01x11 - The Temple of the Dragon Cores

[bunniefuu]

[gentle music playing]

That Merlopian tofu was magnifique!

[all laugh]

And topped
with a Crème de Imperium?

Oh, pastry chef Grab-Barg's
creations are just...

[smooches]

Since our Crossroads built up,

our culinary exploits
have truly been second-to-none!

So many exotic options!

Agreed!

It's almost worth the Ninja
being gone for this!

[all groan]

I was joking!

It was a joke!

Don't make light of the loss
of our beloved heroes, Gus.

But I have heard rumors
the Ninja are still alive.

Some people have even seen them.
[laughs]

They're just waiting
until the time is right

to show themselves.

Sounds like a baloney
conspiracy theory to me.

The Ninjas are gone.

[thunder rumbles]

[all screaming]

Is it happening again?

-[car horn honking]
-[tires screech]

[grunts]

I should not have had a second helping

of Grab-Barg's dessert!

[grunting]

[heroic music]

[yelps]

Welcome aboard!

Sorry if it's a bumpy ride!

[man grunts]

[rumbles]

Phew.

Thank you, young man!

You're welcome, ma'am!

Kai the Fire Ninja is back!

Nope!
You've upgraded to Wyldfyre!

[Kai] Upgraded?

Really?

[Sora] Hope you have
a great evening!

See?

Told you they were back!

[woman] No one is ever
going to believe us.

[Kai] Whoa!

♪ Lost in the unknown
So much to see ♪

♪ Together we will rise ♪

♪ We fight ♪

♪ Be a ninja for what's right ♪

[lightning crackles]

[heroic music playing]

I'm still surprised
how many dragons decided

to stay after we freed them
from Imperium.

[Sora] Having these stables
makes it easier.

Stables that weren't here
before the Merge, right?

It's almost like everything's
coming together for a reason.

I love ya, Arin,

but not everything
is some big cosmic plan.

These dragons love living in these caves,

we humans love living

in the comfortable
Monastery up top.

[snarls]

Well, most of us humans.

[soft growls]

[Wyldfyre] Yes!

You're getting better

at lighting those torches,
Wyldfyre.

But are you sure you don't want,
I don't know, a bed?

-A bathroom?
-[snorts]

I'm not soft like
the rest of you.

I was raised by a dragon!

My bathroom is everywhere!

I don't think that's sanitary.

Well, you always have a space

up in the Monastery
if you want it.

Don't want, don't need.

Is Wyldfyre ever
going to train with us?

She's helping stop
the MergeQuakes.

I'm hoping
she'll eventually warm up

to the idea of becoming a Ninja.

[grunting]
There we go... perfect.

The Monastery works best

when everything
is in its proper place.

But isn't keeping this place
running a lot of work?

Especially when you're also
training new Ninja?

Yeah.
Maybe you could get some help?

Hm. Master Wu could handle
everything on his own.

It's my sworn duty
to do just the same.

I got this.

[playful music playing]

Lloyd, I must speak with you.

Sorry, Zane, but I really need
to get this place cleaned up.

Talk soon.

Ninety eight, 99, 100.

[grunting]

Done. What's next?

Uh? Uh... just do that over again.

[sighs] Again?

Can't you come up
with some new drills?

I'm bored.

[sighs]

Sorry!

Just practicing
my mech-fighting skills.

I can help fix it.

[sighs deeply]

No, I got it.

Lloyd!
The information I have is vital.

[Lloyd] Not now, Zane!

[clatters]

Um, I have questions.

You asked me to train Wyldfyre,

and this is how she took
to the idea.

Train me?

I should be training you!

Oh, says the kid who thinks

that control is to blast at everything?

Control this!

Cease fire!

Tell her to stop!

I'll stop when you stop!

Ah! My room!

[grunts]

[yells]

I need you all to come with me.

Can't you see we have a situation?

Yes. A very serious one
I need to inform you about.

Right now.

I have spent the past few days

catching up on everything I missed

when I went offline during the Merge.

Especially the MergeQuakes
like we saw yesterday.

They threaten to destroy everything

and are increasing
in frequency and intensity.

Zane, we know the MergeQuakes
are getting worse.

Did you just bring us down here
for that?

Because I have plants to water.

I do not believe you understand
the severity of the data here.

The MergeQuakes
are not simply getting worse.

Their frequency is about to hit
a tipping point.

Right now they are
appearing one at a time.

But very soon they will be
everywhere, simultaneously.

Until finally, all is destroyed.

Then what's the solution, Zane?

