you got on, Apple Dumpling Gang? Pajamas?" Laughing harder, neither noticed the predatory gleam in glowing eyes glaring at them before Zane shoved his head down.

“Your eyes,” he whispered, quickly bringing [M/n]’s attention to it before the cops could notice. Even with his head down, Zane could still see the flickering glow which he had never seen before. 

“These aren’t pajamas! We’re ninja!” Jay screeched, not helping the accusations.

“Yeah, yeah. And I’m Santa Claus,” the second officer joked, shaking his head. 

Kai was looking ready to do something stupid so [M/n] grabbed him by the arm, tucking his face into his shoulder, pretending to be scared. “Do not do anything stupid. This looks bad enough already, we do not need you making it worse.” Scowling, Kai reluctantly stayed still with [M/n] keeping his face on his shoulder to hide his eyes and shield them from the light. 

“Alright, kiddos,” Officer Yī announced, grabbing Cole by the shoulder to steer him towards the patrol car. “You five are comin’ with us to the precinct.”

“Look, officers, this has been a grave misunderstanding. My friends here and I are simply trying to help out," Kai tried, hoping they'd believe him. 

“Hey, you can tell all the stories you want when we return to the museum tomorrow to explain why you stole this," Officer Jirō said, rolling his eyes as he forcefully guided Kai and [M/n] into the backseat of the car. 

“But we didn't steal it." Kai was pushed into the backseat, separated from [M/n] for the moment. He was suddenly overcome with this burning urge to sink his fangs into the man's hand, completely agitated by his touch, but once he was in the patrol car, the urge faded. 

“Zip it.”

“You have the right to remain silent.” They closed the doors behind Jay and Zane respectively, the officers sharing a look over the patrol car. “Kids.”

Once in the precinct, they were all patted down for weapons in a private interrogation room, where everything even remotely resembling a weapon was confiscated. After [M/n] was taken into the room, the officer reemerged barely minutes later requesting help due to ‘difficulties’.

Three officers then removed a, frankly obscene amount of, senbons, knives, and, of course, his spare Tessens. They, however, did not escape unscathed. Head pounding, [M/n] was stuck in a brightly lit room, being manhandled and he very much did not appreciate it so he lashed out. Each man then had to try and handle a thrashing child with sharp claws that left deep scratches and needle-like fangs that left painful punctures when he bit them. This made it so a few of his senbon needles were undiscovered, the men giving up quite quickly, unused to dealing with, essentially, a fox caught in a trap. 

[M/n] emerged from the interrogation room, looking none the worse for wear, just a little agitated, compared to the three officers. 

Kai leaned over to whisper, “What happened to ‘don’t do anything stupid’?”

[M/n] glared, remaining silent before tucking his head into his knees. 

The next two hours were then spent denying their involvement in the Museum Heist, trying to explain that they were only trying to help and had confronted Lord Garmadon but none of the officers believed them. Come morning, they were taken to the Museum to apologize to the Curator since the Golden Sarcophagus had been returned without any trouble. 

In order to keep them from being kept there longer, they did so. “We're sorry for stealing," they chorused, bowing. Zane bowed as they did but was confused as to why, blinking owlishly at the other ninja. 

“But we didn't. I don't understand."

Kai shushed him, worried that he’d be overheard, “The quicker we get out of here, the faster we can figure out how to return our bodies back to normal."

“Thank you little boys, for returning the Sarcophagus. You did the right thing. But what happened to the bones?” [M/n] straightened so fast, Jay would swear he heard something crack.

“Bones?” he questioned.

“What bones? We didn’t steal any bones,” Jay refuted, shooting up. 

“The Grundle bones,” the Curator answered, frowning slightly. He gestured to the empty platform, in sight through the open door of his office, where the bones had stood the night before. [M/n] barely managed to smother the whine building in his throat, hands digging into the front of his pants. 

“The Grundle bones?” Jay repeated fearfully. “They’re gone! You don’t think . . .” The four began looking around, the Curator and Officers already talking amongst themselves. 

“It just walked out of here?” Kai finished, nervous.

“Theoretically, it is possible that if Garmadon successfully reversed the years on us, he reversed the years on the Grundle and brought it back to life," Zane admitted. Cole, who was tall for a 10 year old, tucked [M/n], who was small for a 10 year old, against his side, dwarfing him, when he saw how openly afraid he was. A rare sight. 

Jay quickly got  the Curators and Officers attention, “You guys have to believe us! The Grundle's been brought back to life and it's on the loose! Its sole existence is to hunt ninja, and as long as we're here, everyone's at risk!" 

