The next morning, Lloyd unfortunately found himself in the exact sort of situation Scarlett had described the night prior.

He was sitting down in a meditated position, eyes closed and hands folded over his chest. He was surrounded by the four ninjas, who silently held their weapons in their hands.

The blonde listened to the calm voice of Wu. "Your new body is a fighting instrument. Listen to it."

That's when Cole attacked first by lifting his scythe above his shoulders. With a short cry, he swung it down.

Lloyd rose rather quickly, kicking the back of the blade with his foot. The former was knocked off balance and tipped backward.

Jay didn't even get a chance to whip his nunchucks before the new teen grabbed onto one and flipped him over. Fortunately, he was also prepared for when Zane threw his silver stars and jumped in a twist, evading each one.

They penetrated the watermelon that Nya held as she walked in. She nearly dropped it. Quickly after flinching she sent him an annoyed glare. He gulped. Oops.

It didn't take too long for her to get over it, though. She leaned toward Wu with a warm smile, who currently supervised the entire thing. "Since he's grown, he's learning faster, Sensei."

"But will it be enough to challenge Lord Garmadon?" he questioned. "Only time will tell."

He then turned to his left, where the long-haired teen stood watching. "Are you paying attention, Scarlett?"

She actually was, and had been utterly distracted by it too. "Uh huh..." How badly she wanted to have such heightened senses.

Kai unsheathed his sword, twirling it once before pointing it at him. "Come on!"

Lloyd lifted his hands for a moment, letting out a battle cry.

As the ninja in red thrusted his sword forward, the latter caught the tip of the blade like a dummy. He started to push against it, and it hurt.

Kai did the same thing. When he felt a surge of energy strengthen the trainee, he placed a second hand on the hilt and leaned forward for extra power.

But he easily yanked it away, the green aura disappearing immediately as Lloyd fell and hit his face on the ground.

The fire ninja chuckled. "You're getting pretty good. But that move you fell for was basic 101." He helped him up.

The feeling of resentment within himself hit immediately. "Yeah, if I had focused more when I was little... I would've seen that coming."

"We cannot change the past, but we can improve for the future," the sensei calmly advised with his hands behind his back. "Again. And this time, do not hold back."

Lloyd looked at the three. When his eyes landed on Scarlett, she sent him a thumbs up. He smiled.

Kai soon chirped in. "I don't know what you're still doing on the sideline. You haven't trained all day. Time to join us."

She blinked. "I.... huh?"

"Come on, don't be shy. Lloyd doesn't bite," Jay teased with a little grin.

And the stupid son of a bitch himself slyly played along. "Yeah. I don't bite."

The teen looked to their teacher for help. He only told her, "Don't drag me into this." Of course, he found it all humorous.

Scarlett sighed as she stepped into the fighting circle. "Fuck me."

Wu chuckled under his breath. Nya, as always, watched, wondering if it would be better to be a part of the heavy action or assist on the side.

That's when Red walked in, stretching his arms above his head. "I see I haven't been invited to the party."

The samurai looked up at him with a crooked smile. "Um... we all had rounds trying to wake you up, actually. It's impossible."

He blinked. "You have?"

"Yeah, I was debating dropping a little flame on your face!" his sister shouted from their short sparring.

"Don't worry," Wu told them all, holding his hands behind his back. "One day Red will wake up to a surprise that will make it impossible to ever sleep in again."

He did not like the sound of that. "... that worries me."

¤ ¤

They ended training early that day. Which was very fortunate, because Zane ran into the Bridge alarmed.

And here they thought they could rest for once.

"The Falcon has returned with troubling news!"

Everyone quickly met him inside. He unplugged the drive from the bird and plugged it into the big screen. "What did you see, my mechanical-feathered friend?"

In the sharp eye, they discovered the familiar desert area where the Great Devourer was once buried and then released. Nya announced it to them all.

"The Lost City of Ouroboros!"

There they found the minor snakes fighting with swords. Others were constructing large vehicles. They were prepping for something devastating.

"Garmadon has returned to the Serpentine base. But why?" Kai asked.

Cole stepped up to point at specific creations on the screen. "Looks like they're preparing for a final battle!"

Wu tapped the samurai on the shoulder. "Nya, change course. We'll head straight for them."

She didn't hesitate to follow his instructions. In seconds, they all had to find balance the way the ship swerved in the air. Even the sound of brakes squealed.

The feeling was only temporary. Everyone on board prepared for a battle. Each hero grabbed their weapons of choice save for Red—who continued to rely on solely magic—Lloyd, and Scarlett.

She was taking deep breaths and pacing around the room. The ninja in green watched her, confused.

But he tried to cheer her up anyway. "Hey, at least this will be good for us."

"I know," she answered, stopping to look at him. "I know." She released a sharp breath to calm herself. "I'm just all jittery! The idea of actually squaring up against Garmadon himself makes me super nervous."

Lloyd turned away, sighing softly. He understood how she felt exactly, if not better. "Yeah, you're telling me."

Eventually, they arrived a few miles away from the lost city. The sun had completely set, leaving the sky a dark navy blue. The crescent moon shined brightly.

Nya kept the Bounty parked in the air, releasing the anchor. Every one of them slid down it, gracefully landing on the sand.

