Buzzsaw and his goons captured a very large dragon in the Crystal Realm lake. This dragon was very large and long and had tentacle-like whiskers on its snout, beneath its chin and tail. It was currently being lifted into the air by the two Gronckle and Buzzsaw, watched satisfied.
"Rise. Rise from the depths and behold your Dragon King!" said Buzzsaw, pulling out the Book of Dragons. "Who needs to know how to read this old book when a picture is worth a dozen words? With you and the other enormous, deadly dragons in this book, I'll be unstoppable."
The dragon then smacked Buzzsaw in the face with one of its tentacle whiskers.
"Oh. Oh, I see how it's going to be," said Buzzsaw. "You'll do well to remember who runs these realms. Buzzsaw. That's who."
Tom and the Riders were able to track down Buzzsaw and were observing everything from the ground.
"There they are," said Tom.
"Is that a… kraken?" Jun asked.
"I think it's an Octofin," said Tom. "Buzzsaw must have seen it in the book and tracked it down."
"I bet you feel pretty guilty for handing Buzzsaw the 'how to' manual for the entire Dragon world, huh?" said Eugene.
"It doesn't matter how he got the book," said Jun, turning to Tom. "We're going to get it back."
Tom smiled at her. "Thanks, Jun."
Eugene then pretended to throw up.
"Come on, Pal," said Tom, mounting Thunder as the others mounted their dragons. "Let's say that dragon and take this guy down."
"Perfect," said Buzzsaw, marvelling at the Octofin. "When we get back to camp, celebratory oolongs all round."
"Boss! Look out!" Winston yelled.
Buzzsaw turned around and saw the Dragon Riders flying straight towards them and quickly ducked to avoid getting spotted by Thunder.
"Stop right there, Buzzsaw!" Tom yelled.
"And goons!" Eugene added as they flew around them.
"Let the dragon go and give me back the book," Tom demanded.
"Okay, sure," said Buzzsaw. "That sounds like a great idea. Not!"
"Thunder, show him we mean business," said Tom.
Thunder then fired a lightning blast at Buzzsaw, who barely swirled out of the way to dodge it.
He then turned his two underlings. "Ford, Winston, blast these middle schoolers out of the sky."
"Just a sec," said Ford as they struggled to keep the Octofin aloft. "Having a little trouble."
"Can't do two things at once," said Winston.
"It looks like your stooges have their hands full, huh?" said Alex.
Alex's words gave Buzzsaw an idea, and he turned to his men. "Boys, drop the dragon."
"What?!" Ford stared.
"We need a distraction, you dolts. Do it."
"Wait. He's still tied up," said Tom.
Ford and Winston then released the Octofin and plummeted back towards the lake.
"No!" Tom cried and turned to the other Riders. "Quick! Catch him!"
Tom quickly dived down and grabbed one of the ropes, and the other Riders quickly did the same. They were just able to keep the Octofin aloft, but Buzzsaw and his men were now escaping.
"Go fish, fools," said Buzzsaw as they flew away.
"Keep them steady. Blade needs a few seconds to cut the ropes," said James.
Blade released the rope and flew down towards the Octofin, but Tom spotted Buzzsaw getting away.
"Buzzsaw's getting away with the book," he said. "Come on, Pal."
Thunder then released his robe and began flying after Buzzsaw, but the other Riders struggled to hold onto the Octofin without him.
"Tom!" D'Angelo yelled.
"Hold on!" Jun yelled.
"Almost there," said James as he and Blade closed in on the Octofin.
Unfortunately, before they had a chance to cut through the ropes binding the Octofin, the other Riders lost their grip on the ropes. Tom turned back into his hollow and watched as the Octofin landed back into the lake and sank.
"Oh, no," said Tom.
The Riders soon gathered at the ridge overlooking the lake, and Tom was frustrated.
"Oh, we almost had it!" he said. "Now the dragon is still tied up and sinking to the bottom."
"Way to keep your head in the game, Kullersen," said Eugene.
"Buzzsaw's still got the book," said Tom as he sat down.
"Focus on the mission," said D'Angelo. "The book can wait."
"But he found this dragon by using the book," Tom pointed out. "He could use it to track down even more dragons. And it's all our fault."
