Chihiro Hatsuki's Skylanders: Here Come the Giants!

by Tilde-Heart

The past and present collide when an ancient evil from the bowels of Skylands' history is awakened by Kaos as he attempts to restore his empire of evil! Now, Chihiro and the Skylanders must team up with the heroes of Skylands' distant past in order to bring a stop to the revival of the Arkeyan Empire! (Canon-divergent retelling of Skylanders Giants)

4. Chapter 4

Greenswitch - Freeshadow: Yep, I had to toss an Uno clone in there since it's a game I've played with my family a lot! To be honest, I've always interpreted Eye-Brawl's name as being like Rocky Roll's, since one's an eye and one's a suit that punches things. And yep, Brawl knows sign language! In the games, it's sort of implied that Eye does all the talking (see his "Arise, my little brothers!" line when summoning the mini eyeballs), so I just took it a tiny bit further.

---

"You really thought you could get away with this, huh?" cackled the drow helming the charge as he pointed his spear towards Ninjini. He inched closer with the sharp, shiny tip of his weapon, and his eyes glinted with some mixture of pride and fury with every step he took. "But lemme tell ya, nobody breaks in and steals the game's spoils on my watch! I've guarded these games for fifty years now, and not a single soul has slipped past my notice! All you're getting is a one-way ticket to the dungeons!"

"Yeah!" Cried the other drow guards as they brandished their weapons and charged closer to the Elder Elementals!

"Leading you into that Elemental Realm was the greatest idea I had! After all, it bought us enough time to get the entire security force out here!"

The rich green grasses turned to sickly shades of mint and red as the drow all helmed in closer and closer, so tightly packed that they elbowed into each other and poked each other in the heads with their weaponry, but aside from brief shouts and cries they hardly let up! They just steadied their grips on their weapons, all while their eyes burned with rage and the will to fight! They may all have been vastly smaller in stature than the Elder Elementals, true, but they certainly had them outmatched!

Bouncer and Ninjini winced as their shoulders brushed against each other, and on instinct Ninjini summoned her wishblades and gripped their handles tight.

Ninjini squeezed her wishblades' handles tighter. "Like it or not, it looks like we're going to have to fight!" She cried.

"Normally I'm not big on picking on people smaller than I am," Bouncer added as he rubbed his wrists, "but it seems like we don't have any choices here!"

The others all winced and stepped back as the drow swarmed in further like ants in pursuit of picnic food, and all of them shared in Bouncer and Ninjini's wariness, whether it was Thumpback's wringing of his chain or the sparks that cracked and popped from Hot Head's hands. Well, almost all of them—Swarm had that typical smirk of his on his face as he strode forward and cracked his knuckles, and his wings twitched with a cheerful hum.

"Whaddya guys think you're gonna do? Poke us?" Swarm sneered as he finished cracking his knuckles and raised his barbs, their surfaces shiny as they glinted against the fading afternoon sun. "You might have a ton of guys, but we've got some really big ones here! And I'm pretty sure that beats you out by like, a lot!"

A few of the drow blinked and stepped back as they mumbled among each other, and some others lowered their weapons and surely frowned beneath the masks and helmets that they wore. Swarm's remark had pierced their armor, and he was right, in a sense—they had the power of the Ancients on their side and massive size to boot! If they wanted to, they could wipe their clocks clean in an instant! Yet, the drow who helmed the charged didn't look nearly as concerned as their subordinates! In fact, they just laughed in Swarm's face! Their cackles bellowed out into the air, and Swarm's confidence faded as he stepped back and frowned.

"Wait, what's so funny?" Swarm asked.

"We've got a trick for dealing with big, haughty guys like you, buddy!" The drow helming the charge proclaimed as he held his spear upright. A whistle from the head guard cleared a path between the other guards, but the head guard simply waved. "Bring in the bracelets!"

A groan sounded over the horizon as something blocked out the sun, then with a push, something fast and blurry rolled over the hills and right up to the drow before a single push brought the device to a stop and unveiled its identity! It seemed like a cannon on wheels with tons of large bracelets—at least, they looked kind of like bracelets or rings with the way they dangled from the cannon's mouth while the guards rolled them in. The cannon's sleek surface shone against the sun as smoke dangled from its mouth, and though it seemed fairly unassuming, the way the drow smirked and chuckled among each other showed that something about it was more than what it seemed!

"Just what is that thing?" Ninjini asked as she drew her wishblades.

The head drow chuckled as he strode around to the side of the cannon. "Why don't you find out?" He asked as he slapped the side of the cannon!

The cannon shuddered and rumbled in response to the slap, then it bubbled and pulsed before it shot off even more of those same bracelets! The bracelets sparked and crackled with energy as they shot towards the Elder Elementals, and Ninjini immediately knocked them back into a tree with her wishblades! Beside her Thumpback swung his anchor and shattered a few more of those bracelets… Then they all jumped back as the bracelets exploded in a shower of sparks!

"Careful, everyone!" Ninjini cried as she smacked away a few more bracelets with a shield and turned around. "These things are explosive, too!"

"That's no problem for me!" Swarm shouted back as he raised his arms up. "These little things might blow up some, but my stingers will blast 'em back before—"

A click sounded, and Swarm grunted as his eyes fell on the bracelets that had latched onto his wrists! Swarm blinked as he glazed down his wrists, then grunted and tried to yank the bracelets off, but a zap from them stopped him! Swarm winced in pain as he lifted his hand from the bracelets… Then, a bright glow surrounded him and he shrank down to the drow guards' size! Swarm gasped as the drow sneered and turned their weapons on him.

"Alright, so they shrink you!" Swarm cried as he held his arms out. "That's not gonna stop me from bringing the sting!"

Swarm held out his hands and smirked as a faint clicking sound came from them, then his eyes went wide as not a single stinger or barb emerged.

"Hey, what's going on here?! Why can't I attack?!"

Swarm stumbled back as one of the drow slashed at him, but before they could cut him down, Ninjini yanked him from the ground and swept him into her palms.

"That's the point, you overgrown bumblebee! Those bracelets nullify any fancy powers you have!"

Swarm growled, and his cheeks turned red as the drow all cackled in his face! He grunted as he dug his claws underneath the bracelets and tried to yank them off, but right as he did a massive shock burst from the bracelets and zapped him! Swarm cried out in pain, his carapace seared with singe marks as he collapsed and panted in Ninjini's hands, then he snarled and pulled his head away as the drow cackled further.

"And those things have shock sprites in them, too!" The head guard cried. "You even think of taking them off, and they'll shock you like you were holding a golf club during a thunderstorm!"

The head guard kicked the bracelet cannon and grinned as it sputtered and started up, then turned a spear on the Elder Elementals.

"Get 'em, guards!"

The guards cried out as they swarmed the Elder Elementals, but Swarm just faced the swarm with narrowed eyes! He grunted as he flew out of Ninjini's palms and raised his arms, but before he could jump in Thumpback yanked him away! Swarm grunted and squirmed as Thumpback dropped him in a nearby tree, and a snarl formed as he met Thumpback's stern gaze.

"Stay there, Swarm," Thumpback warned as he raised his anchor. "We'll take care of things here!"

"No way, buddy!" Swarm cried as he leaped off the branch and hovered in midair. "I may be a bit smaller, but I can still fight!"—Swarm's eyes fell on a couple of bracelets that flew closer, and he grunted as he corkscrewed right past Thumpback's head—"in fact, I'll show you!"

Swarm zipped right into the bracelets' path, and his wings beat with a furious rhythm as he stopped right before the bracelets and slashed right through them! His blows didn't even leave a scratch in their shiny metal surfaces, nor did they break or shatter—but, they did slam into each other and knock several other bracelets down into the field! The bracelets crashed into the ground and exploded in a shower of sparks as they hit the floor, and the drow unlucky enough to be around them were completely electrocuted!

Swarm, however, just chuckled and scratched his head. "Well, that's one way to take care of 'em!" Swarm remarked!

A spark of lightning hit Swarm in the back, then he turned around and screamed as several of the bracelets exploded into electrical storms behind him! While the lightning rained down onto the drow guards, Swarm zipped forward and tried to zap a few more that tailed after him, but as he did he zipped right into Thumpback's way! Thumpback pulled his anchor back while Swarm screamed and dashed away right before the anchor could slam into him, and Thumpback himself stumbled backwards…

And in Swarm's place, two of the bracelets latched onto Thumpback's wrists! Thumpback grunted as he glanced at his arms while that glow shone around him, then he gasped as he shrunk down to the drow guards' size while his anchor slipped from his hands! Thumpback screamed and ran off as the anchor crashed down and anchored itself into the ground, as did the drow around him. But, as he ran, he snagged his foot on a rock and collapsed, only able to push himself up as the anchor came in for him! Thumpback winced as the anchor drew closer, but before it could smash him underneath its metal weight, Swarm zipped forward and pushed him out of the way! The anchor crashed into the ground, kicking up dirt dangerously close to where Thumpback and Swarm sat while Swarm chuckled and scratched his head as Thumpback glared him down, when an array of blades slung into their faces! Swarm immediately snarled and raised his arms, but Thumpback just grabbed him by the elbow and dashed off!

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Swarm cried as he tried to yank his arm free of Thumpback's grip.

"We're in no condition to fight them like this!" Thumpback grunted as he yanked two laser guns from two nearby unconscious drow and tossed one into Swarm's hands. "Just take this!"

The two of them grunted as they rolled behind Thumpback's anchor, then popped up and frowned as they examined the guns.

"So, what's this thing supposed to do?" Swarm asked as he tilted the gun in his hand and bopped it a couple times.

Thumpback frowned and scratched his head. "Actually, I'm not really sure?" Thumpback remarked as he lifted the gun up to the sky. "But, I think I saw that gremlin spin around a gun like this on the ship!"—Thumpback wrapped his finger around the trigger in hand —"I'm pretty sure it goes something like this?…"

His finger tightened around the trigger, and a storm of lasers burst from the gun's barrel and rained down like fireworks onto the battlefield! The lasers burst in an array of colorful light that blew several of the drow soldiers down, and they only grunted as their still-standing teammates trampled them underfoot in the midst of a mad dash for Swarm and Thumpback!

"Wicked!" Swarm cried! With a grin, he wrapped his own finger around the trigger and smirked. "Now it's my turn! Eat my sting!"

With a few clicks of the trigger, Swarm shot another round of lasers towards the drow and tossed them up in explosions of light and fury! The drow grunted as they flew up in the skies, only to get shot back down again by blasts from Bouncer's finger guns! Bouncer spun around and tossed the drow that climbed onto his leg into the drow gunners that shot down at him from below, then whipped around and blasted several of the bracelets that charged for him right out of the air! With a grin, Bouncer lowered his smoking fingers and blew them off, then grunted as a rock beaned him in the head!

"Hey, who threw that?!" Bouncer cried as he whipped around!

His eyes fell down on a row of drow manning catapults down below, and with a snarl Bouncer zipped right for them! The drow screamed and ran off as Bouncer crushed their catapults underwheel, and Bouncer only grinned as he crossed his arms… Then stood still with his smirk, not even bothering to move as the sound of the wind whipping came dangerously close towards him! Snap! Bouncer winced as something latched onto his arms, then lifted them up and grimaced as a pair of bracelets fastened themselves tight around his wrists!

"Oh no."

In a moment's time Bouncer shrunk down to the drow's size and grimaced as the drow he once chased off surrounded him and turned their weapons towards his neck! Bouncer gulped and wheeled back as their pointy blades came closer and closer to his face, and he warily lifted up his hands.

"Now, buddies, I'm sure we can talk this out," Bouncer winced, and oil dripped down his face as he tried to avert his eyes from the sharp, pointy blades that were dangerously close to his throat. "Let's all put our weapons down…" The drow shoved their weapons closer in Bouncer's face, and he wheeled back only to get pricked by even more! Bouncer yelped in pain, then grimaced as the weapons came dangerously close to his chest. "Of all the times to get a penalty…"

The drow cackled as they lifted their blades for just a moment, then yelped as a massive silver laser crashed down from above and blew them away! The drow cried out and clutched their burning limbs as their laser's blow tossed them aside, while Eye swooped down before Bouncer and chuckled!

"Eye suppose I came in the nick of time, didn't I?" Eye asked as he hovered in place before Bouncer, his once fairly diminutive stature now massive by comparison.

"You did save me back there, so I'll forgive the puns this time," Bouncer chuckled as he winked at Eye.

Eye chucked back, then he turned to where another round of bracelets soared towards him and snarled! His cornea glowed bright, and another massive laser slammed into the bracelets and completely corroded them! The rust bubbled and seared against the metal, which grew so hot that the shock sprites inside couldn't take it any longer! They screeched and leaped out of the bracelet, then zipped for the next best metal thing they could find—which, unfortunately for the drow, happened to be their armor!

The drow screamed as the sprites leaped towards them and shocked them down, and as the electrocuted drow fell by his feet, Hot Head scratched his head and turned to where another group of bracelets shot right towards him!

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Hot Head cried as he held out his hands. "How about I turn up the heat?"

Puffs of embers burst from Hot Head's palms, then from them came full on flamethrowers that ate the bracelets up in their heat! The bracelets turned red hot as they fell out of the skies, and the sprites within squealed and leaped onto the battlefield as the smoldering bracelets clattered onto the ground! Sparks flew as the sprites leaped into the drow's armor or chased them down, and a few even hastily shot bolts everywhere they went, frying the bracelets below and blowing them like bombs! Flames burst across the ground as fires and sparks flew, and smoke singed everyone's noses as the flames grew higher!

Eye and Bouncer fled to Brawl's side just before the flames could singe them, then as the flames faded they all turned around and beamed. The smoke and fire had finally disappeared, and all the bracelets that had once tackled them were completely busted! Their singed remains laid on the ground as charred, lumpy heaps of molten metal, while the sprites that were in them groaned and exploded into puff of light and sparks as the last of their energy faded! The drow guards had their forces halved at least, their many guards either sprawled out on the ground and wounded or in a dizzy haze as they stumbled on their trembling feet, all while sparks remnants of their electrocution bounced from their armor!

The Elder Elementals all grinned as they regrouped and stood in the heart of the battlefield, and as a small cough hit the air, they all turned around.

Down at their feet, the head guard snarled and pointed at them. "Don't get too cocky!" The head guard cried as he whipped out a remote and tapped its button. "We're not done here yet!"

The button clicked and glowed a bright red, and a ring of fire burst out from the ground, the Elder Elementals kept inside! Swarm, Bouncer and Thumpback hid behind Brawl as the flames drew in closer, while safely away from the massive wreath of fire, the drow cackled.

"Alright, now you're stuck!" The head guard cried as he slapped on a communicator. "Send in more bracelets! And this time, make 'em the fireproof ones!"

"Actually, we've got a problem, boss!" The person on the other side shouted back. "We're all out! We're gonna need an extra hour or two to make more!"

"WHAT? What do you mean you're out?!"

"That's what I just said!" The faint crackle of electricity buzzed over the speakers. "And this batch of sprites just won't get in and cooperate at all! We've tried everything!"

"Try checking the back then! There's always stuff there!"

The head guard winced and banged on his communicator as feedback burst from it, then gasped as electricity and screams crackled from it with an even louder buzzing to match! He hastily pulled away just before he got zapped, groaned and stepped back as the flames got hotter. "Well boys, seems like there's a little wrench in our plans—"

FWOOM! The flames burst in all directions, and the head guard screamed and dove for cover as they nearly singed him! Luckily or not, the flames passed him over with only their residual heat, then he turned around and scrambled backwards as Hot Head sucked the last of the flames into his palms and burned with an even brighter fire!

"And what exactly was it that you were planning?" Ninjini asked as she crossed her arms.

The head guard blinked, turned back to his largely-reeling forces and then to the Elder Elementals, then gulped.

"Just hurry it up!" He barked into the communicator, then turned back to the few guards of his still active. "Any of you got any ideas?"

