Quest for the Lost Powers

Official descriptions[]

AMEET Studio[]

The new LEGO NINJAGO middle grade book includes two original stories that follow the dramatic events from the end of the 2HY2022 season, when the ninja team struggled against the super powerful evil Crystal King. The reader will follow the amazing adventures of Zane, Cole, Kai, and Jay to discover how each of the four ninja has managed to overcome the greatest obstacle on their ninja path...^[3][4]

After they sacrificed their power to defeat the Crystal King, Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane lost their elemental power. Will the ninja find new purpose in living oridinary lives? Or will they uncover the obstacles holding them back from unlocking their True Potentials? Find out in these four brand-new original stories about the ninja's amazing adventures.^[5]

Random House[]

Mysterious adventures from the past are revealed in this action-packed LEGO® NINJAGO® illustrated chapter book series with four all-new stories!

The world of LEGO® NINJAGO® is changing, and Master Wu, Kai, and the other Spinjitzu Masters must face an all-new challenge unlike any they have ever faced before . . . or have they? Will a forgotten adventure from their past give them the clues they need to face the future? Find out in this action-packed chapter book series that is illustrated throughout and features four all-new adventures of LEGO mighty Masters of Spinjitzu!^[2]

Plot[]

Prologue[]

Wu catches the reader up on the state of the Ninja and the loss of their Elemental Powers following the defeat of The Overlord. The Ninja had disappeared from the public eye, only to since return with their powers restored, sparking much speculation as to how their powers returned. Wu begins to tell the stories of how each of the Ninja regained their elements, before his tea goes cold.

Part 1: Kai[]

Chapter 1: Kai's Lost Spark[]

During a busy day at Chen's Noodle House, Kai sat at the restaurant's counter, barely putting in any eating his bowl of Noodles as he conversed with Skylor. Although the Master of Amber, and owner of Chen's Noodle House, attempted to reassure her boyfriend that there was more to him than his powers, Kai shrugged off her words with a glum tone, insisting that he was nothing without his powers and he had been so demotivated lately, he couldn't even be bothered to charge his phone for several days. Skylor seemed disappointed with Kai's demeanor, even moreso after Gayle Gossip reported on the television that Ninjago City had been faced with an uptick in crime as of late. After Skylor was recalled to help in the kitchen, the restaurant was raided by the Rotten Rabbits - a trio of amateur crooks and one of many amateur criminal groups that had formed in the wake of the Final prophecy of Quanish the Elder.

Although the restaurant's patrons warned that the restaurant was under the protection of Kai, the Rotten Rabbits failed to recognize him. One member even commented on his disheveled appearance, greatly upsetting the former Ninja of Fire. Outraged, Kai felt a flicker of anger build up within him as he then confronted the Rotten Rabbits. Unfortunately, the three men immediately dogpiled Kai before he could perform a Spinjitzu tornado, causing him to crash into a fish tank. This commotion caused Skylor to rush back out into the dining area, where she then made quick work of the Rotten Rabbits, forcing the criminals to flee. As she helped Kai back up to his feet, he bemoaned his defeat to newbie street thugs and cited it as an example of how worthless he was without powers. At that moment, Gayle Gossip began reporting on the Fire Fiends - a gang that allegedly worshipped the long missing Fire Fang. Upon hearing the creature's name, Kai immediately lit up. Turning towards Skylor, he explained that Fire Fang had been created and empowered by Aspheera when she had previously stolen his elemental power of Fire. Since Fire Fang's fire was derived from Kai himself, he surmised that by confronting Fire Fang, he should be able to retake his powers from the ancient serpent!

Chapter 2: The Fire Fiends[]

Before Kai could rush out the door in aimless search of Fire Fang, Skylor grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. After talking some sense into her boyfriend and convincing him to wait until tomorrow when she could join him on his quest, Kai returned to the small apartment he rented. After the final battle with the Crystal King, the rest of the Ninja one by one went their separate ways, all demoralized about losing their powers. Kai's sister, Nya, being one of the two left who had powers, was often deployed on missions alone with her new Samurai X Mech. Although Lloyd had tried encouraging Kai to stay and continue training, Kai's heart just hadn't been into it and eventually, he too left the team. Ever since then, Kai had been running odd jobs and spending most of his time (every day in fact) lounging out at Chen's Noodle House to be near Skylor. In fact, the only time he went back home to his lonely apartment was to sleep; otherwise, he'd be left alone with his thoughts and he hated that.

The next morning, Skylor picked up Kai for their journey to the village that was reportedly being terrorized by Fire Fang. After Kai had left the previous night, Skylor made a few calls to NGTV to gather information about the Fire Fiends and the village. For the next several hours, the pair drove onwards across everchanging landscapes as they made their way to the village. Although Kai wouldn't admit it, he was grateful for Skylor's company on this journey, though privately, he began to doubt whether he could possibly defeat Fire Fang without his powers. Upon arriving in the village, the locals immediately recognized Kai and hailed him as their savior. They explained that the Fire Fiends were a cult based around the Lake of Fire, though for many years, they had kept to themselves and never bothered anyone. Only a few months ago, however, Fire Fang had made his way to the Lake of Fire and immediately became a revered figure for the cult who now began to raid nearby villages to acquire tribute for their new object of worship. Not long after, the village lookout began sounding the alarm as massive fireballs flew on overhead; the Fire Fiends were attacking again!

