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)

9. Chapter 9

An ice ogre huffed as it drew lines in the snow between the Elder Elementals and the ice ogre's own ranks, then it skittered back to Noodles' side and whipped out a horn. It cleared its throat, lifted the horn to its lips and sent a mighty bugle to the heavens—a signal for the challenges that laid ahead.

"Attention! The ceremonial horn has been sounded," Noodles proclaimed as he strode out down the middle and held out his arms. "Which means it is now time for the…"—Noodles cleared his throat, and his eyes narrowed as he pounded a fist against his palm in tandem, with his words—"ICE. FISHING. GAMES!"

The ice ogres all cheered and tossed their fishing poles in the air, then quickly claimed then back as Noodles glared at them.

"The standard rules apply. There'll be three games, and whoever ends up with the most wins outta us all is our winner!" Noodles shot a look towards the Elder Elementals, who glared back at him in return—but despite it seemingly glaring down them all, his glance seemed to pierce Thumpback specifically.

"If the whale's team wins, they get that giant robot back there." Noodles gestured back to where the Arkeyan Conquertron was parked, then he turned back to his fellow ice ogres. A smile crossed his face as he did, and the ice ogres all grinned back at him. "And if we win, then the whale'll show us that ancient treasure he was talkin' about!"

On one side of the line, Tree Rex, Eye-Brawl, Swarm and Thumpback all stood close together while the ghost hovered above Thumpback's shoulder, all their eyes fixed on the ice ogre soldiers that rested aside from them. A faint buzz came from Swarm's wings as one soldier shot him a particularly nasty look, but Tree Rex just drew him back before he could say or do anything. Across from them, the ice ogres all shot them sneers and laughs, the perfect picture of confidence compared to the quartet's tension—well, most of their tension. While the others were fairly tense, Thumpback didn't seem worried at all! He just hummed some kind of old sailor's tune as he polished his anchor, no mind paid to those before him.

"You seem awfully calm about this," the ghost remarked as he slid off of Thumpback's top and gently nudged Thumpback's shoulder, sending a small chill through Thumpback's arm. "Aren't you worried?"

"Worried?" Thumpback whispered back as he raised a brow. "Not particularly." Thumpback chuckled, then toyed with his anchor's chains as he spoke. "After all, I've gone fishing in some of Skylands' roughest seas! A little fishing contest like this is nothing! And besides, one thing that all my years of fishing taught me is that the fish can smell fear. You act nervous, and they'll all know!"

The ghost nodded, then turned back as his body began to fritz, forcing him onto Eye-Brawl's shoulder next, while below him Brawl caught Thumpback's attention with a nudge of the shoulder.

"I suppose you have a point. But still, what are we going to do if we lose?" Brawl signed as Thumpback raised a brow at him. "After all, they have a gigantic robot and the entire terrain on their side! I don't believe it would be a wise idea to upset them."

"Oh, don't worry," Thumpback tossed his anchor back over his shoulder, while his laid-back smile steadied itself as he clutched the anchor's chain tight.

"I may not have fished in quite a while, but I have confidence in my abilities."

"With that being said, our first challenge is simple!" Noodles proclaimed, still oblivious to the ice ogres' confident jeering or Thumpback's quiet conversation as he rambled on. "It's a size contest! Whoever can catch the largest fish at the local ice pond is our victor!"

The ice ogres all chattered as Noodles lead them away to the pond, and Thumpback himself frowned and clutched his anchor tight as he trailed after them. A wary Tree Rex, Eye-Brawl and Swarm followed behind with that little ghost tagging along, trembling and flickering as he sat on Eye-Brawl's shoulder, but Thumpback only steeled his gaze as his eyes fell over the horizon of a snowy hill above. There, a pond laid still by the thick, cloudy sheet of ice above it sat amid endless hills of snow and the occasionally ice-coated tree. Its surface shone and glistened as Thumpback drew closer to it, and its cloudy surface cleared enough that he could faintly spy the tails of small fish and ice tadpoles skittering and swimming underneath. Ah, the sight brought back memories of his youth, where he'd spend his calf days fishing in the icy ponds of his home island. It was a little nostalgic, and he couldn't help but grin—even at the sight of the ice ogres that were his opponents cheering as they snatched their fishing poles from a stand made of ice.

Thumpback raised a brow as he snatched a particularly large pole from the stand, then tip-toed across the ice, so gentle and quiet enough that none of the fish would be startled by his presence. A couple of holes had been opened in the ice already, with some swarmed with fish… But, Thumpback just turned away and eyed a hole smaller than the rest. It would barely fit his rod, but the large, shadowy blobs that bobbed underneath its surface seemed promising. So, he steadied his rod, dropped the line in, then sat down and grinned as he laid his rod beside him.

"Good things come to those who wait," Thumpback whispered as he twiddled his thumb, "and fishing is no exception."

Thumpback hummed as his eyes turned to the ice ogres, and he frowned as they hooted and hollered as they yanked out their lines. Didn't they know they were going to scare away the fish? If they had wanted big catches than the ones they held, they couldn't scare away all the little ones! Surely, that was why the first of the ogres only yanked out a measly bluegill. While the first one only sighed at the sight of the fish they had caught, the second shouted with delight as they yanked out a much larger sunfish! The sunfish slapped them in the face with its tail, but they seemed hardly displeased as they held their catch for all to see! In fact, they were as proud as ever… Until the ogre beside it yanked out a much larger cod!

While the ogres all spat and quarreled over their catches, Tree Rex, Swarm and Eye started gesturing and mouthing something to Thumpback, but Thumpback just shushed them and turned back to his rod. The rod itself started to twitch as it rolled just slightly across the ice. Had he finally caught something? Thumpback lowered his head as the rod rolled right towards his foot, then he grinned and yanked it back up—he certainly had! The line tugged and frayed, almost prepared to snap, even, as Thumpback yanked it back and wound its reel as fast as he could!

Massive cracks formed in the ice in front of him, so big that the startled ice ogres immediately fled to the safety of the snow banks ahead, but Thumpback just drew back and kept reeling. Parts of the ice drifted away into ice floes, and a low rumble came from within the waters.

"Yep," Thumpback groaned as he yanked his rod back with all the might he could muster. "This is definitely a big one!"

With one last grunt, the rod yanked itself up and snapped in half as Thumpback's catch landed on what remained of the shattered ice pond, and revealed itself to be a gigantic snow-catfish! It gasped for air as it shuddered the ground below it with a thud, but while everyone around just gawked in awe at its size, Thumpback chuckled.

"That's the biggest snow-catfish I've seen in my life!" Thumpback crossed his arms, "I think this has to be a new record for me!"

The ice ogres' rods dropped from their hands as their catches scurried back into the waters, and beside them Noodles gnashed his teeth and tugged at his mohawk!

"Ugh, fine! First point goes to the whale!" Noodles cried as he stormed off and grumbled. "Onto the next challenge!"

And Thumpback, he just adjusted his anchor's position on his shoulders and chuckled as Tree Rex, Swarm and Eye-Brawl joined him. The grins on their faces stretched up to their eyes, and Thumpback only smiled as he pulled up his anchor!

"That was amazing, Thumps!" Swarm cried as he nudged Thumpback's arm.

"You have quite the eye for fishing," Eye remarked with a sagely nod.

Thumpback, however, just chuckled as he followed after the ogres, his anchor kept tight over his shoulder. "It was nothing," Thumpback remarked, though he couldn't help but crack a grin of pride. After all, it was nice to know that he still had it, even after all this time!

The ice ogres glared down Thumpback as he finally caught up, and smirks crossed their faces. The head of their group trailed up to him and crossed their arms, almost as if they were irate behind those sly smiles they held.

"We're gonna win this, you know!" The head ice ogre cried.

Thumpback, in turn, just grinned and waved back at them. "Good luck with that, then!"

However, the ice ogres just scoffed and turned away! They mumbled something about someone being full of themself and the likes, and Thumpback just frowned. He was just wishing them well, what got them so upset?

A warm gust of wind hit Thumpback's face, and he shuddered and shook it off as he lifted his eyes ahead. Warm air bubbled out from the pond ahead, which seemed more like a sauna with all the warm steam and bubbling water! It was an odd sight compared to the masses of snow that surrounded, which still seemed perfectly frozen in spite of all the heat! But, compared to the cold of before, it was a welcome sight.

Thumpback pressed forward and peered in the waters, then flinched and stepped back as one of the bubbles popped in his face. He popped an eye open, then grinned as a large red fish with shiny scales swam away beneath the water! For that matter, it wasn't the only one—fish in all shapes and sizes swam underneath the depths, and they seemed quite lively, too! Thumpback hadn't seen such a sight in a while.

"Alright, time for round two!" Noodles cried!

A metal, frost-covered bucket slammed down beside Thumpback's foot and scared away the fish, while Thumpback raised a brow and gingerly plucked a squishy, spongy object from inside. The scent reminded him a bit of fresh bread, and its texture suggested it was warm and just made. Was this bait?

"For this challenge, you've gotta catch the most fish you can with those twenty-five pieces a'bait!" Noodles proclaimed as he crossed his arms. "And ya don't get any more, so don't ask!"

Noodles clapped his hands, and his ice ogres all lined up at the edge of the pond with fishing rods and buckets of bait in hand!

"Now start!"

The ice ogres all readied rods with five components stuck to one in a way that made them resemble flails more, all giddy and excited at the prospect of what they'd catch judging by the way they chattered and danced, but Thumpback just smiled and shook his head. His eyes turned to a similar rod stuck in the snow beside him, and then to the masses of fish that swam in the pond above. If catching a lot of fish was the name of the game, then he knew just the way to do it! Thumpback stuck a bait piece to the rod, then dipped it in the water and hummed as he jiggled his fishing rod around. Beneath the bubbles and waves the warm water provided, the larger fish zipped past, some with so much speed that the smaller fish were sent spinning away! They all yanked onto the hooks… And Thumpback yanked them out of the pond and into a nearby bucket! The bucket dinged with every fish that fell into it, and finally brandished a bright thirty—not bad for his first catch!

The ice ogres, however, all blinked and gasped as they examined Thumpback's bucket, then turned their eyes to the catches on their own lines. One had gotten five, another had gotten seven, but the third had gotten twelve, the biggest catch of them all! It was a little small, but he didn't understand just why they were shouting at each other and waving all their lines around—scaring the fish away wouldn't give them any bigger catches!

"Alright, I'm throwing it all on the line!" Cried one ice ogre as they shook their catches onto the empty bucket beside them and yanked bait out by the handful!

They immediately attached all their bait to their rods and tossed it in, then grinned as they yanked out fish by the tens! They tossed their fish into the bucket as it lit up to forty-five, and the grin on their face grew even smugger as they gazed at Thumpback.

"Think you can beat that, you oversized barnacle-blower?" The ice ogre called from the other side of the pond!

Thumpback chuckled, then stuck the rest of his bait on his line and tossed it in. "Ah, kids, always so competitive…" Thumpback remarked as he spun his lines around, jiggling it just so that it mimicked the patterns of swimming fish. "Everyone knows the fun in fishing is getting the catch, not beating the rest!"

The lines all tugged and yanked at once, and Thumpback yanked them out to reveal what had to have been half the pond at least! Fishes in all shapes and sizes gnawed at his line in some attempt to get their share of the bait, and Thumpback just tossed them into his bucket, which rattled and spun as the number displayed changed to an eighty-five.

"Sixty-five fish on one rod?" Thumpback remarked as he scratched his head. "Not bad, not bad!"

The ice ogre who had mocked Thumpback before blinked his wide eye as his rod slipped out of his head, while his face turned awfully pale and sickly-looking. Was he getting sick?

"No, no way," The ice ogre sputtered as he stumbled backwards and fell into the snow. "And I used all my bait too…"

The other two ice ogres, meanwhile, both screamed and frantically tossed their lines in! One gasped with glee as his line got a bite, but yanked it out to find that there was no fish to be found—just empty lines. So, he growled and fixed his line with more bait.

"This time for sure!" The ogre cried as he tossed his line back in. He frowned, then gasped and grinned as his line very barely tugged! He yanked it out… But once more, there were no fish or bait to be found!

The ogre grunted as he prepared to toss his line back in, when his companion screamed with glee as he pulled back on his own rod!

"I've got something, I've got something!" The other ice ogre cried! Their reel spun out of control as he held the rods tight. "And it's a big one, I can feel it!"

The other ice ogre grunted as they pulled and tugged while they struggled to steady the reel, then screamed as they got yanked into the boiling waters head-first! Garbled, muffled screams came from the pond as the ogre flailed their legs, while their two companions rushed over and yanked them back onto the snow! Steam burst from their red, boiled skin as they groaned and laid down in a snowbank, and their broken rods disappeared underneath the water.

Noodles, in response, only sighed and crossed his arms.

"Welp, guess this round is over!" Noodles cried as he clapped his hands. "Everyone, bring ya catches here!"

Thumpback chuckled as he brought his bucket over and dropped it into the snow with such force that the fish started flopping and slapping each other, while the ice ogres reluctantly brought in their buckets. Even without a formal count, it was clear from the bucket's numbers who won! After all, their buckets were so sparse, with even the most filled one barely breaching the bucket's top!

Noodles gritted his teeth as his eyes fell on the massive bucket of fish. "Er, er, uh, the, the, the, that…" Noodles sputtered, then finally he groaned and buried his head in his hands. "UGH, FINE, THE WHALE WINS ROUND TWO!"

The ice ogres all groaned and grumbled amid each other as Noodles flipped the table and dumped all the fish back into the waters. But, as they sulked, Noodles just patted them on their back.

"Hey, chin up, fellas! We've still got the final round ahead of us!" Noodles remarked as he raised his brows. "Have you forgotten what we're doing then?"

The ice ogres raised their brows, and their frustration turned to concerning confident smirks and mumbles of agreement. They all smiled and mumbled to each other as Noodles joined in on their laughter, then they paused and peered up as Thumpback cleared his throats.

"Er, pardon my intrusion on your laughter," Thumpback remarked. "But, just what is the final round, exactly?"

"Just follow me, whale!" Noodles cried!

Thumpback gulped, then he and the others all trailed up the vast masses of snowy hills. Snow and frozen plantlife crunched underneath their feet as they trekked up the masses and over the hills, then finally the masses disappeared for a large, round icy marble platform with a part free of gating that stretched out into docks. Wispy clouds decorated the skies around them, and bellows sounded from the skies as large, blue, Leviathan-like creature soared along… Wait, those had to be…

Thumpback gasped as his anchor nearly slipped from his grip, while beside him Tree Rex hiked up and frowned.

"What's wrong, Thumpback?" Tree Rex remarked as he gently nudged Thumpback's shoulder, "I don't see anything strange."

"Unless you count sky-fishing strange," Swarm remarked as he flew up and crossed his arms, "I don't see anything other than those weird blue things."

"That's exactly it!" Thumpback gasped as he wrung his anchor's chain in his hands. "Those aren't just any weird things—those are, they…"

"Leviathan Cloud Crabs!" Noodles jeered as he stuck out his chest and smirk. "And they're the final test! Whoever can catch one of these guys and bring 'em back here automatically wins a bounty of one million points!"

"ONE MILLION?!" Tree Rex, Swarm and Eye sputtered at once!

"This whole thing was a setup, wasn't it?!" Swarm shouted, his face red and incensed as he glared down Noodles. "You were just stringing up along! Why, I oughta—"

"Just leave him be, Swarm."

