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)

15. Chapter 15

And now... Chapter fifteen! I don't really have much to say here beyond my excitement to share this chapter with everyone! So, enjoy the show!

Watch Seeker: A devil's playground indeed... But hey, she has the Skylanders now and that's what counts!

---

"This must be the place," Chihiro remarked as she and Spyro stared over the open mouth of the pathway before them.

As the path stretched on, the liminal white space was replaced with the familiar singed greenery and taint of death that Spyro's worst nightmare held, complete with an oncoming sense of dread... But, they couldn't stop now.

"If we're gonna get out of here, we'll need to defeat that illusion of Kaos," Spyro said as he flew in place and put a claw to his chin, "But how…"

"Yeah, it's not gonna be easy." Chihiro frowned and looked back at the imaginary Kaos from the safety of their magical doorway.

That imaginary Kaos looked awfully powerful, but then again being hyped up on all the Skylanders' energy would probably do that to a person. His whole body radiated with an aura of strength and intimidation as his skin turned to mottled patches of an entire rainbow—red, blue, yellow, green, purple, some things they weren't entirely sure WERE colors… Gigantic tendrils covered in bones, leaves, coral and other elemental accessories sprung out from his back, which only added to his monstrous appearance. How in Skylands were they supposed to beat that?

"Wait…" Spyro's wings flapped just a bit faster, "I think I have an idea!"

"You do?" Chihiro turned back to Spyro, then watched him fly over to her and whisper a plan in her ear. With a few rapid nods, Chihiro smiled and gave Spyro a thumbs up.

"I think that might just work, Spyro!" Chihiro withdrew her thumbs up and looked at the battlefield once more then gulped and nodded. Though her legs shook, her gaze was steely and resolute.

"Now, let's go!" They both shouted in unison.

Chihiro disappeared from view as she and Spyro crossed over the barrier that lead to the battlefield, but not before she gave Spyro a simple wink.

"KAOS!" Spyro called and he flew back into the imaginary Kaos's vision.

"So you've returned, have you?" Kaos sneered, his voice laden with mockery, "Hopefully it's to face your end with dignity. After all, that's all you have now!"

Spyro winced as Kaos cackled once more, but he shook his head and glared down Kaos nonetheless.

"Any last wishes, dragonfly?"

"Actually, I do have one." Spyro placed his paws behind their back, vaguely caught a glimpse of a multicolored light flare, then withdrew a faceted crystal sphere that shimmered with magic, "Could you destroy this sphere with one of your elemental attacks?"

"WHAAAATTT? THAT'S IT?!" Kaos drew back with a scowl of disgust on his face, "You want the GLORIOUSLY EVIL KAOSSS to do something as simple as that?! BAH!"—Kaos scoffed and turned away—"Don't try and waste my time, dragonfly—you're only delaying the inevitable!"

"Well, if you're not strong enough to destroy something as simple as a crystal like this, that's fine I guess." Spyro laid down the crystal, "I guess even mighty, powerful evil villains have their weaknesses too."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Kaos pointed a finger at Spyro, "I could destroy that crystal any day of the week if I wanted!"

"You don't have to be so proud, Kaos." Spyro made a hapless shrug, "If you don't want to waste your time on the impossible…"

Kaos growled as a bright red blush of frustration dusted his face.

"Then I won't force you." Spyro placed a paw on the crystal, "I suppose it would be quite embarrassing, being unable to—ACK!"

Spyro stumbled back as a giant orange blast of energy slammed straight into the crystal!

"See?" Kaos glared with pride as he gazed over the flash of light that followed, "I could TOTALLY DESTROY—HUH?!"

Kaos's proud look faltered into one of surprise as the glow faded and revealed that the crystal sphere was still intact! It glowed with a faint glow of orange, and its few cracks had even been healed! It was like it was fresh out of the box!

"Well, guess I was right." As Kaos fumed with rage, Spyro made a smirk, "Messing with that sphere was just too hard for you—"

Kaos then shot a blast of purple, magical energy at the sphere, which rolled away a few paces… Only to still be completely intact!

"Grr…" Kaos gritted his teeth with his tendrils flared with magic, then shot off a bunch of blasts at once, "TAKE THIS, YOU STUPID SPHERE! AND THAT! AND THESE TOO! WITNESS THE FULL POWER OF KAOSSSSSSSSS!"

As Kaos shouted out his cries of battle, eight more magic blasts that were all colored in a rainbow of hues homed in on the crystal sphere and smashed into it all at once!

Spyro winced as he watched the sphere glow as bright as the sun… Then smiled as the glow faded and unveiled the sphere, which was still intact save for being covered in slowly-sealing cracks!

"HOW?! HOWWWWWWWWWWWW?!" Kaos demanded as he clasped his hands on his bald head, "HOW COULD THAT THING WITHSTAND THE SHEER POWER OF THE ALL-POWERFUL KAOS?!"

"Chihiro, the crystal, now!"

"GOT IT, GOLDEN BOY!" Chihiro's voice shouted back as a warbling sound echoed around the battlefield!

Sure enough, attached to the crystal was none other than Chihiro! She latched onto it with glowing hands and watched as its cracks were finally sealed away. Then with a smile, she jumped up and served the crystal like a volleyball!

"CATCH, SPYRO!"

Spyro scraped his paw against the ground, then lowered his horns and charged straight into the sphere! The sheer force of his charge cracked the sphere wide open, and with a giant flash of light every single elemental attack Kaos had sent into the sphere flooded out and into Spyro! But, they didn't hurt him in the slightest! Rather, they welcomed him into their arms, enveloped him with a welcome smile as they wrapped around his body and surrounded him in a rainbow cocoon!

Kaos and Chihiro's eyes widened while their mouths gaped open—Kaos's from shock, Chihiro's from wonder.

"Now you're in for it, baldy!" Chihiro shouted as she glared down Kaos with a smirk and a twinkle in her eye, "You just fell for our plan!"

"WHAT?!" Kaos demanded as he glared down at Chihiro.

"You see…" Chihiro smirked and crossed her arms, "While you smacked all your attacks into that sphere, I kept healing it! So all you did was give us a chunk of your power!"—Chihiro smirked as she watched Spyro's cocoon fade—"And now, we've leveled the playing field!"

Like a caterpillar from a cocoon, Spyro emerged from the light with elegance, his whole form radiated with power! His purple scales were now brighter and sleeker, like they had been completely polished and shined, while his horns grew twice their length and were now wrapped in vines and coral. His claws, crest and other spikes looked to have been made of shiny crystal or maybe even gold, while skeletal arms acted as a sort of armor for his wings. His eyes flashed a rainbow of colors, the same rainbow that glowed around him and gave him a faint look of power!

"Now, Kaos…" Spyro said as his voice echoed with that of a thousand, "What were you saying? About this being the end of me?"

Kaos looked almost taken aback as he took in Spyro's new form, then his eyes glazed over to Chihiro as he smirked.

"Actually, change of plans!" Kaos proclaimed as he charged up a giant elemental blast and shot it off, "I'll get rid of your puny portal loser first!"

Spyro gasped as he got ready to fly over to Chihiro, but Chihiro was more than prepared! She merely summoned a giant tennis racket using magic, then parried the elemental blast right back at Kaos.

"Don't worry about me, Spyro!" Chihiro shouted as she gave Spyro a peace sign, "You just worry about beating Kaos's butt!"

Spyro nodded, then smiled and watched Kaos cry out in shock while he swiftly dodged the parried elemental blast. Now was Spyro's chance! Spyro shot through the skies, tackled Kaos straight in the chest and simply watched as Kaos fly back.

"WH-WH-WHOA!" Kaos cried out as he flew back then caught himself in midair. When he finally steadied himself, Kaos growled while a molten lava tendril attached to his back shot off a giant fireball!

But, Spyro was quick to retaliate as he shot out a giant blast of water! The water cooled the flames as soon as they made contact, and only steam could be seen from the battlefield.

"You go, Spyro!" Chihiro cheered as she looked up at Spyro and waved.

Spyro beamed and waved back at Chihiro… But that wasn't really the wisest idea as it gave Kaos the perfect opening! Kaos volleyed off another fireball, and this time it slammed Spyro straight in the chest! Spyro let out a pained scream as he was tossed back further into the skies!

Chihiro gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth, but her fears disappeared as Spyro shook off the attack and charged back into Kaos once more! Kaos screamed out as he barreled backwards, then let out a gasp of shock as a giant vine from below wrapped tightly around his body!

Kaos grunted and squirmed against the vine's grip while Spyro kept his gaze fixed on Kaos, his rainbow eyes now flashed a crisp, spring green. Kaos let out a growl that turned to a roar as a giant silver aura embodied him, then the vine rotted away into nothingness! Now free to fight, Kaos cackled while flaming skulls rained down on the battlefield!

Chihiro watched the fight with sparkling eyes, her vision fixed on Spyro as he swiftly dodged the skulls… Then she let out a scream as one crashed just inches away from here.

"Geez, talk about a fire hazard!" Chihiro remarked as she bounced away from the flaming skull and took sanctuary under a sturdy-looking rock formation. As she looked back up at the battlefield, Chihiro winced and bit her lip. This battle looked so intense, with both parties so powerful and neither of them willing to relent… It was impossible to predict how it would turn out!

"You can do it, Spyro!"

§

A cold wind blew through the alleyways as Slam Bam tightened his fists. Something about this whole place seemed… Suspicious, dangerous even, like something was going to jump him from the shadows at any moment!

"Who's there?!" Slam Bam demanded as he whipped his head around, only to look down and see a couple of crickets contently chirping away.

With a sigh, Slam Bam looked ahead and trudged further through the alleyways. The whole place was coated in a thin blanket of darkness that made it a teensy bit hard to see, but his ears were good enough direction as anything else.

"Hello?" Faintly called a voice from further ahead, "Is anyone here? Hellooooooo!"

"A voice!" Slam Bam hid behind a couple of conveniently-placed crates and looked ahead, but found that nobody was coming his way. No footsteps, to shadows around the corner, nothing!

"Helllooooooo!"

But still, that voice continued to resound. Yep, Slam Bam definitely couldn't have been imagining it. So, with a wary push he drew away from the crates and crept further down the alleyways.

"Wait, who's there?! Is someone coming?" The voice grew louder and louder as Slam Bam came closer and closer, "Please tell me you have a key or something!"

A key? Slam Bam cocked an eyebrow as he rounded a corner, Why would someone need…

Slam Bam's train of thought came to a screeching halt as he saw what was stationed around the bend—a mabu trapped in a cage!

"Wait, you're not a pirate!" The mabu exclaimed as he jumped back and hit the bars of the cage, "At least, you don't look like the others. What are you doing here?"

"You're right, buddy, I'm no pirate," Slam Bam replied as he walked forward and examined the cage, "I'm the one who's gonna get you out of here!"

The mabu breathed a sigh of relief then started to ramble on more, but it was all background noise in Slam Bam's mind. He was more focused on the cage itself!

While it was made of solid gold and had a keyhole and everything, it seemed frail enough that he could probably yank the door right off if he tried hard enough.

So, that's what Slam Bam tried to do! He latched all four of his beefy hands onto the door, then strained and pulled as hard as he could! Sweat dripped down his face as his mouth was twisted into a pained scowl, the entirety of his strength focused on pulling off that door.

"What are you doing?" The mabu tilted his head.

"Getting you out!" Slam Bam peeked a slight glimpse at the mabu then focused back on the door, "Stand back, this might—"

Before Slam Bam could finish, cackling echoed through the walls of the alleyways!

The mabu gasped and drew back, while Slam Bam let go of the cage door and whipped around.

"Awfully bold of ye to try and break the rules while we were on our lunch break," Cackled a hyena-like voice from the shadows, "But sorry, matey. Ye can't let the prisoners go without a game of Pirate Cards!"

Out from the alleyways' shadows stepped an entire crew of pirates! They were all dressed in stained rags and had crumbs woven throughout their beards and fur, but that didn't make the weapons in their hands look any less intimidating than usual.

"But, we could play a game right now, if yer interested~" The voice emitted itself once more, its source a seadog with spotted fur dressed in pretty fancy-looking pirate attire that had slight ketchup stains—or was it blood? It was hard to tell.

Slam Bam cast an aside glance in front of the cage, where he spotted a wooden table covered in a deck of cards. He wasn't sure how he missed it the first time with how big it was, to be honest.

His lemon eyes glazed over the table for a few moments… Then he knocked it over and glared down the pirates!

