Chapter 20 - Balloon Toss of Doom[MODS: While some of the elements in the chapter may seem violent, I tried to keep it similar to the show. Not to mention, the enemies whom are getting hurt are ghosts, and hence feel no pain. This content is all fantasy and cannot be considered overly violent – the same goes for dark topics, as I am only re-creating elements from the show.]
“Hahah!” Andrew shouted with joy. “There’s nobody here – I’ve got the whole city to myself! I can do what I want! I can scream as loud as I want to!”
Andrew then released an abominably loud shriek into the air, echoing throughout the empty streets, soon interrupted with the far-away cranky yell of “Quiet, you!”
“Keep in mind not everybody has left the city.” Lloyd told him. “There are still some people here.”
“Yeah, which stinks.” Andrew shrugged. “So how do you think the ghosts are going to come back?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe somebody will use the Realm Crystal to free the ghosts from the Departed Realm, but it doesn’t make enough sense. Who would want all of Ninjago to be destroyed?!”
“Maybe he just wants to take over Ninjago?”
“Yeah, but who would want control of a destroyed land? It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
The two ninja stood together awkwardly for a few moments, then Andrew spoke up: “So how did Cole wear clothes as a ghost? I mean, if his outfit was ghosted too, that’d make sense, but how did he change outfits?”
Lloyd responded: “Well, you see, he actually-”
Suddenly, a large, blue, swirling, mesmerizing rift opened up in the sky. Hundreds of ghostly, transparent green warriors flooded out of the vortex and into the Ninjago city land, all charging at the ninja.
“Who opened the portal?!” Andrew wondered.
“Remember your training.” Lloyd reminded. “We can do this.”
Suddenly, Andrew ran off behind a street corner, away from the battle, speeding like a chipmunk on a sugar rush. “Andrew!” Lloyd yelled.
The raging army came closer wildly. Lloyd faced the army and tried to ignore Andrew’s absence. He then thrusted toward them, stabbing multiple ghosts with his Deepstone weapons as they puffed into clouds of green smoke. He spun around into a green spinjitzu vortex but with his sword poking out of the small tornado, striking the green, ghastly ghosts around him quickly. The air was filled with tinted smoke rising above. “This is not ending the same way it did last time!” Lloyd shouted with determination.
Suddenly, Andrew ran into the battle with a large red wagon filled with colorful objects. Andrew suddenly grabbed several water balloons from the wagon and began tossing them at the ghosts. “Take that!” He shouted as a red balloon smashed into a ghost, imploding and making the ghost puff away as the water touched him.
More water balloons flew through the air onto the ghosts (and occasionally onto Lloyd by accident), making more and more disappear into the air. By the time few balloons remained, Andrew ran to a red fire hydrant and screwed open one of the caps, making a large jet of water suddenly spray across the street, colliding into nearly forty ghosts who met their unfortunate “poof” of demise. Andrew began roaring with laughter. “This is great!” He said.
“You could’ve just used your weapons, you know.” Lloyd said as he struck two other ghosts.
“Yeah, but this is way more fun!” Andrew declared as he watched multiple ghosts stumble into the water blast.
After nearly ten minutes of painfully exhausting (but sometimes amusing) fighting, Lloyd came to a realization. “The ghosts just keep coming!” He declared. “Considering they’re sent to the Departed Realm once we hit them, they can just float back out! We’ve got to find some way to close the rift or else we’ll never be able to stop them!”
“Okay!” Andrew shouted as he sprayed a ghost with a water hose. “What should I do?”
“Look around! Somebody opened the rift; they have to be somewhere nearby!”
Andrew nodded and then ran off away from the fight, speeding along the sidewalks of the city, trying to find somebody holding the necessary Realm Crystal. His mind was set on finding Zane. Zane was the one who opened the portal last time, so it had to be him again; it made the most sense. His titanium body was sure to stand out in the streets.
Andrew’s eyes caught a glimpse of gray – no, that was a gleaming silver garbage bin. He kept running down the street, noticing a gray hunk of metal, which he discovered as he paused that the object was actually a tall lamppost. Andrew continued his pursuit, eyes darting back and forth for the firmly-formed friend.
The streets were practically deserted. The only objects of notice were a couple fire hydrants and shop signs with readings such as “Hyper-Crazy Coffee Shop – 25% all cappuccinos between 3:00 and 4:00 P.M.,” “BRICK FRIDAY SALE – save up to sixteen cents on all paintings of fruit,” or “Definitely not a suspicious spy HQ, just please don’t come in.”
Andrew’s eye was suddenly caught by a figured covered in dark robes standing in the street. He stopped running and stared closer to see the figure pull out a large blue diamond from his robes – the Realm Crystal itself. “Hey!” Andrew interjected as he ran toward the person.
The person turned around. A black hood covered his face from the sunlight; no facial features could be seen. “Oh, look,” His metallic, electronically-warped voice taunted, “it’s the little child who thinks he’s a ninja.
“I am a ninja!” Andrew shouted angrily as he stood in front of the cloaked creature. “And you stole the Realm Crystal!”
“You are no ninja. You have no real power nor strength. You’re a child in a Halloween costume, pretending to be something you’re not.”
“I AM a ninja! I have elemental powers – I can take the form of anything I want!”
With that raging declaration, Andrew suddenly fell upon his hand and knees. Fur sprouting from his body as his legs and body formed and he sprouted a long orange tail. His Deepstone armor split off his body, no longer able to fit Andrew’s form as a tiger. He released a loud roar of confidence.
“Mildly impressive – I’d bet you can’t turn back, however.”
Andrew quickly shrunk his fur and new figure and stood upon his opposing legs, shrinking back into his natural human self. “Ha!” Andrew laughed. “What do you think of that?”
“I think that’s perfect – you’ve done exactly what I wanted you to.” The vile villain cackled.
Suddenly, a green, glowing ghost swung open the door to the barber shop right by the two. He charged right at Andrew, who gasped with fear as he realized what was about to happen. “This way just too easy.” The villain chuckled.
A chilling wave struck Andrew’s nerves and rippled down his spine. His strength faltered suddenly, as he felt weakened and unable to hold himself up as he fell upon his knees. A cloud of darkness fogged up his mind, and his thought began to slowly dissolve and disappear. He could barely sense anything. What was going on, he didn’t know; what was happening to him, he was unaware of. Darkness shrouded his mind; he barely noticed himself beginning to run back to the area of the battle; his senses were dead.
Amongst the fog of lack of thoughts, one word came to his mind: “help.”
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