2020

2020 was a year in the 21st century.

#### 13th

* Jay and Nya stumble into each other at a door at the Monastery of Spinjitzu. Jay says how he and Nya cannot get in sync, then he kisses her on her hand. Nya asks if she and Jay could do something fun together since they both have their afternoon free. However, Jay says that he already made plans to go to the arcade and beat a video game, so Nya replies disappointingly that they could do it another time. Feeling guilty, Jay asks if they could do something Nya wanted to do when he came back. Nya says that she has always wanted to take dance lessons to glide across the dance floor. Jay not not feeling interested, asking if there was anything else they could do, so Nya suggests doing something other than video games to expand his horizons. Jay agrees to dance with her on the condition it remains between them.
* Arriving at the dance class, Jay notices Nya is wearing a pink robe. He complains about how she never said the occasion was fancy and he will go back and change. However, Nya responds that she wanted to take the event seriously. Vlad Tutu arrives at class, saying that his students will learn balance and technique quickly or they would be smushed like ants on the floor. Jay, Nya, and other students like Antonia and Nelson get onto the dance floor and begin dancing. Nya accidentally steps on Jay, so she apologizes for her action. Jay accepts the apology, suggesting they try dancing again. As they continue dancing, Tutu praises Jay for his dancing but says Nya ruins Jay's form and that she stop looking at his feet. Jay annoyingly looks at Tutu for his insult. Nya asks how Jay is so good at dancing, and he responds that he does not know, though he believes it comes naturally. They continue dancing, but Jay lets go of Nya and she spins into a wall. She smiles in guilt. Jay starts showing off his dance moves and instantly becomes popular. Overcrowded by his peers, Jay notices that Nya feels gloomy and abandoned, so he walks up to her and asks if they try dancing together one more time. Nya gladly accepts, and they dance well in the end.
* Walking together on the streets of Ninjago City, Nya thanks Jay for doing something she wanted to do, so as an act of gratitude, she says she wants to do the same and asks if they could do something Jay loves doing. Jay asks if she wanted to go to the arcade with him, and she accepts.
* At the arcade, Jay shows Nya his favorite game, *Dancy Pants*. She realizes that the game is the reason for Jay's dance skills, and she points that out to him. Jay asks Nya to join him on its dance floor, but then Lloyd calls about a report that The Mechanic broke into a warehouse. Jay puts his hood on, asking that he send the coordinates and that he and Nya would be there as soon as they can. However, Nya stops him, saying that there is something important to do first, so Jay smiles and takes his hood off. They both go onto *Dancy Pants'*s dance floor, then dance along with the game. Jay celebrates, saying they "got this." Jay and Nya high-five, then continue dancing as a crowd of players watches them dance and cheer them on.
* The Mechanic robs money from a bank with his newly upgraded noodle truck of crime, but Lloyd, Kai, Cole, and Zane get in pursuit. He gets away, which frustrates Lloyd. Jay and Nya arrive late, so Lloyd asks where they were. Nya lies that she and Jay had business to take care of, but Lloyd, Kai, Cole, and Zane glare at them in disbelief.
* The Mechanic arrives at his headquarters, telling a voice on a computer that the noodle truck's upgrades worked and he finished the robbery. The voice tells him that the robbery was just "a test subject for a bigger plan." When the Mechanic asks who the voice is, the voice says that he will know soon enough, and shuts off before the Mechanic could ask him for something else.
* After showing his henchmen his truck, the Mechanic gets frustrated that he cannot get his noodle machine to work with just his flamethrower arm. He goes back to the computer asking if the voice can do him a favor. The voice prints blueprints for a new mechanical arm that could feel things, which pleases the Mechanic, sending him some plans, which he immediately used. Once he was finished, he felt the coldness of a wrench, the smoothness of blueprints, the sharp end of a pencil, buttons of a typewriter, and scratching his chin. Thanking the voice, he asks who he is. He replies, 'Unagami.'

#### 14th

* Citizens in Ninjago City walk around on the streets. A couple of them are seen on their mobile devices. Clutch Powers grabs a teapot and goes to an alley, then light suddenly shines where he stood. Gayle Gossip walks in front of Laughy's, and Dareth follows her as soon as he sees her. Jake plays a video game on his mobile device in a car. A man smells ramen noodles at a food stand. Nelson and Antonia fist bump after delivering newspapers. Meanwhile, The Mechanic drives his Noodle Truck to an old electronics warehouse.
* He and his henchmen investigate the hardware in the warehouse, but as soon as he sees it, he claims a motherboard with a V-shaped signature inscribed on it. The Mechanic's affairs are interrupted by the ninja, who jump towards them from above. They fight, but The Mechanic is able to flee with the motherboard. The ninja follow behind.
* Cole drives his Rock Cycle, and Kai drives Lloyd, Jay, Nya, and Zane on his ATV. They pursue The Mechanic on the streets, but he pushes the Katana 4x4 onto a building, which causes it to lose control and stay behind. Cole remains on The Mechanic's tail, sticking a cable to his truck and tying it to a pole, which ultimately causes the truck to malfunction. As soon as The Mechanic gets out of his Noodle Truck, the ninja surround him. Jay takes the motherboard from The Mechanic but is confused by the design.
* The Police Commissioner sends The Mechanic away, and thanks to the ninja for their help. Jay continues to examine the motherboard. He tries to give it to the Police Commissioner but gets interrupted as soon as the police are informed of another emergency and leave. The ninja decide to go examine The Mechanic's headquarters after realizing that the Mechanic tried to escape there.
* Jay opens the door, peeking to be sure there was no danger. The Mechanic's former arm falls on Lloyd, who is frightened. As soon as Jay sees an arcade cabinet, he tells the ninja all about *Prime Empire*, though they do not feel as excited. Jay plugs the Arcade Pod to an outlet to show them the game, but it still does not work. Instead of watching Jay make the Arcade Pod turn on, they decide to leave him and go investigate the rest of The Mechanic's headquarters.
* Walking through a hallway, Cole is captivated by The Mechanic's hats.
* Meanwhile, Jay complains that he cannot get the Arcade Pod to turn on. Checking the back of the Arcade Pod, he sees a disc receiver, so he grabs the motherboard he took from The Mechanic and inserts it. The Arcade Pod turns on with a red light and in a couple of seconds releases a shockwave of red energy and knocks Jay out. The ninja are surprised by what it was. It passes by The Mechanic in handcuffs entering the Police Station, who cackles. As the surge of energy passes by an arcade, all the video games get replaced with *Prime Empire*. A player puts his hands together, preparing himself to play the game. Jay wakes up to see *Prime Empire* booted up on the Arcade Pod, so he approaches the game to play.
* Kai sees notes with the same logo on the motherboard on The Mechanic's bulletin board, and Lloyd finds a notebook that also has the logo. A monitor boots up behind some books, so Zane pushes them aside to see it. the monitor questions the ninja if they found the motherboard, and Zane responds typing in the keyboard. The monitor replies back, saying that Unagami is pleased and to activate the game, then turns itself off. Lloyd questions who Unagami is.
* Jay continues grinding *Prime Empire* happily. He is greeted with a message saying he reached Level 13 in the game. The Arcade Pod asks if he would like to enter *Prime Empire*. Jay responds yes and presses a red button. The Arcade Pod opens like a door, revealing a white light behind what were the screen and buttons. Jay is attracted to the light and disappears into the Arcade Pod, which then closes and shuts off. The ninja return to see Jay, but he is already gone.
* After realizing that Jay mysteriously left, the ninja wonder where he might be. Nya then turns on the game Jay was trying to turn on, and after opening up the arcade cabinet, Kai questions the fact that there's a secret chamber stored in the game. Cole then points to a security camera and asks Zane to pull up the footage.
* With the footage, the ninja realize there was an unknown energy blast when Jay placed the motherboard into the Arcade Pod. Sometime later, Jay enters Prime Empire after completing level thirteen.
* *Prime Empire* begins to boot up on more and more Arcade Pods around Ninjago City.

#### 15th

* The ninja interrogate The Mechanic, but he refuses to give any answers. The Police Commissioner enters and informs the ninja about all the video games in Ninjago City changing to *Prime Empire*. Kai speculates that the energy pulse from earlier could have caused the switch. Meanwhile, The Mechanic chuckles and hints something mysterious.
* The Mechanic refuses to cooperate, so Lloyd urges for The Commissioner to send him to Kryptarium Prison, and he is taken shortly after. Zane then briefs the ninja about Milton Dyer saying that he has all the answers about the game.
* The ninja use the *Destiny's Bounty* to travel to Milton Dyer, who lives on his own island. Zane remarks at the fact that he has been in hiding for almost thirty years and his island would be the most logical place for him to conceal.
* When the ninja arrive, they point out how abandoned the island looks and pass through the hedge maze. Soon, they reach the front door of the Dyer Mansion with Nya criticizing the security system of the place. However, when Kai knocks on the door, a boobytrap sprawls and the ninja are sent flying in the air before landing back where they started.
* The ninja try again and barely avoid another trap when an ivy nearly hits them. Lloyd advises that they should be careful and move slowly, but that all changes when the statues with glowing, red eyes attempts to shoot the ninja with lasers. The ninja dodge the lasers, but the gate to the Dyer Mansion closes and three robot dogs appear out of nowhere. While all of this is going on, the ivy begins to pull on the walls, causing the fear of the ninja being squished. Lloyd fights a Robo Dog, and a laser from the statue hits the dog. Zane and Kai do the same thing causing all of the dogs to be defeated. Nya then uses water from the fountain with Zane's ice to freeze the statues.
* Suddenly, the walls stop moving and an unknown man steps out to greet the ninja. Cole asks if he's Milton Dyer, but he replies that he's an intern named Bob. They both enter the Dyer Mansion, and Bob talks about working with Milton Dyer for thirty-one years although Milton Dyer hasn't been at the house for quite a while. Kai asks about *Prime Empire* and Bob pulls up a VCR showing Milton Dyer complimenting his own game before flashing light shows with Milton Dyer walking towards it.
* When asked why *Prime Empire* was not released, Bob mentions changes Milton Dyer made changes to the game which made his bosses angry which caused him to be fired from Vast Industries. In addition, Milton Dyer also promised revenge for being fired. After the ninja hear about Milton Dyer's promise and Unagami, they assume that Milton Dyer is Unagami.
* At Benny's Arcade Emporium, Leroy gets trapped in *Prime Empire* after reaching level thirteen.
* Inside *Prime Empire*, Jay runs through crowds of people trying to avoid the Red Visors. In an alley, he notices the trunk of a car is open, so he hides and waits for the Red Visors to leave. Believing they are gone, he opens the trunk, but then he hears a call to put his hands up, so he raises them. However, he realizes the call was not for him and spies behind the truck. The call was actually for a hooded man, who tells the Red Visors that it was all a misunderstanding. The man hits them, then starts up his car. With their own cars, the Red Visors get in pursuit.
* As the man drives, Jay complains to himself that he feels uncomfortable. Jay then opens the trunk, but then a Red Visor notices him and opens a spike in front of his own car to try and hit the man's car. The Red Visor hits the man's car, so the man complains that his rear lights had just been repaired. As a result, Jay is thrown into the man's window, and the man asks who Jay is. After noticing Jay's reflexes, he suggests that Jay is a ninja. With his car, the man hits one of the Red Visors' cars away. With the other two in pursuit and reaching a dead-end, Jay uses his golden kusarigama to drift the man's car but loses his weapon as a result. The man thanks Jay for his help, but then they crash into a Red Visor and his car.
* In an alley, the man asks if Jay is alright. Telling him Jay is new, he introduces himself as Scott. Jay exchanges his name as well. Scott says it is nice to meet him and that he has been waiting for Jay for a long time.
* After Jay and Scott introduce themselves, Jay questions on why the Red Visors were chasing him, only for Scott to say that he'll tell him everything once he finds Jay a way to escape. When Scott notices two of the Red Visors' helmets, he quickly tells Jay to put them on in order to disguise himself.
* Later, after Jay and Scott pass by a crowd of people and two Red Visors, one of the Red Visors demands Jay and Scott to identify themselves. Scott says that he's Red 27 while Jay says that he and Scott were going undercover. However, when the actual Red 27 appears, two Red Visors chase Jay and Scott into another crowd of people and four Red Visors attack Jay and Scott.
* When one of the Red Visors knocks off Jay's helmet, two of the citizens recognize Jay as one of the ninja. Moments later, Jay is able to defeat the Red Visors and he and Scott are able to escape.
* Okino trains passingly as he hopes to guide a gamer through Terra Karana and help them obtain the purple Key-Tana. His first attempt is with Newbie Gamer, who interrupts when Okino is explaining Terra Karana and the three deadly challenges: the Forest of Discontent, the Cliffs of Hysteria, and the Maze of the Red Dragon.
* Newbie Gamer enters the Forest of Discontent with a sword and begins to brag that he will conquer the forest. Suddenly, he is shot by the Thorns of Discontent and loses a life. After respawning, Okino suggests that they should take cover, but Newbie Gamer ignores Okino and heads on. However, the same thing happens and he loses a life. With two lives remaining, Okino was about to suggest something, but Newbie Gamer once again ignores Okino and proceeds to head around the forest. Nonetheless, he steps on the Thorns of Discontent and squanders his third life. Now with one life left, Okino is about to suggest something, but Newbie Gamer cuts him off again and goes around the other way. As expected, he dies and turns into an orange cube. An aerial drone comes by and scoops up the cubes before leaving.
* Inside *Prime Empire*, an announcer says that the next Speedway Five-Billion will start in three days and is the most stimulating race in history. Every contestant wants to win the Yellow Key-Tana, the prize of the race.
* The announcer then focuses his attention on the contestants. Hyper-Sonic introduces himself first, saying he is full of spirit and is very eager to win. Next is Ritchie, who says he serves Atta the Ratta and that he wants to win the Key-Tana to please his kind. Anthony Brutinelli talks about his name coming from his real name, not his car. Racer Seven mentions her always wanting to be a racer and proving that she is good enough. The racers fight for the camera's focus, each stating their individual desires of what to do if they win the Key-Tana.
* While continuing Racer Seven's interview, the announcer notices Jay on the side and speculates if he is a racer that came late. The announcer asks him what his ambition is after winning the Key-Tana. Jay tells him that the race has to be stopped and it is not what everyone thinks it is. However, Red Visors start shooting at him, so he runs away. The announcer then tells his viewers to stay tuned for the next race.
* Okino, determined not to fail another master, plants Newbie Gamer's sword in the ground and trains rigorously. Not before long, Gamer Geek arrives in Terra Karana. Despite the original excitement from Gamer Geek, she too is cubed. Okino continues to train and hopes to guide a master to victory but constantly fails every gamer.
* Okino begins to lose hope and places less effort in his training.

