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Episode Twenty-Four

Wrath of the Shadow Dragon

With the deadline for Phantom's capture looming and the threat of expulsion weighing heavily on Chris' shoulders, he and Tripod dove headfirst into their mission. However, Chris was far from prepared for what Tripod considered "work."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go! Move it, Cloudkicker!" Tripod barked as they sprinted down the track at the academy's Olympic field. Chris ran clumsily, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as sweat dripped down his face.

"No pain, no gain! Straighten your running stance!" Tripod called out, his one arm pumping rhythmically as he ran. "You'll run better, faster, and use less energy that way."

Chris stumbled to a halt, collapsing onto his hands and knees as he fought to catch his breath. "G-gimme... a... minute..." he wheezed.

Tripod sighed, exasperation clear in his tone. "Sure, take your time, cadet. That's just one more minute closer to getting expelled," he said sharply, his words cutting like a whip.

Determined not to give up, Chris lifted his head. His legs felt like molten lead, every muscle screaming in protest, but he gritted his teeth and pushed himself back up. With sheer willpower, he finished his lap before collapsing onto the grass, sprawled out with his chest heaving.

"Take it easy, cadet. Breathe," Tripod said, jogging in place as if he hadn't even broken a sweat. He watched Chris with a mix of concern and critique. "Your breathlessness is because of how you're running. A proper stance and controlled breathing make all the difference. Slow, deep breaths while you run will help your endurance and keep you from burning out so quickly."

Chris glared up at him, still panting. "Why... didn't you... tell me... that... before?" he asked between gasps.

Tripod shrugged, unapologetic. "I didn't realize how bad your form was until I saw it for myself. Just giving you feedback based on what I observed."

"Thanks..." Chris muttered sarcastically, sitting up as his breathing started to return to normal.

Tripod walked over to an ice chest, returning with two cold water bottles in his hand. He handed one to Chris, who took it gratefully. "Drink up before we move to the next exercise," Tripod instructed.

Chris unscrewed the cap and drank slowly, savoring the cool water. After several careful gulps, he let out a satisfied "Ahh," wiping his mouth with his arm.

"Alright, back to work," Tripod said, stretching his legs. "Start with twenty push-ups, then twenty sit-ups, and finish with twenty jumping jacks."

Chris groaned dramatically, flopping onto his back.

Before they could continue, an alarm blared from Tripod's Gummiphone. He pulled it out, reading the alert briefly before pocketing the device.

"Your next exercises will have to wait," Tripod said, his voice serious. "Phantom is on the move." He knelt beside Chris, pulling out a small pill container. Flicking it open, he said, "Hold out your hand."

Curious, Chris obeyed, holding his palm up. Tripod tapped the container, dropping a single green gummy pill into Chris' hand.

"What is this?" Chris asked, eyeing the pill suspiciously.

"A Recharger bean," Tripod explained, closing the container. "It's like a Gummiberry bean but designed to restore energy and stamina. Now eat it—quickly."

Chris popped the bean into his mouth, chewing and swallowing. Almost instantly, the fatigue melted away. He felt a surge of energy course through him, his stamina fully restored. With a quick flip of his legs, Chris jumped to his feet. He stared at his hands in astonishment.

"Wow, I feel refreshed—good as new!" he exclaimed, marveling at the bean's effects.

"Good," Tripod said with a satisfied nod. "Now let's go!"

The two of them sprinted off the field toward the academy's Warp Room, their mission back on track.

On an Earth far away, a beam of light shot down from the sky to the ground in a forest area near a castle. and Tripod and Chris stepped out through the warp portal.

"Of course, another castle," Tripod said dully. "Why is it always castles?"

"It's not always a castle, my team and I encountered him in a clocktower once." Chris said, looking around for signs of trouble. "I think shards are hidden in castles and historical buildings because they are a stronghold of ancient magic, with defensives set up to guard the treasures within."

"Well, we'd better go investigate," Tripod stated. "Give me a moment."

Tripod walked a short distance away from Chris, then he suddenly stomped his foot on the ground, using his Terra-casting to make a ball of earth rise up out of the ground and float in the air in front of him. In a series of gestures with his hand, the ball of earth molded itself into an arm, like a self-molding lump of clay, which then attached itself to his armless shoulder.

Chris watched this scene unfold before him in amazement as Tripod moved, bent, rotated and flexed his new arm as if it were a real arm.

"Wow, why don't you keep that on all the time?" Chris asked.

"Because it consumes too much unnecessary energy for daily use." Tripod said shortly as he opened and closed his new hand. "Now let's go!"

The two of them then sprinted off in the direction of the castle, running quickly but silently.

"Remember your breathing technique," Tripod reminded Chris as they ran. "Slow and deeply. We can't have you out of breath before encountering whatever we find in there!"

"R-right!" Chris said. As he continued to sprint, he focused on his breathing and to his surprise, by the time they stopped in the middle of the entrance courtyard, he found that he had breath left to spare and he wasn't as tired as he usually was.