The three stared at the five kids in silence, before they bursted out laughing. “Well, we'll keep a good look out for anything that goes bump in the night, okay? Now, you five sit still until we call your parents to come pick you up." They were herded towards a bench outside the office, so the three could discuss something within the office, leaving them alone.

“We have to get out of here, now,” Cole hissed as soon as they were in the office. Jay and Kai noticed Principal Noble leading the Darkly’s kids around the museum in a tour, sharing a look. 

“Follow my lead, boys.” 

Kai slipped into the crowd, easily stealing a red-orange jacket tied to someone’s waist without them noticing before grabbing a similarly colored hat from another. [M/n] followed, snagging a purple hoodie and black beanie, pulling on the hoodie first before adjusting the beanie over his hair. He did his best to adjust his hair over his eyes, trying to hide the strange flickering. 

Cole and Zane guided him down the hall, keeping between them as Jay and Kai led them out of the Museum, blending in with the other kids. 

“Oh, this is so humiliating,” Jay whined, tugging the blue butterfly shirt over his GI. 

“I'm afraid if we can't use our Spinjitzu, we'll be no match for the Grundle," Zane stated, expertly ignoring Jay's complaints. 

“Then we have to get back to the Bounty,” Kai decided, breaking away from the other kids once Principal Noble turned his back on them. He shouted after them when he turned back, but none of them turned back.

When they made it to where the Sonic Raider had been parked, just down the block from the Museum, they found it gone, which dashed their hopes of driving straight back to the Bounty. They were forced to try and board a bus, but were denied when the driver realized none of them were adults nor did they have an adult to stay with them. Their last idea was to try a payphone to contact the Bounty. 

Jay, as the smallest and lightest, was balanced on Cole and [M/n]’s shoulders, the two being psychically stronger than the others and capable of withstanding the small jolts of electricity Jay would use to get the payphone to work without paying. 

“Collect call, please.” Jay looked down as he wobbled. “Hold me steady.”

“You are heavier than you look for a child,” [M/n] hissed, eyes closed. 

“I am not-” Jay interrupted himself. 

“...”

“Lloyd, it’s Jay.”

“...” 

“Look, apparently you need parental permission to take the bus, the Sonic Raider’s been towed, and we can’t seem to get out of the city!”

“............”

“Oh, never mind, it’s complicated. Just meet us at Buddy’s Pizza in a half hour. And bring our back up weapons, they should be in the cabinet in our room. 

“.........”

Jay hung up. He was then unceremoniously dropped from Cole and [M/n]’s shoulders, yelping. 

“Seriously, a pizza place?” Kai asked. Jay glared, ignoring him as he set off in the direction of the aforementioned pizza place. Luckily it was only a short walk away and the inside had a few empty tables, so they chose one tucked away in the corner. 

“Really? Of all places we could meet, you pick this place?” Cole asked, looking offended by the grease dripping pizza. 

“You have no place to talk. I would rather have that than your food,” [M/n] muttered, staring down at the table. Cole sent him a betrayed look, but went ignored. 

“Well, I happen to like their pizza," Jay defended himself, scowling at Cole.

[M/n], whose eyes had been glancing up to the door than back down to the table, was the first one to spot Lloyd walking in, bag slung across his chest. He passed by them, on the look for a team that was a good 10 years older than they were at the moment. Kai leaned out of the booth to get his attention as he passed, “Psst.”

“Beat it, brat! I’m on a mission,” Lloyd snapped, determined to complete said mission. 

“It’s me, Kai.” Lloyd did a double take, looking over the table. At first, he didn’t seem to believe Kai but when he met [M/n]’s eyes - flickering between silver and [e/c] - it clicked.

His own green eyes went wide, “Whoa. What happened? You’re, uh-uh, small!” Multiple people glanced their way, but let it slide easy enough when they saw a group of kids. 

“Keep it down,” Kai whispered. “Your father’s Mega Weapon not only turned us into kids, but unleashed a creature whose sole purpose now is to hunt down ninja.” 

“Tipico Garmadon,” Cole grumbled. (Typical)

“And that's not even the worst part! They took our other weapons and accused us of stealing, they frisked [M/n] and he pulled out an armful of knives which shouldn't be possible and I'm pretty sure he bit someone! And whenever we try to tell someone they won't believe us, 'cause we're kids," Jay ranted, struggling to keep his voice low.

Lloyd gave [M/n] a curious look, but his head was lowered slightly, hair in his eyes as his headache spikes due to the noise around the pizza place. Slightly concerned, he turned his attention back to the others and found them all watching him to wait for his reaction. No longer able to help it, Lloyd bursts out laughing. 

“What’s so funny?” Kai demanded, scowling.

