Author's Note ~
The easy thing about this one: we had to copy and paste paragraphs and edit them slightly. THANK GOSH!
»»————- ————-««
The simple words: "three weeks ago" were written across the screen as the screen lit up in a soft glow from the rising sun.
Skinny legs kicked the pedals of a bike as they rode on the street as families said their goodbyes to their loved ones for the day. As Eli passed on his bike, tossing newspapers on every porch, a bright light reflected on his glasses, eyes landing on the strange smoking object that rapidly fell from the sky.
He gasped, flipping over a fire hydrant when his bike collided with the solid object. Within the sky, the falling foreign object was filled with familiar screaming as Varvatos called to them.
Eli was quick to perk up, he remembered seeing this moment before, the day when he noticed the ship crossing through the sky. It was strange to see it again, not like flipping over a fire hydrant was his best moment.
But why were they seeing it again?
"Uh, is this a glitch or something?" Mary asked. "We already seen this."
"Trust me, there is no glitch," Douxie admitted as he leaned back in his chair.
"Hang on!" The alarm blared as sparks cascaded through the inside of the ship, a piece flying from its hold and embedding in the ground, out of sight of the Arcadia residence as it landed in the woods.
Only for the ship it had left to continue farther from it, crashing.
Aja and Krel grew confused, never noticing something flying from their ship. They also don't remember it becoming the center of attention.
Numerous days passed, leaving the strange object untouched as it lit through the darkness, the moon vacant from view. As the night was silent, the view combed over the woods, just as birds squawked, fleeing as a massive red troll rampaged as he ran.
Orange magic poured from his hands as he picked up a tree, throwing it behind him and causing Jim to swerve as he gave chase on his Vespa, cladded in his armor. Claire had been perched behind him, staff raised while the others followed close behind.
"Just once, I'd like a Troll to visit Arcadia for another reason than destroying the world." The Trollhunter hissed as he easily dodged the flying objects.
The class cheered at the sight of their heroes, Jim and Claire turning to face one another with a surprised look.
"It's the Trollhunters! We missed you guys!"
"Uh, we're right here." Toby started.
"Yeah, I know."
"Take it up with the tourism board," Toby said as he was perched on Aaarrrgghh's back. Behind, Blinky was deep in a book as he followed, reading different passages.
"According to the Venerable Bedehilde, Porgon is a trickster troll causing chaos and trouble."
'With a name like Porgon, can you blame him?" Toby replied. Speaking of the trickster troll, Porgon was laughing as he cut through the woods, throwing more random glowing objects. Whatever had been tossed was hard to avoid, however, thanks to Claire, she had opened a portal in the nick of time, swallowing the object.
"Nice one," Jim commented with a smile.
"Yes, Jimmy Jam, support your butt-kicking girlfriend!"
"Mary, please don't."
"Dabbling in magic," Blinky continued, seeming to be a lot farther from the group than last time, "Trickster trolls herald discord and disorder–"
"Incoming!" Toby yelled, interrupting Blinky, but the six-eyed troll didn't seem to care.
Aja and Krel looked at the group that had been on screen, connecting the pieces. "So, this is what you guys do and why you are so known."
"Yeah, they watched our secrets, past and future. It was strange at first."
"We remember the armor when you were catching lighting in a bottle. But now you look different," Krel answered, turning to Jim.
"I was turned into a half-troll. Sacrificing for the good of the world, you know."
"Strange, I do not remember being around when you changed forms."
"--To both human and trollkind alike," Blinky screamed in panic before diving from the projectile, the book bouncing and tumbling away from him. The book collided with Toby's head, the boy lost the grip on his hammer as he flipped forward.
The small action caused disorder as Aaarrrgghh caught Toby, tucking the boy in his arms and rolling, nicking Jim's wheel and causing them to lose control. Claire screamed as the Vespa jerked, crashing into the ground and throwing both Claire and Toby into a nearby bush.
"Wow, talk about the domino effect," Barbara joked. "What happened to the agile group?"
"It was not my fault when I was researching," Blinky replied before Toby was ready to speak up.
Seeing the enemies taken out, Porgon laughed just as his foot caught the strange metal object lost from the Akiridion ship. He crashed into the ground and turned to face what had taken him out.
"Shiny," he said, pulling it from the dirt just as Jim emerged from the darkness, sword raised as Blinky appeared behind him. The object within Porgon's hand had begun to glow, confusing him. "Shiny thing, whoa!"
It lit up in a blue and orange ball, Jim's eyes wide as he shielded his body. In front of him, Porgon was deformed and misshaped before being sucked away, the blue blast ricocheting off Jim's shield.
Jim panted as Claire appeared behind both him and Toby. "Well, that Porgon guy sure knows how to make an exit," Toby states.
"Where'd he go? He just...vanished," Jim said while rubbing his head.
The team stared in confusion, they couldn't remember doing this. They remembered beating him but never wondering where he went.
"Why didn't we see this in Jim's storyline? This seemed really important. I think."
"I know, it's weird."
"Perhaps the trickster caused a disturbance in the continuum."
From the confused Trollhunters, the scene changed as the soft sun rays landed on a small alarm clock near the bed, music blaring from the small clock.
Easy peasy, lemon squeezy
Aja groaned as she silenced the alarm clock, she let out a yawn as her feet moved to the floor. However, instead of the tired and dreadful look that everyone usually wore, Aja was awake and ready, pulling off epic moves in her mirror with her weapon.
"Aja Tarron, Warrior Princess." She blew into her serrator. "Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me?" From her serious face, Aja giggled before exiting her room, finding her family already awake and at the counter.
Steve smiled at the scene, he wasn't sure how she could captivate him so much. He stared at her in wonder, loving the tough but goofy side. He should blame the soft feeling on Jim if anything. Steve wouldn't be questioning everything he knew about himself if he hadn't grown so soft and cared about others.
Maybe it was for the better, he got to be with Aja.
Krel and the robot father were sitting at the counter while the mother poured drinks, flipping pancakes and sticking them to the ceiling, along with numerous other pancakes.