"Sorry buddy," Slam Bam said as he cracked his knuckles, "But I don't trust your little card games. I'd rather get straight to the point!"

"Ye heard him, mateys!"

In response, all the pirates around brandished, sharp, shiny cutlasses right at Slam Bam! Their fangs were bared and their eyes narrowed as they pointed the blades straight at him, but Slam Bam was the furthest thing from intimidated. Rather, he merely shot out his hand and cast out a gigantic ice block that encased the cutlasses' blades!

The pirates' jaws dropped as they tried to yank their weapons out of the ice, but it was no use! The ice block was far too cold and solid to safely remove the cutlasses out! While most of them tried to retrieve their swords, a few got impatient and just pulled guns out of their coats! With a twitch of their fingers, they pulled the trigger and shot!

Slam Bam only grunted as he tossed out more ice blocks and watched as the guns' projectiles all got trapped inside!

"Y'know, is it getting a little chilly here?…" Slam Bam cracked his knuckles, "OR IT IS JUST ME?"

With a might swing of his arms, Slam Bam punched his fists right into the center of the ice blocks and sent gigantic shards of ice flying everywhere! The sheer force from both the blast and the collision with the giant ice shards sent the pirates flying backwards into the houses that surrounded with a mighty CRASH!

While they groaned and slunk down, Slam Bam walked forward and cracked his knuckles once again, his teeth bared and his eyes lit with the will to fight! The pirates jumped up and got ready to attack… But their footing and focus was so disoriented from their little crash that all they could do was get yanked up by Slam Bam!

As the pirates squirmed against his grip, Slam Bam tossed them into the air four at a time, then shot them off with a storm of punches! The pirates could only scream as they flew back into the alleyways, then a thunk was heard as their screams became no more. They had all fallen unconscious, and left only Slam Bam and the mabu prisoner behind.

Slam Bam grunted, then walked over to an unconscious pirate who was fallen close by and fished his hand into the pirate's pocket.

"A-ha!" Slam Bam yanked out a shiny golden key, "This should work!"

Slam Bam then walked back to the cage and looked over the mabu. Slam Bam only made a gentle, warm smile, then unlocked the door and yanked it open! The mabu watched in wide-eyed wonder, beamed as he ran outside the cage and stretched.

"Thank you for freeing me!" The mabu exclaimed as he shook Slam Bam's hand, "I'm the shipmaster of this island! When those pirates came here, I tried to stop them, but I somehow accidentally ended up in that cage instead!"

Slam Bam just smiled and rolled his eyes, then turned alert and jumped back as something shot the nearby table!

"What was that?!" The shipmaster asked as he reeled back.

Slam Bam frowned, stepped ahead, then looked down at the wooden table to find that a playing card had been wedged into the wood! Slam Bam gingerly picked up the card and rubbed a thumb against its surface.

"'Your friends need your help at the mayor's estate,'" Slam Bam read, his frown only deepened as he flipped the card over. But, there was no continuation, only the printed image of a Queen of Hearts.

Slam Bam frowned and flicked the card aside, a newfound worry in his chest. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on… But whatever it was, it probably wasn't good, he could tell right in that instance.

"Did you say you needed to go to the mayor's estate?" The shipmaster asked as he stepped forward, then waved a hand, "I know a shortcut! Follow me!"

As the shipmaster ran ahead, Slam Bam nodded and ran after him. While he ran, he felt a sting of worry in his chest and grimaced.

Hopefully they aren't in too much trouble…

§

CRASH!

BANG!

BLAM!

WHOOSH!

These sounds and more were all heard as the battle between Spyro and Kaos raged further and further on! With every charge, every punch, every blast of raw elemental magic that shot out, it seemed like the stakes raised higher and higher!

And with every second that passed, Chihiro only grew more anxious.

"C'mon, Spyro, you can do it!" Chihiro whispered as she clasped her hands around the smooth rock she hid behind and poked her head over it, "Beat him down already!"

Back in the skies, Kaos and Spyro crashed against each other with the force of all the elements, literally. Spyro continually charged against Kaos in an attempt to get Kaos off his guard, but Kaos was diligent for a change. For every charge, Kaos merely deflected with a shield made of hard light!

"Do you really think you can beat me, the ALMIGHTY KAOS?!" Kaos demanded as he blocked another ram from Spyro.

"Well, you know what I say, Kaos," Spyro remarked as he opened his jaw, which crackled with a red-hot light, "DON'T DARE THE DRAGON!"

As he said this, Spyro shot out a volley of white, burning fireballs! As they all charged towards Kaos, Kaos smirked and dodged out the way as if they were nothing more than flies! Instead, these fireballs all crashed in a row on the battlefield, with some of them dangerously close to where Chihiro spectated the battle.

"ACK!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped out the way of a gigantic fireball before she looked up at the battle and shook a fist, "YOU GET HIM, SPYRO! ROAST HIM LIKE A CHICKEN! YOU'VE GOT THIS IN THE BAG!"

Despite the sheer distance in their positions, Spyro was clearly able to hear her words as he broke into a smile. However, a cocky laugh from Kaos soon turned that smile into a frown.

"You? Win? HA!" Kaos scoffed as he glared down Spyro, "What could you possibly do? You've already LOST! You lost your friends, you lost the Core of Light… You've already lost so much, why don't you just give up like a good little dragonfly?!"

Spyro jumped back a bit, clearly taken aback by Kaos's words… But not for long.

"That's where you're wrong, Kaos!" Spyro regained his composure and glared down Kaos once more, "You may have gotten the upper hand, but you haven't won yet!"

"Really? I don't know about that…" Kaos's tendrils stroked his chin as he smirked.

"You can keep saying that all you like, but I won't give up!" Spyro bore his now opalescent white fangs into a snarl, "No matter how many times you try to conquer Skylands, I'll always stop you!"

"But what can you do?! You're all ALONE! ALONE!"

"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG!"

Spyro smirked as he watched Kaos stumble back in surprise—looks like Kaos clearly wasn't expecting that. With Kaos temporarily unarmed, Spyro shot out a blast of magic and watched as Kaos screamed in agony!

"Even if I'm on my own, they'll always be with me! The other Skylanders, Master Eon, Hugo, Flynn, Chihiro…" Spyro smiled down at Chihiro, then looked back at Kaos with sheer confidence, "Even when we're not together, they're always cheering me on! They've always been there for me, even when I lost sight of them!"

While Kaos regained his stature, Spyro clasped his front paws into fists.

"And as long as I have them to support me, as long as I have their hopes and encouragement in my heart…" Spyro's body glowed twice as bright as before, "I'll never give up!"

"That's a whole lot of talk, dragonfly," Kaos's tendrils glowed in a rainbow of colors, "Let's just CUT TO THE CHASE!"

With a whoosh and a snap, the tendrils all shot off elemental attacks of all kinds! Gigantic blasts of magic, crackling hot fireballs, skulls as hard as rocks, everything one could think of was caught in the mix!

Yet, Spyro was not concerned in the slightest! He merely closed his eyes, then opened them to reveal they had changed in color to a striking violet! Just then, the attacks that once barreled towards him all stopped in place before they whipped around and shot straight at Kaos!

Kaos's eyes widened as every single attack he flew off came back to bite him, all in such a sudden manner that he couldn't do a thing! All he could do was stand there and scream as all the attacks crashed into him in a bright rainbow explosion!

Spyro shielded himself from the blow with a shield of magic, then watched as the explosion faded… To reveal that Kaos was completely gone! His body was little more than a mold of rainbow energy that slowly slipped out of its shape and flowed back into the ground.

Spyro smiled as he watched the last of Kaos fade away, then closed his eyes and glowed in a bright rainbow. With a flash, he returned to his normal form and watched as all the energy he stole from Kaos was released back into the world.

As he landed back onto the ground, Chihiro came out of her hiding place and smiled, then looked around as the area slowly glowed in a rainbow-colored miracle!

The broken ground and dead grass slowly sprung back to life, literally! The red-painted skies turned to a crystalline blue as puffy clouds popped up like rabbits, the wreckage and disarray slowly repaired itself, and most importantly…

"Ugh…" Gill Grunt groaned as he sat up and rubbed his aching head, "What happened?"

"I don't know, man," Terrafin remarked as he got up and stretched, "Last I remember, we were fighting…"

"KAOS!" Eruptor exclaimed as he jolted back up and whipped his head around, "WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Sure enough, all the Skylanders had been revived! One by one their consciousness returned as the battlefield was restored to its former, beautiful state. Though unfortunately the sudden revival did nothing to cure their confusion.

"Everyone, everyone, don't worry!" Spyro shouted out in his most leaderly voice, "Kaos is gone now, we took care of him!"

"Really?!" The other Skylanders exclaimed at one as they crowded around Spyro and Chihiro.

Chihiro nodded and made a matching beam.

"You bet!" Chihiro chirped as she bounced up and down, "It was so awesome, too! You should've been there to see it!"

"Why, this calls for a celebration!" Gill Grunt exclaimed as he and the others Skylanders lifted Spyro and Chihiro up in the air.

"HIP HIP!" The Skylanders shouted as they tossed Spyro and Chihiro in the air!

"HOORAY!" They exclaimed as they caught Spyro and Chihiro when they landed.

"HIP HIP!"

"HOORAY!"

"HIP HIP!"

"HOORAY!"

"Chihiro, I think something's wrong!" Spyro shouted over the crowd while he looked back at Chihiro, "Why haven't we left the simulator yet?"

"I don't know!" Chihiro shouted back with a shrug, "Maybe it's because I haven't faced my worst fear yet?"

"You haven't?!"

"Nope!" Chihiro shrugged and shook her head, "I kinda ran off in a panic!"

As the Skylanders dropped Chihiro and Spyro back down on the grass, Chihiro winced and looked away, then turned around as something grabbed her hand.

"Then, we'll just have to face it together!" Spyro beamed up at Chihiro and squeezed her hand with his warm, soft paw.

"Guess so!" Chihiro only smiled and giggled as she looked down at Spyro.

"Wait, you aren't staying for the party?" Gill Grunt asked with a frown.

Spyro flew up to Gill Grunt and placed a paw on Gill Grunt's shoulder.

"Sorry, guys." Spyro shook his head, "But the real world still needs us. We need to get out of here!"

The Skylanders all made a nod of understanding as they glowed with a faint, white light and left Spyro and Chihiro's side. Though they weren't the real versions of Spyro and Chihiro's friends, it still felt a little sad to see them go so soon after they were reunited...

"Be sure to beat up the real Kaos real good for us, Spyro!"

"Yeah!"

"Tell the real me that I said hi!"

Soon enough, the simulated battlefield and all its unreal inhabitants faded away in a soft glow of white, one that made everything look a bit ethereal and angelic. All that was left of it was a door.

Spyro and Chihiro then nodded, walked up to the door and placed their hands on its knob.

"On three," Spyro said as he tightened his grip on the knob, "One…"

"Two…" Chihiro said as her own grip grew firm.

"THREE!" The two of them shouted in union as they yanked open the door.

As they looked inside the door's contents only for loud, voracious growling sounds to echo, the two of them yelped and jumped back!

"Yeah, it definitely didn't look like that when I left it!" Chihiro shouted with a panic-striken tone.

§

"Is this the place?" Slam Bam asked as he looked down at the shipmaster, who only nodded as they both gazed over the area before them.

This area was a large hill, probably taller than any other space on the island. A winding cobblestone pathway was hidden away by an elegant metal gate… At least, it would have been if the gate wasn't already opened. On top that grassy hill rested a gigantic mansion that probably costed as much as every other building Slam Bam had seen on the island thus far. The whole place rang with a sense of ominous nature, though maybe that foreboding came from Slam Bam's worries. Either way, it was no use standing around here and worrying.

"Come on," was all Slam Bam said as he motioned towards the shipmaster and warily walked up the hill.

All around them, splintered wood, upturned earth, trampled grass and more covered the hill like snow in winter. Had there been a big battle here? There had to have been, because when Slam Bam arrived at the top the whole place was in shambles! The earth around the front yard was completely disheveled and tossed around, paths of grass had been singed and pulled out, blood stains dropped onto the stone pavement… Despite all this, the empty wooden stall that rested in front of the mansion's doorway seemed perfectly intact. Just what on Skylands could have caused this?

"So you came," said a soft voice from the shadows, "I feared you wouldn't have arrived in time."

"WHO'S THERE?!" Slam Bam demanded as he curled his hands into fists and bore his teeth, "SHOW YOURSELF!"
"Calm down, I mean you no harm."

