It took her nearly two hours, but Chihiro's mission ended, and quite well, too, if she said so herself! With an ever-present beam on her face, Chihiro hopped off of the ship and onto the familiar crunchy grass of the island's heart, and watched as her teammates from the mission joined her.

"Mannnnnnn," whined a voice that sounded kinda like a more scratchy version of Spyro's as someone else flew up beside her. "That took WAY too long."

Chihiro looked to her side, and found that beside her was a dragon who looked near-identical to Spyro in terms of body—their only differences were in colors, for this dragon was black and silver as opposed to Spyro's striking purple and gold. Even their crimson-colored eyes held a level of mischief that Spyro's lacked.

"Now I wouldn't say that, Dark," Chihiro chuckled as she made a smug grin. "It flew by if you asked me! But then again, time flies when you're having fun~"

"Fun?" Dark looked up at Chihiro with the most utterly disbelieving of looks, as if she spoke in an entirely different language.

"C'mon, admit it—wasn't it fun to chase those trolls around and torch their butts?"

Dark snorted and looked up at Chihiro with a grin encapsulated on his face. "Yeah, got me there."

"How'd you even get your fire breath so hot, anyways?" Chihiro tilted her head. "I could probably feel it from halfway across the island!"

Dark only yanked a couple giant, crimson-colored peppers out of nowhere—one of which had a noticeably large bite taken out of it. "Snagged these babies from Eon's garden~" Dark closed his eyes and took a proud stance. "They were supposed to be for pranks, but hey! Whatever wor—"

"SO YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STOLE THOSE PEPPERS FROM THE GARDEN!" shouted a voice with a trill and a noticeable Spanish accent from half a mile over.

"CRAP!" Dark's eyes shot wide open as he jumped up and shot through the skies like a rocket. "GOTTA JET!"

While Dark become little more than a speck in the autumn skies, Chihiro shrugged and pulled something out of her pocket. It was a map made of yellowing paper with crudely drawn illustrations and the title "Map to the Fairy Kingdom”, and as she looked over its humble page, she couldn't help but beam. Surely this would help with their ongoing mission some, and SHE was the one to find it! Being able to help out sure gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling!

"Huugo~" Chihiro swung around the corner and stumbled onward to where Hugo and Spyro held a conversation.

"Yes, Chihiro?" Hugo asked with a wide grin before his eyes fell onto the map in Chihiro's hands. "What exactly is that?"

"This?" Chihiro held up the map. "THIS could very well be the map to the Fairy Kingdom that we've been looking for!"

Chihiro handed the map along to Hugo, who unfolded it, glazed over its surface for a few moments and beamed even wider as he stuffed it back into his pocket.

"That's great news, Chihiro!" Hugo clapped his paws and contently closed his eyes. "I'll pass it along to Persephone and see what she has to say!" Hugo opened his eyes and turned back to the Far-Viewer. "And that's not the only good news we have, either!"

"Really? What?"

"Thanks to Spyro and Gurglefin's efforts, we were able to get oil for the Far-Viewer!" Hugo waddled up to the Far-Viewer and toyed with it for a few moments before he looked back at Chihiro. "And I was able to locate the Twin Spouts of Ocea-Major-Minor!"

"Great!" Chihiro's smile fell to a confused, neutral look as she placed a finger to the corner of her mouth. "What are these twin spouts of Osha-Maejo-Maino or whatever?"

"They're the only vessel that can house the Eternal Water Source, and, as you can guess, the next part of the Core of Light! They're made from the finest of gold, forged with the scales of the fearsome Leviathan, all combined with the most powerful of Water Element magic—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's nice and all." Chihiro nodded her head vigorously and pushed Hugo aside to sneak a quick peek from the Far-Viewer. "So, where is it?"

"See, that's where the problem lies." Hugo pushed his glasses up and joined Chihiro at the Far-Viewer's lens.

