Lightning in a Bottle
Through the dark woods of Arcadia, both Aja and Krel were dressed in their Arcadian attire as they combed the forest, Aja's desperate tone seeming to echo through the maze of trees.
"Where is it? My serrator must be around here somewhere."
"We should have brought Varvatos. We could use an extra pair of eyes." Krel stated as Aja groaned out, coming around a tree that was filled with numerous carvings of initials.
"Ugh! We should have brought Stuart." The sight of the names caught her attention, her fingers tracing the carvings as she awed, a smile breaking out on her face. Krel, however, groaned in disgust, rolling his eyes before joining his sister who was digging in the bushes. "Varvatos can't learn I've lost my serrator. If he does, he won't train me anymore!"
"Well, that's one way to look at that," Krel stated, knowing what he was hinting at. Obviously, his sister caught on and sighed.
"Yeah, you don't have to tell me twice," she mumbled before looking at Varvatos who seemed to want to say something but decided best not to. She watched his posture deflate before turning back to the screen.
Krel wasn't paying attention as his foot stepped in a squishy pile. "Kleb! I hate raccoons. They poop everywhere!"
"It must be here somewhere. Maybe over by that rock with the…" As Aja started, Krel spoke with her in unison, knowing what she was going to say as it seemed she said it numerous times.
"Moss on the side," they spoke, Krel throwing his head back. "Wonderful. We've been going around in circles! Ugh! Fligshaag!" Krel finished, throwing a fit in irritation. "Perhaps you left your serrator at school," a bird cawed, catching the boy's attention as he raised his four fists, ready to fight.
The crowd laughed at the unenjoyment that Krel was having as he trudged through the woods. Krel crossed his arms at the memory, which he wasn't too fond of.
"I was correct when I said it was a dirt ball, I step in poop I could have avoided, if we hadn't gone in circles." He turned to face his sister.
"Don't give me that look, we were both clueless."
Krel, we're talking about a highly advanced weapon here. I wouldn't leave it in my locker," she scolded as she moved closer to the ground. Nearby, a portal ripped open in the woods, Claire leaped from it, completely unaware of both Aja and Krel while Toby and Jim followed after.
"I can't believe we survived Merlin's cave," She stated as Chompsky appeared from the bushes, giggling. "There's my little emotional anchor."
The crowd perks up at Claire and the others coming through the portal, not expecting to see them, but after all, they were seeing things from a new perspective.
Claire turned to face Jim who instantly grew interested, remembering this day, despite it being a little blurry. "Wow, our lives must have connected without us knowing if it is going all the way back to this part of the night."
"This is so cool!" Toby freaked out, smiling happily as Eli and Steve stared him down.
"Chompsky! Buddy!" Toby said excitedly. Not wasting a moment, Chompsky began to chatter, opening a paper of his girlfriend riding a future-advanced bike. "I know. I told you a million times, we'll get your girlfriend the Sally-Go-Back Space Skater next weekend after we save the world. Geez!" Chompsky crossed his arms, upset with the answer.
Krel's head whipped in the direction of Toby's voice as he spoke excitedly, "And we found Merlin's cave and Merlin! We deserve a midnight snack." Krel stalked to the cover of a bush as Aja seemed to stand out like a sore thumb as she tried to stand to her full height.
"Who are they?" Krel was quick to pull her down.
"You know what?" Claire's voice echoed as the view turned to them, the three walking as Claire's staff was noticed by Aja. "We deserve midnight huevos rancheros."
"What's that?" The Queen-in-waiting asked as the view turned back to Jim who was playfully tossing his amulet side to side.
"I make a mean mushroom omelet."
"Seriously, Jim? You want fungi over frijoles?"
"And you don't want my cooking? I am offended," Jim playfully responded.
"A good response finally came to your head." Claire teased as she gently flicked Jim in the horn.
"Hey! You know those feel weird," he stated, gripping his horns in a protective manner.
As they walked away, Aja's eyes followed the blue light that shined from Jim's amulet. She couldn't help but let out a shocked gasp, coming to a stand. "You see that light? They must have my serrator!"
"Where are you going?" Krel asked, trying to pull her back down and out of view.
"Where do you think? We can't leave my serrator in human hands."
The trollhunting team glanced at one another, things beginning to make more sense as they witnessed Aja and Krel's side of the story. "All this time, they acted weird because they mistaken Jim's weapon for theirs. How crazy," Toby mumbled.
"Look at your hands. You currently have four of them."
"Tobes, hurry up!" Jim's voice called out, startling Aja and Krel as they dropped to the ground, as close as possible. All the while, Toby was leaning against the tree, gasping and holding himself.
"Tired. Starving. Must persevere."
"We need to go. We cannot be seen by these humans."
"We can't let them be killed by my serrator either." Aja tried to stand but was stopped by her brother.
"If they haven't been killed yet, they probably won't be. Maybe we can find a better way to get your serrator back."
"Yeah, with us, your serrator has less of a chance of killing us, right Jimbo, right Claire?" Toby asked, turning to face them with a knowing look.
"Agreed on that one, you don't even know half of what we had to deal with," Claire answered, glancing at Krel and Aja who looked rather confused.
"We would like to know, now that you mentioned it," Aja stated.
"Perhaps we can talk about that later," Douxie responded, catching their attention.
Finally, the two made it to a stand, the Trollhunters out of view, causing Aja to let out a groan. "Great, they're gone!"
"I'm not the one who lost advanced and deadly Akiridion technology." Krel hissed, moving to the side, only to put his foot in a strange substance once more. "Not again! Poop everywhere, I tell you!"
Krel frowned, hating traveling in the woods as the crowd laughed. Of course, they now found him entertaining when he suffered. Humans were definitely interesting, he could say that, their humor was mostly based on suffering and embarrassment.
From the moon shining above Arcadia, the scene changed to Steve who stared down at Aja's weapon, mumbling as he couldn't get it to activate. "Stupid…" However, at that moment, a blade shot from the weapon, startling him. "What the...? Okay. Turn off death beam. Please! Turn off death beam."
