The two boys smile nervously. At the school gymnasium, Steve with a grin, and doge ball in hand, aiming it at a certain target.
"Oh, yes!"
"Dodge this, Lake!"
Jim rolls, easily dodging the ball and ducking from another one as Toby stands behind him, doing nothing but staring at the floor.
"Hey, come on! You gonna get your head in the game, Tobes, or do I have to do this all myself?"
"Why bother taking another step? My Chubby Tracker's gone. Life's so empty when you're not racking up points."
During the conversation, balls continued being thrown, yet none had hit the two until Toby had dropped the ball, not moving as one bounced against his equally round stomach.
"Well, I thought you'd be more concerned about the goblins coming to kill us."
"Oh, yeah, you're right."
As Toby perked up, mostly in fear and realization that the Goblins were still out there, Jim jumped in front of his best friend, catching the ball that was meant for Toby. He chucked the ball back at the other side, his opponent easily avoiding it. He tossed the two that were placed in both palms of his hands at Jim who jumped and slid from each ball while Steve continued to throw. Jim twisted and flipped, the coach raising an eyebrow in shock as Jim continued to flip and jump from the balls. Steve groaned as his target couldn't be hit and threw more in his raging fit.
"At least your training's paying off."
A couple of balls collided with his stomach than his jaw.
"Man down."
Finally, one last ball had taken toby to the floor, hitting his "nards". He squealed in a high pitch voice, holding his sensitive area.
"My Gronk-nuks!"
"In your face!"
"You're out, Domzalski!"
Steve caught a flying ball and chucked it at Jim, the boy ducking. Instead of the ball taking down Jim, it had hit the two balls that Eli was holding, sending him to the floor also, the balls leaving his grip and his glasses laying beside him. Jim rolls to the two balls, grabbing them and flipping forward as he tossed them, the two red death balls striking Steve's other teammates. Eli and Jim share a high five while the Trollhunter chuckled happily. With a slow clap, Steve heads over to the two, mocking Jim.
"Pretty good, Romeo, but kiss your Juliet goodbye."
"Leave Claire out of this."
"Don't let him get to you-"
"Ow! Seriously?"
"Pucker up, Steve, and kiss this!"
Jim throws the ball, the moment plays out in slow motion. Steve ducks from the ball, letting the ball continue to fly, finding a new prey, revealing to be Claire.
"Whao!"
"No!"
The ball finally makes contact with Claire, ending the slow-motion moment as she groans, no longer on camera. The whistle blows from the coach as he yells to her. Steve and Toby surround her with shocked faces as Jim pops in, afraid to touch her as he wears a guilty look.
"Ooh, headshot! Shake it off, Nunez!"
Coach yelled.
In the locker room, Toby pops up from his locker and looks at Jim who had his hand resting on the side of his face, sitting in embarrassment.
"So, she has a fat lip. People pay good money for that sort of look. She should thank you."
"And just when I was making up ground. Why do I have to get so worked up over her?"
"Hey, we're red-blooded teenagers. We're powerless to that sort of thing. Except for me, though. I got it all figured out."
"Hmm? Whoa! I earned a windbreaker!"
"Toby, do you know what this means?"
"Yeah. If it's not too warm and not too cold, I have the perfect cover-up!"
"No. A goblin must have the Chubby Tracker on him! We know where they're going. This could lead us straight to their den."
"And I'm getting a lot of points."
"Shouldn't we be telling Blinky and Aaarrrgghh?"
"By the time we get down to Trollmarket, the Chubby Tracker battery could be dead, and then we'll never find the goblin den. Besides, we're just gonna scope it out and then report back. Easy."
The two stop in a small grass field, dropping their bikes as they stare down the building that the Chubby Tracker had lead to.
"Hey, look! Look over there."
Toby nudges Jim to the circular roof of the museum, Goblins climbing into the small entryway of the decorated roof.
"The museum. We should have known."
"Let's go tell the others."
"Get down!"
They pop their heads over the bushes to find Ms. Nomura entering the building on which they spied on.
"It's the museum lady."
"She has no idea it's infested. At any moment, they could strike! Or worse lay eggs in her ears."
"I don't think goblins do that. Anyway, we need to get her out of there immediately."
"Good idea, but cover your ears."
"Come on, open up. Hello? Hello? Where'd she go? Why isn't she answering?"
"Cause she's already dead, Jim. Or she can't hear because she already has eggs in her ears!"
"We gotta get in there."
"What? You have to speak louder."
"This is breaking and entering."
"No, it's-it's breaking and rescuing."
"Relax. We're just gonna get her out of there, and then let Blinky and Aaarrrgghh handle the rest."