“Well, now I guess you now know what it feels like to be treated differently,” Lloyd taunted, smirking. [M/n] couldn’t help but chuckle, though he winced when Lloyd dropped the weapons on the table, pushing [M/n]’s spare Tessens towards him. 

“It is karuma,” [M/n] agrees, taking his Tessens. 

“This is serious. If we don’t turn big so that we can use our Spinjitzu, we don’t stand a chance against the Grundle,” Zane said, frowning. “This is not some laughing matter, it is life or death.”

“Well, what about me? I know Spinjitzu. And I kicked butt against those pirates,” Lloyd pointed out. 

[M/n] had the visceral image of Lloyd being torn in half by the Grundle - a burning pain lighting up along his thigh and hip - and feels his heart jump in his chest. “NO!” He ignored the looks those in the restaurant gave him, far more worried about what could happen should Lloyd face the Grundle. 

“Yeah, no,” Kai agreed, eyeing [M/n]. “We don't know much about the Grundle so we need to be at full strength. What we need to do first is to find someone who might know more about how to defeat one of those things."

[M/n] was losing focus, his tongue dry and heavy in his mouth, eyes hazy and unfocused. He even hunched in on himself, shoulders curling inwards, which was incredibly unlike the ninja. As he lost focus, Lloyd just so happened to glance to the side and see another kid reading a comic.

“Lloyd, focus,” Cole commanded, frowning. 

“I am. I think I know just the guy,” Lloyd stated, smugly. “Come on.” 

The four shared reluctant looks. [M/n] shook his head - trying to clear the fog - sliding out from the booth, which encouraged Zane and Cole to follow. As Lloyd led them out onto the street, [M/n] slowed so he was a step behind the other, unable to keep himself from scanning each alley and roof in search of the Grundle - even knowing that Grundle’s were sensitive to Ultra Violet Light due to the genes that made their scales so strong and their night vision so impressive. 

Realizing [M/n] was so nervous and jumpy, Lloyd reached back and took his hand. This made [M/n] startle but he did not pull away, the warmth in his chest burning away the throbbing of his headache and relaxed. Seeing [M/n]’s shoulders relax, Lloyd grinned. 

He led them to a sunken building, with a large stylish lit up sign with bright blue lights, the crooked script displaying the name of the comic store proudly. 'Doomsday Comix'. 

“You brought us to a comic book store?” Cole demanded, following Lloyd down the steps into the store. [M/n] sent Cole a warning look, disliking his tone and already on edge. 

“Trust me. If there's anyone who knows how to defeat a monster that doesn't exist, I know just the person to talk to," Lloyd announced, leading them further into the store. Kai reached over and grabbed him by the other arm, pulling Lloyd to a sharp stop. 

“We're not coming to pick out your stupid comic, Lloyd! This is serious business.” 

“Oh, look. A first edition "Daffy Dale." I used to love that nut growing up," Jay laughed, picking up said comic from the shelf. Glancing over he saw the looks the other three were giving him so he put it back. "So juvenile."

[M/n] sighed, pulling away from Lloyd to whisper to Kai, “Give him a chance to prove he is taking this seriously. I trust he knows what to look for, so why do you not?”

He pulled away, allowing himself to be herded by Lloyd - who had gone to the back of the group to push them all into movement - towards the front desk. “Fellas, meet Rufus McCallister, AKA Mother Doomsday." He gestures to the red-headed man behind the counter.

“Well, if it isn't Lloyd "Comic Book Aficionado" Garmadon," Rufus said, grinning as he leaned over the counter to see them better. "Where's your spooky guardian, kiddo? I’m sorry if you came looking for the latest "Starfarer," I'm all sold out." 

“Wh—Sold out?" Lloyd cried, face dropping dramatically before he remembered why they were here. He cleared his throat, "Oh, actually, Mother Doomsday, we need help."

"Well, color me intrigued."

"We have a problem. There's a Grundle on the loose and we need to know how to deal with it."

"Oh, a theoretical question." Misunderstanding the question.

"Yeah, theoretical. Can you help?"

Rufus nodded, more to himself, coming out from behind the desk to lead them down a few aisles to one labeled ‘History Comics’. “Let me see.” He scanned the shelves before pulling one free, “Dromaeosaurid Theropod Grendelicum. Phew! That’s a good question. Although extinct, there has been a plethora of film, television and comics exploring the mythology around the primordial predator."

He flipped around the comic so they could get a better look at the picture: It had mottled red and brown scales, a flat maw filled with overlapping teeth, six ‘whiskers’ hanging from its nose, massive hooked claws on all 18 fingers and toes, blank, fuzzy eyes, a spiked body, and a muscular tail. The Grundle was a terrifying beast to see, a force of nature, obvious even in a picture. 