"Ahoy-hoy, sleepyhead." On the floor, Luug was jumping up excitedly waiting for the pancake. It peeled off the ceiling, landing on top of the Blank father as he wasn't phased, reading the paper.
"The thing about pancakes is that they sometimes fall flat." He said as others fell, Luug growling in anger for not being able to eat the discarded food.
"We need to claim a good table," Krel started, staring at a piece of paper as Aja sat next to him, catching raining pancakes on her plate. "Somewhere with heavy foot traffic but away from the bathroom, then we'll make friends with the judges. Remember flattery never hurts."
"What in sweet Seklos are you rambling on about?"
"The Arcadia Oaks High Science Fair. It's today." Luug was waiting excitedly for a pancake to fall, however, Krel had caught the pancake without looking, taking a bite from it while Luug leaped into the air, trying to get a bite. "Aw, don't tell me you forgot."
"Okay, I won't tell you."
"Aja!"
"I've been distracted. Today is my first day of warrior training with Varvatos." She said as Luug finally caught a falling pancake.
"Indeed," Varvatos said as he stepped into view. "Varvatos will teach you the beautiful art of combat. How to reign terror and agony down on your enemies before crushing to slop like the Skeltegs they are."
"What's the first lesson? Jumping down from a speeding spaceship? Taking down an opponent with three hands behind my back?" Aja asked, acting out each force she would deliver. "Face-kicking? I really do love face-kicking."
"Sitting quietly," Varvatos answered as he pulled the pancake from his hands and sat on the chair behind him. "Varvatos shall demonstrate," he said as he stared at the empty seat behind him, Aja giving him a questioning look as he cleared his throat.
Blinky nodded in agreement, "something Master Jim has learned through his time being our protector."
"Mmhmm, the Guardian of Arcadia, if he wasn't patient in a lot of things, we could be dead right now."
"Uh..."
"It's okay, Jimmy, we forgive you for running into the Darklands."
"You cannot be serious."
"The greatest skill a warrior can hone is patience, like an Opherus Viper hiding in wait for its prey among the reeds of Siris-8."
"I am losing my patience with this lesson already, you seem to forget that I helped you fight off the Zernos." A flashback of Aja standing tall on the billboard, kicking an enemy down.
"Help was circumstantial, not needed," Aja growled in frustration and sat on the chair.
"Fine!"
"Or asked." Varvatos seemed to handle the task fine, closing his eyes. Beside him, Aja was shaking her leg, looking everywhere as her body language spoke loudly of her growing boredom.
She sighed before humming, only to let out another sigh and drop in the chair. However, her eyes landed on a massive box her brother had been pushing on the floor.
"My entry for the fair of science requires two people to properly execute. Aja, I need to obtain the blue ribbon of scientific excellence." Aja came to a stand, turning to face Varvatos.
"Okay, learned patience, time for face-kicking."
"Varvatos gathers you desire a more active lesson."
"Yes, exactly."
"Assist the King-in-waiting with his ribbon quest."
"What?" Aja cried out, turning to face her brother.
"Aiding your allies is the most important for an honorable warrior." Aja groaned out as Krel struggled to push his box against the floor.
"Thank Seklos," Krel grunted as he struggled. "This box is heavy."
"Sitting and science fairs? What kind of warrior training is this?"
"The kind where you do what Varvatos tells you to do." Aja groaned again as Varvatos stared at her like a strict parent as she stomped off.
Back at the Planetarium, birds were chirping as a crowd formed in front of the building, indistinctive talking echoing through the yard as Aja and Krel panted, struggling to move through the people with the heavy load.
Krel's back collided with Shannon, knocking her to the ground and breaking her volcano, the strange liquid inside bubbling out.
Everyone looked at Shannon as she sighed defeatedly, She didn't remember the day going exactly like this but she knew that this was a bad day due to her project being ruined.
"My volcano!" She cried as Aja looked at her, eyes softening.
"Oh, sorry. It looked very nice." Aaja said as they finally made it into the building, Crowds gathered around tables, and Steve stared down another volcano, turning to look at Eli.
"What do you mean you didn't make me a science project, too?"
"We're best buds now, that means I don't have to do your homework anymore."
"I am not going to lie, this is still weird for me." Mary started.
"The world is changing, everything we once knew is all wrong! It's like Eli getting lucky on his growth spurt."
"I will have one!" Eli cried out
"Yeah, I'm starting to believe that now, after all, expected the unexpected! One of our students is a fricken troll. A cool one at that too." The student winked at Jim whose eyes grew wide in response as Claire laughed.
"And here you thought it was bad."
"I don't know how to feel anymore."
"But don't you still want to do it?" Eli rolled his eyes as Aja and Krel passed, yet, Krel's eyes were on each table, spotting all different types of volcanos, but the projects were similar.
"Kleb-tastic!" Krel chuckled, dropping the box on the table and shocking his sister, who still seemed unpleased to be there. "My project is nothing like these amateurs." He removed the box, shocking Aja as a strange claw-looking object appeared.
She gasped, "you brought the daxial array here? Are you out of your mind?"
"No, no, no. A component. The greatest minds on Earth will be judging the fair. Finally, I will meet my intellectual peers, I will form a symposium of scientific genius." Krel looked excited as he faced the door, the two judges stepping in, revealing both Miss. Janeth and Coach Lawrence.
"Okay, Lenora, let's judge this...stuff. I've got Pilates at 4:00."
"Oh, kleb." Krel groaned out, realizing who would be judging his project. Coach walked through, his clipboard pulled out as he scribbled notes onto the paper.
Ms. Janeth and Coach Lawrence stared at Krel with offended looks. They knew they didn't care about the science fair but when he was expecting great minds and reacted when he saw them, that did hurt.
"At least he didn't give you a hug right now," Eli mentioned.
"Please, Mr. Pepperjack. We do not bring that up."
