The Dragon Riders were in the Ice Realm, raising one another down the mountain.
"Come on, Pal," said Tom. "We can do it."
"Move it or lose it, Kullersen," said Jun.
"No way, Wong!" said Tom, looking down at Thunder. "Come on, Thunder. This race is ours."
Thunder skidded forward, but Wu and Wei shoved him out of the way, and he collided with D'Angelo and Plowhorn.
"Hey! Stay in your own lane, you two!" D'Angelo yelled. "No ramming on the course!"
"Ramming's racing!" Eugene cried.
"Eugene, no!" Jun yelled.
"Prepare the impact, Webs!" said Eugene.
"Brace for impact!" James yelled.
They all collided and soon landed in the massive power on top of one another.
"My head across the finish line first," Eugene groaned.
"Not before Wu's nose," said Jun.
"I'm pretty sure Plow's horn took the win," said D'Angelo.
"Actually, I think they took the win," said James, looking ahead of them.
They all looked up and saw Alex standing there triumphantly beside Feathers.
"Whoa!" said Tom.
"What took you guys so long?" she smirked.
"Wait a minute," Eugene stared. "Gonzo won?"
"How is that possible?" D'Angelo asked. "You were the last one on the course."
"Yeah, and while you guys were busy playing bumper dragons, we slid right past to victory," said Alex, rubbing Feathers' chin. "Isn't that right, Feathers?"
"She outsmarted us?" said Eugene as he rose to his feet. "Oh, this is so unfair. We would have won if Kullersen didn't block our path."
"That's ridiculous, Eugene," said Tom.
"You crashed into everyone!" Jun reminded him.
"Only because you guys can't control your dragons," said Eugene.
"What?!" said everyone looking outraged.
"You heard me. Webs, and I have the strongest rider-dragon bond. We're as tight as they come."
"I don't think so," said Tom.
"Get out of here," said D'Angelo.
"Not even!" said Jun.
"In your dreams," said James.
"'Meh-meh-meh!'" said Eugene in a mocking tone. "It's true. We're like one living creature in the body of two. Right, Webs? We meet for brunch every Sunday, and we have cool code words for everything. Yosemite, quinoa, porcupine, applesauce."
The Riders just merely gave them dull looks.
"We even share a secret handshake," Eugene continued. "Check this out."
He grabbed Webmaster's claw and began slapping it in different styles. However, Webmaster quickly pulled his claw away when he was about to fist-bump him.
"Uh… Well, obviously, he doesn't want you to see it," said Eugene. "Cos it's a secret."
"There's no way you're more bonded to Webmaster than I am to Wu and Wei," Jun argued as Wei nuzzled her.
"Of course we are," said Eugene. "You must have a favourite head between the two, which leaves one of them out in the cold."
Wu then glared at Wei and blasted him with an ice blast, and the two-headed dragon began to snarl at each other.
"Hey! Stop it, you two," said Jun hugging both heads. "I love you both the same."
"Well, I'm so connected to Thunder, we don't even need to talk about it," said Tom, climbing up on a tall, icy peak. "It just happens naturally."
He then leaned backwards and fell towards the ground. Thunder quickly dashed forward and caught him.
"Ha! See?" Tom smiled.
Eugene scoffed. "Total luck, Kullersen. Thunder probably for you were a giant fish nugget."
"A fish nugget?" said Tom, narrowing his eyes.
"If anyone is the nugget, you're the nugget," said Jun.
"You're a nugget, nugget," said Eugene.
"It's times like these when I remember why humanity is doomed," said Alex dryly.
"Don't listen to them, girl," said D'Angelo, stroking Plowhorn. "We know we have the tightest bond."
"Not as tight as mean Blade's," said James as he stroked Blade. "Isn't that right, boy?"
"Okay, everyone, shut your traps," said Eugene. "I'll prove it once and for all that Webs and I are the tightest. Webs, let's show 'em our…" He then turned around and discovered that Webmaster had vanished. "…Webs? Webs?!"
Jun then laughed. "Wow. 'You're so bonded'? Webmaster totally ditched you!"
"No way," said Eugene. "Webs would leave unless he had a really good reason."
He then began looking for Webmaster. "Webs? Webs! Webs! Seriously, Webs. Webs? You're starting to freak me out."
