We've been on the Bridge for the past few hours, trying to figure out where to find the next Fangblade. Pythor already has one and we can't let him get another one. All we need is one to beat him after all.

I sigh as I look at all of the evidence on the table. Trying to figure out where the next Fangblade is not easy without a map. If only we can get a copy of it somehow...

"They got the first one, but there are three more, and we just need one to stop Pythor. They have a map, and we don't, so the question remains: how are we gonna find the rest"

"Exactly what I was thinking Nya. We need a way to find at least one before Pythor gets to it because then, he won't be able to resurrect the Great Devourer."

Jay stares longly at Nya with a lovesick smile on his face. "Still can't get over the fact that you were the mysterious Samurai. Is anyone else blown away like I am?"

Kai rolls his eyes, annoyed at the fact that his sister and Jay are closer than ever thanks to his plan from stopping them from getting close didn't work. It did the complete opposite. "We're over that. Can we move on?"

"Someone's a little hot under the collar," Jay mumbles under his breath.

I snicker at his comment. "A little?"

"It appears his impatience is because he has not found inner peace and unlocked his like you and I have, Jay," Zane interjects before a fight breaks out.

"Ha! Nice one Zane," I say fist-bumping him.

"Great observation, Mr. Roboto, but Cole hasn't found it either," Kai responds annoyed.

"Hey! What about me? Sensei said I can get my true potential too!"

"We both know that can't be true. We all have elemental weapons, and what about you? You just have fans."

"Excuse me?! And what if I'm the Master of Wind?! Huh?! I am coming for your throat Smith!"

Before I even get near Kai, Cole's eyes widen in realization.

"I got it!"

"You've unlocked it!? Oh, why am I the only one!?" Kai shouts out in frustration.

I almost burst out laughing at his frustration. Gotta say, it just irritates him more. Still can't believe I relied on that stubborn idiot before.

"No, I figured out where another Fangblade is. I have a picture of it." Cole quickly heads out and comes back in with a picture book. He flips through it before stopping at a photo of the Fangblade as a... trophy?

Jay smiles brightly. "That's it!"

"Why is it a trophy?" I ask curiously. Wouldn't it be heavily guarded somewhere else? Not as some trophy?

"Back where I grew up, there's this pretty big where every year the winner gets the Blade Cup. My dad's won it multiple times." Cole says looking at the photo longingly. Almost as if he was missing his father.

"You never told us your dad was an accomplished athlete. What sport?" Zane asks curiously.

"Oh, h-he's a, uh...a blacksmith."

"Ooo a blacksmith? Didn't know you had a blacksmith background."

"Nothing wrong with that. My father was a blacksmith, too. But I've never heard of a competition—"

"That's because he's not a "blacksmith" blacksmith. He's a...." He trails off before turning the page of the album revealing his father as a dancer in a leotard.

Everyone snickers while I try to hold back, but it's just too easy to laugh at. I'm so sorry Cole. I can't help myself.

"That's your dad?" Jay asks.

"But how did the Fangblade become a trophy?" Kai asks.

"Hey! I was going to ask that!"

"Well, supposedly, the Blade Cup was made by this guy who collected priceless artifacts. His name was something like, uh, Dutch...no, Clutch. ! Anyway, it gets passed on to each year's winner," Cole says, putting away the photo album.

Zane looks at Cole, "Who has it now then? Maybe we can speak with them to get the Trophy."

"I don't know. I haven't talked to my father in years..."

"Wait, you haven't talked to him in years? But he's your father, Cole."

"Well then, we'll call him up," Kai says, going over to grab a phone.

The black ninja quickly stops him. "You can't! He thinks I'm in Ninjago City training at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing arts." Cole groans. "He wanted me to follow in his footsteps. But when I couldn't sing or dance, well I... I ran away. When he sees I can't dance, he'll know I've been lying in all the letters I've been sending him."

"Oh Cole..." I hug him tightly.

"He doesn't know you're a ninja?" Zane asks.

"What? You gonna crack some joke that my old man wears a tutu?"

"No, but if we're going to have any chance at getting that Fangblade before they do, we better get our own act in tune," Kai says determinedly.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Kai is right. This is the only way."

He sighs, knowing that he's finally going to have to face his father after running away.

