Nearby a Florida upland, the team organized a small bowling tournament.
"This is going to be so fun!" Mina said, holding her bowling ball, however, with certain difficulty. "Oof… this is heavier than it seems."
"Yeah, the more mass in a bowling ball, the heavier it is," Chris explained, setting up the pins.
"Prepare to lose," M.A.T.I. challenged. Her bowling ball was turquoise with green blue swirls.
"I updated M.A.T.I. with all the known bowling techniques," Koki pointed out. "Good luck beating her."
"Okay..." Sam focused on the pins' direction. Then, with a hit of his tail (mixed with a wicked tae-kwan-do pose), five pins were knocked out.
"Wow! Nice shot, big guy!" Ventus celebrated.
"Way to use that tail, buddy!" David commented.
"Heh." Sam spun the bowling ball around with his tail as if it was a basketball on a professional's finger.
"Show off," Martin remarked, the mutant chuckling at his response. Nearby, unseen by the team, there was a curious muzzle sniffing around.
"Okay, dudes. My turn," Bite-Size announced, conjuring his bat wings, and spinning at a direction, seeing his ball strong enough to NEARLY knock all the pins down. "Booyah!"
The creature who was peeking at the team walked slowly behind the bushes, nearby the bowling balls.
"Hey! Can he do that?" Jimmy asked.
"Sam uses his tail, Bites use his wings. Pretty fair for me," Koki commented.
"Good to know," Ventus commented, as he prepared his own wind wings.
"What? But yours are made of mag-" Clarissa was pointing out, until Ventus spun around, sending lots of bowling balls at the pins. The creature eventually curled over.
"Woo-hoo!" Sam, Bites and Ventus celebrated. Chris and Martin got up.
"... Never mind," Clarissa muttered, facepalming.
"Oh, so this is Magic Bowling now, is it, bro?" Martin asked.
"Just try and top that, little brothers," the dirty blonde challenged, creating a small spark of silver magic.
"Challenge. Accepted." The Kratt Bros created sparks of blue and green magic, joining their hands.
"Oh-ho-ho! I'm going to need more popcorn!" Jimmy rushed inside the Tortuga to get more bowls.
"Okay, okay, boys. Leave it first to the professionals," Koki said, aiming to catch her own orange bowling ball. Unknown to her, however, she caught something very different. "Huh?... Hey… that's no bowling ball."
"Nope," Chris confirmed. "It's-"
"A nine-banded armadillo!" the Kratt bros said at the same time.
"Uh, what? Did the bowling tournament already start?" Jimmy came over with bowls of popcorn enough for everyone.
"Actually, your girlfriend just grabbed a different kind of ball," Elsa chuckled. Koki showed Jimmy the armadillo in her arms.
"Curiously enough, contrary to popular belief, nine-banded armadillos can't actually curl into full-shaped balls," Chris corrected.
"Only one of the twenty-odd varieties of armadillos, the three-banded armadillo, is able to roll up. The other types are covered with too many bony plates to allow them to curl up," Martin explained.
"Other armadillos have to rely on their armored shells for defense while they scuttle away through thick, thorny brush or dig themselves a hole to hide in."
"Oh, I got it," Mina and Bites understood.
"Still, it's a cute female armadillo we have here," Martin commented.
"I say we call her... Strike!" Jimmy proclaimed.
"Strike? What kind of name is that?" Martin argued. "And who gave you permission to name it already?"
"What's so wrong about it? She looks like a bowling ball in her curled form."
"Yeah, but armadillos have nothing to do with bowling. She can't really curl into a ball, Chris said so. I would probably call her Shield."
"You ALREADY named a turtle that!"
"Then Armor!"
"What is she, a knight?"
"Much better than comparing her to a bowling ball!"
"That's what she looks like!"
"You already said that!"
"Guys, guys, guys!" Ventus called their attention. "Can't we talk about this later? Looks like our buddy here has something wrong."
"You're right… she looks… tired. Utterly tired." Mina analyzed their new friend's stare.
"Seems like she went for one heck of a walk." Koki saw Mina was right. "Let's take her in and see if she's okay."
"Aw… but what about the tournament?" Jimmy lamented. "What will I do with all those bowls?" He carried the popcorn bowls with him.
