|| And here we have chapter 3 of Sidekicks, AKA "the part where Trap Shadow is actually a pretty cool character who I enjoy writing". ||

Chapter Three

"Try to keep up!" Wisp called. She was standing in a tree, about fifteen feet off the ground. Snappy was still struggling at eight feet.

"I'm climbin' as hard as I can!" Snappy growled, reaching for the branch immediately above him. "Sorry if gremlins aren't as physically fit as elves!"

Wisp giggled and sat down on the branch she was on. "That's okay, I'll wait."

Indeed she did wait, for almost twelve minutes in fact. She was practically asleep by the time Snappy reached her. He sat down beside her and took a moment to catch his breath. "You need to work out," Wisp said jokingly.

"Shut up," Snappy chuckled.

They looked out over Woodburrow, watching the Skylanders and villagers go about their daily business. Although they couldn't see all of the little town from where they were, they could still see a good chunk of it. A breeze picked up and Wisp and Snappy lifted their heads, letting the wind run through their hair and fur, respectively. They laughed. "Being up this high kind of reminds me of the night we became friends," said Snappy.

Wisp glanced at him and smiled. "Yeah," she replied, "but this isn't hardly as high at the Mushroom Staircase."

Snappy nodded and pulled his guitar from his back. "You remember that night?" he asked.

"How could I forget?" Wisp looked back out over the woody village. "It was around eleven at night and I was sitting alone at the edge of the Mushroom Staircase when you showed up. You sat down next to me and said 'hi,' but I didn't say 'hi' back."

"Since I couldn't get you to say anything," Snappy continued, "I decided to do this." He strummed his guitar to a cheerful, but slow tune. Wisp lowered her ears and listened.

"I knew the song you played then," she sighed.

"You surprised me," Snappy said, continuing with his song. "What was it you did again?" He smiled at Wisp, and she smiled back.

"Cause every night I will save your life...

"And every night I will be with you...

"Cause every night I still lay awake...

"And I dream of an absolution...

"Cause every night I will make it right...

"And every night I will come to you...

"But every night it just stays the same...

"In my dream of an absolution..."

Snappy chuckled. "I can't tell if you've gotten any better, you've always sounded so great..." Wisp blushed and looked down at her feet. "Not really the same the second time, huh?"

Wisp shook her head. "It's never the same moment twice." She frowned and looked up at the sky, seeing the sun almost directly over the fountain. "Hey... should we be concerned that our mentors aren't back yet? It's been almost full day at this point."

"No it hasn't," Snappy scoffed, strapping his guitar back around him. "They probably got stuck somewhere, I wouldn't worry about it."

"Alright..." Wisp hopped off of her branch and Snappy flinched, leaning over to see where she had landed. "C'mon," she called up from two feet down, "let's head back!"

Snappy nodded and followed her back down to the ground. "Wanna bet Runt's obsessing over his blueprints again?"

"I'd say we can count on it!"

They laughed and they reached the bottom of the tree. "What do you want to do?" Snappy asked.

"I dunno," Wisp replied. "What do you want to do?"

Snappy sighed. "I hate it when you do that."

"Do what?"

"When I ask you what you want to do and then you ask me what I want to do!" He grumbled. "We can't just do nothing..."

"Is it even possible to do nothing?" Wisp questioned. "We're always breathing, we're always thinking, we're always standing up or sitting down."

Snappy nodded, then chuckled. "I like that about you."

"What's that?"

"You're always thinking," Snappy replied. "That's more than I can say about myself."

"That's not a very good way to think of yourself." Wisp and Snappy looked up to see Trap Shadow standing over them... towering over them, actually.

"Trap Shadow!" Wisp exclaimed. "You were listening?"

"Indeed I was," the panther replied. "It's nice to see you kids out and about. Mentors still away, I see?"

"Yup," Snappy responded, "aaaaaaaaand we're bored."

Trap Shadow laughed. "Well then, why don't we do something about that?" He knelt down and continued, "How about I be your mentor for the day? That way you can practice together."

Wisp grinned and tugged on Snappy's arm. "Wow, that'd be great!"

