Chihiro groaned and rubbed her eyes as the light around her began to fade. Her body still ached from the blows Kalamity slammed her with, all shaking and trembling and barely able to stand. Soon, familiar warm scales ran down her back, and the sensation of rushing, flowing magic poured in to ease her aching body. She popped open an eye and glimpsed around.

The room around was little more than a purple and pink blur, but sharpened by the moment until a bunch of round objects slowly came into view. Wait, round objects? Were those, maybe, portals? Chihiro shook her head and frowned as she shakily pushed herself up.

Her intuition was right, for she was back in Kalamity's portal room, though it seemed to have gotten a few extra portals. She herself sat on an inactive one alongside Spyro, Trigger Happy, Gill Grunt, and Stealth Elf, who all groaned as they sat back up. That's strange. They touched that orb, didn't they? Why on Earth were they still here?

"We're still here?" Spyro asked with a hint of disappointment as he crawled off the portal. "But, where did Kaos and Kalamity go?"

Now that Spyro mentioned it, Kaos and Kalamity completely vanished from the room. It was just Chihiro, the Skylanders, and the faint sounds of shouting that echoed out of the door, which was slid open just a crack. Voices, huh? Guess Chihiro knew where the two of them went.

It seems like the others noticed as well, for Spyro jumped off the portal and scrambled up to the door, creaking it open a tad bit more as he peered around the corner. Now that Chihiro got a better sense of the acoustics, those voices sounded angered. It was almost as if they were arguing?

"I'm telling you, I'm getting better by the second!" shouted a voice much akin to the Kaos Chihiro knew.

"And I'm telling you, your 'training' has gone absolutely nowhere!" cried what Chihiro could only presume was Kalamity's voice.

Spyro turned around and waved a paw, an urge to carry on, and creaked the door open wider before he slipped out of its doorway and down the halls. The others followed one by one, and Chihiro held. up the back of the group as they slipped back into the halls of Kalamity's castle. They trailed down, but while the others hardly paid any attention to their surroundings, Chihiro took in the scenery.

The halls had grown messier since Chihiro last stepped foot in them. Their walls were covered in stains, and a few of their floors were dented and broken. Kalamity's many statues of herself became cracked in places, beheaded for some, and a few were gone completely, now replaced with crude statues of Kaos grinning as he donned king's robes and crowns. Flags depicting more crude drawings of Kaos hung from the walls, all with mottoes about him conquering Skylands, and the faint smell of smoke seemingly remnant from failed magic spells lingered in the air. (Not that she'd have any experience with that, no matter how many times Master Eon or Spyro would say otherwise.)

Chihiro frowned as she passed by the fifth seemingly-identical stain on the wall or flag of Kaos's. As she did, a duo of thin shadows joined her while they thrust back and forth in each other's faces—looks like she found her target. Chihiro went to step forward, but a purple burst of magic got to her first! It swept her and everyone else off their feet, and teleported them behind the free space of two tall bookshelves. Those shelves were broken and repaired more times than they should've been, going by the tape that now held them together!

Chihiro now sat behind Spyro and Gill Grunt. With a wave of her hand, a few potted plants jumped from their spots and sat in front of them all. It gate her group the perfect disguise as they peered through the leaves, and watched the world outside.

"Training you up was a waste of my time! I've been teaching you every spell I know, every scheme I've ever tried, all the tricks and trades…" Kalamity cried, and the wrinkles that formed on her face grew even deeper. "All for what? Six years now?" Scowling deeper, Kalamity clutched her hand into a fist. "And in all those years, you haven't done a single thing worthy of a supervillain!"

"That's not true!" Kaos cried back, waving a finger back at Kalamity. The princely clothes and his thick ginger afro from his teenage years disappeared, and he looked almost identical to the Kaos Chihiro knew, if not maybe a few inches shorter. "Sure, I may have bungled a few schemes, tripped on a few rocks, but those were all just flukes! Once I unleash my true power, you'll see!"

"See what?" Kalamity crossed her arms. "Ever single blunder I've had to rescue you from? Your little schemes have amounted to nothing!"

"My schemes were awesome, how dare you insult them!"