Swarm paused, and the crimson in his face faded as Thumpback pushed him back. Thumpback steeled his lips and calmed his trembling hands as his eyes fell on the ice ogres that flanked Noodles, all of whom peered back at him with the same snide looks that Noodles held.

"I accept your challenge," Thumpback said, his voice cold and clear as he held out his hand. "May the best fisher win."

The ice ogres blinked as their eyes fell on Thumpback's massive hand, then they fell on their backs and kicked their legs as they burst into laughter.

"Oh, we're not gonna be the ones fighting you!" One ice ogre shouted between chortles. They wiped tears from their face as they came back to their feet, then smirked and gestured over to Noodles. "The commander's gonna be doing that!"

"They're right!" Noodles cried! With a single whistle, his robot suit zoomed over and nearly blew away the rickety boat stationed at the docks!

"Noodles is catching them in my robot suit and you… Get that boat, Noodles supposes."

"Hold on, that's hardly fair!" The ghost cried as they got up and hovered over Tree Rex's shoulder. "You've got an advantage!"

But, Thumpback didn't particularly fuss himself. He just slung his anchor over his shoulder, silent and steady, then trailed across the docks and hopped into the boat. Its boards creaked as he manned the wheel, while beside him Noodles flew up in the robot and sneered.

"Good luck—not!" Noodles cried as he dashed off!

And with that done, Thumpback freed his ship and steered off! The clouds parted around him as his eyes fell on the pod of cloud crabs who flitted and flew without a care in the world, and his gaze only tensed. The Leviathan Cloud Crab, the one thing he was never able to catch—before. He was young and inexperienced when he first tackled the beast, but this time, he would definitely catch it in his grip. His grip tensed on the wheel's pegs, and he only flew further ahead. After all, he had to.

"Cloud Crabs are pretty tough little things," Thumpback mumbled under his breath. "Not only are their hides incredibly tough, but they're quick to panic and slow to give up. If you aren't careful, they'll be the ones catching you!"

Thumpback slowed the ship's pace as his eyes fell on a smaller Cloud Crab—a yearling, by the looks of its size. It rested asleep and content on a soft cloud, while bellowing snores emerged from the mouth of the beast. Something like this would probably be the easiest of the bunch. So, he crept closer and closer, then, the sound of rockets burning screeched across the horizons!

"What, are you scared of a little crab or something?" Noodles jeered as he zipped past Thumpback. "What's it gonna do, eat you?"

Noodles guffawed as he paused in midair, then his eyes fell on a particularly large Leviathan Cloud Crab with a hide covered in scratches—no doubt a bit of a fighter. Noodles' fingers clasped and stretched, almost as if he was planning something. Wait, he couldn't be! Noodles cried out, then latched right onto the Leviathan Cloud Crab and snatched it in a chokehold! The Cloud Crab wailed and screeched as something as big as itself held it tight, while spines leaped off of its hide and pierced through everything around! They tore holes in clouds, smashed into nearby glaciers and bounced off the hides of other Cloud Crabs, who only screeched and swam off in a hurry… One of the even nearly grazed the side of Thumpback's vessel and forced him to veer away!

In lieu of Thumpback's ship, the spine instead tore through the cloud that the yearling was sleeping on and gave it quite the rude awakening! The yearling screeched and zipped off, while Thumpback only snarled and gripped his wheel.

"Full steam ahead!" Thumpback cried as he zipped off! He caught a glance behind to where Noodles struggled with the Cloud Crab he had caught, but Thumpback only scoffed and pressed on—Thumpback had no time to waste!

The yearling panted and laid on another thrush of clouds ahead, and groaned once more as it fell back asleep. Its snores rumbled across the skies, yet they were completely vacant of everyone save for the two of them. Thumpback had a chance!

So, he smirked and slowed down the ship to a crawl, then dove behind another group of clouds and inched closer. His movements were slow-paced and careful, just mere inches as he crept around the clouds and closer towards the sleeping yearling. It only groaned as it occasionally twitched its fins in its sleep, no mind paid to Thumpback's intrusion. He had his catch in his grasp, and now all he needed to do was reel it in. Thumpback docked his ship beside the yearling and gulped. The easy part was over, but now he faced his biggest challenge—catching the Leviathan Cloud Crab itself. Thumpback's eyes fell on the anchor in his rugged palms, his one companion through many fights and fishing trips alike. For a normal Cloud Crab it probably wasn't the ideal rod, but for a yearling this small it would suffice! So, Thumpback lifted up his anchor, swung its chain around like it was a lasso, then cast it out and looped it around the Cloud Crab's neck! The Cloud Crab grunted, and its eyes popped open as the chain tightened around its neck. Thumpback held the chain's base tight in his grip still, and quickly squeezed it tighter as he rushed off the deck and prepared to leap!

"Oh no you don't!" Noodles bellowed from below!

A flash of bright blue light streaked through the clouds and pierced holes through a row just above the yearling's head, and in response the yearling squealed! It zipped off across the clouds, the chain still tight on its neck despite its thrashing and flailing in some attempt to free itself of the bindings, and dangling below it was none other than Thumpback! He screamed and dug his claws further around the chain's cold silver as he swung from side to side, his eyes fixed on the yearling's underside and definitely not the massive drop below that awaited him should he let go! But, he did cast a quick glance aside to where Noodles still wrestled with that older Cloud Crab, all while he shot lasers in every direction!

Another fleet of lasers courtesy of Noodles flew above the yearling, and it squealed and dove down! Thumpback was shot up, his hide lashed with sharp blasts of wind and his gums flapping in the breeze as he ground his teeth. His hand flew up, brushed away from its position on the anchor's chain by the cold breeze that had hit him, but he just latched onto a link further down the chain and grunted! He let his other hand fly free off, then grunted and latched onto another lower part of the chain! The yearling screeched as it thrashed its tail, and Thumpback was whipped from side to side, little more than a ragdoll clinging to a thin string as he clutched his anchor's chain for dear life, then finally one powerful tail slam knocked Thumpback right atop the yearling's carapace! Its tough, thick scales scratched into the side of his chest and left a stinging reminder of the impact, but it was left little more than an annoyance in his mind as he pushed himself up and clung to a spine on the yearling's back as a grounding force. The yearling had calmed some as it swam through the skies, and thankfully, the chains Thumpback had tied still rested around its neck! Thumpback trudged across the carapace, clinging from spine to spine in case of another sudden outburst, then as his foot brushed against cold metal, he bent down and clung to the chains like a horse's reins!

"Alright, little guy," Thumpback cooed as he petted the yearling's carapace, and it hummed as its furious flying slowed underneath his touch. "It's okay, I'm a friend. I just need you to take me somewhere, alright? I'll let you go right afterwards. Can you do that?"

The yearling cooed back, and its spines flattened against its back. Good, he seemed to have earned its trust! So, with a gentle tug of the chains on Thumpback's end, the yearling soared up, spinning through clouds before it finally hit the top of the stratosphere and glazed down. Amid the masses of ice and snow and mountains, Thumpback could make out the meeting point, just a few clicks down from where he was! Thumpback grinned, then snapped the chains and sent the yearling flying down! The yearling corkscrewed through the skies, cold air forming around it as it dove closer and closer to the meeting point… But at the last minute, something smashed into it and sent it tumbling across the skies! Some of the yearling's spines snapped off and fell into the abyss as the screaming yearling flailed and thrashed its fins once more, and Thumpback screamed as his grip started to slip from the reins! His claws dug into the holes in the chains' links at just the right moment, and Thumpback gripped back onto the chains as he flipped himself atop the carapace! A bellowing cackle scared off the remaining Cloud Crabs as Noodles floated back down in his robot suit, his own Cloud Crab unconscious underneath his suit's arm!

"Sorry, buddy, but you're not catching any more fish today!" Noodles insinuated as he pointed a finger at Thumpback. "You may have beaten Noodles' minions, but Noodles is smarter than they are!"

"I wouldn't quite say that," Thumpback spat underneath his breath. Thumpback's eyes turned to the back, where a thick, fluffy mass of clouds blocked off most of the skies—the perfect detour! So, Thumpback snapped the reins and yanked the yearling around before he high-tailed it towards the clouds.

"Wait, get back here! Noodles didn't say you could leave!"

But, Noodles' cries came a little too late, for Thumpback had already dove into the clouds and drove through their masses! The scent of cold air brushed against Thumpback's hide and filtered around him as Noodles' screams came from the outside, muffled from both distance and the thickness of the clouds, then Thumpback grinned and popped right out! He took a moment of pause and turned the yearling around. Noodles was no more than a speck in the distance from where Thumpback laid, and better yet, the meeting point wasn't that far.

"Time to reel in my catch," Thumpback whispered. He cracked the reins again, and his grip tightened as the yearling zipped back off.

"FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

The scenery around blurred as the yearling flew as fast as it could, swerving around clouds and ducking from the odd iceball that had been flung! Aside of those, the skies were clear and perfect for the taking—heck, Thumpback could even hear his companions' cries and cheers from down below despite the altitude—but Thumpback just frowned and squeezed the chains further. If there was one thing his days as a younger fisherman had taught him, it was that he should never count his catches before they were caught. So, eh just powered through another clouds, its wispy fragments curling up and vanishing behind him as he sped right past it!

"There you are, whale!" Noodles cried across the horizon!

Thumpback gasped and yanked the yearling back with such abrupt timing that it leaned back, and if not for Thumpback's tight grip around the yearling itself, he might've fallen off! But, he just stayed with his grip tight as Noodles fell down in front of him—and his moment of pause must have been just what Noodles needed, because Noodles immediately shot a laser right for him! The laser slammed into the yearling and singed its underside, and the yearling screamed and thrashed around, shaking its fins and tail with all the fury it could! And this time, it was so sudden and soon that Thumpback's grip slipped and he tumbled down along the yearling's carapace! The sharp scales dug into his back and left it raw and sore as he slammed into its side, and finally one last bump knocked him off and sent him plummeting through the skies!

"Thumpback!" Tree Rex, Swarm and Eye all cried down below!

But, their cries were nothing compared to thehaughty laughter of Noodles from above, who hovered above the yearling and leaned his head down, his eyes bright as he drank in the sight of Thumpback's fall!

"You lose, whale!" Noodles cackled!

Noodles' laughter spun around, a crashing wave in Thumpback's ears as he collapsed in the vast seas of the endless skies. His friends' cries resounded in tandem behind him, and the world around turned cold and gray. The voices around melted away to the voices of pirates crying and cawing and shouted, and a distant memory flashed in his mind as an illusion of a large pirate ship sailed across the sky. He had come so close… And yet once again, the Leviathan Cloud Crab had been the one to catch him and drag him into the depths!

Wait, no! Thumpback shook his head, then latched onto a spine from the yearling's tail and gripped it as tight as he could! He cast a glance down below to where Brawl seemingly pointed towards him, the exact gesture masqueraded by the distance, but Thumpback just pulled his head up and turned back to the yearling's carapace. Large spines shot out from its back, their bodies thick and long enough that they could easily be used as a ladder! Thumpback swung around and leaped towards the first, then pulled himself atop it and towards the next! The yearling roared and leaned back, and Thumpback himself nearly slipped—but at the last moment, he yanked onto the spine and swung around before he launched himself towards the next spine! With one last swing, Thumpback swung back and leaped onto the carapace as the yearling calmed itself, then dashed up and reclaimed his seat at the yearling's head!

"Ha! Ha ha! Noodles won, you lost!" Noodles bellowed as he spun around. "Noodles won, you're—" Noodles turned around, then gasped as his eyes fell to where Thumpback sat on the yearling's head. "HERE!?"

"You can't get rid of me that easily, I'm afraid!" Thumpback cried as he tightened the chains and snapped them once more. "If there's one thing a fisherman has to be, it's persistent!"

The yearling wailed, and it zipped right for the unconscious Cloud Crab that laid in Noodles' arms! The yearling crashed right into it and smacked it right out of Noodles' grip with just enough power that it smacked the older Cloud Crab right awake! The older Cloud Crab shook itself and snarled as its eyes fixed on Noodles, and all the spines on its torn, weathered back rose as one!

"What the—" Noodles cried right as the older Cloud Crab rammed right into his chest!

But, while Noodles tended to his ornery catch, Thumpback just zipped right off, then turned the yearling around and dove right back towards their meeting place at the docks! The yearlings' hastened flaps and tail wagging came to a slow close as it docked itself on the snow, then snorted and closed its eyes! A few content huffs came from it as it flopped against the cold snow and snored, while Thumpback just chuckled and slipped the anchor from its neck.

"Thanks for your help, little guy," Thumpback said as he patted the yearling on the belly. "Get some rest, you deserve it."

As Thumpback straightened out his anchor and turned around, his eyes first fell on the other ice ogres that belonged to Noodles' team, all of whom had wide eyes with tiny pupils and jaws left agape as they dropped their own arms, as if they couldn't believe what sat in front of them! But, Thumpback's view of them was quickly blocked out by Swarm rushing in and swarming Thumpback! (See, even he could make puns if he chose too!)

"That was awesome, Thumps!" Swarm cried as he slapped a hand against Thumpback's shoulder. "You really pulled a fast one on that dude!"

"We almost thought you were a goner for a moment!" Eye exclaimed as he popped off of Brawl and floated around Thumpback.

"Ah, there's no need to worry, you two," Thumpback replied as he turned to them both. "Even though I haven't been out to sea for a while, I've still got it!"

Tree Rex chuckled as he approached Thumpback, but it was the ghost on his shoulder who really grinned as he floated up to Thumpback.

"Does this mean I can finally get my home back?" The ghost asked.

"Absolutely, little one!"

The ghost beamed, and he sparkled so brightly that he started flickering before he stabilized himself and dodged behind Tree Rex's arm.

"What's this about taking things?" Noodles exclaimed as he flew down to the docks, the chest of his robot covered in scratches and sparking in some areas.

Thumpback snarled, and he wrung the chain of his anchor as he turned to Noodles. "We had a deal, Noodles!" Thumpback cried as he held his anchor low. "If I won, you'd give us that robot back! So hand it over!"

"NO WAY!"

Noodles' cry bellowed through the area and shook the snow off the ground while everyone struggled to keep footing, and Noodles' eyes glowed red.

"You guys cheated the whole time! Noodles isn't gonna let a cheater take his robot!"

"But you weren't exactly being fair either, you know!" The ghost hissed from behind Tree Rex's shoulder, and the air chilled around him as his eyes glowed. "Not to mention, it isn't even your robot to begin with!"

Noodles screamed again, and the ghost shuddered as he dove behind Tree Rex's shoulder—but even from there he was forced to flee as Noodles pounded his fists against the ice! The boat and docks all crumbled underneath the weight of Noodles' attack, and Noodles' eyes glowed with an even more furious crimson than before.

"Noodles is gonna wipe you cheaters off the face of Skylands!"

§

Within the depths of Inochi's room, Skylander and portal master alike trekked through with tense, trembling hands and leery gazes. The whole area was completely overgrown, covered in such a thick blanket of plants and flowers and grass that left couldn't be made out from right, and the scent of pollen and sweet honey that wafted through the air was so thick and strong it was almost sickening. Occasionally rustling and hooting sounds came from parts of the overgrown thicket, sending chills running up spines and goosebumps rising, but the moment eyes fell on the source of the sound, nothing was found save for maybe a glint of light or a faint patch of color amid shadow! And from the looks of it, if that Inochi person was here, she wasn't going to be found anytime soon.

