JAY

"No, no, no!" Jay screamed as he saw the incoming fire. He already lost control of the dragon. He feared what might happen next if the dragon got hit again. Jay glanced at the Bounty while tightly holding onto his reins.

Nya was running across the deck. She jumped over the side. And she fell.

"Nya!" Jay put his hand on the dragon's neck, sending all the lightning he had left in him into the dragon. He had to regain control of the dragon to help Nya. As the shock radiated through the beast, more ammunition struck the dragon.

It buckled in the air. Why wasn't Jay's lightning working? Jay stared at his hand and tried summoning his lightning. It wasn't working! He couldn't use his power!

Jay gazed down. He considered jumping after Nya. (In hindsight, not his  greatest idea...)

The dragon got hit again. This caused the dragon to take off. Jay loved the sensation of going fast. But at that moment, he was too worried about Nya to care that he was speeding along. In a few seconds, the Bounty and the villager's planes had disappeared.

"Go back, go back," Jay said. He was helpless to do anything but pull on the reins. He had to see if Nya was alright! He had to make sure she was safe!

Eventually, the dragon slowed to a manageable pace. However, that was short-lived. The dragon spiralled in the air suddenly, tossing Jay from his back. Jay held on to the rein while shouting about how unfortunate his situation was.

Jay was hanging from the rein, dangling off the side of the dragon when everything got worse (somehow). The dragon ceased to exist, and a boy was in his place.

"Seriously!" Jay shouted as they both began their descent. They were falling into the dense forest of Hiroshi's Labyrinth.

The sound of a screaming child didn't help Jay to think. He couldn't summon a dragon. He couldn't do airjitzu.

Jay somehow managed to swim through the air towards the boy. He grabbed onto Jay and buried his face into Jay's chest.

Jay pulled the nunchuck from his back and tied his super long belt around them. When he was about to break through the canopy, he threw the nunchucks downward. They wrapped around a tree branch.

"Hold on," Jay instructed the boy. He gripped the belt. All slack would disappear in half a second. Jay could foresee how jerking to a stop might rip his arms off. This wasn't going to work.

They fell past the branch and hurdled towards the ground.

The belt tensed and swung Jay and the kid forward. Then it snapped. They tumbled to the ground.

Jay laid on the floor of the forest and stared above him. Huh, that did work...

Jay heard a horrible cracking sound. Above them, the branch they used to swing on had broken and was falling toward them.

Jay knew he had to move him and the child to safety but was too tired. Jay's useless body had given up on him.

Luckily, the branch got caught in some lower trees. They weren't crushed.

"You didn't check the integrity of the branch?" the child said. That was a weird way to say thank you.

"I meant to but I was a little busy falling," Jay said.

The kid scooted out of the way of the branch. Jay knew he should follow but he couldn't move.

His mind immediately began to worry about Nya. She fell too. And she wanted to ask him a question. What was the question? Was she alright? Jay needed her. She couldn't be gone.

"It doesn't take much to do a visual inspection. I could've told you that branch wasn't a good choice," he said.

"We're both alive. That doesn't matter," Jay said.

"It should. How else are you going to avoid this mistake next time," the boy said.

"I'm not planning on falling to my death ever again."

"I wasn't planning on it happening a first time," the boy shrugged, "Here we are."

Jay's annoyance gave him the strength to sit up. He stared at the boy. He didn't remember saving such a sassy child. Jay wasn't sure if he preferred dragging the child through the vents or listening to his lecture on branch integrity.

"Are you going to sit under that branch and wait till it falls on you?" the boy said.

"I'm moving," Jay snapped. Although moving was a generous term. Jay's muscles felt heavy. He was slow to get to his feet.

"Alright, you're Timmy, right?" Jay said. His legs were shaky. He struggled to gain his balance. Timmy nodded.

"I'm Jay. Here's the plan," Jay said, "I'm going to climb these trees and signal the Bounty to rescue us. You need to find a safe place to wait for me."

"Are you sure that's a good plan? You look tired. Perhaps it would be more advantageous for you to rest before making any dangerous climbs?"

"Advantageous? How old are you?" Jay said.

"Eight."

"And you use three-syllable words?"

"Advantageous is four syllables," Timmy said.

"Oh, now I understand," Jay said sarcastically.

"I'm a certified child genius," Timmy said.

"Of course you are," Jay said while laughing bitterly, "Well, I'm a ninja. And I climb things all the time. Go stay somewhere safe."