Slam Bam growled, then looked over to a shadowy corner behind the mansion, where a pair of eyes fixed its gaze on him and the shipmaster. Before Slam Bam could launch an attack, the figure brought up a playing card with a queen of hearts printed onto its surface! Slam Bam's arms dropped to his side as his rage subsided just a little. This had to have been the person who sent him the message… But who were they? Their voice did sound kind of familiar…

"… What happened here?" Slam Bam asked at last as he surveyed the wreckage, "It looks like a pack of reindeer crashed through this place!"

"Your friends came here to rescue the mayor." The shadowy figure looked down with a frown, "But unfortunately, they befell a worse fate."

"Don't tell me…" Slam Bam's heart stopped as he stepped back. It couldn't possibly…

"It's not that, don't worry." The figure seemingly shook their head. Granted, it was hard to tell since they were hidden in the shadows, but nonetheless. "The pirates had captured them, and they're getting ready to leave for their hideout!"

"THEY ARE?!" Slam Bam jumped forward, now raring to go, "Where are they now?!"

"A-HEM!" Interrupted a high, almost nasally voice from the sidelines, "Are you forgetting about someone? I'm still trapped here, you know!"

Slam Bam's eyes trailed to the right, and there he saw an ursine mabu man dressed in fancy blue and gold clothes trapped in a silver cage. His arms were crossed as he tapped his foot, an impatient frown stretched across his face.

Slam Bam, the shipmaster and the shadowy figure all awkwardly coughed into their hands, then Slam Bam and the shipmaster walked up to the cage. With a latch onto the door and a firm yank, the door was ripped off in an instant!

"Thank you," The mabu man sighed as he brushed himself off, "I may be the mayor, but the next time those pirates show their faces I'll, I'll—"

"There's no time to chit-chat!" The shadowy figure exclaimed from the shadows, "Those pirates are getting ready to leave with their spoils, and your friends!"—The shadowy figure dashed ahead of the others—"They've headed to the back docks, come on!"

"Right!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he looked towards the mayor and shipmaster, "I'll be right—"—Slam Bam stopped short as he found that the shadowy figure had completely disappeared from view—"Behind you."

As the mayor and shipmaster ran down the other side of the hill, Slam Bam warily followed. Just who was that person? Slam Bam could only ask himself as he gazed over the cloudy skies, his mouth twisted into the frown.

§

Chihiro winced as the crowd of angry students loomed over her and Spyro. They were all terrifying beasts… Literally!

The once-human students had morphed into beasts beyond any comprehension with looks akin to that of a horror film's screenwriter's worst nightmares! Gigantic insects with beady eyes and massive fang-filled jaws, odd creatures with medical needles for heads that were filled with some kind of glowing green fluid, monsters with colorful skin and sharp-looking horns akin to devils… If you could dream it up, it was there!

Chihiro wanted to move so badly, she surely did, but she couldn't. It was like her feet had been glued to the spot, only able to stare as the monsters closed in on them… Then Spyro took to the skies and grabbed on to Chihiro's shoulders!

"WHOA!" Chihiro exclaimed as Spyro lifted her into the skies.

"Hang on, Chihiro," Spyro exclaimed as his wings furiously pounded against the atmosphere, "We're in for a wild ride!"

"Huh?!" Chihiro looked up at Spyro to see his eyes glint with just a tinge of yellow, then nodded as she looked down.

The crowd of monster students growled and chanted as they raced up to Spyro and shook their fists! They looked even angrier than before, this really was the stuff of nightmares!

But, before they could do a thing, a flash of light shot out across the room! It was so bright, it practically absorbed the entire area and made it impossible to see a thing—Chihiro herself was only guided by the sounds of Spyro flying away and the faded cries of the angry mob. As the light faded and Spyro dropped her back on the floor, Chihiro heaved a sigh of relief and dusted herself off.

"Man, I wasn't sure we'd get out of there!" She remarked as she watched Spyro plop down next to her.

"Don't worry, Chihiro!" Spyro flew up to Chihiro and patted her shoulder, "As long as I'm here, you won't have to face all this alone!"

Chihiro made a gentle smile, then dropped into a confused expression as the sounds of growling and gnashing teeth drew close by. With a wince, she clenched her teeth as she craned her head aside…

And was alerted by the mob of monsters stampeding towards her! Normally she'd be terrified to see all these creatures, the living embodiment of everything she feared over the course of her life, coming right towards her… But with Spyro by her side, she felt just a tiny bit braver than usual! So, she drew into an offensive stand and looked at Spyro, who only nodded with her.

As she let out a mighty cry of battle, Chihiro launched herself into the fray and summoned a gigantic, magic-made can of bug spray! With a light press of the top, a toxic mist of spray manifested in the school halls! With a single whiff of it, the insect students grew dizzy and passed out across the floors! While they fell to the floors like flies, Chihiro smirked and whisked away the can with a shake of her hand.

A shout from across alerted her to Spyro, who had gotten into a battle of his own! As he charged into the body of one of the syringe monsters, Spyro's eyes flashed a bright blue the color of ocean waves. In a flash, the syringe monster glowed that same shade of blue while the liquid in its head gushed all over the place! It covered lockers, walls, ceiling, posters… Even the students got covered in the gunk! As they ran away from the rainy mess, the syringe student stumbled about and passed out onto the floor.

"Alright!" Chihiro shouted as she and Spyro high-fived each other.

The two of them jolted up as the sound of massive growling breathed down their necks, then gulped and turned around to find…

"Demons?!" Spyro exclaimed as he took a step back.

There right in front of them was a trio of massive, imposing students dressed in clothes made from animal furs with fluffy hair and multi-colored skin. Their yellow eyes, massive fangs and sharpened horns made them look like something out of the deepest pits of hell… And the gigantic, spiked metal clubs they held certainly didn't help the image either.

"No, they're oni!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped away while one of the oni slammed their club into the floor, "They're creatures from my home's legend!"

"Really?" Spyro asked as he flew out the way of another oni as it tried to punch him.

"Yep!" Chihiro nodded and bounced away from yet another swing of a metal club, "When I was little, my mom told me that oni would take away kids who didn't go to bed on time…"—Chihiro chuckled and scratched the back of her head—"To be honest, that actually made it harder for me to sleep than easier! I—WHOA!"

Before Chihiro could finish, the oni she was fighting slammed their club into the school halls and made everything around jump! Well, save for Chihiro, who merely backflipped onto the club and glared down the oni with a sense of silent rage.

"Watch where you're swinging that thing, buddy!" Chihiro shook a fist at the oni… Then stopped short as her eyes widened.

Why? Well, because the oni had pulled out a gigantic, cloth sack and smiled as it looked down at Chihiro. Surely, it was gonna whisk her away for dinner!

"Not today you don't!" Chihiro teleported away as the oni swung its sack down where she once stood, then placed her hands on her hips, "I only stayed up 'till midnight tonight!"

"That's still pretty late, though…" Spyro remarked as he scratched his chin.

Spyro's remark went unnoticed to Chihiro's ears, though. She was more focused on staying out of the oni's sack! With shouts and funny remarks all around she teleported every which way!

"Bet'cha can't catch me!" Chihiro exclaimed as she teleported on top of a row of rusty lockers.

The oni growled and swiped down its sack, but Chihiro blipped out in the nick of time and reappeared a couple feet away! As she hovered in midair, she stuck out her tongue and pulled down her eyelid. The oni roared with absolutely indignity as it ran forward and tried to catch her… But once again she teleported away before it could catch her! All it could do was crash into its fellow oni!

As Chihiro landed back down on the floor, she watched the oni fall into a dizzy heap on the broken floors then smirked and snapped her fingers.

"it's time you got a taste of your own medicine!" Chihiro remarked.

A gigantic, magical sack manifested over the oni as Chihiro spoke, then with a mighty sweep it captured the oni inside its magical cloth body and tied itself shut! The oni thrashed against it, but it was far too strong to be broken! It only sat itself back down on the floor.

"Five year old me, you've been vindicated at last." Chihiro crossed her arms and made the goofiest smile she could, "Man, that was so satisfying!"

"I wouldn't get ahead of yourself," Spyro warned as he turned back around and frowned, "We've still got the rest of the student body to take care of!"

Chihiro cocked an eyebrow, then turned around and found that much to her dismay, Spyro was right.

Though they had taken care of that small few, there were still plenty of angry, monstrous students! There was no time to waste!

So, with magic at the ready and more than enough determination to spare, Spyro and Chihiro sent out a flurry of attacks! Magic fireballs, sphere of energy, projectiles that surged with raw elemental power… It looked like a stormy battlefield as the monster students charged down the hall and got mowed down by the ranged attacks.

But unfortunately, there were still plenty to spare!

Chihiro cried out in shock as she narrowly dodged a jab from a needle monster, then turned around and kicked it in the back! While it fell to the ground, she turned back to her front and saw another needle monster charged towards her! But before she could react, Spyro charged forward and slammed it into a locker!

Chihiro beamed, then charged her hands with magical energy and spat out an entire round of magical bombs! As she juggled the bombs, Chihiro cocked an eyebrow and tossed them towards the raging crowds! In moments, the bombs exploded and covered the crowds in a thick layer of smoke!

While the monsters raged and stumbled about in confusion, Chihiro grabbed Spyro's paw and pulled him out of the fray.

"There's way too many of these guys!" Chihiro exclaimed as Spyro shook his head and collected himself, "It'll take us forever to get rid of them all!"

"You've got that right," Spyro scoffed before his eyes lit up, "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Chihiro tilted her head.

"We could combine our powers!" Spyro looked up at Chihiro with a ring of confidence, "If we fuse our powers into one giant attack, we could wipe the floor with them!"

"It's worth a shot!" Chihiro beamed and leaned back before she spun around and watched the smoke clear, "Come on!"

With a cry that slowly raised in volume, Chihiro's hands glowed with cyan magic energy that soon became so bright it completely masked those hands from view. Once they were completely enveloped, she merely held them up in front of her person and looked back at Spyro, whose whole body shimmered with purple light.

"Now!" Spyro cried.

With a swift nod, Chihiro clapped her hands and out from them came the biggest energy sphere she had ever summoned in her entire life! It was probably about the size of car and glowed so bright it was almost like you were looking at the sun!

As it raced off towards the crowds, Spyro shot off a gigantic blast of purple and white magic energy from his horns, then sat down and watched their twin attacks shoot off.

The further and further the attacks flew, the closer and closer they got until they were a hare's breadth away from each other.

Spyro, Chihiro, the monster students… Everybody could only watch in wonder as the twin projectiles drew closer and closer before they finally fused into one giant, cool-colored comet!

Then, the students finally realized what was happening and screamed! In a frantic haze they tried to dash off, but it was too late. The comet had gotten too close to outrun, so all they could do was stare and yell as that comet slammed into them and let out a mighty eruption of magic!

The blast scattered all across the halls, flung open lockers and doors alike and scattered glittery, colorful magic dust wherever it touched. When it finally faded away, it left behind completely clear hallways with not a monster in sight!

"Alright!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped up and pumped a fist in the air, "We did it! We beat 'em!"—Chihiro landed on the ground and shook the magic dust off her person—"And made a mess of the school, but whatever."

"That takes care of that." Spyro wiped magic dust off his paws and looked at Chihiro, "Now, let's get out of here!"

Chihiro chirped and nodded in agreement, but before they could move the whole school started rattling! Lockers rattled, floor tiles shook, billboards fell off their places on the walls… Everything shook with some kind of frightening power!

"Now what is it?!" Chihiro demanded as she placed her hands on her hips, before something wet and sticky dropped onto her nose! Chihiro frowned and wiped it off, then looked down at her hand. It was a liquidy, green substance, almost like…

"Slime?" Chihiro frowned as she looked over her hand for a few more seconds, then her eyes glazed over to the floor… And her jaw dropped.

"No… It couldn't be…"

Massive amounts of slime oozed down from the ceiling and piled onto the floor, almost as if it was taking a solid form…

"Who's causing all this racket?!" Demanded a warped, gargling voice as the smile pile jiggled to life!

With a jiggle, the smaller top of the pile popped on top with a pair of glasses and a short, smooth wig atop its body, all paired with a fancy looking tie!

"NO WAY!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped back… Then looked aside and watched Spyro snicker.

"What is that thing?" Spyro giggled as he placed a paw over his snout to mask his laughter, "It looks ridiculous!"

"It's the BLOBBICUS!" Chihiro pointed a finger as she broke into a cold sweat.

