The Merge: Part 2/Transcript

(On the train, Arin and Sora look up to see Lloyd.)
Arin: (in a whisper) Lloyd, the Green Ninja! Yes! I knew you were all still out there!
Lloyd: Where's the ninja I saw? The one doing Spinjitzu on the bridge.
Sora: Actually, that was Arin here.
Arin: And even though I might pass out right now, 'cause you actually thought I was a real ninja, I'm not even close.
(Lloyd fights off a Claw Hunter.)
Sora: I kinda get your ninja fandom now.
Lloyd: Hold up your cuffs.
(He redirects the Claw Hunter's Imperium Sword to destroy their handcuffs.)
Lloyd: Thanks for your help. (To Arin and Sora.) That is my mask, right?
Arin: I — I found it when you disappeared. I was there when the Merge happened. You rescued me, and I kept —
Lloyd: (He sniffs the mask and recoils.) When did you last wash this?
Arin: You can wash them?
Lloyd: Come on, I'll give you a boost.
Arin: No need. (He takes out his grappling hook and glides up to the ceiling.) Whoo!
Sora: (She laughs.) Show-off.
Arin: What do we do now, Master Lloyd?
Lloyd: I'm no master. I'm just Lloyd. And to answer your question, we jump.
Sora: No! We can't leave the dragon!
Lloyd: There's a dragon here too?
Rapton: No one escapes from Rapton!
Lloyd: Huh? What's a "Rapton"?
Rapton: Me! I am Rapton?
Lloyd: What?
Rapton: I am Rapton!
Lloyd: Why do bad guys always feel the need to talk in third person?
Arin: I can take these guys. (He does Spinjitzu.)
Lloyd: That was him. Who'd he train under?
Sora: He taught himself.
Arin: (He accidentally fires a blast at Lloyd and Sora.) Sorry!
Lloyd: Spinjitzu was the single most important ninja technique. It took me years to learn it with an incredible teacher. That shouldn't be possible.
Sora: He's not the only one with skills. I just learned I can do this! (She poses, but nothing happens.)
Lloyd: Was something supposed to happen?
Sora: So — something's wrong! It worked before!
Lloyd: Got anything else?
Rapton: Get them!
----
(Lloyd takes on Rapton.)
Lloyd: Buddy, I got zero idea who you are.
Rapton: I'm Rapton! I just told you that!
Lloyd: But if you're locking up kids and apparently dragons, then you and I have some issues to work out.
Sora: Oh, come on, weird powers! Why won't you work now?
Arin: I think I might know what the problem is, Sora! Be right back!
Sora: Huh?
(Arin leaves with his grappling hook.)
Lloyd: Did he just leave?
(Arin finds the dragon's compartment and frees him.)
Arin: Right, right. Happy to see you too, buddy. Come on, we got work to do!
(They return to the fight. The dragon powers up Sora.)
Sora: This is what I was trying to show you, Lloyd.
Lloyd: Elemental Powers?
Sora: Uh, Lloyd? I think I made a bomb. Here, catch!
(They throw the bomb at Rapton's forces. It detonates and blasts Arin, Sora, Lloyd, and the dragon off the train.)
Lloyd: It's supposed to be impossible to learn Spinjitzu by yourself, but ... I mean, it was a really weird version, but it was still Spinjitzu. And you definitely have an Elemental Power. It's not Fire or Ice, or some others I've seen, but ... maybe Tech Power?
Arin: Told you, Sora!
Lloyd: And it's somehow connected to this little dragon? Did one of your parents have powers?
Sora: Not that I know of.
Lloyd: This makes no sense. Where'd he come from?
Arin: We don't know. We found him when those jerks were hunting him. And we heard some tiger guy who threatened to hunt down his whole family.
Lloyd: There's a tiger guy now?
Sora: We need to warn his herd. There's gotta be a way to find his home.
(The dragon approaches the debris and nudges the rocks around.)
Arin: Look, I'm all for making rock sculptures, but we don't have a lot of time here, little buddy.
(The dragon turns to reveal a model of his home.)
Lloyd: That's not a rock sculpture. He's telling us where he's from!
----
(Later, at the Monastery of Spinjitzu, Lloyd searches for scrolls.)
Arin: I can't believe it! I'm in the Monastery of Spinjitzu! I gotta say, though, it's a little weirder than I pictured it.
Lloyd: The weird stuff is new. This place got real strange after the Merge.
Sora: Arin, focus. We have to find the dragon's home.
Lloyd: After the Merge, Kai began to explore some of the new lands.
Arin: You know where Kai, the fire ninja, is?
Lloyd: Not exactly. It's a long story. But Kai sent notes about the places he'd seen. I'm pretty sure I saw those mountains in here somewhere.
(The dragon brings them a scroll.)
Sora: What did you find?
Lloyd: (He peers at the scroll.) The Land of the Three Mountains. But it's far away, and the only airship I still have, is the new Destiny's Bounty.
(They arrive at the hangar bay.)
Arin: Whoa!
Lloyd: But it isn't finished. And I don't have the skill to complete work on the engine.