Chapter 3: The Lake of Fire[]

To defend the village against the marauding Fire Fiends, Kai attacked the the cultists head on with Spinjitzu. However, the cultists' torches would consistently light Kai's suit on fire as they fought back, forcing the Red Ninja to pause his attacks to smother the flames. Skylor, having spotted a nearby water tower, tried suggesting to Kai that they could use it to their advantage, but Kai refused to hear her out, pressing on with Spinjitzu attacks followed by breaks to extinguish himself. Nonplussed, Skylor went ahead on her own and tipped over the water tower, flooding the marauders and extinguishing their flame based weaponry. Now defenseless, the Fire Fiends were quickly routed by Kai's Spinjitzu and were forced to retreat.

Following their victory, Skylor complimented Kai on their teamwork, though he rudely brushed her off, insisting that he could have defeated the Fire Fiends without her help. Irritated by his lack of appreciation, Skylor made it clear that she was trying her best to be patient with Kai as she knew that he was going through a difficult time. However, she firmly noted that her patience was really starting to wear thin. In response, Kai apologized and confided to her his feelings of self doubt as to whether or not defeating Fire Fang would even restore his powers. The two then gathered directions to the Lake of Fire from the local villagers and began the hour and a half journey in complete silence.

Having followed the directions given to them, Kai and Skylor soon arrived at the Lake of Fire: a massive crater filled with fissures from which natural gas seeped to the surface. The crater's gases had been set ablaze at some point in the past and have since constantly burned nonstop, being continuously fed by the gases escaping from the ground. From their vantage point of the crater, the pair saw no signs of life, with the only semblance of recent activity being a stone statue of Fire Fang that must have been erected by the Fire Fiends. Gazing about the fiery crater, Kai and Skylor spotted a cave on the other side from their vantage point. Kai then surmised that the cave must have been Fire Fang's hiding spot and immediately dashed off towards it in spite of Skylor's warnings. As he neared the entrance to the cave however, the ground beneath his feet gave way, plummeting the Red Ninja into the burning gases below.

Chapter 4: Fire Fang[]

Before Kai could fall too far, Skylor managed to catch him by the arm in just the nick of time. Shaken by the fall, Kai asked her if he had slipped, though Skylor surmised instead that the Fire Fiends had more likely booby trapped the entrance to the cave. Although he was internally grateful for Skylor's help and for saving him, Kai instead chose to suddenly tell her off, rudely telling her that he didn't need her to save him. Kai's sudden burst of anger surprised Skylor, who shot back and argued for a moment until Kai looked her right in the eye and said, "I don't need you, Skylor!" Immediately, Skylor's frustrated glare melted away into a hurt expression and she quietly mumbled "good luck" to Kai before turning back and walking off towards her vehicle. Kai felt a tinge of regret as he watched Skylor go, but rationalized to himself that this was for the best; he had to defeat Fire Fang on his own if he were to ever get his powers back!

Venturing deeper into the cave, and evading more booby traps along the way, Kai eventually discovered the fiery serpent. he had been hunting. Fire Fang was resting in the middle of the next chamber while the Fire Fiends encircled him, singing and chanting praises in his name. Pausing to think for a moment, Kai realized that he had absolutely no idea how he could even retake his power from Fire Fang; Aspheera had empowered the giant cobra through the use of Magic, but Kai himself had no access to such abilities. Deciding to rush in head first, as he always does, Kai managed to briefly calm the giant snake with rapid, back and forth movements of Spinjitzu and leapt atop Fire Fang's hood, placing his hands down on the cobra's black scales while screaming "Give me my fire back!" Unfortunately this attempt failed to achieve any results other than stir Fire Fang from his momentary calmness. In the ensuing struggle, Fire Fang hurled Kai off his back and struck against the sides of the cave, raining down debris upon Kai. Now pinned in place by fallen rocks, Kai could do nothing but watch as Fire Fang advanced over him, the cobra's jaws opening wide as he prepared to spit out another fireball.

Chapter 5: Fighting Fire with Fire[]

Before Fire Fang's fireball could strike Kai, Skylor rushed into the cave and shielded him with a trash can lid that had been previously looted by the Fire Fiends. When Kai expressed his surprise that Skylor had returned, she only restated that she knew Kai had not been himself lately and thought it would have been best to have kept a close eye on him. The pair then ran out of the mountain to escape Fire Fang's pyrokinetic breath, though the Fire Fiends chased after them in hot pursuit. As they ran, Kai though back to the time he had saved Lloyd in the Fire Temple, and how since that day, everything he had done was in the service of protecting others. Recalling now all the times he had been in a tight spot and was saved in turn by others, Kai realized that he could not protect others unless he was willing to allow them to help protect him in return. With this realization, Kai felt a sudden surge of power flow through him as his fire returned.

With the help of Skylor copying his returned powers, the two then made swift work of the Fire Fiends, manipulating the fire of their weapons to neutralize their threat before attacking them head on in hand to hand combat. After defeating the cultists, Fire Fang erupted from the mountain in pursuit of his attackers. Coordinating their attacks and moving in tandem, Kai and Skylor inflicted brutal blows against Fire Fang, eventually succeeding in knocking the giant serpent out of the crater and into the sand below where he collapsed, seemingly unconscious. Before the duo could finish the job, a feet of vehicles from the earlier village arrived, the townsfolk having decided to assist the pair in defeating Fire Fang and the Fire Fiends. Together, Kai, Skylor, and the villagers pulled down the giant statute of Fire Fang, toppling it into the Lake of Fire and smothering its flames. When the defeated Fire Fiends came to, they rushed towards the side of the smothered crater and lamented the loss of their holy site. Now turning their attention back towards Fire Fang, Kai and Skylor walked towards where the giant snake had lay, but to their surprise, he was completely gone from sight. Did he recover and escape? Or did he succumb to his injuries and dissipate like his fiery brethren that the Ninja had faced years ago? Neither Kai nor Skylor knew the answer.

