Okay, yes this isn't the last one, and the next chapter will have the conclusion. But, meanwhile, QUESTION TIME: Will Tom forgive Kaz? Who was sticking a plasma arrow at them? Will Reggie get his memories from Chaotic back? Why am I asking you this? Who wants cookies?

Tom: If you're done, I'd like to know who was threatening me.

Kaz: Yeah, and I wanna know if we go back to being friends!

Reggie: And I want to know if they get my memories back!

(prods all three with cattle pokers.)

Settle down, now. You'll all learn your fates in this chapter. And a little more background on the two main home boys. Just a bit though, I don't want to reveal everything.

Tom: Then why- MMPH!(is suddenly gagged and bound)

Kaz: TOM! (rushes to help him)

Alright, Everybody!

Chaptah!

STARTO!

(Earth) Tom's P.O.V:

Kaz was pacing like a dead man, while Reggie examined the knick-knacks in my room. I had gone downstairs and fixed a snack, and came back into my room just as Kaz exploded at his Scanner.

"WHY AREN'T WE BACK YET?" He shook the machine back and forth like how one would strangle another person. I sighed as his dramatics.

"Kazzy, just chill. It might take awhile to bust Reggie out, remember? This is Mipedian territory we're talking about." He plopped down on my bed, and Reggie wheeled himself forward to the table I pulled out. I offered him a cookie that Mom had made earlier, and as Kaz groaned I poured the blond some green tea I made.

"I actually expect us to show up much later than now." He took a sip, being careful of the temperature. "My, this tea is delicious! Thank you, Thomas. I say, you'd beat the pantaloons off any tea-chef if you came to London." I blushed while grinning.

"Aw, shucks. You're making me blush." Kaz got up and plopped down next to me, grabbing at least four cookies and stuffing three in his mouth immediately.

"KAZ! Don't be such a pig! Leave some for Reggie or I'll hit you!" Kaz made a 'munph!' noise, his mouth still crammed with cookies, and Reggie began to chuckle at our banter.

"It's nice to know that even though you two support different tribes, you're still such good friends." Kaz froze, a look of horror on his face, before it disappeared and was replaced with a goofy grin. He hugged my shoulders.

"Why would different tribes have to affect our friendship? I mean, just because UnderWorlders are better than OverWorlders-" I stuffed another two cookies in his mouth.

"Stow it, Einstein 3.0, I already know where this is going." He managed to grin around the cookies, and made to lunge at me. I shrieked and dove behind Reggie.

"Heph! Nom oosin' Weggie af a field!(Hey, no usin' Reggie as a shield!)" He growled, then downed some tea to help the sweets go down and hydrate his mouth. I was giggling uncontrollably, and Reggie was full out laughing at us. I looked at him as he calmed down and smiled at him.

"No need to worry. Reggie. If there's one thing Kaz and I always follow, it's 'Never give up our Scanners.' We'll be back in time for dinner." Reggie smiled, and took out a deck of Chaotic cards. We began to play an old-school game version of Chaotic. I glanced at Kaz, then at Reggie. At the same time, we chanted:

"One, two, three, four! I declare Chaotic WAR!"

(Perim)

"What happened to, 'we never give up our Scanners', HUH?" I scowled as I felt the rough stone under my hand scratching at my clothes. I blinked, trying to listen to Kaz pacing around the cell madly.

"Hey, that was before Frafdo aimed that Plasma Arrow at us! I surrendered so we wouldn't get hurt!" His voice was above me. I figured from the initial feel of the room that there were low ledges for prisoners to sit on, and the windows were barred and placed high above our heads. I pulled off the goggles and shook them angrily.

"And why the hell aren't these things working?" I felt his hands close over mine, and I growled. The warmth disappeared.

"I think it's because you don't have your Scanner. The Mujic-Specs are honed in on a signal that your Scanner gives off, and since it got taken away, the goggles don't have any feed." I growled again, letting my face fall into my hands.

"Great. We're fighting, Frafdo might not let us out, and I'm blind until I get my scanner back. How can this get any worse?" Kaz sat down next to me. I snarled and pushed him away.

"Tom, please-" I held up my middle finger in his general direction.

"I. Don't. Want. To. Hear. It. I'm still completely pissed at you. You promised me that you would never lose your temper like that again." Kaz stood up, and I jumped as my wrists were pinned to my seat.

"Tom. I'm SORRY. I don't know how I can say it any other way. But right now we need to work together and make Frafdo let us go, so we can head to Mudeenu's castle and free Reggie." His hands reached up and locked onto my forearms. "I need you on this."

