(In the courtroom, the ninja are awaiting trial.)
Cole: That was the fastest trial I ever saw in my life. How did they convict us so quickly?
Dareth: Why me?
Kai: Because you're our lawyer, Dareth!
Dareth: I told you guys. I took three weeks of law classes. Three weeks! And it was mostly how to get out of traffic tickets.
Skylor: Maybe the judge will go easy on them.
Wu: He is nicknamed "Toughbutt".
Dareth: I don't think that's a nickname. I think that's his last name.
Kai: Nobody's last name is "Toughbutt".
Guard: All rise. The honorable judge William Horace Toughbutt presiding.
Toughbutt: Please be seated. (He bangs his gavel.)
Dareth: See, I told you.
Toughbutt: In all my years as a judge, I have never seen such a callous disregard for public safety as I have in this case. The ninja put the entire city at risk by freeing the convicted criminal Aspheera, and then helping to arm her with the very weapon she used to attack this city. Do you have anything to say in your defense before I pass judgement?
Dareth: Uh, well, I'm not sure I would put it exactly like that.
Toughbutt: How would you put it exactly?
Dareth: Okay, yeah, that's what happened. But what about all the times the ninja helped this city? Like when they fought Garmadon? Or Unagami? Or the Quiet One? We have to take that into account too, don't we?
Toughbutt: I have. Which is the only reason I'm not sentencing them to life in prison. Instead, I'm sentencing them to five years in Kryptarium Prison! (He bangs his gavel again.)
(The decision causes an uproar among the observers.)
Dareth: Wait, what?
Toughbutt: Order! Order in the court! (He bangs his gavel as the ninja are taken away.)
Jay: Nya!
Dareth: Your honor! Can't we work something out? Like community service! Or, or sweeping! Or some light trash pickup! (The door is slammed on him.)
(At Kryptarium Prison, the ninja are taken to their cells.)
Kai: I can't believe it. After all we've done for Ninjago.
Jay: Oh this is bad! This is really bad! Do you know how many people in here probably hate us?
Inmate: All of us!
Jay: Eh, hey, roomies.
Zane: It would appear there are only four beds, but five of us.
Kai: That's the least of our problems.
Cole: Yeah. I don't think I'm gonna be sleeping much.
Zane: If you are certain, I will take a bunk.
Cole: Huh?
Jay: How can you be so calm about this?!
Lloyd: You know full well he turned off his emotion meter, Jay.
Jay: Well, it would be nice to get a human reaction once in a while!
Zane: If it would make you feel better, I can switch it on again, and react appropriately.
Kai: It might, actually.
(Zane turns on his emotion meter and starts screaming. Kai quickly covers his mouth while Cole turns it back off.)
Cole: Not helping. What do we do?
Kai: I vote we break out of here.
Lloyd: We can't do that. We'd just be breaking more laws. Our best bet is to go along with this. No fighting, no powers. Just behave, and let Dareth figure out a way to get us out of here legally.
Kai: Haha. Good one. Wait, you're serious?
Lloyd: Don't underestimate Dareth. If I know the brown ninja, he's working on a solution right now.
(In the game room of the Monastery, Dareth is lying on the couch.)
Dareth: I have no clue what to do. They didn't cover any of this in class. Oh, what have I done?
Wu: Please, Dareth. Calm yourself. The ninja have no one to blame but themselves.
Nya: How can you say that?
Wu: Nya, I understand why they did what they did. And frankly, part of me is glad. But it does not change the facts. They broke the law and freed Aspheera. She is now loose.
Nya: This is all my fault. And I'm powerless to do anything to help them! (She leaves angrily.)
Skylor: Poor Nya. She must feel terrible.
Wu: Nya has never been powerless. Even before she was an elemental master, she was known as Samurai X and helped many people without any powers. She will find herself in time.
(At Kryptarium, it is yard time.)
Officer #1: Yard time. Twenty minutes!
(All around the yard, everyone stares at the ninja.)
