An ice ogre huffed as it drew lines in the snow between the Elder Elementals and the ice ogre's own ranks. It skittered back to Noodles' side and whipped out a horn. It cleared its throat, lifted the horn to its lips, and sent a mighty bugle to the heavens—a signal for the challenges that laid ahead.

"Attention! The ceremonial horn has sounded," Noodles proclaimed as he strode out down the middle and held out his arms. "Which means it is now time for the" — Noodles cleared his throat, and his eyes narrowed as he pounded a fist against his palm in tandem, with his words — "ICE. FISHING. GAMES!"

The ice ogres all cheered and tossed their fishing poles in the air, but quickly claimed then back as Noodles glared at them.

"The standard rules apply. There'll be three games, and whoever ends up with the most wins outta us all is our winner!" Noodles shot a look towards the Elder Elementals, who glared back at him in return—but even though his glance seemingly glared down them all, it pierced Thumpback specifically.

"If the whale's team wins, they get that giant robot back there." Noodles gestured back to where the Arkeyan Conquertron parked, and he turned back to his fellow ice ogres. A smile crossed his face as he did, and the ice ogres all grinned back at him. "If we win, the whale'll show us that ancient treasure he was talkin' about!"

On one side of the line, Tree Rex, Eye-Brawl, Swarm, and Thumpback all stood close together while the ghost hovered above Thumpback's shoulder. All their eyes fixed on the ice ogre soldiers that rested aside from them. A faint buzz came from Swarm's wings as one soldier shot him a particularly nasty look, but Tree Rex just drew Swarm back before he could say or do anything.

Across from them, the ice ogres all shot them sneers and laughs. The ice ogres were the perfect picture of confidence compared to the quartet's tension—well, most of their tension.

While the other Elder Elementals and the ghost were fairly tense, Thumpback didn't seem worried at all! He just hummed some kind of old sailor's tune as he polished his anchor with no mind paid to those before him.

"You seem awfully calm about this," the ghost remarked as he slid off of Thumpback's top and gently nudged Thumpback's shoulder, sending a small chill through Thumpback's arm. "Aren't you worried?"

"Worried?" Thumpback whispered back as he raised a brow. "Not particularly." Thumpback chuckled, and toyed with his anchor's chains as he spoke. "After all, I've gone fishing in some of Skylands' roughest seas, so a little fishing contest like this is nothing! Besides, one thing that all my years of fishing taught me is that the fish can smell fear. You act nervous, and they'll all know!"

The ghost nodded, and turned back as his body began to fritz, forcing him onto Eye-Brawl's shoulder next. Below him, Brawl caught Thumpback's attention with a nudge of the shoulder.

"I suppose you have a point. Still, what are we going to do if we lose?" Brawl signed as Thumpback raised a brow at him. "After all, they have a gigantic robot and the entire terrain on their side! I don't believe it would be a wise idea to upset them."

"Oh, don't worry," Thumpback tossed his anchor back over his shoulder, while his laid-back smile steadied itself as he clutched the anchor's chain tight. "I may not have fished in quite a while, but I have confidence in my abilities."

"With that being said, our first challenge is simple!" Noodles proclaimed, still oblivious to the ice ogres' confident jeering, or Thumpback's quiet conversation as Noodles rambled on. "It's a size contest! Whoever can catch the largest fish at the local ice pond is our victor!"

The ice ogres all chattered as Noodles lead them away to the pond. Thumpback himself frowned and clutched his anchor tight as he trailed after them. A wary Tree Rex, Eye-Brawl, and Swarm followed behind, and that little ghost tagging along, trembling and flickering as he sat on Eye-Brawl's shoulder.

