Chihiro Hatsuki's Skylanders

by Tilde-Heart

Chihiro Hatsuki is an ordinary Earth kid whose life is turned upside down when the Skylanders, the magical guardians of another world, land in her backyard and promptly tell her that she's a magical portal master! Now, Chihiro must help the Skylanders defeat their archenemy Kaos and restore the Core of Light that protects their world. (Canon-divergent retelling of SSA)

9. Chapter 9

Woo, next chapter! Also, after this chapter ends there will be an important announcement regarding CHS' future—be sure to read it!

Watch Seeker: Well, you were close! We've still got a little bit before the Eternal Water Source—but not that much! And I like Chi as a nickname too!

BlackGame: Thank you! I actually do have plans for those characters, but since it involves some major spoilers for later parts of the fic I can't really say much other than that~

---

The odds seemed against her—Chihiro was backed into a corner on the small, grassy island she was on with nowhere to run—everywhere around here, there was nothing but sky and blank space. And in front of her…

Was none other than Kaos. His rippling muscles flexed with power, his red eyes glowed bright as they glared straight into Chihiro's soul, his long, dark hair flowed in what little wind they had, and his pristine white fangs shined against the light as his whole person radiated with evil power. Behind him, he had what seemed like his entire armada of trolls, chompies, and whatever else he may have had—all lead against one little portal master.

It was either fight or die—and Chihiro wasn't picking that last option.

"You know, Kaos, there are two things I'm good at—playing video games, and kicking butt," Chihiro said as she cracked her knuckles, "And we're not playing any games here."

Kaos was entirely silent. Instead, he opted to conjure blackish-purple flames from his hands and toss them one by one at Chihiro—but she dodged every one as lucidly and flawlessly as one could! With a mighty cry of battle, Chihiro raced forwards and clocked Kaos right in the kisser! He let out a shout of utter pain as he reeled back from Chihiro's assault, but she wasn't giving up yet! Instead, Chihiro conjured up giant magic spheres and tossed them straight into Kaos's chest!

As Kaos disgracefully fell onto his back, he growled and pointed at Chihiro—a silent command his armada understood well. They all launched themselves at Chihiro, weapons and fists alike all bared and ready to fight!

But with a snap of her fingers, Chihiro evaporated them all in a beam of aqua light! It was just her and Kaos now. The two of them stared each other down, venom in both parties' eyes and silence abound.

"You're not gonna get away this time, Kaos!" Chihiro exclaimed as she sprung forwards and dashed towards Kaos with all the energy she could muster.

But as she ran, the world seemed to crumble underneath her feet! Cracks appeared in the crust of the island, entire chunks slowly broke off—and soon enough, the entire island completely fell apart!

Kaos merely disappeared as Chihiro kept falling and falling! There was no way! This couldn't be happening! She was so close to defeating him, just so close, but it had to be snagged away from her yet again!

"Chihiro! Chihiro!" was the last thing she heard as everything went black.

§

"Chihiro, wake up! You've got patrols to send out!" Spyro shouted as he shook Chihiro's sleeping body.

"No, no, Kaos, you're not getting 'way this time," Chihiro groaned as she turned and waved her hand in Spyro's face, "Just give me five more minutes, Spyro, I'm beatin' Kaos."

"In Chihiroland, maybe, but here in the real world, we need you to get up so we can take care of these portals." Spyro rolled his eyes as he watched Chihiro continue to peacefully snooze away, "Okay, that's it!"

With a grunt Spyro yanked Chihiro's blanket off the bed and watched as she was tossed into the air!

Chihrio let out a shout of surprise as her eyes shot wide open and she stayed suspended in midair for all of five seconds… Then she promptly landed face-first onto the ground.

"Okay, okay, I'm up!" Chihiro's head swerved up to meet Spyro's gaze, "Next time, find a better way to wake me up."

"Next time, maybe you should actually wake up on time." Spyro took to the skies and flew out of Chihiro's room, "Come on, we've got work to do!"

"Geez, Spyro." Chihiro shook her head, stretched out her arms and gave Spyro a pout as she walked out of the bedroom.

Spyro paused and playfully rolled his eyes, then smiled and flew off. With a pound of his wings he darted out of the building like a bullet while Chihiro chased behind him, her eyes wide and her smile even wider.

For moments, everything seemed right with the world. Spyro broke a smile for the first time since he recovered from that nasty cold, the wind was so fresh without a manner of chilling nature, the autumn leaves cascaded over Spyro and Chihiro in such a carefree manner… As Chihiro chased Spyro over to the heart of the island, however, the air turned grim and cold.

Chihiro stopped in her tracks and found that most everybody was bustling around with an eerie silence except for Hugo, who stood right in the center of everything and ready to greet.

"Chihiro, you're awake!" Hugo chirped as he clasped his paws.

"And just in time for patrols, too!" Chihiro beamed as she gave Hugo a thumbs up.

Hugo nodded, then pulled a paper list out of his pocket and handed it over to Chihiro.

"Wait." Chihiro frowned as she gazed over at the list and then at Hugo. "You're not coming with?"

"Well, I'd happily do so, but I've run into a little problem." Hugo sighed and looked over the Far-Viewer, which was still as rusty as ever.

"It is an alien invasion from beyond the stars?" Chihiro's eyes glistened wide and eager.

"What would give you that idea?" Hugo he shook his head, "I've just been looking for the next part of the Core of Light, except the Far-Viewer is incredibly rusty and won't turn past a certain point. I need to get some oil for it, but unfortunately there's no oil around here—I'll have to send someone out to fetch some."

"So?…" Chihiro's shoulders slumped and her mouth went agape, "That's it? No rats, no doomsnakes, no giant hamsters of the apocalypse? You just need to get some oil for a giant telescope?"

"Exactly," Hugo nodded and smiled.

"I don't know whether I should be glad or disappointed." Chihiro's eye twitched for a moment, then she looked down at the list of patrols and beamed. As she made an excited noise, Chihiro turned around and presented the list to Spyro and Hugo.

"Yes, it's a patrol assignment list, what about it?" Spyro asked as he glazed over the list and sighed, "Island duty, again?…"

"No, no, look at the bottom!" Chihiro exclaimed as she rapidly tapped a patrol listed as the very bottom of the list, "I get to go on a mission!"

Chihiro looked back at the list and beamed—there, listed near the bottom of the paper under the mission "Search for more info on Fairy Kingdom" were four people—Hex, Dark Spyro, Double Trouble… And Chihiro herself!

"I gotta go, guys, I've got a mission to go on!" Chihiro stuffed the list into her pocket and dashed off to the portal building as she made a peace sign back at them, "Later!"

As Hugo and Spyro watched her, Spyro heaved a sigh and flew in place.

"Spyro, island duty is just as important as—"

"Yeah, I know," Spyro said as he made a weak, understanding smile that quickly turned to a frown, "But I was sick for so long, I should be out making up for lost time! For all I know, Kaos could've—"

"Spyro, you can't help getting sick, can you?" Hugo asked as he looked up at Spyro, then made a smile as Spyro reluctantly shook his head, "I thought not, now—"

Then, they were all interrupted by an awful, awful noise akin to the sound of metal grinding and a screech that was like nails on a chalkboard at max volume! Both Hugo and Spyro let out exclamations of shock before they immediately cover their ears.

"What is that noise?" Spyro shouted, barely able to take the earache.

"What was that? I didn't hear you!" Hugo shouted back.

"What is that noise?" Spyro repeated.

"Why are you talking about matted toys?"

"Oh, I'll find out myself." Spyro then groaned and flew out of the group.

With a tilt of his head, he flew down to the beach's staircase, all while the torches flared up in a rainbow of colors—though he didn't have the mind to pay attention to it because all the noise completely took up his head.

"What the heck is going on down here?" Spyro asked as he turned the stairs and gazed over at the beach.

There, much to her surprise, was a seafoam green-colored gillperson! They were dressed in all sorts of rubber, orange mechanic clothes and were working on some kind of strange machine, all while a rusty red toolbox sat next to them on the sand.

"Excuse me?" Spyro asked, "Who are you?"

No response—the gillperson just kept on working.

Spyro groaned as his mouth dipped into a deep frown.

"EXCUSE ME!" Spyro glared over at the gillperson, then finally flew up to their side.

"EXCUSE ME!"

The gillperson jolted up in their place, then turned around and faced Spyro.

"Alright, alright, no need to shout!" the gillperson exclaimed, their voice akin to that of someone gargling water, "What is it?"

"Who are you?" Spyro tilted his head and frowned, while his eyes flashed purple as he readied his magic—just in case.

"Oh, right, you must be one of the Skylanders!" The gillperson nodded and knelt before Spyro, "My name's Gurglefin—your teammates saved my home from being taken over by trolls."

"No need to bow, it's all in a day's work." Spyro leaned over and eyed the machine next to Gurglefin as the magic he charged slowly vanished, "Next question—what is that machine, exactly?"

"Oh, this!" Gurglefin stretched his scaly arms out and presented the machine with a proud grin, "This is a gift I present on behalf of my people, as a thank you for freeing us from Kaos's control. It's called the Oil Donkey!"

"Oil donkey?" Spyro made a confused frown. Who in Skylands thought that was a good name?

"We didn't name it, I swear." Gurglefin shook his head, then beamed as he presented the machine once more, "What it does is simple, yet efficient—it synthesizes common liquids like water into bona fida fossils fuels—namely, oil!"

"How surprisingly convenient, we actually needed some oil! Thank's a lot, Gurglydin!"

"… It's Gurglefin."

"My bad." Spyro grabbed the handle attached to the device and cranked it, "So, how's it work?"

However Spyro cranked it a little too hard, which caused oil to gush out in one giant stream right on his face! Spyro let out garbled shouts of surprise as the oil splashed him then pouted as the stream ended—and revealed that he was covered in oil down to the neck.

"Like that." Gurglefin barely suppressed a chuckle or two, "You crank the handle, get a container, put it in front of the pipe, and you've got your oil!"

"Thanks for the tip, but I think I can manage." Spyro wiped the oil off of his face, tuned everyone else out, then began cranking… And cranking, and cranking…

"Surely that's gotta be enough, right?" Spyro asked as he peered inside the oil canister placed at the base of the Oil Donkey…

Somehow, only a drop had gotten inside.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Spyro gazed inside the container with utter disbelief before he hung his head, "This is gonna be a long day."

§

It had taken her nearly two hours, but Chihiro's mission had ended—quite well, too, if she said so herself! With an ever-present beam on her face, Chihiro hopped off of the ship and onto the familiar crunchy grass of the island's heart, then watched as her teammates from the mission joined her.

"Mannnnnnn," Whined a voice that sounded kinda like a more scratchy version of Spyro's as someone else flew up beside her, "That took WAY too long."

Chihiro looked to her side, and found that beside her was a dragon who looked near-identical to Spyro in terms of body—their only differences were in colors, for this dragon was black and silver as opposed to Spyro's striking purple and gold. Even their crimson-colored eyes held a level of mischief that Spyro's lacked.

"Now I wouldn't say that, Dark," Chihiro chuckled as she made a smug grin, "It flew by if you asked me! But then again, time flies when you're having fun~"

"Fun?" Dark looked up at Chihiro with the most utterly disbelieving of looks, as if she had spoken in an entirely different language.

"C'mon, admit it—wasn't it fun to chase those cyclopes around and torch their butts?"

Dark snorted and looked up at Chihiro with a grin encapsulated on his face.

"Yeah, got me there."

"How'd you even get your fire breath so hot, anyways?" Chihiro tilted her head, "I could probably feel it from halfway across the island!"

Dark only yanked a couple giant, crimson-colored peppers out of nowhere—one of which had a noticeably large bite taken out of it.

"Snagged these babies from Eon's garden~" Dark closed his eyes and took a proud stance, "They were supposed to be for pranks, but hey! Whatever wor—"

"SO YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STOLE THOSE PEPPERS FROM THE GARDEN!" Shouted a voice with a trill and a noticeable Spanish accent from half a mile over.

"CRAP!" Dark's eyes shot wide open as he jumped up and shot through the skies like a rocket, "GOTTA JET!"

