"Welcome to the Tournament of Elements. Now everyone can all die-" Chen began before the door slammed shut startling everyone. "-rect your attention to me!" Chen laughed as Lloyd grumbled, he had accidentally shocked the person next to him. "Never before have so many Elemental Fighters been under one roof. I see Master of Fire, Earth, Shadow, Speed, even the son of a former pupil has come." Chen grinned before spotting Garmadon in the back of the room. "And said pupil, hello Garmadon." Chen pointed to a gong to his left as Lloyd pulled his hoodie's hood further forward to cover his face. "This symbol before you is for the Anacondrai, fiercest Serpentine warrior to ever roam this land. Its creed: Only one can remain."

"That's a lil' sus right there..." Lloyd mumbled.

A Kabuki lady handed Chen a jadeblade. "Behold, a Jadeblade. Here, it represents life. Obtain it, move on. Allow your opponent to take it, loser. The rules are simple. Every match will be different. No two fights will be the same. Your powers will keep you in the Tournament. Use it or lose it."

"Hm, what does Karlof win?" A big guy that Lloyd assumed was Karlof asked.

"Win and stay on the island. Win it all, and you'll receive fortunes beyond your wildest dreams, and lifetime supply of Master Chen noodles. But no one is here because of noodle. You want the glory of being the greatest fighter in all of Ninjago!"

Lloyd heard his father grunt angrily from the back of the room before the dark lord spoke. "And what happens if they lose?"

Chen scrunched his nose in annoyance. "Lose? Who here likes to lose? Now please, enjoy my island. It's a super fun happy place. Hahaha. Fun time on me."

The greasy guy from before walked in front of the elemental masters. "You'll now each be shown to your rooms."

Kabuki flooded the room and yanked each elemental master off the floor where they sat. "Could you not?" Lloyd grumbled as he yanked his arm out of the kabuki's hand. "I can walk myself." He glanced over to where his father had been. "Wait where did he-"

"Lloyd."

Lloyd froze. "Shit." He turned, Yep, there's dad. He thought.

"What exactly are you doing here?"

"Participating in a tournament with people who are only similar to me because they inherited elemental powers from one of their parents?" Lloyd answered nervously, "And avoiding the ninja because haha, don't need that headache."

"Lloyd," Garmadon began as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "what crossed your mind that made you think this was a good idea?"

"... Curiosity??"

"And you're still avoiding your uncle and his ninja? Lloyd-"

"I'm not going to-"

"Is there a problem here?" The greasy guy asked, seeing as Lloyd was the only elemental master still in the room because the kabuki that was supposed to take him to his room, had run away from Garmadon.

"I'm leaving and my son is coming with me, Clouse." Garmadon glared.

"Never agreed to that." Lloyd grumbled.

"Lloyd Montgomery-"

"Don't Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, me! You're not just going to pull some shit and make me listen to you! I'm not a child! I don't care if you're my father! You've done nothing to earn my respect so I don't have any respect for you!"

"."

"."

"While I do enjoy the discord that is occurring, I do believe that Lloyd is going to ignore everything you say, so if you would please, leave so the kabuki can come back and not be terrified." Clouse explained to Garmadon

-------------

"Can you just leave?" Lloyd grumbled as he spotted his father breaking back into Chen's palace after being thrown out, for the third time. "They don't want you here, and neither do I."

"You ever think that there might be a chance I'm trying to stop you from repeating a mistake that I made?"

Lloyd gave his father an apathetic look. "I don't have a son to be disappointed in for trying to make me proud. Or a wife to let abandon that son at a boarding school for bad boys so long that he doesn't remember what she looks like, or what he did to be labeled a bad boy. I certainly don't have a brother who allows this shit to go down and not care about my theoretical son until he causes problems for him."

"Okay, Lloyd, would you listen for five seconds?"

"No, I don't want to, and I don't care about what you have to say."

"Lloyd, I trusted-"

"Fellow fighters, hidden around my island are enough Jadeblades," Chen spoke over an intercom. "for every participant except for one. The one who returns to the palace arena empty-handed loses. The tournament begins...now!"

Lloyd dashed out of the room, both to escape being scolded by his father and because something told him that he couldn't afford to lose this tournament.

------------

"Arrgh, it's killing me. What's under the trapdoor? What happens when you lose?" Lloyd heard Jay grumble as he walked past the booth table the ninja were sitting at, thinking he wouldn't get spotted.

"Lloyd," The blond heard one of the ninja say quickly.

"What?" Lloyd grumbled.

"We know you don't trust, or like us, but you know we're less likely to do anything to you then anyone else here."

"You're point?"

"Sit with us."

Lloyd looked around. "Fine, only because all the other tables have people." He grumbled as he sat in the empty seat at the table.

"But we're people?" Jay muttered.

"I'd rather deal with you idiots than other people."

"Okay.... Hey! Wait a minute! We're not idiots!"

"Sure you aren't, keep telling yourself that man."