"Um, another volcano.." He said as Mary held hers out. "C, get it together." The coach turned to Eli before diving at him. "Oh, you're trying to be fancy with apple cider vinegar. Well, I don't like it, Pepperjack."
Krel groaned and slouched his shoulders. "This is a symposium of imbeciles." He sat at the table, before looking in shock, reaching for Aja's retreating form. "Hey! Where are you going?"
"Wow, I should make you run laps. Do Aliens get tired of running? Is that really a punishment?"
"AKIRIDIONS!"
"Home to train, even if it's by myself." As she walked away, Jim and Toby had been slowly entering the building, Toby seeming a little more worried while Jim focused on his surroundings.
"You sure you saw him come in here, Jimbo?"
"Trust me, this is where Porgon will be," Jim stated before he ran into Aja, the two grunting as they collided.
"Huh, that's weird. I've never done that before," Jim stated.
Aja looked at the screen in surprise, when did she run into Jim? Also, why can she not remember such an event?
"Jim, what on earth are you talking about?" The boy shrugged, unsure what he meant but also why he had no memory of him meeting Aja beforehand. He glanced at Claire and Toby who shrugged before making eye contact with Blinky who also seemed puzzled by the situation.
The crowd was confused as they began to realize what Jim was thinking, but also what he meant when he said that he had never run into someone before.
"You've never bumped into someone before?"
"Not today," Jim stated as Coach called out to the crowd, ready to announce the winner.
"Jimbo, what are you talking about?"
"I have no clue!"
"And the winner is, Steve Palchuk for his unique, uh, traffic cone volcano." Steve turned around, revealing the garbage taped to it with a happy look.
"Huh?" He whooped before laughing, celebrating his win while both Eli and Krel seemed upset.
"Oh, come on!"
"Ha! I remember this part, in your faces!"
"How did you manage to put all of that together in little time?"
"How could I possibly be defeated? He's an oaf and blonde." Porgon appeared from the railing above, roaring loudly and instantly catching everyone's attention. Everyone gasped as Porgon leaped from the railing, crushing Mary and Darci's table as they screamed in terror.
Steve laughed at Krel but quickly quieted himself when he realized a troll was attacking. "I'm sorry, does anyone remember any of this happening?"
The crowd answered with murmurs of confusion before they glanced at Douxie who didn't seem bothered by the strange occurrence.
"What is going on? I thought we were seeing the past, how can we not remember this? I know this day happened." Eli stated as Douxie sat fully up, glancing at the crowd.
"Ah, it's a long story, you will see. All you should know is that this is the past, the day just plays out a little differently."
"Great, that doesn't sound too good."
He flipped and rampaged through the room, destroying anything he could as the crowd ran in fear, people yelling in question as Aja looked surprised.
"Kleb! Another bounty hunter?" Aja asked as Jim and Toby ran beside her, watching Porgon knock planets from their position. The kids ran from the rolling planets that were ready to crush them, the troll that caused the issue was laughing with joy.
Planets flew in each direction, crushing anything they landed on, even Shannon's fixed volcano. She yelped, staring down at it in disbelief. "I just fixed it!"
"What is that?" Krel asked, Porgon's eyes landing on the table with his project, instantly captivated.
"Shiny!" Krel leaped from his massive fist which crushed the table, the troll's hand grabbing the strange claw-like tech.
"The Daxial Array!" Krel cried as the troll gave a confused look. His confused look landed on Jim who was charging at him, the troll leaping away as Jim cut the distance, pulling out the amulet.
"For the glory of Merlin, daylight is mine–" Aja yelled as she landed in front of Jim, her shield appearing and blocking a planet that Porgon threw, keeping Jim from harm's way. She tossed the planet, letting it lodge in the wall as Jim stared in shock.
"Jim, what did we say about putting yourself in danger that is avoidable!"
"It's not my fault, I don't even remember him attacking the science fair. We defeated him in the woods!"
"That's... that's new," Jim stated before following Aja, needing to know what she had and was dealing with. He gripped her wrist, studying the strange device, unaware it wasn't trollish.
"Let me go! I'm a warrior."
"What is that thing? How did you do that?" From behind, Claire appeared from a portal, charging at the troll.
"Trust the girl, Jim! We've got this troll." Claire said as a portal ripped open from above, Toby letting out a battle cry as he came falling out, hammer ready to smash the troll. Aja gasped as the blue light poured from the alien tech and her shield moved to cover her as everything happened at once.
Aja perked in her chair, She was fighting alongside a group of Trollhunters as they called themselves, but she knew she would meet them later on. It was strange and she needed answers on the strange occurrence.
It was also shocking how the boy reacted to her weaponry, as if he was used to something like that. Which made sense due to his own magical devices.
Right when Toby's hammer was about to collide with the troll a blue blast covered the room, leaving it in a blinding white light.
When the light faded, the same alarm clock appeared, reading 7:00 AM as the same song played.
"Wait, what happened?" Darci asked as they crowd looked at the screen, everyone silent as they could not come up with any decent answers.
Easy peasy, lemon squee–
Aja clicked off the song, yawning as she looked in confusion. She stepped out of her room, the same thing she had seen the previous morning was her family already awake and at the counter.
Krel and the robot father were sitting at the counter while the mother poured drinks, flipping pancakes and sticking them to the ceiling, along with numerous other pancakes.
"Ahoy-hoy, sleepyhead." On the floor, Luug was jumping up excitedly waiting for the pancake. It peeled off the ceiling, landing on top of the Blank father as he wasn't phased, reading the paper.
"The thing about pancakes is that they sometimes fall flat." He said as others fell, Luug growling in anger for not being able to eat the discarded food.
"Flat," Aja said, grabbing a plate. "I had the most peculiar dream." She caught a falling pancake.
"I have a dream, too. It's called a blue ribbon," Krel started, coming to a stand. "Come on, much to do, we need to claim a good table."
"You're talking about the Science Fair?" Aja questioned.
"Oh, good. You didn't forget."
"Are you reliving the same day over again, because that felt way too weird to be a dream."
