"Remind me… WHY are we doing this again?"

"To get back at the prank from earlier."

Rachel rolled her eyes as Jeremiah set up a water bucket under the doorway that lead into Echo and Bravo's barrack. Plum Kitty shook her head, questioning the act herself. The three were brand new to Flysenhower and had finally begun training under Echo and Bravo… who they learned very quickly earned their title the Jokers for a reason.

"I know they made us go slipping and sliding down the hallway but you know what they say about revenge, what goes around comes around." Plum Kitty commented, giving a concerned look. "I'm sure they were kidding about the whole 'Trial of the Pranks' thing."

"They weren't." Jeremiah retorted. "I asked one of the veterans on the ship about it, it's a legit thing they do to recruits, even Dusty Crophopper went through it."

The two girls went wide eyed. "For real?!"

"For real. Strika and Shinn both saw it happen, the whole thing ended when Skipper Riley got sent off to sea on his own bed."

"Wow…"

Jeremiah nodded. "Yep. From what I heard they even gave him a salute as they watched him float off. Made him REAL mad but according to them it was worth it… So I'm not holding back! I actually don't find the idea of a morning swim all that cozy."

Plum Kitty shook her head. "I still don't see this ending well either way but I can't stop you."

"The least we can do is be there for your funeral." Rachel joked.

Jeremiah scoffed chuckling a bit. "You doubt the great Jeremiah!?" He struck a pose. "Those old men won't know what hit 'em-"

"What's this about old men?"

Plum Kitty and Rachel froze, feeling their long hair stand up on end.

Oh no...

Jeremiah swallowed hard, slowly turning his head, a terrified look on his face. I AM SCREWED.

"Uh… Nothing?"

Echo and Bravo were standing right behind them, arms folded and giving a rather unimpressed look.

"So… you decided to accept the invitation of the Trial of the Pranks eh?" Bravo asked. He looked at Plum Kitty and Rachel surprised. "Never thought you two would actually decide to do it."

The two shook their heads rapidly, pointing their fingers at Jeremiah. "HIS IDEA!" They said in unision.

Jeremiah gave them a look. They wanted to play that game? Three could play it too. "Oh yeah? Last I checked you two INSISTED!" If he was going down, he was taking them with him.

"Well… looks like we got our work cut out for us Bravo." Echo smirked. "Three newbies… should be simple enough."

"Oh yes."

Rachel and Plum Kitty gulped. "M-Mercy…"

"Forget where you are? You're in the Navy ladies, we know not the meaning of the word."

"Mess with the best die like the rest." Echo quoted with a bit of an evil look. "There will be NO survivors!"

"Oh yeah?" Jeremiah challenged. "Maybe it's time someone knocked you two off your thrones."

The girls gasped. He didn't…

Bravo threw his head back laughing. "Oh ho ho! That's just rich!"

Echo snickered. "He thinks he can out prank US? Well then… Time for your ultimate lesson then ladies… Gent."

… What did I get us into!?

Rachel and Plum Kitty looked at Jeremiah with a death glare, mouthing, "We're going to kill you."

"First things first…" Bravo hit the side of the wall, causing the bucket Jeremiah had set up to fall over… and getting the girls soaked.

Jeremiah gulped hearing the girls let out yelps. "You guys are evil…"

"Kid… don't insult us… We're DIABOLICAL!"

The two girls looked to the two, giving the same glare they had given Jeremiah.

"Oh… It's a matter of pride now!"

"Great! The trial has begun!"

Echo and Bravo turned around. "See you around, rookies."

The two took off, leaving the three where they were.

"So…" Jeremiah started looking to the girls. "... I get to live?"

Rachel and Plum Kitty thought for a moment before nodding.

"For now." Rachel answered. "We got two chuckle heads to get back at."

"Well then…" The young man gave a broad smirk as ideas started to form.

"Let the games begin!"

"So, anyone keeping track of the score?" Strika asked, looking around the recreation room.

Shinn pointed over to a chalk board that had been set up. Jet Stream was currently putting more tallies on the board under the title "Rookies."

