like this world coming up.
Chapter 16: The Purple Dragon
The Massive
On the Tallests' grand flagship, the two emperors were sitting in their control area doing what they do (which is eating more snacks). Orbot and Cubot rolled in as the former reported, "Sirs: we have some good news and bad news."
"Bad news first." Red said, wanting to get the bad part over with.
"Well, our spy just reported, and it seems that Francis was, in fact, beaten by Number 1."
"Yarr, those guys swabbed the deck with him, they did!" Cubot said.
"Wow, Francis got beat. Why am I not surprised?" Red replied sarcastically.
"What's the good news?" Purple asked.
"The good news is Cubot's new voice chip just came in! I'll put it in now." Orbot said as he opened a slot in Cubot's neck and put the chip in. "There we are! Should be fixed now."
"YO! Man, Ah feel more hyper 'an a hedgehog on cactus juice! This new voice chip's the shiz, yo!" Cubot exclaimed in a rapper-like voice.
"Okay, maybe not." Orbot said.
"Ugh. Is it really that hard to fix a simple voice chip?" Red asked.
"Yo, man, quit bustin' mah buttons over here. I still got the stuff even if I sound like a duncebucket!"
"What does that even- Oh, never mind! We have bigger problems to worry about."
"Yeah." replied Purple. "Those GKND have nearly all the Stars now. We don't even know where the rest of them are."
"Well, except for the one Ripto found on Planet Avalar." corrected Red.
"Then it's highly likely they'll go to Avalar next. Should we plan something there?" asked Orbot.
"Don't worry. Ripto's currently using the Star for his new scepter, making him powerful. The only thing that could beat him would be a dragon."
"Well, Avalar has quite the population of dragons, you know."
"Yes, but Ripto recently caught his own pet dragon just in case, so we have nothing to worry about. The only thing that concerns me now is the whereabouts of Zim. Where is he?"
"We haven't quite heard about Zim since he helped the GKND defeat Tak. He is still on the wanted list, so some people will be searching for him. I'm still concerned of what he may do if he finds out he's on the wanted list. He may be incompetent, but he may have the guts to turn against us."
"Maybe, but if he calls about it, we'll come up with something. For right now, get to finding those Stars. (And fixing that chip.)" The robots saluted and rolled out.
The Tallest were silent for a few minutes until Purple asked, "Hey, Red, ever hear about those adults who've gone missing on some planets?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Where do you think they disappear to?"
"I don't know. But whatever's happening to them can't possibly happen to us, right? I mean, we are the Tallest."
Purple chuckled. "Yeah! You're right!" The Tallest then sat in silence for a few moments, smiling. Soon afterward, they showed slight expressions of worry.
Star Haven
Ava was calmly sitting at the edge of the river at Star Haven, with her legs hanging over the water. Several Wisps were flying around the Haven, taking drinks of Dream Water. Her new tiny friend, Kweeb, was sitting on her shoulder. "This place sure is beautiful, isn't it?" Ava asked.
"Yeah." Kweeb replied, dreamily.
They were silent for a few minutes until Ava spoke, "Hey, Kweeb, how come I've never seen you around the base?"
"Because you never look down?"
Ava giggled. "Hey, I can only keep my eyes forward!"
"Actually, I have tried talking to you on a few occasions."
"Really? Why couldn't you?"
"Well, the first time is when I was watching you train in the gym. I climbed onto the matt while you were swinging your swords, and when you walked by, you stepped on me."
"Ooooh... Well, sorry about that. How come you never wished for Jirachi to make you bigger?"
"Well, because the people on my planet believe you don't have to be big to be strong."
"Well, you and Nigel handled yourselves pretty well against Francis. So, what's it like being so small, anyway?"
"It's not so bad. Sure, I always have to walk long distances, but this size is great for spying, and the food's big enough to last me a lifetime!"
"Maybe, but if I was your size and I was looking up at me, I'd be a little afraid."
"Oh, please, why would I be afraid of you of all people?"
"Because I'm a powerful Glomourian warrior who can smash you into paste."
"I bet I can take you in a fight!"
Without warning, Ava pinched the Kateenian between her fingers, binding his arms. "It looks like I already won."
"Hey, not fair! You didn't give me time to warm up!"
"Ahem."
Hearing a cough, they turned to see Dimentia, Gabe, and Jeremy glaring at them. "Uh, Numbuh 256!" Kweeb exclaimed.
"Uh, we were just kidding around!" Ava chuckled nervously.
"What are you two doing here, anyway?" she asked.
"Uhhh, just hanging out."
"Yeah!" Kweeb replied.
Dimentia sighed. "Whatever, as long as you aren't dating. I need a drink from the fountain. Gabe, get me my mirror." With that, she and the Wisps headed into the sanctuary. Inside, Ava and Kweeb could hear her singing.
O great, mighty star
Let your power shine
Make the river turn backward
Give me what once was mine
What once was mine
"She sure does love drinking from that fountain, doesn't she?" Kweeb said.
