The Golden Plains was a wide, flat field located near Chalk Earth's equator. It had some hills, some larger than others. But most of it was flat, and covered in short, dry grass. The grass itself was yellow, which was what gave its name in the first place. There were a few trees here. They weren't very big and had pretty thin bark. They kinda looked like trees on an African savannah, except the leaves were yellow instead of green, and the bark itself was a little reddish.

The most common native fauna in these parts, to keep with the African-like theme, were animals that looked like gazelle, except they had longer tails, clawed feet, and two horns jetting out the top of their heads instead of behind their heads. The zoners who lived not too far from the Golden Plains referred to these beasts as mguus. The word 'mguu', from what they said, was an african word that meant leg, a likely reference to how these beasts run a lot across the fields of yellow grass.

The Golden Plains were usually pretty peaceful. The mguus would be chewing on the grass, their tails swishing from side to side. Once in a while, they would go to the small river to take a drink. Sometimes, birds would fly overhead, squawking loudly and catching the mguus' attention briefly before they would lower their heads. Unlike on a real savannah, the mguus didn't have any natural predators to worry about. The Golden Plains was a relatively nonviolent place to be.

Then, as the mguus were eating, they felt a vibration in the ground. They feel the ground with their feet and they lift up their heads, ears perking straight forward. Their black eyes widen as they looked around for the source of the vibration. They knew it could only mean one thing. As a thumping noise could be hard, and the sound of rocks rolling became noticeable by the small group, the mguus started to get antsy. They flung their head from side to side, letting out what could best be described as loud squeaks.

Soon, the mguus were introduced to the source of the sound. Coming out of the foliage, bursting through in a second, were three more mguus, these slightly larger than the rest. And on their backs were Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Ropes were tied around their heads, forming reigns for the trio to use to steer the beasts.

The wild mguus let out loud bleats before they took off running in all directions. The trio rushed through, heading straight. Laughter erupted from the three friends as they ran along the Golden Plains, holding onto their reigns to keep themselves from falling down. Intermixed with their laughing was the sound of the beasts' feet pounding heavily against the ground. This stopped only momentarily as the tamed mguus had to jump across the river, landing on the other side easily. Then they continued on running.

"See? Didn't I tell you this would be a riot?" Snap called out to his friends, a big grin on his face. "It was a good thing that the owners of that place let me change the reservation to today, don't you think?"

"Yeah! This is lots of fun!" Rudy shouted at his friend. He turned to Penny. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Penny looked a little less happy than the others. She held onto her reigns a bit tighter. "Yes, but I'm not sure if we should have gone out this far..."

"Oh puh shaw! Don't worry about it, Penny. These babies know their way back like the back of their...um..." Snap paused for a moment, thinking of what word to use. "Their feet...hooves... well whatever! You know what I mean!"

"Yes, I suppose, but I think we should be heading back." Penny said. She glanced behind her nervously, as if she thought that the owner thought they were stealing them or something.

"Oh calm down!" Rudy said with a smile. "We'll find our way back!"

It had been about twenty-four hours since the scuffle with Skrawl. Rudy and Penny managed to make it back through the portal before anyone noticed them. However, Penny's appearance needed some explaining. There was no way that Mr. Wilter wasn't going to notice her burns, scrapes, and tattered clothing. So they had to come up with an explaination and fast, especially since recess had ended mere minutes after they returned, and it would only be a minute or so before someone saw her like that.

When Mr. Wilter saw and asked about what happened, Rudy was at a loss for words. The scrapes, he could have explained as just her falling down. But the ripped clothing? Yeah the tears weren't that big, but unless she went out in the woods and fell down, there was no way that anyone would by her getting like that falling around here. At least, he didn't think they would, and he didn't want to take the chance just in case it wouldn't work. Rudy was frustrated when he couldn't come up with an explaination this time. He was usually pretty good at this.

However, luckily for him, so was Penny. She was able to think on her toes and come up with a swift story that satisfied Mr. Wilter. She said she was working on a science experiment and it blew up on her face. This had the teacher worried and he wanted her to go the nurse. But Penny insisted that she was alright and that she was just a little battered was all. Mr. Wilter did believe her story and didn't press further, although it was clear he wanted her to get examined further. Rudy was happy that she was able to come up with a cover up story, and also happy that she was okay. Her injuries weren't severe and would heal up in a few days.