Chihiro expected to find the Twin Spouts in some kind of cavern hidden behind a waterfall, or in a sea monster's treasure stash—heck, maybe even in an old coral reef—but no. They stood high on a stone pedestal that was guarded by two burly-looking pirates within a cove covered in overgrown vines and murky, dark waters lit only by the light of a passing lantern. It kinda looked a bit like those pirate movies Chihiro saw ads for on TV every other second of the day. Well, on second thought, maybe that wasn't too unexpected for something like that.

"So, it's a little dark and murky. That's never stopped us before, right?"

Chihiro looked perfectly optimistic as she looked over towards a more pessimistic Hugo.

"That's not the problem, Chihiro." Hugo shook his head and frowned as he peered into the lens once more, and a fearful trill found its way in his voice. "This place is Dark Water Cove! It's rumored to house the largest underground pirate trade in all Skylands. Some of the biggest, baddest pirates are said to lurk here on a weekly basis!"

"Well then, we'll just have to take it away from them, by force if we need to!" Chihiro's eyes widened for a moment as she gained a determined look. "Who's with me?"

"And, not to mention there's some kind of magic there that completely blocks it off from the portal networks." Hugo grabbed the back of Chihiro's jacket before she could bolt off like she usually did. "I'm not even sure how we'll get there!"

"You said Gurglefin was here, right?" Chihiro wormed out of Hugo's grasp and looked down as he nodded. "I'm sure I could talk him into sailing the 'landers there!"

"Then I'll go round up the other Skylanders!" Spyro said as he gave Chihiro an ever-knowing smile and flew off.

"Wait for me, Golden Boy!" Chihiro shouted as she waved at Spyro, turned around, and gave Hugo an ever-excited look.

"Good luck with those pirates," Hugo said as he coughed into his hand.

Chihiro just stared at an invisible audience and shrugged her shoulders with an ever-clueless look on her face. "Geez, what's his deal?"

§

"Alrighty," Chihiro chirped as she stretched her arms to the skies and grinned. "Gill, Zapster, you got the plan?"

"Sneak into the pirate dudes' hideout, take back the Twin Spouts and get home before dinner?" Zap relayed as he slid in front of Chihiro and flipped into the air, "You bet'cha!"

Chihiro giggled as Zap landed perfectly on his feet, and gave him a thumbs up.

"Alrighty then! See you guys later!"

"Actually, young Chihiro," echoed a familiar, wise voice from behind the trio, "I'd like for you to accompany them."

Chihiro jolted up, turned around, and found Master Eon behind her! With wide eyes, she humbly bowed and stood straight.

"Really?"

Master Eon bobbed up and down. "You've gone on quite a lot of missions, and have greatly honed your skills in these past couple days." Master Eon made a slightly brighter glow as he looked over Chihiro. "I believe that as of now, you are ready for your next Portal Master Exam, and this would be the perfect test!"

Chihiro gasped as she clasped her hands over her mouth and her eyes sparkled, but bounced up and down and nodded. "I won't let you down, Master Eon!" Chihiro chirped as she grabbed Zap's paw and Gill's fin. "Come on, guys, you heard the ghost! We've got a mission!"

Chihiro dashed down the staircase with an eager squeal before anyone could even blink, and dug into her heels as soon as her feet hit the sand. Her next exam was finally here! Who could possibly wait? Chihiro placed a hand over her eyes as she spun around and scouted the island, and caught wind of a familiar gillman as he packed up his tools.

"GUR-GLE-FIN!" Chihiro shouted as she waved over to Gurglefin, who caught sight of her and waved back. "I have a question~" Chihiro spun forwards until she was right beside Gurglefin. "Would you happen to know where Dark Water Cove is?"

Just hearing that very name sent Gurglefin's scales on edge as he jolted and froze in place, while his toolbox fell out of his hands and onto the crusty sands of the beach.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

"D, D, Dark Water Cove?" Gurglefin sputtered, his eyes wide as dinner plates. "You mean the island that's a regular fishing spot for some of the biggest, baddest pirates in all of Skylands?"

