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)

14. Chapter 14

Welcome one, welcome all to the fourteenth chapter of CHS! This and the following chapters are actually chapters I've been very excited to share with you all, so I hope you like them! Also as a note, this chapter contains a few fairly intense bullying scenes, so if that's something you're personally uncomfortable with feel free to sit out or DM for a summary!

Watch Seeker: Honestly, your question is something I've wondered too, and partly why I covered the other clones here! My best guess is that maybe the developers thought having a Kaos fight for every Eternal Source would get kind of repetitive after a while, since I know that was definitely a concern of mine when writing the evil clones—and with the way the Kaos boss fights were structured they had a little less artistic freedom with them than I did. But nevertheless, at least they're here!

---

The temperature was surprisingly warm for the Skylanders' corner of Skylands being in the autumn today, not that anyone complained. The cheery warmth of the sun brought everybody energy as they patrolled the island for danger, jumped to missions and back again, sought out the missing parts of the Core of Light or just did some autumnal cleaning. And that was especially true for Chihiro, who hummed along to some kind of song as she heaved a stack of thick books across the heart of Ancient's Peak! With a smile she tossed the books down on the dewy grass and flopped down alongside them. She then pulled out a book with a red leather cover that had various runes engraved on it in gold and laid it on her lap.

"Now let's see," Chihiro mumbled as she tapped her finger on her cheek, "If that one's b, and that's e, then…"

Chihiro smiled as her eyes lit up.

"The Beginner's Guide to Advanced Magic Spells, this should be a good book to start off with!" Chihiro turned the page and glazed over its worn illustrations and writing, partly proud that her attempts at learning Skylandian were paying off at last, "Now let's see…"—Chihiro brushed a finger over its first page—"Invisibility! That should be a good place to start!"

Chihiro let out a determined cry as she focused her heart and mind on one thing—becoming invisible, of course. The magic flooded her veins and the rest of her body too, which brought the kind of sensation that made her feel numb with joy and anticipation alike.

"Alright, now…" Chihiro took in a deep breath and exhaled, "Turn me invisible!"

Chihiro waited for a few seconds… Then a few seconds more… then a minute… Then looked down at herself.

Nope, still visible.

"Dangit." Chihiro huffed and looked up at the heavens once more as the magic made her heart pound, "Alright, turn me invisible!"

Nope.

"Turn me invisible!"

Chihiro's tone grew slightly more irate as she thrust her arm to the sky... But nothing. Chihiro only sat down and fell on her back with a groan so loud even the birds in the heavens could hear it.

"This is taking too long!" Chihiro hung her head and sighed, "I've been practicing these for the past few days! I dunno why I keep trying if I'm just gonna keep failing like this?!"

Chihiro bit her lip.

But, if I'm gonna be the protector of Skylands and all, I've gotta have a bunch of tricks up my sleeve, and that means learning lots of spells. Chihiro sighed and sat up, Plus, that fourth portal master exam could be any day now. I've gotta be prepared.

"Fine. Better stop wasting my time and get on it," Chihiro said as she picked up the book once more, "Let's see, fusing objects together…"

While Chihiro read over the spellbook, Spyro did his daily laps around the island like he always did during this particular hour of the day. As he flew by Chihiro at a speed so fast that he looked like nothing more than a big purple blur, the book flipped to another page!

"SPYRO!" Chihiro shouted as her expression soured into a pout, "WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?"

Spyro then flew back while the gust of wind from his flight returned her to her proper page.

"Thank you."

And with that said, Chihiro continued her studying… For the next five minutes at least. Right as she was nearly finished, Spyro zipped back and made Chihiro lose her page again!

"SERIOUSLY?!" Chihiro grumbled to herself before she gathered up her books, walked over to a shady tree and continued her reading. As she laid the book she was reading down, Chihiro looked down at the page she was on... Before she realized that she had completely forgotten where she had left off at!

"DANGIT!" Chihiro groaned as she faceplanted into the dusty pages of the spell book. "This book is gonna be the death of me."

"What are you talking about?" Spyro asked as he flew down from his morning laps to sit beside Chihiro.

"I'm talking about how I'm trying to get these spells down!" Chihiro jumped back up and made a frustrated gesture towards the open spellbook in front of her, "I wanna try and get these spells mastered before the fourth portal master exam—"

"Wait, that reminds me!" Spyro snapped his toes and looked over at Chihiro, "Master Eon and Hugo wanted me to get you for that, actually! They said they're ready to start!"

"Really?" With an awkward smile, Chihiro closed the book up then shoved it in Spyro's arms, "Well then, could you take these back to the library for me, Golden Boy?"

"I guess—HEY, WAIT!" As Chihiro shoved the rest of the rooks in his arms and strode off, Spyro hastily flew after her, "Chihiro, do you even know where—"

Spyro paused for a moment as he looked over the books while Chihiro perked up and her eyes widened.

"Spyro, do you hear that?" Chihiro asked as she grabbed Spyro by his shoulder and literally shook him out of his thoughts. Quite violently, if it should be added.

Spyro groaned and shook his head, then gave Chihiro a tired stare.

"You didn't have to shake me, you know. Just saying."

"Whatever, just listen!"

The two of then went silent while a strange noise entered their ears. It almost sounded like some people were talking, and one of those people sounded very frantic at that. Judging from the location, it sounded as if it came from the beach!

"Exam's on pause, I'm gonna go check this out!" Chihiro then jumped from where they stood and stumbled down the stairs to the beach.

With a sigh, Spyro took to the skies and flew down to the beach where Chihiro was already investigating the scene.

There on the beach stood a feline Mabu somewhat similar to Cali in appearance, for they both held the same body and face shape. The main different was that this Mabu had droopy ears, pale brown fur with darker brown stripes and bright blue eyes. They wore a bright pink corset, a dark blue vest, tan trousers, and brown boots. At the moment, they spoke with Gill Grunt and Zap and seemed quite upset at that. What could possibly be their problem, and how'd they even get here, anyways?

"Miss, please calm down, I can barely understand a word you're saying!" Gill Grunt said as he scratched the back of his neck while Zap skated to his side.

"Yeah dudette, chill out!" Zap exclaimed as he made a confused frown, then jumpbed ack and winced as Gill Grunt elbowed him in the shoulder and glared down him, "Dude, what was that for?"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Chihiro asked as she skipped forward and joining them where they were.

Before Gill Grunt could answer Chihiro, the Mabu took a few breaths and went silent.

"Forgive me for my earlier outburst," the Mabu said as they curtsied before the rest of the group, "My name is Jess LeGrand of Plunder Island, and I've come to ask for your help."

§

"Alright then, Miss LeGrand, what seems to be the problem?" Chihiro asked as she leaned back and forth.

"It's something of a long story, but I'll try my best to explain," Jess said as she took a deep breath, "My hometown was invaded by pirates who make everybody play their silly little card game!"

"Yes, carry on." Chihiro materialized a notepad and pencil out of thin air then wrote down the details.

"When people lose at the card game, the pirates take them prisoner! And as luck would have it, just about everyone from my home is awful at card games." Jess looked to the side and back, "I managed to escape, but my people are still trapped."

"And since you can't take them on your own, you came to us for help?" Chihiro watched as Jess nodded, "Trust me, I've heard plenty of stories like this. Now, if you'll give me a moment…"

And with that, Chihiro grabbed Gill Grunt and Zap by the hand and paw and dragged them off to the island's hub. As they reached the center of the hub, Chihiro cleared her throat.

"ATTENTION!"

With that shout, the other Skylanders gathered around them! Eruptor, Slam Bam, Zap, Terrafin, Gill Grunt, Spyro… It wasn't a fairly big crowd, admittedly, given that it was just a handful of the Skylanders who had been assigned to guard the island, but it was more than enough for their current circumstances.

"Thank you all for gathering here today. Now, today we have a very important briefing." Chihiro paused to shake her head, "You know what? I can't do this formal stuff."

Chihiro breathed in and exhaled.

"Long story short, we've got a mission! Some island got taken over by pilfering pirates with a penchant for card games, and they need our help! Who's with me?"

The Skylanders all cheered in response.

"I like your spirit, guys!" Chihiro beamed and gave the crowd a thumbs up, "Now, to decide who's going…"

Chihiro pressed her fingers against her chin as she glazed over the Skylanders, then pointed her finger at Zap and Slam Bam.

"Zap, Slam, and…" As she pressed her fingers against her chin once more, Chihiro's expression stretched into a confused frown, "Now, who else would be a good fit for this mission?"

"C'mon Chi," said a voice from the back of her crowd, "Put me in the ring, I can take these guys!"

"Think you got what it takes, Terrafin?" Chihiro gave off an amused smile.

"Chi, I'm sure I can take 'em. You're talking to the twenty-time champion of the ring after all!"

"If you say so~" Chihiro smiled before she put on her best important announcement voice, "Terrafin, you'll join Zap and Slam Bam!"

Another figure pushed through the crowd, then stationed themself next to Slam Bam—none other than Terrafin himself! As soon as he reached Slam Bam's side, he made a toothy smile and stretched his muscular arms to the sky.

"Miss LeGrand is waiting on the beach. She'll fill you guys in on all the little details and stuff!" Chihiro skipped ahead, only to snag her foot and trip!

Terrafin quickly noted this as he stepped to Chihiro's side and caught her, then rested her arm around his brawny shoulders and heaved her up.

"Careful there, Cheerio!" Terrafin watched as Chihiro stood tall and stretched out.

"Thanks, Fin." Chihiro winked, then let go of his grasp, "Bring me back a souvenir if you can?"

Terrafin gave Chihiro one of the most confused looks he could, then made a playful smirk.

"Alright, who are you and what have you done with the real Chihiro?"

Chihiro giggled and stuck her tongue out.

"Oh you~" Chihiro then tugged on her sweatpants, "Trust me, I'd love to come, but I've got important portal master stuff to do. Sorry."

Terrafin watched as Chihiro's face fell, then smiled and patted Chihiro on the back.

"It's no big deal, kiddo! I'll tell you all about it when I get back, okay?"

"Alrighty then!" Chihiro looked at Spyro, who patiently waited for her to return to his side, then with a smile she waved at Spyro and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Spyro, where'd you say Master Eon and Hugo were?"

"They should be in the mission simulator room! I'll take you there, just follow me!" Spyro shouted before he turned to the other Skylanders, "I will see you guys later."

With that said, Spyro flew over to the portal building with Chihiro close behind, then the two of them flew straight into the building's open door and vanished from everybody else's view.

As the crowd of Skylanders dispersed with them, Eruptor turned towards Slam Bam and Terrafin, his red eyes attentive as if he was getting ready to say something. Terrafin, however, only winked towards Eruptor and watched as he burst into an awkward blush.

"I know what you're gonna say, 'Ruptor," Terrafin teased as he laid a hand on Eruptor's shoulder, "Don't get too busted up during the mission or you'll blow your top!"

"Finnnn…" Eruptor whined before he brushed a round hand over Terrafin's arm and cast an aside smile, "It's true, though! I don't want my…"

"Don't worry, Ruptor," Slam Bam chuckled as he laid a hand on Eruptor's shoulder, oblivious to how Eruptor's lava bubbled brighter, "We'll be careful, alright?"

"Alright, Slam," Eruptor chuckled as he walked off and waved, "See you later!"