They came back into ChalkZone today at around the same time they did yesterday. They met up with Snap. They were half expecting him to say that Skrawl was attacking again. They were relieve when he mentioned nothing about Skrawl, and instead wanted to take them where he wanted to before Skrawl had interrupted. Rudy was glad that Snap was finally able to take them to wherever he was so excited about. Snap didn't go into detail until they got there.

Rudy and Penny had only recently heard about Golden Plains. It was, compared to some areas of ChalkZone they were familiar with, relatively new. Recently erased. Snap guesses it was erased no more than a month ago. He told them how a zoner by the name of Jager had managed to tame some of the mguus and had opened up a business for people to ride them once they were 'civilized' enough, or whatever the right term was. Penny didn't seem very happy about the idea of taking the wild beasts from their habitat to tame them, but she was happy the mguus were at least well fed and taken care of. Jager was a pretty nice guy too. The jaguar-like zoner allowed them to borrow three of his mguus for one hour and told them to stay within a certain distance.

It was a little hard getting used to riding the mguus at first. It wasn't like riding a horse. Their behavior was a little different. It was hard to describe. Some of the behavior was definitely equine in origin, but them some behaviors seemed to be plucked from gazelles themselves, and a bit of rabbit too. They did manage to get the hang of it, though, and now they had been riding around the plains for about ten minutes, enjoying the beautiful scenery and saying hello to some familiar zoners who were taking a walk through here.

Rudy thought it was nice to finally have some more fun with his friends. The past couple days of going up against Skrawl were tiring. The jellybean usually did not strike twice back to back, especially going after the same place again. That did tell him one thing, though. Whatever Skrawl wanted, he must never let him have it. If that crown possessed some kind of power, then it had to be quite something for Skrawl to believe it was worth it to try to attack the same place the very next day. Rudy had thought about him and his friends going on a trip to some historical libraries in ChalkZone to find out more. This was certainly something they had to research as soon as possible. Who knew when Skrawl would strike again?

But for now, he just wanted to relax and have fun. There had been no reported attacks today so far, and he was having a great time with Penny and Snap. He hoped that nothing would happen to ruin this. He hoped that Skrawl had taken the hint that he was not going to be able to steal that crown. He hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with him again for a while.

But if there was one thing Rudy learned, it's that things often don't go the way as planned. Fate had a way of being cruel, twisted, pushing him onto a path he would rather not be on. Often, the thing he wants to happen will not, and what he doesn't want to happen will. And as much as he hoped that it wasn't going to turn out this way, that's just how life can be.

For in that moment, just as he was relaxing and enjoying time with his friends, he could see something flying towards them. It looked familiar, and it was calling out his name. At this, the three friends halted their mguus, looking at the object in curiosity.

"What is that thing?" Snap asked, pointing his hand in the objects direction. "It's a little too far to tell."

Penny adjusted her glasses and leaned forward a little. "I'm not sure, I..." She paused, her eyes widening in recognition. "Homing beacon..." Penny looked over at Rudy. "It looks like your homing beacon, Rudy!"

The object was much closer by now. And Rudy could tell Penny was right. It did look like the homing beacon that he drew to fetch Biclops when Snap wasn't paying attention to the notes about releasing Reggie's leg. Just like the one he drew, this one looked like a piece of bacon with a metallic box in the center with a flashing red light. This one was a little larger than the one he drew and the bacon looked more mechanical in appearance, and looked more durable.

"Yeah, you're right Penny!" Rudy said.

"I wonder what it wants." Snap noted.

It didn't take them long to find out what it was. The homing beacon stopped right in front of Rudy. It flapped there for a few seconds. It was close enough that Rudy could hear the squeaking of metal colliding with metal each time it flapped its 'wings'.

Then its red light stopped flashing, and instead glowed brightly. A constant, continuous glow. It shot out a beam of light, hitting Rudy in the face. His friends were shocked by this and Rudy was taken aback, shielding his face in case it was a weapon. But it was just regular light for the most part. The homing beacon shifted the light through Rudy a few times. Then the light vanished.