"I'd hardly call putting statues of yourself everywhere, utterly and miserably failing to replace every election ballot's name with your own, and erasing the town mayor's name and writing yours on it 'Awesome.'" Kalamity rolled her eyes once more. "Within my first years of training as a portal master, I had conquered several villages and amassed an army! You, meanwhile, have bungled every spell I taught you, every contraption you've made has blown itself to bits, and your charisma is nonexistent! How do you expect to become a tyrannical ruler of Skylands at this rate?"

Both Kalamity and Kaos seethed, teeth gritted and eyes locked on each other—and in that moment, Chihiro could see just a teensy, tiny bit of a family resemblance. They fixated on each other as the world around them started to heat up, and magic crackled around them both, Kaos especially. Their robes floated and fluttered while warm red and pink light brushed against the walls.

"Excuse me, Lady Kalamity, Lord Kaos," Glumshanks said as he stumbled out of the back door with a tray holding a teapot and teacups in hand, "I hate to interrupt, but your tea—"

"SILENCE, FOOLISH WITCH!" Kaos bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Kalamity teleported away as a burst of red magic ripped through the room. It shattered pottery, knocked over bookshelves, and even slammed Glumshanks and Chihiro back! The hot, piping tea splattered over Glumshanks' face as the blast tossed him back into the halls…

And Chihiro herself crashed against the wall with a nasty crack and grunted. She scrambled behind one of the bookshelves and peeked over.

Kaos lurched over, red lightning still crackling from his clothing as Kalamity reappeared before him; he didn't even lift his head to acknowledge her. No, he snarled and yowled as he yanked his head up. Red smoke flared from his eyes as he turned around and stormed for the door.

"I'LL PROVE YOU WRONG! I'LL PROVE EVERYONE WRONG!" Kaos cried as he yanked the door open. "I'LL CONQUER ALL SKYLANDS AND BECOMING ITS ULTIMATE EMPEROR OF TYRANNICAL DOOM, AND THEN YOU'LL SEE!"

"And don't come back until you do!" Kalamity shouted back. Kalamity scoffed, crossed her arms and shook her head. "Not that he'd be able to. That brat couldn't even conquer a sand castle."

"FINE THEN, I WON'T!" Kaos shouted back, his voice straining still. "AND I HEARD THAT!"

The doors slammed shut, and Kalamity sighed once more as Glumshanks stumbled in front of her while he wiped off his burnt face with a towel.

"Glumshanks!" Kalamity called.

Glumshanks immediately froze in place, towel dropping from his hands, but he knelt before Kalamity. "Y-yes Lady Kalamity!"

"Go find Kaos and keep an eye on him. I don't feel like having to bail him out again."

Glumshanks jumped back to his feet and scurried for the doors. "Ye-yes ma'am!"

Chihiro frowned, eyes still on Glumshanks as he frantically yanked at the doors.

"I'm not sure what Kaos is up to, but it can't be anything good," she whispered, gripping the surface of the bookshelf a bit tighter. "Come on, let's go tail them."

Spyro nodded, and the feeling of smooth scales hit Chihiro's hand while beside her, wings flapped. A sensation of magic came over her, one that raised goosebumps down her back, and she peered down at her hands while the magic faded. But, they were no longer there! Looks like he beat her to casting that invisibility spell.

After she took a glance behind to confirm that nobody behind her was visible, Chihiro leaped over the bookshelf. She sprung through the doors, bolting out right as Glumshanks finally got them open.

The soft paw and footsteps behind her showed that the others joined in. Even if she didn't hear them, the spell wore off, and they grew visible once more right as the doors drew to a close behind them.

The air grew cold, perhaps chilled by the cooler seasons, or maybe the tension of the prior fight, and the earth below the castle was soft enough that footprints formed within it. One trail looked like a pair of shoes, another was wider and more like footsteps. Yep, that had to be Kaos and Glumshanks! Judging by the tracks, it seemed like they already had a head start.

"In here," Stealth Elf whispered as she dove for a few bushes and waved the others over.

Diving behind Stealth Elf, Chihiro parted a few stray bushes and peered out with a hum. Rain started to sprinkle over the hills, but nothing looked out of the ordinary otherwise. Chihiro closed up the bushes, and teleported to the next set to find nothing but a faint presence of a town in the distance. As she hopped from bush to bush, the town's image grew clearer and clearer, until she could spy it at the foot of the hill! Though, as she got a closer look, it seemed a lot smaller, more like a village than a town…

"Y'know, that place looks kind of familiar," Spyro remarked as he flew beside Chihiro.