~

The Bounty stops over a village as I look over the edge. "So this is his home... On the outskirts of Ninjago City... It's charming heh."

I wonder what it was like growing up with a normal life?...

I sigh, knowing that I would never have a life like that. I shake my head before turning around and seeing my brothers walk out onto the deck wearing regular clothes. "Nice outfits. Didn't expect you guys had any. You guys look like real teenagers for once."

"We are still teenagers heh. Of course, we have some casual clothes, just in case we wanted to go out to pretend we're normal for once," Zane says with a smile. "I honestly didn't you would have some. You are always so formal."

I smile at his compliment and twirl in my skirt. "I do feel cute in this outfit heh. Nya actually got me this as an early birthday gift so it worked out."

"When is your birthday Y/n?" Jay asks, realizing that none of them really know when it is.

"I'm not entirely sure myself... But, I like to say it's when Sensei Wu took me in."

They all smile at me, Kai, of course, trying to hide his as it makes me smile. I let my hair fall from its ponytail before feeling ready to head out. Feels nice to let it breathe.

"Aw, you look even more like a child with your bangs and hair down!" Jay says before hugging me tightly.

"Gah! This is just for the mission! I am not a child!"

Kai shakes his head before looking at all of us. "Alright everyone, it's time to jump!"

We all nod as they pull out their golden weapons and I jump onto Jay's back. He's the first to jump, the wind rushing at us quickly. "Yeah! Woo!"

Jay smiles at my cheering before activating his weapon, his jet surrounding us and soon, everyone else follows. We all shout out in joy as land hurdles towards us. The adrenaline is definitely pumping.

"This is awesome!"

We all manage to land safely on the ground as their vehicles disappear. I stay on Jay's shoulder while we all head over to Cole as he opens a musical case. So that's the case that was made to hide our weapons... Discrete.

"Alright, hand them over," Cole says and puts his scythe in.

"Ah-uh. But no mortal shall possess all four." Jay chuckles at his own joke and puts his nunchucks in the case.

I giggle at his joke before dropping my fans in there. "Take good care of them for me Cole. I don't want to lose anymore."

"Very funny." Cole rolls his eyes at Jay's comment. "Don't worry, I will."

"You wanna remind me again why we can't keep our weapons?" Kai asks as Zane and he put their weapons in the case.

"I told you, my dad can't find out I'm a ninja. And I don't feel like making up excuses about why I'm carrying a giant scythe around with me. Just remember the plan: we find out who has the Fangblade trophy, we snatch it, and then we get the heck out of town."

"He's got a point though. Only a handful of people actually know who we are under our masks. If we carry our weapons around, then people will start asking questions."

They nod before Cole then takes us to his childhood home. It's quite large... Must've made him wish he had siblings to play with. We walk up to the door, standing behind Cole as he hesitates to knock on the door.

"You alright Cole?" Kai asks.

"Uh yeah. Yeah..." He knocks, waiting for an answer.

"Just a moment." We hear a voice coming from inside. Eventually, the door opens seeing an older version of Cole.

His father.

"Hey, dad. How long has it been?" Cole says with a smile, expecting everything to be normal.

His father was not amused. "What? You too good for the doorbell?"

And proceeds to slam the door on him.

We all look at the door in shock then turned to Cole. "Is that normal...?" Jay asks.

"Uh..." Cole stays a bit flabbergasted before ringing the doorbell.

The doorbell rings in a sing-song voice. "Welcome~"

This time, his father opens the door in a happier mood. "Haha. Come on in, son. It's been forever. What did you bring? Your classmates? Come in, come in. I've got a kettle of lemon honey tea on the stove right now."

And with that, we're all ushered into Cole's childhood home.

That was a complete 180. His father sure is... eccentric.

~

So apparently his father's name is Lou, he's been living in this small village for a long time, met his wife here when she was traveling, and he's been in love with the arts since forever. Would do anything for his family. He does what he can for his family... That's sweet.

Lou passes us some tea to all of us, smiling that Cole finally got some friends after such a long time. "So Cole, tell me about your friends."

"Uh, well Zane, Jay, Kai, and I are in the same singing and dancing program so we formed an uh... quartet! Yup! As for Y/n, she's uh..."