"Identity confirmed. Rudy Tabootie." The homing beacon said in a mechanical, clearly robotic voice. "Emergency! Emergency!"

At this, the three friends looked at each other worriedly. Rudy couldn't believe it. It couldn't be. Skrawl wouldn't be dumb enough to try a third time, would he? A cold chill ran up his spine. If he tried a third time..then that meant that artifact must be of more value than he realized.

He had to wonder. Just what was Skrawl's big plan, if he was indeed doing after this artifact a third time? How did he think he was going to get it? This theory, however, was a little altered when he heard what the homing beacon said next.

The homing beacon said, "Attack on Rainbow Mountain Range! Hostile confirmed as Skrawl! Please hurry, Great Creator!"

"Rainbow Mountain Range?" Penny asked quizzically. The name clearly didn't ring a bell with her. "Is that some new place?"

"No, it's been around for a long time." Snap explained, holding the reigns a little tighter. "Pretty old actually. But why would Skrawl attack that place? There's nothing there except for a bunch of rainbows and some overly friendly folks. They have no weaponry."

No weapons.. Of course Skrawl would not only attack a third time, but he would let out his frustrations against people who couldn't really fight back that well. The mondonians were peaceful too, but they still had some form of weaponry. The people of Rainbow Mountain Range, however, did not. It was disgusting that Skrawl would attack such a place. Yet...it also was not very surprising. This was Skrawl he was talking about.

It was such a shame that the fun he and his friends were having was cut short. It was disappointing that what he hoped wouldn't happen, did happen. It was frustrating that, lately, Skrawl has been keeping him and his friends on their toes. But there was nothing they could do about it. Well, nothing except go and stop him. Maybe after he stops him this time, he'll quit and move onto something else.

If Penny's theory was right, then Skrawl was after a different artifact this time. And he guessed that, like Penny thought, this second artifact was linked, somehow, to the first one. So it seemed Skrawl did give up...well kind of. He gave up on the crown, and now he was going for a somewhat easier target. The people of the Rainbow Mountain Range were so nice and nonviolent that Skrawl didn't have to do much to force them to hand over their artifact or tell him where it was.

He looked at his friends. He made a motioning gesture with his hand. "Let's go! We have to get there before it's too late!"

"Yeah!" Snap said with a grin. "Skrawl's got chalk for brains if he thinks that this plan is going to work!"

The trio started to run off, following the homing beacon. It flew at a considerable pace. Really fast, actually. But it would stop often to make sure that it was still in their line of sight. Then, once they got close enough, it would resume its rapid zipping and zagging.

Penny called out, "But what about Jager? Rainbow Mountain Range is out of the jurisdiction! And our time is almost up!"

"Don't worry about it, Penny! I'll explain the situation to the guy when we get back!" Snap said, smiling reassuringly at her. "I'm sure he'll understand!"

"Yeah!" Rudy agreed. "Besides, if we don't stop Skrawl, something terrible will happen!"

He didn't know what this terrible thing was. He had no idea what these artifacts could do. He didn't know of their powers, if they were the key to something big, or what. He just knew that Skrawl was desperate to get them. And if he wanted them so badly, it must mean that they were dangerous. Or at least, could be used in harmful ways. He could not allow that monsterous jellybean to get even just one artifact. He couldn't afford to.

At least this wouldn't take very long. He would just have his short scuffle with Skrawl, he would beat him and send him packing, he'd return the artifact, and they could go back. Not long at all. And everything would return to the way it was before. He and his friends could go back to having fun. They could rest under the assurance that ChalkZone was safe.

That was how it should have been. But, life has a way of making unexpected turns. And as Rudy and his friends were going to find out soon, that was what was going to happen this time. And it was going to change everything.

sss

The Rainbow Mountain Range was a twin set of mountains all lined up in a row. Tall and spikey, looking almost like jagged teeth. The mountains themselves were an eerie purple, and there was a constant low fog in the area. The place, at a distance, looked uninhabitable and appeared to be a place to be avoided. Anyone who didn't know this place well enough would think that it was the perfect hideout for villains, with all the pointy rocks and jagged mountains and such.