Jay looked past Timmy to a cave. He pointed at the discovery. 

"There! Wait in there!" 

"Are you sure this is the most intelligent move?" Timmy said, "You look like you can hardly stand."

"Yeah, well, falling to your doom will do that to you," Jay gestured to the cave. Timmy submitted and went inside.

Jay looked upward. He couldn't rely on an Elemental Dragon or airjitzu. Just old-fashioned Ninja agility. 

Jay's body was aching, begging for him to rest.

But he had to get to the top of the canopy before the Bounty passed him. Or else he'd be stuck in the forest with a kid that was part Cole and part Zane (but all their bad traits).

Jay ran up a tree and grabbed onto the lowest branch. His arms felt like fire as he swung back and forth. He swung himself upward. On the next branch, he nearly lost his grip. He hung motionless for a few seconds.

"You okay, Mister Blue Ninja?" Timmy shouted from below him. Jay pulled himself upward and crouched on the branch.

"My name is Jay," he yelled. And he was fine. He had to be. He had no choice.

Jay still had so far to go and he was already feeling exhausted. Although, Jay didn't remember what drained his energy so much.

He continued his slow climb upward. By the time he was halfway up. He could hear the jets of the Bounty getting closer. Jay raised his hand to the sky and summoned lightning. A single spark cracked in his hand.

"Oh great! What else could go wrong?" Jay said. He told himself to think of something positive. Like, if the Bounty's still heading to Ninjago City, that must mean Nya is safe. They wouldn't leave her behind. Only Jay got left behind.

A shadow of the ship stole the little light trickling through the canopy. The Bounty was overhead.

"Hey! I'm down here!" Jay yelled. But there was no possible way anyone could hear him.

The Bounty passed over and flew away. He was left behind. Again.

"That's getting old," Jay grumbled to himself.

Jay noticed his nunchucks still wrapped around the displaced branch. Might as well grab them. So as to not waste his trip into the canopy.

Jay jumped forward to another branch. He almost lost his balance but managed to stay upright. There was a vine nearby. He grabbed onto it, gave it a tug to see if it would hold, then swung towards the broken branch lodged in the trees.

As soon as Jay's feet left the branch, his arm muscles gave way and he fell. Jay scrambled to grab onto the vine. He skidded down the vine and crashed onto the ground.

Now even more tired and hurt than he was before.

"Wow, can this day get any better? Lost in the middle of nowhere. No lightning, no strength, no friends- not that they noticed I'm gone. And I have to figure out how to get the dragon boy -who incidentally is smarter than me- home safe. I can't even get myself home safe!"

Jay chuckled to himself. He covered his eyes with his arm.

"Mister Blue Ninja?"

Jay sat up. Timmy had tears welling in his eyes. "Are we... done for?"

Jay forgot that Timmy could hear his lament. Usually, when he spoke no one listened. If his friends overheard his complaints, they'd sprout the 'power of positive thinking' speech. Or they'd ignore him.

Jay got to his feet with Timmy's help.

"I said that stuff because I'm scared," Jay confessed.

"You're scared? But you're a ninja!" Timmy said.

"Ninja get scared all the time. But what makes a ninja a ninja is that even when they're scared, they never quit. I haven't quit, have you?"  Timmy shook his head.

"Maybe you were right," Jay conceded, "We'll rest in the cave. And while we rest, you can use your superhuman smarts to think of a plan to get us home."

"It's not superhuman. It's just advanced for my age."

"Yeah, you're a really fun person to have around," Jay said. Timmy came alongside him and helped him into the mouth of the cave. He lowered Jay so his back was against a wall.

"Any chance you feel a dragon form coming on soon?" Jay said. Not that he could control the dragon without his belt or his Elemental Powers.

"Dragon form?"

"Oh yeah, you didn't remember anything when you were turned into a dragon. I supposed you don't remember anything while you were a dragon either," Jay said.

"Turned into a dragon?" Timmy sat down opposite Jay.

"Yeah, how'd you think you got in the middle of the sky and fell down here?"

"I don't know. I assumed it was the rescue mission going awry. I suppose now that I think of it, I don't remember all the details of the rescue. You came in to save me from the bad men. Then I ended up here. Did they turn me into a dragon?"

"Yeah, but we'll stop them. You know, once we get home," Jay said.

"After we've rested, we should probably head south," Timmy said.