Webmaster then appeared behind the snow dune, pulling at something.
"Oh, Webs!" said Eugene, relieved. "Don't wander off like that. Gives me heartburn."
Everyone then turned to the object Webmaster had been dragging.
"Is that what I think it is?" D'Angelo asked.
"Here we go," Alex groaned. "This is the moment when a fun day of dragon sliding becomes a perilous adventure into the unknown."
"It's an enormous blade of grass," said Tom, picking up the blade of grass.
"How is that possible?" Jun asked, stunned. "This whole place is ice."
"See? I told you Webs wouldn't wander off," Eugene smirked. "Unless he was coming back with something 'swicked'!"
Tom looked at Webmaster. "Webs, can you show us where you found it?"
"Of course, he can," said Eugene, looking insulted, then quickly glanced at Webmaster. "You can, right, Webs?"
Webmaster screeched.
They followed Webmaster to the cave, and when they exited, they were completely stunned by what they saw. It was like they had just stepped into someone's back garden because every blade of grass they saw was as tall as a skyscraper.
"Epic!" Eugene yelled at the top of his voice. "Way to go, Webs. Ha-ha! What a find."
They then descended into the jungle of grass and marvelled as they walked.
"Whoa, look at this place," said Tom.
"It's like we entered Honey I Shrunk The Kids," said James, noticing everyone giving him blank looks. "I'm not the only one who watches classic old films?"
"No, I watched it," said Alex. "And I seem to remember that the characters shrank. Maybe the same thing happened to us."
"No way, Alex," said D'Angelo and then became increasingly worried. "Wait. How can we know for sure?"
"Relax, D," said James. "It's just entirely possible that this place has a high amount of oxygen. In the Carboniferous era, there was a mess of giant bugs; the biggest was a dragonfly with a wingspan of 28 inches and was 17 inches tall."
"That's big," Jun gulped.
"If it wasn't for us, you guys would never have found this place," said Eugene smugly. "We totally rule. Ha-ha! Quick secret handshake."
Eugene then attempted to do the secret handshake with Webmaster, but it didn't go particularly well.
"Well, Eugene's ego certainly hasn't shrunk," said Jun.
"All right, let's look around, but be careful we don't know anything about this new realm," said Tom.
"Come on, Webs," said Eugene as he mounted Webmaster. "Let's swoop up and get a dragon's eye view."
"Eugene, wait!" Tom yelled.
Eugene was just about to exit the canopy when suddenly they saw a giant dragon, the biggest they had ever seen, flying overhead. It flew past them, and Eugene immediately landed back down on the ground.
"Uh… ahem," he said as he dismounted Webmaster. "I have decided that we will explore this new realm on foot."
"Good idea, Eugene," said Jun dryly. "I don't know what we would do without your steady leadership."
"I don't know either, but I would like to try," said James.
They ventured through the grass jungle on foot but suddenly stopped when they saw a giant slug blocking their path.
"Whoa," Tom stared, and they watched as it passed by. "Okay, good, he's just passing through."
"Guess my theory about all that oxygen in the air is accurate," said James.
"You know the expression, 'Go big or go home'?" Alex asked. "Can we just go home?"
D'Angelo then noticed something unusual with the grass. "This grass doesn't look bitten. It looks like it was cut by something."
"Oh, so now we've got to watch out for the world's biggest lawnmower?" Eugene moaned.
"Uh, no, Eugene," said D'Angelo. "Some animals mark their territories by scratching trees or knocking down foliage."
"So you're saying we might be wandering into someone else's yard?" Tom simplified.
"If we are taking part in the real-life enactment of Honey I Shrunk The Kids, then we better get going for the giant scorpion shows," James suggested.
"Yeah, we don't want to be rude and show up empty-handed, right?" Alex agreed. "Let's just…"
They then heard screeching and snarling sounds.
"I have a bad feeling about this," said D'Angelo.
"We can't fly out of here that giant swooper might get us," said Tom.
They then heard the sound of something being cut and saw a blade of grass had been sliced. Then, suddenly, stepping out of the grass was a vicious-looking dragon that resembled a scorpion. It had a scorpion-like tail, its two front feet were basically long singular claws and sticking out of its mouth were two tusk-like fangs.
A second one joined beside it, and the third jumped out of the grass.
"Giant scorpions, I called it," said James.