But upon closer inspection, the place really was a thing of beauty, and not the kind regarding how spooky it was. Within the mountains themselves, underneath all that fog, there were a few rainbows covering the sky, which was where the mountains got their names. The rainbows were beautiful, and certainly not the kind to ram into the ground like the ones the kid who kept drawing storms created. In the middle of the two mountain ranges, there was some areas of lush grass and fresh water, and some zoners had made this place their home.

Snap himself had been here once before with Rapsheeba. He had wanted to take her on a trip somewhere, and he thought this place was perfect. It was pretty old, older than him at least, and he had always wanted to come here himself. With its scary outward appearance, it was no wonder not many zoners liked to venture here, and why so little was known about it, at least in comparison to other places. He wasn't surprised that Penny had never heard of this place and thought it was newly erased.

Looking around, Snap could recall the fond memories he had here with Rapsheeba. They had played some of the local games here. And after that, they visited one of the very few restaurants they had available here. Due to the limitation of customers, the restaurants were quite small and the food pretty limiting. He and Rapsheeba didn't complain, though, and the food was pretty good.

But coming here now, Snap could tell just how different things were. No longer did it seem very peaceful. No longer was it quiet and calm. Replacing all that was chaos. The zoners that made their home here were in obvious panic. Some were running around. Others were hiding. Still others were screaming. Snap felt bad for them. It was clear these zoners were not used to combat, and were ill prepared for when Skrawl had attacked.

Just like with the Mondo Desert City, Rainbow Mountain Range had clearly suffered damage. Large burn marks decorated the place, a clear sign that Skrawl was able to get a new weapon so fast. That scared Snap. And he knew it worried his friends, too. How did Skrawl manage to get another laser-based weapon so fast? The thought of Skrawl possessing another of those things caused him to have flashbacks of yesterday, when Skrawl nearly killed him. The thought made him shudder. He had never looked at death like that before. If Penny hadn't intervened, he would have practically shaken hands with his own death as it came to 'greet' him.

Pieces of the purple mountains had broken off. Large boulders had come crashing down. Some of the few buildings that were here were demolished, crushed under the weight of the rocks. The land looked horrifically scarred, and some of the rainbows had been shattered as well. Multicolored pieces lay strewn on the ground, jagged and broken. Snap was shocked at just how much destruction had occurred before he and his friends got here.

The only good news he could find as they rode into the mountains was that no one seemed injured. Any zoner they saw running past them didn't look like they had been hurt. No marks, scrapes, bruising, nothing. None of them ran like they were hurt. They must have fled before Skrawl decided to attack. And luckily, they had managed to get away from him before he could nab them and hurt them. That did provide a sense of relief for the trio. At least no one got hurt this time.

It didn't take them long to find Skrawl. He was standing near a large cave entrance near the end of the Rainbow Mountain Range. Just as he thought, he had another laser machine with him. This one didn't look as nicely drawn as the last one, but it was fully functional. Smoke pillowed out the tip, indicating that it was just recently used.

As they got closer, Snap could see that Skrawl was holding up what looked to be a golden rod. He had it up in the air, gripping it almost triumphantly. He must have just found it. Snap realized they had just gotten here in the nick of time. They were almost upon him now. In a matter of seconds, Rudy could be calling out Skrawl and challenging him to a battle. And it would end with Skrawl losing, like always. Snap smiled as he thought about Skrawl fleeing once again and yelling about how it was impossible for him to lose or that he'd be back. Typical Skrawl.

Then Snap noticed something off this time. Back at the Mondo Desert City, Skrawl had some Beanie Boys with him. But this time..well there was only two, just enough to carry him here on his chair thing. The other Beanie Boys, if they had been here, were nowhere in sight. Where were they?

Snap got a really bad feeling. What if they were hiding? What if they were running straight into an ambush. Snap looked all around cautiously, expecting one of those plump boys to jump on him or his friends at any second. He looked over at his friends. Rudy was busy glaring in Skrawl's direction, but Penny had caught his wary look. She was going to say something, but then Rudy started to talk, interrupting their thoughts.

"Put that rod back, Skrawl!" Rudy said, pointing a finger in the jellybean's direction. "You're not leaving here with that artifact!"

