The Invitation/Transcript

(In a jungle, Lloyd attacks a few Nindroids and enter a cave as a test.)

Lloyd: Ninja, go! (He uses Spinjitzu on the Nindroids. He tries to reach an armor, but it disappears.)

Cyrus: You got closer than I thought you would. But then again, I didn't think you'd be quite so rough on my security droids.

Lloyd: If I can't steal the Golden Armor, I'd be surprised if anyone else could. It's secure, but where is the real one?

Cyrus: Some secrets are best kept safe.

Wu: Lloyd, where are the other Ninja? I asked for all of you to take part in this test.

Lloyd: Uh, they, uh, they really wanted to be here, but they, uh...all had other plans.

Cyrus: I understand perfectly well. The loss of Zane has affected us all. I haven't even heard word from my assistant P.I.X.A.L. since his memorial. It's heartbreaking.

Wu: If we dwell too long on what's missing, we fail to see what can be gained. The absence of Zane will either tear you four apart, or bring you closer together. The choice is yours.

Lloyd: I'll do what I can, but it won't be easy.

Wu: The greatest lessons never are.

(Jay walks onto a stage for a game show.)

Crowd: Most Ultimate Extreme Ninja Challenge Ever!

Jay: I'm Jay, Ninjago's most lovable Ninja, here before the Gauntlet of Humility to see who will be Ninjago's next hero, and whose dreams will be gone, in a flash! (He uses his Lightning to reach a platform.) I'm here with Cathy, tireless mother of four, pillar of the PTA, and returning contestant. Tell me, Cathy, after being humbled by the Gauntlet the first time, what makes you think this'll be any different?

Cathy: Because Ninja never quit!

Jay: (Laughs.) Okay, Cathy. Start the doomsday clock!

Cathy: (Cathy makes it across the obstacle course, but falls.) Heh, I got farther than last time! (After the show, Jay made it back to his dressing room.)

Jay: Ninja never quit, huh, Zane?

Lloyd: The team needs you now more than ever. (He turns around and, after seeing Lloyd, gasps.) How did you get in here?

Lloyd: I'm a Ninja, and you are wearing makeup.

Jay: Hey, hey, hey, hey. It's concealer, a time-honored tool of the Ninja. And what do you mean "team?" I refuse to fight beside Cole. There's nothing you can say that will get me back with that girl-stealing, black-hearted, rock-pounding—

Lloyd: Jay, she still speaks of you. You don't belong here, Jay. This isn't you. You're the Master of Lightning, not the Master of Lighting. You know where I'll be if you change your mind.

(He leaves to find Cole chopping wood in the Blackwood Forest.)

Lloyd: The team needs you now more than ever.

Cole: I thought I was good with a scythe. (Grunts.) Turns out, I'm even better with an ax. Ugh, I'm tired of fighting, Lloyd. Tired of Serpentine, tired of Nindroids, tired of...Jay. Out here, no one knows who you are. No one expects anything of you.

Lloyd: But what would Zane expect? You're the Master of [{Earth]], Cole. you don't belong in trees. Your feet should be on the ground. You can't hide who you are.

Cole: Sorry, Green machine, this is my life now.

Worker: (He's on top of a pile of logs, but it's about to fall.) Oh, oh, cracked stem! She's falling hard! (Cole stops it by using his Earth. Everyone cheers.)

Man #1: Who is he?

Man #2: Not one of us.

Lloyd: If you change your mind, Cole, you know where I'll be.

(He leaves to find Kai in Yang Tavern.)

Mezmo: Welcome to the Yang Slither Pits Final. In the left corner, we have Kai, the Flaming Shogun. And in the right corner, we have Kruncha.

Kai: Ninja, go! (He defeats Kruncha with his Spinjitzu.) Didn't your mama ever warn you not to play with me?

Kruncha: No.

Mezmo: Victor of the Slither Pit and undefeated champion...Kai, the Flaming Shogun!

Kai: The Red Shogun. Red Shogun! (He kicks Kruncha's head.)

Kruncha: Hey!

Nuckal: Some fight that was. (He picks up Kruncha's bones.)

Kruncha: Let's get out of here. (He kicks him when he starts laughing.) You said to go down in the first.

Nuckal: I said don't be the first to go down. (He kicks Kruncha's head out of the arena. Kia sits down at a nearby table drinking juice.)

Lloyd: You shouldn't drink too much juice. It's filled with more sugar than you realize.

Kai: Oh, it's you.

Lloyd: The team needs you now more than ever.

Kai: Who says the great and powerful Green Ninja needs a team? You seem to be holding down the fort on your own.

Lloyd: I get it, Kai. You've ran out of bad guys to fight out there, you've got to come to a place like this. But where's the honor in that? Where's the Master of Fire?

Kai: It's the Red Shogun now. And where's the Master of Ice, huh? He's gone, but I'm still here. Who cares about honor? It should've been me. I should've been the one—

Lloyd: You always thought you should've been the one. First it was being the Green Ninja, now this. When are you gonna start thinking of someone other than yourself? (He disappears.) If you change your mind, you know where I'll be.