Chihiro jolted up for a minute but caught her breath. Phew, just Spyro, not her getting caught by Kaos.

"Hmmm… I think it does too!" Trigger Happy remarked as he hopped on Spyro's back and rubbed his chin. "Can't remember where I saw it, though. It wasn't where we met, or that town I saved from bandits that one time…"

"I feel like I should know something about this, but it's on the tip of my tongue," Gill Grunt ruminated.

"What's so special about it? It's just a village. We've been to hundreds of them at this point!" Stealth Elf said before she shook her head. With a wave of her hand, Stealth Elf beckoned for the others as she trailed after the footprints. "C'mon, the footprints lead this way."

Chihiro didn't want to leave just yet—not till she found out what bugged Spyro. She stayed glued to the spot, only her eyes moving. They drifted towards Spyro while he flew in midair and contemplated.

Spyro's eyes went wide for just a moment as he gazed over the village, and he hung his head as he groaned, "oh, dragon gods, I remember what this is…"

"What is it?" Chihiro asked as she turned to Spyro and tilted her head.

Spyro winced and flew off with eyes set on Kaos's footprint trail.

"Just follow me."

Chihiro winced and nodded as Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt chased after Spyro with similarly leery looks on their faces. She followed at the back of the group. The rain poured a little harder, so she summoned a magic umbrella and hid underneath it as she set her eyes on the ground. She fixed firmly on the trail of footprints. It'd be a pain if she lost Kaos from all that rain.

"I'm telling you, this is the deal of a lifetime!"

Wait, that voice and its obnoxious tone, that had to be Kaos's! Chihiro ran a bit harder, only the slightest bit of care taken so as to not slip on any newly-formed mud puddles. When she caught sight of Spyro's purple scales, she skidded to a stop, and knelt beside him behind the sanctuary of some bushes and wooden poles.

They all gathered at the gate of a crude fort made of wood—if it could even be called that. There wasn't even a roof or anything, just a wooden fence with all sorts of stuff spray-painted on it. Inside laid the remains of a campfire extinguished by the rain, the smell of its smoke mingling with that of fresh rainwater. Rusted cans and broken boxes of food laid scattered about alongside damp papers and posters. Of course, that didn't matter as much as the contents inside—there within the heart of the group were a couple of tired trolls and elves dressed in punk-looking stuff that were all drooping eyelids, yawning mouths, and sleepy clicks of their tongues as Kaos rambled to them.

"Alright, buddy, we get it! You've been ramblin' about this stuff for forever now!" shouted one troll as he lazily finished off an open can of beans.

"And once again, I have to ask," said a drow dressed in more decorated clothing, probably the leader of the bunch by the looks of it. "What's in it for us?"

"Well, if you join me and help me conquer Skylands, you'll get to be the loyal servants of my evil empire, and I’ll spare you from my awesome wrath of doom!" Kaos proclaimed as he held out his hands. "Isn't that enough?"

Those punks broke out into rousing laughter, as if that was the funniest thing they heard! A few fell off their seats and slapped their knees, and the head of the group cackled hardest as he got up from where he sat.

"You must be joking! A little runt like you? Take over Skylands?" the drow cackled as he punched Kaos in the shoulder. "Get real!"

Kaos grunted and clutched his shoulder as he slid back. "Of course I can take over Skylands! I'm a portal master!"

The drow laughed even harder, and clutched his gut as tears of joy burst from his eyes! He wiped the tears from his eyes as he stood upright, and shoved Kaos down into the dirt with a scoff. "Your head must be even bigger than it looks! There's no portal masters anymore!"

Kaos growled as he staggered back up, and wiped the mud from his clothes as a red glow started to surround him. "I'm telling you, it's the truth! If you won't believe me, I'll show you!"

Chihiro had to admit, she almost felt a little sorry for him, seeing him get laughed at like that—almost. Just barely. She poked her head over the fence, just to get a better look at what went on, but the sound of panting behind her forced her back into the bushes! She dove down right as Glumshanks ran past her, jumped back up and peered over the fence once more.

"Lord Kaos, there you are!" Glumshanks cried as he pulled Kaos away.