Steve stared at the blade as the door was pushed open, gasping in relief when it sucked back into its blue chamber. The two that had walked passed Steve, unaware, were both Darci and Shannon, questioning the older man who stood by Seamus, scolding Ms. Janeth.
Steve grew tense when he noticed Aja growing interested in what she was seeing. He never got the full story of what happened, completely unaware that she was searching for it and had taken the wrong lead.
She was following Jim, believing he had it, and now that she saw that Steve was nervous and hadn't returned it once he found it, actually losing it in the end, he was extremely worried that Aja would no longer like him after it.
Yet, he was wondering how she thought it was him who returned it back to her.
"Who is that guy?" Shannon whispered.
"Shh. That's Seamus' dad. He's a piece of work," Darci mumbled, the two quickly leaving.
"My son has the smartest of the smartest brains. It's huge." The father hissed.
"I'm sure we can discuss this like reasonable people, Mr. Johnson." Seamus glared around the school as his parent and teacher talked, that was until his focus landed on his friends who passed him, waving up their arms.
"'Sup, dude?" One friend asked but Seamus didn't greet them, only asking the one question that was on his mind.
"You guys seen Tarron?"
"That weirdo? Over there," the kid pointed, the camera panning to both Aja and Krel who were dressed in their human attire.
"That's the cheater," Seamus hissed.
"Weirdo? Cheater? I am the future King of Akiridion-5!"
"Sorry, Krel. I don't think anyone really knows that," Eli tried to reassure.
"Eh, I think it's fun on how unaware they are." Seamus sighed, watching himself beat down someone who was just as smart as he was. If it wasn't for his father threatening his happiness because he got an A, not an A+, he wouldn't have stressed so much.
This was terrible.
"Varvatos will kill me if he finds out I lost my serrator!" Aja said, the two opening and closing their lockers as they spotted Toby who was heading to his own locker. "Krel, I think that's one of the humans we saw last night!"
"Mr. Tarron, can I have a word with you?" Ms. Janeth called, the camera moving fast to catch up with the numerous moments, both Krel's and Ms. Janeth's voices drowning out as Toby shoved his backpack in his locker.
"Ugh. What now?"
The small gnome popped out from Toby's backpack, shouting and startling the stout boy. "Chompsky! We've been over this. We'll get your girlfriend a gift next weekend. Just stay here and out of sight." He closed the locker, sighing as Chompsky gibbered in anger. "All right, back to defeating Gunmar. What's first on Merlin's list to make that super sweet magic spell?"
"There is so much going on, all of the stories are tying together and I am unsure who to follow right now!"
"Hey, this is fun now, it felt so separated!"
He joined his friends who entered school, staring at the paper Merlin gave them. "An Antramonstrum shell," Claire answered as Jim instantly grew determined.
"Strickler thinks he has one in his old office." As they walked away, Aja was perched beside the lockers, staring down the glowing light in Jim's backpack.
"There they are. And there you are," She mumbled as the bell rang, Senor Uhl walked through the entrance as the camera focused on him.
"Everybody, get to class now." His eyes landed on Steve who screeched in fear, holding the device behind his back. "Mr. Palchuk! Gaming devices are not permitted inside the school."
Steve chuckled nervously, stuttering. "It's not even mine. I just need to return it to…"
"This isn't kindergarten. In high school, we confiscate toys." Uhl ripped it from his hands and moved into the door, leaving behind Steve who began his trudge to class.
"No! Wait! But it's not a... Please, señor! Por favor! Aja's gonna hate me now." He hissed, the scene transferring nicely as Senor Uhl was seen walking, just like Steve had, only the location in mind was the dispute.
Aja glanced at Steve who grew more nervous than she thought. Why was he so nervous? He might have lost it to Senor Uhl, but he returned it. Perhaps he felt bad for running around with her weapon and not trying to return it right away.
She knew she wasn't angry, after all, how much he was practicing to tell her that he found her dropped serrator and was so nervous that she would hate him.
Aja knew she wouldn't hate him, it was an accident that she caused if she hadn't so careful. However, she tried to find her voice to reassure him, but it never came. Maybe it was the itch to see what fully happened, to see if he would turn out okay once he returned it, but speaking up to help his nerves, never happened.
"All right, I'm here Now, what seems to be the issue?" The principal asked as he stepped up to Ms. Janeth and the two feuding kids with an angered father.
"The issue is that she only gives out one A-plus per exam."
"Studies show it's quite effective," Ms. Janeth said simply but went ignored.
"And my Seamus got them before he dropped out of the sky," Mr. Johnson scolded, pointing a finger at Krel.
"It was a rough landing, yeah, but I wouldn't say we dropped out of the sky,"
The crowd snorted as Seamus instantly perked. He never realized that he actually meant it, only thought it was a snarky reply. After all, he was getting more mad at the new kid for messing up his life, only to receive the sarcastic jabs.
"I'm starting to feel bad," Seamus started, glancing at Krel. "After seeing Jim's life, I became more understanding of different people, but you arrived during a time when I was still conflicted. You were cool, I am sorry for my dad being who he was and making the terrible comments, and sorry for dragging you into something like this."
"I guess it's alright, I lived, I made it through," Krel stated, mustering a smile as the two shared a friendly look.
"Everyone knows that people like him are terrible at math," at the jab, Senor Uhl pulled Krel closer to him.
"What do you mean? Cantaloupians?"
"Someone this new to our country should not be that good at math."
"Whoa, I'm sorry, what did he say?" Claire stated, glancing at Mary and Darci with a shocked expression.
"I told you, piece of work! You guys missed a lot on the trollhunting business."
"Is he dumb? Sorry, Seamus, it had to be said."
"No, now that I see what he is saying over someone who doesn't deserve it, I am starting to feel bad."
"I am new to the country, but I am not new to math. It is a very ancient subject," Krel stated, not bothered much by the insult.
"Mr. Tarron and his sister may have had some difficulty fitting in around here, but…" Senor Uhl started, but Krel finished.
"Not in math class."
"Only because you're cheating!" Seamus called out.