I cringed, he was using that tone on me. The same tone that Dad used on me when I threw a fit. I hadn't heard it in years, but now instead of calming me down, it made me even angrier.

"No!" I threw off his hands, and was only slightly aware of the sound of footsteps coming towards our cell. "You are NEVER to use that tone on me! No one! No one but Dad can use it! I can't believe you'd sink so low!" I growled.

"In case you weren't aware Tom, your Dad isn't here anymore! It's time time to accept that, and move on! I thought you were over it, but I guess you're still hanging onto that, aren't you!" Kaz yelled back at me. The door opened and I actually heard Kaz freeze in place. I already had my fists in the air, though, and screeched at Kaz.

"WELL DAMMIT, IT'S YOUR FAULT HE'S DEAD IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Third-Person P.O.V:

Frafdo stiffened, as did Maxxor. Dead? Who was dead? It was the red-haired humans fault? The human boy sagged, a look of horror, agony, and guilt heavy in his brown eyes.

"...I...I know." The other boy, tan skin and long black hair, dropped his arms and clapped a hand to his mouth.

"...Sh...Shit." They stood there, moments ticking by, before the second boy turned to the wall. "I still hate you." The first boy cringed visibly, and a small feeling of sympathy passed through the two OverWorlders.

"I know." Frafdo cleared his throat. The two turned their heads towards him, the first boy's jaw dropping in amazement, the second only wearing an expression of confusion.

"All hail the ruler of the OverWorld!" Frafdo cawed as he stepped aside to let Maxxor into the room. The green Creature took in the faces of the two humans.

"It's Maxxor..." The red-haired human breathed. The other human tilted his head, smirking mischievously.

"Really? I hadn't realized there was another 'Ruler of the OverWorld'." The red-head gave his companion a flat look, reached out to smack him, then retracted his hand.

"I really wish it wasn't illegal to smack blind people." The other boy smirked.

"Actually, it isn't. You're just too much of a pansy." Maxxor blinked. Blind? He looked closer at the second boy. His ice-blue eyes were clouded, and Maxxor's own gold eyes widened. He really is blind...

"Anyway." The red-head turned to face the two OverWorlders. "Please, Frafdo, Maxxor. We really need to go to Mudeenu's Castle. Our friend Reggie-" Frafdo cut him off with an angry squawk.

"That human! He promised me the map to the Cothica! That little thief!" The blind boy frowned, then turned away. Maxxor glowered and addressed the cowering red-haired boy.

"We trusted a human. We won't make that same mistake again." The red-head shrank away from Maxxor, but the blind one didn't even flinch.

"...You can trust us." The voice was quiet, so low Frafdo wasn't even sure at first that the boy had spoken at all. He was staring in their direction, but even with his sightless state, it felt like somehow, just somehow, he was really looking at them.

"Reggie was captured by Mudeenu. So it's only common sense to say that Mudeenu has the other half of the map too, right? We all go and storm the castle, we get Reggie, and you get the map. No brainer!" Frafdo growled and lunged forward.

"Watch your tongue, human! Learn your manners in front of the OverWorld leader!" He pushed the red-head hard, and the boy fell to the ground with a whimper of fear. The blind boy lunged forward, almost clocking Frafdo with his fist. Though the move incensed the OverWorlder, he was numbly impressed by the reflexes of this human.

"Why should we show YOU any respect? You haven't given us any! You throw us in a jail cell, you take away our Scanners, and you threaten us when we're defenseless! And to think, I used to brag about how great you both are! Especially you." He had turned to Maxxor to say the final sentence. Maxxor, however was distracted by movement out of the corner of his eye. He tried to follow the hazy shape, before pinning it behind the blind boy.

"We aren't your enemies! We just came to help a friend! You should know what thats like!" The boy barely had any warning after his tirade ended before Maxxor blasted the wall behind him with a Pebble Storm. The wall collapsed, and a Mipedian, which had previously been invisible, gained its color and fled through the hole.

"A Mipedian spy!" Frafdo cried in anger, giving chase out the opening. Maxxor watched him go, before turning to the stunned boy. A small cut on his cheek was dripping red, and the boy seemed to have gone catatonic judging from the stunned look on his face. His mouth was slightly opened, and his eyes were wide.

"TOM? TOM!" The red-head got up, and began to shake the boy by the shoulders. When Tom didn't responded, the red-head turned to Maxxor with hysteria in his eyes. "You BROKE him! Tom, please respond. Say something!" A few more shakes...

"Something..." The grin that appeared two seconds later earned Tom a flat look from his comrade and a shove face-down in the floor.