#### 16th

* Fred Finely is reporting live about gamers mysteriously disappearing after reaching level thirteen on *Prime Empire*.
* To combat the loss, police start removing arcade cabinets from Benny's Arcade Emporium much to Benny's dislike since he was making a huge profit off the games.
* At Kryptarium Prison, Warden Noble is passing by all the cells and taunts the Mechanic for his return. However, the Mechanic whispers about change in the air which ends up coming true when Unagami hacks into the security system of Kryptarium Prison, allowing all of the prisoners to be free. Ultra Violet and Captain Soto are about to leave with the other inmates, but the Mechanic encourages most of the convicts to work with him, for they would be rewarded by Unagami if they succeeded. Fugi-Dove volunteers to join, but the Mechanic turns him down.
* The ninja head to Borg Tower to check on the diagnostics Cyrus Borg ran on the arcade cabinet recovered from The Mechanic's headquarters. Borg compliments the complex code of *Prime Empire* and Kai responds by telling Borg that Milton Dyer had a better security system on his island which included robot dogs. Borg briefs the ninja about *Prime Empire* saying that Jay and over eight-hundred players are trapped inside the virtual world and the game is controlled by Unagami, to their horror. Borg gives them two options: find Milton Dyer in the real world, who everyone assumes is operating Unagami, or enter the *Prime Empire* and destroy Unagami. In addition, Borg also reveals that Zane and P.I.X.A.L. should not enter the game or else their programming could be changed, something that causes them to decide to stay behind. With the plan set, Cole starts playing *Prime Empire*.
* Concurrently, all of the escaped detainees who decided to help arrive at Borg Tower. The Mechanic informs everyone that they must search the entire building to find the arcade cabinet which causes Ultra Violet to criticize the Mechanic for not bringing Fugi-Dove, as he could make the task easier. At the same time, Fugi-Dove is walking down the streets of Ninjago City in style despite the awkward looks he gets from a couple of people.
* The Mechanic and the inmates begin their invasion as they quickly rush Borg Tower while tying up two officers. They all make it inside an elevator, but a snapshot is taken by a droid. This catches the attention of the ninja and Borg who question how the prisoners escaped. The ninja want to fight the escaped captives, yet Borg refuses to let them leave citing his new security system could mistake the ninja for the enemies. The ninja still want to fight, still, Borg tells them to fight the enemies of *Prime Empire*. They check back on Cole; however, he's having a hard time choosing an avatar.
* In an effort to slow down the prisoners, Borg shuts down the elevator, so the prisoners head for the stairs. Borg then activates his Nindroid Sentries, but the Mechanic's team easily defeats them. Then they get past the invisible lasers after the Mechanic tracks the droids movement, which Soto also criticizes the Mechanic for not bringing Fugi-Dove, who is feeding pigeons and a chicken. In addition, they get past a fake brick wall and stairs that turn into a ramp.
* Cole is playing the video game, while the rest of the ninja fight the prisoners. During the fight, Lloyd questions why the Mechanic is working for Unagami, and the Mechanic replies by talking about a new revolution and being his number two when it happens. Cole then reaches level thirteen and the portal opens. Kai, Lloyd, Nya, and Cole are able to enter the game while Zane, Borg, and P.I.X.A.L. evacuate the tower. On the other hand, the Mechanic tries to play the game, but cannot for some reason to his anger.
* Aboard Borg's helicopter, P.I.X.A.L. worries over the Mechanic holding the original game but Zane is not, as he reveals he took the *Prime Empire* motherboard with him after Cole went through.
* The trapped ninja marvel after entering *Prime Empire*, while an aerial drone passes by in the air.
* The ninja walk through *Prime Empire*, trying to find Jay. Cole is stoked from being inside a game, ready to test all of the possibilities, such as making his avatar. Nya informs him not to get distracted, as they need to find Jay. Lloyd then informs them of the incoming Red Visors, who are scaring everyone with their presence.
* When Cole thinks that they are just tutorial guides here to show them the ropes, the Red Visors suddenly attack them. The ninja attempt to use Spinjitzu, but they just twirl around and get dizzy. They then try to use their powers, but again, nothing happens. Dodging the beams shot from the Red Visors and failing to fight back, Nya points out that the loss of their Spinjitzu and Elemental Powers may be from the game deleting their techniques. When the Red Visors attempt to finish them off, multiple Jays come out of nowhere and easily defeat them. After asking who was the real Jay, Cole then explains that they aren't Jay, but some of the people who were also trapped in the game and just made their avatars look like Jay. Suddenly, Unagami's aerial drones fly towards them and scan the area. After mastering the Double Jump, the ninja follow the Jay avatars over the buildings of *Prime Empire*.
* As they run, Lloyd complains about how easily tired he's gotten from running a short distance. One of the Jay's explains that since they are new to the game, their stats are low. Cole then concludes that the reason they don't have powers is due to them not having any skills or techniques. The same Jay shows them the amount of skills he's required already and buys the skill "Back Flip Flying Kick" and uses it to take out a couple of drones.
* Now cornered by drones from all sides, the ninja and Jay avatars fight them. While the Jays use their skills to merely defeat the drones, the ninja struggle to take them down. Kai jumps on the face of a drone in an attempt to blind it while he attacks. The drone then blasts Kai with a laser, sending him flying off the building, killing him.
* Lloyd, witnessing Kai's death, begins to grieve over his friend, when Kai blips beside him, alive. At first, traumatized over his supposed death, Kai realizes that he just re-spawned and is impressed, even though he just died. The Jay Avatars tell the ninja where to go next while they distract the drones, but not before also giving them a secret code and saying when there, they will meet Superstar Rockin' Jay.
* Once getting to the grounds of an alleyway, the ninja spot more Red Visors up ahead where they need to go. Knowing that they still don't have enough EXP to fight back, the ninja hide, except for Kai. Believing that when he dies, he'll come back again; Kai gets the Red Visors' attention and insults Unagami. Angered, the Red Visors chase Kai until he runs past his friends, with the Visor's following. Kai continues to taunt them until one manages to shoot him, killing him again. Using this advantage, the rest of the team throw tires onto the Red Visors and roll them away; Kai re-spawns again and talks about how cool it is to die and come back again. Cole attempts to explain to Kai about how lives in a video game work, but Kai ignores him and they continue to move forward.
* Arriving at the location, which was an empty parking lot, the ninja are confused by the turn of events; Kai concludes that the Jay avatars are crazy since they love Jay so much when a masked stranger holds them at gunpoint. Remembering what the Jay avatars told them, Nya tells the man the code and he lowers the gun, realizing that the league sent them and that they're here to see Superstar Rockin' Jay. He reveals his hidden hideout and invites them inside.
* As the ninja are fascinated by the hideout's appearance, the stranger reveals his name to be Scott, a mechanic who's been hiding from Unagami for a while; his Red Visors want him to compete in the Speedway Five-Billion, but he denies going since he is smarter. Kai touches one of Scott's belongings as the latter warns him not to. The item blows up and kills Kai, for the third time. Upon coming back to life, Kai again brags how cool it is to have infinite lives. Scott shoots him down as he shows him his health board, which is down to one. Now being scared of the possibility of death, Kai berates his friends for not telling him this news. An annoyed Cole snaps back at him for when he did try explaining but states Kai didn't want to hear anything. Kai asks Scott what will happen if he loses his last one; Scott tells him that he doesn't want to know and that's the reason why he won't race, because he too is down to one life.
* Scott then shows them a hidden room in his garage. Inside, the ninja are greeted by the sight of many people who chose their Avatar to be Jay, with Kai thinking that they are in a nightmare. Beta Jay 137 onstage gathers the attention of the other members, telling them to get ready for Superstar Rockin' Jay. Then, Superstar Rockin' Jay appears onstage and plays his guitar for a brief moment. As he thanks his fans for listening, he spots the ninja team in the crowd. Excited, he runs up to them and hugs them, revealing this to be the real Jay. Jay then expresses his love for *Prime Empire* to his friends.
* Sage Master and Successful Samurai enter Terra Karana and find Okino doing nothing. Successful Samurai and Sage Master talk about their past success which gets Okino interested. Okino asks what is the key to success and Successful Samurai talks about a positive mindset that inspires Okino.