"I do, sir!" Said one drow guard as they raised their hand. "RU—"

A massive purple orb exploded by the drow's feet, but the message was gotten all the same! The drow that hasn't been knocked out leaped to the feet and dashed over towards the horizon, all screaming and panicking as they abandoned their weapons in their wake.

"Retreat for now, guards!" The head guard cried. "We'll regroup with the rest of our forces and get them later!"

"I don't think so!" Ninjini cried as a burst of purple smoke exploded before the guards!

They all skidded to a stop and screamed as Ninjini appeared before them, then turned around and dashed back across—but as they did, Eye-Brawl and Crusher slid in front of them! So they high-tailed it left, yet Hot Head jumped in front of them too! They all backed away, but the Elder Elementals just backed them into a circle.

"We've got them cornered, boys," Ninjini remarked as she cracked her knuckles, "let's finish—"

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

"This?!"

Ninjini grunted as a pair of bracelets latched not just onto her, but to everyone else around her as well! Hot Head, Crusher and Brawl all gasped, and even Eye watched in shock as the bracelets latched onto his wings! A bright glow surrounded them, and before they knew it they had completely shrunken down to the drow's size! Crusher's hammer fell from his grip and slammed into the ground with a thud, and the five of them just gasped in silent shock as they examined their shrunken forms… When the sound of an balloon flying in echoed from the skies above and turned their heads up!

"Hey, boss! Turns out there were more in the back!" Cried a drow piloting a balloon as they came in for a landing. "You were right!"

"Always am!" The head guard shouted back. "Now come on and give us a hand here!"

The drow in the balloon all nodded, and they leaped from the balloon in pairs and surrounded the Elder Elementals! For such a small balloon, it housed an incredible number of drow—there had to be a hundred of them at least, and they all completely surrounded the shrunken Elder Elementals!

"Still feeling cocky, buddies?" One of the drow remarked as they crossed their arms.

Ninjini winced as the drow glared at her with those snide eyes and sneers, but nonetheless she just raised her fists and snarled.

"If you think we're giving in, you've got another thing coming!" Ninjini cried as she rushed forward. "No bracelets will stop us!"

"Yeah!" The others cried behind her as they rushed into the fray.

The head drow gasped as he swung away from Ninjini before she tackled him down. "Geez, you're some of the most stubborn stragglers I've ever seen!" He remarked as he raised his weapon to the sky. "But, if it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get!"

The drow lowered his spear, then rushed into the fray and screamed as he charged towards Bouncer, but Bouncer just kicked him away and dashed off! Bouncer grunted as he punched through the drow that surrounded him, but as he did, one leaped up behind him and conked him over the head with their spear! Bouncer cried out and turned around, and in that moment one of the drow stabbed him in the back with an electrically-charged sword! Sparks flew from Bouncer's teeth as garbled nonsense chattered out, and the sparks danced and flew from his body as he collapsed onto the ground!

"Bouncer!" Crusher cried as he reached out, only able to watch as the drow surrounded the still-shuddering Bouncer!

Just as Crusher tried to run off, however, a wall of drow rushed in front of him and blocked him off! Crusher grunted as the drow charged towards him, and on instinct he punched one away then kicked another, but a frown fell across his face as the drow circled around him! Crusher turned around and winced as his eyes fell on his hammer, now far too massive for someone of his size to wield, then back to the drow… Right as one kicked him in the gut and knocked him right into Bouncer! The drow cried out in pain and held their foot as they hopped around, and Crusher screamed in turn as he slammed into Bouncer!

Another net came over Crusher as he groaned and slunk down, all while he clutched a cracked chest. "Geez…" Crusher grunted as he screwed his eyes shut. "I didn't think there was anyone more rock-solid than me…"

While Crusher and Bouncer both groaned in pain, twin drow guards smirked and tossed nets over the two of them, wrapping them tight. But right before they could haul the two off, a buzzing sound rang in the distance and caught their ears! They both flicked their ears and turned around, and in that moment Swarm slammed right into them both and kicked them aside.

"Don't worry, not-so-big guys, I'm coming!" Swarm cried as he yanked up the nets' ropes and sawed at them with his arm blades. The ropes shone and thickened as Swarm's blades ran against them, and Swarm snarled as he sawed harder. "Geez, these magic nets are a pain…" Swarm peered aside as a chill came over his back, then turned back to the nets and continued sawing. "If not even my blades can cut 'em, then what will?"

Swarm grunted, then out of nowhere he cried out in pain and collapsed onto Bouncer and Crusher! His tongue lolled out of his mouth while his body splayed over Bouncer and Crusher's, and behind him a drow bearing a shocking pole just scratched their head.

"Huh, didn't even stab him!" The drow remarked, and a low chuckle came from them as they readied a net and drew closer. "Guess I'd better catch me a bumblebee!"

The drow yanked out the net and untangled its webbing, and their eyes drifted from the net to where Swarm laid. Most of the time Swarm stayed still as a statue while the drow tried to fix the net, but then the drow blinked… And when they opened their eyes again, Swarm grinned right at them!

"Got'cha!" Swarm cried as he swept his leg underneath the drow, yanked the nets off the ground and flew off!

The drow cried out as he fell off his balance, and in that moment the net he had been trying to untangle finally fixed itself and collapsed all over him! The drow grunted as he thrashed against his own net while his comrades watched and chuckled, and his own faced was tinged blue with embarrassment as he turned towards them!

"Don't just stand here and laugh at me!" The drow demanded as he glared back at the others. "Get that bee!"

The drow dashed right off after Swarm, but they couldn't stifle their laughter as they raced in front of him! Swarm gasped as veered left as one drow cornered him, but then another ran right in front of him! Swarm unintentionally body-slammed right into the drow and knocked them back into their companion, then zipped up and dashed right behind Thumpback! Swarm winced as he thrust his arms and thorax in front of him as the drow came in, but quickly lowered it when only a few clicks came from him.

"That's right," Swarm winced as he held his hands up, his eyes focuses on the bracelets around them. "Can't attack!" Swarm ducked underneath the blow of a hammer, then turned around and jostled Thumpback's arm. "Thumpback, think of something!"

"Why me?" Thumpback gasped as he pointed back to himself.

"I don't know! You're the one who's better at this kind of stuff!"

Thumpback winced and tapped his face, but in his moment of contemplation, one of the larger drow guards charged right into him and knocked him into Swarm! And if the pain of being tackled right into the ground wasn't bad enough, their bracelets loosened a tiny bit and the both of them were shocked to bits! They both screamed as the electricity burned through them, then groaned and laid down as it faded, the nets slipping from Swarm's grip and laying Bouncer and Crusher beside them.

Ninjini, Eye-Brawl and Hot Head all tensed as they backed into each other, while the drow all sneered and surrounded them. They were the only ones left, but they weren't going to be stopped! They tensed as they raised their fists, perfectly ready to fight… But right before they did, Eye screamed as a rope leaped out of nowhere and yanked him right into a cage! Eye groaned as the cage's door slammed right before him, but the slam of the door shook his senses right back into him! He grunted as he slammed against the cage's door, but he just couldn't bust it!

Brawl gasped, and a low growl came from him as he charged right towards the cage! Several drow immediately ran into his way and tried to stop him, but he just punched them aside like they were ragdolls, the drow themselves only able to be thrown aside!

"Get that thing down no matter what!" The head drow cried as he pointed towards Brawl, his eyes fixed on several larger, bulkier drow!

The drow nodded and cracked their knuckles as they rushed towards Brawl, who only continued into his revenge rampage as he tore through the drow forces! Two of the bulkier drow grabbed onto Brawl's arms and pulled him back as he was just inches within the cage, but Brawl just snarled and kicked them in the knees! The drow howled and slipped away from him as they collapsed, but just before Brawl could escape, a third, bulkier drow punched him in the chest and knocked him down!

"Calm down a little, will you!?" The drow exclaimed as they grabbed a glowing orb from their pocket and slammed it into Brawl's chest. "Seems like you could use a nap!"

Brawl grunted and huffed as the smoke seeped into the cracks and joints of his armored body, and slowly his flailing came to a close! He fell against the floor with one last grunt, and soft noises rumbled from the inside of his suit as the drow dragged him up and sat him upright.

"Y'know, with him not having a head, it's kinda hard to tell if he's actually sleeping or not," one of the drow guards remarked as they tapped Brawl on the chest. The drow turned back to their companions and shrugged. "Whatever, just net him up anyways!"

So, they tossed a net right over Brawl and trapped him right within its magic bindings! With a single heave they tossed him in with Eye and nearly crushed Eye in the process, then slammed the cage door shut and grinned as they turned their eyes and weapons onto Hot Head and Ninjini. The two of them were the only ones left, and those bracelets were locked tight around their wrists to boot—the odds seemed against them!

But, Ninjini wasn't giving up just yet! She snapped her fingers and grimaced, then frowned as she lifted up her noticeably light hands.

"Why aren't my wishblades coming to me?" Ninjini asked as she flexed her fingers, then her frown turned to a scowl as her eyes fell back on the bracelets. "Oh, right." Ninjini gasped and flew back as a sword slashed for her, then she dove behind Hot Head. "Hot Head, cover me!" She cried.

"On it!" Hot Head roared as he pounded forward and punched a drow guard in the face!

The sound of screaming and clashing metal echoed behind Ninjini as she yanked a pair of swords from the ground, then flew aside right before a thin, magical net could fall on her! The swords' handles kept firm in her grip, Ninjini sped over to where Hot Head punched and screamed away, then leaped above him and slashed a thin net headed his way to bits! As the net's remains rained down, Ninjini fell down in front of Hot Head and pointed her swords towards the drow that stood in front of her.

One drow cried out and tried to stab her with his spear, she but just blocked it off with her swords and tossed aside! Another leaped behind her in that moment and slashed a sword at her, but Ninjini flew off and slashed right back! Their swords' metal clashed against each other as they traded blows, but finally she slashed the drow's hand and knocked the sword right into the ground! A screech came from the air as Ninjini did, and she zipped away right before an overhead trident could skewer her like seafood! As the trident dug into the ground beside her, several other drow just screamed and charged after her, so she flew forward and slammed them in the chest with a blow from her swords! The drow all cried out as they fell to the ground, and Ninjini grunted and flew off as another batch came after her.

But while she did decent enough at fending off the drow forces, Hot Head himself wasn't so lucky! He grunted as he stumbled over his own two feet, all while he swung and stomped and swiped around! Without his fire powers, he didn't exactly have much in his arsenal to use and it really showed—every attack he threw was of shaky form, his punches too slow and his stomps so fast that he fell off his own balance and collapsed! Hot Head groaned as the drow beside him all ran off, then he pushed himself off the ground and smirked.

"Guess I was just too hot for them!" Hot Head chuckled, when a purple light came over his face and popped his eyes open. Hot Head grunted, then winced as a net came hurtling right for him!

"Oh no!"

Hot Head cried out as the net crashed down onto him and locked tight, but he just screamed and flailed as he clawed and pushed against the ropes! A cool white mist came from the as Hot Head protested, and frost covered his arms and legs as he broke into a coughing fit!

"Hot Head!" Ninjini cried! She turned around and snarled as she body-slammed a drow away, then rushed right to where he laid!

Ninjini grunted as she slashed her swords against the ropes, yet it was of no use! They were too strong for her blades to cut through, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying! So, she sawed her blades against the ropes, careful to avoid Hot Head as he flailed about.

"Hot Head, quit moving!" Ninjini hissed as she continued to slash and saw. "You're making this harder!"

A series of shings fell below Ninjini's back, and she winced. Though she hadn't turned around, the feeling of something hovering behind her neck surely told her all she needed to know, combined with the snide cackles that came from behind.

"If you want your little buddies here to make it out alive, then you'll go quietly, elfie," sneered the head guard.

Ninjini winced, and her gaze turned over to where the rest of the Elder Elementals laid. Eye and Brawl encaged, Hot Head netted up, and the others outnumbered and beaten on the ground as the drow pointed their weapons at them! And with those bracelets nullifying their powers, with them in the diminutive state that they were in, there was no way she could compete! As much as she hates to say it, Ninjini had no other options—so, she dropped her swords, raised her hands and turned around.

"That's more like it," the head guard sneered.

The head guard tapped his wrist, and from it popped up a holographic screen with that Brock guy's face on it! He snoozed away, a snot bubble blowing from his nose and everything, but the moment the light fell on his face, the bubble popped and he jolted right up in his seat.

"Huh? Wha?!" Brock sputtered before his blank eyes fell on the drow. "Oh, it's you. Whaddya want?"

"My king, we caught a couple of stragglers trying to sneak into the King's Arena, all dressed up like the Elder Elementals too!" The drow explained as they rotated their screen to face the Elder Elementals. "Despite the getup, they weren't much of a challenge!"

"Hey, I'll have you know we're the real deal!" Bouncer cried, then grunted as a drow guard pushed his face into the dirt.

"Quit, tin can! Intruders don't get to speak!" The drow guard spat.

The head guard scoffed and surely rolled his eyes were they not completely blank, then turned the screen back to himself. "So, what should we do with them? Toss them in the dungeons?"

Brock hummed, and a smirk crossed his face. "Actually, I've got a better idea!" Brock grinned and snapped his claws. "Take 'em to the King's Arena, Brock knows just what ta do with them!"

"Understood, my king!"

The drow whisked the screen away with a snap of his fingers, then whistled and summoned the cage where Eye and Brawl rested! As the cage dropped down and crushed a few drow, the drow who hadn't been crushed dragged the Elder Elementals towards its open door.

"Get in there and don't make a peep the entire ride!" One cried as they tossed Swarm inside. "And maybe then we'll let you live!"

Swarm cried out in pain as he hit the bars, and his cries were met with equally pained ones as Bouncer and Thumpback collapsed before him! The two of them grunted and staggered up, while Swarm just chuckled.

"Hey, at least we're gonna go to the King's Arena!" Swarm chirped. Bouncer and Thumpback shot him glares, and Swarm just gulped. "Yeah, shutting up now."

As the others were hauled in, several spears met Ninjini's neck and she just winced as she trailed in alongside them. All around her, the drow guards jeered and scoffed with glee, but she couldn't stomach their revelry at all—no, she just sat down and winced as her eyes fell on the bracelets that laid on her wrist. She was so confident that they could beat this, and got completely taken off-guard! And with the way things were, their weapons stripped from them and their powers locked away, the forces that surrounded them keeping them completely outnumbered, it didn't look good.

"What are we going to do?" Ninjini whispered as the cage was locked up and hauled off.

§

Tree Rex frowned and examined the bracelet that laid around his wrist, a few moments taken to twist and flex his wrist around. His deep blue eyes drifted down to his hands as he flexed them open and closed, then his eyes glazed over to the many buildings and structures that lined the world outside of the stone fences that lined the path the drow guards led them down now. He gasped as he wandered over to the stone fences and leaned over them and kicked his legs against the stone, the sights of tall buildings and trees that towered over him instilling a sense of humility in his old soul with their mighty girth, then he grunted as a drow guard pulled him away.

"Hey buddy, keep the line going!" The drow spat as they pushed Tree Rex back into the group. "Those spectators didn't pay tons in gold to watch an empty stadium!"

Tree Rex cringed as he rubbed his arm and backed away from the guard, but a gentle pat from Chihiro brought a smile to his face. He turned down to where she grinned back at him, and chuckled a bit as he lifted a finger and prepared to rub her head, then paused and extended his whole palm before he ruffled her head.

"It feels strange being this small," Tree Rex remarked to himself as he scratched his chin. A couple of autumn leaves swirled around his horns and flew in the distance, but as he lifted his hand they drifted just far enough that he couldn't reach. "I'd completely forgotten how it feels to have everything tower around you…"

Another glare from the guards, and Tree Rex promptly shuddered and shushed himself as he crept back above and twiddled his fingers. These drow guards seemed awfully testy, didn't they? Then again, he supposed running the biggest gladiator games these towns had seen must have taken its toll on them. But, the glares they shot him still pierced him all the same, so he just paused and sneaked his way back into the crowd with Chihiro and her Skylanders, which was much easier to do now that he was their size.