"You mean your fault," Eugene corrected. "You handed him the book."
"Eugene!" Jun glared.
"What?"
"It's okay, Jun," said Tom as he got back up. "Eugene's right. It is my fault. And I'm going to get the book back. But first, we have to help the Octofin. We don't know how long he can survive, all tied up. We've got to figure out a way to get down there."
"An underwater mission?" said D'Angelo.
"We are the only chance the Octofin has."
"I'm in, Kullersen," said Jun without a second thought.
"Well, too bad there's no way to get down there," said Eugene.
Thunder then nudged Tom, and he looked at the others. "What about our dragons?"
"But they can't dive for a sustained period of time," said D'Angelo.
"Funnily enough, Hiccup had a similar problem back in his day," said James. "He had to rescue this massive lake dragon, so he created a diving bell in order to reach the bottom of the ocean."
"In that case, we should just steal the bathysphere," Alex joked.
"Yes, that's it!" said Tom, beaming.
"I was kidding," said Alex.
"Seriously, it's perfect," said Tom.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," said D'Angelo. "No. Nuh-uh. Bad idea!"
"It could work, D," said Jun.
"you guys can't be seriously considering this," said James.
"Yeah, bathysphere is proprietary Rake Corp machinery," said D'Angelo. "Even if we stole it, who's going to be the pilot?"
"Sounds like you know an awful lot about it," Tom noted and turned to face James. "Did you say that your mom allowed you inside it and showed off the basic operating systems?"
D'Angelo and James looked at one another and groaned.
Moments later, they were back on the surface, retrieving the bathysphere.
"Easy, Webs," said Eugene. "You got it."
"Come on," said Tom. "We have to hurry."
The dragons were lifting the bathysphere up, but they were having difficulties controlling it as they knocked into a few crates.
"Careful!" said D'Angelo. "This is an expensive piece of machinery. And my dad's favourite toy. Maybe we should reconsider."
"I'm with D'Angelo on this one," said James. "My mum put her heart and soul into this thing."
Eugene groaned. "Seriously? Put it down."
The dragons then lowered the bathysphere but accidentally put it on top of Thunder's tail, and he immediately screeched in pain. He removed his tale beneath the bathysphere and winced as he looked at his wound.
"We could just ask my dad to borrow it," said D'Angelo. "He might say yes, and it would be way less risky. Want me to call him?"
"Sure," said Tom. "But then you'll have to explain why we still haven't mentioned the hatchet-wielding lunatic that lives in the realms."
"Yeah," Jun agreed. "Our folks might think twice about letting us go down there."
D'Angelo sighed. "I guess you're right."
"Huh!" said Eugene, signalling the dragons to raise the bathysphere.
"Then again, we could just tell the truth and roll the dice," said Alex.
"Yeah!" said D'Angelo nodded.
"No!" said Tom.
"Come on, D," said Jun. "We're just borrowing it for a little while."
"These days, you always side with Tom," D'Angelo noted.
"I agree with him," said Jun.
"And I agree with D'Angelo and Alex," said James. "Secrets tend to have a way of coming out in the open. Our parents trust us. If we lose that trust, we may never be allowed to go into Hidden World ever again."
Eugene groaned. "Oh! Make up your minds! Set it down."
The dragons set the bathysphere down on the ground again and again placed it on Thunder's tail. Thunder pulled his tale free and began licking his wound.
"Didn't expect to see any of you," said a voice behind them.
They quickly spun around and saw Director Wong had arrived.
"Mommy!" said Eugene.
"Hi!" Jun waved.
"What are you all doing here?" May asked. "Playing your fantasy sword and claws game?"
"Right," Jun smiled. "Swords and claws. You got it."
"Not the most productive way to spend an afternoon," said May. "If you're all going to pretend, you might as well pretend to be students and learn something."
She then walked away, and everyone gave a sigh of relief.
"I still think it's time to tell the adults, but I don't want to risk them stopping us from helping the Octofin," said D'Angelo.
"We're losing time," said Tom. "Come on, lift her up."
The dragons lifted the bathysphere up into the air again.
Moments later, they returned to the Crystal Realm and placed the bathysphere directly over the lake.
