(Disclaimer: I still don't own anything Klonoa related except a copy of the games.)

'Joka…I thought I defeated you once and for all,' Klonoa wondered. 'What do you have in store for me and Lunatea?'

"Who... Who are you?!" Lolo asked, fear wavering under her voice.

Joka glanced over at her, a tiny curious smirk showing, "My dear, I am but a humble court jester-"

Klonoa interrupted Joka's introduction, "Don't listen to him! He's a-"

The claw wrapped itself around Klonoa yet again and lifted him a few feet off the ground. The clownish figure glared at him, eyes blazing in contempt, "HEY! Don't hog the show, kid! I'm fully capable of introducing myself to the crowd! Now where was I?" Joka thought it over a minute while Klonoa still hung in the air, strumming the area on his face which should be a chin with his unoccupied hand. Then an actual light bulb appeared over his head, "AHA! That's it, of course! I, my lady and dog-like companion, am but a humble court jester whose name is Joka."

"Court jestah?" Popka scoffed, "So you're a fancy clown, is that it?"

Klonoa struggled in the lobster claws but managed to maneuver to a spot where he could breathe easily, "No, Popka! He used to be an underling to Ghadius who-"

"WHO YOU DESTROYED, YOU LITTLE SUN SPOT!" Joka moaned in agony, "Do you know how LONELY I've been all these years? Can you just imagine the absolute joy that I have in finding you, Klonoa?"

Klonoa grimaced, "Lucky me."

"On the nose!" Joka smiled brightly, "You've still got your wits about you; of that I'm assured. Then again, you never had too many of those so I supposed you held fast to the little you had, eh Dreamy Boy?" Joka laughed wickedly.

Klonoa spat out his words angrily, "Why are you here?"

"Isn't it just perfectly obvious? Johnny, show him what's behind door Numbah One!" And with that, Joka released Klonoa and waved the newly free hand. As Lolo and Popka ran to check on the slumped Klonoa, a giant upside down top hat appeared before their very eyes. The skeletal jester flipped inside it to send it exploding in quick blue and pink bursts of smoke.

The trio tried to cough the smoke out of their lungs, but it was no use. Lolo helped Klonoa out of the dust just as Popka burst from the colorful cloud. Klonoa sat on the ground, taking in deep breaths of clean air, and Lolo sat in front of him asking if he would be alright. Popka was slapping Klonoa's back in a somewhat comical but nevertheless useless attempt to help. An unheard breeze quickly pushed the smog away to reveal an orange door with a big yellow 1 outlined in a bright red painted on it. Although their was no handle, the door swung open to reveal not the mountains' jagged peaks or the bright blue afternoon skyline, but a gray, foggy graveyard appeared. Purple blades of light sprinted from cloud to cloud and whip cracks of thunder shook the ground. Dead, black trees with pointed branches showed menacing faces trying to lure them inside the desolate realm.

"WEEEELL Joka, it's seems our contestant has won an all expenses paid trip to the Spirit World!" Joka cried out in a deeper voice to try to sound like some kind of game show host assistant. A high pitched cackle echoed through the area as the door slammed shut with such a force that knocked them all back. Joka jumped out from behind the door and leapt onto its summit. Klonoa stood up between Joka and newly found friends in an effort to protect them from any surprise attacks.

Joka sat on top of the door frame and watched them in hysterical enjoyment, "Oh, Dream Traveler, your attempts really make me feel all bubbly inside, they really do! But I'm afraid this fate is closed off to you for now." Joka then frowned, "Yes, I know; I'm sad too. If you play your hand right though, I'll throw in trips for your little friends too!"

Popka started jumping up and down angrily, "WHO ARE YA CALLIN' LITTLE, YA CARNIVAL REJECT?!"

Joka shrugged it off, "I'll just ignore you, silly doggie thing. You don't hold my interest which is very sad. And very dreadful for your future. Tsk tsk, minus ten points!" He pulled out a clipboard and scribbled something down. He poofed it away like it was nothing. "Now, I really must be going! You just keep on playing hero until I call on you again, okay Dreamy Boy? By the way, should you decide to try to ruin my plans," Joka disappeared in a flash only reappear inches away from Klonoa's face. The Dream Traveler gasped at what he saw blistering in the mad fool's eyes, "I will burn your life and everyone in it. Do you understand?"

Klonoa nodded the responded, "What are you doing in Lunatea?"

"Helping an old friend," Joka responded in a serious tone before disappearing yet again.

When Joka didn't return after a few minutes, Klonoa breathed a sigh of relief.

"Joka seems about a hundred times stronger than the last time I faced him. With him running around here, it's not going to make my job any easier," Klonoa said solemnly. "But I can't give up. Lolo, you and Popka...Baguji...All of Lunatea is counting on me! I can't give up when I haven't even tried."

"Klonoa..." Lolo blushed brightly and a smile came to her face.

"That's right, ya hard headed fool! Ya can't throw in the towel before the bell has even rang! Now get ya head in da game, and let's get to it!"

Lolo entered Klonoa's ring after instructing him on how to obtain the Element. The Dream Traveler stood in front of his golden target and fired. The Bell of Tranquility began to ring out in a fragile but beautiful tone. A green light appeared before him that crystallized in his hand. He stared into the glint of light reflecting off of the sphere's surface.

"So...this is an Element?" Klonoa nodded. "Let's head back to Baguji's Island."

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Other than Joka, there were more people who wished for Klonoa's downfall, namely a sky pirate and her feline sidekick, Leorina and Tat. They had been watching the events unfold from the safety of the sky.