"He's alright, never mind." The red-head looked angry, but Maxxor saw the underlying relief in both the boys voice and facial features. Tom giggled and grabbed onto the wall to get up. They almost looked at each other, smiling before a comprehensive look came over them and they turned away. Both had the most agonized looks on their faces.

Maxxor frowned; it was common for Chaotic players to fight when they supported different tribes, he had seen it before, but it was more than obvious that these two wanted to be friends again. Whatever had transpired between them was bad enough that they were acting so uneasy with each other even in a situation he'd seen other Players ban together.

Frafdo reappeared at the opening by hurling himself onto the floor, his eyes narrowed. "It was Zhade, a Mipedian Stalker. He used his invisibility to get away, but he dropped this." The eagle-themed OverWorlder held out a piece of dark blue cloth, that had a yellow eye insignia on it. Maxxor glared when he saw it.

"Mudeenu's crest. His fortress is near the Mipedian Oasis." Tom blinked, having no clue what that meant. Kaz, however, jumped in.

"That's where Reggie told you he hid the other piece of the map." Maxxor narrowed his eyes.

"The Mipedians must know we have half of the map." He growled, glaring at the humans. "The human boy must've given them the other piece." Kaz straightened up.

"No way. The Mipedians must've stolen it from him. Let's just go find it and save Reggie." He ended by crossing his arms, which to other humans would signify the end of the discussion. Not in Perim.

"Mudeenu's fortress is in the heart of Mipedian territory. This may be a trap." Frafdo squawked. Maxxor growled again. Yet another complication.

"If there is a chance of finding the Cothica, we have to take it. Even if it IS a trap..." Suddenly struck by earlier words, Maxxor turned to the boys. "And you two are coming with us." Tom's jaw dropped in silence, while Kaz smiled nervously.

"Excellent. Just give us back our Scanners, and let's roll." Maxxor towered above them, and Kaz wilted.

"So you can disappear like the other one?" The OverWorld leader was more than agitated at this point. "I don't think so."

Kaz gulped, but glanced over at Tom. "Alright, then just his." Maxxor rounded on the human, halting when Kaz held up his hand. "His goggles, those on his head? They only work when they're connected to his Scanner. And it'll be difficult to get through safely with him blind as a...well, blind person." Tom sniggered quietly, but sobered up when he realized what Kaz was doing.

"And how do we know that he won't just leave you to get away?" Frafdo squaked. Tom let out a very low growl.

"Then I'll swear on the Warrior's Code that I won't leave because I can." Both OverWorlders nearly lost their balance - the Warrior's Code was binding in their world, and a human was swearing on it? It had to be a trap.

Even so..."Frafdo, go get his Scanner." The eagle overworlder gaped at his leader. "Now!" Frafdo scurried away. Tom kept his gaze level with Maxxor's, as Kaz cowered behind the other Player.

Tom's P.O.V. :

I jumped as the familiar shape of my Scanner was suddenly pressed into my hands. I pressed down on the icon at the same time pressing the button on my goggles. The zap! came easy now, and as I opened my eyes the first thing I registered was Kaz.

"Well?" He fidgeted, obviously he truly believed I was leaving him alone. I turned away and addressed Frafdo, and my very idol, Maxxor.

"Alright. Let's go." Frafdo snarled, stepping forward to start a fight with me about commanding them, but Maxxor held him back. I stared at him, never flinching even when Kaz's hands closed around my arm.

"Can we truly trust you?" The OverWorld leader asked. I tilted my head down, keeping my eyes locked on his.

"I can't say I'm staying for him-" I jerked my head back at Kaz, "-But I made a promise to Reggie, and if there's one thing I'm known for, it's keeping what I say in check." Kaz pulled on my arm slightly, worried about how close Frafdo looked to killing us both. But Maxxor nodded and began to walk out of the room.

Meanwhile:

"UGH!" The disgusted screech rang out from Dractyl's nest as Ivan stepped on yet another scale, which burst under his foot. He looked up to see his brother and Sarah searching the ground carefully, and suddenly realized he probably should have done that too. Peyton looked up and grinned at his little brother.

"I know, right? Gnarly dude." Ivan made a disgusted face. "Hey, we really don't need ya freaking out on us bro. Besides, don'tcha hang around those other two dudes now?"

"Ruka and Riley? Yeah, they're cool, but I started playing because I wanted to spend time with you, bro." Ivan's speech was more like his brother's now, surfer slang and random noises were yet foreign to him still. Ruka, ChaoticCailey, was currently back at the PortCourt, with their new friend Riley, or as his screen-name announced him to be JupiterZap, who had been there when Herculeon had decided to split up their group. The mocha-skinned teen had waited until the bluenette rose from the ground, before kicking him straight between the legs.

