A/n: Hey, sorry this chapter is coming out so late! I had a math tutoring session. Sometimes I feel like I were to just sit in a room alone with a textbook, I would learn the concepts easier than if my teachers teach me. Anyway, here's the newest chapter.

Misako was walking down a long hallway. It was dark, but she could make out the figures of people in cages. She couldn't tell who they were, but she had a feeling they were her friends. Suddenly, she heard a shout from somewhere in front of her. Reaching her hand out, Misako felt a cold, metal door handle. Smiling, she turned it, and it instantly swung open.

Light spilled into the dark hallway, and Misako stepped inside.

"Misako!" A familiar voice exclaimed. Misako turned, and saw Cole, arms chained to the far wall. Because he was a ghost, Misako knew he'd been chained with Vengestone. He looked exhausted, but happy to see her. "You're okay." He sighed with relief, "Where are we? What's going on?"

"Skylar and Hurumi are taking the crystals from The Overlord, Chen, Morro, and Kozu. PIXAL and Nya are on their way to collect Cryptor's crystal." Misako said, "It's a long story, but I'm getting you out of here."

"What? No!" Cole said, moving closer to the wall.

"Why not?" Misako asked.

"Because, apparently I'm The Magician." Cole answered, "A murderer!"

"Yes, I got that." Misako told him, "But we have a plan to get everyone out."

"Even Dareth? He's been more annoying than Jay. Can't we just leave him here?" Cole complained.

"No. We're going to save everyone." Misako replied.

"But Morro possessed me." Cole whispered, suddenly serious, "He possessed me, every time I killed someone, or kidnapped you or…Anything. And I didn't even know it."

"It's okay." Misako said, "You couldn't have. I've already forgiven you, and I'm sure the girls will, too. As for your fellow ninja…You may want to sleep with one eye open."

:::::::

Meanwhile, Nya was waiting on the sixth floor for PIXAL to arrive. She'd been waiting for about thirty minutes now, and was getting worried. At first, PIXAL had alerted her every time a guard was coming close. That way, she could hide. Now, PIXAL had stopped responding altogether. Nya had had to duck into the nearest place, which happened to be a broom closet.

"Where do you think they are?" Nya jumped when she heard a muffled voice outside the door.

"I don't know, but we've already searched the second and fourth floors. They have to be here." Another voice said. Were they talking about her and her friends? Were the guards looking for them?

"Maybe they're in here?" One voice suggested.

"A broom closet?" The second asked.

"I don't know. Maybe." The first voice said. Suddenly, the door's handle turned, and Nya held her breath. The door opened, and she got the surprise of her life.

"Lloyd?" She asked, dumbfounded, "Zane? What are you guys doing here?"

"Nya!" Lloyd exclaimed, hugging her, "We're looking for you."

"Oh." Nya said, "Where are the others?"

"Jay and Kai are looking on all of the odd floors, trying to find PIXAL, Skylar, Hurumi, and Misako." Lloyd told her.

"Do you know where they are?" Zane asked, obviously anxious.

"Yeah, Skylar and Hurumi are on the fifth floor, Misako is in the first floor's dungeon, and PIXAL is-" Nya started. Suddenly, she was interrupted by her communicator's beeping. "Sorry." She said, answering it, "What is it?"

"A trap!" Skylar shouted, "It's a trap! Forget the crystals! They're fake. Misako found Cole, and we're headed to the entrance. Meet us there, and we'll think of a new plan later."

"Okay." Skylar said, hanging up. Lloyd and Zane were looking at her like she had three heads. Nya guessed they'd probably heard her entire conversation.

"We have to go." She said.

"Where is PIXAL?" Zane asked.

"Funny story," Nya said nervously, "I don't actually know."

:::::::

PIXAL stepped out of the control room.

"Is your stomach better?" One of the guards asked.

"Much. Thank you." She answered, then turned, and walked over to the elevator. She pressed the "down" button, and waited for the doors to open. She needed to get to the sixth floor before Nya ran into any guards. The doors opened, and she stepped inside.

Two men were already in the elevator, wearing dirty hoodies and ripped pants. Their hoods were pulled over their heads, and neither one looked at her.

"Which floor do you need?" One mumbled.

"Six." PIXAL answered, pressing the button. The doors closed, and the tension grew.

"We're going to five." A familiar, cocky voice answered.

"Kai?" PIXAL asked. The man in the red hoodie took off his hood, revealing Kai's face. He smiled, and Jay took off his hood.

"Yep." Kai said, giving her a hug, "Glad we found you, Pix. Zane will be happy."

"Yeah." Jay agreed.

"What are you doing here?" PIXAL inquired. Though, as soon as she asked, she knew it was a stupid question.

"What are you doing here?" Jay shot back.

"I was kidnapped and taken to the Departed Realm by a possessed criminal." PIXAL said.

"Uh, right. That's a pretty good reason, I guess." Jay said, "We're here to find you and the others." Suddenly, PIXAL's communicator rang, indicating that someone was trying to contact her.

"Hello?" She said.

"It's a trap! Forget the crystals! They're fake. Misako found Cole, Nya found Lloyd and Zane, and we're headed to the entrance. Meet us there, and we'll think of a new plan later." Skylar shouted.

"Alright." PIXAL said, and then turned to Jay and Kai, "Are you ready to see Nya and Skylar?"

:::::::

Hurumi and Skylar were waiting near the doors to the palace. There were no guards, though, which seemed strange to Skylar. A few minutes later, Cole, who looked dazed, and Misako joined them.

"Rumi!" Lloyd's voice came out of nowhere, and he suddenly bear-hugged the Princess.

"Lloyd!" She exclaimed, returning the hug. When she pulled away, she saw that Nya and Zane were with him. Lloyd went to hug his mom, but Hurumi's focus remained on Zane.

He looked worried. He wouldn't meet her eyes, and he kept looking back and forth. Hurumi figured he was trying to spot PIXAL.

"She's not here, yet." Rumi said. She could tell Zane knew full-well who "she" was.

Suddenly, an elevator dinged, and everyone turned their heads to see Kai, Jay, and PIXAL step out.

"Kai!" Skylar yelled, running over to him.

"Jay!' Nya yelled, running right past her brother and hugging her boyfriend.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Kai asked sarcastically. Nya came over and hugged her brother.

"I'm glad you're alright, PIXAL." Nya said, but PIXAL was already in Zane's arms. And he didn't look like he was planning to let her go anytime soon.

"I was so worried about you!" He said, releasing his grip a little and turning to look at the others.

"Ugh, Cole." He, Kai, Jay, and Lloyd said in unison.

"Sorry! Sheesh!" Cole pouted, "Man, you guys can hold a grudge. You kidnap their girlfriends one time."

"It was yesterday." Lloyd told him, "And we're in the Departed Realm because of it."

"Whatever." Cole said.

"Yeah, but, technically we're all still in danger." Kai said, "We should probably leave before a guard comes and sees us."

"You're right." Nya said, walking over and opening the doors. But, to her surprise, Cryptor, Chen, Kozu, The Overlord, and Morro were all standing there, waiting for them.

"Hello, ninja...And friends." Chen said.

"We've been waiting for you." The Overlord added.

"Oh, come on!" Jay yelled.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kai shouted angrily, "We were so close!"

PIXAL, Nya, Misako, Rumi, and Skylar, however, stood their ground. They had known this would happen, and it was part of their plan. Granted, they hadn't known the villains' crystals would be fake, but this was part of their new plan. They would smash the crystals, and they would escape the Departed Realm with their friends and allies.