"Well, she is over a million. Being the one to resist the disease the longest, she has to make trips there constantly. She spends almost all of her time there than in the base."
"How did she know about the disease, anyway?"
"I don't know. Maybe she-" Ava silenced as Infinity came flying out of the shrine and up to them.
"Actually, we're glad you're here 'cause we have a mission for you two and the others." The two exchanged curious glances. "We've just detected a Star on Planet Avalar, the dragon world. The five of you are expected to head out as soon as lunch is over. So, good luck." With that, he flew off.
"Well, that was brief." Kweeb said.
"Yeah. Hey, can you wait here for a bit? I need to go do something."
"Uh, sure." With that, she placed the little alien on the ground and ran off. That's strange, he thought to himself. I wonder what's up?
Food Courtia
"What do ya mean you're out of rat gutssss?" yelled an angry Rattlesnake Jake. He and Star Wolf were currently resting at Sizz-Lorr's restaurant in Food Courtia, a city on Irk.
"Look, we're sorry, but we won't have another shipment of rat guts until tomorrow." Sizz-Lorr replied.
"I want my rat guts NOW or I'll-"
"Calm down, Jake, there's no need to start a riot." Wolf said.
"You're too soft, you know that? It's no wonder those kids were able to beat you."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you were beaten by that Dib kid."
"I would've had him if it weren't for that bald kid breaking my grasp! And he wouldn't have done that if SOMEONE spent more time fighting him instead of fleeing him!"
"Look, they were all worthy opponents and we underestimated their abilities, which is why we have to be ready the next time we face them, and NOT waste our energy on the restaurant owner."
Jake sighed and turned back to Sizz-Lorr. "I'll just take the squid pudding." He said quietly.
"I'll order the fly soup!" Leon said.
"I'll have the fish sticks." Panther ordered.
"Just give me the steak." Wolf said.
After a few minutes, the team got their orders and were sitting at a table. Rattlesnake Jake held a glass under his sharp tooth and filled it with poison acid, which he proceeded to drink. As they were eating, Sizz-Lorr turned on the TV in the restaurant, and the news played. The anchorwoman was a blond human, while the anchorman was some sort of green alien with a large brain.
"Welcome. This is Channel 5000, Galaxia's most watched news program." The anchorwoman, Linda spoke. "Today's story: the tiny aliens of Kateenia were freed thanks to the works of the snot-nosed group of kids we know as the Galactic Kids Next Door."
"Typical Francis." Leon said. "If he had spent more time in the weight room instead of reading his comic books, he would've beaten them."
This time, the anchorman, Morbo spoke: "In other news, bounty hunters everywhere are searching for the outlaws on the Irkens' most wanted list."
"Anyone who turns in any of these people to the Irken Empire will be rewarded handsomely by the Almighty Tallest." said the anchorwoman as the screen showed a list labeled Irkens' Most Wanted, which showed pictures of Nigel, Dib, Luvbi, Kweeb, and Zim.
"That's strange." Panther began. "Why isn't Ava on the list?"
"Forget about your girlfriend." Wolf replied. "We need to think of a plan to beat those guys."
"And just what do you propose we do, Leader?" Jake asked.
Wolf thought for a minute before answering. "I think it's time we paid a visit to our old friends."
GKND H.Q.
At the cafeteria, Nigel, Luvbi, and Dib were having their lunches. "Has anyone seen Ava and Kweeb?" Nigel asked.
"I think they're hanging out at the Star Haven." Dib answered.
"Yea, a crush hot as a thousand suns, the small alien hast. The redness is clearly visible upon his tiny cheeks." Luvbi said.
"On another note, I got this fortune cookie!" Dib exclaimed as he held up a fortune cookie.
"Well, read it!" Nigel said.
Dib took out the strip in the fortune cookie and read aloud. "'On your journey, you will get that which you most desired.' Cool! I bet it means I'll catch Zim and expose him for what he is!"
"Hold on, Dib. There's more to it." Nigel pointed.
Dib looked at the strip to see there was more to it. "'You will also be hit by a baby grand piano.'" He then looked above him with a slightly worried expression. "Well... I'll just be going now." He said as he walked away slowly.
Nigel was about to bite into his meatball sandwich when something caught his attention. A strange shadow slid across the floor and out of the cafeteria. "Luvbi, did you see that?"
"Seest what?"
Nigel looked to where the shadow went and headed for that direction. Luvbi just shrugged as she bit into an apple.
Nigel walked down the halls of the base, looking for the shadow. He finally noticed the shadow moving down the hall and chased after it. He chased it down a hallway, which led to a heavily guarded door with the label Danger. Keep Out. He tried opening the door, but to no avail. He then decided to forget the shadow and turn back.