I see no solution.

This is inevitable.

Zane, can you roll back?

Zoom in.
[Nya gasps]

-Stop there.
-[computer beeping]

Up a bit. Um, over to the left.

There! Stop right there!

I knew I had seen this before.

When I was researching
MergeQuakes

in the Cloud Kingdom,

I found old texts referring
to a "Coalescence."

That could be a "Merge".

That's what I thought too.

A Coalescence
was once prophesied

to happen, but didn't.

It was stopped.

How?

By an ancient power kept here

the
"Temple of the Dragon Cores".

But I had no context
for this image until now.

Zane's data revealed
where the temple is.

If something here prevented
a Merge before,

then it's our best bet
at stopping the MergeQuakes now.

Before it's too late.

Watering the plants can wait.

[tense music playing]

Imperium is the jewel
of this new, united world.

However, a tiny number
of disloyal citizens among us

have spread false rumors
that dragons,

our source of safe energy,
have escaped.

A blatant lie.

Yes, some evil dragons rebelled

but they were
decisively recaptured.

And now that the dragons
are back in our hands,

there is no energy shortage.

In fact, anyone who says
that the dragons are gone,

or that there are
energy shortages,

is a traitor...

and will be imprisoned.

But do not worry, citizens.

I, the
Empress Beatrix Vespasian-Orus,

promise to continue to guide you
into the light.

[inhales deeply]
Thank you.

[all] All hail the good empress!

But... I was there.

I saw the dragons go
into that weird building

that came up from the ground.

There's just no way
they were re-captured.

[gasps]
Why would the Good Empress lie?

I...

I don't know.

An excellent job of assuring
the public the dragons

didn't escape
and there is no energy crisis.

Status report.

Ever since
those dragons escaped,

we've been having
an energy crisis.

We control
one of the greatest fonts

of energy in existence,
a Source Dragon!

You told me our energy needs
would be met forever.

Yes, Empress,
but as I've explained before,

the process of draining
the Source Dragon is difficult.

That's why Lord Ras...

Never say that name
in my presence!

Apologies.

But since we haven't found
a way to fully harness

the Source Dragon's power,

we still need other dragons
to meet our energy needs.

There must be a solution!

Actually, there is quite a simple one.

We could lower power usage.

Some easy conservation steps
could save so much power that...

No!

Asking people to "do without"
upsets them.

And upset people are difficult to rule.

I want my people plugged in,
content, and passive.

[sighs deeply]
This is the fault of the Ninja.

And they will pay.

That fool Rapton's spy mission
better bring me results!

[growls]

[Lloyd] These trees are the size
of skyscrapers.

[snarls]

They are the world trees.

[Nya] According to the map,

the Temple should be
right around... here!

I feel like
I'm the size of an ant.

The Temple of the Dragon Cores!

Looks like the whole door
is one big puzzle lock.

Maybe if we try...

Uh, let us handle this one, trainee.

[cracks]

I'm gonna a thing, I deserve a break.

I think what my rude
brother meant was,

we have a lot of experience
getting into ancient temples.

There's probably a combination
of movements that unlocks it.

I can run all possible scenarios.

[trilling]

[growls]

[trilling continues]

[snoring]

I have processed
all possible combinations.

And none of them have resulted
in a positive outcome.

We must have missed something.

I was thinking.

Three dragon cores.

And three levers.

So it could be designed

so that no single person
could enter alone.

[light music playing]

[Arin] No handles.

No knobs.

No anything.

Maybe another puzzle?

Bet I know a way
to open the doors.

You and I don't agree on a lot,

but we agree on this.

Wait! Stop!

[explosions]

Puzzle solved.

[whooshing]

Not the solution
we were looking for!

[yawns]

Ta-na-na!
[grunting]

Ta-na! Ta-na! Ta-na! Ta-na-na!

-Oh.
-[thuds]

I am sneaky man!

Sneaky, sneaky, ninja what?

[laughs]

[ghostly growling]

Uh, maybe I'll wait out here
for a bit.

[whooshing]

[all grunt]

What are these things?

Evidently angry spirits
have taken up residence

inside the Temple.

But why?

And why don't they...
[grunts]

Warning. Elemental powers
have no impact on these spirits.

[sighs]
Your powers are just weak!

See the force of Wyldfyre!

[grunts]
Everyone!

Elemental powers have
no impact on these spirits.

We're more than just our powers!

We're Ninja!

-[whooshing]
-Whoa!

[yells]

[groans]

Leave him alone!

[grunts]

Eat fire!