"Yeah, thanks," Snappy said, attempting to unlatch Wisp from his arm and regain balance. "But, uh, we train in completely different ways. How can we possibly have the same lessons?"

"We'll just have to do things a little differently," Trap Shadow replied. "Follow me, then."

They trekked across Woodburrow and over past the training grounds, into a clearing not far from the one where they, Gill Runt, and Terrabite usually gathered. The kids had never actually even noticed it was there. "What are we doing here?" Snappy asked.

"It's simple," Trap Shadow said. "The only thing that your mentors have in common is that they both fight. And thus, they teach you how to fight in different ways."

"Stealth Elf teaches me ninjitsu," said Wisp, "and Trigger Happy teaches him how to shoot a gun."

"Hey, that's not all he teaches me!" Snappy retorted.

Wisp folded her arms. "Yeah? What else?"

Snappy was gonna speak, but then his ears flattened and he glanced to the side. "Yeah, okay, maybe that's all he teaches me." Wisp giggled. "But I know stuff that he didn't teach me, too! I knew how to fight before I came here."

"Very good," said Trap Shadow. "Why don't we get started, then? You two are going to fight each other."

The Sidekicks looked startled. "What?!" Snappy exclaimed. "Me? Fight her?!"

"I don't even have a weapon!" Wisp pointed out grimly.

"That's okay, you don't need one." Now the kids looked confused. "There are many situations which will leave a Skylander without their weapons," Trap Shadow explained, "and many Skylanders can't adjust to fighting free-hand. Trigger Happy, I find, is a fine example of this."

Wisp glanced at Snappy, who said, "He's not wrong."

"So we're hitting two birds with one stone?" Wisp guessed. "Practicing battling without weapons, and seeing how we counter each other."

"Precisely." Trap Shadow nodded. "So, shall we get started?"

Wisp and Snappy dashed to either side of the field and Snappy threw down his guitar. "Ready when you are!" Wisp called.

"Same here!" Snappy added. "Let's give it a shot!"

"Alright, there are two rules," said Trap Shadow. "Don't kill each other, and don't fall off the island."

"Wait, what?"

"GO!"

Wisp stormed across the clearing and towards Snappy, who braced for the impact. However, it never came. Wisp stopped short of him and then slipped behind him, kicking him in the back. He tumbled over, rubbed his nose and growled, then hopped up to his feet and threw a punch, which Wisp dodged. She blocked his second punch, then kneed him in the stomach. "'Knew how to fight before I met Trigger Happy,' huh?" Wisp teased.

Snappy rubbed his stomach and smirked. "Yeah... yeah, actually, I did." He leaped up and swung at Wisp again, but it was a fake out- While she was focusing on his first punch, he bashed her in the chest, sending her flying. "Still do, as a matter of fact!"

Wisp skidded in the dirt, ending up laying on her stomach. She coughed, blood dribbling down her chin, and pulled herself back up. "Well, that was impressive," she choked.

Snappy grimaced. "Hey, are you okay over there?"

Wisp coughed. "Ha, yeah, I'm fine, it's just blood." She wiped the crimson from under her mouth and made a taunting hand motion at her gremlin friend. "Come at me."

Snappy smiled and rushed back at Wisp, ramming his body into her. She stood her ground this time, never losing her footing even though she skidded back. She pushed Snappy to the ground and he stood just as quickly. He shot a hook punch, which she swiftly blocked, and she grabbed his wrist and threw him down onto his back. With him on the ground, she jumped into the air and aimed a kick at him. Snappy growled and looked up at her, when she came at him, he rolled onto his stomach, and Wisp hit the ground. She didn't stick the landing, wobbling and falling over. Snappy cracked his knuckles as a loomed over her. "Which one of us trained in hand-to-hand combat?"