As Chihiro watched him become little more than a speck in the autumn skies, she shrugged and pulled something out of her pocket—a map made of yellowing paper with crudely drawn illustrations and the title "Map to the Fairy Kingdom." As she looked over its humble page, she couldn't help but beam—surely this would help with their ongoing mission some, and SHE was the one to find it! Being able to help out sure gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling…

"Huugo~" Chihiro swung around the corner and stumbled onward to where Hugo and Spyro were having a conversation.

"Yes, Chihiro?" Hugo asked with a wide grin before his eyes fell onto the map in Chihiro's hands, "What exactly is that?"

"This?" Chihiro repeated as she held up the map, "THIS could very well be the map to the Fairy Kingdom that we've been looking for!"

Chihiro then handed the map along to Hugo, who unfolded it, glazed over its surface for a few moments and beamed even wider as he stuffed it back into his pocket.

"That's great news, Chihiro!" Hugo clapped his paws and contently closed his eyes, "I'll pass it along to Persephone and see what she has to say!"—Hugo then opened his eyes and turned back to the Far-Viewer—"And that's not the only good news we have, either!"

"Really? What?" Chihiro clasped her hands and made a soft squeal of excitement.

"Thanks to Spyro and Gurglefin's efforts, we were able to get oil for the Far-Viewer!" Hugo then waddled up to the Far-Viewer and toyed with it for a few moments before he looked back at Chihiro, "And I was able to locate the Twin Spouts of Ocea-Major-Minor!"

"Great!" Chihiro's smile fell to a confused, neutral look as she placed a finger to the corner of her mouth, "What are these twin spouts of Osha-Maejo-Maino or whatever?"

"They're the only vessel that can house the Eternal Water Source." Hugo then took a breath, "And, as you can guess, the next part of the Core of Light! They're made from the finest of gold, forged with the scales of the fearsome Leviathan, all combined with the most powerful of Water magic—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's nice and all." Chihiro nodded her head vigorously and pushed Hugo aside to sneak a quick peek from the Far-Viewer, "So, where is it?"

"See, that's where the problem lies." Hugo pushed his glasses up and joined Chihiro at the Far-Viewer's lens.

Chihiro had expected to find the Twin Spouts in some kind of cavern hidden behind a waterfall, or in a sea monster's treasure stash—heck, maybe even in an old coral reef—but no. They were standing high on a stone pedestal that was guarded by two burly-looking pirates within a cove covered in overgrown vines and murky, dark waters that was lit only by the light of a passing lantern. It kinda looked a bit like those pirate movies Chihiro had seen ads for on TV ever other second of the day. Well, on second thought maybe that wasn't too unexpected for something like that…

"So, it's a little dark and murky. That's never stopped us before, right?" Chihiro looked perfectly optimistic as she looked over towards a more pessimistic Hugo.

"That's not the problem, Chihiro." Hugo shook his head and frowned as he peered into the lens once more, a fearful trill in his voice, "This place is Dark Water Cove! It's rumored to house the largest underground pirate trade in all Skylands. Some of the biggest, baddest pirates are said to lurk here on a weekly basis!"

"Well then, we'll just have to take it away from them, by force if we need to!" Chihiro's eyes widened for a moment as she gained a determined look, "Who's with me?!"

"And, not to mention there's some kind of magic there that completely blocks it off from the portal networks." Hugo grabbed the back of Chihiro's jacket before she could bolt off like she usually did, "I'm not even sure how we'll get there!"

"You said Gurglefin was here, right?" Chihiro wormed out of Hugo's grasp and looked down as he nodded, "I'm sure I could talk him into sailing the 'Landers there!"

"Then I'll go round up the other Skylanders!" Spyro said as he gave Chihiro an ever-knowing smile and flew off.

"Wait for me, Golden Boy!" Chihiro shouted as she waved at Spyro, then turned around and gave Hugo an ever-excited look.

"Good luck with those pirates," Hugo said as he coughed into his hand.

Chihiro just stared at an invisible audience and shrugged her shoulders, an ever-clueless look on her face.

"Geez, what's his deal?"

§

"Alrighty," Chihiro chirped as she stretched her arms to the skies and grinned, "Gill, Zapster, you got the plan?"

"Sneak into the pirate dudes' hideout, take back the Twin Spouts and get home before dinner?" Zap relayed as he slid in front of Chihiro and flipped into the air, "You bet'cha!"

Chihiro giggled as she watch Zap land perfectly on his feet, then gave him a thumbs up.

"Alrighty then! See you guys later!"

"Actually, young Chihiro," Echoed a familiar, wise voice from behind the trio, "I'd like for you to accompany them."

Chihiro jolted up, then turned around and found Master Eon behind her! With wide eyes she made a humble bow then stood straight.

"Really?"

Master Eon bobbed up and down.

"You've gone on quite a lot of missions and have greatly honed your skills in these past couple days." Master Eon made a slightly brighter glow as he looked over Chihiro, "I believe that as of now, you are ready for your next Portal Master Exam—and this would be the perfect test!"

Chihiro made a sharp gasp as she clasped her hands over her mouth and her eyes sparkled, then bounced up and down and nodded.

"I won't let you down, Master Eon!" Chihiro chirped as she grabbed Zap's paw and Gill's fin, "Come on, guys, you heard the ghost! We've got a mission!"

With an eager squeal Chihiro dashed down the staircase before anyone could even blink, then dug into her heels as soon as her feet hit the sand. Her next exam was finally here! Who could possibly wait?!

Chihiro placed a hand over her eyes as she spun around and scouted the island, then caught wind of a familiar Gillman as he packed up his tools.

"GUR-GLE-FIN!" Chihiro shouted as she waved over to Gurglefin, who caught sight of her and waved back.

"I have a question~" Chihiro spun forwards until she was right beside Gurglefin, "Would you happen to know where Dark Water Cove is?"

Just hearing that very name sent Gurglefin's scales on edge as he jolted and froze in place, while his toolbox fell out of his hands and onto the crusty sands of the beach.

"… I'll take that as a yes?"

"D, d… Dark Water Cove?" Gurglefin sputtered, his eyes wide as dinner plates, "You mean the island that's a regular fishing spot for some of the biggest, baddest pirates in all of Skylands?"

"Yeah?…"

"There's no way I'm going there!" Gurglefin gulped and turned around, "They'll have me for dinner!"

"Gurglefin, please!" Chihiro fell to her knees and bowed as pleadingly as possible, "We need to get there to get the Core of Light's next part, and we have no others options! Please? Pretty please?"

Gurglefin winced, then turned around—and promptly saw Chihiro look up as him with the most pleading, most desperate puppy-dog eyes she could muster and the most certain frown on her face.

"Please, please, please?" Chihiro croaked, "For the Core of Light?"

Gurglefin gulped, then chuckled and awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Well, if it's that important I guess I could make an exception…" Gurglefin sighed and prompted his whistle, "I'll take you there, but keep me out of all the heroics! I've had enough excitement for my entire life!"

"Sure can do! Just leave all the exploring and bad guy butt-kicking to us!" Chihiro sprung up tall and chopped the air, her desperate expression now abound with energy.

With a warped whistle from Gurglefin, Delilah came sailing into the docks and lowered her plank! Her wood was sturdy as ever, though the colors of her ship seemed bright and fresh—had she been painted recently?

Chihiro shrugged it off as she skipped up the plank and gazed over the deck's railing. This was it, her next exam, the one she had so impatiently awaited! And to boot, she would be helping with the Core of Light, too! What could possibly be a higher honor?mBut, it was also a big responsibility too—if she messed up even once, then who knows how it could affect everyone? Chihiro's cheery gaze soured as she peered down at the oceans while a new wave of anxiety cascaded over her mind. Was she really ready for this?

"Chi, is something bothering you?" Gill Grunt asked as he walked up to Chihiro and laid a webbed hand on her shoulders.

"I'll be fine, Gill," Chihiro remarked as she noted his concerned look and loosened up, "You know you don't need to worry about me!"

"Are you sure?" Gill Grunt gently ruffled her head, "You seem more anxious about this than a school of fish in the path of a Leviathan!"

"That's ridiculous, I'm not anxious!" Chihiro forced herself to shoot out a laugh, though it sounded more awkward than cheery, "Nope, not at all! I'm so calm, in fact, I'm the picture of calmness right now!"—Chihiro then frowned and looked over the ship's deck—"Wait, aren't we forgetting someone?"

Chihiro made a couple more awkward laughs, only to hear the sound of a receding bridge and look down to find that Delilah's plank was being drawn back in—and Zap was a good ways away!

"Zap, hurry up!" Chihiro waved towards the blue speck she was sure was Zap, "The boat's gonna leave without you!"

Zap stayed stagnant for all of a few seconds more, then as the plank was halfway to its hiding spot Zap zoomed across the beach, fast as lightning, and made a giant leap off the docks! His form slowly became more and more visible… Wait, actually, he was getting a little too visible!

"ZAP, WATCH OUT!"

Chihiro screamed, but it was too late—Zap had already barreled into her and sent them both rolling into the ship's flagpole! They both moaned with pain they quickly shook off as they staggered back up, then laughed to themselves.

As the plank finally receded, the three of them looked over the deck and frowned.

"First of all, we're gonna need a disguise," Chihiro remarked, "Just so we won't attract suspicion."

"What's there to suspect?" Zap gargled as he shrugged his front legs—or at least tried, "They're pirates, dudette. They're all thieves and stuff—"

"They might not, but for all we know Kaos's cronies could be lurking around." Chihiro made a firm nod to exemplify her point, "And we'd definitely stick out to them, so disguises are a must…"—Chihiro then struck a dramatic pose as she closed her eyes—"We need something… Authentic! Something real! Something that makes you look at it and go—"

"Hey, that's a pirate!" Gill Grunt shouted as he turned around.

"Yeah, like that!" Chihiro chirped as she followed Gill Grunt's gaze, "Wait, that's not a pirate, that's Gurglefin!"

Gurglefin then popped out from behind the steering wheel. He looked no different than he did before, save for the giant black pirate hat he now wore on his scaly, wet head.

"Heh, I thought I'd get into the spirit of things," Gurglefin chuckled as he thrust his arm, "Ahoy, mateys!"

In the process however, he also spun the steering wheel so much that it caused Delilah to veer into a hard right! With a surprised gasp he grabbed hold of steering wheel and quickly spun it back, then breathed a sigh of relief as Delilah veered back on track… Only to shout out once more as Chihiro leaned on the wheel!

"So, where'd you find that?" Chihiro gave Gurglefin a curious gaze as he frantically turned the wheel back.

"There's a whole school of pirate costumes back there." Gurglefin pointed to a door located behind the steering wheel, "It came with the ship."

"Alrightly then!" Chihiro beamed, ushered Gill Grunt and Zap over then opened the door, "Let's get some disguises!"

And with that said, Zap and Gill Grunt ran towards the disguise room! Chihiro slammed the door shut as they arrived, and for only moments all that could be heard was ocean waves and shuffling noises from within the closet. As they waited, Zap tapped his forepaws while Gill Grunt toyed with his rubber wristbands.

"Arr, mateys!" Chihiro shouted as she slammed the door back open, "Ye be ready to witness the birth of Captain Chihiro Hatsuki?"

As soon as Chihiro walked back out, Zap's eyes widened and he skated to her side.

Chihiro's old outfit had been changed out for a black pirate captain's hat with a red sash tied to its base and a skull and crossbones pasted onto the front in while felt, a red vest with golden trim, a frilled, long-sleeved white blouse, a red fabric belt, brown trousers with red and gold felt patches and black heeled boots! To top things off, she even wore a black felt eyepatch over her right eye and held a toy cutlass by her leg!

"So, what do you—I mean, ye—think?" Chihiro asked as she spun around and beamed, "Do I make a good pirate or what?"

"Heck yeah you do, dude!" Zap exclaimed with rapid nods, "My turn!"

And with that, Zap slid into the dressing room and slammed the door shut, then after a few moments he emerged with a red-and-white polka dot bandanna tied to his head and a brown eyepatch over his eye.

"Looking sharp, matey Zap!" Chihiro gave him a thumbs up and smiled, before she grabbed Gill Grunt and tossed him into the room, "Now it's your turn, Gill!"