"Well, go play with them." Peyton made shooing motions. Ivan's face fell, which made Peyton stop and sigh. "I was trying to keep this quiet, but... listen Ivan. Things are about to get real, excuse the pun, Chaotic pretty soon. As in, we're gonna face down with THE Prince Mudeenu." The smaller brunette gulped audibly; Mudeenu was famous among the Mipedian supporters as being ruthless and cunning.

"M-Mudeenu?" Peyton nodded.

"So, until I call on my Scanner, I want you to port back, and stay with them two. Got it?" Ivan nodded hesitantly. Peyton swung his arm out, and the younger rushed forward to give his brother a hug.

"Be careful, bro." Peyton chuckled. Ivan stood back and in a flash of blue, he was gone. Sarah looked up from her search spot.

"You too seem close. How come we didn't know about you guys?" Peyton scuffed his foot against the floor.

"Ivan...When we were kids, my mom and dad decided to split. Dad got Ivan and Mom got me. We kept in touch through e-mail and stuff, but I never imagined he'd start playing Chaotic like me." Sarah's face fell a bit; separated because of their parents, it made sense that Ivan wasn't more like Peyton at first. She turned back to the ground.

"We better hurry. Dractyl will be back soon, and-" Peyton interrupted her.

"Just keep looking Sarah, Reggies Scanner's gotta be somewhere in all this goo." He pulled apart some leaves covered in aforementioned goo. " 'Sides, there's no way Dractyl's comin' back this time a day." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Like you know everything about him."

"Well, as it turns out-" Peyton never finished, because at that moment something and red came crashing through the roof, cawing loudly at them.

"CRAW! INTRUDERS! CAW! CAW!"

Meanwhile back with Tom:

"Is that your friend? Be certain - the Mipedians are masters of disguise." Maxxor said quietly while handing Kaz the Munoculars, and a moment later he handed the Munoculars back, nodding.

"That's him." I looked next, and gasped when I saw him. A frail looking blond haired boy was clutching the bars sadly, his deep blue eyes staring at the ground several hundred feet below. 'So that's Reggie...' I thought. 'I'm going to rescue you. Don't worry, okay?' As though he could hear my thoughts, he glanced up at the sky.

"If he has the map, we'll rescue him." Maxxor said. I frowned and looked at him.

"But, even if he doesn't have it, we''re still rescuing him." The green creature turned to me, and I glared harshly, challenging him to say anything.

"You Chaotic players think this world is a game-" I cut him off with a snarl.

"IT ISN'T A GAME! Not to me, or Kaz, or any of our friends! We know how real this place - you guys- are, and we understand the trouble you live through! We know..." I stopped, my throat beginning to close up again. Kaz was not there to help me, but I managed to get my body under control.

"This place...We love it, we love Perim, and the tribes, even if you guys don't get along. That's why...That's why we come here, why we try to get along with you Creatures." My eyes were burning, but I held my gaze on Maxxor's stunned expression.

"Reggie knows that too. That's why we have to save him. Because he's also someone who loves Perim." I ended quietly. Maxxor was silent, before he turned to stare at the fortress built into the rock. Frafdo had gone back to make sure we had no one following us, taking Kaz along with him.

"I will do everything I can for your friend, but the good of my tribe comes before anything else." Frado came up to us just as Maxxor stopped talking, Kaz gasping for air behind him. As Frafdo waked up to Maxxor, Kaz leaned on me for support as he tried to catch his breath, and to my credit I didn't step away and let him fall face first into the sand.

"We were not followed. We have the advantaghe of surprise over the Mipedians." He squawked excitedly. Maxxor nodded.

"Let's get this done quickly. Frafdo, take this one-" he pointed at me, "- and create a diversion. Lead the guards away. The other one and I will enter the fortress and get the map." Kaz gulped, and for the first time since we started fighting, I reached up and clasped our hands together. He looked at me in surprise. I quickly took my hand off, glaring at him to convey the message: You better not get Coded. He returned it with a look of his own: I wanted to say the same thing.

"The Spectral Viewers will allow us to see the Mipedians if they use their invisibility on us." I turned and choked down my horror as Frafdo held out what looked like a reptilian skull with a gun secured through it, teeth still in tact. The end of the 'gun' had a giant green eye that I could swear was staring at me.

'O-oh god...' I clapped my hand to my mouth in horror, and as the other three watched I ran behind the rock we were standing near and threw up whatever was left in my gut after the earlier scare. Kaz patted me sympathetically on the back, and after I finished heaving I saw out of the corner of my eye that Maxxor and Frafdo were giving me the same look, only slightly hidden by looks of disgust.