Before them stood the oak front doors with a fancy golden ring door knocker on them. Tripod stepped forward and placed his earth hand upon the door and attempted to push it open. It would not budge.

"Locked," Tripod muttered, he then drew back his earth hand and reshaped it into a battery ram. "Stand back," he said to Chris.

"Tripod, wait—!" Chris cried, reaching out a hand towards him, but it was too late. Tripod threw his battery ram fist at the door. There was a blast of magical energy on contact, sending Tripod flying back a few yards away from the door, landing on his back. "Tripod! Are you alright?!" Chris ran to Tripod's side.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine…" Tripod said shakily, sitting up and looking at his earth arm. He was shocked to see that the hand of his earth arm had been blasted away, part of the wrist was crumbling. "Good thing this isn't my real hand…"

"Yeah," Chris agreed. "I told you that castles are a stronghold of ancient magic with defenses to protect all things within." he said, looking back at the doors, studying his surroundings. "We may have to get around these doors another way. Direct approaches won't cut it when magic is involved."

Tripod slowly got to his feet, he then directed his hand at the ground beyond the courtyard. A small mound of earth rose up and flew towards Tripod, attaching itself onto his earth arm, forming a new hand.

"Well, since you're the adventure expert between the two of us, you can take the lead on this one." Tripod said, flexing and rotating his new earth hand. "How do we get past these doors?"

"Usually when a door is magically locked like this, either it will have to be opened by magic or we'll have to solve a puzzle in order to open them. Look for anything out of the ordinary, anything that looks out of place or a hidden switch or something."

Chris and Tripod begin to search the courtyard for any kind of switch or puzzle they might have to solve.

After scouring the courtyard for half an hour, Chris and Tripod grew increasingly frustrated as they found no clues that could help them open the magically locked door of the castle. As they inspected the walls, statues, and other objects, Chris's keen eyes caught a glint of something unusual at the base of one of the statues. He crouched down and leaned in to read the small inscription.

"Seven holds the key, the greatest in magical decree," Chris read aloud, his mind racing as he tried to decipher its meaning.

Tripod peered over Chris's shoulder, studying the inscription as well. "Seven? What could that mean?"

Chris furrowed his brow, deep in thought. Then, he recalled seeing a door knocker with a pattern of seven stars on the castle door earlier. He straightened up, a spark of excitement in his eyes.

"I think I know," Chris said with growing confidence. "We need to knock on the door with the door knocker seven times."

Tripod looked intrigued. "Are you sure? That seems way too simple and easy…" he said, sounding skeptical and a little disappointed, as if this wasn't the standard he had expected.

Chris nodded, a determined expression on his face. "I think so. Let's give it a try."

Chris and Tripod hurried back to the castle door, and Chris grasped the door knocker firmly. He gave it a resolute knock. "One... two... three…" he continued counting, while Tripod waited anxiously, hoping that Chris' guess was correct.

As soon as Chris knocked the seventh time, the door emitted a faint glow, and the sound of mechanisms whirring could be heard. The magically locked door slowly creaked open, revealing a dark passage beyond.

Tripod grinned. "Well done, Chris!"

Chris couldn't hide his elation. "It worked!" he exclaimed. "Let's go!"

With renewed determination, Chris and Tripod stepped through the now-opened door, ready to face whatever challenges awaited them inside the castle.

As they entered into the entrance hall, a high-ceiling space with staircases leading to different areas of the castle, the doors slammed shut behind them, causing them to jump and yelp in surprise.

Tripod looked at Chris. "Before we go any further, can you sense your element nearby?" he asked.

Chris closed his eyes and focused on his Aqua-senses, trying to sense water through his feet on the floor.

"No, I can't feel any water sources anywhere in this castle, their well is long dried up." Chris said with concern in his voice. He may have been in areas that didn't have water before, but he was always nervous when he couldn't use his Aqua-casting. "What about you?"

Tripod lifted his foot and slammed it down on the floor. He then stood there with his eyes closed in concentration.

"No good, it's an empty and hollow space below us, I can't feel any earth beneath this floor."

"There must be tunnels and dungeons down there." Chris said, speaking from his previous experiences in castles. "So I guess we can't use our Elemental-casting here. Bummer." he added in a disappointed voice.

"It appears so," Tripod agreed. "Hopefully my arm is all we need for my Terra-casting. Stay close, I don't want us splitting up in this place."
"Will do," Chris said as they moved further into the hall.

As they moved further into the hall, the dimly lit corridors stretched out before them, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Chris's heart began to race as he felt a sudden chill run down his spine. The castle seemed to be alive, and he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

Tripod walked ahead, his sharp senses on high alert. "Stay close, Chris," he whispered. "We don't know what we might find here."

Chris nodded, trying to keep his breathing steady. He had faced dangerous situations before, but he had never felt as vulnerable as he did now. The castle was vast, and they could easily get lost if they weren't careful.

Suddenly, a loud creaking sound echoed through the hallway, causing Chris to jump. They both turned around to see the door behind them slowly closing shut.

