It was raining hard in the Central American rain forest, where the Tortuga was landed. Sam had stopped by for a visit, since they landed close to his new home: a cabin in the forest. Somehow, he felt good close to nature.
"Oh boy, It's raining pretty hard. I only hope Grabsy found a good place to stay," Martin thought.
"Isn't he the spider monkey?" David asked.
"He sure is and he's so cute!" Mina commented.
"It has been a long time since we saw him," Martin said. "He's probably in his teens by now. But we have pictures of him as a baby." Martin took out the Wild Kratts Diary and showed them the Bugs or Monkeys chapter.
Chris was practicing with his crystal powers, aided by Ventus. Even after all that's happened in the Chris-tal Clear and Wéifēng adventures as well as the link made between him and his medallion, he still had no full control over it.
Nearby, Aviva worked not resting a bit on the vehicles, being stuck with them, since the Future Predators they sent chewed them. "Yuck! There's still drool on them!" she complained, looking at the rocket sled.
'We also weren't that good, thank you very much,' Chris thought.
Mina was reading to Elsa and David about the teams adventures before they came. Jimmy played one of his Zachbot crushing video games. Koki helped Bite-Size clean his bat box. Sam was currently taking a nap in one of the guys' bedrooms.
Chris started small with just a bit of quartz forming on a good sized rock. Unfortunately, it backfired, pluming up as huge crystals and making him fall back. Chris got up using the desk to lift himself up.
"Ugh, I'll never get full control of this crystallization!" He snapped his fingers, making them disappear.
"Easy, brother," Ventus assured.
Aviva just worked on her buzz bike. "And I'll never succed in fixing my dear buzz bikes if you keep breaking them."
"What?" Chris snapped. "It was the Predators."
"Only because you haven't protected them! My poor Buzz Bikes, and my dear Manta Riders… it costed me so much to-"
Chris, finally fed up with her attitude, slammed his hands on the desk. A few crystals formed.
"THAT'S IT! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Koki dropped the bat box, having been startled. Every soul in the room turned to Chris.
"Wh-what?" Chris angrily turned to Aviva.
"You're so selfish, Aviva! You keep putting your stupid machines in first place, and don't even seem to care about us! They're MACHINES! You can build many of them! But friends aren't built like that! Is it too much asking you for a little respect?"
Aviva's eyes filled up with tears. Ven felt a bit angry at him, but kept it to himself. Koki stood up.
"Okay, Chris, you already had your tantrum. Leave Aviva alone."
"And who exactly does Ms. I-judge-creatures-by-their-looks think she is to tell me how to act?!" Chris snapped at her.
"Well, I'm not the one that rejected Serena because she was a siren!" Koki snapped. "And Zach nearly killed her!"
"Oh... really? Well, you put an innocent brown bat in danger by expelling him with mean attitudes, you put a bunch of T-devils in danger because of your grossed-out-with-everything attitude and you keep doubting me and Martin, because for you we're nothing but stupid twerps!"
"Hey, hey! I learned from my mistakes!"
"Really? So why do you keep playing strict mother to us when we're only adventuring? You call us mean names, keep doubting our ideas when we're just trying to help you and just doesn't give a rest for being such a loud-mouth!" Koki looked at him furious. Everyone backed away slowly.
"Oh, boy. Hope he doesn't do me next." Jimmy hid behind his chair. Mina hid with Jimmy, not wanting to be the next as well. Martin miniturized himself and hid in Bite-Size's dropped bat box. David, Clarissa and Elsa fled to another room. Ven actually went into the tree in the room.
"Now you listen here, Christopher Frederick Jacob Kratt! You make yourself sound like you're better than all of us! Like you're the supreme leader of the team! What's next?! You're going to tell Martin, Clarissa and Mina everything they should do?!" Chris went wide eyed at that.
"What?! I would never-"
"Oh, forget it! Even before we met Clarissa, you've always been the bossy one! Heck, if she and Mina weren't your sisters, then you'd be named the brat of the team! The bossy, selfish KRATT BRAT!" That stabbed him hard in the heart. Martin and Ven gasped.
"At least I'm not a big stupid jerk like you!" Chris ran out of there. He was outside before tears fell from his eyes. Koki breathed out heavily.