The purple dragon, who he believed was named "Spyro," carried himself with his head tall and a smile for a moment, but as his eyes popped open and fell on Tree Rex, he immediately perked up and raised a brow—he looked as if he wanted to speak with his eyes wide, and yet not a peep came from him. So, Tree Rex just waved and forced a smile. Spyro returned that smile, but it was smaller, a bit more tense even as his lips quivered, before he flew back up with the rest of the group and whispered something to Chihiro. Tree Rex lowered his hand at the sight, and his smile faded away. Even with his size diminished, they still seemingly regarded him with all the respect and reverence of the hero and legend he supposedly was, it seemed. Or perhaps, did something about the upcoming trials and the silence of their allies jab at his mind?

Whatever he supposed it was, the roaring thunder of the crowds ahead drowned out Tree Rex's mind, and he turned ahead as a shadow fell over them. A massive arena, one bigger than any of the ones they had been in before (or maybe that was his more diminutive stature making it seem smaller than it actually was, who knew), towered over them all, all while the crimson flags that lined its top flapped in the breeze. The sounds of trumpets and cheering echoed out from the many ovular openings in the coliseum itself, but as Tree Rex drew closer, those cheering noises revealed themselves to be jeering instead! Cries for blood and gore and action mixed with the sound of trumpet music and the sickening scent of both butter and blood mixed together, and just the very presence of it churned Tree Rex's stomach. Banners bearing that drow Brock's face lapped out from some of the windows and stood tall despite the occasional breeze that shuddered them, and their very presence made it known—this was the King's Arena, the final destination of any gladiator who hoped to fight to the finish!

"Well, what're ya waiting for?" The drow guards asked as they slammed into Tree Rex and pushed him forward. "Get in there and fight!"

Tree Rex grunted as the guards shoved him and the others through the entrance, and he fell to his wooden knees the moment he passed through the halls and ended up on warm sand stained red in some parts with the presence of blood that had long since dried into its grains. A couple of pained, twisted groans came from ahead, and Tree Rex lifted his head just in time to catch a few drow take away muscular gladiators who had been left gravelly wounded and twisted on stretchers while tall spell punks, muscular drow, and even more gladiators all donned in the finest armor Tree Rex had ever seen leered over them… Which wasn't exactly a reassuring sight. Tree Rex gulped as that stench of blood grew thicker and he swallowed down a massive lump in his throat, while the jeers and cries of the crowds echoed around him.

"Death! Death! Death!"

"Blood! Blood! Blood!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

They droned like bees, all of one mind as their voices pounded against the walls and shuddered the strings of thin flags that decorated the walls above them! Some people even got so into it that they started brawling with those who sat in the seats next to them, only for several drow guards to pull them apart and bonk them on the heads! They collapsed to the cold stone floors that made up the arena bleachers, and the cries of the crowd only grew louder and more intense in a desire for action! Their voices rattled stray bags of popcorn and bottles of liquid, but even they couldn't shake Brock as he sat on a polished throne placed upon a decorated balcony over the arena floors.

"Well, those guys fought pretty hard, Brock'll admit," Brock said as he yanked a chicken drumstick from a large plate held by a miniscule drow who strained to even keep the thing up. Brock waved the chicken drumstick around while he dropped some box-shaped remote in his other hand onto the arm of his throne. "But they just weren't a match for Rumbletown's finest! Give it up for the Rumbletown Rampagers!"

Those gladiators in the polished armor shook their hands in the air and puffed out their chests, and the crowds cries turned to cheers as confetti shot in the air from massive cannons! A couple of people threw roses, food, even a few garments into the ring, yet the gladiators were hardly fazed! They all just smiled ever so small, ever so slyly as if they had done this a thousand times! And as a few spell punks zipped out from the catacombs and swept everything away, they drew back and turned to Brock.

Brock cleared his throat, and his smirk turned wide as his eyes fell on Tree Rex's group—but the way he looked, it almost felt like Brock was glaring at Tree Rex himself! Tree Rex gulped and stumbled back just a little, and Brock cackled.

"But, we're not done yet, folks! There's one more team left!" Brock proclaimed. He jumped to his feet and took another bite from his chicken, casually chewing as he strode across the balcony with a frown, his excitement dulling by the moment. "They're the heroes of Skylands, protectors of all things good, fighters of evil and cleaners of stray chompies! But today, they've entered our little games! In one corner we have…" Brock droned away as he held out his free hand and offhandedly gestured to the arena. "The Skylanders!"

The spotlight fell on Tree Rex, and he just shuffled into the background, as did everyone else around him. They nudged each other away from the light, but who could blame them? The moment the harsh, burning light fell on them, the crowds started jeering and booing and tossing rotten fruit! One spoiled tomato nearly hit Tree Rex in the head, and beside him Cynder screamed as she wiped mushy banana from her eyes. These guys really didn't seem to like newcomers, did they?

The spotlight crept away from the as Brock cleared his throat, and Tree Rex breathed a sigh of relief—he never liked that kind of attention anyways.

"And over here, they've fought countless foes, have been outmatched and outpowered, left stripped bare of weapons and abilities, wrestled off enemies in their very sleep, all for this moment! In our other corner, we have our undefeated champions, the RUMBLETOWN RAMPAGERSSSSSSSSSS!"

Those Rampager fellows all posed and tossed out their weapons, from sharp swords and spears to orbs of pure magic and even gigantic quills, and the crowds went wild! They jumped from their seats, whistled and screamed in joy, cried out declarations of love and adoration, all for them! If them being hometown heroes wasn't obvious enough, that definitely sold it! Or maybe it was the way Brock talked with all the joy of an announcer who had been paid especially to bring up a certain team and get everyone on their side—Bouncer had told him all about those kinds of types from his days as a Roboto-Ball star, and apparently they were some of the worst.

"Now, don't worry about those guys," Chihiro whispered through clenched teeth as the spotlight started to fade, though the tight frown on her face said otherwise. "I'm sure the others have busted Ermit out and gotten him to safety by now. We just need to bide our time until our backup gets here and wipes the floor with these guys."

"If they're coming," Spyro added as he dug his claws into the sands. "They've should've been here two matches ago!"—Spyro's claws dug further into the ground, and he hung his head and hissed—"I hope nothing happened to them…"

Both Spyro and Chihiro winced and turned to each other, then turned back to Brock as he cleared his throat.

"Now, folks, Brock know these matches haven't had as much carnage as much as you'd like, but don't worry!" Brock grinned and wagged a finger as he drew back to his throne. "All you bloodthirsty animals will get all the gore and guts you've been waiting for! After all..."

The gate behind them closed down and slammed to hard that it jostled the sands, but where one gate closed, another opened! The sound of pulling chains drew the audience into silence as the Rumbletown Rampagers parted, and out from the back drew open a gate where… Oh no, it couldn't have been! But, right there past the gates' bars were the rest of the Elder Elementals! They had been shrunken in size till they were no taller than Tree Rex himself now was and bore those same electrically-charged bracelets on their wrists (or wings, in Eye's case), and all of them winced and turned away as the crowds gawked and oohed and aahed like they were looking at caged animals! But, they said they were getting Ermit and leaving, what happened to them?

"If they don't lie down and get beaten, their little buddies here are gettin' executed for snoopin' around the coliseum!"

"Ninjini! Bouncer! Everyone!" Tree Rex cried as he rushed forward, though Stealth Elf and Spyro pulled him back before he could go any further!

"Tree Rex!" The others called from within the cage, then winced as their bracelets zapped them! Sparks crackled from their bracelets as they winced and slunk back, and their cell rumbled as Brock stomped on it.

"Be quiet down there!" Brock spat as he stomped his foot once more, then cleared his throat and shot a smirk back down to the arena fields as he yanked the remote from his throne and waved it in the air with one hand. "If you don't, Brock'll just zap ya down before your buddies get downed!"

The crowds all gasped in awe, and Chihiro stormed forward! Her face was red with fury as she pointed a finger towards Brock, and ground her teeth.

"You're a coward, you know that?!" Chihiro cried.

Brock just smirked as he casually gulped down another large bite of chicken and rested his head on his hand. "Brock would say Brock's more of an opportunist. Whatever that means." As Brock waved his freshly-cleaned chicken bone in the air, his eyes narrowed. "So, what'll it be? Are ya gonna save your friends, or yourselves?"

"We're not choosing!" Spyro cried. "We'll save our friends and get out of your little circus!"

"But how're ya gonna do that? Yer no match for Rumbletown's finest, especially in the shape you're in!"

Brock let out a haughty, hearty laugh as he tossed the chicken bone and hit the head of the drow carrying his chicken plate. As the drow fell down and screamed while the chicken piled over them in an avalanche of meat, Brock just grabbed another chicken drumstick and waved it in the air like it was a baton.

"That being said, LET THE FINAL ROUND BEGIN!"

The trumpets sounded off, and the Rumbletown Rampagers immediately jumped into action! The drow swept in first, their swords bared as they slashed at thin air and kicked sand into the walls as they sprinted forward, and as one drow hurtled towards them, they raised their sword and screamed as they swung it down! In fact, they'd had nearly cleaved Trigger Happy in half if Chihiro hadn't pulled him away and dashed off at the last minute! The two of them panted as they slowed down just a bit, but right when Chihiro pressed her hand against the wall and took a breath, a spell punk slid in front of her and tossed an orb right in her direction! The two of them screamed and rolled away just in time, but the orb's explosions did cause a massive eruption of sand that washed them into Spyro, Stealth Elf and Cynder! The five of them slammed into the wall and groaned, then staggered up right as a bulky drow turned a spear on them…

But right before they could get skewered, Tree Rex charged forward and tackled right into the drow's side! Though he wasn't big enough to knock the drow off their feet, he did throw the drow off their balance enough to toss their spear out of their hands! The spear jabbed into the walls as the drow stumbled back, then growled as they charged forward and slammed back into Tree Rex! The drow's hands locked onto Tree Rex's shoulders and dug into his skin as he grabbed their arms the best he could, and Tree Rex pushed against them with all his might! Without his larger stature it took everything in him to not give in—the crushing grip of the drow dug into his arms and numbed his muscles, so much that he could barely feel his own arms, but he still pushed nonetheless! He was the only one who stood a chance against these guys, and he needed to get through and get to the other Elder Elementals! Tracks were drawn in the sand as the drow pushed further against him, and Tree Rex's eyes started to close, but he dug his fingers in again and strained to push! For a moment, he had brought the pushing and shoving to a standstill, but right as he did something smashed into him from the side and tossed him away!

His face crashed into the sand and Tree Rex spat out bloody sand grains as another drow heaved a sword up and prepared to strike, but he rolled away and dashed off just before they could! The faint shouting of the gladiators behind him could only barely be heard from amid the crowd's shouts and the scent of lingering blood, but maybe that was just the sand's aftertaste. Either way, Tree Rex just pushed it back as he ran between two gladiators, then he slid across the sands and rushed up to the cage.

"What happened, everyone?" Tree Rex cried. He latched onto the bars as he tried to lean in closer, then he yipped and pulled them away as a static shock burned him and rubbed his hands. "Are you alright?"

"We got ambushed is what happened!" Bouncer shouted back. "There were a lot of them, and we thought we could take 'em since they were so small, but, well,"—Bouncer winced and peered down at the bracelet on his wrist—"you can guess what happened."

"We weren't able to get to Ermit, either," Ninjini added as she turned away and crossed her arms. "They tricked us into falling for their diversions, and it seems like we blew the mission."

"Don't talk like that, you two! I'm sure there's some way to get you out!" Tree Rex retorted. "I'll—"

"But what? We're completely locked up here, and without our powers there's no getting out of this cell! Much less freeing anybody else!"

Well, they were right, they were locked up and unable to do anything… But Tree Rex was certainly able to do something!

"Looks like it's all up to me," Tree Rex whispered as he gritted his wooden teeth.

A burst of warmth came from above, and everyone screamed and scattered as a giant fireball crashed into the ground and heated the sands! Tree Rex rolled out of the way just before he could become kindling, then grunted and pushed himself up as the fireball crashed into the ground behind him and blew up into a burning bonfire for moments before vanishing. But, as he did, his eyes fell on Chihiro, Spyro, Stealth Elf, Trigger Happy and Cynder and he frowned—they just stood frozen and wide-eyed, but why? Had they been enchanted? A couple more spell punks cackled, swept down and prepared to snatch the five of them off the ground as all five turned around and talked to each other, and Tree Rex gasped as he jumped to his feet!

"Look out!" Tree Rex cried as he stampeded across the arena!

Everyone turned around right as Tree Rex slammed into the center spell punk and knocked it into the ground, but the other two just turned around and shot their attacks right into his back! Tree Rex's back cracked, and he yelled at the top of his lungs as he pushed himself off the ground, but the cold, wet feeling of sap creeping down his back pushed him down just a bit. Around him, the gladiators all crackled their knuckles and cackled as they ganged up on him, and Tree Rex just snarled as he staggered back up to his feet.

"What're you doing?!" Stealth Elf cried as she shook her head, her eyes tensing as drops of his sappy blood collapsed on the ground by her feet. "You're way too hurt to take on all these guys at once! Even for an Elder Elemental—!"

Tree Rex lurched down, but heaved himself up and forced a smile. "Don't worry about me," Tree Rex groaned as he turned back to Stealth Elf, then dropped his smile as he turned back to the gladiators. "You little guys just stay out of this, I'll take care of this guys!"

Tree Rex grunted as he tackled into a tall cyclops, but it immediately threw him off and tossed him into the arms of a drow! The drow cackled as they squeezed Tree Rex like a ripe fruit, and Tree Rex cried out as the blood flew faster! Spots danced in his vision, and his head spun as the gladiators doubled, no, tripled in number! But, when did they get so many? Tree Rex didn't know, but his head was full of moss and couldn't piece together a thing—it was all he could do to keep his eyes open! Another surge of pain shot through him, and Tree Rex slammed into the ground as the sound of cackling or screaming or perhaps even both boomed around him. His vision grew darker and darker, and his head was so heavy that he couldn't even lift it to see whatever had decided to dig into his back and turn the pain even harsher! He just groaned, while within the distance he could barely spy a bright green glow come from that spell punk he had downed… And some kind of tiny blur rushing towards it? Maybe he had been seeing things. Another strike came to the back and cracked it wide, and Tree Rex screamed as something pushed his head into the ground! The whole world pounded against him with screams and shouting, but all of it just hurt to listen to—it hurt to listen, it hurt to look. Tree Rex groaned as sap pooled by his arms, and his blurry vision had started to give in on him. With one last blink, he prepared to close his eyes.

But just then, something slammed into him and his blurry vision turned green instead! The energy flooded back into his body, and his heavy head became light again! A faint cracking sound came, but after it finished, that cold wet feeling of sap disappeared, and he immediately rolled away from underneath the ground! His vision cleared enough that he could catch the shocked gladiators talking among each other, but he quickly dove between a gap in the crowds and fell to his knees.

"That was my healing spell!" Screeched that spell punk from before as they waved their hands in the air. "You weren't supposed to give it to that overgrown weed!"

"Hush it!" Chihiro cried as she kicked the spell punk in the hand!

As the spell punk shouted out nonsense, Chihiro dashed up to Tree Rex and leaned onto his arm.

"You alright, Tree Rex?" Chihiro asked as she peered up at him.

Tree Rex blinked, and though the whole thing was still kind of a blur to him, he nodded.

"Alright, then next question." Chihiro cleared her throat, and that concerned look she held vanished in favor of a frown and scrunched brows. "What were you thinking, taking all those guys on at once? You were almost killed there!"

A holler came from ahead, and Tree Rex snatched Chihiro from the ground! The two of them rolled out the way of a pikestaff's blow, and Tree Rex frowned as he dropped Chihiro on the ground.

"I have to! I'm the only one who can land a blow on these gladiators, and everyone else's powerless!" Tree Rex's frowned even further as he clasped his hands. "I have to save everyone, because I'm the only one—"

A fireball exploded beside them as Spyro tackled into a spell punk above, and Chihiro and Tree Rex both clung to each other.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Chihiro asked as she drew away from Tree Rex.