-Ouch!
-[groans]

An altar?

Lloyd!
Attacking spirits that way.

There's something I gotta fix.

Not the time to tidy up, Lloyd.

-[whooshing]
-[Lloyd] Things work best

when they're in
their proper place.

Get those candles,
help me set up.

[grunts]

[both groan]

This is impossible!

Like trying to root
out armpit parasites!

Your armpits have what?

Kai. Wyldfyre.
We need some heat.

-On it!
-On it!

[grunts]

Uh, we're going to have to work
on your precision skills, kid.

Look, it's working!

[zaps]

Thank you, Ninja.

I am the Spirit of this temple,

and I am grateful to you
for rebuilding my altar.

But... Uh, there were two of you.

My essence was held in that altar.

When a quake caused it to split apart,

I was also split in two.

Is that why you were so angry?

My identity was divided,

and that division made me act
out in uncontrollable rage.

Allow me to offer the only gift
I have to give,

the story of this temple.

Long before time had a name,

the First Spinjitzu Master
created Ninjago.

Few know that he did not
only create Ninjago,

but also some of the other realms.

One day, as the First
Spinjitzu Master meditated,

he foresaw an event
when all the realms

would crash together.

He called this event
"the Coalescence"

and he knew its time
would soon be upon them.

So he appeared
before the Seven Source Dragons

and begged of them
to freely give energy

so he could forge
Three Dragon Cores.

The Dragon Cores
kept the Coalescence at bay.

The realms were prevented
from smashing into one another.

For ages, all was well.

When the First Spinjitzu Master knew

his time in the realms was at an end,

he feared what evil-hearted people

might do with the cores,

so he hid them
in three different locations.

"The Coalescence"
is what we call the Merge.

It might have been stopped
back then,

but no one stopped it this time.

Master Wu must've been
trying to rediscover

the Dragon Cores
before the Merge happened

but it came sooner than he expected.

Why didn't he just let us help him?

Can you please reveal

the locations of the Dragon Cores?

It's too late to stop the Merge,

but we can use them to stop
the MergeQuakes.

My master created an enchantment

so the locations of the cores
could only be revealed

when one of his
descendants requested it.

My name is Lloyd,
son of Garmadon,

who was a child
of the First Spinjitzu Master.

I hereby request the locations
of the Dragon Cores.

Um, how did you just
never mentioned that

you're the grandson of the guy
that created Ninjago?

Ah. It never came up.

I sense the truth in your words.

The Mother Garden,

the Pinnacle of Crystals,
and the Wyldness.

Thank you, Spirit.

You have helped us
and our world.

[whooshing]

So I'd say this mission
goes squarely

in the "not a disaster" column.

Yeah, all we have to do
is go pick up those cores.

How hard can it be?

[grunts]

[suspenseful music playing]

[clatters]

Lloyd, what are you doing?

We don't have very reliable maps
of the Merged lands,

most have yet to be explored.

So I'm trying to plot out
our missions to get the cores.

While doing the dishes?

Dragon Cores or no Dragon Cores,

the Keeper of the Monastery's
got a Monastery to keep.

About that.

If we're going off to get cores,
you'll need help here.

I told you, Master Wu managed
the monastery all on his own,

and so will I.

But in the temple, you asked us
to help fix up the altar.

There's no shame in needing help.

That's why we want to introduce you

to our good friend from the Crossroads.

Mr. Alfonzo Frohicky!

Oh, wow.

Oh, wow-zy, wow!

A real-life hero!

Even before my realm merged
with Ninjago,

when I was a wee little tadpole,

we used to hear tales
of the Ninja!

Oh, uh, hi.

Mr. Frohicky's great at organizing stuff.

He runs mech races,
carnival pie-baking contests,

and even the annual
soup-launching festival.

If he can keep all that together,

he can help run a monastery.

And I'd do anything if it meant

getting to help true heroes like you.

Well, I don't know...

[clatters]

You know what?

Yeah, I could do with some help.

Mr. Frohicky, you are now

the "Assistant Keeper
of the Monastery of Spinjitzu"!

Oh, thank you, sir!

It is an honor to serve!

Can you start right now?

So, together,
these three Dragon Energy Cores

can control the MergeQuakes?

[Rapton]
That's what the Ninja say. [chuckles]

Then I'll send my forces
to beat the Ninja to the cores.

You want to stop the MergeQuakes?

[scoffs] Of course not!

I want to use them as a weapon.

A weapon that will wipe
those elemental-powered,

dragon-stealing Ninja out of existence!

[closing theme music playing]