Martin and Bite-Size slowly came out of the bat box. Jimmy and Mina peeped from behind the chair. Clarissa, David and Elsa started returning to the room.
"Chris and his tantrums! Unbelievable how it's not hard to live with him," Koki shouted, still upset.
"Look who's talking," Clarissa muttered.
"What?" Koki asked venomously.
"Uh-oh..." Martin gulped, and rushed to hide in the bat box again.
Not too far, Donita's jet was flying over the clouds of the storm. Inside, Donita was viewing photos of the team in their CPS and creature powers. She had to admit that the designs of the suits were wonderful.
"Dabio, have you ever thought of how much one of those Creature Power Suits could be?" the fashionista asked. "Wait. Don't answer that. They're obviously worth billions. And, ooh-la-la, will they look good on me! I must have one for myself. And then I'll be the most beautiful creature in the world. Dabio, land near the Wild Kratts HQ. We have some "shopping" to do."
"Yes, Donita."
"What do you mean, Ms. Clarissa?" Koki turned to the girl.
"You think it's hard to live with Chris? Look at you! You really do have a loud-mouth!"
"Aw, come on! Aviva, tell her to stop!" Koki ordered Aviva.
"And where were you when he was laying me off!?" Aviva snapped at her.
Soon, the girls, minus the younger ones, started some kind of catfight. Jimmy returned to his hideout, along with Mina, Ven, David, Elsa, and Bite-Size.
Sam woke up from his nap. "Huh? What's going on?" He didn't go far before David pulled him back by his shark tail. He had him hide with him and Elsa.
"If you want your tail still on, I suggest going nowhere near that catfight," David told him. Sam observed the three girls.
"Yikes. I see your point. Hey, where's Chris?" The new Guardian sighed.
"Let's just say he did something… not that merciful." The Neo-human reached for the green jewel in his forehead hidden under his hair.
The Earth Guardian didn't go far from the Tortuga. He came to a tree and just started climbing, not giving notice to the rain. The brunet sat on a branch with an umbrella like leaf. He was soaked, but he didn't take notice of it.
"How could she..." he mumbled, completely upset. The Kratt in green pulled his legs toward him.
The rain got softer after a while, but Chris didn't feel like moving. His hair was dripping wet, though he didn't care even the slightest. His thoughts were still focused on what Koki said. How can he ever forgive her for saying such a thing?
Suddenly, he heard a familiar call. The brunet lifted the leaf a bit to see. He saw a familiar family of spider monkeys. The youngest looked a little older than when he last saw him.
"Grabsy?" he called. Grabsy heard him call his name and he swung down. The little spider monkey's hair was a little lower than when he was a baby. Chris pulled out his medallion and activated his creature comprehension power.
"Hey, Chris!" the tailed primate greeted. "Whoa. *chuckle* What's with the saggy hair?"
"*sigh* Not now, Grabsy," Chris said. The monkey jumped onto his shoulders anyway and started fixing it.
Martin climbed up, having stepped out of the Tortuga and returning to normal size without anyone of the crew noticing.
"Hey..."
"Hey."
"Well. Gotta admit it was... pretty impressive how you finally stood up and said something."
"I don't think so... I mean, I meant all those things, but... I feel terrible now."
"You should have seen what happened. The girls all turned on each other like a bunch of wolves."
"What?! But... I never meant to cause that... I was just..."
"I know. You've been holding pain and anger for a long time... but I guess that wasn't the right opportunity to let it all go."
"Guess just because I feel bad... doesn't mean others have to." Chris thought about those words. At that point, Grabsy finished re-spiking the brunet's hair. He then jumped to Martin's shoulders.
While doing so, a drop of rain water dripped off the leaf and fell in front of him. As it did so, when it was perfectly angled, the sunlight shined through it, seeming to reflect the green of the forest, making it glow. Chris's eyes then glowed green for a few seconds.
"Mercy is about pardoning. And that's the last thing I did there. But how will I be able to return? They... probably will hate seeing me again." Martin put a comforting hand on hs shoulder. His brother sighed. "I need some time to think. Excuse me, bro." He got up and began climbing higher. The blonde watched him sadly along with Grabsy.
"Chris..." At the corner of his eye, he spotted something pink fly over the canopy.