"The what?" Spyro cast a glance back at Chihiro.

"When I was seven, I watched this really cheap kids movie." Chihiro shuddered as she lowered her arm, "It was about this science-y goop monster that came to life and wanted to kill the man who tossed it out! It could sneak in anywhere and just, trap you in its goop! It scared the daylights out of me!"—Chihiro then looked over at the Blobbicus once more and chuckled—"Well, looking at it now it does look kinda, silly, but—"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SILLY?!" The Blobbicus demanded as it slid after Chihiro.

"CRAP!" Chihiro exclaimed as she turned tail and dashed off, her breath heavy, "Don't look back, don't look back, don't look back…"

But unfortunately, Chihiro's curiosity got the best of her, so she craned her head around… To find the Blobbicus barely a foot away from her!

"YOU INSOLENT BRAT!" The Blobbicus leaned forward and sped up, "I DON'T GET PAID ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH YOU LOT!

Chihiro only screamed and ran forward, but in her haste she didn't pay attention to where she was going and slid on a pile of magic dust! With a scream Chihiro flew up in the air, then fell back down right as the Blobbicus slammed into her! When Chihiro opened her eyes, she found herself trapped in a mass of gelatinous green goop! She tried to scream, but the moment she opened her mouth it was filled with the stuff! As she futilely tried to thrust against the sticky, firm mass of gelatin, the Blobbicus merely slid away.

"You're going to detention, mi—"

"CHIHIRO!" Spyro exclaimed as he charged straight at the Blobbicus!

The Blobbicus screamed as it slid out of Spyro's path, but like a raging bull set on its target Spyro wasn't gonna give up! He just turned around and charged again! This sudden turn of events caught the Blobbicus so off-guard it could only stand and watch in horror as Spyro slammed forward and dove his head into the Blobbicus's body!

His breath held tight, Spyro tried to reach out and grab Chihiro, but the slime was so thick he could barely move a paw, let alone his leg! His eyebrows clenched, Spyro's eyes flashed red while he emitted a heat so warm it tinted his scales a bit pink!

"Is it hot in here, or it is just me?" The Blobbicus asked… Then it looked down at its body and screamed!

The heat Spyro created was so great it caused the gelatin that comprised the Blobbicus to slowly melt away! While the Blobbicus screamed and flailed, its gelatin had loosened enough that Spyro was able to move forward and yank Chihiro out of its body! As the two of them stumbled backwards, Chihiro staggered back to her feet and spat gelatin out of her mouth. Once she caught her breath, her face tinted blue from the lack of air, she turned to Spyro and made a weak smile.

"Thanks, Golden Boy," Chihiro panted as she fell down and hugged Spyro, "I almost thought I was a goner!"

Spyro smiled as he hugged Chihiro back, his body now a pleasantly warm temperature that made hugging him akin to hugging a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer. Chihiro's panting slowed and stopped entirely as she let go, stood up and spun around.

"SOMEONE, PLEASE!" The Blobbicus begged as it slowly melted into a slimy green puddle, "SAVE ME! I STILL HAVE SO MANY PAPERS TO GRADE!"

"Not so fast, buddy!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stomped over and glared down the Blobbicus, "Tell us where the exit out of this place is!"

"There's a door right there!" The Blobbicus exclaimed with pure terror as it looked over at the entryway

"DON'T PLAY COY WITH ME!" Chihiro stomped her foot a few times and turned her head downwards, "Tell us where the exit to this weird mission thingie is!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" The Blobbicus made strained sobs as it melted further, "The only other exit I know is the emergency exit on the roof!"

"Wait, say that again?"

"There's an emergency exit on top of the school's roof, I swear!" The Blobbicus sniffled further as its glasses and wig slid off its body, "I swear on my honor as a teacher!"

"Looks like we know where we're going!" Chihiro smirked, then turned around to face Spyro before she prepared to run off.

"Hey, what about me?!" The Blobbicus demanded.

"Oh, right, almost forget!"

Chihiro spun back around and snapped her fingers. In a moment, a gigantic magical towel and jar manifested in the hallway! The towel wiped up the Blobbicus in a few clean sweeps, then squeezed it straight into the jar.

"THIS ISN'T WHAT I MEANT!" The Blobbicus screamed as the jar was magically corked shut.

"Hang tight, buddy!" Chihiro shouted as she waved at the Blobbicus, then turned tail and dashed towards the stairs.

"YOU GET BACK HERE! THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT YOUR TEACHER! I'LL SEND YOU TO DETENTION, I'LL MAKE YOU STAND IN THE HALLWAYS, I'LL TELL YOUR PARENTS, I'LL—"

The Blobbicus stopped and sighed as it realized that Chihiro had already left it in the dust.

"I don't get paid enough for this…"

§

Slam Bam's teeth gritted as he glazed over the way to the back docks, which, just to his luck, was infested with…

"Pirates!" The mayor exclaimed as he pointed to the path away!

Sure enough, everywhere you looked there were pirates stationed all across the paths! Some sat atop lofty palm trees and shook down coconuts to conk their subordinates on the head with, others loitered around empty houses and gambled with each other, a few stood guard in front of drawbridges that blocked the way off…

"Wait, a drawbridge!" The shipmaster exclaimed as he gazed over the bridge, "But how are we gonna get it down?"

Slam Bam hummed as he placed a clawed hand to his chin. As much as he wanted to fight them off, there were guards flanked at every angle, and with civilians to worry about he couldn't risk getting caught in a fight. Slam Bam opened his eyes, looked over the pirate guard once more, then noted the guard's wooden stand coated with playing cards.

"As much as I hate to say it," Slam Bam said as he stormed forwards, "It looks like we'll have to play their little game,"—Slam Bam cast an aside glance at the mayor and shipmaster—"Stay close to me, alright?"

The mayor and shipmaster both winced as they drew close behind Slam Bam. Occasionally the pirates glared over and growled at them, which caused them to yelp and cling closer to Slam Bam.

But Slam Bam didn't pay them any mind. Rather, he was more focused on the pirate that guarded the drawbridge as he found himself eye-to-eye with that same guard.

"Well, well, well," The pirate guard crooned as he eyed Slam Bam, "We don't see many yeti 'round these parts! What brings you here, mister?"—The pirate guard shot Slam Bam a glare as he opened his mouth—"If it's about the drawbridge, fer instance, then I'm afraid I'll have to send ye on yer way. Cap'n said this bridge stays up!"

"Oh, I'm not here for that," Slam Bam retorted as he drew a claw around the cards, "I'm here for a little game of…"—Slam Bam's glazed eyes turned a bit confused—"What do you call this?"

"PIRATE CARDS!?" The pirate practically leaned out of his seat, "I've been itchin' to play a round, lemme tell ye!"—The pirate coughed into his hand and collected himself as he sat back down—"What might ye conditions be, matey?"

"Tell you what." Slam Bam made a sly grin, "If I win this card game, you'll lower the bridge."

"Har har har! Yer quite cocky, matey." The pirate smirked as he pulled out and set a timer, "But let me tell ye, ye'll be singin' a different tune when ye face me anchor deck!"

As the timer was placed on the desk and ticked away, Slam Bam took notice of the pirate cards before him. They didn't seem any different from your ordinary set of playing cards… That is, until he lifted one up! Or at least he tried to lift one up, but it had the weight of an elephant! No, make that two elephants stacked on top of each other! Slam Bam only groaned as he dropped the card and watched it flop back down onto the desk with a THUD.

"I almost forgot to mention," The pirate guard remarked as he leaned back, "That's the trick to me anchor deck. These cards are ridiculously heavy compared to normal ones, and they're only getting heavier!"

Slam Bam growled as the pirate guard cackled, then wrapped two of his hands around the card and flipped it over with a mighty shout! As it flipped over, the card bore the image of a treasure chest filled with all sorts of riches about as rich as the look of shock on the pirate guard's face.

"That's the booty card!" The pirate guard coughed into his paw and regained his resolve, "But can ye find the other one, I wonder?"

Slam Bam only smirked as he stretched his arms to the sky and focused on a card adjacent to the one he flipped. That had to have the match, right? Slam Bam flipped it over with all his might, but he was proven wrong. Painted on the newly-flipped card's surface was an image of a treasure map instead!

"Map!" The pirate proclaimed as the cards flipped themselves back over.

Slam Bam only grunted and made an aside smile.

"It's just one miss, not enough to set me back," Slam Bam remarked as he went to flip over the booty card once more, "I can win!"

But as Slam Bam tried to lift the card, something felt wrong. This card felt way too heavy! He strained and groaned and pulled with all his might… And yet, the card's weight got the best of him as he finally let go and stumbled back.

"I did say they were only gettin' heavier, matey." The pirate captain twirled a lock of fur, "Every time ye lose, me cards gain weight!"

Slam Bam made a low growl as he gritted his teeth, then with a mighty cry he latched all four hands around the card and flipped it over.

"Booty!" The pirate proclaimed without any mind paid to the weird look Slam Bam shot him.

Slam Bam only shrugged as he flipped over a card under it, which was revealed to be a ship with billowing sails.

"Schooner!" The pirate watched as the cards flipped over.

However, Slam Bam wasn't one to give up. With his yellow eyes trained on the deck and little mind paid to the ticking clock beside him, he still continued to play with all his might. Even though he kept getting every pair wrong.

"Booty!"

"Island!"

"Skull!"

"Map!"

"Schooner!"

One wrong pair turned to two… Then five… Then maybe ten at this point, Slam Bam wasn't keeping count. That obnoxious pirate's voice rang in his head like a drum as he barely suppressed the urge to sock the pirate in the face.

"Schooner!" The pirate proclaimed as he watched Slam Bam flip over a card with all his might, then take heavy breaths as he flipped the next one over, "Map!"

Slam Bam's breath turned heavy as sweat dripped down his breath. Still worn, he gripped another card with sweaty palms and tried to lift it up… But it was no use. It was far too heavy.

But, he still couldn't give up! He still had to get across the island and save Terrafin and Zap! As he pulled harder, Slam Bam felt something grab onto him and cast an aside glance backwards. Behind him, the mayor and shipmaster had both grabbed onto his back and started pulling with all their might as well! However, even with all three of them pulling as hard as they could, they still couldn't lift the card at all! It remained stuck to the desk, like it had been glued down with some kind of sticky substance.

"Ye've only got fifteen seconds left, matey!" The pirate crooned as he watched Slam Bam's futile attempts at lifting the cards, "Better get on it!"

Slam Bam growled, bore his teeth into a fanged snarl and knitted his brows into an equally irritated glare.

"FORGET THIS!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he gripped all four hands onto the desk, "I'VE HAD IT WITH THIS STUPID GAME!"

With a roar so loud it could be heard all across the island, Slam Bam flipped the table and sent it barreling straight ahead! The pirate who was once stationed there jumped aside and dove into the ocean as the table slammed into the drawbridge… And knocked the drawbridge right over!

"Well, that's that, then." Slam Bam brushed off his hands and smirked, "Let's move on—"

"YAR, MATEY!" Exclaimed all the other pirate guards at once as they jumped in front of Slam Bam's path.

"… Crap." Slam Bam frowned and cracked his knuckles, "I forgot about these guys."

Slam Bam looked at the mayor and shipmaster as they watched the pirate guards with wary eyes, then threw two muscular arms in front of them.

"Get to cover, alright?" Slam Bam looked over the pirates and furrowed his brow, "I'll take care of these—"

WHOOSH!

Before Slam Bam could finish his sentence, a flurry of playing cards swooped down like birds from above and circled all around the pirate guards, then locked them together in a tight chain! Slam Bam gasped and jumped back, then turned around and watched as a slim, shadowy figure leaped off of a palm tree and disappeared into the distance.

"… Just what was that?" Slam Bam asked before he shook his head and shrugged, "Eh, you know what they say. Don't look a gift reindeer in the mouth and all."

The pirates now taken care of, Slam Bam pushed them aside and proceeded past the drawbridge, the mayor and shipmaster still close behind him as they walked onto the next chapter of the island. Everything was so oddly peaceful there with not a pirate in sight. Just a bunch of strange-looking wooden barrels that appeared to be… Shaking?

"Wait," Slam Bam remarked as he drew back just a bit, "Since when did barrels shake on their own?"

"I don't like the look of this…" The mayor remarked as he shuddered.

The shaking grew more and more violent as they all took a few more steps back, then with a gigantic crash the barrels all exploded and sent split wood flying everywhere!