"Uh... I'm a flute prodigy, sir." I say quickly with an awkward smile.

My brothers turn to me in shock as I shrug awkwardly at them. I was trying to think of something! I couldn't think of anything else!

"Now that's amazing! You surround yourself with so many talented friends. I'm proud of you son. Wait, did my son ever tell you all I broke my foot? It was the cha-cha but I swear the percussionist had it in for me."

"No, dad. I didn't tell them about your silly stories."

"Silly stories?"

"Oh, what he meant was, we've been busy studying..." Kay says quickly but doesn't know how to end his sentence.

"For our upcoming uh test! Right!" Jay states in quickly.

"Right! Well, um, see, we have this final research paper we're doing on the history of Ninjago talent, and what we really wanted to know was how can we get our hands on the Blade Cup?" Cole asks his father.

"You're talking about getting your hands on the Blade Cup? The most prized and heavily guarded award in all of Ninjago, the symbol of excellence in harmony and grace? You can't just get it, you have to earn it. You have to exhibit style. Perfect pitch. Push the boundaries of artistic license and win this year's Ninjago Talent Show!"

We all stare at him. That's so complicated... We just need the Fangblade...

"Um, perhaps there's an easier way?" Zane asks.

Lou ignores him and starts getting caught up in a rant. "Is this why you came? You knew I was injured and when my quartet insisted we shan't go on, you four have come to take our place! Haha, ingenious! My son, bringing forth the next evolution of the Royal Blacksmiths! Let me hear the sweet, sweet sound of harmony."

The boys look at each other before deciding to sing together. Not greatly though...

"Harmony..."

"Harmony..."

"Harmony..."

Jay, Kai, and Zane sing together but Lou and I cringe. I cover my ears to protect them from that hellish sound.

Cole groans. "Look, dad. We just need the trophy."

"Yeah, we're bringing home the gold and-and we want you to train us," Kai says confidently to Lou.

I facepalm because this just means it got a lot more complicated than we intended. Great.

Lou sniffles with pride. "I've never been more proud. If you'll excuse me, I need to write a song about my feelings." He says before heading to another room.

"What are you doing?" Cole asks, glaring at the red ninja.

"Look, we enter this competition so we can get close enough to the Blade Cup. Once we get the Fangblade, we leave town. How hard can this be?"

"You are an idiot."

"Wha-"

~

Lou looks at the four idiots as he plays on the piano. "Okay, from the top. Five, six, seven, eight."

"Bop till you drop." Kai sings and dances.

Then Jay follows, "Shake it till you break it."

Next Zane, "Move it till you lose it." And, finally, Cole.

"Spin it till you win it."

I cringe as I watch my brothers do so badly, except for Zane. Since, well, he's a robot. Lou stops them and sighs. "Stop, stop. Ugh. If my ears weren't attached to my head, they'd be running away! Kai, love the energy, hate the hair."

He walks over to each one of them, first hitting Kai over the head.

"Aah!"

I almost burst out laughing at Kai. So deserved that!

"Jay, you're giving a lot, but I need more. Zane, you're like a machine. Don't change anything." Zane smirks. "And Cole, try to act like you wanna be here."

I snort. Oh, how close he is to the truth.

Jay whispers to Zane, "He's worse than Sensei Wu."

"Okay, moving forward. Y/n, let's hear your violin." He says hopefully. "At least you have some talent.

I just stay frozen as the boys turn to me, wondering if I'm actually going to be able to pull it off. Or if I'm going to crash and burn. Damn it! This is karma for laughing at them.

Cole gives me a reassuring look before going into position. This is the first time I have ever played the flute so... I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. Just stay calm and don't do anything stupid!

I take a deep breath and begin to blow into the flute. For some reason though, something just activates in me, like I've been doing it for years and playing the familiar tune of the Sacred Flute. Yet, for some reason, it feels like its sacred powers have transferred over into this one and not at the same time.

The melody fills the room as everyone stares at me in awe. The boys especially were surprised by it because I never once touched the original Sacred Flute.

Once I finish, I breathe heavily as I blush in embarrassment when I realize everyone is staring at me.

"That was amazing Y/n..." Zane says as everyone agrees.