The red glow around Kaos faded and he gasped. "Glumshanks?" Kaos cried as he tugged away from Glumshanks' grip. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to get you, of course! Your mother said—"

"Oh, so he's a mama's boy, too?" jeered the troll.

A couple more laughs and jeers came from the punks as Kaos seethed. Red steam billowed from his body as Glumshanks winced and continued to tug him away. Kaos’s feet stayed stuck to the ground the best they could, but with the ground slowly turning to mud from the rain, it was pretty darn hard for him to keep his grip!

"Come on, Lord Kaos, let's go home. I'm sure if you apologize—"

"Absolutely not, Glumshanks!" Kaos cried, finally wriggling himself out of Glumshanks' grip.

He turned around, and Chihiro got a glimpse of his red-hot face for only a moment. Kaos bent down and grabbed a damp, mud-strained poster from the floor. He examined it for a moment and hummed while the punks' laughter stopped around him.

Just what was so important about that, anyways? Chihiro hummed, summoned a pair of binoculars and peered closer. The poster had something she couldn't make out written on it, and a picture of a guy dressed in really fancy-looking clothes. More importantly, the guy’s image was scribbled on in red marker; his eyes were crossed out and illegible scribbles covered his neck.

"You don't exactly like this being, do you?" Kaos asked, holding out the poster.

The drow scowled and snatched the poster from Kaos. "Course not!" he cried. "That mayor dude kicked us from the village ‘cause he said we were causin' too much trouble!"

"Yeah, he sucks!" shouted the bean-eating troll as they tossed their can aside. "Sure we tipped over a few cows, broke a few stores, poisoned the water system, and burned down all the crops that one time—but so what?" cried another punk.

"He sent me away because I broke his statue!"

"So what if I enchanted the fruit and made everyone who ate it fall asleep for a whole week? That was hilarious!"

The drow scowled further as he tore the poster in half, letting the halves fall to the ground before smashing them underfoot.

"What I wouldn't give to punch his smug face in once or twice."

"What if I told you there was a way?" Kaos asked.

Kaos's question got all eyes on him, and Chihiro just barely heard a low cackle from Kaos as he lifted his hands. Red magic flared from his hands, and he cackled as he clapped them together and zapped all the punks at once!

Lightning crashed, but not from the skies. No, it came from around Kaos as the punks fell to their knees and cried out.

The punks' bodies warped and twisted from underneath the heat of Kaos's spell as they grew taller, wider… Buffer? As the light faded, the punks stood before Kaos with at least a few more feet, and a whole lot of muscle gained. Their clothes just barely fit them now as they flexed and glazed each other down.

"That power-up spell should do the trick!" Kaos chirped as he clapped his hands, turned around and flew off. "Now come on, go get your deliciously evil revenge on that mayor!"

The punks hooted and hollered as they stormed out of their little hideout, some smashing the wooden fence like twigs just to test their newly-given power! Kaos himself eagerly followed after them, shouting out about evil doom or something just to egg them on! Even though the rain poured down over them and chilled the air, they didn't stop or lose traction even once. This newfound power gave them a second wind, one they were happy to chase!

"Lord Kaos!" Glumshanks cried as he stumbled after Kaos. He slipped over the muddy grounds and planted face-first, but quickly collected himself and shook off the muddy water. "Wait for me!"

Chihiro gulped and turned to the others as Glumshanks tailed after Kaos, about ready to tell them they needed to go. Spyro seemingly beat her to the punch, judging by how his eyes flared with sparkling purple light! Though, they didn't seem as bright as they usually did; instead, they flickered in and out as Spyro himself cringed.

"We'd better get there fast!" Spyro proclaimed as he clapped his front paws together. "I know what's gonna happen next, and it isn't pretty!"

That clap rang out against the rain, and a ring of bright purple light pulsed out as it enveloped them all! Chihiro's body shuddered as the light shot into her and closed her eyes on instinct.

When she opened them, she found herself in the heart of the village!

Admittedly, it looked a lot more run-down compared to when she saw it on the hills. The houses' windows stood boarded off as fresh tomato stains ran down their sides, trampled and withered plants laid along the muddy paths, and broken wooden boards or half-beaten carts laid scattered beside them. The air rang of a musty scent that reeked of magic, and the sounds of shouting and terrified screams showed that ahead laid the very beings Chihiro expected to find!

