|| And here we have chapter 2 of Sidekicks, AKA "the part where the children act like children because they're children". ||

Chapter Two

"Oh, Runt~" a cheerful voice chimed. Gill Runt looked up from his project to see Whisper Elf happily bounding over to him.

"Oh, hey Wisp," and continued fiddling with his tool.

"Watch'ya doing?" the elf asked.

Runt tilted his head, readjusted one of the tubes in his machine, and replied, "Creating my own version of Gill Grunt's water blaster."

"Really?" Wisp was always interested in her friend's mechanics. "How are you doing that?"

Runt chuckled, sealing up the gizmos inside his machine. "I've studied the structure of all the Skylanders' weapons and other mechanisms, and Gill Grunt's blaster has a design that's all too simple." He picked up the shiny silver and blue water blaster by the handle. It looked heavy, the large water tanker sitting on his lower arm, but he held it with ease. He pressed a red button near the handle and two silver rings emerged from the bottom of the device, latching onto Runt's arm. Wisp watched with her mouth hanging open as he aimed at a red X that he had painted onto a tree. He pulled the trigger and a a pulse of water launched out, so powerful that it almost (almost!) burst through the other side of the thick trunk. "As you can see, Whisper Elf," Runt laughed, "some proper adjustments were in order."

"Wow!" Wisp exclaimed, examining the blaster on Runt's arm. "You really built this all by yourself?! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Sure you have!" Runt flashed a smile. "Everything I build is derived from Drobot's designs."

"You're amazing, Gill Runt!" Wisp praised.

"Thanks," Runt replied, "but you don't have to call me that. You know it's not really my name." He unlatched the device from his arm, setting it down on a stump. "Gill is a great mentor, y'know, teaching me how to fight," the gillman said, "but I feel like Drobot could teach me so much about machinery. That's what I really wanna learn about." With a sigh, he sat down on the grass. "What about you?" he asked. "Do you really want to learn ninjitsu?"

Wisp cocked her head in thought and looked up to the sky. "I never really thought about it..." she replied. She sat beside him and explained, "When I lived in the orphanage, I thought I had no future. No one wanted me. Everyone else there picked on me. For crying out loud, I didn't even have a name!"

Runt raised an eyebrow. "You mean to say that you didn't have a name until you joined the Skylanders?" he questioned.

Wisp shook her head. "Nope. Not legally."

Runt looked a bit shocked. "Wow. I didn't think that was possible."

Wisp's ears drooped. "Yeah, well... I guess it is." She rubbed her eyes with her arm. "Anyway... while I was there, I spent most of my time in the library. There were a lot of books about the Skylanders, and I liked to read about them. In almost no time, I knew the name and catchphrase of just about every Skylander."

"We should really get our own catchphrases," said Runt, in hopes of lightening the mood, "instead of just repeating our mentors'."

Wisp smiled slightly. "Spending all my time alone just drove people even farther away from me," she continued. "Needless to say, I didn't think I was ever gonna be adopted, so I didn't make any plans." She paused for a moment. "I was wrong to think those things, because one day... not very long ago... a Skylander came to the orphanage looking for information. It was Stealth Elf! I was amazed that a Skylander, and one so powerful at that, would come to that little town. I followed her around while she examined the building, but I tried to keep my distance. She eventually caught on, and she approached me. We talked for a little while after that. She must have seen something special in me, because..." She sniffled. "...sh-she adopted me..."

Runt patted her on the back while she cried. "Best day of your life, huh?" Wisp nodded. "I wish the day I met Gill Grunt had been so great."

Before anything else could happen, there was a loud creaking noise. Wisp flinched. "W-W-What was that?"

Runt looked up. "It sounded like..."

The creaking grew louder, and the kids realized that the tree was falling... in their direction! Of course, Wisp started screaming,

But Runt spotted a little gray fin cruising through the ground. Quick a lightning, Terrabite burst up from the earth and shattered the tree into a billion little wood chips. "Woo hoo!"

Runt sighed. "Thanks for the save, Terrabite." Wisp was breathing heavily with the shock of the moment.

"You guys alright?" Terrabite asked.

"We're fine," Runt replied.

"What a scene!" Wisp breathed shakily.

"What's going on here?!"

The Sidekicks turned to see that their mentors were coming up to them. They skidded to a halt in front of them, and Stealth Elf exclaimed, "What happened?!"

"I blasted a tree and it almost fell on top of us," Runt said.

"Did ya see it, uncle Terrafin?" Terrabite asked excitedly. "I saved Runt and Wisp from the big tree!"

"Really?" Terrafin leaned down to fistbump his little nephew. "Great job, lil' shark!"

Stealth facepalmed and exchanged glances with Gill Grunt, who shrugged. "You two should be more careful," Gill advised.

"Sorry..." the kids apologized.