Sora: I might know someone who does. (She tries to use her powers, but fails again.) Ugh, really? Back me up, buddy. Do elemental powers come and go?
Lloyd: No. Well, sometimes. Elemental powers can be complicated. It can take a lot of work to achieve one's True Potential.
Sora: (She sighs.) Okay, then. I'll get this thing going the old-fashioned way. (She works on the ship, humming.)
Lloyd: Does she always hum while she works?
Arin: No, sometimes she sings. Loudly. Trust me, the humming is better.
Lloyd: You've been friends a long time.
Arin: We met right after the Merge. When the Crossroads started to build up with folks from all the newly merged lands, Sora came from Imperium.
Lloyd: I've seen that place. Looks impressive.
Arin: She doesn't think so. She ran away, and won't tell me why. I came to the Crossroads because my parents disappeared in the Merge. Like a lot of people. Like I thought you ninja did. But you didn't.
Lloyd: Not all of us.
Arin: What've you been doing since then?
Lloyd: Keeping the world from destroying itself.
----
Lloyd (narrating): The day started pretty normal. Master Wu sent me to find as many scrolls as I could on something he called "Coalescence". I couldn't make sense of it.
Past Wu: No. That can't be right. It's been centuries. Oh, I don't understand!
Past Lloyd: I'll just leave these here. Cool? (He sets down some scrolls next to Wu.) Okay, good talk. Call me if you need anything else.
Past Wu: Lloyd, my student, my nephew. I hope you do a better job than I have when you become master of this monastery. Remember, family is key.
Past Lloyd: Huh? You've been here for almost a thousand years. I could never —
(They are interrupted by an violent quake.)
Past Wu: It's happening. I don't know how, but it's happening. I needed more time to prepare!
(They run to the courtyard, where the other ninja are staring at the sky.)
Past Lloyd: What's going on here?!
(A rift opens in the sky.)
Lloyd (narrating): Then, I saw the beginning of the Merge. (They head into the rift. Lloyd rescues Arin.) I guess that's when we first met.
Past Lloyd: Hey kid, you get lost?
Lloyd (narrating): It was the most chaotic thing I'd ever experienced. And then ...
(An explosion occurs. Lloyd wakes up alone at the monastery.)
Past Lloyd: What? Where am I? (He looks around puzzledly.)
Lloyd (narrating): I learned whatever that chaos was, it resulted in the Merge. All Sixteen Realms coming together, expanding our world greatly. But for those that got caught up in it, the ninja, your parents ... I still don't know what happened. I think the Merge was what Master Wu was researching. But his scrolls were destroyed, and I couldn't make any sense of his work. Except that it was somehow tied to something called "Source Dragons". But I've never heard of any dragons having that kind of power. I couldn't figure out how I made it back here. (Past Lloyd looks up to see the Destiny's Bounty in the sky.) Or how the Bounty did. For weeks, I thought I was the only survivor. I was wrong.
(Past Lloyd sees a figure on the Bounty and attacks them, but he holds back just in time.)
Past Kai: What the heck, Lloyd?!
Past Lloyd: Kai! Sorry. I haven't seen anyone in weeks.
Past Kai: So good to see you, buddy.
Past Lloyd: You too.
Lloyd (narrating): After the Merge, Kai woke up on an island that didn't exist before. He worked his way through some strange kingdoms to get home. He didn't know where the others were, but we quickly learned we had bigger problems. (Suddenly, another quake occurs.) MergeQuakes. MergeQuakes are like aftershocks. Places where realms are unstable, trying to share the same area, like cracks in reality. And we learned that, for some reason, elemental powers can close them. But the MergeQuakes were getting more frequent and stronger. If they continue like this, it's only a matter of time before they rip the world apart. Kai and I realized we needed help to stop them. Master Wu's scrolls had been destroyed, but there had to be answers out there somewhere. Or someone who could help us. Kai took the Bounty to search the combined realms for answers, and I stayed to keep everyone safe. And the MergeQuakes were getting worse.
(Past Lloyd slides down a building to see Arin and Sora's fight against Rapton.)
Past Lloyd: Spinjitzu?
----
Arin: That's why you expected a ninja in the train car with us?
Lloyd: Yeah. But I never imagined it'd be someone who taught themselves Spinjitzu. Or someone with an elemental power I didn't know existed that's tied to a dragon. When dragons might be connected to what caused the Merge, it's — it's like it's — it's ...
Arin: Fate. You were meant to find us. To train us! To be our new master.
Lloyd: I'm not skilled enough to be your master. You need Wu, but he's gone.
(They are interrupted by the Bounty activating.)
Sora: So, who's up for a flight?
----
(On the Bounty, Arin and Sora play catch with the dragon.)
Arin: Come on, buddy. Catch! (They laugh.) Alright! Again, again, again!
Lloyd: The Three Peaks! We're almost there! We're — (He sees Rapton's forces following them.) Oh, no.
Sora: It's those dragon hunters. It's the Claws of the Imperium!
Arin: They must have followed us!