Kaos stood at the village's entrance. Those punks flanked him at all sides, and mabu dressed in dingy armor who wielded swords and spears thrust their weapons towards his front. The punks' muscles twitched as they cracked their knuckles and flexed their biceps, imposing their muscular status over those warriors with just their stance. Kaos grinned at the sight.

"Tell us, you strange little man!" demanded a warrior at the front. "What exactly is your purpose here?"

"Oh, my purpose?" Kaos crowed as he folded his hands together. "I don't have any business here. It's my little friends you should be worried about!" Kaos chuckled and drummed his fingers against his hands. "I've heard they have a bit of a score to settle with you, so I thought I'd help them out a little!"

"Wait, a score to settle?" the mabu warrior backed away a little, and their glance changed from Kaos to the drow that stood to Kaos's left. "You don't mean…"

"You bet it's us!" the drow roared.

In one swift motion, the drow yanked the mabu warrior from the ground and sneered in their face, but the warrior just screamed! The warrior's sword slipped from their paws, clattered by the drow's feet, and the drow smashed it in half with a single stomp! The sickening crack of the sword's splintered handle rang in the mabu warrior's ears, and they winced as they glanced down at the broken blade before the drow flung them into the distance.

"Come on, boys! Let's crush this dumb town!"

The other mabu warriors all screamed out as they charged for the punks, yet flew back as the punks charged forward and knocked them aside! More of those warriors spilled in as the punks charged forward. These new warriors brandished their weapons, except they too, did basically nothing! Even though they were much more massive in ranks, the punks still punched through their groups and tossed them aside like they were little more than flies!

Chihiro winced as a pair of mabu flew past her, teleported into an alleyway between two houses, and poked her head out. Those guys looked tough, but they were just pumped up on magic—and she had plenty of that! If she could just find the right opening and catch them off guard, maybe she had a shot! Chihiro narrowed her eyes and hummed as she contemplated, but the sound of a door slamming open pulled her from her thoughts.

"What's all this racket about?" exclaimed a mabu in a pompous-looking suit as they stumbled out of the leftmost building and adjusted their jacket. Was that the mayor? Sure seemed like it, especially with how they gasped as their eyes fell on those punks.

"You lot again? I thought I exiled you from this place!" The mayor cried. They growled for a bit, stormed forward and shook a finger. "Never mind, make yourselves scarce this instant!"

The drow's ear flicked, and he turned around from pummeling another mabu warrior. His smile faded into a snarl as he dropped the mabu warrior and raised a fist. Right before he could swing, Kaos zipped in front of him and he drew back!

"Oh, they might consider it," Kaos said as he leaned towards the mayor and sneered. "If, and only if, you hand over complete and total control of your village, and everything within it to the great and powerful Lord Kaos, that is!"

The mayor sputtered and drew back. "Who do you think you are, demanding that of me?" The mayor pointed a finger aside. "No matter! I have no reason to do business with you if you're affiliated with them! Leave my village this instant!"

Kaos shrugged with that sneer still planted tight to his face. "Suit yourself!" Kaos turned and winked back to the drow, slowly floated away and cackled. "I suppose my friend here will make a much more compelling argument!"

The drow cackled and banged his fists together as he loomed over the mayor, who in turn backed away. It seemed as though the mayor finally realized just how outmatched they and their forces were against these guys. The mayor's head craned between the drow before them, and the other punks as they tore through the village's defenses like they were no more than mere weeds! The mayor seemed to have gulped as they glanced aside once more, and the drow immediately yanked them off the ground!

"Eyes on me, you little rat!" the drow shouted as he shook the mayor! The mayor cried out as gold and jewels poured from their pockets, and the drow smirked as he licked his lips. "Oh, it'll be so satisfying, punching your face in."

Chihiro gasped, lowered herself down and flicked her hands. "I've gotta get in there!" she shouted as cyan light gathered in her palms.

Her hands tingled with energy as she took a step forward, but she stopped as a signature of energy zapped into her and a warbling sound hit the air! That presence, that one that felt like space and time ripping itself open, that had to be a portal opening! But, there was no way she could've done that, for she wasn't anywhere near a portal!

She poked her head back out, and sure enough, all eyes turned back to the village front as cyan light glistened from the beginning of the village path.