"Donita! What's she doing here?" The blond turned to Grabsy. "Grabsy, I'd like you to keep an eye on Chris for me while I see what Donita wants." The monkey gave him a nod before he took a vine ladder to the canopy. Martin started climbing down the trunk.
With Grabsy, he found the brunet in the canopy. The monkey could tell he was trying to focus. He was sitting in a meditative position.
The girls continued their catfight, until Martin arrived to try to warn them about Donita.
"Guys?" Jimmy shut his mouth.
"Not a good time. Their catfight's worse now."
The boys put an ear on the door to hear how was everything going. The girls continued to fight, eventually pulling each other's hairs.
"Wait, wait!" Aviva called their attention. "Why are we fighting again?"
"Well..." Koki was going to say something, but then, she thought for a moment. "I don't remember."
"Neither do I. All I know is that we're a mess now," Clarissa pointed out.
"I do remember." Martin entered. "You and Chris had an anger breakdown, and said horrible things to each other. Now Chris is all gloomy in the forest, fearing that you'll not even forgive him for being so... unmerciful."
Koki gasped. She did say horrible things... was all that stuff Chris said about her true? "Oh, no… what have I done?"
"But we got another problem! Donita is-"
"Hello, Wild Kratts," they heard a familiar voice.
"Uh-oh..." The crew screamed as a pink flash covered them.
"That's all..." Chris was currently speaking with Terra about his situation. With his mind, he had made a pine tree appear in the white void his subconscience roams. Both were sitting on some high branches.
"Anger is something dangerous. It can spread like a virus and slowly poison not only you or the person you want to reach, but everyone else. For a case like this, mercy and compassion are needed. I had to learn it the hard way," Terra said, putting a hand on Chris's shoulder.
"So you know what it's like?" the prime asked.
"Yes. I guess you can say we've always been the hard headed ones. Always wanting to get our point across. Not caring about people in the crossfire." Chris nodded in agreement.
"Ugh... I feel horrible, like that time with Serena."
"Well, symbolizing Mercy doesn't mean you'll be able to show it all the time. Even the most merciful can have a breakdown."
"I guess..."
"It's never too late to apologize, Chris. It may take long, but it doesn't mean they won't end up forgiving you."
Chris grinned at his past self. "You know that for a fact, don't you?"
"You know me."
"Thanks Terra," Chris said, before finishing his meditation.
"Chris!" Grabsy called quietly. He hurriedly swung in the Guardian's direction. There was something glowing green in the grip of his tail. "I found this in the canopy! I think you will need it!"
He threw the object towards him. Chris caught it and suddenly felt power coarse through him. The Kratt in green looked at the object. It was a green crystal. The flower on his medallion appeared as it began to glow.
"Let us go, Dumbata!" Mina demanded. The team was frozen under the pose beams.
"Quiet, little rascal. I'll just pick one of your Creature Power Suits, then I'll be on my way." Donita examined the team's CPS, seeing which one she liked the most. "By the way, who's the pretty-looking in white?"
"Thanks for the pretty-looking, my name is Vincent, but I heard about what you do to animals," Ventus said.
"Whatever, Vincenzo," Donita said. "Now let's see..."
She gave Jimmy's a disgusted look. "Ugh, I can't stand yellow."
"Hey! Yellow's a nice color, thank you very much!" the redhead snapped. The fashionista then noticed something. Ten members captured. Seven CPS in front of her. There are EIGHT of each. But one was one she didn't know, so he didn't count. She angrily turned to them.
"Where's Chris-Angelo?"
"Right here, Donita," a voice echoed. She and Dabio looked around in surprise. It sounded like Chris, but the tone was a little lower. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. The crew sent confused glances at each other. Suddenly, something sliced Martin's pose beam in half, followed by Koki's.
"What?! But how's that possible?!"
"What do you know? These can cut through even pose beams." The voice seem to be coming from the tree that grows inside the HQ.
"Get him, Dabio!" Donita ordered. Dabio began to climb, but then stopped.
"Uh, Donita, there's no one there," he told her.
"What? But how can that be?" Then, the tree started to shake. And as if it were alive, it grabbed the fashionista and her henchman. Both started screaming in fright and thrashing. Something cut through the remaining pose beams, freeing the others.
