The Crooked Path/Transcript

(At Steep Wisdom, the Ninja are creating a defense system against Ghosts.)

Zane: (Putting up a sign.) There. That should keep customers away. "Closed for renovations."

Kai: (Setting up a bucket of water on top of the door.) More like fortifications. If Morro and his ghouls show up here looking to steal the Sword of Sanctuary, they won't know what hit them.

Cole: (He almost had the bucket of water fall on him.) Aah! Careful, you know not all of us are immune to water. And I for one would like to stick around long enough for Misako and Sensei to figure out the last clue.

Jay: We got Cyclon-do, we got the sword, now they just have to figure out where the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master is.

Kai: Let's hope they figure it out soon. I don't know how long we'll be able to hold out.

(Inside Steep Wisdom, Wu and Misako are figuring out the last clue.)

Wu: We know the skull represents his tomb.

Misako: But from everything that was ever written about it, there's nothing in Ninjago that matches its description. Where is it? The clues are all right here, but what are we missing?

Wu: (Sighs.) We musn't give up. If Morro finds it first and takes the Realm Crystal, I'd hate to think what would happen next.

(Meanwhile, someone steps on a tripline and set off a bell.)

Misako: The early-detection warning system.

Kai: Intruder!

Jay: Let him have it. Pull!

(Everyone catapults water balloons, but it was actually the Postman.)

Postman: (Sighs.) No wonder you're going out of business.

Jay: No, you're the one going out of business. Heh, who sends letters anymore?

Kai: Guys, he's right. It says he's gonna shut us down unless we drum up some business.

Cole: Well, don't tell Ronin. If this place is worthless, he won't stick around and we need all the help we can get. Come on, we're gonna need more water balloons.

(Meanwhile, Ronin whistles while he cleans R.E.X. while Nya tries to control Water.)

Nya: Come on, Nya. Become the water, reverse the flow. (The water droplets won't go up. Nya sighs.) Ugh!

Ronin: Giving up already?

Nya: Course not. Sensei thinks if I get over my fear of failure, I'll be able to control the water. Sure, I made it rain when I wasn't even paying attention, but here I can't seem to stop a single drop. Ugh.

Ronin: Wanna know about failure, should've asked me. Heck, I made a career out of it. Word of advice: don't try so hard. You can't fail if you don't care.

Nya: Don't try? What sort of backwards advice is that? Of course I'm gonna try hard. That's how one excels and—

Ronin: Speaking of backwards... (He points behind her, where the droplets are flowing backwards.)

Nya: Oh my gosh! I'm doing it. I'm really doing it!

Ronin: (Chuckles.) Like I said, don't care so much. Usually when someone wants something too badly, they'll trip over their own feet.

Nya: Wow!

Ronin: Huh?

(Bansha is sending a message to Ronin.)

Morro: Can he hear you?

Bansha: Oh, he can hear me.

Morro: Tell him it's time to pay his debt. Tell him to bring me the sword.

(Ronin tries to look for the sword, but can't find it.)

Misako: (Offscreen.) Thanks for gathering on short notice.

Kai: Looking for something?

Ronin: Ha, just making sure the tea blends are in alphabetical order. Yup, A to Z, heh.

Jay: So you figured out where the tomb is?

Misako: Not yet, but we think we know how to locate it.

Ronin: (He tries to sneak away, but Wu comes inside.) Oh! Hey, hehehe.

Misako: Zane? (Zane's Falcon projected the skull image. And Wu turns off the lights.) To bring you up to date, the skull symbol refers to the tomb's entrance.

Wu: We also know my father's resting site, where the Realm Crystal resides, is protected by three deadly tests designed to keep anyone unworthy away, and only the Sword of Sanctuary can see past its riddles.

Cole: Yeah, but where is it?

Misako: We started to wonder if the scroll and sword combined held a secret. That's when Kai reminded us there was a map on the back of the scroll a—

Kai: And if you use the sword on the map, the blade's reflection will reveal the tomb's location.

Misako: Exactly.

Cole: Which means we'll have to get our hands on that map.

Ronin: (Ronin sneaks away and heads into a shed.) Aah. (When he opens the sword's case, it was gone.)

Nya: SOmething about what you said stuck with me. (She pointed the sword at him.)

Ronin: Oh, yeah. And what's that?

Nya: That you don't care. If you don't, why are you here? Sure, this tea shop could potentially help you pay off your debt in time. Or, you could speed things up by just giving them the sword in return for your cursed soul.

Ronin: So, where does that leave us?

Nya: I don't need the sword to tell me where this is going.

Ronin: (He starts attacking her.) I need that sword. I don't wanna have to hurt you.

Nya: You know, I was thinking the same thing. (She looks at the sword to find Ronin was going to kiss her.) Ugh! (She kicks him.)

Ronin: Aah! What did I do to deserve that?

Nya: You know what you were about to do. (Ronin trips her with a garden hoe. Nya grunts.)

Ronin: Like I said, try too hard and you'll trip over yourself.

Nya: He's getting away with the sword!