"CHOMPIES!" The shipmaster exclaimed as he hid behind Slam Bam.

Sure enough, within those barrels were none other than chompies! Well, they looked a bit different from the average chompy. They were more of a cyan in color rather that the chompy's trademark chartreuse, and they seemed to be a bit bigger than normal, but they were chompies nonetheless… Right? Well, whatever they were, they were going down!

With a grunt Slam Bam shot out several blasts of cold wind, then watched as the wind solidified into giant ice blocks that completely trapped the chompies! Slam Bam basked in their wonder for a few moments, then stopped and turned back to the chompies. He could've sworn he heard something that sounded like… Ice cracking? Slam Bam drew closer to the frozen chompies and examined the ice block he had trapped them in… Then reeled back as it shattered in an instant!

"The heck?!" Slam Bam exclaimed, "That ice block was a hard as a rock! How could those chompies—ARGH!"

Slam Bam stopped short as one of the chompies leaped forward and bit onto his arm! As he swung around and tried to pry it off, he got a good look at the chompy… And his face fell with realization.

"Wait a second, these aren't chompies!" Slam Bam finally pried the "chompy" off his arm and tossed it into the ocean, "They're crunchers!"

"Crunchers?" The mayor and shipmaster replied in unison.

"They're like chompies, but way more aggressive!" Slam Bam grabbed several crunchers by their eyestalks and tossed them into the ocean, "And they're, AUGH!"—Slam Bam looked down as several crunchers latched onto his arm and tried to yank them off—"They're way more aggressive, too! Stay back, you don't want them to bite you!"

The mayor and shipmaster didn't reply. They only screamed as the crunchers circled around them with sharp, bared fangs! The two of them clung to each other as the crunchers got ready to pounce… Only for several other crunchers to slam into the crowd from the skies and send them all flying into the ocean! The mayor and shipmaster watched the crunchers drop into the cold ocean waters with a series of plops to accompany, then frowned as they looked back at Slam Bam.

"Are you sure you're alright, buddy?" The shipmaster asked as he walked up to Slam Bam, "You seem kinda scratched up."

Slam Bam frowned and examined himself. Those crunchers had definitely left their mark—he had bleeding scratches and purple bite marks all over his arms! The pain did sting a lot now that Slam Bam had noticed it, for that matter…

"Don't worry, this is nothing," Slam Bam remarked as he wiped himself off, "I couldn't be a Skylander if a couple scratches made me give up,"—Slam Bam then looked over to the ocean—"Besides, Fin needs me—I can't stop now!"

As he looked over the oceans, Slam Bam made a deep frown. It almost looked like there were pirate ships on the horizon! Wait, pirate ships?!

"We need to get going!" Slam Bam ran forward, "They're getting away!"

Slam Bam's heart pounded with adrenaline as he stampeded forward, his head shaken with all kinds of intense feelings. He had to get there fast, he couldn't let them get away! Not when they had Terrafin and Zap in their clutches!

But, as he drew closer and closer to the bridge, it started slowly going up and up and up as pirates gathered in front of it.

"They're trying to shut it down!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he fell on all fours and charged like an angry ice gorilla towards the drawbridge… But despite how fast he ran, it was far too late.

The drawbridge had already hit its top.

As he reached another desk set up with cards, Slam Bam found himself in such a fury, all he could see was red!

"Ye must be—" The pirate stationed behind the desk said, only to stop as Slam Bam socked him in the face.

"I'll give you ten seconds to put that bridge down," Slam Bam heaved, now overcome by a sense of urgent rage, "Or else, I'll—"

"I wouldn't be makin' any more violent threats, if I were ye." The pirate that Slam Bam had punched sat up and pointed behind Slam Bam.

Now slightly calmer, Slam Bam turned around… And found the mayor and shipmaster held tight in the clutches of two burly, massive-looking pirate guards!

"Heh, sorry!" The mayor remarked as he made an awkward wave to Slam Bam.

"We kinda got ourselves in a pinch!" The shipmaster noted as he made a hapless shrug.

Slam Bam only drew back, his anger replaced with confusion and concern.

"Now, matey," The punched pirate said as he sat back down at his desk, "Ye can entertain me with a little game of Pirate Cards… Or yer buddies get to see Davey Jones' locker! What'll it be?"

Slam Bam felt his heart pound in his ears as he examined the situation before him. If he played that game, then surely he wouldn't have enough time to catch up with the pirates… But he couldn't possibly risk the mayor and shipmaster's lives! What was he supposed to do?! Slam Bam furrowed his blows as he clasped his sweaty palms, then he heard a whoosh as something flew towards him! He instinctively caught it in his hands and looked it over to see… A playing card?

Slam Bam frowned and flipped over the card, but there was no illustration, only a message.

I'll take care of saving your friends. You just take care of the pirates.

Slam Bam looked up and found that same, shadowy figure from before as they sat atop a coconut tree! The figure gave him a thumbs up, then dashed into the distance and vanished.

His confidence regained, Slam Bam brushed a fist against his torn chest and turned back to the pirate behind the desk.

"Alright then," Slam Bam said as he sat down, "I'll take you up on your game!"

"Very well then." The pirate set a timer and placed it to the side, "Be warned, though! My mermaid deck's one of the best of the lot! Savvy?"

"We'll see about that." Slam Bam cracked his knuckles and examined the cards, the timer only white noise in his mind…

§

SHING!

With a mighty slash, Chihiro and Spyro dashed through a flock of giant stacks filled with imposing-looking tests that held complicated questions on their pages, then watched with satisfied looks as they exploded into shreds!

"Y'know, fighting my worst fears is a lot more fun than I thought it'd be!" Chihiro remarked as she floated onto the floor and placed her hands on her hips.

"This is only just the beginning, though," Spyro reminded as he sat himself next to her and blew a few shreds of paper away from his face, "We've still gotta find a way to get out of here—if we can even find a way…"—Spyro cast an aside glance at the halls before him—"Just how big is this school, anyways?"

"Beats me." Chihiro shrugged as she turned around and walked forwards, "Guess we're just gonna have to climb, climb and climb some mo—"—Chihiro stopped short and whipped her head around—"Hey, is that a map?"

"Wait!" Spyro flew over to Chihiro's side, "Did you say you found a—"

Spyro stopped short as a broccoli stalk beaned him right in the head! With a yowl of pain he whipped around and snarled, then reeled back as a crowd of sentient broccoli monsters charged down the hallways.

"I know you're not supposed to play with your food…" Spyro remarked as his eyes flashed green, "But I think I can make an exception! Time to get ALL FIRED UP!"

As Spyro started a food fight in the background, Chihiro fixed her attention on the school map.

It was fairly worn, its illustrations and lettering with both faded and the paper had plenty of stains on it, but it was somewhat legible! One could easily make out the five floors of the school and their doors.

"Let's see…" Chihiro mumbled as Spyro prepared some grilled broccoli, "If that's the fourth floor and that's the fifth…"—Chihiro placed her finger on the map and drew it around her pathway—"Then that should be the door to the rooftop!"

"Hey, get back here!" Spyro shouted as he chased the broccoli monsters up and down the hallway, his breath alight with fire, "I've not done toasting you yet!"

"Spyro, I did it!" Chihiro spun around and waved towards Spyro, "I found the rooftop door! It's at the end of the fifth floor!"

Spyro breathed out a superflame, sat down as it singed the broccoli monsters in one big bonfire, then smiled as he flew back to Chihiro.

"What are we waiting here for, then?" Spyro remarked as he flew to Chihiro's side, "Let's get going!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Chihiro smiled as she raced ahead… Then paused and drew back. She then yanked a stalk off of a toasted broccoli monster and munched down.

"Hmmm… Needs more ranch dip."

And with that said, Chihiro and Spyro raced down the halls, a feeling of carefree joy in their hearts for the first time since they arrived in this strange, strange mission. Though the halls were long and seemed to never end, a door soon popped into view.

"There, I see it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pointed ahead, "The dooOOOOAAAAAA!"

As Chihiro ran forward, several giant oni dressed in colorful, fancy clothing stepped in front of the door! Chihiro tried to stop herself before she could run into them, she really did, but it was no use! She had run far too fast to stop and ran smack-dab into them instead! As she cried out in pain and rolled backwards, Chihiro sat up and shook her head before she glared up at the oni.

"Where'd you guys come from?!" Chihiro demanded.

"The better question is," One oni with curly blonde hair said, its voice deep and rumbling, "Whaddya think you're doing here?"

"Yeah!" Chimed in a second oni as they glared down Chihiro, "Just running around the place, acting like you actually belong here… What a laugh!"

The oni all laughed, while Chihiro winced and crawled back just a bit.

"That's more like it!" The first oni proclaimed as it slammed a giant metal club into the floor, "Get lost, you freak!"

"Yeah!" The other oni chimed in.

"But, I can't!" Chihiro retorted as she stood up, "Heck, what am I doing?! I need to find that exit and get out of here!"

"You really think you can do that, though?" The first oni chided with another slam of its club, "You'd have to get past us first, but you don't stand a chance! You're too weak!"

"Yeah!" The chorus of Oni chimed in.

"And you're a crybaby!"

"YEAH!"

"And you're super annoying!"

"YEAH!"

As the oni continue to mock and laugh, Chihiro winced and felt her legs turn to jelly. She had to get past them to reach the other floors, but she couldn't bring herself to even move a muscle! All she could do was stand there and take in their insults, like she was trapped in their words...

"Look, she's shaking!"

"I bet she's gonna run away and cry now, just you watch!"

"Yeah, in fact, I think she'll—"

Before the oni could speak further, a giant fireball zoomed down the hall and smacked them right in their faces! As they screamed and patted themselves down, a familiar voice resonated around the hall.

"What gives you the right to say that?!" Spyro shouted as he flew in and glared them down.

"Spyro!" Chihiro called as she looked back up at Spyro with a shining beam.

Spyro smiled and beamed back down at Chihiro, then glared down the oni. They looked even more furious than before, their hair strewn and their skin and clothes covered in burns and singe marks.

"You don't know a thing about Chihiro!" Spyro continued to retort as he flew further, "She may have her flaws, but she has a lot of good points too!"

Chihiro felt her heart stop just a bit as Spyro's words touched her ears and her heart.

"She never fails to make us laugh, she's always there for us… And most importantly…" Spyro looked back down at Chihiro and made a kind smile, "Even when things are tough, she never gives up! Even when things looked hopeless, she never stopped trying! As far as I'm concerned, she's just as much a hero as any of us!"

Chihiro's eyes sparkled as she heard Spyro talk, then smiled as she stood back up and wiped away her tears.

"That's right…" Chihiro whispered as the last of her tears disappeared and a confident smile bestowed itself onto her face, "I can't just let you guys beat me down! I barely even know you guys, anyways!"

Chihiro's hands balled into fists as they flared with magic while her eyes narrowed.

"NOW YOU'RE IN FOR IT!"

With a clap of her hands, Chihiro summoned a small crate that fit snugly in the palm of her hands and was filled to its brim with soybeans.

"BEGONE, FOUL DEMONS!"

Chihiro grabbed a handful of soybeans from the crate and tossed them straight at the oni. The moment the soybeans made contact with their skin, the oni screamed in horror for the beams literally burned right into their body! As Chihiro got ready to fling more, the oni screamed shrill screams and fled in utter horror.

"And they say I'm the scaredy cat," Chihiro remarked as she popped a few soybeans in her mouth and hummed with pleasure, "Tastes like holy power, yum!"

With a snap of her fingers, the magic soybean crate disappeared from Chihiro's grasp!

"Now, time to get climbing!"

§

Terrafin heaved a heavy groan as he pulled his dazed head up.

"Where am I?…" Terrafin asked as he looked around and frowned.

Though the lighting was really bad, Terrafin could tell that he had been stowed away in the hull of a ship. It was all wood everywhere you looked, saved for the few large piles of treasure that were scattered about.

"How did I even get here, anyways?"

"I dunno, dude," Zap asked as he finally woke up and shook his head, "I could ask you the same thing!"

As they locked eyes, a wave of realization washed over the two of them… Then everything exploded.

"See what you did, Zap!?" Terrafin exclaimed as he nudged against the ropes that held him tight, "If you'd have just listened to me, we wouldn't be all tied up like this!"

"I was doing fine, dude!" Zap scowled back, "You were the one who kept messing me up!"

"You missed half of them, Zap!" Terrafin's mouth twisted into a fanged scowl as his eyebrows knit themselves into a frown, "I was just tryin' to help you out!"