[M/n] couldn’t help but recoil, hand falling to his side - the twin scars there burning. 

“Supposedly they always get their prey.”

“Not supposedly, always,” [M/n] whispered, swaying slightly. 

“Sounds like he knows his stuff," Kai mumbled, nodding along.

"Can it be stopped?" Lloyd asked.

“First thing you need to know: A Grundle’s hide is so thick and shell-like it is essentially invincible to swords, scythes, war fans, nunchucks, throwing stars, just all manner of weapons. So, in reality, your weapons wouldn’t do much, unfortunately,” Rufus chuckled, putting the comic back as the group shares panicked looks. 

“Ottimo,” Cole choked out. (Great.)

“Second of all: The Grundle is a nocturnal species. See, in order to be such a dangerous predator, it’s gotta have a few weaknesses to balance it all out but it only has one.”

Jay sighed, “Oh, good. It's still daylight, so we can relax for a bit. Uh, until tonight I mean. Then we can play so it's more, uh, accurate?" 

“What’s its weakness?” Kai asked, redirecting Rufus. 

“Light. Almost like a vampire, with enough of it, it could potentially destroy him. If I had my weapons of choice, may I recommend the Illuma-Sword? These are authentic replicas that would come in handy were you to live long enough to actually face a Grundal. And if swords are your thing, maybe I can interest you in an authentic ninja gi signed by the very ninja that saved the city."

He gestured to two glass cases, side by side, holding the Illuma-Swords and, oddly enough, GI’s resembling their own, each signed. 

“Uhh, we’ll just take the light swords,” Kai said, awkwardly heading for the case.

“Not so fast. This "Starfarer" combo pack can only be won in the Fritz Donnegan Trivia Battle Royale," Rufus stated, voice dropping ominously. "You have what it takes to be the best?" 

Lloyd perked up, the group's heads turning to look at him but he only looked for [M/n]. 

“You can do this, Lloyd,” Jay encouraged, [M/n] nodding in agreement. 

“Sign me up.” 

With the competition being set up for later that very afternoon, the ninja regroup at a neighboring cafe to eat lunch after not getting anything at the pizza place, using the cafe’s phone to call the Bounty, leaving a message to tell Nya and Wu where they were. 

“Hello! What can I get you today?” A chirpy blonde asked.

“Can we get 5 of the Cream Cheese and Salmon filled Onigiri, 2 Bulgogi Onigiri, 2 Kimchi and Mayo, 1 Takana-zuke, and 2 Tuna Mayo Onigiri?” Kai asked, smiling.

“Oh, oh and some of the Cheese Taiyaki, please!”

“6 of those. And two orders of the gyoza, 2 orders of the tempura, and 2 orders of the karaage,” [M/n] requested, giving the woman a polite smile as she blinked. Obviously bewildered. 

“May we also have a melon soda, a brown sugar bubble tea, two black sesame latte’s, a royal milk tea, and a yuzu tea?” Zane continued.

“I-do you boys have enough money for all that?” She asked, a little worried.

[M/n] was quick to answer, “Our Uncle gave us each 20 dollars. And I have some from my allowance. Do you think that will be enough?” She softened slightly at the way he spoke, deliberately a little quiet.

“Well that’s sweet of him. That should be plenty, sweetheart.” She walked off, [M/n]’s smile fading once her back was turned. 

“Oh everything looked so good, I can’t believe we didn’t even get breakfast,” Jay grouched, Lloyd snickering. 

“We had leftover Pan-fried Pork Bun.”

Zane was not laughing, more focused on [M/n]. “Is everything alright, [M/n]?”

“Mother Doomsday was correct, but he doesn’t have all the information,” [M/n] admitted, voice trembling. 

“What? What are you talking about?” Cole asked, leaning onto the table to look past Zane. 

“How do you know anything about the Grundle?” 

“I don’t know.”

“Wha-than how are we supposed to trust your information?” Kai asked, scoffing.

Lloyd scowled, “Hey!”

“Would you rather have it and not need it, or need it and not have it?” [M/n] retorted, steeling himself. “I don’t know how I know these things, but I do. Grundle’s are more intelligent than they seem. If it realizes its prey is stronger than it originally believed, instead of fighting and trying to kill it, the Grundle will do its best to injure them. Using its claws, it will leave some kind of wound and it will always, always, get infected. I do not know why.”

“What if we scare it off? Just until this wears off,” Jay suggested, gesturing to himself.

