GW: Here's where the dragons and the heroes go to stop Skin Boric. But an ally will die…

Hal: What!? It better not be me!

GW: Hush up, and wait. Enjoy.

Chapter 11

The next morning, the inn was in ruins as the Eds, Haku, and Victor emerged from the wreckage as Eddy said in a shock, "Whoa, someone had too much coffee this morning."

"Geez, what a mess," Haku observed as Double D asked in worry, "We didn't do this, did we?" Haku frowned a bit and shook his head.

"Ahh! Dead body!" Ed pointed to the lifeless body of Wario. "The innkeeper…" Victor said then gasped as he saw the remains of Timcanpy, crushed into pieces. "No, poor Timcanpy."

"I smell something rotten here," Haku growled as Megumi's voice shouted, "Hey, anyone out there?!"

Double D went over to where he heard the noise, which was in a pot of soup, and after opening the top, Sarina, Buster, Megumi, Leah, and Nim popped out, with Sarina whining, "My outfit is completely ruined!"

"Sis, we have bigger problems on our hands," Buster said to his sibling. "What happened here?" Haku asked the trainers.

Leah narrated what happened the night before, "Well, we all hid inside this pot when we first heard him…"

The scene flashbacked to Skin Boric as he invaded the inn. Leah narrated, "The monster reached in the window and took Derrik, Hal, Bandanna, Michelle, David, and Karen."

It shows the said kidnapped heroes being placed in a back by Skin Boric, who then stomped on Wario and crushed Timcanpy as the little golem tried fighting back.

The Noah then crashed through the wall as Chairo, Halo, and Sophie tried fighting back, but were merely kicked unconscious by the monster as he trudged off.

Victor slightly panicked as he stuck his head in the remains of the chimney, telling his friends, "Don't worry; I'll use this time machine to fix this mess."

"Victor, you need to chill; that's a chimney," Eddy told the dragon sternly.

"Where did Skin go?" Double D asked as Sarina treated to Chairo, Sophie, and Halo, who were still knocked out.

Nim replied, "The dungeon of Skin Boric's gateway, no doubt."

Haku nodded. "Probably to hold them until the Earl can come up with some heinous way to get rid of them."

Victor growled, "I'll kill that monster before he lays a finger on my friends."

Double D said in anger, "What good am I on this quest? Overcome by the Sound Akuma, trapped by the trainer's net, and in a stupor when the monster attacked."

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself, Sockhat," Eddy told his friends as Ed nodded. "We are the three musketeers, Double D," the lummox laughed happily.

"No time to grouse, Double D," Haku told the Ed-boy. "We have work to do."

"Huh?" the Eds asked. Haku told the boys, "You three, including Victor, must take the Noah Skin on."

"We'd do it, but I don't think we'll be of much help," Buster shrugged. "Neither will Chairo, Sophie, or Halo at the moment."

"Well…we're doomed," Nim shrugged.

Soon, the trainers were walking ahead as Nim's Ponyta Fiyora carried the still unconscious Chairo, Sophie, and Halo (they could really sleep forever, couldn't they?). Haku and Victor were explaining how to fight an ogre like Skin to the Eds.

"You see, ogres will squeeze the life out of you if they get their hands on you, and you won't have enough strength to break free," Victor explained. "Biting won't help because the skin and muscle is too tough. And their flesh doesn't burn, so fire is useless."

"Sounds like the flesh-eating trolls of the videogame 'Death Valley 2: Troll's Paradise,'" Ed mused to himself.

"In the board game, when I'm faced with odds like this, I close the game and place it away," Edd grimaced, then said sheepishly, "Sorry; continue."

They were walking through a thorn-covered forest as Eddy recounted what Haku and Victor told him, "Let's see; you should throw the monster over a cliff. If there's no cliff, then go for the throat or stomach and never let him get a grip. Double D; I actually LEARNED something useful!"

"Great to know, Eddy," Edd said sarcastically. Haku nodded before sighing, "I'd take him on myself, but age has gotten to me."

"I know, Haku," Double D agreed. "Are you saying I'm a geezer!?" Haku snapped. "No, sir!" Double D said quickly as they came to the castle of Skin Boric.