"Some help you were!" Zap growled a moment before he cleared his throat and collected himself, "You got us tied up and trapped, dude!"

"Excuse me?! You were the one who—"

"Knock it off, you two!" Whispered a harsh, yet somewhat familiar voice from the shadows, "You'll get those pirates' attention!"

Terrafin and Zap stopped short as they heard the voice and gazed around, but no use. It was too dark to properly see a thing!

"WHO'S THERE?!" Terrafin and Zap demanded at once.

"It's no matter to you," said the voice as a slender figure became barely visible against the shadows of the ship's hull, "All you need to know is that I'm the one who's gonna get you out of here."

The figure stood over Terrafin and Zap, then with a flick of their wrist a sharp-looking playing card manifested between their fingers! Their gaze was fixed on the coarse ropes that bound Terrafin and Zap as they diligently cut away at the bondage.

"What were you saying, Zap?" Terrafin asked as he shot Zap another glare, "About me getting us stuck?"

"It's true!" Zap gargled back with such intensity that static-charged spit shot out of his mouth.

"Yeah, right!" Terrafin leaned his head closer to Zap and scowled, "You're the one who got us stuck here trying to show off!"

"Did not!" Zap, in response, shoved his head closer to Terrafin's, "If you didn't try to show me up, I would've won, dude!"

"Did too!" Terrafin shoved himself closer.

"Did not!" Zap only drew in even closer to Terrafin!

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"DID—"

"Will you two keep it down?!" The shadowy figure demanded as they shot a glare at Terrafin and Zap, who had gotten so close that their faces were smashed against one another, "With the way you're bickering, it's almost like you WANT to get the entire crew down here!"

Terrafin and Zap made a surprised glance at the shadowy figure, then both of them scoffed and looked away.

"Just saying, if you hadn't tried to act cool, we wouldn't be stuck here!" Terrafin remarked as he shot another aside glance at Zap.

"And if you hadn't tried to stage me up," Zap retorted as he shot another lancing glare back at Terrafin, "I would've actually won—so YOU got us into this mess, dude, not me!"

"Say that again, dude?!" Terrafin growled and gritted his fangs.

"Well, if YOU hadn't tried to stage me up, then WE WOULDN'T BE—"

"What's all this racket down 'ere?!" Demanded a crusty-sounded voice from above.

In moments the hull's door flipped open! Light poured into the room as a crowd formed at the door's base, a crowd of pirates armed and ready to fight!

The figure gasped as they stepped back into the shadows, though it was useless now that their appearance had been revealed.

They did, indeed seem to have a slender build… Though it was covered by the black and white checkerboard cloak they wore, which was fastened with a buckler around the neck shaped like a playing card. Their hood draped over their face and shielded it from view, though if you looked closely under you could probably spot the tiniest hint of what seemed like orange fur…

"INTRUDERS?! TRYIN' TO RESCUE ME CAPTIVES?!" Exclaimed the crusty voice, which belonged to a grizzled seadog who donned tattered getup, "NOT ON ME WATCH! C'MON BOYS, WE'VE GOT A STOWAWAY TO TAKE CARE OF!"

With a sharp gasp, the shadowy figure dropped their strangely-sharp playing card and drew back. Their frantic movements made it clear that they were searching for a means of escape, but it was far too late! The pirates had already piled into the basement and were itching for a fight! So, the figure drew into a defensive stance as they summoned more playing cards with a flick of their wrists! They shot out the playing cards fast as lightning and watched as those cards stunned the pirates with a bean to the head… But it wasn't enough to dissuade those pirates, unfortunately.

With an enraged shout, one pirate jumped forward and slashed their sword at the figure, who only narrowly dodged the surprise attack. Before they could retaliate, however, another pirate jumped the figure with a kick to the back! As they yowled in pain and got tossed onto the floor, they groaned and staggered up, but they could barely even lift their own weight.

"Now, tell me," Said one pirate as they drew closer to the figure, "Who are ye?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The figure hissed as they got back up and tried to throw a punch!

However, they were far too slow! The pirate only dodged immediately and elbowed the figure in the gut, which caused them to cry out in pain as they fell back onto the floor! As they did, the hood of their cape flipped over and revealed…

"JESS?!" Zap and Terrafin exclaimed at once.

Sure enough, there rested on the floor, hood flipped over and face fully exposed by the overhead light was none other than Jess LeGrand herself! Her mouth was drawn into a scowl as she pulled herself back up and glared down the pirates that had her surrounded, though the twitching on her face could tell anyone she was pretty worn.

"What's going on here?!" Terrafin demanded as he struggled against the ropes that held him tight.

"No time to talk!" Jess exclaimed as she staggered back up and summoned a playing card, "I've got pirates to fight!"

With a swift cry of battle, Jess stumbled forward and jabbed her elbow into a pirate's throat, then watched as they coughed and reeled back. However, that was only the start! Jess grimaced and leaned back as the other pirates yelled and dashed after her, cutlasses and blunderbusses in hand.

Jess could only stand there and wince. It was as if she was completely frozen, unable to do anything but stand and watch as… Zap shot off a round of lightning bolts and shook the pirates to the bone!

While the pirates screamed in literal shock, Jess summoned another hand of cards with a flick of her wrists, then shot them off and stood back as the pirates fell in droves. Now certain that they were unconscious, she only nodded as she returned to Zap and Terrafin's side.

"Jess?" Terrafin asked as he watched Jess grab the extra-sharp card and whittle down the ropes that kept him tied once more, "What's goin' on?"

"Yeah, dudette!" Zap chimed in as he turned himself to look at Jess, "What's with that whole getup?"

"Well… It was part of my plan." Jess sighed as she dutifully cut away, "I was lucky enough to escape the island when those pirates took over, but I couldn't take them all down myself. As you can see, I'm not very good in combat of the physical nature."

Jess looked up at Terrafin for a moment of seriousness. "And well… Let's just say that if they figured out who I was, I'd be their top target."

Jess looked down at the ropes once more.

"I was planning to call the Skylanders in to take care of the little guys, then I'd go for the head of the beast, the captain himself." Jess's mouth dipped into a scowl as she bore her teeth, "But, it's clear things didn't entirely go as planned."

Terrafin and Zap both made an awkward laugh as Jess shot them a glare, then sighed as she returned to the ropes.

"But it's no matter now." Jess worked a little more furiously on the ropes, "I'll just get you guys free and—AUGH!"

Zap and Terrafin both gasped as a loud CONK was heard followed by Jess falling unconscious on the floor. As they watched Jess's comatose body, a dastardly cackle resounded around the hull of the ship!

"So the lassie wants an audience with the Captain, eh?" The voice remarked as its owner stepped from the shadows, "I'm flattered to comply~"

"Who are you?!" Zap and Terrafin demanded in unison, only to get a very shiny, very sharp-looking cutlass shoved in their faces.

"Don't try any funny business, Skylandees," The person said as they grabbed Jess by the collar of her cloak, "Yer talkin' to Cap'n Dreadbeard, after all!"

The light cast from overhead shed some light of a different nature onto the voice's owner. He was a furry, canine-looking pirate dressed in a fancy, black satin captain's hat with a white skull on its front. His piercing brown eyes struck a level of danger to his looks, and his roughed-up, tan fur that seemed somewhat more intimidating when paired with his sharp, fanged sneer. He donned a blue jacket with golden buttons over a simple white shirt, a brown leather belt, striped red trousers and brown boots. He had all the looks of a pirate captain and then some—yep, this was definitely the guy that caused all this nonsense.

"I'll go hear out this lassie's request," Dreadbeard said as he lifted up Jess and dragged her cold body up the stairs, "And as for ye…"—Dreadbeard shot a glare at Zap and Terrafin—"Ye can just sit tight!"

"HEY! GET BACK HERE, DUDE!" Zap shouted as he thrust against the ropes that held him tight, though it was no use, "WE'RE NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A—"

The door to the hull only slammed down and locked back up.

"Fight."

The darkness and quiet that painted the room around them made a sense of regret and remorse fall over the atmosphere. Time slowed to a crawl, and the whole scenario seemed so quiet that it almost made it perfect for reflecting on one's every last mistake. Though they could barely be seen against the midnight, the glimpses one could catch of Terrafin and Zap showed that sorry frowns crossed their faces.

"… We really screwed up, didn't we dude?" Zap asked as he hung his head, a surprising amount of reflection in his voice.

"… Yeah," Terrafin admitted as he cast an aside glance.

Zap bit his lip, almost hesitant to say more before he finally exhaled.

"Guess it's my fault we got into all this bogus, isn't it?" Zap admitted at last, "So much for being just as good as you, huh?"

"What was that?" Terrafin craned his head and looked at Zap.

"Well…" Zap inhaled and exhaled, "You're like, a super-big champ in the sports world, right?"

"Twenty times!" Terrafin made a proud smile.

"I thought if I beat you at something, I'd show you I'm just as good as you!" Zap scoffed and looked aside, "You've got that whole twenty-time champion thing, and I've only won races against dolphins. If I won against you, I'd be one of the best!"

As Zap sighed against, Terrafin only smiled and chuckled.

"Don't get yourself too down, kid!" Terrafin looked over at Zap with a genuinely warm smile, "You're pretty good in your own right! I probably shouldn't have looked down on you so much."

Both Terrafin and Zap laughed to themselves, their regret replaced with resolve as they smiled and looked at each other.

"Now that that's taken care of…" Terrafin said.

"Let's get out of here and save Jess!" Zap finished as he looked down at the spot in the ropes that Jess had cut away.

With a soft growl he gripped onto the ropes with his teeth, then yanked them hard and watched as the ropes fell into a pile at his paws! Once he found himself free once more, Zap skidded over to Terrafin and yanked the ropes that bound him off!

"Man, that feels good!" Terrafin exclaimed as he stood up and flexed, "Now let's get outta here!"

The two of them raced up the door and pushed it… But it didn't budge in the slightest.

"Guess this could use a little force!"

Terrafin let out a shout as he punched the door with all his might, but still no dice. Not even a sliver cracked open.

"Lemme try!" Zap exclaimed as he charged up a lightning bolt and shot it at the door… But it only burst into sparks as it hit the wood.

As the sparks faded away, Zap and Terrafin smirked and looked at each other.

"It might be able to knock off one attack," Terrafin said as he cracked his knuckles, "But I bet it can't handle both of us!"

Zap grinned as he leaned back and got ready to charged, while Terrafin merely stretched out.

"One… Two…" Terrafin started as they both finished warming up.

"THREE!" They both shouted at once as they slammed against the door and burst straight out! The two of them landed on the deck of a pirate ship parked at an island covered in skeletons and foliage, and more importantly... Pirates!

"Alright, dudes, tell us!" Zap exclaimed as he charged a bolt of lightning.

"Where's Jess?!" Terrafin demanded as he cracked his knuckles.

"The cap'n's taken her for a game of Pirate Cards!" Proclaimed a squidlike pirate in a bandanna and rags as they drew out a cutlass, "And he specifically told us to keep you lot from interruptin' him!"

With smiles across their faces, Zap and Terrafin looked at each other and nodded before they glared down the pirate crew.

"Sorry, dudes," Zap said as he leaned back as if he was preparing for a tackle, "But we've got other ideas!"

And with that said, Terrafin and Zap launched themselves into the heat of the fray…

§

"Think we've reached the top yet, Spyro?" Chihiro asked as she trekked up a giant staircase of concrete stairs.

It had taken them some time, but she and Spyro had found the staircase that lead to the rooftop! They fought massive heights, gigantic slime teachers, floors filled with holes, the occasional annoying insect, Bob the janitor… But at last, they were finally here!… So why was Chihiro so nervous? Chihiro whimpered as she placed a hand on her heart. Her hand trembled as her heart beat at a fast and furious pace, so fast and furious it almost felt like it was going to jump straight out of her skin!

"I think I can see a door!" Spyro exclaimed as he flew ahead of Chihiro, orb of light in hand.

"What?!" Chihiro watched Spyro zoom ahead of her. With a frown she ran behind him and found that unfortunately, he was right.

There, right before them was the doors that undoubtedly lead to the rooftop. Light poured in from the space underneath, and one could vaguely hear something on the other side. Something awful, probably…

"Just have to open these doors, find that emergency exit and we should be out of here!" Spyro looked over at Chihiro and nodded, "You do the honors, Chi."