"Luh-let's go." I wobbled, shaken by the horrifying item. I edged around the creepy tool and started after Frafdo, only to stop near Maxxor.

"I have a name, you know. It's Tom...Tomiko Majors. And you better remember it." I took off again after Frafdo, and later on Kaz would tell me that Maxxor had smirked slightly when I turned to run.

Normal P.O.V. :

The Mipedian guards were just standing around, smoking doobies(3) when they suddenly spotted a boy running across the sand, Frafdo the OverWorlder chasing after him.

"COME BACK! That map is mine!" He shot an arrow at the human, who dodged the projectile that was aimed at his arm, and kept running. The guards shrugged, and gave chase to the two.

Maxxor and Kaz peered up from the old well they had been hiding behind, and Maxxor held the Spectral Viewer to his eye. The green tint revealed nothing that was there.

"Wait here until I signal for you." The OverWorld leader grumbled quietly. He leapt into the air, and Kaz grinned slightly as he took in the sight of the leader displaying his power.

"Not bad, for an OverWorlder." The red-head muttered quietly. The Creature landed several feet away, looking through the viewer again. Without warning, a giant explosion lit up the sky above them, and Maxxor cried out as the sparks rained down on him. He shook it off, muttering about traps, and started forward again. Kaz dug out the extra Viewer and quickly zoomed in on the rock Frafdo and Tom were to hide under. He saw them approach it - and gasped in horror as several Mipedians took them by surprise, climbing over the rock to jump on the two.

"That must've been some kind of knock-out Mujic!" Kaz uttered.

(Tiny Ruka chibi poofs into sight: And now, time for a Quick Lesson! Knock-Out Mujic is a type of Mujic that can cancel out the abilities of some weapons, armor, or even other Mujic. It has a low chance of working if it doesn't hit the target exactly, so be sure you have great aim!)

"It's not affecting my viewer because I was out of range." He yanked the gadget off his face. "This IS a trap!" He jumped over the rock, and used as much of his breath as he could to yell a warning." MAXXOR! THERE'S ONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!" The warning came too late; Maxxor was suddenly blasted by a shot of purple flame, and Tom just barely got out of the way as the Mipedians dog-piled Frafdo. He ran fast, running to get to Kaz, only to watch as Kaz took a shot to the chest.

Tom's P.O.V. :

I ran as fast as my legs would allow, watching eight directions at once as Maxxor fought Mudeenu, and Frafdo tried in vain to pull the lizard creatures off. My knees hit the ground as I dodged a shot and I crawled the rest of the to Kaz, wondering why he hadn't gotten up yet. I pulled on his shoulder, only to yelp weakly; my hand was sticky and wet, and I slowly held it up as my brain registered what was going on.

Red.

Red blood, oozing out of his chest from the shot. I was aware of Kaz whining quietly in pain, and of my fingers trembling as I watched him bleed out on a battlefield. A battle that shouldn't concern us. I pressed my hands over the wound, trying to stop the flow.

"Onegai...Please...Don't die Kazzu..." I gasped out. Red was welling up under my hands, warm and sticky. I was barely aware of taloned fingers suddenly clenched on my shoulders, but hazily registered someone talking.

"Leave them together. Chain them up side by side." And then, I wasn't aware of anything.

(Normal P.O.V.)

Kaz woke up with a blinding pain in his side. He gritted his teeth as he tried to recall what had happened. They had split up with Maxxor and Frafdo, then there was a light, then...Oh God, Tom! The Mipedans had attacked them, and he remembered being blasted by an attack from Mudeenu.

'T-Tom?' One brown eye opened, only for Kaz to flinch spectacularly at the sight of Tom bent over him. After a few seconds, he realized the Asian boy wasn't moving, and his eyes were blank and unseeing. He took the moment to take in the situation: He had chains on his hands, and his stomach hurt less now. His head was resting on Tom's lap, and Maxxor and Frafdo were nearby, whispering quietly.

"W-wha-" Kaz started to say, only to be cut off by a violent fit of coughing. The two looked over at him.

"You're awake now?" He nodded as gently as he could, then rolled his wrist to point at Tom.

"What happened to him?" Frafdo's face suddenly fell.

"I think it might be shock. He's been like that since you were hit by that Flash Kick attack." Kaz shifted and winced, there was dried blood around the wound that itched, but past experience taught him that scratching was out of the question.

"W-Where are we?" Maxxor glared at the various Mipedians guarding them.