"Maybe that's what happened, but why can't we remember this day going like that? Or meeting one another?" Toby asked, giving his team and the alien group strange looks.
"Who knows, but I have a feeling that it has something to do with the troll." Clarie replied, "Especially mixed with alien tech."
"Today is my first day of warrior training," Aja said softly.
"Indeed," Varvatos said as he stepped into view. "Varvatos will teach you the beautiful art of combat. The greatest skill a warrior can hone is patience, like an Opherus–"
As Aja continued to catch pancakes, she finished his thoughts out loud. "Viper hiding in wait for its prey among the reeds of Siris-8."
"How did you know Varvatos Vex's words before he spoke them?" Krel's voice cut through, catching Aja's attention.
"My entry for the fair of science requires two people to properly execute." She watched him push the box before facing Varvatos.
"Perhaps I should assist Krel today? Aiding your allies is most important for an honorable warrior."
"You impress me," Varvatos said with a smile. Aja ran to her brother's side who was leaning on the box.
"Thank Seklos, this box is heavy and much more important than face-kicking and all that nonsense."
Back at the Planetarium, birds were chirping as a crowd formed in front of the building, indistinctive talking echoing through the yard as Aja and Krel panted, struggling to move through the people with the heavy load.
Well, Krel was while Aja was growing confused. "I have the strangest feeling as if I've done this before."
"Do you mean like D'eja vu?" Shannon asked right before Krel's back collided with Shannon, knocking her to the ground and breaking her volcano, the strange liquid inside bubbling out.
"My volcano!" She cried as Aja looked at her, eyes full of confusion.
"Sorry, Shannon. Looks like you have to have it destroyed." Mary joked as the said female crossed her arms, pouting as she hated seeing her work being destroyed.
"Sorry, again?" As Aja passed Steve and Eli, she spoke in unison with Eli.
"That means I don't have to do your homework anymore."
"But, Buttsnack Pepperjack... don't you want to do it?" Aja repeated with Steve, confusing the two.
Krel chuckled, dropping the box on the table and he removed the box, Aja stared in question as a strange claw-looking object appeared.
"I know what you're trying to say," Krel started.
"You do? Oh, I thought I was going crazy!"
"My project is nothing like these amateurs. The ribbon is mine!" Aja growled in frustration before storming off. "Hey, where are you going? We're supposed to make friends."
Krel blinked, he didn't remember repeating the day but Aja had? Talk about being left in the dark. Which, he didn't know what was better, constantly living the same day unaware and possibly never getting out of it, or being aware and living the same day.
"I need to find answers!" She headed to the door, about to turn the corner when Jim's arm appeared, pulling her out of view.
"Okay, don't freak out," Jim started, grabbing her shoulders and stabilizing her. "My name is Jim Lake, and everyone's life here is in danger. But I think you can help me."
Aja glanced at Jim, so he remembered as well but no one else had. Not even his friends?
"This is strange."
"Agreed."
"Really? I'm training to be a warrior. Saving is a big part of the job." A roar echoed toward them, their attention to the same part where he was last time. Porgon appeared from the railing above, roaring loudly and instantly catching everyone's attention. Everyone gasped as Porgon leaped from the railing, crushing Mary and Darci's table as they screamed in terror.
"Again?" Aja asked, making Jim extremely happy.
"You remember!"
"Remember what?" Toby asked as Claire appeared, knocking him away from Aja and putting some distance between them.
"Jim, this isn't the time for introductions." The team gasped as the troll growled, watching him as he knocked planets from their position. The kids ran from the rolling planets that were ready to crush them, the troll that caused the issue was laughing with joy.
Mary turned to face Claire with a teasing grin, which Claire began to feel uneasy about as she stared down. "Looks like someone doesn't want her man standing so close to another woman."
"That isn't how it is at all," Claire replied.
"Mmhmm, that face says otherwise, how would you even know, we don't remember any of this."
"Mary, please, be quiet."
"Sorry, girl, I just have to tease." Mary grinned before leaning back to look at Jim and mouthing the word "jealous" as the Troll hybrid gave her a confused look.
"Sounds like Porgon figured out how to avoid sunlight. We're officially at DEFCON-screwed." Porgon held out his weapon, making Aja realize what was in his hand.
"That's Akiridion tech."
"It's what?" Jim asked in surprise. Krel leaped from his massive fist which crushed the table, the troll's hand grabbing the strange claw-like tech.
"The Daxial Array!" Krel cried as he tried to punch the troll, only angering it. He yelled out and dodged the fist as Claire shouted, opening a portal above the troll and Toby appearing.
Right when Toby's hammer was about to collide with the troll a blue blast covered the room, leaving it in a blinding white light. This time, Aja had covered herself with her shield.
When the light faded, the same alarm clock once again, reading 7:00 AM as the same song played, but hadn't made it far when Aja slammed her hand down on it with a growl.
Easy peasy–
She tossed it to the floor before angrily stomping from her room. Ignoring the same moment she was growing sick of.
"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."
"That song makes it so much worse."
"Ahoy-hoy."
A pancake peeled off the ceiling, landing on top of the Blank father as he wasn't phased, reading the paper.
"The thing about pancakes is–"
"Shush!" Aja hissed out, catching a pancake as Luug fell over the counter.
"You are not going to the Science Fair today," Aja said to Krel, her face full of anger.
"Yes, I am. I have it all planned out. We'll claim a good table–"
"Listen to me, little brother. You do not want to go near the planetarium."
"Of course, I do," Krel said, unaware of what her sister was doing. "I am going to get the blue ribbon of scientific excellence. What do you care? Don't you have your warrior training today?"
"Indeed," Varvatos said as he stepped into view. "Varvatos will teach you the beautiful art–"
"Yes, yes, yes." Aja started, pushing both Krel and Varvatos over to the chairs. "Let us all sit quietly and hone our patience. If we will sit here, nothing bad will happen today." Krel didn't seem too happy with the situation, crossing his arms as Luug swallowed a pancake.
"I'm going, with or without you," he scoffed, walking away before quickly returning. "Preferably with."