"I'm not cheating, I've been holding back. I didn't want to make a spectacle of myself. Clearly, it isn't working." That angered Seamus but his father pushed him back, waving a finger back in Krel's face.
"You've got a big mouth, kid."
"Mr. Johnson, your tone is not appreciated," Ms. Janeth said, moving beside Krel.
"Why don't you back it up with action? You and my Seamus, math duel. Whoever gets the higher score gets the A-plus."
"All this over an A-plus," Toby muttered. "Good thing we never had time for school." Jim chuckled at Toby's comment, glancing at him.
"When's the last time we saw something higher than a C-minus?"
"Jim, please. You know that answer, our dreams."
"Fine. Agreed," Krel said.
"No problem," Seamus bit back.
Senoe Uhl sighed as his eyes focused on Jim and Toby who were sneaking toward his office. "Uh, if you'll excuse me, I have another issue to deal with. You and your sister wait in my classroom."
"Now that I see this, it is so much more hilarious because that is not stealthy at all," Mary teased the boys.
"Hey, you saw we succeeded."
"Yeah, I jumped out a window," Toby stated.
"Yeah, we remember, that was all very chaotic."
"Why?" Krel asked as Senor Uhl began to walk away, the group unaware of the gnome running through the halls and toward the office, poster in hand as he spotted the serrator, gasping and chattering as he zoomed toward the man.
"Because I asked you nicely." The door was ripped open, and Jim quickly turned to face Senor Uhl with a nervous look, chuckling. "What are you doing in my office?"
"Señor Uhl! I mean, Interim Principal Señor Uhl. It's so hard to keep track I'm just, uh…" Jim started as Chompsky tried numerous times to reach the weapon, only to fail every time. He growled and climbed up Jim's leg, throwing his fists angrily against the boy.
Jim looked down at the gnome, shocked by his appearance before shaking him off, throwing Chompsky across the room. "Boy." The gnome landed on pins, growling as he pried each of them from his behind.
Jim sighed, watching Chompsky make his life harder, he knew he looked crazy beforehand, after all, blaming Chompsky after Jim decided to play the piano like a psychopath, was not a good idea.
"He really snuck into school to steal the one thing Aja was looking for," Claire stated, turning to the boys. "T.P. you really have to keep an eye on your small roommate."
"I have no idea how he got out of my locker!"
"I have warned you three countless amount of times, they are scrappy little creatures," Blinky answered as Aja and rel stared at the screen in surprise.
"Looking for… guidance!" Jim continued, their voices not as clear as Chompsky marched across the window.
"Oh! Well, I'm glad you came to see me. I'm worried about your attendance. You've missed 43 days. But there is one thing. We have two students who are not from these parts. They're having some difficulty fitting in. They are a little weird."
"Weird is better," Krel simply answered, not taking offense to the issue.
Chompsky celebrated as the books were set down on the table he managed to climb, pulling the weapon and a pin. As the conversation went down, Krel and Aja sat in Senor Uhl's classroom, Krel perched on the desk while Aja spun on the chair.
"Hey, that little creature is taking my weapon, why is that?" Aja asked, glancing at Toby, understanding that it was his little friend.
"It looks like a bike that his girlfriend wants, please, follow in with the delusions, it is so much easier than explaining."
"We'll take your word for it."
"Kleb! A math duel? Why is it so difficult for these humans to accept that I have a superior intellect?"
"Forget them, little brother. We need to figure out how to get my serrator back."
"I'm leaving! Tell the prison teachers that I'm sick." The boy said before acting it out. "Aah, my leg, it hurts." he coughed. "Oh, no. My throat hurts so much." He coughed, pretending to choke but Aja seemed to believe it, whacking him so hard on the back that he faceplanted off the desk and folded on the floor.
"Feeling better, hmm?"
"You know, this makes much more sense seeing why Aja and Krel acted the way they did now that we see their side of the story."
"Yeah, we were judging the heck out of them because they acted so strange and Senor Uhl did not help that."
"Hey!"
"Show them around, make them feel more at home in Arcadia and I could be compelled to look the other way regarding your absences, maybe." Jim's disapproving look was quite amusing as Senor Uhl explained.
"Ah, yes! The famous classic annoyed look from Jim! I was waiting the whole time to see that face again."
"It is so priceless." At the comments, Jim raised his arms in an offended look, staring at the students with a questionable look. "Sorry, you are so funny!"
Jim chuckled, "If there's anyone that wants you to look the other way, it's me. Hi. I'm Jim Lake, Jr."
From his awkward greeting, the moment changed to Aja who was staring down the pocket where the amulet resided, "He is the one that has my serrator. This is good. This will work out."
She went to reach for it as her brother pulled her back, leaving Jim to greet his two friends who waited for him. "Don't!"
"Jim, you made it out okay."
"You're not touching the human's bag. We have to wait until the time is right," Krel stated.
"But it's just right there."
"That's the burrito girl!" Toby cried out, looking at Aja. "She has a legendary digestive system, dude."
"These are the people that have one of our deadliest weapons in their hands. I'm getting it back, no matter what," she stated, growing serious as Toby continued.
"The Diablo Maximus is not for the faint of heart."
Jim glanced at her, understanding all the times she tried to reach into his bag and got caught. He knew that just telling her to ask was a very dumb idea because he would have lied, after all, telling two strangers that he was a Trollhunter, unaware they were Akiridions looking for their deadly tech, was a dumb idea, he almost still told her to ask.
Instead, he settled with, "now this all makes sense."
"Sorry, for trying to dig through your bag, it was a secret you were trying to keep as well, just like us."
"It's alright, I understand, after all, you just witnessed breaking into Senor Uhl's office and getting caught trying to grab some troll thing."
Aja laughed, smiling at the half-troll. "It seems we have a lot in common, glad I can find others who understand what I go through." As the two became good friends, Steve couldn't help but feel a little jealous, even though Jim and Claire were deeply in love, the blonde boy wanted her to feel comfortable and be able to talk to him, just as she was doing to Jim.
Who knew that he already was her biggest supporter?