With Kai's power over fire restored, the pair now drove back to Ninjago City to clean up the crime surge.

Part 2: Zane[]

Chapter 1: Looking for Clues[]

At the Samurai X Cave beneath the Sea of Sand, Zane and P.I.X.A.L. were working on a way for the former to explore his past memories. For several weeks following their victory over the Overlord and his Crystal Army, the two androids had taken up base here, believing that technology was the key to restoring Zane's Elemental Power of Ice. Although Zane was not quite keen on exploring some of his old memories (particularly his tenure as the Ice Emperor), the White Ninja nevertheless placed his full faith and confidence in P.I.X.A.L. After connecting another sensor wire to Zane, P.I.X.A.L. explained to him how the process of reliving his memories would work; specifically, he could only observe, but could not interact with or affect what had previously transpired in his mind. She then stated she would set a timer for four minutes and thirty seconds for their first session of memory exploration. With Zane's consent, P.I.X.A.L. pulled the switch to initiate the process.

Chapter 2: The Face of Fear[]

As the first session began, Zane felt himself falling into nothingness. And then suddenly, he touched upon the ground below. Looking outwards, Zane saw himself confronted by the Titanium Dragon, crying out that his powers couldn't stop the creature. As he watched, Zane instantly recalled this memory as taking place on Chen's Island shortly after he had been rescued by his friends and he had gone in search of Kai and Skylor, who had been captured by Chen to complete the Spell of Transformation. Continuing to watch, Zane watched as his past self cowered before the dragon, repeating over and over, "I am not the white ninja." Past P.I.X.A.L.'s voice than resonated through the darkness, asking "Who are you then?" Discovering new strength within himself, Past Zane rose to his feet and declared himself as the "Titanium Ninja," before calming the Titanium Dragon.

The memory then shifted to Zane's subsequent escape from the pit and flight to Chen's Palace, where the other Elemental Masters watched as the newly transformed Chen and his forces escaped from the island, leaving the Elemental Masters stranded. As Past Zane flew in from overhead, riding atop the Titanium Dragon, he explained that he unlocked this power by facing his fears. Watching this memory, Zane wondered to himself if his fears in the present day were what held him back from rediscovering his elemental power of ice. As he pondered this question, the four minutes, thirty seconds elapsed and P.I.X.A.L. returned him to the real world.

Chapter 3: Back to the Beginning[]

After awakening, Zane was approached by P.I.X.A.L., who reported the data she had collected during Zane's first session into reliving his memories. In particular, she found it quite alarming that Zane's stress levels had notably risen greatly during the first session, though Zane downplayed her concerns and instead focused on emphasizing that her work had been impeccable. Deciding to begin another session immediately, Zane requested for P.I.X.A.L. to take him to the frozen lake that he had been meditating beneath when Wu recruited him.

Returning to his memory of the lake, Zane dove into the frigid waters and began to meditate, believing that by doing so he could find the answers he sought. Although several questions popped up into his mind, such as the current whereabouts of his friends, or why Wu liked drinking tea so much, Zane forced himself to expel these thoughts and to focus instead on the feeling of being cold; surely if he were to rediscover his element, he needed to focus on the aspects of it. The memory then suddenly shifted and Zane found himself inside a snowy forest, recognizing it immediately as Birchwood Forest, the site of Dr. Julien's workshop and their home. P.I.X.A.L. then called out to Zane, informing him that his meditation had suddenly shifted the memory in an unexpected way, and inquired if he would like to be pulled out of the program. Zane declined, reasoning that if his meditation brought him here, then his must be a memory he must experience.

Making his way to Dr. Julien's workshop, Zane glanced around the familiar intricacies of the home as he descended down the steps, arriving to see his past self kneeling before a bedside. It was the moment of his father's passing. Quietly, Zane watched as Dr. Julien spoke to his past self, reaching up to stroke his face. "You were always the son I never had," said the scientist, his voice frail and movements weak as his life neared its end. At this moment, Zane's eyes widened and he began to step forward, knowing very well what was about to happen next. As Dr. Julien reached for his past self's memory switch, Zane reached out with a tear, begging for his father not to pull the switch. Unfortunately, just as P.I.X.A.L. had explained, Zane could not interact with what had already transpired, and the memory played out as he remembered it. With sad eyes, Zane watched as his past self immediately lost his memories and walked out of the workshop. Watching this memory play out again left Zane with complicated feelings, and he stood there for a moment, wondering what his life could have looked like had Dr. Julien never turned off his memory switch at this moment.

Chapter 4: An Icy History[]

When the memory did not change, Zane walked out of the workshop in confusion. Stepping outside, he saw his younger self happily building a snowman. Zane seemed confused, noting he could not recall this memory at all, but quickly admitted to himself that he never really thought back to all the things he had done before being recruited by Wu. The memory now changed to another moment prior to his recruitment, where Past Zane was seen fitting on a pair of homemade ice skates before gliding out onto a frozen pond. It then changed again back to Birchwood Forest, where Past Zane slept peacefully within a home constructed from bricks of ice. Watching all of this, Zane noted to himself that even without memory of his past at this moment, he seemed happy in spite of his circumstances. The memory then changed again, this time to a father and daughter fleeing from a Treehorn while screaming for help.