Haku ordered the trainers, "Take cover in the bushes until we call you out, okay?" They nodded as they went off and the dragons approached the large building.

"So, should we call him Skin, Boric, or Skin Boric?" Eddy asked. Victor shrugged, "Whatever. I think he'll respond to anything."

The Eds shrugged as they called out bravely, "Hey, Skin! We're gonna take you down!"

Skin Boric came out, glaring at the dragons evilly. "Now, show him what you got!" Haku cheered as the Eds and Victor took to the skies and headed for the giant Noah with Haku watching from the sidelines.

As the four dragons swooped towards Skin, the massive villain swung his hammer, knocking Victor unconscious in one strike.

With Victor out of the way, Skin hurled the hammer at the Eds, who barely dodged out of harm's way in time.

As they tried swooping, Skin socked the dragons right in the faces, knocking them down.

"Fellows, I have a plan," Edd told his friends. "We charge him and knock him over the wall."

"Sounds like a plan!" Eddy said in determination as Ed shouted a battle-cry, "To Hades with you, evil-doer!"

The Eds charged towards Skin, only for the monster to grab the three of them and start to squeeze the life out of them.

"You bakas! You let him grab you!" Haku shouted in annoyance.

Desperate to get free, the Eds blew fire in Skin's face, though it didn't have an affect on him at all as the Nah tossed the Eds aside, knocking them out a bit.

"Oh, brother," Haku sighed as he swooped towards Skin, saying in a threatening voice, "Hey, ugly. Leave those newbies alone."

Skin growled as he tried to lay a punch on the older dragon, but Haku dodged the swipes as his tail wrapped around Skin's hand and dragged the Noah to the side of the ledge. Skin, however, wasn't going down that easy as he grabbed onto the ledge of the castle, making Haku have to pull harder.

"You think the Earl's gonna help you now?" Haku grunted as it began to rain. In response, Skin tossed Haku into the other side of the castle.

Haku flew up again as he blinded Skin by poking him in the eyes with his tail. Blinded, Skin didn't see Haku until the dragon pushed Skin off the ledge. The Noah had been defeated.

Victor and the Eds came to as they watched with worried looks when Haku fell onto the ground in a heap.

"Haku?" Victor said in worry. Haku laughed weakly, "Heh, that was a backside maneuver I…learned. I failed to mention it earlier."

"Take it easy, now. You idiot, you knew you were too old; why'd you have to be all noble?" Eddy said as he, Victor, and Double D realized Haku might not make it.

Haku smirked a bit as he rested his head down and his eyes began to close. "I think…I think something has burst inside me. It's my heart no doubt. But, I did get that monster good, huh?"

"You betcha, Haku!" Ed laughed happily, unaware that Haku wasn't doing so hot, as the other Eds and Victor kept watching sadly.

Haku chuckled one last time as he sighed in content, "What…what a grand way to finish a good…life." With that, Haku closed his eyes and took a last breath.

"Haku?" Ed asked as Victor, Edd, and Eddy looked at their friend with sadness. "Guys, what's wrong with Haku?"

"Ed…Haku ain't getting' up," Eddy said with sadness in his voice as Ed looked shocked. "Haku…dead?" The lummox got tears in his eyes as Victor said in comfort, "It's alright. This is the way he wanted to go, with a bang. He's happy, wherever he is…"

Soon, after freeing the prisoners, they buried Haku and Timcanpy, and held a funeral for them.

Hero's voice narrated sadly as the heroes left the castle and their two lost comrades, "And so they moved through the gateway to the Earl's territory."

Allen's voice said sadly as well, "Haku and Timcanpy, I'll miss you guys."

Maggie and Artie's voices asked Hero, "Where are they now?"

Hero replied as the heroes were seen in a barren wasteland, "They have arrived in the Realm of the Earl."

GW: Haku and Timcanpy, NO!

Hal: What the heck, wolf-freak!?

GW: Well, now the remaining heroes are now in the Realm as the story reaches its end. Read, review, and suggest 'til next time. BTW, if you read the last chapter of 'NBC' it explains important info on CPIS at the end of the chapter, so please check it out if you haven't. Thank you.