As Aja kept her eyes on her target, she was unaware that the gnome had already snuck off with her weapon, moving through the tall grass and onto the sidewalk, excited as he held his prize.
Nearby, Luug was frantically sniffing the sidewalk until his head perked in the direction that Chompsky had scattered off to. The dog growled and barked as he watched the gnome run home, alerting Varvatos to the issue.
"Whoa, Seklos and Gaylen! Is that a serrator?" The old man asked, spotting the small creature. He plucked the dog off the sidewalk and began his chase. "If Krel or Aja lost their weapon, Varvatos will tear them limb from limb!" If it wasn't for the sudden path change that Chompsky took, Varvatos wouldn't have hurt his back diving toward the ground. "Oh, no! Slow down! Little Hooman!"
Aja tensed up, knowing that now Varvatos had caught her serrator traveling around without her. Granted, it passed and Varvatos no longer brought it up, but she thought she had gotten away with losing it, trying to play it cool.
"Looks like you got caught," Krel teased, staring down at his sister.
"Shush, little brother!" They tried not to look at Varvatos, hoping that the crowd took it as a more nervous approach instead of including a traitor, but Aja's eyes couldn't help but land on Varvatos for a mere second, ignoring his saddened gaze.
The old man slammed his fist, spewing anger at the door as Chompsky managed to make it inside. "Varvatos Vex commands that you open this door, you speedy," his words trailed off as Nancy opened the door. "...impish…...silver-haired temptress."
She squeezed the man in a hug before sitting him down in a chair, leaving the mentor smiling in a happy daze, "Varvatos! My chess companion finally stopped by for a rematch. I hope you've been practicing."
"Wait, wait, wait." Mary started, catching everyone's attention. "Is that Toby in the background, that baby photo?"
"Oh my, yes it is!" Darci squealed happily, the rest of the crowd glancing to where it was located, staring down the photo and spewing out comments.
"Oh, not this again," Toby muttered, glancing at Jim who was already wearing a teasing grin. "You cannot say anything, you already have."
"Wait, what did he say?" Claire said, instantly intrigued. Toby glanced at Jim before he leaped from his chair, diving onto his friend and covering the boy's mouth.
"You cannot tell her! I'm trusting you, Jimbo not to say a thing!"
"Ah, lame!" Mary scoffed.
"Varvatos certainly has," He looked around as Nana disappeared from sight, hearing the soft laughter of the gnome who speedily ran in opposite directions, almost teasing the man. "You should be very afraid of my skills." He lifted up the small coffee table, looking under it as Gnome Chompsky was pressing himself against the underside, completely out of view.
Before Varvatos could continue his search, Nana stepped out with a plate of cookies in her hand, scaring Varvatos.
"Guess what I have for the occasion. Cookies!"
"Oh, no, not again!" The sight of them brought back the memory of Birdie grinning above him as he dropped.
"Fantastic, he's traumatized after eating one cookie."
"Yeah, I'd understand why."
"Not for you, poochie poo," Nana said as Luug barked, freeing Varvatos from his trance, the dog declined on receiving cookies. "They're poison." The grin she gave as she pulled her glasses off had sent Varvatos in a panic, his weapon being drawn out in a flash as she cleaned the lenses. "Pets can't eat chocolate, you know. I wouldn't dare give Mr. Meow Meow PI a nibble."
"Who is this Mr. Mayo Mayo PI?"
Nana looked up, blind without her glasses, which Varvatos tested when he waved his hand in front of her, receiving no reaction. "Oh, my cat! He's around here somewhere. Meow Meow? Meow Meow PI?"
Varvatos leaned to grab a cookie as Luug growled, staring down the Gnome who was nibbling fast at the dessert. Turning around, Chompsky faced the dog before blowing a raspberry, igniting a fight that brewed beneath the table as Varvatos managed to bite the cookie.
Varvatos looked in shock and quickly joined his pet when Luug busted beneath the table, chasing the Gnome up the stairs and leaving Nana blind and confused at the table. "Meow Meow? Meow Meow, it's Mommy."
Back with Aja and Krel, Aja stared down Jim's backpack, the blue taunting her. Yet, a voice of anger began to catch Krel's attention as he slowed down, staring at Seamus and his father. The dad slammed the car door as he spat in anger, his son seeming none too pleased.
Douxie grinned as he noticed himself walking, and the comment that was on the tip of his tongue ended up slipping out. "Look, there's me!" However, it went ignored when the crowd was watching the screen with an intense look.
"If you're not getting an A-plus on every test, then why am I sending you to school and SAT prep? If you lose to that foreigner, you can forget about space camp." They sped off as Aja and Krel watched, right before Aja turned to her brother, then the group of friends they had been following.
"Wow, are you serious, all because you don't get a plus at the end of your 'A'."
"Yeah, I know," Seamus muttered before glancing at his opponent. Krel heard the conversation, knowing that Seamus would have lost something that made him so happy. It made sense why Krel threw the competition, but Seamus sighed.
Krel did something so nice for him while all Seamus did was make his day a problem. Well, if Krel actually cared enough about the insults.
"Krel is going to face Seamus in a duel of math."
"That's you?" Claire asked in surprise.
"More of, we had no idea stirred up that much to get into a math duel," Claire stated, smiling at them.
"Why is that unbelievable? Can't the new kid get an A-plus in Ms. Janeth's math class?"
As Claire responded, Aja focused on Jim's backpack, reaching her hand out. "Darci said you're like a numbers wiz," the boy seemed to sense it as he turned to face her with a weird look, hand clutching his backpack and moving it from her reach.
Claire and Toby glanced at one another, wondering how they missed that. Poor Jim looked so worried about it, but they were thankful it was cleared up.
She laughed nervously and waved before Krel spoke up, turning back to face the kids. "What is it we're doing?"
"Something super awesome sauce," Toby responded, staring at the travel agency. Soon, the group found themselves in the secret elevator, Krel looking unimpressed while Aja slightly elbowed him, speaking as she reached for the amulet.
"Amazing! We love rooms that move. Don't we, little brother?" This time, Toby noticed her reaching, looking confused as Krel quickly changed the subject, stopping her.