"Tripod, the door!" Chris shouted.

But it was too late. The door slammed shut, leaving them trapped in the castle with no way out. Chris and Tripod exchanged a worried glance, knowing that they were in for a long and perilous journey.

"No matter," Tripod said, trying to keep his composure steady. "We'll figure a way out once we've captured Phantom."

"You mean, IF we capture Phantom..." Chris muttered, as he was unsure about their chances.

"Don't go thinking like that, Chris." Tripod said firmly. "If you think like that, you've already lost. It's important to retain optimism and positive thinking, within reason."

Chris nodded, knowing that Tripod was right. He tried to push his doubts aside and focus on the task at hand.

As they continued walking through the castle, they soon found themselves in a large room with a massive stone statue in the center. The statue was of a fierce-looking dragon, with its wings spread out wide and its mouth open in a roar.

"Wow," Chris said in awe. "That dragon looks amazing."

But Tripod didn't share Chris's admiration for the statue. He looked at it with a frown and said. "Something's not right. This statue is too perfect, too detailed. It's almost like it's alive."

As he spoke, the statue suddenly moved, and Chris and Tripod both jumped back in shock. The dragon's eyes glowed bright red, and its wings began to flap as if it was about to take flight.

Chris and Tripod looked at each other in alarm. They knew that they had to act fast before the dragon statue could do any harm. But how could they possibly fight against a stone dragon that seemed to be alive?

"What do we do?" Chris asked, looking to Tripod for directions.

"You run on ahead, I'll distract it. GO!" Tripod ordered.

Chris took a deep breath and sprinted forward between the dragon's legs into the next, meanwhile Tripod took aim at the stone dragon's face with his earth arm. He fired his hand and then his forearm at it, which then attached themselves to the dragon's eyes like clay, blinding it. Tripod then ran after Chris as the stone dragon roared and scratched at the earth covering its eyes, trying to remove it.

In the next corridor, Tripod caught up with Chris.

"What did you do with the dragon?" Chris as they walked side-by-side along the corridor, the roaring from the stone dragon growing fainter and fainter as they moved further and further from it.

"I used my arm to blind it," Tripod replied.

"Wow, I'd never think to blind it," Chris said, impressed. "I'd be fighting it or looking for ways to get around it."

"Yeah, well, we couldn't afford to waste time and energy on it, we still have Phantom to worry about, and you can bet he'll have more than enough Shadow Minions with him to wear us down." Tripod said as he grew a new forearm and hand out of what was left of his earth arm, as a result, his earth arm was noticeably thinner than it was before, having lost a good chunk of its overall mass.

They continued onward, finding a staircase leading to the upper floors.

"Hey Chris," Tripod said as they started to climb the stairs. "Where do you think Phantom is?"

"As he's usually after the shards, he could either be in the throne room or the treasure room. That's where the shard is usually hidden in castles." Chris replied.

"Good," Tripod nodded in acknowledgement. "That narrows our search down to two rooms. Where do you think the throne room is?"

"First floor."

Tripod looked bemused at Chris' answer. "Aren't we coming from the first floor?"

"No, we're coming to the first floor from the ground floor." Chris said. "In European countries, there's the ground floor before the first floor. Where you're from, I imagine the ground floor is called the first floor."

"Yeah, but the European floor numbering makes sense too." Tripod said, sounding mildly impressed with Chris' knowledge.

Halfway up the stairs to the first, there was a sudden jolt beneath their feet as the steps flattened and sipped downward to form a large stone slide, sending the two of them hurtling back down to the lower floor! Tripod collided against the wall while Chris collided against him.

"Oof!" Tripod grunted, then he pushed Chris off of him and looked at the slide, just in time to see it turn back into stairs again. "What is this?"

"It's…some kind of magical anti-theft system, to keep outsiders away from the throne or treasure room." Chris said, getting to his feet again.

Tripod raised an eyebrow, his expression impressed. "You know, with your knowledge of castles and stuff, I think they're being a bit too hasty with this expulsion thing. You have value to our side, despite that stupid stunt you pulled."

"You really think so?" Chris asked, looking happy at Tripod's praise.

"The question is how do we get up there?" Tripod said, looking up towards the upper floors above.

"I don't know…" Chris said, looking around for a sign in the right direction and that is when he spotted it—a dusty golden plate on the wall. He went to examine it.
"What did you find?" Tripod asked, watching Chris curiously.

"I'm not sure, it's an inscription of some kind… I can't make out what it says." Chris said, then dusted the plate off on his sleeve, revealing the words etched into it.

"What does it say?" Tripod asked, peering over Chris' shoulder.

"It says, 'Climb the stairs on the heart's side.'" Chris read off.

"What does that mean?" Tripod asked, bemused.

"I'm not sure, but I think it means to climb the stairs with your left foot in front." Chris said, thoughtfully.

"How did you figure that?"

"Well, the heart is on the left side of the body," Chris said simply, shrugging. "If I'm wrong and that's not the answer, then I'm stumped."

"I guess it's worth a try," Tripod said. "I'll go first."