At that instant, the shadow came out from behind the door and entered a code on the keypad near the door. The shadow vanished as the door opened. The bald Brit looked back to the opened door with a confused expression. He heard groaning sounds from the other side and gulped. While he really wanted to turn back at this point, he felt that someone was trying to call him. With another gulp, he headed in.
He went down a short staircase until he was in a dark room. He pulled out a flash light and started to scan the room. The room appeared to have several prison cells. This must be the prison hold. The Brit thought to himself. He looked to his right to see an open cell. He shined his light into the cell, and inside was a group of the horned Wisps with big mouths and sharp teeth, which turned to look at Nigel. Nigel screamed as the monstrous Wisps roared and shot at him. To his relief, the Wisps were held back by an invisible barrier. Nigel then peeked into the other cells to see alien adults from various planets groaning in misery.
He slowly moved through with great fear until he heard a groan that sounded oddly familiar. He turned around and was shocked when he saw none other than Chad and Maurice on the floor in a cell, looking beaten up. "Chad? Maurice?"
Maurice was out cold while Chad held himself up with his arms. "Hey, Uno. Long time, no see." Chad said weakly.
"Chad... what is this?"
He coughed. "Oh, it's just..." he coughed twice, "...awful."
"Are you okay?"
"Listen, Uno. Don't... get... the... Star Rod."
"Don't get the Star Rod? What do you mean?"
"NUMBER 1!" Nigel screamed as he turned to see Dimentia standing in the doorway. The dark Wisps in the cell were screaming and trying to attack Dimentia. The space jester merely swung her hand and shocked the Wisps through the barrier. "What are you doing here?!" she asked the Brit.
"Oh, well, I was chasing some weird shadow thing and it led me to this door, which opened on its own and I sort of... walked in?" he chuckled nervously.
Dimentia was silent. "You shouldn't be in here, Number 1. This place isn't safe for new recruits like you. Let's go." Dimentia headed out, and Numbuh 1 followed. Once they were out, Dimentia quickly shut the door.
"Dimentia, who were all those people?"
"Those were very dangerous adults. Adults that were so bad, they had to be locked where no one could ever reach them."
"But what were Chad and Maurice doing there? They were undercover teen spies."
"I'm well aware of that. You see, some of the kids who turn 13 aren't completely overcome by the disease. While they become teenagers, they don't become brainwashed, so those operatives don't get decommissioned and are instead used for spying for the KND. I came up with the whole thing for that, as well. But Chad and Maurice, however, did some things recently. Very treasonous things. So, I had no choice but to lock them away."
"But what were those Wisps?"
"That's what happens when Wisps become infected by the disease. They become monstrous creatures that infect anyone they bite. You're lucky you weren't bit by one, or else. Moving on, I have another mission for you and your friends. There's a Star Piece on Planet Avalar and we want you all to go find it. In the meantime, I'd like to request that you don't mention this to anyone."
Nigel looked at the door and back at his leader with a slightly scared expression. "Y-Yes Sir. I'll... be going now." And with that, Nigel walked off.
Once he was out of sight, Dimentia looked down and said to herself, "How did he get in the base? I better watch my back from now on. For my sake."
Outside Avalar's atmosphere
After lunch was finished, the fantastic five were flying ever so closer to the next planet of Avalar. Rather than fly to the planet in his own ship, Kweeb was merely relaxing in Ava's ship on her lap. Nigel switched on the Galactic Radio in his Arwing, and everyone listened as music played.
"This station is brought to you by Human-O's! It's a muncha-cruncha tasty human!"
"Good evening, everyone, and welcome back to Galaxia's Greatest Hits." A female voice spoke. "Bringing peace and liveliness to your endless travels across space. Our first, as voted by fans, the Cantina Band's number one hit, 'Livin' At The Cantina'." The radio started to play the classic Cantina Band theme from Star Wars IV. "Up next, as voted by our fanbase, 'That Same Song'. The following will feature 'That Same Song Again', and afterwards, 'Maybe Something A Little New'. This is Galaxia's Greatest Hits, bringing you all the classic music from the days our advanced species were barely inventing the hover car. Thank you and have a wonderful... whatever time you're hearing this."
"You know, the best part about being small is having you carry me around." Kweeb said. Ava giggled.
"Pray tell, Nigel:" Luvbi began, "didst thou hath any luck of finding yon shadow?"
Nigel was silent. "N-No. I didn't."
"So, what's this planet about?" Dib asked.
"I've been here before." Ava replied. "Avalar's one of the most beautiful planets in Galaxia. It's got all kinds of fairytale creatures, mainly dragons."
"Cool! I've always wanted to see a real live dragon!" Dib exclaimed.
"These dragons aren't too dangerous, are they?" Nigel asked. "Last time I saw a dragon, he wasn't too friendly."
"Dragons art not all evil." Luvbi replied. "Some art kind in nature, some art dark of heart."
"Let's hope we don't meet too many evil ones, then." Nigel said.