"Why hello, Rudy Tabootie!" Skrawl said to the boy, giving a mock friendly smile. "How nice of you to..drop in..."

By now, the trio were at the bottom of the mountain Skrawl was on. He looked down at them from the higher ledge. An evil smile was spread across his face. He held the rod up for them to see, waving it from side to side tauntingly. Rudy haulted his mguu and jumped off. He held up the magic chalk towards Skrawl, preparing to fight him.

He and Penny stopped behind Rudy. They got off and took places on either side of Rudy. They both took fighting stances, ready for whatever Skrawl has in store for them. But as they did this, Snap realized something else.

Skrawl didn't seem...frustrated with their appearance this time. Not that the jellybean always reacted in rage to them coming. But the two times where he tried to steal the golden crown, he had been visibly furious that they had arrived. Even if he was still smiling, he could tell from the tone of his voice that he was not happy to see them. But this time...this time was different. Skrawl looked...happy that they were there. Like he had wanted them to come. But why...?

Something wasn't right...

"If you want this rod back..." Skrawl held the rod in front, over the edge, gripping the edge with his two fingers. He moved it back and forth, taunting Rudy and his friends below. "...why don't you come and take it from me? I know that's what you want to do, right? Draw something and come after me, then I flee..That's how it always is, isn't it? That's how our little song and dance go."

Rudy narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Skrawl just laughed at this, tossing the rod in the air and caught it before it hit the ground.

"So..what do you say we get this over with, chalk boy?" Skrawl said. He held out another hand and gestured for Rudy to come.

Snap didn't like this.

Rudy drew his rocket shoes and flew up into the air. He took Skrawl's challege and rushed towards him. He held out his magic chalk, preparing to draw. Snap looked around, a sudden chill going up his spine.

Something was definitely wrong...

"What's wrong, Snap?" Penny asked, her head turned towards the blue zoner.

Snap looked at her, concerned. "Something's off, Penny!" He cried in a panic. "This...this might be a trap!"

Penny's eyes widened at this. She turned her head and looked over at Rudy. Then it was clear something else caught her eye, as her gaze shifted a little. When Snap saw her eyes widen in horror, his heart filled with dread.

It all happened so quickly. Rudy was in the middle of drawing something. It was hard to tell what it was supposed to be as he was just half finished. Before he could continue more of it, a bright red glow briefly illuminated him. Rudy turned his head just in time to see a red laser heading towards him. He didn't have time to react as the laser struck against his rocket shoes, destroying them. Rudy screamed as he and unfinished pieces of his creation fell to the ground.

The sudden attack had startled Rudy enough that he dropped his magic chalk. It hit into the somewhat tall grass, becoming covered by the foliage. Snap bit his lip. This was not good. Without his magic chalk, Rudy would have a hard time fighting back against Skrawl. But he didn't have time to worry about that; Rudy was going to get crushed by the falling debris if they didn't do something, and fast.

Snap and Penny rushed to his side. They grabbed an arm and pulled him out of the way as pieces of his creation crashed down all around them. A few of them narrowly missed striking them. After the chunks stopped falling, they helped Rudy up to his feet. Rudy brushed himself off and looked up at Skrawl, clearly shocked by that surprise attack. Then he turned to his friends.

"Where did that come from?!" Rudy shouted, his eyes wide in shock.

Snap looked around, trying to find the source of the laser. He felt Penny's hand on his shoulder. He followed her finger as she pointed to a spot to the left of Skrawl.

"The laser came from there!" Penny cried out.

A cold laughter from Skrawl drew their attention. They looked up at the evil jellybean, glaring hatefully at him. Rudy looked around, clearly trying to find his magic chalk. But it was nowhere in sight. Snap had seen where it fell, but now that he had shifted focus away from it, he no longer could tell where it was. All the grass here looks the same. There was no way he could find it that fast.

Skrawl sneered down at them. The trio glared at him, taking defensive stances. Even chalkless, Snap knew Rudy wasn't going down without a fight. And he and Penny would not either. Whatever this jellybean had in store for them, they were ready.

"I think now is a good time to introduce my new...partner." Skrawl said, smirking down at the trio. He laughed when he saw their confused expressions. "Yeah, that's right. I managed to find someone willing to work with me. He might not seem like much, but trust me, Master Tabootie..." Skrawl's face contorted into a twisted smile. "He is going to give you a run for your money..."