Thumpback only steeled his gaze as his eyes fell over the horizon of a snowy hill above. There, a pond, one laid still by the thick, cloudy sheet of ice above it, sat amid endless hills of snow and the occasionally ice-coated tree. Its surface shone and glistened as Thumpback drew closer to it, and its cloudy surface cleared enough that he could faintly spy the tails of small fish and ice tadpoles skittering and swimming underneath. Ah, the sight brought back memories of his youth, where he'd spend his calf days fishing in the icy ponds of his home island. It was a little nostalgic, and he couldn't help but grin. That grin didn’t relent, even as the ice ogres that were his opponents cheered and snatched their fishing poles from a stand made of ice.

Thumpback raised a brow as he snatched a particularly large pole from the stand, and tip-toed across the ice, so gentle and quiet enough that none of the fish startled from his presence. A couple of holes were opened in the ice already, and some swarmed with fish, but Thumpback turned away and eyed a hole smaller than the rest. It would barely fit his rod, but the large, shadowy blobs that bobbed underneath its surface seemed promising. Thmpback steadied his rod, dropped the line in, sat down and grinned as he laid his rod beside him.

"Good things come to those who wait," Thumpback whispered as he twiddled his thumb, "and fishing is no exception."

Thumpback hummed as his eyes turned to the ice ogres, and he frowned as they hooted and hollered while they yanked out their lines. Didn't they know they were going to scare away the fish? If they wanted bigger catches than the ones they held, they couldn't scare away all the little ones! Surely, that was why the first of the ice ogres only yanked out a measly bluegill. While the first one only sighed at the sight of the fish they caught, the second shouted with delight as they yanked out a much larger sunfish! The sunfish slapped them in the face with its tail, but they seemed hardly displeased as they held their catch for all to see. In fact, they were as proud as ever—until the ogre beside it yanked out a much larger cod!

Tree Rex, Swarm and Eye gestured and mouthed something to Thumpback as the ogres all spat and quarreled over their catches, but Thumpback shushed them and turned back to his rod. The rod started to twitch as it rolled just slightly across the ice. Did he finally catch something? Thumpback lowered his head as the rod rolled right towards his foot, grinned and yanked it back up. He certainly had! The line tugged and frayed, almost prepared to snap, even, as Thumpback yanked it back and wound its reel as fast as he could!

Massive cracks formed in the ice in front of him. They were so big that the startled ice ogres immediately fled to the safety of the snow banks ahead, but Thumpback drew back and kept reeling. Parts of the ice drifted away into ice floes, and a low rumble came from within the waters.

"Yep," Thumpback groaned as he yanked his rod back with all the might he could muster, "this is definitely a big one!"

With one last grunt, the rod yanked itself up and snapped in half as Thumpback's catch landed on what remained of the shattered ice pond. The catch revealed itself to be a gigantic snow-catfish! It gasped for air as it shuddered the ground below it with a thud. Everyone around gawked in awe at its size, but Thumpback chuckled.

"That's the biggest snow-catfish I've seen in my life!" Thumpback crossed his arms. "I think this has to be a new record for me!"

The ice ogres' rods dropped from their hands as their catches scurried back into the waters.

Beside them, Noodles gnashed his teeth and tugged at his mohawk. "Ugh, fine! First point goes to the whale!" Noodles cried as he stormed off and grumbled. "Onto the next challenge!"

Thumpback adjusted his anchor's position on his shoulders, and chuckled as Tree Rex, Swarm, and Eye-Brawl joined him. The grins on their faces stretched up to their eyes, and Thumpback only smiled as he pulled up his anchor.

"That was amazing, Thumps!" Swarm cried as he nudged Thumpback's arm.

"You have quite the eye for fishing," Eye remarked with a sagely nod.

Thumpback chuckled as he followed after the ogres, his anchor kept tight over his shoulder. "It was nothing," Thumpback remarked, though he couldn't help but crack a grin of pride. After all, it was nice to know that he still had it, even after all this time!

The ice ogres glared down Thumpback as he finally caught up, and smirks crossed their faces. The head of their group trailed up to him and crossed their arms, almost as if they were irate behind those sly smiles they held.

