"A Piranha Plant, Swampfire? You've brought a Piranha Plant to my castle?" – Peach blustered with indignation to the methanosian sitting on the ground – "How many times have I told you that those things are dangerous?"
"But Matilda is not dangerous." – Swampfire protested while petting his pet – "On the mission's day, when I fell from the cliff and hit my head, she helped me to stay conscious by rubbing herself on my face. She saved me!"
"Helped you to stay conscious? She was most likely tenderizing your flesh to devour you." – Daisy argued.
"Devour me? That's nonsense!" – The plumber's leader replied – "Matilda just eats manure and small insects."
At the sound of that last phrase, Big Chill, who until that moment had only been listening quietly to the argument, opened his eyes widely as if he had just came back to reality from a dream. – "Why didn't I like what you've just said?"
"Don't be ridiculous Big Chill! Look at Matilda's size!" – The plant alien shouted – "She couldn't eat you even if she tried! And I think you guys are all forgetting that I can control plants at my will!"
"I know that you have control over vegetal life forms, Swamps. But Piranha Plants aren't entirely plants: they have an animal physiology which controls their feeding habits. And this means that their instinct tells them to eat anything within their reach, including you if they have the chance." – Rosalina explained.
"She's totally right. And that's why Matilda has to go away." – Peach gave the final word and stick to it, no matter how much Swampfire insisted like a kid for her to let him keep his pet.
While the princesses and the methanosian argued, Chromastone and Big Chill decided to return to the castle, but in the middle of their way the necrofriggian suddenly stopped. Confused by his friend's sudden behavior, the crystalsapien wondered what was going on.
"Chromastone, do you have the feeling that you're being watched?" – The ice alien asked.
"Nope. Why? Do you?" – his friend replied.
"There is this sensation which is giving me the creeps. I think there is something trying to scare me." – He said while getting closer to a nearby tree and searching for something on it's branches.
"Or someone..." – Chromastone rolled his eyes after hearing some giggles coming from a bush in the opposite direction. He moved closer and leaned his body to take a closer look, and that's when something yellow jumped over him while making a duck noise. – "WHOA!" – The rock alien screamed as he fell backwards on the floor. – "XLR8! What are you doing dressed like that? You look ridiculous."
Seeing Chromastone on the ground and Big Chill staring at him with an annoyed face, the dinosaur alien realized that his plan to scare the necrofriggian went wrong. – "Uh-oh! Sorry Chromastone. I thought you were Big Chill..." – He apologized.
"Agh! I KNEW you was up to something." – The insectoid alien shouted with irritation. – "And I told you: I do not have the anatida-fear of ducks thing."
"Actually, it's the fear of ducks watching you. And the name is Anatidaephobia." – Jetray explained as he came out from the bush holding a digital camera.
"Did he record this?" – Chromastone wondered as the red alien helped him to get on his feet.
"Exactly! And considering how uneasy you were acting just a moment ago, I'd say that you have the phobia." – The kineceleran ended with a small laugh.
"You idiot! It wasn't about you that I was worried! I was almost finding out what has been pursuing me over the last days, but now thanks to your stupid prank it's gone!" – Big Chill blustered.
"Dude, chill out." – Chromastone tried to calm him down – "You know that XLR8 loves to play pranks and irritate you. There's nothing pursuing you, it's just your imagination. Now let's go back to the castle, I wanna watch some TV!" – He said while pushing his teammate towards the castle, and being followed by the other two.
At night Big Chill and Peach were feeling more relaxed, however the always-so-happy Swampfire was feeling very sad, and stayed locked in his room for the rest of the day. He couldn't accept the fact that he would have to get rid of his pet. During dinner the others talked about him, and they all came to the conclusion that the methanosian needed to be left alone for a while. Afterward, Chromastone returned to the Plumber's Base under the castle, and everyone else went to their rooms for a good night of sleep. What they didn't know tough, is that that night would become a living nightmare for them.
It was 2:23 in the morning and Big Chill could get no sleep at all. He was very tense, feeling that evil presence coming closer to him again... so close it could almost touch him. – "There's nothing here. Like everybody said, it's just my imagination." – He said to himself trying to keep his calm while turning aside to get a better position to sleep. A little while later, something fell on the floor and cracked, making a sound that put the necrofriggian on total alert. He looked around the room but it was so dark that he couldn't see anything. – "Damn XLR8! How did you get in here and what did you break?" – He said in an angry tone as he got up from his bed and walked towards the light switch.
When he turned the lights on however, what he saw made him panic. It wasn't XLR8 standing before him; instead, there was a giant Piranha Plant, the biggest he's ever seen, standing tall in the middle of the room with it's mouth open and drooling over his bed. By it's side, there were two other smaller heads.
"So it was you! I knew it! I knew there was something trying to kill me." – He said in a desperate tone. The middle head thrusted forward with it's mouth opened to bite him, so the moth hero jumped to side to evade the attack. – "Sorry Matilda, but I am not on the menu." – He yelled confidently before using his ice breathing ability to freeze his foe.
Big Chill's eyes opened wide as the Piranha Plant spitted out a giant fireball which nullified his attack. – "Okay, like it wasn't bad enough that I'm the main meal, she had to like well roasted meat..." – He gasped as he saw another fireball coming in his direction. Seeing that he was in disadvantage, the ice alien became intangible and fled through the wall leading to Swampfire's room.
In the next room Swampfire managed to be asleep despite all the sadness he was feeling, but a sudden weight pressing his body down woke him up abruptly. He opened his eyes and saw Big Chill over him, shaking him by the shoulders with a despair expression on his face.
