Kai spun into a Spinjitzu tornado and launched himself at the Fire Fiends. The soldiers in the first line thrust out their flaming torches as Kai approached. The ninja managed to knock down a few, but—
“Ow! Ouch! Ow!”
The flames singed Kai every time he made contact. He stopped spinning and rolled on the ground, putting out the flames.
Skylor raced up to him. “Kai, I have an idea. There’s a—”
“I told you, I got this!” Kai cried, jumping to his feet. “Ninjaaaaaaaaa— OW!”
Kai tried to dodge the torches and fireballs, but there were too many Fire Fiends. Once again, he had to stop and put out the flames leaping from his uniform. Then—
SPLASH!
An enormous wave of water washed over Kai and the Fire Fiends, putting out the torches and disabling the fireball cannons. One of the Fire Fiends, who had golden flames attached to his helmet, cried out.
“Foul water! Hydration prevents our salvation!”
Kai shook the water out of his hair and turned to see Skylor, standing next to a toppled water tower in the field.
“I told you, I—” Kai began.
“Kai, Spinjitzu!” Skylor yelled.
Of course! Kai thought. “Ninjaaaaaa-go!”
He launched into another Spinjitzu tornado, and this time, it worked. One by one, he collided with the Fire Fiends, sending them flying.
“Retreat! Retreat!” cried their leader, and the Fire Fiends ran off.
Skylor approached Kai. “Now, that’s what I call teamwork,” she said with a grin.
“Yeah, well, thanks for your help, but I could have done it on my own,” Kai muttered. He looked down and turned away from her.
She knows I’m lying. Without my powers, I’m nothing, he thought bitterly. I need to find Fire Fang and get my powers back!
Skylor frowned. “You know, Kai, I know you’re going through something, so I’m being pretty patient with you. But I don’t know how long that’s going to last.”
Kai sighed. “I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to help. But I just know that if I don’t do this on my own, it’s not going to work!”
“How can you be so sure of that?” Skylor asked. “You of all people should know that working on a team is better than working alone. Where would you be without Master Wu and the other ninja?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’d still have my powers,” Kai grumbled.
Skylor shook her head. “This is not the Kai I know,” she said.
“I’m not the Kai I know,” he replied.
“Fine,” Skylor said. “Let’s get you to Fire Fang and see if your plan works. Let’s jump in our three-wheeler, and—”
“Maybe you should stay here, and protect the village,” Kai said.
Skylor shook her head. “Those hotheads retreated as soon as they got a little wet. I don’t think they’ll be back anytime soon. This is the perfect time to get to Fire Fang.”
“All right,” Kai reluctantly agreed. But don’t get in my way, he thought.
They made their way back to the delivery vehicle and got directions to the Lake of Fire from the villagers. Kai and Skylor made the hour trip in silence.
Skylor slowed down when the crater came into view, and pulled behind a rock formation. “We should probably walk the rest of the way, so the Fire Fiends don’t see us coming,” she suggested.
“Sounds good,” Kai agreed, and they exited the vehicle.
The Lake of Fire was a huge circle of flames at the base of one of the mountains. Jagged red rocks surrounded the lake’s perimeter. There was no sign of the Fire Fiends—or Fire Fang—except for a giant, stone statue of Fire Fang, overlooking one side of the fiery lake.
“This must be the place,” Skylor quipped.
“How can a Lake of Fire exist, anyway?” Kai wondered out loud. “Is it some kind of magic?”
“It looks like a crater to me,” Skylor replied. “There must be natural gas escaping from fissures in the crater. And all it would take is one spark—”
“And the crater would burn, and keep burning until the natural gas runs out,” Kai realized. “That’s pretty cool, actually.”
“Hot is more like it,” Skylor said, breaking into a grin. “I’m starting to sweat. Let’s take a quick break and come up with a plan.”
She ducked behind another large rock and Kai followed. Skylor peered out from behind it.
“It looks deserted,” she said. “But see, on the opposite side of the crater? That looks like an entrance into the mountain. Maybe that’s where they all live.”
Kai spied the cavelike entrance and his eyes lit up. “Fire Fang’s got to be in there! Time to get my powers back!”
He darted out from behind the rock and raced toward the crater.
“Kai, no, wait!” Skylor cried out.
I’m not going to let her stop me from doing what I have to, Kai thought, and he launched into Spinjitzu and whirled across the sand toward the Lake of Fire.
Seconds later, he came to a stop. The heat from the crater assaulted him, but he didn’t turn back. He climbed to the rim of the crater, where a pathway around the perimeter led to the mountain entrance.
Fire Fang’s gotta be in there! Kai thought, and he sprinted along the edge of the fiery crater…
…until the surface beneath his feet dropped, and he plummeted toward the leaping flames below!