Then, none other than Spyro charged out and slammed right into the drow's chest! The added speed blew the drow backwards while the mayor slipped from his hand and landed right in the mud. Spyro didn't notice. He flew backwards and huffed out thin trails of smoke from his nostrils. Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy both rushed up behind him, yet he still fixed his eyes on the drow as the smoke coming from his snout thickened.

"Spyro!" Chihiro called as she reached forward for him.

"Chihiro, there you are!"

Just before Chihiro left, something yanked her back into the alleyways! She almost hit the muddy ground, but that something propped her up, and instead she hit something solid and hard. Flapping wings sounded behind her, and as she thrust herself out, she turned around to find Spyro standing behind her with Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy, and Stealth Elf all lined up close behind!

Chihiro's eyes fluttered as she glanced at the Spyro staring at her with his warm, kind golden eyes, and back to where the other Spyro traded blows with the drow.

"Huh?" was all she could utter.

Spyro sighed and held his head.

"This place was where we fought Kaos for the first time, back when I first became a Skylander," Spyro explained. His tone was hesitant and strained with all the embarrassment of someone recalling something they really didn't want to. He glanced back as the drow punched his past self out of the air, and he grabbed his cheek as if he could feel the pain himself. "Yeah, it really wasn't one of my proudest moments."

The past Spyro leaped up, and shot a bunch of fireballs right towards the drow—but the rainstorm completely extinguished them! Both past and present Spyro winced as the drow charged forward, kicking the past Spyro back into the mud.

"You idiot, it's raining buckets! Why would you use fire?" present Spyro shouted, before he turned around and groaned as he covered his eyes. "Dragon gods, I don't think I can watch this anymore. I was so stupid back then!"

Chihiro stood there and watched as past Spyro leaped up and charged for the drow once more, just to get knocked down again before he got back up and fought in a never-ending cycle.

Beside the past Spyro, past Trigger Happy winced as he shot off round after round of golden coins that just bounced off a troll punk's chest and into the mud. To his right, past Gill Grunt stumbled backwards and shot streams of water into the ground. He turned the muddy ground to a proper stream as some of the punks raced forward, but instead of slipping, they slid across the stream and double-kicked past Gill Grunt right in the gut!

Past Gill Grunt groaned as he collapsed on his side in the mud, and past Trigger Happy and Spyro both joined him as the punks tossed them in one muddy pile. They moaned and lifted their heads only to collapse. Their faces twisted into frowns as both the punks and Kaos's laughter rang in the air with the sounds of falling rain. Shadows cast over their battered bodies as the drow punk loomed over them.

"That's it, I can't watch this anymore!" Chihiro cried as she ran ahead.

"Chihiro, wait!" present Spyro called, but it was no use.

With a single leap, Chihiro slid across the mud and leaped into the heart of the fray! Her shoes slammed against the ground first, and formed a shield right around her and Spyro, Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy's past selves! The punks all gasped and talked among each other for a moment, though Chihiro couldn't discern their conversation as the dome itself was soundproofed. Judging by how they pounded against the dome, it seemed as though they weren't too pleased with it! The dome refuse to relent as they pounded and kicked, and Chihiro scoffed for a moment before she knelt down to the past Spyro.

Past Spyro coughed for a moment, raised his head and frowned. "Who're you?" he asked as he raised a brow.

Chihiro gasped for a moment as she racked her brain for some quick way of not blowing her cover, and shook her head. "You could say I'm your…" Chihiro started, before she shook her head again and held out her hand. "Your mentor's friend! Yeah, that's right, I'm one of Master Eon's buddies!"

Phew, close one, Chihiro thought.

Past Spyro snarled and yanked his head away. "Did he send you after me? I told him I could handle this myself!" Past Spyro insisted. He shot a glare back at where Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy's past selves laid in the mud, and his tail flicked in a short manner. "It's bad enough that he insisted I needed extra help! If they weren't slowing me down, I'd have finished these guys in minutes!"

"Sure didn't look like that to me." Chihiro chuckled as her hand glowed and rained down sparkles onto past Spyro's body. "If anything, it looked like that guy was wiping the floor with you!"