"Okay, be careful and remember to always keep your left foot ahead of your right."

Tripod gave a thumb-up and ascended the stairs, methodically placing his left foot forward with each step. As he reached the halfway point without any incident, he gestured to Chris, signaling that it was now safe for him to proceed. Chris quickly caught up with Tripod, and together they ventured down the corridor, which led them to a spacious room adorned with a central platform. Surrounding the room were five doors—one directly across from them and the remaining four positioned at each corner.

"What's this, another puzzle?" Tripod asked, surveying his surroundings for any danger. "How do we proceed, castle scout?"

"I don't know, I'll have to get a closer look." Chris said, looking around cautiously.

As they stepped into the room, all the torches along the walls lit up. A key floated up above the central platform. Then four ghosts, all of different colors—red, yellow, green and blue—floating at the four pillars surrounding the platform. Then the key broke into four pieces.

"Hey!" Tripod cried, reaching a hand out toward the key fragments, but the ghost swooped down, each one of them grabbed a piece of the key and then they flew away, each of them flying through one of the four doors, disappearing into the rooms beyond. "NO! …Now what?" He looked at Chris.

Chris surveyed the room, looking at each of the five doors, before turning back to Tripod and said: "We have to go through each of these doors and defeat the ghosts to get the pieces of the key back and put them back together in order to open the door in the center."

Tripod looked exasperated at that. "Really? We don't have time for this!"

Chris shrugged. "You can try to break down the door, but I'll go through the challenges to get the key back together."

Tripod sighed. "We don't have any other choice, do we? Well, I'll go through the challenges with you. Which door should we try first?"

"Maybe this will be quicker if we split up." Chris suggested. "I'll take the two doors on the left, you take the two doors on right."

"Are you sure it's wise to split up?"

"You've said it yourself that we don't have much time." Chris pointed out. "Each of us taking on two ghosts will be quicker than both of us taking on all four of them."

Tripod paused in thought, then sighed and said: "You do have a point... Alright, but if you meet anything you can't handle, don't try and take it on yourself, just come back to this spot and wait for me."

"Same to you," Chris said with a grin. "Good luck."

"Break a leg," Tripod said. "Preferably the enemies' leg, not yours." he added as an afterthought.

Chris nodded and the two of them went their separate ways.

Chris opened the first door and walked in, as he did go, torches magically lit themselves and the door slammed shut behind him! A startled Chris yelped and whipped around to look at the closed door. He then took a few steps back away from the door.

He chuckled nervously as he looked around. "Looks like there's no turning back now…" He then turned away from the door and moved forward towards the next chamber.

Chris felt something land on top of his head… something as big as his own head and has eight legs! Shaking with fright, Chris rolled his eyes upward to see what had landed on his head and saw something that resembles a skeletal skull with eight spider legs! Chris let out a scream of terror, batting the skull spider off and taking a few steps back from where it had landed on the floor.

As the skull spider scuttled across the floor, Chris instinctively reached out with his hand, summoning his D-blade from beneath his suit. With swift precision, he swung the blade through the air, meeting the spider's exoskeleton with a powerful strike.

The clash between the D-blade and the spider created a momentary burst of light and motion. The blade sliced through the creature's body, cutting it cleanly in half. The spider's legs twitched briefly before both halves hit the ground and dissolved into dust, vanishing into the wind.

Breathing heavily, Chris stood there, his heart racing from the adrenaline of the brief battle. He couldn't help but shudder, still feeling the lingering unease from the encounter. The sight of the defeated spider sent a shiver down his spine, reminding him of the unsettling threat that had just been neutralized.

"Oh my stars, that was creepy!" Chris exclaimed, his voice filled with a mix of fear and relief. He took a moment to collect himself, his eyes darting around the room to ensure there were no more surprises lurking in the shadows.

Chris walked slowly on, waving his D-blade left and right in front him, its light illuminating the dark areas a few steps ahead of him.

It was then that he noticed a key laying on the floor where the skull spider had vanished. He bent down to pick it up, and as he did, the spot light switched on from nowhere, revealing the door into the next room. He assumed the key unlocks this door, so he approached the door with the key in hand. He then inserted the key into the keyhole and turned. There was a click, and the door swung open, granting Chris entry.

As Chris walked through the door, his D-blade at the ready, he found himself in what seems to be a stairwell to a tall tower. The stairs seem to go up several floors. As Chris climbed the stairs, he discovered that none of the landings led to a floor, but to a portrait of one of the four ghosts that he and Tripod saw in the chamber.

There was a spooky laugh, and the ghost reached out from within the portrait, its hand extending outward towards Chris, intending to grab him! Chris jumped back and sliced the portrait in half with his D-blade in an almighty slash.

There was a shrill scream as the two halves of the portrait fell to the floor, the dark energy leaving the fragments like a dark cloud, moving upward.
Chris continued on. Upon reaching the nex landing, he found another portrait, identical to the first one he had encountered. With one slash, he defeated the ghost within. This process repeated in a spiral cycle as he climbed the stairs to each landing until he reached the seventh. This time though, instead of facing a portrait of the ghost, he was facing a super-sized version of the ghost, floating in the air like a giant eerie bubble.