"WAKE UP, SWAMPS! YOUR PLANT WANTS TO EAT ME!" – The necrofriggian yelled at his friend.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET OFF ME!" – Shouted an angry Swampfire as he tossed the other aside.
"It's Matilda! She's in my room and she's HUGE and... spitting fire! And I am the dinner, help me!" – The other replied like he was in shock as he got up.
"Aw come on! Did Peach tell you to say this? I've told you, Matilda is not dan..." – The plumber leader was suddenly interrupted by his desperate friend.
"Peach has nothing to do with it! I've just been attacked by a Piranha Plant in my bedroom. Come with me, she's still there." – The insectoid alien cried while grabbing his friend and leading him towards the corridor.
Oddly enough, the door to Big Chill's room was opened; he was sure he had left it locked. With one movement of his arm, he opened the door and inside they found... XLR8 in his duck costume.
"So... you woke me up for THIS?" – Swampfire asked his friend in a tone of indignation and irritation. – "I am not in a good mood to take place in your pranks. Tomorrow I'm gonna return Matilda to the forest, and I need to sleep, so good night!" – He blustered before getting back to his room.
"But... but... but..." – The necrofriggian remained speechless pointing at inside his bedroom while trying to find an explanation for his leader. He then turned to his speedy friend and shot him with many questions all at once. – "XLR8! Why are you awake this late at night? And how did you get in here? And what are you doing here? And where's the giant Piranha Plant?"
"One question at a time please. First, I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk, Second, your door was open so I got in. Third, you were not here so I decided to pick on you! And lastly, there was nothing at all here. Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" – He replied.
"No! I was attacked, I'm sure of it. Where did that thing disappear to?" – The moth wondered.
"Well, if you find it, be sure to get a proof that it exists. I'm starting to believe that you're going crazy!" – The prankster alien joked before returning to his room.
"Well, I guess it's up to me alone to stop that monster." – Big Chill thought to himself.
When XLR8 returned to his shared room, he found the door opened, and when he got inside, he saw that Jetray wasn't in his bed anymore. Actually his friend's bed was a total mess of blankets and pillows.
"You know, when nature calls, one has to attend to it!" – He thought to himself while taking off his costume and laying in his own bed to sleep.
Big Chill was now in the kitchen looking for Matilda but without any success. He thought that the monster would be trying to find something to eat now that it's main meal had escaped.
"So, I'm a hungry plant monster who has just lost my dinner. What would I do now?" – He said to himself trying to think like his opponent. – "I would probably look for some snacks to stave off hunger. But I'm not at the kitchen, so where else could I be?" – He had a seat to think better – "Maybe I'm missing some facts, let me see... I am a plant monster who knows that my owner is going to get rid of me tomorrow. I must use the little time I still have to eat everything I can... so this could mean that everybody is in danger. On the other hand... I know the person who told my owner to get rid of me... she would probably be my first victim." – That's when he realized his foe's plans – "Oh no! He's going after Peach!"
On Peach's bedroom the princess slept quietly, totally unaware of the danger which awaited for her. Big Chill suddenly broke into her bedroom making a loud noise, immediately after a basket ball came flying towards his face tossing him on the floor.
"Owch! What was that for?" – He protested, getting up.
"What are you doing? You can't break into a girl's bedroom like that!" – Peach shouted.
"There's no time to explain everything! You're in danger! Matilda wants to eat us!" – The plumber explained. – "I'm glad that I could make it in here before her..." – He was interrupted by a scream coming from the next room.
"Looks like she's mistaken Rosalina for me. Let's go!" – The girl said then ran outside.
When they broke into Rosalina's bedroom it was already too late. The two could do nothing but watch horrified as their friend's legs slid inside the monster's enormous mouth.
"AAAAHHHH! She was entirely eaten in one gulp!" – Peach screamed in horror, drawing Matilda's attention.
"And we're going to be the next." – Big Chill cried as he saw a fireball coming in their direction. – "RUN!" – He grabbed her hand and ran towards the corridors, with Matilda on their tail.
"We need Swampfire!" – The princess suggested.
"It's useless! She flees when he's around. I think she can sense when he's nearby." – The alien theorized.
"Hey! What's the reason for all this noise?" – Daisy said coming out of her bedroom.
"Get down!" – The other princess warned while tossing herself over her friend, right before another fireball passed over their heads. – "Quick! To XLR8's room!" – She said getting up.
The three broke into XLR8 and Jetray's room waking up the dinosaur alien. – "Hehe, I didn't know Jetray was going to throw a party tonight." – he said in a sleepy tone.
"XL, where is Jetray? We're being attacked by Matilda! Wake up!" – Big Chill warned him.
"I thought he was at the bathroom when I came sleep. And dude, come on, you're still trying to fool me with that Matilda stuff? I told you, I won't buy it!" – Just as he said that, Matilda's smaller heads managed to break inside the bedroom tossing the door on their direction. – "Okay you've just convinced me, now RUN!"
"There's nowhere to run!" – Daisy exclaimed.
"Through the window!" – XLR8 ordered opening the window – "We can climb down to the garden from here."
"You climb down, I'm gonna slide." – Big Chill said while looking through the window. He then used his ice breathing power to create an ice slide leading to the garden. When he finished, he told the others to go and followed them right after. Matilda appeared on the window but didn't follow them; instead, her three heads began shooting fireballs to melt the slide.
The four heroes fell on a hole created by the fire, but they didn't get hurt because they were already close to the ground. They saw as the piranha plant climbed down the castle walls to chase them, so they remained hidden in the bushes until the monster wandered off. After discussing a quick strategy on their next move, they came to the conclusion that their only hope was to reach the Plumber's base and get help from Chromastone.