Planet Coruscant; Corneria Region
Zim and his robotic companion, GIR were walking through the streets of the Cornerian Capital. The city consisted of mainly towering skyscrapers and flying cars. "Our ship should be finished repairing by now, GIR." said the Irken. "And now that we have these new weapons, we should be more than a match for those FILTHY GKND!"
The robot was just sucking on a smoothie. "I like chocolate!"
The two then headed into a nearby gas station. "Come on, GIR. Let's-" they stopped when they saw a brown fox, a blue falcon, a toad, and a blue fox all dressed in space combat outfits and standing by Zim's ship. "GIR! It's the Star Fox Team! Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and Krystal. The main reasons why this planet isn't under Irken control! They're only second to the Galactic Kids Next Door for being annoying. But now that we're here, we can take them! Let's go, GIR!" With that, Zim walked toward the Star Fox Team.
"Who do you think this ship belongs to, Fox?" Falco asked.
"I don't know, but I-" Fox began, but was then interrupted by Zim.
"Now, Star Fox Team: prepare to face the unmerciful wrath of ZIM!"
"Not if we-" Krystal started, but was stopped by Fox.
"Hold on, Krystal. This isn't just any Irken. This is Zim."
"Oh, yeah! I know this guy!" Falco replied.
"How could you not?! I am the strongest soldier in the Irken military after all!"
"That's not what we heard."
"What are you talking about?! I'm the Tallests' personal favorite! Just ask them!"
"Then I guess that explains why you're on their wanted list!" Falco said as he pressed a button on his wrist and projected a hologram of the Irken wanted list.
Zim looked at his picture on the wanted list, confused. "But... that's not possible. There must be some mistake! YOU LIE! You probably hacked this list!"
"You better believe it, Dim!" Zim and the Star Fox Team turned around to see none other than the Star Wolf Team.
"Just what I need to see: Star Wolf." Fox said.
"Long time, no see, Fox." Wolf replied.
"Great. It's the lizard boy, Leon." Falco said.
"What's wrong, Falco? Not happy to see me?" Leon smirked.
"So, Krystal, ready to ditch these losers and come with me?" Panther asked, smoothly.
"Find yourself another girl, mate. I'm with Fox." She replied.
"Okay. Fine."
"Yo, who's the snake?" Slippy asked.
The snake in question then shot to him and held his face in front of Slippy's. "I'm Rattlesnake Jake, and after eating that squid pudding, I'm hungry for some frog's tongue!" Slippy gulped as Jake backed away.
"What are you doing here, Wolf?" Fox asked.
"Those GKND made fools of us, so our ships are getting upgraded, so we're ready for them next time. While we're here, we thought we'd pay a visit to our old friends, the Star Fox Team. 'Course, we didn't expect to find a wanted Irken here."
"No! I'm not wanted! Somebody must have hacked the list or something. Why would the Tallest put me on their wanted list?"
"Maybe because you couldn't take over an asteroid." Wolf replied. "Now, enough talk Zim. You're coming with us!" They were about to march up to Zim until they were stopped by the Star Fox Team.
"Hold on, Wolf. While we may not know the whole story behind this, anyone on the Tallests' most wanted list isn't getting arrested on our watch."
"Move aside, Fox. This Irken child's fate isn't your concern."
"The Galactic Kids Next Door aren't the only people that protect kids, Wolf. Frankly, we protect anyone in danger."
"Well, there won't be anyone to protect you when we're done."
"Uh-oh. Sounds like a battle coming on!" Slippy said.
Wolf and Fox continued to stare into each other's faces. In an instant, both teams engaged in battle. Fox was fighting Wolf, Falco fighting Leon, Krystal against Panther, and Slippy shooting at Jake and vice versa. Zim merely watched as all the fighting and shooing went on, scaring away the people in the area and destroying nearby objects.
"Get out of here, Zim!" Fox shouted as he was holding back Wolf. "We'll handle these guys!"
Zim and GIR exchanged glances before boarding their ship and taking off. Soon, they were back in space, flying away from the planet. "There is something seriously wrong, GIR. The Tallest wouldn't put me on their wanted list. Someone must have made a mistake. Only one thing to do."
"You gonna make biscuits? You gonna make biscuits? You gonna make biscuits? You gonna make biscuits?"
Zim stared at his robot for a moment. "I already told you, GIR. I never want to see another biscuit for as long as I live. We need to call the Tallest and get this straightened out. Otherwise, every Irken soldier will be trying to unjustly capture me. Let's go." With that, the ship flew off into deep space.
Planet Avalar
The main group soon landed on Planet Avalar, and instantly saw the mariachi band standing on yet another rock. "Welcome to Avalar, where all fairytales come true. Here in this magical land, we have any kind of magical creature you can think of, like fauns, wizards, genies, and especially-" the band leader was interrupted when they were all hit by a blast of fire, making them black with soot. "...dragons."
The team then stepped out of their ships. Avalar truly looked like something from a fairytale. The sky was blue with a shade of pink, and mountains covered the landscape for miles in the distance. The grass was so green, it looked almost like a tasty candy, and the rivers flowed with clear water that almost rivaled that of the Dream Fountain.