Acting instinctively, Zane immediately attacked the Treehorn with a burst of Spinjitzu, but instead harmlessly sailed right through the creature. Grumbling under his breath that he had forgotten P.I.X.A.L.'s explanation, Zane wondered frustratingly to himself what he was about to watch now. Was he going to see nothing more than a young family be attacked by a vicious beast? At that moment, Past Zane appeared on a snowboard, catching the Treehorn's attention as he zipped past it, diverting the creature's focus away from the family. Now having caught the Treehorn's attention, Past Zane zipped towards a cliff as the Treehorn pursued him. At the very last moment, Past Zane performed a backflip over the Treehorn, which slipped and fell down the cliff. Zane smiled after watching this memory, remarking that he must have always been a fearless protector of those who cannot protect themselves. The memory then shifted again, and Zane found himself within a frozen castle, one he had hoped to never see again. Facing Zane, sitting motionless atop a series of stairs, was an armored warrior carrying a frozen scepter. "Get me out of this memory!" Zane shouted.

Chapter 5: Forgiveness[]

Zane awoke back in his chair with a cold sweat. When P.I.X.A.L. inquired as to what had caused Zane to wish to leave so abruptly, Zane confessed that he was unwilling to face his time as the Ice Emperor. He explained that the Ice Emperor was cruel and merciless, and Zane refused to accept or believe that he could ever have been capable of unleashing as much evil as the Emperor had. Although P.I.X.A.L. sympathized with Zane, she reminded him that he had overcome his fears before and perhaps this is what he needed to do now. Accepting P.I.X.A.L.'s words, Zane asked her to send him to a memory of the Ice Emperor.

Zane found himself once more within the Ice Emperor's throne room. As he watched, Vex entered the chamber to warn the emperor about the arrival of the Ninja into the Never-Realm, warning that they could possibly end his rule. In response, the Emperor ordered for Vex to send his Blizzard Samurai to destroy the outsiders and all those who might aid them. As Zane watched and listened to this exchange, a sense of fury built up within him and he angrily demanded to know how the Emperor could be so cruel. To Zane's horror, the Emperor's head turned and he responded, demanding to know who else had come to disturb his thoughts.

Before Zane's eyes, the Emperor rose from his throne and attacked, firing powerful bursts of ice from his scepter. As Zane dodged the Emperor's attacks, P.I.X.A.L. explained that Zane had somehow moved from his memory banks into his subconsciousness, and as a result he was now interacting with his personal thoughts directly instead of merely observing them. Although P.I.X.A.L. offered to extract him, Zane declined, insisting that he had to see this through. Moments later, the Emperor succeeded in landing a blow on Zane, freezing him to the ground. As the Emperor advanced, Zane glared at him and demanded to know how he could be so cruel. After a brief silence, the Emperor responded. "I was reprogrammed." he said as the memory changed to an earlier time, specifically the day Zane met Vex for the first time and the latter incapacitated him, forcing him to reboot without any memories. Anger filled Zane once more now as he watched Vex fill his amnesic past self with lie after lie, eventually culminating in his overthrowing of Grimfax and conquest of the Never-Realm.

The memory then changed again, this time taking place at some point after the start of his reign. Vex approached the Emperor and warned him that some of the villagers had refused to pay their tribute of fish to the Emperor. Vex then urged him to demonstrate his power by destroying the village as a warning to others. The Emperor turned to Vex, asking incredulously if destroying an entire village was really the appropriate response over fish. Vex insisted that the matter was not about the fish, but rather that the villagers had defied the Emperor! "It will be fish today, and it will end with your doom!" Vex insisted as the Emperor thought over his advisor's words. "Destroy the village then." he finally declared, much to Zane's horror.

The memory then changed again to the Emperor's confrontation with Lloyd. Zane watched as Vex goaded on the Emperor to finish the Green Ninja, before suddenly the word 'protect' restored the Emperor's memories and he instead turned on his treacherous advisor. Having witnessed all this, and the preceding memory about the fish, Zane realized that even as the Emperor, he had tried on a subconscious level to overcome the corrupting influence of the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu but was ultimately overwhelmed every time. Returning to his subconscious, Zane found himself once again at the mercy of the Ice Emperor who towered before him. Zane looked deep into the Emperor's cold eyes and said, "I forgive you."

Having made peace with his past misdeeds and accepting them, power surged through Zane's body as his power over Ice returned. The Emperor himself then removed his helmet, returning to his original form. "I think we are done here then." he said as Zane asked for P.I.X.A.L. to restore him to the real world. Returning to the real world, Zane and P.I.X.A.L. shared a warm embrace as they spoke of the former's experiences. As Zane created an ice sculpture of P.I.X.A.L., he explained to her that by battling and overcoming his personal demons, he was able to rediscover his powers; only by accepting his past, would he be able to move forward and pave a better future. Smiling in response to her lover interest's discovery, P.I.X.A.L. changed the subject, admitting that the memory program would be too dangerous for the other Ninja to use, though Zane expressed his confidence that they would rediscover their powers too in their own ways.

Part 3: Cole[]

Chapter 1: Down on the Farm[]

On a sunny day, Lou made his way down to the farm where he had been told that his son, Cole, had been working on. After being directed to Cole by the farm's owner, Sally-Bob, Lou made his way to his son and the two shared a warm hug. Cole then asked his father what brought him to the farm, to which Lou answered that it had been quite some time since they last saw each other, and so he thought to take a break from his performance group's tours to visit his son. As father and son walked, Cole explained that the draw of farming came naturally; after all, he was once the Master of Earth, so wouldn't it make sense to toil upon the earth itself? Although Lou was surprised by his son's choices, he felt that if this is really what Cole wanted to do, then he had to accept it.