"Something about this doesn't feel right," Dej remarked as he crafted a sickle out of ice and cut down a patch of particularly tall grass with it. "Inochi's always been so careful with her garden, heck, she practically treated all those flowers like they were her kids… How could it get so overgrown?"

"Well, it has been ten thousand years," Chihiro remarked as she nudged a particularly long vine aside and hopped over it, "I'm pretty sure even the most carefully-tended garden would get overgrown after that!"

Vatra just sighed and pushed a leaf out of his face, then gasped as a fanged pink flower dropped before his face and licked it! Vatra groaned and wiped the slobber from his face while the plant cackled, and he only scoffed as he strode off.

"I told her bringing all these plants back was a bad idea, but did she listen to me?" Vatra mumbled. "When we find her, I'm definitely giving her a piece of my mind!"

"HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!" Squealed a voice in the distance!

A green glow pulsed from the end of the way, and all eyes turned to it as it glowed brighter and brighter, closer and closer… Then, it took shape! The cries for help grew louder as the light formed in the shape of a seed, and even that light faded as a person's ghost burst from its seed and tackled Sihiri down! Sihiri grunted and stumbled backwards as a chubby woman with pale skin and snow white, rose-shaped hair dressed in a pink and green kimono clutched her tight, the woman's eyes screwed shut in horror as she panted and grappled for Sihiri's own gown.

Dej, Vatra and Luz all gasped, then Vatra pushed past Dej and scoffed.

"There you are, Inochi!" Vatra cried as embers popped from his hands. "We've been looking all over the place for you!" Vatra snarled and gestured towards the overhanging vines. "This place is an absolute mess! I told you this would happen if you kept bringing back all those flowers back, but you said—"—Vatra grunted as a vine lost its place and fell right on his head—"Owch!"

Vatra groaned and pushed the vine aside as he rubbed his side, but Inochi only sobbed as she buried herself in Sihiri's grip! Her hands trembled as she tugged on Sihiri's dress, and her teeth chattered as she snuggled in close. Sihiri, in tandem, shot Vatra a look before she herself ran her fingers through Inochi's hair.

"Darling, is something wrong?" Sihiri asked.

"It, it, it," Inochi hiccupped. The tears streamed down her face again, then she turned back to Sihiri and popped open her rosy pink eyes, now small with fear and burned with tears. "Sihiri, it's awful!"

Inochi wailed and sobbed further, while Sihiri just backed away slightly.

"What's awful, Inochi?" Dej cried as he nudged Inochi's shoulders. "What're you freaking out about?"

Everyone else clenched their teeth, and the sound of growling pricked their ears in that instance! The growls echoed from all around the garden, low but still loud enough to be heard, while everyone turned their eyes in every direction! And yet, nothing could be find—no rustling came from the bushes and leaves, nothing leaped down from the ceiling, no suspicious figures leaped out from the petals of the massive flowers that sprung from the garden.

"Just where is that growling coming from?!" Cynder demanded! She jolted up and prepared to zap a vine that had trickled close to her paws, but before she could, Chihiro yanked her away by the tail!

"Over there!" Chihiro cried as she pointed to the distance!

There, over the horizons of leafy green and fuzzy moss, bright yellow eyes formed before they vanished entirely! Chihiro gasped as they disappeared, while behind her the bushes rustled and shuddered! She immediately jumped to the bushes and parted their leaves, yet nothing showed! Chihiro frowned as she pushed them just a little farther, but as she did a growl echoed ahead and she yanked her arms out. She narrowed her eyes, and in the distance she just barely spotted glowing yellow eyes before they rushed off and vanished!

"I can't be the only one who saw that, right?" Chihiro asked as she turned to the others.

They all nodded and mumbled out words of agreement in tandem, and Chihiro only frowned and turned her gaze around. Everyone saw it, and yet she still couldn't find any trace of where those eyes went! But then again, it was pretty hard to see anything over the thick overgrowth of gigantic bushes and tall grass. Chihiro frowned as she turned her attention back to the bushes where she previously looked, then a soft tap on her shoulder drew her away.

"Something up?" Chihiro asked as she turned around… But instead of meeting a person, she was met with a tall, lanky vine!

The vine waved at Chihiro for just a moment, then it wrapped right around her and yanked her off the ground! Chihiro screamed as she struggled and kicked at the vine while it hovered her above ground, but for such a thin-looking thing, it was tough! Nothing she did would make it relent!

"Chihiro!" Terrafin called as he gazed back up at her!

He snarled and reached up for her, but the growling noises' return drew him back away! He backed into the others as the growling grew more intense. All around them, the bushes rustled once more while plant monsters leaped out from their leaves! The monsters' mouths gnashed with thorny fangs while their thorn-covered root bodies grew leafy armor and weapons, and they all snarled as they surrounded the Skylanders and portal masters alike!

"That's what's awful!" Inochi sobbed as she clung closer to Sihiri while she and everyone else backed down. "I don't know how, or why, but all my plants grew completely out of control! They're all monsters now!"

The plant monsters snarled and squealed and made all sorts of nasty noises as they closed further in, and Chihiro only snarled from her place above. She grunted as she kicked against the vine a few more times, but even so the vine still didn't budge—looks like she'd have to try another way! So, Chihiro closed her eyes while the magic bubbled within her veins, and a faint glow dusted against her eyes as she closed them. Chihiro screamed… And a loud screech erupted around her! The feeling of tightness around her body withered away, and she fell down to the ground with a thunk. When Chihiro popped her eyes open, the first thing she caught was the withered remains of the vine that one held her captive, then the ancient Portal Masters and Skylanders crowded together as the plant monsters crowded them in. Though they were pressed together tight, they had snarls and glints of defiance in their eyes, ready to strike at any second. And Chihiro was more than ready to join them!

"Alright!" Chihiro cried as a bright cyan magic glow flared around her body. She pounded her fist into her palm, and a smirk crossed her face as the plant monsters all turned to face her. "Looks like it's time to do some weeding!"

The plant monsters screeched and bolted towards Chihiro, but she just chuckled and jumped right over them! As she fell on the other side of their assault, she turned around and stuck her tongue out at time—a bit of a simple gesture, but enough that it got them chasing after her once again! The plant monsters yelled and gnashed their thorny fangs as they dashed for her… But Chihiro just slipped aside and raced around them! She ran so fast that she was practically a blur to their naked eyes, and all the plant monsters could do was yank their heads around in some attempt to find her!

"Am I here? Or here? Maybe I'm over here!" Chihiro's voice echoed all around the speedy storm. "Actually, the truth is…"

A pop sounded off as the running came to a cease, and Chihiro chuckled as she hovered above the plant monsters' heads! The plant monsters gawked in shock as she waved back at them, and Chihiro only winked in response.

"I'm up here, and you're gonna be stuck down there!"

With a snap of her fingers, a circle of magic ropes formed around the plant monsters! They screeched as their eyes fell on the glowing ropes, but the realization came a bit too late, for in that moment the ropes came together and bound them all tight! The plant monsters screeched and shuffled as they tried to escape, with some even resorting to gnawing the ropes open, but nothing made them burst!

Chihiro chuckled as she teleported beside Eruptor, then gently nudged him with her shoulder. "Eruptor, do your thing!"

"Well," Eruptor smirked as he pounded his hands together. "I was born to burn!"

With one last clap of his hands, the round tops turned to molten magma! Eruptor smirked and flung his arms, and in response round, solid blobs of magma leaped from his hands and slammed right into the plant monsters! The ropes that kept them bound buckled and burned away as the plant monsters flew off into the distance, but Eruptor only smirked.

"And that should take care of those overgrown weeds!" Eruptor smirked as he turned back to the others. A shudder ran down his spine, and Eruptor immediately clacked his hands together. "Now, let's get outta here before—"

"SKREEEEEEEE!"

Eruptor gasped, then whipped his head around and screamed as the plant monsters came storming back in! They had been burnt to their charred roots and set alight, true… But they were still kicking, and judging by the large snarls on their faces, they weren't happy!

"I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!" Eruptor cried as he scrambled away! The plant monsters surrounded him in that instant, and Eruptor fell to his knees. "Actually, I didn't mean to call you overgrown weeds, I—ACK!"

A hole opened up in the ground underneath Eruptor, and he gasped as he got sunk underneath! The plant monsters eyed the hole for mere moments, then turned their heads around as Eruptor flew out from the ground behind them! But, not just him either—a trace of a gray shadow dove back into the ground as Eruptor collapsed and hacked blobs of magma over the ground!

The magma swept across the earth and turned it hard and rocky, while the plant monsters all screeched as they skittered away from the magma, but as they ran, a shark's fin carved through the still-soft earth right underneath their roots! The plant monsters were swept right off of their feet, the churned earth below them a tripwire that flooded with magma and sent them ablaze! The flaming plant monster screamed as they ran off, but behind them that gray shadow popped from the ground and grinned as it leaned against a tree.

"Never saw me coming," Terrafin smirked as he crossed his arms. His eyes closed, then popped right open as a screeching, sizzling sound unlike the bubbling heat of magma resounded!

Amid the pools and veins of magma that had formed in the earth, a bunch of flaming green orbs comprised of large leaves folded over, with a single stem fizzling away as it poked up from the center.

"Just what are those things?" Terrafin asked, backing away right as the stem-like fuses in the orbs vanished under the flames…

And the orbs shot out bright, shiny green seeds that exploded in an instant before they sprouted legs and skittered off! A thick, green smog coated the entire area and sent everyone coughing, while the magma underneath their feet cooled and hardened in an instant! All collapsed to their knees as the smog choked out the sights surrounding with its thick, flower-scented clouds, but amid the smoke eyes cropped up and low growling sounded!

"Ack!" Chihiro cried as something smacked into her side and knocked her on the ground. "Who kicked me!?"

"Wasn't me, I—OWCH!" Eruptor cried before something else slammed into his back and knocked him face first on the floor!

Whirlwind winced and flew up, her head snapping from side to side as shouting and trouncing noises came from within the clouds as one by one, everyone around her was taken out from within! They all collapsed to the ground, punched and kicked in the back without a clue as to where there enemies had occurred from! Cackling replaced their cries of shout as they cowered underneath her lower paws, while those sparkling eyes and cackling noises all fixed on Whirlwind herself! Whirlwind winced and lowered her horn, then with a few furious flaps of her wings, massive gusts of wind rang through the area and completely blew away the smoke clouds! Those shining eyes were revealed to be none other than those same plant monsters from before, still singed and burnt in places but otherwise still kicking—and despite the loss of their cover, they just charged at Whirlwind with the same gusto as before! The plant monsters growled as they flung out their arms and shot vines right for Whirlwind, but she just swept up and shot lightning bolts right for the plant monsters!

The plant monsters screamed in pain as the lightning rushed through them, and as the shock ceased, they fell to their knees, fang chattering as the sparks flew from their charred bodies. And in their moment of weakness, a thin shadow dashed right through and sent them all spinning! The monsters all cried out in jittered shock as they groaned and collapsed to the floor, the faint traces of spores around them cast up in tiny clouds as they fell to the rocky floor.

And behind them, those round plant bombs squealed and skittered off as the larger plant monsters collapsed in front of them! Faint pants and squeaks came from them as they stumbled over their own feet while they rushed across the rocky ground below, then one tripped over itself and rolled right into the others, sending them all rolling across the floor like bowling balls! They finally bumped into something and came to a stop, then unfurled themselves… And squealed as they found themselves right at Chihiro's feet! The plant bombs scurried backwards and tumbled over each other as Chihiro loomed over them, a smirk on her face as her hands glowed with magic.

"Time to do some weed whacking!" Chihiro exclaimed as a magical weedwhacker fell into her hands!

The weedwhacker shuddered as it revved to life, and Chihiro grinned as she set it down and after the plant bombs! They all squealed and tried to run off, but the weedwhacker zipped right through them in an instant and sliced them in half! The weedwhacker vanished in a puff of smoke and sparkles as the halved remains of the plant bombs withered and fell to the floor, and Chihiro frowned as she lifted a withered leaf. The leaf's remains crumpled away to tiny, ragged bits as they flew off in the wind, and Chihiro immediately met Inochi's eyes instead.

"What happened to them?" Inochi whispered as she lifted the plant bombs' own remains in her hands. Her frown grew as those leaves too crumpled in her hands and disappeared with the oncoming breeze, then she perked up as Sihiri laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Dear, what happened?" Sihiri asked.

Inochi frowned and rubbed her hands, her head lowered as she turned back to Sihiri. "I'm not sure myself. I was drawn here, almost like I was in a trance of some kind, then when I finally came to, everything had been completely overgrown!" Inochi sighed as her hair drifted in front of her face, and she lifted her head as Sihiri drew the stray strands behind Inochi's ear. "If I had to guess, it's been so long since I tended to my garden that it took on a life of its own!"

Sihiri and Inochi both frowned, and their eyes turned aside as Chihiro prodded up to them and rubbed her own arm.

"Either way, we should probably get out of this place," Chihiro remarked as her eyes shifted from side to side. A shudder ran down Chihiro's spine, and she lifted her head up to Sihiri and Inochi. "Something about it gives me the creeps."

"Agreed," Terrafin remarked as he walked up and brushed spores from his arms, "I'm not in the mood to deal with any more overgrown weeds."

A few more mumbled agreements came from the rest of her party, so Chihiro crafted a sword made of raw magic and pressed ahead, swinging her sword through the grass until it was short enough that any oncoming enemies could be easily seen. Most of the others were quick to trail after her, but Inochi just lingered on the place where the plant monsters once laid.

"Just how did this happen, though?" Inochi whispered. "What could have caused them to grow this violent?"

Inochi pressed a clasped hand to her face, then sighed and shook her head as she reluctantly headed to the back of the ground. Ahead, Chihiro slashed through the grass and sent both clippings and a pungent scent of fresh grass wafting through the area, and Inochi cringed a little at the sight of all the fallen grass scattered amid the overgrown and untamed greenery that surrounded her. Her teeth chattered a bit as she scanned for some sight of oncoming plant monsters—or maybe she was still in shock from what she had witnessed prior? It was hard to tell with her being such a bundle of nerves.

"Hey, I think I found an exit!" Chihiro called from ahead!

Inochi gasped, then shuffled through the grass right as the others crowded around a green door covered in leaves. The exit, at last! With one last hop, Inochi pushed through and held her hand up to the door, fully ready to leave, when a shiver ran down her spine and she yanked her head towards the bushes!

"Inochi, what's up?" Luz asked.

Inochi blinked as the bushes' rustling come to a close, then frowned and peered down at her sparkling hands. "I, I could've sworn that I saw something glaring at me from the bushes," Inochi said. She shook her head, then gulped as she shot one last, worried glance towards the plantlife before she turned to the door. "I'll just get this open."

So, Inochi lifted her hands, which glowed with an even more intense green light as she raised them to the door.

"Finally, we can get out of this place," Eruptor scoffed as he crossed his arms, "all this pollen's making me stuffy!"

"OH, YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!"

A booming voice resounded across the area, and vines snapped around the door, locking it tight! Inochi gasped, her light lowered as she crept away from the door and yanked her head around. Her eyes skirted around the area as skittering noises and the faint scent of flowers came from the crevices of shadows amid plants, yet nothing could be seen! The others around her raised their weapons and prepared spells in alarm, but Inochi just crept back and clasped her clammy hands tight.

"Who, who was that?!" Inochi cried as she backed into the door, then squealed and leaped back as the vines tickled her back. "Show yourself!"