Toby chuckled, remembering seeing that. They tried to play it off, but Toby knew. Perhaps he should give them tips on how to blend in and sneak things much easier, only for him to realize that it would have been much more of an issue if they did succeed in taking the amulet.
"Master Jim, why must you leave your pocket with the amulet unzipped?"
"So I don't have to waste time unzipping it when my life depends on it. Both are stupid, yes, but it works."
"I am rather perplexed," Blinky stated.
"I'm so bored. Where are we going again?"
"A super secret...teen center!" Jim replied before the elevator came to a stop, opening up to the destroyed tunnels of the Janus Order.
Aja gasped. "What are those?"
"Ooh! Looks like human bones with bite marks!" Krel said, a little intrigued, pushing passed both Jim and Claire. "Now things are getting interesting."
"Teen center?" Claire scolded the boy gently.
"Let's see you justify how we're supposed to be collecting the femur of a Changeling and everything else on Merlin's list," Jim whispered as he watched the three move through the hallway, Toby digging through a pile.
"You probably could have told us and we won't find it strange," Krel said simply. "You need a body part, just tell us you need a body part."
"After all, we did help you with lightening in a bottle," Aja finished.
"Yeah, after we realized you two were a couple of weirdo geniuses," Toby answered.
Aja moved to pick up a skull as Krel sat beside her, pouting. "This is the worst teen center in the galaxy. Where is the music, the dancing? These primitive life forms can't do anything right."
"Are you listening to yourself? You sound like Seamus and his soolian father," Aja scolded before watching Jim drop his bag and begin to dig through a bone pile with his girlfriend.
Toby was speaking, pulling off a lame excuse on why it was trashed, however, he went ignored as Aja grew determined.
"I'm going to steal my serrator. Try and act normal for five mekrons."
"I make no promises," Krel stated, pushing the skull back to her before standing and walking off.
Back with the Trollhunters, Toby clutched his backpack, moving to his friends. "Got the bones, what's left?" He whispered.
"Just the last thing, lightning in a bottle?" Jim said with confusion.
"You mean like in a metaphor, right?" Claire asked. "It would be impossible to catch."
"Ha! You think that's hard? You should see the ones I gave Blinky to find," Jim laughed as Aja moved to his backpack, reaching for the amulet. She didn't get far as the Trollhunters ran to her, Jim calling her name.
Blinky heard his Trollhunter speak, remembering that day. He despised it and wore a cocky smile when he glanced at Jim who was still chuckling about it. "You think it's funny?"
"Sorry, Blink. It was hilarious."
"Aja! Where's Krel?" She tried to act normal as she looked in confusion.
It wasn't till then that the group called for him, the boy staring at the screen in shock as a scene played before him, Gunmar roaring as Jim tried to attack him.
The trio instantly took notice as Toby gasped out, "Oh, no!"
"I so enjoy moving picture stories!" Aja said happily.
Jim moved passed her, trying to turn it off but was continuously thrown back to avoid getting kicked in the face. He shoved Krel to the side, trying to turn it off but turning on something he tried to avoid.
On the numerous screens, Aaarrrgghh appeared, fighting Gunmar. Jim's heart skyrocketed as he pressed every button he could. "Oh, no, no!"
"Turn it off, Jimbo!"
"I'm trying!" On the screen, Jim had slashed Gunmar open.
"Try harder," Claire said.
"Huh, looks scary, what is it called?" Krel asked while Jim quickly turned, the death of Gunmar continuously replaying, Toby answered differently compared to Claire and Jim.
"Gun Robot."
"Trollhunters."
"I mean, Trollhunters." Toby corrected when Claire and Jim glared at him, Jim blindly shoving his fist on the control panel, shutting the screen off.
"Here's an idea. Who wants to see the house of Arcadia's very own councilwoman?" Claire asked.
"Yeah, we should go," Jim said as he stepped away, Krel looking displeased.
"Ay, yi yi," Krel muttered as the trio walked passed with nervous laughter, leaving Aja and Krel to follow behind, however, Aja was a lot smarter, instantly recognizing them on the screen.
"That was them, right? Maybe there's a little more to these humans than we thought."
"Damn, they had it figured out right there? We thought we lied so smoothly!" Toby cried out.
"I'm sorry, but if they couldn't notice the very familiar faces, that would be the dumbest thing ever."
"True that."
Back at Toby's house, Chompsky carried his girlfriend to the unknown weapon, perching her on it with a smile, right before she shook and fell to the ground. The small creature yelped and was quick to help her up as Varvatos and Luug stood by the door, watching.
"Return the serrator, Mr. Meow Meow PI, or suffer at the hands of the great Varvatos Vex!" His yell startled the Gnome, Chompsky grabbed the weapon and aimed it in a teasing manner, only for a blast to shoot from the small blue disk.
Vex and Luug ducked as Chompsky was thrown back, yet, Vex was not affected, running at the Gnome. When Chompsky pulled himself up, he was running instantly into his house as Varvatos followed, the house closing and making it harder for Varavtos to grab the small creature.
"Glorious! Prepare for defeat, you mangy, bearded mystery!" The Gnome leaped from the window and bounced off the old man's back, chattering as he made it to the safety of the bed, away from Luug. "Varvatos Vex of the Taylon Phalanx commands you to drop your weapon!" Luug jumped at the Gnome but was thrown back as he collided with a shield that activated around the creature.
Taking his chance, Chompsky landed on the table, chattering as the two narrowed their eyes at one another. "Varvatos knows not what you say...but he finds it ingloriously sassy!"
"Why does all of this have to happen in my room?"
"Finally not in my house," Jim started, glancing at his mom. "Right."
"You don't have to ask me twice," Barbara said with a smile.
Chompsky laughed darkly, waving him on as the screen narrowed, only showing the fierce eyes of the two competitors, even Luug who was licking his own rear. The two hadn't moved for a moment before Varvatos charged, everything in slow motion as the two leaped at one another.
Down below as the house shook and rattled, Nana was unbothered as she stared down a cookie. "He's growing up so fast, but he still needs his Nana. Uh, maybe I can break my diet just this once."