"That's good, Pal," said Tom and jumped onto the bathysphere. "I got it from here."
"She's all ready to go!" said D'Angelo.
"All right," said Tom, looking up at Alex and Eugene. "After I'm inside, lower us down. Once we reach the Octofin, we'll send up a signal flare. Then you guys pull it up."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Eugene. "We know what to do."
"I'm sure Alex knows what she's doing, you not so much," said James as he entered the bathysphere.
"Yeah, it's very reassuring to know that Alex has got backs," Jun agreed as she joined him.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," said Alex, looking down at them. "At least this time, stuck with a safe job."
"Safe?" said Eugene as the others closed the bathysphere hatch. "What are you talking about, Gonzo? This job is anything but safe. Buzzsaw could return at any moment. Then will be the first, last and only line of defence. But don't worry, Eugene, the Protected will protect you."
"Why didn't I just get into the tin can?" Alex groaned.
Meanwhile, Buzzsaw and his men were back at camp.
"The time has come, Jack," said Buzzsaw as he fed his dragon. "I've finally lost what little patience I have. First, the lightning bird burns down my lumber company. Then those puny dragon fliers humiliate me. How much is one king supposed to take?"
"Ah, you can handle anything, boss," said Winston.
"Stop eavesdropping, or I'll push you off a cliff," Buzzsaw threatened and tossed a fish at him. He then looked back at Jack. "Those two hard hats don't understand me. Nobody understands me… except you, Jack. And together, we are going to do something big." He then pulled out his hatchet and smiled evilly. "The time has finally come to change the game, and those pint-sized, dragon-flying dopes…" He then tossed his hatchet and struck at nearby fish. "…won't see it coming."
Meanwhile, Tom and his crew were being lowered into the lake and just stared in amazement at the surroundings.
"Whoa!" said Tom. "This is more amazing than I even thought."
"Oh! A fish," said Jun as a strange fish swam past the window. "Ooh, another fish."
"Can you two keep it down?" D'Angelo asked as he and James manned the instruments. "We're trying to concentrate. If anything happens this bathysphere, my dad is going to kill me!"
"My mum is not going too happy either," James agreed.
"Any sign of the Octofin?" Tom asked.
"Nothing yet," said D'Angelo, looking at this screen.
"That said, we have reached the bottom just yet," said James.
"Whoa," said Jun as a Flood Fang swam past. "A Flood Fang!"
"Nice," said Tom and made his way to the controls. "Do the lights get any brighter?"
"Don't touch that!" D'Angelo yelled, stopping him. "It doesn't work the lights. It arms the rockets."
"Oh, sorry," said Tom. "Why does the bathysphere need rockets?"
"Because my dad wanted all the bells, whistles and rockets," D'Angelo explained. "Just don't touch anything, okay? I want this thing to be brought back in pristine condition. Not a scratch."
"Okay, Mr Frowny Fins," said Jun.
Tom laughed. "Fish jokes. Because we're underwater."
The two of them laughed.
"Can you two get your own bathysphere," said James.
Then they got something on the radar.
"The bathysphere's radar is picking up a shape on the lake floor," D'Angelo informed them. "Whatever it is, it's big."
"And moving," James added.
"That's probably our dragon," said Tom.
"Hold on, buddy," said Jun as she looked through the window. "We're coming."
They were just a few feet away from the lake floor, and the lights of the bathysphere shined on the Octofin, who was still tied up.
"There it is!" said Tom.
They carefully moved in closer towards the Octofin.
"Now all we have to do is hook the ropes and bring him up," said D'Angelo.
"I'll keep this thing steady while you activate the claw," said James.
D'Angelo nodded and activated the claws, extending them towards the Octofin.
"Careful," said Tom. "Oh, you don't want to clip the Octofin."
"Or bend the arm," Jun added.
"Or break the claw."
"Are you trying to give me high blood pressure?!" D'Angelo asked, and then he took a deep breath. "It's just like those claw prize machines in an arcade, of which I am master."
He carefully extended the claw and grabbed hold of the rope. "Got him!"
"Nice, D," said Tom.
"Sending up the beacon," said Jun.
Jun then fired off a beacon, which began making its way towards the surface.