"Quick, everyone get in a circle," Tom ordered.
The scorpion dragons roared at them fiercely and cut everyone from one another.
"Too late, Kullersen!" Eugene yelled.
"We're going to have to fight our way out," said Jun.
The dragons launched themselves at Jun.
Tom quickly turned to Thunder. "Blasted 'em!"
Thunder fired a lightning blast at one of them, but he quickly jumped out of the way.
Another one was now approaching Alex and Feathers from a huge rock.
"Ah! Feathers!" Alex screamed.
Feathers quickly spread her wings over Alex and cloaked, making the two of them invisible.
"Come on, Plow," said D'Angelo as he and Plowhorn took to the air. "Show them who's boss."
Plowhorn then rammed into the scorpion dragon on the rock, knocking it to the ground. However, it quickly recovered and roared at them fiercely.
"Okay," said D'Angelo, backing away from the dragon. "He's a boss, too!"
The dragon began chasing after them, but blades of grass fell down on top of it. D'Angelo looked up and saw James riding on Blade, who started cutting through the grass.
"Thought this place could do with a trim," James smiled.
Another one of the dragons was now approaching Jun, who was mounted on Wei.
"Wei, bring the heat!" Jun ordered.
Wei fired a heat blast at the dragon, but it used its wing to protect itself and then fired acid at them. Jun was able to move away in time, and the acid melted right through the grass where Eugene and Webmaster were hiding.
"Webs, what do we do?" Eugene asked as the scorpion dragon approached them.
Webmaster jumped in front of the scorpion dragon, but it then struck him with its tail.
"Webmaster!" Eugene yelled and rushed over to him. "Webs, flame 'em up!"
Webmaster looked at the scorpion dragon, which roared at him as if giving an order. Then, strangely, Webmaster began to obey it and approached it.
"Webs?" Eugene frowned. "Webs!"
The scorpion dragons then began to leave with Webmaster.
"Webs!" Eugene yelled, chasing after them.
Jun quickly blocked his path. "Eugene, stop!"
"Webmaster!" Eugene cried as James and D'Angelo pulled him back.
They then watched the scorpion dragons and Webmaster disappear into the grass.
"What's going on?" Eugene asked.
Moments later, they began tracking down Webmaster.
"Webs! Webmaster!" Eugene yelled.
"I'm not sure we should be yelling," said D'Angelo.
"Yeah. We don't want those scorpion dragons to come back," Alex agreed.
"Webs wouldn't just run off and leave me like this," Eugene argued. "He must have sacrificed himself trying to save the team. I should never have let him do it."
"Try to calm down, Eugene," said Jun calmly.
"Calm down?!" Eugene snapped. "Webs was taken by those hideous creatures. This is calm!" He then turned to Tom. "And don't even think about making us leave without him, Kullersen."
"Don't worry, Eugene. We're not going anywhere," Tom promised. "We'll find him."
"I just hope, when we do, he wants to be found," said Alex. "He looked pretty chummy with those other dragons."
"Yeah, it was almost as if he was hypnotised or something," James agreed.
Eugene was absolutely worried about Webmaster, but then Plowhorn picked up the scent.
"Plowhorn's got him," said D'Angelo.
Plowhorn then ran off, and everyone began to follow her.
They eventually reached the cave, which was undoubtedly the dragon's nest.
"That's it," said D'Angelo. "They must be in there."
"All right. I'm going in to get Webs," said Eugene.
Tom quickly stopped him before he took another step. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's think about this, Eugene. We have no idea what's in that cave."
"Apart from Webmaster and a pack of vicious dragons," said James.
"And I'm not in the mood to tell Mom you became a dragon snack," Jun added.
"Instead of running in there blind, let's draw them out like shaking a beehive," D'Angelo suggested.
"Because that's always a great idea," said Alex.
"Okay, fine," said Eugene. "Whatever we're going to do, let's do it fast. Webs needs me."
Everyone began taking their positions around the nest.
"You guys ready?" Tom asked, looking at the others. All the Riders nodded, and Tom glanced at Eugene. "After Thunder gives it a good pop, we'll lead those nasty ones away."
"Then I'll go in and grab Webs, and then we get the heck out of this giant mess of the realm," said Eugene.
"Sounds good," said Tom and made his way over to Thunder. "Thunder, light it up, Pal."