"My, my, ever so eager to see me, hmm?" The voice crooned again, but at a lower, much closer volume. "Quite odd, considering that you hadn't been all that eager to make your return, INOCHI!"

A sharp gasp escaped from Inochi's throat, and she turned back around to the front as massive mounds emerged from the earth and shuddered! The mounds rumbled furiously while crumbs of dirt crept down from their tops, then the dirt flew as something leaped out from the earth and fell on the ground! The creature chuckled as it stepped back from the hole that it had leaped from, then crossed its arms and turned its eyes on the group—but its glare seemed fixed on Inochi specifically. Its face was yellow and comprised of powdery pollen compacted into one hard mold, with slits formed in its face to make eyes and a mouth. Bright pink petals formed a mane around its face while a small, leafy crown decorated with tiny petunias laid atop its head. Its body was humanoid, comprised of vines twisted to form a bodily structure with a pompous dress and cape made of gigantic petals folded together and trimmed with dandelion seeds, and within its one thorny hand was a staff made of leaves and thorns! More of the plant monsters from before leaped up behind the monster, while above the sound of buzzing poured down as gigantic bees with more stingers than they probably should have held floated down from above! With its looks and entourage, it was almost like this monster was the queen of all flora!

"Geez, that's one big weed," Dej remarked, his frost-covered hands sparkling and chilling as if he prepared an icy blast.

"I've seen some overgrown plants in my lifetime, but never anything like that!" Sihiri exclaimed, before she turned to Inochi and frowned. "Inochi, dear, this couldn't possibly be one of yours, could it?"

But, Inochi couldn't answer. She was just as stunned as the rest, her hands trembling as she faced the queen flower. "Who, who are you?! Better yet, what are you?" Inochi cried, her rosy pink eyes dappled with tears of shock as she wrung her hands. "How do you know me?"

The moment Inochi's question hit her ears, the queen flower scowled, and her grip on her staff tightened, squeezing it so tight that sap slipped out from its body and poured over her hand.

"Oh, of course you wouldn't remember!" The queen flower spat, and she drew back her scowl to reveal fangs stained with sap. "You've been gone for so long, you forgot about all of us! If it weren't for my efforts, we'd had all withered and died ages ago!"

Inochi gasped, her voice trilled and soft as she stepped back. Her eyes laid stagnant, barely moving as her hands trembled further. "It can't be…"

The queen flower smiled, and her eyes fell on the pendant around Inochi's neck. "But, that won't be a problem for much longer!" The queen flower cried as she held out her free hand. "Because this time, you're not leaving! You're taking root here—PERMANENTLY!"

Inochi gasped and planted her back to the door, and in her moment of panic the queen flower stretched out her free hand and yanked Inochi by the pendant! Inochi screamed, and on instinct her ghostly body dissolved into sparkles as the queen flower drew its arm back and admired the pendant in her grasp! With a bang of her staff, a large pod shaped like a glowing flower burrowed out of the ground and leaped beside her, and she tossed Inochi's pendant in!

"Inochi!" Sihiri cried as the pendant fell in! She whipped out her hand and prepared a blast, but by the time she fired, the pod sealed itself up and completely nullified Sihiri's blast!

Inochi gasped and coughed as she reformed, and let out a sharp, small gasp as she found herself in the pod! She lifted herself up and pressed against the sealed tips of the pod's petals while a brighter green glow tinted the flower's light from inside, then yelped and collapsed as a small zap hit her! Sparks of staticy pollen burst from Inochi as she pulled herself off the ground, then she leaned forward and banged her fists against the pod!

"Let me out! Let me out!" Inochi cried, her voice muffled from within the flower pod's confines.

"Yeah, let her out!" Chihiro cried as she stepped forward, hands glowing as she prepared to attack. "I don't know who you are or what your deal with her is, but we don't have time for this right now!"

The queen flower scoffed, then pulled the flower pod close and stuck her tongue out at Chihiro.

"And go back to being alone in this place again? I think not!" The queen flower remarked, crossing her arms and pouting like a child as she leaned against the flower. "I'm not letting her leave again!"

With another bang of her staff, vines stop out from the ceiling and yanked Inochi off the ground! Inochi cried as the vines pulled her from the ground with such speed that it tipped the flower pod over, then groaned as the flower pod bounced up and down from its place on the ceiling! With a sigh she leaned against the pod's walls, but her dizzy expressions turned to a sad scowl as the queen flower stretched up beside her.

"Minions!" The queen flower cried as she held out her staff. "Exterminate the pests!"

The plant monsters and bees alike all shouted and growled as they glared down the rest of the team, and Chihiro herself just gulped as she summoned a sword.

"So much for getting out of here quickly," Chihiro remarked as she squeezed her sword's handle.

"Ah well, this ain't nothing for us!" Luz chirped as he summoned his shield. "Come on, everyone!"

Luz spun his shield, and a bright light shimmered from it before he shot it out in a sparkling beam towards the crowds of monsters that behest him! The monsters all screamed as they shielded and scratched at their eyes, and Luz smirked as he dimmed the shield's light with a tap of his hands.

"Let's do some gardening!"

Terrafin nodded, then jumped out from the crowds and dove into the earth! The ground below rumbled as everyone else charged after him, but Terrafin just sawed through the earth, churning ground and cracked stone sent flying in his wake as he zipped up to where the plant monsters laid and leaped out of the ground! His entrance was marked with a cry of war as he punched one of the plant monsters right in the kisser, then dropped down and smacked another in the gut! The two of them groaned and collapsed to the ground, wailing as they clutched their injured bodies, but Terrafin didn't relent! Another plant monster stormed for him and shot an arm right towards him, so he leaped up and yanked open his jaw—but just before he could bite down and snap it off, something wrapped around his chest and yanked him away! Terrafin cried out as another larger plant monster tossed him up with its vines, then slammed him against the floor! A sharp crack resounded through the room as Terrafin slammed against the floor, but the plant monster just laughed as it swept Terrafin off the ground and slammed him down again, and again, and again in a neverending battering!

That it, until a magma blob slammed into the plant monster's back and knocked it on its face! Its grip on Terrafin slipped as it prepared to toss him back up, and Terrafin just collapsed down into Eruptor's arms! Eruptor grunted as the weight knocked him on his rump, but nonetheless he released Terrafin, who just groaned as he laid against Eruptor's shoulder.

"Fin, you alright?" Eruptor asked as he propped Terrafin up.

Terrafin just groaned, his eyes spinning in his head before the sounds of groaning and smoldering flames sounded beside him! He shook his head, and both he and Eruptor turned back to the where the flaming, tattered plant monster loomed over them! Its arms were raised as it prepared to strike forth, but a gigantic glob of honey leaped forward and pinned it to the ground instead! The plant monster crumbled to bits as the honey extinguished its flames, but the battle was for from won!

A buzzing sound came in as a bee flitted over and readied it stinger, only for a shadow to slam into it and knock it into a wall! As the bee slipped into the massive glob of honey below, Cynder emerged from the shadows and smirked.

"Knocked that one's lights out," Cynder remarked, while the sound of buzzing en masse behind her soured her smirk. "But it looks like I've got the rest of the hive to deal with!"

Cynder scowled as she turned around and glared down the swarm of bees before her, her jaw yanked open slightly as black lightning bolts burst from her jaw! But, just before she could fire, one of the bees yanked up its abdomen and shot a stinger right for her! Cynder gasped, and her lightning strike vanished as she zipped away from the stinger! But while that stinger just harmlessly lodged itself into the wall, it was far from the only one—the other bees buzzed even more furiously as they shot their stingers, and Cynder could only fly off!

"Looks like Cynder could use a little help!" Whirlwind remarked as she flew on the sidelines while mist wrapped around her feathers. "And I've got just the thing!"

With one last flap of her wings, dark clouds charged with lightning flew out from Whirlwind and right towards the swarm of bees that had cornered Cynder! The bees buzzed in shock in more ways than one as the clouds surrounded them and zapped them with crackles of static, and the shock only continued as Whirlwind zapped them with rainbows and blew the clouds up in a colorful explosion! The bees' buzzing turned screechy and pained as they slammed against the floors, the ceilings, and any plants they could find… But they weren't the only ones who got knocked away!

The blow was close enough that it knocked Cynder back into a wall, knocking away the leaves and revealing a honeycomb full of sticky honey underneath! Cynder herself was trapped within the honey, only her head free as she groaned!

Whirlwind gasped, then covered her face with her paws as she flew up to Cynder. "Sorry about that!" Whirlwind cried as she pulled Cynder from the honeycomb.

Cynder groaned, then shook the honey off! Whirlwind squeaked and crafted a cloud for a shield beside her, but Cynder just frowned and licked a drop of honey from her paw… Then gagged and reeled back.

"That's way too sweet!" Cynder groaned.

Whirlwind frowned as she flicked honey from Cynder with her wing, then a crash from behind caught her attention!

Back over by the gate, Chihiro and the rest of the portal masters all grimaced as a few massive seed bombers backed them into the wall… But while the others seemed somewhat hesitant, Chihiro just smirked as she drew her sword and held it to the ceiling!

"Time to cut these guys down!" Chihiro cried as her sword changed to a massive cleaver! Chihiro grinned and jumped up, the cleaver shining bright as it rested in her hands, bright enough that it caught Inochi's eye!

"Wait, don't!" Inochi cried as she planted her hands against the flower pod's walls. "You'll—"

But Inochi's warning came too late, for Chihiro just slashed her cleaver and sent massive blades of wind flying down towards the gigantic plant bombs! The blades slashed them right in half, while Chihiro just smirked and patted her cleaver's blade against her palm as she floated back down… Then she screamed as the halved plant bombs exploded in masses of spores! Chihiro and the other portal masters all hacked in pain as they crashed against the wall and collapsed, then yelped as a smaller plant bomb skittered up and pelted them with seeds!

Inochi gasped as they cried in pain from within the masses of green spores, but behind her the queen flower only laughed! Her petals shone brighter, her colors richer as if just basking in their pain fed her like the sunlight did!

"Please, stop this!" Inochi cried as she turned to the queen flower, her pink eyes teary as she pressed her hands against the pod's walls. "They didn't do anything to you!"

The queen flower perked up, and her petals wilted slightly as a nasty scowl came across her face. "Yes they did! They tried to take you away from me!" The queen flower cried! She grunted as she yanked away the flower pod, oblivious to how Inochi screamed as she was tossed about within, then dashed into the walls and vanished!

"But I won't let them! You're not going anywhere!"

Inochi's screams pierced the air, and Sihiri immediately jolted her head up.

"Inochi!" She cried!

Sihiri leaped to her feet, and with a snap of her fingers, purple smoke flitted into the spore clouds before they all vanished. Her eyes fell on a particularly suspiciously silhouette formed amid the leaf-covered walls, then she dashed into it and vanished.

"She went this way, come on!" Sihiri cried, her voice hollow as it echoed across the room!

Vatra, Dej, Luz, and Chihiro immediately leaped to their feet and trailed behind them, while Whirlwind, Cynder, Terrafin and Eruptor all pulled away from their battles and followed suit! They all jumped into the hole one by one, then slid down through a tunnel covered in vines and flowers that rumbled with the sound of Inochi's screams! Their gazes were tenses as they sped down towards the golden light at the end of the tunnel… But as they did, a dandelion leaped up from the ground and knocked Eruptor into the ceiling!

Eruptor screamed out in pain and hacked a magma blob that burned the dandelion down as he hit the floor and rolled towards Terrafin, who immediately punched the earth and crafted a stone pillar that stopped Eruptor in his tracks! Eruptor groaned and composed himself as the pillar vanished, then turned around and skittered back as a flower-shaped cannon emerged from the wall and shot globs of nectar at him!

"Just what's this stuff doing here, anyways?" Eruptor demanded as he tossed a magma blob at the nectar and burned it away.

"Don't ask me!" Vatra cried as he shot a burst of fire and burned away the flower cannon, then scoffed and tossed another one at a catapult of seeds before it could fire. "Ask Inochi! She's the one who brought all these things here!"

Vatra grunted as he cut away oncoming vines with a burst of flames, then paused as light brushed against his face! Golden light poured in by the second as they all slid further, and all of them fell out in a pile as the tunnel ended! While everyone around him groaned and pulled themselves off the ground, Vatra just frowned and crossed his arms.

"Looks like it's just a dead end," Vatra remarked before his eyes fell on a suspiciously light patch of the ground. "Or is it?"

Vatra tapped the patch with his foot, and it sank into the ground for moments… Before the entire floor caved in underneath his feet! Once again everyone shouted out as they collapsed into the depths of golden light, then landed right onto a golden flower and bounced off its surface like a trampoline! They all groaned and rubbed their arms, but the sound of familiar shouts up ahead caught everyone's ears!

"I'm telling you, let me go!" Inochi cried!

"That's Inochi's voice!" Sihiri cried as she dashed ahead. "She has to be nearby!"

The others trailed ahead, the ground rumbling underfoot as they did, but the sights and sounds around didn't matter as much as one—Inochi's! The shouts and cries of hers mingled with that of another, lower and more growling voice as the light grew brighter, then as everyone burst through the end of a tunnel, the light dimmed and they all stopped short!

They all found themselves in a massive room covered in vines and flowers, from golden luminaries that hung from the ceiling and acted as functional lamps to the tinier petunias that littered the grass-coated floor! A sweet nectar-like scent coated the room with such a thickness that it was almost sickening, its source perhaps the massive throne of vines and flowers that the flower queen stood on like a ladder as she hung Inochi's pod from a vine on the ceiling!

"Perfect!" The flower queen chirped as she lowered herself. "Now you're not going anywhere!"

"You can't do this, please!" Inochi cried as she pounded on the pod. "You can't keep me locked up her forever! I need to leave this place!"

"She's right!" Sihiri cried! She stormed forward as everyone flooded in behind her, and she summoned a staff with a frown. "We're not leaving this place without Inochi!"

"Yeah!" The others cried behind her!

The flower queen's brows perked up, and her pleased smile turned to a scowl as her eyes fell on Sihiri. "So you found me, did you?" The flower queen snarled as she took a seat on her throne. "Well, I applaud you for getting this far, I suppose." The flower queen drummed her sharp, thorny fingers against the throne's armrest, then slammed her arms down on the rests. "BUT THIS IS AS FAR AS YOU WILL GO!"

The flower queen snarled, and her leafy body began to unravel, sinking into the depths of the throne as it rooted itself off the ground!

"I'M NOT LETTING HER LEAVE, NO MATTER WHAT!" The flower queen cried, her voice more distorted and snarling as her face sank into the top of the chair, its petals dyed a rich, bloody red as arms with massive hands of thorns emerged from the throne's armrests, "THE ONLY WAY YOU'LL BE WITH HER IS WHEN I BURY YOU HERE!"

Inochi gasped, but the flower queen didn't even notice as she slammed her arms into the ground! Her hands sunk into the grass as she yanked open her jaw and shot off a round of massive seed bombs! The group scrambled out of the way as the seed bombs crashed into the ground and cast massive clouds of murky green spores everywhere, but the flower queen didn't relent—she just skittered side to side and cast out more!

Chihiro squealed and hit the grass as a seed bomb flew over her head and crashed into the wall behind her, then pushed herself up and snarled. Another group of seed bombs hurtled right for her, but she just crafted a gigantic baseball bat out of magic and leaped right for them!

"Batter's up!" Chihiro cried as she slammed her bat against the seed bombs and shot them right back at the flower queen!