Terrafin chuckled and looked over at Slam Bam while the two of them watched Eruptor leave. Then, the widest smile drew onto his face as he slung his arm around Slam Bam's shoulders.

"So, Slam, what's been goin' on?" Terrafin asked as he nudged Slam Bam's shoulder just a bit, "It's been days since we've really gotten to sit down and talk!"

"Not much, really. Just cleaning up the mess Kaos made," Slam Bam replied as he made a soft blush, "Oh, Ghost Roaster tried to teach Chihiro how to cook once! It was awful though. It took at least three hours to clean that up…"—Slam Bam looked at Terrafin and noted the cheesy smile on his face, then smiled and playfully pushed Terrafin back—"Dude, quit looking at me like that, you look goofy!"

"What, me, goofy?" Terrafin placed a bulky hand on his chest, then gently punched Slam Bam in the arm, "I don't think so!"

The two of them laughed together in a playful way, like this was something they had done so many times that it was practically etched in their hearts.

"Geez, Fin." Slam Bam rolled his eyes and crackled his knuckles as he walked towards the stairwell, "Come on, the mission won't wait all day."

Terrafin smiled and joined Slam Bam as the two of them talked above something inaudible to everyone else.

Meanwhile Zap, ever true to his name, zapped off and left a trail of slime behind him as the other Skylanders disappeared into the distance of their daily activities.

As they walked further, however, Slam Bam slowly pushed past the others and went to the side of the worried-looking Mabu woman who was stationed at the docks.

"So, what seems to be the problem, Miss…" Slam Bam asked as he looked as the young Mabu woman before him.

"LeGrand, Jess LeGrand," Jess said as she wiped the dust from her pants and stood tall, "I can give you the whole story on the way there. For now, we should go—those pirates are only conquering more the longer we stand here."

Jess walked back to the docks and rapped against the hull of her ship, which caused the plank to fall down onto the dock.

"You know what that means, guys!" Slam Bam shouted as he looked back and saw Terrafin and Zap come running.

As the two of them drew closer, it almost appeared that they were… Racing?

"There's no way you're beating me, dude!" Zap shouted, a playful tone in his gargly voice as he skated on a trail of slime.

"Not if I can help it!" Terrafin shouted back with a smirk as he dove into the sand and swam ahead.

Zap's eyes bulged as he watched Terrafin swim leagues ahead of him, then bent his knees and skated ever faster!… But, this didn't end well for Zap, because he lost his footing, tripped over his own paws and landed face-first into the sand. As he got up and shook the sand off his head, Zap looked up to find that Terrafin was nearly there! Zap narrowed his eyes and spit the sand out of his mouth as his gaze darkened.

"Not today, dude."

Meanwhile, Terrafin had already reached the docks and jumped out of the sand! As he landed on the wooden docks, he made a toothy grin and stretched his arms to the sky.

"So what's the deal, Slam?" Terrafin said as he slapped a hand down on Slam Bam's shoulder, "Are we leaving now, or—"

Before Terrafin could finish his sentence, his eyes shot wide as he turned around and saw something leap straight for him! While this giant blur of a creature zoomed towards him, Terrafin merely sidestepped out of the way and watched as the blur landed headfirst onto the docks. The blur, which was since revealed to be Zap, groaned with pain then sat back up and shook his head.

"So, did I win?" Zap gargled with the smuggest look on his face.

"Only in your dreams, kiddo," Terrafin smirked as he crossed his arms, then gently ruffled Zap's head in the way a teasing older brother would.

"I'll beat you someday, dude!" Zap stuck out his tongue, "I'm telling you!"

"You keep saying that." Terrafin winked at Zap before he walked towards the plank.

Zap growled, then his eyes narrowed as he focused on the plank. With another smirk, he zipped right past the plank and flipped onto the deck in no time at all! Now fully stationed, he looked back down at the others with his smile even wider than before.

"How about now?" Zap smirked as he looked down to find a very irate Terrafin rested in Slam Bam's muscular arms.

"Seriously, dude?!" Terrafin shouted as he jumped out of Slam Bam's arms and shook a fist at Zap.

"Awww, c'mon Terrafin." Zap's grin was maybe a little too cocky for his own good as he circled around the deck, "Don't be such a sore loser~"

"Sore loser?" Terrafin's gaze narrowed as his mouth bore a fanged snarl, "I'm telling you, kid—"

"GUYS, KNOCK IT OFF RIGHT NOW!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he pushed himself between the two of them and gave them both scorning looks.

Terrafin and Zap looked at Slam Bam with slight caution in their gazes, then both turned away from and muttered out nasty things under their respective breaths.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Slam Bam said as he turned back to Jess and said.

"Are they new to this whole Skylander thing?" Jess asked as she looked back to Zap and Terrafin, who were still giving each other nasty looks and grumbling insults under their breaths.

"I'M AFRAID NOT!" Slam Bam shouted as he glared at Zap and Terrafin, whose gazing ceased and they both stared at Slam, then looked back at Jess, "Now, may you take us back to where you're from?"

"Absolutely!" Jess ran up the plank and man the steering wheel, "All aboard the Mourning Sun!"

As Terrafin ran up the plank, Slam Bam pulled him back by his arm and gave him a gentle stare.

"Don't worry about Zap, Fin, he's just playing around. I'd know, we share quarters and all," Slam Bam said as he watched Terrafin free himself from Slam Bam's grasp.

"In my defense, he started it," Terrafin retorted as he crossed his arms and shot Zap a nasty glare.

"I know Zap doesn't know when to quit sometimes, but we've still got a mission." Slam Bam laid a cold hand on Terrafin's shoulder and smiled, "Can you promise not to start any trouble?"

"I'll try." Terrafin made a teasing smile and winked, "Can't make any promises though."

"That's good enough for me." Slam Bam smirked and gently nudged Terrafin's shoulder with his head in a soft, almost affectionate way.

"Dude, we're in public!" Terrafin's grin turned even wider as he gently shoved a chuckling Slam Bam, then gently nudged Slam Bam on the shoulder with his snout.

"Let's just go." Slam Bam's tone turned sappy and gently as they boarded the ship and watched as it began to sail off…

§

"So Spyro…" Chihiro asked as she brushed her hand against the never-changing brick walls of the portal building's hallways, "What is this mission simulator thing, anyways?"

As the two of them walked, it felt somewhat… Somber. The lights didn't shine as bright as they usually did, the chills of autumn had wormed their way into the halls and caused a nasty draft. Plus, having only two people inside it added a somewhat lonely atmosphere. In a sense, it added on to the anxiety that alright came with the exam!

"The mission simulator?" Spyro repeated as he placed a claw against his chin and tapped it for a few moments, "The mission simulator's just a machine that make hypothetical missions for you to do. Stopping villains, collecting ancient artifacts… That kind of stuff!"

"Ohhhhh." Chihiro made an eager nod, "Is it tough?"

"I don't really know." Spyro made the best shrug he possibly could, "I only got to test it a few times before Kaos…"

As Spyro bit his lip and stared down at the stone floors, Chihiro frowned and gently placed a hand on his back. Spyro jolted up for a moment, then heaved a sigh of relief as he looked back.

"I'm fine, Chihiro." Spyro flew in place and shook his head as he clearly took notice of Chihiro's concern, "Don't worry about me."

As Spyro stared away in contemplation, however, Chihiro continued to frown.

He's acting like that again, Chihiro thought as she teased a strand of inky black hair, He always looks so sad and worried about stuff… I wish I could make him feel better. Maybe I could try and get and his mind off of things.

Chihiro looked to her side and made a twisted frown, then beamed back at Spyro.

"So, what'cha gonna do after this?" Chihiro pressed her hands against her back and walked forwards.

"Well, let's see…" Spyro flew ahead of Chihiro and looked down at his paw, "Gotta help Sunburn and Eruptor find out why the Chocolate Seas have frozen over, then after that I'm working with a couple relief teams that are rebuilding some villages we recently liberated from Kaos, after that Gill, Trig and I are investigating rumors of troll camps in the Turtle Archipelago—"

"Man, you sound pretty busy!" Chihiro made a soft whistle as she stopped in front of a spiraling stone staircase, "I don't know how you can do it, Golden Boy."

"It's nothing." Spyro flew in front of Chihiro, "It's all in a day's work for me. I'm a Skylander, after all—"

"I know, I know." Chihiro grabbed onto the staircase's banister and walked up, "But still! You're always working so hard, no matter what. It's like you never take a break!"

"I have to, Chihiro." Spyro cast a downwards, solemn look as he flew up the stairs, his voice turned cold, "It's my responsibility to undo what Kaos did. If anything, I'm not doing enough."

"Don't you mean it's our responsibility?" Chihiro raced up to Spyro's side and tilted her head as she looked over at him, "We're all working to beat him, after aLLLL—"

As soon as Chihiro hit the top of the stairs, she was greeted by an eye-searing light and stumbled back! She would have tumbled down the entire stone staircase in all its hard rockiness if not for Spyro, who swooped in and caught her as she regained her balance.

"Thanks for the save, Gold," Chihiro whimpered as she took back her footing and stepped forwards, "Geez, who turned on all the lights?"

"We did," said Hugo as he walked forward and took Chihiro's hand, "Come on, we've got something to show you!"

Chihiro followed Hugo's path as Spyro flew into the room, then beamed and made a surprise gasp.

"So this is the mission simulator, right?" Chihiro asked as she gazed over the machine set before her.

Before her was a metal platform under an orange machine!

The machine vaguely looked like a giant lampshade save for the conspicuous-looking metal blaster-thingie that hung where a bulb typically would be and the two giant slots that were about the height of an average door. In front of the machine, a giant mechanical device covered in all sorts of bright-colored buttons, switches and levers that rested firm.

"Indeed it is, young Chihiro," Master Eon answered as he floated to Chihiro's side, "And it is also what we will use to conduct your fourth exam."

"Wait, so soon? Why?" Chihiro's face flashed with utter terror, "But, my third one was just a few days ago…"

"Well, thanks to Drobot and Hugo's collaborative efforts, we have managed to get the mission simulator functioning again, but we still need to properly test it." Master Eon floated away from Chihiro and towards the giant metal panel, "And given the criteria for the third exam, we figured this would be the perfect opportunity!"

"That makes sense, I guess." Chihiro skipped forwards and examined the panel, a bit of unrest still wild in her heart, "So, what's the third exam about, anyways?"

"It's quite simple, really." Master Eon floated over to the platform and bobbed up and down, "Within the confines of the Mission Simulator, you will face a manifestation of one of your worst fears. In order to succeed, you must come out victorious!

"Worst fears, huh?" Chihiro joined Master Eon and gazed over the platform, "I guess I can take it!"

"Very well then. Hugo and I will start up the machine," Master Eon floated back to the panel and glowed slightly brighter, though it was hard to tell under all the fluorescent light, "And do not fret, Hugo and I will supervise your exam. Should anything go wrong with the simulation, we will pull you back immediately!"

"Alrighty!" Chihiro gave Master Eon a thumbs up as she looked up at the blaster. "Fire it up!"

Chihiro frowned a curious frown as she just barely heard the sound of buttons being pressed and levers being pulled in the background. What could her worst fear possibly be? Bugs? Needles? Oni? That one monster from that movie she watched when she was seven?

