When the companions awoke, they found themselves in the forest where Ryukan had duelled Rokkaden.
"We are back here?" Atlanta asked.
"Yes, I remember something vaguely familiar about this place" Ryu said.
"You do?" Ken asked.
Ryu nodded.
"Okay, so any suggestions on how to get to the Dark ryu. It's pretty easy to plan busting in there but…it's not so easy to carry that out, is it?" Nadia asked.
"HERE I GO!" Ryu called as he formed seals.
"What are you doing?" everyone stared at him.
"FIRE ELEMENT! MICHAEL AND NADIA JUTSU!" Ryu yelled as the familiar image of Michael and Nadia appeared in the sky.
"RYU! NOW YOU'VE OVERDONE IT! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!" Nadia roared.
"Ryu, seriously, this joke is in bad taste and this is not exactly the right time to be making such jokes" Rokkan said.
"This is not a joke. Seriously, think about it, I'm signalling the Shadow ninja. They must be around here somewhere" Ryu said.
"WHAT?! ARE YOU INSANE?!" Atlanta yelled angrily.
"No, we'll let them take us as hostages. It's way easier than going through all the trouble of searching for and breaking into the Dark ryu" Ryu said.
No sooner had he said that than the comrades found themselves surrounded by a battalion of Shadow ninja.
"You're really crazy Ryu!" Nadia scolded him.
"Just trust me" Ryu said.
Rokkan and Michael sighed.
"We surrender" Michael said as he put up his hands.
The others did the same. The Shadow ninja pounced on them and bound them roughly with ropes made from human hair.
"Take it easy, damn it!" Nadia growled angrily. "Don't think you're getting out of this unscathed Ryu!" she threatened.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you're gonna punch my lights out" Ryu said indifferently.
"I'm glad you can see that coming!" Nadia said.
After binding the companions, the Shadow ninja summoned Dark mongerers and roughly threw the companions unto the backs of the terrible beasts. Then, they set off for the Dark ryu. Michael and Rokkan kept their eyes open, observing the directions as they flew over the land. Before they could reach Dark ninja territory however, they were knocked out.
When they finally awoke, they found themselves in a dark room. The room was immense but looked like it was in ruins. The only elaborate things in the room were a giant throne mounted on a platform and a long, dusty red carpet stretching from the throne to the only entrance in the room. The companions noticed the moonlight streaming through one of the high open windows.
"Where are we?" Tanya asked.
They noticed a shadow seated on the throne.
"Welcome to the Dark ryu. Hmm, so you're still alive Ryu?" Nemesis said with a slight smile.
"I don't die so easily Nemesis. Especially not from toothpicks from the Dark ryu you guys refer to as kunai" Ryu mocked Nemesis.
"He wastes no time in making a mockery out of his foes even when he is in a terrible situation" Atlanta growled as she glared at Ryu.
"Unfortunately for you, I am sick of your constant interference in my plans" Nemesis said.
"Do you realize how many times we've heard that since we began our journey?" Ryu mocked Nemesis.
"You know nothing of me Ryu. Back, then, you said you would end my curse of immortality. Whoever told you I was immortal? And about Shekan being my father, if you know anything of history, you should know that Shekan is the father of the Dark ryu. We all call him father" Nemesis said.
"Yippee for Nemesis, way to prove me wrong for ten points" Ryu retorted.
"You won't succeed, Nemesis. We'll make sure of that!" Michael promised.
"I will not tolerate any of your futile resistance! Shroud! Throw them in the dungeons!" Nemesis ordered.
Shroud entered the throne room with about ten dark ninja and roughly dragged the companions out of Nemesis' presence. They were dragged into the deepest places in the Dark Castle and thrown into the dampest dungeons. It seemed like the dungeons were the only intact structures in the Dark ryu.
"Typical of the Dark ninja to maintain only the dungeons. They should use all those resources to develop their ryu instead" Ryu said.
"And since when were you an expert in economics?" Michael asked.