The flower queen screeched like a bat as the bombs slammed into her chest and exploded, and in that moment she slunk back and her vines unraveled once more! They cast clipped grass off the ground as they slammed into the earth, and she only panted as the spores clouded around her! Nectar drool piddled from her mouth as she leaned against the wall, and her colors turned just a little lighter.

Luz and Dej grinned, then the two of them dashed up the vines ad leaped off! Luz summoned his shield and shot a mighty burst of light from its center towards the flower queen, while Dej just thrust his palms together and shot a massive blast of water into the queen's mouth!

The queen let out garbled screamed as the blasts hit her in time, but as they faded… She just cackled! Her colors grew brighter and more rich as she stretched tall enough to brush just barely against the ceiling, and she only cackled as she slammed her hands back into the ground.

"What the?!" Dej cried as he floated back. "What happened?!"

"Plants use sunlight and water to grow, you two!" Inochi cried from within her plant pod. "Your attacks are only going to make her stronger!"

Inochi squeaked as another slam of the flower queen's hands rattled her flower pod, while behind her Luz and Dej only gulped.

"We may have made a really bad decision," Dej remarked.

The two of them screamed as a pair of flower bombs shot out and exploded, knocking them into the grass! But while they struggled to push themselves up, the flower queen just cackled and sent another round of flower bombs hurtling right for them! The two of them gasped, and Luz reached for his shield… But right before he could block the blow, a group of flaming magma blobs slammed into the flower bombs and incinerated them in midair!

Luz and Dej both gasped as they turned back to find Vatra and Eruptor standing behind them with a warm glow, one that quickly faded as Vatra lowered his hand.

"We need to come up with a plan," Vatra shouted as he blew up another flower bomb. "But what?"

A massive thud shook the grass below and halved it as Vatra lowered his hands, and shadows cast over the throne room! Vatra lifted his head, then gasped and dashed away as a massive seed landed in the ground! He snapped his fingers and prepared flames, fully ready for an explosion… But instead of exploding, the seed leaped up from the ground and sprouted not just arms and limbs, but weapons as well!

The ground rattled as even more of these seed warriors crashed on the ground and dashed after the rest of the group, with Chihiro caught in the center of it all! She winced and turned from side to side as her eyes fell on the world around her, where Skylander and portal master alike warred with the seeds surrounding, then Dej snatched her hand and dashed off!

"C'mon, kid!" Dej cried as he summoned a wave, then crafted a surfboard out of coral and leaped on. "We're going for the pest in chief herself!"

Chihiro gasped, but quickly nodded as she leaped aside and crafted a surfboard of her own, while below her the wave charged straight for the flower queen! The flower queen cackled and yanked open her jaw, fully ready to take in the water... But at the last minute, the wave turned to solid ice and glowed cyan as it dove right for the flower queen's chest! The flower queen screeched as the icy daggers twisted into her body, nectar seeping out and freezing across the ice, and her twisted hands scratched at the ice while she attempted to free herself.

Dej and Chihiro both frowned as they hovered in front of the raging flower queen, and Dej scoffed as he crossed his arms.

"Just what's your deal, anyways? So, she disappeared for a few thousand years, big deal!" Dej exclaimed, his brows tight as he glared down at the flower queen. "It was only a few years, just let it go!"

"LET IT GO?" The flower queen screamed. Her snarl grew even wider, and the vines that made up her body rippled and pulsated before they bulked up, shattering the icy wave that stabbed into her as her body reformed with twice the strength of before! But, it wasn't stopping there, either—as she growled and shuddered, she grew even larger, until she finally hit the ceiling!

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH, PEST!"

The queen shuddered, and with a slam of her palms against the grass, more seed warriors—bigger, bulkier ones with weaponry that dripped with toxic liquid! The plant warriors charged after the others still on the ground, and their shouts drew Dej's attention back down to them! But, as he looked down, the queen yanked him out of the air and put him right up to her face!

"I was abandoned, left alone, left to die! I had nothing until she found me!" The queen trembled, and she squeezed Dej so tight he nearly popped. "She cared for me like I was her own daughter, promised me I'd never have to be alone again, gave me home and a family! I, I was so happy…" The queen flower sniffled, and tiny (well, tiny for her size) tears formed in the corner of her eyes. "But, but then, she just disappeared! I waited so long for her to return, and now she just wants to leave me alone again?"

The queen flower yowled as she slammed Dej into Chihiro and knocked them both into the ground, then slammed her fist in the ground and shook everything around!

"I THINK NOT! SHE'S NEVER LEAVING ME EVER AGAIN!"

The plant warriors squealed in agreement, and as Chihiro and Dej started to come to, the plant warriors completely surrounded them! Dej gasped and stabbed them all in their hearts with spears of ice before they could strike! But, as those fell, even more burst from the ground and chased them down!

And as these plant warriors burst out from the earth and chased down Skylander and portal master alike while the queen seethed, Inochi just winced and sat in her flower pod prison. Her hands brushed against the petals as her eyes fell on the queen, but it wasn't fear that broiled in her gaze—no, it was a kind of somberness, something a bit more concerned than anything!

"It couldn't possibly be her, could it?" Inochi whispered. "I knew the risks of bringing a sproutling in, but, I never thought something like this would happen!" Inochi's hand clasped as it laid against the flower pod, and she merely nodded as she drew it away.

"I have to fix this!"

Inochi gulped, then pressed her hands against the flower pod's walls as a green glow wavered around her. "Let's hope this works…"

Inochi hummed as her flower pod glowed green, then that green glow leaped out from the pod's petals and seeped into the ground! The grass around turned a bright, lush green as the glow seeped right to where the Skylanders and the other portal masters had been cornered by those plant warriors, then it finally stopped and formed a massive dome of tight grass around them! The plant warriors squeaked as their weapons were smashed to bits upon impact, then growled and pounded their fists against the grassy dome—but it didn't do a thing!

"Where did this come from?" Chihiro asked, when the sound of sprouting brought her attention down below! A petunia had bloomed by her feet, then twisted itself until it had taken a microphone's form!

"Everyone, it's me!" Inochi cried from the speaker the petunia had formed!

Everyone gasped and knelt down to the petunia's height as Inochi lowered her voice.

"I think I've figured out how to stop this plant, but I need to break out from this flower pod to do it! Do you think you can do something?"

"You bet we can!" Chihiro cried as she snapped her fingers. "Just give us a minute!" She and the others all huddled together and whispered, then as they nodded Chihiro broke from the huddle and turned back to the petunia. "Alright, Inochi, you can lower the dome now!"

But, Inochi didn't need to! A massive explosion rattled the world, and the grass receded to unveil a whole army of floral warriors before them! Those plant warriors from before had been armed once again, and beside them were more seed bombers and wavering vines ready to strike! But, Chihiro, not any of her companions were intimidated—they just grinned and jumped into the fray!

Terrafin started first, leaping into the earth and shaving off the grass as he churned up the ground from underneath! Rows formed in the earth as the plant warriors squeaked and stumbled about above ground, and in their moment of distraction, bursts of fire came from the ground! The plant warriors all squealed as the flames chased them down to one particularly barren patch of earth… And the moment they stepped foot there, the flames extinguished as a massive torrent of water fell on them! The plant warriors panted as their leaves drooped slightly, then lifted their legs and prepared to run—but they couldn't! The torrent had drenched the earth into cold mud, and they were stuck tight! They only stayed stuck as blasts of fire and ice blew them to bits!

Dej and Vatra both chuckled and grinned at each other as the plant warriors withered, then jumped away as a mass of explosions blew behind them!

As the two of them fled, a group of seed bombers chuckled to itself within the mass of misty green spores it had created, then yelped as a mighty gust blew all the spores away! The seed bombers all turned over to where Whirlwind flew in place, while beside her Luz just smirked and tossed a sphere of light so white-hot that it heated the area around by a good bit in his palm.

"Hey, catch!" Luz cried as he tossed the sphere right towards the seed bombers!

The seed bombers squealed and dashed off, but right before they could, the sphere hit the ground and exploded! The world around them was completely incinerated, grass left singed and walls scorched, and the seed bombers themselves were reduced to ashes!

"How's about a taste of your own medicine for once?" Luz smirked as he wiped his hands.

He chuckled to himself for a moment, then gasped as a vine shot forward and sliced of bits of his spiky hair! Luz hit the ground as the vine pulled back, then reached out to summon his shield—but stopped short as Eruptor and Cynder dashed in front of him and tossed both lava blobs and lightning strikes at the oncoming vines!

The vines jolted backwards as flames and lightning alike completely singed them, and as they turned thin and charred, chakrams of magic and ice shot forward and sliced them in half! The chakrams flew back across the area as the vines collapsed to the ground, and two pale hands yanked them out of the air as Chihiro and Dej smirked at each other.

And at the top of it all, the flower queen yowled and slammed her hand into the ground, her jaw twisted into a snarl as she overlooked the battlefield… But as she did, she missed one thing—Sihiri! The grass rustled as the faint sounds of someone panting echoed around, then Sihiri pressed herself against the wall and took a breath as she became visible! With a stomp of her feet, a massive magic tower formed underfoot and tossed her into the air, right toward the flower pod containing Inochi! Both Inochi and Sihiri grunted as Sihiri snatched it from the vine, and a floating star formed underneath Sihiri's feet as she flew off!

"Sihiri!" Inochi cried! She grinned as the flower pod floated out of Sihiri's arms and unfolded, then Inochi broke into sheer, gleeful laughter as she leaped into Inochi's arms!
The laughter spread to Sihiri as well as they hugged each other tight and spun around, then Inochi chuckled as she tapped Sihiri's nose.

"My hero~" Inochi teased as she drew closer to Sihiri's face and locked her into a kiss! The two of them stayed in pure, pleasant bliss for a few moments as they embraced each other, their grip tender and warm as they kissed with such passion…

"No," the flower queen gasped.

Inochi and Sihiri both drew away from their kiss and peered down at the flower queen, and the moment the flower queen craned her head up and caught wind, she was furious! She screamed and flailed, slamming her arms against the ground while hot tears of nectar burned in her eyes!

"NO, NO! THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" The flower queen wailed, smashing her fists and sending the grass flying out of the ground as she sobbed. "YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO TAKE HER AWAY! SHE, SHE, SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO STAY! SHE PROMISED ME SHE WOULD! SHE, SHE TOLD ME…" The flower queen shuddered, then collapsed in a shaking, shuddering heap in the grass! Her cries or rage were intermingled with sorrow, a rare sort of vulnerability as she buried her face in her arms.
"Muh, ma, she, she told me we'd be together forever…"

Inochi drew herself away from Sihiri's grip, then floated down and drew closer to the raging flower queen. Everyone around her readied their weapons in full expectancy of some kind of attack, but Inochi just leaned in and hummed, shushing the flower queen's rage as she brushed her hands against the flower queen's face. The flower queen's roars and screams slowly drew, and the furious tears of nectar that dripped down her face dried as she peered back down at Inochi.

"Oh, dear, you must have been so lonely, weren't you? You poor thing," Inochi whispered, and she gently pressed her head against the flower queen's face. "When I found you wilted all that time ago, I promised you I'd never leave you alone again…"

"AND YOU LIED!" The flower queen roared as she yanked herself away from Inochi's embrace!

Vines shot out from the wall and straight towards Inochi, but Inochi just slipped away and hovered still, the gentle look of sorrow still on her face as she clasped her hands tight. Not that it eased the flower queen's rage any, as the flower queen just slammed a leafy fist into the wall and sent more vines shooting! Inochi gasped and slipped away form one, then her eyes fell on the flower queen and she hesitated before another vine knocked her back.

"Do you have any idea how agonizing it was, being left on my own all these years?!" The tears streamed again as the flower queen slammed her fists against the wall further. "I spent all that time waiting for you to come back, to greet me, to greet us all! It was cold, and painful, and I spent so much time alone and trapped, all by myself! I could feel myself dying every day, but I endured the agony all so I could see you! And now you're just going to abandon me again?!"

Inochi squeaked as she dodged another vine, then clasped trembling, shaking hands and drew closer. "Please believe me when I said that it wasn't a lie! I—"

"NOT A LIE?! NOT A LIE?!" The flower queen exclaimed, her face red hot as she stomped into the ground! Her neck stretched out as she shoved her face in Inochi's once more, and her petals turned red like blood and her face sharp and furious. "THEN WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?!"

"I NEVER WANTED TO!" Inochi cried back as she burst forward and hugged the flower queen's face.

The flower queen gasped, and her angry features softened as she wrapped her leafy hands around Inochi. Wrapped in her tiny embrace, the two nuzzled each other, and Inochi didn't even seem to notice the leafy tears that streamed onto her head.

"The truth was, I had died. I, I passed away fighting those very people who wanted to hurt our world, and when I awakened, it had been millennia!" Inochi sobbed as she clutched a petal tighter. "I'd never willingly abandon any of my precious sprouts like that!"

The flower queen sputtered, and her leaves wrapped tighter as she lowered her head. Those nectar tears dripped down and formed pools at her roots, yet all she did was sit there and cry as she held Inochi in her embrace, so snug, so warm, so safe.

"I'm sorry I caused you so much pain. I can't imagine how awful you must have felt, being alone for so long!" Inochi sniffled herself, and her own tears turned to sobs once more as she squeezed the flower queen's petals. "Please, please forgive me for not being the caretaker I should've!"

The flower queen trembled, lips quivering and tears budding in her eyes as she gently ran her leaves down Inochi's back.

"Muh, muh," The flower queen sputtered and spat, and her voice, once so warped and demanding and full of power, grew weaker! Her own body starter to shrink, until she was no taller than Inochi herself. "Ma, ma…" The flower queen grew smaller as her limbs started to lose their detailing, her clawed hands and thorny limbs just simple leaves and roots, and her voice was weak, a whisper—not a queen demanding an audience, but a girl crying for the mother she had lost.

"Mama!" The flower queen sobbed at last as she wrapped herself tight in Inochi's grasp, nestled tight within her arms as her sobbing started to fade into the echoes. The last of her features had shrunken, receding back into her body until she was once again just an ordinary flower!

Inochi gently brushed her fingers against the former flower queen's petals, then knelt down and planted her back into the ground. The flower drooped over for a minute, and though it seemed to have wilted, it still carried itself with a semblance of what seemed like a smile on its face as it folded into the earth and vanished, at rest at last.

A soft breeze blew as the armies of flower creatures froze in their places, then sank into the earth and vanished while the world itself came to a standstill. Leaves danced in the air as everyone else walked behind Inochi, but Inochi just stood and smiled as she examined the spot where the flower queen once rested.

"Rest well, my precious sprout," Inochi whispered as leaves and flower petals cascaded forward and danced around her, paired with the faint sounds of a child's laughter that had no source.

For a moment, everyone stood still, the silent tranquility a rare moment of peace after such a hectic time… But, a cough from Vatra turned their attention back to him.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, just one question," Vatra asked as all eyes turned back on him. "How are we going to get out of here?"—Vatra turned around and gestured to the sealed door behind him—"because something tells me that isn't budging."

"I… Don't know, actually," Inochi remarked as she turned around and scratched her cheek, "I haven't been down this way in ages, so…"

"Actually, I know!"

This time, it was Dej that all eyes fell on, but he just smirked and wiped his hands as he strode up, no mind paid to the attention as he approached a stick that looked suspiciously like a lever.

"Now, ten thousand years gave me a lot of time to run around this place. I practically know it like the back of my hand!" Dej remarked as he leaned down on the lever. "And it just so happens that there's a little something here that'll give us the air we need!"—Dej winked as the lever was pushed down the lowest it could go—"if you know what I mean!"