Gill Grunt let out a startled scream as the door slammed shut behind him, then all went silent for a few moments. After a while, soft rustling sounds were heard from the other side before the door slowly creaked open. When the door finally opened in full, Gill Grunt slowly stepped out and revealed that he now donned a red felt sash that was tied around his head, a dark brown vest, a black belt decorated with a silver buckle shaped like a steering wheel and brown trousers.

"And you look great too, first mate Gill Grunt!" Chihiro chirped as she thrust her fake cutlass to the skies, "Now, who's ready to retrieve the Twin Spouts?"—Chihiro pushed her cutlass forward a second time for emphasis—"Say aye-aye!"

"Aye-aye!" They all shouted at once as they raised their fists towards the crystal-clear skies.

And with a smug smile, Chihiro closed her eyes and slowly rested her cutlass back at her hip. Just then, she heard the sound of rushing water and bit her lip as she looked over Delilah's side to find—oh no.

They had reached the end of the island.

"Hold on to something, guys." Chihiro clung to a nearby stairwell as she spoke, "It's a long drop!"

"What's a long—" Gill Grunt asked before the ship lurched forward and he rolled forward in response, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Gill Grunt grunted as she slammed headfirst into the flagpole and clung to it tight as Delilah plummeted further and further down… Then shot out giant white sails and flew up and up!

"Oh, by the way, Delilah's an all-terrain ship!" Chihiro chirped as she stumbled away from the stairwell.

"… I can see that." Gill Grunt groaned and flopped down onto the deck.

§

All was quiet as Delilah bobbed through the ocean waves, which reflected warm shades of orange and yellow and pink thanks to the evening light. There was nothing around but sky and ocean, sky and ocean, more sky and ocean, the occasional seagull or two—and Chihiro was so, so bored of it.

"Are we there yet?" Chihiro asked as she pressed her cheek against the deck's railing.

"We aren't any closer than we were the last five times you asked," Gurglefin groaned as he yawned and shook his head.

"But it's almost eveningggggg!" Chihiro moaned as she sat on the deck's floor, "It'll be midnight before we even get there!"

"Not quite." Gurglefin's voice droned on liked a tired, underpaid schoolteacher as he sailed further and further along, "Dark Water Cove's stuck in a never-ending night—that's why it got its name. Really, it's probably only been a few hours since…"

As Gurglefin droned on and on, Chihiro rolled her eyes and heaved herself back up. If she wanted a lecture, she would just go to Hugo. She then leaned against the deck railing once more, gazed out and the unchanging oceans and…

"Hey, wait!" Chihiro said as she pointed towards the horizon, "What's that?"

Gill Grunt and Zap rushed to her side and peered over to the object as well.

It looked to be a shadowy, large mass of… Something. They were too far away to get a good view at first, but now that they drew closer it kinda looked like… An open gate? Yes, a giant, open gate that lead in a dark, forested area! A bunch of pillars flanked each side of the gate, and as Delilah passed the seas to it the colors of the sky slowly shifted from warm to cool, orange to purple, red to blue, while milky white stars dotted the sky like rhinestones!

"We're here!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaned further against the railing to get a better view.

The gate was giant and made of sturdy wood, while the pillars matched its height and were made of a similar material. Now that she had gotten closer, it looked like there were identical, huge spaces with round thingies in them—but what were those round thingies? Decorations? Cameras? Magical artifacts?

As Chihiro hummed and peered up at the pillars, the round objects slowly extended further and further, their forms barely visible through the torchlight. All was oddly peaceful as these vaselike objects left the pillars… Then…

"Wait a second, those kinda look like…"

BOOM!

All at once, the objects shot off giant, charcoal-colored steel balls and revealed their true nature at last!

"CARP, THEY'VE GOT ARTILLERY!" Gurglefin screamed as the sound of splitting wood echoed throughout the night.

"We've been hit!" Chihiro exclaimed back as she looked down at Delilah's base and winced—for there was now a giant hole in the side of the ship, and it was filling up with water fast!

With urgency in her eyes Chihiro looked up at Gurglefin.

"Gurglefin, see if you can get us out of here—I'll try and fix the hole!" Chihiro didn't stop to listen to everybody else's replies as she ran across the deck, located a door and flung it open!

Chihiro's breath was heavy as she snapped into existence a shimmering ball of light and dashed down a wooden flight of stairs. All around her, she heard the only barely-muffled sounds of cannons firing and cannonballs plopping into the water, which only intensified the pound of her heart.

"C'mon, c'mon, I've gotta be getting close by now!"

Just then, the ship lurched forward and Chihiro was sent rolling down the stairs! With a shrill scream she rolled down at the speed of light, then flew off the staircase and made a splash—literally! Her flight landed her straight in a giant pool of water!

Chihiro opened her eyes only to find them stung with something harsh and salty! She immediately swam up and caught her breath, then shook the water off her head. It was so, so, wet… Did she land in the ocean? As Chihiro wiped her eyes, she found herself in what appeared to be the inside of a ship's hull, complete with its wooden framing—except it had a giant, spiky hole in its side! From that hole, not only did harsh, salty seawater pour in and set all the barrels and crates that rested inside afloat, but you could clearly hear the clashes and crashes of combat from the outside. The cannonballs as they splashed in the water, the sound of shouts and commands…

"No, can't get distracted!" Chihiro shook her head and paddled over to the hole.

It seemed pretty big… But then again, it was had to tell when a good chunk of the ship was on its way to sinking—wait, what?!

Delilah groaned and creaked as she slowly slid onto her side—and in turn the ship started to cave in! Chihiro let out a cry of shock as she paddled closer towards the hole. Delilah was so big, Chihiro couldn't possibly lift her up to fix her—Chihiro would just have to wing it! With a grunt, Chihiro closed her eyes and rubbed her hands together.

"Hopefully this'll work…" Chihiro's eyes shot open as she thrust out her hands, her mind focused entirely on one thing—repairing the ship.

Her hands glowed a bright aqua that was incredibly striking against the midnight light—or lack thereof—then the blue glow jumped out from her hands and surrounded the hole!

Chihiro panted as she watched the hole glow, then a sticking sound was heard as a giant bandage made of magic energy manifested right where the hole was. The sound of rushing water slowed to a stop as Delilah pulled herself upright, while Chihiro heaved a sigh of relief… Then looked around and saw that she was still adrift in a giant sea of captured ocean water.

"How am I supposed to get rid of all this?" Chihiro moaned as she hung her head, then looked up and saw a wooden barrel float right past her… Followed by two… Then five…

"I've got it!" Chihiro swam over to a barrel and grabbed onto it, then magically popped open its top and found that it was empty! With a beam she clapped her hands and watched the top pop right back on.

"Alright, now…" Chihiro snapped her fingers and watched as the barrels that floated around her were enveloped in a cyan glow, "Barrels, get big!"

The barrels then expanded until they were several times their original size and just barely fit within the ship's hull.

"Now scoop up all this water!"

One by one, the barrels popped their tops open and scooped up all the bitter ocean water that had poured into the ship, until there was nothing left but about a foot or so of water that Chihiro could easily walk through. When the job was done, the barrels returned to their original sizes and fell to the floor with a loud clunk.

Chihiro beamed as she admired her work… But only for a few seconds. As she stood and basked in the now notably-more dry hull of the ship, the sounds of battle echoed from a floor up! The shing of unsheathed swords, the shout of battle cries and accusations, and the thump of pounding footsteps all made a chaotic symphony that caused Chihiro to jump.

"Sounds like I'm needed upstairs," Chihiro remarked as she snapped her fingers and teleported back to the top of the stairs.

"Oof!" Chihiro let out a squeal of pain as she hit the top stair head-first before she staggered up and shook the water off her person, "Note to self—work on those landings."

Chihiro jiggled open the door as the noises grew louder, then peered outside and gasped!

There, the ship had been completely surrounded by what other than pirates! On the deck were pirates of all kinds—mangy seadogs who wore tattered jackets and shirts, all with weaponry in hand and teeth bared, muscular, anthropomorphic squids who held giant cannons in their tattooed, bulky arms, even a couple imps in bandannas. Meanwhile, the waters were filed with armed, giant pirate ships that were certainly of a much more impressive nature than humble Delilah. There was no means of escape.

And in the center of it all, Gurglefin, Gill Grunt and Zap were back-to-back as they glared down the pirates. Gurglefin was shaking so hard that his scales would've probably come off right then and there if it was possible, but Zap and Gill Grunt were far more prepared. Zap's mouth sparkled with slight bits of electricity, and though it was hard to see with just torchlight it seemed as if Gill Grunt had his webbed finger on the trigger of his harpoon gun. Things would probably get ugly if someone didn't intervene…

"Ahoy, mateys!" Chihiro boomed as she jumped down to the deck and shifted through the crowd, "What seems to be the problem here?"

"Chihiro," Gill Grunt whispered as he nudged himself closer to Chihiro, "What are you—"

Chihiro gently elbowed Gill Grunt and winked at him before she faced the head of the mob—a seadog with mangy brown fur dressed in tattered pirate robes and a crimson-stained captain's hat who held a shiny cutlass. He was clearly a captain, going by attire—better watch herself.

"Ye wouldn't happ'n to be the captain of this here ship," The seadog hissed, his voice low yet growling and intimidating, "Would ye?"

"Aye!" Chihiro chirped as she rubbed a fist against her chest, "Name's Captain Cheerio the Bold! What might ye be here for?"

"What business do ye have in Dark Water Cove?" The seadog pointed his cutlass as Chihiro's throat.

Chihiro gulped, then chuckled and gently pushed the cutlass away.

"Why, me crew and I are here to check out the trade scene on this fine night!" Chihiro made a smile as she burrowed her hand into her jacket to veil its faint aqua glow—just in case.

"Ye don't seem like ye have much a crew, lad." The seadog tightened his grip on the cutlass, "Or much of a ship…"

"Eh, we're a start-up." Chihiro made a calm smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"But that begets the question—do ye got the goods?"

"Goods?" Chihiro's smile faded as she slightly tilted her head.

"We only provide the trade if ye provide the spoils, savvy?" The seadog rested his cutlass at the side, "Now, what pay do ye have to offer for yer crew's entry?"

Chihiro smirked, then withdrew her hand from her jacket to reveal a cyan-colored, opalescent jewel that shone in all the colors of the rainbow and then some! Her smirk widened as she watched a couple of the minor pirates ooh and aah, but the captain didn't seemed entirely convinced.

"A jewel from our booty." Chihiro nodded firmly as she pushed it towards the seadog, "Consider it a token of our acquaintance."

The seadog frowned as he looked over the jewel for a few seconds more, then he carefully took it from Chihiro's hand and placed it in the pocket of his coat.

"Very well then, lad." The seadog stepped aside while his comrades quickly followed, "Ye may peruse our goods."

"Aye aye!" Chihiro nodded, then looked back at the others and gave them a thumbs up.

With a smile, Chihiro walked down Delilah's plank, then watched as Gill Grunt and Zap dutifully followed behind while the pirates did the same—though oddly, Gurglefin was still boarded.

"Matey, aren't ye coming?" Chihiro shouted as she turned and looked at Gurglefin.

Gurglefin made a couple odd sputters, then coughed into his hand.

"Er, I—I mean, me needs to take care of ye olde Delilah here!" Gurglefin shouted back while his whole body trembled, "She took a couple heavy hitters!"

"Aye aye!" Chihiro waved back and watched over the docks once more.

The ships that had once surrounded them with their billowing flags and rigid masts slowly sailed off—save for the ones that had docked in to deliver stolen goods. To her side, Gill Grunt and Zap shot dirty looks at the pirates that surrounded them, looks the pirates only returned—seeing their scorning eyes made Chihiro's whole body tremble a bit.

Geez, this is like walking through the hallways at school, Chihiro thought as she tried her best to force an aura of calm and collection, Except these guys are a lot more dangerous than my school bullies. Well, maybe.

"Why does yer matey talk so funny, Cap'n Cheerio?" Asked a seadog in a bandanna as they nudged Chihiro.

"He's new," Chihiro remarked as she looked over to the pirate, then cast an aside glance at the seadog captain she had conversed with prior.

That seadog captain whispered something to one of the dogs behind him, then looked over at Chihiro and cast her a glare that sent shivers down her spine. Yeah, better not pay too much attention to him.