Gill turned back to Stealth to discuss something while Terrafin admired his nephew's brilliance and Wisp stood there looking at her feet. Runt gave a little smile and took his water gun off of the ground and tugged his mentor's belt to turn back his attention. "Hey, Gill Grunt, look what I made!"

"Hm? What is it?" Gill asked.

"Gill! Fin! Elf girl!" Runt was cut off when a very, very excited Trigger Happy stormed over.

Stealth Elf grumbled. "Don't call me 'elf girl'."

Trigg didn't listen. "Spyro just called a meeting!" He was still running in place as he talked. "It's in that fancy new meeting house that the SWAP Force built! Spyro didn't say what the meeting's for, but it sounded important! And he wants everyone there A.S.A.P.!"

Gill frowned. "Sorry Runt, you'll have to show me later.

"Oh." Runt glanced at the ground. "Alright..."

Stealth Elf and Terrafin bid their goodbyes to Wisp and Terrabite and they followed Trigg away. "If I don't get sent on a mission this time, I'll sue!" Terrafin exclaimed.

Wisp walked over to Runt, who looked disappointed. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah..." Runt sighed. "Let's just go find Snappy."

"Guys, we shouldn't be doing this..."

Terrabite watched from his hiding place in the bushes as Snappy, Wisp, and Runt attempted to climb onto each others' shoulders. "Oh, c'mon, Terrabite," Snappy insisted, "what's the worst that could happen?"

"We could get hurt," Terrabite replied. "Or we could get in trouble..."

Wisp rolled her eyes. "Come on, we have to know what's going on in there!" They toppled over, Wisp landing on her feet, Runt and Snappy both earning faceplants. "The three of us can't reach the window on our own. You have to help us, Terrabite! Pleeeeeease~?"

Terrabite stared at her innocent expression for a few seconds, then sighed. "Okay..."

"Yay!"

Terrabite stood underneath the window and let Gill Runt climb onto his shoulders. Then Trigger Snappy climbed onto his and Whisper elf sat at the top. It was just barely enough height for her to see through the glass.

"What do you see?" asked Snappy.

"Lots and lots of Skylanders!" Wisp replied. "I see Slam-Bam, Pop Fizz, Hot Dog... Our mentors, all four of them! Whirlwind, Drobot, Chop Chop... oh jeez, some that I've never seen before... and Spyro and Sunburn are standing at the front!"

"W-What happens if they catch us?" Terrabite questioned anxiously.

"They won't," Snappy replied determinedly.

"Trust us," Runt added, "they're too absorbed in their meeting to notice."

Terrabite shifted his feet nervously, causing their tower to wobble. "If you say so..." He didn't sound so sure.

"Quiet down there!" Wisp scolded. "It's starting!"

Inside the building, Spyro was calling for everyone to stop talking. "Guys, come on! We don't have all day!" The shouting lowered to an ambiance, and then into nothing at all. Spyro sighed. "Now you're probably all wondering why I called you here today..."

"Just get on with it!" Slam Bam exclaimed.

"Alright! Alright!" Spyro sounded exasperated. "I've recently received word that Kaos-"

Rage immediately broke out in the audience. Some were booing Kaos. Others were grumbling about his past schemes, even others were chattering about how he escaped the Trap Team, and Terrafin cried out, "That guy owes me five dollars!"

Sunburn called them back to attention.

"Thanks," Spyro said. "We all hate the guy, I know. It appears that he's sent troops to overtake the food storage facility not far off from here."

"Food storage thingy? That's a thing?" Stealth Elf whispered to Whirlwind, who shrugged.

"He can't take the food storage!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed.

"Yeah, what is everybody supposed to eat?!" Slobber Tooth cried. "Especially me?!"

"Don't worry," Spyro said, waving his hand for calm. "We're not gonna let him get away with this. We've got the Skylanders for the job." He turned about thirty degrees to face the heroes he had in mind. "Gill! Trigg! Fin! Elf girl!" Stealth growled at her nickname. "You guys think you're up to it?"

Trigger Happy leaped up and shot the ceiling. "I'm up for anything, Spyro!"

Stealth Elf grumbled. "I don't have anything better to do..."

"I'm getting my five dollars!" Terrafin exclaimed.

"I'm in if they are!" Gill Grunt laughed.

Spyro smiled. "Then it's settled. The four of you go get ready, we'll discuss this outside. Meeting adjourned!"

"Wow!" Wisp exclaimed. "Spyro is sending our mentors on a mission!"

"All four?!" Snappy questioned.

"What's the mission?" Runt asked.

"I think he said something about Kaos sending some guys to attack Woodburrow's storage facility for something...?" Wisp replied.

Terrabite trembled. "You guys are heavy..." he muttered.

Wisp and Snappy exchanged worried glances, and then Terrabite tripped over himself and the four landed in a pile on the ground with a loud THUD!