Something hit the ground hard, making it stick out. The team looked. It was a circle shaped weapon that looked like a green colored sunflower. The spikes were like the petals with a brown center, which looked like where a person grabs it. The leaves rustled and something jumped out, though it looked like noting did.
Then, appearing out of what seemed like thin air, was Chris. He looked like a gallant warrior with his green and copper garments and copper armor that covered his midsection. On his hands were elbow length copper gauntlets. Upon his feet were knee high boots with a color of rich soil.
Behind him was a pale green, see through cape that might be made of spider silk. But what was most eye catching was the yellow-green stripes in his hair, a weird bronze crown with a green jewel that went to his forehead and eyes as green as a lush forest.
"Chris?" He smiled at his team, though it was clear to them that it was a sad one full of regret. He had another of the circle weapons in another hand. Without a word, the Earth Guardian pulled his weapon out of the floor.
"I will admit Chris-Angelo, that outfit looks good on you," Donita commented. "If you had to name it, what would it be? Tree Boy?" Chris just narrowed his green eyes at her.
"Forest Crown," he stated. David gasped in realzation, remembering Martin's Sea Crown Form.
"Another Crown Form," he said under his breath. "Then that means…" He focused on the green jewel. "Another Elemental Crystal has been found."
"Gaia's Emerald…" Mina mumbled.
"Put me down this instant!" Donita complained. Chris only made one of the weapons disappear before moving his hand. The tree suddenly let go, letting the bad guys drop to the floor with a thud. The Guardian of Mercy smirked.
"Well, you said to put you down this instant," he mocked, making the crew laugh a little. Donita growled as she got to her feet.
"Get that brat!" she ordered Dabio. The dumb blonde charged, only for the green brother to raise the other Chakram to his throat, making him stop.
The team stood, wondering what will happen. Chris turned his sight to Donita. "I suggest you both leave."
"Forget it! A flashy weapon isn't going to stop me from having a Creature Power Suit!"
"I'm not using my full capability right now. Consider it me being as merciful as I can with you."
"Well, I don't take mercy from anyone!" He shrugged.
"Suite yourself." With a flick of his hand, the branch started moving again. Without warning, it swung and sent Donita flying like a golf ball, with her screaming.
"W-w-w-w-wait for me, Donita!" Dabio called as he ran out of there in fear. Everyone just watched as he left. With that, the Earth Guardian dismissed his weapons.
Chris smiled at the team with that sad smile again and the tree lifted him to the second floor. Koki watched in shame of herself.
After everything calmed down, Chris observed some pictures from the Wild Kratts Diary. Koki came in, sighing.
"Oh, there you are, Koki," Chris said, once he saw Koki coming in. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said before to you and Aviva. It was really mean. I honestly didn't meant to hurt your feelings."
"No… I'm the one who should be sorry. I also really didn't meant any of the things I said," Koki said. "But I admit… you were right about some things. And I think the reason I do those things you pointed out… is because I'm jealous of you."
"Of me?"
"You're actually amazing, Chris. Mostly giving yourself a chance to know something better, not caring about how gross and how dangerous things can be… putting it this way, I would never be a good adventurer like you are."
"I'm the one who's jealous. You're really firm in your words, and never worries about speaking your mind. I wish I could be more like you, Koki."
"And me, a good and wise leader like you, Chris." Koki smiled. The computer technician started to tear up before hugging her leader. "I guess Aviva will end up forgiving you as well. Just give her some time."
"I will." Chris smiled. Aviva just stared at them. She remembered of some of Chris's words to her… and some of them really made sense somehow.
"Well, since we're being honest… I'm having some problems with my crystalization. Since you're more in control of your flames..."
"You want me to help you? Okay… but only if you help me in being a better listener and trust you and Martin more often."
"It's a deal." They kept their embrace going, until the rain fully stopped. Somehow it was like the weather was matching the mood around the HQ.
Chris (voice-over):Terra was right. Even the most merciful have breakdowns. I realized that the hard way, and ended up learning that mercy is also about being forgiving, despite past mistakes. Maybe some people don't care about that, and hurt each other, believing it'll make them feel better, but I sure won't be one of them again.
Chris set the new crown next to Martin's on the shelves. It glowed for a moment after he left the room.