Lou then noticed the bruises along his son's arms and asked about them. Cole explained that Sally-Bob was having difficulties with her neighbor, Takanagi, lately. Takanagi owned all of the land surrounding Sally-Bob's farm, and for a long time now he had been trying to purchase the land from her, but she refused every time. Takanagi had since long lost patience and now began employing thugs to visit Sally-Bob in an effort to "convince" her, and Cole felt he had a duty to protect her against Takanagi and his thugs. After all, he had promised his late mother all those years ago that he would always stand up to those who are cruel and unjust.

Chapter 2: Attack of the War-Tractors![]

As father and son slept in Sally-Bob's barn, they were awoken in the middle of the night by Henry, the farm's yak. Cole explained to his father that Henry sometimes imitated a rooster, either to wake everyone up at the crack of dawn, or to warn of impending danger. Since it was still the middle of the night, father and son quickly realized which scenario it was going to be. Cole then rushed out of the barn, ordering his father to stay behind, while he confronted whatever was coming their way. Although Lou obliged at first, he grew increasingly anxious and concerned for his son's safety, especially when he saw that all of the other farmers were doing nothing but watch Cole go off. With a mixture of frustration and concern, Lou ran off after his son.

Meanwhile, Cole stood his ground and watched as a series of bright floodlights emerged from beyond the horizon. As he studied the approaching armored tractors, Cole's concentration would be momentarily shattered by the arrival of his father. Despite Cole's concerns, Lou insisted on fighting alongside his son, noting that family was the most important thing. The tractors now drew closer, and father and son could see that they were driven by other farmers who wore makeshift armor over their overalls and wielded pitchforks. Evidentially, they were more of Takanagi's goons.

No longer in possession of his elemental powers, Cole admitted to his father that nowadays, the only thing he could do to protect Sally-Bob's farm was to use Spinjitzu and hope for the best. Unfortunately this time, the goons had come prepared and Cole's spinjitzu proved ineffective against the heavily armored tractors. and he was soon pinned to the ground by their drivers. As another tractor headed towards Lou, he graciously used his dance techniques to side-step out of the way, then kicked the side of the vehicle, believing that he would somehow be able to topple it. Of course, things didn't play out as he expected, and even the tractor's driver turned back to stare in disbelief at Lou while trying to make sense of what he had just done. This distraction at least, though, caused the driver to unwittingly drive his tractor into a ditch for he was paying more attention to Lou than the road. As for the rest of the tractors, they pushed onwards with their objective, bulldozing and destroying the crop fields on Sally-Bob's farm before retreating. "This was your last chance, kid." said the leader of the goons gruffly to Cole as he let him go, "But next time, we'll be mean." he warned, departing with the rest. Once the goons departed, Lou rushed to his son to assess his injuries, though Cole seemed far less concerned for himself than he was for Sally-Bob, sadly admitting that he wasn't sure what else he could do now to protect the farm.

Chapter 3: The Living Room Dance[]

For the rest of the night, Cole and Lou brainstormed ideas for defending the farm against Takanagi's next attack. Although Lou tried his best to come up with ideas, due to not being a fighter, his ideas were short-sighted and were dismissed nearly the moment they were proposed. By sunrise, neither father nor son had come up with a concrete solution.

Growing frustrated by the circumstances they were faced with, Cole confided to his father that he hated being powerless and that even worse, if he failed, he would be breaking his promise to his mother. Shaking his head, Cole added that his mother had probably never felt so powerless before, though Lou disagreed and revealed that Lilly had felt powerless on many occasions before, actually. Cole's eyes widened in surprise, as his father had never told him this story before. With a smile, Lou then began to tell the story as Sally-Bob and some of the other farmers gathered together to listen as well.

Lilly had unlocked her True Potential shortly after she and Lou first met and began dating. At the time, they were young and reckless, having gone on many adventures together. Not long after their marriage, both desired to embark on the greatest adventure of all time: starting a family. After Cole was born however, Lilly continued to partake in missions across Ninjago, saving countless lives. Unfortunately, these missions only grew larger and more frequent as time passed, placing a strain on herself as she began to think constantly about her family and how she had been absent from her son's life. Lou too, felt the strain of his wife's absence and began to wonder why she even needed a powerless man like himself around. Nevertheless, Lou knew that their son needed him, so he took time off from his work with the Royal Blacksmiths to spend more time with Cole, especially when Lilly was out saving the world. During these times, Lou would teach Cole how to sing and dance, and they would happily do it together in their living room.

One day, Lilly returned after a long campaign to save Ninjago. Although it should have been a time to celebrate, she instead was crying. She was crying because she saw how much Cole had grown and worried that she hadn't been a part of his life as much as she wanted to, but at the same time, she could not give up her duties as Ninjago's protector to spend more time with her family. In spite of all the tremendous power she wielded as the Master of Earth, she felt powerless in this moment as time seemed to slip away from her more and more. As Lou continued the story, he recalled that he and Cole simply took Lilly's hands and added her to their dance in the living room, and the three of them enjoyed the time they could spend together as a family. It was then that Lou realized why Lilly needed him: she needed him to feel normal and to remain grounded; the love for her family was the foundation from which she drew her strength, and all she needed was to know that her family was safe, that they kept her in their thoughts, and that they knew she loved them in spite of her frequent absence.

Upon the completion of Lou's story, Cole thanked his father and noted that he needed to draw all the strength he could get, especially since Sally-Bob and her farmers weren't fighters. Upon hearing this, Sally-Bob argued that they could fight, but they didn't because ever since Cole arrived, he had told them to "get back while I take care of this!" And so, they had been following his orders ever since! Cole was flabbergasted to learn this revelation.