Far away, in the swamps, Gourmand was preparing something very special for Donita Donata and her son.
"I do hope you planned something good," Donita said. "My boy's coming over with his new girlfriend, and I don't want this reunion to be a failure like last times, Gourmand."
"Fear not, Madam Donata. I have a very special plate to offer you and your young lad: a Texas-styled armadillo dinner! Just meet my at my cafe in Florida."
"Perfect. We'll be in our way," Donita said, turning off her screen.
"All I need now is finding some armadillos for dinner time," Gourmand decided, catching some nets to spread them around the swamp.
Ventus wanted to ram his head into something. Ever since the team cancelled their bowling tournament and decided to help their new armadillo friend, Martin and Jimmy wouldn't stop arguing about what to name her.
"I swear if you two don't stop it, I'll vine tape your mouths!" Chris snapped. That silenced them. "Sheesh."
"Hush!" Koki called. "We're performing a delicate scanning on her. No distractions." The female armadillo was laying down on the desk.
"She's freezing. Are you sure she's okay?" Mina asked worriedly.
"Sure she is. Armadillos have a very low metabolic rate, which means they don't produce much body heat. But also they can't keep warm, so no cold burrows for them," Chris explained.
"And her eyes…" Mina said.
"I know… look tired. She's just poorly eyesight, just like black rhinos."
"However, even with poor eyesight, hunting for her is easy, with these ears and nose. Like their cousins, the aardvarks, they also have sticky tongues and strong claws. Those help them dig deep into the earth, where they build their burrows." Martin pointed out.
"I wonder how she found a way to hide around here, having so many hunters around Florida." Chris caressed the armadillo.
"Hunters? Don't tell me people EAT these creatures," Mina said.
"Unfortunately, yes. It's a delicacy in southern states, especially in Texas," Martin said.
"And it's safe?" Sam asked. "I mean, I don't like eating meat at all, but wildlife creatures have a huge possibility of carrying..."
"Diseases? Well, armadillos are remarkably free of parasites, no big outbreak was registered relating to them. Also they are majorly used in medical research, especially in leprosy-related researches."
"A.K.A, they make perfect guinea pigs," Elsa commented worriedly.
"That sounds a bit cruel," David said. "The poor guys." The Time Guardian gently ran his fingers down the armadillo's shell. "Say, what's with these bands anyway? They're like rings."
"As babies, they have soft shells, soft as human fingernails. Their shells get harder as the animal grows, depositing bone under the skin to make a solid shell."
"So it's kind of like a snake shedding its skin, but instead of just leaving it, the bone is buried under a new layer," Clarissa said.
"Well, sort of."
"This is so amazing!" Aviva commented. "Imagine the benefits an armor like this could offer us furturelly. Guys, I think I have the inspiration..."
"Alright! Armadillo power disks!" Chris and Martin cheered.
"*gasp* Oh, my gosh… she's gonna have babies," M.A.T.I. told the team, calling Martin and Jimmy's attention. "There are small life forms generated inside this creature mother."
"Armor here was lucky she found the Tortuga," Martin stated.
"It's Strike!" Jimmy yelled.
"Armor!"
"Strike sounds cooler!"
"Armor is more armadillo appropriate!" Chris, faithful to his promise, tied their mouths shut with vines. Ventus facepalmed at the situation.
With Gourmand, a familiar plane landed nearby his restaurant.
"We're finally here, meine liebe." Klaus came out of it with Amelia by his side.
"Ah, you must be Monsieur Donata and his special gal," the chef greeted, seeing the couple arriving.
"Mother, monsieur, Amelia. Amelia, my mother Donita and Chef Gaston Gourmand," Klaus introduced.
"Charmed to meet you, equal villains," Gourmand said. "And what a lovely fish you caught, young man."
"Oooooo, my boy is the luckiest son a mother could ask for," Donita commented. "You're quite lovely, Miss Cutter."
"I appreciate the comment, my lady." Amelia curtsied in respect. "Your son is a dreamboat."
"And you're the queen in my chess set," Klaus said, kissing her hand, and kissing her whole arm after this.
"Monsieur Gourmand, when will the dinner come?"
"In a second, my boy! I just need the freshest ingredients..." he said, with an evil smile.
Once free of the vines, Martin saw Jimmy petting the future creature mommy.
"When will the pups come?" he asked.