Ronin: (He's encountered by the Ninja.) Huh? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. (The Ninja activated their own water traps.) Haha! That was way too easy!

Jay: (Zane lands on Jay.) Ow!

Misako: We're not gonna let you get away!

Ronin: (They fight each other, but Ronin slices a few herbs, making it hard to see.) Oh, now that's a nice blend. We should fight more often. (Whistles to summon R.E.X..)

Kai: (He uses Airjitzu, but didn't go high enough to catch him.) Aah! He's getting away. To the Bounty!

Wu: Are we sure that's the wisest choice? (He summons his Dragon.) Care for a ride?

Misako: I thought you'd never ask.

Wu: He's fast.

Misako: You're faster.

Wu: Let's get him, boy! Hyah! (They eventually caught up to R.E.X., but find it empty.)

Misako: He's not aboard the ship.

Wu: It's a trick!

Kai: Then where did Ronin go?

(Nya is at a river looking at her reflection. Just about as she was leaving, she hears Ronin whistling on a small boat. She runs after him.)

Nya: (Gasps.) Stop!

Ronin: Yeah, right.

Nya: Why are you doing this?

Ronin: You know why. Giving Morro the sword is the only thing that'll save me.

Nya: He'll never hold up his end of the bargain. You can't trust him.

Ronin: I have to. It's my only shot.

Nya: (To herself) Become the water. Become the water. Become the water. (The water starts to go backwards.) Reverse the flow, Nya.

Ronin: You got to be kidding me. (He shifts his sail so that the wind can carry him forward.) Face it, Nya. You're not strong enough. You care too much. I'm sorry, Nya. I wish it never had to come to this.

(Nya pounds the ground in rage. Ronin reached Stiix and found Morro's hideout.)

Morro: Good evening.

Ghoultar: And good night.

Ronin: Heh, I like what you've done with the place. Pretty gusty making your hideout right here in Stiix. With this much water, they'd never come looking for you here.

Morro: I've never been afraid of anything.

Ghoultar: (He examines the sword.) The sword is no fake.

Morro: Huh. For once, the crook makes good. (He stabs the sword on the map.) Ha! The Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master.

Ronin: Now what about my soul? The deal was you'd remove the curse and free me.

Morro: You can have your soul, but the deal has changed. I want the Ninja too.

Ronin: Whoa, now hold on. A deal's a deal but what so you care about the Ninja? I thought you said you weren't afraid of them.

Morro: I'm not. But our Preeminent requires certain...safeguards.

(The Ghosts laugh.)

Ronin: Forget it. I'll keep my cursed soul. The sword's one thing but my friends are another.

Bansha: Since when do you have friends? (Everyone laughs at him again.)

Morro: Where do you think you're going? We still have a need for you. The Realm Crystal will be mine.

(The team are back at Steep Wisdom.)

Jay: Well, obviously he's taken the sword to Morro.

Zane: But where's Morro? He could be anywhere.

Cole: Look, Nya, I know you're not a Ninja yet, but if you're gonna be one of us—

Nya: I'm sorry. I should've told you when I first suspected Ronin would steal it.

Wu: Enough! We all knew the path to save Lloyd was never going to be a straight line. We were all fooled by Ronin but that doesn't make us fools. At a time like this, we mustn't butt heads but put our heads together.

Jay: (Snickers.) I'm sorry. You said "butt heads." (Giggles.)

(The Falcon squawks and projected a message from "Ronin.")

"Ronin": I can't talk loud, but I wanted to let you know, Nya, you were right. Morro didn't hold his end of the bargain. And Misako was right too. The scroll and sword did reveal the tomb. I know where it's located. I know you don't have the sword, but I know you can beat them to the tomb. (Gasps.) They're coming.

Jay: Where is it? Where's the tomb?

"Ronin": The Caves of Despair! The tomb is in Caves of Despair! (The message cuts off.)

Wu: Caves of Despair? We've been there. I don't remember seeing any tomb.

Misako: But there are still miles of unexplored mines. It could be there.

Nya: But why should we believe him? It could be a trap.

Kai: We don't have the scroll and we don't have the sword. With Lloyd's life at stake, what other choice do we have?

Cole: We're in.

Nya: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. What good will it do us if it's all just a setup?

Wu: The Ninja are right. Even a misstep could be a step in the right direction. We cannot afford to do nothing. The Ninja will go. As for Nya, you're still not ready.

(Nya groans. At Stiix, it's revealed that the message is a trap.)

Ghoultar: It's a wrap.

(The Ghosts laugh as Morro releases Ronin from his possession.)

Ronin: (Groans.) Pretty good impersonation. But they'll never buy it was me.

Morro: We shall see.

Lloyd: (Trapped in a cage.) You're no Green Ninja. The Green Ninja would never need to lie.

Morro: Oh, you won't be the Green Ninja for long. Save your strength, because I'll be needing it. Prepare for a voyage. We head to the tomb at dawn.

Soul Archer What about Ronin?

Morro: Leave him. He's worthless now.