Kai: Does it feel like everyone is staring at us?
Zane: They are staring at us.
Cole: I'm starting to feel a little unwelcome.
Jay: Guys, you can relax! I joined us up with the toughest thugs in prison. They're called "The Needles". Nobody's gonna mess with us now. Hehehe.
Kai: Oh thanks Jay. That fixes everything.
Ronin: Well, well. Looks like festival day came early, and the gifting goat brought me revenge.
Jay: You don't wanna mess with us, Ronin. Trust me.
Ronin: Hmm. Don't I? Let me think. After you busted up a perfectly good smuggling operation and threw me in jail? Yeah. I'm pretty sure I do.
Jay: Well guess what? We just joined the Needles. And if you mess with us, you mess with them.
Ronin: Those wimps of the knitting club?
Jay: Knitting club? Oh no. No!
(Everyone around them laughs.)
Lloyd: You've got nobody to blame but yourself. You made your own choices. Nobody forced you to become a criminal.
Ronin: Maybe all of us aren't cut out to be heroes.
Lloyd: How do you know, Ronin? When have you ever even tried to do something for anyone other than yourself?
(Ronin looks at him angrily.)
Officer #1: Hey, back up, the lot of you! (The villains back off.) Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon. You got a visitor. Let's go.
Lloyd: See? It's probably Master Wu and Dareth. I told you they'd figure something out.
Ronin: Chh.
(Lloyd and the officer walk down the hallway.)
Officer #1: Hey, uh, I just wanted to say. Me and a lot of the other guys really respect what you've done for Ninjago.
Lloyd: Thank you.
Officer #1: It's not personal. We're just following the law, y'know?
Lloyd: I know, officer. We're not gonna make any trouble.
Officer #1: Thanks. (He opens a door.) Booth ten, last one on the end.
Lloyd: Master Wu! Boy, am I glad to see -- (The figure turns out to be Kabuki Mask.) Who are you?
Kabuki Mask: A messenger of the Crystal King. He wants you to know, he's assembling your enemies against you. Soon, they will strike, and all Ninjago will fall before his wrath.
Lloyd: Why are you telling me this?
Kabuki Mask: Because I want to see the look of despair on your face. The look of helplessness as you see something you love, destroyed before your very eyes. (They turn to leave.)
Lloyd: No! (He bangs against the glass to no avail.) Stop that person! Someone, stop him! He's getting away!
Officer #1: Stop that ninja! He's trying to escape!
Lloyd: No, I'm not! It's him! He's getting away! (He leaps over the officers and swipes the card.)
Officer #1: Hey! He got my keys! (into a phone) One of the ninja is making a break for it! We need backup!
Lloyd: Stop! No! Darn it.
Officer #2: Get him! Hold on!
Officer #3: I got his legs!
Lloyd: Sorry. Can't explain! But I'm not trying to escape! (He leaps down a staircase.) There's more guards than prisoners! (He leaps several stories down instead of taking the stairs.)
Officer #1: He's on the first floor! First floor stairwell!
Officer #4: Don't even think about it! We got you surrounded.
(Lloyd watches as the Kabuki Mask leaves, and raises his hands in defeat. He is taken back to his cell.)
Jay: What happened?
Lloyd: It wasn't Master Wu.
Cole: Who was it?
Lloyd: I have no idea. Does the name "Crystal King" mean anything to you?
Zane: Negative. I find no references to that name in any of my databases.
Kai: Who or what is a "Crystal King"?
Lloyd: I don't know. But I have a bad feeling we're about to find out.
(In his cell at Shintaro, King Vangelis plays his own theme on a lyre. Suddenly, a Crystal Spider breaks in and gives him his Skull Sorcerer mask.)
Kabuki Mask (hologram): King Vangelis. You have been invited to join the Council of the Crystal King, and have your revenge upon those who wronged you. Do you accept?
Vangelis: Oh ho, yes. (He puts on his mask.) With pleasure.
(End of the episode. For more information, click here.)