"I don't know, I'm not sure if those would be considered worst fears," Chihiro whispered to only herself as she paced in a circle around the platform, only to gain a serious expression, "…Unless it's a mix of all of those!"

Chihiro shuddered and shook her head.

"Ready to launch in five…" Hugo exclaimed, his nasally voice a bit calmer than usual, "Four…"

Chihiro stood tall and beamed up at the blaster, which now glowed… Red?

"Hey, Hugo?" Chihiro asked as she cast Hugo a glance, "Is this thing supposed to be red?"

"Three…"

The blaster pulsed a brighter red as the sound of sizzling circuits was heard above. Hopefully that was a normal sound…

"Two… One…"

Hugo pulled a lever… And then a siren blared, a siren so loud it could've probably been heard in all of Skylands!

"WARNING, WARNING," Blared a mechanical feminine voice over the wail of the siren, "MACHINE IN CRITICAL STATE!"

The machine continued to wail as the sirens grew louder and the lights slowly turned pink.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound good!" Chihiro exclaimed as she tried to race out of the machine… Only to be blocked off by a solid glass door that slid all around her!

Chihiro's breath turned panicked as she pounded on the glass, but it was no use as the material was far to strong for her fists to crack. Sweat dripped down her head as the sirens grew louder and the fluorescent lights turned so red it dyed everything a blood-like shade of crimson. Everything was so loud and bright and overwhelming, she couldn't take it! Chihiro kept screaming and screeching as loud as she could as she pounded her fists and kicked her legs against the glass, but she still couldn't do a thing.

"HUGO! MASTER EON! LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!" Chihiro begged, her voice shrill and strained from all her screaming and her eyes so wide that her pupils were more or less dots.

While her heart pounded so fast it practically jumped out of her chest, Chihiro looked over at the panel and saw a frantic Hugo mess around with the panel as he talked to both Master Eon and an equally-panicked Spyro. Judging by the way they reacted, this definitely wasn't planned.

"Guys, please!" Chihiro sobbed as she pounded on the glass while tears of panic stung her eyes, "Let me out!"

Though she couldn't hear what they were saying, Spyro had definitely noticed her! He took once glance at the glass, then hastily tugged on Hugo's jacket as he pointed towards her. Hugo shot something back as he toyed with a knob, but Chihiro paid no mind.

Instead, she was far more concerned by the mechanical whirring she heard above her. Her mind was so overwhelmed and overstimulated by the sirens and the lights and the panic that she barely noticed it, but something was going on. Had they gotten her out? Chihiro looked up and gulped. No, that was most certainly not the sound of them getting her out.

Rather, it was the sound of the giant blaster above her, which was now completely absorbed by threatening red light!

Chihiro was shocked speechless. All she could do was pant and stared wide-eyed as the light grew larger and the whirring grew wider and the blaster looked more and more like it was going to shoot and—

CRASH!

Something smashed through the walls and tackled Chihiro, but it was too late! The blaster had shot both her and the other thing with a giant beam and light, and the last thing Chihiro saw was bright, eye-searing, blinding blood red…

§

Terrafin, Slam Bam, and Zap gazed over the Mourning Sun's hull as they passed over endless ocean waves. The ship bobbed ever-so-calmly against the ocean waters, in a way that almost made one want to go to sleep! And with the soft rambles of Jess's voice and lack of excitement that's what some of them were about ready to do.

"And that's when I went to get the Skylanders for help," Jess explained as she steered the Mourning Sun's wheel, then bit her lip as her gaze faltered, "I only wish I did it sooner…"

"Pirate invasion?" Slam Bam remarked as he leaned against a wooden railing and gazed over the ocean, "Heard there were a lot of those happening lately."

"I'm afraid so." Jess wrapped her fingers tight around the wheel's spokes while tears formed in the corners of her eyes, "I just didn't think it would happen to us…"

"Well, you don't have to worry any longer!" Terrafin shouted as he waltzed up and slapped his hand on Slam Bam's back, "We'll have those pirates crawling back to where they came from in no time! After all, we're Skylanders—stopping the bad guys is our job!"

Slam Bam jumped internally, then looked over to see Terrafin beside him and chuckled.

"Fin! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Slam Bam scolded, though his tone was more playful than angry as he wrapped an arm around Terrafin's brawny shoulders.

"Just keepin' you on guard, Slam~" Terrafin grinned as he ran a claw down Slam Bam's muscular chest.

"Well, thank you for the reassurance." Jess chuckled as she watched the two of them tease each other with a loving kind of playfulness, "We should be there very soon."

"Good to know!" Terrafin replied as he gave Jess a thumbs up, "I'll go tell Zap!"

Terrafin then walked back to the bow while he hummed some kind of strange tune.

"Geez, Fin," Slam Bam said as he shook his head and watched Terrafin run to the side of the hull where Zap was, his tone with a level of fondness to it, "I swear, you're gonna be the death of me."

All was peaceful for the next few moments as Zap and Terrafin bickered among themselves while Slam Bam ever-so-carefully supervised. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they passed by ever-identical ocean waves and blue skies, with everything so peaceful that you'd probably be forgiven for falling asleep.

In fact, that's what Slam Bam, Terrafin and Zap nearly did as they laid on the Mourning Sun's wooden docks and dozed off, their heads so fuzzy and tired…

"We're here!" Jess shouted.

"Huh?"

Slam Bam, Terrafin and Zap all shook off their exhaustion and ran to the deck railing. They then looked over to find that they had arrived at a wooden docking platform, the Mourning Sun parked next to its side and its plank extended.

"Do you want me to guide you around?" Jess asked as she walked up to them and looked at Slam Bam.

"We'll be fine," Slam Bam said as he pulled away from the deck railing, "You just stay here and stay safe."

Slam Bam's gaze then turned Terrafin and Zap, who all nodded and proceeded down the plank. All three stepped onto the rickety wooden docks, then their eyes widened as they took in their surroundings.

It seemed like a normal island. After it, it did have lots of grass, buildings and houses wherever you looked, a couple lampposts scattered around the area that gave light wherever you walked, even a few nice flowerbeds. But, it had one detail that separated it from the rest—pirates!

Yes, there were pirates everywhere! They were all of the same species—furry, mangy-looking seadogs—but they all donned a variety of pirate-y attire, from striped shirts and patched-up trousers to fancy coats and hats. They had paid no mind to the ship that had pulled into the docks, for they were too busy talking, gambling, trading treasure and stories… And most despicably of all, rounding up people and putting them in cages.

"We're going to have our work cut out for us, aren't we?" Slam Bam asked as he crossed his muscular arms.

"Don't worry about it, if I could take on pirate dudes once I can do it again!" Zap said as his head poked out from the rear of the group before he shot a smirk at Terrafin, "Besides, all these dudes do is play card games, right?"

"Zap, don't underestimate them." Slam Bam's voice took a scolding tone as he looked over at Zap, "Jess said they captured all the people in her town. I'm sure they've got some tricks under their sleeves."

"Don't worry, Slam," Terrafin smirked as he crossed his arms, "There's nothin' they can throw at us that we can't handle!"

"Yeah!" Zap chimed in before he made an excited glance at Slam Bam, "We'll have those pirate dudes all wiped out before lunch!"

"If you say so," Slam Bam replied as he shook his head, "We need to find out what these pirates are really up to and put a stop to it. Split up, find out whatever you can and free whoever you can,"—Slam Bam then pounded a fist against his hand—"And whatever you do, DON'T play any card games. Got it?"

"Got it!" Zap and Terrafin said in unison before they smirked at each other.

"Bet'cha I can get there faster than you!" Zap chirped with a click of his tongue.

"I doubt it!" Terrafin shouted back as he done into the earth and swam off.

"Hopefully they won't get too caught up in their contest…" Slam Bam remarked while he watched the two of them race off, then heaved a sigh and folded his arms as he trailed behind them…

§

Chihiro made a soft, weak groan as she sat back up and rubbed her eyes. Her arms and legs felt a bit numb for some reason, or maybe they had fallen asleep? Ugh, she really hated when that happened. Chihiro shook her legs and felt the numbness fade away enough for her to stand.

"Say, where am I, anyways?" Chihiro asked as she looked around and frowned, "And how'd I get here?…"

The area itself provided her no clues. All she could see was a liminal, white voice for miles and miles on end. No landmarks, no suspicious craters, no giant armies of angry people ready to jump on her with even the slightest twitch… Chihiro shuddered and shook her head. Nope, let's not think about that right now, better just walk around. Maybe there was a door or something. With a soft hum, Chihiro tugged on her vest and walked forwards.

No matter how far she walked, thought, it seemed like she had gotten nowhere. All she saw was just cold white. That is, until she felt her foot hit… Tile?

Yeah, tile! Chihiro looked down and bit her lip as the masses of blank white turned to cream yellow, pristine tile. She then looked ahead to find identical rows of metallic lockers pressed against walls with peeling yellow and orange diamond-print wallpaper. Wait a second, this place looked familiar! Chihiro turned around, then gasped as she saw that the liminal white space was gone! Where she had once walked now resided a pair of glass doorways that lead to concrete paths.

"How'd I end up at school?" Chihiro looked back and forth while her hands trembled just a bit, "I'm sure I was at that weird place just a second ago…"

Chihrio gulped as she looked down at her hands and watched them shake.

I hate being here, Chihiro thought as she clenched her hands into fists and shook her head, But I can't just sit here and mope. I have to find a way out!—Chihiro gulped and walked ahead, her head hung low and trained on her feet—That is, if I can figure out how I got here in the first place.

Chihiro smiled and gently toyed with her vest's zipper.

Well, at least my classmates aren't here.

Just then, Chihiro heard the sound of faint whispers and felt her heart stop. Those voices, it couldn't be…

No, don't look up, don't look up, don't look up! Chihiro shook her head as the whispers seemed to grow even louder, They're not there, they're not talking, and they CERTAINLY aren't talking about—

Too late. Chihiro looked up out of impulse and saw… Kids!

Kids all around her age or maybe slightly older dressed in all sorts of clothes with backpacks slung across their shoulders. They all talked with each other in hushed whispers, but the way they cast slight aside glances at Chihiro keyed her in on the conversation subject.

Her.

Chihiro winced as she felt tears sting her eyes, then shook her head furiously as she stormed off just a bit faster than before. Don't think about them, don't think about them…

"Hey, Chihiro!" Called out a girlish voice from the sidelines.

Chihiro stopped in her tracks and looked up, then turned around to where the voice's source was.

It was a bookish-looking girl around her age with wavy blonde hair, a button nose, pale skin and bright blue eyes like cold ice hidden behind sharp-looking black glasses. She wore a blue cutoff shirt and a flared skirt of the same color—maybe it was a dress? Chihiro's head was too fuzzy to tell for sure.

As she clacked her white dress shoes against the tile, the girl beamed up at Chihiro with a hot gaze.

"Chihiro, I've been meaning to ask…" The girl said as she teased a lock of blonde hair, "Well, could you tell me about that Beauty Cure show you like so much?"

Chihiro's mouth gaped into an open smile as her eyes sparkled.

"You mean Beautiful Remedy?" Chihiro echoed as she felt her heart skip a beat from pure excitement, "Well, sure!"

Chihiro clasped her hands together and hummed with so much excitement it probably made her entire body vibrate!

"Well you see, Beautiful Remedy, Or BeauRe for short, it's this show about these two girls, Marisa and Monika! They're normal girls who don't really talk all that much, or even know each other aside from going to the same school, but then one day they run into these magical pixies from another world!"