Forgetting something? What could he possibly be forgetting? Tree Rex blinked, and in response Chihiro just tapped his chest.

"Right now, you're part of our team! And in our team, nobody works alone, no matter what's happened."

"Huh?"

Chihiro pulled her hand from his chest. "Listen, I get it—you're worried about your friends, and you wanna protect them! But you can't do it all alone!" Chihiro frowned for a bit, then beamed as she leaned closer to Tree Rex. "I've got a plan to break everyone out, but I'll need everyone's help, including yours. Think you're up for it?"

Tree Rex warily nodded, and Chihiro came up to his ear. "See those bars over there?" Chihiro asked as she pointed to the bars on the cage.

Tree Rex frowned and glanced back over to the cage, where… Wait a second, those bars, they had started to melt! Their metal was red-hot and slightly watery as liquid slid off them in small drips, but when did that happen? Tree Rex rubbed his chin, and in that moment, he vaguely recalled when that one spell punk had nearly burned him alive with a fireball as he had been talking with the other Elder Elementals…

"Listen to this."

Chihiro whispered something into his ear quick and quiet, and in that moment his eyes lit up! Yes, that was perfect! Tree Rex glanced back to Chihiro and nodded, and both of them dashed across the sands and kicked them right in the other gladiators' faces! Spyro, Cynder, Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy had dodged underneath the sand wave and gotten to safety just before they could get hit, but the gladiators cried out as they tried to wipe the sands from their eyes.

"Everyone, keep them distracted!" Chihiro cried as she turned back to them and waved. "We're going to try something!"

The four of them nodded as Chihiro and Tree Rex prepared to leave, but while Chihiro sped ahead, Tree Rex paused and peered back at the Skylanders! He knew Chihiro said to let them handle this, but he was sure that they could use a little push… So, his eyes fell on one of the smaller drow warriors, then he strode forward, grabbed them by their chestplate and tossed them right into another gladiator! As those gladiators knocked into the ones behind them and fell like a string of dominoes, Tree Rex grinned and rushed off! The cries of angered gladiators sounded behind him, but flapping wings joined them as well!

"You're not getting any closer!" Spyro cried. "Or else, you'll taste sword!"

"Actually, I have a better idea!" Cynder cried as the sound of a gun being cocked sounded in the distance. "EAT FLAIL!"

A cry of pain sounded in the distance, but Tree Rex paid no more mind to it than he did the rest of the battles raging below him as he and Chihiro rushed up to where the Elder Elementals were being kept prisoner! The sound of explosions and Trigger Happy's cackling laughter rang in his ears as Tree Rex and Chihiro finally rushed in, then both their eyes turned to the skies as the rush of wind burst around them and nipped at their skin.

"What do you think you're doing, soliciting with the prisoners?" Cackled a large spell punk as flames manifested in his palms. "It's not going to save you from your impending demise, you know!"

The spell punk cackled as he shot the fireballs towards Chihiro and Tree Rex, but the two of them immediately bolted and left the fireballs' course! The fireballs slammed into the metal bars of the Elder Elementals' cell instead, much to the spell punk's disdain as they cried out! The Elder Elementals screamed and backed away as the spell punk's flames heated the bars and melted them further!

"Alright, you may have escaped me once, but that was just a lucky break!" The spell punk insisted as he whipped up another barrage of fireballs. "But this time…" The spell punk grunted as he cast his fireballs all over the battlefield. "You'll meet your fiery end!"

The fireballs screeched as they slammed across the battlefield, and pillars of fire erupted everywhere they went! A couple spectators screamed and backed away as one fire pillar came dangerously close to the seats, the other gladiators jumped away and abandoned their matches before the flames could eat them alive… But most of all, the fireballs slammed further into the bars and continued to burn them, with their metal forced to relent and melt underneath its heat! And yet, the spell punk couldn't land a single hit on Chihiro and Tree Rex, who still dashed across the battlefield and skirted the flames with ease!

Another round of fireballs cast down on the fields and lit it alight, while the spell punk just cackled as a massive ring of fire trapped everyone inside! Its fellow gladiators backed away from the flames while the Skylanders themselves dropped their weapons and scattered, and the spectators all gasped as the flames blocked off everything from view! And yet, the spell punk didn't care in the slightest—he just cackled as he cast even more flames down onto the battlefield!

"Well folks, looks like we've got a flaming hot match on our hands!" Brock cried from above. "Literally! Brock can't even see what's going on through all the fire!"

The flames burst up even higher as another round of fireballs was cast down, and the heat turned oppressive and more reminiscent of summer's warmth than autumn's chills! And though the heat raged on, the gladiators just grinned and bore it, their eyes fixed on Cynder, Spyro, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf instead!

Cynder gasped and flew back as the flames grew and blazed in front of her, and in that moment Spyro crashed into her and slammed them both into the ground! They both groaned as they lifted their heads up to where a bulky drow loomed over them, and only gulped as the drow yanked them by the scruff of their necks and spun them around! Their screams intermingled with the flames' crackle as they were tossed off towards another drow, who just punted them right into Trigger Happy! And Trigger Happy, he could only turn around and gasp as they crashed right into him and knocked all three of them into the ground! They all groaned and slunk into the ground, the heat of the battlefield having worn them down at last!

The two drow gladiators cackled and banged their hands together as their eyes fell on the fallen Skylanders, but before they could reach them, Stealth Elf dashed in front of them and kicked one right in the throat! The gladiator stumbled backwards and broke into a hacking fit as Stealth Elf twirled off, but as she did, the other drow yanked her by the arm and slammed her right into the hot, hot sands! Stealth Elf screamed and tried to push herself up, but her shaking limbs gave out on her and she just collapsed! The drow kicked her into the pile, and all she could do was scream and clutch her stomach!

For a moment the drow glared over the pile of weakened, fallen Skylanders, and they raised their hands to strike… But another fireball cast down behind them and brought attention to a pair of screams! The flames below cleared away instantly, and their eyes fell on where Chihiro and Tree Rex had dove into the sands to escape another fireball! The drow both smirked at each other, and in that moment they changed course and charged right for Chihiro and Tree Rex!

Tree Rex gasped and rolled away from another fireball, then as his eyes fell on the drow he winced. "Chihiro, are you sure this is going to work?" He asked as he rolled away from another fireball and trembled. "I'm not sure how long I can hold out!"

Chihiro grunted as she dashed away from the flames, paused and peered over through a gap in their fires, just big enough to catch a glimpse of the cell, then grinned and turned back to Tree Rex.

"Just a little longer, Tree Rex! We'll—"

Chihiro screamed as a cyclops gladiator tackled her into the ground, and she rolled right into Tree Rex and grunted! The gladiators around them all closed them in, but between the faint gaps in their circle, the pile of collapsed Skylanders could clearly be seen! Chihiro herself gasped and scrambled backwards, then yelped and jumped forward as the flames brushed against her back! The gladiators closed in on her at front, and at the back the flames licked against her. From all angles, the situation looked pretty darn grim!

The spell punk cackled as he floated in front of the rest of the gladiators, and his eyes glinted with malice as a smirk crossed his face.

"Looks like you can't run away anymore!" The spell punk bellowed as he crossed their arms. "What'll you do now?" The spell punk raised a brow, and a stifled chuckle came from him. "Cry? Beg? Regret every decision you made?"

Chihiro clenched her teeth and balled her hand into a fist, sneaking glances in the few moments that the flames parted. "C'mon, just a little further…"

"Sorry, what was that?" The spell punk cried as he summoned another round of fireballs. "I couldn't hear your answer!"

The crowds roared as the fireballs came shrieking towards Chihiro and Tree Rex, and on instinct Tree Rex swept Chihiro into his arms and pressed her against his chest in some attempt to shield her from the oncoming flames! They both cringed and closed their eyes, unable to do anything but embrace their fiery doom as the fireballs came in… When something leaped in front of them and took the brunt of the blow full force!

"Mmmmmm, toasty!" Chuckled a familiarly gravely and worn voice. "Just how I like it!"

Tree Rex and Chihiro both popped their eyes opened and turned around as both gladiator and spectators alike gasped, and the two of them did as well—for right in front of them was none other than Hot Head! True, he had still been shrunk down and those bracelets were still clamped tight to his wrists, but he had broken out of his cell! And not just him, either—all the other Elder Elementals stood by his side and formed a wall around Chihiro and Tree Rex!

The flames all vanished as the Elder Elementals smirked, and the spell punk gritted his teeth as he floated backwards.

"H-How?! How'd you prisoners break out of there?!" The spell punk demanded.

"Turns out, those bars aren't fireproof!" Ninjini smirked back as she crossed her arms. "Those fireballs you were throwing everywhere slammed into our cell's bars and completely melted them! They're nothing more than a puddle of melted metal now!"

The flames vanished, and Ninjini was right—the cell she and the others had once been trapped in was completely open, and puddle of warm reddish-gray metal rested by its base!

"WHAT?! HOW'D THE PRISONERS ESCAPE?!" Brock screamed! His eyes fell on a shuddering drow, and he immediately pointed a finger in their face. "BROCK THOUGHT BROCK TOLD YOU TO REINFORCE THOSE THINGS!"

"Well, but, sir, it was kind of short notice—"

Brock shoved his face in the drow's and snorted, and the drow squealed and gestured to the remote in Brock's hand. "But, sir, don't worry! We still have the remote!"

Brock's eyes popped, and he grinned as he waved the remote high in the air.

"That's right! You lot might've gotten out, but you've still got those bracelets on ya! Yer completely defenseless!" Brock held up the remote like a trophy and sneered. "And Brock's got the remote that'll make those lil' lightning thingies shock ya to bits!"—Brock lowered the remote and frowned as he twisted its dial—"Now, how d'ya get this thing to work?"

The quivering drow stumbled over and nearly tripped on their own feet in the process, then reached for the remote. "Well, you see, sir—"

Brock smacked away the drow's hand and snarled. "Brock didn't say you could take it, Brock said to show Brock! Now hurry up and—"

The crackle of fire sparked before them, and Brock and the drow gasped and leaped away as a fireball crashed down before them! The remote slipped from Brock's hands and clattered onto the floor as the fireball came in and set the entire balcony alight, but Brock and the drow were more concerned with sputtering and screaming at the flames!

"Somebody, quick! Put that thing out!" The drow cried as they swerved their head back and forth. "Just who threw that, anyways?!"

A cackle broke the surface, and from above the battlefield the spell punk gladiator burst into laughter as a ring of fireballs spun around them! The fireballs crashed down and erupted into flames before vanishing, but the spell punk didn't even care as it glared down the Elder Elementals.

"You lot are mine, understood? I'm not letting this battle be cut short by some unwanted intruders!" The spell punk cried!

A couple of smaller spell punks donning blue robes flew over to the balcony and tossed buckets of water onto the flames. The fires themselves vanished, the only remnants of their appearance being scorch marks that coated the balcony like snow, while Brock's throne had remained unscathed by some miracle… But the remote that he once held had been reduced to a smoldering lump of burning metal!

"The remote!" Brock and the drow both cried.

The spell punk gladiator blinked, and their confidence facade disappeared as he craned his head up to the balcony. "Huh?" He narrowed his eyes, then gasped as those eyes fell on the smoldering and burnt remains of the balcony. "Sweet spells, I missed!"

A massive wave of feedback burst from the remote and shot right through the battlefield, and as it faded, a series of pops and clicks sounded from down on the battlefield as the bracelets that Chihiro, the Skylanders and Elder Elementals unlocked and collapsed onto the group, with bright, rainbow glows now surrounding them! The crowds oohed and aahed as the Elder Elementals grew back to their full height, the gladiators now dwarfed by their appearance—but the gladiators themselves were not nearly as impressed by this show as the audience was! No, they just gulped and clutched their weapons with trembling hands!

"You see that, everyone?" Chihiro asked as she cracked the knuckles of her glowing blue hands. "There's nothing holding us back now!"

"You bet we did!" Spyro and Tree Rex both cried!

Tree Rex stepped forward and kicked up sand below his feet, while Spyro just swooped in and grinned as Cynder, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf joined him. All their eyes placed on the trembling gladiators, whose confidence had disappeared as they faced their foes. Skylanders, heroes of ancient legend and a portal master—they had no chance in hell at winning!

"Guess Brock'll just have to send in reinforcements!" Brock cried as he stumbled across the balcony and thrust a hand in the air. "Bring in the next round of gladiators!"

The gates all around opened, and the whole stadium rumbled and shuddered as something stampeded out with such force that dust cropped up everywhere! The spectators screamed as the dust started to settle, and as they sneezed and rubbed their eyes they all gasped and whispered among themselves—for another army of gladiators had arrived, decked in armor and ready to fight! The first wave of gladiators all grinned and turned back to Chihiro, the Elder Elementals and the Skylanders. Would they relent? Would they pull through?

Chihiro and Spyro stepped forward, and they both smiled.

"We can take these guys!" Chihiro cried as she set her hands alight with magic fire with a simple snap of her fingers.

Spyro thrust a paw forward and pointed towards the gladiators. "Everyone, attack!"

"On it!" Cynder shouted as she spiraled through the crowds!

A pair of drow gladiators screamed out as they charged for her, but Cynder turned to pure shadow instead and disappeared as she leaped past them! The drow grunted and turned back around, but Cynder was nowhere to be found! They frowned and turned away, oblivious to how their shadows snarled and turned more draconic in appearance—and that was their biggest mistake, because the moment they turned their backs and ran for Spyro, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf, Cynder leaped out from behind and zapped them! They grunted and turned around as they trudged through the pain of lightning coursing through their bodies and swung punches at Cynder, but she just backflipped into the shadows and disappeared! The drow snarled as they scanned the battlegrounds for any sight of Cynder, when the soft crackle of static drew their attention down to their shadows, which had turned jagged and crackling like electricity… Then they screamed as a massive storm of lightning burst out from their shadows! The lightning coated the entire arena in sharp flashes of black and white as the drow's screams of pain intermingled with the cracks of lightning, and finally they collapsed to the ground, fried and groaning as they fell on their sides. And while they sulked, Cynder just slunk out from the shadows and grinned as she stood over the fallen drow, but cackling from behind forced her to duck!

"Hey everyone!" Trigger Happy squealed as he thrust a sack filled with bombs above his head. "Look what I found!"

Trigger Happy cackled as he sunk his hand into the bag, then shrugged and flung it into the air as all the bombs spilled out! The bombs crashed into the ground and bounced off as they exploded and coated the arena in smoke, while all the gladiators in the arena coughed and hacked as the thick smoke blocked everything from view! Even Trigger Happy himself hacked as he grabbed the bag and held it over his mouth like a mask… But as he did, he caught sight of a pair of glowing eyes and gasped! A faint cackle knocked Trigger Happy down on his feet as a vampire gladiator emerged from the shadows and lunged for Trigger Happy—then got bowled over by a glowing green blur! A tiger's growl sounded as the blur batted away the vampire and revealed itself to be a large, green tiger, then the tiger itself turned to Trigger Happy and purred as it walked over and sniffed him.

Trigger Happy gulped and skittered backwards as all his fur stood on end. "Er, nice kitty?" Trigger Happy sputtered.

The tiger, however, just blinked and chuckled!

"It's just me, Trigger Happy!" The tiger replied, its voice guttural but still holding a familiar ring to it. The tiger flipped backwards, then transformed into none other than Stealth Elf as it hit the ground. "Looks like that trick still gets you, huh?"