"Aiding your allies is most important–" Varvatos said.
"Fine, fine." Aja hissed, "I'm going to the Science Fair, but don't say I didn't warn all of you."
"Good thing they don't remember."
"Thank Seklos, this box is–"
"I know, the box is heavy," Aja mentioned before picking up the box, Varvatos watched her with curiosity.
"Something is going on with her."
Once again at the Planetarium, birds were chirping as a crowd formed in front of the building, indistinctive talking echoing through the yard as Aja and Krel moved through with their load.
However, this time, Aja quickly parted ways, moving in front of Krel to block her misfortune but it didn't work, Krel's back hit Aja as he struggled, causing Aja to knock into the one she was trying to protect.
Aja ran back to her brother's side, grabbing the box as Shannon stared at her destroyed project.
"Well, thank you for trying," Shannon said with a defeated look while Steve laughed.
"Please be more careful," Krel started.
"Sorry," Aja apologized as they walked off.
"My volcano," Shannon cried.
They passed beside Steve and Eli once more, "Don't you want to do it?" Steve asked but Aja was quick to reply.
"He hates helping you, Steve. Don't you get it?"
Steve glanced at Eli before gently shoving him, "You do?" It seemed to move quicker as Aja stepped away from Krel.
"We're supposed to–"
"Make friends, I know." Aja started, heading to the familiar destination, her serrator ready as Jim appeared behind her. Only sensing movement, unaware of who it was, she summoned her blade.
Jim held his hands over his head, yelping as the blade hovered over him. "Don't kill me." Aja's eyes grew before she pulled away, holding her head in question.
"What is happening? And why does it keep happening?"
"It's really weird, but I think it's because of a Trickster Troll."
"What's a troll?" Aja asked, turning to face him as Jim stepped forward, inspecting the room.
"The big stone guy with the anger issues, that's a troll."
All the trolls gave Jim a look as he laughed nervously, "I mean, am I wrong?" Blinky stared at the boy before thinking of his allies, nodding as his mind worked overtime.
"Okay, fine. But I do not have anger issues."
"Eh, sometimes I wonder," Toby mumbled and Blinky looked at him with an alarmed look.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing!"
"The last time this happened, my memories must have been protected by my serrator shield. And why do you remember?"
"I'm not sure," Jim answered, pulling out his amulet and placing it beside the serrator, both glowing with blue light. "But I think my amulet protects me."
"Your omelet?"
"I've been through today thirty times."
The crowd looked at Jim in surprise but instantly felt bad for the boy, that must have been annoying, to say the least.
Eli let out a loud gasp, gaining attention from everyone. "I finally understand what Jim meant when he said he's never run into someone before!"
"OH!"
"Wonder why it would change like that so randomly if he lived it 30 times already."
"And you did all of that without us? Poor Jimbo!"
"Thirty times?" Aja repeated, shocked.
"And then you used your glowy blue bubble thing–"
"Serrator," she corrected.
"And now we're the only two people who remember the time loop," Jim finished as Aja gave him a questioning look.
"You said I could save everyone."
"Yeah, because.." Jim started but was interrupted by Toby's scream that ripped through the air.
"Incoming, Jimbo." Jim gasped and pulled Aja away from Toby who had come shooting forward, falling as his hammer pulled him to the floor.
"Way to make an entrance, Toby."
"Thank you, I spent up all night practicing it."
"The sarcasm is not cool!"
"What do I have to do?" Aja asked as Porgon roared, leaping from the balcony. Kids screamed in panic as Claire and Toby charged once again.
"Listen, we're going to time loop again. I need you to trust me," Jim started as people ran in terror. "Tell me what Akiridion tech is."
"Uh, the technology is from a planet called Akiridion-5."
"How do you know?"
"Because it is also where I am from," Aja let her eyes close and slightly hesitated before opening them once more, the blue hue that blended into the black appeared as her entire body coated in a digitalized pattern, revealing her true form.
Jim had to shield his eyes from the light before Claire and Toby caught his attention, the two shouting out.
"You're telling me, that she told you who she was and you don't remember any of it?"
"Nope, not at all."
Right when Toby's hammer was about to collide with the troll a blue blast covered the room, leaving it in a blinding white light. This time, both Aja and Jim had blocked the blow with their weapons.
When the light faded, the same alarm clock once again, reading 7:00 AM as the same song played.
Easy Peasy-
This time, it was Jim's hand to reach for the clock, yet, a blue hand beat him to it. Jim quickly pulled his hand away, startled to have someone in his room.
"JIMMY JAM!"
"We missed your house, can we just go back to the good ol' days?"
"What the–" He jumped back in surprise as Aja looked at him. "You're an alien?"
"I really do not like that word, I prefer Akiridion." Jim looked rather confused, causing Aja to sigh. "You have a magic omelet and fight Troll creatures, this shouldn't be that strange."
"It's not, it's amazing."
"Thank you," Aja smiled before continuing with the issue at hand. "That Troll reset time again, I thought I'd save some by coming to you. You have a very nice house." She cleared her throat as Jim yawned. "Now, we must stop him from attacking the fair...again."
"Not yet," Jim started, grabbing his phone.
"More waiting? You sound like Varvatos."
"Porgon doesn't go down easy, this isn't a two-person—one-person-one-alien– whatever–job. We need backup." Aja gave a questioning look before the planetarium was seen again, however, it didn't follow the same track that had been repeated.
"Wait, wait, wait." Krel started, standing in a small clearing near the building but out of eyesight as he and his sister stood in front of the three Trollhunters. "I'm supposed to believe this peculiar, skinny-legged human when he says the space-time continuum has been altered, trapping us in the same auto-chronic cycle-"
"Time loop," Jim corrected. "And yes, something about your alien tech–"
Krel gasped, "I do not like that word. And I can't believe you told him about us."
Krel waved his hand, he didn't mind so much of Jim and them knowing, after all, they already had their secret they had to keep from the world, which was obvious when they met them because it wasn't hard to remember the obvious lie that Jim sold them on his armor when he was attracting metal.