Chihiro's voice rang with pure joy as she made probably a gazillion different excited hand gestures to accompany her ramble.

"Their home world's power source got destroyed by this evil overlord, so they need these girls to—"

Laughter. Chihiro stopped short as she looked over at the girl, who covered her mouth in a futile attempt to hide her laughter. Behind her, two other, older-looking girls loomed over the duo as they joined that same girl in a chorus of laughter. Mocking, mocking laughter!

"… You're making fun of me, aren't you?" Chihiro felt a lump form in her throat as her mind tensed, as if she didn't want to know the answer that came.

"Oh, no, no," The laughing girl replied between chortles, "Just keep talking, Chihiro! We're not making fun of you at all!"

"But, you're laughing at me!" Chihiro pointed an accusatory finger in the girl's face.

"Well, I just can't help it!" The girl made a few more chuckles before she withdrew her hand to reveal a smirk, "You're just so easy to laugh at, after all!"

"Yeah!" Chimed in one of the older girls as she stepped out from behind the formerly-laughing one, "You never shut up about those weird shows, and act really weird. I mean, what kind of person can't even look other people in the eye?"

"But, but, I'm…" Chihiro whimpered and stepped back a little.

"Not any normal person, that's for sure," said the second older girl as she joined the others, "After all, what normal person gets so worked up over every little thing that happens, or has those weird temper tantrums, or can't even tell when someone's making fun of them?"

Chihiro's whimpers grew more frantic as the room around her grew more ominous, more… shadowy. The warm and colorful wallpaper peeled off to reveal stained concrete, the lockers grew worn and rusted, the tile floors grew old and scratched…

"Face it, Chihiro, you'll never be anybody worth hanging around. Consider yourself lucky we even want to talk to you!"

"Yeah! Anybody with half a brain would've ran off the moment you even came here!"

Chihiro's heart beat faster and faster as her classmates all surrounded her. She was trapped in a circle with all their taunts and jeers and there was no possible way to escape! All she could do was stand and listen.

"I'm surprised people even tolerated you coming here!" The girl who had first talked to Chihiro smirked even wider as she tensed her eyebrows, "After all, you can't even speak a lick of English!"

"No kidding, you couldn't even introduce yourself to the class! The teacher had to do it for you!" The girl scoffed and crossed her arms, "How pathetic!"

As the others laughed, Chihiro's fear boiled into something else… Frustration, rage? Whatever it was, she couldn't tell, but quite frankly, she didn't care.

"Shut…" Chihiro sputtered out at last as she held her head, her hands balled into fists.

"Oh?" The jeering girl turned around and held up a hand to her ear as she pointed with the other, "Listen, everyone! She's trying to speak English!"

"Bet she can't even do it!"

"Think she'll need us to help her?"

"Look, she's crying! What a baby!"

"Hey, what was that thing we used to call her in kindergarten?"

"I think it was…"

Chihiro inhaled sharply, the rage in chest like a ticking time bomb that made her entire body shudder with raw, unkempt anger that heated the bomb like a flaming fuse. And just like that, the time bomb went off.

"SHUT UP!" Chihiro shouted at last as she lunged forward and heard a scream!

Chihiro stopped short while her vision turned fuzzy. The girl, the one that had stood before her and made fun of her laid in the arms of the other two with her head back and her breath short.

Everybody stopped silent as Chihiro whimpered and reluctantly forced herself to look down at her fist.

Blood.

There was blood on her knuckles.

"Did you see that?!"

"Chihiro punched her!"

As the chants and crows of the crowd echoed around her brain like cartoon birds, Chihiro shuddered and looked back down at her shaking hands.

No way… Chihiro thought, I didn't just… But it was an accident, I didn't mean to…

"Quick, get her! She's dangerous!"

Chihiro made a sharp gasp and dashed off without any mind paid to the back of the crowd. As she ran, she could've sworn she heard an army of footsteps running behind her, or maybe it was just her own footsteps amplified by her fear. She couldn't quite tell the difference and didn't entirely care to right now. Her breath turned heavy and the entire area around her turned even more menacing, Chihiro's eyes scanned the halls for any form of escape. But, not much luck was had—all she could see was scratched tile, rusted lockers, and…

"A door!" Chihiro exclaimed.

Sure enough, right to her left was a worn wooden door! Finally, an escape! In a fit of panic, Chihiro let out strangled gasps as she grabbed onto the door rusted doorknob and jiggled it open… Only to yank it out instead!

With a terrified wince, Chihiro watched the stampeding crowd run before her and gulped. No time to hesitate, she had to get out of here fast! Chihiro let out a mighty scream as she side-kicked the door open, then dashed inside and slammed it shut. As the shouting crowd faded from her line of hearing, Chihiro breathed a sigh of relief and slumped against the door.

"Thank goodness," Chihiro sighed as she felt her heartbeat slow down, "I thought I was a goner."

As Chihiro clutched a hand against her heart, just to confirm that her heartbeat had returned to normal—which it did—she heaved another sigh… Then watched as a giant fireball flew right over her head! With a yelp she ducked down and watched it soar safely over her, then pushed herself up and looked around. Whatever this place was, it certainly wasn't her school.

It looked more like a battlefield, with land that was singed in some places and set aflame in others, weapons and blood scattered about like weeds, and worst of all… The battlefield was littered with dead bodies. Familiar dead bodies.

"… Rupty?" Chihiro whimpered as she crawled over to the body of what she presumed was Eruptor and gently laid her hand on it.

His whole body was nothing but volcanic rock that was cold to the touch. His eyes were closed, and his mouth was only slightly agape in an almost shocked position.

"No way… This can't be happening!" Chihiro felt her heartbeat race once more as she scrambled across to the other bodies littered on the battlefield.

"Warnado? Double Trouble?" Chihiro's voice grew more strained and terrified as she bounced from each body to the next, "Wrecking Ball! Stump Smash! Anybody! Please, please just wake up!"

But no use. They all laid cold and lifeless, their pulses and energy completely robbed from their bodies.

How did this happen? Why was she here?

Chihiro curled into a ball and shuddered so hard she could've fallen apart as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. Her friends… All dead. How could she have let this happen? How did this even happen, anyways? Everything before she entered that weird, liminal white space was a complete blur!

As Chihiro felt like she herself was about ready to curl up and die, she was pulled out of her self-loathing by the sounds of what was probably fighting up ahead. Angry shouts and magical blasts… That had to be a battle!

And if there's a battle, then maybe… Chihiro thought as she wiped away her tears and pushed herself to run forwards, Maybe there's survivors somewhere!

Chihiro's pants were heavy as she grew closer and closer to the combat noises, then found a giant, broken stone lodged into the wreckage and took shelter behind it. Her curiosity overtaken, she poked her head over the giant broken segment of the rock and froze.

There, right before her eyes was Spyro, faced off against none other than Kaos himself!

Kaos looked just as intimidating as he did in her dreams, all evil aura and rippling muscles and intimidating clothes, though for some reason he was bald now and backed by a giant hydra? Chihiro didn't entirely have time to question why as she watched him fight against Spyro.

Speaking of Spyro, he wasn't doing so hot! His breath was heavy and his whole body was slumped, as if he barely had any energy. With every attack Kaos threw at him, Spyro only seemed to grow more and more worn as he tried his very best to dodge.

"You might as well give up, dragonfly," Kaos taunted, his voice like that of a legion's, "You stand no chance against I, the ULTIMATE EVIL EMPEROR KAOSSSSSSSSSS!"

"NEVER!" Spyro hissed between heavy breaths as he barely pushed himself up, "I can't… I can't… I can't let you… Win…"

Spyro only shuddered and fell to his paws and Kaos laughed even more.

"What are you talking about?" Kaos smirked as he spread his muscular arms wide, "I already have!"

Kaos then gestured around to the scene before him.

"I've destroyed the Core of Light, killed your puny menace Eon and all of you Skylanders, and now I'm EVIL LORD SUPREME OF ALL SKYLANDS!" Kaos then looked back at Spyro and bore a fanged smile, "And all because you were too pathetic and weak to stop me!"

Chihiro trembled as she watched the fight before her, her heart shaken with a strange feeling as if she should've remembered something.

"Thanks for helping me bring your worst fears to life, dragonfly!"

Worst fears! Chihiro realized as she fell back from realization, That's it! I got trapped in that mission simulator, but something tried to push me out right before I got zapped. I remember now!

Chihiro then scrambled back to watch Spyro and brushed her hand against the warm stone.

Was that Spyro who tried to rescue me? Chihiro's eyes stung with tears as she watched Spyro is his beaten, helpless state, Is this… His worst fear?

Spyro grunted and staggered up. Though, even from so far away Chihiro could tell he was pained and barely hanging out.

"This battle isn't over, yet, Kaos!" Spyro retorted, his voice weak but still with a bit of courage to it, "I'll, stop you, I swear!"

"Don't swear on things you can't do, dragonfly," Kaos shot back as he snapped his fingers, "After all, how could someone as pathetic and useless as you do anything right?"

Chihiro heard some kind of magical whir, then gasped as she watched the Skylanders' corpses fly off the battlefield!

"You'll just have to face the facts, you're a complete and utter FAILURE!" Kaos smirked as the dead Skylanders' bodies swarmed him like ants, "You spectacularly failed to stop me from conquering Skylands or killing your friends! All you could do was sit there and watch!"—Kaos scoffed as he glared down Spyro—"And you still have the absolute gall to call yourself a leader? To call yourself a Skylander?"

Spyro only winced and stepped back. There was pure panic in his eyes as he looked over Kaos and the dead bodies that Kaos had collected—this really was his worst fear.

"It's all your fault that everything is the way it is, dragonfly. Just face the music and give up!"

"No, I…" Spyro tried to spit more out, but he was far too upset to say anything.

Kaos only chuckled, then levitated out Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy's dead bodies.

"You really messed up, Spyro!" Kaos mocked in his best imitation of Trigger Happy's voice as he puppeted Trigger Happy's body, "This is all your fault!"

"I, I…" Spyro's legs trembled as his eyes bobbed around.

"We'd all have been better off if you never joined!" Kaos continued to mock, this time in a shoddy imitation of Gill Grunt's voice.

"Guys, I tried, I really did, I promise!" Spyro croaked, now completely desolate as tears fell from his eyes.

"Well you didn't try hard enough!"

Kaos only continued to mock Spyro as he pulled out more and more dead Skylanders to puppet, but Spyro didn't retaliate. He only sat there, teary-eyed and completely defeated as Kaos continued to prattle on.

Spyro, don't listen to him! Chihiro demanded within the confines of her mind as her gaze narrowed, He's just trying to mess you up!

But, it was no use, Chihiro's silent pleas didn't reach Spyro at all. He only sat down, completely defeated.

"Ah, it's no fun mocking someone when they don't even try to fight back!" Kaos exclaimed as he looked down at Spyro, "I'll just end this right here, right now!"

The Skylanders' and the hydra's bodies all glowed as some bright substance flew out of them and into Kaos, who glowed with a bright, brilliant power.

"Goodbye, dragonfly!" Kaos placed his hands forwards as he charged up some kind of giant energy ball, "It was awful knowing you!"

I've gotta save him! Chihiro thought as she watched Kaos and Spyro's duel with wide eyes, But, but how? I can't fight him myself!