#### 17th

* Gayle Gossip stands outside of Benny's Arcade Emporium with Vinny, making a news report about the newly revealed video game, *Prime Empire*. She explains that although it has taken Ninjago by storm, its story is suspicious when looking deeper.
* An old commercial for *Prime Empire* plays, stating that it is an all new gaming experience. Eight whole bits of graphics, and locations such as the Temple of Madness and others.
* Gossip says that the commercial had never before been aired to the public and that the reason *Prime Empire* was not on the market was not disclosed yet. She talks about Milton Dyer being a legend in his field and having produced a considerable selection of video games. She suggests that because something happened in Vast Industries, the game could never release. Also, she speculates that Dyer did not want to talk about the incident, so he avoided the public. She asks her viewers why *Prime Empire* had to be released now.
* Next, Gossip interviews people in line at the Arcade about opinions on *Prime Empire*. She starts with Nelson, who says it is the best game in history and you cannot get off of it. Benny says that he had never saw an arcade like this since *Prime Empire* was released, emphasizing the long line outside his store. He tells the viewers that everyone come to his arcade and have fun. However, Zane interrupts, saying that the *Prime Empire* video game is dangerous. Benny pushes him away and continues to tell Gossip that everyone should come down to his arcade. After suggesting there is a deeper truth, Gossip says that she must go to the source — *Prime Empire*.
* Gayle enters the Arcade, and talks about how everyone is having fun and if the game will reach its eventual end. Nelson is on the side playing *Prime Empire*. Gossip ends her news report as Nelson disappears into the video game.
* With inspiration from the Sucessful Samurai, Okino begins to train differently saying that he must change and adapt. Soon, he meets Adventure-Ready Woman who seeks guidance from Okino. She is able to get through the Forest of Discontent thanks to helpful advice from Okino. Next, she is able to scale the soaring Cliffs of Hysteria. When they reach the top, the two can see the Maze of the Red Dragon. With determination, Adventure-Ready Woman continues but is picked up by a huge bird and is cubed, causing Okino to lose all hope.
* Okino, believing he has lost everything, thinks he is a failure for not leading any of his gamers to victory. He then vows to never lead a master to their doom and sets his sword down. Suddenly, the ninja enter with Jay and Kai arguing about the League of Jays.
* The ninja spot Okino, who calls himself a disgrace for leading none of his master to success. However, the Nya embraces Okino saying it would be an honor if they could have him as their guide.
* After Okino introduces himself, Lloyd tells Okino his and the other ninja's names and who they are. Okino, doing as he is programmed, pledges his service to the ninja. As they begin to thank him, Kai asks Okino what he means by "failing his previous masters" and how many were there. Upset, Okino points to the many swords he stuck in the ground that belonged to his fallen masters. Unnerved but still determined to escape the game, the ninja give Okino their word to get through the trials. Okino agrees and swears to help them.
* Okino leads the ninja to the Forest of Discontent. As Kai is confused by the name, three bushes send spikes flying towards them; Okino easily deflects them with his sword and tells a scared Cole that the spikes were called "Thorns of Discontent." Lloyd points out that they came from the bushes. As the ninja ready their new prime controllers and call out which bush to defeat, Kai "claims" that he will look for bushes from behind. With the team giving Kai odd looks, Kai merely explains that he only has one life left.
* The ninja, ready, except for a wary Kai, charge for the bushes. They dodge and deflect the thorns that flew towards them and use beams from their weapons to destroy the bushes. Cole explains his fondness over their new weapons, when a thorn flies and hits him in the back, killing him. As he re-spawns, Cole sees that he has lost a life, much to his dismay. Okino explains to the group that the forest was dangerous, even saying that "the ground cannot be trusted" as they venture inside.
* As the team and Okino travel through the forest, they complain about the darkness and not being able to see. Jay then opens his inventory and pulls out two torches for him and Cole. The problem now is that they could see what danger awaited for them. Nya then asked if what Okino said earlier was true; The Key-Tana being in a maze. Okino confirms this as a yes, as it was to be guarded by a dragon. Lloyd questions on how this was going to be a problem, as they have all faced dragons before. Okino denies this and tells them how strong this one really was.
* As they continue walking, Nya accidentally falls into a pit. She then begins to sink into it as teeth surround her. Jay and Cole attempt to pull her out in vain and Nya screams as the sand and the teeth swallow her. Respawning, Nya is upset as well to see that she has also lost a life. Questioning what that was, Okino explains to Lloyd that was Swampteeth and reminiscences what he said earlier about the ground.
* Okino and the ninja eventually reach a point where he thinks the upcoming obstacle could be Strangler Vines. Lloyd finds out it's not, but they are ambushed by the Whack Rats. The ninja defeat the Whack Rats and Ritchie is tied up. They interrogate him and Ritchie reveals that Unagami orders them to ambush the ninja. Lloyd then comments about Unagami preventing the ninja from winning the game which confuses Okino. The ninja then explain to Okino that *Prime Empire* is not a real-world and Unagami is the creator of the world. Originally, Okino doesn't believe it causing Jay to realize he is not programmed to understand the truth.
* Realizing Unagami is playing dirty, the ninja are about to leave, but Ritchie urges the ninja to cut him down because he has an itch. Ritchie then tells the ninja that there's a glitch in the game that can allow the ninja to bypass the Forest of Discontent. The ninja end up letting Ritchie down and he begins scratching his body.
* Ritchie guides the ninja to the glitch and he jumps in. Okino is confused at the sight as the rest of the ninja enter as well. The ninja are teleported to a purple cubed room. They walk forward and all of a sudden, the Red Visors appear and begin shooting the ninja. The ninja pull out their prime controllers to defend themselves as Ritchie looks on before leaving the room. The ninja begin to lose lives until Okino enters and fights the Red Visors allowing the ninja a chance to escape. Everyone but Lloyd is able to escape because Lloyd wants Okino to come along. Okino decides to stay with Lloyd as he pushes him through the portal.
* The ninja and Okino land outside the Forest of Discontent. Lloyd thanks Okino, but he is kneeling realizing the world he lives in is not real. Okino thinks he's a pawn, but Lloyd downplays the idea as he tells Okino that he made his own decision, not Unagami. Lloyd then tells Okino to trust in himself and in the ninja as friends and as an ally to help them get past Terra Karana.
* The ninja walk away from the Forest of Discontent. Noticing that Okino is still upset over losing his masters and from learning that his world, along with him, is fake, the ninja try to make conversation and jokes with him, both failing.
* They all soon arrive at the Cliffs of Hysteria, with the ninja being impressed and scared by its size. Cole even notes this as a wall that never ends. Due to being in Prime Empire the longest, Jay notes that if he can't climb it, his friends can't, somewhat hurting them from his brash comment. Okino, still down in the dumps, tells them that they can make it up the cliff by talking to Shifty. When they question who that is, Okino points to a shop being run by Shifty himself.
* Shifty welcomes the ninja and Okino to his shop and over exaggerates about his knick-knacks. Shifty's attention gets caught on Nya and begins to compliment her until a jealous Jay steps in and asks him for a rope. This gives Shifty the impression that they want to climb the cliffs and tells them that he indeed does have a rope. Cole's eye catches the grappling hooks and Shifty sells them for 20 credits each (For "Flower Nya" it's 15). Shifty then "shows them the ropes", one being the Rope of Supreme Durability and the Rope of Questionable Integrity. The Team thinks it's an obvious choice to pick the first option and Shifty offers to give them all one for the same price, that being 600 credits (Nya's discount coming with a Poisoned Tipped Arrow). The ninja are left driven by the thoughts of picking the old nasty rope and getting the Key-Tana quicker, grinding for credits to get the strong and clean rope, or going by Jay's idea, ganging up on Shifty and stealing the rope. Lloyd denies the second two options, One being they don't have the time and the other being just wrong.
* As the team readies their offer, Shifty notices one of Unagami's drones in the air and is confused that since the drones only appear when there are energy cubes. He tells them that when a player gets "cubed" the drones take them away to Unagami, thanks to the Mad Sushi Chef. Shifty then continues to tell the ninja that Unagami is planning to build something, but doesn't know what exactly. The drone spots the ninja and begins blinking, making the ninja team hasty and buy the ropes as Red Visors are spawned.
* The ninja and Okino run a certain distance and then combine the grappling hook and rope. They then fire their guns up the mountain and begin to climb. Kai taunts the Red Visors down below until their feet extinguish the fire, and help them fly towards them. Knowing that if they keep climbing, they will most likely be killed, the ninja fight.
* One Red Visor gets a lucky hit on Cole, making him fall toward the clouds below until managing to get a grip on his rope again. However, the drone from earlier appears from below and shoots a part of the rope above Cole, making it slowly start to snap apart. Nya repeatedly tells her friend to hurry, as the latter does so. The drone then begins to attack Cole again, forcing him to dodge its lasers. As he continues to dodge, the moving around makes the rope fall apart even faster. Noticing his friend in trouble, Kai, risking his last life and ignoring his friend's concerns, jumps off the side and lands on the drone. Sticking his sword in its head, Kai maneuvers the drone around and make it shoot the leftover Red Visors, giving Cole the chance to double-jump to the upper part of the rope before it snapped. Aiming carefully, Kai shoots a Red Visor that was next to Lloyd by its foot thruster. As it begins to fall, Lloyd catches it and says he has an idea.
* The ninja and Okino make it to the top of the cliff while Kai flies the drone to the top. The drone then disappears and Kai lands beside his friends, amazed at what he had just done. Despite Jay explaining the damage that had been done, Lloyd tells his friends that if they could use the Red Visor he caught, maybe it could tell them what Unagami is planning. Nya follows and hacks its computer code and reboots its communications. The Red Visor tells them that the Energy Cubes are being used to construct a portal to the "Other Place." Jay realizes that Unagami is wanting to make a portal that will bring them into the real world. Nya orders the Red Visor to confirm if this was true, but it explodes from the damage before giving them any more info.
* Okino tells them to go before any more drones or Red Visors come and that it is better if he stays behind, as he is a creation of Unagami and that he cannot be trusted. Lloyd dis-confirms this as he makes his own decisions and Jay adds that they do trust him. The team also tell him that even though he is a creation along with *Prime Empire*, he makes and decides what he wants to do and who he is. This heartens Okino to keep moving with the ninja.
* As the ninja and Okino head to the Maze of the Red Dragon, Okino narrates about his past failures and promises that he'll not fail the ninja. Once the ninja and Okino enter the maze, they are forced to escape from the obstacles and traps, such as statues and floor spikes.
* As Cole is about to ask Okino on which way to go, Okino sees all of *Prime Empire* pause, and Unagami appears before him. Okino explains to Unagami about what the ninja said about *Prime Empire* and Unagami admits that the ninja were right. However, Unagami explains that he plans to make a machine that will allow him to escape to Ninjago and that Okino can join him by betraying the ninja. Okino disagrees with Unagami, saying the ninja are his friends and that he can't betray them. Enraged, Unagami transforms into the Empire Dragon and says to Okino that he'll meet him again soon. Unagami then unfreezes *Prime Empire* and the ninja see Okino depressed again. When the ninja ask Okino what's wrong, Okino replies that he's okay and tells the ninja to head right.
* After heading right, the ninja and Okino dodge more traps and rest awhile. Okino questions Lloyd on why he and the other ninja seek the Key-Tanas and Lloyd replies that they need it to stop Unagami and free all the people that are trapped in *Prime Empire*. Soon, the ninja and Okino reached the heart of the maze and spotted the Purple Key-Tana with the Red Dragon. Jay attempts to grab it, only for the Red Dragon wake up and attack the ninja.
* When Okino was about to tell the ninja about the Red Dragon's weakness, Unagami pauses all of *Prime Empire* again and reminds Okino about his offer. *Prime Empire* unfreezes and the Red Dragon continues to overpower the ninja. Remembering what Lloyd said to him about making his own decisions, Okino tells the ninja the dragon's weakness by hitting its scale. The ninja were able to overpower the Red Dragon while Jay was able to get the Key-Tana. When the Red Dragon was about to attack Lloyd, Jay used the Key-Tana and defeat the Red Dragon with it. After the dragon was defeated, it vanished into an amulet and Okino tells Jay that he can now use the dragon in a future battle and only once.
* Angered by Okino's betrayal, Unagami pauses *Prime Empire* again and tells Okino that he'll never go through the gateway to Ninjago. The ninja thank Okino and tell him that he should join them. Although, Okino denies the ninja's request.
* Now named as the Rōnin of Terra Karana, Okino places his sword with his fallen masters and leaves to seek his own adventures.

#### 18th

* At Ninjago City, Zane, P.I.X.A.L., and Master Wu walk through the streets of the city, following the directions to Milton Dyer's childhood home through his records. Zane says that there might be a chance that his parents might still be living there and P.I.X.A.L also adds that hopefully, they could help them. Zane says that from what Unagami is doing, he is a criminal, so they have no choice. Wu tells him that they must handle this in the right way, to which Zane agrees.
* Knocking on the door to the apartment, Mrs. Dyer opens it and asks if they need help. Wu says if they could meet Milton Dyer. Mrs. Dyer becomes surprised and asks if they really do know her son, which Zane responds to with a no, in some way. He explains the situation of *Prime Empire* and that it is important that they find him. Mrs. Dyer recognizes her son's talent of games, making P.I.X.A.L. realize that she does not know where Milton Dyer is. She confirms this and welcomes them inside, thinking that maybe they could find something that would help them find out where he is.
* Inside Milton's old bedroom, Mrs. Dyer tells them that she never thought her son could make a career of video games, and how since making the last game, *Prime Empire*, they have not seen him. P.I.X.A.L. shows Zane a photo of Milton and his friend graduating, they ask if that was Milton and who that was with him. She says yes, but does not remember who that friend was. Before they leave, Mrs. Dyer asks them to tell Milton Dyer that they miss him.
* Inside *Prime Empire*, Jay welcomes the team to Terra Technica. He explains that the Yellow Key-Tana is here and the only way to achieve it is to enter and win the Speedway Five-Billion. Wanting to know what that was, they watched on a giant screen of the race going on, also witnessing the danger it held. The team then goes to register the race by talking to the Admin Droid, a helping robot that gives people advice in racing and also registers players to the race. Asking to enter the Speedway Five-Billion, the Admin Droid tells them the entry fee is 200 credits each and since the team of five is entering, it would cost 1,000 credits. The ninja pull out their credits, which everyone held an average amount, except for Kai, who has 12 credits. Wanting to know what he had spent most of his credits on, Kai shows them that he had spent it on a new avatar. Changing into his avatar, Kai turns around and shows them the details, with Jay being the only one impressed. As Nya tells them they need to find a way to get more credits and that they are 317 credits short, they are all ambushed by Red Visors, forcing them to fight.
* As they fight, Nya notices that there weapons are being damaged. Knowing that it will cost credits to upgrade them, she tells her friends not to do so. However, Jay's kusarigama breaks when being surrounded by a group of Red Visors, forcing him to spend 100 credits to upgrade it. He is able to take the enemy out but is told off by his team for spending his credits. As they begin looking for a quest that pays, the same TV announces a dance competition is being held and the winners receive 500 credits.
* At the competition, Nya and Jay compete together as a dance couple. Believing Jay is a bad dancer, Kai, Cole, and Lloyd, think they stand a low chance of winning. Once the competition begins, Jay and Nya get off to a good start with their moves from *Dancy Pants* and previous dance lessons, surprising their friends. They both notice another couple dancing and are doing just about as good as them. Noticing how worried Jay is, Nya tells them they have something as an advantage, chemistry. The two begin to step it up, getting them more points. Knowing how well they are doing, the dancers from earlier make their way to them. One of the rivals pulls Jay aside and threatens him before pushing him back to Nya. Kai, Lloyd, and Cole congratulate their friends and encourage them.
* As the competition goes on, the theme changes and two dancers mess up, disqualifying them. Cole jokes around by picking up Kai and dances with him, giving them "tips" while Kai hits him. Another pair messes up their groove, losing their place in the competition as well. The dancers that threatened Jay and Nya earlier shove another pair of dancers over, throwing them out of the game too. Feeling threatened by Jay and Nya, one of the rivals attempts to kick them out by kicking Nya in the heel, making them both realize that they are cheating to win.
* Red Visors appear at the scene, getting the attention of Kai, Lloyd, and Cole. Knowing that they were here to kill them and that Nya and Jay are close to winning, they go to fight the Red Visors and keep them busy.
* Hearing gunshots in the crowd, Nya and Jay see Kai defeat two Red Visors, only to run out of view while being chased by more. Some of the Red Visors' attention gets caught by the pair and they try to shoot them. Seeing that they were so close to winning, Jay and Nya use the Red Visors as an advantage by fighting them while also dancing, getting them more points and messing up the other dancers' moves, the ones who were cheating, much to their annoyance. Cole gets cornered by three Red Visors and, for the first time in years, performs the Triple Tiger Sashay and defeats them.
* Jay and Nya see only 30 seconds remaining, more Red Visors are approaching, and the other dancers are ahead of them by at least 1,000 points. Knowing that in order to win, they must perform a big dance move, Nya jumps at the Red Visors and kicks them away, telling Jay to catch her. Jay panics, knowing that they never performed that move. Nya denies this and says that she trusts him, as she runs at him. Jay then tosses Nya in the air, spinning her around until Jay holds her up by the foot, then throws her back up. As she spins again, Jay then catches Nya by the hands while she is upside down and they spin, tripling their points. As they perform the move, Jay happily announces his love for Nya, again, and she smiles at him.
* Their points make it up to 99,999 as the competition ends. As they win their 500 credits, another Red Visor appears to attack them but is trampled by the crowd rushing to Jay and Nya and toss them up and down in the air. As the Red Visor tries to get up, Kai gets his attention and punches him in the face.
* They return to the Admin Droid, who was watching a video, ready to pay the entry fee. The Admin Droid collects their credits and asks for their team name to race. Jay speaks up and says their name is "The Fast Chickens," much to everyone's confusion. The Admin Droid tells them to get their vehicles ready by dawn. Knowing they need to get their own vehicles by tomorrow, Jay, along with Kai, switches to their Digi robes and tells them he knows a place where they can get some mobiles. As they leave, the Red Visors appear again. One contacts Unagami and tells them they have entered the race. Unagami tells them that if they need vehicles to enter the race, he knows who they can get them from, and orders them to find Scott.
* Scott shows the ninja the vehicles the ninja can use, as well as his own. Nya then comments on the rusty, old vehicles and says that they need to be repaired. Scott replies saying that it's the best he has in his shop and it did well in the last race until the driver of that car made a reckless move and got cubed. Scott explains that's the reason he wouldn't drive and doesn't want to be a hero due to only having one life left. Jay then informs the rest of the ninja that he has spent a long time in the game.
* While the ninja start to work on their repairs, Lloyd heads out to check out the track. He spots Red Visors approaching, so he uses his new avatar and heads to the stands. He witnesses the dangerous race and another competitor named Racer Seven. Unfortunately for her, she wipes out and is frustrated with herself, so she throws her helmet in the direction of Lloyd. Lloyd catches it off the deflection and stares at it. Suddenly, Red Visors yell freeze at Lloyd and he begins to run while using the helmet as a shield. Lloyd then climbs onto the racing pole still and backflips onto another race car before escaping through the pit stop.
* Back at Scott's Garage, the rest of the ninja continue to fix their vehicles. Kai and Cole wonder what one of the levers does for the Mech Jet. Without warning, the engine Nya was fixing explodes and she gets upset over it. Now with only four cars and needing five, the ninja wonder what to do and Lloyd, having returned from earlier, talks about Racer Seven. However, Scott reveals that she is an NPC and is programmed to lose. Despite this, Lloyd believes she can break her programming just like Okino and asks where she typically hangs out. Scott tells Lloyd that she eats at a noodle shop, so Lloyd heads out to find her.
* Over at the marketplace, Racer Seven is walking and appears somber. The rest of the shopkeepers congratulate for her effort, but she continues ahead. She stops at the noodle shop and argues with the chef on the portion side and settles for two. Lloyd then pops by and asks if she realizes why she keeps crashing at the same spot. Racer Seven recognizes Lloyd and demands for her helmet. Lloyd then tells Racer Seven that she lives in a virtual world and everything around her is not real. In addition, he tells Racer Seven that she is programmed to crash at the fourth-mile marker and offers her a chance to win. However, Racer Seven thinks Lloyd is talking nonsense and threatens to call the Red Visors if he doesn't leave. Lloyd does leave but tells her to meet at the empty parking lot if she changes her mind.
* After reflecting, Racer Seven realizes that she does fail at the same place and decides to find Lloyd. Meanwhile, the ninja repaired all but one of the vehicles and are waiting for her. The ninja then hear her shouting and she touches the invisible shield. The ninja then reveal themselves and Lloyd asks if she would join.
* After Racer Seven agrees to help the ninja, Scott reveals his hidden garage and ask her if she was followed by any Red Visors. After an intense stare-off, Scott is persuaded and allows her to bring her car inside his garage. Unbeknowst to them, Red 29 is spying on them. He then sends Unagami his whereabouts and requests backup, spawning more Red Visors in the area.
* Inside the garage, the ninja tell Racer Seven what *Prime Empire* really is, as well as Unagami being Milton Dyer. They also tell her the only way to stop him is to get the three Key-Tanas, including the Yellow Key-Tana, which they must win at the Speedway Five-Billion and need her for that. Racer Seven reminisces when Lloyd said she was created to lose, but could change that. She asked how he could be so sure. Lloyd says he is not, but she has to believe in herself and that will help her to win.
* The alarm rings and Scott checks the camera, spotting many Red Visors outside the garage. Lloyd says he will hold them off, but the ninja refuse. Scott then steps in and says he will keep them busy, as he has been in hiding for 30 years, and what other way to use his last life than to use it for a good cause. Jay promises that they will defeat Unagami and beat the game for him. The Red Visors began to shoot at the garage multiple times, slowly destroying it. The ninja and Racer Seven hop into their vehicles, leaving Cole as the only person without one, so he partners with Kai on his jet.
* Scott opens the doors and readies his gun. He jumps out and shoots and defeats multiple Red Visors while being able to seek cover behind a few barrels. With their attention distracted, the ninja and Racer Seven drive out of the garage. As the Red Visors' attention turns to them, Scott jumps out, driving their focus back to him. As Scott attempts to dive back behind the barrels, he gets hit by a shot. Jay takes notice and screams for his friend as he turns into an energy cube. Nevertheless, Jay and his friends continue to make their way to the Speedway Five-Billion.
* The Red Visors inform Unagami of Scott's "death" and the ninja escaping to the Speedway Five-Billion. Unagami then spawns them cars to use to make sure they end up with the same fate as Scott.
* At the Speedway Five-Billion, the race starts, and the "Fast Chickens" arrive just in time to begin as well, along with the Red Visors. Cole holds on while Kai flies around other racers. The former questions why he picked to ride on the back of a jet.
* As the race goes on, more and more racers get eliminated. As Jay pulls up front, he gets side to side with Ritchie. They both recognize each other, and Ritchie throws a bomb at him. Luckily, Jay ducks down in time for it to go over his jet and hit another competitor, sending it flying back and hitting other race vehicles as well.
* The racers begin to pass the second-mile marker and Nya gets surrounded by the Red Visors. As they try to ram her from both side, she drives back as they collide with each other, then speeds up and knocks them off the track, laughing as a result.
* Soon after Kai and Cole get close to a Whack Rat, the Rat gets a loot box. As a result, a spiked wrecking ball gets attached to his car by a chain. Kai manages to evade his attacks, but as Cole dodges, he accidentally gets stuck on the base of the chain. Cole manages to make his way up to the Whack Rat's car and throw its driver out, getting Cole a vehicle of his own. Kai grabs another loot box up ahead. When it seems like it does not do anything, Kai's jet turns into a fast running mech. Kai laughs as a response while he takes out another racer.
* After making their way to the third-mile marker, Nya is almost out of the race due to a fire getting set on the hood of her car, but Racer Seven is able to put it out with an extinguisher attached to her car. Jay then begins to be rammed by the Red Visors from all sides of his jet. Kai and Cole arrive on the scene. Knowing that their friends stand a better chance of winning than them, the two exchange knowing nods. Kai's mech jumps on a Red Visors' car and Cole throws his wrecking ball at two other Red Visors' cars, one being the one he hit with the wrecking ball with and the other he snagged while dragging the other car back. As all the vehicles are about to collide, Kai and Cole wish their friends good luck. A giant explosion occurs and everyone is shocked when two energy cubes fall to the track.
* Jay and Nya scream for their friends while Lloyd hangs his head down in despair while Unagami's drones pick up the cubes.
* As the Fast Chickens move into second place, they begin to arrive at the fourth-mile marker along with Ritchie and the other Whack Rats. Racer Seven grows nervous, as this is where she always wipes out. She remembers what Lloyd said about breaking her programming and believing herself. Seven speeds up and drives past the other racers, evading their attempts to knock her out. They all pass the fourth-mile marker, surprising the audience by Seven's motives. The Whack Rats then attempt to move her out of first, but the ninja get in their way. Racer Seven crosses the finish line first and wins as everyone cheers.
* Jay, Nya, Lloyd, and Racer Seven are crowned the winners of the race and handed the Yellow Key-Tana. Seven hands it to Jay, as he states that they can make Unagami bring their friends back, they just have to get the Orange Key-Tana and confront him. Red Visors begin to appear again and Seven tells them she can handle this. The remaining ninja run off as the Red Visors confront Racer Seven and asks where they are. Seven plays dumb and they claim Unagami will find the ninja. Seven denies this and says that the ninja will be going after Unagami instead, bewildering the Red Visors.