So, Chihiro faced forward and walked into the heart of the jungle, Zap and Gill Grunt by her side…

§

"I'm guessing the Spouts are being held in the heart of the island, right?" Gill asked as he pushed through thick, leafy foliage.

"Yes, most likely," Chihiro replied as she gave him an earnest nod, then paused to look over the scenery.

They had shaken the pirates, thankfully, though it seemed as if they had gotten lost. Then again, it was quite hard to tell around here—there was nothing for miles but leaves and forests and well-worn dirt paths, and the blanket of midnight's darkness made things even more obscured.

"I wish I had a map or a compass or somethin'." Chihiro sighed and hung her head, only for it to jolt up a second later, "Oh, right!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers, then watched as a compass made of magic manifested in her slender palms. With a smile she held it out straight and watched as its arrow pointed towards the north, then beamed back at Gill Grunt and Zap.

"The arrow says north!" Chihiro hummed to herself as she marched along.

Gill Grunt and Zap only shrugged.

"Yo ho, yo ho, off to the Spouts we go~" Chihiro sang as she marched out of sight, "Me hearties on a mission, a very important mission, to retrieve the Spouts of the Ocean! Yo ho, yo ho, off to the Spouts we go…"

Gill Grunt chuckled to himself as he marched along to the tune of Chihrio's song, while Zap beamed and slid up to her side.

"Yo ho, yo ho, off to the Spouts we go!~" Chihiro and Zap sang in unison as they marched along in the dead of night.

Their bodies were filled with a youthful fervor as they sang at the top of their lungs to a crowd of themselves and near-identical foliage and bugs, with the jungle as their stage. But, would that fervor last?

"Me hearties on a mission!~" Chihiro started to pant as her marching slowed by a few paces,

"A very important mission…" Zap frowned as a leafy branch thwacked him in the face.

"To retrieve the Spouts of…" Chihiro looked over the scenery with quite a bit of concern, then fell to her knees and laid on her back, "Oh, forget it,"—Chihiro sat up and brushed the dust off her pants—"Guys, I think we've been walking in circles."

Chihiro looked at her compass, then frowned and chucked it into the leaves. As she heard a cat yowl in the distance, her frown deepened.

"Stupid compasses, I never understood how to use you guys anyways!" Chihiro stood up at last and surveyed the pathways before her, "Now what do we do?"

The three of them paused and contemplated things for a few moments, then sighed. Nope, not a single idea to be had.

Zap turned around and looked over, then tilted his head.

"Hey, guys, look!" Zap said as he slid over to Gill Grunt and nudged him, "Is it just me, or does it look like the forest's clearing up?"

Gill Grunt paused and examined the forest that surrounded them, as did Chihiro. Zap did have a point—the trees were a good bit lesser in numbers, as were the bushes, and you could more clearly see the torchlight that acted as a faint source of navigation around those parts.

"We must be getting close to the actual trade!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped up and down with a new energy.

"Then why are we waiting here? Come on, let's go—" Zap dashed off on a trail of slime until the familiar, screeching sound of a cannonball soaring through the air returned him to his friends' side in a flash, "Yeah, on second thought, staying here is cool."

Zap quivered, visibly shaken by the sudden cannonball, while Chihiro looked over at Zap.

Chihiro then frowned and prodded forwards while Gill Grunt and Zap followed her every step. The forest soon grew less and less prominent before it cleared entirely to reveal grassy hills with splintered wood, torn clothing scraps and occasional blood stains everywhere—like there had been some kind of fight… Ahead of them, one could hear the faint noises of war.

"What's all that?" Chihiro asked as she ran up to one of the hills to find a broken wooden fence with a giant gap in its center.

Chihiro looked a few paces over and then found a gate with a cracked golden lock strewn to the side of the hill, then shrugged and walked forward. The ground beneath her feet turned from grassy earth to hard wood as she walked across a wooden bridge, while the sounds of combat grew more and more prominent…

Then…

"FIRE!"

A loud BOOM resounded all across the island as a series of cannons fired off giant steel cannonballs at the pirates below!

Chihiro gasped as she watched the pirates flee from below her place on the bridge, then looked up and saw a cannonball screeching right towards her! Chihiro screamed for mere moments as some giant blue blur tackled her and sent her rolling onto a ship, right behind a tall stack of crates. With a groan she hook her head and looked to her side to find Gill Grunt and Zap!

"Thanks for the save, guys," Chihiro said as she wiped herself off.

"No problem, Chi," Gill Grunt replied as he gave her a friendly pat on the back, then looked over at the warring pirates.

"YE SCOURGES WILL SEE DAVY JONES'S LOCKER BEFORE YE SEE THAT TREASURE CHEST!" Shouted a gruff-voiced pirate over the sound of sizzling fuses and flying cannonballs.

"I SHOULD BE TELLIN' YE THE SAME THING!" Shouted another pirate as a round of cannons fired once more.

As Chihiro, Gill Grunt and Zap watched the chaos unfold, Chihiro heaved a sigh.

"Man, I've heard of shopping frenzies and stuff, but this is ridiculous!" Chihiro remarked as she watched the pirates across from her brawl over a gold-filled treasure chest, "How do they expect anyone to get anything?"

"They don't Chihiro, they're pirates." Gill Grunt looked at Chihiro for a few moments before he surveyed the area, "Now, from the looks of it, these cannons are everywhere, so we'll just have to travel quickly—"

"Or, we could just take out the cannons where they stand!" Chihiro nudged herself next to Gill Grunt and gently elbowed his arm.

"And add fuel to the fire? I don't think so, Chi." Gill Grunt shook his head, "That crowd's gone upstream as is—if we get caught in the mix, it'll get even worse!"

"Eh, you do have a point." Chihiro only sighed in response until she felt something push in front of her.

"Unless, y'know, you happened to have a super-speedy water dragon on your team who could zip past those dudes in a flash!" Zap chirped as he nudged both Gill Grunt and Chihiro.

"You sure you could carry us both, though?" Chihiro asked as she looked over at Zap, who only nodded.

"Sure thing, dudette!" Zap skidded away and stretched his legs, "Just let me warm up first!"

After a few quick stretches, Zap spun himself around in a couple circles of a sea slime trail. As he spun, he grew faster and faster while electricity crackled at his paws, until he was little more than a sparking blur of lightning! When Zap finally came to a stop, his eyes shone as static electricity sparked at his feet!

"Hop on, dudes!" Zap nodded as if to urge them on further.

Chihiro smiled, then grabbed Gill Grunt's hand and hopped onto Zap's back! As Gill Grunt took his seat, Chihiro wrapped her arms tight around Zap's neck and beamed.

"Ready?" Zap leaned forward, then dashed away, "GO!"

Without even so much as a word from the others, Zap dashed off as a trail of electricity-infused sea slime formed underneath him and amplified his speed! He went so fast that the pirates who were warring behind them could barely even see them pass by.

"WOO-HOO!" Chihiro hollered as she pumped a fist in this air, "THIS IS—"

Before Chihiro could finish, however, a giant cannonball crashed ahead of their path! Zap skidded around it and nearly tipped over in the process, but quickly regained his balance and carried on.

"They found us!" Zap shouted as he narrowly dodged another cannonball, "Guess I'd better speed things up a lit—ACK!"

Zap was tossed forward as another cannonball crashed a few steps behind him, then landed on his paws and skated forwards—albeit a little slower than before.

"Hey, dudes, watch where you're shooting!" Chihiro shouted as she looked up and gave the cephalopodian marksman who manned the cannons lancing looks.

With a growl, she created a magic sphere and shot it at the marksman, then watched as it hit him square in the head and knocked him unconscious!

"Looks like we've gotta fight after all," Gill Grunt said as he aimed his cannon at another marksman, "Let me handle this guy, Chi!"

With a swift, soundless push of the trigger, twin harpoons were sent spiraling into the air and toward the pirate marksman, who barely even noticed them before they knocked his hat clean off his head! The marksman looked over and barely made out a scream before Gill Grunt hosed him down with scalding water and caused him to fall over.

"Ya-hoo!" Zap shouted as the cannons started to cease fire, "Keep it up, dudes!"

"Okay!" Chihiro and Gill shouted as they readied their fire.

As Zap dashed through the paths sandwiched between the war zones, Chihiro and Gill shot off magical attacks, harpoons, burning hot water streams and everything in between! The pirate marksmen all fell victim to their attacks as they passed by, like they were some kind of silent assassins!

"Hey, guys, I think I see the end!" Zap exclaimed, before his eyes widened as a wooden gate rose in front of the exit! With a bite of his lip, Zap skated off even faster than before! But the gate rose just as fast—he wasn't gonna make it at this rate!

"Hang on, dudes!" Zap bowed down as he skated forward, "I'm gonna jump it!"

"WHAT?" Chihiro shouted, "ZAP, I DIDN'T HEAR Y—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Before Chihiro could finish, Zap leaped into the air like a prize-winning racehorse and soared right over the gate right as it shut! As smooth as the flight was, the landing wasn't quite as fortunate—for Zap had toppled over and they all fell head-first onto the ground.

As they all groaned and staggered up, they paused to peer over their surroundings. It was surprisingly quite here compared to the prior area—no pirates were in sight, just a few fireflies that flickered across the grassy hills and forest. Brooks babbled as they reflected the soft torchlight, and if not for the imposing mission it seemed like the perfect place for a nighttime picnic. Well, that and all the pirates.

"Hey, Chi, just out of curiosity, do you happen to know where we are?" Zap asked.

"Not really," Chihiro said as she shrugged and scampered through the dark, "But, I'm perfectly sure we're going in the right direction, Zapster, I—"

"Watch out for that—" Zap cringed as he watched Chihiro run straight into a nearby tree, "Tree."

"Yeah, meant to do that." Chihiro slid down the tree and flopped onto her back, "I so meant to do that."

Just then, the sound of matches being lit alarmed them to the fact that enemies were near! Gill Grunt raised his water cannon, Zap began charging a jolt of electricity, and Chihiro jolted up as she readied an energy sphere. They heard the familiar sounds of screeching cannonballs… Then watched as it hit the gate with a thunk and dropped onto the ground. The gate itself was perfectly fine, even—aside from the cannonball-shaped dent in its surface, anyways.

They all shrugged, then turned around and walked forward to find themselves faced by a hill with a steep, dirt wall.

Chihiro frowned, then felt her way around the wall's surface and grabbed onto something—a rock! With a smile, she dashed up the rock wall, then grabbed hold of the top and flipped herself onto it!

As she smiled and waved at them, Gill Grunt beamed up at her, then started up his jetpack and flew straight up to the top in the blink of an eye!

While Gill Grunt joined them, Zap beamed up and went to climb onto the rock wall… Only to lose his grip and fall off after a few rocks. Then with a frown, he walked a few paces away and dashed off like a rocket, across the dirt and straight up the wall!… Then lost momentum midway through and fell on his head. Zap tried this a few more times, but no matter how far he dashed up, he always fell back down on his head.

"You okay, Zap?" Chihiro shouted as she looked down at Zap from the top.

"I'm gonna find another way around," Zap groaned as he stood upright and zipped around the overgrowth on a path of sea slime, "I'll meet you dudes later!"

Zap didn't pause to hear Chihiro and Gill Grunt's response—they were already out of range by the time he finished talking. Zap zoomed through the overgrown forest, his orange eyes wide and trained on anything that could hint towards the Twin Spouts' appearance. But of course, no such thing showed itself to him—and on top of that, time seemed to had slowed to a crawl and made things that much more tedious.

"Sheesh, how hard can it be to find a pair of spouts?" Zap asked himself as he came to a stop, only for him to hear a twig crack and jump.

"Who's there?! Get out here!" Zap looked down and saw a cracked twig underneath his slippery paw, then hung his head.

"I'd better get out of here," Zap prodded even further into the forest and shook his head, "This place is starting to do freaky things to my head."

As he moved on forward, however, Zap didn't take notice to the chorus of yellow eyes glinting with malevolence that peered out from the bushes, paired with the low, malicious cackles of seadogs. At least, he didn't notice until one sacked him—and by that, we mean that he was literally captured in a giant brown sack and slung over the shoulder of a bulky seadog.

"Haul 'em in, mates! We just caught ourselves a Skylandee!" shouted the leader of the small crew, a roughed-up seadog with more tattoos than fur.