Chihiro looked at her trembling hands while tears of rage fell down her cheeks, then clenched those shaky hands tight.

The invisibility spell! Her resolution firm, Chihiro clasped her hands tight and looked back at Spyro, I've gotta try it! But…—Chihiro felt her heart waver just slightly—I've never been able to pull it off before! Can I really do it?

"No, there's no time for doubts, Chihiro," Chihiro said as she wiped away her tears, "Your friend needs you!"

As she focused her ability to the best she could, Chihiro clasped her hands tight and closed her eyes. Magic soared through her entire body and made her shake, but maybe that was just her nerves. Either way she didn't care.

Turn me invisible! Chihiro thought.

Then, without even thinking she climbed up the rock and dashed forward! As she flew through the skies, she felt her body make contact with something smooth, scaly and warm then wrapped herself tight around it. Surely that was Spyro!

"WHAT?!" Kaos exclaimed, "WHO DID THAT?"

Now, teleport us out of here! Chihiro demanded as she held as tightly to Spyro as she could.

And just like that, Chihiro felt herself get whisked out of the area with a resounding WHOOSH!

§

"Hm hm hm hm hmm, hm hm hm hm hm, hm hm hm hm hm hmmm…" Terrafin hummed as he swam through the loamy earth with only his fin stuck out from the soil.

Doesn't seem like there's anybody here, Terrafin thought as he kept his ears trained on the ground above, Better move o—

Terrafin was then cut off by his fin as it hit some wooden thing and caused him to tumble over himself, his feet stuck straight out of the earth. With an audible groan, Terrafin set himself upright and stared right into the eyes of a furry brown canine covered in rags and jewelry who had fallen down onto the earth.

All around them, various belongings that were presumably the canine's scattered everywhere! A miniature wooden table, several different kinds of cards, and various other knick-knacks and stuff like that…

"Watch where ye're going, ye muscled buffoon!" The canine exclaimed as he got up and dusted himself off, "Ye hast any idea how long it took me to set that up?!"

"About five minutes?" Terrafin suggested as he shrugged and gave the canine a sheepish look.

The pirate froze for a moment, gave Terrafin an uncomfortable look and chuckled nervously as he leaned back.

"Never mind, just give me a moment." The pirate grumbled as he walked of and began gathering his things.

He stashed the cards and other items away in his jacket, then sat the table upright and setting the cards face-down onto the table. After he took a deep breath, the pirate pulled up a wooden chair that was half-buried in the ground, brushed off its seat and sat it behind the table. He then took a seat as a sneer spread across his face.

"What'cha doin' here, sharky?" The pirate took a seat as a sneer spread across his face.

Terrafin took another, more attentive gaze at the canine, then snarled as he looked behind the booth and saw a golden cage that trapped a trembling mabu man.

"You're one of those pirates, aren't'cha?" Terrafin jumped up and slammed his bulky fists onto the wooden table the pirate was sitting behind, "I'm here to set you guys straight!"

Terrafin pounded his fist on the table a second time for emphasis.

"You—" Terrafin then lost his footing and dove nose-first into the table, which caused cards to fly everywhere! Terrafin regained his stance and blew the cards that had fallen on his snout upwards, then watched as the cards gently landed back onto the table.

"Ye're one of those Skylandees, ain't ye?" The canine pirate watched as Terrafin nodded slowly and sighed, "Well, I have no doubts that yer here to shut us down, but before ye do that…"—The pirate waved his hand over the cards he had set up—"How's about a game of pirate cards?"

Terrafin bit his lip. Slam did say not to take up these guys, and for all he knew they could have some kind of dirty trick up their sleeves. But, this does look pretty easy… Terrafin looked down at the six cards stationed at the table, drummed his fingers on its wooden surface and took a deep breath.

"What could possibly go wrong?" Terrafin asked himself under his breath, then looked the pirate dog in the eye and slammed his hand on the table. "Fine! I'll take you up on your offer!"

The pirate dog smirked as his eyes lit up.

"Well then, sharkie, this game's simple." The pirate dog gestured towards the cards once more, "See these cards here? All ye have to do is match them up with their identical others!"—The pirate dog narrowed his eyes and pulled something out of his raggedy coat—"But before ye play, we have to make a deal."

Terrafin raised his eyes then furrowed his brow.

"And what would this deal be?"

"Well." The pirate revealed the object he had withdrawn, a metallic alarm clock, and place it on the stand, "I'll set up a time limit of five minutes, and if ye win, then I'll do whatever ye requests,"—The pirate's look turned threatening, complete with a sinister glare and snarled teeth—"But if ye loses me little game, then ye become me prisoner… FER LIFE."

Terrafin flinched for just a moment, then his eyes focused on the six cards on the desk. This could turn out pretty bad if he lost… But then again, only six cards.

"Alright, I'll take you up on your little game. And if I win..." Terrafin then looked over at the mabu trapped inside their gilded cage, "You're gonna free that guy you have trapped there."

"It's a deal." The pirate shook Terrafin's hand and set the timer, "Now, let the games begin."

Terrafin brushed his hand across his chin, before he reached out and flipped over a card to get an image of a pirate ship on the front.

"Schooner!" The pirate proclaimed.

Terrafin gave the pirate a weird look, then flipped over another card which depicted the image of a worn paper map.

"MAP!" The pirate announced as the cards magically flipped themselves on their fronts.

Just then, a small panel drew open on the booth, and from it emerged a tiny cannon… That shot the minute hand on the clock! Just like that, the minute hand was nudged ahead by about a minute!

The pirate chuckled as he noted the confused look on Terrafin's face.

"That's the trick of me cannon deck," The pirate explained as he stroked the booth, "Every time ye get a wrong pair, that lil' cannon takes a minute off ye time!"

"Hey, that's cheating!" Terrafin retorted as he bore his teeth.

"I'm a pirate." The pirate placed a furry paw on the booth as he leaned forward and smirked at Terrafin, "Do ye really think I care?"

Terrafin growled, then looked back at the cards before him. With a diligent hum, he flipped the ship card over once more.

"Schooner!" The pirate announced.

Terrafin growled as he looked over at the pirate, who now seemed much more punchable than before, then looked back at the cards. He knew that the map card was diagonal from the ship, but not much else… Maybe he should try the card next to it? Terrafin flipped over the next card, which revealed a wooden chest filled with gold coins and other kinds of treasure. Definitely not the one he was looking for.

"Booty!" The pirate declared ever-so-smugly as the cannon popped out of the booth and shot the clock down a minute more.

Terrafin clenched his teeth and his fist, then twitched his eye so slightly as he looked down at the cards once more.

"Time's a'tickin', ye best make up yer mind soon~" The pirate crowed as he stroked his chin.

Terrafin shot the pirate another glare, then looked down at the deck of cards. His gaze then trailed over to the metal clock, which had about a minute and a half left on its timer. He better come up with something fast! Terrafin breathed in and looked over the ship card.

"Schooner!" The pirate proclaimed as he stroked his chin.

Terrafin gazed over the deck and flipped over the ship card's bottom card to get an identical ship!

"… Schooner?" The pirate's eyes widened as the matching card magically flew back into his pocket.

Terrafin made a smug grin towards the pirate, then flipped over the map card.

"Map!" The pirate exclaimed, a hint of worry in his voice.

The pirate's eyes widened even more as Terrafin flipped over the card beside it, which revealed an identical map card!

"… Map." The pirate sighed as the map cards flew back into his pocket.

That pirate didn't even speak as Terrafin flipped over the last, twin cards with two matching images of a chest filled with coins printed on their front. All he did was stared dumbfounded as they flew back to his possession.

"Alright buddy, I won." Terrafin looked over to the pirate dog and gestured, "Now hold up your end of the bargain."

The pirate sighed, then turned around and walked over to the cage.

"Alright, matey, ye win…" The pirate rummaged through his coat and pulled something out, "But…"

"But what?"

The pirate whipped around and pointed a cutlass just inches away from Terrafin's face!

"That doesn't mean I have to keep up my end!" The pirate jumped onto the booth and sprang onto Terrafin, "I'm a pirate, after all!"

"If that how you're gonna be…" Terrafin only swung out of the way and watched as the pirate landed on his face, "Then bring it on! I've been itchin' for a fight!"

The pirate growled as he launched himself towards Terrafin, who only cracked his knuckles and swiftly bobbed out of the way! As the pirate stared in confusion, Terrafin reappeared behind the pirate's back and punched him! The pirate groaned as he fell on his face, the wind completely knocked out of him, then growled and reached for his cutlass! When his grasp on the handle was firm, he sped forward and slashed Terrafin.

Well, he probably would've if Terrafin hadn't grabbed onto the blade and tossed it up! As the pirate flew into the air with his cutlass, Terrafin jumped up and launched out a rapid-fire barrage of punches! His fists flew so fast, you could barely even see the pirate until he finally fell down onto the ground with a face full of bruises and black eyes.

"Uncle! Uncle, I say!" The pirate wailed as he tried to stagger up, only to fall back down on his back, "No more, please!"

"Looks like I'm the champ here," Terrafin smirked as he walked over to the pirate, "Which means it's time for me to take my trophy!"

Terrafin then dove his bulky hand into the pirate's jacket and pulled out a golden key. As he swung the key around his finger, he walked back over to the cage and looked it over.

The mabu inside glanced over at Terrafin with a frightened look in his eyes, but his fear vanished as Terrafin unlocked the cage!

"You're free now, buddy!" Terrafin proclaimed as he patted the mabu on the back.

"Oh, thank you so much!" The mabu exclaimed as they shook Terrafin's hand, "I tried to stop the pirates myself, but I'm a lot worse at card games than I thought."

"Don't worry 'bout it!" Terrafin gently nudged the mabu aside, "Just get back home, alright?"

As the Mabu cheered and ran free, Terrafin glared back over at the pirate who only rested unconscious on the ground. A nagging feeling in his gut told him that he should probably do something about that pirate, but then again he did seem pretty beat up. Terrafin then shrugged. He'll just leave that dude here—after all, it would be wrong to kick a guy when he was down. So, Terrafin just jumped back into the earth and swam off…

§

Zap paced behind the various bushes, his persimmon eyes trained on the various pirate canines that ran rampant as they all gambled, fought, played cards, and otherwise caused mayhem throughout the sleepy town. As his eyes narrowed, Zap focused on the outlier within the crowd.

There among the chaos was a timid-looking, bright orange feline mabu who had their head down as they walked through the swarm of pirates.

"Hey, kitty-cat!" Called a canine from a stall, "You wanna play a game?"

The cat mabu quickly shook their head as they ran faster, only for two burly canines to grab the mabu by their arms. The bulky canines dragged the mabu to the stall, all while they futilely struggled!

The third pirate's eyes perked as they took note of the mabu, a grin spreading across his face as the mabu further struggled to escape from his captors. The third pirate's hands folded on top of each other as they seated their legs on the counter.

"So, I have a new customer, do I?" said the third pirate, their grin curled into a sneer.

The mabu was forced into a chair while the other two pirates loomed above him. They tried their best to wiggle out of their trap… But it was no use. Every little jolt, every little wiggle made the pirate guards slam them back into the chair. That mabu was clearly at a disadvantage.

Who do those dudes think they are?! Zap thought as he growled low, sparks crackled at his mouth, Games aren't any fun if you make someone play 'em!