Thunder then fired a lightning blast at the nest, and they could hear several nasty growls coming from it.
"Here they come," said Alex.
The scorpion dragons emerge from the nest, not looking too pleased, and snarled at Tom.
"Hey, over here!" Tom waved. "Okay…"
Then he and Thunder dashed off, and the dragons instantly followed them.
"Go, go, go!" Tom yelled to the other Riders.
"This way!" Jun yelled.
"What are you waiting for?" Alex asked.
"Come and get us!" James challenged.
Once all the scorpion dragons had left, Eugene entered the nest.
"Webs?" he whispered. "Webs, you in here?" He then looked around and found the place completely disgusting. "Ugh. Talk about a roach motel."
He then continued looking around for Webmaster. "Webs?"
Unbeknownst to him, Webmaster was hanging upside down on the ceiling, looking straight down at him.
The scorpion dragons were still searching for the Riders, who were now doing their best to stay hidden from the savage-looking dragons. Tom nearly emerged from his hiding spot but quickly jumped back when he heard the roar from the pack leader.
Finally, the scorpion dragons moved on, and all the riders emerged from their hiding spots, but Feathers was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, where's Feathers?" Tom asked. Feathers then appeared directly behind him, making him jump. "Argh! Oh, would you stop that?"
"We won't be able to evade those things for very long," said Jun. "They know this realm, we don't."
"We could try to fly," said D'Angelo.
Plowhorn was about to take off when, right on cue, the giant dragon flew directly overhead.
"Never mind," he said.
"All we have to do is abrade them a little longer, just until Eugene shows up with Webmaster," said Tom.
He saw the angry pack of dragons in a clearing and quickly looked at the others.
"Sh!" he hissed.
Eugene was still trying to find Webmaster, but he hadn't had any luck so far.
"Webs?" he whispered, and then he heard movement behind him. He turned around and saw Webmaster standing there. "Oh, there you are. We've got to get you out of here before those creeps come back."
He approached Webmaster, backed away, and began hissing at him.
"Ah! Stop! What's the matter with you?!" Eugene asked.
Webmaster growled at him fiercely.
"Let's all just stay calm," said Eugene softly, but then tripped and fell to the floor. "Come on, Webs. I-I don't know why you're acting this way, but you've got to snap out of it."
Webmaster then calmed down slightly.
"That's it," said Eugene, slowly getting up and reaching out to him, but Webmaster snapped at him. "Come on, Webs, it's me, your best bud."
Webmaster continued to growl and slowly approached him, forcing him to back away slowly.
"Who sneaks to late-night snacks? This guy. Who loves Branch just as much as you do, even though he doesn't look like a branchy type of guy? Me. And who introduced you to Half Crab, your favourite band in the whole world? Eugene Wong, that's who." He kept backing away until he hit the wall. "None of this is getting through to you, is it? Man, I don't get it. Did you just forget? We're the most bonded of all the dragons and the Riders. We even have the coolest out of the group. Does that mean anything to you anymore?"
Webmaster looked as if he didn't recognise him in the slightest. "Hold it! Remember our secret handshake? Hit me!"
That was not the best choice of words as Webmaster blasted him with some fire web, sticking him to the wall.
"What the heck, Webmaster?!" Eugene yelled as he struggled to free himself. "Let me out of this."
Webmaster growled at him and walked away.
"So that's it, huh?" Eugene asked. "You're just bonded with those guys now? Just completing ditching out on us? I mean, I get that the other Riders are kind of lame, but me? Why?"
Webmaster looked back at him briefly but then looked away, which broke Eugene's heart.
Meanwhile, the other Riders were still playing cat and mouse with the scorpion dragons. They were also getting concerned by the fact that it was taking Eugene far too long to rescue Webmaster.
"What is taking Eugene so long?" Tom asked. "He should be back by now."
"In my brother's defence, he messes everything up," said Jun.
"I doubt even he could mess up rescuing his own dragons," said James.
"We need to give him more time," said D'Angelo. "We can't risk those vicious dragons going back to the cave—Eugene will be a goner for sure."
"If he doesn't show up soon, we'll all be goners," said Alex.
Tom then began looking through the Book of Dragons and found the page on the scorpion dragons.
"Fine, anything useful yet?" Jun asked.