"We're gonna win this, you know!" the head ice ogre cried.

Thumpback grinned and waved back at them. "Good luck with that, then!"

However, the ice ogres just scoffed and turned away! They mumbled something about someone being full of themself and the likes. Thumpback frowned; he was just wishing them well, so what got them so upset?

A warm gust of wind hit Thumpback's face, and he shuddered and shook it off as he lifted his eyes ahead. Warm air bubbled out from the pond ahead, but it seemed seemed more like a sauna with all the hot steam and bubbling water! It was an odd sight compared to the masses of snow that surrounded, which still seemed perfectly frozen in spite of all the heat. Yet, it was a welcome sight compared to the cold of before.

Thumpback pressed forward, peered in the waters, but flinched and stepped back as one of the bubbles popped in his face. He popped an eye open, and grinned as a large red fish with shiny scales swam away beneath the water! For that matter, it wasn't the only one. Fish in all shapes and sizes swam underneath the depths, and they seemed quite lively, too! Thumpback hadn't seen such a sight in a while.

"Alright, time for round two!" Noodles cried.

A metal, frost-covered bucket slammed down beside Thumpback's foot and scared away the fish. Thumpback raised a brow and gingerly plucked a squishy, spongy object from inside. The scent reminded him a bit of fresh bread, and its texture suggested it was warm and just made. Was this bait?

"For this challenge, you've gotta catch the most fish you can with those twenty-five pieces a'bait!" Noodles proclaimed as he crossed his arms. "And ya don't get any more, so don't ask!"

Noodles clapped his hands, and his ice ogres all lined up at the edge of the pond with fishing rods and buckets of bait in hand.

"Now start!"

The ice ogres all readied rods with five components stuck to one in a way that made them resemble flails more. They were all giddy at the prospect of what they'd catch, judging by the way they chattered and danced, but Thumpback smiled and shook his head.

Thumpback’s eyes turned to a similar rod stuck in the snow beside him, and then to the masses of fish that swam in the pond above. If catching a lot of fish was the name of the game, he knew just the way to do it! Thumpback stuck a bait piece to the rod, dipped it in the water and hummed as he jiggled his fishing rod around. The larger fish zipped past beneath the bubbles and waves the warm water provided, some moving with so much speed that the smaller fish went spinning away! The fish all yanked onto the hooks, and Thumpback yanked them out of the pond and into a nearby bucket! The bucket dinged with every fish that fell into it, but finally brandished a bright thirty—not bad for his first catch!

The ice ogres all blinked and gasped as they examined Thumpback's bucket, and then turned their eyes to the catches on their own lines. One got five, another got seven, but the third got twelve, the biggest catch of them all from their ranks. It was a little small, but Thumpback didn't understand just why they shouted at each other and waved all their lines around. Scaring the fish away wouldn't give them any bigger catches!

"Alright, I'm throwing it all on the line!" cried one ice ogre as they shook their catches onto the empty bucket beside them and yanked bait out by the handful.

They immediately attached all their bait to their rods, tossed it in, and grinned as they yanked out fish by the tens. They tossed their fish into the bucket as it lit up to forty-five, and the grin on their face grew even smugger as they gazed at Thumpback.

"Think you can beat that, you oversized barnacle-blower?" the ice ogre called from the other side of the pond.

Thumpback chuckled, stuck the rest of his bait on his line and tossed it in. "Ah, kids, always so competitive," Thumpback remarked as he spun his lines around, jiggling it just so that it mimicked the patterns of swimming fish. "Everyone knows the fun in fishing is getting the catch, not beating the rest!"

The lines all tugged and yanked at once, and Thumpback yanked them out to reveal what had to have been half the pond at least! Fishes in all shapes and sizes gnawed at his line in some attempt to get their share of the bait. Thumpback tossed them into his bucket, which rattled and spun as the number displayed changed to an eighty-five.