The stall pirate went on to explain something, but it was inaudible to Zap's ears, mostly because he was too angry to care. As his whole body grew slimy and sticky, Zap narrowed his eyes further, his focus completely zeroed in on the stall pirate. Then in a flash he leaped out of the stall pirate and tackled the stall pirate out of his seat! The stall pirate scream out in shock as he turned around and saw Zap seated on his chest and ready to shoot.

"GUARDS!" The stall pirate as he shook his fist, "GET THIS LIZARD!"

"I'm not a lizard, dude!" Zap growled, his voice a bit staticy from the lightning that charged at his muzzle, "I'm a dragon and YOU'RE toast!"

Before Zap could shoot, however, he heard earth-shattering footsteps and turned around only to gulp.

The two burly pirate guards had abandoned the mabu they were tormenting and imposed themselves over Zap, their muscles rippled as they crackled their knuckles and growled.

"You dudes seem really tense!" Zap sat firm on the stall pirate, his muzzle crackled with electricity, "Looks like you need some ELECTRO-THERAPY!"

As he finished his quip, Zap shot off a round of lightning bolts at the pirates… Then watched as they merely flinched and rolled their head around!

Crap, these dudes are too thick for my lightning, Zap leaped off the stall pirate, Looks like it's time for Plan B!

In a flash, Zap zipped right under one pirate's legs and zoomed a good bit away! He then watched as his skin secreted a thick goo that coated his legs and made them extra-shiny. C'mon, just a little more… Zap stopped short as he heard the earth shake and zoomed away once more. He knew what that meant! He zoomed to the right, only to stumble into a stop and he bumped straight into the legs of a bulky guard!

"SCUSE ME!"

Zap zoomed southward before the guard could capture him, then promptly saw another guard charge after him and veered right! It seemed like he was getting away in time as he felt his skin grow moister, then he saw a house come into view!

With a shout of surprise he turned left, only to spy another pirate guard loomed over his path and turned southwest. But wasn't he lucky, there was another guard there too! Zap snorted and dashed right under the guard's legs once more, then whipped around and opened his jaw as wide as he could.

"You dudes don't give up, do you?!" Zap demanded as a giant yellow glow emerged from his mouth, "All I've gotta say to that is COWABUNGA!"

As Zap finished his cry, a giant lightning bolt probably twice his size bounced out of his mouth and launched itself straight at the twin guards! The guards shouted out in pain as their entire body jittered with electricity so intense it made their fur stand on end, literally!

While they were busy getting shocked, Zap zoomed back to the stall. After all, those guys wouldn't be a problem for a bit.

"Alright, dude, you're cornered," Zap exclaimed as he jumped onto the stall and glared down the stall owner, who was brushing slime off of his coat, "You better tell me what's going on here?"

"Cornered?" The stall pirate chuckled as he glared down Zap with a fanged smile, "Who says I was cornered?"

"What're you talking about?!" Zap bore his teeth and took a step forwards, "I took out your—MMPH!"

Zap was cut short as something grabbed him by the back and yanked him off of the stall! It was something so strong, so bulky that no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free, and he could barely breath from him tough a grip it had on him! It was making his head spin! As Zap squirmed and tried to shout out, he heard a familiar low cackle while something turned him around to face his captors...

Who were none other than the pirate guards he had dodged earlier! Despite a few singed hairs, they seemed perfectly fine! But how?! That bolt was several thousands volts of lightning at least…

"Me guards are a lot more resilient than ye give them credit fer, lizard," The stall pirate scoffed, "Speakin' of lizards, guards!"

The guards turned back to the stall pirate with orders carefully awaited.

"How's about a game of pop the lizard?"

The guard that held Zap in his clutches made a sickeningly gleeful grin as he tightened his grip around Zap's neck!

Zap croaked out as he swung around and tried to kick the guard, but it was nothing to the guard who only continued to keep Zap in his chokehold. Zap could only feel his head go numb as his vision started to fail… Then something hit the guard on the head and caused him to loosen his grip!

Zap grasped for air, for sweet oxygen as he felt his strength return to him and looked down at the ground to find… A playing card? Zap then heard groans above him as the guard who kept him captive moaned and stumbled about. Wait, now's his chance!

Zap closed his eyes and shuddered as he felt another layer of slime coat his body until he was nice and slick, then wiggled his way back onto the ground!

The second guard yelled out to the first and jabbed his giant finger at Zap. But, those few seconds of hesitation were all Zap needed to finish this.

Zap looked down at his slime-coated paws, zapped them with a bolt of electricity, then giggled as he felt the familiar, stinging surge of electric power tickle his entire body! The sheer strength of the current that covered him made him glow like a giant lightbulb, but he didn't mind. It was just what he needed!

Zap gargled as the guards looked down at him with a level of surprise or maybe fear, then yowled as Zap charged forward and headbutted them right in the chest! The guards fell onto their backs as their whole body crackled with electricity. Meanwhile, Zap landed on them and smirked as he wiped his paws on their chests—his paws that were covered in electrically-charged slime! With every stroke of Zap's paws, more electricity surged into the guards, who screamed with pain each time till they finally fell unconscious.

Zap scoffed, then zoomed back and jumped onto the stall, his gaze directed back at the stall pirate. The stall pirate, in return, now gazed at Zap with such an intense level of fear that it looked like he had seen a ghost!

"I'll give you two options, broski," Zap gurgled as he paced back and forth on the stall, "You can tell me what you're doin' here and I'll let you go free…"—Zap then glared down the pirate—"Or, I can splash you with slime that's been charged up with five thousand volts of raw lightning!"

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!" The pirate sobbed as he dove under the stall and trembled, "I'll tell ye what ye want to know!"

"Glad to hear it, dude!" Zap's tone became cheery as he hopped onto the pirate's chair and looked down at the pirate, "What are you dudes here for?"

"What do ye think we're here fer?" The pirate scoffed, then whimpered as Zap shot him another glare, "TREASURE! Our cap'n had us come here to steal the island's treasure!"

"And where is that boss?"

"He's at the mayoral estate, on top of that giant hill over there!"

The pirate crawled out from his hiding spot and pointed over to a giant hill topped with a fancy-looking mansion that loomed over the island. Yeah, that definitely looked like a mayoral estate.

"Thanks for the tip, bro!" Zap hopped off the chair and watch the electric charge that once surged through his slimy body slowly fade away, "Oh, and by the way…"

The pirate whimpered as he stared at Zap, then yelled in surprise as he was splashed with a giant glob of slime and stuck to his stall.

"Don't go anywhere!" Zap smirked as he skated off.

While Zap skated away, the land slowly turned less and less dense with population. No pirates, no mabu, no nothing! Just the occasional lamppost or old, abandoned building, maybe a shadow figure or two… Wait, shadowy figure?!

"Who's there?!" Zap exclaimed as he saw a slender, shadowy figure dash off and disappear into the shadows out the corner of his eye… Did he imagine it? Zap only shrugged as he skated over to the hill.

"Can't worry about that right now!" Zap chirped as he disappeared from view, "I've got a mayor to save!"

§

Spyro groaned as he rubbed his head. His body felt so, so, weak, but not weak enough that it prevented him from sitting up and looking around. Last he remembered, he was on that battlefield with… Spyro shuddered as his heart stopped for a few beats, then slowly came back to speed as he looked around.

All he could see with nothingness, just liminal, blank space for endless miles.

"You doing alright, Golden Boy?" Asked a vaguely familiar voice.

Spyro swerved his head, then gasped and stumbled back as he found himself face-to-face with Chihiro! She looked no worse for wear, thank the Ancients, but her brown eyes rang with a level of gentle concern he had rarely seen before.

"Chihiro, you're okay!" Spyro exclaimed as he looked up at her, then frowned and looked away, "… Looks like I couldn't get you out of that thing, though."

"Man, I'm lucky I was able to pull off that teleportation spell!" Chihiro breathed a sigh of relief and tugged on her jacket, oblivious to Spyro's upset, "I almost thought we wouldn't make it out of that battle with Kaos!"

Spyro just stood there speechless for a few more minutes, then shook his head and forced himself to walk up to Chihiro.

"Did you get me out of there?" Spyro asked at last.

Chihiro beamed and nodded, but her answer didn't reassure Spyro at all. In fact, it only made him feel worse! Spyro drew back as his mind flared with all kinds of thoughts.

"What, wait…" Spyro twitched his tail ever-so-frantically, "How much of that did you see? What did you hear? What are you—"—Spyro just shook his head and snorted—"That doesn't matter, just, forget you saw anything!"

"Spyro." Chihiro's smile faded to a look of concern as she knelt down to his head, "Is that why you've been so upset?"

Spyro's jaw dropped as he took another step back. So she had seen all that! He didn't know why, but some kind of awful feeling fell over Spyro as a pit opened in his heart. It was like, like he was weak and vulnerable and everybody was watching him suffer.

"You, you…" Spyro just turned away and twitched his tail once more, his voice cracked just a bit, "That's for me to deal with, Chihiro. You don't need to know."

"But I saw that whole thing!" Chihiro pouted and stomped her foot, "Why won't you let me help you?! Do you not trust me or something?!"

"Chihiro, stay out of it!" Spyro stepped forward and flared his wings, his tone swapped from cracked to sharp and venomous, "I'm strong enough to handle my own issues! If I couldn't even handle my own personal problems, I don't know how I'd manage as a Skylander."

Spyro flared his nostrils as he realized the shift in tone, then looked over at Chihiro's startled face. As his gaze faltered, he hung his head and turned away.

"Sorry, but… You don't need to worry about me." Spyro slowly flapped his wings as he got ready to take to the skies, "You all have better things to worry about than me. I'll only drag you down if I bring up my issues!"

Spyro turned around and flew off, only moments spent lingering on Chihiro's taken-aback gaze… Then he heard someone run after him.

"That's not true at all!"

Chihiro raced forward, grabbed Spyro's paw, then hugged him as he fell down from shock. Pure silence echoed throughout the room, but Spyro didn't notice—he could only bury himself into Chihiro's hug. It was warm, and soft, and comforting… So ripe with concern.

"I think I understand how you feel now." Chihiro stood up and smiled, "Since everyone's already dealing with so much, you don't want to give them more things to worry about!"—Chihiro cast an aside gaze before she strengthened her smile and looked back at Spyro—"You, don't want to burden them or let them down."

Spyro bit his lip, unable to make anymore words.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Chihiro turned around and stood up.

"… How would you understand any of that?" Spyro asked as he looked at Chihiro.

"Tell you what! If I told you my deepest, darkest, secret, would you be more comfortable talking about it?" Chihiro radiated with an angelic aura as she made a kind smile, "It'll be like a trade, you'll know my problems and I know yours. That way, it won't be like you're just loading all your issues on me!"

Spyro paused and looked up at Chihiro, then at the floor and back again. He wasn't sure what kind of deep, dark secret Chihiro could possibly have, but at the same time she did kind of make a good point. At least he could feel like he was doing something to help. And besides, she seemed earnest enough. She must really care about him if she wanted to go to all those lengths to help him...

Spyro heaved a sigh, and reluctantly nodded. "Alright, I'll hear you out."

"Okie dokie then!" Chihiro chirped and smiled as she looked over at the room around them.

Spyro made an exclamation of slight surprise as he looked up, then found that he and Chihiro weren't in that liminal space anymore!