“It won’t work. The Grundle isn’t easily scared, and it will continue to come back. Every night it will hunt us until the sun begins to rise. Our only chance is to kill it on the first night. Tonight.”

“And the lights? Will they work?”

[M/n]’s eyes squeezed close. “I believe so. The Grundle . . . it never left the shade of the Wildwoods.”

“What? The Wildwoods?” Lloyd questioned, concerned. 

As his surroundings began to twist, Zane’s words reached him, “I believe it is a memory.”

“I was just trying to prove the Weapons were wrong! Don’t you see, Sensei? Destiny wanted you to save me. To save us. I can still be the Green Ninja!” Morro yelled, wind swirling through the trees. [M/n] shivered, huddled close to the branch. He felt . . . numb. Had Morro really put himself in danger, put them in danger, just to prove a point? 

Wu’s expression hardened, “You have not proven anything. I came to look for you because you are my students, not because of your roles.” 

[M/n] shifted on the branch, wincing when a fiery pain shot up his right side but assumed it was a cramp, the fear and adrenaline messing him up. 

“That-that’s not true! You came because of Destiny–” 

“No, I did not! Morro, that is enough!” 

“No, Sensei- [M/n], you understand, don’t you?!” Morro looks past his teacher to his boyfriend, only to freeze. The entire right side of [M/n]’s pale purple duan da, around his hip and thigh, had darkened with blood, the hemp fabric turning a dark red-black. “[M/n]?”

Sensei turns to see what has his student going pale and immediately acts, shrugging off his haori to fold it up and press it to his side and kneeling. “Do not move, [M/n].”

“Wha-what’s wrong?” He looks down, only to see his clothing dyed red and makes a low whine sound. “Oh. Sensei, it hurts.”

Wu tried to hide the grave, worried look on his face. “You will be alright, I swear. I have to get you to Mystaké. Morro, give me your belt, I have to tie it.”

Morro scrambled to unknot his belt, quickly handing it over as Wu refolded his haori, tying it to [M/n]’s side, making sure it was tight even as his student cried out in pain. All Morro could do was watch on, horrified and angry at himself. 

The world began to darken at the edges, [M/n] losing consciousness as the pain overwhelmed him. As his head slumped to the side, the last thing he saw was the red hide of the Grundle, still snarling at them from the base of the tree, eyes gleaming with malice and an unmatched hunger.

Everything snapped back into clarity as the waitress returned with everyone’s drinks balanced on a tray. 

“Alright, boys. I have a Melon Soda?”

“Mine,” Lloyd chirped, quickly distracted. 

“Here you are. Brown Sugar Bubble Tea?”

“Ooh, that’s mine,” Jay said, reaching for it with a smile. 

“Alright, there’s that one. Royal Milk Tea?”

Kai’s. 

“There we go sweetie. Yuzu Tea?”

Zane’s.

“Hope you like it, hon. And two Black Sesame Latte’s.” She passes them out to [M/n] and Cole. “I hope you boys enjoy your drinks. The gyoza and onigiri should be out in just a few minutes.”

“Thank you,” Everyone chorused. Once she was gone, they all turned their attention to [M/n]. 

“What in the Underworld was that?” Jay hissed.

“That’s what you looked like when you were icing Lloyd’s head that day! After the pirates! Like-like you’re not even here!” 

“Zane was correct,” [M/n] began, taking a sip of his latte. “It was a memory. I was not aware I looked . . . untethered.”

“You got a memory back?” Lloyd asked, genuinely curious.

“I did, but . . . much like several others, it makes little sense.”

“Like, you think it could be a false memory?” Jay questioned, confused.

“Is something like that even possible?” 

“The mind is a complicated organ, much of it is completely undiscovered. There is always a possibility some of your memories are falsified or parts of some memories are false. Your mind could be filling in the gaps to try and make you remember.”

“They don’t feel false. Some of them led to me being injured and I have the scars.”

“I am not sure then,” Zane admitted. “Perhaps you might visit a doctor who specializes in these kinds of things. See if it is common or something that could be medicated.”

Lloyd quietly leaned against [M/n], unused to being about the same height - though he was a little taller than the other. He felt bad for him, was worried about him - today had really shown that [M/n] was not always prepared, calm, or confident. It was showing that he could be afraid. And it was eye opening. 

The waitress returned, everyone quietly contemplating, but they were all quick to plaster smiles on their faces - not completely false, they were all hungry. The plates of karaage, gyoza, and tempura were placed in the center of the table, the wrapped Onigiri handed out to their respective people, and the cheese taiyaki passed out. “Alright, boys, that should be everything. Hope you all enjoy. Just wave me down if ya’ need anything.” 

Deciding to take a break from the heavy topics, the group dug straight into the food. 