"Hey, lemme go!" Zap shouted as he struggled and squirmed against the seadog's grip, "Guys! Chi! Gill! Help!"

Zap shouted and screamed as loud as he could, but it was no use—nobody could hear his screams as the bag was too thick to shout through. All Zap could do was pray for help to come as the seadog ruffians hauled him away…

§

"Hey… it's been a while since Zap's ran off, don't you think Gill?" Chihiro asked as she ducked a twisted tree branch overhead.

"He has," Gill Grunt said with a gulp, "And where Zap's concerned—"

"That's never a good thing." Chihiro finished Gill's sentence for him as they both stared at each other, then to the rear of the group.

"I hope he's okay…" Chihiro gazed over the back path and clasped her hands, as if she was contemplating going back and looking for him.

"I'm sure he is, Chi. We'll just have to look for him—maybe he just a little lost." Gill gave Chihiro a reassuring gaze.

"Okay, get yourself together, Chihiro." Chihiro took some short, quick breaths, then looked back at Gill Grunt, "Looks like we'll have to split up. Gill, retrace our steps, see if he went back. I'll look up here and see if he went ahead of us."

Chihiro and Gill shared an understanding nod, then parted ways for this time but hopefully not the last. After she watched Gill Grunt go back down the trail they once followed, Chihiro trekked across the dirt floors and trembled the whole time she moved. Chihiro just sat down on the earth and prodded at the ground. She was clearly in one of those moods when every single worst-case scenario flashed in her mind—like him getting kidnapped, or seriously hurt, or drowning… Wait, he's a water dragon, he can't drown!

"You can mope around later, Hatsuki. First, you need to find Zap." Chihiro stood up and closed her eyes, then balled her hands in fists as she spoke to herself.

She then ran forward, dodged past the scenery, which thankfully noticeably lacked in the pirate department. All she saw were trees and hills and oceans and stone… Wait…

"Wait, where'd all the pirates go?" Chihiro asked herself as she slowed down and swerved to her left while her brown eyes skimmed the premises.

She then slowed down her run to a cautious walk and stepped forward without realizing it… Only only to immediately regret that decision—because she stepped in a murky bog that drenched her boot.

"EeeeeEEEE!" Chihiro let out a short shriek of shock as she realized that she had just stepped in the cold, murky waters of the bog, before she gingerly placed another foot inside the dirty seas.

"Hey, Chihiro!"

Chihiro could hear Gill's faint voice in the distance and whipped her head around, wide eyes a'blink as Gill Grunt jetted towards her.

"Did you find Zap?" Chihiro asked as she gave Gill Grunt an eager look.

Gill Grunt only forlornly shook his head, which caused Chihiro's face to fall immediately.

"I retraced his steps as far as I could, but still no sign of Zap," Gill said as he placed a fin on her shoulder. "I know, I'm worried about him too."

Silence resonated between the two before Chihiro clenched her fist and stomped along.

"I'm sure he probably just found some secret shortcut and ran ahead of us." Chihiro's tone warbled, her words more confident than she was, "He must've, that sounds exactly like something he would doOOOOO!"

Chihiro felt a sharp pain in her foot, then knelt down to find a strange, yellow blob with a chainsaw-looking thing where its mouth should've been!

It dutifully hacked away at her foot, with a small, bleeding gash across her heel already accomplished.

Chihiro's frown deepened as she plucked the strange creature out from the waters and glared down at it. She then held her palm a few inches away from its bladed mouth and created bolts of aqua lightning that shocked the monster out of her hand.

"That'll teach those things to attack me."

Chihiro stormed ahead as her anxiety faded away while Gill Grunt silently trailed behind her, a frown spread across his scaly face. She may have not said anything, but surely she hoped Gill Grunt couldn't tell that she was rife with anxiety and anger—understandably, considered all of the possible scenarios that could have been occurring right then and there. After all, she had a mission to perform—she couldn't break down right now.

For the next few minutes, they silently trudged across the bogs. No sounds could be heard but the crickets and their footsteps—and of course, the slosh of the grimy bogwater.

"And I thought my marsh of a backyard was bad," Chihiro grumbled, her head hung down low, "If worrying about Zap doesn't kill me off first, these swamps probably will."

"Did you say something, Chi?" Gill Grunt gave Chihiro a confused stare.

"Oh right, I bet you don't mind. After all, you're a Gillman, you guys were practically made for these kinda things. Humans, on the other hand, yeah." Chihiro looked down for a new moments, a trembling frown on her face, then looked up and flashed a genuine smile, "Hey, I think we're nearly there!"

Chihiro leaned forward, her eyes guided towards the faint trace of torchlight, then with a snap of her fingers she summoned a magical pair of binoculars and looked forward.

There, right in front of her, was a small island covered in trees and lanterns! It had several small houses planted on its surface—though why anybody would want to live in a place that's a regular pirate paradise was beyond guessing. But above all, it was blocked off by a wicker gate guarded by a lock puzzle, much like the ones Chihiro had solved many times before.

"Another puzzle?" Chihiro walked up and examined the lock puzzle, then jiggled it a couple times and watched as it unlocked!… And landed straight on her foot.

Of course, it had taken a few seconds for Chihiro to register that there was currently a lock puzzle on her foot, but the minute she peered down and did, well…

"OWCH! Why does that keep happening?!" Chihiro peered down at the puzzle… Except it had vanished and left behind a throbbing, aching foot. Poor foot.

As Chihiro sat down and massaged her foot, Gill Grunt sped up to her side and peered at the now-open gate.

"This place looks so quiet… There's nobody here, but all the lights are on." Chihiro stood up and gazing over at the empty town, "They must've been in a hurry… But, all at once?"

"Something about this feels off, Chi. Watch your step." Gill Grunt's face twisted into a frown.

"Oh, I'm sure it's fine, Gill, I mean, what's the worst that could be here? A few of those weird slashy thingies?" Chihiro stampeded forward, then climbed up the trees and peered into the houses' windows.

"Yep, not a soul here! Except for a few birds, that is," Chihiro said as she peered into a window from the palm tree she was standing upon, which reflected a bedroom with a caged bluebird inside.

"Strange, isn't it?" She then peered down at Gill Grunt, who was staring at her from his position on the ground.

"A little too strange, if you ask me." Gill gave the terrain around them suspicious glances as he turned a couple sides.

"AIEEEEEE!"

Gill Grunt's view shot up and saw that Chihiro had slipped off a palm branch and came screeching down! As she fell down, Gill Grunt flew up and caught her in his scaly arms, then slowly hovered back down and let her jump back onto the earthy ground.

"Thanks for the save, Gill." Chihiro rolled out of his grasp and peered over at the other side of this creepy little town, "Hey, Gills, I think I see something over there!"

Chihiro dashed over to the other side of town and skid to a halt in front of a… Something. It looked a bit like a small portal with its milky-white surface that sparkled in all sorts of colorful hues—bright cyans and aquas, regal purples, energetic pinks…

"What's with this thing? Is it a portal?" Chihiro whipped up a magnifying glass out of magic and proceeded to examine the strange portal, then tossed her magnifying glass onto it and watched as it was whooshed away in a flash.

"Guess that answers my question," Chihiro mumbled as she placed her hands on her hips, "Now what am I gonna do?"

"Would you look at that? A warp!" Gill Grunt said as he flew over to Chihiro's side, "You did it, Chihiro! Now let's get goin—"

"Wait, hold on—a warp?" Chihiro then peered over the "warp," "That looks like a like a portal to me! Well, a really small one, but—"—Chihiro was cut off by Gill Grunt's soft chuckles—"Wait, what's so funny?"

"Well, you're not too far off." Gill Grunt placed his hand on his chin, "Master Eon talked about these things once—the magic they use imitates portal magic, but it's not quite perfect. They can only go to one place instead of a bunch—and since it's not the same thing, portal masters can use 'em all they like!"

"Wait a second." Chihiro put her hands to her chin as she gazed over the warp, "So you're saying I could use this without ripping holes in the time-space continuity or somethin' like that?"

"Well, yeah?" Gill Grunt gave Chihiro a wary smile.

Chihiro cast one last gaze at the warp, then gently tapped it with her foot. With not one second to be wasted, the portal whooshed her away in a giant, pastel tower of shining light!

"WOAH!" Chihiro exclaimed before the light vanished—and Chihiro with it.

"Well, looks like I'd better go," Gill Grunt watched as the magic faded, then adjusted his jetpack, "Let's hope—Mmph!"

Before Gill Grunt could even finish his sentence, he was caught in a massive, brown sack! He struggled against it, but it was far too thick and strong for him to cut open—but not strong enough to mask the conversation outside.

"That's two of the Skylandees caught," said someone with a gruff voice, "But what about the lad?"

"Well, we can't catch 'em doin' what we usually do, cap'n," said another person with a notably higher voice, "After all, they're a portal master! Methinks we're gonna be fu—"

"Language, mate. We're tryin' to keep this story T rated."

"Sorry, cap'n." the higher-pitched voice adopted a bit of remorse and paused before it spoke again, "But what will we do?! This lad is surely much more powerful than any of us!"

"Relax, mate," the first, gruff voice took a noticeably lackadaisical tone to it, "When the wee lad sees their Skylandees all tied up and helpless, methinks they'll come along swiftly."

And with that, the sack Gill Grunt was trapped in dropped on the ground! As Gill Grunt felt a mild pain surge through his body, he heard someone untie the sack!

"Hey! Who did that?!" Gill Grunt shouted as he poked his head out of the sack, "Come out and face me, you—"

Gill Grunt was immediately greeted by a chorus of cutlasses pointed straight at his face and gulped.

"Yeah, keep it down, Skylandee, and maybe we won't filet ye while we have the chance," growled one of Gill Grunt's captors, a mangy seadog in a crimson-stained hat—who looked awfully familiar, for that matter…

"Wait a second, you're that pirate captain from the docks!"

"Ding, ding! Give the fishy a prize~" The seadog captain sneered as he untied another sack just a bit and looked back at Gill Grunt.

It was, indeed the same person—same mangy brown fur, same tattered robes, same crimson-stained captain's hat… But this time, he seemed so much more malevolent and evincing than he did when they were at the docks with his narrowed eyes and bared fangs.

"That Kaos fella warned us about ye lot showin' up, pokin' your noses where ye shouldn't. Seems like he was right."

Gill Grunt bit his lip and gazed around the area, while the salty seadogs gave him suspicious glares in return. He then looked to his side, where Zap's head popped out of the second sack and gazed around as he gasped for breath.

"Zap!" Gill Grunt shouted as he looked over at Zap.

"They got you too, huh dude?" Zap said as he gazed over at Gill Grunt with maybe a tad bit of regret.

"Unfortunately." Gill Grunt's eyes peered down at the loamy earth—and the sack he was still in. Gill Grunt tried to push against it and get out, but no dice—it was still far too tight for him to worm out.

"Come on Skylandees, we've got a special mission for you!" The seadog captain said as he grabbed them both by the sack.

"And what makes you think we'll do anything for you?" Gill Grunt's lips narrowed into a snarl as he watched the pirate captain sneer.

"Well, the fact that ye're all tied up with nowhere to go comes to mind." The captain grabbed a roll of slime-covered seaweed from the inside of his coat and snapped off a few rows before he tied them around Gill and Zap's mouths, "And I don't want to hear a word about it, Skylandee."

And with their cries muffled, the captain dragged the two of them along the darker side of the bushes…

§

Chihiro opened her eyes, and before she knew it she found herself on the other side of the warp! As soon as her feet hit the ground, she scanned her body all over—nope, no weird travel injuries of any variety—then peered over to find that everything seemed perfectly normal! Well, as normal as this place could get, anyways.

"Guess Gill was right," Chihiro remarked as she brushed her hair out of her face and looked around, "Speaking of Gill, where is he?"

Chihiro kicked a pebble with her shoe as she looked over the warp. He was right behind her, right?… Surely he would've arrived by now—did something happen to him on the trip here? Hopefully not.

"Guess I'll just have to wait on him—maybe there was traffic." Chihiro bit her lip and shook her head, "That's ridiculous, Chihiro! Why would a magical warp gate have traffic?"

Well, she never knew for sure—Skylands was a place where anything was possible, after all. For now, she could probably scan the area around here for the Twin Spouts—which was what she did as she shifted through the thick leaves and bushes around her. However, there was nothing of interest aside from some bugs.