While the others just blinked and stared as Dej rejoined them, Vatra's own face faltered into a frown.

"Dej," Vatra said, his tone flat and colder than his warm appearance befitted. "Don't tell me you're thinking what I think you are."

The ground around started to quiver, but while the others gasped and chattered among themselves, Dej just crossed his arms and chuckled! His smirk didn't relent as a gigantic flower popped out from the ground, with everyone seated right in its center!

"You might wanna hold on tight!" Dej cried as the flower creaked further and further down…

"Why?" Chihiro asked as she sat down and clung to the center of the flower right as it reached its lowest point.

"We're gonna be in for a wild flight!"

In one swift motion, the flower sprung from the ground, and the sudden force sent them all flying through the massive hole in the ceiling! Their shouts echoed around the chamber and rustled its leaves as they disappeared into the heavens above.

§

Noodles snarled as he raised the machine's fist and prepared to strike, but right before he did, the ice below him began to rumble! Noodles drew his fist up and backed away as pebbles of ice bounced against its surface, while below him everyone else did the same! Cracks formed in the center of their icy battleground, and everyone dashed off as the cracks grew larger! The rumbling grew even more intense while the cracks grew their largest, and on instinct everyone immediately curled up and took cover.

"Look out!" Tree Rex cried over the intense rumble. "It's gonna blow!"

CRACK!

The ice completely shattered and erupted in a rain of ice shards so sharp that everyone ducked and ran off as they clanged against what remained of the battlegrounds! Even Noodles in his robot suit stumbled back and nearly lost his balance as the ice got a little too close for comfort, but quickly regained it as the storm settled. He lifted his head towards the top of the geyser, the eye of the storm, then gasped!

There, Chihiro, Eruptor, Terrafin, Cynder and Whirlwind all hovered in mid-air, but they weren't the only ones! Beside them were five human ghosts, dressed in clothes that looked like they came out of a history book and surrounded by colorful glows only accentuated by the bright shine of the crystal, wheel-shaped pendants they wore!

"Hey everyone!" Chihiro cried as she waved down below. "Sorry for the wait!"

The ten of them hit what remained of the icy floors, while a person who donned a blue wheel pendant snapped their fingers and sealed the ice back up in an instant.

"We just had to pick up some old friends of yours!"

Tree Rex's eyes fluttered open and shut, and his jaw fell ajar just slightly as he crept up to Chihiro's group. He reached out a large, wooden hand for moments, then drew it back as Sihiri peered up and drew back herself.

"Is… Is that really you, Sihiri?" Tree Rex asked.

Sihiri only chuckled, then floated up and grinned as she met Tree Rex at eye level. "In the magic and soul," Sihiri replied.

Trree Rex said no words, yet a hint of wonder crossed his face as he extended his palm and let Sihiri rest inside. He was completely frozen in time, only able to stare while Sihiri did the same with a kind of quiet curiosity… Then, he shuddered as Inochi rammed right into his leg.

"Tree Rex!" Inochi called as she hugged him the best she could with their comparative sizes. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

Tree Rex gasped, then smiled and gently wrapped his hand around Inochi. "I'm glad to see you two!"

"Hey, Swarm, old buddy old pal!" Luz cried as he floated up and flitted up around Swarm's head. "Guess who's back and better than ever?"

"I don't know if I'd call being a ghost back and better than ever," Swarm remarked with a wink. "More like back and deader than ever?"

Swarm just groaned. "I can't believe I didn't think of that!"

Thumpback and Eye-Brawl both laughed as they lifted up Vatra and Dej for a chat, and for a moment, all seemed kind of well! The cold air turned warm with the feelings of reunion and camaraderie, and everything around seemed to melt away! Tree Rex, Swarm, Thumpback and Eye-Brawl seemed just so happy to be reunited with their portal masters, their smiles wide and their gazes warm and sweet like honey, and their portal masters were equally as pleased.

But, a single cough came from behind and immediately alerted them to the fact that Noodles was still present, his arms crossed as he drummed his fingers against his forearm.

"Hello, aren't you forgetting someone?" Noodles asked as his eyes flashed red. "Noodles is still mad about losing that fishing competition! Nobody beats the Great Evil Ice Lord Noodles and gets away with it!" Noodles stomped his foot, and his lips trembled as they snarled. "And you're DEFINITELY NOT TAKING AWAY MY ROBOT!"

Noodles dashed across the side of the island and waved his hands. "Minions, you keep those guys busy for Noodles! Noodles will take care of the rest!"

The minions nodded as Noodles flew off, but Sihiri just scowled as her eyes fell on Noodles' robot.

"He's getting away!" The ghost cried as he swung around Tree Rex's shoulder.

"But not for long!" Sihiri cried as her hands glowed purple.

With a snap of her fingers, a purple glow enveloped everyone around and lifted them off the ground, then enveloped them within its grip and zipped off! They all dashed in pursuit of Noodles, their magic vessels a warm and toasty shield from the oncoming chills of the winter breeze! The shouts of Noodles' ice ogre soldiers were faint as they fell into the distance, barely able to keep pace as the orbs tailed Noodles over to a massive, icy platform near snowy cliffs.

Noodles panted and leaned against the cliffs, and the light in his robot's eyes dimmed some as his breath grew lighter.

"Noodles… Noodles think they're gone," Noodles panted as he lifted himself up and cracked his knuckles. "Now, Noodles will think of the ultimate plan to crush those guys! Yeah, yeah, Noodles will crush them like ice bugs!"

"THINK AGAIN, NOODLES!" Chihiro shouted with a voice so loud it rattled the snow piled on the cliffs.

Noodles gasped, then jolted his head around as the light in his eyes grew once more. "WHAT, WHO SAID THAT?!"

"We did!" Sihiri boomed.

Noodles gasped as the purple magic spheres dropped onto the ice below and unveiled themselves one by one! Everyone stood tall, their eyes set on Noodles, but despite the diminutive size they held compared to Noodles, he just screamed and backed away.

"The Skylanders?! The Portal Master? Some weird people Noodles doesn't know?!" Noodles cried before his eyes skimmed over to where Tree Rex, Swarm, Thumpback and Eye-Brawl had landed. "And those guys from the fishing contest too? You found Noodles already?!"

"You bet!" Chihiro cried as she pointed towards Noodles. "Didn't you learn your lesson when we kicked your butt back at Vindlevale?!"

"Guess he's a bit forgetful," Vatra smirked as flames danced across his fingers. "Luckily for him, though, I'd say I'm a pretty good teacher!"

Noodles winced as he stumbled backwards, then screamed as he tipped over and nearly fell down below! His arms windmilled as he screamed and teetered back and forth across the ice, then finally he stomped his foot and regained control! Snow and ice collapsed in avalanches that fed into the skies below like waterfalls from the force of his stomp, and his further coughs as he cleared his throat shot even more down!

"MINIONS!" Noodles bellowed. "THE GREAT EVIL ICE LORD REQUESTS YOUR ASSISTANCE!"

Down on the ice, everyone winced and pressed together, their weapons drawn as they scanned the battlefield for the oncoming onslaught of ice ogres… Then blinked and released themselves when nothing came! No, nobody but them stayed on the ice, nor did anyone join Noodles in front of them!

And Noodles noticed as well, because his eyes flashed red as he cleared his throat!

"MINIONS, THE GREAT EVIL ICE LORD SAYS HE REQUIRES YOUR ASSISTANCE!"

The cliffs rumbled, and chunks of solid snow and ice cracked as they crashed off the side of the cliffs from the sheer volume of Noodles' shouts! Down below everyone shouted as they fell flat on their faces from the way the ground shook, and yet Noodles didn't care a bit for the destruction he wrought! He just pounded his fists and screamed, shaking the whole world around!

"WHERE ARE NOODLES' STUPID MINIONS?!"

The screams only continued from down below as Noodles screamed ad stomped his robotic feet, and thin cracks had even started to form in the ice! While everyone else just slid left and right from Noodles' constant stomps, purple and blue light slipped across the battlefield and orbs of similar color burst across the battlefield! They shimmered and twinkled for a little bit as their light shaped itself into the form of bodies, then finally the light vanished as an entire platoon of ice ogres dropped onto the ice! The ones from Thumpback's fishing contest had made their return, but in addition they had brought reinforcements! Tall ice ogres wielding axes, smaller ones with staffs, even a few oddly-shaped ones wielding backpacks full of weapons!

"Sorry for the wait, commander!" One ice ogre cried as it turned around and waved to Noodles. "We just had to pick up a few reinforcements!"

"Noodles told you to call Noodles the Great Evil Ice Lord when Noodles is in Noodles' robot!" Noodles spat as he crossed his arms and huffed. "Whatever, just take care of the Skylanders!"

"Got it, comman—" The ice ogre frantically shook their head. "I mean, Great Evil Ice Lord!"

"What, you think a couple of ice ogres are gonna stop us?" Cynder asked as she flapped her wings. "We've dealt with worse!"

"Yeah!" Chihiro cried as she cracked her knuckles and sprung forward. "I'll finish these guys in a snap!" Chihiro smirked as she snapped her fingers. "As a matter of fact!"

Chihiro thrust her hands forward, and a massive beam of cyan light burst forward with sights set on the ice ogres… But as she did, the robot latched onto the side of the island and shook it like it was little more than a toy! Chihiro's light beam veered off to the side and slammed into a cliff, forming a hole in the cliff's side as Chihiro screamed and slid backwards, the others quickly following! The ice ogres cackled in their faces, their own places held with magic, but Chihiro didn't even shoot them a glare or a smart remark—the sound of screaming pierced her ears, and she grounded herself with magic and turned around as the others tumbled down!

Dej quickly forged a platform out of ice and caught the other portal masters and the ghost, but the Skylanders and Elder Elementals rolled down and tumbled off the side of the island, down into the depths of the cliffs below!

Chihiro gasped, then leaped up and summon a sparkling star platform with a leap and a clap of her feet! The star platform fell underfoot just as she landed, and she leaned down on it like a surfboard as she dashed over and caught Eruptor! The star platform expanded as Eruptor groaned and laid down, but Chihiro just dashed further and snatched Terrafin next, then Cynder and Whirlwind before her eyes fell down to where Thumpback and Tree Rex had begun falling!

"Crap, I don't think my star's big enough for them!" Chihiro cried!

"Then leave this to me!" Sihiri shouted as she snapped her fingers!

A purple glow surrounded Tree Rex and Thumpback as they sank into the depths, then it completely enveloped them as they teleported away and landed back on solid ice! Eye-Brawl and Swarm appeared beside them in another flash of light, and all five of them grinned as their gazes drifted down to where Sihiri hovered before them!

"That was a close one!" Chihiro remarked as she flew in. The star platform vanished below her, and she fell onto the ice as the others dropped beside her. "I almost thought we were gonna be the first to discover Skylands' bottom!"

Bellowing, mechanical laughter rumbled as the island went back to a neutral position, and the robot's eyes flashed as its hands laid on its hips.

"You Skylanders think you're so smart, don't you?" Noodles gloated as he leaned down over them and pointed a gigantic finger in their faces. "Well, Noodles smarter now! And Noodles won't be beaten!"

While Noodles laughed even harder, the laughter of his ice ogres joining in tandem, everyone just winced and drew together.

"Alright, just throwing ourselves at this guy isn't gonna do us any good," Terrafin said as he lifted his heads towards the others. "We're gonna need a plan!"

The others shuffled closer towards Terrafin and nodded, but Eruptor just gasped and pointed away.

"DUCK!" Eruptor cried as he hit the ice!

Everyone behind him turned around, then gasped and followed his lead as a massive blasts of magic and a swarm of axes flew right for them! The attack flew into the distance, but as the group got up, the ice ogres that raced in front of them just grinned and drew out more weapons!

"You're kidding yourselves if you think we'd let you anywhere near the Great Evil Ice Lord!" The ax-wielding ogre heading the charge cried. "Ogres, charge!"

The ice ogres rushed forward as the group split, but as they stopped and turned around, Terrafin skated forward and clocked one right in the face! The ice ogre grunted as the punch tossed it right into its buddy behind it, then a lava blob slammed them both in the side and knocked them on the ice! A group of mages skated in and shot blasts towards them with magic staffs, but before they could strike Eruptor and Terrafin, a combined blast of lightning and rainbows blew the mages' attacks away, then the mages themselves as it crashed into them!

As the mages collapsed on the ground, Cynder and Whirlwind swept down and grinned. Free of distraction once more, she parted away while Tree Rex rushed towards Noodles and leaped up, followed by Thumpback, Eye-Brawl and Swarm, then she and Whirlwind zipped towards Noodles as well… But as they flew, Noodles just slammed the robot's hand into the ground and sent a shockwave that cracked the ice and blew them back! Noodles cackled as they all collapsed onto the ground and groaned, but another burst of shockwaves pinned them back down before they could get back up!

And while they reeled, the ice ogres leaped to their feet and dashed off for them! A few of them cackled and raised their weapons, but just before they could strike, a pair of swords knocked them back! The remaining ogres skidded to a stop as a bright flash of cyan light signaled Chihiro's entrance, and she just panted as she summoned more swords and rushed right for them! Sweat poured down her back despite the cold as she jumped for an ice ogre and slashed, while it just slashed back with its axe

And in the moment of distraction, Tree Rex, Thumpback, Eye-Brawl, and Swarm leaped from the ground and split! Tree Rex lead Thumpback, Eye-Brawl and Swarm down to where the portal masters flung their own attacks at Noodles' robot with little luck, while Cynder and Whirlwind just grunted and shuddered on the floor.

And in the back of it all, hidden away behind an icy rock, the ghost trembled as he examined the battle. Whether it was from the cold of the ice or the tension of the uneven fight, it wasn't certain, but nonetheless he quivered, flickering in and out of existence as his eyes fell first on the ice ogres fighting with Chihiro fighting, and the Skylanders on the ground, then to Noodles as he swatted away the Elder Elementals and the ancient portal masters' attempts at damaging him! But then, his milky white eyes narrowed as they fell on the arms. Though the chills from the ice left frost on his body and turned his mist thicker and cooler, he didn't move from his spot. He just zeroed in on the robot, then finally he forced himself up and floated over to Tree Rex!

"Mister tree, mister tree!" the ghost cried as he nudged Tree Rex's shoulder!

Tree Rex grunted as his latest solar blast bounced off of the robot's chest, then turned his head towards the ghost and tilted it. "Yes?"

The ghost leaned closer, until his face was just a hair's width away from Tree Rex's ear holes, then he pointed up to the robot's arms, which were dented and twisted in parts and rusted in others.

"Those arms, they're much more worn compared to the rest of the robot," the ghost whispered. "Perhaps if you target those, you'll be able to stop him!"

Tree Rex grinned as the ghost flew away. "Good idea!" Tree Rex nodded, then another pound of the ice knocked him down with a grunt! Tree Rex pushed himself off the ground, then winced as his gaze turned to where Noodles pounded away still. "But first, we'll need to find a way to distract him!"

Tree Rex grunted as he crawled across the ice to where Thumpback, Eye-Brawl, Swarm and Dej had collapsed on the cracked, shattering ice.

"Everyone, listen!" Tree Rex cried, his voice as high as it could be without being heard—which, given the massive volume of Noodles' pounds and shouts, was quite a lot. "The robot's arms are a lot weaker than the rest of the robot! If we can destroy them, we could probably put that robot out of commission!"