"WA-HA-HA-HA-HAAA! Good job in destroying my precious portraits," The ghost cackles with glee, his voice loud and obnoxious. "Now… prepare to face…MY WR—"

The ghost was interrupted by Chris' D-blade slashing at it! The ghost narrowly avoided being sliced in two by quickly backing away.

"Hey! I wasn't finished!" the ghost cried angrily.

"You talk too much for a ghost." Chris said as he took a three-slash swing at the ghost, who dodged all three slashes.

Now the ghost was red with anger, steam billowing from his ears, the ghost threw his hands in the air in a fit of rage.

"Alright, that's it! No more Mr. Nice Ghost!" the ghost snarled as he grabbed Chris' ankle and yanked him into the air, dangling him upside down over his head. "I'm gonna swallow you whole!" He then opened his mouth big and wide, preparing to drop Chris into his mouth.

With a slash of his D-blade, Chris sliced off the hand holding him and as he started to fall, he flipped over in the air, avoiding his mouth and landing with his feet upon the floor.

"AAHH! Why you little—!" The ghost screamed furiously, regenerating his hand, but he was unable to do much else as Chris leapt over the banister with his D-blade held high. He swung it down, cutting the ghost in half, straight down the middle.

The ghost froze, a look of shock on the two halves of what was once a full ghost. A key fragment dropped to the floor with a clatter as the ghost dissolved into smoke and vanished.

Chris bent down and picked up the key fragment, and as he did so, a doorway made of light appeared on the wall before him. He pocketed the key fragment before stepping forward into the light and finding himself back in the chamber where he and Tripod parted ways. Not wasting any time, Chris ran through the second of the four doors.

In the next chamber, Chris beheld a statue of a bull warrior kneeling in the center of the room. As Chris stepped towards it, the door slammed shut behind him. He gasped and whipped around, beholding the closed door.

"What is this? What's going on?" Chris asked nervously. Just then, he felt movements behind him, he slowly turned around and watched in horror as the statue of the bull warrior rose to its feet, towering over Chris. "Um…hi? Are you the guardian of the key fragment?"

The statue opened its red glowing eyes and glared down at Chris.

"What's this? A child?!" The statue said in a deep, rough voice. "I have waited a millennia for the most glorious battle, and I am faced with… a child? What are you doing here, child?"

"Um…" Chris said hesitantly as the warrior statue leaned over to stare him in the eyes. "I-I just need a fragment of the key so I can get into the throne room and—"

"So you are a thief, seeking the king's treasure!" The statue roared in a booming voice, standing up to its full height.

"WHAT?! NO!" Chris cried. "I'm after the thief who intends to steal from the throne room. I don't want any treasure!"

"I don't believe you and if you want the fragment, you're going to have to beat me in battle! Now prepare yourself!" The statue said, adopting a stance with his stone sword.

"Look, I don't want to fight you, but in order to stop the real thief, I need that fragment you're guarding." Chris said, determined to avoid an unnecessary conflict.

"Did you not hear me, child?" growled the statue. "The only way you're getting that fragment is through combat."

Chris let out an exasperated sigh. "I wanted to avoid this fight, but you're giving me no choice!" And with a flick of his wrist, he summoned his D-blade to his hand from beneath his suit.

For a moment they stared at each other, studying each other and watching for an opening.

With bull-like yell, the statue charged forward with its sword held high over its head, swinging it down upon Chris, leapt back to avoid the stone blade. Chris then counterattacked, swiping the D-blade at the blade of the statue's sword. To his surprise, the sword sustained no damage from his attack!

"Wha…?" he had no time to ponder on it, he barely had time to dodge the statue's attacks.

The statue slashed at Chris and Chris jumped back and then ran and hid behind a pillar.

"There must be some sort of magic protecting this statue…" Chris said to himself, taking a few short breaths. "My D-blade can't seem to damage it, it's having no effect on his stone sword…"

Chris' thought was interrupted when he suddenly had to move to avoid the stone sword, which sliced the pillar in half!

As Chris darted around the room, avoiding the statue's sword, he noticed a suit of armor with its shield. He dashed towards it, snatching up the shield and throwing onto the floor before jumping on top of it. With Chris' feet upon it, the shield begins to glow with his energy and rises to hover inches above the ground. Then Chris flew around the room on top of the shield, dodging rocks as the statue threw them at him!

Soon, Chris was hovering near the ceiling, catching his breath as he looked down upon the statue that was glaring up at him, evidently displeased that he could no longer reach Chris from where it stood.

"Okay, Chris, be like Uncle Scrooge; work smarter, not harder…" he muttered to himself. "If I can't beat it by force, there must be some other way to get past it…"

"Come down from there and admit defeat!" The statue roared from the ground below, holding its sword aloft and looking really annoyed.