"Focus, little brother."
Toby spoke up, caught on one thing. "Wait, hold up. You two are aliens?" Aja slightly gasped when Krel elbowed her, making his point. "Awesome sauce! Carry on."
"Sorry, I love all these new exciting things." Toby started.
"Remember when you called the swat team when you first found out about trolls?" Jim reminded, smiling.
"That was different, now it is all so cool!"
"We need to stop this Troll and get out of this endless cycle of repetition," Aja said as another quiet voice appeared, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh walking out from the darkness of the woods.
"Master Jim, I must insist that we resume our search for Porgon." Blinky started but had trailed off when a panicked gasp escaped Krel and he ducked behind his sister.
"Aja! Who..what are these?"
"Uh," Aja breathed out, unsure how to answer when Varvatos appeared behind the bushes, angered.
"Bounty hunters? I will protect you, my royals." He plucked Blinky from the ground, the troll yelling in fear before being launched out of view. Aaarrrgghh roared, punching Varvatos.
"Glorious!" He threw a punch at Aaarrrgghh.
"Glory."
"Glorious." Aaarrrgghh threw a punch back.
"Glory."
"Glorious! You are encased in some kind of stony armor." Varvatos tapped his knuckles against Aaarrrgghh's skin, stopping the fight.
"Glory."
"Glorious?" Aaarrrgghh repeated and laughed, punching Varavtos and knocking him back.
"Glory."
Unfortunately for Blinky who was struggling to stand, Varvatos pulled him from the ground and held him in a headlock, causing the Troll to scream in a panic.
"Get away from Varvatos Vex's charges, or suffer the slow and brutal pain of all your eyeballs being swiftly plucked," Aaarrrgghh growled but Jim and Aja quickly spoke up, speaking together in a panic.
Everyone laughs at Blinky's unfortunate attack upon him. The said troll grumbled and shook his head at Varvatos who only smiled in response.
"Stop, he's good!" Varvatos dropped Blinky as Aaarrrgghh relaxed slightly.
"What multi-eyed monster is this?"
"You are multi-eyed!" Blinky yelled out.
Blinky gasped in offense, "Monstrosity lies only in the humans' hearts. Do not judge a book by its cover."
"Why only our hearts?" Darci asked as Blinky stared at them.
"Pretty monstrous to us."
"So are you guys."
"....Fari."
"This is Blinky, my mentor and trainer." Blinky and Aaarrrgghh joined the kid's side, smiling despite being recently attacked.
"Lively, he was just attacked by my mentor and trainer."
Speaking of her trainer, Varvatos joined his side, "Varvatos wants answers or more punching with the big one."
"It's a long story."
"One that keeps repeating, apparently," Krel stated before their heads whipped in the direction of an angered roar, Porgon moving through the building as everyone screamed in terror.
"Grab your gear, Pepperjack. Got a creeper on my six." Steve said, fully dressed in his gear as he grabbed a bat, Eli appearing beside him with sharp stars in his hand.
"That's your twelve," Eli corrected before they charged at the troll, who laughed and held out the strange device, the blue orb of light pouring from the building and toward the group in the clearing.
"How do you guys always change in that so fast? Is it always under your normal clothes?"
"Don't ask."
"Quick!" Jim yelled. "Your blue bubble thing, it'll shield their memory." Aja gasped and quickly pulled out her serrator, covering the group as the light of blue bounced off the shield.
Again, the alarm clock was shown, flicking to 7 AM. Easy Peasy–
In the living room, Blinky stared up at Varvatos who paced the troll. "Hmm, you possess the four arms of a royal."
"Very perceptive, sir. You know, most Trolls see nobility and elegance in me." Back near the kitchen, Toby was collecting the falling pancakes, humming in delight as he licked his fingers.
"After they just attacked one another..."
"This robot Lady's cooking is almost as good as yours, Jimbo." The lady rubbed Toby's cheek as he smiled.
"Who's my little slugger." The robot mother spoke as the father joined them, almost spoiling Toby.
"You see, Eli. They are nice to them because they don't sneak around and make dumb decisions."
"Uh, probably because they can relate to one another."
"Later, we'll toss around the old pigskin. What do you say, champ?" While Aja and Jim sat near the living room, Claire and Krel stepped out from the hidden mothership entrance, Claire's mind blown as she returned.
"This is insane! Aliens are real."
"Akiridions."
"Sorry, Akiridions are real! And your house is secretly a spaceship, I have a million questions."
"Don't worry, she did this when she found out about trolls, she gets excite– OW!" Toby yelled out, rubbing his arm as Claire pulled her fist away, trying to muster up a glare.
"Ask away, Ms. Nunez." Mother spoke.
"Like how does your house know my name?" Aaarrrgghh was laughing as he rolled, Luug in his hand and barking excidelty.
"Boo-boo." Luug barked again, breaking wind, which had come out blue and shot in Aaarrrgghh's face who was unphased, smiling. "Wanna keep him!" Varavtos growled, and Aaarrrgghh quickly fixed what he said. "Uh, but won't."
"Luug seems to really like your large friend," Aja stated with a smile.
Luug began to lick Aaarrrgghh as Jim shared his excitement. "Your blue thingy worked, everyone remembers."
"But now we need to un-loop time."
"According to your description, the Troll appears to be carrying a Deykon Charger. It's a device that recycles energy but not time." Krel added before Claire spoke up.
"Porgon is a trickster, he could use Troll magic to–"
Toby interrupted, letting out a thought. "Oh, my gosh! It's like Blinky said, Porgon combined Troll magic and alien tech. It's like mixing chocolate and peanut butter to make–"
"A nougat nummy?" Jim asked.
"Not just any nougat nummy, Jimbo. The nougat nummy of reset button."
Darci laughed at her boyfriend's antics, he loved making those analogies and it was almost as sweet as him.
"Remember when he compared you to a Nogut Nummy when you became a troll?"