"Inside their fortress. They took us prisoner in exchange for sparing you two." Kaz frowned. Frafdo looked at the boy.

"When we entered your cell...He said something about you killing another person." Kaz cringed visibly.

"No...Not exactly. But I blame myself for it. Tom's dad died protecting Tom from something stupid that was my fault in the first place." Kaz closed his eyes sadly. "Something I still haven't forgiven myself for. But, I made a promise to Tom that I'd protect him, no matter what. Looks like I broke it, though."

They were interrupted by the CLANG of the door, and looked over to see Reggie being led by Mudeenu. The blond was roughly shoved to the ground in front of them, Tom not even so much as flinching when the pale hand hit his side.

"Reggie!" Kaz uttered, able to breathe and talk now. The blond lifted his line of sight towards him, taking in the blood on his clothes.

"What happened to you?" Kaz shook his head. He pushed himself up with a hiss of pain, hoping the wound wouldn't open up again. He scooted closer to Reggie.

"Forget about it. Are you alright?" Reggie sat up.

"Yes. But, who are you? Do I know you?" Tom shifted slightly, and Kaz raised his voice hoping it would startle him into reality.

"Back home you do. We're here to rescue you." Kaz took another look at Tom, the chains on their hands, and cringed. "Guess we're failing pretty epically huh?" Mudeenu growled low, interrupting them.

"Enough! Where is the other half of the map?" The reptilian leader snarled. Maxxor gave him a cheeky look and shrugged.

"What map?" Snarling louder, Mudeenu snatched the front of Tom's shirt and held him up. The boy was still not coherent, otherwise he'd be screaming his head off at this point.

"Give it to me, or the boy will suffer." Maxxor flinched, why did the humans always get involved?

"One..." Kazlunged forward, only to gasp in pain as the wound opened slightly and red dripped from his middle. Reggie's jaw dropped and he helped pull Kaz into a more comfortable stance that didn't put so much weight on the injury.

"Two..." Maxxor had the innermost turmoil going on in his head. Tom had said he'd do everything he could for Perim, but when it was his life or the way to the Cothica, what was the OverWorlder supposed to do? Mudeenu raised his claws to Tom's neck.

"ALRIGHT! Spare him." Tom was thrown to the ground, and Kaz crawled toward him, pulling the unconscious boy back to Reggie. There was no more words spoken, though, as a loud CAW! pierced the air and a Water Shot blasted Mudeenu backwards. Kaz and Reggie gaped upward in amazement as Dractyl, carrying his entire nest, flew towards them.

"Do I always have to save the day?" A familiar voice called out, and Kaz grinned as Sarah and Peyton, using Spectral Viewers, blasted at the Mipedians. Peyton let out a whoop of joy, "Woohoo! Surf's up!" as the lizard creatures began to flee.

"Fall back! Hold the fort until reinforcements arrive!" Mudeenu shouted, leaping away as Sarah aimed a blast at his feet. Dractyl landed the nest gently, cawing loudly at the Mipedians still nearby. Peyton and Sarah jumped off and ran to the prisoners.

"What happened to ya, dude? And what's up with MajorT?" Maxxor broke the chains on his hands.

"I got hit by a Flash Kick, and Tom went into shock because of all the blood." Sarah looked confused as she helped break the chains on said catatonic boy.

"He's hemaphobic?" Kaz winced as Frafdo slashed at his chains, freeing the red-head's hands.

"Not...exactly." He looked at Maxxor.

"I need my Scanner. I can help port Tom back to our world." Frafdo flexed his fist.

"We hide it back at the rendezvous point. We had to make sure you two weren't going to run for it in battle. Kaz scowled.

"Great, we stay with you, we both end up getting hurt and you still don't trust us!" Maxxor gave a look to the red-head, an expression of...guilt?

"Kaz, you and Tom have both provenyourselves beyond what I thought possible. Now, I'd like to return the favor." He pulled out a blue glowing Mujic Ring. He forced energy into it, making the ring light up brilliantly. Kaz peered at the Mujic with squinted eyes, and saw that it was a pink blob with smaller blobs that resembled flowers.

"Song of Resurgence! Heal the one called Kaz." The glow covered Kaz, and he felt the wound heat up and disappear. The light faded, revealing him to be fully healed.

"That really helped! Thanks Maxxor." Peyton pointed to Tom. He was still staring blankly into space, the cut on his cheek dried already.

"But what about MajorT? He's still all loopy." Kaz walked over and crouched in front of him. He put his hands on both of Tom's shoulder and shook him.

"Tom, listen to me. I know you hear me, so wake up. We're in danger right now, and I really need you to snap out of it and help."