"So, this is Planet Avalar." Nigel said, examining the beautiful landscape. "I have to say it's one of the more pleasant looking planets." He looked over to Dib, who was peeking his head out of the ship and looking up. "Dib, for the last time, you are not going to be hit by a baby grand piano!"
"But the fortune cookie-"
"Aw, come on, those things aren't ever true. I mean, do you honestly think a piano is just going to fall from the sky and onto your head?"
Dib chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right! I mean, that does sound pretty dumb!" he said as he stepped out of his ship, with still slight worry in his chest.
Ava stepped out of her ship with Kweeb on her shoulder. "This place sure is beautiful, huh Ava?" he asked.
"Yeah. Better hope a dragon doesn't come and eat you!"
"Oh please! I think I'm a little too small to fill any of these dragons' stomachs!"
Ava chuckled. "That sort of makes you the lucky one!"
The team walked forward for a while until Luvbi spoke, "So, where doth thou think we shouldst search for yonder Star Piece first?"
"How about over here!" Before they could trace the sound of the voice, they were all knocked back by an explosion. Once they recovered, they looked to see a rather short, orange man dressed in a white shirt, purple pants and cape, a necklace with a red emblem, a horn on his head, and holding a scepter with a red star.
Next to him was some green creature dressed in yellow armor and wielding a club, who looked much taller than him. Behind them were what looked like rhinos dressed in armor. "Who are you?!" Nigel asked.
"I'm Ripto, the emperor of this planet! And you: you kids are trespassing on my planet! Now, get lost or we'll burn you!"
"Sorry. We're not leaving without the Star Piece. You wouldn't know where it is, would you?"
"Star Piece? Oh! You mean THIS?!" he said as he held up his scepter.
"The Red Star!" Ava exclaimed.
"That's right! This Star makes an excellent scepter! I needed one since a certain dragon ruined my old one."
"Give the Star Piece to us, Ripto!" Nigel demanded.
"Or what? As you can see, we have you clearly outnumbered. You can't hope to beat us! Gnasty Gnorc, Rhynocs: destroy them!"
"Galactic Kids Next Door: Battle Stations!" With that, the five operatives went to battle. Ava was attacking the bigger Rhynocs, Dib against the smaller armored Rhynocs, Luvbi blowing away some flying Rhynocs, Kweeb blasting other flying Rhynocs in his hover car, and Nigel fighting against Gnasty Gnorc.
After a few minutes of fighting, the kids seemed to have the upper hand. "Not bad, GKND brats, but I have more tricks up my sleeve!" Ripto said as he waved his scepter and zapped an empty spot on the ground, making several SIRbots spawn out of nowhere. "SIRbots: destroy them!"
"So, he can make SIRbots!" Nigel said as dodged a swing from Gnasty Gnorc's club.
"What now?" Ava said, fighting back some Rhynocs.
Just when Nigel was about to be crushed by Gnasty Gnorc's club, the monster was burned by a blast of fire, making him run away screaming. Before Nigel knew it, a short, purple dragon with yellow horns and wings ran and stopped in front of him, looking up at Ripto. "Wha- SPYRO?!" the short man exclaimed.
"Hey, Ripto. Up to no good again, I see." The purple dragon replied.
"Go away, Spyro! I don't need you messing up my plans again!"
"What a coincidence! That's why I'm here! So, say good-bye to your robots, Ripto!" With that, the dragon ran around and charged into all the SIRbots he could, destroying them. The last one he smashed then released a dark blue Wisp shaped like a cube, just like Infinity.
"Hey, that's a Cube Wisp!" Nigel exclaimed.
"NO! Get that Wisp!" Ripto ordered as Gnasty Gnorc ran to try and grab the Wisp, but failed. The Wisp then flew into Nigel's body, allowing him to use the power.
"CUBE!" he shouted as he hopped into the air and landed with great force, creating a shock wave which knocked over Gnasty, Ripto, and all the Rhynocs.
"Come on! Over here!" Spyro shouted as he ran off. The heroes ran off in pursuit. Kweeb flew after them, but stopped when he saw Ripto recovering from the attack.
"Hey, unicorn man!" Kweeb exclaimed as he flew in front of Ripto's eye and shot it, making him scream in pain.
As the tiny alien flew after his friends, he could hear Ripto shout, "When I get my hands on you, you insolent, little creature, I'LL KILL YOU!"
Sunrise Spring Home
Spyro led the group of operatives to a forest area. "We should be safe here in the Sunrise Spring Home for a while." The dragon stated.
"Thanks for the help back there. Who are you?" Nigel asked.
"I'm Spyro. Spyro the Dragon. Most people refer to me as the 'hero of Avalar'. Who are you guys?"
"We're the Galactic Kids Next Door. I'm Numbuh 1, or Nigel Uno. This is Ava, Dib, Luvbi, and Kweeb."