Jim jumps onto the windowsill, Toby following behind, standing once he was in front of the window. No longer with ease, Toby found a struggle with the plan as he couldn't fit through the window. Jim held out his hand, aiding him in the situation. Finally pulling Toby from the tight fit, the two fell to the floor with a thud, quickly standing as Jim dusted himself up.
"Jeez, this place gives me the creeps with the lights out."
"It was better when you could see the Neanderthals."
The two head off, drops of green drool drops behind them without notice, the nest of sleeping Goblins had laid above their heads the whole time. Jim and Toby push open another door in search of Nomura. With fear and complete cringe of a dark museum, Toby groaned, taking a disliking to the situation. The two stop at another door after crossing a large hallway, the classical music playing, making the whole thing way more frightening.
"Okay, what do we say? If we scare her, the goblins might find us."
"How about we're art lovers and we just couldn't wait to see the new exhibits?"
"We're from the gas company. The door was open and we smelled a leak."
Jim started while Toby looked past the barrier, finding the woman they were meant to save, holding a circular dark object, spikes of green on every outer inch of it. She hums a tune as she disappears from view, yet, her shadow still revealing everything. Toby gasped as her shadow deformed into a creature as she finally steps out from behind the wall, her purple, rocky skin accompanied her large green eyes and her sharp teeth. Her new form had been less appealing than before. Toby lets out a soft wail as the creature sniffs the air, catching something. Panicked, Toby presses against the stone stand, Jim still in his thought.
"No, no, that won't work. We don't have the uniforms for that."
"Hey, what's with you?"
"The face..."
"Chill out, Tobes. You're gonna wake the goblins."
"Her fa- the face it's so ugly!"
"Okay, okay. So, she's not your type. You don't have to be rude about it."
As Jim spoke, he caught a moving figure in the corner of his eye, finding the figure of the awoken goblin, sniffing. Confirming the smell is close, the Goblin stood, speaking his language. Jim raises an eyebrow before rolling to a safer cover from the Goblin as Toby crawled with him. The worst part was, Toby, let out shaky whimpers, clearly afraid.
"You're gonna draw them to us."
"She's a monster, Jim! I saw her face! It wasn't natural! She's, like, some sort of troll-"
"What?"
"...but one of us. Like a weird half-breed thing, man."
"Maybe it was just the lighting."
"The lighting?"
The Goblin sniffed around the floor, cutting closer and closer to the two humans. He sniffed the post as Jim and Toby were pressed. against the wall, Toby covering his ears. Jim covered Toby's mouth, hiding the heavy breathing as the Goblin took a few deep breaths before running off in another direction. Suddenly, a vibration tickles Toby. He pulled his phone out to find that he had won another award but the trophy had been given at a bad hour as the noise had caught the goblin's attention.
"Turn it off, turn it off, turn it off!"
"I'm trying, I'm trying! - But I won the cooler."
Jim sighed with the look of "Seriously" as the newly discovered creature appears behind them, her head hanging over Jim's shoulder.
"I knew I detected the stink of teenage flesh."
The two let out a scream as they run into the forbidden area, as Nomura smoothly walks in.
"But a human Trollhunter that I've never tasted."
"Then let's see how you like the taste of Daylight."
"That was a good one, Jimbo!"
Transforming into his armor, Jim stood with courage, the Changeling's eyes grew as she watched. With a couple of swings of his sword, Jim swung at her, yet her quick hands caught his sword between her palms as she lets out an evil cackle. She sniffs the air again but something is off with the hunters smell its not entirely human.
"You are rather peculiar aren't you"
"What are you?"
"I'm what kills you."
With a swift motion of her wrist, she hurled the TrollHunter to the ground. Toby reacted with a gasp, charging toward the new foe, only to be halted by a simple kick from the Changeling. Meanwhile, Jim found himself confronted by Nomura's advance. Rising to meet the challenge, Jim unleashed a battle cry, wielding his sword in a flurry of strikes that Nomura effortlessly evaded. A swift gesture from Nomura left Jim reeling, his cheek stinging from the impact. Undeterred, Jim retaliated, but Nomura deftly dodged his every move, mirroring Jim's dodgeball tactics. Nearby, Toby, still recovering from the Changeling's kick, found himself entangled in a brawl with a Goblin, their struggle punctuated by Jim's swings, each accompanied by billowing blue smoke from his enchanted sword. Despite Nomura's apparent dominance, Jim persisted, landing a slash that seemed to catch Nomura off guard, leaving a deep cut on her finger, much to her surprise.
"Ah! You'll die for that."