Wisp clenched her teeth, looking defeated. But she glanced at the training field not that far away, and slipped away to them before Snappy could react. He grumbled and followed her into the training grounds. However, she seemed to have completely disappeared. "Oh, what the hell...?" He looked around, but she didn't seem to be anywhere. Even as he walked further into the training field, he had no idea where she might have gone. "Oh c'mon, there are literally like seven dummies here!" Just behind him, Wisp peeked out from her hiding spot by one of the scarecrows. "Where could she have possibly-"

Wisp then bounded out of her hiding spot, slammed into Snappy's back, and he flew into another of the training dummies, blood spurting from his mouth and staining his white chest fur. Wisp bowed deeply. "The art of stealth."

Snappy glanced back at her, wiping his mouth. "Oh, it's fine, it's just blood." He stood back up and roared, beginning to totally wail on Wisp, but not landing a single solid hit. Wisp was protecting herself by holding her arms up against her face. Snappy's hits were connecting, but not dealing out any real damage.

Then Wisp hit him in the face with her elbow and he fell back over. "You might wanna learn that tactic."

Trap Shadow watched them duel, nodding slowly. They both certainly fought differently, yet they used some of the same moves and tactics. As the Swapper observed, Gill Runt and Terrabite strolled over from wherever they had previously been and joined his viewing. "Is that Snappy and Wisp?!" Terrabite questioned.

"Wow, they're really going at it," Runt acknowledged.

"Indeed," Trap Shadow concurred.

Every time Snappy landed a powerful blow, Wisp landed several not-as powerful blows. It couldn't really be said if they were evenly matched or not, but Wisp was certainly better at dodging and blocking than Snappy was. However, Snappy could take a hit better.

"I watched Cynder and Slam-Bam fight once," said Runt, "and it was almost exactly like this."

"An interesting observation," Trap Shadow replied. "How are the two fights similar?"

Runt tilted his head, seeing Snappy throw Wisp onto the ground, and then Wisp throw Snappy right down next to her. "Well, Cynder and Whisper Elf both rely on avoiding attacks and dealing attacks when there's an opening. Cynder fights a lot more professionally, of course... Slam-Bam and Trigger Snappy both try to hit really, really hard wherever their opponent is. Snappy looks to use some more strategy, though."

Trap Shadow nodded. "Very good."

Terrabite groaned in confusion. "I thought they were just beating each other up..."

Snappy snatched Wisp by the back of her shirt and scaled one of the training dummies, then angrily threw her off. Runt and Terrabite yelped and moved to the right as Wisp landed where they had previously been standing. "Is that all you've got?!" she taunted. "I'm not even fazed!"

"Then eat this!" Snappy threw himself off of the scarecrow and towards Wisp. She flinched, laid back down and held up her legs. Snappy landed on her, and with a forceful push, Wisp both sent him flying, and flipped back to her feet in a single move. Of course, that move sent Snappy right off the edge of Woodburrow.

"Snappy!" the Sidekicks exclaimed, and Wisp, Runt, and Terrabite rushed over to the edge. They glanced over the wooden fence, Wisp especially anxious. However, there was no reason to fear, for then a fiery figure swooped up from the endless sky.

"Woah, you kids should be more careful!" Sunburn exclaimed, Snappy in his talons. "It's a good thing I was here." The phoenix tossed the little gremlin back onto the grass, and Snappy stood back up and dusted himself off.

"Welp, that sucked," he sighed. "Thanks for the save, Sunburn."

"There's a reason I told you not to fall," Trap Shadow chuckled. "Good thing I asked Sunburn to hang around down there just in case."

"When did you do that?" asked Wisp, who was busy hugging the so thankfully alive Snappy.

"While you two were fighting," Sunburn replied. "Trap Shadow here is ridiculously good at foreshadow." He blinked. "Trap Shadow, foreshadow. Heh heh."

Terrabite took Snappy's guitar off of the ground and handed it back to him. "You guys are really good," the little landshark praised. "I know I can't fight like that."

"Thanks," Trigger Snappy said, again strapping his guitar to his back. "I guess I need to work on that, though... I would've been dead if Sunburn hadn't been there."

"I wonder what does happen when you fall off of Skylands..." Runt wondered aloud, glancing back over the edge.

"No one's ever done it and lived to tell the tale," Sunburn said. "At least, not as far as we know."