"It must be further along the pathway." She then diverted her eyes back to the path ahead of her, though she could barely see its contents because of the dimming light.

However, what she did see made her worry just a bit—the grassy pathways were lined with tons of pirates! All tough ones too, with giant fancy weapons that could probably put the stuff on Earth to shame and giant muscles to rival a cartoon bodybuilder's. And if that wasn't bad enough, she could just barely spy rows of cannons across the way and ready to fire.

"Geez, they really pulled out all the stops, didn't they?" Chihiro dove through the bushes and peered out of a handmade hole, "This better be where the spouts are, 'cause if they aren't…"

Chihiro bit her lip, then caught a shimmer of gold out the corner of her eye and peered ahead. Though she could barely make it out between the clutter, she spied a stone pedestal that held something golden on its top, flanked by two bulky pirates—wait, that scene seemed awfully familiar…

"Wait, that's what I saw on the Far-Viewer! I'm definitely here!" Chihiro smiled and closed up the bushes as she turned back to the warp, "Gill, I—"

Gill Grunt still wasn't there.

Chihiro frowned as she watched the area around her, which seemed much more notably lonely than before without Gill Grunt and Zap's presence. She really hoped they were okay, but…

"It's getting really dark, I think." Chihiro looked up at the dark night skies, while the full moon was hidden by dark clouds, "I didn't even think about the time, but I probably can't stay for much longer."

Chihiro bit her lip as she grabbed onto a tree branch.

"Speaking of time, I kinda wonder what time it is back on Earth." Chihiro kicked a smooth gray rock as she hung her head. "I bet Mom and Dad are at home, all worried sick!"

However, that very notion only made her feel worse as her frown deepened and her head hung lower and lower until her chin jabbed into her chest.

"They probably are worried—a whole lot, too!" Chihiro's voice was barely audible, though her pain was apparent as she fought back tears, "I should be ashamed of myself for making them worry like this when they have so much else to be worrying about."

Tears fell down her face and sniffles escaped from her nose before Chihiro wiped her tears away and looked up.

"No, I can't get upset about them right now. I'm sure they'd understand if they knew I have a world to save."

Chihiro then gazed ahead at the path before her and bit her lip as she watched the pirates pace about and talk among themselves.

"I'm gonna have to solo it—it looks like Gill and Zap won't be back soon." Chihiro dove her hands into a tall patch of reeds and brushed them past as she peered at the other side, "But what can I do?"—Chihiro turned around, then placed a hand on her chin and hummed—"Maybe an invisibility spell!"

Chihiro beamed as she shot her hand to the sky and focused her heart.

"Alright—turn me invisible!"

She waited… And waited… And waited some more… But it was no use, she was still completely visible! As she looked down at her still-visible form, Chihiro sighed and pointed her finger to the skies once again.

"Let's try this again…" Chihiro thrust her arm in the air for emphasis, "Turn me invisible!"

Still no dice. Chihiro could only slough over and sigh as she noted once against that she was still easily seen.

"Guess invisibility magic's still too advanced for me…" Chihiro hid herself behind the reeds once more, "I'm just gonna have to come up with something else."

As Chihiro's eyes glazed over the pirate forces once more, her mouth pursed into a frown.

"Maybe I could come up with a distraction!" Chihiro whispered as her frown turned to a grin, "Yeah, that sounds good, but what…"—Chihiro pushed away the reeds just a little further and looked over at the cannons, which had stacks of shiny black cannonballs nearby—"… That's it!"

Chihiro closed her eyes and clasped her hands, her mind focused on the cannonballs.

Now, cannonballs… Attack those seadogs!

Chihiro felt magic rush through her veins at such an intensity it made her whole body tremble, then snapped open her eyes and clapped her hands. All was silent for moments as Chihiro gazed over the cannonballs… Only for one to float up and crash just a few inches away from one of the pirates!

Chihiro made a sharp gasp of glee as more cannonballs flung themselves towards the seadog guards! The guards, in response, panicked and jumped out of the way, or cursed out the marksmen—who had now come down to argue back! As everything dissolved into chaotic brawls and cannonballs, Chihiro smirked.

"Now's my chance!" Chihiro whispered as she closed her eyes and teleported away!

When she opened her eyes, Chihiro found herself a few paces onto the bridge—though nobody noticed her sudden appearance, it seemed. The pirates that once guarded the spouts were more busy with their game of deadly dodgeball, or, well…

"WHAT DO YE THINK YE'RE DOIN'?"

"ME DIDN'T DO A THING! THOSE CANNONBALLS JUMPED UP BY THEMSE—"

"LIKELY STORY, MATEY! ME KNEW YE ALWAYS VIED FOR ME POSITION—"

Geez, looks like things are gonna get ugly, Chihiro thought as she closed her eyes and focused once more, Better get out of here.

With a pop that was barely heard over the cacophony of chaos, Chihiro teleported a few feet up across the bridge… And a few more… And a little more.

"Wow," Chihiro panted as she rested against the bridge for a breath, "Just how long is this bridge—"

Chihiro's sentence cut itself off for good reason—right in front of her eyes was none other than the Twin Spouts, in all their golden, spouty glory! It kind of reminded her of an ancient chalice, just a little bit. Its center was shaped like one, but with twin spouts that flanked both its sides and a round, platform-like base. And ever true to its name, it was made entirely of sparkly gold!

"Okay, Chi, the target's in sight, now to get it."

Chihiro basked in the golden sparkles of the Twin Spouts for moments, then carefully lifted it off its podium. She was gingerly and slow about the whole process—just in case of traps—but surprisingly, nothing happened when she got the spouts off! Unless it was a delayed response… Chihiro paused and looked around for a few seconds, but still—nothing happened.

"Aww yeah, who's awesome? I'm awesome!" Chihiro then magicked up a sack and placed the spouts inside, "In fact, I can't believe that actually worked!"

As she looked back at the still-brawling pirates, Chihiro held the top of the magic sack tight and looked aside only to find a strange light that came from across a stone pathway.

"Now to blow this pop stand!" Chihiro dashed off, her eyes trained on the path below her feet and the soft, warm light.

I still haven't found Gill or Zap, though, Chihiro frowned and heaved a sigh, then shook her head, Eh, I'm sure they're okay! They're probably waiting at the docks for me!

Chihiro ran two steps a time down the pathway as the light grew brighter and familiar wooden planking came into view. With a leap off the stairs, she landed on the planks and beamed—because she was back at the docks onto more! The docks were still fairly quiet with no pirates in sight, so now it was just a matter of getting on board. Chihiro skipped past the various giant schooners and warships, each an almost-identical blur in her mind, before her eyes rested on the familiar sight of Delilah's mast and caused her to run!

"Gurglefin!" Chihiro called as she ran up to Delilah's plank.

Chihiro heard a surprised shout, then watched as Gurglefin peered over the deck.

"Chihiro, there you are!" Gurglefin shouted back with just a hint of relief in his voice, "Did you get the spouts?"

Chihiro nodded firmly and gave Gurglefin a thumbs up.

"Hey, are Gill Grunt and Zap with you?"

"Haven't seen them since you left." Gurglefin shook his head.

Chihiro bit her lip and frowned. So they weren't here, either… Where could they have possibly gone?

"Gill? Zapster? You guys here? Olly olly oxen free!" Chihiro called as she scanned the docks for any possible traces of them… But nothing showed.

Just then…

"THERE THEY ARE! GET 'EM!"

Out of nowhere, a bunch of pirates jumped out from the shadows and onto the docks! Their snarls and grimaces were as wide as their weapons were sharp and big, and it was clear from their posture that they were in no mood to play around!

Chihiro gasped and bit her lip, then drew her cutlass… Only for its blade to fall off.

"Crap, should've known that thing was a piece of junk," Chihiro muttered as she tossed the handle into the ocean.

"Well, well, look who we 'ave here!" Crowed a familiar voice as the crowd parted ways, "If it isn't Cap'n Cheerio the Bold!"

Chihiro jolted at the sound of calm footsteps, then turned back to her front to find none other than the seadog pirate captain who had ambushed her earlier!

"If that's even yer real name, that is." The seadog bore his fang as his eyes narrowed.

§

"So tell me…" The seadog captain crowed as he crossed his arms behind his back, "Who are ye, really?"

The crowd of seadogs bellowed out irate shouts and cries of battle as they imposed themselves on Chihiro, all bared fangs and sharp cutlasses and beady eyes. Geez, who messed with their coffee that evening?

"Well…" Chihiro said with a smirk as she dramatically placed her hand over her face and turned away. Chihiro then looked up at them and smirked before she spun around and tossed off her pirate costume to reveal her regular clothes underneath!

Her true identity revealed, Chihiro narrowed her eyes into a lancing look as she held up her hands—which had their thumbs, index fingers and pinkies extended while the other two fingers laid curled against her palms—right in front of her face.

"I am Chihiro Hatsuki, portal master and guardian of all that is good in this universe!" Chihiro then pointed a finger towards the seadogs, "And in the name of peace, love, and justice, I'll punish you for your transgressions against Skylands!"

The seadogs only stared with blank expressions as Chihiro chuckled and let up on her pose.

"Heh, I always wanted to do that." Chihiro scratched the back of her head, then peered over only to find the seadogs' blank stares, "Hey, it wasn't that bad!"

Only a chuckle was heard from the group as the seadog captain trained a sneer on Chihiro.

"I should've guessed ye were a portal master when yer lil' gift disappeared in a cloud of magic dust," The captain remarked as his sneer deepened, "Ye were here for the Twin Spouts, weren't ye?"

"So what if I was?" Chihiro bit her lip and drew back, now quite serious.

"Well you see, lad." The seadog nudged something behind his back, "Lord Kaos promised me a hefty booty for those little Spouts—"

A bunch of pirates in the back of the crowd started giggling—though they tried to muffle it with their paws, it was still quite audible.

"Not that kinda booty, ye morons!" The seadog captain growled at his crew and watched as they all immediately fell into silence, then regained his composure and turned back to Chihiro, "Anyways, I was promised quite the booty for those Spouts, and I'm not willing to let ye just waltz off with 'em like that."

"And what makes you think you can stop me?" Chihiro narrowed her eyes and glared down the captain, "We need these Spouts to remake the Core of Light! I'm not just gonna give them up!"

"Will these make ye change yer mind, then?"

The seadog captain pulled something out from his back—two large, brown sacks with Zap and Gill Grunt inside!

"MMPH!" Zap tried to shout, but it was no use—his mouth was covered in sticky seaweed and unable to make a single significant noise.

"Zap! Gill!" Chihiro shouted, her eyes widened with horror and then rage as she looked back at the captain, "Let go of them, right now!"

"Oh, I'll let them go, laddie…" The captain touted as he eyed the bag in Chihiro's hand, "If ye give me back the Twin Spouts. A fair trade, I'd say—the Spouts for yer mateys lives!"

"MMPH! Mmph mm mmph!" Gill Grunt shouted, but the seaweed around his mouth was so thick that it continued to muffled his voice and made his cries inaudible.

"Clock's tickin', lad." The seadog captain hissed as he narrowed his eyes, "Ye best make yer decision now—or me'll make it for ye."

Chihiro's eyes stung with fear as she gazed at Gill Grunt and Zap, then looked down at the magic sack she still clasped in her hand. She didn't want to give up the Twin Spouts—they were far too important, after all, not just to her but to everyone else—but Gill Grunt and Zap were her precious friends! She couldn't give up her friends' lives, that was too much!

"You really are awful people, aren't you?" Chihiro scowled as she looked back at the smirking seadog pirate.

"Comes with the territory of being a pirate, lad."

Her eyes ablaze with rage and determination, Chihiro tied the sack to her sweatpants.

"I'll tell you what." Magic crackled from Chihiro's hands and feet as she spoke, "I'm not going to give you the Spouts—"

"Oh, it looks like the laddie has a cruel bone after all~" The seadog captain crackled with laughter.

"But I won't you take Zap and Gill, either! I'll save them, right this moment!"

Just then, Chihiro vanished into midair! The seadogs all gasped as she reappeared inches above the seadog captain, yanked the sacks that contained Zap and Gill Grunt out of his hands, then vanished once again!