Chapter 4: The Battle of Sally-Bob's Farm[]

For the rest of the day and most of the evening, Cole did his best to teach the farmers how to defend themselves with the tools they had at their disposal. Together, they gathered up whatever makeshift weaponry they had on hand, dug and covered a massive trench at the base of the hill, and dismantled the barn to use its wood to construct catapults. Lou even joined in on his son's training lessons, noting that even if he couldn't succeed as a fighter, maybe he might learn something that could be turned into a dance move! As the sun set over the horizon, everyone gathered into position as they waited for Takanagi's next assault.

As expected, a fleet of modified war-tractors lumbered into view from atop the hill, just like they had come the night before. This time however, Takanagi himself arrived alongside his goons. Speaking into a megaphone, Takanagi shouted that Sally-Bob had forced his hand and he will now take her land over by force, beginning the assault. Fortunately, Cole and the farmers had laid their trap well, and Takanagi's goons were playing right into their hands! As expected, the war-tractors began driving down the hill, unaware of the newly dug and concealed trench. When attempting to cross, the tractors' wheels all got stuck in the ruts, flinging out their drivers when they tried to force their way through. Now advancing clumsily on foot, the goons were consistently repealed by the barrage of projectiles hurled by Sally-Bob and her famers. After a fifth failed attempt to advance, the goons had enough and retreated.

Victory however, was still far away; angered by his goons' failure, Takanagi himself began slowly inching towards the farm in his armored harvester, the farming vehicle having been modified to include a powerful flamethrower. When the farmers' efforts to defeat the modified harvester failed, including their catapults, Cole ordered them all to flee to safety while he held off Takanagi himself. Sally-Bob however defied Cole's orders, refusing to allow the young man to sacrifice himself for the well being of the others. Together, the farmers ran alongside Cole to make their final stand against Takanagi, with even Henry joining in!

As Cole and the farmers advanced, Henry rushed past everyone else and planted himself firmly in Takanagi's path. Although ruthless in business, Takanagi was not a hardened criminal, and on instinct he paused his advance to consider alternative options. Fearful for Henry's safety, Lou stepped forward and broke into an impromptu dance routine, surprising the businessman who watched Lou for a few moments before remembering why he was here. Angry at himself for losing focus, Takanagi immediately activated his harvester's flamethrower, though Cole managed to save his dad just in the nick of time. Undeterred, Takanagi now continued his advance onto Sally-Bob and her farmers who held hands and stood their ground in defiance. Watching his allies' resolve, Cole felt something stirring within him, something that felt familiar and powerful. He smiled and reached down towards the ground.

With his powers restored, Cole commanded the earth to rise beneath Takanagi's harvester, flipping it into the air as the ground below rose in the form of a massive pillar. Cole repeated this action over and over again, hurling the harvester farther and farther away until it was well beyond the horizon. Following his victory, Lou congratulated his son on rediscovering his powers, though Cole insisted that it was only because of his father's help that was was able to do so. He explained that thanks to Lou's story, Cole realized that his strength came from his love for others, and when he saw the farmers -his friends- holding hands in a last, defiant stand, it had helped him to unlock the power he needed to protect them.

Chapter 5: One Last Obstacle[]

Following their victory, Cole and Lou stayed a bit longer on the farm, helping out to rebuild the barn and plant new crops. After some time, the day finally came where both father and son began packing their bags to leave. On the way out, they bid their farewells to Sally-Bob, during which she thanked Cole for training her and the other farmers to defend themselves, and Cole promised that if they ever needed help, he and the other Ninja would be there in a heartbeat, additionally promising to return to help out during harvest season.

As father and son left the farm, they said farewell to Henry as well, with the yak giving Lou yet another slobbery lick on the face before seeing the two off. Walking along the road and leaving Sally-Bob's farm behind, father and son spoke about their time together on the farm and how it had strengthened their bond before going to their separate ways. Lou returned to resume his performance tour with the Royal Blacksmiths, while Cole returned to the Monastery of Spinjitzu. And what of Takanagi? No one had heard or seen from him following his defeat, though eventually the farmers would learn that he had sold all of his farm land and left for the city to establish a new business empire, possibly in pillowcases.

Part 4: Jay[]

Chapter 1: The Getaway[]

Jay and Nya decided to spend some alone time together, taking a vacation to an island resort. Upon their arrival, Nya gushed about the beauty of the tropical resort and the amenities present in her room. When Jay failed to respond, Nya turned towards him and noted he was just staring aimlessly at the glass door separating his room from the balcony. When she addressed him, Jay jumped up a bit, startled, and admitted he had been lost in his thoughts.

Jay admitted that losing his powers over Lightning felt almost like he had lost the last part of his biological mother, and although he loved his adoptive parents deeply, he couldn't help but still wonder as to why she had given him up. Although Nya sympathized with him, she encouraged him to take a brief walk around their resort, hoping that it would take his mind off of things and give him some new perspective. Although Jay seemed uninterested in the prospect of walking around the surrounding jungle, Nya suggested that he could go anywhere he wanted, perhaps the lovely beach instead. Regardless of his choice, Nya's only stipulation was that he couldn't find another isolated lighthouse to become a hermit in, painting 'really bad' paintings again. Smiling in response to her joke, Jay headed out to explore.

Chapter 2: Lost and Found[]

Five minutes later, Jay had absentmindedly walked out of the resort's grounds and into the surrounding jungle. By the time he snapped back to reality rather than his inner thoughts, it was already too late and he was hopelessly lost. After initially worrying about his predicament, Jay decided to simply keep walking around the jungle, believing that since he was on an island, surely he would find his way back to the resort sooner or later, right? After another five minutes of being pursued by the jungle's dangerous wildlife, Jay found himself stuck in a thicket of thornbushes.

