I won't be able to write for a while so here's a preview
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
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(Author POV)
Morning light streamed into the Destiny's Bounty's dining room. Akira sat at the table, a delicate porcelain cup cradled in her hands, the steam from Wu's tea swirling gently around her face. Soon after, Lloyd bounded in, a half-eaten sandwich clutched in his small hands. He slid onto the bench beside her.
"Good morning, Akira," he chirped, crumbs dusting his chin.
Akira took a slow sip of her tea. "Good morning, Lloyd. Did you sleep well?" Her voice was soft, a melodic counterpoint to his youthful energy.
Lloyd nodded enthusiastically, taking another large bite of his sandwich before turning his gaze to her, his eyes alight with a secret. "Hey, Uncle Wu asked me to prank the ninja! He said it's to help him teach them some sort of lesson. Do you want to help?" The mischief in his tone was unmistakable, mirroring the playful glint in his green eyes. Akira set her empty teacup down and gracefully slithered over to the sink. The clinking of porcelain against metal punctuated the quiet morning. Turning back to Lloyd, a slow, knowing smile spread across her lips, her own amethyst eyes sparkling with amusement. She glided back to the table and gently ruffled his messy blonde hair.
"Hey! Stop that," Lloyd protested, though the wide smile he couldn't suppress betrayed his mock annoyance.
Akira chuckled softly, her tail giving a small, almost imperceptible wag from side to side. "Okay, let's do it. What delightful chaos have you and your uncle concocted?"
"I already threw in Kai's prized red ninja GI in the wash with Zane's pristine white one while Zane wasn't looking," Lloyd confessed with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And," he added with a conspiratorial whisper as they walked through the hallway toward the entertainment room, "I may have added a special ingredient to the soup that Cole spent the last three days perfecting."
Once inside, Lloyd practically bounced over to the TV, flicked on the console with practiced ease, and snatched two controllers from the stand. He plopped down onto the couch, offering one to Akira as she gracefully settled beside him, her serpentine form a comfortable curve against the cushions.
"So, what's the digital battlefield?" Akira inquired, her amethyst eyes studying the controller with genuine curiosity as Lloyd navigated the game menu.
"Operation: Beat Kai's High Score in Fist to Face II is a go!" Lloyd announced, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "And phase two: replace all the save files with Cole's. He'll be blaming Cole for his lost progress!" The game loaded, revealing a character selection screen and five save slots, each labeled with the names of the four ninja and Lloyd himself.
"Ah, a virtual arena of fisticuffs, I presume?" Akira mused, a note of eager anticipation in her voice. "Enlighten me, young master, in the art of digital combat."
"Alright, listen up," Lloyd said, his fingers already flying across the buttons. "First things first, you gotta learn how to..." He launched into a detailed explanation of the game's controls and special moves.
For the next thirty minutes, the rhythmic tapping of buttons and the excited shouts of "Oof!" and "Gotcha!" filled the entertainment room. A surprising camaraderie formed as Akira, with Lloyd's enthusiastic guidance, proved to be a surprisingly adept virtual fighter. Eventually, with Kai's high score vanquished and Cole's name firmly planted on all save files, they headed outside, where Jay's latest, slightly temperamental, training robot stood waiting.
"Now we just need to mess with Jay's sparring bot. You can help with this, right? Since you did that whole vehicle-morphing thing with the Fangpyre to make the Shift-Wing," Lloyd asked as they approached the rather peculiar sparring bot. Akira responded with a low hum of affirmation.
Akira slithered closer to the metallic contraption, her hands beginning to glow with a soft, magenta light. She placed one hand deliberately on its cool surface, channeling her elemental power of technology to subtly rewrite its core programming. A vibrant magenta outline pulsed briefly around the robot's frame before fading into the morning air.
"What did you do to it? It looks exactly the same," Lloyd observed, giving one of the bamboo arms a tentative tap with his finger.