Chihiro winced and nodded as she reached for the doorknob… Then her hand instinctively drew back. Her ears rang with fear as she felt herself break into a cold sweat. She couldn't do this, she couldn't do this, she, she, she…

"Something wrong, Chihiro?" Spyro turned to Chihiro and frowned.

Chihiro winced, then gulped and made a weak nod.

"Well… Yeah." Chihiro hung her head and sighed, "I mean, we don't know what's behind this door. For all we know, it could be something ten times worse than what was in there!"—Chihiro looked back at Spyro with pain in her chestnut eyes—"What if I can't handle it?"

"You've gotten through everything so far," Spyro reassured with a flap of his wings, "I'm sure it'll be nothing!"

As Chihiro hesitated once more and looked away, Spyro placed a paw on her hand.

"And besides, even if it is… I'll be right beside you. We'll face it together!"

"Yeah, that's right," Chihiro reminded herself, her fear replaced with a gentle peace as she looked down the door once more, "We'll do it together!"

Chihiro breathed in and huffed, then balled her hands into fists.

"HI-YAH!"

With a jiggle and a kick, the final door slammed open! Chihiro groaned just a tiny bit as she onto the rooftop with the expectancy of fresh air as a greeting… But found nothing of the sort.

There, she found herself on a worn rooftop that overlooked a desolate town. All the houses and other buildings were worn and abandoned, with peeling paint and broken windows and exteriors so dusty it could make you sneeze a whole mile away. Gigantic piles of leaves covered yards of dead grass and dead trees barren of leaves or any other sort of life lined the roads… It seemed so sad and empty, just like this school was.

Chihiro shuddered as she overlooked the town before her.

"Dang, can't wait to get outta this place," she remarked as she veered her head right and smiled, "And there's our ticket out!"

Right in front of Chihiro loomed a giant, swirling vortex painted in shades of blue. It looked so unreal compared to everything else here, like it was almost painted on, but Chihiro supposed that a giant vortex would look unnatural compared to a relatively normal-looking abandoned town anyways.

"Home sweet home…" Chihiro made a running start and leaped into the vortex, "HERE I COME!"

However, it seemed the vortex had other ideas! As soon as she reached a few inches away from the vortex, a giant shield knocked her back! Chihiro screamed as she flew in mid-air, only to grunt as Spyro caught her by the back of her shirt and gently dropped her on the ground.

"Thanks for that." Chihiro sighed as she dusted herself off and looked over at the vortex, its shield now completely visible, "What is that thing?"

"A shield, obviously," Spyro replied as he frowned and walked a bit closer, "But why is it glowing so much?"

"Glowing?" Chihiro glazed over to the shield and found that Spyro was right!

The shield has started to glow such a bright, milky white glow that soon it completely hid the vortex with its light! The bright color almost made it look like a giant egg, to be honest. As the glow grew the brightest it could, its light started to pour out into the space below before it took the form of…

"A human?!" Spyro exclaimed as he flared his wings and dropped into an attacking stance.

Sure enough, a human child manifested from the bright light the shield poured out! As the child's form solidified, they blinked once, then twice as they looked over Spyro and Chihiro… Who had a much less calm reaction.

"WHAT?!" Spyro and Chihiro exclaimed as they pointed towards the child.

"Why does that thing look like you?!" Spyro shouted as he looked at Chihiro.

"I don't know!" Chihiro shouted back as she tugged on her hair, "Why DOES it look like me?!"

They were both accurate in their observation, for this ghostly child looked almost identical to Chihiro. Same frame, same face, same clothes… The only difference was that it seemed a bit younger than she was, being a few inches shorter with a slightly more rounded face, yet the look of sorrow and pain in its stare made it seem years older.

"Whatever it is, be ready." Spyro's breath crackled with warmth as he prepared a shot of flaming hot breath, "It could attack at any moment!"

Chihiro nodded as she formed a magic sphere and watched the ghostly her step closer and closer. The tension only grew as the ghost Chihiro stopped, looked up at Spyro and her real self, walked closer and closer to Chihiro, then…

"Why are you doing this?" The ghostly Chihiro asked, its voice sad with an almost ethereal echo to it.

"Huh?" Chihiro uttered as she let down her magic sphere, "Well, I mean, we do kinda need to get out of this place and get back to the real world—"

"That's not what I meant." The fake Chihiro's tone turned a bit scolding as it looked up at the real Chihiro, "Why are you so intent on playing the hero? What are you fooling around for?"

Chihiro was left completely speechless. Her mouth gaped open, while the hand she held her magic sphere in loosened without her even thinking and smacked onto the rooftop's floor in a small explosion of sparkles.

"… What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you're not good enough to be with them! You're not good enough to be their friend!"

The fake's scolding tone grew even harsher as it spoke.

"You're only setting yourself up to fail! You're no hero! You're weak, and stupid, and you get emotional too easily and just get everyone to hate you just by existing! You're always messing up and getting everyone into trouble…"

Chihiro paused as she listened to the fake berate her, but oddly enough it didn't make her upset in the slightest. Rather, a wave of understanding washed over her.

"So this is my worst fear…" Chihiro whispered as the fake's anger-filled ramble turned to white noise in the back of her mind, an understanding smile on her face, "I think I understand now."

Spyro glanced up at the real Chihiro with a vaguely confused look, then leaned back as he got ready to attack. But, he stopped as the real Chihiro held out an arm and looked back at him. Chihiro winked, then with a nod of understanding Spyro drew back.

After all, this was her fear to face, not his.

Chihiro breathed in, then looked back at her fake self.

"And you're good for nothing, and picky, and easily distracted, and, and, and… All you're gonna do is mess up and make everyone hate you!"

The fake's heart was so full of rage, it tainted its words with poison and caused tears to form into its eyes. With a sniffle, it slumped over and shuddered.

"So why are you doing all this?!"

Chihiro didn't say a word, she just drew closer to her fake self.

The fake, meanwhile, couldn't even speak anymore. It just collapsed into a heap and broke down sobbing, its sobs so loud they seemed to echo all around the neighborhood.

"There, there." Chihiro drew closer to her fake self and wrapped the fake in a soft hug, "Tell me…"—Chihiro met her fake at eye level and gently ran her fingers through the fake's ghostly hair—"Who told you all these things?"

"Well, well…" Fake sniffled and rubbed its nose, "Everybody at school says those things… The teachers, my classmates… But they're right! I—you always, always…"

As the fake started sobbing once more, Chihiro gently rubbed its back and squeezed it just a bit tighter.

"How do you know they're right, though?" Chihiro's voice took on a wise tone glazed with kindness, "Those people barely even know you! Why would you listen to the words of people who don't even care about you?"

"Huh?" The fake sniffled and looked up at the real Chihiro.

"Those things about yourself that you hate… Those fears you hold… They came from people who barely even know the real you!" Chihiro gently nuzzled her fake self's shoulder, "But, the real you is a really, really, great person! You've got your strengths too, you know!"

Chihiro gently pulled herself away from her fake self and cast a smile back at Spyro.

"You're kind, and care a lot about other people, and you always pick yourself up even when things are tough… Your real friends, the people who really matter… They know that better than anyone!"

Spyro smiled back at her, and in response Chihiro's beam drew wider as she looked back at her fake self. But, that smile quickly turned into a concerned frown as she saw that her fake self was still curled up and crying.

"But, that's all just an act!" The fake retorted as it buried its face into its knees, "They'll find out the truth eventually, then they'll all leave you, and, and—"

"I know why you're acting this way, you know." Chihiro stood up and dusted herself off.

"… You do?" The fake pulled its head out of its knees and looked up at its real self.

Chihiro only nodded in response.

"You're so used to being treated so badly that you've taken it all to heart. You believe that every awful thing they did and said was somehow completely deserved."

Chihiro's tone was stately and matter-of-fact and she looked down at her clone.

"And you're so used to that, you're scared now that you actually have friends who care about you. You're scared that you'll lose them now that you actually have them, or they'll turn on you like all the others did."

A small tear formed in Chihiro's eye and dropped onto the rooftop's floor.

"I'd know. I am you, after all."

The fake only stared at Chihiro with glassy, teary eyes.

"But…" Chihiro shook her head as she held a hand out to her fake self, "You can't live like that anymore! I know it seems scary and unpredictable, but sticking with your fears and doubts is only gonna hurt you even more!"

Chihiro stretched out her hand just a bit further.

"You'll be a lot better off if you let them go, trust me!"

Silence echoed throughout the area. All that could be heard was a gust of wind as it carried some dead leaves away.

"… Can I really do that though?" The fake asked as it looked aside, "Can I really change? Can I really, truly trust them? Can I really, truly trust myself?"

"Yep!" The real Chihiro made a sunny nod and beamed, "I'm living proof that you did!"

The fake made a sharp gasp as she looked up to Chihiro, still completely silent… Then it took Chihiro's hand and pulled itself up.

"Thank you."

The fake Chihiro smiled as it pushed forward and wrapped its real self in a warm, comforting hug before it faded away.

"You really have grown, haven't you?"

Those were the last words the fake Chihiro said as it finally disappeared, and the shield with it.

As the vortex became visible once more, Spyro flew over to Chihiro, then the two of them looked at each other and nodded before they leaped inside the vortex…

§

Jess made a soft, tired groan as she awoke to fuzzy vision. Where was she? Last she remembered, she had tried to rescue those two Skylanders from…

"Are ye comfy there, lass?" Chuckled a familiar, sickening voice as Jess's vision finally returned to her!

She found herself inside a giant, open room filled to its gills with piles of treasure. Gold coins, shiny jewels, beautifully-decorated jewelry, ancient artifacts that radiated with power… Whatever you could name, it was probably there! She herself was seated on a wooden chair right behind a small, wooden table with a number of cards set up on it. And in front of her… Was Dreadbeard, of all people, in the flesh and bone.

"What are you doing with me, Dreadbeard?!" Jess demanded as she stood up.

"No need to get so cranky, lass!" Dreadbeard said as he leaned back in his chair and rested his boots on the table, "Me crew told me ye wanted a word with me… And I've been itchin' to play some Pirate Cards!"—Dreadbeard's gaze turned smug as he looked down Jess—"So methinks we could play a little game…"

Jess bit her lip as she glared down Dreadbeard. There had to be some kind of catch… What was it?

"The conditions are simple, ye see. Match all the cards in me skull deck in two minutes…" Dreadbeard made a fanged grin as a smug glint flashed in his eye, "Oh, and if ye don't beat the deck, it'll release a curse that'll kill everyone on this here island save fer me and me crew!"

Jess made a sharp gasp as she drew back.

"But no pressure."

Jess growled as she balled her hands into fists.

"That's despicable!" Jess slammed her fist on the table, "Who do you think you are?!"

"A pirate captain, lass." Dreadbeard leaned back further in his chair, "It's kind of me thing."

Jess drew back again as she glanced over the table of cards, which seemed so much more intimidating than before. As she drummed her fingers against the table, Jess frowned and looked back up at Dreadbeard.

"And what if I don't play your little game?" Jess asked at last.

"Then I'll release the cards' curse anyways."

Jess hummed for a bit, then sighed and sat down at the deck.

"I hate playing with cheaters," Jess remarked as she positioned her hands, "But it seems I have no choice here, do I?"

"Indeed ye don't, lassie," Dreadbeard replied ever-so-calmly as he set the timer, "Now let the games begin!"

§

"Geez, how many of these guys are there?!" Terrafin exclaimed as he punched a pirate dog right in the kisser and sent him flying overboard.

"I dunno, dude!" Zap shouted in-between rounds of lightning bolts, "But I don't know how much longer I can keep holding them off!"

Just then, a squid buccaneer leaped over and got ready to chop Zap in half with his ax!

Right before he could land a hit, however, Terrafin barreled forward and body-slam the buccaneer sideways! As Terrafin landed on the ground, he looked down at the pirates and frowned. Though he kept a strong composure, the heavy breaths he heaved and the droop of his shoulders could tell anyone that even he was starting to reach his limit.

And Zap was no better as he struggled to stand up, clearly exhausted from all the sheer, raw fighting he had done.

"Where's backup when you need it?" Zap remarked as the pirates closed closer and closer in on him and Terrafin…

Then a giant block of ice slammed straight onto the deck and shattered! Sharp icicles stabbed into the pirates while they yowled and pain and desperately tried to dodge the shower of sharp, icy daggers.

But while the pirates panicked, Zap and Terrafin merely smiled as they looked backwards and saw another ship come into deck!

"Ahoy, mateys!" Slam Bam shouted as he grabbed onto his ship's railing and vaulted onto the pirates' schooner, "I heard you needed some backup?"