The trio looked at each other worriedly. A new partner? Just how did Skrawl manage to convince to work with him? Not many of the aggressive zoners would work with Skrawl for various reasons. And from his evil smile, this partner is no pushover. Who could it be?

Skrawl turned his head to the side. He put his hand to his mouth. Then he shouted, "Come out here and say hello to our 'friends', Mint Zandophen!"

Up on the ledge, another figure was coming into view. They were blocked out of the light for a few seconds, keeping them in complete shadow. This didn't last long. Light suit illuminated the second individual's body. And when it did, a collective gasp spread through the trio. They took a step back, looking on in absolute horror.

Snap's body trembled. His eyes were wide in fear. His mouth dropped open in shock. He shook his head in denial. No..no it was impossible...it couldn't be... There was no way Skrawl could have... But then..there he was, standing right there. This was real. No, it was worse. It was a nightmare.

Penny put her hands to her mouth in horror. "No...it can't be..." She whispered in a low, disbelieving voice. She took another step back, her body shaking just like Snap's.

Out of the three, Rudy was shivering the hardest, as he had, not so long ago, faced off against someone else like this. They had all thought he never would have to do it again. But they had been oh so very wrong. Rudy stared up at the figure in absolute shock. His eyes were really big and it looked like he was trying to speak, but no words would come out.

They all wished it was just a horrible dream. They wished that it was just a figment of their imaginations. They wished that they could just close their eyes and and the figure would go away. But no matter what they did, the figure didn't disappear. The figure was real, much to their horror and disbelief. And they all realized that their worst nightmare, besides ChalkZone being exposed, had become a reality.

There, standing on the edge next to Skrawl, was a human child... A creator... And in his hands, a piece of magic chalk. He was staring down at them, something of an evil smile on his face. In a holster around his waist, there was a crudely drawn laser pistol. The same one used against Rudy...

The sight of this made Snap remember the Chalk Queen incident. He remembered when Penny pretended to betray him and Rudy to fool Skrawl. He was experiencing deja vu, only this time, round two was going to be a whole lot worse. So much worse...because this time, the creator Skrawl had by his side was not someone he or his friends knew. This time, the confrontation was real. There was not going to be any 'Hey I was doing this to fool him!' or anything.

This time, the Enemy Creator was for real.

"So you are my opponents?" Mint said. He eyed the three one by one, the smile never leaving his face. "Rudy. Penny. Snap. I believe those are your names, right? Well as you know, my name is Mint, and I will be your opponent for this round." He lifted up the magic chalk, watching it glint. He smirked back down at them. "I would normally draw something, but I already created something to keep you three entertained for a little while. This round belongs to me."

With that, Mint raised his hand up and snapped his fingers. As soon as he did that, the sound of pounding feet came towards the trio. A loud snarl ripped through the landscape. The sound startled their mguus and they immediatel took off running. The three turned their heads and, to their horror, a large predatory dinosaur came rushing towards them, mouth agape.

The dinosaur crashed into the trio. Its tail slapped against Snap, knocking him back several feet. Snap crashed into the ground hard. He rubbed his head and looked over. His eyes widened as he saw the dinosaur pin Rudy and Penny down, its snarling mouth close to their faces.

"That's a good girl! Keep them pinned for a little while, Ripclaw." Mint called down. "Remember, Skrawl just needs a little extra time! We have this all wrapped up!"

Snap watched as Rudy and Penny struggled to get free. Ripclaw didn't appear to be hurting them, but that didn't mean she wouldn't. Those teeth looked wickedly sharp. And those claws, especially her sickle claws, looked lethal too. Snap had to do something, and fast.

He took a step forward. He was going to rush over at the dinosaur and use himself as bait. He was going to through himself at her and distract her so Rudy and Penny could get out from underneath the feathered dinosaur. But something stopped him. As soon as he took a few steps towards them, something caught his eye. Something white and sparkly... He looked down and realized it was Rudy's magic chalk. His eyes widened and a small smile spread across his face. This would easily even the odds a bit. He reached down and picked it up.