"The Galactic Kids Next Door? Hey, I've heard of you guys! You travel the universe saving kids from adult tyranny, don't you?"
"Pretty much."
"So, I see you're already acquainted with Ripto?"
"Who is Ripto, anyway?"
"Oh, he's some short guy from another world that was warped here recently due to an experiment portal gone wrong. Since then, he's been trying to take over Avalar. So far, I've always been able to stop him, but he found this Star recently and he's using it for his new scepter. To make matters worse, he made a deal with those tall guys and now they're letting him use their resources. Right now, we're trying to find his hideout."
"Well, we could've had him back there." Dib said.
"Yeah, but that's another thing: he also caught his own dragon recently and he's been using it to terrorize the planet. If you tried to destroy him there, his dragon would've lost control and attacked everyone. We're trying to make a portal to his lair, so we can go there and stop that dragon. The portal oughta be finished by now."
"Well, if you're going to Ripto's lair, you mind if we come along?" Nigel asked. "We need that Star of his."
"Sure you can! The more, the merrier."
"Great! So, where's this portal?"
"It's across the valley. I'll guide you across if you want. 'Course, you guys look like you've got everything covered."
"Well, we could always use the help. Glad to have you along, Spyro. Lead the way!" (Play the "Sunny Villa" theme from Spyro: Year of the Dragon.)
Stage 10: Valley of Avalar
Mission: Follow Spyro across the valley.
The kids cut through a small forest area, going up a small slope, then coming down to an open area where Rhynocs were terrorizing little faun kids, using electric Tasers. Ava leaped and swung her blades at an armored Rhynoc, but its metal armor wouldn't break. Spyro charged by and rammed the Rhynoc with his horns, shoving him against the wall and knocking him out. "You gotta do that sometimes." Spyro looked wittingly at Ava. She merely put on a snarky face and stuck her tongue out.
A larger armored Rhynoc stuck his spear against the ground as Kweeb scampered at him through the tall (at his size) grass. Kweeb made his way underneath the Rhynoc and shot lasers at his crotch area, making the monster wince with pain before toppling over. He rolled over and sat up, watching Kweeb scamper away, but didn't see Dib as he leapt from behind and smashed his head into his armor with his mech-fists, knocking him out. While faun kids were trying to run away, a Rhynoc got in their path, raising his electric taser imposingly. "Ahem." He turned around, seeing Nigel Uno as the bald boy fired his Z.A.P.P. and gave the rhino a stronger shock, knocking him out.
The little fauns praised the operatives, and a girl faun playfully poked Kweeb's belly. Ava rolled her eyes and grabbed her little friend as the group climbed on a small ledge, leading to a pathway on a mountainside. As they trekked along, Ninja Rhynoc flipped onto the path from below, readying bo staffs. The first one leapt at them, but Ava kicked up at his belly and stopped him midflight, afterwards jumping and spin-kicking him over the edge. Dib gripped the second one's staff and held him in place, letting Spyro ram him and send him falling over the chasm. They kept along the path before coming to a left turn, which would lead between the mountains again. One last ninja came flying from below the edge, ready to hit them with its staff, until Luvbi inhaled a blast of air and sent him blowing back down. "We shoulda came with HANG glideeeerrrrs!"
The kids entered a pathway in between the mountains, where rams ran out from behind walls and, well, tried to ram them. Dib grabbed one of the goats by the horns and hurled it at another one, while Ava flipped and got on one's back before stabbing her swords into it. "Honestly, it's just like hunting on my planet." She smiled. Three more were running at them from up ahead, but Nigel launched a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. and took them all out.
They came to a wide, vast region of the valley, with dark green forests on their left, and a river that cut through the middle. They saw pink, armored, big-eared, big-mouthed creatures; Gnorcs; dragging helpless faun children across the valley on their right. The first Gnorc was surprised when Nigel threw a bomb against its back, forcing him to release the kids, and when he turned, Spyro rammed him powerfully in the stomach. He coughed and gripped his stomach as Nigel leapt and kicked him in the face.
Ava ran by the next one as Kweeb jumped to his shoulder and bit hard at his ear, making the Gnorc release the kids as he yelped. He shook Kweeb off, but Ava flipped above him and kicked her heel hard against his face, while Luvbi blasted wind at his legs and knocked him over. The last two Gnorcs were quickly hurrying away, but Nigel launched a V.I.S.S.I.L.E. in between them and blew them both away, freeing the kids. The fauns cheered for the operatives as they kept after Spyro, following where the Gnorcs were headed.
They arrived at a cliff with a waterfall, watching as Gnorcs at the top set fire to a vine wall. One Gnorc laughed cockily at them before it kept going. "Well, I guess we aren't climbing." Spyro figured.