"Appearances can be deceiving, young Lloyd," Akira replied, a knowing smile curving her lips. "Its inner workings now operate on... inverted logic." With their final prank successfully executed, they turned and headed towards the command center, where they expected to find Sensei Wu.
(Scene break)
Meanwhile, Kai had wandered into the entertainment room. He spotted a controller, powered on the console and settled onto the couch.
"Finally," he muttered, "some quality time with Fist to Face II."
Just then, Lloyd appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Kai," he said with exaggerated innocence, a barely concealed smirk playing on his lips. "Heh. Saw Cole beat your high score. You should've seen it. Pretty spectacular."
Kai scoffed, and turned to Lloyd. "Uh, you must be talking about Sitar Legend. This is Fist to Face II. No one beats me on my game." He punctuated his arrogance by pumping his fist.
"Huh," Lloyd replied casually, holding back a laugh. "Could be wrong. See you." He then quickly retreated, leaving Kai alone.
Kai finally reached the game menu and selected his profile. Five save files appeared, each emblazoned with Cole's name and picture, along with a string of ridiculously high scores at the bottom.
"Huh?" Confusion quickly morphed into fury. "Cole!" he roared, his voice echoing through the ship.
(Scene break)
Meanwhile, in the relative peace of the kitchen, Cole hummed contentedly as he stirred his simmering soup.
"Mm, mm," he murmured to himself, savoring the aroma. "Violet-berry soup. My culinary achievement. If the recipe is not followed exactly—" He ladled a spoonful and tasted it, his face contorting in disgust. He nearly spat it out, forcing himself to swallow the vile concoction.
Just then, Lloyd appeared in the doorway, a picture of feigned innocence. "Oh, hey Cole," he said. "By the way, I saw Jay spice things up in here. I told him not to, but he said your cooking could use it. Bye Cole!" A barely contained grin flickered across his face before he disappeared.
Cole finally spat the remaining soup into the pot, coughing and gagging. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes blazing."Jay!" he bellowed, slamming his fists onto the kitchen counter, the force rattling the nearby utensils.
(Scene break)
Jay was outside on the main deck, wearing his training gear. He used the remote to power on the robot before placing on the table next to him and putting on his helmet.
Jay:"Let's ease our way into this. How about level two, shall we?" He said to himself, pressing a button on the remote. The sparring bot sparked, its arms twitching, the number nine appearing on its screen.
Lloyd:"Hey, Jay, I saw Zane try to repair the sparring-bot earlier. Isn't that your expertise? Later, bro." He said, casually waving to Jay before walking up the stairs.
Jay:"Wait, what?" He questioned, turning back to the robot, before rapidly pressing the buttons on the remote as it rolled toward him, its arms spinning rapidly. "No. No! Zane!" He yelled, as he continued to get beat by the sparring-bot.
(Scene break)
Out on the main deck, bathed in the morning sun, Jay meticulously donned his training helmet, the remote for his sparring bot resting on a nearby table.
"Alright," he said to the silent robot, a confident smirk on his face. "Let's just ease our way into this. How about a nice, gentle level two, shall we?" He pressed the corresponding button on the remote. The sparring bot whirred to life, a shower of sparks briefly erupting from its joints, and the number nine glowed ominously on its display screen.
Just then, Lloyd strolled out onto the deck, a picture of casual indifference. "Hey, Jay," he said, pausing by the stairs. "Saw Zane tinkering with your sparring bot earlier. You know, trying to 'improve' it. Isn't that your expertise? Later, bro." He gave a nonchalant wave before heading back inside.
"Wait, what?" Jay exclaimed, his brow furrowing in confusion. He glanced back at the robot, which had begun to lumber towards him, its bamboo arms spinning with alarming speed. He frantically jabbed at the level buttons on the remote. "No. No! Zane!" he yelled, as the overzealous sparring bot began to relentlessly pummel him.
(Scene break)