"See?" said Tom as they sat back down. "If we'd told everyone about Buzzsaw, this dragon might not have been saved."
"Tom and Jun call it again!" said Jun.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said D'Angelo. "Even Eugene's right once in a while. But we still have to make it back to the surface and unwind those ropes."
"Oh, come on, D," said Tom. "We're home free."
"I can't believe you just said that," said James. "Now you jinxed us."
Unbeknownst to them, while the beacon was making its way to the surface, it passed a particularly large dragon swimming directly above them.
On the surface, both Alex and Eugene were still waiting for the signal to winch Tom and the others back up. Eugene, however, seemed to be a bit more preoccupied with getting some sleep.
"Is sleeping on the shore your way of standing guard for Buzzsaw?" Alex asked.
"For your information, Gonzo, Webs and I are brainstorming a defence strategy," he said. "I'm thinking about what kind of sweet weapon I should get."
"You have a dragon that shoots flaming webs," Alex reminded him. "You don't need a weapon."
"Yeah, but Kullersen has his lightning sword. Jun has the shield. Dr D's got his band-aid box. You have your nerd tablet. I need something cool, too. Something that will strike fear in my enemies. Maybe it's a double lightning sword, huh? What do you think?"
"I think I've moved on from this conversation," said Alex. "Maybe you should take a leaf out of James's book; he doesn't use any weapons. He uses his head."
The beacon then reached the surface.
"And that's our cue," said Alex, activating the winch.
The winch then slowly began to pull the bathysphere up.
"Huh. That thing's going kind of slow," Eugene noted.
"The bathysphere is heavy, Eugene," Alex pointed out. "Speed isn't the point." Then she saw Eugene approaching the winch. "Eugene? No, I don't… I don't think…" It was too late. Eugene had already fiddled with some of the buttons, short-circuiting the winch. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What did you do?"
The bathysphere then immediately came to a stop.
"Um, what's that sound?" Jun asked.
"I don't know," said Tom. "It's coming from above us, I think."
The bathysphere then moved again, and they all gave a sigh of relief.
"Okay. False alarm," said D'Angelo. "I feel better."
Then suddenly, the entire thing shook violently.
"Now, that was something," said Tom.
Jun looked out the window and saw a large dragon outside with two massive horns, a largemouth filled with razor-sharp teeth and a hard-looking shell on its back.
"It's not a false alarm," she said.
They watched as the dragon swam by again.
"What is that?" D'Angelo asked.
"If memory serves, that's a Shellfire," said Tom. "Don't worry. Don't worry. They're not hostile."
Everyone gave a sigh of relief.
"Unless, of course, you wander into their territory," Tom added, and everyone tensed.
"Are we in its territory?" D'Angelo asked.
The bathysphere then came to a halt again.
"What are Eugene and Alex doing?!" Jun asked.
"I think the correct question is what is Eugene doing because no doubt it's his fault," said James.
Suddenly, they saw the Shellfire swimming straight at them and rammed into the bathysphere. It then swam again and struck the bathysphere.
"I would say we're in its territory," said Tom.
"We need to get out of here before it comes back," said Jun.
"Sh! You wanted to hear us?" D'Angelo hissed.
"Maybe we should switch off the lights so it will be able to see us," James suggested.
Back on the surface, Alex was trying to repair the winch, which was now overheating.
"What's wrong with this thing?" Eugene asked.
"You broke it," said Alex. "Help the dragons."
Eugene rushed over to the dragons who were trying to pull the bathysphere with their own strength. He grabbed the cable and began pulling with all his might.
"Don't worry, guys," he said. "Eugene's biceps are here to help."
Meanwhile, the Shellfire was still battling the bathysphere, not giving Tom and the others the chance to do anything. Things got worse when it all got tangled on the cable, which snapped, causing them to fall back down towards the lake floor.
"This is not good!" D'Angelo yelled.
Eugene and the dragons suddenly fell backwards when the cable snapped. The dragons win one big pile with Eugene at the bottom.
"Ah! I'm a human pancake," he said as he struggled to free himself. "Get off me!"
Alex rushed over to the cable and saw it had snapped.
"What happened?" Eugene asked.