"Judging by her scanning, maybe today or tomorrow," Koki told.
"Whoa, then Martin was right. VERY lucky that she came here," Chris said. "We gotta set a comfy place for her to give birth."
"Luckily, I kept this away when our familiar cats were here. I knew somehow it would be useful." Clarissa picked up a basket with warm covers.
"Nice going, sister," Chris complimented, carefully placing the armadillo mother there. "And here's some food in case you get hungry."
"What do they eat, anyway?"
"Bugs. They're insectivores," Chris explained.
"Just like their cousins, the aardvarks," Bites reminded. "And like me!" he said.
"Villain Alert! Villain Alert!" M.A.T.I. warned. "A flycam captured an armadillo being caught in a net!" She showed on the screen the footage. Then, Gourmand appeared, grabbing the net.
"Gourmand!"
"We should have known he would try something," Chris grunted. "Whenever there's an endangered creature, he's there!"
"But if he wants to cook them, I wonder for who he may be..."
"That is another big problem!" M.A.T.I showed on the screen. "Flycam's still flying." Donita, Klaus and Amelia appeared on the screen.
"The Donatas and Cutter!" Martin gasped.
"That's total villain OVERDRIVE!" Ventus shrieked, while the team finched. "Sorry…"
"Well, we'll not let them have their way! Armadillos are in danger and we gotta help them!" Aviva said. "Who's up for some Armadillo powers?"
"We are!" the Kratt Trio said. Then, a Predator started scratching the Tortuga's door. Martin conjured his sword, Chris, his bow and Ventus, his blade. Aviva nodded in response.
Once otuside, the brothers surrounded the Predator, and looked behind.
"Remember, guys… with a leader like Amelia and someone like Klaus by her side, these old dogs must have learned new tricks," Chris pointed out. "We must be alert for anything." Then, they heard the sound of a crashed window. When they turned back, the Predator was gone.
"Told ya," Chris commented. They saw a Predator carrying a net with the future mother in it, and the other Predator following it.
"Sorry, guys. That thing seemed really upgraded. The good news is that I got the armadillo disk done!" Aviva warned. "Unfortunately, there's DNA and a disk for only one CPS user."
"Uh, don't you have SOMETHING else to solve before deciding this?" Sam called their attention.
"Oh, yeah, go after Gourmand!" Martin remembered. "Come on, guys! To the Buzz Bikes, and after that Predator!" The brothers rushed back to the Garage and got on the buzz bikes. Ventus, however, needed to get a ride on Aviva's Hover Bike, while she drove.
Jimmy looked from the Tortuga's door, and then looked back to the disk and the armadillo DNA left.
"Parsley, pepper, rosemary, it's the tastiest dish you'll see," Gourmand sang in his kitchen. Klaus and Amelia waited for the food.
"Let me say, Ms. Donata, it is not easy working on genetic samples for new creatures. Even a genius like me needs a break."
"Oh, I know how it feels when you need a break, darling," Donita replied. "I wish I had more time for me, but there are always these spectacular ideas that don't stop coming. Besides, Dabio keeps messing up everything in the mansion." Dabio pouted at her comment.
"I know the feeling, Donita. Otto is a great warrior, but has the most simple mind in the universe," Amelia commented.
"Oh, mother, by the way… we have great news." Klaus said. "Me and Amelia are getting married!"
"Did I hear right?!" Gourmand pretended to clean his ears. Donita had tears in her eyes
"Oh, my boy, I am so proud of you!" she congratulated. Dabio narrowed his eyes.
"I know the feeling," Otto commented. Then, he saw the Predators arriving. "Oh, mister, your delivery has arrived."
"Perfect." Gourmand looked at the mother, as she stared in fear. "Time to get cooking, then."
"Not so fast!" The Kratt Brothers and Aviva came out.
"Great. Wild Croutons. But who's this White Waffle?" the chef questioned the Kratt in white.
""White Waffle"?" Ven questioned as the three brothers sweat dropped. "Really?"
"Hand over the armadillos, especially this one you just caught. She's a future mother, you know," Aviva asked.
"A mother? Even better. Makes her more filling."
"Why, you..." Ventus clenched his fists. Gourmand picked up his doughball shooter, and attacked the brothers, making them retreat.