"I don't need economics to know that. This is just common sense" Ryu said.
"Unfortunately, you lack more than enough of that to even think of giving advice. Look where your plan has brought us!" Nadia growled angrily as the Dark ninja locked the gates and left the friends to ponder their fates.
"Actually, this is even more basic than common sense. It's easier to steal from a palace if you're locked within its walls don't you think?" Ryu said.
"Actually, I have to agree with you on that one, though your intentions are questionable" Michael said.
"C'mon Mikey, don't you trust your bro?" Ryu asked.
"No, I don't" Michael retorted.
"That was quick" Ken said.
"So what's the plan now Ryu?!" Nadia growled.
Ryu had a blank look on his face.
"Um-uh, a-actually, I haven't figured that part out yet" Ryu stammered nervously.
Nadia began to crack her knuckles.
"Way to get us into the hands of the Dark ninja without thinking of how to get us out first!" Nadia roared as she hooked Ryu and lifted him into the air.
"Actually, I thought Atlanta would figure that part out" Ryu said as he stared at Atlanta with a nervous laugh.
"Don't stare at me like that" Atlanta muttered and turned away.
"Atlanta's been acting really cold ever since I asked her about her past" Ryu thought to himself. "Well, I was thinking that since you've been here before, you'd know of a way to get out of here" Ryu said.
Atlanta remained silent.
"Forget it!" Ryu muttered in exasperation.
Nadia glared at him and threw him to the ground.
"You should get us out since you already managed to get us in!" she said angrily.
"It's hopeless, you can't escape" Nemesis' voice sounded within the dungeon.
"Oh great, just what we needed, a visit from the royal pain in the behind" Ryu muttered and rolled his eyes.
"Nemesis! What are you doing here?!" Michael roared.
"Calm down Michael" Nemesis teased. "I've made an important decision and I think you should hear about it" Nemesis said.
"Not interested" Ken muttered indifferently.
"Atlanta, I think you'll be glad to hear of this. It's my way of repaying your services" Nemesis said.
"Happy?" Atlanta questioned.
"I have made plans to finally crush the Fire Kingdom!" Nemesis said with a sinister sparkle in his eyes.
"WHAT?!" Atlanta exclaimed in horror.
"Previously, I thought you were on my side so I withdrew my forces after Ryu freed you. That first invasion you were part of was merely a charade so our forces were eventually repelled. However, this time is different. I will utterly crush the Fire Kingdom. By the end of tomorrow, everything will be destroyed!" Nemesis growled.
Atlanta opened her eyes in terror.
"You…can't" she murmured in shock.
"I will" Nemesis said with determination.
"We will stop you!" Atlanta declared.
"You are welcome to try but I assure you that things won't end well" Nemesis said as he left the dungeons.
"No, this can't be" Atlanta said worriedly.
"Well, I think Nemesis sounded pretty serious. In fact, too serious if you ask me" Ryu said.
"Ryu, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you" Atlanta said.
"No, I can completely understand you but I don't get why you were so angry with me" Ryu said.
"Do you want me to elaborate?" Rokkan asked.
"Shut up Rokkan! No one asked you!" Ryu yelled.
"I'm sorry about that too but things between my father and I are well…complicated" Atlanta said.
"But now Nemesis is going to destroy the Fire kingdom as well as its ryu" Nadia said.
"I know" Atlanta said sadly.
"Well we won't let him! Fire is my ryu after all!" Ryu said optimistically.
"Nice talk Ryu but how do we get out of here without being noticed? If we summon the dragons, we could have an entire fleet of Dark morgerers on our tails and that would pretty much cause more harm than good" Michael said.
"Besides, isn't there something we're supposed to do in this ryu?" Rokkan asked.
"I'm surprised you're the one doing the asking Rokkan" Ryu said.
The companions sat in the dungeons trying to come up with escape plans but so far, none of them seemed like they would not backfire. As they concentrated on making the least dangerous plan, they heard footsteps.
