Four years.
Four whole years of attempt after attempt after attempt to try and take over all of Skylands.
And time and time again, failure after failure after failure.
Destroying the Core Of Light? Fail.
Obtaining the Iron Fist of Arkus and becoming King of an ancient Arkeyan army? Fail.
Evilizing Mount Cloudbreak in order to spread darkness all across Skylands?
You guessed it, fail.
It was clear now: Kaos couldn't stop the Skylanders alone.
This time, he needed some help.
And the only guys out there that were as evil and diabolical as him were none other than eight criminals known all throughout Skylands: The Doom Raiders.
Problem was, they were currently locked up inside one of the toughest prisons in Skylands, if not in all of anywhere, the infamous Cloudcracker Prison.
However, Kaos had a plan for busting them out. It was said that the material that the prison was made out of, Traptanium, was virtually indestructible. It was time to prove that statement wrong!
"What is the matter with you?!" He roared to his butler, who was given the task of recording this whole scenario to prove to the Doom Raiders that Kaos was worthy of leading them all. "Hold still, Glumshanks!"
"Sorry Lord Kaos." The troll muttered.
"Ugh! Is it even on?!"
The troll flipped the camera over and saw a red light.
"Uh, technically, yes."
"Good." Kaos cleared his throat. "Hello, fellow evildoers! By the time you see this, I, Kaos, will have hatched an ingenious plan to liberate you from your miserable existence here in Cloudcracker Prison! And I will do it with this!"
Kaos gestured to an odd-looking machine.
"I call it the E.F.M.E.D!" He pronounced. "Also known as my Evil Frequency Modulator of Evil Doom! OBSERVE!"
He began pressing many buttons and switches. The machine began roaring to life.
"With this device," Kaos continued. "I will tunnel my way through these walls, and free all of you, the Doom Raiders, then, obviously grateful, you will help me, as your new supreme leader, and help me complete my glorious plan for the ultimate domination of all Skylands! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The machine began whirring up even more.
"Uh, Lord Kaos?" Glumshanks nervously asked. "Are you sure it's supposed to be this loud?!"
"SILENCE, FOOL!" Kaos shouted back over the noise. "Course I'm sure."
The EFMED began to spark out of control as the Traptanium walls began to crack apart! Nervously, Kaos and Glumshanks began to hightail it out of there! The footage stopped suddenly as the two managed to make it to a safe distance. Then, with a bright flash, Cloudcracker Prison blew completely apart!
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kaos laughed in victory. "Yes! It worked! Now those stupid Skylameos won't stand a chance against the combined might of the Doom Raiders and KAOS!"
"Uh, sir?" Glumshanks pointed out. "What is that?"
The Dark Portal Master turned to see what was now left of Cloudcracker Prison. From its ruins, a beam of pure light flowed into the sky, shortly followed by one of utter darkness. But something was wrong. This was not THE Darkness….
"Eh, it's probably nothing."
The two then went off to meet up with their new companions-to-be.
…
After a long year of construction, Skylander Academy was nearly finished.
However, the new home-to-be of the Skylanders had already taken in new trainees before it could be finished. Throughout the year, Spyro, Flynn, Cali, and Hugo got to know these new recruits.
Bat Spin hailed from the underworld, where as a child she was separated from her people. After spending months searching for them, she eventually was welcomed by a colony of magical bats who raised her as one of their own. After many peaceful years living with the bats, the colony was invaded by an army of undead trolls, who were set on stealing their magic to build an ultimate sonar weapon. Bat Spin quickly took action and used powerful abilities that she had learned growing up with the bats and essentially becoming one of them. She heroically defeated the trolls and saved the colony. This caught the attention of the spiritual Portal Master Eon, who saw at once she would make a worthy Skylander!
Blades came from a long line of dragons that guarded the dungeon of Scalos Castle, where the Golden Fear Serpent had slumbered for a century. Although it was considered an honor, Blades dreamed of becoming a knight so he could go on adventures in faraway lands. But one evening, a deafening roar shook the castle and a wave of fear swept over. The serpent had awoken! Fighting his fear with each step, Blades descended into the chamber. As he entered, the golden beast grinned and made Blades an offer - he would leave the kingdom unharmed and slumber for another hundred years, as long as Blades agreed to remain in the dungeon for eternity. Knowing the safety of the kingdom was more important than his ambition, Blades accepted the offer. Then suddenly, the fear was gone and the serpent vanished - for it turned out the only way to defeat the serpent was to confront his fear. News of this bravery soon found its way to Eon, who came to see Blades at once and made him a Skylander.