"Careful, bro. These doughballs aren't a good thing to deal with," Martin warned.
"Predators, position!" Amelia ordered. "Time to show my way of dealing with menaces, Ms. Donata."
"Guess it's time to put Armadillo power to proof."
"Oh, no! I left behind the Creature Power disk and the armadillo DNA!" Aviva gasped.
"But you brought the M.I.K, right?"
"Yes..."
"Then take cover, and we'll try doing the best we can," Chris warned, conjuring his bow once more. "That does it, you beasts! No more Mr. Nice Guy." Martin followed by bringing out his sword.
While the younger bros defended themselves from the Predators, Ventus used his blade to free the trapped armadillos, while keeping Gourmand away.
"You annoying Whipped Cream! Just melt already!" Gourmand swung his metal meat mallet at him. A quick wind attack simply threw it back.
"It's Ventus to you, Gourd-mand!" He pointed the tip of his blade at his neck.
"Hm, you're pretty good with that toothpick of yours."
"Oh, for mother's sake!" Klaus groaned, grabbing a dagger. Ventus felt his cheek hurt, just as the bros defeated the two Predators.
"Cariño!" Aviva yelped.
"Nice shot, boy."
"That's my sweetheart," Amelia said. As the bros rushed to help their brother, the Predators got up.
"Well, well, well, looks like this time we have the advantage." The group glared at the villains, who began to corner them.
"Coming through!" Everyone looked and went wide eyed at a ball of yellow and black rolling at a fast rate. The four team members jumped out of the way.
"Huh?!" The ball hit the villains, knocking them over like bowling pins. It then uncurled to reveal Jimmy in the armadillo suit.
"Jimmy?" Martin gasped.
"STRIIIIKE!" Ventus cheered. "Perfect 10!"
"Thanks." Jimmy cleaned the dust.
"Perfect timing. Catch, guys!" Aviva threw the brothers the new disks.
*Bg music: Jet - Rip it Up*
As an armadillo scurried away, the three touched its back. The three activated their suits.
"Time to tuck and roll!" Martin decided. "There are still many armadillos to save!"
"To the creature rescue!" They did a group high five, and set to action. Jimmy rushed to help the trapped armadillos, by rolling in the cages' direction, knocking them down. The cages busted open, freeing them.
Meanwhile, the brothers rolled around the kitchen, messing everything up, and expelling the Predators.
"Ugh! Come on, you all. The service is lousy!" Klaus exclaimed angrily. The Donatas left in their jet.
"Oh, fine! Keep your stupid armored rat!" Gourmand shouted, pulling his restaurant up into his truck. "Don't think it's the last time we've seen each other, Wild Croutons!"
"It never is," Martin commented
"Guys!" Jimmy gasped, with the armadillo mother by his side. "I think it's time! She's gonna give birth!"
"What?! Now?!" Chris gasped.
"No time to get her to the Tortuga! It's happening! Come out here, guys!"
"It's what?!" Koki exclaimed in shock on the other end of the Creaturepod. "Clarissa, get that bed, and the rest, get in the rocket sled! This calls for an emergency labor!"
The team surrounded the new mother.
"Ay, que lindos."
"Thank Zeus you got here in time, Ventus commented. "The future mother here is healty and so are her babies."
"Nine-banded armadillos always give birth to four identical younglings… the only mammal known to do so. " Chris commented.
"Strike."
"Armor!"
"Dudes," Ven called, arms crossed. Then, he saw they were actually naming the pups. "Oh..." The two looked at each other, then turned to David.
"Me?" he asked. The teen gave it some thought, before naming the other two babies."Gauntlet and… Pin."
"And finally, the mom. Guess it's only right you name her, JZ. You deserve this honor," Martin decided. Jimmy smiled.
"Hm… I know. Matilda."
"I like it. It's a name for a strong person. And we can't say she's not strong, right?" Ventus pointed out.
Jimmy caressed his friend. "She passed through so much just to take care of her family by herself."
"She survived in a place where her breed is a constant hunting target," Koki added.
"And gave birth to four healthy, parasite-free, and now under our protection babies," Elsa pointed out.
"Alright then. Matilda it is," Martin agreed. The team watched the four baby armadillos crawl all over the cat bed.
"A family of healthy armadillos... living free and in the wild," Chris commented.