The moment Slam Bam's eyes locked onto Terrafin, however, this cool composure of his immediately melted into warmth and joy!

"Fin!" Slam Bam called as he raced forward and hugged Terrafin tight, "You're okay!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Terrafin asked as he winked and returned Slam Bam's hug.

The two of them held each other so tightly and so warmly, it almost felt like everybody else in the room just disappeared! It was just the two of them, so happy to see each other again… Then a cork flew over their heads while the shouts of war resounded around!

"You know what?" Slam Bam said as he let go of Terrafin, "Let's save the touching reunion for later."

"Agreed." Terrafin turned around and cracked his knuckles, "Right now, IT'S FEEDING TIME!"

Terrafin then cried out all sorts of shouts and battle cries as he went back to punching away pirates, while Slam Bam cracked his knuckles and shot out a gigantic block of ice!

But while they fought, the mayor hopped off of his boat and joined Slam Bam at his side.

"So, you and that Fin person…" The mayor remarked as he gazed at Slam Bam, "Are you two good friends or something like that?"

"Oh, actually," Slam Bam said as he turned to face the mayor, though his fists kept punching, "He's my boyfriend!"

"Oh, my apologies!" The mayor dusted off his coat and straightened the lapel, "Regardless, you two seem very happy together!"

"Oh, it's great!" Slam Bam rested against the ice block and made gestures with two hands while the other two continued to punch away, "Him, Ruptor and I are all—"

"Ruptor?" The mayor tilted his hand.

"Eruptor, I mean! He's our other boyfriend. We're all dating each other, and even if he's a grump sometimes we all love him for it." Slam Bam turned around to look at Terrafin, who was still punching away, "Right, Fin?"

"Yeah, Ruptor's great!" Terrafin shouted back as he gave Slam Bam a thumbs up before he continued the fight.

The mayor smiled as he watched Slam Bam grin, then jumped back as the shipmaster jumped off his boat and landed right beside the mayor!

"Mayor, is everything alright here?" The shipmaster asked with a concerned gaze.

"Oh, quite!" The mayor replied with a formal nod, "The Skylanders have everything under—"

Before the mayor could finish, a scream was heard from the rioting crowds and two cork guns slid over to the mayor and shipmaster's feet. With a curious gaze the two of them looked down at the guns and smiled at each other.

"We can't leave all the work to them, now can we, Mayor?" The shipmaster merely grabbed one of the cork guns.

"I agree!" The mayor grabbed the second, then locked and loaded.

Their eyes trained on the crowd, the two of them tightened their cork guns… Then all hell broke loose as they fired! Corks flew everywhere—and truly everywhere—as the mayor and shipmaster shot off their guns! Their aim was so shaky, it was hard to tell just who or what they were aiming at! It was utter chaos!

"Whoops, sorry!" The mayor shouted as Terrafin and Slam Bam hit the deck while a flock of corks shot over their heads, "I'm not the most talented marksman, I'm afraid!"

As the chaos pot stewed, however, Zap's eyes widened with inspiration! With a smile, he coated himself in several layers of slime, then shot a lightning bolt at his feet and watched as it coursed through the slime until he was little more than a giant bolt of lightning.

"COWABUNGAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Zap exclaimed as he dove into the crowd and crashed into the pirates!

While the pirates screamed from shock—literally—Terrafin smirked and punched a pirate off the deck! As he watched them drop into the ocean, however, he didn't seem happy… Rather, he was more concerned.

"Sure hope Jess is okay," Terrafin whispered as he cracked his knuckles and jumped back into the fray…

§

"That's yer ninth match!" Dreadbeard exclaimed as he tugged on his fur.

But, Jess took no mind to his fright! Her eyes were completely trained on the cards. With every second that passed she made a match.. And another match… And another… Until…

"HOW ARE YE DOING IT!?" Dreadbeard jumped out of his seat, "Yer beating me skull deck like it was nothing!"

"I forgot to mention one thing," Jess smirked as she left her chair, "Back on my island…"—Jess shot a glare at Dreadbeard and smiled as he trembled—"I'm the reigning champion of card games!"

Then with her smirk ever-present on her face, Jess flipped over one last pair of cards—ones that depicted a Mabu woman dressed in pirate garb—and watched contently as they flew back into Dreadbeard's pocket.

"I won, Dreadbeard…" Jess trailed around the table, but her eyes were fixed on him like he was her prey, "What are you gonna do now?"

Dreadbeard growled, then dove into his pocket and whipped out a shiny-looking blunderbuss!

"YE MAY HAVE WON ME CARD GAME," Dreadbeard exclaimed as he smacked his free fist against the table and flipped over an extra pair of cards, "BUT CAN YE WIN AGAINST ME—"

Dreadbeard stopped short as he looked down at the table…

"Pirate curse?" Dreadbeard winced and dropped the blunderbuss on the floor as he stumbled back, "Oh fishsticks."

And with that, Dreadbeard collapsed onto his back, now completely unconscious! As Jess looked over his comatose body, she smirked and dove her hand into his pocket. Once she felt something firm and slim, she grabbed it out and shoved it into her own pocket before she grabbed Dreadbeard by his jacket and dragged him outside.

"ATTENTION, EVERYONE!" Jess proclaimed as she exited the hideout and stepped into the light.

There, everyone who was brawling outside—Skylander, civilian and pirate alike—stopped and watched Jess with wide eyes.

"I, Jess LeGrand." Jess heaved up Dreadbeard's unconscious body, "HAVE BEATEN CAPTAIN DREADBEARD AT PIRATE CARDS!"

The pirates all gasped, wide-eyed and terrified as they chattered among themselves.

"No way! It can't be!"

"The cap'n's never lost a game of pirate cards!"

"She's gotta be kidding!"

Jess cleared her throat, then smirked as all the pirates fell silent.

"As your new captain," Jess declared in her most orderly, attention-grabbing voice, "I order you to return all the treasure you've stolen and turn yourselves in to the authorities!"

"Who says we have to listen to ye?!" Demanded a furry pirate from the crowd, "Ye may have beaten the cap'n, but ye—"

Before that pirate could finish, Jess shot out a pair of cards and watched as they hit the naysayer straight in the head! Chattering was heard throughout the crowd as the naysaying pirate groaned and collapsed with a thunk.

"And while I'm at it." Jess unveiled an entire deck of pirate curse cards, "If you don't comply, then I'll simply be forced to put you all in timeout."

The pirates whimpered and groaned, then finally bowed and hung their heads.

"Yes, cap'n," The pirates whined as they trudged into the hideout in a single-file line.

"And I mean all of it!"

Jess wagged a finger at the pirates, then paused as she rejoined the Skylanders.

"Thank you so much for all your help," Jess thanked, her tone softer as she shook Slam Bam's hand, "I couldn't have possibly done this without you!"

"Oh, it's no problem, it's all in a day's work for us!" Slam Bam replied as he withdrew his hand.

"Besides, you were the real mvp of today!" Terrafin chimed in as he gave Jess a thumbs up, "You took down that Dreadbeard guy like he was a lightweight!"

"Oh, it was nothing!" Jess said as she blushed and scratched the back of her head.

"Wait, that voice…" The mayor replied as he turned around, then fixed his eyes on Jess and beamed, "Jess!"

"Dad?!" Jess exclaimed as the mayor ran into her arms and sobbed tears of joy.

"WHAT?!" Slam Bam, Terrafin and Zap exclaimed at once, only to shrug as they watched Jess and the mayor hug.

"I was so worried!" The mayor sobbed as he hugged Jess tight, "When you disappeared after those pirates took over, I, I…"

"Dad, calm down, I'm fine!" Jess let go of the mayor and brushed herself off before she looked up at the Skylanders, "Anyways, I'd better take you guys back home. My crew and I have a lot of treasure to return!"

Jess looked over at the pirates who were loading their ships with treasure, and in return the pirates only grimaced and nodded as everybody else laughed.

§

Chihiro heaved heavy breaths as she held her heart, which beat as fast as a jackrabbit. Had they done it? Did they get out of there okay? Were they even out of there?

A glance up confirmed that Chihiro was right! She was back in the room that house the mission simulator, though it was now covered in wear and soot marks, and right in front of her stood a wide-eyed Hugo and Master Eon! While the two of them looked back at her and Spyro with complete shock, Chihiro felt her heart beat at a natural pace once more while she staggered up.

"YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" Hugo sobbed as he ran forward and clutched both Chihiro and Spyro in a tight hug, his glasses stained with tears, "We all thought, we all thought…"—Hugo buried his face into Chihiro's shoulder and wailed—"WE ALL THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

"Now, now, Hugo," Chihiro said as she patted Hugo's back and gently pulled him off of her and Spyro.

Hugo only stared wide-eyed once more, then smiled as he sniffed and cleaned the tear stains off his glasses.

"Thank goodness you got out of there!" Hugo seemed more collected as he reapplied his glasses, "It seems that the mission simulator needs a few more tweaks. I'll have to ask Drobot to look over it again when he comes back from patrols."

"Are you alright?" Master Eon asked as he flew over to the rest of the group, "What happened in there?"

"We're right as rain, Master Eon!" Chihiro replied as she pumped a fist, then turned to Spyro and nudged his shoulder, "Right, Golden Boy?"

"You bet we are!" Spyro exclaimed as he did a backflip in the air and landed back on his feet.

The two of them then giggled and bumped fists before they looked at Hugo and Master Eon once more.

"As for what happened, well…" Chihiro turned to Spyro.

"It's kind of a long story." Spyro nodded to affirm her statement, then beamed and winked, "You see…"

§

"And that's how we got out of there!" Chihiro said as she spun around to face Spyro and gently rubbed his head, "It wasn't easy, but we did it! We got out of there, and I—"

Chihiro stopped short as the most terrified look she could muster grew onto her face.

"MY EXAM!" Chihiro stumbled back a bit as she frantically scratched the back of her head, "I completely forgot I was taking it! I got so caught up, I—"

"No need to fret, young Chihiro," Master Eon interrupted as he gently nuzzled her back into the real world, "After everything you described, I'd say you passed with flying colors!"

"I DID?!" Chihiro turned back to Master Eon.

"Is that not what I just said?"

Chihiro made an excited gasp, then turned back to Spyro, who only smiled and gave her a thumbs up! With a hoot of glee she wrapped Spyro in her arms and hugged him tight, then tossed him in the air and watched as he flew back down to her side and gave her a high-five.

"Anyways, we should probably head down now," Spyro said as he flew towards the open door, "There's still a lot to take care of."

"No kidding," Chihiro remarked as she skipped over to Spyro's side and waved goodbye, "See ya!"

Chihiro closed the door behind them, then watched as Spyro snapped his claws and produced a shining ball of light. An odd, quiet peace was between them as they trailed down the curved stone stairs, with neither party willing to speak and disturb the quiet. Finally, Chihiro gulped and looked at Spyro.

"So, you're checking out those Chocolate Seas things after this, right?" Chihiro asked, then smiled as Spyro nodded.

"We're a bit short-staffed," Spyro admitted as he rubbed a paw over his orb of light, "But I'm sure we could do it!"

"Short-staffed, huh?" Chihiro skipped a few steps in front of Spyro and turned around, "How 'bout I help you guys, then?"

Spyro seemed a bit surprised by Chihiro's words as he paused and released his orb, but she only nodded and made a happy chirp.

"I did say I wanted to help you out, y'know!" Chihiro smiled and giggled as Spyro made a soft chuckle of his own.

With a nod, the two of them raced down to the mouth of the stairwell and jumped off the last few stairs in unison. The moment they hit the floor, they dashed towards the door and swung it open with pure, unhampered energy! As rich afternoon sunlight poured into the room and the fresh, cool autumn air enveloped them, they both paused and took it all in. After being stuck in that awful simulator for so long, being in the real world again just felt so, so good and welcoming…

Chihiro made another soft giggle, then skipped ahead of Spyro and spun around to face him. Her eyes held that same energetic twinkle they always did, but this time she radiated with some kind of new wisdom, a kind of magical aura you couldn't really put a finger down on.

"Come on, Golden Boy!" Chihiro shouted as she stared him down, "We've got work to do!"

Spyro made a wide smile, then flew up to Chihiro's side. As he stared into her warm, bright brown eyes, Spyro felt something lift from his heart—not just the relief from having extra help, but something else completely different!

Now, it felt like... He was finally starting to grasp just what it was about Chihiro that captivated him so.

"Agreed, Chi!"