"They're… gone," said Alex horrified.
Tom and the others were currently falling down towards the lake floor with the Octofin. The Ocofin managed to cling onto the cliff wall but lost its grip due to the weight of the bathysphere, which was allotted grip on the ropes.
The bathysphere and the Octofin land on the lake floor, with the bathysphere now upside down. The light of the bathysphere then flickered before they failed, and the emergency light came on.
The Shellfire was still swimming around, lakerching for them. The Octofin tried to free himself, but the ropes were too tight, and he saw that the bathysphere was out in the open, defenceless. He then unleashed a cloud of ink that covered both him and the bathysphere.
Inside the bathysphere, everyone was a little shaken and bruised.
"Everyone okay?" Tom asked.
"I think so," said Jun.
"Still alive here," said James.
"I'm all right," said D'Angelo. "I can't say the same for the bathysphere. My dad is going to kill me if we survive this."
"If it makes you feel any better, my mum was going to strangle me," said James.
"I can't see outside," said Jun, looking out the window. "The Octofin released some kind of cloud."
"Great. Now we can't even see the Shellfire coming," said Tom.
"That my work in our favour," said D'Angelo as he got to his feet. "Cephalopods, like octopuses, are known to use ink case camouflage. That might protect us from being spotted. For now. But we've got to find a way to the surface."
"I'm not sure we can," said James. "The cable snapped, and we can't launch another beacon; we don't even have radar. The only thing that seems to be operational is the rocket controls."
"Can we swim for it?" Jun asked.
"We're too deep," said D'Angelo. "We'll never make it."
"And we could easily get the bends if we swim too fast," James added.
"And what about the Octofin?" Tom asked.
"I don't think there's anything we can do for him," said James regretfully.
"I told you guys we should just be honest and ask my dad for help," said D'Angelo. "But he wouldn't listen. Always backing each other up."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tom asked.
D'Angelo sighed and sat down.
"He means it's hard to contradict our leader and second in command when they gang up on us," James explained.
Tom and Jun looked at one another awkwardly.
"Yeah," said Jun as she knelt down to D'Angelo. "Being honest about needing the bathysphere is starting to sound much easier right about now."
"I'm sorry, D," said Tom. "It's nobody's fault but mine. This all goes back to me giving the Dragon Book to Buzzsaw."
"Come on, man," said D'Angelo. "Don't make me feel guilty for being right."
"Yeah, I think the last thing we need is for you to punish yourself," said James.
"I know you were just trying to help the Octofin. I'm sure he knows it, too," said D'Angelo.
Tom looked at the Octofin, and when he looked into his eyes, he realised something. "I think he does know."
"That's what I just said," said D'Angelo.
"No, no, no," said Tom. "Why do you think he let out that ink blast?"
"Like D said, to protect itself," said Jun.
"But the Shellfire wasn't attacking the Octofin; it was attacking us," Tom pointed out.
"Now that you mention it, the Shellfire never even touched me, Octofin," said James.
"Maybe," said D'Angelo. "But how can you be sure?"
Tom looked back at the Octofin. "It's just something I felt when he looked at me. If I can free the Octofin, it might help us to get to the surface."
"Wait, wait, wait," said Jun. "You want to go outside? As in swim? You'll flood the bathysphere."
"Actually, he might not," said D'Angelo. "We're upside down, so opening the hatch will allow him to swim out without the water getting in. Like a diving bell."
"Okay, but the Octofin could also eat you, or the Shellfire could come back and eat you, or you could just drown," said Jun, looking at Tom.
"We're the only chance the Octofin has, and he's the only chance we have," Tom pointed out.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Kullersen," said Jun.
"Yeah, this has to be the craziest plan you've come up with yet," James agreed.
Up on the surface, Alex and Eugene were trying to find them, but they did not have much luck. The dragons were also helping them in search, and Wu and Wei had just emerged from the lake.
"Any luck down there?" Alex asked them.
The two-headed dragon growled in disappointment.
"I know," said Alex. "I'm worried, too. All we can do is keep the search up."
"I can't see anything but my own reflection," said Eugene. "Normally, that would be sweet, but now…" He paused as he looked at his own reflection. "Ah, it's still pretty sweet."