Snap held up the magic chalk and rushed towards his friends. If he could just give one of them the magic chalk, they would neutralize this new creator and send him back home. It shouldn't be too hard. The beast's attention was currently just on his friends. She would not notice if he got close enough to toss the magic chalk to either Rudy or Penny.

But he never got that chance.

As he ran towards his friends, he did not notice that Mint saw what he did. He didn't notice Mint rushing down the mountain side towards him. He did not notice the kid running in his direction. He wasn't aware of any of that...until it was too late.

Snap almost didn't stop in time when Mint got in his path. The boy glared down at him. He held out his hand expectantly. Snap pulled the magic chalk away, glaring at him.

"Give that to me." Mint demanded, his hand still out.

Snap snarled in response. "Never."

Mint narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Then, so be it..."

Snap's eyes widened and he let out a painful scream. Mint had kicked him in the stomach. Snap's knees buckled and he fell down. The magic chalk dropped from his hands. Snap tried to get back up, but Mint kicked him again, this time on the side. He rolled across the ground, groaning in pain. When Snap reopened his eyes and looked over, he saw that Mint had already grabbed Rudy's magic chalk and stuffed it in his pocket. And now he was walking towards him.

Before Snap could get away, the Enemy Creator gripped him by his throat. Snap gagged as he was lifted up into the air. He struggled to get free. He stared at Mint defiantly, giving him the most determined glare he could muster. This just prompted a chuckle from the kid.

"So you are Rudy's 'greatest creation', are you?" Mint said. He eyed Snap up and down. "Well if you're the best he's got, I guess I shouldn't be too worried..." He put his face close to Snap, his eyes boring into the zoner's. "With something as pathetic as you, there's no way he will beat me..."

Snap continued to glare at Mint. He gripped his hand and tried to free himself. But despite being a kid, his grip was really tight. Snap kicked his legs in the air, struggling to get free. "Put me...down...and I'll show...you..just how great...I am...!" Snap growled at the boy, still gagging a little from Mint's grip.

Mint just sneered at him. "Oh really now...?"

Snap gave a determined smile at the boy. "Yeah! You..don't know...what I'm...made of...!"

Mint chuckled at this. "Well then...perhaps I should find out."

Snap's eyes widened in horror when Mint pulled out his laser pistol. The boy smirked at the object and then looked at him, intent shining clearly in his eyes. He put the end of the pistol against Snap's head. The blue zoner started shivering in fear. Mint put his finger on the trigger and started to apply pressure.

"Stop!"

Mint froze and lowered the laser pistol much to Snap's relief. The two of them looked over and saw Penny, who had managed to get free of Ripclaw's grasp, rushing towards them.

"Let him go!" Penny demanded as she closed the distance as fast as she could.

Mint stared at her blankly for a few seconds. Then he glanced down at Snap. A twisted smile spread across his face. He gave Penny a sideways glance. He lifted Snap a little higher into the air. The muscles in his arms tensed up. Snap knew what was going to happen next.

"Oh you want this poor excuse for a drawing back...?" Mint said tauntingly. "Well then here! You can have him back!"

Mint threw Snap as hard as he could. The zoner flew through the air, his eyes wide and letting out a scream of surprise. He slammed against Penny before she could get out of the way. The two of them fell into the ground. They groaned for a few seconds before climbing back to their feet. They took a defensive stance, glaring at the boy.

Before anyone could make another move, Skrawl's voice rang out through the mountainous region.

"All right, Mint! That's enough fooling around! Let's get out of here!"

Mint looked over at Skraw. He seemed a little disappointed that he did not get to fight with them more. He looked back at Penny and Snap. A smile came back onto his face. He snapped his finger and in seconds, Ripclaw was by his side once more. As Rudy moved towards his friends, Mint climbed onto Ripclaw's back like she was some predatory horse.

Rudy glared at Mint, teeth gritted. "You hurt Snap..." He said in a dangerous tone.

Mint just shrugged like it was no big deal. "Eh..whatever, Rudy. If it upsets you that bad, you'll have another round against me soon enough. But for now..." Mint's eyes glinted. "I win..."

And with that, Mint disappeared, leaving behind a very confused, angry, and frightened trio.