Chapter Text
Wu watched the sky, waiting. His pocket watch ticked the seconds away relentlessly, but it still felt like an eternity as he was sitting in the ruins of the monastery. He probably should’ve told someone what he was doing, but his students were all working on helping Dr. Saunders, and Garmadon was helping Misako put the temple together as the ninjas’ new headquarters. They were too busy, and this was Wu’s fight.
The sky lit up with the far too familiar shape of an infinity hourglass, and Acronix landed in the courtyard. He caught himeslf, making sure he didn’t injure anything.
“Right on time,” Wu said, startling Acronix.
“What?” He turned, facing Wu, and Wu just tilted his head.
“Long time, no see.”
“Master Wu?” Acronix huffed a laugh. “You got old.”
“And you have remained unchanged.” Wu took up his staff, climbing to his feet. “It is time we finished this, don’t you think?”
Acronix tilted his head, his eyes crinkling the same way Kai’s or Morro’s did when they wanted people to know they were smiling beneath their masks.
“Why, yes. I do believe it is time.”
Acronix launched himself at Wu, making Wu step to one side to dodge. The man was fast, but his moves were predictable. He ducked Wu’s staff, his sword narrowly missing Wu’s leg. Wu jumped back again, and they circled each other.
“Finally banish that brother of yours?” Acronix taunted.
Wu’s grip tightened on his staff.
“Might as well give up, then,” the man continued. “I’m the superior fighter, and you’re brother’s not here to bail you out.”
Wu grit his teeth. He didn’t need Garmadon for this fight. Wu was a fine ninja, thank you. “Neither is yours,” he pointed out.
He saw the rage flicker in Acronix’s eyes. “And whose fault is that?”
A little over a year ago, that statement would’ve successfully distracted Wu, goaded him into talking more, as Acronix certainly wanted. Now, he had two students who’d taught him the importance of staying silent when facing an enemy who liked to talk.
Staying silent served to anger Acronix more. He launched himself across the old monastery courtyard, swinging his blade at Wu. Wu blocked with his staff, even as he was pushed into taking a step back. Acronix saw that as a moment of weakness, pressing forward. Wu hit him in the knees, and Acronix retreated, jumping onto the burnt and crumbling roof. Wu followed, aiming a strike to his opponent's head. Acronix slipped beneath it, and the momentum carried Wu further. He narrowly avoided another swing of Acronix’s blade, the edge slicing off the tip of Wu’s staff.
The crack about Garmadon wasn’t Acronix’s only attempt to get Wu to talk. He mocked Wu’s age as he and Wu fought their way up cooked scaffolding. As it continued to not work, Acronix’s moves got even more sloppy.
“Arrogant,” Wu grunted. “Just like your brother.”
Acronix ground his teeth so hard, Wu could hear it. “Arrogant? No. Confident.” He launched himself at Wu, which Wu dodged easily. Acronix stumbled to the edge of the building, and Wu caught him by his cape.
“Arrogant,” he said again. “Do you yield?"
He shouldn’t have stopped. He should’ve taken a page from his students’ book and let the man go to his death or pulled him back and pinned him beneath the staff.
Instead, he made a mistake.
Thunder crackled over the monastery, that same time vortex tearing the sky open. Time warped, and then he and Acronix were back in the courtyard… with a Time Blade.
Shit.
Acronix moved before Wu had a chance. He scooped up the blade, whirling back on Wu, and the fight started all over again.
Great. This was exactly what Wu wanted to be doing right now. Yay.
Acronix launched himself at Wu with the Time Blade, and Wu blocked, throwing his opponent back. Again and again, moving too fast to think about anything else. Block, parry, avoid getting hit, keep Acronix from using the blade’s fast forward ability.
He missed a step, and he was fielding attack after attack, the hits pushing him closer to the edge. Then, the Time Blade hit Wu in the chest, a spark of some sort of power passing through his body. It sent him further back so that he was dangling precariously on the edge.
Acronix’s eyes crinkled again. “Like that? I call it a Time Punch.” He stalked forward and delivered a powerful kick to Wu, sending him over the edge of the cliff.
Wu fell, recovering barely enough to grab hold of the roots growing through the rock in the mountain. Acronix didn’t bother checking if Wu was actually gone, turning and walking away.
Wu could feel whatever that Time Punch had done to him churning through his body, terror right next to it. He was so stupid, thinking that he could handle this fight alone. Acronix was right; he’d always been the superior fighter. Wu should’ve brought Garmadon or his students, but he didn’t want them to have to face his mistakes for him.
The sound of the Bounty’s engines reached his ears, and he sighed out of relief and regret.
It appeared that they were going to fight this battle with him whether he wanted them to or not.
“Hi there,” he heard Jay’s voice call. “I’m looking for someone. Perhaps you’ve seen him?”
“Who do you seek, ninja?” Acronix asked, sounding far more innocent than he was.
“Ninja master, about yay tall, long beard, goes by the name Wu.”
Wu had to get back up there, but it was all he could do to avoid succumbing to gravity.
“Haven’t seen him.”
“Is that right?” Jay asked, his voice taking on the hard edge it did when one of the others was in danger. It was nice to know he felt like Wu was part of his family. “Judging by all the slash marks around here, I say you have.”
Wu heard the crackle of lightning as Jay attacked, and he heard the dull thud of wood crashing down. He couldn’t see the fight, but it didn’t sound like it was going in Jay’s favor.
And where were the others? He knew Jay wouldn’t have come alone. He was one of the biggest supporters of the rule they’d established after getting Zane back: no one went anywhere alone.
“A moment ago, I had no quarrel with you,” Acronix’s voice reached Wu’s ears. “I do now.”
The wind picked up, and Wu felt the Earth tremble.
“Jump this!” He heard Cole shout, the mountain responding to its master.
“First Master,” Morro grumbled. “Be careful, Cole. That blade is pulsing with time shit.”
“More ninja?” Acronix exclaimed, sounding surprised. “I thought Wu only took on one student at a time.”
“Oh, for the love-”
“Ninja go!” Lloyd’s rallying call echoed over the mountain, and Wu felt the root he was holding onto crack.
Shit, shit, shit.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears, his eyes wide as the root bowed and broke, nearly sending him into free fall. A fall from this height would mean his death. He was so stupid to try taking on Acronix alone. It never worked. He was supposed to be better than this; he was supposed to be a master.
The root let go of the mountain, sending his heart into his throat. A hand wrapped around his.
“Wu!”
Wu gasped in relief. “Cole!”
“I’ve found him, guys,” Cole called to the others, his glowing hand pulling Wu back onto the mountain side. Wu breathed heavily on the cliff as his students all rushed to meet them.
“Are you hurt?” Kai asked without preamble.
Wu shook his head, even as time drained through him.
Morro gave him an intense once-over. “Let’s get back to the temple. You can tell us what you were thinking there.”
His students were mad at him; he could tell that much. He deserved that.