"Yeah?"

"There's no way I'm going there!" Gurglefin gulped and turned around. "They'll have me for dinner!"

Chihiro fell to her knees and bowed as pleadingly as possible. "Gurglefin, please! We need to get there to get the Core of Light's next part, and we have no others options! Please? Pretty please?"

Gurglefin winced, turned around—and promptly saw Chihiro look up as him with the most pleading, most desperate puppy-dog eyes she could muster and the most certain frown on her face.

"Please, please, please?" Chihiro croaked. "For the Core of Light?"

Gurglefin gulped, chuckled and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Well, if it's that important I guess I could make an exception." Gurglefin sighed and prompted his whistle. "I'll take you there, but keep me out of all the heroics! I've had enough excitement for my entire life!"

Chihiro sprung up tall and chopped the air, and her desperate expression was now abound with energy. "Sure can do! Just leave all the exploring and bad guy butt-kicking to us!"

With a warped whistle from Gurglefin, Delilah came sailing into the docks and lowered her plank! Her wood was sturdy as ever, though the colors of her ship seemed bright and fresh—had she been painted recently?

Chihiro shrugged it off as she skipped up the plank and gazed over the deck's railing. This was it, her next exam, the one she had so impatiently awaited! And to boot, she would be helping with the Core of Light, too! What could possibly be a higher honor? But, it was also a big responsibility too—if she messed up even once, who knows how it could affect everyone? Chihiro's cheery gaze soured as she peered down at the oceans while a new wave of anxiety cascaded over her mind. Was she really ready for this?

"Chi, is something bothering you?" Gill Grunt asked as he walked up to Chihiro and laid a webbed hand on her shoulders.

"I'll be fine, Gill," Chihiro remarked as she noted his concerned look and loosened up. "You know you don't need to worry about me!"

"Are you sure?" Gill Grunt gently ruffled her head. "You seem more anxious about this than a school of fish in the path of a Leviathan!"

"That's ridiculous, I'm not anxious!" Chihiro forced herself to shoot out a laugh, though it sounded more awkward than cheery. "Nope, not at all! I'm so calm, in fact, I'm the picture of calmness right now!" Chihiro frowned and looked over the ship's deck. "Wait, aren't we forgetting someone?"

Chihiro forced a couple more awkward laughs. As she laughed, she caught the sound of a receding bridge and looked down to find that Delilah's plank was drawing itself back in—and Zap was a good ways away!

"Zap, hurry up!" Chihiro waved towards the blue speck she was sure was Zap. "The boat's gonna leave without you!"

Zap stayed stagnant for all of a few seconds more, and as the plank was halfway to its hiding spot, Zap zoomed across the beach, fast as lightning, before he made a giant leap off the docks! His form slowly became more and more visible… Wait, actually, he was getting a little too visible!

"ZAP, WATCH OUT!"

Chihiro screamed, but it was too late—Zap already barreled into her and sent them both rolling into the ship's flagpole! They both moaned with pain they quickly shook off as they staggered back up, but laughed to themselves. As the plank finally receded, the twp of them looked over the deck and frowned.

"First of all, we're gonna need a disguise," Chihiro remarked. "Just so we won't attract suspicion."

"What's there to suspect?" Zap gargled as he shrugged his front legs, or at least tried, "They're pirates, dudette. They're all thieves and stuff—"

"They might not, but for all we know Kaos's cronies could be lurking around." Chihiro made a firm nod to exemplify her point, "And we'd definitely stick out to them, so disguises are a must—" Chihiro then struck a dramatic pose "—We need something authentic! Something real! Something that makes you look at it and go—"

"Hey, that's a pirate!" Gill Grunt shouted as he turned around.

"Yeah, like that!" Chihiro chirped as she followed Gill Grunt's gaze. "Wait, that's not a pirate, that's Gurglefin!"