"Don't just stand there, ye oafs!" The seadog captain pointed his cutlass ahead of the crowd where Chihiro had reappeared, "After 'em!"

As the crowds shouted and swarmed after Chihiro, she gulped and teleported again, this time onto the canopy of a building's small stand and then onto the building's roof. Her breath heavy, Chihiro's eyes glazed over the docks, where the pirates had all crowded in front of the building. However, no matter how many times they jumped up or stacked on top of each other, they couldn't reach the roof where Chihiro rested.

"Can't get me from up here, can you now?!" Chihiro exclaimed as Gill Grunt and Zap made muffled cries, only for a pirate to shoot a cannonball up to the skies!

Chihiro winced as the cannonball slammed straight into the building and made a decently-sized hole inside!

"Crap, maybe you can!" Chihiro then closed her eyes and teleported once more.

When she opened her eyes again, Chihiro was safely back on Delilah's deck! She looked over to a few moments and saw a frantic-looking Gurglefin reel in the plank, then dropped Gill Grunt and Zap with a thunk!

Of course, they both made some fairly displeased grumbles and noises—but given that their mouths were still covered it was barely audible.

"What was that, Zap? I can't hear a word you're saying! Oh, right, you're all tied up," Chihiro said before she giggled, "I'll deal with that."

She then tore the seaweed off of Gill and Zap's person and loosened the sacks to the point where they could safely get out!

"So what was it you were going to say, Zapster?"

"IT'S A TRAP!" Zap shouted as he frantically looked around, then sighed and took a breather, "Oh wait, nevermind bros."

"Oh Zap." Chihiro chuckled as she looked over Zap and Gill Grunt, "Man, I'm glad I was able to pull that off! I was so worked up I thought it wouldn't work for a second…"

Chihiro then peered up at Gurglefin.

"Gurglefin, full speed ahead! It's time to get out of this place!"

"I couldn't agree with you more!" Gurglefin exclaimed as he hastily spun the wheel, "Back home we go!"

With one last turn of the wheel, Delilah zoomed away at speeds Chihiro wasn't even entirely certain she could go! Water splashed against Delilah's hull as she sailed further ahead, until the gates were a vague blob in sights.

"There's the gates!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaned over and pointed towards them, only for her face to fall, "Crap, I think they're closing!"

Chihiro was right—as they drew closer, a mechanical grind was heard as the gates slowly drew to a close!

"They're locking us in!" Chihiro sighed and shook her head, "Dangit, I should've known that was gonna happen."

Chihiro clung to the Spouts that were still tied to her pants and grimaced. What was she gonna do? How on Earth would they get out of here now, assuming the pirates didn't get to them first? What would—

Chihiro's train of terrified thought came to a stop as she felt a cool, reassuring fin place itself on her shoulder and turned towards Gill Grunt.

"Don't worry, Chi, we'll figure this out," Gill Grunt said as he and Chihiro nodded in unison.

Gill Grunt then turned to face the side of the island and gasped.

Confused by Gill Grunt's shock, Chihiro turned around and saw that there, on top of a lengthily-spanning series of wooden platforms, was a seadog who was cranking a wooden crank! Surely, the had to be the person in charge of the gate!

"That's the gate person!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaned further against the deck railing to get a better view, "Quick, Gill, shoot 'em down!"

"Can't." Gill Grunt shook his head to reaffirm his statement, "It's too far away!"

They all heard a faint crack and then turned around to find that the gatemaster had broken the crank's level off. Great…

Chihiro pursed her lips and grunted while her hands crackled with cyan magic.

"Looks like we'll just have to find another way out!" Chihiro looked towards Zap and Gill Grunt and held out her sparkling hands, "Gill, Zap, hold on to me and I'll teleport us over!"—Chihiro then turned to Gurglefin—"Gurglefin, stay here and try not to get the ship sunk!"

As Gill Grunt and Zap clasped onto her hands, Chihiro closed her eyes. Magic flowed through her body and made her limbs feel fuzzy as she channeled the magic within her, then with a bright flash of light all three of them disappeared!

§

When the magic faded, Chihiro found herself back on the docks, which were still filled with pirates—including that awful, awful captain. However, being around them didn't feel as scary as before—not when she had her friends by her side.

"Me knew ye'd come crawlin' back as soon as the gates closed," The seadog captain sneered as he drew his cutlass, "But if ye wants to open the gate, ye'll have to go through me and me hearties first!"—The seadog made a sneer—"Or, ye could just give us those Spouts ye have there and me'll let ye go free…"

"We're not giving up these spouts! We need them to remake the Core of Light!" Gill Grunt shouted, his eyes narrowed as he clasped his harpoon gun tight.

"Well, why didn't ye say so?" Sympathy dripped from the captain's voice as his sneer softened, "We'll let ye go free."

"Really?" Zap asked as he looked around at the captain's crew members, who were now slowly sheathing their swords and putting away their weapons.

"Not," smirked the pirate, "After all, our client promised a hefty sum of booty for this little piece a'gold!"—The captain unsheathed his sword and held it to the heavens—"Mateys, get the Spouts at any cost!"

And with that, the battling went all-out! Pirates pounced from all angles onto the trio anc they were more than ready for a fight!

Gill Grunt whipped out his harpoon gun and hosed down the pirates with scalding water! And while Gill Grunt watched the pirates reel in pain from the water's heat, Zap, ever true to his name, zapped the pirates with bolts of lightning from his mouth and shocked them all in a row!

With teeth a'chatter and sparks a'fly around the battlefield, Chihiro took the opportunity to get a slice of the action herself! She sprinted forward with a huff and punched a seadog straight in the face, then spun around and shot off a barrage of magical energy spheres! Yowls of pain became a symphony to her ears as at least a quarter of the crew fell!

Unfortunately, that quarter didn't seem to be enough, because more pirates flooded in by the moment until they overcrowded Chihiro, Gill Grunt and Zap! The three of them were forced to back up till they had no room left.

"Geez, how big a crew does this guy have anyway?" Chihiro shouted, her back towards the ocean as the pirates crowded around her.

"I'm not sure, Chihiro, but I don't think we can fight them all off!" Gill Grunt while furiously trying to blast away the pirates in his sights.

"Gee, you think?" Zap gargled as he blasted away a large cephalopad with a giant lightning bold.

"Well, if we can't beat them, then we'll just have to shake them!" Chihiro exclaimed as she frowned and bit her lip, "But how—ACK!"

Chihiro's sentence was interrupted halfway as a yellow imp with bloodshot eyes that could barely reach her knees sneaked under her and snatched the Spouts from her!

Everybody stared at the snickering imp for mere moments, then watched it dashed away into the crowd of pirates. As it faded out of view everybody blinked, then…

"Get that imp!" The seadog captain exclaimed as he pointed his cutlass towards the direction the imp ran!

The pirates completely forgot about Chihiro, Gill, and Zap! They tripped over themselves and pulled at their crewmates' hairs while they tried to reach the imp, all in one big ball of chaos. Within mere moments, they had all vanished along with the imp!

"Now's our chance, guys!" Chihiro proclaimed as she looked at Gill Grunt and Zap, "You guys see if you can get the gates open, I'll get the Spouts back!"

Chihiro, Gill Grunt and Zap all nodded in unison, then Chihiro sprinted away from the docks and back into the forest.

Now, the forest was still as dark and confusing as before, but this time Chihiro had a guide—the faint sounds of pirates yelling and cursing out the imp in the furthest distance. As her feet crushed the earth underneath her, Chihiro dashed over the twigs and leaves that littered the dirt path before her. Her only light came from the magic sphere she had conjured, but it was more than enough for now.

"Now where did that little snot go…" Chihiro whispered as she slowed down while her eyes darted back and forth, "Its legs are so short, it couldn't have gone far."

"He he he!" A cackle broke its way through the surface, one sharp and mocking in tone!

As the cackle reached her ears, Chihiro whipped around in every which way. She heard it, it was definitely here!

"Where are you, you little pest?!" Chihiro jumped up and down as she shook her fists in the air, "Stop hiding like a-a-a,"—Chihiro stopped midway through her rant and shrugged—"I don't know what you are, but stop hiding like something really cowardly and fight me, you little rat!"

As Chihiro shook her rage and ran ahead, the sound of the pirates' cacophony grew louder and louder—and she could've sworn that she saw the flash of a cutlass against the newly-present torchlight. With a soft hum Chihiro prodded forward, pushed against the leaves and found that she was right! She found herself at the back of the pirate crowd, with pirates in all shapes and sizes in a rush to reach the thing ahead of then—the imp! Sure enough, there was the imp, whole held the Twin Spouts up to the air as it bounced back and forth, its mocking giggles a clear aggravation to the pirates it teased.

"Get back here, you filthy something-or-other!" Chihiro shouted as she tumbled over a loose paw of anonymous ownership.

She then muttered something to herself that most certainly shouldn't have be said by an eleven-year-old and stumbled back through the crowd!

"He he he he!"

The imp's laughter rang in Chihiro's ears and made her dash forwards without even thinking! As she pushed aside the pirates and faced down the imp, she shot her hand back and created a giant barrier that blocked off the pirates! Now, it was the two of them, in a mighty showdown for the Twin Spouts.

"Now, you little rat, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Chihiro said, "You can hand over the Spouts nicely, and I'll let you go. Or, you can keep them,"—Chihiro cracked her knuckles—"And we'll fight for them."

The imp just cackled once more and dashed forward!

"Oh no you don't!" Chihiro exclaimed as she shot her hand forward and crafted another wall ahead of the imp!

The imp gasped as the wall manifested in front of it, but it was going too fast to stop and crashed right into it! It groaned as it shook its head and came back to its sense, then looked up at Chihiro.

With a smirk, Chihiro summoned an energy sphere and flicked it forward! The sphere hit the imp immediately and wrapped it in bright light that immediately solidified into a firm bubble!

As the imp floated upwards, the Twin Spouts clacked against the ground, now free from the enemy's grasp!

Chihiro wasted no time in recapturing them as she cradled the Spouts in her arm like one would a young child. A level of fondness fell over her as she brushed her thumb against their smooth, gold surface while all seemed peaceful for a few minutes…

Then she heard a crack.

And she looked back to find that the pirate crowd was attacking her barrier with everything they had!

"Crap, forgot about those dudes," Chihiro remarked as she summoned another magic sack, placed the Twin Spouts inside and tied it to her sweatpants, "Looks like I'm gonna have to—"

Just then, one last blow from a cannon caused the barrier to shatter completely.

"… Fight my way out after all." With a gulp, Chihiro watched as the pirates all stampeded towards her, then looked down at her feet. Let's hope this works…

"Feet, jump really high!" Chihiro proclaimed as her feet glowed with a shiny, aqua light that evolved into boots with springs!

Chihiro smiled, then bounced up to the heavens—and right out of the crowd's way! Chihiro smirked as the crowd of pirates chattered and looked around in confusion, then dropped down and watched as her springy boots vanished. After she regained her balance, Chihiro created a giant sphere of cyan magic and tossed it in the air!

"Batter up!" Chihiro exclaimed as a baseball bat made of cyan magic formed in her hands while the sphere came down, "And swing!"

As she shouted out those words, Chihiro slammed her magic bat against the sphere and watched as it shot off like a rocket! As it zoomed into the air, it split into what seemed like a hundred tiny spheres that immediately slammed into each pirate with a bright flash!

The pirates all closed their eyes, likely in anticipation of some great attack… But by the time they opened those eyes, they had all been trapped inside magical blue bubbles that floated a few feet off the surface! They all screamed and cursed and yelled as they pounded against the bubbles, but it was no use as those bubbles were completely soundproofed.

Chihiro chuckled to herself for a bit as she watched them in their miserable state, then smirked as she leaned forward, pulled down her eyelid and stuck her tongue.

"Later gators!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around and ran off.

§

Gill Grunt and Zap frowned as they looked over the area before them. Thanks to another warp that they happened to find a little off the shoreline they had been whisked away to the back of the island, where hopefully they could find another way to open the gates—or at least get out of here…

"Ahoy, mateys!" Gargled a familiar voice as Gill Grunt and Zap turned around.

There, they saw a ship come into view, one with carefully-tended wood and a mermaid-shaped mast… Wait, Delilah? Sure enough it was! Delilah sailed into view and safely parked next to the grassy ledge that Gill Grunt and Zap currently stood on, while Gurglefin leaned over the top of the deck.