Stealth Elf lifted a pair of daggers from the ground, then a green glow surrounded her as she leaped back into the smoke clouds with a cackle while the sounds of screaming, punching and kicking came from within! Several of the smaller gladiators flew through the clouds and collapsed bruised and beaten, but as the smoke finally cleared it unveiled Stealth Elf locked in combat with a winged human bearing a sword! The two of them grunted as their blades pressed against each other, then Stealth Elf flipped backwards and kicked the blade right out of her opponent's hand! The blade flipped through the air and fell into the sands, but right before the opposing gladiator could retrieve it, Stealth Elf flung forward and slashed at them once more! The opposing gladiator snarled and blocked off the blades' blows with their hands, their fingers clasped tight enough around the blade that Stealth Elf couldn't possibly slip them out! Stealth Elf grunted as she flung up and kicked the gladiator in the chest, then snatched her borrowed blades back and flipped away as the gladiator collapsed in the sands, but quickly jumped up and charged after Stealth Elf! Stealth Elf smirked beneath her mask, then flipped backwards and slapped her hand against Chihiro's.

"It's your turn now!" Stealth Elf cried as she slipped away.

Chihiro grinned, and her hands flared with blue magic as she cracked her knuckles. The gladiator that had tailed Stealth Elf came right for her, but Chihiro just squeezed her hand into a fist.

"What perfect timing!" Chihiro remarked as she flung her hand into the air. "There's a new spell I've been wanting to test out!"

Blue magic burst from her palm and soared into the air, crackling and sparkling as it melded itself into the form of a sword before it landed back in Chihiro's hand. Chihiro grinned and squeezed her hands around the handle, then bolted straight for the gladiator!

"And you're the perfect test dummy!"

The gladiator and Chihiro both grunted as their swords slashed against each other… Or so it seemed! But rather, the moment their swords had made contact, Chihiro's sword had morphed into a magic shield instead! The gladiator's sword had gotten stuck tight into Chihiro's shield, and despite all the yanking and pulling they did, it just wouldn't budge!

"Spyro, now!" Chihiro cried as she turned back to him and waved!

Spyro nodded, then with a single blink his eyes flashed purple and he zipped across the battlefield, charging right into the gladiator! The gladiator screamed and clutched their trembling side as their sword slipped from the shield and fell into the sands once more, and they themself fell to their knees.

Above Spyro, Chihiro chuckled as she lifted the sword from the ground and thrust its blade towards the sun. "Nice, dual wielding!"

A growl sounded from behind her, and Chihiro winced and turned around as her shield transformed back into a sword. Though they had already wiped down a few of the gladiators' forces, plenty of others still remained! They all raised their weapons and banged their fists together as they closed in on Chihiro, and Chihiro only stepped backwards as she clasped her swords' handles tight.

"And good thing, too!" Chihiro cried as Spyro, Cynder, Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy flanked her sides. "Looks like we've got company!"

Chihiro leaned forward and prepared to run, but right before she did a massive stomp tossed the gladiators in the air! She squeaked as she herself went flying, but as she did her look of shock turned to something more curious as Tree Rex stomped a second time and winked.

"Leave this to us!" Bouncer cried from beside Tree Rex as he crackled his knuckles and shot a handful of the gladiators into the ground. "We'll finish this game in no time!"

Chihiro blinked as her eyes fell to where the gladiators had fallen into the sand, groaning and dazed and confused, then grinned and saluted Bouncer and Tree Rex as she fell back down! And with her salute taken, the Elder Elementals leaped into the charge!

A couple of the gladiators jumped up from the sands, and the more haughty ones of the group rushed up and stabbed their weapons into the Elder Elementals' legs… But their weaponry snapped against their might! The gladiators all gasped in tandem with the audience as they pulled back their broken weaponry, then screamed and crashed on a wave of sand as Tree Rex pounded the arena floor with his fist! They all screamed as they rode the wave, then several of them flew off as rockets and lasers courtesy of Bouncer and Eye smacked them in the chest! As they slammed into the walls, crashed into the stands, bonked unsuspecting spectators on the heads and landed face-first in the sand, a large explosion of sand cascaded in a wave over the stadium! The sand wave washed over the stands and cast sand all through the bleachers while the gladiators collapsed.

Over in the skies, however, the battle was far from over! The spell punk that had freed the Elder Elementals snarled and squeezed their fist as another group of spell punk gladiators flew up beside him! With a wave of their hands, a group of glyphs formed above them and shaped into a pentagram that shot a massive blast of magic right for the Elder Elementals! Ninjini leaped forward and held out her hands as she shot a blast of magic right for it, a laser that pierced right through the heart of the blast and blew it to bits! Her own laser fragmented into many as it shot the spell punks right out of the sky, all but the very one at the heart of it!

"Ha! You missed!" The spell punk cackled as it pointed towards Ninjini.

Ninjini, in turn, smirked and crossed her arms. "Did I?"

The spell punk blinked, then turned around and screamed as the laser shot right for it! It tried to fly off, but a stinger blast courtesy of Swarm stopped it in its tracks! The stinger and the laser collided exactly at the same time, and the spell punk screamed as it was sent flying out of the stadium by the explosion!

The remaining gladiators warily backed away, then screamed and made a mad dash for the entrances! They all attacked the bars in futile attempts to break them open and escape, but as their weapons clanged back, pillars of stone leaped from the ground and blocked off the exits!

Crusher smiled and cracked his knuckles, then with a clap of his hands the towers all came crumbling down! The gladiators screamed and scrambled away as the crumbling stones toppled towards them, some knocked unconscious as the rocks hit them on their heads… But those who escaped the towers just ended up getting doused by a massive torrent! As the rain parted, the gladiators coughed and hacked out water, then rushed forward only to slip on the water that remained! They all grunted as they slammed into the ground, while above them Thumpback just chuckled and turned to Hot Head.

"Hot Head, will you please?" Thumpback asked as he held out a hand.

"Please what?" Hot Head asked.

"Please finish this?"

Hot Head blinked, then grinned and whipped out his hands. "You bet!" Hot Head cried as his palms heated up. "Let's finish this with a boom!"

Sparks crackled and flew from Hot Head's hands as they heated up, and finally a massive volume of flames burst out and scorched the battlefield! The already-singed battlefield turned bunt and scorched as the gladiators screamed, and when the flames faded… The singed, flaming gladiators just groaned and collapsed! All around the battlefield lingered burned, exhausted, beaten gladiators that could barely even lift themselves from their posts across the battlefield! The audience blinked at first, all in silent awe of their defeat… Then, they all cheered as confetti shot through the air!

Chihiro grinned and crept out from behind Tree Rex's legs, as did Spyro, Cynder, Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy, then they all grinned and posed for their adoring audience!

"Who's next?!" Chihiro cried as she flexed her arms!

§

From up atop the balconies, Brock sweat furiously and leaned further back in his throne. Down below, the sight of all his gladiators sprawled out on the ground, beaten and defeated while the Skylanders, the Elder Elementals and Chihiro basked in the praise they received from the crowds, who only cheered even further!

"More, more!" The crowd demanded as they stomped their feet and clapped their hands. "Give us more fights!"

Brock clenched his teeth so hard that sparks practically flew from his molars, then he yanked his head around and turned back to his quivering assistant drow that only leaped back and shuddered as Brock glared them down.

"You hear the crowds, get some more gladiators in there!" Brock cried as he gestured to the arena. "They're not gonna wait all day for ya!"

"I'm sorry, your royal majesty of the arena, but that was all!" The drow sputtered. "We don't have any more gladiators!"

"WHAT?!" Brock slammed his fists against his throne and growled as he flung his face right in the drow's own, no care for the terrified, wide-eyed look on the drow's face. "Whaddya mean we don't have any more gladiators!? The crowds're getting' anxious out there!"

"I mean what I mean!" The drow yanked a stone tablet from a nearby table and shoved it between Brock and themself. "Those Skylanders wiped out all of our gladiators!"

Shocked gasps came from all around the crowd, and the moment the sound pricked Brock's ears, he winced and bit his lip. He ground his teeth together as he whipped around his throne and prepared to leave, but as he lifted up his throne a small bottle rolled out from underneath its seat and brushed against his foot. Brock's brows perked at the sensation, then he frowned as he lifted the bottle from the ground, its bright, glowing orange contents sloshing around within its glass as Brock held it up to the light, and a smile crossed his face.

"That's right, Brock was savin' this baby for a rainy day!" Brock proclaimed as he glanced over the ground. "Sun might be shining, but somethin' tells Brock that now's the perfect time!"

Brock popped the cork from the bottle, and his smile only grew as he strode up the balcony, until he almost teetered over the edge! The light in the potion's bottle grew brighter as the sun hit it full force, and its glow was almost intimidating as it shone against Brock's face.

"Well, well, folks, it seems like the Skylanders here beat all our gladiators!" Brock proclaimed.

The crowds all booed and sighed in disappointment as their eyes fell on the grounds below, but neither Chihiro, the Elder Elementals or the Skylanders seemed to care! They just glared down Brock and huffed as Chihiro strode up and pointed a finger in his face.

"Alright Brock, we played your little games!" Chihiro proclaimed as she stomped her foot and kicked up dust. "Now let Ermit go!"

Brock however, just scoffed as he swirled the potion around like a drink. "Ya didn't let Brock finish." Brock lifted up his potion so that it shone like liquid amber against the raw sunlight and grinned. "Ya beat all of our gladiators here… EXCEPT FOR BROCK!"

Chihiro scoffed, then placed her hands on her hips. "And what's Brock gonna do about it? In case you haven't noticed, you're the only one standing here, buddy!"

Brock popped the cork off of the bottle and chuckled as it fell into the arena. "Let's just say Brock has a little trick up Brock's sleeve!" Brock cried! He brandished the potion in the air, then slammed it into his mouth. "Down the hatch!"

The crowds gasped in awe as Brock downed the potion, then tossed it aside and wiped his mouth. At first, it didn't seem like anything unnatural had happened—the same old Brock just stood and gloated over the balcony, that ugly smug smirk of his still kept tight on his face… But then, an orange shine glowed from his skin and spread out across his body as he grew, and grew, and grew! The balcony cracked and completely buckled underneath him as he grew so tall that he blocked out the sun, but he didn't even notice! The moment his feet hit the arena grounds, he just cackled and nearly blew everyone and everything away with his haughty breaths, from spectators in stands to flags to even the sands below, which had vanished completely in favor of a stone arena ground covered in hole-filled patches! And below him, everyone else just shuddered—even the Elder Elementals, as big as they were, had been completely dwarfed underneath his presence! And if they were minuscule compared to him, then that was definitely a bad sign.

"Alright, which one'a yas wants to get beaten down first?" Brock proclaimed as he glared down Chihiro, the Skylanders and the Elder Elementals!

Chihiro, in response, only gulped and backed away. "I really need to watch my mouth."

Brock continued to cackle as the others backed into the arena walls and cringed as their backs hit cold, solid stone, while their fronts were faced with a drow as tall as a building, no, two buildings stacked on top of each other, and really big ones at that! Brock's smirk furthered as he seemed to revel in their fear, then he lifted his armored hand and prepared to strike with a punch… But just as they did, the world heated up and a FWOOSH hit the air! Gigantic walls of fire burst from the ground and completely blocked Brock off from view, while his punch was stopped in its tracks!

Stealth Elf yipped, then pulled her foot back as her eyes fell back onto the ground below.

"Fire pits, go figure!" She chuckled as she crossed her arms. "Even a guy as big as that could never survive that!"

Cackles warped and twisted emerged from the flames and nearly blew them in Stealth Elf's direction, though luckily she ducked just in time for them to hit the wall as they extinguish themselves instead! Everyone else shouted out and dodged around as the flames smacked in all directions, and a few patrons in the audience even screamed and abandoned their seats as flames clung to their clothes! And in the center of the flames, their warmth and fires slowly parted and unveiled Brock! With one last cackle, the flames all blew in every direction and completely vanished—but surely, being stuck in all that fire would leave him with a couple nasty aches and pains, a few burns even? Well, that was the wrong answer, it seemed! He was completely untouched, save for ashes on his shoulders and a few faint embers that clung to his clothes! Brock shook them off, then blew everyone into the wall with a single stomp!

"ALRIGHT!" Brock bellowed as he pounded his gauntlets together and nearly blew everyone away. "WHO WANTS TO GET BEAT DOWN FIRST?!"

"Not us!" Chihiro, the Skylanders and the Elder Elementals all proclaimed as they scrambled!

Brock snarled and whipped his head around as everyone scattered in fifty different directions, then finally he laid eyes on where Tree Rex, Bouncer and Ninjini all fled and made chase!

Chihiro, Spyro and Cynder all rolled underneath Brock's legs just before he could stomp them flat, then the three of them growled and raised their hands and paws. Cyan light formed at the veins of Chihiro's palms while Spyro's eyes flashed red, and the two of them launched a laser and a column of blue fire that both shot right towards Brock! The flaming light burst gained an extra boost from a lightning bolt courtesy of Cynder, and it hurtled right into Brock's legpit, but the moment it made contact, it completely exploded and vanished with not a scratch laid! Brock stopped and laughed for a moment, just enough that Tree Rex and company could escape, but that was the extent of their damage dealt!

"I can't believe it!" Cynder spat as she flapped her wings. "It didn't do a thing!"

"Maybe it just wasn't strong enough!" Chihiro cried as she flung out her wrists. "Let's try again!"—Bright cyan light formed at her hands again, then Chihiro flung her hands up and tossed a bright cyan orb to the skies—"Gold, Cyn, throw everything you can at this!"

Spyro and Cynder shot a glance at each other, then nodded and glanced back at the orb Chihiro had created! Spyro's eyes flashed in a rainbow ring of colors, while Cynder took in the deepest breath she could and shot a massive bolt of thunder right into the heart of the orb! The electricity coursed through the orb and gave it a static edge, and it crackled in place right as Spyro shot a blast of every elemental attack he could muster within it! The whole orb shuddered as clouds, flames, lightning and pulsing vines all pulsed within its heart, then Cynder dashed around it at a speed so fast she was little more than a blur, and the orb was quick to follow! Its attacks pulsed even harder and faster as its speed grew, then Cynder leaped out right as Spyro charged right into the orb and tackled it right towards Brock! Brock turned around and grunted as the orb slammed into his chest and sent him skidding… But only for a little bit. He caught his balance in an instant while the orb faded, and though his chest was a little battered, he seemed no worse for wear! His eyes fell on Spyro, Cynder and Chihiro as they gasped and glanced up at him, and he only laughed.

"What, did ya really think that was s'posed to hurt Brock?" Brock cried as he pounded his hands together. "WRONG ANSWER, BUDDIES!"

With one last cackle, Brock stormed after the trio and they were forced to split! Spyro and Chihiro rolled one way while while Cynder leaped into the shadows and lead Brock away, and the two of them panted as they glanced at each other.

"That was one of our toughest attacks, and it didn't even dent him!" Chihiro cried as she glanced back at Brock, who was more concerned with slamming his hands into the arena walls in some attempt to knock out Cynder than Chihiro herself. "Just what was in that potion?"

"I don't know, but it's practically made him invincible!" Spyro spat back. "How're we supposed to knock that out?"

Chihiro frowned, then let go of Spyro and hummed. She took a step forward, then squealed as she lost her grip and slipped right back onto the warm stone of the arena floors! Dust leaped up around her as she coughed and hacked, then she pushed herself up and snarled as she laid eyes on the guilty party—an empty glass bottle freed of its cork with only a few drops of glowing orange potion and a label to its name. Her brow raised, and she lifted the bottle from the ground.

"'Ultimate strength potion,'" Chihiro read as she turned the bottle around in the light. "'As long as you keep your focus, this potion will make you invincible…'"—Chihiro lowered the bottle and passed it off to Spyro—"Hey, Golden Boy, isn't this the potion Brock drank?"

Spyro lifted the bottle closer to his face and examined it, but before he could get a good look, a cry sounded over the horizon! A battered Cynder smashed right into Spyro and knocked them both into the arena walls, and as they slid down and groaned, Chihiro rushed over and pulled them back from the ground. Their groaning only continued as the two of them stumbled back to all fours and swayed from side to side… But the pounding of massive stomps and the shadow that cast over them got them right back to full energy! Brock cackled over them as he prepared to stomp, and the three of them screamed as they ran like their lives depended on it—which, given the circumstances, it kind of did!

Chihiro panted as she rushed forward to where Eye-Brawl and Tree Rex rested, then she waved her hands.