"Hmm…" Chris said thoughtfully to himself, holding his chin. "If magic is what's protecting this guy from my D-blade, there must be a magical power source that brought this guy to life… I need to cut off that source to turn him back into a regular statue… maybe there's something in this room that will turn him off…"

He scanned the room carefully, looking for anything strange or out of place. He observed stone tablets on all four walls of the room and he saw that although all four tablets had a different curved image on them, they were the same exact shape and size.

He then looked up at the ceiling and saw a giant glowing crystal protruding from the ceiling, emitting a magical energy.

"There! That must be what brought this stone soldier to life! How do I turn it off?" He then lowered his gaze to the stone tablet on the wall. "Hmm, I wonder…"
Chris swooped down to one of the stone tablets and placed his hands upon it, attempting to push it in. Although he pushed with all of his might, it would not budge. The shadow of the stone soldier was cast over him as the statue moved closer to him. Chris looked back at it and saw it drawing back its' fist, throwing a punch at him! Chris dived out of the way, the stone fist missed him and hit the tablet, pressing it in and causing the ceiling to close a little over the crystal.

Chris smirked as he saw this and ran off to the next tablet. "Hey, I'm over here! Come and get me!"

The stone soldier whipped around and threw another punch at Chris, who dodged out of the way, and hit the tablet, causing the ceiling overhead to close a little more over the crystal.

Alright, two down, two to go! Chris thought as he ran over to third base.

"Hey, over here! What's the matter, can't you catch one kid?" Chris taunted it.

The stone soldier growled, picked up a big rock and threw it at Chris, yelling: "DON'T MOCK ME!"

"WHOA!" Chris cried as he barely dodged the boulder that was thrown at him. It hit the tablet, pressing it in and closing the ceiling a little more. Chris took notice of this and smiled. "Just one more to go…"

Chris then sprinted over to the final tablet and began to taunt the stone soldier.

"Na-na, you can't catch me!" Chris taunted, his tongue hanging out as he made a funny face at the statue.

The stone soldier trembled in rage and let out an angry bellow as he charged at Chris, who jumped out of the way and the stone soldier collided against the tablet, activating the final switch.

The ceiling closed completely over the glowing crystal overhead and the stone soldier suddenly became lifeless and the door into the chamber to open. A panel in the wall opened up, revealing the final key fragment. Chris walked over to the fragment and picked it up. He then glanced at the stone soldier before running out of the chamber, returning to the starting point.

Upon exiting the stone soldier chamber, he saw Tripod standing there, waiting for him. Tripod looked a little worn, like he had been in a fight and he had a new, more-muscular arm that seems to be made of sand, holding his two key fragments.

"Finally! Had any trouble in the last chamber?" Tripod asked.

"A little, I had to fight a giant stone guy, who I couldn't beat," Chris admitted. "I only got past him by using his own attacks on the switches along the walls that cut him off from his power source."

"Well done," Tripod said, looking mildly impressed. "I had to fight a giant sandworm. I beat it by using my terraforming powers on the sand and trapped it in one spot. Now, let's get this door open."

Chris and Tripod put the four key fragments together and formed the key to the throne room.

"This is it!" Tripod said, picking up the key. He and Chris approached the huge double doors and inserted the key into the keyhole and turned.
There was a loud clunking, grinding sound, as the rusty gears and moving parts started working to slowly open the doors.

Chris winced and cringed at the sound. "Well, there goes our element of surprise. Phantom is sure to have heard that!"

"Then we don't have time to wait for the door to open the rest of the way!" Tripod said, raising his fist made of sand. He enlarged the fist and morphed it into a battery ram. He then punched the doors so hard that they were nearly blown off their hinges! He and Chris ran inside, when a bolt of light came flying at them! They had to duck down to avoid it. They looked toward the place the bolt of light came from and saw Phantom standing in front of the throne, his magical staff held aloft.

"Oh, great… just what I need, a couple of Dedi scouts…" Phantom groaned, his tone indicating that he found the two of them more annoying than threatening. "Look, I'll give you two one chance to just walk away and stop playing hero. I've got work to do."

Chris summoned his D-blade into his hand and prepared himself to fight. Tripod shapeshifted his sand arm into a blade.

"Don't talk like you're the adult here, you're not that much older than us!" Chris said, and then he and Tripod charged towards Phantom

Phantom let out an exasperated growl. "Fine, have it your way, twerps!" Phantom then raised his staff, the purple gem on the top glowed and the floor was suddenly covered in shadows, from which an army of Shadow Minions rose up, standing between them and Phantom. "That oughta keep you busy. Have…" he started to turn his back as Tripod jumped into the air, performing a forward roll over the Shadow Minions, landing in front of Phantom. "...fun… Raspberries…" he finished, looking even more annoyed.

Tripod swung his blade at Phantom, but Phantom guarded against the attack with his staff. They strained against each other, each attempting to overpower the other with their weapon.

Meanwhile, Chris maneuvered around the room, deftly evading and attacking the Shadow Minions.