"The dragons are called… 'Deathgrippers'?!" he said.
"That appropriate," said Alex dryly.
Tom kept on reading and gasped in horror.
"What's wrong?" Jun asked.
"We've got to get Eugene out of there," said Tom urgently. "Like, now!"
"Why? What does the book say?" D'Angelo asked.
They then heard the roars of the Deathgrippers. They followed the source of the sound and saw all three of them were now heading back to their nest.
"They're headed back to their cave," D'Angelo whispered.
"I hope Eugene and Webmaster got out," said Jun.
"We can't wait and see any more," said Tom. "If what this book says is right, Eugene's in serious danger."
"What kind of danger?" James asked.
Eugene was still webbed up inside the Deathgrippers' cave and was unable to free himself.
"Let me out of here!" he yelled as he struggled. "What kind of dragon betrays his best friend? After all I've done for you. And you web me up so I can be food for your new psycho dragon friends? Really nice, Webmaster."
Webmaster then approached him and checked to see that the web was still secure.
"Should I even call you Webmaster any more?" Eugene asked. "More like Dweeb-Master! Ha! No fun being on the other side of my sick burns, is it? Heh-heh. If I get out of this, I don't know if we'll even be friends anymore. Wait…" He then saw a scratch on Webmaster's side. "… they stung you? Is that what happened? Are they somehow forcing you to do this? Show me a sign. Let me help you."
Webmaster looked at him briefly but then turned the entrance just as the Deathgrippers returned.
"Webmaster… Webmaster, listen to me," Eugene pleaded. "Look, you don't want to hand me over to them, okay? You're making a big mistake. Please!"
The Deathgrippers snarled as they slowly approached him.
"Come on, Webs, please! It's me!" Eugene pleaded. "Oh, this is going to hurt. Webmaster, help! Please! Whatever control they have over you, you have to…"
The Deathgripper leader then plunged its claw inches away from his face, making him scream. It then raised its tail, revealing its stinger, and Eugene closed his eyes. However, a lightning blast shot nowhere, freeing him from the web.
Eugene looked up and saw Tom and Thunder at the entrance. Tom had just channelled the electricity coming off Thunder and through the tip of his lightning sword.
"Thunder, keep 'em busy," Tom ordered. "I'll get Eugene."
Thunder quickly jumped in, striking one of the Deathgrippers with his tail, and soon, all three of them began chasing after him.
"Eugene!" Tom yelled, running over to him. "We think Webmaster was stung by the Deathgrippers. He may be under some kind of mind control."
"Tell me something I don't know, Kullersen!" Eugene yelled.
The Deathgrippers then fired acid at them, and they quickly jumped out of the way. The acid hit the rock behind them and melted the surface of it.
"Come on," said Tom. "We've got to split."
"Not without Webmaster!" said Eugene.
"Eugene, he's under mind control."
"I have to try!"
Tom could tell by looking at him that he was determined to see this room no matter what and mounted Thunder. "We'll distract the Deathgrippers. You get Webmaster."
Eugene nodded appreciably.
"Let's draw them out, Pal," said Tom.
Thunder then dashed forwards, passing the Deathgrippers, and two of them began to follow him, but the pack leader remained behind.
Eugene then quickly clasped his hands over Webmasters' head. "Come on, Webs. We've got to get out of here."
He heard a hissing sound behind him and saw the pack leader approaching him.
"Ugh, I was hoping you wouldn't stick around," Eugene groaned. "You are one ugly…"
The Deathgripper then launched itself at him, and Eugene immediately screamed.
"I take it back, I take it back, I take it back!" Eugenio repeatedly as he ran around Webmaster. He then stopped and looked at his dragon. "Would you please do something?!"
The Deathgripper just hissed, and Webmaster then began to chase after him.
"Oh, when I said 'something', I didn't mean come after me, you dolt!" Eugene snapped as he ran away.
He then turned round the corner and came face-to-face with the Deathgripper again. Eugene looked up and saw Webmaster had just climbed over the rocky surface. The Deathgripper then approached him, hissing.
"Okay. Do you want to play? Let's play!" Eugene challenged. He then suddenly jumped onto the back of the Deathgripper, who instantly tried to follow him off. "I instantly regret this! Webmaster, I could use a little help!"
Webmaster just hung upside down, snarling with no intention of offering any assistance.