Gurglefin popped out from behind the steering wheel. He looked no different than he did before, save for the giant black pirate hat he now wore on his scaly, wet head.

"Heh, I thought I'd get into the spirit of things," Gurglefin chuckled as he thrust his arm. "Ahoy, mateys!"

In the process, however, he also spun the steering wheel so much that Delilah veered into a hard right! He grabbed hold of steering wheel and quickly spun it back, and breathed a sigh of relief as Delilah veered back on track, only to shout out once more as Chihiro leaned on the wheel!

"So, where'd you find that?" Chihiro gave Gurglefin a curious gaze as he frantically turned the wheel back.

"There's a whole school of pirate costumes back there." Gurglefin pointed to a door located behind the steering wheel. "It came with the ship."

"Alrightly then!" Chihiro beamed, ushered Gill Grunt and Zap over, and opened the door. "Let's get some disguises!"

And with that said, Zap and Gill Grunt ran towards the disguise room! Chihiro slammed the door shut as they arrived, and for only moments, all that could be heard was ocean waves and shuffling noises from within the closet. As they waited, Zap tapped his forepaws while Gill Grunt toyed with his rubber wristbands.

"Arr, mateys!" Chihiro shouted as she slammed the door back open. "Ye be ready to witness the birth of Captain Chihiro Hatsuki?"

As soon as Chihiro walked back out, Zap's eyes widened and he skated to her side. Chihiro's old outfit changed out for a black pirate captain's hat with a red sash tied to its base and a skull and crossbones pasted onto the front in white felt, a red vest with golden trim, a frilled, long-sleeved white blouse, a red fabric belt, brown trousers with red and gold felt patches, and black heeled boots! To top things off, she even wore a black felt eyepatch over her right eye and held a toy cutlass by her leg!

"So, what do you—I mean, ye—think?" Chihiro asked as she spun around and beamed. "Do I make a good pirate or what?"

"Heck yeah you do, dude!" Zap exclaimed with rapid nods. "My turn!"

And with that, Zap slid into the dressing room and slammed the door shut. After a few moments, he emerged with a red-and-white polka dot bandanna tied to his head and a brown eyepatch over his eye.

"Looking sharp, matey Zap!" Chihiro gave him a thumbs up and smiled, grabbed Gill Grunt, and tossed him into the room. "Now it's your turn, Gill!"

Gill Grunt let out a startled scream as the door slammed shut behind him, and all went silent for a few moments. After a while, soft rustling sounds came from the other side before the door slowly creaked open. When the door finally opened in full, Gill Grunt slowly stepped out and revealed that he now donned a red felt sash around his head, a dark brown vest, a black belt decorated with a silver buckle shaped like a steering wheel, and brown trousers.

"And you look great too, first mate Gill Grunt!" Chihiro chirped as she thrust her fake cutlass to the skies, "Now, who's ready to retrieve the Twin Spouts?" Chihiro pushed her cutlass forward a second time for emphasis. "Say aye-aye!"

"Aye-aye!" they all shouted at once as they raised their fists towards the crystal-clear skies.

With a smug smile, Chihiro closed her eyes and slowly rested her cutlass back at her hip. Just then, she heard the sound of rushing water and bit her lip as she looked over Delilah's side to find—oh no. They reached the end of the island.

"Hold on to something, guys." Chihiro clung to a nearby stairwell as she spoke. "It's a long drop!"

"What's a long—" Gill Grunt asked before the ship lurched forward and he rolled forward in response. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Gill Grunt grunted as he slammed headfirst into the flagpole, and clung to it tight as Delilah plummeted further and further down before she shot out giant white sails and flew up and up!

"Oh, by the way, Delilah's an all-terrain ship!" Chihiro chirped as she stumbled away from the stairwell.

"I can see that." Gill Grunt groaned and flopped down onto the deck.