"Guys, look out!" Chihiro cried as she leaped forward and rolled off. "Incoming drow!"

Well, though she cried her loudest, she had no need—because the moment they turned around and laid eyes on Brock, they joined her in the screaming and running!

Spyro and Cynder both panted as they hung their heads, and for a moment they started to linger behind, closer and closer to Brock's oncoming storm… But just before he could crush then, Brawl swept the two of them into his arms and dashed off! Beside him, Chihiro teleported onto Tree Rex's shoulder and clung tight to his horns.

"Listen, I think I might've found what this guy's deal is!" Chihiro cried as she swung from the horn. "That potion, it says that—"

Warm, red light crackled up from the floors, and Tree Rex gasped as flames burst up from the ground in gentle flickers.

"Actually, tell us later, Chihiro!" Tree Rex cried as he dove away. "It's gonna get hot in here!"

Eye-Brawl dove away with Spyro and Cynder still kept close to his chest, and Tree Rex himself yanked Chihiro from his horn and held her close to his chest as bright, burning flames leaped from the ground!

Brock sputtered and shouted for a moment as he clawed away at the flames, yet those flames didn't relent a bit. In fact, they spread even wider, until they formed a ring of fire around the arena itself! Everyone else was quick to jump and flee themselves… Except for Hot Head, who chuckled as he admired a butterfly that had flown into the arena as he stood right in the flames' line of fire.

"Hot Head, watch out!" Swarm cried.

The butterfly fluttered off, and Hot Head grunted as he turned back to Swarm.

"What was that, lil' guy?" Hot Head shouted back.

With one last fwoom, the flames charged forward and completely engulfed Hot Head in their grip! Everyone gasped and scrambled back as Hot Head screamed in agony, only his face visible amid the flames that had completely engulfed his body, but as it went it, it seemed like he was laughing more than anything! A smile cracked across his face as the flames seeped into his veins and disappeared around him, and Hot Head stepped forward. The flames that spewed from his head were brighter than ever, and flames burst from the cracks of lava in his warm body! The heat from him burned like a summer sun, and everything around him was covered in a sheen of golden light as he pounded his fists together.

"Time to crank up the heat!" Hot Head cried as he leaned forward!

With one last scream, he leaped off the ground as the flames jumped from his veins and swirled around him until he was a flaming fireball, a miniature sun in his own right—and he was headed right for Brock! Brock grunted as Hot Head sped further and further for him… Then bounced right off Brock's pecs and into his hands! The flames around Hot Head extinguished as he groaned, and his eyes spun around in his head. Then, he squeaked as Brock squeezed him like a squeaky toy and tossed him right into Crusher and Thumpback! The three of them screamed as they crashed down onto the floor like bowling balls, then they leaped off the floor and dashed off as Brock chased after them!

"That guy thinks he's one big fish, doesn't he?" Thumpback remarked as he held up his hands. "Well, how about I reel him in?" Thumpback held up his hands and spun them around for a moment, then paused and peered down at his empty hands. "Oh, right, I don't have my anchor with me."

Thumpback grunted as one more stomp from Brock tossed him, Crusher and Hot Head back into the air, then they all screamed as they crashed back down onto the ground and stumbled to their feet! They all dashed right past Cynder and Trigger Happy as they snarled, while Cynder leaped into the air and flew off.

"I'll see if I can distract this guy!" Cynder cried as she disappeared into the skies. "You try and think of something!"

Bots of purple lightning flashed from the skies and zapped into Brock's head, yet he hardly noticed as he chased after those down below!

"I'll help, too!" Trigger Happy proclaimed from down below on the ground. He grinned as he shifted through his back, then his smile slowly faded as he found nothing but fur and skin. "Oh, right, they took all my weapons!"

While Trigger Happy sat down and pouted on the ground, Chihiro just walked up and winced.

"If we can get that guy off-guard, we should be able to beat him—but how?" Chihiro asked. "We don't have our weapons and our powers do nothing against him!"—Chihiro's eyes fell on where Brock had yanked the Elder Elementals off the ground and juggled them like balls, then tossed them back into the ground and cackled—"and if even the Elder Elementals are no match for him, then we're no better!"

The Elder Elementals all screamed in pain as they crashed into the ground and left imprints in the walls, but despite their pain, the crowds ate it up! Cheers and clapping and the pounding sounds of sheer joy rumbled from the stands, with people leaping out of their seats and tossing their refreshments in the air!

"Kill them, Arena King!" Cried one patron!

"Make 'em into paste!"

"Death! Death! Death!"

Brock smirked as he peered back at the crowds and shook his fists in the air, then his eyes turned back to the injured and beaten Elder Elementals. They all cringed and snarled back up at him as his smirk turned devilish, yet despite the defiance on their faces, they couldn't even move an inch! The most they could do was grunt as they tried and failed to pull themselves off the ground before collapsing once more.

And Chihiro, she couldn't even watch! She turned away and gulped as she covered her eyes.

"If only we had some backup or something!"

Brock himself just cackled as he raised his fist in the air, and his sneer turned to a wide grin that showcased his shiny white fangs!

"Any last words before your execution, gladiators?" Brock sneered.

"YEAH, I'VE GOT SOME LAST WORDS FOR YA! EAT THIS!"

Brock turned around, then screamed as a massive anchor, a swirling tornado of rainbows and a spewing stream of lava all smacked him right in the face! And this time, they had caught him completely off-guard—he could only scream as he got smacked right into the face and fell right into the bleachers! The patrons all screamed and fled as he crashed back down, while Brock himself just groaned and dropped open his jaw as his massive stature started to shrink, just a bit!

Chihiro gasped and popped open her eyes, then turned back to the bleachers behind her and grinned!

Up in the stands, Terrafin, Gill Grunt, Whirlwind and Eruptor all stood on the edge with Flynn and Cali just barely visible behind them, well past the shocked patrons and unconscious security guards! They all snarled and narrowed their eyes as they fixed on Brock, and the way the sun struck against their backs and sent shadows running down their faces gave them an almost cool edge! But, the moment the four of them glanced down at their comrades in the arena, they all beamed and jumped down!

"Everyone! You came!" Chihiro cried as she dashed up to them!

"Never said we wouldn't!" Whirlwind added as she flew up and scratched her head. "We just had to take the long way around."

"No kiddin'," Terrafin scoffed as he crossed his arms. "Whole place was choked to the brims with guards! Even my old boxing matches weren't as bad!"

Spyro chuckled as he flew up beside them both, and soon he was joined by Cynder, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf too! Shadows cast over them all as the Elder Elementals finally pulled themselves off the ground and joined them all, and Chihiro just beamed, a smile that was shared by them all! Chihiro giggled as she ran closer to the bleachers while Flynn and Cali stumbled down the stairs, then raised a brow as the two of them leaned over the stands.

"Sorry for taking so long!" Cali cried as she waved down at Chihiro. "See, we ran into some complications when we came on our way to the arenas..."

"But it was nothing I couldn't handle, of course!" Flynn cried as he pounded a fist against his chest. Though, his usual confident smile quickly faded. "But anyways, when we got there, we found this place that had been completely torn up! Like, the whole place was wrecked to pieces, then we found the whale guy's anchor and the rock guy's hammer just laying there..."

"And we thought there might've been trouble, so we went back to get a little extra help!" Cali finished with a grin.

"No kidding, we definitely needed it," Chihiro scoffed as her eyes laid on a groaning, straining Brock.

Tree Rex narrowed his eyes, then scratched his head and turned back to the others. "Is it just me, or did he get smaller?"

"It's not just you!" Stealth Elf cried as she pointed to Brock. "Look!"

Brock groaned and rubbed his head as he finally jumped off from the ground, and in that moment a blue glow surrounded him and he shrank another size! He went from covering the sun to just barely passing the tip of the coliseum, and though he still towered over them, that intimidating aura he held had faded somewhat! He grunted as he popped debris from his ears, then snarled as he glared everyone down.

"That, that was just a fluke!" Brock proclaimed as he squeezed his fists. "Brock won't get caught off-guard again!"

"Really?" Chihiro asked. "Then take this!"

With a snap of her fingers, a magical baseball-shooting machine emerged right beside Chihiro with a clunk! As it landed on the ground, Chihiro pounded it and grinned as it rumbled to life.

"BATTER UP!"

With one last rumble and clunk, the machine whirred to life and an entire flurry of magic baseballs pelted Brock at all angles! They slammed into his chest, bopped him in the head, smacked him right in the eyes! He wailed as the baseballs slammed into him, and the gasps and shocked murmurs of the crowd as he was rendered helpless by a swarm of oncoming magic pellets only further flustered him! He sputtered and grunted as he slapped away the balls, yet the blue glow that surrounded him lingered as he shrunk another size!

"See? That potion only works if he can keep his cool!" Chihiro cried as she turned back to the others. "If we can keep throwing him off guard, then we can take him down in a snap!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers for emphasis, and a few smiles cracked around everyone as their eyes fell on Brock. Though Brock staggered up still and kept the fight in his eyes, none of them relented—they raised their fists, prepped their attacks, and simply sneered as they glared down Brock.

"Now that we've got that figured out, let's say we even the playing field!" Spyro cried as he flew forward!

Brock gasped, then clenched his teeth as beads of sweat rained down from his forehead and dampened the ground below him. The cheers and joy of the crowd that he once drank in had turned to confused mumbles and irritated murmurs, even a few booing and tossing their popcorn at him! While he narrowly dodged a few boxes of popcorn and just barely prevented another shrinking spell, Brock glared over to where a couple of spell punks clad in green and gold robes swept up some of the wreckage.

"Y-you!" Brock cried as he pointed to the spell punks. "Over there! Brock needs a boost, right this second!"

The spell punks lifted their heads and frowned as they pointed to themselves.

"Yes, you! Who else would Brock be talking to?!"

The spell punks turned to each other and shrugged, then their neutral looks turned to smiles and giggled as they circled around Brock and glowed with green light! The green glow of theirs seeped into Brock's skin and turned it to a richer shade of green, while the injuries he sustained disappeared into puffs! His muscles bulked up and shone against the light, and his muscles grew a few more sizes as he grinned and flexed.

"Aw yeah, that's what Brock's talking about!" Brock cried! Brock kissed his bulging biceps and grinned as he flexed out his tightly-built pecs, then slammed his hands together and glared back down. "Think you can take Brock on now, Skylanders?"

"You bet we can!" Spyro, Tree Rex and Chihiro all cried at once!

Brock yelled to the heavens as he rushed forward and charged in for the kill, but Tree Rex immediately charged right after him and body-slammed his leg! The slam tossed Brock off his balance and knocked him into the ground, but he quickly jumped back to his feet and slammed into Tree Rex! The two of them locked into each other as they pushed each other across the floor, but as they did Tree Rex's own grip started to slip… So, Brawl and Crusher rushed forward and gave Tree Rex the push he needed! The three of them pushed back against Brock and tossed him right towards Bouncer and Ninjini, who perked up and zapped him in the back with bright, burning lasers! Brock screamed as the steam wafted from his back, then he turned around and went to slug them right in the face, but the two of them zipped away just before he could!

"Hey, get back here!" Brock cried as he turned around and bolted after Bouncer. But, as a shadow cast over him, he frowned and lifted his head. "Who turned out the lights?"

"I DID!" Thumpback cried. "CANNONBALL!"

Brock blinked and lifted his head, then screamed as Thumpback body-slammed right into him and bounced off! Thumpback chuckled as he rolled away and pushed himself up—but Brock was less than amused as he crashed into the burning grates and shrunk another size! Brock gasped as his eyes fell down on his smaller form, then screamed in pain as the gates' flames burst from their holes!

"How about I stoke the fires a little?" Hot Head asked as he strode up and held out his hands. "Time to burn it up!"

Hot Head's palms crackled and popped as they grew bright and warm, then out from them shot bright flames that fed into the grates' fires and blew them to gigantic sizes! Brock's pained cries and wails were the only thing heard over the crackle and pop of flames, and the scent of singed meat wafted in the air as the flames died and left a burnt, searing Brock! Brock grumbled as he stood back up and stumbled onto the battlefield, but a zap at his feet shocked his senses right into him!

"Sorry buddy, you aren't finished just yet!" Swarm cried as he flew in front of Brock and loaded his stinger cannons.

With a chuckle, his stingers zipped off and slammed into the ground around Brock, who was sent dancing on his feet as they exploded and zapped the ground around him! Another blue glow came from his body, and once again he shrunk… Down to about half the Elder Elementals' size!

"Alright, everyone!" Chihiro cried as she summoned a hammer made of magic. "Let's finish this!"

"Right!" The Skylanders called as they rushed into action!

While Brock screamed and danced for the cackling crowds, Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy bolted forward and kicked him across the ground! Brock screamed as he went flying across the arena grounds, then crashed down and tumbled onto a particularly cracked part of the earth. He grunted as he tried to push himself up… But his grunts turned to screams as Terrafin leaped from the ground and punched him towards where Chihiro and the rest of the Skylanders stood!

"Ready, aim," Chihiro said as she summoned an orb of light and bounced it up and down like a rubber ball. With one last toss, Chihiro shot the ball high in the air, then smacked it with her hammer and sent it hurtling towards Brock. "FIRE!"

The ball screeched as it zipped right for Brock, and as it did it was joined by bolts of lightning, balls of fire, torrents of water and gusts of solid wind that slammed into it and transformed it into a burning rainbow comet! The comet slammed right into Brock's chest, and he screamed as its light engulfed him! A bright flash of light burst through the arena, and as it faded a smoking, seared Brock crashed down onto the arena floor and groaned. His whole body was covered in scuffs and singe marks, his eyes were tired and droopy, and the crown he wore cracked to pieces as it toppled from his head. The green glow he had gained finally faded, and all that was left was a dethroned king.

"You know, Brock doesn't think Brock's a bad person," Brock croaked as everyone crowded around him. "Brock just wanted to be liked! Brock wanted to make the crowds happy, to give them thrills they'd never seen before! Brock never wanted anything more than that!" Brock hacked, and in one last fit of defiance he raised a trembling hand. "Is that wrong?"

Brock grunted, and his hand collapsed back on his chest.

"I don't think it is."

And with his last words spoken, a blue glow surrounded Brock as he returned to his original size! His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he finally closed his eyes and collapsed, though the subtle raise and fall of his chest proved himself alive still! And yet, he was so weak, he couldn't even react to the gasps and shocks of the crowd as Chihiro planted a foot on his chest.

"Wrong answer, buddy!" Chihiro cried as she pointed a finger to the skies.

The trumpets sounded and confetti rained down from above as the audience chattered in shock, while the spell punks who attended to Brock floated down and hovered in front of Chihiro.

"Congratulations, you won the gladiator games!" One spell punk proclaimed as they raised their arms. "And now, for your prize!"

With a shimmer and a flash, a whole gallery of prizes manifested right in the arena! Gigantic platters filled with all kinds of food, chests full of treasure and jewels… But most importantly, in the crowds sat Ermit! His thick white beard was a bit disheveled in places, and his beady black eyes had bags underneath them as he turned around and gasped.

"Huh, what, what's going on here?" Ermit proclaimed. "Who won? I wasn't keeping score!"

"We did!" Chihiro cried as she walked up to Ermit and broke the handcuffs on his hands with a snap of her fingers. "You're Ermit, right?"

Ermit's eyes flickered, and he leaned in forward. "Wait a second, you're that new portal master, right? Master Chihiro?"

"Right on the mark! But, just Chihiro is fine." Chihiro winked and made a finger gun at Ermit, then cleared her throat. "We got your distress signal back at home base, and we came here to free you!"

"Oh, thank the Ancients!" Ermit stretched out and grinned as he strode out from the treasure pile, then snarled as he glared down the unconscious Brock. "That thick-headed drow doesn't know what he's doing, capturin' people for his stupid gladiator games like that! Who cares that much about sports anyways?"

Ermit paused and kicked Brock's arm, and while Brock cried in pain, Ermit scuffled up to Chihiro and leaned towards her ear.