Meanwhile, on the surface, the Riders were now distracting the other two Deathgrippers. Jun was running through the grass jungle as the Deathgripper behind began firing acid all over the place, burning through the grass and revealing Tom and Thunder.
The two of them instantly ran as the Deathgripper chased them, cutting across D'Angelo and Plowhorn. Upon seeing them, the Deathgripper chased after them, but they quickly ducked behind some grass, and the Deathgripper ran right past them.
"I think we lost 'em," Eugene panted.
"Watch out!" James yelled as he and Blade ran past.
A split second later, a Deathgripper sliced through the grass and tackled Plowhorn, throwing D'Angelo off her.
"Plowhorn!" D'Angelo yelled.
Plowhorn tried to get up, but the Deathgripper rammed into her and raised its stinger.
"Get off her!" D'Angelo demanded.
Surprisingly, the Deathgripper jumped off Plowhorn and turned to face him.
"Oh. Didn't expect back to work," he said, surprised.
The Deathgripper then charged at him, causing him to scream and panic, but it stopped when it saw Alex and Feathers turning around the corner.
"Nice dragon," Alex smiled as it approached them.
"It's going for Alex!" said D'Angelo, rushing over to Plowhorn. "Lay, don't cover!"
Plowhorn then fired several loogie blasts right in front of the Deathgripper, causing it to retreat away from Alex.
"Thanks, D!" said Alex gratefully.
"Thank me later. Hide better!" D'Angelo yelled.
"Move it!" James yelled as he returned with the second Deathgripper on his tail.
Everyone immediately ran in different directions, getting away from the Deathgrippers.
Meanwhile, Eugene was still trying to escape from the pack leader and the still mind-controlled Webmaster.
Eugene quickly ran for it, but Webmaster followed him from above. Thankfully, he was able to lose him by quickly jumping behind a corner. Eugenio quickly climbed over the rocks, huddled on the ground, and began to whimper.
He stopped when he heard movement above him and looked up to see Webmaster looking down at him from the ceiling. He quickly backed away from him until he reached the wall and looked Webmaster in the eyes.
"Webs, there's nowhere for me to go," he said. "I can't beat that thing. It's just like the first time we met cornered by a fierce dragon. But we saved each other. We genuinely know each other yet, but we saved each other. You remember?"
Webmaster just hissed.
"Look, I know I always talk a good game about being super popular and having tons of friends all over the world, but… the truth is, you're my only real friend. I've never had a bond like this with anyone. Nothing should ever be able to break that. It was supposed to be me and you forever."
He reached out to touch Webmaster but growled, forcing him to pull back.
"Ugh, go ahead. Call 'em," said Eugene, heartbroken. "Doesn't matter what happens to me. I won't leave you. Even if that sting made you forget our bond, I have it. I love you too much to ever forget."
He then rested his forehead on Webmaster's snout, and that's when he noticed that he was looking at him in a more familiar way.
The Deathgripper then appeared round the corner and swung its stinger straight at Eugene. Eugene instantly closed his eyes and braced himself, but nothing happened, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that Webmaster had grabbed his tail around the Deathgripper's.
"Oh, Webs!" Eugene beamed and instantly dashed away from the Deathgripper. "Webs, buddy! Let's get out of here!"
The Deathgripper freed itself from Webmaster and snarled at him before chasing after Eugene again. It managed to corner Eugene again, but Webmaster grabbed hold of its tail, preventing it from attacking him. The two of them struggled until Webmaster released the tail, and the Deathgripper accidentally stung itself.
"Oh, yes!" Eugene cheered. "Way to give that loser a taste of his own medicine!"
The Deathgripper, overcome by its own venom, collapsed to the ground.
"Oh, I knew you'd come back," said Eugene, hugging Webmaster. "I'm so sorry I called you Dweeb-Master."
Webmaster gave a small growl, saying it was okay.
Eugene then mounted him. "Now, can we please get out of this kill cave?"
They instantly ran off, leaving the half-drugged Deathgripper behind.
Meanwhile, the other Dragon Riders were escaping the remaining Deathgrippers. Tom and Jun ran as quickly as they could, hoping to escape it.
"I think they're right behind us," said Jun. Wu growled, asking how she could be so sure. "Take my word for it."