In Tom's mind:

Tom was sitting cross legged in the middle of a giant white room. He blinked, feeling calm and serene for absoltely no reason at all. Suddenly, the quietest murmur echoed through the room.

'My fault...my fault...' Tom tilted his head.

"Hello?" The murmur faded, only to come back a few moments later, louder this time.

'Guess we're failing pretty epically, huh?' The tone was joking, but there was an edge of panic to it. Tom tried to stand up, only to find his legs wouldn't work.

'Tom...' He blinked. There was something in front of him.

'Tell me, or the boy will suffer!' He felt himself being lifted then set down again. The figure was closer now.

"Wake up..." It was hazy, but as he reached out, it became more defined.

"I need you...Tom...Help us..." Tom grabbed hold of the figure, which had become a shape he recognized.

"Kazzy?"

Tom's P.O.V. :

"TOM!" I blinked as I snapped out of the trance I had been in. Kaz was in front of me, holding my shoulders. I looked past him to see Peyton and Sarah, along with Reggie, as well as Maxxor and Frafdo. They were all staring me.

"What...happened?" I asked, putting a hand over my eyes when I realized it hurt to look any where at this point. Peyton and Sarah were giving me this weird look, and Kaz shook my shoulders again.

"Tom, listen to me; we're in Mudeenu's fortress. Dractyl brought Sarah and Peyton to help, but Mudeenu called in at least three huge armies to take us out. I'm healed up again, and we have only a few Mujics left." I blinked, stood up, and started pacing.

"What's he doing?" I heard Maxxor ask Kaz quietly. I could imagine the grin on his face.

"Tom's a major in strategies, pardon the pun. He helped me win against most of my matches when we were little." I held my thumb towards Dractyl, who stared at me in confusion. Meanwhile, Sarah handed Reggie his Scanner, which he took with a happy look on his face.

"Here ya go Reggie." He stared at the little device, then up at us.

"Thank you, but why are you all helping me?" I looked over at him in surprise.

"Because you asked us too, silly. Back on Earth. You better port out of here, things are about to get messy." He looked down at the ground for a moment. He looked back up and stepped forward.

"I'm staying." Sarah stepped forward too, her hand on her hip.

"Me too." Peyton jumped in front of them, causing Sarah to glare at him, and Reggie gave him an odd look.

"Wouldn't be a party without yours truly." Kaz pushed him away, and put a hand on Reggie's shoulder. The blond looked back and smiled.

"We're all staying." They all nodded, staring at me with confidence in their eyes. I smiled back, feeling the warmth of our bonds. Maxxor put his hand on my shoulder.

"Tom, Kaz...from friends of yours, I wouldn't expect anything less." That made us grin. I glanced once more at Dractyl, before it hit me. I let out a whoop of victory, making everyone stare at me weirdly.

"I got a plan, but..." I looked over at Maxxor and Frafdo. "You'll have to trust me on it." They grinned.

(A)(Few)(Minutes)(Later)...

"...I'll go down in history as Mudeenu the Magnificent! The Mipedian who defeated Maxxor!" We heard as we rose from the ground. I rolled my eyes.

"Someone sure has a fetish for tongue-twisters." I whispered to the others. The Creatures gave me blank looks, while the others tried in vain to hide their sniggering.

Maxxor lit up a blast of fire in his hand, just as we flew into sight of Mudeenu. "Think again Mudeenu!" The lizards jaws dropped as they took in the sight of a much larger Dractyl holding the nest in his claws, as we grinned in triumph. "You're just...going down!" Maxxor called cheekily as he flung the fireball at Mudeenu. I rolled my eyes again.

"Lame..." Maxxor turned to me with a put-out look, and I raised my hands in a 'I kid, I kid...' gesture grinning widely.

"See ya, Mudeenu!" Peyton cat-called as we soared away from the castle. I grinned as Dractyl gave a loud caw of joy, glancing over to Maxxor, who was hanging onto the vines holding the nest up.

"Told ya." He shook his head, then looked over to me.

"It was a great idea, using Fortissimo on Dractyl to help him carry us out." I craned my neck to look up at the red bird who had a look of delight as we sailed overhead.

"I figured there was a time for fight, and a time for flight." Dractyl gave a cawing laugh, and we flew over the Mipedians heads. After a little distance had been put between us, Dractyl landed the nest so the humans could jump off.

"Your Scanner is hidden behind that rock." Frafdo said, pointing towards the rock he and I had stopped under. Kaz ran to get it, while I turned to Maxxor, finally able to relish a fanboy moment. He looked so cool, his skin green with purple markings. His eyes were gold, with a red ring near his pupils. I frowned as a sudden thought occurred to me.