"That would mean going back towards Okuura," Jay said.

"But it's also the best chance we have of getting out of Hiroshi's Labyrinth," Timmy said, "Then we can circle around the forest. I rather climb a mountain than go through the dense forest. Less chance of getting lost. And we'll be easier to spot if your friends send out a search party."

"Yeah, but what about the Okuura Villagers. They'll spot us too," Jay said.

"That's why you need to be full strength," Timmy said, "Unless you have any other ideas?"

Jay didn't. He agreed to Timmy's plan, although he didn't think it would work. Though, it was better than not having a plan.

Jay closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep, but his mind was too active to allow him to drift away.

He worried about Nya's question. Was it a serious question? It had to be. Or else she wouldn't have come out to ask him in the middle of their escape.

Jay wished someone was with him. Just having someone around would be comforting (Timmy wasn't comforting to have around). He'd take anyone. Even Kai and his weird attitude about Jay dating Nya. He wished Cole was around to tease him. Or Lloyd was overcorrecting his mistake of leaving Jay behind. If Zane was here, he could use his nindroid abilities to navigate Hiroshi's Labyrinth.

Jay was the worst at solo missions. There wasn't much he could do on his own. That is why he loved being a part of a team. Jay was never meant to be alone.

"I miss my family," Timmy said. Jay opened his eyes. 

Timmy continued: "Ella's safe, right?" Jay nodded.

"Zane took her to the Bounty. He's a nindroid, so the most reliable person you want protecting you. And then on the ship, you have Elemental Masters of all kinds. Earth, fire, water- even the Green Ninja is there, escorting her back to Ninjago City."

"Sounds like you miss your family too," Timmy said.

"Yeah, I miss them all the time," Jay said. He closed his eyes again. He fell asleep immediately.

~

Timmy shook Jay awake.

"Mister Blue Ninja," Timmy said.

"Jay. I told you my name was Jay," he grumbled.

"Mister Blue Ninja, the bad men are here," Timmy whispered.

Timmy helped Jay to his feet. He didn't feel less tired than before. He was nowhere near enough rested to defend himself and Timmy.

Jay stepped out of the cave. Three biplanes were circling above the canopy. A few men jumped from the planes. Parachutes appeared behind them.

"Hide in the cave," Jay said, "I'll hold them off. Whatever happens, don't come out of hiding."

"What if something does happen?" Timmy said. He grabbed Jay's arm and hugged it.

"Head south, out of Hiroshi's Labyrinth. My friends will find you. I promise."

Jay shook lose of Timmy's grip and moved away from the cave.

He had no powers, no weapons, no strength. But he had to protect Timmy (even if he was annoying).

Jay found an arbitrary spot to stand his ground.

Three men touched down on the forest floor. They noticed Jay (it was hard to conceal one's presence when you're entirely dressed in electric blue).

The first man charged, Jay ducked away, using all his strength to avoid the attack. The second one tried to punch Jay. He sidestepped and grabbed his arm. He swung the man around and released him into the bush. The poor man had strapped a radio to his belt. When he landed, he crushed the radio, sending mechanical debris in all directions.

As long as they kept attacking him one at a time, Jay was able to handle them. Jay's sleep-deprived skills were still superior to these average villagers.

The third villager had a rope.

He stepped forward and tried to punch Jay. While Jay evaded the attack, a previously vanquished villager pounced from behind. The villager tackled him. Jay got a mouthful of dirt.

He used lightning in an attempt to get his attacker off of him. His power was too weak to do anything but lightly zap his captour. The shocks didn't stop the villager from tying Jay's hands behind his back.

"I'll never tell you where he is," Jay said.

"Who?" the villager said, now tying Jay's legs.

"The dragon boy? Shouldn't you know that?" Jay said, "Wow, you aren't good at bounty huntinng. You don't know who you're looking for."

One of them spoke to a radio (one that wasn't broken in a fight): "We got him, Soren."

"We don't want the specimen," a villager said, "We were told to deliver the Master of Lightning to Doctor Kirk."

Two of the villagers lifted Jay up onto their shoulders. One carried his legs, the other his torso. Then they left.

Jay continued to ask questions. But no one answered him.

Jay saw Timmy crouching in the mouth of the cave. He reached out toward Jay. A surge of lightning filled Jay sending a tingling sensation through his body. His power was returning.

However, that didn't seem like a good thing anymore.