"Anyways, I've got some… Important manners to discuss. Any place where we can do it privately? These walls have ears and all."

"We've got a ship at the docks, we can take you right there once we get our stuff back!"

"Great!"

The two of them grinned, while Chihiro just snapped her fingers and levitated the food from the ground. "Better take these, too," Chihiro remarked. "All that fighting really works up an appetite!"

So, Chihiro dropped the plates of food in the Elder Elementals' arms, and they all made their way for the gates… But as they strode off, one of the spell punks rushed up and tugged on Chihiro's arm.

"You're not going to take the rest of your spoils, too?" The spell punk asked.

Chihiro just grinned and shook her head. "Nah! We only came here because we wanted to free Ermit! You guys can keep the rest of that stuff!"

And upon hearing this, the crowd went wild! Everyone cheered as they leaped from their seats and flooded into the arena, all with their sights set on the gold! The spell punks sputtered and shouted as they tried to calm the patrons, but they were too many and the spell punks were too few—in the end, they were caught in the wave themselves!

And Chihiro only giggled as she skipped back out the gate and stretched her hands to the sky. "I don't know about you guys, but I think I've had enough sports for the rest of my life!"

"Same here!" Everyone else shouted back between chuckles.

§Later, at the Dread-Yacht...§

A single lightbulb flickered on and off inside the room everyone had crowded into, then with a single finger snap, its light solidified and turned cyan. The cyan light glowed like a star in the night sky amid the inky darkness of the room, and more importantly, illuminating the sight of Ermit as he sat behind a wooden desk! A sort of tension fell across him as he pursed his lips and laid his clasped hands against the table's surface… Then he screamed and reeled backwards in his chair as Chihiro shone a light in his eyes.

"Alright, where were you on the day Kaos made his insidious return to Skylands?" Chihiro demanded, a magical flashlight held tight in her grip.

"Knock that off!" Ermit cried back as he slapped the flashlight out of Chihiro's hands. "That thing burns!"

Chihiro blinked, then chuckled and leaned back as she scratched her head. "Sorry, always wanted to do that." Chihiro cleared her throat, then leaned back and forth in her seat, the back of her chair just barely brushed back to where everyone else sat behind her. "But in all seriousness, what happened?"

"Well, I guess it's time I told you what I saw."

Ermit cleared his throat, then winced as everyone leaned in and fixed their eyes on him. "You don't need to get so close, you know!"

A couple of faint chuckles and muttered apologies came out from the crowds around him, and Ermit cleared his throat once more.

"See, it all started when I was putting the finishing touches on my book about the dangers of clouds…"

§

Ermit chuckled to himself as he chiseled the last couple of words he needed on the stone tablets that made up his book, then beamed and held it up to the skies. The world around him was warm and pleasant in a way that normally would have been extremely odd for the aestival season, but in a tropical area like this, it was perfectly befitting—and the warm weather only further boosted his joy, too! But then again, it was hard not to feel happy in this little retreat he had adopted as his personal writing nook. With the thousands of trees rich with coconuts and mangoes and other tropical fruits perfect for a snack, the gentle crash of ocean waves from behind and the many butterflies that flew around, it was a slice of paradise! The only real oddity was that gigantic red and gold robot that laid knelt down and deactivated in the center of the canyon below, its body caked in vines and leaves and dirt, but it was hardly a damper to the warm mood. The smells of fresh air carried with them the faint taste of summer, and it gave him the perfect energy boost he needed! He'd have to make sure to credit this island when he got his book published for real.

Ermit peered down at the complete book in all its smooth, stone cold glory, and a giddy smile stretched across his face. It had taken him ages of research, of daring exploration and facing hair-raising horrors to document the dangers of those insidious clouds, but he did it! And once he shuffled this off to the local bookstore and coaxed them into publishing it, he could finally expose them for their dastardly deeds! Oh, he could see it now! The books being swept off the shelves in droves, the interviews, the handshake events, the clouds being swept from the skies! It would be glorious!

"Ha, take that, clouds!" Ermit cried as he pointed a finger to the skies. "Once I get the All-Encompassing Guide to the Dangers of Cloudkind in stores, you're finished!"

A crackle of lightning befitting on an oncoming storm crashed down, but Ermit only scoffed. "What, you think you're gonna rain on my parade? Not anymore!"

The clouds cried out in defiance, but Ermit just stood tall! Those clouds could try and intimidate him all they wanted, but he knew he was going to win! With everything he had done to bring this book to fruition, he had an entire omnibus of evidence against them! So, they could crackle and snap and pop all they wanted, it would be fruitless!

Ermit puffed out his chest and smirked as he stroke his beard, and for a moment he felt pretty darn good about himself.

Though the clouds above him turned murky and purple while bright pink lightning cracked down from their puffy exteriors, they wouldn't break his stride! No, not even as the area fluctuated between chilling colds and sweltering heats, not even as the plantlife shuddered and shriveled into the ground, not even as the awful dreadful feeling of malevolent magic filtered through the air! Wait a second, malevolent magic?

Ermit lifted his head, then winced as he peered back at the thick, storming clouds that choked out the skies. He had thought they were normal storm clouds, but now that he got a better look at them, they seemed far more abnormal than anything! Sprinkles of purple sparkles and dust filtered from their clouds alongside the strikes of lightning that left pink, glowing charred earth wherever they chose to strike, and that feeling of malevolence only grew as they churned. And for that matter, he could almost hear… Screaming, coming from between them?

"I'd better get a closer look," Ermit remarked as he yanked out a spyglass from his pocket and stretched it out. "I could use this for my book!"

So, Ermit lifted the spyglass to his eye and narrowed it as two specks, one black and one sort of a chartreuse color, fell out from between the clouds' fluff while the screaming only got louder! The whole area was dyed a thick hue of purple around him, and Ermit couldn't help but shudder as chills ran down his spine. He had seem pretty nasty storms before, but this was a whole other level of awful! Yet, just what was it?

Whatever it was, Ermit didn't get the chance to figure it out—because a lightning bolt shot right for him! He screamed and jumped out of the way as the lightning bolt slammed into his abandoned spyglass and rendered it an amorphous blob of smoking wood and metal cracked with pink veins, but that was the last thing on his mind! The lightning bolts were crashing further and further down around him, almost as if they were aiming for him specifically! Ermit screamed as one crashed down beside him and sent pink lava spewing out from the ground, then he dashed behind a large rock and shuddered. Surely, this would keep him safe from the lava, right? A crack of lightning struck a tree behind him down to its roots, and in that moment he was proven wrong! While the tree behind him was rendered a shriveled smog of its former glory, Ermit jumped to his feet and dashed underneath a rocky crevice in a cliff's crag! Luckily, the rocks here were strong enough that none of the lightning bolts could rock its stature, no matter how much they lashed and struck, so he just cozied up beside a couple of rocks and peered over its open depths.

Another pair of screams, one high and one low, pierced the air, and something crashed into the ground beyond the canyon, scaring off butterflies, bees and birds alike! Ermit picked up a second spyglass from his pocket (he always carried extras of all his tools, after all), then opened it up and peered down to find… No, it couldn't be…

But there, right on the ground beside that gigantic robot, were none other than that pint-sized portal master who had conquered Skylands the past year and some troll! Ermit couldn't exactly remember his name—Discord? Anarchy? Richard? Whatever it was, the guy seemed hardly befitting of the title of conqueror of Skylands and person who gave even the Skylanders the biggest run for their money they ever had. Beyond his diminutive state and completely bald head, he was in absolute shambles! His clothes were dirty and tattered in most aspects, and bruises and cuts covered the bare skin that was exposed! Static covered him from head to toe and zapped the lanky troll also covered in similarly-tattered clothes and bruises beside him, and both of them yelped!

The guy wiped his sleeves off and shook the static from his body, oblivious to how it leaped over and shocked the troll instead, then huffed and crossed his arms. "See, Glumshanks?" The guy exclaimed as he glared down the still-shuddering troll. "I told you taking the portal would be fine!"

"I wouldn't exactly call us crashing into some random island and nearly being shocked to death fine, Lord Kaos…" The troll remarked as he scratched his ear, then yipped as another static bolt hit him.

Kaos, so that was his name! Ermit flicked his ear, then twisted the spyglass a little to zoom further in on the two.

Kaos glared back at Glumshanks, and his hideous face wrinkled up in dismay. "What was that, Glumshanks?"

"Nothing, Lord Kaos."

Glumshanks sighed and crossed his arms as he sat down on a nearby rock. Poor guy, the bags under his eyes were so heavy they looked like they were about ready to slide off of his face, and he seemed awfully tired judging by how he curled up on an awfully hard rock and immediately fell asleep nonetheless… Not that he could, as Kaos cackled immediately afterwards and woke him right up!

"More importantly, now that I'm back in Skylands, I can finally kick things back into gear!" Kaos exclaimed at such volume that the birds around flew away. He grinned as he kicked a couple pebbles aside, and his eyes flared with bright red light. "It'll be so simple! Once I fix up Castle Blackthorne, reassemble my armies, amass a new treasure hoard, rebuild my airship fleets and military vessels…"—Kaos's voice started to falter, and his smile fell—"get my evil laboratories kickstarted, conquer a couple villages, replenish my stash of hot chocolate, find some more superweapons…" Kaos groaned, and his frown twisted even wider as he fell on his back. "And MAYBE destroy the Core of Light again, then I can finally show the Skylanders and that portal-poster the what-for!"

Kaos whimpered, and for a moment he seemed more pathetic than before as he buried his face in his hands.

"Glumshanks, it's awful! I got so caught up in getting back to Skylands, I completely forgot about all the work I'll have to do to get back on my feet! It's horrendous!"

Glumshanks, however, just sighed and rolled on his sigh. "That sounds awful, Lord Kaos," Glumshanks replied with a much more monotonous tone than his words suggested.

"Why me? Why meeeeeeee? Why do I have to do all this work? This is going to take FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Kaos pounded his legs and arms against the ground. "BUT I WANNA CONQUER SKYLANDS AND GET MY REVENGE RIGHT NOW! NOW! THIS INSTANT!"

"I know, Lord Kaos, you were talking all about it on the way here."

"I DON'T WANT TO WASTE MY TIME REBUILDING ARMIES AND STOCKPILES WHEN I COULD BE CONQUERING! AND ESPECIALLY NOT WASTING TIME WHILE THE SKYLANDERS AND THEIR STUPID PORTAL-POSTER ARE BUSY UNDOING ALL MY HARD WORK!"

Kaos's eyes shot wide open, and a cold sweat broke over his face as he jumped to his feet. "Wait, that portal-poster! She said back on that stupid mudball that she was going to make sure I never returned to Skylands again! Surely, she already knows I've been making my way back!" Kaos paced back and forth. "I bet she and those Skylosers already know I'm here! Surely, they're going to jump out from the bushes and take me in right now!"

Glumshanks groaned as he yanked a large leaf from a nearby plant and wrapped it around himself like a blanket. "Somehow I doubt that, Lord Kaos."

Kaos snarled, then leaped forward as his red eyes flared in tandem with the bright red light that came from his palms and crackled with lightning.

"They're never taking me alive, I'm telling you! And they won't take me dead, either!" Kaos turned around and snarled as he faced the robot, all while the lightning that burst from his hands grew even more intense. "In fact, I bet that robot's one of their lackies! YOU'LL NEVER BEST ME, ROBOT! THERE'S NO BESTING KAOS, ULTIMATE EVIL OVERLORD OF ALL SKYLANDS!" Kaos flung his hands together and flew backwards as a bright red lightning bolt burst from his hands. "TAKE THAT!"

The lightning bolt slammed right into the robot's chest, and the robot itself creaked as it swung back and forth! Below it, Kaos cackled while Glumshanks leaped from the rock he was napping on, but neither of them were as concerning as the teetering robot! So, Ermit fixed his spyglass on it just as it stabilized, and its eyes started to flicker on and off with light… Wait, for a moment, he also thought he say a person's shadow doing something within the robot itself, then fleeing reflected in the robot's eye, but, that couldn't have been right, right? He zoomed in further, but no people could be seen within the robot itself. So, he just frowned and zoomed back out and onto Kaos and Glumshanks.

While Glumshanks shuddered beside Kaos, Kaos had calmed himself from his earlier tantrum, and in fact, he seemed quite intrigued! He hummed and stroked his chin as he walked up to the robot, and tilted his head just a bit as a glow formed around him.

"Wait a second, I feel like I've seen this kind of robot before," Kaos remarked. "I'd better get a closer look at it!"

With a stomp of his feet, Kaos zipped off the ground and right up to the robot's face, where he glazed over it for moments… Then, he gasped and floated back as he clapped his hands.

"I knew it! This is an Arkeyan Conquertron!"

Giggles bubbling with malice bubbled out of Kaos's throat as he floated from eye to eye and wiped them off, and his sparkling eyes only grew even wider as he gazed upon the masses of controls and buttons within the Conquertron's body. "These were some of the finest, most powerful Arkeyan warriors of all! A machine like this would be perfect for my army!"

"Are you it even works still, Lord Kaos?" Glumshanks asked. He clasped his hands tight as he stepped up and glanced from side to side. "Besides, I don't know about you, but I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Don't worry so much, Glumshanks! Besides, if we're going to get anywhere in this evil conquest business, this'll be the just the thing!" Kaos cackled, and sparks of red magic burst from his palms as he rubbed them tight. "Just need to give this baby a little jumpstart!" Kaos flicked his palms out, and bright red light burst from their veins. "CONQUERTRON, COME ALIVE AND FACE YOUR NEW LEADER!"

The Conquertron flung its head backwards as the red magic fed into its body, and its sparkling, crackling red veins swirled around the Conquertron's body! Though its mouth was yanked open, not a single word or scream came from it as the magic all swerved and dove right into the Conquertron's mouth, while the bright red glow around it grew brighter and shinier… And then, silence. The Conquertron stood still as the leaves and vines collapsed from its body, now fried to a crisp, then it heaved itself up and stood tall.

Ermit winced, then tapped a button on the side of his spyglass and pulled it aside as a flash burst from its lens. A small picture fell by his feet, its foggy center clearing to show a picture of Kaos with that Conquertron! Ermit snatched it off the ground, then snuck a little further from Kaos's potential view as he brought the spyglass back to his eye.

Kaos floated back and raised a brow, then grinned as the Conquertron knelt before him and bowed its head. Steam burst from its chest as its chestplate slid open and spewed out a massive mechanical belt, and Kaos immediately teleported to its base and grabbed Glumshanks by the arm.

"See, Glummy? I told you it would work!" Kaos cried as he shook Glumshanks' arm. "Now, let's head on back to Castle Blackthorne!"

Kaos snapped his fingers and grinned as a radar appeared before him and scanned for a moment… But, his grin quickly faded as the radar turned a deep shade of red while a string of irritated beeps came from it!

"What? What do you mean you can't find my castle? I cast you out specifically for that purpose!" Kaos hit the radar atop its head and grunted. "WORK YOU STUPID THING!"

The radar flickered in and out, and its deep red color faded as it scanned again—but it returned just as quickly with no results to speak of! The radar was dismissed with a slash as Kaos ground his teeth, but Glumshanks just sighed and placed a hand on Kaos's shoulder.

"I hate to say it, Lord Kaos," Glumshanks said as he pulled Kaos away. "But, with all the time that's passed, I wouldn't be surprised if the Skylanders have already taken down all our fortresses!"

"ALL of them?" Kaos winced as he glimpsed back at the Conquertron, then coughed and turned back to Glumshanks. "Are you sure?"

Glumshanks sighed. "Well, there is one place, but unless you're willing to take a stroll down memory lane, I'm not sure if you'd wanna go there."

"You don't mean that place, do you?"

Glumshanks hesitantly nodded, and Kaos only groaned and buried his head. "Fine! We don't exactly have any other options, so I'll make do for now!" Kaos yanked Glumshanks away by the hand and strode into the Conquertron's belly. "Conquertron, take me back home!"