"Prithee, Ay will see what I canst do." Luvbi said (exasperatingly) as she flew above the cliff. She saw the Gnorcs carrying away a Blue Cube Wisp in a capsule and immediately flew over to blast wind in their faces. She pushed the capsule toward the cliff and pushed it over the edge to break it, allowing Nigel to absorb the creature.
"CUBE!" Nigel flashed and created a zigzaggy vertical pathway that led up the cliff. The kids had to jump their way up each individual level before reaching the cliff, and Nigel ran forward to use the last of the cube's energy to knock the Gnorcs out. They stood at the top of a hill that had several rocks and bumps going downward. As they trekked downward, Gnorcs jumped out from the sides and used crossbows to launch arrows at the team, but Ava flipped overhead and landed her foot against one's face, while Spyro charged down and rammed the other one down the hill. A lower Gnorc dodged as that Gnorc almost hit him, but couldn't avoid as Nigel tossed a B.O.O.M.E.R. down at him.
When they reached the bottom of the hill, they stood on a ledge overlooking a vast, pretty ocean. There were a few platforms sitting in the water, between them and another ledge that seemed to continue beyond the valley, but the footholds were too far apart. However, there were cyan diamonds between them and the first platform. "Well, guess you'll have to fire that glider up, Dib." Nigel said.
"Actually, it's... programmed to only come on when we have to glide through a much longer area." He grinned sheepishly.
"How does THAT make sense??"
"You can blame me, blame the producers, it doesn't matter." He said simply.
Spyro eye-rolled and said, "Just let me handle it." With that, the purple dragon leapt over the edge and held his wings out as he calmly glided across the chasm. He approached the first, lower platform, where two Gnorcs stood by a capsule with a Laser Wisp, looking confusedly at the sea.
"I TOLD you to hook the boat to shore when we landed here!" one yelled.
"How was I supposed to know it'd wash off that fast, we've only been here for TWO minutes when it did!"
Spyro took land on the platform and shoved the Gnorcs into the ocean by ramming them. Spyro broke the capsule as the Laser Wisp flew over to Nigel and absorbed into his body. "LASER!" he held Ava, Dib, and Kweeb as he became a laser and bounced across the diamonds, taking land on the platform with Spyro. Between them and the next, higher platform were two thin stalagmites sticking up from the sea, the second one higher than the first. Luvbi blew a whirlwind and had it spiral over the first one, and when they jumped and blew upwards, Luvbi blew a whirlwind on the second one, sending them to the platform.
Three Ninja Rhynoc waited up there, and they were about to whack the operatives, but Luvbi blasted one over the edge, Nigel knocked one off with the Z.A.P.P., and Kweeb hit the last with the stun ray, knocking him down, in which Dib walked over and casually pushed him off with his foot. There was a capsule that contained a Blue Wisp, so Nigel broke it and absorbed it. Between them and the ledge ahead were two vulture-like birds flapping back and forth over the ocean. "CUBE!" Nigel used his power to seal the birds in solid blue blocks, having to trap them while they were close so they were close enough to jump across.
They stood before the entrance to a small village area. Before they entered, however, they found a 20x40 stand, where Numbuh 20x40's hologram made itself known. "Aaaahh, don'tcha just LOOVE Avalar, Mac? Why did Insomniac ever have ta sell this place? Oh well. NEWEST item on the list, Mr. Zurkon! A funny little robot that's as destructive as he is talkative! You'll breeze through enemies in no time with him on your side! Just 2500 Bolts to be on your way!"
Nigel paid the money forward, letting it suck into the transporter. With that, the saleskid presented Nigel a mechanical box, which the bald boy pressed, releasing a small robot with an antenna that hovered around them.
"Mr. Zurkon is ready to fight alien SCUM. Mr. Zurkon is hungry for sweet justice. Mr. Zurkon-"
"You'll get used to that." Numbuh 20x40 said.
The kids entered the village and Mr. Zurkon immediately began shooting up the nearby Rhynocs. "Mr. Zurkon wishes for more worthy opponents. Mr. Zurkon begins to have doubt for such."
They reached a larger part of the village where faun children were roaming around. Across the village were some platforms that led up to a ledge, where the village gateway seemed to rest. They jumped their way up, but found that the gate was locked with a chain, and a little faun kid was guarding it. "Hey, who're you guys?!" he demanded. "You look like you're with those rhino freaks!"
"Yo, don'tchu recognize the purple scales??" Spyro asked. "Yellow horns and wings??"
"Not everyone on the planet knows your name, Spyro." He said. "Look, my dad's lettin' me guard the gate, and he don't want anyone gettin' in or out until those monsters clear out."
"Well, what if we said we're Kids Next Door?" Ava asked.
"You don't live next door, Shawn does. Anyway, if you wanna get by me, you have to run my race track. (Because none of the other kids are fast enough.) If you, I'll let you by. Deal?"
The kids nodded, and the faun proceeded to lead them off the ledge, going into a secret path through the walls behind the village. They were led to a narrow, curvy pathway, where two parallel pointed pillars sat by either wall, with a whirling wheel icon floating between them. "What's this?" Ava asked.