"Maxxor, what about the map? The Mipedians have one half, and you have the other." Maxxor seemed to wince.

"Not for long." He held the paper tightly, and I gasped as it burst into flame. The others echoed my horror.

"What did you do that for?" Reggie said while pointing angrily at the leader. I suddenly got the image of an angry hissing kitten in my head, and somehow resisted the temptation to both laugh loudly, and bang my head on the nearest hard object.

"When it comes to the Cothica, better for it to be in no ones hands than the wrong hands." I nodded, then suddenly doubled over in pain clutching my head.

'Correct...' a voice, not loud, but very powerful, whispered in my mind. I gasped, hunched over as Peyton and Sarah worriedly asked what was wrong. Kaz jogged back, and only saw me bent over.

"Whats a matter, Tom? Your old age catching up to ya?" I felt my eye twitch.

"Ya bet ya sorry ass, whippahsnappah!" I did my impression on an old man with a cane, putting my hand on my back and clenching it to complete the illusion. "Now, go draw my hot water fer my sponge bath. And don't ferget the bubbles this time!" Everyone got the joke this time, and even Dractyl joined in laughing.

"Now, let's get out of here before that Mujic wears off and I have to walk." That sent us into even more giggles, and Dractyl lifted the nest, along with his two passengers into the air. I waved at them, before remembering something that made me flip.

"Maxxor, wait! I need a Scan of you!" He waved at me teasingly.

"We'll meet again my friends. Safe journey!" I gaped as they flew away, and Kaz put his hand on my shoulder.

"How'd you lose your Maxxor Scan?" I looked over at him.

"Well, when I realized that Ruka didn't have any more Scans of Castle Bodhran, she mentioned this guy named Bruiser33. I traded him Maxxor for the scan of Castle Bodhran." I put my hands on my face in horror. "Now I don't have him in my deck, AND I could've scanned him while we were with them!"

"Harsh bro. Let's port back to Chaotic, and you can mope over a Perim Pizza, m'kay?" Peyton suggested. Reggie nodded, and in a few flashes of light we were back in the port-court. Ivan, Ruka, and Riley were waiting for us, and Ivan stormed over the minute he saw us. He gave us glances, as though to ask 'well?'.

"Yeah. We oughta make it official." I turned to Kaz.

"Kaz...even though by all rights I should still be mad at you, I want to be friends again. Can we go back to that?" He smiled and opened his arms. We hugged, and everyone around us gave a collective 'Aww..." I gave them the finger.

"Ugh! NO!" Riley suddenly shrieked. We stared at him. "No! No Brokeback Mountain!" Kaz and I stared at him, then each other, then I pushed Kaz away, letting him fall face first into the ground. My face was bright red, and Riley was laughing loudly at us. Reggie was smiling, when Ivan scooted up next to him.

"So, Reggie, want to our friend?" He gave alook of shock to him, then looked around at all of us. He gave an easy smile.

"I think I'd like that. You lot seem to have quite a lot of adventures." Ivan squealed and gave the surprised British boy a hug, which he uneasily returned. Then Ruka yelled 'DOG-PILE!' to which she and Riley jumped on the poor unsuspecting player.

Kaz, Sarah, Peyton, and I laughed at them, watching as Reggie attempted to worm out from under the group of bodies. No way.

"King of the hill!" I yelled, jumping on top. Reggie let out an 'Oof!' and I started giggling. Kaz dove at us next.

"Dive-Bomber!" Sarah shrugged and followed next.

"Queen of the mound!" She sat on top of us.

"My turn!" Peyton announced, making us all pale, scream "NO!" and hurriedly untangle. He gave us a miffed look, which made us laugh harder.

(Back on Earth)

"You know, this is a big trial we passed." Kaz gave me a weirded out look as we waved good-bye to Reggie.

"What does that mean?" I shrugged.

"Well, this is the first time in a long time I talked about my dad. It still hurts, but thanks to you being around, it doesn't hurt as much. And we're back to being friends again." I leaned against him. He smiled and pressed back, supporting my relaxed stance.

"Yeah, well, we'll always be friends." I smiled, when suddenly my heart gave a painful twinge. I gasped and shot up, clutching my chest. Kaz looked around in alarm.

"Tom?" I shook my head, willing my heart to stop racing.

"N-Nothing. It's nothing, I'm fine. Must be an aftershock from getting hit in the battle." He still had a worried look on his face, but he nodded. I turned back to stare at my feet.

'But...I wasn't injured in the fight...so...what was that just now?'

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