Chihiro rubbed her hands together as she glared down the yellow wire cage where all the chompies amassed. The anxious chompies all shoved and pushed each other, and some even gnawed on the cage's wire bars as they tried to escape. Luckily, that cage was reinforced plenty, and they weren't getting out anytime soon. Chihiro frowned for a moment as her eyes fell on the chompyfied forms of Whirlwind, Cynder, Terrafin, and Eruptor, but she just shook her head and continued to rub her hands.

"So you're saying that Chompy Mage guy just showed up out of nowhere one day?" Chihiro asked as she turned to the wilikin man beside her.

"Indeed, friend," the wilikin replied with a nod of his wooden head.

"Ever since the Chompy Mage came here, he has attacked our homes and turned us into chompies," explained a wilikin woman who walked up beside the man. "We have been hiding, and finding ways to keep us hidden from him like our switches, but he always finds us anyways!"

"That's awful!" Tree Rex cried. "Doing that to beings when they can't even fight back…"

"If we see that Chompy Mage fellow again, eye'd like to give him a piece of my mind!" Eye remarked as he popped off Brawl's head and flew around him, and Brawl only nodded in response.

"What a jerk," Chihiro replied, a slightly disgusted look on her face as she held out her hands. Her hands pulsed and glowed with bright cyan energy, and her eyes narrowed. "Now, you all might wanna step back!" Chihiro's glow grew even brighter while sparkles fluttered from her hands. "This might get a little messy!"

Chihiro cast out her hands, and bright cyan burst of magic blasted out from her palms as it fed into the cage! A bright light show shone from the open spaces in the cages while sparkles and lasers flew about, and everyone else oohed and aahed in amazement as the light glowed brighter. Their light soon faded, and revealed that the chompies were still chompies!

Chihiro's jaw dropped, but she shook her head and huffed. "That can't be right! That spell should have undone any transformation spells cast on them!" Chihiro exclaimed. She placed her hands on her hips, and her brow piqued. "But, maybe I just didn't use the right kind of spell?" Chihiro cast out her hands once more, then gulped. "Alright, how about this?"

Chihiro shot a shining purple spark into the cage, tensed as it exploded in a flare of purple light, but groaned and slunk over as it faded to reveal nothing but chompies.

"Nope." She cast a cyan laser in the cage. "Maybe this one?"

Well, that one has some effects, but not the one they all desired. It left a couple of fried chompies in her wake, but they were still chompies!

"What the heck?" Chihiro exclaimed as she glanced down at her still-glowing hands. "Those spells should have completely restored them! What's going on?"

"Don't try," a wilikin boy mumbled as he scuffed his wooden shoes against the floor. "Chompy Mage's magic is special. Nothing you can do will stop it."

Chihiro's eyes flickered, and she hummed as she rubbed her chin. "The Chompy Mage's magic is special, huh?" Chihiro whispered. She chuckled as she drew her hand away from her chin. "If that's the case" — Chihiro pumped her fist to the ceiling — "maybe he's the key to fixing all this!"

"What do you mean, friend?" the wilikin boy asked as he tilted his head.

Chihiro turned to the boy and held out her hands. "It was the magic from his staff that caused this, right? If we can get that staff, maybe we can undo the spell that's turned everyone into chompies!" Chihiro chuckled and placed her hands on her hips. "Yep, that's a perfect idea! In fact, I've already got a plan!"

"You do?" Tree Rex exclaimed as he knelt down. "Already?"

"But, what exactly are you going to do?" Thumpback asked.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Chihiro asked as she turned back to the Elder Elementals. "We're gonna find the Chompy Mage, stop his plans, and turn everyone back to normal!"

Chihiro leaped in the air and pumped her fists, and the sheer amount of enthusiasm in her words spread to the wilikin crowds as well! They all cheered and mirrored her, pumping their fists in the air as they surrounded her and—okay, okay, they were getting way too close! Chihiro backed into the cage as the wilikin crowded in, yelped as the chompies snapped at her, and waved her hands in front of her body.

"Alright everyone, calm down!" Chihiro exclaimed as she lowered her hands. "I still need to know where this dude is, you know!"

The wilikin all nodded and pulled away, and one of the wilikin men hummed as he rubbed his blocky chin.

"The Chompy Mage made a forest down back in Lower Facadeville," the man explained as he held out his hands. "He and all his chompies live down there. I think that's where the friends he turned into chompies are, too!"

"Then that's where we're going!"

Chihiro pumped her fist in the air and grinned, but the wilikin hardly seemed to share in her enthusiasm. They all looked from side to side as they clasped their hands; their jaws chattered and their eyes practically popped out of their sockets! Finally, that same wilikin man winced and turned back to Chihiro.