"I found out two things," Gurglefin said as he held up two fishy fingers, "Firstly, I overheard the pirates say that there's a switch that opens the gates! It should be on that ship over there!"—Gurglefin pointed to a large, fancily-decorated ship a few feet away, then chuckled and scratched the back of his head—"And second, that pirates lie a lot. So, uh, good luck I guess..."

Gill Grunt and Zap rolled their eyes, then focused on the ship ahead. It was pretty far away, but surely Gill Grunt's jetpack could fly them over there—or if not, they could have Gurglefin bridge the gap with—

"THERE YE ARE, SKYLANDEES!"

In the blink of an eye, several pirates ships sailed in and blocked off the one with the switch! The first ship's plank dropped onto the island with a clatter as crowds of hollering pirates swarmed down its wooden surface in just as much time!

"Thought ye'd gotten away from us, did ye?" Asked a gruff-voiced octopus buccaneer as he scraped his hooks together and made the most awful noise, "Sorry, buckos—ye're in fer some rough seas now!"

The pirates all cheered in agreement as they raised their weapons to the skies, then circled around Gill Grunt and Zap. There were a lot of them… Would them be able to take them all?

"You wanna fight, huh dudes?" Zap asked as slime formed at his paws, "Bring it on! We can take ya!"

"Ye sound awfully confident in yerself, Skylandee." The buccaneer swooped forward with a mighty slash, "But can ye really take all of us on at once?"

"Of course we can!" Gill Grunt shouted as he jumped onto the buccaneer's muscular arm, "We're Skylanders, after all!"

Gill Grunt then shot the pirate in the face with a mighty stream of hot water and jumped back! His jetpack started mid-jump and proceeded to douse the pirates underneath with equally-boiling water—all they could do was yowl in shock as they were soaked to the bone.

As Gill Grunt flew away from them, Zap smirked and wagged his tail while static crackled and popped at his fangs. As the pirates cried out and chased after him, Zap zoomed off on a sticky slime trail and proudly watched as the pirates were trapped onto it! With a majority of them safely stuck on the trail, Zap shot a lightning bolt at the trail and watched as the pirates screamed out in shock—literally.

While the other pirates fell unconscious, the buccaneer gulped as he frantically looked for any means of escape—but it was too late. Gill Grunt and Zap had him cornered.

"Y'know," Gill Grunt said as he cocked his harpoon gun, "I've never liked pirates. Always pillaging and plundering and leaving nothing but destruction in their wakes…"—Gill Grunt's face darkened with a serious nature—"So as you can imagine, I have little patience for someone like you."

"Please, let me go, Skylandee!" The buccaneer pleaded as he got down on his knees, "Me'll give ye anythin'! Tell ye anythin' ye wanna hear!"

"Then tell me…" Gill Grunt shot a lancing glare into the buccaneer's very soul, "Is it true that the ship you just blocked off has a switch that'll open these gates?"

"YES, YES, IT'S TRUE!" The buccaneer wailed as he fell on his face.

Gill Grunt and Zap only gave each other aside glances, then shrugged as Gill Grunt put down his harpoon gun.

"I'll let you go, then." Gill Grunt then noted the roll of seaweed tape that hung from the sobbing buccaneer's belt and snapped it off without the buccaneer even noticing, "But you're not getting away with all this, understood?"

"UNDERSTOOD!" The buccaneer sobbed some more before his head jolted up, "Wait, what?"

Gill Grunt only handed over the seaweed roll to Zap, who pulled out a strand… Then zoomed around the buccaneer until he was wrapped tight in seaweed!

The buccaneer struggled against the bonds, but the seaweed was far too sticky to escape from—much to Gill Grunt and Zap's pleasure.

"Hang tight, dude!" Zap shouted as he skated off on another slime trail, "We're gonna get that switch now!"

Gill Grunt and Zap then walked onto the first ship's plank and boarded the ship. The ship itself was nothing special—it was your average wooden pirate schooner with wooden decks and barrels and jolly roger flags everywhere you looked—but from its deck, you could see…

"Hey, Gill, look over there!" Zap shouted as he gently nudged Gill Grunt's shoulder, "I think I see that switch thingie!"

Gill Grunt craned his head above and found that a little further away from their current location, on a wooden platform suspended by a tall wooden pole was a giant stone cylinder! The cylinder's top glowed with a faint, blue light that just barely stood out against the night sky—surely that had to be it!

"Then what are we standing around here for?" Gill grunt exclaimed as he started up his jetpack and picked up Zap, "Let's get it!"

"Hey, that's my line!" Zap chirped as he and Gill Grunt flew across to the second ship's deck.

As the two of then landed, their eyes glazed over the ship's deck. There didn't appear to be a plank—just a couple of bounce pads that practically littered the ship's deck!

Zap grinned, then zoomed off and leaped straight onto the first bounce pad!

"YAHOO!" Zap hooted as he flew up and landed on a wooden lookout platform, then looked down at Gill Grunt, "C'mon dude, what'cha waiting for?"

Gill Grunt chuckled to himself, then carefully stepped onto the bounce pad. With a boing he shot off into the skies, then started up his jetpack mid-flight and flew onto the lookout.

As they looked across from where they stood and saw yet another bounce pad, Gill Grunt and Zap nodded in unison then jumped on. With another sproing they were shot across the ships and landed face-first onto another platform! The two of them shook off the pain and lurched up, then smiled as they found themselves face-to-face with the stone cylinder they saw earlier!

It looked a lot fancier now that they could see it in person—its stone surface had intricate markings carved all over it, a surface that was smooth and clearly carefully tended to. And finally, atop its surface was a smooth button that glowed in a bright shade of blue.

"Let's hope this works…" Gill Grunt said as he flew up and pushed down on the cylinder's button.

The button made a friendly beep, then a great lurching sound was heard all around!

Gill Grunt turned around in an attempt to locate the sound's source, and found that behind him a large stone gate had receded into the ocean!

"We did it, dude!" Zap cheered as he slapped a paw against Gill Grunt's hand.

"You bet we did!" Gill Grunt smiled as he picked up Zap, then started up his jetpack.

As the water gushed down from his jetpack's barrels, Gill Grunt soared across the ships and landed back down on the grassy hill they had started at. As Zap let go, the two of them stretched out…

Then the sound of panting alerted Gill Grunt and Zap to the fact that Chihiro had just caught up with them! The two of them turned around to find her bent over with her hands on her knees, then watched as she looked up at them with a tired smile.

"Took me long enough to find you guys!" Chihiro said with a playful wink, "Anywho, I got the Spouts back!"—Chihiro stood up and gently rustled the bag that was tied to her sweatpants, "Now let's get these babies into the Core of Light."

And with that said, the three of them watched as Delilah's plank positioned itself on the island. Chihiro then smiled at them and bowed in a gentlemanly manner.

"After you, good sirs."

"Last one there's a rotten piece of kelp!" Zap shouted as he dashed up the plank with an eager Chihiro behind him.

"Guess that makes me the piece of kelp," Gill Grunt said as he made a playful sigh, "And here I come!"

And with that said, he dashed up the plank and onto the deck. As he positioned himself next to Zap and Chihiro on the deck railing, the three of them watched as Delilah's plank receded back inside and she sailed off once more…

§

Back at the island, Chihiro, Gill Grunt, and Zap tumbled into a giant pile all over themselves as they raced back onto the beach's docks, all bushy-tailed and bright-eyed as they found themselves home once more.

"I'm okay, I swear," Chihiro groaned as she rubbed the top of her head, then shook it and regained her vigor, "Last one to the Core's a salty seadog!"

With a mischievous smirk, Chihiro dashed up the stairs with genuine, cheerful laughter as she heard Gill Grunt and Zap's playful shouts of protest behind her. As she arrived at the top of the stairs, she smiled and took a moment to bask in the island's beauty.

Fireflies lit the area like nightlights, and juxtaposed against the purples and blues and pinks of the midnight it almost seemed kinda magical. Then again, this was Skylands—things looking magical was probably to be expected. All around her, the Skylanders and other residents of Ancient's Peak crowded around the Core of Light's base, all filled with a sense of anticipation for the Twin Spouts arrival.

"Chihiro!" Spyro called out as he flew out of the crowd with Master Eon by his side, "I take it the mission went well?"

"We had a few bumps along the road," Gill Grunt interjected as he and Zap joined Chihiro at the stairs' top, "But otherwise it went swimmingly, if I say so myself."

Everybody around shared a hearty laugh for a few moments, and as the laughter died Chihiro made an expectant look at Master Eon.

"So, Master Eon…" Chihiro said, her voice a little awkward, "… Did I pass?"

"The mission is not over yet, young Chihiro," Master Eon replied as he floated from Spyro to Chihiro, "We still need to return the Twin Spouts of Ocea-Major-Minor to the Core. Do you have them with you?"

Chihiro made an eager nod, then snagged her makeshift bag from her sweatpants and untied it to unveil the Twin Spouts! She then held them up for all to see and smiled with pride.

"Ta-dah!" Chihiro held the Spouts up just a little higher than before, "I told you I wouldn't let you down!"

"Great, that's one more piece of the Core that's out of Kaos's grubby hands!" Spyro remarked as he turned around, "Hugo, we got 'em!"

"Really?" Hugo shouted as he ran over to the group and basked in the Spouts' glory, "You did! I'll go get the book!"

Hugo ran off as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, while the others joined the crowd in their anticipation. While Master Eon and the others blended in with the others, Chihiro stood at the crowd's front with a tight grasp on the Twin Spouts.

"It's strange, I almost don't wanna let go of them," Chihiro whispered fondly as she rubbed her hands against its top, "It's like they're my trophy or somethin'."

"I'm back!" Hugo called as he raced back into the crowds, book in hand, "Is everyone ready?"

A resounding cheer echoed from everyone else in the crowd as Hugo pushed forward and joined Chihiro at her side. With a shared nod, Chihiro walked up and placed the spouts in the center of the Core's base, then ran back as Hugo recited an incantation in some ancient Skylandian tongue.

As Hugo did this, the Twin Spouts slowly turned and turned until they were set in the base with a loud, resounding click! All was silent for a few moments as the crowd peered at the Twin Spouts…

Then a giant rumble echoed throughout the island!

"What was that?" Chihiro exclaimed as she peered up at the Core of Light and gasped!

There, the giant rock statues that flanked both sides of the Core shuddered, then they grew twice their prior size and returned to being still as statues—pun completely intended—once more!

"We did it!" Chihiro gazed over at the Core with sparkling eyes, then turned around as Master Eon floated beside her.

"Yes, Chihiro! Thanks to you, Gill Grunt and Zap's efforts, we've gained another piece of the Core of Light—and with it, we've grown closer to defeating Kaos," Eon said as his glowing form caused a soft glow to illuminate the dark night, "I can say with all certainty that you have passed your second exam."

"Really?" Chihiro's voice was soft, yet filled with excitement as she gazed at Master Eon and watched him bob up and down, then hugged him tight, "Thank you, Master!"

However, Chihiro's grip on him quickly loosened as she made a yawn, then sat down and curled up into a sleepy ball on the grass. Surely all the excitement of the day must have finally worn her down.

"Fell asleep already, didn't you Chihiro?" Spyro whispered as he nuzzled his head against her forehead, which in turn caused Chihiro to mumble something incoherently in her sleep and turn around.

"I'll take her back up to the bedroom—she must've had a long day." Spyro pulled Chihiro up and placed her on his back before he soared away, "We can talk all about the mission tomorrow."

"Agreed!" a half-asleep Gill Grunt and Zap chimed in as they headed off to the Sanctuaries alongside the slowly-dispersing crowd…

---

Now for that important announcement! CHS will be going on break for a few months—I'd estimate currently that it'll last till late December/early January, though this may change in the future.

There's a few reasons for this, but the two main ones are that college is starting back up for me so I'm going to be a lot busier, and my backlog for the story is now down to one chapter—all the other chapters either need to be written out or heavily re-written. Thus, it'll be a lot harder to keep up regular updates without straining myself, so it'll be a lot easier to just go on break and work up a new backlog of chapters to post later!

So stay well, don't let Kaos get you and I hope to see you again when the break ends!