"Someone's coming!" Ken whispered sharply.
As the friends watched through the bars of the cell's gate anxiously, a hooded figure came and stood before them.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Atlanta asked cautiously.
"I didn't think you'd forget me so soon" a feminine voice said as the figure dropped its hood.
Beneath the hood was a girl with dark hair about Atlanta's age. She had dark eyes and a kind, yet strong look about her.
"Anna? Is that you?" Atlanta asked in surprise.
"Atlanta, never thought I'd see you in a cell" the stranger said.
"Who is she?" Ryu asked.
"A close friend of mine. Can you help us?" Atlanta asked Anna.
"I suppose so" Anna said as she unlocked the gate to their cell. "Quick! Follow me!" Anna said as she led them out.
"Aren't there any guards around?" Ryu asked cautiously.
"Most of the Shadow ninja are headed to the Fire Kingdom with Nemesis so security is at an all-time low. Besides, we shouldn't run into any guards if we take the secret passage" Anna said as they reached a wall which supposedly appeared to be a dead end.
"Great, a dead end" Ryu muttered in disappointment.
Anna pulled on a torch and the wall slid open to reveal a hidden passageway. The companions wasted no time in going through it and Anna shut the wall behind them. There was a long corridor ahead.
"We should come out at the Dark Temple" Anna said.
Eventually, they reached some stairs and ascended it. There was a wooden door in the roof. Anna removed some keys from her pocket and unlocked the door. Then after making sure there were no Dark ninja around, they surfaced and found themselves in the Dark Temple. The Temple was made with Dark bricks. There was a huge dragon zone on the ground. It had nothing on it to symbolize the elements except for the inner part and outer parts which were divided into Light and Shadow.
When everyone was out, they sighed in relief and breathed in the fresh air.
"Man, whoever brought up the idea of being caught by the Dark ninja and dragged to this ryu is totally retarded!" Ryu growled angrily.
"You actually forgot it was you didn't you?! If you remind me again Ryu, I swear I'm going to make your thirty two fly!" Nadia threatened.
"Oh yeah, sorry about that" Ryu said with a nervous chuckle.
Rokkan and Ken had funny expressions on their faces.
"Just like Ryu" Michael sighed.
"By the way, Anna, do you know anything of a Dark Dragon Saint and its respective human saint?" Ryu asked.
Anna shook her head.
"How could I forget?! There is no Dark Dragon Saint!" Atlanta exclaimed in realization.
"Wait, wait, wa-a-a-ait a minute. So are you telling me you knew that all along and still let Ryu come up with such an insane plan?! That makes this all your fault Atlanta!" Nadia roared angrily.
"Uh-um…sorry about that Nadia" Atlanta apologized nervously.
"Right now, I feel like I seriously need something or someone to punch and you clearly fit the bill Atlanta!" Nadia roared.
"Calm down Nadia" Michael said firmly, yet calmly.
Nadia sighed.
"What do you mean there is no Dark Dragon Saint? Could you please explain that?" Rokkan asked.
"You know of all the elements, Light and Darkness are the two dominant ones. Thus, the Light Saint was supposed to be Ryuujinn and the Dark Saint Tristran but as you may have heard, Ryuujinn died long ago and Tristran was sealed by a legendary ninja before the birth of the ryu. I don't know all the details though" Anna explained.
"I see" Ryu muttered with a philosophical look in his eyes.
"You people will have to leave before you are caught" Anna advised.
"If there is anything you need to know, it's that the Dark ryu is slowly disintegrating" Atlanta said.
"Too bad we can't stay, right guys?" Ryu joked.
"Whatever" Nadia grumbled.
The companions summoned the Dragons and flew off, unnoticed, towards the Fire kingdom.
"Atlanta, what are you going to do once you face your father?" Ryu asked.
Atlanta remained silent.
"I'm sorry for asking" Ryu was saying when Atlanta cut him off.
"No, no, it's alright. I'm not really sure what I'll do myself. It's been so long" Atlanta said.