Instead, they were in the back of what appeared to be a colorful classroom primed for young children. The floors and carpets were brightly-colored and decorated with all kinds of cheery childlike décor. Children's drawings, worn picture books and toys and all that fun stuff. And of course, scattered around were a bunch of kids who all looked to be no older than four or five, all of whom talked among each other as they sat in a circle.

In front of the crowd, right next to a wooden desk was a young woman dressed in formal clothing who talked to the crowd, though Spyro couldn't hear what she was saying. Next to her, another young child clung to her skirt.

But oddly enough, that child looked a lot like… Chihiro? Well, a younger Chihiro anyways. Her black hair barely reached her shoulders and her frame was a bit rounder and more youthful compared to Chihiro's, but only just a bit. Tears stung brown eyes that rang with fear, and she donned a pink t-shirt and salmon-colored shorts alongside sneakers of similar colors.

Spyro frowned and tilted his head then looked back up at Chihiro, who only nodded as if she knew what he was going to ask.

"Yeah, that was me." Chihiro's voice sounded a little worn as her eyebrows furrowed slightly, "I'm not actually from the States, y'know. My folks moved there when I was five cause of my dad's job."

As Chihiro spoke, the scene slowly moved on. The teacher coaxed the younger Chihiro out from behind her skirt, and in turn the young Chihiro warily looked at the class. The young Chihiro tried to open her mouth, but immediately closed it and stepped back.

"It was awful, let me tell you. I lived halfway across the globe, didn't know anybody other than my parents and couldn't even speak a lick of English!" Chihiro's voice cracked a bit, then she took in a breath and collected herself.

"Unfortunately, that made me ripe for the picking."

As the young Chihiro whimpered, one of the kids—a blonde-haired girl in pigtails who wore a baby blue dress—giggled as she talked to a boy seated next to them. One laugh turned to two, then five… Soon the entire class laughed at the younger, terrified Chihiro. Now in tears, all the young Chihiro did was sob and run out of the classroom as the screen faded to gray.

"I was always that weird kid who couldn't speak English all that well, and when they found out I was autistic it got even worse! All the weird stuff I did like getting really into things or really upset over small stuff or really sensitive or weird noises… It made me the outcast, I guess."

As Chihiro carried on, tears welled in her eyes before she sniffed and wiped them away.

"As far as they were concerned, I'm that kid they can laugh about with the people who actually like them, cause, well, nobody really likes me."

Soon the screen rolled again and many more memories flashed around them, but none of them were pretty. Childhood bullies teasing her in the halls, lonely nights spent crying in the darkest corners of her bedroom, her gazing at pictures of happy friends on the TV with an almost yearning sense of sadness…

Spyro couldn't help but feel strange as he watched her, so sad and forlorn, so different from the perky Chihiro who was always filled with energy and cheer. It was like this Chihiro he saw was a completely different person from the one he knew.

"As you could guess, I didn't really have a lot of friends," Chihiro said as she twirled her hair and stepped forward, "They all think I'm weird, or dorky, or that I'm… Well, I don't really wanna think about the other things that they call me."

Chihiro then lifted her head and beamed back at Spyro.

"But you guys, you actually like me!"

The sad memories faded away to newer ones, ones Spyro recognized! Chihiro talking with the Skylanders the night they met, joking with them in-between patrols, goofing off on the few free moments they had. As all these memories played around them, the area seemed… Warmer, happier even.

"You don't mind that I talk a lot, or laugh too loud, or act weird sometimes… You guys actually made me feel like I'm worth something!"

Chihiro's gaze trailed away a bit as she let go of her hair.

"But, I always had this fear that I'd lose you guys. I'd mess up too many times and you'd get sick of it, or you'd wise up and abandon me…"

Chihiro sniffled a bit, then she wiped her face and beamed.

"But you never did! You guys were always there to help me, and you were always so patient with me… You never gave up on me."

The memories shifted again, this time to all the various missions Chihiro had attended.

But, Spyro didn't pay much attention to them. What he cared about most was the one in the center in such a clear view he felt like he was almost inside it... Well, he technically was, because it was the time he and Chihiro had gotten trapped in the abandoned corners of Master Eon's library.

"Especially you, Spyro."

"… Especially me?" Spyro asked at last, the silence he had held from the shock of gaining this new information finally broken, "But, but why?"

"That time we got stuck in that old library, when I was sure you'd hate me and give up on me after everything I did before then… You told me that…"

"That's where you're wrong." The past Spyro said as he looked back at Chihiro, "Chihiro, if there's one thing Skylanders never do, it's give up! I know it seems bad right now, but if we put our heads together, I'm sure we can find a way out of here!"

"That's right." Spyro felt his heart lift just slightly, "Skylanders never give up."

"Exactly!" Chihiro spun around and beamed, "You really inspired me that day, Spyro. After that, I promised myself that I'd never give up, that I'd work just as hard as you did!"

"Really?"

"You bet'cha!" Chihiro leaned down and hugged Spyro tight, "You're my hero, Spyro! And after everything you've done for me, the least I could do is help you back up!"

"Chihiro…"

Spyro felt a warmth build in his heart as he returned Chihiro's hug, a wave of calm now washed over him. Part of him couldn't believe she was that touched by what was just another day for him, but at the same time… It made his heart feel a little lighter, too. She really did care about him a whole lot, didn't she?

"Thank you," Spyro whispered as he withdrew from Chihiro's hug and made a solemn nod.

As he flew up and watched the memory screens fade to gray, Spyro reluctantly exhaled.

"Well, you fulfilled your end of the deal." Spyro watched as images flooded onto the screen.

They were all the same thing. Visions of Spyro fighting on battlefields against Kaos, all while his friends fell like flies and everything was consumed by Kaos's evil, the Core of Light captured in its midst…

"It's, well, er… It's not easy for me to put this into words, but… I guess you were right." Spyro's tail twitch as he held one leg with the other, "It's my fault that the Core of Light was destroyed and all this happened."

Spyro felt hot tears worm their way into his eyes, but he shook them away immediately. He couldn't possibly let anyone see him cry, even in a situation like this.

"If I was stronger, or faster, or maybe even a better leader than I am, I could've stopped Kaos, I could've prevented all this from happening!"

Spyro's voice cracked a bit as his flying slowed.

"I let everybody down! Master Eon, the other Skylanders, practically everybody in Skylands… I wasn't good enough for them. I've been pushing myself to work harder, to do everything I can to undo this, but I'm still not doing enough!"

As Spyro finally fell to his paws, he felt his whole body tremble but quickly shook it away. "No matter what I do, it's not enough to make up for failing like I did."

Chihiro stayed quiet and hummed as she examined the screens, particularly one on the rightmost side, the one that depicted the actual destruction of the Core.

"This was the day the Core was actually destroyed, right?" Chihiro asked as she pointed to the screen.

Spyro nodded. He believed Master Eon had filled her in on what happened during that battle, so she could've probably figured it out without his help... But, nonetheless he nodded.

"Tell me then, Spyro. Were you the one that set that weird hydra-looking thing on the Core?"

"Wuh, well." Spyro sputtered for a bit and shook his head, "No?"

"Did you personally invite Kaos to destroy the Core?" Chihiro turned around and gave Spyro an inquisitive gaze.

"No, why would I do that?" Spyro tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows, "Why are you asking me all this?"

"If you didn't do all that…" Chihiro's curious gaze turned knowing as she sat down in front of Spyro, "Then how could you have possibly destroyed the Core of Light?"

Spyro's mouth fell slightly agape as he watched Chihiro gaze at him, the space around now liminal and white once more.

"But—"

"No buts, Spyro." Chihiro leaned forward and hugged him once more, "You did everything you could've and then some to stop Kaos! You can't possibly blame yourself!"

As Chihiro looked back up at him, she smiled and stroked his crest.

"But." Spyro looked up at Chihiro, "Even then—"

"And nobody blames you. In fact, it's the opposite! Whenever the other 'landers talk about you, they… They always sound so worried. If anything, they all think you're working yourself a little too hard!"

"Really?" Spyro tilted his head.

"Yeah, they all care about you Spyro!" Chihiro smiled and let go, "They all want to be there for you. After all, you're their friend!"

Spyro only sat there and took in Chihiro's words. Though he didn't show it, he felt like something had finally lifted off of his chest, like the heavy burdens he carried had been lightened.

"And Spyro…" Chihiro gently lifted up Spyro's paw, "I may be your portal master and all, but… I'm your friend, too! Don't you remember what I said, that night when I found you all upset and all?"

Spyro exhaled a shallow sigh as he clasped his paw around her hand. His memory was too fuzzy to recall anything, but slowly the words came back to him.

"Even if you don't wanna talk about it…" Spyro whispered as he looked down at their joined hand and paw, "Just know that I'm always here if you need a shoulder to cry on."

"Or an ice cream sandwich," Chihiro finished with a wink, "Or both!"

Chihiro made a playful giggle, but stopped short as she clearly noted the thousand-yard stare Spyro gave her. She gently brushed a hand around his scaly head, then nuzzled him slightly and let go.

"That was a promise, Spyro." Chihiro beamed a soft, sunny beam as she rested her hands on her knees, "No matter what, I'll always be there for you. So don't think you have to deal with that all by yourself!"

For the first time that day Spyro felt himself smile, but not just any smile, no. He smiled a genuine, warm smile as he looked into Chihiro's brown eyes, which now radiated with a kind of warmth and wisdom he had never seen in her before. As energy and warmth flowed into his body, Spyro laid his paw on her hand and looked up at Chihiro.

"Thank you, Chihiro," Spyro said with the most earnest of tones, his heart warm and fuzzy as he squeezed her hand, "That… That really helped."

Spyro let go of her hand and flew high into the skies.

"Now come on, let's get out of here!" Spyro pumped a paw into the air as he looked down at Chihiro, his eyes filled with light and joy, "Together!"

"That's what I wanna hear!" Chihiro beamed and bolted ahead, "Let's go, Golden Boy!"

"Already on it, Chi!"

As Spyro flew away, he looked back and watched Chihiro's eyes sparkle with glee. They weren't going to give up now!

§

"That's gotta be the place," Zap whispered to himself as he looked a few feet away from what he presumed was the mayor's estate, "So how am I gonna get in?"

Zap mumbled something to himself as he looked over the base of the hill which the mayor's fancy-looking mansion rested on. The gates were locked up with all sorts of locks and chains, and tons of pirates were stationed in front of it. It would take him a while to take them all down… Unless he did it all at once! Zap smiled as he opened his mouth and felt static crackle at his throat, the same kind of static that he always felt as he got ready to shoot off his lightning. With a vague smile he got ready to shoot…

Then something swept the pirate guards off their feet, literally! The earth underneath them seemed to have exploded as they were all blown onto their backs. Wait, Zap recognized that technique…

"Terrafin!?" Zap exclaimed as he watched a familiar sharklike figure jump out of the earth and land on his feet.

As Terrafin went on to punch out the pirates' lights, Zap narrowed his eyes. There was no way he was gonna let Terrafin steal the show just like that! So, he fired off a round of lightning bolts and dashed forwards! While the pirates were distracted by the sudden noise, Zap slammed straight into one smaller guard and sent him flying!

"There you are!" Terrafin remarked as he made a playful smirk at Zap, "Thought you weren't gonna show!"