Toby was startled as Varvatos leaned over him, uncomfortably close to the boy. "Your teeth of steel are fascinating. Do you use them to chomp your enemies." The question went unanswered as Krel spoke up, holding his chin in a thinking manner.
"When this Porgon attacks, he always goes after a component of the Daxial Array."
"Uh, what?" Toby asked.
"If this Troll combines his magic with the subspace manifold, he could destroy time itself."
"We must destroy this device before Porgon can use it again," Aja started.
"Precisely!" Blinky said happily as Jim stood beside him.
"Yes, but we have to be careful, the second Porgon feels threatened, he'll send us back to this morning." Jim turned to look at the others but was met with one empty space. "Wait, where did Aja go?"
"She left right before you said we should be careful," Krel answered simply and Jim let out a sigh, facepalming.
"And no one realized she left?"
"I probably should have stayed," Aja admitted quietly. "It's still weird that I cannot remember me doing any of this, we seem to work well together and get along."
"Yeah, but we get to relive the day, again." Krel stated.
At the Planetarium, students screamed as Porgon rampaged through the building, roaring as he lifted a large piece of furniture. Suddenly, Aja let out a furious cry, in her true form, racing on her hovercraft.
"Give me the chocolate peanut butter device." She fired at the troll, knocking the tech from his hand but he managed to catch it in the other just as Aja had rammed into him, flipping from her board.
The troll let out a laugh as the device glowed once again, Aja instantly opening her shield and letting out one last word, "Kleb!"
Again, the alarm clock was shown, flicking to 7 AM. Easy Peasy–
Aja groaned as she left her room, holding her head as she rounded the corner, where Jim had been waiting, leaning against her fridge. She let out a gasp in surprise at his presence.
"Sorry, I got carried away."
"Okay, Jim, looking all good standing like that against the fridge."
"You guys are making me feel weird," Jim mumbled.
"Just imagine you standing like that in troll form! Whew!" Jim curled into himself as his mother and friends laughed at his expression.
"You should take that as a good thing."
"It's weird for me."
"Yeah, you did, you knucklehead," Toby said, back to catching pancakes.
"Knucklehead." Aja repeated, opening the door, "That is a fun word, but it does not sound like a nice one." She was ready to leave once more but Jim had stopped her, grabbing her by the shoulder.
"You can't just rush off into battle like that."
"I said I was sorry."
"You said you're training to be a warrior, but it takes patience," Jim started, and Aja didn't seem too thrilled to hear that word again. However, she was startled as Varvatos slammed the door.
Blinky nodded with a proud feeling toward his Trollhunter, glad that he understood what needed to be done.
"That is what Varvatos said!" Aja growled in anger but Jim was calm as he continued.
"I once rushed into a place called the Darklands by myself, if my friends hadn't helped me, a lot of people would've gotten hurt." He looked at Blinky and Claire who gave him heartwhelming expressions.
"You could have gotten hurt as well, even though Gunmar was out, he could have done so much to you if we didn't arrive on time. We don't want to lose you either."
"So, you made a mistake?" Aja asked, genuinely curious.
"I did, it was the worst thing I have done, I saved who I had to, but I had to make hard choices and face the consequences, I will never do something without thinking first. The way I felt when I left that place, it made me think."
"But how do you learn patience?"
"Sometimes through the hard way, but if you can, try to avoid it. If you need anything, you could always come to us for help as well." Jim stated as the Trollhunters nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, some of the kindest earthlings we met," Aja stated as Steve watched the interaction, the words pouring from his mouth before he realized he was speaking.
"Yeah, and I will be here too."
"Thank you, Steve."
"You don't understand, My mama and papa did get hurt, and now bounty hunters are after us. This is why I am training to be a warrior. This is why I cannot be patient." Aja dropped to her knees, "I cannot lose anyone ever again." Jim gave her a saddened look as Krel kneeled beside her.
"I don't think that's something we can control." The two siblings shared a side hug as Varvatos spoke.
"The King-in-waiting is correct. No amount of training can prevent tragedy. And the Lake hunting boy is also correct." Varvatos put his vast hand on Jim's shoulders, nearly knocking the boy over as he groaned out in pain. He tried to pry the hand away from him but couldn't. "You cannot vanquish our current foe yourself."
"Why does this always happen to Jim?"
"I wish I had the answer so I could avoid it!"
Krel helped his sister to a stand as she let out a sigh, "What is your plan?"
From her serious look, the five had made it to the troubled place, serious looks plastered on their faces as Jim's voice echoed over the scene. "You cannot defeat Porgon without separating him from the Dekyon Charger."
This time, Toby had knocked Shannon over and broke her volcano. "Oh, sorry!" She lay on the grass in defeat as the team made it inside, nothing disturbed.
Shannon threw her arms up into the air as she threw herself back, hating the fact that happened to her.
"If we attack right away, he'll panic and just restart the loop."
This time the group had passed Steve and Eli, the same conversation still going.
"But, Buttsnack Pepperjack, don't you want to do it?" Krel slipped a strange device onto the volcano without the two seeing, Steve's arm immediately sucked into the project and panicked.
"We'll have to find a way to trick this Trickster Troll." Throughout the numerous volcano projects, the group began to slip each strange green object into unsuspecting projects, one was slipped in by Toby rolling down the stairs and getting dizzy, struggling to walk as Krel and Aja passed.
"When the transduction effect wears off, that should provide quite the distraction." Their eyes changed as Jim was waiting in cover.
"So will this," Jim started, pulling out his amulet and speaking the incantation. His body lifted and spun as the armor connected, covering his body with the fine metal as Aja and Krel gasped.
The two moved to study it, both speaking. "Oh, I want one!" However, the moment was ruined by the angered roar of Porgon. They rushed toward the troll as he punched Shannon's project, the girl shrieking in anger as Aka and Krel returned to their natural forms.
People ran in fear as the Trolls studied the new creatures all the while Eli was celebrating. "I knew it!"