"We won't let you escape this time, Phantom!" Tripod declared, exerting his strength against Phantom's staff. The struggle shifted in Tripod's favor as Phantom's stamina waned, clearly showing Tripod's superior physical strength.

Abruptly, Phantom disengaged from the clash, swiftly tripping Tripod with his staff. Tripod let out a yelp as he tumbled onto his back.

"I'd worry about your friend if I were you," Phantom said, pointing to Chris, who was still fighting off the Shadow Minions and was slowly becoming overwhelmed by their number. "He won't last long without backup."

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Tripod hesitated, unwilling to admit Phantom's observation was accurate. Eventually, he turned and sprinted towards Chris' aid. However, before he could reach him, Phantom unleashed a bolt of red light from his staff, striking Tripod from behind, causing him to collapse, unconscious.

"Fool! Did you really think I'd actually let you help him and risk the two of you getting in my way again?" Phantom chuckled triumphantly, looming over Tripod. "Enjoy your nap, loser." With those words, he turned and proceeded to search for his coveted prize.

Chris continued his arduous battle against the swarming Shadow Minions, evading their attacks and retaliating with precise strikes. Yet, he knew his lone struggle against their overwhelming numbers was futile.

Catching a glimpse of Tripod lying motionless on the ground, Chris swiftly parried a clawed hand from a Shadow Minion and executed a backflip roll across the room, landing beside his fallen comrade.

"CURA!" Chris shouted, pointing the tip of his D-blade at Tripod and then swiftly swinging it back to defend himself against another onslaught from the Shadow Minions.

Tripod's eyes fluttered open as the healing spell enveloped him. He pushed himself up from the floor and rose to his feet, assessing the situation. His gaze fell upon Phantom, who meticulously examined the throne covered in centuries-old moss, ivy, ferns, and vines, searching for something. Tripod then glanced at Chris, who valiantly fought off the relentless foes.

Realizing that Chris couldn't hold out against the overwhelming numbers for long, Tripod made a decision. He leaped to Chris' side, transforming his sand blade into a colossal sickle scythe, and unleashed a flurry of slashes, decimating multiple Shadow Minions at once. His actions significantly alleviated the pressure on Chris.

Phantom momentarily paused his inspection of the throne, observing the intense battle unfolding before him. Recognizing that the combined efforts of Chris and Tripod were rapidly diminishing his minion's ranks, he raised his arms.

"Shadow dragon, arise and take these losers out!" Phantom cried out.

A pool of impenetrable darkness materialized on the ground, giving birth to a fearsome shadow dragon that emerged with a deafening roar. Chris and Tripod immediately focused their attention on the colossal creature as its massive tail swung menacingly in their direction.

Reacting with remarkable agility, Chris and Tripod leaped over the sweeping tail, narrowly avoiding its deadly reach.

Quickly strategizing, Tripod and Chris split up, darting to opposite sides of the room. The shadow dragon scanned both directions, torn between choosing its target.

Chris dashed towards a suit of armor, snatching its shield and hurling it onto the ground with a resounding clatter. The dragon's head snapped towards the sound, drawing a deep breath. Sensing the imminent danger, Chris sprinted and leaped onto the shield, which glowed and levitated inches above the ground as it made contact with his feet. Soaring into the air, Chris evaded the dragon's stream of venomous green flames that scorched the exact spot where he had stood moments before.

Flying in a nimble circle, Chris maintained a safe distance from the dragon's fiery breath, while searching for a vulnerability to exploit, a weakness to target.

"Alright, Chris, think... What's a dragon's weak point?" Chris muttered to himself, recalling a line he had read in a book. "The dragon's eyes are its weakest point. But…" He glanced down at the shadow dragon below. "This is a shadow dragon; it lacks actual eyes, only glowing orbs...That's not an option. The only remaining vulnerable spot is its soft underbelly! Tripod!" Chris called out across the room. "Aim for its vulnerable underbelly!"

"Easier said than done, cadet!" Tripod responded, deftly evading the dragon's stomps. "But thanks for the tip. I now know where to strike." He added with a confident grin, reshaping his arm of sand into a sword

Chris swooped down, diverting the dragon's attention towards himself, while Tripod launched his assault from below, slashing at the dragon's belly. Chris buzzed around the dragon's head like an irritating fly, distracting and enticing the creature to swat him.

Enraged by Tripod's strikes to its underbelly and irritated by Chris' relentless maneuvering, the dragon roared furiously. It stomped around, forcing Tripod to evade its fury. Then, with a swift motion, it swung its tail, striking Chris across his torso.

Sent hurtling backward, Chris crashed to the ground on the opposite side of the room.

"CHRIS!" Tripod cried out, rushing to his side.

Chris' head spun, his vision blurred, and the pounding of his own heart overwhelmed his senses. Darkness consumed him, and he succumbed to unconsciousness, unaware of his surroundings.

As Chris regained consciousness, he found himself reclining on an exceptionally plush and cozy bed, his head cradled by a luxurious memory foam pillow. Slowly, he opened his eyes and attempted to sit up, only to feel a pair of large hands gently pressing him back down onto the pillow.