"At least one of you all actually has talent! Now I know she's going to win the Blade Cup!" Lou says proudly, then turns to everyone. "Let's take a look at the big show-stopping climax. Cole, we can't have history repeating itself."

Cole rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "Dad, it was the triple tiger sashay. I was seven."

"What's the Triple Tiger Sashay?" Kai asks.

"Only the most difficult dance move ever created."

Lou interjects. "It's true. Many professionals have dared tried, but it's never been successfully completed."

"Hence, my father thought a seven-year-old could. But I ended up falling on my face, humiliating myself, and letting my quartet down."

"You had a quartet before you met us?!"

"Not the point Y/n."

"If you're going to win, you have to go big! Alright, time for a break. Take five." Lou says before heading to the kitchen to get us so more tea. He's such a sweetheart.

"Uh, I'm starting to see why Cole is so closed off. It's cause twinkle-toes here couldn't deliver the goods. Is that why you ran away?" Jay asks rather rudely.

"That's one way to put Jay."

"Oh, I could deliver the goods—look. I'll deal with my father, but let's stick with the plan. All we have to do is keep this charade long enough until we can get our hands on the trophy."

"I don't know. I'm starting to think we can win this thing." Cole glares at Jay. "Okay, okay. We'll stick to the plan."

Zane turns to me, "But first. I do want to know how Y/n knows how to play the flute. She never once played it, not even the Sacred Flute."

"I wish I knew how to answer that. I guess it just came to me? I guess I really am a flute prodigy heh."

~

We decided to go outside to practice, for the sake of Lou's ears. And I have to say... they aren't getting any better. They've been going at this for a few hours! When will my ears be saved?!

"Bop till you drop."

"Shake it till you break it."

"Move it till you lose it."

"Spin it till you win it."

I hold my ears tightly. "You guys are terrible, it's hurt my ears every time you guys try to sing. Lou is right, you guys are a hopeless mess. "

"It's not our fault. We were just pushed into this competition last minute with barely any practice," Jay responds annoyed.

"I just don't think any amount of practice would make you guys sound and look good. You guys are completely out of your element!"

"And what are you doing little Ms. Prodigy? Last time I checked, you barely know how to use a flute," Kai responds.

"Yeah but I'm still than better you hot head. I'm the one who has an actual chance of winning heh."

"Enough you two," Zane says as he gets in between Kai and me. "We just going to have to keep on practicing. It gives us more of a chance to win the contest if we all enter."

I sigh. "You're right. You guys keep doing your thing then. I need to keep figuring out how this flute works."

"Don't like she's being put into this situation though," Cole says as he sighs.

~

We're finally at the competition, I gotta say, there are some good contestants. At least we look the part as contestants. Thank Spinjitzu Lou had some outfits for us. They are a bit costumy though. I've never really worn a frilly dress like this nor have my idiot brothers worn such outfits as well. But... I've been practicing on my flute for a while and I've been watching my brothers practice their act the entire time. They've got a lot better in the last few hours, almost stage-ready practically.

I look at my hands. I still don't understand how I'm able to play this flute without any past experience... Nothing is adding up... Just like my life.

I sigh, taking a moment for a break, and look at my brothers. "You guys are doing a lot better than you were a few hours ago."

"Sure we are kid. Jay is two counts off and Cole is still being pitchy-" Kai says but Jay quickly interrupts him.

"Hey, hey, hey! At least I'm not three counts ahead!"

Then Zane decides to join in, "Actually-"

"Guys, guys! Let's not make this any harder than it needs to be. We just stick to the plan and keep up the charade until the trophy's revealed. Once we steal the Blade Cup, we can argue all we want once we get back home." Cole looks at all of us as we sigh.

"But this is your hometown, Cole. Don't you want to try and win it?" Jay asks hopefully.

"Ugh, the only dance step I wanna perform is called "get-me-out-of-this-nuthouse-and-let's-burn-these-memories-from-my-head-"

"What?" A voice from behind us says out loud.

We turn around as our eyes widen. It was Lou.

"Dad, I..."

"You...you were going to steal it?"

Cole sighs. "Dad, I didn't mean for you to hear that but-but I'm glad you did. There's something I've been wanting to tell you. All these years, I haven't been training to be a singer or a dancer. I found something new that I'm really good at. Dad..." He Spinjitzus into his gi.