"Sixty-five fish on one rod?" Thumpback remarked as he scratched his head. "Not bad, not bad!"

The ice ogre who mocked Thumpback before blinked his wide eye as his rod slipped out of his head. His face turned awfully pale and sickly-looking. Was he getting sick?

"No, no way," the ice ogre sputtered as he stumbled backwards and fell into the snow. "I used all my bait too…"

The other two ice ogres both screamed and frantically tossed their lines in. One gasped with glee as his line got a bite, but yanked it out to find that there was no fish to be found—just empty lines. So, he growled and fixed his line with more bait.

"This time for sure!" the ogre cried as he tossed his line back in. He frowned, gasped and grinned as his line very barely tugged! He yanked it out, but once more, there were no fish or bait to be found!

The ogre grunted as he prepared to toss his line back in, when his companion screamed with glee as they pulled back on their own rod!

"I've got something, I've got something!" the other ice ogre cried. Their reel spun out of control as they held the rods tight. "It’s a big one, I can feel it!"

The other ice ogre grunted as they pulled and tugged while they struggled to steady the reel, but screamed as they flew into the boiling waters head-first! Garbled, muffled screams came from the pond as the ogre flailed their legs. Their two companions rushed over and yanked them back onto the snow! Steam burst from the ice ogre’s red, boiled skin as they groaned and laid down in a snowbank, and their broken rods disappeared underneath the water.

Noodles sighed and crossed his arms.

"Welp, guess this round is over!" Noodles cried as he clapped his hands. "Everyone, bring ya catches here!"

Thumpback chuckled as he brought his bucket over, and dropped it into the snow with such force that the fish flopped and slapped each other. The ice ogres reluctantly brought in their buckets as well. Even without a formal count, it was clear from the bucket's numbers who won. After all, the ice ogres’ buckets were so sparse, with even the most filled one barely breaching the bucket's top.

Noodles gritted his teeth as his eyes fell on the massive bucket of fish. "Er, er, uh, the, the, the, that…" Noodles sputtered, but finally, he groaned and buried his head in his hands. "UGH, FINE, THE WHALE WINS ROUND TWO!"

The ice ogres all groaned and grumbled amid each other as Noodles flipped the table and dumped all the fish back into the waters.

Noodles just patted them on their back as they sulked. "Hey, chin up, fellas! We've still got the final round ahead of us!" Noodles remarked as he raised his brows. "Have you forgotten what we're doing then?"

The ice ogres raised their brows, and their frustration turned to concerning confident smirks and mumbles of agreement. They all smiled and mumbled to each other as Noodles joined in on their laughter, but paused and peered up as Thumpback cleared his throats.

"Er, pardon my intrusion on your laughter," Thumpback remarked, "but, just what is the final round, exactly?"

"Just follow me, whale!" Noodles cried.

Thumpback gulped, and he and the others all trailed up the vast masses of snowy hills. Snow and frozen plantlife crunched underneath their feet as they trekked up the masses and over the hills. Finally, the masses disappeared for a large, round, icy marble platform with a part free of gating that stretched out into docks. Wispy clouds decorated the skies around them, and bellows sounded from the skies as large, blue, Leviathan-like creature soared along… Wait, those had to be…

Thumpback gasped as his anchor nearly slipped from his grip. Beside him Tree Rex hiked up and frowned.

"What's wrong, Thumpback?" Tree Rex remarked as he gently nudged Thumpback's shoulder. "I don't see anything strange."

"Unless you count sky-fishing strange," Swarm remarked as he flew up and crossed his arms. "I don't see anything other than those weird blue things."

"That's exactly it!" Thumpback gasped as he wrung his anchor's chain in his hands. "Those aren't just any weird things—those are, they…"

"Leviathan Cloud Crabs!" Noodles jeered as he stuck out his chest and smirk. "They're the final test! Whoever can catch one of these guys and bring 'em back here automatically wins a bounty of one million points!"