(The Ninja travel to the Caves of Despair.)

Kai: The Caves of Despair.

Cole: This is where we first came for the Golden Weapons. It's like everything has come full circle.

Jay: Don't say that. Full circle means it's coming to an end, and I don't want to hear that before I go into the Caves of Despair, one of my least favorite words. How do we even know the tomb's in there?

P.I.X.A.L.: Searching for clues. (She finds a crudely-carved skull.)

Kai: The third symbol.

Jay: Good enough for me. Let's go.

(At a distance Ghoultar is carving another skull with his scythe. He laughs maniacally.)

Jay: There's another symbol.

Cole: Huh. Looks like it only gets darker the deeper in we go.

Kai: (Sees four lanterns.) Then it's a good thing we have a little light.

Cole: Wait! What if this is one of the tests?

Jay: (Gasps.) Yeah, Sensei said the tomb was gonna be protected by three deadly tests. Maybe if we pick the wrong lantern...

Kai: (He carefully grabs one, but nothing happens.) Ha! Nope, just a lantern.

(Zane and Cole grabs one, but Jay is reluctant.)

Jay: Like I thought, just another lantern. Wait!

Kai: Looks like there was a cave-in.

Jay: (Sniffs.) Ugh! What's that smell?

Zane: My sense pick up traces of Kethanol, a highly flammable gas released from deep well mining.

Cole: Sure. Bet that's what all Nindroids say.

Zane: If you're implying that smell came from me—

Kai: Look! Some of these rocks appear to have been recently moved. Maybe Morro's already been through here. Ash. Everything here has been burned. Perhaps one of the traps?

Zane: The Kethanol geyser. We cannot stay long. It might ignite again at any moment.

Cole: Look.

Jay: Whoa. (They see a skeleton.) Ew! You think it's him?

Kai: The First Spinjitzu Master. Uh, but where's the Realm Crystal?

Zane: That is not the First Spinjitzu Master. It's the Master of Wind. These are the remains of Morro's mortal body.

Jay: Well, Sensei told us he never came back from looking for the tomb. So if he's here, that means...

Ghoultar: It is trap! Now you suffer same fate! (He uses his scythe to trap them.)

Kai: There's no way out. If this was a test, I think we certainly failed it.

Jay: (Coughs.) And all this gas is making me a little lightheaded.

Cole: This cavern is a virtual oven. If those geysers decide to ignite, we'll be cooked.

Zane: P.I.X.A.L. has located an opening. The cave-in must have created a gap.

Jay: Oh, but a gap to where? For all we know, it could be a dead end and for the record, that's another one of my least favorite words. "Dead end."

Cole: Too late! (He grabs a boulder and blocks the geyser.)

Zane: Cole, no!

Cole: Ha, solved that problem.

Zane: Correction, you made it worse. Now the pressure will compact the explosion, multiplying the damage tenfold.

Jay: Oh, what are you trying to say?

Zane: When that rock goes, every cave in a 10-mile radius will be filled with a wall of fire so hot, it'll incinerate everything in its path.

Kai: Guess we better get hot on our heels.

Jay: Cyclon-do! (Everyone Airjitzus their way out of the gap.)

Zane: Hurry!

Kai: Go, go, go! (They hop into a minecart.)

Jay: Great, now what? How do we stop this thing?

(Everyone screams as the cart speeds up.)

P.I.X.A.L.: Obstacle.

(The Ninja scream. Jay is running, trying to catch up to the cart.)

Kai: Almost got you.

Zane: Watch it.

Jay: (He sees Ghoultar and uses his Aeroblade on him.) Haha, I caught it, guys! I caught it!

Cole: Looks like we're coming to a dead end!

Jay: Oh, there's that word again. Never say that word! Aah! What do I do? What do I do?

Zane: Use the Aeroblade for brakes.

Jay: It almost feels like we're going faster!

All: Whoa! Aaah!

(Suddenly, R.E.X. came by and unraveled a ladder.)

Cole: Haha! I could kiss Ronin! After I clobber him for getting us into this mess.

(They climb inside, but Ronin's not there.)

Jay: Oh, oh, oh. Autopilot! Course he's too scared to show his face.

Ronin: (On screen.) Hey, Ninja. If you're getting this message, I'm sure you have some choice words for me.

Cole: Haha! You've got that right!

Ronin: But I want to tell you, that wasn't me who sent you to this trap. I was under the control of Morro. I know you think I'm a crook by taking the sword, and I wanna make things right by offering my airship, R.E.X., as a peace offering. I know it's not what you had in mind, but I've remotely entered the location of the tomb. The real one this time. (He shows a map of the Endless Sea.)

Kai: Look at that. The reason Misako never found the tomb in Ninjago was because it was never there in the first place. It's under the ocean.

Ronin: Morro has a head start, but R.E.X. should get you straight there in a jiff. And if it's any consolation, this'll be the last you see of me. If Nya wants to know a reason, tell her it's because I care. Okay. Good luck. And go make things right.

Kai: Looks like we're headed to the tomb. Time to buckle up.

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