Zack and Tommy walked into a tent lined with numerous Renaissance Faire costumes hanging from standing racks. Upon seeing her, Tommy shouted, "Kim! Hey!"

"Tommy!" she gleefully greeted as she and Tommy hugged each other and traded peck kisses. Kimberly was wearing a pink and white gown with long sleeves, fluffy underskirts, and shiny decorative trim. After greeting Tommy, she gave Zack a hug, and told them, "I'm having a great time at this festival!"

"You look beautiful," Tommy opined.

Weakly faking an aristocratic tone, Zack stated, "It's tastefully elegant." The three of them laughed lightly. "So tell us about the dress." He asked Kimberly.

"It's a style from 15th century France, usually worn by women of nobility at balls, weddings, or coronations." She told them.

"I see," Tommy said to affirm his attention.

Seeing a pair of familiar looking ruffians pass by the tent, Zack informed his friends, "Uh oh, here comes trouble. I bet they're headed for Ernie's grill."

"Oh this I gotta see," Tommy declared.

Bulk and Skull approached the long, sturdy table that Ernie was working behind. Near the center of the table, a heavy black pot of chili and several loaves of various breads could be seen. Beside the chili pot, a small red sign with black writing stated, "Survive Ernie's Atomic Chili, Win a PrizePack!"

Bulk asked Ernie, "So how do we win this little contest?"

Ernie instructed Bulk, "It costs $5 to try. You have 100 seconds to finish a cup of the chili plus 1 slice of bread. If you eat them before time runs out, you get a trophy, 2 free meals at the Youth Center, and 2 tickets to any concert or sporting event at the Staples Center."

"Ha! That's easy! Sign me up!" Bulk said reaching for his wallet.

While Bulk was struggling to unearth his cash, Skull lightly dipped a slice of sourdough bread into the chili and tasted it. Shocked at how spicy it was even in a small dose, Skull shouted "Yeow! That's some hot soup! Be careful Bulky!"

"You're just weak Skully! Let me show you how a man eats!" Bulk boasted, finally producing a 5-dollar bill for Ernie.

Ernie picked up a microphone connected to a speaker box and projected, "Folks, we have a challenger!" He proceeded to scoop enough chili from the cauldron to fill the cup and place the full cup onto a plate along with a slice of bread before an eager Bulk.

Curious attendees stopped to observe the contest at hand. Within the small but dense audience were Tommy, Zack, and Kimberly. Ernie informed Bulk, "100 Seconds on the clock." He then instructed, "Ready? Begin!"

Bulk dunked his bread into the chili and ate half of the bread slice. He then grabbed the cup and took a hefty swig of the shockingly spicy chili. Moments later, Bulk screamed in pain and running around crazily looking for water. When none was in his immediate range, he ran towards an artificial spring-fountain on display, dove into it, and drank the water inside. After a few flustered coughs, he started breathing heavy, then relaxed his heavy body over the barrier between the fountain and the aisle.

The audience laughed at Bulk's loud display of tomfoolery until he coughed, at which point, they fell silent. When Bulk was breathing again, they breathed sighs of relief and continued about their days.

Following the directions on the pink flyer they received from Zack, Bastion and Puck headed to and arrived at the Angel Grove fairgrounds. They paid an admission at the entrance and excitedly strutted into the festival. Numerous remarkable sights filled their eyes while the smells of wondrous foods filled their heads. Many people, dressed in a vast array of styles, were walking around, chatting, and exploring the exhibits seen in the many aisles of the festival. Recovering from the overwhelming atmosphere, Bastion asked Puck, "What do you think you'll do first?"

Puck told him, "I think Trini said she and her uncle would be in the arts area. I want to go find them!"

Bastion replied, "OK. I'm going to check out the sports section. Maybe my combat training will help me win a prize."

Puck confirmed, "Great!" Pointing to a path on the maps they received at the admissions booth, Puck suggested, "We'll meet each other along this path later then!"

"Sure," Bastion confirmed. "Have fun, Puck!"

Bastion looked out onto an open field where several soft, fuzzy, plush balls were laid out symmetrically on opposite sides of a white line. He arrived just in time to see a muscular young man wearing a red shirt and displaying a whistle hanging from his neck, ask several children and one young adult nearby, "So, who wants to play?"

Approaching the players, Bastion asked Jason, "Can I try too?"

Jason told him, "Sure bro. This way we'll have one grown up on each side. Join the team on the left."

Bastion stepped out onto the field, greeting the young children as he toured the field and soft, fuzzy toy balls. Without the aid of any devices, Jason loudly projected, "Rules are simple: Throw the balls to the other team's side. No crossing the dividing line. Team with the fewest balls on their side after the 2 minutes are up wins!" Jason readied his whistle, warned the players, "Ready?", and blew the whistle loudly. Instantly, the fuzzy balls began to fly in a hectic crossfire.

The proverbial gears in Faulkner's brain began to turn, and malicious ideas took shape. "Does this country have any significant defenses? Nothing I have observed could stand up my almighty ATAC. I may be a long way from Eptina, but perhaps this nation can be made to serve me instead." Faulkner returned to the helm of the Zulwarn and began to march it towards the city.

Puck happily sauntered over to an exhibit where Trini immediately greeted him. After returning Trini's greeting, he turned his attention to the ships and intently stared at each of the bottled ships one at a time. Uncle Howard stood up from his cluttered workbench and made eye contact with Puck. "Are you interested in the ships, son?" he asked.

"You bet I am!" Puck answered.

"Come over here and I will show you how I build them." Uncle Howard offered.

Puck followed Uncle Howard for a few steps and saw a half-built ship in a clear glass bottle in the center of the workbench. Surrounding the bottle were several long-handled building tools. Uncle Howard sat in his simple chair, took one of the tools in his hand and attached a sheet of thin wood to the unfinished main deck of the ship inside. Puck stared in fascination. Then, Puck reacted in exceptional surprise as Uncle Howard asked, "Would you like to try attaching a floor board?"

"Oh, can I?" Puck checked.

Uncle Howard rose from the chair and handed his tool to Puck. Trini and Billy stepped inside the small exhibit structure to observe Puck's attempt. Slowly and cautiously, Puck gripped the tools and moved a floor board from the base of the bottle towards the main deck of the little ship. He stared hard as a few sweat drops fell off his forehead. Several times he moved the board close to its intended location but missed the spot and was unable to attach it. Finally, after many close attempts, he pushed the board into its spot just hard enough to attach it. "Very good, son!" praised Uncle Howard as Billy, Trini, and several other onlookers gently applauded.

Sighing in relief, Puck stated, "That was amazing, but I'll think I'll stick to my regular hammer and wrench!"

"It is a difficult specialty to acquire," Billy added.

Feeling energized after playing with the children, Bastion took a short walk over to another station featuring a wide, 4-foot deep pool of water, and 2 platforms near the center of the pool, fairly close to each other and a third platform several feet away from the other 2. Retractable bridges allowed participants to reach the platforms without stepping in water. Jousters wielding 2-sided glaives with soft, inflatable heads were seen feverishly dueling until one of them fell off his or her platform and into the water. Matches were conducted in a best 2 out of 3 format. Excited to show off the skills he developed operating ATACs, Bastion eagerly lined up to participate. He inquired, "Any veteran duelists here?"

Another strong, athletic looking young man, this one wearing a green sleeveless shirt, answered Bastion's challenge. "I don't like to brag, but I've practiced a lot of karate and fencing," Tommy told Bastion.

"All right, bro. You're on!" Bastion accepted.