"ONE MILLION?" Tree Rex, Swarm and Eye sputtered at once.

"This whole thing was a setup, wasn't it?" Swarm shouted, his face red and incensed as he glared down Noodles. "You were just stringing up along! Why, I oughta—"

"Just leave him be, Swarm."

Swarm paused, and the crimson in his face faded as Thumpback pushed him back. Thumpback steeled his lips and calmed his trembling hands. His eyes fell on the ice ogres that flanked Noodles, all of whom peered back at him with the same snide looks that Noodles held.

"I accept your challenge," Thumpback said, his voice cold and clear as he held out his hand. "May the best fisher win."

The ice ogres blinked as their eyes fell on Thumpback's massive hand, and then, they fell on their backs and kicked their legs as they burst into laughter.

"Oh, we're not gonna be the ones fighting you!" one ice ogre shouted between chortles. They wiped tears from their face as they came back to their feet, smirked and gestured over to Noodles. "The commander's gonna do that!"

"They're right!" Noodles cried.

With a single whistle, the robot zoomed over, and nearly blew away the rickety boat stationed at the docks!

"Noodles is catching them in my robot suit and you… Get that boat, Noodles supposes."

"Hold on, that's hardly fair!" the ghost cried as he got up and hovered over Tree Rex's shoulder. "You've got an advantage!"

Thumpback didn't particularly fuss himself. He slung his anchor over his shoulder, silent and steady, trailed across the docks and hopped into the boat. Its boards creaked as he manned the wheel, and beside him, Noodles flew up in the robot and sneered.

"Good luck—not!" Noodles cried as he dashed off.

Thumpback freed his ship and steered off. The clouds parted around him as his eyes fell on the pod of cloud crabs who flitted and flew without a care in the world, and his gaze only tensed. The Leviathan Cloud Crab, the one thing he was never able to catch—before, that is. He was young and inexperienced when he first tackled the beast, but this time, he would definitely catch it in his grip. His grip tensed on the wheel's pegs, and he only flew further ahead. After all, he had to.

"Cloud Crabs are pretty tough little things," Thumpback mumbled under his breath. "Not only are their hides incredibly tough, but they're quick to panic and slow to give up. If you aren't careful, they'll be the ones catching you!"

Thumpback slowed the ship's pace as his eyes fell on a smaller Cloud Crab—a yearling, by the looks of its size. It rested asleep and content on a soft cloud, while bellowing snores emerged from the mouth of the beast. Something like this would probably be the easiest of the bunch. Thumpback crept closer and closer, but the sound of rockets burning screeched across the horizons!

"What, are you scared of a little crab or something?" Noodles jeered as he zipped past Thumpback. "What's it gonna do, eat you?"

Noodles guffawed as he paused in midair, and his eyes fell on a particularly large Leviathan Cloud Crab with a hide covered in scratches—no doubt a bit of a fighter. Noodles' fingers clasped and stretched, almost as if he planned something. Wait, he couldn't be! Noodles cried out, latched right onto that Leviathan Cloud Crab, and snatched it in a chokehold!

The Cloud Crab wailed and screeched as something as big as itself held it tight, and its spines leaped off of its hide as they pierced through everything around! They tore holes in clouds, smashed into nearby glaciers, and bounced off the hides of other Cloud Crabs, who only screeched and swam off in a hurry. One of the even nearly grazed the side of Thumpback's vessel, and forced him to veer away!

In lieu of Thumpback's ship, the spine instead tore through the cloud that the yearling slept on, and gave it quite the rude awakening! The yearling screeched and zipped off. Thumpback snarled and gripped his wheel.

"Full steam ahead!" Thumpback cried as he zipped off.

He caught a glance behind to where Noodles struggled with the Cloud Crab he had caught, but Thumpback only scoffed and pressed on—he had no time to waste! The yearling panted, laid on another thrush of clouds ahead, and groaned once more as it fell back asleep. Its snores rumbled across the skies, yet those skies stayed completely vacant of everyone save for the Cloud Crab and Thumpback. Thumpback had a chance!

