Defying Destiny

16 | Sick Days

More weeks have passed as the ninja grew softer and softer. Their muscles were now fading along with their abilities to fight for all they ever did was play video games, eat pizza, and soak in their hot tub.

Harumi, however, kept her skills intact for she had training with Master Wu. She would also stop by the basement and help out Pixal with her inventions.

One quiet afternoon, the ninja decided to take a break and enjoy the fresh air. They had prepared some sandwiches, drinks, and other snacks for their picnic outside the walls of the monastery.

"Nice flowers, Jay." Kai teased as he saw Jay's hair covered in different kinds of flowers, courtesy of Nya.

"I actually like it, thank you very much, Kai." Jay admitted as he bit into his sandwich.

"Lloyd also has flowers in his hair." Zane pointed out which made the ninja turn their heads towards him to which Lloyd replied with a smile.

The boy's head now looked like little flower gardens as Harumi and Nya kept placing more. Zane thought them how to make flower crowns after briefly downloading lots of information on the activity.

"Why can't Ninjago be like this all the time?" Cole stated as he laid down on the blanket to do some cloud gazing. "No villains to fight, no training, just peace."

"Then it wouldn't be the Ninjago we know and love." Kai debated and joined him.

"Aha! I did it!" Nya cheered as she held out her crown which made Harumi laugh while she finished hers. "Time to add that to the list of things I'm good at."

"There's a list?" Harumi asked.

"A really long one." Lloyd answered as he too was staring at the sky.

From inside the Monastery, Wu and Misako were in the courtyard discussing things over tea.

"Have there been any sightings of him? Where could he have gone?" Misako bombarded him with questions as they talked about her husband.

"No one in all of Ninjago has seen him. It is best to just wait." Wu replied as he took a sip from his cup. "It is the ninja I am worried about." He sighed.

"What about them?"

"They have all turned soft. Their confidence clouds their judgement for they haven't trained in weeks!" Wu complained. "I am worried if something goes wrong, they will not be prepared."

"Let them have their rest, Wu. They are teenagers, let them enjoy this free time. I'm sure they will be back to normal before you know it." Misako smiled, hoping she was right.

But she was wrong. For with each passing day, the ninja grew sloppier and softer. Cole had managed to find a soda guzzler which he now wears all the time. There were empty boxes of pizza scattered on the living room floor and piles of laundry near the washing machine.

It was a Wednesday morning when the sky started pouring. The sounds of the rain echoed through the halls of the quiet monastery for everyone was sleeping in. Jay had climbed into Nya's bed after hearing a loud roar of thunder.

"You're the master of lightning! This is ridiculous, Jay." She stated before allowing him to sleep beside her.

It was already past noon when the ninja woke up. They had a quick lunch before deciding to play in the rain.

"Come on, Sensei!" Kai called towards his master who stood under the roof the keep himself dry. The ninja were running around the courtyard getting themselves soaked in the rain.

"Zane? Where are you taking me?" Pixal inquired as Zane pulled her towards the courtyard.

"It's fun! You need to take break, Pixal." Zane informed her as they ran into the rain.