Scarlett was improving in that, at least. Though getting back on her feet didn't come naturally yet, she no longer required Kai's help jumping off the anchor. This made her smile.

They kept the ship at such a distance as to not be spotted. After a few minutes, they made it to the tall stones of Ouroboros, simply watching.

Wu began the ambush by spinning into his golden tornado. "Ninja, go!"

Garmadon appeared more irritated than anything. "Oh, brother."

"It's time we finished this," the former spoke. At that moment, everybody on the team except for one jumped down behind their sensei.

The dark lord held his weapon tight in front of him. "Bring it on, fools!"

A loud grunt made his senses heighten. In rolled Lloyd in front of his comrades, getting back on his feet to blast a beam of ice at the Mega Weapon. It encased the detailed, sharp end.

Garmadon was pushed back a bit at the impact. He faced the group once more, taking a moment to stare at the taller boy in green.

He felt his whole world shatter. The last time he saw his son he was almost four feet tall. Now he didn't have to lower his entire head to look at him.

"Lloyd?" he hesitantly asked. He completely lost his tough demeanor. "Is... is that you?"

The former child remained confident. "Yeah. I've grown a little since the last time you saw me, Dad."

Garmadon didn't know how to respond to that. He saw two of the snakes coming in for backup and simply shoved them forward. "S... stop him!"

He ran away in distress. When he entered a small chamber, he let his back hit the wall.

Even with the evil running through his veins, he was still a father. He felt the emotions a father would. And to suddenly see his son, knowing that the both of them missed so many important milestones in his life, made him beyond angry.

Garmadon started to aggressively bang the gold against the wall to shatter the ice. After a few hits, it was free.

"Curse those ninja!" he screamed to nobody but himself. "If only they weren't around... if only they never existed!"

With one last enraged smack, a lightbulb flashed in his brain. Had they not existed, his son would never become his greatest adversary.

"Yes..." A wild, confident grin appeared on his face. "Yes, that's it!"

And he didn't hesitate to take a few steps away from the wall, turning his body to face the back. "I wish... I could go back in time..."

He slammed the end of his Mega Weapon on the ground. "And make it so the Ninja were never formed in the first place!"

The top sizzled and whirled with elemental power. From the center then shot a colorful beam, creating a vortex that would assist in granting his wish.

For the first time, it didn't make him weak. "Now, to finish the Ninja once and for all..." He walked toward the portal. "So that my son never becomes the Green Ninja!"

The dark lord hurriedly jumped in. Unfortunately for him, he didn't exactly create a timer for his mode of transportation.

So when Nya kicked the doors open, they were all mildly shocked and extremely irritated to discover the swirling vortex.

"Oh, he used the Mega Weapon again!" Cole announced in exasperation.

"Swell," Jay replied with the same unsettled tone. "Every time he uses that thing, something really bad happens! Now what?"

"No... seriously?" Lloyd questioned, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Before a real response could be elicited, the ground began to violently shake. The sand poured in through the small building, all leading right to the portal. It piled up a little too quick for their liking.

"What's going on?" Kai asked.

The ninja in blue looked around, eyes widening in slight fear. "Is... is the city sinking?" It sure as hell seemed like it.

Zane already knew as the level rose. "Worse. The city's returning back into the desert, as if it had never been found in the first place!"

"What?" the fire ninja shouted. "What does that mean?"

As the sand rose to their waists, Nya struggled to escape. "What's happening!?"

Lloyd had felt a sudden, numb sensation run through his body.

Zane answered their questions. "Garmadon's gone back in time to make it so Lloyd never turns into the Green Ninja!"

And said ninja proved it to them by trying to press his fingers together. Not a single feeling occurred in his body. "I can't... I can't feel my hands..."

Kai squirmed as best he could to move. "We have to go in!"

Scarlett stared down at her sinking body. She didn't want to admit that she couldn't feel some of her limbs, either.

For some reason, her first thought was to look back at her brother. Just as confused as her, he also kept his mouth shut.

Through the loud, aggressive winds and need to get out of that sand, Wu still advised his pupils. "If he changes anything, he changes everything! Protect the future, Ninja!"

The four men in front, with pressured grunts, managed to release themselves from the desert. The vortex practically sucked them in, and they all screamed as they traveled through time.

Lloyd ended up staying back. He had no idea what to do. Scarlett did not enjoy the feeling of not being able to feel. She stared back at the others.

"We have to get out of here!" Nya cried. She slammed the button on her wrist, calling for her Samurai X to help.

The last ninja whipped her head back at the closing portal. With so many people, it was beginning to diminish. But there was still room for one more.

All it took was one step for her to get closer. Wu saw exactly what she was doing and called out to her in a hurry. The last thing he wanted was for her to actually join them on this mission.

"Scarlett, don't!"

But for once, she refused to listen. With all the force she could muster, the teen hopped out from the sand and allowed herself to be sucked into the portal.

Once she was in, it closed completely. She would soon discover why it was more ideal for her to sit this one out.

Red stared at his hands. Slowly, his fingertips began disappearing.

Nya lightly gasped. "Red? Your..."

Wu, cynical as always, repeated one thing. "Change anything... change everything."