[M/n] took his two gyoza, his three pieces of karaage, and two pieces of tempura, moving them to his plate with the taiyaki before starting with his Kimchi and mayo Onigiri. He was pleased, the Onigiri a pleasant combination of tangy, creamy, spicy, and crunchy. He made a mental note to come back for their Onigiri, or try and replicate it - unknown to him, Zane agreed and was planning to try out the recipe at home since Kimchi was healthy. 

The Cream Cheese and Salmon Onigiri was also pretty good, so he figured it would make a good breakfast. Glancing over, he found Lloyd tearing into the Salmon Onigiri with relish, obviously hungry. “Does it taste good?” [M/n] teased, relaxing slightly. His, single, comment made the rest of the table relax, the others beginning to talk about their video games back on the Bounty. 

“It’s good!” Lloyd answered, mouth full. He swallowed, “Do you think we could make these at home?”

“I can try,” [M/n] chuckled. “They’d be good for breakfast.”

Lloyd grinned, continuing to eat, taking pauses to sip on his melon soda. 

Everyone ultimately agreed that the little cafe had pretty good food and drinks, so they decided they would have to come back one day to enjoy a meal with Wu and Nya. 

After paying, the group made their way back to the comic book store only to find it more crowded than before, 33 other kids and teens having signed up in the two hours they’d been gone. The building was filled with the other kids and their siblings, the parents trusting Rufus enough to head out and shop around the block - which happened to be a semi-popular shopping district. 

A little cotton candy machine was being manned by an older teen, small cones of cotton candy being handed out for free. Jay, happily, got himself a cone. 

Lloyd was nervously shaking his hands out, staring out into the sea of other kids. So focused and stressed, he didn’t even notice [M/n] join him. “You are going to do fine.”

“Bu-but look at how many people there are. What if I fail?”

“Then we regroup and find another way. If you fail, which I doubt will happen, then we will find another way to survive the Grundle.” [M/n] rested a hand on his shoulder. “You forget that we’ve faced worse, Lloyd. We will make it out of this. Better or worse.”

“I don’t want you to be injured again. Not like . . . Not like you were in the Arena or-or in the Volcano.”

“You cannot control those things, Lloyd. Destiny has its paths set for us.”

“You don’t think we can change Destiny?”

[M/n] frowned, “Not in the way most people believe. I believe our major decisions are mapped out, but we can change the path to get there. For example, Morro . . . He died but his path could have changed on the way to death. That is what I believe, but you do not have to agree with me.”

“That’s sad,” Lloyd admitted. 

“It is. But enough of Destiny. You will do your best, I know it. Now go, they are likely getting ready for you to start.”

Lloyd took a few steps forward, before turning back around to hug him. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome, Lloyd.” 

Lloyd hurried off to the area beside the stage where Rufus was reading over the rules, [M/n] watching over him. Once he made it over, [M/n] joined the ninja in the crowd. 

“Is Lloyd alright? You seemed to be having quite the conversation,” Zane noted. 

“Just nerves. He will be alright.”

It took a good two hours for the competition to be down to the last two. 

“It's down to the final two. This question is for Lloyd," Rufus announced. 

“Lloyd! Lloyd! Lloyd!”

“What is Fritz Donnegan's famous catchphrase?" 

“Fear? Fear is not a word where I come from,” Lloyd quoted, striking Fritz’s iconic pose. 

“Correct! We’re all tied up!” Lloyd’s grin brightened, immediately looking for the ninja in the crowd. Emerald met [e/c]. [M/n] gave him a small, proud smile. 

“It’s getting dark,” Zane murmured. “The Grundle will soon be on the prowl.” 

Even just the mention of Grundle sent a shudder down [M/n]’s spine, the boy hunching in on himself again as the sky outside darkened. 

Without missing a beat, Jay offered him the cotton candy, helping take his mind off it for the moment, though he did begin munching obnoxiously. 

“Don’t worry. I’ve got faith Lloyd’ll win us those Illuma-swords.” The sound of Jay’s snacking finally caught Kai’s attention, his brow twitching. “Is this really the best time to be eating cotton candy?”

“It makes me feel young. Deal with it,” Jay retorted, taking another obnoxious bite before offering it to [M/n]. The other only took a small piece, the sugar melting on his tongue. 

“Final question. The first person to answer the question wins,” Rufus stated, holding up the final card. “In the latest issue of ‘Starfarer’, how did Fritz Donnegan escape the Imperial Sludge?”

Lloyd’s face dropped, “But I haven’t read the latest issue!”

“By reversing the polarity of the ship’s gravity transducer!”

“We have a winner!” 