"But are you sure, friend?" He took Chihiro's hands in his own, and though his eyes were completely blank, they still rang with a level of concern. "The journey will be very scary! The Chompy Mage is very, very strong, and no matter what we do, he always finds a way to stop us from hurting him!"

"Will you really be alright, friend?" a wilikin woman asked.

Chihiro grinned and rubbed a fist against her chest. "Of course I'll be fine!" Chihiro proclaimed. "I'm a portal master, after all! He might be powerful, but I'm a pretty tough cookie myself!" Chihiro grinned as she gestured up to Tree Rex. "Besides, I'll have the Elder Elementals here on my side, too! With them here to help me, it'll be a breeze!"

"That's right!" Tree Rex proclaimed as he nodded, and behind him, Eye-Brawl, Thumpback and Swarm nodded in tandem. "We're not going to stop until we save your friends and bring an end to the Chompy Mage's reign of terror, we promise!"

"Yeah!" Swarm cried! He thrust his hand in the air, winced as its barb jabbed itself into the ceiling and slid it back out. "We won't stop!"

"After all, that's what we do!" Thumpback affirmed as he cracked his knuckles and hoisted his anchor over his shoulder. "When the weak and innocent are in trouble…"

"Eye—I mean, we," Eye proclaimed as he popped off of Brawl, "will step up to the plate!"

Chihiro gasped, rapidly nodded her own head as a means of silent affirmation, but jolted up as the cage behind her rattled! She took a peek behind, sighed and crossed her arms as Eruptor, Terrafin, Cynder and Whirlwind banged on the cage and growled. But, they acted not with the usual malice and rage that chompies held, no. Instead, they seemed much more enthusiastic than anything; their beady eyes bright with fire, and though they couldn't say any words, the message they sent was loud and clear.

"You wanna help too, right?" Chihiro asked. Chihiro crafted a cage-shaped backpack out of magic and opened the lid as the four of them rapidly nodded and squealed. "Just hop in, I'll carry you guys there!" Chihiro winked and chuckled. "We can all tell him what's what!"

The four of them hopped in the cage backpack. Chihiro chuckled as she sealed it back up, and holstered it on her back! She turned around, and met with the bright-eyed, wide-smiling faces of wilikin all around as they basked in the presence of her, the Skylanders, and the Elder Elementals…

And Ermit, too, but he seemed pretty darn hesitant as he backed away. "Well, er, you know," Ermit remarked as he twiddled his fingers. "Somebody's gotta keep up the fort back here, I mean, what if that Chompy Mage guy comes back? I don't wanna get out there and get bitten by chompies, that's your line of work—"

The wilikin all dug behind their backs, slapped thick, angry-looking eyebrows onto their faces, and circled around Ermit.

Ermit gulped, and sweat crept down his shiny bald head as the wilikin came in closer and closer. "But, I guess it wouldn't hurt to come along," Ermit whimpered as he scratched his head. He shuffled up beside Chihiro and forced a grin, yet it immediately faded the moment the wilikin yanked off their eyebrows and cheered. "Stupid puppets," he grumbled as he crossed his arms.

Chihiro sighed and rolled her eyes as she hoisted her backpack higher up on her back. She skipped up, turned back and grinned as she glazed over the party amassed: a portal master and hero of Skylands, four ancient heroes of legend, the Skylanders who, while chompyfied, were definitely still raring to go, and Ermit too.

"Personally, I'd say we have a pretty good party here!" Chihiro whistled as she turned around for the door. "Now, time's a wasting! We've gotta to this Facadeville place before the Chompy Mage comes—"

"Wait a second, friend!" perked up a small wilikin girl as she skidded in front of Chihiro!

Chihiro gasped and stumbled backwards. When Chihiro caught sight of the girl, she slunk over and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"You will need a guide if you wish to make it to Lower Facadeville." the wilikin girl hopped in Chihiro's arms and grinned as she twiddled her wooden toes. "Let Seraphina show you the way!"

Chihiro rapidly blinked, shrugged and grinned. "Alright then, Seraphina!" Chihiro stretched out her arms and allowed Seraphina to hop out. "Lead the way!"

The cries of wilikin wishing them goodwill and safety were their backdrop as they left the town hall and made their way to the gates. As they raced up to the town gate and yanked it open, none of them paid any mind to the bushes! There, something sinister brewed as something with green eyes that sparkled like emerald watched them from the leaves' safety, and it chuckled.

"Yes, yes," the creature spoke in the Chompy Mage's voice as it stepped forward, and unveiled itself as a chompy with glowing eyes. "I'll have plenty of tricks planned for you, my non-chompy foes!"

Sinister, low laughter escaped from the chompy's mouth as the glow in its eyes faded. It collapsed over and popped up moments later as a chompy with normal eyes! The chompy blinked for a moment, turned back around and hopped back into the bushes, not to be seen again.