#### 19th

* The remaining ninja, Lloyd, Nya, and Jay, head through Terra Technica and sneak past Red Visors. As they move, they watch a replay of Kai and Cole being cubed from the Speedway Five-Billion, discouraging them. Lloyd tells the two of them that Kai and Cole would want them to keep on moving, which they do. Jay shows them to the last Arcade Cabinet that would take them to the next area, Terra Domina.
* When arriving, they find themselves in an entrance shaped similar to the Temple of Madness, which lead to the side-scrolling platforms, where they have to beat all the levels to reach the end. Jay describes how this works: As they keep moving, the ground will disappear behind them and will go faster as they progress, as they keep moving they will need to dodge objects and falling bricks. If one of them dies, they all have to start over. As Nya questions the last rule, she is hit by a giant swinging sledgehammer with spikes, killing her.
* The trio respawns back at the beginning, with Nya on her last life. Lloyd expresses his annoyance about having to repeat that again. Jay tells them if they pay attention, they can do this. As they get farther, Jay passes three of the same hammers that killed Nya earlier. As he dances in his victory, he barely evades a falling brick. As he laughs at the brick, another one falls and crushes him.
* They respawn back at the start again, now with Jay standing on his last life. They move on again until Lloyd gets blocked by a giant wall. He tries to double jump over it but doesn't have enough room to get high enough. Instead, he hits the wall and falls to his death.
* The three respawn back at the beginning once more, now with all of them down to one life. Jay tells them that they can't afford any more mistakes. This time, they make it through the first section.
* The music gets faster and Jay realizes this as the game is getting harder. They are then greeted by an infinity maze going upwards and the floor slowly disappearing beneath them. They travel upwards and after a while, they slowly get tired. Just as they think the side-scroller is endless, Nya gets a Loot-Box and unlocks the ability to perform Airjitzu. Jay and Lloyd tell Nya to go on without them but says for them to grab and hold tight and flies up to the top.
* When they arrive at the top, they find themselves having to choose a champion to face their most dreaded challenger and obtain the Orange Key-Tana. Lloyd is chosen and walks in the fighting arena. Unagami chooses and spawns Lloyd's most dreaded challenger, which was Harumi, which surprises Lloyd. Jay and Nya try to warn him of what Unagami is doing, but a dome blocks them from entering the arena and mutes their voices from the inside.
* Harumi starts by tricking Lloyd to make him not want to fight her and seizes the opportunity to get the first hit on Lloyd. Lloyd holds back, not wanting to fight her. Jay and Nya try to tell Lloyd to fight her since this is not the real Harumi, but their efforts are useless. Lloyd starts making counter-attacks on Harumi, and as Harumi locks swords with Lloyd, she tries to trick him by saying that she was sorry for everything. Lloyd asks Harumi if it's really her. Jay again tries to warn his friend, but cannot due to the dome interfering. Lloyd breaks away from Harumi and proves if this was really her by asking her what they did the first night they were alone together. When Harumi answers incorrectly, Lloyd sees through this, realizing that this is not the real Harumi. Harumi and Lloyd start trading hits and blows at each other, both at low health now. Both make a final charge at each other and make a final attack on each other. Harumi dies first, while Lloyd loses his final life which results in a draw, turning into an Energy Cube and getting absorbed by a drone.
* However, Lloyd defeating Harumi earns the Orange Key-Tana, which Jay and Nya obtain. Jay and Nya mourn over Lloyd's loss for a short period of time before Nya asks Jay what to do. Jay grabs the Key-Tana and tells her that they will stop Unagami and get their friends back. Nya nods as the door in front of them opens up and they walk through it.
* Zane, in a detective-like voice, explains the ninja being trapped in *Prime Empire* by Unagami, and the villain's real name is Milton Dyer, who they are trying to track down.
* Suddenly, P.I.X.A.L. appears out of the dust and asks who Zane is talking to and why Zane is dressed like a detective. Zane, in his real voice, explains that he has downloaded thousands of detective books and movies to prepare. P.I.X.A.L. then asks about his hat, and Zane explains that all successful detectives wear hats.
* P.I.X.A.L. doubts whatever Zane's doing will work and she explains that she has a source who's willing to talk about Milton Dyer. She adds that the friend they found in the photo leads to Laughy's. Zane then talks in his monologue form and P.I.X.A.L. sighs.
* Zane and P.I.X.A.L. head over to Laughy's and as soon as they entered, everything becomes dead silent as everyone was staring at them. Zane continues with his detective narration which confuses some of the people and causes them to get upset. P.I.X.A.L. recommends that Zane stops with his narration but he continues until they meet Dareth. P.I.X.A.L. is confused at first and realizes that Dareth owns Laughy's. Dareth then guesses accurately that the two need help since the ninja are trapped in *Prime Empire*.
* While Dareth goes away to get his stuff, a thug walks toward the pair, wanting revenge because they locked his brother in Kryptarium Prison. P.I.X.A.L. asks who the man's brother is and he replies with Fugi-Dove. P.I.X.A.L. is baffled at the name as she doesn't know who he is despite the brother imitating him.
* Zane goes back into detective narration which annoys the brother of Fugi-Dove. Zane says he would be glad to challenge him to a duel, so they begin fighting. While everyone in the bar's fighting P.I.X.A.L. and Zane, he continues to narrate and even tells the brother his own moves before performing it. Meanwhile, Dareth is upset that he's not participating, so he tries to join, but is hit by a chair.
* After all the fighting, Zane in his detective voice thinks the suspect is gone, and one of the bartenders asks who they are looking for. They tell them that they are looking for a past friend of Milton Dyer and the bartender reveals to be that friend. He tells the duo his name is Tony and he kept Milton Dyer's life a secret until now. Tony tells Zane and P.I.X.A.L. to head to Buddy's Pizza because Milton Dyer played his first video game which got him into the gaming industry.
* As they are traveling to Buddy's Pizza, Zane explains the place was forced to be closed down due to people disappearing. When he looks up at P.I.X.A.L. she tells Zane that she is getting annoyed at his voice. Zane thinks P.I.X.A.L. actually likes it despite her expressing her discontent.
* When they look inside, Zane sees the Mechanic and warns her. P.I.X.A.L. attempts to strike, but she is grabbed by the Mechanic's henchmen. Zane himself is also grasped by two of his henchmen, but Zane fights through them. Unfortunately, one of the henchmen jolt Zane, knocking him out. P.I.X.A.L. checks to see if Zane is okay, but she too is electrocuted.
* Sometime later, P.I.X.A.L. wakes up to find herself at Buddy's Pizza with Zane missing. She sees the hat Zane wore and plays detective. She narrates as she tries to find a clue and states "video game city" when talking about Buddy's Pizza. Suddenly, the Arcade Cabinet opens after accepting the password, revealing stairs. She heads upstairs and finds Milton Dyer feeding pigeons. She calls him Unagami, but Milton Dyer reveals that he is not Unagami and that name was given when they were creating the game. He tells P.I.X.A.L. that the A.I. was so dangerous, they couldn't complete the game and he locked it up where no one could finish making the game. They then realize Unagami is completing the programming himself.
* After leaving the battle arena, Jay and Nya begin to make their way to Unagami. Before the last two ninja can enter the Temple of Madness, they must pass a conveyor belt with large shurikens moving in a certain pattern. Jay notices some of the shurikens have a glitch, due to the game being unfinished, which makes the pattern confusing, but Nya claims they will improvise. They work together by acting as if they were dancing. Although Jay nearly fell, which nearly caused them both to be pushed into a glitching shuriken, they are able to recover and enter the temple.
* Master Wu is inside the hangar bay looking for Zane using security cameras. He contacts P.I.X.A.L. saying that he can't find Zane, but she doesn't respond. Suddenly, Wu gets a signal showing "Zane" in the elevator. When Wu checks, he realizes that it's two of the Mechanic's henchmen who broke in. Wu defeats both of them, but there are three other henchmen on top of the elevator. They drop gas which causes Wu to pass out.
* Jay thinks the level will be more challenging than the previous, as this is normally what video games do when the player progresses, but they end up at Sushimi's sushi restaurant. A Hostess greets them to their table and Nya thinks it's all a trick just for them to lower their guard. Jay downplays the idea replying that some games have a rest spot before they fight the boss. The waitress lists everything on their menu, the last being "marinated destruction" and attacks the ninja with her butcher knife. Jay and Nya are able to evade her, but then she throws her knife at them, which also misses. They taunt her at first, but she pulls out two more. They continue fighting her, but she pulls out the next "special", monster sushi, that begin growing to giant size and bombard Jay after Nya destroys the waitress.
* Milton Dyer and P.I.X.A.L. arrive at the Mechanic's headquarters and Dyer is shocked the game was finished. He explains Unagami is not a person, but is the game itself as he dubbed it "Unfinished Adventure Game I." P.I.X.A.L. explains that Unagami has its own feelings, but Dyer believes he's just code with no feelings. He then tells P.I.X.A.L. that he doesn't know how to stop the game.
* Jay is able to jump and shake off the sushi, but three red sushi chefs go into the room, also ready to fight. They begin throwing plates and knives at them, but Jay and Nya flip and push the tables in front of them as shields. They take out two of the chefs before having to deal with the pieces of monster sushi again. As Nya attacks them, she points out that their attacks only split them into smaller variants. Jay deducts that they could use this to their advantage and they keep slashing at them until they are harmless pieces of sushi again.
* The Mechanic shows Zane his new creation, the Manifestation Gate. The Mechanic explains this will allow Unagami to cross into the real world and he will use energy cubes from the players who lost all of their lives. The Mechanic then asks for the *Prime Empire* motherboard, which is also needed to open the gateway, but Zane claims that it was destroyed. Assuming Zane is lying, the Mechanic then unveils Master Wu, who was captured by the Mechanic's henchmen.
* The remaining sushi chef uses stir fry sauce on his stove to summon the Mad Sushi Chef, Sushimi. Jay picks up chopsticks, Sushimi's weapon of choice, and battles the sushi chef until he slaps two pieces of sushi onto his face. Jay then kicks him onto the conveyor belt and Nya turns it on, sending Sushimi flying out of the room. The door to the next room appears and the couple progresses.
* They run up some stairs until encountering a red Fire Wall with three slots in front of it, those being for the Key-Tanas. One Jay puts them in, he and Nya hug for a job well done. However, Nya sees Sushimi approaching them, still barely alive, and throws a malice in the shape of a pufferfish at Jay. Nya willingly pushes Jay aside and takes the hit, killing her and turning her into an energy cube. Jay throws the malice back at Sushimi in anger, destroying him for good this time.
* P.I.X.A.L. asks Dyer if they can do anything to shut down the game, but Dyer tells P.I.X.A.L. that the game was shut down differently. P.I.X.A.L. then queries Dyer about *Prime Empire*, so he explains how Scott disappeared into the game and how Unagami began controlling *Prime Empire*.
* Dyer tells P.I.X.A.L. the game was shut down due to being too dangerous. At first, he blamed Vast Industries but realized it was his fault for creating the game in the first place. He ceased all operations because he thought it was a machine with no feelings, but it turned out to not be the case.
* Jay breaks down over Nya's death, saying he can't do this alone, but his mourning is interrupted by Unagami telling Jay to surrender or suffer the same fate. Jay refuses and switches the Key-Tanas, closing down the firewall. Before leaving, Jay tells Nya's energy cube that he'll set things right and runs off to face Unagami.
* The Mechanic demands the motherboard, but Zane refuses to answer. The Mechanic then punches a wooden box using his robo-arm and threatens to harm Wu which causes Zane to reveal the motherboard. The Mechanic grabs the motherboard and installs it into the Manifestation Gate. Wu then sends a panic signal to P.I.X.A.L. and the two immediately head over.
* As Jay gets closer to Unagami, he gets a good look at what he's building: The Manifestation Gate, with all the energy cubes of the cubed players being put in place. Unagami congratulates Jay on beating the game. Angry, Jay expresses he will do the same to "Milton Dyer". He begins to think Unagami is playing dumb when he acts confused when being called by that name, so Jay tells him to give up his ruse. Unagami tells Jay that Dyer was his creator and his whole reason for his plan to enter Ninjago, to hear his reason on why he abandoned him. Jay then comes to the conclusion that Unagami was the game as the latter denies this. Jay continues to put the pieces together, while Unagami is tired of waiting. He then sends the pieces of Nya's energy cube to be apart of his gateway, finishing it, much to Jay's dismay. With it now being completed, a shock wave travels throughout *Prime Empire*, alerting the NPCs and calling the Red Visors to the temple.
* While the Mechanic's henchmen are working on the gate, Dyer and P.I.X.A.L. are able to sneak in. Dyer is impressed with P.I.X.A.L.'s programming because it has emotions, but P.I.X.A.L. asks why Dyer doesn't understand that machines such as Unagami and herself have emotions. The Mechanic then informs Zane he is the last piece for the gateway to operate, but Zane and Wu tell The Mechanic he isn't designed to hold so much power. The Mechanic doesn't care and demands his crew to hook Zane up to the gateway.