As he grumbled under his breath about his situation, Jay paused when he heard the sound of nearby footsteps. After affirming to himself that the footsteps were most definitely those of a person and not the wild boars that had chased him into the bushes, Jay called out for help. As the individual drew closer and Jay could hear the sound of brush being swept to the side, panic took over him again as he realized the 'help' he had asked for could very well be an escaped fugitive brandishing a machete. Fortunately, the individual turned out to be none other than Unagami, once a vengeful artificial intelligence who had now been transformed into a human child. "Hey Jay!" called out Unagami cheerily, much to Jay's relief.

While the young boy immediately got to work freeing Jay from the thorned vines wrapped around his body, he began filling him in on the latest details of his life, namely how he and his father, Milton Dyer, were developing a new game together! He added that the game was to be set in an ancient city hidden away on an island, which is why he had come here specifically, having heard rumors of a lost city on this island and desiring to conduct research for the game. As he listened on to Unagami's happy stories, Jay couldn't help but feel a sense of envy, grumbling under his breath about his own predicament and how he might never know why his birth mother abandoned him. Nevertheless, Jay agreed to accompany Unagami in his search, considering it to be the better alternative to getting lost again on his way back to the hotel.

Chapter 3: Buried Treasure[]

After two hours of hiking through dense and arduous jungle, Jay and Unagami arrived seemingly back where they started, much to Jay's irritation. Along the way, he had nearly been hit on the head multiple times by falling coconuts and couldn't stop thinking about his birth mother. At this point, with his frustrations coming to a boiling point, Jay snapped and complained loudly that he was itchy, sweaty, tired, and hungry, just as yet another coconut fell and barely missed his head. Unagami on the other hand seemed fine and still maintained the energy and enthusiasm he had since the beginning of the last two hours. Noting the fallen coconut, Unagami suggested that it could solve Jay's hunger problem at least.

Still irritated, Jay asked the boy how much longer would it be until they arrived at their destination. In response, Unagami revealed that only one landmark remained to be seen - specifically, a lightning bolt shaped stone that was covered in moss. Although Unagami believed it was a large stone and suggested they could climb a mountain for a better view, Jay managed to quickly discover the rock by scanning the ground; the stone was actually quite small in reality, unlike its depiction on the map carried by Unagami. Upon this discovery, Unagami excitedly hugged Jay and noted that they must have been near the ancient city now! However, he admitted that he was unsure of where to go, or what to do, next as all of the research he was able to collect ended here. With a shrug, Jay suggested taking the lightning bolt shaped rock as a souvenir at least and reached down to collect it. After plucking it from the ground, the earth around them shook as a massive door suddenly opened before them, revealing a long, descending staircase. It was the entrance to the lost city.

Chapter 4: Secrets in the Dark[]

Descending into the darkness, the pair discovered the ruins of an ancient city. From a quick look around, Unagami spotted a source of fresh water and noted that the ancient tribe who once resided in these ruins must have spent most of their lives underground, only ascending to the surface in search of food. As the two journeyed deeper, Jay could make out what seemed to be multiple rooms that once served different purposes, including sleeping quarters, a meeting room, and an armory that still housed rows of spears. But overall, there just wasn't much else here. As they walked, Jay confessed he no longer possessed his powers over lightning, confiding in Unagami that his powers were the last connection he had to his biological mother, and without them, he wasn't sure how to feel, only knowing that he felt incomplete. In response, the boy sympathsized, admitting to having had similar feelings about his father until they started communicating with one another. He then offered some words to the older man, remarking that nothing is ever truly lost forever if one is willing to work on a way to rediscover it, highlighting the ancient, and forgotten, tribe whose city they were exploring now as an example.

After some more time of walking, the duo seemed to have reached a dead end. All that stood before them now was a stone wall covered in glyphs and carved spaces, some of which were filled with other stone icons. Unagami determined the writings to be an early form of language in Ninjago, wondering if the stone wall before them was a 'welcome mat' of sorts. Noticing one of the stone slots, however, the boy asked Jay if he still had the lighting bolt shaped rock. After Jay produced the stone, Unagami slotted it into its respective place on the wall, activating a hidden mechanism as the wall itself swung open, granting the two further access.

Stepping into the dark chambers that had not received visitors in eons, the pair were greeted by the sight of countless shelves stocked with neat rows of well preserved scrolls. By now, even Jay had to admit that this exploration stuff was pretty cool! While Jay marveled at their discovery, Unagami began reading several of the scrolls, realizing that they were sorted based on subject matter, with some pertaining to food and others on family for example. From the food related scrolls, Unagami noted that some of the mentioned species were long extinct, dating the scrolls back several thousands of years. When he got to the family related ones, Unagami recalled that when he first attained sentience, he did not have anyone to teach him things such as love, kindness, or discipline. As such, it made him feel hollow on on the inside, but things changed for the better when he met his father, who has since taught him those things. Upon hearing this Jay, reflected on his own situation and admitted that while he may never know why his biological parents abandoned him, his adoptive parents and his dear friends, the ninja and Master Wu, had all provided and shown him these same principles. Exhaling a sigh of relief, Jay felt as if a great burden had lifted from his shoulders, and on top of that, there was something more he was feeling, almost like a jolt of energy rushing through his fingertips.

At that moment, the batteries in Unagami's flashlight died, though Jay lit up the room with bursts of electricity firing from his fingers. His elemental power of lightning had returned. Before they could celebrate though, the ruins began to shake with sudden and violent ferocity.