Thumpback smirked, slowed down the ship to a crawl, and dove behind another group of clouds as he inched closer. His movements were slow-paced and careful; he moved just mere inches as he crept around the clouds, and closer towards the sleeping yearling. It only groaned as it occasionally twitched its fins in its sleep with no mind paid to Thumpback's intrusion. He had his catch in his grasp, and now all he needed to do was reel it in.

Thumpback docked his ship beside the yearling and gulped. The easy part was over, but now he faced his biggest challenge—catching the Leviathan Cloud Crab itself. Thumpback's eyes fell on the anchor in his rugged palms, his one companion through many fights and fishing trips alike. It probably wasn't the ideal rod for a normal Cloud Crab, but it would suffice for a yearling this small. Thumpback lifted up his anchor, swung its chain around like a lasso, cast it out, and looped it around the Cloud Crab's neck! The Cloud Crab grunted, and its eyes popped open as the chain tightened around its neck. Thumpback held the chain's base tight in his grip still, and quickly squeezed it tighter as he rushed off the deck and prepared to leap!

"Oh no you don't!" Noodles bellowed from below.

A flash of bright blue light streaked through the clouds as it pierced holes through a row just above the yearling's head, and the yearling squealed! It zipped off across the clouds. The chain still stood tight on its neck, despite its thrashing and flailing in some attempt to free itself of the bindings.

Dangled below that chain was none other than Thumpback! He screamed, and dug his claws further around the chain's cold silver as he swung from side to side. His eyes fixed on the yearling's underside, and definitely not the massive drop below that awaited him should he let go! Thumpback did cast a quick glance aside to where Noodles still wrestled with that older Cloud Crab, all while Noodles shot lasers in every direction!

Another fleet of lasers flew above the yearling courtesy of Noodles, and it squealed as it dove down! Thumpback shot up; his hide lashed with sharp blasts of wind, and his gums flapping in the breeze as he ground his teeth. His hand flew up, brushed away from its position on the anchor's chain by the cold breeze that hit him, but he latched onto a link further down the chain and grunted. He let his other hand fly free off, grunted and latched onto another lower part of the chain.

The yearling screeched as it thrashed its tail, and Thumpback was whipped from side to side, little more than a ragdoll on a thin string as he clutched his anchor's chain for dear life. Finally, one powerful tail slam knocked Thumpback right atop the yearling's carapace! Its tough, thick scales scratched into the side of his chest and left a stinging reminder of the impact, but it left little more than an annoyance in Thumpback’s mind.

Thumpback pushed himself up, and clung to a spine on the yearling's back as a grounding force. The yearling calmed some as it swam through the skies, and thankfully, the chains Thumpback tied still rested around its neck! Thumpback trudged across the carapace, clinging from spine to spine in case of another sudden outburst; as his foot brushed against cold metal, he bent down and clung to the chains like a horse's reins.

"Alright, little guy," Thumpback cooed as he petted the yearling's carapace, and it hummed as its furious flying slowed underneath his touch. "It's okay, I'm a friend. I just need you to take me somewhere, alright? I'll let you go right afterwards. Can you do that?"

The yearling cooed back, and its spines flattened against its back. Good, he seemed to have earned its trust! With a gentle tug of the chains on Thumpback's end, the yearling soared up, spinning through clouds before it hit the top of the stratosphere and glazed down. Amid the masses of ice, snow, and mountains, Thumpback could make out the meeting point. It was just a few clicks down from where he was! Thumpback grinned, snapped the chains and sent the yearling flying down.

The yearling corkscrewed through the skies, cold air twirling around as it dove closer and closer to the meeting point—but something smashed into it, and sent it tumbling across the skies at the last minute! Some of the yearling's spines snapped off; the broken spines fell into the abyss as the screaming yearling flailed and thrashed its fins once more. Thumpback screamed as his grip started to slip from the reins. His claws dug into the holes in the chains' links at just the right moment, and Thumpback gripped back onto the chains as he flipped himself atop the carapace.