Leorina sighed angrily, "Tat...This isn't going as planned. I hadn't expected him to do that."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to go along with Plan B, won't we?" Tat asked in an almost mocking tone. She then noted her partner's silence and tried to recover, "I mean, if Klonoa were to-"

"No! I'm not going to stoop to such lows as stealing his Ring..." Leorina sat back into her seat, "Besides, I don't think that Ring is fit for me anymore. We're making a new plan. Do you remember what I taught you to do in escape emergencies?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Tat asked, curiosity peaked. "Am I going to the front lines?"

"Somewhat... I need you to do a little bit of reconnaissance," Leorina responded, thoughts swirling in her head. "But I don't want you to go alone. Take Leptito with you."

"Aw man! Don't you trust me to handle myself?" Tat whined. "I'm not a kitten anymore, you know!"

"It's not you I'm worried about," the sky pirate turned and fixed her gaze into the Sea of Tears. "I'm worried about what he might do if things don't go as he planned."

"You don't think he's...dangerous, do you?" Tat asked nervously. She knew that Leorina was never really scared of any one or thing, but her new hesitant persona was starting to make Tat a little uncomfortable. The black and white cat waited nervously for an answer or acknowledgment of her question. When neither came, a tense feeling washed over Tat. She tried again, "Leorina, do you think he's dangerous?"

Leorina simply kept her sights glued to the water beside her and paused before answering, "...Yes. But now is not the time to let fear become an obstacle. We have a lot of work to do, and not much time to do it."

'Now that is the Leorina I know,' Tat thought happily.

The sky pirate began to explain her newly hatched scheme to obtain Klonoa's Ring while Tat listened anxiously and flew them to their next destination: Joilant, the Kingdom of Joy.

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The trio stood on Baguji's Island and waited for the prophet to speak. He was, however, totally submerged in his thoughts of what should be done next. Baguji concentrated on thinking up what should be done about Joka, Leorina, and, most importantly, the Elements.

The prophet let a small 'hmm' escape his mouth, surprising Klonoa, and finally spoke, "Joilant," he pointed towards the bright lights on the horizon. "I sense a cloud of misfortune hovering above its unsuspecting citizens and tourists. Beware, young travelers, of its deceiving, gleeful façade for darkness lurks beneath, waiting for you."

Klonoa gave the Lunateans a confused look, "Joilant? Is that another kingdom?"

Lolo nodded, "It's more like a giant carnival."

"Really?" Klonoa brightened at the prospect of being able to help his friends and have fun all at once. "That sounds-"

"We're not going there to have fun!" Lolo scolded, "We do have a mission, you two!"

Popka groaned and shook his head, and Klonoa sighed disappointedly.

Lolo, seeing their expressions, smiled apologetically, "But maybe afterwards..."

Before she could finish, however, Klonoa was calling out to her for her to "come on" and Popka had just finished crossing the stepping islands to the main land. As Lolo started to venture across, Klonoa's mind started to swirl.

'But in a place like Joilant... Joka could easily blend in. Also, Leorina might have more monsters on her side... Is that what Baguji meant by 'darkness'? ...Wait, what am I saying? This is no time to be afraid of something I've never faced! Lunatea needs my help!'

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The other person who needed Klonoa's help, namely the King of Sorrow, was walking aimlessly through his Kingdom of Sorrow. As he passed, monsters came to a complete halt. They seemed to show a large amount of respect or devotion to the discarded king, but he knew better than that: the monsters simply feared him. The only entity the King of Sorrow had met who hadn't shown that fear was Joka. He dared not call him a friend; the king didn't fully trust that jester. He just had this feeling that Joka had other plans of him hiding behind his mask.

"Why...am I so alone?"

"You're not alone, Your Grace," a voice rang out.

Joka materialized before the king and bowed in mock respect.

The King of Sorrow merely waved this display off, "You must think I'm either extremely dumb or naïve."

"Is there a difference?" Joka cackled. After noticing that he was the only one laughing, he tried to recover, "Excuse me, Your Grace, I meant no offense."

"Well, you can excuse yourself of my presence, Joka. I have no need of a jester anymore!" The King of Sorrow lashed back. He started to walk away, leaving behind a very depressed jester. 'I have no need for anything besides him. Klonoa, you must come quickly. I need your help.' He began to speak out loud without realizing it, "Help me...Klonoa."

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Klonoa and the gang stood in amazement. The Dream Traveler was awestruck by Joilant's flashing neon lights, people laughing and applauding at the attractions, and all of the bright colors of the tents and people's outfits. He had never seen such a fun place to live. A series of pops and bangs turned his attention to a pop gun shooting gallery. He felt an odd feeling staring at the toy guns the children held: a sense of familiarity. But Klonoa didn't know anyone with a gun nor had he seen that gun before...

"Hey, watch where you're goin'!" Popka exclaimed.

Lolo gasped almost immediately, "The Element! It...It's gone!"

A sly, familiar voice rang out, "Ha! It's mine now!"

The black and white thief revealed herself to be none other than Tat. Popka, starting to fume, charged after her, but only succeeded to run right into the map sign. This caused Tat to laugh hysterically before splitting in half. Now a black cat to Popka's left stuck her tongue out at him while a white cat to his right giggled.

"C'mon! You'll have to do better than that!" and with that the black Tat scurried off towards the Jungle Slider.

The white Tat waved goodbye, "Ta ta!" She ran off deeper into the amusement kingdom.

Popka started jumping up and down angrily again, "What are ya doin', Klonoa?! After 'em!"

"Uh...Which one?"

"I don't care! Just start chasing one!" Popka yelled.

Klonoa nodded as Lolo floated into his ring, running after one of the suspected Element thieves.

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End of Vision

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