Though Cobra Cadabra was an assistant to The Great Mabuni, a traveling magician that performed all over Skylands, he wanted more than anything to become a magician himself. Unfortunately, the guild of Mysteriously Mad Magic Masters of Mystery, who for centuries taught all of the greatest magicians, would not permit it. And so Mabuni decided to teach the cobra himself, even though it was forbidden. They studied everything together, from vanishing acts to snake charming. But when the guild discovered this, they sent a team of magic rabbit enforcers to punish them both. Although the beastly hares were the most powerful of their kind in Skylands, Cobra Cadabra remained brave. Playing an enchanted tune on his flute, he used what he had learned to cast a spell over the rabbits and lead them away. Upon hearing this, this guild was impressed by such a display of skill, and accepted the snake charmer as a member. Soon after, Cobra Cadabra was made a member of another group – the Skylanders!
Growing up, Chopper was much smaller than the rest of his dinosaur kin. But this didn't bother him because he had big ideas. Ahead of the annual hunting competition to honor the village idol, Roarke Tunga, Chopper spent weeks building himself a super Gyro-Dino-Exo-Suit. When the competition began, he took the air – firing his missiles and chomping everything in his path. With Chopper on the verge of victory, the competition came to a sudden halt when the nearby volcano erupted, flooding the village with lava. Seeing the residents of his village trapped, Chopper quickly flew into action. One at a time, he airlifted everyone to safety and he was even able to save the village idol. For heroically using his head, Chopper was made a Skylander!
On a remote island in Skylands, Déjà Vu tirelessly worked on a machine that would make the perfect three-minute egg in half the time. After pouring over countless magic tomes, and even consulting the lost plans used to create the legendary Tower of Time, she finally completed construction of the huge machine. Unfortunately, a gang of evil giant sea slugs, searching for a way to acquire super speed, learned of her machine and set about to take it at all costs. Slow, but well armed, the massive slugs bore down on the island. But rather than allow her work be used for evil, Déjà Vu quickly jumped into action and set the clock's hands to thirteen – causing a time overload. Caught up in the blast, she was given an amazing power over time, which she then used to stop the evil slugs in their tracks and spin them home.
Echo lived in an undersea kingdom that was built around an enormous oyster shell, and at its center was the Pearl of Wisdom. Every day water dragons from all around the kingdom would come to ask questions of the Pearl. Because this was a sacred ritual, anyone living near the Pearl were required to speak only in whispers. This was challenging for Echo, who lived directly next to it. She had a gift – and it was loud – and often got her in trouble. One day, a gang of sea horses known as the Aqua Jocks rode into town and claimed the Pearl for themselves. They cast an unbreakable bubble around it and began dragging it away with enormous chains. The nearby water dragons, who had been quiet for so long, were unable to even call for help. Then Echo appeared – and with her loudest sonar blast, she shattered the bubble and blew the sea horses out of the kingdom! Her heroic actions caught the attention of Gill Grunt, who recruited her as a Skylander.
Fist Bump had long been the sleeping protector of the Bubbling Bamboo Forest, but awoke from a long hibernation when a horde of nasty purple Greebles arrived with gigantic rock-smashing machines. Intent on building a new base, their machines wreaked havoc – chewing up the land and spitting out billowing clouds of smoke into the enchanted air. Seeing this, Fist Bump was furious. Using his enormous stone fists, he hammered the ground with all his strength, creating a massive earthquake that sent huge shockwaves towards the Greeble camp. This reduced the machines to mere scrap and sent the Greebles running off in a panic. The act of bravery caught the attention of Terrafin, who brought Fist Bump to meet Eon.
As a royal protector of the legendary monkey idol Kubla-Wa, Fling Kong trained seriously in the mysterious art of Monk-Ru, a form of fighting using the power of air. He was a devoted student, always the first to arrive to training and the last to leave. One day, a troop of foul-smelling, well-armed Gorilla-Goos appeared, led by the infamous General Snot. Snot had heard stories about the idol, particularly that it was made of solid gold. The villains quickly seized control of the temple that housed the idol and were on the verge of taking it. But suddenly the smelly gorillas found themselves face to face with Fling Kong – who attacked with the power of a true Monk-Ru master! Using his flying rug and powerful vortex discs, he expertly defeated the Gorilla-Goos and saved the idol. Soon after, word of his actions spread to Eon.