* Unagami attempts to leave, but Jay attempts to settle the score by jumping on one of the drones flying towards him and the two engage in combat. Unagami tells him that fighting is futile and knocks Jay's Prime Controller to the floor. Jay then tackles the villain to the floor along with it. Annoyed, Unagami transforms into the Empire Dragon and attacks Jay. Jay grabs his controller and attempts a strike, but is easily knocked aside. Unagami then flies through the gateway with many Red Visors following. Some stay behind to fight Jay. As he continues holding them off, one knocks his controller out of his hands and falling down below. Jay continues to fight but soon gets overwhelmed. Just as it all seems over, he uses the amulet he achieved earlier and summons the Red Dragon, now known as the Blue Dragon and under his command. He then takes out the rest of the Red Visors and soars through the gateway.
* The Manifestation Gate is activated in the real world, but P.I.X.A.L. also heads down to fight. While she is fighting the Mechanic's henchmen, a portal is created and the Mechanic stands near the gateway waiting for Unagami to enter.
* Having finished the creation of the Manifestation Gate, Unagami enters Ninjago, terrorizing the citizens, including the Mechanic and his henchmen and hunting for his creator, Milton Dyer.
* Jay follows Unagami out of the gate on the Blue Dragon, meeting Zane, P.I.X.A.L., Dyer, and Wu. Jay helps P.I.X.A.L. free Zane from the Manifestation Gate. Begging Zane to wake up, the latter does so and is happy to see Jay again. Asking where everyone else was, Jay tells them the others that the other ninja got cubed. He then forms a plan for Dyer to meet Unagami at the top of Borg Tower. Asking if Unagami really could have a change of heart, Jay explains to Wu that instead of being evil, he is just confused by anger. Milton blames himself for what is happening around them, as well as making Unagami upset, which Jay confirms. He also tells them to get Dyer to the tower while he lures Unagami there as he hops back on the Blue Dragon. When being asked how Jay tells them he has no idea as he dons his hood and takes off.
* Getting above the city, Jay tries to find Unagami. Meanwhile down below, Red Visors and Whack Rats are spawned and terrorize civilians. Back in the air, Jay hears the Empire Dragon's roar in anger as he causes an explosion, wanting to find his maker. Jay heads over and tackles the Empire Dragon before he could harm two of The Mechanic's henchmen in a noodle truck. Unagami then chases Jay and eventually pins him down. Jay then zaps him with a bolt of lightning from his hands, due to regaining his powers, being out of *Prime Empire*. They then take off back into the skies, where Jay continues to lure Unagami to Borg Tower.
* In the streets of Ninjago, Wu, Zane, P.I.X.A.L, and Dyer run towards Borg Tower to meet with Jay. Zane is easily able to freeze the Red Visors near and Milton stops to take a look at what had been created as a result of his actions. Meanwhile, Okino protects two citizens from Ritchie and Richie.
* Back with the others, Zane and P.I.X.A.L block off Ritchie from causing havoc and take his car to ride into the tower lobby. While Jay lures Unagami up the tower, Milton Dyer tells everyone he's never been to Borg Tower before while they ride in the elevator. Zane comments that they come here often before they feel the destruction Unagami caused to the tower.
* Unagami manages to strike at the Blue Dragon's left thruster, sending it flying onto the helicopter pad and it dissipates, leaving Jay to stand on his own two feet. Unagami, in his dragon form, lands in front of him and roars at Jay. Instead of fighting, Jay starts to console him, saying that he could relate to Unagami being abandoned by his creator, as Jay had been adopted and never knew his biological parents. Unagami, turning back into his ruler form and attempts to bring the conversation to an end, pointing his spear at Jay, however, Dyer appears, wanting to speak with his creation.
* Unagami seems to soften upon this and waits. Dyer tries to allow Unagami to understand that what he was doing was not his intended purpose—to instill joy, and not fear and suffering. Dyer tells Unagami that he never understood what he had created, that he had feelings, and was as real as himself. Dyer takes the blame on himself, saying it was entirely his fault, and Unagami was merely doing as he was told and asks to make amends. He asks Unagami to come home, telling him that he would finish his programming and answer his questions. Unagami starts to glitch and change his appearance, showing who he really is: a child who felt lost and betrayed.
* Unagami, after turning into a child, accepts his maker's proposal and agrees to return with Dyer, who requests that he release those trapped in *Prime Empire*, as they are living beings just like them. Unagami accepts but he declares he will release the game characters to give them a chance at life and freedom if they wish. Dyer compliments him on his quick learning of compassion.
* The Manifestation Gate then releases all those who were previously cubed and the others once trapped in the game, including the ninja and Scott. Along with them, the NPCs and former players also exit the warehouse where the gate had been built.
* Jay reunites with Nya and kisses her, and the other ninja all gather around and ask what happened, as they only remember their time in the game up until they were cubed. Jay says he'll explain everything later, as it’s a long story. After the Red Visors and Whack Rats return to the game since Ninjago doesn't impress them, the ninja ask about Unagami. Jay replies that he's "where he belongs", with Dyer, and like everyone else formerly trapped in the game, is happy to be home.

#### 29th

* Milton Dyer and Unagami fix Prime Empire, allowing the players to be able to play the game without being trapped inside it.

### March

#### 14th

* Gayle Gossip is reports on a musical premiere, called *Clutch Powers: A Musical Life*. Clutch Powers, holding the Teapot of Tyrahn, then takes the microphone from her and begins to talk about his musical. He wishes that everybody in Ninjago would come to see his movie; a mysterious puff of smoke then appears.
* Zane and Jay talk about how the musical was horrible and confusing. Jay and Zane pose for photographs. Zane asks to go back to the monastery, but Jay declines, saying that the best part of a movie premiere is the after party. However, they get a call that there was a break-in at the museum. Reflectra is then seen stealing art. Jay and Zane bust in. Jay begs Reflectra to give up because he wants to make it to the after party, worried that it will be full if they delay, and asks Reflectra who she is. She introduces herself and kicks a computer at the two ninja. Zane and Jay attempt to use their elements to defeat her, but she reflects it back at them with diamond-shaped spinjitzu. They try to beat her with Spinjitzu, but she reflects that away as well. Reflectra remarks that she has studied the ninja's movements. Consequently, Zane and Jay break out into song and dance to defeat her. In the end, the duo emerge victorious and Jay points out that they need to make sure Clutch never finds out about this before setting his sights on making the after party.

#### 15th

* Vinny gifts Garmadon a plant as a gift and a lesson on empathy, which he learnt from his father. Garmadon slowly nurtures the plant, naming it Christofern.

### April

#### 6th

* At the monastery, Lloyd brings in some laundry into the living room, where he discovers Cole playing video games and eating junk food on the couch while Wu's chicken observes. Lloyd is at first annoyed that Cole is slacking off when they are all doing chores and preparations, especially when he's playing the game they barely got out alive of, *Prime Empire.* Though Lloyd is initially annoyed, Cole assures him and that Dyer and Unagami worked out the kinks, and the game is good to play now. Lloyd then shrugs it off and joins in, deciding that one match won't hurt.
* Outside, Nya and Jay are raking leaves on the training yard while Zane and P.I.X.A.L. are setting up turrets on the base of the gates. Bored, Jay suggests they do Spinjitzu to make things go quicker. Nya believes that Master Wu wouldn't appreciate them abusing the power of Spinjitzu just to make things go by, but she is ultimately ignored as Jay had already done so and put all the leaves into a pile. Just as they are about to go inside, Wu, who caught in Jay using Spinjitzu, walks out of the leaves. Instead of being angry, he walks by and ignores their questions on why he's being so calm.
* Lloyd finds Wu in the library, asking why he's been so down and absent-minded lately. Misako then wanders in, asking him the same question. Wu shares his thoughts; he's proud of how much his students have grown, yet this makes him feel like he isn't needed anymore, especially since his help was not needed much on their recent adventures and that he is old. Lloyd disapproves of this, reminding Wu that he once defeated the ninja all at once. While Wu is touched by this, he still feels like he and the others have turned from students to masters.
* Outside, the Postman arrives with a letter, which Lloyd assumes that someone found the Teapot of Tyrahn, Pythor, or his father, but the Postman tells him it is an invitation from the Kingdom of Shintaro to attend Princess Vania's birthday. All the ninja get really excited about this and immediately prepare for the trip. Lloyd later tells Wu and Misako about the situation, trying to persuade Wu to come along with them. Wu refuses and states that adventuring is for the young. Accidentally insulting Misako in the process, leading to her force him to go.
* The ninja and Wu ride the *Destiny's Bounty* to the Kingdom of Shintaro. Along the way, they admire the beauty of the scenery until they hear a loud sound. Zane then reveals to the ninja that there's a species of bats called the Dire Bats which live in the mountains, which historians have been arguing whether this species actually exists. Jay thinks the entire story is made up but is suddenly grabbed by one. Jay screams in horror as another Dire Bats swipes Nya and attempts to kidnap her, but Lloyd knocks the bat away from Nya. Meanwhile, Kai spots multiple Dire Bats tearing the sails of the *Bounty*, so he shoots fireballs, attempting to shoo them off. While all of this is going on, Cole jumps onto a Dire Bat and saves Jay who is dropped by the bat that kidnapped him. Jay and Cole are then able to get back to the *Bounty* when Kai tosses them a rope as they fell. Soon, a Dire Bat attempts to take Wu, but Zane saves him, and the bat instead, hits the pole carrying the sail, which causes the *Bounty* to tilt to its right and descend rapidly. The ninja brace for impact and are just about to crash when the ship suddenly shudders and seemingly tilts itself back, floating once again.
* The ninja soon discover the Army of Shintaro carrying the underside of the *Bounty*. Hailmar greets the ninja, and explains the Dire Bats to them. He then introduces them to the Kingdom of Shintaro on the horizon.
* The Army of Shintaro land the *Destiny's Bounty* safely on the Kingdom of Shintaro.
* Harumi arrives in Shintaro and learns from Vangelis that the ninja are coming. Harumi believes that the ninja will ruin everything, but the King of Shintaro claims that there's nothing to worry about, and he can take care of things by himself if things go wrong, revealing the Skull of Hazza D'ur and the Skull Sorcerer outfit to Harumi and informs her that the Geckles and Munce will keep mining Vengestone for the Crystal King. Hailmar knocks on the door, telling Vangelis that the ninja have arrived. Harumi quickly hides as Vangelis reverts to his royal attire and welcomes the ninja.
* The ninja and Wu are led by Hailmar to be welcomed to Shintaro by King Vangelis and Princess Vania. Harumi watches the ninja's arrival from behind the throne. Princess Vania shows significant interest in the ninja's adventures, directing this interest towards Cole. When Jay points out that Vania likes Cole, Lloyd grows suspicious of Vania.
* That night, Cole goes to his room within the palace for the night along with all of the other ninja and Wu. Lloyd stealthily follows Cole into his room and tells Cole of his suspicion of Vania, which Cole brushes off, teasing that Lloyd only feels this way because of Harumi. Lloyd denies this and leaves and Cole prepares to sleep, but before he could do so, a Geckle named Gleck enters the room. This awakes Cole just before the Geckle leaps onto Cole's bed, mistaking him for someone named Gilly. The Geckle attempts to leave upon realizing their mistake, but not before Cole tackles him, revealing a necklace that holds photos of Cole's parents. Cole is confused by the pendant, however, the Geckle snatches it back and leaves the room through the window. The Winged Guards of Shintaro hear the struggle between the Geckle and Cole, asking if Cole is fine. He is bewildered by the creature's sudden disappearance and goes to round up Wu and the ninja to discuss what happened.
* As Cole describes the events that transpired, none of the ninja nor Wu believe him. Wu decides to talk about it the next morning, leaving Cole slightly agitated, however, wary of the Geckle still.
* As Cole walks back to his room, Vania follows, Cole believing it is the Geckle, confronts her, and realizes his mistake. Cole apologizes and explains his situation to Vania who believes him. Vania considers the possibility of what happened and shows Cole to a mine's entrance. Vania herself does not know what the Geckles are. The two enter and explore in search of the Geckle. After exploring they find an active part of the mine within the Dungeons of Shintaro. Here, the two watch the Munce and Geckles mining unhappily while the Re-Awakened watch. A Geckle accidentally rides a Mino within the mine into three passing Munce, toppling some of the minerals within the cart towed by the creature. This creates a large noise, disturbing the Skull Sorcerer enters the main mining area from the Skull Keep, who reminds them of his warning about stopping before punishing the enslaved Munce and Geckles. Cole comments that he thinks the Skull Sorcerer is a "bad guy" for chaining the people up and tells Vania to tell the others. When Vania asks what Cole will do meanwhile, Cole resolves to confront the Skull Sorcerer.
* Almost immediately after Cole introduces himself to the Skull Sorcerer and calls him a jerk, the Skull Sorcerer orders the Re-Awakened to capture Cole. Cole finds that his powers do not work in the mine. At first, Cole is able to defeat several of them, but using the Skull of Hazza D'ur, the Skull Sorcerer revives the fallen warriors. Cole is overwhelmed and captured.