Past Spyro snarled, bearing his fangs as he lifted his head to retort… And then, he stopped in wide-eyed wonder as the sparkles seeped into his body and whisked away his wounds in an instant! Chihiro smiled and gently flicked his forehead as he looked himself over, bringing his attention back to her.

"A word of advice. I know you're used to fighting the bad guys and saving the day yourself, but, you're a Skylander now, and that makes you part of a team."

With a snap of Chihiro's fingers, twin streams of cyan light fed from her palms and swirled around past Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy. The light fed into them and healed their injuries, but Chihiro smiled and turned her attention down to past Spyro. His golden eyes no longer rang with anger, but a sort of pensiveness as he glanced back at her, and then at past Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy as they rose.

"So, don't think you have to tackle everything by yourself. Your teammates are always gonna be there to back you up, so don't be afraid to get their help when you need it, alright?"

Past Spyro rapidly blinked, and turned back to Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy's past selves for a moment before he glanced back at Chihiro. "Alright," he said at last, "I guess I'll take your word for it."

"Finally done being stubborn now?" past Gill Grunt teased from behind them.

Past Spyro turned back to past Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy as they rose and bore their weapons with a nod and a weary smile. All three of them huddled together and whispered. Though they packed tight, the slight glimpses of their faces showed they were intent in planning. In fact, they seemed much more in-sync, just like the Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy Chihiro knew! The three of them broke apart with smiles, and though they didn't see her, Chihiro nodded as well.

"Looks like my job here is done," Chihiro whispered.

With a snap of her fingers, the dome lowered and Chihiro teleported away, taking sanctuary behind a half-broken cart. She poked her head up as past Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy stood off the punks, frowned and gripped the cart's side. Had he really taken her advice?

Past Spyro took a step forward. It seemed like he was getting ready to charge, and Chihiro cringed a bit—but instead of running into the fray, he ran off, flying back over to the village's beginning!

The punks cried out and chased after him. Right as they did, a torrent of water slammed into the mud below their feet, and turned it to slick muddy water so fast that they all splintered and slipped off! They groaned as they slid into buildings and wreckage, and as they staggered up and recovered, a flurry of golden coins pelted them from all directions! They all screamed as they ran right for the beginning of the village once more.

Behind them, past Trigger Happy cackled as he charged after them with guns blazing! The punks rushed further and further as Trigger Happy's coins nipped and burst at their heels…

But as they rushed ahead, past Spyro flew out from the village's entrance! He snorted as a sky blue light shone around him. It glowed bright against the dull sights of the rainy day, and with a flap of his wings, that light burst out in a massive gust! That simple light twisted around itself as it charged for the punks, and formed into a tornado that swept them up in its grip as it raged across the village pathways!

Mud gathered in the tornado’s grip, and tinged it in murky shades as the tornado shot right for Kaos, who only stood with wide eyes as the tornado slammed right into him! The tornado's winds dispersed in all directions at that minute. It left the punks and Kaos piled together in the heart of the village as the rain started to lighten up.

The clouds parted and light shone down once more, unveiling that the spell on the punks relented. Once again, they were their scrawny true selves, and they all groaned as they laid sprawled along the floor. Their torn clothes were coated in mud, their arms were scratched up and bruised, and they were completely surrounded as the mabu warriors gathered and poked their weapons right at the punks!

"Got anything to say for yourself?" past Spyro asked as he, past Gill Grunt, and past Trigger Happy approached Kaos.

Kaos snarled and stumbled back to his feet, ready to fire off an insult, surely, but he stopped as a voice cried over the horizon.

"Lord Kaos, there you are!" Glumshanks cried as he pushed past Spyro and Trigger Happy. Glumshanks gripped Kaos's hand, and he pulled Kaos away with a grunt. "By the Ancients, you look awful! Come on, let's get home and I'll get a bath going—"

Kaos growled and yanked his hand from Glumshanks'.

"There's no way I'm going back there, Glumshanks!" Kaos hissed. "Not until I conquer Skylands so I can rub it in mother's stupid face!"

Kaos gritted his teeth, glared over towards Spyro and pointed a finger in Spyro's face.

"You, dragonfly! What's your name?"

"It's Spyro," the past Spyro hissed back as he flicked his wings, "and you can shout all you want, but as long as us Skylanders are in town, you're not getting your way!"

"Then mark my words, Skylanders! When I conquer Skylands, you'll be the first to taste your evil DOOM!"