(After Kai visits Zane's statue, he goes to Chen's Noodle House.)

Chen: (On a recording.) There's only one Master Chen's, Ninjago's number one noodle house.

Lloyd: Kai, back here.

Kai: Jay? Cole?

Cole: Ha, you too?

Jay: The runt tricked us all.

Lloyd: (He stops Kai from taking food from the conveyor belt.) We talk first, then eat.

Cole: Uh, trust me, do you know what kind of restraint I've had to have staring at all of this noodle goodness? You're late.

Kai: Make it quick.

Lloyd: I know without Zane things have been different, but we have to move on. The reason I brought you all here is because...maybe we should add someone new to our team.

Kai: A new Ninja?

Jay: Are you crazy!?

Cole: Come on, Zane's irreplaceable!

Lloyd: I cared for him too but now it's time to care about this team.

Kai: Maybe without Zane, there is no team.

(Eyezor and to other thugs comes in.)

Jay: Oh. Don't look now, but we've got trouble.

(They forced the Restaurant Owner to open the cash register and put him on the conveyor belt. They laugh.)

Thug: Check it out.

Cole: All right, now they're our problem. Excuse me, it's not polite to touch someone else's food.

Kai: I'd listen if I were you. He's no fun to be around when he's hangry. (They attack each other.) All right, I admit it. We make a good team.

Cole: (He grabs the food Kai kick off the conveyor belt.) Yeah, mmm. Everything's better on a full stomach. (Eyezor shatters a plate.) Hey, I was gonna eat that. (They defeated the thugs easily.)

Lloyd: How can you walk away from this? (They run away from the back door.)

Cole: Hey, let's get them, guys.

Kai: Oh, where did they go? Huh? (They see a table with a note and fortune cookies.)

Lloyd: What's this?

Jay: Uh... (They see a picture of Zane on the letter.)

Kai: (Gasps.) It's Zane.

Cole: What does it say?

Lloyd: It says he's alive. (Everyone gasps.)

Kai: I don't think those thugs were delivering a message to the Noodle House. I think they were delivering a message to us.

Jay: What do you mean it says he's alive?

Lloyd: Hey, I'm just telling you what it says.

Kai: Why would these thugs lead us here?

Cole: You know, this has to be some cruel joke. And I'm not laughing.

Lloyd: Look. (He points to the fortune cookies.) I think this was meant for us too.

Jay: fortune cookies? Very peculiar.

Lloyd: SHould we? (Cole eats one.)

Kai: Uh, you do realize there's a fortune inside, right?

Cole: Oh, so that's why they're called that.

Lloyd: (He reads his fortune.) Listen to this. "Master Chen has personally invited you to participate in his Tournament of Elements."

Cole: Wait a minute. Are you saying that Mr. Chen, the same guy filling my belly with delicious goodness, is actually Master Chen?

Kai: "Secrecy is of the utmost importance. Tell no one, or suffer the consequences."

Jay: "If you ever want to see your friend again, meet on the pier at midnight and leave your weapons behind. (Their fortunes explodes, and Cole belches.)

Cole: Uhh. At least I know I was invited. (Everyone laughs.)

Lloyd: You don't think...

Kai: It could be a trap. A lie to lure us in.

Jay: Yeah, but what if it's not? What if Zane's alive?

Lloyd: The Tournament of Elements. I'm starting to think this Master Chen makes more than noodles.

Kai: You can forget bringing in a new Ninja, Lloyd. Let's go see about an old one.

(At Garmadon's Monastery, Garmadon sees Nya and Wu working on something.)

Garmadon: Hm, are you planning on fixing the Bounty?

Nya: Yeah, but we could use some help.

(Garmadon leaves. Lloyd gets ready for the Tournament in his room.)

Music: (On radio) Kick back, whip around and spin, and then we jump back, do it again.

Lloyd: (Thinking simultaneously) "Leave your weapons behind."

Music: ''Ninja, go! Ninja, go! Come on, come on,''

Garmadon: (He knocks and comes in. Simultaneously) I was just on my way to help Nya and Wu restore the Bounty. Would you like to join? Guess you could say it's all hands on deck. (The music stops.)

Lloyd: Uh, sorry. The guys and I are going fishing. Team building exercise.

Garmadon: Hm, good t hear the team's back together.

Lloyd: Dad, our Elemental Power...are there others out there with powers like us?

Garmadon: Why would you ask?

Lloyd: No reason. It was just on my mind. (Garmadon notices a takeout box with the Noodle House logo.) See ya. Early bird catches the worm.

Garmadon: (He notices Lloyd didn't take his fishing rod. He looks back at the box.) Chen.

(The Ninja arrive at the docks with other Elemental Masters.)

Kai: Ah, I told you we shouldn't have worn them. The Tournament of Elements. You think all of them have powers like us?

Lloyd: When I asked my dad about it, he got really suspicious. Like there's something he's keeping from me.

Cole: The fortune cookie said tell no one or else there'd be consequences.