#### 7th

* The ninja venerate the palace gardens in the Kingdom of Shintaro. Suddenly, Vania comes out of the tunnel to warn the ninja about everything she saw, including Cole being captured. They then sprint to the throne room to warn King Vangelis.
* However, Vangelis is very disappointed in Vania for breaking the rules, which forbid anyone from entering the Dungeons of Shintaro. Vangelis promises Wu he will send reinforcements to find Cole. Kai volunteers by saying he and the other ninja will go too, but Vangelis prohibits them from entering. Nya then realizes that Cole was telling the truth about the creature he saw, and Vania soon realizes that her imaginary friend is actually real and not made up. Vangelis explains he lied to Vania on purpose and that she will understand when she's older. Kai rejects Vangelis' demands, but Wu silences him and promises Vangelis they will obey his orders.
* As soon as they head outside the throne room, Wu tells the ninja they must find Cole and that he didn't want to anger Vangelis. Wu then asks Vania if she can show them the tunnel and she eagerly agrees.
* Meanwhile, Cole is forced into labor by the Re-Awakened. While he is mining, he talks to Murt and asks how long he's been working, but he gives a redundant answer. Cole then asks Gliff if there's any way to escape, and he replies no. An Awaken Warrior then whips in the direction of Cole for not working.
* Vania shows the ninja the tunnel leading to the Dungeons of Shintaro. At the same time, Cole tries to ask Murt a question, but Gliff decides to interfere, which causes tension between the two. That's when all of Munces and Geckles stare down each other until it's time for their meal. While they are eating, Cole once again goes to Murt and asks him if there is anyone smarter than him, but he gives a puzzling answer. He then calls the Earth Ninja "Mole". Despite Cole having to correct him multiple times, Murt still calls him "Mole".
* Soon, the ninja finally arrive and discover Cole, who is walking towards his cage. While the ninja are making their way down, Cole begins eating until a Mino approaches him. He offers the Mino his Glop and the Mino quickly devours the entire bowl. Finally, the ninja arrive at the front of the cage and use the key Kai stole from the Awakened Warrior. After Cole is saved, the ninja release the Munce and Geckles from their cages. The two tribes praise the ninja until Murt realizes the ninja also rescued the Geckles. Both tribes begin to argue with each other and eventually start fighting.
* While the ninja are trying to run away and restore order, more Awakened Warriors start attacking. While the ninja are able to defeat them easily, the Skull Sorcerer arrives and uses the Skull of Hazza D'ur to revive the previously defeated skeletons. The ninja soon get captured and are also forced into slave labor, leading to Jay calling the plan terrible.
* Master Wu and Vania are inside the Kingdom of Shintaro, using cardboard cut-outs of the ninja when being watched by the Army of Shintaro. They do this to keep Vania's father from knowing that the ninja are actually in the Dungeons of Shintaro, though Wu and Vania have hope they are just fine.
* The ninja are forced to mine for an unknown substance. As Lloyd is mining, he realizes it's Vengestone which is why the ninja are unable to use their Elemental Powers. The ninja then see one of the Re-Awakened using a whip to punish a Mino for not working hard enough. Cole catches sight of the torture and throws his ax at the Awaken Warrior's whip, causing it to fly out of his hands. The undead skeleton then attempts to punish Cole, but Nya is able to grab the Awaken Warrior and Cole finishes him off by dropping his ball chain on the skeleton.
* The Geckles as well as the Munce appreciate the ninja for standing up, but the ninja are met with reinforcement and are imprisoned for their actions. As they stand, Murt gives Lloyd some food, but Gliff tells Lloyd to not trust him. The two then get into an argument before Lloyd breaks up the two. Lloyd then asks why the two tribes dislike each other and the rest of the ninja also ask.
* Gliff tells the ninja about the two Blades of Deliverance: the Ivory Blade of Deliverance and the Shadow Blade of Deliverance. He said it was possessed by a powerful warrior named "Gilly" although Murt believes the name is "Milly". During the time when the Geckles and Munce were living in fear due to a dragon, the warrior went up and defeated the dragon. After "Gilly" defeated the dragon, "Gilly" gave the Ivory Blade of Deliverance to the Geckles while giving the Shadow Blade of Deliverance to the Munce. Gliff then starts to argue blaming the Munce for stealing the other sword while Murt thinks the opposite.
* After the ninja hear the story, they wonder if someone else stole the Blades of Deliverance and caused the rift between the two tribes so they couldn't fight the Skull Sorcerer. Lloyd then formulates a plan to break out, but it requires Cole to find common ground between the two tribes.
* While they are working, Cole informs Gliff to tell the rest of his tribe to meet at a specific spot during their break and to not fight with the other tribe. However, when Gliff is trying to spread the news, the rest of the Geckles misinterpreted and think they are going to fight. They end up being disappointed that they're not going to fight, but Lloyd promises to get them the two blades back as long as the two tribes don't fight.
* The ninja begin their escape by using their food to pour onto the chains. Cole then gets the attention of one of the Minos to eat the food which allows the chains to break easily. One of the Awakened Warriors spot the open cage but are destroyed by the ninja. They then split up with Cole and Lloyd trying to find one of the blades while the rest of the ninja would free the Munce.
* Cole and Lloyd head pass some passageways and think they've uncovered one of the swords, but it turns out to be the Skull of Hazza D'ur. The Skull Sorcerer then arrives and uses the skull to attack the ninja, but they dodge the attacks and flee. Meanwhile, the ninja are able to free the Munces, but the Awakened Warriors also run towards them. To buy time, Kai, Jay, and Zane pour food on the Awakened Warriors while Nya is able to free the rest of the Minos to chase the skeletons.
* Cole and Lloyd then jump onto a cage and land onto the ground where all of the chaos is happening. All of the ninja are able to escape with Kai and Zane taking one tunnel the Geckles are taking while Jay, Nya, and Lloyd take another one with the Munce. However, Cole is forced to take a completely different tunnel all by himself when he keeps getting blocked off and with the Skull Sorcerer attacking him. The Skull Sorcerer chases Cole, but thanks to the help of a Mino, loses sight of him when he runs through the tunnel. When realizing that there are multiple different tunnels and not knowing which one Cole ran through, he yells in anger.
* Jay, Nya, and Lloyd follow the Munce to their home; however, Murt cannot remember where to go. He points out their possible paths, including the one where they just came from. Jay groans, thinking they'll never escape the tunnels, but Nya finds footprints and they follow the tracks.