A bellowing cackle scared off the remaining Leviathans Cloud Crabs. While they fled, Noodles floated back down in his robot suit with his own Leviathan Cloud Crab unconscious underneath his suit's arm!

"Sorry, buddy, but you're not catching any more fish today!" Noodles insinuated as he pointed a finger at Thumpback. "You may have beaten Noodles' minions, but Noodles is smarter than they are!"

"I wouldn't quite say that," Thumpback spat underneath his breath. Thumpback's eyes turned to the back, where a thick, fluffy mass of clouds blocked off most of the skies—the perfect detour! Thumpback snapped the reins and yanked the yearling around before he high-tailed it towards the clouds.

"Wait, get back here! Noodles didn't say you could leave!"

Noodles' cries came a little too late. Thumpback already dove into the clouds and drove through their masses! The scent of cold air brushed against Thumpback's hide, and filtered around him as Noodles' screams came from the outside; the screams muffled from both distance and the thickness of the clouds. Thumpback grinned and popped right out. He took a moment of pause and turned the yearling around. Noodles was no more than a speck in the distance from where Thumpback laid, and better yet, the meeting point wasn't that far.

"Time to reel in my catch," Thumpback whispered. He cracked the reins again, and his grip tightened as the yearling zipped back off. "FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

The scenery around blurred as the yearling flew as fast as it could, swerving around clouds and ducking from the odd iceball flung! Aside of those, the skies were clear and perfect for the taking. Thumpback could even hear his companions' cries and cheers from down below despite the altitude, but Thumpback just frowned and squeezed the chains further. If there was one thing his days as a younger fisherman taught him, it was that he should never count his catches before they were caught. So, he just powered through another clouds, its wispy fragments curling up and vanishing behind him as he sped right past it!

"There you are, whale!" Noodles cried across the horizon.

Thumpback gasped and yanked the yearling back with such abrupt timing that it leaned back; if not for Thumpback's tight grip around the yearling itself, he might've fallen off! But, he stayed with his grip tight as Noodles fell down in front of him. His moment of pause must have been just what Noodles needed, for Noodles immediately shot a laser right for him!

The laser slammed into the yearling and singed its underside. The yearling screamed and thrashed around, shaking its fins and tail with all the fury it could! This time, it was so sudden and soon that Thumpback's grip slipped, and he tumbled down along the yearling's carapace! The sharp scales dug into his back, leaving it raw and sore as he slammed into the yearling’s side. One last bump knocked him off, and he went plummeting through the skies!

"Thumpback!" Tree Rex, Swarm, and Eye all cried down below.

Their cries were nothing compared to the haughty laughter of Noodles from above. He hovered above the yearling and leaned his head down, his eyes bright as he drank in the sight of Thumpback's fall.

"You lose, whale!" Noodles cackled.

Noodles' laughter spun around, a crashing wave in Thumpback's ears as he collapsed in the vast seas of the endless skies. His friends' cries resounded in tandem behind him, and the world around turned cold and gray. The voices around melted away to the voices of pirates crying, cawing, and shouting, and a distant memory flashed in his mind as an illusion of a large pirate ship sailed across the sky. He came so close, yet once again, the Leviathan Cloud Crab was the one to catch him and drag him into the depths!

Wait, no! Thumpback shook his head, latched onto a spine from the yearling's tail, and gripped it as tight as he could! He cast a glance down below to where Brawl seemingly pointed towards him, the exact gesture masqueraded by the distance, but Thumpback pulled his head up and turned back to the yearling's carapace. Large spines shot out from its back, their bodies thick and long enough that they could easily be used as a ladder!