Lloyd: Relax, we're cool. (A ferry pulls up.) We don't know yet if this is a trap. Wherever they take us, we have to stick together.

Clouse: Watch your step, madam. (Kai looks at her and sighs.)

Lloyd: We can't let anything distract us. You hear me, Kai?

Kai: Uh? Uh, yeah. Uh, got it. Whatever you said.

Clouse: Master Chen will be charmed to see you've accepted his offer. A Master of Spinjitzu shall fare favorably in his Tournament.

Jay: Hey, we're not here to fight. We're here to save a friend.

Clouse: Don't be so petty, Master Jay. (He grabs Jay's nunchucks.) Everyone here has something to fight for.

Jay: Chopsticks. I'm a big eater, heh. (Jay gulps when he threw his nunchucks into the Sea.)

Garmadon: Lloyd, wait! If you get on that boat, you may never return.

Lloyd: What are you doing here, Dad?

Garmadon: Master Chen is a dangerous man who should never be trusted. Whatever he promised you, do not believe him.

Clouse: Lord Garmadon. It's been a while. It's Sensei now, correct? I can't remember.

Garmadon: Clouse. I see Master Chen still has you running his errands.

Lloyd: I have to go, Dad. This is about Zane. It's about family. If we're ever going to be whole again, I have t get on that ship.

Clouse: Last call. Are you in, or out?

Garmadon: I can't stop you, son, but I can join you.

Clouse: Sorry, no more room in the ship.

Garmadon: No room? (He kicks a thug off the ship.)

Clouse: I stand corrected. There's room now.

Garmadon: Don't worry, I'm not here to compete. Only to look out for my interests.

Clouse: Let's ship out!

(The Ninja watches the other Masters display their powers.)

Lloyd: You know him. You said his name's Clouse.

Garmadon: Don't be fooled by his attire. He is a Master of Dark Arts and Master Chen's number two.

Cole: Huh, I thought Master Chen's number two was an eggroll and fried rice.

Kai: Why haven't you or Wu ever told us there are others with powers like us?

Garmadon: Because there are some things we don't want you to know. You were led to believe you were special, yet you never questioned where your powers came from.

Jay: Uh, are you implying that I'm not special?

Garmadon: Everyone on this ship is a descendant of an original Elemental Master.

Lloyd: Elemental Master? Who were they?

Garmadon: They were the First Spinjitzu Master's guardians, each endowed with an Elemental Power that has passed down through generations.

Kai: if that's true, then so is my sister Nya. But she can't do what I can.

Garmadon: Can't she? Power lies in all of you. It only needs to be awoken. The fighters here serve no master and have managed to unlock their own True Potential. For instance, that Paleman. A distant relative to the Master of Light. Watch closely and you'll see how he's stayed hidden all these years. (Paleman disappears. Griffin Turner runs by.) Then There's Griffin Turner. Grandson to the Master of Speed.

Griffin: Hey, you can't lay a hand on me. I'm faster than fast. Swifter than swift.

Jay: Uh, Master of Speed? Pfft. That's not an Element.

Garmadon: So asks the Master of Lightning.

Cole: Oh, snap, he got you there.

Kai: And, uh, who's she? (He looks at Skylor.)

Garmadon: I don't know. Most of these people I have not seen. But they will all be gunning for you. You are Ninja. You serve with honor. Here, that means very little.

Kai: (He sees Karlof harassing Skylor.) Well, maybe honor means something to me. (He walks up to them.)

Skylor: It's okay. I can handle myself.

Karlof: This none of his business. Karlof cold. Karlof just want her cloak.

Kai: You look like you got big enough mittens. Why not leave the gal alone?

Karlof: These not mittens. These crush Ninja.

Kai: Ha, I'd like to see you try.

Garmadon: Save it for the Tournament, Kai.

Karlof: Don't think Karlof afraid of you.

Kai: No, you don't think much at all, do you? (Karlof lifts him.) Unh! Just jump in whenever you feel like it.

Karlof: You say Karlof not smart?

Lloyd: I'd say Karlof is plenty smart not to start something he can't finish.

Karlof: (He punches Kai.)

Kai: Whoa!

Karlof: Oopsy. Guess Karlof not smart.

Garmadon: (He stops the Ninja from intervening.) Kai started this. He can finish it. (They both start fighting.)

Kai: Fire! (grunts.)

Clouse: Enough! (Karlof leaves.)

Skylor: I'm sorry if I was cold to you earlier. (She helps him up, secretly using her Amber on him.)

Clouse: We're here. Welcome to Chen's Island. (He hides behind a crate and pulls out a walkie talkie.) Master Chen, Garmadon has returned. He says he will be looking out for his interests.

Chen: Interesting. You worry too much, Clouse. Everything will work out. Just wait and see. (He hangs up.)

Garmadon: I swore to never return.

Jay: You know, you should never swear. It's a sign of weak verbal skills.

Lloyd: If Zane's on that island, we'll find him. We have to.

Chen: (He walks up to Zane's cell.) I hold all the cards. (He laughs evilly.)

(End of the episode. For more information, click here.)