"When there's a Trial of the Pranks, Jet Stream is the first to know."

Strika looked at the board carefully. "Huh… those rookies aren't doing bad for their first time… What kind of pranks have they done?"

"Let's see… Ice puck on the floor, sent the two Jokers slipping and sliding - Crophopper got 'em with that one too so no points for originality, the girls got Bravo with replacing his Wrench jacket with one that had pink unicorns and rainbows on it… But lost a point because he took it like a man. The Jokers strung up Jeremiah on a rope over the side of the boat while he slept and also hid the girls helmets… Then while they were looking moved EVERYTHING in their room by about three inches so they kept bumping into stuff."

Strika laughed, holding her sides. "Oh gosh! Man, no mercy with this one!"

Jet Stream chuckled. "Yep and who knows what they have plotted next-"

Someone screaming was heard, likely Jeremiah. "AHHHHHHHHH!"

"... Quick get the camera!" Strika exclaimed as they went to investigate…. and tried their hardest not to laugh.

Jeremiah's hair was a very bright, electric blue and there was at least one patch of it missing. "ECHO! BRAVO! I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU! AND THERE WILL BE NO BODIES TO BE FOUND!"

"Oh this is good." Jet Stream laughed. "This is great stuff…"

Shinn quickly snapped a picture. "And I got it documented for the record book."

Rachel and Plum Kitty came walking by, carrying buckets behind their backs.

"And where are those two going?" Strika asked.

"I don't know, we better go see."

The three followed after the girls quietly. They made their way on to the deck where Echo and Bravo were.

"Echo! Bravo!" The girls called out.

The two looked over. "Hey, ladies, see Jeremiah's new hair do?"

"We did, and wanted to… give a proper congratulation."

Before anymore could be said, the two girls chucked their buckets on Echo and Bravo, drenching the two in bright pink paint, putting the buckets on their heads.

"RUN!" Plum Kitty yelled as they took off the runway to get away from Echo and Bravo.

There was a moment of silence before the Wrenches watching busted out laughing, some snapping pictures of the two veterans. "That! Was EPIC!" Jet Stream yelled, wiping away a tear.

"That's a good color on you boys!" Shinn shouted.

"They really are of our squadron if they were willing to go that far!" Strika added. "Way to be tough girls to drench those two in pink paint!"

Bravo slowly removed the bucket on his head. "Echo my friend… I believe this has turned from a trial… to… WAR!"

"YES! OIL FOR THE OIL GOD!"

"AFTER THEM!"

The two followed after the girls, taking the buckets with them.

Jet Stream shook his head. "Alright, anyone want to start a betting box?"

All hands went up. "30 on the girls!" Strika smirked.

"40 on Echo and Bravo!"

Oh, this is going to be fantastic.

Rachel and Plum Kitty slumped over some couches, trying to catch their breath from flying so long. They had been chased till they were completely out of energy and had to make a landing.

"That… was… terrifying…" Rachel said, rubbing her temples. "Headaches ahoy…"

Plum Kitty nodded. "My head hurts from the buckets…"

Jeremiah looked over to them looking up from an article on his Skypad about hair dye removal. "Least you got to keep your original hair colors. I'm seriously considering a shave!"

"Ouch man… Just be sure to wear your helmet majority of the time if you do."

"Planning on it. Imagine the kind of crud those two could pull if my head was a readily available blank canvas! I can see it now: "Newbie." "Eat At Joe's." "Echo is AWESOME." scrawled all over my head!" The young man shuddered. "I'm actually terrified of them."

"So much for the mentor and student trust…" Plum Kitty sighed. "We gotta find a way to get this war ended before one of us really gets it."

Jeremiah hummed in thought before an evil grin slowly made it's way upon his face. He had an idea… An awful idea… Jeremiah had a wonderful awful idea.

"I know juuuust the plan…"

The girls gulped. The last "plan" he had landed them in this mess.