Wisp sighed. "So, aside from almost killing Snappy..." She turned to Trap Shadow. "how did we do?"

Trap Shadow nodded approvingly. "You're both very impressive for how long you've been training. I'm sure you'll be just as good as your mentors one day." He leaned over to continue, "But remember to work on those flaws. Snappy, spend more time avoiding attacks rather than dealing them. Wisp, I must say the exact opposite to you." They nodded, and Trap Shadow stood back up. "Remember that Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy faced these problems as well." He glanced around. "In fact, I believe they still do."

Sunburn burst out laughing. "Oh yeah, you can say that again! I love it when Stealth talks herself up, it's absolutely hilarious..." Wisp laughed with him.

"Sunburn!" somebody called, and they looked around to see Hot Dog bounding over, a letter strapped to his collar. "Sunburn, I just received this... It's just addressed to the Skylanders, not anyone in particular, and I don't know where Spyro went..."

Sunburn took the letter from the little lava dog and skimmed it over. His expression immediately went flat. "I have to go," he said quickly, and his wings flapped, and he was soaring out over Woodburrow.

"Sunburn, sir!" Hot Dog exclaimed, chasing after him.

"What do you suppose that was about?" asked Runt.

"I don't know," Snappy replied quietly, "but we're gonna find out."

The boys stormed after Sunburn and Hot Dog, and Wisp turned back to Trap Shadow to say, "Thanks for the tutoring, Trap Shadow-sensei!" before racing after them. Trap Shadow nodded and waved to them.

The Sidekicks darted after Sunburn, across Woodburrow, trying to keep up without catching his attention. Snappy and Terrabite actually had had to pull Runt along with them to keep pace. They saw Sunburn land in the clearing just before Master Eon's portal, and as the Sidekicks ducked behind some bushes, they saw that Spyro was there as well. Hot Dog ran past their hiding place and zoomed over to the dragons, panting frantically. "What's going on...?" Snappy whispered.

Sunburn handed the letter to Spyro and he read it over. When he was done, he looked down sadly and handed it back to Hot Dog. "What do we do now?" Sunburn asked.

"I don't know," Spyro sighed, and the Sidekicks leaned in closer to listen. "I didn't think this would happen... I thought the Trap Team took care of these guys..."

Snappy and Wisp exchanged glances. Thought the Trap Team took care of who?

"We need to rescue them," Sunburn urged. He looked legitimately angry, possibly even furious. The kids had never seen him this way before. "Who do we send?"

"I'll go," Hot Dog offered.

Spyro shook his head. "No, you don't have to," he said. "I need time to think about this... We'll talk about it in the morning."

Sunburn clenched his teeth. "But-"

"In the morning, Sunburn," Spyro growled.

"But we need to go get them!" Sunburn cried.

Spyro turned to Hot Dog. "Show that letter to Tessa," he instructed, "and tell her what happened. I want to talk to her about this."

"Spyro-"

"There's no rush, Sunburn," Spyro cut the phoenix off. "We have time."

"Yeah, but-"

"In the morning!" Spyro waved his hand at Hot Dog, who nodded and took off. "He gave us time, and we can't afford another mistake." Sunburn opened his mouth to speak again, but Spyro glared at him. "If you really care about her," he muttered, so that the Sidekicks had to lean even further to hear, "you'll let me handle this."

Sunburn paused, then bowed his head, crestfallen. "Yes, sir."

The Sidekicks concealed themselves back in the bushes as Spyro walked past their hiding place. Wisp sat down, her ears drooped, looking on the verge of tears. Runt looked at his feet and Terrabite sniffled, sitting beside Wisp. Snappy scowled as he looked back at Sunburn, sitting alone on the stone ground, looking defeated. "I don't think our mentors are coming back."

|| Sunburn is still the best character, though. Look at him there, being the best character. And Spyro is being edgy again.

Ah. This is the author's note where I addressed the hate I was getting. I sounded pretty arrogant there, so again, I apologize. I was in a pretty crappy mood for that entire year because of something that I don't want to talk about, so I didn't really have the patience to deal with that kind of thing. ||