Lloyd felt miserable, as if he’d messed everything up but [M/n] did not look upset, simply gesturing for him to come down and join him. The other four were a little more upset, faces pinched, but they weren’t upset with him. 

He made it to the five just as the lights went out, the air conditioner cutting off. Jay looked around, squeaking when he found two pinpricks staring back at him, barely a foot away, only for whatever they were attached to to speak, “Quiet.”

Jay squinted, barely able to make out any details until his eyes adjusted and he realized he was looking right at [M/n]’s face. “Why are your eyes glowing?” 

“Who shut off the power?” Rufus asked, turning on a flashlight and a lantern he kept out for emergencies. 

“It’s here,” Kai realized, tensing. 

“What’s here?”

“Hehehe, you know that theoretical discussion we had earlier?” Jay asked, nervously. 

“Not the–” 

[M/n]’s head snapped upwards, the quiet click enough to catch his attention. Just above their heads, standing on the edge of the skylight was the Grundle, its sickle claw tapping the glass. On all fours, it was scenting the air, before it looked down and snarled, glass cracking. 

“– Grundle!” 

The kids began to scream when they looked up and saw the beast, “We have to get them out of here! This way!” Zane yelled, doing his best to herd the kids to the door, doing his best to push it open, only to realize the door was jammed by the sign. The Grundle must have knocked it down earlier. “The door is jammed, we can’t get out.” 

Glass shattering, the Grundle fell through the skylight, landing on all fours. Growling, it shooks its hide free before turning its blank eyes to Zane.

“Oh, Zane, look out! It’s coming!” Jay screeched, pointing to the Grundle. Its head snapped around, finding the other four ninja behind it, which made Jay panic. “Agh! We’re doomed!”

[M/n] was frozen in place. 

“Doomed as Britts Subskian in Phoenix War page 15," Rufus recited, dodging the Grundle's powerful tail. Screaming, all of the kids began to scatter, making it difficult for the Grundle to catch them - though it was not much interested in them beyond a cursory interest. 

“Stay by the door!” [M/n] commanded, backing away from the closest kids. He realized then that the Grundle could not differentiate their scents when they were grouped together. Luckily the others seemed to realize the same thing and they quickly separated from the other kids. 

“Quick, guys! This way!” Jay hissed, leading them over the glass cases so they could take the Illuma-swords and free themselves from the stolen shirts and jackets.  

“Hey, McNasty, I thought ninja were on your menu!" Cole shouted, holding up his Illuma-sword. The five created a half circle around the Grundle, watching as it flinched away from the plastic swords, all of which were UV lights. 

“It’s working!” Jay laughed, the group advancing on the Grundle, forcing it towards the wall and away from the kids. Darting forward, he delivered a harsh smack to the Grundle's leg, leaving a thin line of burnt scales on its thigh, however it left the Illuma-sword a broken toy, having destroyed the plastic casing and delicate wiring inside. 

Kai immediately followed up with a harsh smack to its opposite side, leaving another, thin, line of burnt scales, breaking his own Illuma-sword. He and Jay shared a look of surprise as the Grundle shrieked, dropping back down to all fours - leaving 8 deep gouges. “Stupid toys!”

Zane struck out as well, smacking it across the snout, right where all of its sensitive whiskers were. Rearing back, it shook out its face, still shrieking angrily, as it stepped back only a few feet. That left them with only two usable swords to protect themselves.

Trembling, [M/n]’s vision swam back and forth, the image of his previous Grundle encounter being superimposed over each other. 

“Oh, we’ve got a problem, guys,” Jay said, paling. With a snarl, the Grundle swung around and smacked them all away with its tail, sending them flying into Rufus’ desk, knocking it back. Groaning, the five went to push themselves up as the Grundle approached, towering over them with soulless yellow eyes, and green saliva dripping from its maw. 

[M/n]’s heart nearly pounded out of his chest, as he pushed himself back against the desk to get away from its teeth. Lloyd jumped up onto the desk, having run along the edges of the store to get there, with green energy sparking up his arms. 

“Not to worry, I’ll take care of this.” 

“Lloyd!”

His energy swelled into a ball, displaying patterns across the walls and blinding the Grundle. Closing its eyes, it moaned in pain, shaking its head. Thin wisps of smoke began to leave its scales, the ninja laughing as they realized Lloyd’s energy was hurting it. With an enraged shriek, the Grundle whips around to smack Lloyd with its tail, hard enough that he slammed into the wall with a pained cry. 

A strange chattering vocalization escaped [M/n]’s throat before he threw himself forward. Illuma-sword in hand, he shoved the blunted tip into its eye, pushing in hard enough that the eye popped, aqueous humor dripping down its face as the Grundle let out a terrifying scream. 