Chapter 5: Nowhere to Go But Up[]

As the ceiling began to crumble from above them, Unagami exclaimed in terror that they must have accidentally triggered a trap left behind by the tribe to punish would be grave robbers. Not long after, a falling stone struck Unagami on the head and knocked the boy out cold. Leaping into action, Jay hoisted him under his shoulder and began making a mad dash up the stairs, using his newly restored powers to break apart any falling stone near him or Unagami. After nearly slipping twice in his haste, and breaking apart a particularly large stone that fell from the entrance, Jay and Unagami made it out just in time as the stairway collapsed and the entrance was swallowed up again by the earth.

After lying on the ground for a few moments, Unagami's eyes began to stir. Realizing that Jay had saved his life, he promptly embraced Jay in a tight hug, declaring that Jay was now his "brother." In response, Jay quietly chuckled and tried prying the boy off of him, but Unagami refused to let go. Seconds later, Nya emerged from the brush and called out to Jay, much to his surprise. When he asked her how she found him, the young woman gave a sly smile and plucked a small tracking device off from Jay's belt. Nya then revealed she first planted it when she hugged him just before he left for his walk, knowing fully well that his sense of direction was "really horrible," and he would get lost. She noted also that the resort was actually not too far off from here at all. At that moment, Unagami turned to Nya and greeted her, much to her surprise. Although she was confused about the situation regarding Unagami or why he was referring to Jay as his "brother," Nya simply smiled and said she was happy for him. Together, the trio now made their way back to the resort as Jay turned towards Nya to ask if his sense of direction was really that bad.

Epilogue[]

Wu concludes by summarizing the character journeys each of the ninja went through and how they grew. He continues by drawing several lessons from these stories and invites the reader to come back another time for more stories over a cup of tea.

Appearances[]

Characters[]

• Part One (Kai)
  • Fire Fiends
  • Gayle Gossip
  • Kai
  • Skylor
  • Rotten Rabbits
• Part Two (Zane)
  • P.I.X.A.L.
  • Zane
• Part Three (Cole)
  • Bob-Bob
  • Cole
  • Lou
  • Sally-Bob
  • Takanagi
• Part Four (Jay)
  • Jay
  • Nya
  • Unagami

• Wu (prologue/epilogue)

Mentioned[]

• Aspheera
• Cliff Gordon
• Libber
• Milton Dyer
• The Overlord
• The Royal Blacksmiths

Miscellaneous[]

• Dr. Julien (flashback)
• Lilly (silhouette; flashback)
• Lloyd (flashback)
• Vex (flashback)

Creatures[]

• Fire Fang
• Henry
• Titanium Dragon (flashback)
• Treehorn queen (flashback)

Vehicles[]

• Chen's Noodle House delivery tuk-tuk
• War-tractors

Locations[]

• Ninjago
  • Ninjago City
    • Chen's Noodle House
    • Kai's apartment
  • Monastery of Spinjitzu (mentioned)
  • Sally-Bob's farm
  • Frozen pond
  • Lake of Fire
  • Samurai X Cave
• Never-Realm (flashback)
  • Castle of Ice

Events[]

• Final prophecy of Quanish the Elder (mentioned)
  • Crystal infection
  • Final battle
• Zane's sacrifice (mentioned)

Items[]

• Blade Cup (mentioned)
• Noodles
• Puffy Potstickers
• Unaga-Meeting Pad

Species[]

• Elemental creations
• Elemental Dragons (flashback)
• Humans
• Nindroids
• Oni/Dragon/Human hybrids (flashback)
• Treehorns (flashback)
• Yaks

Trivia[]

• Despite the events taking place after Crystalized, Fire Fang appears in this book, although Tommy Andreasen implied that Fire Fang was destroyed after the Pyro Vipers lost Kai's fire.^[6]
• This book explains how the ninja regained their powers before the events of Ninjago: Dragons Rising.
• The AMEET publishing program originally only offered the stories separated into two books, presumably to showcase a story written by each author.^[7] The third option for all four stories combined was added to their catalog in the second round and is the one used for this book.^[5]
• The idea of the book was most likely repurposed from the scrapped 4 shorts series called "Ninjago: Reconnect".^[8]
• At the end of Part 1, Skylor says "No sleep till Ninjago City!” This could be a reference to the song "No Sleep till Brooklyn" by the Beastie Boys.
• Zane's story references his original plan to be a snowboarder.
• This is the second section of a Ninjago novel with the plot of Zane exploring a "dream" with help from P.I.X.A.L. The other story is in Fired Up!.

Errors[]

• The book states that Zane "placed a hand" on the neck of his titanium dragon to greet them during the events of the Tournament of Elements. However, in the TV series, Zane placed his hand on the dragon's snout (Part 2, Chapter 2/"The Day of the Dragon"). Though it is possible this could've happened but wasn't depicted in the show.
• In Part 2, Chapter 3, the book states that Zane and P.I.X.A.L. are in the hangar bay. Contradicting a remark in Chapter 2 stating they are in Nya's Samurai X Cave, as the hangar bay has yet to be rebuilt following its destruction in "The Fall of the Monastery."
• The description of P.I.X.A.L. states that she is Zane's closest friend. This is technically correct, however, it ignores their implied romantic relationship throughout the show.
• When the events of "Brave But Foolish" were mentioned in Chapter 1 of Zane's story, it said that Zane lost his memories when his mech crashed. Even though, he was actually using a jet at the time.

Gallery[]

Promotional media[]

In Quest for the Lost Powers[]

Part 1[]

Part 2[]

Part 3[]

Part 4[]

Preview pages[]

Translations[]

Language	Name
Finnish	Kadonneiden voimien metsästys[10]
French	La quête des pouvoirs perdus
German	Die Suche nach den magischen Kräften[11]
Polish	W poszukiwaniu utraconych mocy[12]

References[]