"Can you stop taking mental selfies for a minute and keep looking?" said Alex, annoyed.
Meanwhile, Tom had opened the hatch and swam outside, holding a knife in his teeth. He wasted no time and began swimming towards the Octofin as quickly as he could.
"Come on, Tom," said D'Angelo as he watched helplessly from the window. "Hurry up, buddy."
James closed the hatch and joined them. "I hate that the only thing we can do is watch."
Tom continued swimming towards the Octofin, and that's when the three of them saw the Shellfire swimming nearby.
"The Shellfire!" said Jun.
Tom had managed to reach the Octofin, and he gave him a reassuring smile before swimming towards the ropes.
Jun and the others could see the Shellfire closing in, and Jun began banging her fists against the window.
"Hey. Hey. Over here!" she yelled.
"What are you doing?!" D'Angelo cried, wrapping her wrists.
"We have to draw away from him," she said.
"I don't think banging on the window is going to help," said James.
The three of them looked at one another, then looked at the rocket controls and got an idea.
Meanwhile, Tom was unaware of the Shellfire and concentrated on cutting through the ropes. He was holding his breath as long as he could, but he was starting to run out of air.
The Shellfire was still swimming around and then noticed Tom and began to swim towards him.
"Tom!" Jun cried.
James looked at D'Angelo. "We've only got one shot. Better make it count!"
The Shellfire was now practically on top of Tom, who became aware of its presence far too late and braced himself.
"Tom!" the others cried.
D'Angelo then fired the rockets, and they struck the Shellfire, forcing it back and then quickly swam away. Tom was immensely relieved and gave the others the thumbs up, saying thanks.
"I always wanted to push that button," said D'Angelo as he high-fived Jun and James.
Up on the surface, Alex and Eugene were still searching for them when the explosion of the rockets erupted all the way to the surface.
"What was that?" Alex asked.
"Something must have happened to the bathysphere," said Eugene.
Alex looked at the dragons. "You guys have to go down there. Hurry."
Thunder, Blade, Wu and Wei then dived down into the water.
Tom had just finished cutting through the ropes, freeing the Octofin, and he was about to make his way back when he found he couldn't hold his breath any longer.
"Tom!" Jun cried and immediately rushed towards the hatch.
"Where are you going?!" D'Angelo asked.
"Tom's out of air," she said. "I've got to bring him back."
"No, wait… look," said D'Angelo as he and James looked out the window.
Jun went to join them and was stunned by what she was seeing.
The Octofin was swimming towards Tom, but it didn't look like he would eat him. Instead, he gently notched him towards the bathysphere.
"It's saving him," said Jun.
"Guess Tom was right on the money," said James.
Jun quickly opened the hatch and pulled Tom inside, who instantly gasped for breath the moment he entered.
"Tom…" said Jun as he coughed up some water.
"You did it!" D'Angelo cried as Jun closed the hatch.
"And survived to tell the tale," James added.
Tom looked at D'Angelo. "I am so glad your dad got all the bells, whistles and rockets."
Everyone laughed.
Then, they witnessed the Octofin wrapping its tentacles on the tip of his tail around the bathysphere. He then began swimming upwards towards the surface, carrying them along with him.
Unfortunately, the Shellfire wasn't going to let them get away that easily. It swam towards the Octofin, slammed him into the cliff wall, and forced him to release the bathysphere. Tom and the others soon found themselves falling back towards the ocean floor.
"Not again!" James moaned.
Then, they suddenly stopped, but it didn't feel like they hit the lake floor.
"Ah! What…" said D'Angelo.
"We stopped!" said Jun.
"And I don't think we hit the bottom of the lake," said James.
"How?" Tom frowned.
He looked out the window and soon got his answer as staring back at him was Thunder.
"Thunder!" he gasped.
Their dragons had died into the water to catch the bathysphere. They were now using all their strength to pull them back towards the surface.
However, they looked out the window and saw that the Shellfire was overpowering the Octofin. It had just slammed him into the cliff wall again, but he managed to slip free and headed towards them. The Shellfire slandered him before he got a chance to help.
"The Octofin's going to need backup," said Jun.