Aja cried out, "now!" Bliny had heard, connecting two stones, causing the others to react and force explosions from the volcanos. The startled classmates ran while Coach seemed excited about the situation.
"Finally, some excitement."
"A-plus!" The room filled with smoke, covering the area as Steve laughed, only to groan a second later as the stone lit in a fiery red before exploding over his arm.
"Glorious!" Varvatos cried, Porgon frantically searching until his eyes landed on the guard who swung off a planet and kicked the troll to the ground. "Die time, Troll." As Porgon fell, the device flew from his hand, Krel calling out to Luug who jumped for it.
"GLORY!"
"I don't even bother stopping you anymore."
"Okay, boy. Fetch!" Krel caught the device as Luug tossed it to him, leaping into Aaarrrgghh's arms as Porgon came to a stand, raising his fists in anger. "No, no!"
From above, Aja shouted, blasting a shot at the troll and knocking him back to his feet while Jim took his shot, swinging and flipping from a bar, sword raised as he stuck the landing, the sword piercing through Porgon and instantly turning him to stone.
Jim panted as he leaped off the crumbled body, putting his sword back as Blinky joined his side.
"A Por-gone conclusion," He laughed as the group grew close together.
"Thank Seklos," Krel stated before a camera shuttered, clicking as they all turned to face the crowd who had witnessed all of it.
"Actual freaking monsters," Mary said, stepping up to Blinky who was annoyed by the continuous lights. "Or do you prefer creatures? I wanna make sure I get my hashtags right."
"Okay, all of you reacted poorly, I mean, those we knew just revealed such a big secret and no one reacted the way I thought or wanted them to react."
A pair of feet stepped down rapidly, which was easily known as Darci's father as he cut the distance between him and the monsters. "Detective Scott to dispatch, perimeter secure. We are on sight."
"Roger, what are you looking at?" Another voice spoke through the device as Detective Scott eyed the pile of troll and the group of strange people.
"NO! We are getting arrested again? Why, I don't need more criminal charges!" Toby cried out.
"Watch, because you say that, we might get arrested again," Jim stated as Claire laughed.
"I honestly can't say," The other police responded.
"Alright, all of you, I wanna see both hands in the air." Detective Scott commanded, and the group instantly did so. "Or, um, however many you have." The three that had more than two hands raised their remaining two, looking perplexed.
"Varvatos Vex should rip out this man's tongue and flagellate him with the object of his own insolence," he threatened, pointing the dead troll's arm at the scared group. Toby grunted and pushed his arm down, laughing nervously.
"Get Councilwoman Nunez on the line."
"Any ideas?" Toby asked, looking toward his friends. "Other than Big Blue murdering our way out of this." Jim hummed in thought before Krel spoke up, looking at the tool they had just taken back.
"I might have a solution. If I can initiate the self-destruct mechanism in the Dekyon Charger.." As he explained, Detective Scott turned from Varvatos who was smacking his fist into the dead hand of the troll in a threatening manner.
"We're going to need the SWAT team.."
"Not so funny now, is it?" Toby spat as he looked at the crowd and they shrugged.
"Your's was funnier."
Krel continued, "We can reset the day again. But this time, the charger will be destroyed and your troll menace will not find it."
"But then, today will never have happened," Jim said, looking at Aja.
"Which means, we never become friends." The two gave one another saddened looks, clearly enjoying the company, until Blinky spoke up.
Aja felt a little pang in her chest, knowing that she and Jim got along well, especially since they had so much in common because of what they went through.
"Ah, a new friendship that will bloom later on."
"We'll be friends, I know for sure." Aja said, smiling at them, "It seemed fun being a part of your team."
"Fear not, fate will no doubt reunite us all in due course. The truest of friendships have the power to transcend both time and space." Luug rubbed his head against Aaarrrgghh before Krel held out the device, everyone placing a hand on it.
"Tell them this is an emergency," Scott started before noticing what they were doing. "Hey! Oh, no, you don't!" He went to reach for them but the blast surrounded the group.
Back on the day when the device was embedded into the ground, the ship going down away from it, this time, the team was chasing Porgon through the woods, throwing trees as Jim and Claire raced after him.
The group looked at one another, finally understanding why they couldn't remember why they hadn't met yet. It also made sense why the day hadn't been played out the way they knew it was.
Thankfully they could watch this for any fill-ins they could have missed.
This time, the device began to glow, destroying itself and causing the troll to stop in wonder as he watched it vanish. That gave the Trollhunters enough time to catch up, weapons raised.
"You've played your last trick, Porgon." From the crumbling of stone, the scene moved to the science fair where Krel was waiting eagerly for the winning announcement.
"And the winner is, Steve Palchuk for his unique, uh, traffic cone volcano." Steve turned around, revealing the garbage taped to it with a happy look. "Alright, are we done here? Good."
As the judges walked away, Steve pulled the ribbon from the table, "In your face, Pepperjack! Yeah, who's the king?"
"Oh, kleb," Krel groaned out, rolling his eyes as he watched Steve walk away happily.
"Who's the king? I'm the king, I'm the king of science and I blinded you with science."
"Hey," Aja started, stepping up to her brother. "At least one person on this planet will always appreciate your genius."
"Um," Krel started, confused.
"I'm talking about me, you knucklehead."
"Oh, thanks!" Krel smiled. "I'm sorry you had to miss your warrior training."
"That's alright. For some reason, I think I can be patient." Aja started before she collided with a lean figure, moving away to find Jim who quickly moved to apologize.
"Sorry, there. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, everything is awesome sauce," Aja answered, smiling.
"Hey, that's my line," Toby stated as he and Jim walked away, both Krel and Aja watching them leave as Krel scoffed.
The team smiled at one another, glad they still interacted.
"What a completely ridiculous human expression," as they left, Steve was dancing with his cone, sliding across the floor.
"The Palchuck wins again," he said before knocking into Shannon who yelled in frustration at the destruction of her volcano.
"Why!"
The crowd roared in laughter as Shannon threw her head back, it was funny that she seemed more irritated and it made sense.