Thumpback swung around and leaped towards the first, pulled himself atop it and towards the next! The yearling roared and leaned back, and Thumpback himself nearly slipped—but at the last moment, he yanked onto the spine and swung around. He launched himself towards the next spine; with one last swing, Thumpback swung back and leaped onto the carapace as the yearling calmed itself. He dashed up and reclaimed his seat at the yearling's head!

"Ha! Ha ha! Noodles won, you lost!" Noodles bellowed as he spun around. "Noodles won, you're—" Noodles turned around, and gasped as his eyes fell to where Thumpback sat on the yearling's head. "HERE!"

"You can't get rid of me that easily, I'm afraid!" Thumpback cried as he tightened the chains and snapped them once more. "If there's one thing a fisherman has to be, it's persistent!"

The yearling wailed, and it zipped right for the unconscious Leviathan Cloud Crab that laid in Noodles' arms. The yearling crashed right into it, and smacked it right out of Noodles' grip with just enough power that it slapped the older Leviathan Cloud Crab awake! The older Leviathan Cloud Crab shook itself and snarled as its eyes fixed on Noodles, and all the spines on its torn, weathered back rose as one!

"What the—" Noodles cried right as the older Cloud Crab rammed right into his chest/

While Noodles tended to his ornery catch, Thumpback zipped right off, turned the yearling around, and dove right back towards their meeting place at the docks! The yearling’s hastened flaps and tail wags came to a slow close as it docked itself on the snow, snorted and closed its eyes. A few content huffs came from it as it flopped against the cold snow and snored.

Thumpback chuckled as he slipped the anchor from its neck. "Thanks for your help, little guy," Thumpback said as he patted the yearling on the belly. "Get some rest, you deserve it."

Thumpback straightened out his anchor and turned around. His eyes first fell on the other ice ogres that belonged to Noodles' team, all of whom had wide eyes with tiny pupils and jaws left agape. They dropped their own arms, as if they couldn't believe what sat in front of them! Thumpback's view of them quickly blocked off as Swarm rushed in and swarmed Thumpback. (See, even he could make puns if he chose too!)

"That was awesome, Thumps!" Swarm cried as he slapped a hand against Thumpback's shoulder. "You really pulled a fast one on that dude!"

"We almost thought you were a goner for a moment!" Eye exclaimed as he popped off of Brawl and floated around Thumpback.

"Ah, there's no need to worry, you two," Thumpback replied as he turned to them both. "Even though I haven't been out to sea for a while, I've still got it!"

Tree Rex chuckled as he approached Thumpback, but it was the ghost on his shoulder who really grinned as he floated up to Thumpback.

"Does this mean I can finally get my home back?" the ghost asked.

"Absolutely, little one!"

The ghost beamed, and he sparkled so brightly that he started flickering! He stabilized himself and dodged behind Tree Rex's arm.

"What's this about taking things?" Noodles exclaimed as he flew down to the docks. The chest of his robot now stood covered in scratches, and it sparked in some areas.

Thumpback snarled, and he wrung the chain of his anchor as he turned to Noodles. "We had a deal, Noodles!" Thumpback cried as he held his anchor low. "If I won, you'd give us that robot back! So hand it over!"

"NO WAY!"

Noodles' cry bellowed through the area, and shook the snow off the ground while everyone struggled to keep footing.

Noodles' eyes glowed red. "You guys cheated the whole time! Noodles isn't gonna let a cheater take his robot!"

"But you weren't exactly being fair either, you know!" the ghost hissed from behind Tree Rex's shoulder. The air chilled around him as his eyes glowed. "Not to mention, it isn't even your robot to begin with!"

Noodles screamed again, and the ghost shuddered as he dove behind Tree Rex's shoulder—but, the ghost was forced to flee as Noodles pounded his fists against the ice! The boat and docks all crumbled underneath the weight of Noodles' attack. Noodles' eyes glowed with an even more furious crimson than before.

"Noodles is gonna wipe you cheaters off the face of Skylands!"