"We're all out of rockets," said D'Angelo.
"Even if we weren't, I don't think this thing can take any more damage," said James.
Tom rushed towards the window and banged against the glass at Thunder. "Come on, pal!"
Thunder looked at him, and Tom performed a hand signal and told him to help the Octofin. Thunder growled the other dragons, and Feathers quickly took over for him as he swam to back up the Octofin.
The Octofin knocked the Shellfire off of him, but it was quickly back on him again. However, he was able to push the Octofin off, and Thunder fired a lightning blast, hitting it on its underbelly. It tried to attack again, but Thunder fired another lightning blast, followed closely by a third one. Realising it was now outnumbered, the Shellfire swam away from them.
"The Shellfire is bugging out!" D'Angelo yelled.
"All right!" Tom cheered.
"Way to go!" James cried.
"We did it!" Jun beamed.
"Let's get out of here," said D'Angelo.
Thunder flew back to the other dragons and helped them lift the bathysphere, but he needn't have bothered. The Octofin had wrapped its tentacles around the bathysphere and began swinging back towards the surface.
Once on the surface, they opened the hatch and quickly jumped on their dragons. Tom flew across the surface of the lake and could see the Octofin swimming just below the water.
He then jumped out of the water directly over them and dived back into the water, making Tom laugh.
"Thanks for your help, Octofin," said Tom, brushing his hand against its skin as they flew over at him.
The Octofin then dived back into the water, and the Riders made their way back to the land, where Alex and Eugene greeted them.
"Oh, we were so worried!" said Alex, relieved as they landed.
"You weren't the only ones," said James.
Tom gave a small chuckle but then turned his eyes to D'Angelo.
D'Angelo stood on the bridge and watched as the bathysphere sank into the lake.
"So much for bringing the bathysphere back without a scratch," he groaned.
"I think they'll be more annoyed we didn't bring it back at all," said James as he and Tom joined him.
"Guys, I'm sorry," said Tom, looking at them. "I know you two are worried about what your parents are going to say, but I'll take the heat for it. You can blame it on me."
"No, we all had a hand in it," said James.
"James is right," D'Angelo agreed. "But it's time to come clean about Buzzsaw. We can't keep telling our parents half the truth."
"You're right," Tom nodded. "When we get back, we'll let them know."
The three of them then bumped fists.
"It won't be the easy thing to do, but it's the right thing," said Tom.
It was night by the time they reached the surface and were making their way back to Rakke Town.
"Okay, so far, the results from my Eugene's Cool Weapons Survey are two votes for a rocket launcher backpack," said Eugene. "That was me and Webs."
"We all agreed," said Jun. "No weapons for you."
"All of you?" said Eugene, horrified. "Gonzo?"
"Eh. I abstained," she said.
"Yes!" Eugene cheered.
"We all figured you were dangerous enough without a weapon," said James.
"I guess I'm pretty dangerous enough already," Eugene smiled.
D'Angelo then flew up next to him. "Eugene, can we please focus on how we're going to tell our parents about…?"
Suddenly, Plowhorn growled as if something was upset with her.
"What is it, girl?" D'Angelo asked.
"She smells something," Tom noted.
"Anybody else notice that glow over the trees?" Jun asked.
Everyone could certainly see something glowing over the tree canopy, and it was in the direction of Rakke Town.
"What…?" Tom frowned.
When they arrived at Rakke Town, they found the entire place had been set ablaze.
"What happened?" D'Angelo stared.
They heard laughter, and then suddenly, flying out of the smoke, was Buzzsaw on top of Jack.
"Greetings, citizens of Rakke Town," he said. "Looking at your shocked faces, I see my presence came as a surprise. Get your kids didn't tell you everything. You now have tasted your first morsel of revenge from Buzzsaw, the King of Dragons. Let this serve as a warning. You are no longer welcome in my domain. The Dragon world and all dragons in it belong to me and me alone. Trespassers will be shown no mercy."
He then laughed evilly and took off, leaving behind the shocked residents of Rakke Town. Once he was gone, they all immediately looked to the Riders.
"You knew about this lunatic, and you didn't tell us?!" said Olivia.
The Riders looked at one another, not sure how to answer that question.