With that vow spoken, Kaos stomped his foot and red smoke enveloped him, the punks, and Glumshanks!

Everyone else coughed and hacked away as the smoke churned. When it cleared, no trace of Kaos or his allies could be found! All that remained was the fading wisps of red smoke, and the sound of Kaos's laughter in the air.

Chihiro smiled and snapped her fingers from the alleyways. "Looks like Kaos made his grand escape," Chihiro remarked as an orb of light formed in her palms. "Luckily, I have a handy-dandy tracking spell right here!"

Chihiro bounced the orb in her palms, and it zipped away, past the alleys and out into the grassy grounds before rounding a corner and disappearing!

She smiled, and turned to the others before they all followed the trail of sparkles the orb left behind. The muddy paths of before turned to soft, dewy grass as they trailed after the light trails, and one by one, the run-down houses passed them by until there were none. Soon, all that surrounded them was seemingly endless stretches of grass. Though, they could just barely hear the villagers behind them cheering for the Skylanders, a sound that left a humble smile on Spyro's face.

"You know, that went a lot smoother than how it actually happened," Spyro chuckled as he flicked his wings.

"It was?" Chihiro asked. She tilted her head as she walked alongside Spyro. "How it'd really go?"

"Well, Kaos's buddies there beat us within an inch of our lives when we tried to stop them! We'd have been goners if I hadn't come up with that strategy as a last resort!"

"Talk about a life-saver, huh?"

"No kidding."

A chilling breeze whipped through the air, and Chihiro winced as she crossed the path below. The grass underfoot changed to hard stone as she did.

Something about the world around felt a little eerier. Maybe it was all the cold, hard ground and dead trees with weird, shiny red veins pulsing through them; maybe it was the thick clouds that left the red skies in a dull, overcast state; maybe it was the smell of dead, burnt stuff that lingered in the air, but either way, something just wasn't right about this place. A glance behind showed that she only passed the village a little while ago. Heck, she could even mark the area where the grass started to die and the clouds started to form, a natural divide between the world around! How could this place change states so quickly?

Chihiro winced and clenched her fist on instinct. She turned around to the path ahead, where Kaos grunted and kicked a rock. She jumped behind a lopsided boulder, poked her head over and frowned.

"I, I, that was a fluke, I swear! An utter accident!" Kaos cried as he turned to the punks and shook his fist. "If those wannabe heroes hadn't showed up, I'd have won that village! What did they call themselves, anyways? Skylanders?" Kaos clenched his fist. "Yes, that was it… Well, those Skylanders better prepare themselves for an utterly doomy doom! I swear, I'll get the next village, and then—"

Laughter burst from the punks, and the punk drow stepped out as he patted Kaos on the shoulder.

"Chill out, little man. That was fun!" the drow said. "I wanna do more of that stuff!"

Kaos's eyes flickered, and he turned around and frowned. "Fun? So, are you saying you want to serve me?"

The punks all turned to each other, but soon fell to their knees. "All hail Lord Kaos!" they all cried.

Kaos’s eyes flickering, and he stepped back as if he couldn't believe them. But, he quickly shook his head and cackled, hands pressing to his hips!

"Of course you do! After all, I am the future evil overlord of all Skylands!" Kaos grinned, and turned back to a tall, run down castle in the distance. "From now on, these wastelands will become full of evil life, and this castle will be our ultimate hideout of EVIL DOOM!" Whipping back around, Kaos pointed towards the punks. "Minions, scout it out for me, right this instant!"

"Yes, Lord Kaos!" the punks cried maybe a bit too eagerly as they rushed towards the castle.

Kaos chuckled and slowly trailed behind, and behind him, Chihiro chuckled and laid a hand on her hip.

"So that's how Kaos became a big-time supervillain," she remarked.

She chuckled a bit more, but a small twinkle of red caught her eye. She turned to a nearby rock, one that was oblong, but with a large chip that showed off a red light behind it! She skipped over to the rock, peered over, and beamed as she found exactly what she hoped to find: another orb of red light!

"And here's the teleporter, everyone!" Chihiro called as she waved back to the others. "Come on, let's get going!"

Chihiro smiled and reached her hand out to the teleporter. As Spyro, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf all joined her, they planted their hands and paws on the orb, and the world dyed red once more.