Then, suddenly, jumping right in front of them was James and D'Angelo. Tom and Jun quickly jumped at the way before they collided.
"Don't go that way," said Tom, pointing behind him.
"You do not want to go that way either," said D'Angelo, pointing behind him.
They then heard the sound of the Deathgrippers.
"Where's Alex?" Jun asked.
"I don't know. She was hiding," said D'Angelo.
"And boy, do I wish we were with her right now," said James.
A large blade of grass melted right before them as a Deathgripper walked out into the open. Then, if one wasn't bad enough, the second one appeared and soon joined the first.
"We're going to have to blast our way out again," said Tom.
They immediately fired upon the Deathgrippers, but they just kept on advancing.
"Lock and load those loogies, girl," said D'Angelo, looking down at Plowhorn. However, she gave a small roar, indicating that she was out of ammo. "Or… not."
Blade tried to fire, but he, too, was out.
"Blade's out of juice," said James.
Thunder attempted to fire a lightning blast but failed.
"Ugh, Thunder's exhausted, too," said Tom.
The Deathgrippers snarled at them.
"What's up?" said a voice above them.
They turned and saw Eugene had just landed on the rock behind them.
"Eugene?!" Jun stared.
Eugene then landed in front of the Riders and smirked at the Deathgrippers. "What we got here? Two uglies against all of us? Blast 'em!"
"Eugene, the dragons are out of firepower," Jun informed him.
Eugene smirked and quickly disappeared. "Oh! Uh… heh. Bad timing."
The Deathgrippers slowly advanced towards them, hissing, but then suddenly, Feathers de-cloaked directly behind. Then, without wasting a second, she unleashed a powerful sonic blast that sent them flying straight into the sky, where they came face-to-face with the giant dragon. The Riders and their dragons just stared, slightly horrified, as the giant dragon ate the Deathgrippers.
"I think that's our cue," said Jun.
Everyone slowly left, but Alex hung back, looking at the sky.
"Did you guys hear that?" she asked. "It sounded like granola cereal."
"Gonzo!" Eugene snapped.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming."
They soon returned to the Ice Realm, where they could relax and finally take a breather.
D'Angelo took the time to examine Webmaster. "There you go, Webmaster. Should be healed up in no time."
Webmaster hissed happily.
"That might be the craziest realm yet, right, Pal?" said Tom.
Thunder cooed and agreed with him.
"I vote that we avoid that realm," said Alex. "And since I'm the only one who voted, I win. Yay, democracy!"
"That's not quite how democracy works," James chuckled.
"I'm okay with going back as long as we avoid those big things in the sky," said D'Angelo.
"Are you weenies going to yammer on all day, or are we going to finish this race?" Eugene asked, gesturing towards the slope.
"I don't know, Eugene," said Tom. "Maybe we should call it quits for the day."
"'Quits'?" Eugene scoffed. "Uh, Webs and I don't know how to quit. Ready, set, go!"
Eugene and Webmaster then skidded down the slope.
"See you at the bottom!" he yelled. "Look out!"
"Oh, come on!" Tom moaned.
"Eugene!" Jun yelled.
"Not fair!" said D'Angelo.
"That cheating!" James yelled.
They soon mounted their dragons and skidded down the slope after Eugene.
Alex looked at Feathers. "They never learn."
She then mounted Feathers, and they skidded after them.
The moment Eugene reached the bottom of the slope, he jumped off Webmaster triumphantly.
"Yeah! First place!" he cheered and looked down at the other Riders as they arrived. "First loser, second loser, third loser, fourth loser. Ha!"
"Why aren't you two best buds celebrating with your secret handshake?" Jun asked.
Eugene scoffed. "Oh, Junebug, someday, you'll understand that a true bond isn't based on a silly secret handshake. Because it's a bond you can't shake."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Tom smiled.
"That was actually kind of… deep," said Jun, generally surprised. "What happened to my brother? Did you get stung by one of those mind-control dragons?"
"I think Eugene found a feeling," said Alex.
"Maybe there's hope for the human race yet," said James.
Webmaster then knocked Eugene to the ground and began to lick him, making him laugh.
"Love you, too, buddy," he laughed. "Now get off me, and let's beat these sad sacks again!" Webmaster practically threw him on his saddle, and they dashed off. "We're number one! We're number one! Webs and Eugene!"