Most of the dolphins of Bottlenose Bay spent their days playing in the waves. However, Flip Wreck was different. Always the adventurous one, he took it upon himself to be a self-appointed protector of his undersea world. One day, while exploring an underwater graveyard of shipwrecks, he came across a massive Ice Viking ship that was still intact. Suddenly, a huge crew of Ice Vikings burst out from inside and began leading an attack on the unarmed dolphin residents. Flip Wreck took off at once and quickly fastened together armor, a shield, and a sword using pieces from the nearby wrecks. He then single-handedly defeated the Ice Vikings, who retreated, never to be seen again.
Food Fight did more than just play with his food, he battled with it! This tough little Veggie Warrior was the byproduct of a troll food experiment gone wrong. When the Troll Farmers Guild attempted to fertilize their soil with gunpowder, they got more than a super snack – they got an all-out Food Fight! Rising from the ground, he led the neighborhood Garden Patrol to victory. Later, he went on to defend his garden home against a rogue army of gnomes after they attempted to wrap the Asparagus people in bacon! His courage caught the eye of Eon, who decided that this was one veggie lover he needed on his side as a valued member of the Skylanders.
Funny Bone once lived on Punch Line Island – the funniest place in the Land of the Undead and home of the Eternal Chuckling Trees that magically make everyone laugh when the breeze tickles them. But after hearing stories of this, the evil Count Moneybone sent his minions to investigate if this magic could be used to make a "Funny Bomb" that would render Skylands helpless with laughter. Funny Bone was in the middle of burying his neighbors' birthday cake on a breezeless day when the invaders arrived. Seeing their large axes, Funny Bone instantly knew that the Chuckling Trees were in danger. Without hesitation, he sprang into action, fighting off the minions and driving them from his humorous home.
High Five was one of the most skilled sky racers of all the dragonflies. But as the fifth son of the Royal High Flying Dragonflies, he was not allowed to enter any of the racing tournaments that took place each year because of his age. Instead, he was forced to watch from the sidelines as his four older brothers competed for the coveted Trophy of Sparx, which legend has said holds magical properties. One year, during the biggest racing event of the season, High Five learned that the Troll Racing Team had stolen the valuable trophy and were going to use the race to cover their escape. He quickly took action, jumping into the race and using his amazing flying skills to weave and dodge his way to the front of the pack, where he caught up to the trolls and brought them down. For his actions, High Five was given the Trophy of Sparx. Even more importantly, he was made a Skylander, where he now helped protect Skylands from any evildoers.
Rocky was a rock digger who wanted to make a difference, and Roll was a boulder that wanted to see the world. The two of them had known each other since they were young and in mining school together. They had shared the same goal – making the sacred journey to Peek's Peak, where it was said that one's destiny reveals itself. But time went on, and it wasn't until many years later that they found each other traveling the same path towards the mythical peak. The connection that was established years before had finally taken shape, and the two realized they were meant to journey far and wide together – as Rocky Roll. After several adventures together, they met Eon by chance, who recognized that their connection was special.
Torch's childhood was spent working with her grandfather as a dragon keeper, where she helped tend to a stable of dragons that protected her village. One year, an evil Snow Dragon unleashed a terrible blizzard that trapped her entire homeland inside a massive ice glacier! Torch was the only one to escape. Having always been fearless, she set out at once to rescue the villagers and her dragons from their chilly fate. Armed with her Firespout Flamethrower, she fought hard through the treacherous conditions and bravely defeated the Snow Dragon in an epic battle. After the village was free from its icy doom, Torch returned home to find her grandfather missing. The only token left behind was his lucky flaming horseshoe. Now as a member of the Skylanders, Torch wielded her powerful flamethrower as well as her lucky horseshoe in hopes it will one day lead her to the grandfather she had lost.