Shaking its head, [M/n] stumbled back and fell back to the ground, blood and gore dripping onto the ground.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Kai whispered, unable to look away from its punctured eye. 

Enraged, the Grundle approaches them again, ignoring the pain of Cole’s flickering Illuma-sword. “Oh, è la fine, non è vero?” (This is the end, isn't it?)

The door was kicked in by Nya, “Everyone out!” Its head snapped around, confused by the sudden chaos at the door. 

Shoving past the fleeing children, Wu shouted, “Use this!” He threw a small silk pouch their way, Cole managing to catch it.

“What is that?” Jay asked, snatching the pouch from Cole. The Grundle, still distracted, leaned back to watch the fleeing kids, natural instincts at war with Garmadon’s order. 

“It'll turn forward the hands of time, turning you old and reducing the Grundle back to dust and bones," Wu explained as they climbed back to their feet. "But be careful, there's no turning back."

“Grundle, prepare to be extinct!" Jay shouted, preparing to throw it.

[M/n] grabbed him by the wrist, “No!” Cole, sensing this was about to turn into a fight, stepped forward to hold up the Illuma-sword, though the Grundle was still distracted. 

“Just do it,” Lloyd said, leaning against the wall behind the desk where he’d been thrown too. “I’ll be fine!”

“You'll miss out on the rest of your childhood, dude," Jay pointed out.

Kai looked at [M/n], “We can't do that to you. It's not fair!" [M/n] was trembling, a sharp desperation on his features as he tried to find a way out of this. 

The Grundle finally struck, smacking the Illuma-sword from Cole’s hand - leaving a shallow scratch from Cole’s wrist to his knuckles. “Oh, cazzo! Back! Back up!” It surged forward, the five scrambling backwards, Jay losing his grip on the tea. 

Lloyd saw the tea get tossed back and managed to catch it, holding the silk tea satchel tightly. He looked to the ninja, finding them half on top of the desk as the Grundle approached, maw opening wide. “Fair? Fair isn't a word from where I come from.” He threw the tea satchel at the Grundle’s feet, silver, gold, and purple smoke poured from the satchel, circling the Grundle and filling the air around the ninja, all of them shouting in alarm. 

[M/n] felt the transformation, his bones lengthening, skin stretching to reaccommodate the muscles he has. He could hear the bones moving beneath everyone's skin. And worst of all, his chest burned. 

His headache faded, the flickering in his eyes finally calming as his Nether balanced back out in his adult body. In all the process took less than two minutes, but it felt like it took so much longer. 

Blinking, [M/n] shoved off the bones of the Grundle that had fallen on top of him, practically growling. The low sound of Lloyd groaning worried him, the sound deeper than before but still young. 

Silence surrounded the room, Nya and Wu slowly making their way closer. 

“Ha fatto male. Così tanto,” Cole rasped, climbing to his feet. He looked down at his hands, “It worked. We're not kids anymore." (That hurt. So much.)

[M/n] ignored the others to get to Lloyd, shoving the bones off him as he sat up. 

“They are the real ninja,” Rufus whispered, shocked. 

“What happened to Lloyd?” Wu asked, frowning.

Lloyd startled, hearing his own name. He struggled to climb to his feet, taller and heavier than he was used to, so [M/n] pulled him up, steadying him. “I’m . . . older.”

“The time for the Green Ninja to face his destiny has grown nearer," Wu murmured regretfully, shaking his head. [M/n] said nothing, still holding onto Lloyd’s upper arm, watching him. He was completely stone faced, emotions tucked away after two days of exhausting vulnerability. 

“I’ll be ready,” Lloyd said, straightening up, [M/n]’s hand falling from his arm. 

With the Grundle finally gone, they could finally return home, back to the Bounty. The four ninja leave, apologizing to Rufus, who just shakes his head, still a little shaken. Before Lloyd could leave, Rufus stopped him, offering a familiar comic to him, “Here, Lloyd. You can have my copy of Starfarer. You deserve it."

“That’s okay,” Lloyd assured him, waving him off. “I already know how it ends.” He turned to head up the stairs, the four ninja, Wu, and Nya waiting for him. [M/n], however, paused beside the man. 

“May I?” He asked, gesturing to the comic. 

Rufus was startled, but nodded. “You keep it safe for him.”

“I will,” [M/n] murmured, following after the others with the rolled up comic tucked away in his GI. Lloyd gave him a curious look, but [M/n] gave no answer, though he allowed Lloyd to press their shoulders together. “Let’s go home.”

Lloyd smiled slightly.