'Nomura issued her threat with a menacing tone. Swiftly drawing two orange curved blades, she executed a series of fluid motions, fueled by her fury at the slight wound inflicted by Jim. Their swords clashed, colors blending amidst sparks and billowing blue smoke that filled the room. Despite Jim's efforts, Nomura gained the upper hand, forcefully shoving him across the room until he collided with a wall. Undeterred, Jim watched as Nomura agilely leapt off a crate onto a ledge above, then gracefully descended, her body contorting as her swords created a whirlwind of metal, driving the TrollHunter back once more. Unflinchingly enduring each blow, Nomura's focus remained solely on Jim, her tactics abandoned in her single-minded pursuit. With a frustrated groan, she ceased her assault momentarily, only to find Toby grappling with one of the Goblins who had attempted to intervene. Using her hair as a weapon, Nomura whipped Toby into a pillar before redirecting her attention back to Jim with unwavering determination.
"Waka Chaka! Da!"
Toby seized the nearest object, a Viking helmet, and instinctively hurled it at the Goblin, though his aim was off, causing the creature to narrowly evade. Without pause, Toby continued his improvised assault, hurling more items at the Goblin, eventually knocking it off balance and reigniting their struggle on the floor. Meanwhile, Jim fought to maintain his ground against Nomura's relentless swordplay, each clash pushing him to his limits. With a chuckle, Nomura pressed her advantage, but Jim deftly sidestepped her final strike, causing her to stumble to the ground. However, before he could create distance between them, Nomura swiftly kicked him across the room, sending him crashing into a wall, his body slumping against a large banner. As Jim lay there, concealed beneath the blanket, his emotions were evident to the onlookers. In another part of the room, Toby and the Goblin tussled into an adjoining chamber, where Toby easily dispatched the creature and retrieved his Chubby Tracker. Back with Nomura and Jim, the Goblin loomed in the background as Nomura stood over Jim, while the camera shifted focus to Nomura removing the cloth, revealing Jim poised defensively with his sword.
"This was fun. Now, you're history."
She kicked Jim's sword from his hands as she walked closer to Jim causing Toby to watch with fear far behind her.
"All that fancy armor and you're just a scared little boy."
She redied her swords, about to take the kill as Jim spotted the Goblin King between her legs, remembering Blinky's words.
"Fear heightens your senses. Fear keeps you alive..."
Jim crouched, grabbed the edge of the blanket and finishing the advice.
"Arrogance gets you killed!"
With a swift motion, he yanks the large banner from underneath Nomura's feet, causing her to stumble and fall in slow motion. Helpless, she tumbles through the air, her gaze locking onto the Goblin leader frozen below her in shock and fear. Realizing the trap set by the TrollHunter and the meaning behind his warning, "Arrogance gets you killed," she unleashes a scream of horror. As time returns to normal speed, her once-purple body is now stained with green as the evidence of her crime—the puddle of slime—confirms her guilt in the murder of the leader. The marker of authority rolls toward another Goblin, who stares wide-eyed in realization before composing himself with a glare. Straightening up, Nomura faces the Goblin leader as he defiantly draws mustache lines on his face and raises his fist, rallying his followers to join him. With a unified chant, the Goblins launch themselves at Nomura, bringing her down in a whirlwind.
"Waka Chaka! Waka Chaka!"
"Waka Chaka!"
"No, it wasn't me! No! No!"
She was cornered against the crates, all Goblins finally present as they continue to raid her. Toby took a photo in shock as Jim pulled his friend from the mess.
"Let's get out of here!"
Toby screamed as the Goblins tried their best to tackle Nomura down. The two boys left the museum, Toby still letting out a scream as they run to the bikes, quickly picking them up and slipping on their helmets, leaving the area.
"Holy, What the? Her face! Did you?"
"And that bridge! There were troll markings on it."
Jim stated, breathless. They skidded to a stop in the middle of the street as Toby fell off his bike, again face-planting on the cement as he had no breath nor energy to hold him upwards.
"Bridge? Who cares? There's a shapeshifting troll witch!"
"They're walking among us, Tobes! They can be anyone!"
"Bridge? Who cares? There's a shapeshifting troll witch!"
"We need to tell Blinky and Aaarrrgghh."
Jim yelled, but before they could even head in the direction of Trollmarket, red and blue suddenly had lit Jim and Toy's faces, the wails of sirens greeted their ears as fear bubbled up inside them.
"Hands up!"
The two boys drop their bikes as quickly throw their hands up.
"What's happening?"
"On the ground, now!"
"What did we do?"
"Dispatch, we have the teens that match the description of the museum break-in. You're coming with us."