"What, did you think I was gonna miss the party?" Zap gurgled as he cast a smug look at Terrafin, "No way, dude!"—Zap then smiled as he gazed over the pirates that had them surrounded—"Bet I can beat more of these dudes than you can!"

"Is that so?"

Terrafin stretched his muscular arms, then shot forward and punched a surly-looking guard dude right in the mouth! While the guard stumbled back, Terrafin turned around and shot another rapid-fire barrage of punches at another group of seadogs who had tried to take him on.

As Zap watched Terrafin suplex another pirate, he made a forced smile and twitched his tail. Then, with a mischievous grin he whipped around and shot off a storm of lightning bolts towards the nearby pirates! As the pirates fell down to the ground with singed fur, Zap shot a look at Terrafin.

"Think you can top that?" Zap asked, an aura of smugness to his words.

"Oh, you bet I can!" Terrafin shouted back as he wound up his arm and punched through a whole line of tough-looking buccaneers!

Zap's jaw dropped in surprise, but he quickly covered it up as he shook his head.

"That's nothing, I could do that in my sleep!" Zap leaned down as if he was preparing a charge, "Heck, I'll show you!"

Zap coated himself in slime, shot a bolt of lightning at his paws and shot forward like a greased cheetah! Before any of their swashbuckling enemies could react, Zap had crashed into them and sent them flying like bowling pins!

As Terrafin watched, he only scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Eh, that's alright, kid," Terrafin remarked as he cracked his knuckles, "But that's nothing compared to this!"

Terrafin then dove underground, so far underground that nobody could see him! As the pirates frantically searched for him, he popped out moments later with such force that it tossed all the pirates that surrounded him in the air! While they struggled to regain their composure, Terrafin, hit them with punches so mighty it sent them all crashing back down as if they were baseballs! When he finally landed, Terrafin only smirked.

"That's cool, I guess." Zap stretched out and scanned the area around, "But I can do WAYYYY bett—Huh?"

Both Zap and Terrafin frowned as they looked around to see that all the pirates they were facing had fallen unconscious!

"Guess we knocked them all out." Terrafin shrugged and smiled.

"I did most of the beating down, I'm sure."

Zap slid over to the gate as Terrafin rolled his eyes and frowned.

"This place is supposed to be where that mayor guy is, but…" Zap poked an eye into the keyhole then withdrew his head, "Where's the key, dude?"

"Beats me." Terrafin shrugged and looked down at the pirates, "Maybe one of these guys has it."

The two of them popped all around the battlefield's site as they dug through pirate pockets and jackets… But no luck. There wasn't a key in sight!

"Where could that key be?" Terrafin asked as he scratched his chin.

Zap shrugged, or at least made the best shrug he could with his body type, then made a smirk.

"Hey, bet'cha I can find—" Zap stopped short as something shot out in front of him, "The key first?!"

The two of them whipped their heads around and stared at the gate, which had been unlocked and pushed open by…

"A playing card?" Zap skidded over and looked down at the ground, where a queen of hearts now rested on the grass, "Didn't I see one of those when…"—Zap shook his head and gazed at the open gate—"Eh, whatever."

With not a care in the world Zap zipped up the hill with Terrafin close behind.

Surprisingly, the whole area seemed pretty quiet… Until they reached the top! There, a bunch of bulky-looking were hauling treasure out of a rich-looking mansion and into endless treasure chests! To their side, a pirate sat behind a wooden table decked in playing cards, while a mabu man in fancy-looking blue and gold clothes sat inside a silver cage.

"Ye must be the Skylandees, aren't ye?" The pirate behind the table asked as he made a soft chuckle, "I'll tell ye what, when I heard from old cannon-face that ye came here I almost couldn't believe it!"

"Let that dude go and get outta here, dude!" Zap demanded as he slid up to the table pirate and slammed a paw on the table, "This isn't your turf to mess with!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, lad." The stall pirate merely shuffled a deck of cards as he spoke, "This man here is the mayor, and we'd surely get a mighty fine ransom from his capture!"—The pirate's eyes narrowed in an almost confident sort of way—"But if ye can beat me at Pirate Cards, I might make an exception."

Terrafin and Zap both smiled before Terrafin waltzed up to the table.

"Well, buddy, I'll—" Terrafin started before he was cut off by Zap pushing him back.

"You're on, dude!" Zap interrupted with a wide beam.

Before anything more could be said, however, Terrafin pulled Zap back with a frown.

"Zap, let me handle this!" Terrafin insisted, "I've dealt with these guys and their weird game before. I know what tricks they've got up their sleeves, you don't!"

"It can't be that hard, can it?" Zap remarked as he brushed Terrafin's hand off of his shoulder, "It's just a card game!"—Zap made a smug smile as he looked down Terrafin—"Or maybe you're just worried I'll be better at it than you are!"

"Seriously, Zap! You're being too careless about this!" Terrafin's tone turned more serious and scolding, "I'm tryin' to keep you from getting yourself in hot water!"

"Oh, what's the harm in the lad playing a round?" The stall pirate interrupted as he leaned back in his chair, "Let him have a go!"

Zap only smirked up at Terrafin, then zoomed back up to the table and watched as the stall pirate set his clock. As the clock was set and rested on the table, Terrafin drew forward and gazed over Zap's shoulder.

"Listen, you've gotta be careful," Terrafin warned as he gazed back at Zap, "These decks always have a trick to 'em. You get a match wrong, and it'll—"

"I'll be fine, Terrafin!" Zap shot back as he pushed Terrafin away, "You bugging me isn't gonna make me win any faster!"

"I'm just trying to help, Zap!" Terrafin growled just a little as he furrowed his brow.

"Ah ah ah," The stall pirate uttered as he waved his finger, "The rules say no outside help allowed, sharkie,"—the pirate whistled and watched as his pirate guards zoomed to his side—"Guards, take care of this!"

As the guards surrounded Terrafin, Terrafin growled and warmed himself up for a fight.

"I'm pretty sure you're not playing by the rules either, buddy!" Terrafin shot back as he glared at the pirate.

"It doesn't count if I make the rules!" The pirate only leaned further back and laid his legs on the table.

"That doesn't sound fair, but whatever." Terrafin crackled his knuckles and launched himself forward, "IT'S FEEDIN' TIME!"

While Terrafin duked it out with the surly guards behind them, Zap fixed his gaze on the cards and frowned. After a few short moments of contemplation, he flipped over a card that depicted a ship on its side.

"Schooner!" The table pirate proclaimed.

Zap then flipped over an adjacent card, which revealed… A picture of a map!

"Map!" The stall pirate only watched with a smug grin as the cards flipped back over.

Zap grimaced a bit, then flipped over the schooner card once more.

"Schooner!" The stall pirate announced.

"Do you have to do that, dude?" Zap asked as he looked at the stall pirate, who only nodded in response.

Zap groaned, then flipped a card a few spaces down which depicted a picture of a pirate's hat.

"Hat!"

Zap growled as the cards flipped themselves over once again. His teeth and ambitions bared, Zap continued to flip over the cards but with no more success than before.

"Schooner!"

"Blackbeard!"

"Schooner!"

"Booty!"

"Schooner!"

"Map!"

This continued on and on for the next several minutes much to Terrafin's displeasure. With a twitch of his eyebrow and an irritated growl, Terrafin socked a guard in the stomach, watched as he reeled back, then slid leftwards as another guard swung towards him. As he narrowly avoided the guard's attack, his eyes gazed back to Zap.

"Zap!" Terrafin shouted, "The other map card's—"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, TERRAFIN!" Zap shouted as he looked back at Terrafin and shot him a glare, "I'm doing fine without your help, dude!"

Terrafin made a toothy frown before another guard punched him in the chest and sent him flying! With a groan he slid down the lawn, then staggered up and body slammed right into the guard's chest! Terrafin smirked and wiped the dirt off his brawny hands as the guard fell down with a loud pound, then a shadow or two cast over him and caused him to look up.

There, the remaining guards growled as they loomed over him, the shadows they cast only an added factor to their intimidation.

However, Terrafin clearly wasn't concerned. He merely dove underground and swam under their legs! As they shouted and looked about, Terrafin leaped out from then ground and well over them, then body-slammed them into the dirt! While they staggered up with dizzy heads, Terrafin jumped back and slid into an intense punch that sent them both hurtling into the mansion's walls!

While Terrafin fought some more in the background, Zap's own fight wasn't going very well. Half his time had passed, and he still hadn't made a match!

"C'mon, c'mon, gotta find something…" Zap whispered as he flipped over a card to the far left.

The card's background was a bright red rather than the parchment yellow of the others, and it depicted an image of Kaos in a pirate captain's hat. It seemed almost… Cursed, really.

Zap frowned as he hung his head and trembled, then looked up at the stall pirate, who only sneered.

Meanwhile, Terrafin stood up as he watched the pirate guards he fought get up from their spot of rest, then his arms drooped slightly. He seemed… Tired, almost, as if the heat of the fight was finally getting to him. Terrafin stepped forward and went to punch the guards once more, but they were far faster! The first of the few jumped forward and punched Terrafin right in the gut!

"Terrafin!" Zap shouted as he looked back and watch Terrafin soar through the skies.

Zap frowned as he glazed over the cards once more while his heart throbbed in his throat. While he gazed, he made a tired groan and stumbled a bit on his feet, as if he was drained of his life. Then, with a shake of his head he made a tired gaze over the cards. They all were no less identical than usual, save for one that seemed to have some kind of strange glow to it…

"What about this one?" Zap asked himself as he flipped over the card with the strange aura to reveal… A match! It was completely identical to the strange red card he had flipped over earlier!

"Finally!" Zap lazily pumped a fist into the stratosphere, "I matched one! You're in for it now, dude!"

"I wouldn't be so certain, lad," the pirate replied as he crossed his arms and smirked.

"What're you talking about?" Zap looked down at the cards, then gasped as the ones he matched evaporated into a cloud of purple smoke.

Before Zap could react further, the smoke slammed straight into him! With a tired groan, Zap stumbled about before he finally lost all his strength and fell onto the grassy floor, completely asleep.

"Zap!" Terrafin exclaimed as he looked over at Zap, only to get smacked straight in the face with the another puff of smoke! The moment it made contact, Terrafin's eyelids drooped over his eyes and he fell face-first onto the ground.

All was silent as the pirates who once fought Terrafin and Zap now gazed at their comatose bodies, which laid cold and asleep on the wreckage of what was once a beautiful lawn. The battle was over and the Skylanders had decidedly lost.

"Heh," the stall pirate scoffed as he looked over Terrafin and Zap's comatose bodies, "Nobody excepts me trump card, the pirate curse! Ye match it, and ye immediately lose."

The pirate hopped away from the table, then walked over to Terrafin and gently flicked him on the nose. When Terrafin didn't respond in the slightest, he moved on to Zap and did the same thing with similar results.

"They're completely asleep, boys!" The stall pirate placed his hands on his hips, "Haul 'em off! We'll get a mighty fine ransom from these two!"

"Aye aye!" The burly pirates responded as they picked up Terrafin and Zap and dragged them away alongside heavy loads of treasure.

But, as the two of them were carried away, nobody noticed a figure as they watched from the shadows and gasped.

"I need to find him, fast!" The figure whispered as they ran into the shadows and disappeared under the cover of darkness…