Trail Blazer was always hot tempered, especially when he saw anything as being unfair. One day, he came across another unicorn that was trapped in a net. But it wasn't just any unicorn. It was the mythical Unocorn – a magical creature with a Churro Horn that sprinkled enchanted cinnamon throughout Skylands. Trail Blazer freed it at once. Soon after, the Dark Wizards who had set the trap returned, and were very angry to find their dastardly deed had been thwarted. But Trail Blazer was much more fired up – for it turned out the spicy cinnamon from the Churro Horn had somehow rubbed off on him and mixed with his elemental fire. So he was literally set ablaze with fury! He then ran fiery circles around the wizards, forcing them to flee and never return. After realizing his newfound fury could be used to fight evil everywhere, Trail Blazer sought out the Skylanders, who immediately welcomed him as a member.
As an orphan from the Dizzying Dunes, Tread Head had always dreamed of racing. And after a summer of scavenging for parts, he finally managed to build a bike that would allow him to enter the local racing circuit. The other competitors laughed at the crudeness of his work, but Tread Head had built it for performance, not for style. So when the race began, he jumped out to a commanding lead. But as he entered a canyon, he suddenly found himself at a roadblock – of Goblin troops! Knowing the other racers were in danger, he pulled off the road and kicked up so much dust that the Goblins had no choice but to flee, allowing the other racers to pass safely. Tread Head may have lost the race that day, but he earned the respect of Eon, who would see to it that Tread Head would tread on evil wherever he went!
These new recruits were being trained by none other than Buzz, who was overseeing the construction of Skylander Academy. He was known for being the greatest trainer in all Skylands and well recognized for his secret ninja commando skills. Not only was he training the new Skylanders, but he also helped some veterans reach new potentials and gain new powers!
Pop Fizz learned that, if he swallowed a potion whole (yes, even the beaker containing the liquid), he could become a Super Beast, with his abilities overloaded. He called this his Fizzy Frenzy Mode.
Jet-Vac now had red Sky Baron Armor and duel Full Blast air guns.
Fryno learned a new trick with his motorcycle: kicking up molten rocks when power drifting. He called this his Hog Wild maneuver.
Shroomboom learned how to conjure up mushrooms when flinging himself. As if being the ball in a pinball table, Shroomboom called this his Sure Shot technique.
Gill Grunt learned he could harness his element while jetpacking and ride a giant Tidal Wave Leviathan.
As for Chop Chop, Eruptor, Gill Grunt, Spyro, Whirlwind, Stealth Elf, Trigger Happy, and Terrafin, they were all made as one special team called Eon's Elite. They would be the strongest representatives of their element, and had proven themselves worthy to receive such an honorable rank.
(There were even dolls and toys of certain Skylanders, since they had become famous.)
Now, all 96 Skylanders (that was an understatement, however, as the Giants and SWAP Force were elsewhere at the time) were gathered with their allies and other mabu as Buzz began making his speech at was to be the Academy's main entrance.
"As head of security and secret ninja commando operations," Buzz began. "Let me welcome you to the Grand Opening of Skylander Academy!"
(What? It was THAT anticipated by the citizens! What else was given a grand opening before it was actually complete?!)
"Oh boy." Hugo whispered as Buzz continued his speech. "This is great, Cali! I mean, a new Skylander headquarters?! There hasn't been one in ages!"
"I know, Hugo!" Cali said back. "And Buzz is the most legendary Skylander trainer ever! But there's something familiar about him…"
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Flynn charmely added. "I've seen his kind before. BIG showoff. Jeez, is he still talking?!"
Spyro just rolled his eyes as he continued paying attention.
"...with the new opening of Skylander Academy!" Buzz concluded. "May it usher in a new age of safety, security, and-."
Suddenly, a massive meteor struck a nearby island, sending the Mabu running in fear.
"WOWSERS!" Flynn yelped. "What was that?!"
"I'm coming up with only one thing." Spyro said. "Kaos. Careful, newbies. He's more dangerous than you even think he is."
"HOLY GUACAMOLE!" Buzz yelled. "That thing landed smack-dab in the middle of our Annual Soda Festival!"
"NO! NOT THE SODAS!" Pop Fizz yelled, hugging together as many potions as he could. "ANYTHING BUT THE SODAS!"
"Stay put, folks!" Buzz continued. "The Skylanders and I will check it out!"
"I'll go with you, Buzzy!" Food Fight piped up. "It's time we get down to the bottom of this!"