The window opened, and Gill and Stealth poked their heads out. Stealth sighed. "Seriously?"

The Sidekicks laughed nervously. "Um... hi..." Wisp said.

"Ow ow ow..." Terrabite groaned.

Gill Grunt shook his head and Stealth Elf facepalmed again.

Wisp grumbled. "I thought you said we wouldn't get caught."

"I was wrong," Snappy replied.

"So you've got the directions, right?" Spyro asked.

"Yup," Gill Grunt replied, holding up a map of the island.

"And you've got everything you need?" Sunburn asked.

"Sure do!" Trigger Happy twirled one of his guns around his finger.

"Why'd you have to hold that big meeting for this anyway?" Terrafin inquired. "Couldn't you have just come up to us and said 'hey, here's a dumb mission, go beat up some stuff'?"

Spyro chuckled. "I could have," he responded, "but I just wanted to try out that cool little meeting house."

Stealth Elf grunted. "Of course you did..."

"You're just grumpy that he called you 'elf girl' in front of everyone," Sunburn said, hitting her on the back with his tail.

"Of course I am!" Stealth exclaimed. "How would you like it if people started calling you 'phoenix boy'?!"

"But they won't. So I won't have to worry about it."

"Stealth Elf!" Stealth was stopped from strangling Sunburn by Whisper Elf, who zoomed over to them alongside Trigger Snappy. "You have to go already?" the little elf whimpered.

Stealth's ears drooped. Wisp was highly capable of looking manipulatively pathetic. "Y-Yeah," the mentor replied. "Yeah, we do."

"When will you be back?" Wisp asked.

Stealth scratched her head and glanced to Sunburn, who shook his head. "Um... probably tonight, or early sometime tomorrow," was Stealth's response. "Don't worry about it, we'll still have your lesson. It just might be a little later than usual."

Wisp tilted her head. "Okay..." she pouted.

"Don't worry about Stealth Elf," Sunburn told her. "She's survived way worse than this. Just take a look at that scar on her back!"

"Uh, no!" Stealth clamped down on Sunburn's beak to mute him. "How about no?"

Snappy laughed. "Yeah, c'mon, Wisp. These are trained Skylanders we're talking about! And they're not even going up against Kaos himself! They'll be fine."

Wisp nodded. "Yeah, you're right." She beamed up at her mentor. "Hit 'em once for me, 'kay?"

Stealth Elf folded her arms. "Just so long as you stay out of trouble,"

"Yeah, and don't spy on no more of our meetings!" Trigg added.

"Stop acting like we're never gonna see each other again and just go," Snappy grumbled.

"Uh, yeah, what are you guys doing?" Terrafin said. "The sooner we go, the sooner I get my five bucks! I mean we get back. The sooner we get back."

Gill Grunt rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that's what you meant."

"We'll be back soon, okay?" Stealth assured her apprentice as she followed the boys out the gate.

"Okay," Wisp said. "Bye-bye!"

"Safe travels!" Sunburn called.

When the gates shut, Spyro turned to Wisp and Snappy. "Still got a whole evening ahead of you," he said. "What are you guys gonna do with it?"

Wisp shrugged. "I dunno. Snappy?"

"Watch Teen Titans?"

"Sure, let's go!"

Wisp grabbed Snappy's wrist and started dragging him away. Spyro chuckled. "Being around these kids kinda makes you feel like an adult, huh?"

"Yeah," Sunburn replied, "except for the fact that we're still teenagers."

"Mm-hm." Spyro blinked. "Woah, isn't Stealth Elf, like fourteen?" Sunburn nodded. "Wow, this must be pretty crazy for her."

"I caught her freaking out about it to Whirlwind the other day," Sunburn said. "She reacting about the way that I expected she would when she came back from that rock of an island with a kid. I've seen her do some crazy stuff, but adopting Whisper Elf has got to be the craziest."

"Let her do what she wants," Spyro advised. "If it gets too tough, we can find the kid a new mentor. Otherwise we'll have to ship her off to the Trap Team..."

"I don't think she wants that."

"My point exactly." Spyro sighed. "Do me a favor and keep your eye on those two, okay? They're an accident waiting to happen."

"Yessir."

|| Fun Fact: I actually wrote this entire chapter in my notebook back when I was working on The Birth of Dark Spyro. Crazy, right? There's an entire year gap between the two stories. Of course, I revised the writing quality as I was transcribing it.

Now, I never said that this story was perfect... a lot of the dialogue is still trash, and there's still quite a bit of telling instead of showing. But the overall writing quality is much better than the previous five stories.

Yes, Wisp was an orphan. Have I mentioned that this series was really edgy? This series was really edgy. I actually had an entire overarching subplot planned for her involving how her parents left her and the one friend she ever had died in a magical mishap... so much edge. I scrapped that, so it's not gonna be in the reboot either. ||