#### 8th

* The ninja finally arrive at the Munce Home-Cave and are amazed at the architecture. Before they could enter, two Munce Sentries ask who is entering and Murt is confused at the question until Lloyd tells him who they're talking about. Murt tells them his name, and the two guards realize he escaped from the Skull Sorcerer. He then credits the ninja and they're invited into the Throne Room to meet Queen Murtessa.
* Murtessa realizes it's Murt and he shows the ninja who helped him escape. Murt then explains how they were able to escape the Skull Sorcerer using exaggerated body motions. Murtessa then approaches the ninja and takes affection for Jay, thanking them for saving her people. She then turns to Nya and thinks she some sort of servant, but Jay corrects her saying she is his Yang. Murtessa then heads back saying they could have anything they wanted, even Nya who she despises and calls her a "Yang-Servant".
* Nya gets frustrated that she was called a "Yang Servant" and is upset at Jay for not saying anything. Lloyd tells them to calm down and notices a picture depicting a warrior fighting a dragon. Lloyd wonders if the warrior is "Gilly". The Munce guards then ask the ninja if they would like to eat with Murtessa, and they all happily agree, but the guards would only allow Jay to dine with Murtessa. Nya is then irate and demands they should all eat together since they're a team. Nya asks Jay if he agrees, but he's about to enter the dining room, so she grabs Jay and asks again. Jay finally agrees and the guards allow the ninja to enter.
* Inside the dining room, Murtessa originally sees Jay enter the room and is elated, but her mood switches to annoyance when she sees Nya and Lloyd enter the room. Murtessa asks if Jay knows Spinjitzu and he replies yes. She then asks Jay if he has Elemental Powers, and once again, he replies with yes. Nya then tries to tell Murtessa they all have powers, but she doesn't care and asks Jay if he can show a demonstration. Jay then uses Lightning to turn all of the green crystals light blue, which impresses everyone. Murtessa walks up to Jay and asks if he's betrothed and Nya sharply replies that he's in love with her. Murtessa and Nya then stare each other down, and Lloyd tries to get things back on track, but Murtessa kicks everyone's food and demands a duel with Nya. Nya is shocked that she has to fight for the right to be Jay's love interest, so Murtessa taunts Nya saying she's a child. Nya, getting hot-tempered, accepts the duel.
* As Nya gets prepared to battle Murtessa, Lloyd and Jay beg her to not fight, citing that there are better options. Nya then asks Jay what would happen if she didn't fight. She tells Jay Murtessa wants him to be the King and he would have to stay down in the cave forever, as well as eating disgusting food. Jay then realizes it and cheers for Nya to pull out a victory.
* Inside the arena, Nya attempts to attack Murtessa; however, Murtessa is able to avoid it. Murtessa then performs some weird moves before finally curling up into a ball and knocking Nya off her feet. Nya tries to get up, but Murtessa continues to roll Nya over. After getting beaten up, Nya decides to use Spinjitzu and is able to knock Murtessa unconscious. The Munce realize Murtessa lost, and begin chanting "Queen Mya", and the ninja realize they have bigger problems.
* Kai suspects they may be walking in circles when he and Zane are trying to find their way out. Zane assures him that his internal gyroscopic positioning would alert him if so, but states that if the surroundings were ferrous or magnetic, he won't be alerted. Just then, they run into three Geckles, who are singing a song about Gilly while collecting moss-milk. One of them accidentally falls and drops his Moss Milk on Kai, blowing their cover. They accuse the ninja of working for the Skull Sorcerer and try to destroy them, but one suggests that they bring them to their chancellor for him to decide, which Kai agrees with.
* After a statement from both sides, Chancellor Gulch decides on a Trial-By-Mino to determine the pair's innocence due to strong arguments from both sides. They are dropped into an arena where they dodge the attacks of an angry Mino, but their elemental powers won't work. Zane scans the Mino and discovers that its armor is made of Vengestone. Gulch is surprised that the two have lasted longer than most, and declares them not-skeletons. Zane manages to remove the Mino's armor, and it calms down, even rolling over and licking the two. Kai yells that since friends help friends, not-skeletons should help not-skeletons too, and they are brought before Gulch again.
* Gulch questions the ninja's identities, and Gleck suggests that they are Elemental Masters, which means they may know Gilly. Meanwhile, Zane notices Gleck's necklace and realizes that it is the one Cole claimed to have seen. The two tell them that while they do not know Gilly, they are Elemental Masters, and they display their powers. Zane states that they are looking for their friends, and Gulch agrees to help them in light of the dishonor they brought upon themselves by suspecting the ninja. He then promptly resigns as chancellor and gives the position to Kai, which all the Geckles agree to by throwing rocks at him. He accepts the position reluctantly and tells them not to throw things at him anymore, but the Geckles throw more rocks at him in support of his proposal. He then asks for information on the Skull Sorcerer at Zane's suggestion.
* Gulch takes them to the story cave and tells them of their people's origin. During their dark ages, a great hero Gilly arrived to save them from Grief-Bringer and gifted them with the Blades of Deliverance, but it was stolen by the Munce. Kai quickly cuts him off, as they already knew that part of the story, and asks about the Skull Sorcerer. Gulch says that three adventurers had ventured deep into the tunnels where all Geckles are forbidden to enter, and awoke an ancient evil - the Skull Sorcerer and the Re-Awakened. He captured many Geckles and Munce to mine for him, and where they once lived openly, they must hide and pray that the Skull Sorcerer doesn't find them.
* Kai decides that to defeat the Skull Sorcerer, he must unite the Geckles and Munce, so he proposes teaming up with the Munce, only for the suggestion to be perceived as a joke. He states that they need a different approach, to which Zane expresses his agreement by throwing a rock at his head.
* At the Kingdom of Shintaro, Vania is wondering what if she should save the ninja or hope that they are alright and hopefully they can save themselves. She asks Chompy, but the dragon believes she should relax.
* However, Cole is in deep trouble as he hangs off a branch overlooking a deep abyss below, while screaming for help. Cole tries to come up with a plan and spots a skeleton holding a hook. Without notice, the branch breaks, but Cole is able to hang onto the skeleton's legs. He then lassoses the hook onto a rock, but the skeleton breaks as well. Cole tries to climb using the hook and rope, but the rock also breaks. Luckily, he hangs onto a cliff and screams for help.
* Suddenly, he encounters Dire Bats and one of them picks Cole up. The other one tries to clasp Cole, but it results in Cole falling until a third Dire Bat takes him and begins flying away from the group. While being chased, Cole uses his Earth Punch to slow down the other Dire Bats. He then is able to break free from the Dire Bat who had Cole and runs to a cave. Unexpectedly, the Dire Bat retreats and Cole brags on how superior his abilities are, but he runs into a giant spider.
* The spider comes down from its web and tries to eat Cole. At first, Cole is able to hold up until the spider shoots webs at Cole's hand, and eventually his entire body. Facing certain doom, Vania and Chompy came in to fight the spider. Chompy tries to give aid, but the spider simply swipes the small dragon. Vania then hurls her spear at the spider, but the spider defect it. Vania gets frustrated at the spider, and unknowing to Vania, Chompy turns into a gigantic dragon, and the spider flees. Cole tells Vania about Chompy, but Vania thought he was overthinking it.
* Back at the kingdom, Wu enjoys his cup of tea as well as the sweet smell of flowers blossoming. He wishes to enjoy the moment with the ninja, but quickly turns around to find Cole and Vania out of the mines. Wu is flustered at Vania for not keeping her promise, and Vania apologizes to Wu. While this is all going on, Chompy climbs on Wu, and questions whose dragon it is. Vania replies that the dragon is her's and tells Chompy to stop eating the flowers. Cole then tells Wu about the Skull Sorcerer and the Re-Awakened, so they immediately head to Vangelis to warn him.
* Wu, Vania, Cole, and Chompy interrupt Vangelis to tell him everything they witness. Once again, Vangelis criticizes Vania for going to the mines, as he was trying to protect her. However, when Cole incorrectly mentions that the Skull Sorcerer having a red skull, Vangelis corrects him by revealing the skull. Suddenly, he transforms into the Skull Sorcerer, which shocks everyone.
* The Skull Sorcerer claims in order to keep the Sky Folk's city intact, he forces the Munce and Geckles to mine Vengestone for his customer, who would later pay Vangelis to keep the kingdom. Vania cannot believe it, and Cole shouts his reign will end, so Vangelis throws the Skull of Hazza D'ur at Wu and Cole. Chompy then tries to attack, but Vangelis hits the little dragon. Vangelis then activates his trap door to drop Cole and Wu into the pit. Vania decides to grab a pair of Shintaro wings, and Vangelis threatens Vania saying if she were to jump, he would no longer considered her to be his daughter. Vania ignores her father and still jumps to go after Cole and Wu.
* After Vangelis watches Vania go after Cole and Wu by using a pair of Shintaro Wings, he reverts into his civilian outfit and demands the guards to enter. He makes up a story blaming Chompy for pushing Vania into the hole and commands the guards to lock up the "beast". At first, Hailmar and the guards are confused since Chompy is Vania's pet, but Vangelis orders them again. They then pick up the weak dragon and take him away.
* While Cole is screaming and falling, he spots Wu who is above him. Cole shouts to Wu, but Wu cannot hear him. Cole then screams even louder to see if Wu is alright and Wu says he's okay for the moment. Cole then tells Wu to accelerate so he can hear Wu, but Wu tells Cole to slow down his fall. Cole doesn't know how to stop, and all he gets from Wu is to flap his arms, but Wu yells for Cole to use his Elemental Powers. Cole flaps his arms anyways, but it proves to be useless.
* Wu then hears Vania from above. She hollers at Wu to slow down his fall by flapping his arms, but it doesn't work. Cole then spots some vines, so he grabs onto a couple, but his momentum causes the vines to break. Realizing it doesn't work, he is able to grab Wu's hand and they wait for Vania. She is able to get into their range, and she tells them to grab onto her as he uses the wings; however, they break and all three fall.
* With no end in sight, they all scream until landing onto a spider web. All three of them are stuck because of the spider web and Cole starts to freak out. Vania tells Cole to calm down and talks about reading a book by Clutch Powers. Before she could finish her sentence, she screams in horror as an enormous spider approaches them.
* The spider takes Cole and wraps him in webs. Another spider decides to join and fights for Cole. While both are fighting, the one holding Cole drops him, but a third spider takes Cole. Vania is able to break free and distracts the spider by throwing objects at the spider which causes it to drop Cole. The spider then goes after Vania, so she finds some weapons to fight. She throws a spear at the spider, but it continues to head for Vania. She then climbs onto a ledge and when given the chance, she jumps onto the spider and gives Wu a spear to free Cole. However, the three are surrounded by the three spiders, so Cole decides to cut the web causing them to fall.
* Cole, Wu, and Vania starting sliding down the caves before landing in a stream. They try to hang onto rocks but continue to drift. They then find what they thought was another rock, but it turns out to be a stone turtle. They continue down the stream before encountering a whirlpool. Wu tells Cole to use his powers to break a stalactite, but Cole doesn't know how to do so. Wu tells Cole to concentrate and after a bit of difficulty, he causes the stalactite to break off the cave and stop the whirlpool.
* The three climb to the top of the stalactite tired and exhausted. Suddenly, the stalactite breaks, and they are sucked into the whirlpool and are spat out to a small lake. Cole drags Wu and Vania out of the water, observes, and lies down. That's when Fungus approaches him and introduces himself. The other members including Plundar, Korgran, and Adam greet Cole, but he faints.
* Cole finally wakes up and gets scared by Adam, who hides behind Plundar after Cole screamed. At first, Cole is confused but spots Wu and Vania who greet him. Fungus then introduces the Upply, and Cole tells them they are needed because they're on a quest. However, the Upply freak-out and walk away from Cole. Cole then asks if they are adventurers and Korgran explains their story.
* After hearing their story, Cole promises they will get back at Vangelis and they will return. He also changes their name from the "Lowly" to the "Upply".