The two of them disappeared into the Conquertron's body, and its eyes lit up brighter as it straightened up and flew off! The gust that came from it was so intense that it leveled the greenery around, and even Ermit himself was sent tumbling back!

But, Ermit just stood and watched with wide eyes and a gaping mouth as the Conquertron disappeared into the stratosphere…

§

"And that's when I decided to call up you Skylanders, and all this nonsense happened!" Ermit proclaimed as he slammed a hand on the table. "I'd still love to give that nasty drow a piece of my mind…"

But, while Ermit muttered to himself, the expressions around him came in a variety of emotions! Shocked gasps and wide eyes to concerned frowns and furrowed brows, even a few intrigued smiles as people rubbed their chins.

"So it's like Hugo said, then!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaned forward and slammed her hands on the table. "Kaos's still rebuilding all his stuff, so if we can just find out where he's camping and stop him, his plans'll get stopped right then and there!" Chihiro beamed up at the others, then turned back to Ermit. "Ermit, do you possibly have any idea where he went?"

Ermit hummed and stroked his beard. "Now that I think about it, there's an old rumor that Kaos used to be a prince when he was little, before he got all this evil portal master nonsense in his head. Said his folks lived in the East-Western Outlands in the heart of some big pompous kingdom!" Ermit scratched his beard and frowned. "'Course, it's only just a rumor, but—"

"Then that's where we're heading!" Chihiro proclaimed as she pointed to the door. "Everyone, set sail for the East-Western Outlands!"

"Hey, I'm the captain here, I'll be the one giving orders!" Flynn proclaimed. He cleared his throat and straightened his scarf, then jabbed a finger towards the door. "Come on crew, the East-Western Outlands awaits!" Flynn grinned as he rushed forward and yanked the door opened. "And with your dashing and courageous pilot at the helm, we'll get there in no time!"

The room rumbled as everyone stampeded out the door and up the stairs, and Chihiro herself quickly followed after them… But just before she stepped foot on the first stair, a faint clunk sounded in the distance! Chihiro frowned and raised a brow as she glanced back at the room, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary—the light was still on, the furniture still upright, Ermit still snug tight in his seat.

"What're you looking at?" Ermit asked as he raised a brow.

Chihiro frowned as another faint clunk sounded in the distance, then turned back around and dashed up the stairs. "Oh, nothing!"

§

Within an isolated corner of the East-Western Outlands, one long-forgotten to most parts of not just Skylands but their own corners as well, trouble stirred within the depths of an ancient castle left cracked and disheveled by the sands of time. Behind its dusty, cobweb-coated rooms and ancient halls laid a courtyard overrun by weeds and grass so tall it made the surroundings resemble a jungle! And in the heart of that courtyard, there laid all sorts of forces—spell punks, goblins, greebles, maybe a stray elemental spirit or lingering chompy from the mess of plantlife around… But the one thing that unified them all was the fact that they all gazed up at the top of the courtyard.

There, Kaos stood atop his balcony, his red eyes narrowed and laced with fire as he glared down his forces with Glumshanks by his side. His fingers crackled with crimson embers as they drummed against the railing, and they only burned brighter in tandem with the deepening frown on his face. He torn robes had been patched some and his injuries cleaned and bandaged, but he still looked like he was in pretty bad shape.

"Very well, this meeting is dismissed!" Kaos proclaimed as he turned around and nonchalantly waved his hand. "Go back to your posts, now!"

Conversations bubbled from the courtyard as Kaos trailed back inside the castle, but he didn't seem particularly fussed about it as he crossed his arms behind his back. His lips twitched as he knelt down his head, as if to avoid the massive pictures of royalty that lined the regal, but dusty red and gold halls of the castle.

"Lord Kaos, is something wrong?" Glumshanks asked as he trailed up to Kaos and raised a brow. "You seemed a bit more upset than usual during the meeting. After all, you only brought up the ultimate doom of all Skylands five times!"

Kaos's eye twitched, then he turned around to Glumshanks and grinned—though this grin of his was laced with anger and force more than anything.

"Oh, why wouldn't I be fine, dear Glumshanks?" Kaos crooned as he stopped in his tracks, "I mean, my stronghold has been ripped from my clutches, most of my empire has been completely diminished, and I've been forced to bunker down at my parents' castle because I no longer have a proper hideout!" Kaos turned around, then shuddered and turned back away as his eyes fell on the paintings. His sarcastic smile vanished, and he only frowned as he proceeded down the hallways. "And worse yet, my attempts to rebuild my empire aren't going according to plan at all! Most of my old forces refuse to return, and these new ones just aren't up to snuff! I've had to resort to petty village conquests and robberies like some kind of wannabe super villain just to build my empire back up!"

"… I will choose not to remark on that."

Kaos turned back to Glumshanks and quirked his brows, almost as if he was questioning Glumshanks' statement, but he just sighed and turned away. He slouched over and seemed like he was going to collapse, but the moment he stopped at the teleporter the hall lead to, a smile crossed his face.

"Not one thing's gone right! Not even the one thing I thought would go right!"

Kaos hopped on the teleporter, and in a flash he was transported to the castle's outer courtyard! It was just as overgrown as the inner courtyard, if not more with its gigantic grassy fields and trees paired with the occasional screech of flying monkeys and birds. And in the center of it all, in an area surprisingly free of overgrowth, laid a gigantic, red and gold Arkeyan Conquertron! It shone brilliantly in the light, almost as if it was brand-new and not several millennia old! And yet, the sight brought not even the slightest of smiles to Kaos's face.

"I've done everything I can think of, and I still can't get this stupid Conquertron to start up again! It's like the thing's a dud!" Kaos squealed as Glumshanks manifested behind him.

"Well, you haven't exactly had much time to work with it since we've been so busy…" Glumshanks remarked.

However, Kaos didn't pay any mind to Glumshanks' connection! He just strode up to the Conquertron and stroked its knee.

"It's humongous, and strong, and laden with every weapon and power an evil genius could need! If I could just get it working again, it would be the perfect keystone for my army of evil! But it can barely even sit up straight!" Kaos scowled and stomped his foot, kicking up dust and scaring away insects. "If only I could get it started up again like I did back then! Then maybe I could finally get somewhere with my conquering!"

Kaos's scowling furthered as he raced up to Glumshanks and ranted on and on about it, but while he squealed and shouted, he paid no attention to the Conquertron itself! Within the depths of the Conquertron, a thin, humanoid shadow flashed on its eyes. The shadow frowned as it appeared to glance over Kaos, then chuckled to itself.

"An army of evil, you say?…" The shadow whispered as it vanished from view.

Down on the ground, Kaos took in a breath and sighed as he gazed over the Conquertron, but it wasn't a sigh of satisfaction. Rather, his face fell as he gazed over it with a kind of faint yearning, exhaustion almost.

"But, I doubt that'll even happen with how broken this hunk of junk is," Kaos grumbled as he crossed his arms. "I'm just going to have to stay stuck with these useless greebles and hapless spell punks!"—Kaos moaned as he buried his face in his hands—"what I wouldn't give to have my old evil armies back… Heck, I'd even take those useless Skylander clones over what I have now!"

"There, there, Lord Kaos," Glumshanks consoled as he patted Kaos's back. "I'm sure you'll find some new minions…"—Glumshanks flicked his ears and lifted his head as a whir like a machine coming to life sounded off from beside them—"soon?"

Kaos lifted his head as a shadow cast over him and Glumshanks both, then they screamed and jumped back! Right in front of them, the Conquertron had come to life, its blank eyes bright and with a white shine as the Conquertron stood and towered over the entire area!

"What the—what's going on?!" Kaos demanded as he stumbled back and tried to hide his shaking legs, "How did you come to life again?!"

The Conquertron creaked a bit as it leaned its head down, the glow in its eyes faint for a moment, then it lifted its head and beeped.

"Your desire for power is what awakened me!" The Conquertron proclaimed as it knelt down to face Kaos and Glumshanks, yet still towered over them regardless, "I can sense a great yearning for conquest within your heart, and it tells me that you would be perfect for the gift I have in mind!"

"A… Gift?"

Kaos's eyes sparkled, and he drew closer to the Conquertron as he clasped his hands. "What kind of gift do you have in mind, exactly?"

"Well, have you ever heard of Arkus, the capital of the Arkeyan Empire, and all the Arkeyan robots it has just lying in anticipation of a new leader?"

"Arkus?!" Kaos gasped. "You mean the keystone of the Arkeyan Empire that was lost upon its fall ten thousand years ago?"

"Ten thousand years ago?" The Conquertron repeated, its metallic voice tinted with a bit of shock before it shook its head. "Indeed, I mean exactly that! I can take you there, if you just enter!"

Kaos let out another shrill gasp of pure glee, then he dashed forward—or at least, he would have if Glumshanks hadn't grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back! Kaos snarled as he glared back at Glumshanks, then he fished his sleeve out of Glumshanks' grip.

"Glumshanks, what gives?!" Kaos demanded. "Didn't you hear the robot? It's got an entire army just waiting for me!"

"I don't know about this, Lord Kaos," Glumshanks winced as he scratched his arm and cast a weary glance at the robot. "Something about that robot gives me a really bad feeling…"

"Bah, you have a bad feeling about everything!" Kaos dismissed Glumshanks with a shake of his hand as he stormed off. "This is just the thing we need! Once we get there, I can buff up my evil armies of ultimate doom with more Arkeyan robots that all Skylands can comprehend!"—Kaos giggled as he twirled around and stomped his feet in place from sheer glee—"and then, I can finally reclaim my place as ULTIMATE EVIL OVERLORD OF ALL SKYLANDS!"

"But if you couldn't get it to start up before, why's it suddenly working now?"

Kaos groaned and rolled his eyes, then pushed Glumshanks back on the teleporter. "Oh, who cares about that! Now you go get the preparations ready while I have a chat with our new friend!"

Glumshanks only screamed as the teleporter whisked him away in a flash, and Kaos just cackled as he turned around and faced the robot. But while Kaos cackled, that humanoid shadow flashed in the Conquertron's eyes and chuckled as it observed Kaos! It pressed its thin hand against the eye as if it was looking through a window and licked its lips as Kaos hopped on the Conquertron's palm and grinned as it brought him up to its face.

"And once I get back to Arkus, I've got some pretty big plans of my own…" The shadow remarked with another chuckle. As Kaos took a glimpse through the Conquertron's eyes, the shadow gasped and dashed away.

Kaos frowned and quirked a brow as he glanced over the eyes. "That's strange, I could've sworn I saw someone's shadow in that one eye…" Kaos remarked as he rubbed his chin, then shrugged. "It was probably my imagination!"

Chuckles rose in Kaos's throat as the Conquertron's mouth open, then he hopped inside and strode right in!

"YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, SKYLOSERS, AND ESPECIALLY YOU, PORTAL-POSTER! ONCE I GET TO ARKUS AND REVITALIZE MY ARMIES, YOU'LL BE THE FIRST TO TASTE YOUR EVIL DOOM!" Kaos proclaimed at the top of his lungs as he jumped in the control room! His grin was wide as he let out another cackle, but then his eyes popped open and his face fell as he examined the empty room.

It was a simple, mechanical control room with no sort of seating or anything—all that laid in its barren body were rows upon rows of mechanical panels with more bells and whistles than the eye could see!… But, strangely enough, it was completely dim and lifeless, in spite of how lively its robot body looked outside!

"Eh, who turned out the lights?"

"I did!"

Kaos gasped, then whipped his head back and forth around the control room, but nobody was there! The only one inside was Kaos himself—but strangely enough, a sinister shadow lurked across the floors, one that couldn't have possibly belonged to him! Kaos winced, then immediately raced back for the door. But just before he reached it, it completely shut down on him!

"Let me out of here!" Kaos demanded as he pounded his fists on the shut door while his eyes glowed a bright red, "I'm warning you, you don't want to mess with me, LORD KAOS, ULTIMATE EVIL EMPEROR OF ALL SKYLANDS!"

"My, my, calm yourself down," crooned the mysterious voice, its words echoed around the chamber, "I have no intentions of hurting you…"

Kaos shuddered, and his hands instinctively glowed a bright red as his whole body started to tremble. His eyes darted every which way, and yet no sign of his mystery captor had been found! All that could be seen was that shadow, which drew closer and closer towards him. For that matter, didn't it seem like it was, bubbling, almost?

"In fact, your body is just what I need!"

And just like that, a humanoid figure jumped out from the shadow and leaped right into Kaos's body! Kaos's magic immediately ceased and he cried out in shock, then he fell to his knees, and finally on his face as his whole body gave out on him! He laid flat across the cold, metal floor of the chamber, still and quiet as if he had died… But then, a soft, red glow surrounded him as laughter came from his mouth! This laughter was nothing akin to his trademark shrill cackles and shrieks, but that of a smooth, cocky man's voice, one that still held a bit of confident youth to it despite its baritone. The laughter continued as Kaos staggered up, his balance shaky as he pulled himself to his feet and stumbled around the chamber, then finally he lurched over to the control panels and examined his reflection in the Conquertron's eyes.

"I'll admit, this isn't quite the new body I had in mind," Kaos said as he frowned and rubbed his shiny, bald head, then drew back and nodded as he placed his hands behind his back. "But, it'll do for now!" Kaos's eyes turned back to the robot's console, then he grinned and tapped a few buttons. "Now, if I recall correctly, the map to Arkus should be..."

The insides of the robot shuddered and gleamed as they rattled to life, and in a flash a map emerged on the front screen!

"Here!" Kaos grinned as he glazed over the map, and a few soft chuckles emerged as he tapped away at the console's buttons. "And if it's showing up, then surely Arkus is still intact! I just have to program this robot to take me there and..."

A firm buzz echoed through the room as the room turned red, and Kaos grunted as he lifted his head to find a flashing crimson screen blaring all sorts of warnings in Ancient Skylandian text. "Wrong password?" He read with a scowl. His scowl deepened as he tapped at the console once more. "But, I'm sure it was up, up, down, down, left, right, right, left, and these two runes..."

The screen let out another loud buzz, and Kaos ground his teeth together.

"Maybe it was up and down first?"

Nope, just another buzz.

"Left, left?"

Nada.

"Up, down, left right?"

Once again the buzzer buzzed, and Kaos scowled as he slammed his hands in a fury against the console, screaming at the top of his lungs, "OH FORGET IT!"

A string of buzzers and flashing red lights shone across the scream as Kaos pounded away... And then, a single white light and a ping! Kaos's eyes fluttered as he lifted his head from the console, and then his jaw dropped.

"Wait a second, it was up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right and then the runes!" Kaos snapped his fingers and grinned as he tapped the password into the console once more, and yet no message of affirmation came—just another buzz! His scowl returned, and once again he lifted his head. "But, I got the passcode right—"

And the moment his eyes hit the monitor, his jaw dropped at what the screen said!

"Directions have been erased due to too many incorrect attempts?!" Kaos read as he fell to his knees and clawed into his bald head. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The world outside rumbled and birds flew in the distance as Kaos leaped back to his feet, but he hardly cared, instead opting to pace in a circle as he scratched his head further. "Now what am I going to do?!" He cried. "If that ugly little man was right, it's been ages! Who knows what could've happened to Arkus or where it is now? I certainly wouldn't be able to find it, not like this!" Kaos's eyes fluttered, and his iron grip on his skull loosened as he flexed his fingers. "Unless..."

Once again Kaos dashed to the console and typed away, and the white screen was replaced by another, one that showed a model of a large vault hidden away in a rocky expanse in full color.

"Yes, the Secret Vault of Secrets is still in there!" Kaos cried! He tapped away the passcode, and grinned as a string of beeps turned the screen green. "Just need to download the instructions and make the travel preparations, and then, and then... I can finally get my empire back!"

Kaos smirked as he puffed out his chest, and a string of low laughs emerged from his throat… Then, he burst into full-on cackles that echoed across the horizon!

"Watch out, Skylands—King Arkilles is back!"

---

Trivia Notes:

- Richard, one of the names Ermit thinks is Kaos's name, is a nod to his voice actor, Richard Steven Horvitz!