“Here are the facts. We are lost underground, separated from our friends who are being hunted by an evil necromancer and an army of reanimated skeletons. We have very few weapons and no way out, but we are not giving in to despair. Where there is a will, there is a way, and we will find it.”
The Ascent is the fourteenth episode of the thirteenth season of Ninjago and the 158th episode overall. It aired on July 22, 2020, in Australia. It aired in the US on October 25, 2020, paired up with "The Darkest Hour".
Cartoon Network Asia: Cole discovers that the stone-mech is powered by Elemental Earth energy and uses his powers to activate the mech.[2]
Extended: Cole discovers that the stone-mech is powered by Elemental Earth energy and uses his powers to activate the mech. He straps the mech to the mine-carts and uses it, like a crude rocket, to blast the mine-carts back up the track to the top of the mountain. Along the way, however, the Magma Monster arrives and a desperate battle between Cole and the creature ensues.[3]
Plot[]
Wu informs Cole, Vania, and the Upply about the situation they're in. He asks for suggestions, and Cole suggests using the Stone Mech to propel the other minecarts back up the tracks. Plundar thinks it's a bad idea, but no one else gives suggestions, so everyone votes in favor of Cole's idea. Plundar things about throwing his dice, but he decides to make his own decision and trust Cole.
They begin to work on transferring the wheels from the mine cart to the Stone Mech. Meanwhile, Wu and Cole try to operate the mech, but it has no buttons or gadgets. Suddenly, the mech glows before turning off. Wu realizes the mech might be run by Elemental Energy, so Cole tries again. This time, he is able to power the mech.
Cole has a hard time controlling the mech and almost runs over a couple of people due to the installed wheels. Eventually, they are able to get the mech attached to the tracks and ready to push the other carts. However, Vania doesn't feel comfortable because she would have to face her father. Cole and the rest of the team support Vania as they head off.
Despite having a difficult time, Cole is able to concentrate and keep the mech from shutting down. During the ride, Wu almost falls off, but Korgran saves him. They are able to make it through the roller coaster part of the cave, and Vania thinks they'll encounter the Lava Monster again. Cole doesn't think it's around until he actually sees it. They then accelerate to get away from the beast, but they awaken the Dire Bats. Fungus and Korgran fight off the Dire Bats from the carts while Cole also is forced to fight off a couple. They think they are finished, but the Lava Monster grabs Cole and takes him off track.
The beast tries to bring Cole into the lava, but Cole is able to break free and lands on a rock. The Lava Monster then has him pinned, but he unexpectedly grabs a sword and cuts its tentacles. Vania spots everyone else on the mine carts approaching the lava, so Cole and Vania head after them. The Lava Monster stands in the way, so Cole stabs it right in the heart, killing the beast. He then grabs the carts saving everyone inside, but he cannot control the speed of the mech due to the lava overheating the controls.
Back at the Kingdom of Shintaro, Engelbert and an elderly woman are discussing something when all of a sudden, the mine carts shoot from the ground as well as the mech. They are shocked and faint when they see Adam. The Upply realize they made it to the kingdom and shout "Upply!" after spending so many years underground.
They head to the Throne Room where they see Chompy in a cage. Vania gets so frustrated that Vangelis actually imprisoned her pet dragon, so Cole frees Chompy. The dragon then spots Adam, and they instantly bond. Suddenly, Hailmar and the rest of Army of Shintaro arrive and were instructed to arrest Cole, as the ninja were traitors. Vania tells Hailmar it's not true, but he doesn't budge. That's when Adam spews a spider web at the guards and everyone begins fighting. While in the brawl, Vania witnesses Chompy turning into an enormous dragon. He allows Cole and the Upply to escape the Throne Room while Wu and Vania stay back at the Throne Room. Vania demands Hailmar to listen, but he doesn't and charges at Vania.
In Taiwanese airings of this episode, the split second when the Stone Mech stabbed through the Lava Monster was cut out.
However, the same scene was not cut from the intro sequence of the next episode.
The elderly Sky Folk appearing near the end of the episode almost look exactly like Vangelis and Vania, except that they have gray hair and wrinkles, and are missing the symbol on their forehead.
Continuity[]
Cole and Wu get their Hero suits in this episode. This marks the second-longest time the ninja take to get their new suits, the longest being "Island of Darkness" in Legacy of the Green Ninja.
This episode is somewhat the opposite of "The Real Fall," as one focuses on the group falling to Rock-Bottom and the other focuses on their traveling back up to the palace.