"Easy, dear," Nurse Kala's gentle and compassionate voice said. "No sudden movements now. While the supersuit may have protected your ribs from being broken, there's a chance my healing spell might not have touched your more-critical internal injuries. Any movement could bring you severe pain."

Heeding her advice, Chris abandoned his attempt to sit up and settled back onto the pillow, his head sinking into its softness. "How long have I been out?" he inquired, his voice filled with curiosity and a touch of concern.

Nurse Kala consulted her wristwatch. "Tripod brought you in here four hours ago, so my guess is less than five hours. Oh! Speaking of whom, he has never left your side. He insisted on staying with you until you woke up."
Chris turned his head slowly to his left side and saw Tripod sitting up in a chair, his eyes closed and his lone arm laying draped across his lap. Chris smiled gratefully at Tripod's display of concern for his well being.

"Thank you, Tripod." Chris muttered.

"No problem," Tripod lifted his head and smiled at Chris. "We never leave a man behind, especially not a good man. How are you feeling?"

Chris hesitated, unsure of his own condition. "I'm not sure, I guess I'm okay… I'm not feeling any pain…" he replied uncertainly.

Nurse Kala chimed in gently, her caring tone infused with reassurance. "If you're not feeling any pain, you may try sitting up slowly," she suggested.

Taking a cautious approach, Chris began to rise into a sitting position, his movements measured and deliberate. However, as he reached an upright position, a sudden wave of discomfort coursed through his midsection, causing him to clutch his midriff and grimace in pain.

Concern etched on her face, Nurse Kala leaned closer, her voice filled with empathy. "What is it? What do you feel? Where does it hurt?" she asked softly, her attention focused on Chris.

Groaning, Chris massaged the area between his chest and belly, wincing. "Sore... really sore across my midsection," he replied, his discomfort evident in his voice.

Understanding the severity of his discomfort, Nurse Kala spoke with a calm determination. "Alright, slowly and gently lie back down," she instructed.

Chris obediently complied, lowering himself back onto the pillow, his body once again supported by its plushness. Nurse Kala closed her eyes, entering a state of focused meditation, and began to hum a soothing melody. As she raised her hands, an ethereal green glow emanated from her palms. With gentle precision, she directed the radiance towards Chris' midriff. A comforting warmth washed over him as the glow enveloped his body. Suddenly, the pain vanished, leaving no trace behind. Chris felt a sense of relief and gratitude for Nurse Kala's healing touch.

"There, how do you feel now?" she asked warmly.

With a sense of wonder, Chris sat up and assessed his body. "I feel... I feel…great! I don't feel any pain at all!" he exclaimed happily, eager to get out of bed. However, Nurse Kala gently pressed him back down, her touch gentle but firm.

"I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better, but even though you're physically healed, it's still essential to take some time to rest," Nurse Kala explained kindly. "So for now, make sure to rest and recover. You may speak with your visitor while you're here." She gestured towards Tripod. "Just try not to get too carried away in conversation. I'll be in my office if you need anything."

With those words, Nurse Kala turned and left the room, allowing Chris and Tripod to have a moment of privacy.

"So," Chris said, looking at Tripod, "what happened after I was knocked out? Did you manage to take down that dragon?"

Tripod let out a wry chuckle. "Funny thing," he replied, though there was a hint of annoyance in his tone. "After you went down, I rushed to your side to check on you. Once I confirmed you were still alive, I turned back to face the dragon, only to find it had vanished."

Concern etched Chris' face. "And Phantom? Did you catch him?" he asked, a note of anxiousness in his voice.

Tripod shook his head with a sigh. "No, he slipped away. I saw him entering the shadow portal with the shard in his hand. He got away, again!" he said, frustration evident as he stomped his foot.

"Shh, keep your voice down, or Nurse Kala might throw you out," Chris reminded him with a hushed tone.

Tripod nodded and continued, "After that, I brought you here, and I've been sitting here, pondering things." He stood up and faced Chris. "Today's events showed us that we need to step up our game and train harder if we want to beat Phantom."

"So, more workout routines?" Chris asked, somewhat bemused.

"No, based on what happened, the regular routines won't cut it." Tripod said seriously. "We need a different kind of training, something more intensive. It should heighten our senses and reaction time, helping you dodge a dragon's tail next time, while also strengthening our bodies. I'll ask the Colonel for recommendations on a new training regimen."

"Training aside, we'll also need a strategy," Chris suggested. "I feel like we went in there without a clear plan or knowing how to achieve our mission. As Uncle Scrooge always said, 'Work smarter, not harder."

"Agreed," Tripod nodded. "I'll handle the training, and you can take the lead on strategizing. We'll need to be prepared next time. I'll see you later, cadet."

With that, Tripod left the room, giving Chris some time to contemplate their next steps and the challenges that lay ahead

This episode is dedicated in loving memory of Baloo's Mexican voice actor on TaleSpin, Rubén Moya. (October 31st, 1960 - June 11, 2023.) Rest in peace, Rubén.