(They attempt to dodge the Claws' blasts, but they are hit.)
Lloyd: I can't steady it!
(Rapton laughs evilly. The three scream as they speed towards a mountain, but suddenly, the ship stops.)
Arin: We're dead, right?
(Riyu squawks happily. They look up to see a giant dragon carrying them.)
Lloyd: I think the little dragon's family found us!
Sora: Hey, I just fixed that! (She sees the size of the dragon.) And I do not mind fixing it again. Ah, it'll be good practice, actually.
Dragon Matriarch: What have you done to Riyu? Have you injured one of our own?
Arin: Riyu? Is your name Riyu, buddy?
Lloyd: We haven't hurt him. We rescued him from the Claws of the Imperium.
Dragon Matriarch: You expect me to believe that while you assault our land? (Riyu squawks.) Riyu, you are a young dragon. You do not understand how the world works. These beings cannot be trusted.
Sora: We came to help, to warn you about the Claws of the Imperium.
Arin: But somehow, they followed us.
Lloyd: Let us prove we're allies.
(Outside, Rapton's forces take down the dragons.)
Rapton: (He laughs.) We've hit the dragon motherlode! Bring 'em down!
Arin: (He does Spinjitzu, but crashes into a tree.) Dang it!
Lloyd: (To Arin) You definitely need some practice.
(Arin takes down a Claw with his grappling hook, and he and Lloyd high five. Sora and Riyu free a dragon.)
Sora: You're free! Get out of — ah! (She is grabbed by Rapton.)
Rapton: You're done ruining my plans, you ... plan ruiner!
(The Dragon Matriarch emerges behind them, sending Rapton and Sora flying.)
Rapton: I've never seen a dragon that big! Change of plans! That is our prey!
(The Claws close in on the Dragon Matriarch and bring her down.)
Arin: We have to help her! Come on!
Sora: We can't rush in without a plan!
Lloyd: You two have given me one.
Rapton: (He contacts Ras with his communicator.) Ras, we got the big one. (He turns the communicator to show him the Dragon Matriarch.)
Claw Hunter: Shall I prepare to land?
Ras: No. Just be prepared to watch what happens next.
(Lloyd moves in to defend the dragon, fighting off several Claws.)
Lloyd: (To the Dragon Matriarch) Your Majesty. Riyu appears to have the ability to somehow connect and supercharge elemental powers.
Dragon Matriarch: I know nothing of this.
Lloyd: If you can power me up the way Riyu powers Sora, we might have a chance here. (To Rapton) This is your last chance, Rapton! Leave, or be destroyed! (Rapton only laughs.) Your mistake.
(The Dragon Matriarch powers Lloyd up, and he screams.)
Rapton: Get him! What are you waiting for? Attack!
(Lloyd's Spinjitzu blows them all away.)
Rapton: (He calls Ras frantically.) Lord Ras! We need backup! Help!
Ras: Our mission is complete. Return to Imperium.
Lloyd: (He defeats the rest of Rapton's forces and depowers.) Wow. That ... was something. Guess my theory was right.
Dragon Matriarch: It appears there is a connection between us. I felt it as well. When the Merge occurred, I struggled to keep isolated. Hidden. But there are mysteries between us we clearly do not fully understand.
Lloyd: I agree. The world has changed. And it's time to build a new future.
Dragon Matriarch: You are a wise master.
Lloyd: I'm not a master. But maybe I could be a teacher. The ninja have protected Ninjago for years. We've been a symbol of hope for so many. But with the others missing, that hope had been lost. Now I see there is a reason to hope once again, because I can't do this alone. (To Sora and Arin) I need your help saving the world.
Arin: Alright! Yes! (He cheers.)
Dragon Matriarch: Hmm. These dragon hunters will not remain unconscious for long. Our herd will have to move locations so they cannot find us.
Lloyd: And we'd better get back to Ninjago. We have training to begin.
Arin: (To Riyu) I guess this is it, buddy. But at least you're home now.
Sora: We'll miss you so much.
(They hug Riyu and turn to leave, but Arin is hit by a nunchuck.)
Arin: What the —
(Arin and Sora play catch with Riyu.)
Dragon Matriarch: It appears Riyu is not ready to leave your little group.
Lloyd: He would be safe with us, if you allow it.
Dragon Matriarch: I think his decision is foolish. But, if there is to be a connection between our kinds, it has to begin somewhere. If he ever needs us, he will be able to find us.
(The dragons fly off, leaving Riyu with the ninja.)
----
(At Imperium, Ras contacts Empress Beatrix on his communicator.)
Ras: The plan worked perfectly, Your Majesty. Not only has the ninja revealed himself, he has connected with a Dragon Matriarch.
Beatrix: Then our hunt for more Source Dragons is well underway. (She steps toward the glass core.) You hear that? You'll have a companion down here in no time. Soon, Imperium will have enough dragon power to rule over all the Merged Realms! (She cackles.)
(End of the episode. For more information, click here.)
Category:Transcript
Category:2023
Category:Season 1 (Dragons Rising)