Another crash sounded, and Swarm winced as he crawled closer to Tree Rex. "But how, boss?" Swarm asked, his gaze turned to the robot. "That thing's as stubborn as the guy piloting it!"

Dej perked his head up, then grinned as he pushed himself off of the ice. "I take it a distraction's needed?" Dej asked as he skated towards Tree Rex and Swarm. Dej winked, then leaped off on a spiral of steaming water and shot towards Noodles before either could reply. "You just get your plan together, we'll take care of this!"

The cold breeze ruffled Dej's hair as he flew up past the robot's gaze, then he held out hands dusted with the blue glow of ice and shot a freezing beam right into the ground below! The cracks and fragments in the ice sealed themselves and stuck together as the beam carved into it!

Noodles screamed as he lifted his arms, then his eyes' glow lowered as he tilted his head down. "Was Noodles' reflection always that nice?" Noodles asked as he scratched his head.

A flash of blue light emerged from the clouds, and Sihiri, Vatra, Luz and Inochi all lifted their heads just as it faded! With a grin, they all floated off the ground and spun around Noodles' head as he admired his reflection!

"Hey, tin can!" Luz cried as he whipped out his shield and spun it around, "lemme shed some light on something!"—The shield's surface grew brighter and brighter as Luz spun it faster and faster, then he held it up as its light reached its brightest—"never look away in the middle of a battle!"

Noodles turned around, then screamed as a massive beam of light shot right through the robot's eyes and completely shattered their glass! The surprise blow sent him stumbling back, but he just growled and stormed right for Luz!

"How dare you attack the Great Evil Ice Lord?!" Noodles cried as he jumped up towards Luz, arms stretched out in preparation to swat him away. "You'll pay for that!"

Just before Noodles could reach Luz, however, vines leaped out and completely tied his hands together! Luz teleported beside Inochi in a flash of light as Noodles fell down to the ground with a thud, while Inochi just released a sigh and unwrapped the vines from Noodles' arms… Then, they both squeaked and flew off as Noodles tried to swat them!

"Come back! Noodles isn't as fast as you are!" Noodles cried as he fruitlessly flailed and swatted at the air! A blast of fire and magic hit the side of Noodles' head, and he scowled as he turned around. "Hey, who hit Noodles?!"

"We did!" Vatra cried as he and Sihiri flew up and crossed their arms. Vatra scoffed and rolled his eyes. "And frankly, your icy lordship, you could stand to be a little less sloppy in form!"

"NOBODY CALLS NOODLES SLOPPY!"

Vatra and Sihiri split off as Noodles swatted for him, while Luz and Inochi just laughed in his face as they zipped past him! Noodles screamed as he swatted towards them, but they just flew right and laughed even harder! With a growl, Noodles flailed his arms around in some attempt at swatting them away, but they dodged his every move! They just buzzed around his head like flies while he shouted and cursed!

And while Noodles was busy swatting them away, Swarm, Tree Rex, Thumpback and Eye-Brawl all lined up in front of him and grinned as Swarm raised his arms!

Noodles grunted as yet another attempt to swat away Sihiri, Vatra, Luz and Inochi failed, then he grunted as a pair of stingers shot right through the robot's broken glass eyes and stabbed the back of its head's inside! Noodles snarled as he turned down to where Swarm, Tree Rex, Thumpback and Eye-Brawl stood, then he shouted out and pounded his fists into the ice! The icy floor below cracked and cratered underneath the weight of his blows, but the five of them just skidded off!

Noodles snarled as he pulled his arms from the ground and prepared to strike… But as he did, vines and whips made of light lashed around his left arm, while raw magic froze his second arm into place as ropes of fire wrapped around the second! Noodles grunted as he turned around to find Luz, Inochi, Vatra and Sihiri straining with all their might as they kept their spells in place, then tried to pull his arms off—but the familiar sound of freezing ice and a flash of blue loosened his focus! He turned back down, and Dej only winked down at Thumpback while he hovered beside Noodles' now frozen fists!

"Talk about an easy catch!" Thumpback smirked as he brandished his anchor, then smirked and turned to Dej. "He fell right into our trap, didn't he, Dej?"

Dej just clicked his tongue and smirked. "Fell for it hook, line and sinker!" Dej remarked.

"NOW!" Tree Rex cried with a smile!

Swarm jumped off the ground and flew off as Eye popped off of Brawl's head, and the two of them flew off and shot right into the robot's shoulders! Their attacks tore through the shoulders' metal and left smoking gaps and dents, while Noodles cried out as sirens and red lights blared from the robot's head!

"Hey, what're you doing to Noodles' robot!?" Noodles cried as he swung the robot back and forth, wriggling and thrusting in some futile attempt to free the robot of its bindings. "Knock it off!"

But Swarm and Eye just continued firing! Swarm's barbs slashed and tore through the metal while Eye's lasers rotted and melted it away! And as they worked, down below Tree Rex, Thumpback and Brawl readied their weapons and fixed their aim on the lower half of the robot's arms! Tree Rex shot out lasers that burned and tore through the metal while Thumpback widened the gaps with slashes from his anchor, and Brawl just leaped up and pounded on the metal, denting in and sending bones sprouting through its arms! As the three of them jumped back, sparks and flames flew from the wounds in the robot's arms, and the smoke turned more intense and a thick, grayish color as it flew out in droves! The robot rattled as the sparks flew further, and Noodles just gulped.

"That can't be good," Noodles gulped, his voice filter now warped and distorted.

With a pair of loud pops, the robot's arms popped right out of their sockets! Their rusted, charred and strained wiring stretched as far as it could as the arms hit the floor, and Noodles just gulped.

"Alright!" Luz said as he released his whips and flew down with Vatra, Inochi and Sihiri behind him. "That oughta take him down a peg!"

"Not just a peg, either!" Swarm said as he and Eye flew down. "I'd say the whole board!"

"And we've got those ice ogres all wrapped up too!" Chihiro cried as she skated up with Terrafin, Eruptor, Cynder and Whirlwind close behind. Chihiro chuckled as she turned her head to where to ice ogres she faced sat struggling and wrapped up with magic ropes, then turned back to the robot and summoned a sword. "Now let's finish this!"

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Noodles cried as those red lights and sirens blared further. "You may have broken Noodles' robot's arms, but Noodles has plenty of other weapons too!"

Another loud blare sounded from the robot as its chest unfolded, and out from it came a gigantic board that shot out an entire fleet of burning rockets! Noodles cackled as the rockets charged right towards the floor, while everyone just gasped and drew back!

"Everyone, get behind us!" Sihiri cried as she and Chihiro raised their hands. "We'll handle this!"

Everyone else skated over and ducked behind Sihiri and Chihiro the best they could, and the two of them nodded as their hands glowed! The cyan light of Chihiro's magic intermingled with the purple light of Sihiri's as it swirled away form their palms and fused together, crafting a gigantic shield that shouldered the brunt of Noodles' rocket assault! The rockets exploded and took the shield with it… But another round of rockets was still incoming, their fires blazing and their smoke clouding the air!

"And I'll take care of these!" Chihiro cried as she clapped her hands. A cyan glow surrounded them, and she thrust them out as their glow brightened, its light scattered across the icy floors. "Rockets, return to sender!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers, and the cyan glow leaped from her palms and infected the rockets as they stopped in mid-air! That cyan glow grew more brilliant, a striking sight against the already-blue sights, then they turned tail and hurtled right for Noodles!

The lights in the robot's eyes flickered, and Noodles screamed as he turned the robot around. "Noodles needs to get going!" Noodles cried as he jumped off and prepared to fly right as the rockets crashed into the robot's chest and exploded!

When the smoke and fire cleared, the chest itself had been left smoldering, blackened and burnt, while one single compartment opened up in the chest and shot Noodles right onto the ice! Noodles screamed as he flew off and crashed into the ice, then as he spun belly-first across the ice, he only groaned and lolled out his tongue.

"Alright, looks like he's almost out!" Chihiro cried as Terrafin, Eruptor, Cynder and Whirlwind flew up beside her. "We'll take care of this guy!"

"Commander Noodles!" The ice ogres cried!

They all skated over and lifted Noodles so that he could at least sit up, and one ice ogre even made a chair out of ice for him to rest in. Noodles shook his head as the cold ice seeped into his skin, and he only grinned and sighed in relief as he slunk down in his icy throne. The ice ogres all breathed sighs of their own, then their relieved looks turned to scowls and cross brows as they turned their weapons on Chihiro.

"You're not getting anywhere near the commander!" An ice ogre wielding a staff cried.

"That a statement or a fact?" Chihiro cried as she cracked her knuckles while a subtle blue glow burst from her hands.

The ice ogre blinked, then lowered their ax and scratched their face. "I mean, I said it and all, but—"

A flash of sparkles and cyan light burst from Chihiro's place as she vanished, and a scream hit the air as Noodles' throne exploded into icy chunks! The ice ogres all turned around right in time to catch Chihiro raising a sword as she chased Noodles across the icy floor, then they gasped and sped after her—only to skitter back as Terrafin, Eruptor, Cynder and Whirlwind flew in front of them!

"Sorry, buddies, but we can't let'cha pass!" Terrafin shouted. "Our kid's a little busy right now!"

Terrafin cracked his knuckles as his eyes fell on the ice ogre wielding the ax, then rushed forward and prepared to swing—but with a swing of its ax, the ice ogre disappeared and popped up right behind him! Terrafin gasped and swept aside before the ax could slice him up, its blade only grazing and scratching the barnacles in his back as he skated back! The ice ogre's mouth twitched as it squeezed its ax tighter, then it swung around and teleported again! Terrafin raised his brow as a faint twinkling sound came from behind, then he ducked as the ice ogre appeared once more and swung for him! The ice ogre gasped as its swing hit nothing but thin air, and in that moment Terrafin jumped up and punched it right in the face! The ice ogre screamed and held its face as its ax fell and dug into the ice, and Terrafin grinned as he skated forward and body slammed right into it! The ice ogre crashed into the ice and cried out, while Terrafin just grinned and wiped his hands—but, a chill running down his spine forced him to swing away! Another ice ogre had popped up behind him, an ax held tight in its grip!

"What the?!" Terrafin sputtered as he jerked his head to where the reeling ice ogre was… Right as it burst in a colorful array of sparkles!

Terrafin clenched his fangs, then leaped up as the real ice ogre swung for him once again! His feet landed on the flat side of the ax's blade as the ice ogre drew to a stop, then he backflipped and body-slammed right into the ice! The ice around fragmented and cracked into a massive wave of spiky ice that crashed right into the ice ogre and knocked it across the ice! The ice ogre grunted as it flew backwards and right into a gigantic flower's mouth, then screamed and flailed around as it got stuck within the flower's mouth! Terrafin chuckled and gave a thumbs up to Inochi as she walked up and patted the flower, then turned around and jumped away as a bomb crashed on the ice and exploded into a plume of flames! The flames melted a hole in the ice and unveiled cold, rocky ground underneath, and Terrafin only winced and turned his gaze up as another string of explosions sounded off in the distance.

Across the fields, Eruptor grunted as he flung blobs of magma towards a round ice ogre dressed in leather gloves and boots, who merely dug into the leather backpack on its back and shot bombs right back at him! Eruptor screamed and skidded away as the bombs bounced off the ice, but that wasn't the end of it—because while he lingered around, the ice ogre just shot another round of bombs right for him!

Eruptor's lip twitched, and he snarled as he clapped his hands together. "All this running is making me hot under the collar!" Eruptor cried as he shot out his hands. "How about I give you a taste?"

Eruptor's hands bubbled, and out from them burst an entire stream of lava! The lava melted the ice around and turned it to warm, hard rock, but more than that, the moment it hit the bombs, they burst into pillars of fire and lava!

The ice ogre screamed and turned tail as the lava and explosions came closer, but before it could run a bomb fell from its backpack right as the lava crept in! The bomb exploded in a fiery pillar of lava and heat, and the ice ogre was sent flying!

Eruptor chuckled and raised a hand over his eyes as he lifted his head, his gaze set on the ice ogre as it went blasting across the skies… Then a stray rainbow slammed into its side and tossed it across the floor!

A couple flashes of light shone from the side as Whirlwind and Cynder backed into each other, while around them, ice ogres wielding staffs and axes had them surrounded! The two of them leaped in the air as one ice ogre slashed for them with its ax, then they slipped away as a string of magic blasts hit the skies!

"Looks like we'll need some cover!" Whirlwind cried as she flapped her wings. "And I've got just the thing!"

A large gust cast over the arena as Whirlwind flapped her wings, and the ice ogres planted their feet in the ice before they could get blown away! They shook their heads and opened their eyes, but they found neither Whirlwind or Cynder—just a massive, misty fog that coated the entire area around them! The ice ogres backed away as cackles and squeals came from within the fog and gulped as flashes of purple smog came from within the clouds… Then gasped and screamed as a bunch of ghosts flew out and snagged their weapons from them!

The ice ogres shouted and turned tail as they bolted after the ghosts, but the moment their backs were turned, bursts of lightning jumped from the fog and zapped them in the backs! They all screamed as the lightning hit their backs and knocked them on the ice!

Behind them, the mist cleared as Whirlwind and Cynder flew off, and Whirlwind just smiled and lowered her horn. With a few zaps and flaps of her wings, a tornado bursts from the winds she created, and a zap from Cynder sent it flying! The tornado swept the ice ogres off the ground and tossed them all across the arena, from into the floors to the cliffs and banks of snow, and Whirlwind and Cynder just flew off before they could get hit.

And in the midst of it all, Noodles panted as he skittered across the ice, his feet slipping underneath him as he slid from place to place while he zipped away from Chihiro—but everywhere he ran, Chihiro just teleported in front of him and sent him running again! He dashed towards a wall and she immediately popped right up with a sword to his neck, so he slipped towards the other side and dashed off. As he skated across the ice, however, a flash of cyan shown and Chihiro popped up beside him, sword still in hand!

"You can't run forever, Noodles!" Chihiro cried as she floated in front of him.

"Yes Noodles can!" Noodles cried!

He leaned forward and headbutted Chihiro right in the gut, and in the moment she screamed and released her sword, he slapped her aside! Chihiro grunted as she tumbled across the ice, while Noddles just grinned as his eyes turned to where the others were busy fighting off his minions, then to where his robot laid inactive!

"Time for Noodles to finish this!" Noodles cried as he skated over to where the robot laid! He grinned as his eyes fell on the robot, and his speed increased as it came closer in his grasp!

With a pirouette, Noodles leaped in the air and reached out to the robot's open chest… But right before he could, a blue flash burst past him and zipped right inside the robot! Noodles grunted as the blue flash lingered and pulsed within the robot for moments, while the robot itself just lurched up and sealed the entrance in its chest!

"What?! What happened to Noodles' robot?!" Noodles demanded.

"This isn't your robot—this is my home!" The ghost cried from within the robot's depths, its voice louder and bellowing thanks the robot's systems. "And you're being evicted!"

The ghost raised the robot's broken hand with what little power the nearly-severed arm still held, then slapped Noodles down in the ice in one swift motion, yet one so powerful that the ice dented and cracked into large, pointed shards!

Noodles groaned as he stumbled up from the dent, and the first thing to greet him was a sword in the face! Noodles gulped as Chihiro smirked and pressed her sword a bit closer to Noodles' face, and in response he just screamed, stumbling back and nearly falling back into the crater before he whipped out a cannon and hoisted it over his shoulder! With a single slap, a trio of snowballs shot right for Chihiro, but she just flipped backwards as they hit the snow below and burst!