Back up, Varavtos and Luug did their best to capture the Gnome, only to get nailed repeatedly in the body. Varvatos was left groaning and hunched before Chompsky fired, causing the man to lean back as far as he could, invading the numerous blasts.
Luug tried to tackle Chompsky but failed as the Gnome continued to fly around the room, shooting a blast at Varvatos and knocking him to the floor.
"Luug, dismember him!" As the dog was ready to attack, Varvatos' eyes landed on the cat carrier behind him before laughing evilly and slamming it down on the Gnome, trapping him inside.
Back with Aja and Krel, they stood outside of the Nunez household, "Well, here we are. La casa Nuñez." It wasn't long before Claire showed the two around the kitchen of her home, arms out wide while the two followed around.
"And this is where the leader of our town, Councilwoman Nuñez makes enchiladas." As Claire walked away, Krel whispered to his sister, studying the fridge.
"These are the strangest humans we have ever met, and that is really saying something." Krel opened the fridge, finding NotEnrique slurping on food before turning to them with a bit of anger after being disturbed.
"Oi! Occupied! Close the door!" The two shrugged before they closed the fridge, alerted to Claire and Toby yelling but out of sight.
The crowd glanced to NotEnrique who was chuckling nervously. "At least they didn't freak out."
"Yeah, we got lucky with that one," Claire stated. "You know mom hates it when you do that, you leave a mess."
"I know, she fought me yesterday."
"How's it going?" Claire called out.
"This is never gonna work!"
"It has to! Unless you have a better way to capture lightning in a bottle," Jim answered before NotEnrique busted from the fridge, leaving a mess.
"I'm done. Fridge is all yours." The two stared in confusion as NotEnrique stepped away before they found themselves outside, staring up at Jim who held a kite and a bottle.
"Did I hear you say you're trying to capture lightning in a bottle?" Aja asked before mumbling to her brother. "Play along. I am not going home to Varvatos without my weapon."
"Kind of glad they were focused on their weapon that they helped us," Toby stated as he glanced at Jim who laughed.
"We got lucky with that one."
"Okay, okay. Oh, we used to play that game as children," Krel added.
"No, no. You don't understand. Lightning, like a thousand volts of electricity in a jar."
"Actually, it's closer to several hundred million volts," Aja said.
"And that's not the way you do it," Krel finished, Jim and Toby shared a look before they were in Claire's bedroom, Krel tweaking the jar with a strange lid as Aja had found the laptop, pulling it open and clicking the keys.
Jim, Claire, and Toby all watched with fascination. "They're geniuses, Jimbo. Weirdo geniuses. That's the best kind!" Toby said, surprising Krel who seemed happy to hear such a compliment compared to the insults he received.
"They think being weird is... good." Krel gasped before he eyed the bag with the amulet, pointing to it and whispering to his sister. "Now! Get it now!"
Krel remembered that moment, how happy he felt when he wasn't insulted by being himself. They have gone through strange things it seemed, which made them more understanding. He was glad he met the group, and he was glad to see that they were well-liked and protected by all their peers.
Maybe he could feel the same thing and finally be accepted.
Aja gave him a look as Toby continued, turning to face Krel. "Of course, some of my best friends are far from ordinary."
Aja planted her finger on the keyboard, the computer clicking and whirring as she made a noise, "We're all set. I've redirected the power to one corner at longitude thirty-six degrees. Uh, fifth and Main in T-minus fifteen minutes and uh, thirty seconds and approximately seventy-one milliseconds."
She leaned back on the bed, trying to grab the amulet, Toby laughed as Claire and Jim grew excited. "All we need now is a metal to act as a conductor." Krel pointed out. "Toby, I need your robot teeth!"
Toby chuckled nervously, inhaling as he whispered to his friend. "Jim, stop these weirdo geniuses."
Aja slowly moved to grab the item in Jim's bag, trying to remain inconspicuous, yet, she didn't get far as Jim came to a stand, grabbing his bag. "I think I have something else we can use."
Aja sighed, deflating on the bed, "Klebtastic."
Back at school, Steve peeked around the lockers, watching as Senor Uhl left his office, staring down at the clipboard and mumbling to himself.
"I need a vacation. Hmm, maybe Cantaloupia might be nice." As he stepped away and Steve tried to sneak in, a student greeted the teacher, also calling him out as the boy faced the wall.
"Hola, Señor Uhl. Hi, Steve."
"What? Where?" Steve muttered as the girl walked away. The boy moved quickly into the dark office, groaning out. If I lose Aja's laser thingy, she'll never date me again. Now, where would Señor Uhl hide a death beam?"
The crowd blinked at Steve, giving him a disbelieving look. "What is with everyone sneaking in my office for different creature things?" Senor Uhl stated. "None of you are good at it!"
Jim, Toby, and Steve all glanced at one another, sharing the same feeling as they laughed awkwardly. Being called out by your teacher, telling you that you sucked at sneaking in, it was definitely an ego bruiser.
Aja glanced at Steve, he hadn't known her weapon was taken by a small creature, trying to sneak in and grab it, all while he was worried that she would hate him. She knew she wouldn't, even if he struggled to retrieve it and couldn't control losing it in the first place.
As he looked around, Varvatos finally returned to the table side, holding the rattling cat carrier as he tried to shove it under the table, watching as Nana moved her piece.
"Just like my grandson! Oh, my sweet little cherub. Oh, Varvatos! You've got a queen to capture! On the chessboard, of course." She giggled, watching as the man smiled and rubbed his hands together.
"Why, yes. He was merely planning his next capture. Hmm…" As Varvatos figured out his next move, the group was moving toward the powerlines, the electricity buzzing as Krel glanced back at Jim who was sharing a loving look with Claire.
"Okay, let me try," Krel muttered, stopping at Jim's side, and reaching for the backpack. Jim moved back, keeping the bag close to him. "Allow me to take the bag off your shoulders, friend."
"Poor Jim, he looks so concerned as to why his bag was such a popular thing that day."
"It was very concerning," Jim stated, smiling at the memory.
