Chapter Text
Lloyd wakes up in the middle of a pier.
The sky is full of pinks and purple, the Bounty shakes as the ninja fly through the air, he hopes that the kid is okay. He hopes they find his parents if he doesn’t.
He looks up and sees a city, not unlike ninjago, but it doesn’t look familiar here either.
The sky is full of cracks, things being sucked in and out of them. Suddenly, the Bounty rolls, over over over.
“We’re turning!” Jay yells, “The Bounty is NOT meant to turn in this direction.”
“Everyone, hold on!” Pixal calls from inside.
They try, they all grab the closest stationary object, but as the ship keeps turning over itself Lloyd feels his grip slip further and further until he can’t hold on anymore.
The last thing he remembers is falling through a fissure, his siblings screaming his name, then Kai falls, then Nya, Cole, Zane, Jay, Pixal, Wu.
And the world went white.
So this is where he ended up. Some city that looks like Ninjago, with a ship that looks like the Bounty (before one of its many remodels) and no one in his immediate sight. He walks down the pier, wary of the ship ahead of him. Normally, he’d probably be ecstatic to see the Bounty, even if it does look different. Weirder things have happened. But the fact he’s in an unrecognizable city, with this ship, and alone? Weird.
He takes in his surroundings a little more. There’s no real bustle of people here, not like in the core of New Ninjago City, and the area is pretty quiet. He turns to take in himself, noting any scrapes and lack of major injuries.
‘Maybe I should have done that first,’ he considers sheepishly.
He’s almost reached the Bounty when he thinks he hears someone, and decides he’s not sure he should greet them yet. There’s not many places to hide, but he’s a ninja and its not the hardest thing he’s done to shuffle under the dock and wait.
-
Lloyd learns pretty quickly that he was entirely right. This Ninjago? Not his. Not his because, apparently, it belongs to another Lloyd.
He’s been watching intently from above, somewhere on the mast by the sails. The only reason he can hear is probably due to random genetic traits he doesn’t have the time to explore.
“Put that in my hands! Why does it matter how we defeat Garmadon as long as we beat him?” This Lloyd demands.
“Because Nephew. Right now, your hands are the wrong hands.” the boy’s uncle says.
‘Ouch,’ Lloyd thinks. ‘That’s gotta hurt.’
He’s definitely been somewhere similar before. Told by Wu he wasn’t ready. This Lloyd looks practically identical to him. Hair styled the same, though his eyes are a bit darker green. He’s definitely shorter, and it makes Lloyd wonder how old the kid is, or if there's something else behind why he himself is taller. His gi isn’t one he’s worn before, however. Sure, he dabbled in black and green, but this one is unique.
“Lloyd, I’m his brother. I too feel responsible for the safety of Ninjago. But I will not always be here to train you.”
That sounds like Wu, especially when he’d first started training Lloyd to be the next master.
“Why?”
“Because. I’m super, super…old”
“Oh.”
Lloyd almost cackles. ‘What?’ He asks himself, ‘What world am I in?’ His uncle could be funny, Lloyd might even take after him in some of his humor, he might even say that same sentence. But the delivery? Golden. He doesn’t even think it was purposeful.
He gets his composure back together, trying not to fall. He doesn’t quite catch the next few sentences as he moves.
“I know you’ve had a hard life, Lloyd, filled with many knocks. Why don’t I play you a song? Perhaps it would speak to you.”
‘What?’ Lloyd leans closer. Wu lifts his staff before turning it horizontally, blowing into the top quarter. ‘FSM, tell me that’s no-’
“Thanks, Uncle Wu.” the other Lloyd says, but he doesn’t look too thankful in his opinion. Lloyd wants to record this for his siblings to see.
-
When this world’s Lloyd leaves, he drops down the mast. He’s not particularly excited at the idea of meeting himself, honestly. So, he’d like to avoid it and get home as soon as possible. His best bet, of course, is his uncle, no matter where he is.
The man is turned away from him as Lloyd lands on the deck. He clears his throat, “Uh- Excuse me?”
Wu jumps, before pretending as if it didn’t happen entirely. Lloyd’s not sure what face he’s making, but he thinks it's obvious to the other man he’s not quite buying it.
“Lloyd?” The man questions, squinting.
“Uhhh, yeah? Sorry, I’m not…the Lloyd that just left.”
“That much is obvious,” his fingers glide through his beard.
“Yeah, I figured you’d know?”
“No, you just look like a grown man, my nephew is quite puny.”
‘Oh boy.’
“...Right…look, I’m not meant to be here. I’m from a different…world? Realm, maybe?”
“My boy, you are from a different universe entirely.”
“Does that mean you know how to get me back home?”
“Hmmm,” Wu thinks as he looks at Lloyd, “There are two ways.”
Lloyd nods, “Alright, which should I try first?”
“Well, one way is by dragon, of course, they may only cross realms, but some have much further abilities. Like Firstbourne.”
“Would…maybe…some of my dragon power?”
“Nonsense, you are too young.”
“You just said I looked like a grown man!”
“Yes, much too young. Which means your only option is for someone from your side to come get you.”
Lloyd’s head spirals, “Wait, so you’re saying the only way I can go home is if I somehow contact a dragon in the First Realm, or if someone comes to get me?”
Wu nods his head, “That’s what I said.”
“But what if the others, the ninja, are also in different worlds? What if they can’t get home?”
“Then you’ll want to get comfortable here.”
‘This cannot be happening,’ Lloyd thinks, eyes wide open.
-
‘If only,’ Lloyd thinks, ‘Life would give me a break. Preferably longer than a year. A year where no one is missing or presumed dead, at that.’
He watches as Wu walks around his ship. “There has to be some way to get home. Are you absolutely certain I can’t do something? I mean, I’m a direct descendant of the FSM, part dragon, related to Firstbourne, there must be something.”
He sounds desperate, he knows, but an hour here is already an hour too many. If he has to, he’ll even try his oni form just for the smallest chance to get home.
“I’m sorry, Lloyd, but there is nothing more I can do for you.”
Lloyd isn’t sure where to go from here. What little he knew about the world, and Wu is officially null and void. He can’t get a read on the elder in front of him, and his slightly insulting sentences with his sometimes joking attitude is only appreciated when Lloyd is not the receiving subject.
He sighs, not entirely sure how to respond. Grabbing the fabric of his gi for something to do.
“Alright. I’ve just gotta believe in the others. That’s fine. They’ve never let me down before!”
Wu nods to him, and Lloyd follows him inside the closed area of the ship.