"You want a snowball fight, huh?" Chihiro asked as she released her swords. "Alright, then you're gonna get one!"

Chihiro's swords burst into light and sparkles, but instead of disappearing, they just floated up and swirled around her hands! It seated itself in her hands as a dense, magical snowball about as big as Chihiro herself, yet light enough that with a single swing she flung it right towards Noodles!

Noodles screamed as the snowball slammed right into him and rolled back down into the ice crater, then as it drew to a stop he popped his head out and groaned.

"Pretty birdies…" Noodles moaned before his face collapsed into the snow!

The ice ogres all gasped as they peered over the crater, the sheer shock of the unconscious Noodles enough to drain their faces of color, and in that moment they all dropped their weapons and scrambled! They haphazardly slid across the icy floor, feet twisted and heads in a panic as they rumbled over the horizons.

"The Great Evil Ice Lord has been defeated!" The ice ogres wailed. "Flee!"

While the ice ogres stampeded away en masse, everyone just turned to each other with a few chuckles and a few rolls of the eyes, and their eyes turned up to the machine. It still stood with lights bright as ever… But admittedly, it wasn't exactly in the best shape. The dents in the arms had caved and formed slits where white smoke flew out, sparks bounced from every gap in the robot's body, and a few patches of metal even peeled down or fell into the depths below! The small of charred metal flew off from it, a disgusting scent that sickened everyone just from its presence.

"Thank goodness, it feels good to be home!" The ghost remarked! The lights flashed for a moment, but they quickly dimmed as he examined the broken, battered state of the robot. "I… Do wish it ended up in better condition, though."

A couple of winces and uneasy glances fell upon the damaged robot, but Chihiro just rubbed her chin, then shrugged.

"Eh, I'm sure the wilikin could fix it up!" Chihiro remarked. "They might be a little strange, but they know their way around technology!"

"Hello, friends!" Cried a voice from above as a ship-shaped shadow cast over the ice.

Chihiro chuckled and held her hands over her eyes. "And speak of the devil, looks like they're here!"

A wooden ship parked beside the ice, and out from the ship came the wilikin and Ermit too! They all shouted and giggled as they skated over the ice—well, the wilikin did. Ermit just scoffed as he fell on his rump and spun across the ice, muttered something underneath his breath as he got up and brushed snow crystals off of his clothes, then lifted his head and scoffed.

"Couldn't you have gotten this thing back in a better shape?" Ermit asked with a scoff.

The machine's lights flashed as the ghost peered down, and a purplish tone came to them as the ghost scoffed and crossed its damaged arms. "Oh, look who came back!" The ghost remarked, and a sardonic tone crossed its otherwise whisperlike and soft voice, then with a faint blue glow he popped out of the robot and floated down to Ermit. "You didn't seem awfully fussed about the machine's condition when you left it here to freeze!"

Ermit groaned and buried his head in his hands. "And now I'm starting to remember why I abandoned it in the first place."

"You know, it was so cold and so lonely here. I had to huddle in the engine room with all the loose pipes just to keep myself warm! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it was, having to listen to that awful noise they made? The hissing, the screeching, the steam blowing in my face?"

"Can't we kick him out again?" Ermit whined as he tugged on his ears.

The others all rolled their eyes, while Chihiro prodded up to a skating wilikin man and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Think you can fix this robot up?" Chihiro asked as she gestured to the robot, which now had sparks and smoke coming out of its shoulders as the ghost carried on. "It got a little…"—Chihiro hissed and scratched her head—"banged up."

The wilikin man, in response, just grinned and whipped out a toolbox from nowhere!

"Sure can do, friend!" The wilikin man cried as he skated to the robot. "Come on, friends! This robot needs our help!"

The other wilikin who had taken to the ice whipped out toolboxes of their own and cheered as they scaled the robot, mending dented metal and tears in the robot body with a cheetah's speed!

"Those little guys might be a bit strange, but they work fast!" Chihiro remarked as she crossed her arms and nodded. A purple glow shimmered beside her, and Chihiro blinked as she turned to Sihiri.

"So, what are you gonna do now?"

This one question from Chihiro perked up Sihiri's brows, and she hummed as she turned to Chihiro. "Pardon?"

Chihiro shoved her hands into her pockets as she craned her head up to where the wilikin repaired the robot. "Once we get this robot fixed up, we're gonna head out to where Kaos is and stop him!"

"Kaos?" Vatra asked as he leaned over Sihiri's shoulder. "Who's Kaos?"

"Really evil dude." Chihiro cringed and clenched her teeth for a moment. "He's a portal master—er, magician who uses his magic for evil, and he wants to take over Skylands! He's already gotten his hands on an Arkeyan robot, and he's raising up an army to try and take over!" Chihiro pounded a fist against her palm. "So, we're going to stop him!"

Both Sihiri and Vatra exchanged worried looks, raised brows and clenched frowns and all, and judging by the looks of similar status that Dej, Luz and Inochi held as they joined the former two, they all were pretty concerned. They whispered amid each other for a few moments, and with a nod, they drew apart while Sihiri strode up to Chihiro.

"Then, I suppose that we'll tag along!" Sihiri remarked as she laid a hand on Chihiro's shoulder. "If a free magician is using their powers for evil, then it's only natural that we step in and stop them, correct?"

Chihiro's eyes fluttered, and she rapidly shook her head as she turned up to Sihiri.

"You, you mean it?"

Sihiri nodded, and Chihiro just grinned and she leaped up and pumped a fist to the cloudy skies.

"ALRIGHT!" Chihiro cried at such a volume that the snow around shuddered. "WE'VE GOT ANCIENT PORTAL MASTERS ON OUR SIDE NOW!"

§

The sound of pounding hammers and creaking wrenches resounded like birdsong against the snowy skies as the Wilikin remedied the kinks and bumps in the robot. All was peaceful now, and everyone below seemed poised to enjoy it as they took in the falling snow cascading above them… Well, all save for one!

"You were so, so, so, cool!" Chihiro cried as she bounced between all the ancient portal masters at once, her eyes bright like stars. "They way you were all like—"—Chihiro bounced around front and mimicked the motions of a fight as she spoke—"Blam! Pow! Wham! Zap! Bang! And he was like—"—Chihiro dragged her hands across her face for emphasis—"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Well, that wasn't quite how it happened," Vatra remarked, then yipped as Luz elbowed him.

"Ah, don't be such a downer, Vats!" Luz remarked, a brow raised. "After all, we've still got it!" Luz chuckled as Vatra scoffed and rolled his eyes, then Luz bowed down to Chihiro and turned his grin to one of pride. "Happy to be of service." Luz remarked.

Sihiri held a hand to her face and chuckled, then gasped as Chihiro grabbed her hands and shoved her own face right into Sihiri's! A small gasp came from Sihiri, but Chihiro's grin stayed fixed as ever.

"Hey, hey, do you think you could teach me how to do all that?" Chihiro asked.

Chihiro grunted as Inochi pulled her off of Sihiri and placed her back on the snow, but as Sihiri chuckled again she tilted her head.

"I'm sure you'll learn all these things in due time yourself, young one," Sihiri remarked.

"Yeah, you seem magically inclined enough," Dej added as he ruffled Chihiro's head, "I think."

"You really think so?" Chihiro exclaimed as she bounced up and down and tossed snow everywhere.

Dej and Sihiri both slowly, hesitantly nodded, and Chihiro squealed with utter delight! Her cheers soared across the skies as she bounded around and spun and flung snow everywhere she went, then she giggled and fell right into the fluffy, untouched parts of the snowbanks that had started to form! Snow cascaded down over her, but she just grinned as its pleasant chills cooled her warm heart.

"I still can't believe I'm getting to meet actual portal masters of old!" Chihiro heaved a pleased sigh as she kicked her legs in the snow. "It feels like a dream!"

Another chill brushed down Chihiro's spine, but it didn't come from her excitement or the icy cold of the snow that surrounded her—no, it came from the ghost as he phased right through her! The ghost floated up to the robot and clasped his hands, his head tilted down as his lips trembled, then he drummed his fingers against his fist as he lifted his head up.

"If you don't mind me asking," the ghost said as he lifted his head. "Are my body's repairs finished yet?"—The ghost shuddered as a chilly breeze hit his body, and he phased out for a moment before he return to normal—"it's getting very cold out here."

One wilikin man frowned as he hammered another nail into the robot, then he turned back and waved down at everyone else!

"The repairs are done now, friend!" The wilikin shouted as he waved back down… Only to lose his footing and fall right into the snow! The wilikin grunted as everyone backed away from him, but he just popped his head out and shook it off.

"Your body should be perfect now!"

The ghost floated up to the wilikin and nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

His blank eyes turned up to the robot, then he zipped forward and slammed right into its chest! The robot lurched over further and twitched for a few moments as its eyes grew blank, then a soft, white glow filtered through as it leaned back up and stretched!

"Ah, just the way I remember it!" The ghost's voice echoed, its volume amplified by the robot's own speakers. The ghost stretched the robot's arms and legs further, and another chuckle came from him. "It feels good to be home!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're haunting the robot again, everything's back to normal," Ermit remarked as he walked up. "Now, by any chance, think you can take that robot and drive us all the way to this place called, er,"—Ermit tapped his fingers against his beard—"Troll Home Security or whatever?"

The ghost paused his stretching, and his eyes' glow dulled as they fell on Ermit.

"Oh, so that's why you came back after abandoning me in the coldest wasteland you could find?" The ghost remarked. "Just to ask me a favor?"—The ghost turned around and huffed as he crossed his arms—"And what makes you think I'm inclined to do something for you, when you left me to freeze? It was so lonely and cold, sitting here all the time, you know, and…"

Ermit just groaned as he dragged his hands across his face. "Now I'm starting to remember why I left you here in the first place."

But while Ermit groaned, Chihiro just padded up and clasped his hands.

"Actually, mister ghost, we do really need to go there!" Chihiro explained. "There's a really evil dude trying to take over Skylands, and we need something strong enough to get to this place and disable his fortress's security systems!"—Chihiro bowed her head and shook her hands—"and if we don't stop him, all Skylands could be in danger! So please, lend us a hand!"

"All Skylands would be in danger?" The ghost repeated. He turned back to Chihiro, and as she nodded and affirmed this, his glowing eyes faded and he paused. "Alright, if the circumstances are that grave, then I'll take you."

Chihiro cheered and leaped in the air, but the world below her shuddered and she went dropping right back into the snow! She grunted and pushed herself up right as the robot's chest lowered and opened up, and all around her everyone grinned as they prepared to board… Well, all except for Luz, who just frowned as he stared into the distance.

"Luz, is something wrong?" Dej asked. "What are you looking at?"

"There's something flying in over there!" Luz cried back as he pointed to the distance.

Everyone turned back to the skies, and sure enough, there in the distance was something purple and sparkly! It gently floated in the distance, so small and unassuming that it could barely be made out amid the snow and clouds!

"Just what is it?" Dej asked.

"Maybe it's a bird?" Luz suggested as he turned back to Dej.

Vatra, however just shook his head and pushed past them both. "No, it's a plane!"

"Maybe it's a flying flower?" Inochi suggested as she put a finger to her face.

Chihiro frowned as her eyes fell on the strange sparkly purple object, then she summoned a pair of magic binoculars. She hummed as she lifted the binoculars to her face and narrowed her eyes… Then gasped and dropped them on the floor.

"No, it's a butterfly!" Chihiro cried as she sprinted across the ice and snow!

The sparkly purple butterfly came in right as Chihiro met its landing spot and held out her wrist, and in turn it perched on her arm and paused for a moment. Then, its own bright light absorbed it and it leaped off of her wrist to form a screen! The screen shuddered with static for a few moment, then slowly an image started to form between the noise.

"This thing on?" Remarked a voice from the screen, one slightly fuzzy, but clear enough that hearing it made Chihiro light up!

"Spyro! That's Spyro's voice!" Chihiro cried as she turned around and waved. "Everyone, I'm getting a message from Spyro!"

"Spyro?!" They all cried as they huddled around Chihiro.

Everyone got together right as the static cleared, and before them the screen showed Spyro standing on the Dread-Yacht's deck—but not just him, either! Everyone else they had been separated from rested on the deck, and they seemed no worse for wear save for a few scratches and bumps! They were alive, they were alright!

"Hey, Chi!" Spyro proclaimed as he grinned and waved to the screen, "I'm guessing that my messenger butterfly must have finally found you!"

Chihiro grinned and waved right back in spite of it being a recorded message, then leaned back as Spyro turned around on-screen and held out a wing.

"As you can see, we're alright!" Spyro turned back to Chihiro and shrugged. "We had a heck of a time, but we managed to get away from those ghost pirates! Funny story, I'll tell you all about it when we get caught up,"—Spyro shook his head—"but for now, I'll just say that we're gonna try and get back on our original path!"

A clunk sounded off and Spyro winced. "That is, if Flynn can figure out where he's going." Spyro shook his head. "But, nonetheless, let's meet up soon, alright?"

And with that, the screen's light faded and it completely blipped out of existence—but even though the message had faded, the cheer it left them all with didn't! After all, their friends were alive and alright, and they would reunite soon! Well, hopefully.

"Thank goodness he's alright," Chihiro sighed. "Hopefully, he'll get my message in time for us to meet up at that Troll Home Security place!" Chihiro turned back around. "Speaking of that, we'd better get going—time's a wastin'!"

So, they all dashed into the robot with renewed spirits, then grinned and sat down as the door sealed behind them. The inside of the robot was surprisingly spacious despite its smaller appearance outside, with blue and gold metal walls and sleek, blue velvet floors with plenty of seats to spare. A control panel lined with buttons and levers and all sorts of fancy stuff helmed the front, and bright lights dangled from the ceiling.

"Now, one question," Terrafin remarked as he leaned against the wall. "Who's piloting this thing?"

"I'll take care of that," the ghost's voice remarked!

The ghost phased through the floor, then floated towards the console and worked away! He tapped a few buttons, pulled a lever or two and spun some dials… And in response the robot shuddered and clunked before it flew off! The faint sounds of wind howling sounded outside, all muffled by the thick metal that walled them off, and everyone just sighed as they took their seats.

"I've lived here for so long, I know this robot's controls inside and out—in fact, sometimes it feels like this robot was made for me," the ghost remarked as he floated into a seat and grinned. "Just leave all the piloting to me."

"Good thing, too!" Chihiro remarked as she took a seat beside him. She chuckled and ruffled her head, and a slight blush crossed her face. "Last time I tried to pilot a giant Arkeyan robot, it didn't go so well…" Chihiro drifted off and frowned as she glazed over the ghost. "Say, what's your name, anyways?"

"My, my name?" The ghost repeated as he turned to Chihiro. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them as he turned away. "I, don't actually remember what my name is. It's been so long since I've talked to anyone, let alone been referred to by it."

"Then I'll give you one!"

Chihiro hummed and rubbed her chin as she examined the ghost. "You're a ghost living in a machine," Chihiro said. "So I'll call you the Machine Ghost!"

The Machine Ghost blinked, then grinned and tilted his own head. "Sounds good to me!"

"Then Machine Ghost it is!"

And so, they both chuckled as the robot flew full speed ahead.

---

- As mentioned prior, Noodles being the main villain of this chapter was inspired by an early version of Giants where he was originally the boss you'd fight in Glacier Gully - in fact, the fight with him here was loosely inspired by his planned boss fight! To beat him, you would've had to attack the robot's arms in order to force Noodles out so you could beat him!