"I'm good. Just hang tight, back in a flash." Jim stated as he disappeared behind a car, Claire and Toby quickly covering the windows.
"Nothing to see here," Toby stated as the metal clanged together, the view being seen in the car mirror as Aja watched.
"That is not my weapon," Aja whispered as Jim's hand outstretched and the sword donned in his awaiting hand. "How strange. He's just doing that in the middle of the street."
"A shameless weirdo. That's my favorite kind," Krel said as Jim appeared from behind the car, cladded in his armor, moving to Aja and Krel.
"What?" Jim asked dryly as Claire snorted. "Hey, don't laugh!"
"I'm sorry, but that is hilarious. Shameless weirdo."
"It is not!"
"Curious. First, metal teeth. Now, metal clothes?" She studied the new object closely.
"And you always tell me we are the ones who have to be normal?" Krel said questioningly as the amulet glowed brightly.
"Lively, what is the power source?" Jim leaned back to keep her from touching it.
"Um, I don't know, just a standard safety suit?"
"Uh, yeah. Safety first," Toby finished.
"Safety?" Krel repeated with a light scoff, "You're wearing metal and we're capturing lightning."
"Yeah, okay," Jim mumbled as Claire suddenly appeared, quick to change the subject. "Hup-two! Better hurry."
"Good luck," Krel simply said, before glancing to his sister. "So, we agree his glowing gem thing is not Akiridion tech."
"It's not Earth technology, either. Maybe this has something to do with Trollhunters," she said with wonder as the Trollhunter stepped up to the light post, planting his sword into the ground as he placed the jar nearby.
"Well, at least she is smarter than half of the people who have seen so much worse than what they saw."
"Thank you," Aja said with a proud smile. "It is easy to figure out."
"We're just glad you understand," Claire mentioned.
"Uh... nope," he mumbled before running from the cords, the group ducking behind the car.
"Yep, just another boring day in our perfectly normal town," the stout boy commented.
"And three…" Aja started, the lights nearby flickering, above on the wiring, energy struck across the wires, "Two, one…." They all poked their heads above the car, watching as the lightning struck in the middle, cascading down the sword and into the jar.
Around them, Arcadia instantly powered down, the whole city blacking out as the four watched with groans.
"No, that's not good," Toby muttered as alarms blared and people began to call out in shock.
The crowd laughed, remembering how the group reacted. They were so used to destroying things, that all they could do was make a sly comment before running away. It was something no one had the courage to fully pull off, especially causing an entire outage in the city.
"If the weird Trollhunters don't have your serrator, who does?" Krel asked, looking at Aja.
Speaking of that, Steve was frantically throwing books from the shelves, looking under the desk before he planted himself in the chair. "Come on, Palchuk. If you were a weird laser hoop thing, where would you hide? Aja's gonna hate me!" He slammed his fists on the desk, the lights going out just as he did so. He stared at his hands in shock.
"With great power...comes no power." Steve gasped as the scene changed, Nana and Vex still in their match as Nancy made her move.
The crowd groaned out while Aja wore a smile, she wasn't upset at all, only happy that he was so worried about disappointing her when it wasn't his fault. She never felt this way and seeing someone care about her and her belongings, was sweet.
"King to F-three. Take that."
"Finally, we have ourselves a game," Varvatos stood as the lights went out, causing him to groan and drop the piece. "Oh!" As he lowered to pick it up, he noticed the massive blue hole burned in the back of the cat carrier. "Great Gaylen's core!"
On the streets of Arcadia, driving through the darkness, Stuart sang to his burrito before he spotted Chompsky who broke free, running around with the serrator.
Darci chuckled, smiling as she watched Chompsky, "it is so funny watching him run away in the distance, you can't see his legs move but he is going."
"I know, it's the best part of him living in my bedroom," Toby stated.
Holy guacamole
My guacamole holy
Stuart screamed and pressed his brakes, the tires squealing as he came to a harsh stop. However, Chompsky wasn't phased as he blew a raspberry at the truck. "What on Durio is that rogue lawn ornament doing with a serrator?"
This time, a stray car didn't miss, smacking into the Gnome who was covered by the shield and throwing him across the road. Chompsky bounced in the shield as it crashed on the ground, the harsh hit knocking the serrator out of his hand and giving Stuart the opportunity to grab it. "I will be taking this, thank you very much."
Aja and Steve perked up, both thinking the same thing as it all made sense. Steve was wondering how Aja got her weapon back when he lost it, and Aja instantly figured out who the S stood for.
The girl instantly glanced at Steve, wondering what he was actually going to say when he arrived that night. After all, now that she noticed, he looked confused.
The Gnome chuckled as he looked at the ceramic Garden Gnome he landed by. The scene changed as Jim and the group walked through the darkness, the bottle of lightning in hand.
"You guys really helped us out." Claire responded, "You guys are out of this world."
"Precisely." Aja began to lead her brother away as Jim spoke.
"Maybe we'll see you around this summer,"
"Sure, maybe at the teen center, Trollhunters?" Aja said, the two heading home. Before they reached their home, Stuart arrived in his taco truck. He moved to the door and began to write a note, reading out loud what he scribbled on the paper.
"Be more careful. Heart. S." He snorted before placing the note and weapon beneath the welcome mat. "There we go. Who'd have thought little Stuey from the block on Durio, growing up to protect a princess? Oh! Oh, your mama would be so proud if she was alive today. Oh, you know what? She is still alive!"
He laughed and drove away as Aja and Krel finally made it home, completely missing Stuart.
"Lightning in a bottle. Should we be concerned with what they're going to do with that?" Aja asked.
"You should be very concerned, after all,, it was part of turning our Jimbo into a half-troll."
"Ah, that is what it was for, that is possible?" Krel asked.
"When you have a wizard who should have warned us!" Toby said, glaring at Merlin who simply shrugged.
"You guys got use to it, stop whining."
"Yeah, I definitely want to know the full story now," Aja mentioned, smiling proudly.
"I'm just glad we're not the only weirdos in this town."