#### 9th

* The Upply, Cole, Wu, and Vania explore the caves. Plundar complains about the fact they have already explored the area many times, but Fungus tells Plundar that it does not hurt to explore it again. They end up reaching a dead end, so they head back. Once again, Plundar complains about walking so much, but Vania argues that Cole is actually trying to help.
* They head back to Rock-Bottom, where Cole's frustration for not finding a way out causes him to get upset. Wu poses a question to Cole, and he talks about feeling his mother's presence ever since discovering the necklace. He then questions why her mother would ever be down here. Wu tells Cole that Lilly was even more powerful due to being the closest to the Earth, and instead of the Skull Sorcerer trying to bury Cole as deep as possible, Cole has the possibility to find his true Elemental Powers. This gives inspiration to Cole, who tries to find his true powers.
* Cole concentrates and his hands begin to glow. Suddenly, the immense rocks start to float and Cole uses a robust Earth Punch to discover a hidden cave underwater. Everyone follows Cole's lead as they swim inside the cave. While swimming, Cole helps out Vania who gets scared because of a skeleton, and Wu when a rock lands on him. Despite the trouble, everyone makes it out alive.
* The Upply, Cole, Wu, and Vania then encounter a lava pond and three tunnels at the end. Wu instructs Cole to touch the ground and the Earth reveals the tunnel across the lava is the correct path. As usual, Plundar complains about having to cross through lava, and Cole is not happier with the option, but it is the only way. Concurrently, Korgran claims he drinks lava for breakfast and scoops up lava with his cup, but Plundar corrects him by saying he drinks juice. Suddenly, the mug catches fire and Plundar gets scared of the lava.
* Cole reminds his team what they are here to seek which is to stop the Skull Sorcerer and save everyone underground. He asks Plundar what he is going to do, so he rolls his dice which forces him to take a chance along with everyone else.
* While everyone else is crossing the lava with the provided rocks, Adam uses the ceiling to get through. Before they could cross to the other side, Cole senses danger which proves to be correct when a Lava Monster rises from the lava. Its tentacles attack the group, so Korgran uses his axe to cut the tentacles, but the Lava Monster grows more in replacement. Cole then uses his upgraded Elemental Powers to move rocks and use them to attack the Lava Monster. He also orders Wu to deflect the lava balls from the Lava Monster and for Fungus to distract the beast with his ice magic. Finally, he instructs Plundar to get a boulder that Adam climbs for. The Lava Monster attempts to burn Plundar, but Fungus uses his magic to freeze the monster. Adam then pushes the boulder and huge rock lands on the Lava Monster causing it to sink.
* Safe from danger, Cole utilizes the robust Earth Punch to block the path just in case the Lava Monster decides to return. As Cole is leading, Plundar approaches Cole and apologizes to him for being so harsh. Cole accepts the apology, but the group knows they have a long task ahead of them.
* The Munce fight each other after disagreeing with the ninja to team up with the Geckles. Lloyd even informs the Munce the Skull Sorcerer is the enemy, but they refuse to listen. Murtessa then tells Nya to use her powers to get the Munce's attention since the Munce respect power and strength. Nya decides to create a giant water ball and shoots it at one of the Munce. She then steps on the table and orders the Munce to attend the truce meeting and is willing to fight each of the Munce in order to go. The Munce finally agree and head out.
* Meanwhile, plans are not going well for the Geckles as they too argue. Groko, Garpo, and Ginkle believe it will be an ambush by the Munce, so they continue to fight with each other. To get their attention, Kai uses his Elemental Powers. He informs the Geckles they will be going to the meeting, but the Geckles are unsure if it's a trap. To decide the matter, they decide to perform a slug race to determine if the Munce should be trusted.
* While the race is going on, Gleck pulls aside Kai and Zane to talk to them. He tells the ninja he believes the Munce can be trusted, but no one would listen to him. Kai and Zane recognize the necklace he's wearing and they ask if he snuck into Cole's bedroom, and he admits doing so. Gleck explains he heard the Elemental Master of Earth was in the Kingdom of Shintaro, so Gleck thought it might be "Gilly". Zane then asks if they can look at the necklace, so Gleck gives Zane the necklace. He opens it up and realizes the necklace contains photos of Cole's parents. They also reveal that Cole's mother is actually called Lilly and deduce that Gilly is actually Lilly.
* Gleck is joyful and asks Kai and Zane if they could ask for help from Gilly, but Kai breaks the sad news saying Lilly has already passed away.
* At the Kingdom of Shintaro, Hazza D'ur informs Vangelis about an organized meeting between the Munce and Geckles. After a moment of hesitation, Vangelis transforms into the Skull Sorcerer and heads underground to the Dungeons of Shintaro. Vangelis then uses the Skull of Hazza D'ur to revive Grief-Bringer.
* Kai and Zane realize the slug which deems the Munce to be untrustworthy is winning the race, so Kai tells Zane to use his Elemental Powers to help the other slug. Nevertheless, Zane doesn't want to cheat but gives in to the white lie. He aids the other slug into winning, so the Geckles head to the meeting.
* Along the way, Kai asks about the appearance of the Munce Queen, and Gulch claims she looks fierce but very ugly. On the opposite end, Nya questions why the Munce have to carry her, and Murt claims it's very important since she's royal. Both tribes meet at the meeting point, and Kai and Nya realize they are leaders on both sides. The siblings hug each other, but the Geckles and Munce stare each other down. Kai and Nya tell both tribes to back off and promises nothing bad will happen.
* Suddenly, they hear the sound of a ferocious monster and both tribes realize it's Grief-Bringer. The Geckles and Munce flee from danger while Zane and Lloyd attempt to stand their ground. The Re-Awakened also arrive and Grief-Bringer spews green magic at the duo. Zane creates an ice shield, but can't hold the shield for long.
* The rest of the group finds a lava pit that separates the paths. Gleck recommends using a rope to get across and everyone else follows behind. Kai then tries, but his the wall. Nya is able to pull Kai to safety and they continue to flee.
* Zane is losing ground on Grief-Bringer, so Lloyd instructs Zane to let go so he could blast his Elemental Powers at the dragon. Lloyd is able to get a direct hit on the dragon, and he loses most of his bones; however, the Skull of Hazza D'ur reconstructs the dragon. Realizing nothing works, Lloyd and Zane decide to run away. Both ninja make it to the lava pit and swing across. The Skull Sorcerer then laughs knowing they all can't escape. Hazza D'ur promises Grief-Bringer will come for all of them.
* The Upply, Cole, Vania, and Wu are running away from the Lava Monster. They find some old mine carts and ride the carts to escape the Lava Monster. After a roller-coaster type ride, they finally crash but are safe from danger.
* Everyone else is confused about where they are, but Cole has a strong presence. Suddenly, the torches engine with fire and Wu figures out they are at the Heart of the Mountain. Wu explains the Heart of the Mountain is a legendary temple of the Masters of Earth. Some thought it was hidden in the mountains of Shintaro, but nobody could find it. Vania also explains there's something precious inside the temple, and Plundar thinks there is treasure inside, but Wu explains the teaching of the Spinjitzu Burst can be found. Wu informs Cole that Lilly tried to learn the ancient martial art, but she could not succeed.
* Korgran and Plundar try to open the immense doors but fail. Wu explains the Master of Earth is the only one who can open the doors, so Cole tries and his powers absorb the doors allowing it to open. They soon begin to explore and in the middle of the statue, they discover the previous Elemental Master of Earth, Lilly. Cole touches the statue and the entire temple is ignited with light. Fungus and Adam then discover an old mech that catches everyone's attention. Unlike any other mech, Wu realizes it's made of stone.
* While Cole is reading the statue about Lilly, the center of the floor changes color and the Elemental Energy depicts the patterns on the ground. Cole realizes his mother actually used Spinjitzu Burst. Vania then tells Cole to attempt the Spinjitzu Burst, but Cole is hesitant to attempt. He believes the Blades of Deliverance allowed for Lilly to perform the burst, but Wu still wants Cole to try.
* Cole attempts to focus, but he gets nowhere. Wu advises Cole to open his mind knowing only an Elemental Master of Earth could perform the Spinjitzu Burst. Cole tries again, but only performs regular Spinjitzu. He gets frustrated at himself and the mountain and bangs his hands, causing the mountain to rumble like thunder.
* After the tumultuous sound, Fungus performs some magic to see how it affected everyone else. They discover the rest of the ninja running away from Grief-Bringer. Cole realizes they have to help, but Wu comments about the Spinjitzu Burst being the only way to save everyone. However, Cole is frustrated he can't perform the burst and walks away from the group. Vania then criticizes Wu for not helping him enough, but Wu believes he is no longer needed, as Cole has many accomplishments without Wu.
* Cole is outside the temple, so Wu heads outside to meet him. He instructs Cole to get up, but Cole complains about trying many times. Wu then admits neglecting his role as Master and promises to never quit his job.
* The ninja (minus Cole), Geckles, and Munce are running away from Grief-Bringer. Murtessa tells Nya about the dragon which caused havoc in the past, and Nya thought the hero destroyed it, but it was somehow revived. Meanwhile, an out-of-breath Gulch tells Kai the Geckle Strong-Cave is the only way to defend themselves. Kai is about to shout to everyone, but Gulch covers Kai's mouth and thinks he's crazy for telling the Munce as well. However, Kai believes they are united, so he shouts to head to the cave.
* The ninja, Geckles, and Munce are running away from Grief-Bringer. Murtessa tells Nya about the dragon which caused havoc in the past, and Nya thought the hero destroyed it, but it was somehow revived. Meanwhile, an out-of-breath Gulch tells Kai the Geckle Strong-Cave is the only way to defend themselves. Kai is about to shout to everyone, but Gulch covers Kai's mouth and thinks he's crazy for telling the Munce as well. However, Kai believes they are united, so he shouts to head to the cave.
* At the lava river, Grief-Bringer creates a bridge using the stalactites and the Re-Awakened begin marching towards the Geckles and Munce. Meanwhile, everyone is able to make it inside the Geckle Strong-Cave, so they begin to close it. However, the door gets stuck, so Nya and the Munce try to cut the chain. In order to buy extra time, Lloyd, Jay, Kai, and Zane fight the Awakened Warriors. The ninja use Spinjitzu to take care of the Awakened Warriors, but they quickly rebuild themselves. Murtessa is finally able to break the chains to door, and it begins closing. The ninja rush to get inside before it closes.
* Kai thinks they are safe, but Gulch is upset at Kai for allowing the Munce into the cave as well. Gluch and Murtessa accuse each other of stealing the Blades of Deliverance as well as whether the hero's name is Milly or Gilly.
* Suddenly, the Skull Sorcerer offers a deal to the Munce and Geckles. He proposes handing over the ninja, and allowing the Geckles and Munce to resume their work in the mines instead of facing a potential genocide. Gluch and Murtessa say they won't serve the Skull Sorcerer again, but before the Skull Sorcerer could say something, Gluch and Murtessa argue with each other again. When they finally agree to speak at different times, the Skull Sorcerer, demands them to be destroyed.
* Grief-Bringer bangs his head on the door while the Awakened Warriors use a long battering ram to destroy the door. The Geckles and Munce hide in fear, but Nya discovers some rocks covering up something. She asks Zane to scan the rock and they discover it might be a potential exit. Nya hollers to the two tribes about the potential exit, but it requires everyone to work together in order to remove the rocks.
* The two tribes work extremely well together, and they are able to remove the rocks. To their shock, they discover it's a storage room and a dead end. Accepting their defeat, Gulch apologizes for putting everyone in this situation. Murtessa then apologizes for being harsh to the Geckles and realizes there is some common ground between the two tribes. They then establish trust by Kai and Nya, declaring peace with the opposing tribe.
* Without notice, the door is demolished, and everyone is prepared to fight the Skull Sorcerer. However, Lloyd is willing to compromise by saying the ninja will surrender, but he must allow the Geckles and Munce to remain free. The Skull Sorcerer takes their deal, so the ninja are lead out. Meanwhile, Murtessa demands the Skull Sorcerer to leave, but the Skull Sorcerer double-crosses the tribes and captures them. Hazza D'ur laughs at the tribes, calling them fools.
* Wu informs Cole, Vania, and the Upply about the situation they're in. He asks for suggestions, and Cole suggests using the Stone Mech to propel the other minecarts back up the tracks. Plundar thinks it's a bad idea, but no one else gives suggestions, so everyone votes in favor of Cole's idea. Plundar things about throwing his dice, but he decides to make his own decision and trust Cole.
* They begin to work on transferring the wheels from the mine cart to the Stone Mech. Meanwhile, Wu and Cole try to operate the mech, but it has no buttons or gadgets. Suddenly, the mech glows before turning off. Wu realizes the mech might be run by Elemental Energy, so Cole tries again. This time, he is able to power the mech.
* Cole has a hard time controlling the mech and almost runs over a couple of people due to the installed wheels. Eventually, they are able to get the mech attached to the tracks and ready to push the other carts. However, Vania doesn't feel comfortable because she would have to face her father. Cole and the rest of the team support Vania as they head off.
* Despite having a difficult time, Cole is able to concentrate and keep the mech from shutting down. During the ride, Wu almost falls off, but Korgran saves him. They are able to make it through the roller coaster part of the cave, and Vania thinks they'll encounter the Lava Monster again. Cole doesn't think it's around until he actually sees it. They then accelerate to get away from the beast, but they awaken the Dire Bats. Fungus and Korgran fight off the Dire Bats from the carts while Cole also is forced to fight off a couple. They think they are finished, but the Lava Monster grabs Cole and takes him off track.
* The beast tries to bring Cole into the lava, but Cole is able to break free and lands on a rock. The Lava Monster then has him pinned, but he unexpectedly grabs a sword and cuts its tentacles. Vania spots everyone else on the mine carts approaching the lava, so Cole and Vania head after them. The Lava Monster stands in the way, so Cole stabs it right in the heart, killing the beast. He then grabs the carts saving everyone inside, but he cannot control the speed of the mech due to the lava overheating the controls.
* At the Kingdom of Shintaro, Engelbert and an elderly woman are discussing something when all of a sudden, the mine carts shoot from the ground as well as the mech. They are shocked and faint when they see Adam. The Upply realize they made it to the kingdom and shout "Upply!" after spending so many years underground.
* They head to the Throne Room where they see Chompy in a cage. Vania gets so frustrated that Vangelis actually imprisoned her pet dragon, so Cole frees Chompy. The dragon then spots Adam, and they instantly bond. Suddenly, Hailmar and the rest of Army of Shintaro arrive and were instructed to arrest Cole, as the ninja were traitors. Vania tells Hailmar it's not true, but he doesn't budge. That's when Adam spews a spider web at the guards and everyone begins fighting. While in the brawl, Vania witnesses Chompy turning into an enormous dragon. He allows Cole and the Upply to escape the Throne Room while Wu and Vania stay back at the Throne Room. Vania demands Hailmar to listen, but he doesn't and charges at Vania.
* After being captured, all the Geckles and Munce are enslaved and forced to mine. The Re-Awakened show no mercy and whip anyone for slacking off. Meanwhile, the ninja (minus Cole) are encaged in Vengestone. Nya feels foolish for believing the Skull Sorcerer would let the two tribes free, and Kai also feels remorse for accomplishing nothing. However, Zane believes the Skull Sorcerer would kill everyone if they didn't surrender and Lloyd and Jay agree.
* Without notice, the Skull Sorcerer and Hazza D'ur mock the ninja and in order to show his true power, he claims he will destroy the ninja using Grief-Bringer. This will allow him to take control of the Geckles and Munce who will lose any last hope of freedom. Before the Skull Sorcerer leaves the ninja, Lloyd reminds him of Cole who might be on his way to inform King Vangelis about the entire situation. The Skull Sorcerer laughs wickedly as he reveals himself to be Vangelis. He tells the ninja that he banished Cole and Wu into the bowels of the mountain.
* While this is going on, the Upply and Cole sneak in and spots the ninja and Skull Sorcerer. Fungus wonders what he's saying, and Cole talks about the boring evil speeches each villain gives. Before the Skull Sorcerer leaves, Lloyd asks if he stole the Blades of Deliverance, so he shows them the blades. Cole realizes the blades and tries to go after them, but Plundar pulls Cole down knowing they must not be spotted. The Skull Sorcerer explains that he knew the Geckles and Munce were doltish tribes who would blame each other which would allow him to enslave them in the process.
* Cole instructs Fungus and Korgran to free the Geckles and Munce and everyone enslaved but to wait for his signal. Meanwhile, he assigns himself, Plundar, and Adam to go after the blades.
* Murtessa starts to get tired and an Awakened Warrior tries to whip her, but Korgran destroys the skeleton. Murt wonders who Korgran and Fungus are, and Fungus explains they are here to free the Geckles and Munce, but they must wait for a signal to liberate themselves. At the same time, two Awakened Warriors are carrying the Blades of Deliverance and are about to store it, but Cole and Plundar punch the two skeletons and take the blades. He then tells Plundar to free everyone while he would fight the Skull Sorcerer.
* The Skull Sorcerer makes an announcement to the Geckles and Munce to execute the ninja. He demands Grief-Bringer to be released from his cage, but the cage slides shut after Cole throws a rock at the skeleton releasing him. The Skull Sorcerer realizes this and checks to see what's going on. That's when Cole jumps in and fights the Skull Sorcerer. Simultaneously, Korgran and Fungus show their faces and begin attacking the Awakened Warriors. Korgran gives the signal to the Geckles and Munce, so they free themselves and also attack the Awakened Warriors. Concurrently, Adam and Plundar help free the ninja so they could join the fight. However, Grief-Bringer spews green fire at his cage and is able to free himself.
* While fighting the Skull Sorcerer, Cole mentions having the Blades of Deliverance, but the Skull Sorcerer laughs at Cole and claims that there’s no magic in the blades. Cole still has confidence in the blades and says the Skull Sorcerer talks too much before both sides charge at each other.
* Cole faces off with the Skull Sorcerer and putting all his faith in the Blades of Deliverance, he attacks the Sorcerer who claims the blades have no power. Meanwhile, the ninja, Geckles, Munce, and Upply fought off the Re-Awakened and Grief-Bringer but were soon overpowered by the skeletons. The Skull Sorcerer knocks the Blades off the edge and Cole manages to grab them. The Skull Sorcerer continues to fight Cole until he used the Skull of Hazza D'ur to destroy the two Blades, leaving Cole shocked that there really was nothing special about them. When all hope seems lost, Vania flies in leading the Army of Shintaro.
* The Skull Sorcerer tells Cole that Vania is too late to save him before proceeding to continually blast Cole with the Skull of Hazza D'ur, telling him to give up. Cole, who by now has fallen to his knees, has a flashback about his promise to his mother before she died and then realizes that it wasn't the blades that made Lilly powerful, it was the power inside her. With this knowledge, he unlocks the Spinjitzu Burst and destroys the Skull, leaving the Awakened Warriors and Grief-Bringer as piles of bones, while also taking away the Skull Sorcerer's powers and turning him back into Vangelis, who kneels down and yields, asking for forgiveness, however Cole refuses and tells him to ask the Geckles and Munce for forgiveness. They don't accept his apology. He goes to Vania, who was beside him, and even though he denounced her as his daughter, tried to reason her to side with him, but she responds by telling Hailmar to get him out of her sight.
* Vania is crowned Queen of Shintaro, and the ninja decide it is time to go after a little while. As the sails of the *Destiny's Bounty* are being repaired, Lloyd apologizes to Vania for not trusting her, which she accepts. Once Jay says goodbye to Murtessa and Cole begins to part ways with the Upply, Vania asks Cole to stay for any future conflicts but Cole says that she is one of the bravest people he has met. Vania says goodbye and that if he needs any help, she will send all of the guards to for assistance. As the group leaves on the *Bounty*, Lloyd decides to return home, but Wu tells them to head onward. Nya asks him where, and Wu responds wherever the wind takes them. After Zane questions what Wu meant, Kai and Nya says that they're about to go on another adventure, which Zane agrees with.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Let's Dance
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Upgrade
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Would You Like to Enter Prime Empire?
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Dyer Island
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Stowaway
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Manhunt
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 I Am Okino
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Meaning of Victory
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 Level Thirteen
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 Superstar Rockin' Jay
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Gayle Gossip: A Closer Look
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 The Glitch
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 The Cliffs of Hysteria
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 The Maze of the Red Dragon
15. ↑ 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Racer Seven
17. ↑ 17.00 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.04 17.05 17.06 17.07 17.08 17.09 17.10 17.11 17.12 The Speedway Five-Billion
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 18.7 18.8 Stop, Drop and Side Scroll
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 19.8 19.9 Ninjago Confidential
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 20.7 The Temple of Madness
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 21.7 The Prodigal Father
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.8 22.9 Game Over
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 Shintaro
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Sweatin' to the Goldies
25. ↑ Christofern
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 Into the Dark
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 A Sinister Shadow
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 28.6 The Worst Rescue Ever
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 29.6 29.7 29.8 29.9 The Two Blades
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 30.5 The Queen of the Munce
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 Trial by Mino
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 32.6 The Skull Sorcerer
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 33.5 33.6 The Real Fall
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Dungeon Party!
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 35.6 Dungeon Crawl
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 36.4 36.5 36.6 36.7 36.8 36.9 Grief-Bringer
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 37.5 37.6 Masters Never Quit
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 38.4 38.5 38.6 38.7 The Darkest Hour
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 39.4 39.5 39.6 The Ascent
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 40.4 40.5 40.6 The Upply Strike Back
41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 The Son of Lilly