"I don't know…" Rachel murmured looking to the door as if Echo and Bravo would materialize out of thin air. "Last time you had a plan it ended in this mess."

"I guarantee this will end the war and go down in Wrench history. They'll be talking about it for YEARS!"

"Okay…"

The next morning, Echo and Bravo were out on the deck, enjoying the sea breeze.

"Well, quiet morning so far. Think they've given up?" Bravo asked.

"Perhaps they have. Pretty hard to beat out yesterday." Echo chuckled closing his eyes for a moment. "Hard to beat us in general."

"Excuse me, guys?" Jet Stream asked from behind them, silently thankful for drama class in highschool in being able to keep a straight face. The trio had convinced him to help with this "finale" as if they said it they'd know they were pulling their legs out right.

"Hm?"

"There's something you need to see in the rec room… it concerns the rookies."

"Oh?" Bravo asked, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly?"

"Just… Come see…" He lead the way back as the two followed.

They made it to the chalkboard as a message was on it.

"We decided, unanimously that this war is obviously just the start. We had no idea we were signing on for THIS when we signed up… So we've decided as a team to request to be transferred out of the Wrenches and off the Flysenhower. It was a good run guys." Said the message on it, where the score once was. The trainees were no where in sight.

Echo looked to Bravo feeling a twinge of guilt. "Think… we went too far?"

"Possibly… The pranks this time around were rather grand compared to past Trial of the Pranks."

Echo was going to say something when he noticed everyone had vacated the room. That was strange, usually if someone managed to chase off a rookie, there was glaring all around.

I have a bad… BAD feeling about this….

As if on cue, somewhere, someone pulled a rope as several bags of flour were unleashed upon the two.

"WAH!"

"SURPRISE!"

Rachel and Plum Kitty came out of their hiding spots with buckets of water, splashing the two, causing the flour to become sticky.

Before they could respond Jeremiah who was floating above them dumped a whole bag of feathers over them as it stuck to the flour mixture. "Boy you two sure are a couple of CHICKENS!" He laughed.

Bravo felt his left eye twitch. "You…"

Shinn snapped a picture of Echo and Bravo. "Oh this one is priceless, I wonder if we should send this over to the Bounty Hunter Squadron, they'd die laughing."

"You wouldn't!" Echo yelled.

"We would." Jet said as he filmed it. "THIS is SO going on the Wrenches Flewtube account!"

Jeremiah landed with the girls giving a smirk. "What is it you boys said?" He started.

"Mess with the best." Rachel began.

"DIE LIKE THE REST!" Plum Kitty cheered.

Echo and Bravo hung their heads, laughing a little.

"I think we've taught them well, Echo…" Bravo chuckled.

"Maybe a little too well." Echo laughed. "I'd say we have to wave the white flag now... Agree?"

"Agreed."

The two snapped off salutes.

"Well played rookies. Well played."

"We formally surrender."

The three cheered, hugging each other.

"We did it! We passed the Trial of the Pranks!"

"We won the war!"

"Hallelujah!

Watch out future trainees… These three will be ready for you too in due time.

"Oh Shiba and Cadence are going to LOVE this." Shinn said, running out of the room as fast as possible.

Bravo felt his face go red. "Oh no…"

"SHINN!" Echo yelled. "YOU BETTER NOT!"

"I think he is." Jet laughed.

The Wrenches chased after him.

"LOOKS LIKE WE WILL HAVE OIL FOR THE OIL GOD TONIGHT!"

"THERE WILL BE NO SURVIVORS!"

Rachel, Plum Kitty and Jeremiah laughed as they departed.

"Looks like another war is gonna start." Rachel laughed.

"I'll bring the popcorn!" Plum Kitty said.

"And I'll start the scoreboard." Jeremiah grinned.

Strika chuckled, giving the three pats on the back.

"You did good, now you get to watch."

"You're now officially initiated in the Navy." Jet Stream added, clearing the chalkboard.

The trio cheered.

"VOLO PRO VERITAS!"

Strika and Jet Stream nodded.

"That's right, Volo Pro Veritas."