"You mean the perfectly normal and ordinary town of Arcadia?" She teased before grunting in surprise as she nearly tripped over the bulge in the mat. She leaned down to pick up whatever was beneath, finding her weapon and the note. "Hey, it came back."
"This day has been too strange," Krel stated and moved inside as Aja read the note, Steve pulling up behind her as she turned with a smile.
"Be more careful. Heart. S.?"
"Aja, I'm so sorry. I found whatever that was in the woods…"
"I know! Thank you for returning it. Just let it be our little secret, okay? S." She said happily as she held his hand, Steve, was mildly confused.
Steve glanced at Aja, now understanding why she thought it was him who returned it, as he was about to tell her that he had lost it in the first place.
"Steve…" Aja started.
"I know, I'm sorry, I was trying to tell you, then I got so confused about what you meant and—"
"I am not mad, Stuart may returned it, but I lost it in the first place. You worked so hard trying to get it back in the first place when a little creature took it."
"You're not?" Steve asked shyly.
Aja couldn't help but giggle, making the boy smile. "No, of course, not. Thank you for trying Steve." She mentioned before pecking his forehead, causing him to blush madly.
That was until the crowd let out a chorus of 'awes', instantly causing the two to blush madly when they heard.
"Uh, sure."
"Thank you!" She pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, laughing as Steve didn't seem to wear a face of pain when he let out an, 'ow.' Steve chuckled as her hand held his cheek, causing her to let out her own laugh. She skipped back to the house as Varvatos pulled open the door, an angered parent.
"You two, where are your serrators?"
"Right here," Steve walked away in a love-drunk state as Aja and Krel replied to Varvatos Vex, as they walked inside.
"Got it!"
"We wouldn't lose our serrators, Vex. We're not soolians."
"Just weirdos," Krel replied. Aja looked outside, finding Steve nearly losing his balance on the Vespa as she waved. The boy sped off with a whoop, happy as ever.
"Oh. Well, true."
From the happy night that Aja was left in, the morning soon rose, a math problem written on the board as Ms. Janeht spoke up, both Krel and Seamus standing on their respective side. "Gentleman, as you know, I only give one A-plus in my class. This test will resolve who gets that A-plus. Ready? Begin."
Krel began to write, smiling as he thought and shocking Seamus as the two solved the problem with ease. Both their guardians and Ms. Janeth sat back, watching it while Varvatos seemed slightly bored.
"If this were a true duel, there would be glorious dismemberment at its conclusion."
"If he's your grandson, why's his skin so much darker than yours?" The very much disliked father asked.
"Are you serious right now? Are you absolutely joking me."
"Krel told Varvatos much about you. You are fortunate Varvatos doesn't take your skin and turn it into drapes for his living room." He laughed as he pointed at the man.
"Yeah, you tell him Varvatos!" Krel stared at the screen, blinking in disbelief as his mentor stood up for him. He knew Varvatos didn't mean what he did and his heart began to cry out for the mentor who helped protect them.
He cared, and Krel could see that, even after the massive mistake he made. Maybe, they could find it in their hearts to forgive him.
"You're intense."
"No, you are intense!" Varavtos shot back but Ms. Janeth quickly shushed them.
"Shh. You're both intense." The two moved through the duel with ease, writing down each side to show how they got the answer, which both made out to be equal to negative three.
Krel glanced at the boy next to him who wore a worried look before Krel sighed, knowing what he had to do as Mr. Johnson's voice echoed in his head.
'If you lose to that foreigner, you can forget about about space camp.'
"Fine," Krel erased his answer, lowering it to negative two as Ms. Janeth called out.
"Time's up." Seamus held out his hand which Krel gladly took as Ms. Janeth studied the board. "Interesting. We almost have a tie. Mr. Johnson has edged out Mr. Tarron by one point."
Seamus glanced at the screen, then to Krel who didn't bother to look at him, seeming lost in thought. Seamus didn't bother wondering at what Krel was thinking about and decided it was best not to bother him.
Instead, he simply smiled, staring down at the row with unique individuals, each one sitting there, smiling after he had spent so long making each of their lives a problem. He swallowed, knowing no one was listening to him, but it was meant for Semaus, to forgive himself for what he might have done.
"Thank you, Krel, Toby, Aja, Jim, and Claire. I'm sorry for making issues and not realizing what you all went through."
"Did you say something?" His friend asked, sitting beside him.
"Ah, no…" Seamus started.
"Okay, cool."
"Ha! Told you. Didn't think it'd be this close, though. No alien should beat my Seamus," the deadbeat said before he walked his son out, who suddenly wore a different look than previously seen.
"He's better than you, Dad."
"Ha! Well…" As the screen changed, Krel was seen at his locker, shoving his books in before closing the door. He jumped in surprise when Seamus stood beside him, arms crossed.
"Why'd you do it? You threw the math duel."
"I wanted you to be able to go to space camp. I hear space is nice."
Seamus couldn't help but laugh, "You're weird, you know that?"
"I highly recommend it, I have been to space," Krel said, smiling at Seamus.
"From what I've seen, everyone here is weird."
"But you're okay."
Krel gasped as his new friend began to walk away, leaving the transfer student in a happy shock. "Really? I'm okay. You're okay, too!"
From the happy moment, Morando's voice was heard as the screen transferred, moving to Akirdion-5. Morando stood in front of Zadra and the rest of the captive castle, speaking as the others listened, slightly in fear.
"For too long, the technological advancement of our planet has been repressed by the hollow virtues of House Tarron. But under my leadership, the brilliant minds of Akiridion-5 have been liberated. We can now finally guarantee the everlasting security of our people." A red, massive Robot rose from the floor, shocking Zadra who looked at her partner, who wore a rather guilty look.
"Seriously, it could have ended so well and we have to sit here and listen to another enemy have some lame dramatic moment they don't need!"
"It's a nice fill-in."
"SHUT YOUR FACE!"
"From here unto eternity, our enemies will surrender, or they will die at the hands of this Ocular Mechanically Engineered Neutralizer," Morando continued as the bot charged up. "Engage. The Age of Omen has begun."