"Speed Boost power-up." Spyro replied. "Just let me." With that, Spyro dashed through the archway and gained a burst of incredible speed as he began zipping down the pathway. He had to make left and right dodges around walls in his path, and also had to jump little bumps in the road. He came to a wider region of the path where Gnorcs were roaming around, so Spyro charged through them as he ran by. The path eventually led up a slope, where Spyro ran up and off the edge, landing back beside his friends.
The group returned to the gate, as the little faun kid said, "Ehh... seen better. But whatev. See you later." He was beginning to walk away, when Ava asked,
"Aren't you gonna give us the key?"
"I said I'd let you by. Didn't say I was gonna open it. Later!" And with a wave, he hopped over the edge.
"Uuuugh." Nigel face-palmed in frustration. They heard a little clicking sound, turning to see Kweeb hop out of the lock's keyhole, as it came open. "Kweeb?"
"I figured I'd go and unlock while you guys were busy." The Kateenian winked as the gate slid open.
Ava giggled and went to pick him up. "Aren't you a little sneaky?"
The kids overlooked another wide valley area, jumping their way down stairs on their left. Rhynocs patrolled the valley, and charged at the operatives with swords and shields. Nigel flipped backward to avoid a swing, shooting his Triple S.H.O.O.T.E.R. as the Rhynoc raised his shield, only for Spyro to ram him from behind, knocking him at Nigel, who kicked upside the rhino's face. Dib pounded a second Rhynoc's shield with mech-arms, making several dents in it, before Luvbi conjured a whirlwind to send him blowing upward. Ava faced a Rhynoc as it raised its shield, but she performed a twirl, Kweeb was sent flying off her sword and landed between the Rhynoc's eyes, proceeding to shoot both.
They came to a more open field, where hordes of Rhynocs and Gnorcs suddenly jumped out from bushes. Nigel launched his N.I.N.S.T.A.R. to damage a group of Rhynocs, while Spyro dashed over to ram a Gnorc, followed by Ava, who began clashing against one's club. Two Gnorcs ran at Dib from either side and swung their clubs down, but he grabbed the clubs and forced them back to their face. Three Rhynocs looked down at Kweeb and surrounded the tiny alien, but Kweeb showed no fear on his face as he leaped around, dodging as they tried to stomp him. Eventually, Luvbi caught them all in a whirlwind, while Kweeb held tight to a grass blade, the angel sending them blowing against the wall.
Nigel blasted his B.O.O.M.E.R. at two Gnorcs, ducking as a Rhynoc chucked its sword at him. He whipped out the V.I.S.S.I.L.E. and launched, blowing it away, then jumped to kick a charging Gnorc in the face. Ava ran at another Gnorc, who was ready to slam her with its club, but she flipped overhead and grabbed its neck in her legs, holding tight as she tugged, made the Gnorc choke, and cause him to fall back and bash his head against the ground.
Ava sheathed her swords as she got up and went to pick up Kweeb. "Wow! How are you that strong?" he asked, impressed.
"My people are naturally built. How are you so quick?"
With all enemies defeated, they hurried forward and climbed onto a short ledge, reaching an area that overlooked the sea again. They headed down a steep slope to a long racetrack, and on their left was a path to a cave blocked by an ice wall. Spyro hurried over and breathed a little flame on it, but it seemed to have no effect. "That's some thick ice. Guess I'll run this track." Spyro charged down, his speed building up from the magic arrows on the ground. Spyro ran up a ramp and onto the track, immediately pursued by Irken Racers, racecars with Irken tech.
Spyro dodged left and right to avoid the cars' missiles, using more ramps to gain extra speed. One final ramp launched Spyro into a Flame Wisp, which in turn flew to Nigel. "FLAME!" Nigel destroyed the ice wall, and there were several more chunks of ice inside the cave. Most of them contained Rhynocs or Hunter Destroyers, so Nigel didn't bother to free them. However, one ice chunk had some dragon children trapped, so he chose to free those ones. The Color Power wore off by the time they exited the cave. They were now passing through a peaceful forest within a small canyon.
"So, anyway, I wanted to ask you," Spyro began, "are all of you elemental benders?"
"Well, Luvbi is, but not us." Nigel said, confused.
"Ahh. When she was airbending and stuff, I kinda thought the rest of you had some power."
"Why would you think that?" Nigel asked.
"Well, because the dragons here are element benders, too. I can bend Fire, some of them bend Ice, Lightning, Poison... I heard from somewhere it's a pretty common thing in the universe; not just Avalar."
"Hmmmm..." This interested Nigel. His uncle; Father's flame powers... could that be called firebending?...
"In fact, you guys have heard of the Jedi, right?" Spyro asked.
"From Star Wars?" Nigel questioned.
"Oh yeah, we've heard of them!" Ava beamed. "They were psychicbenders, weren't they?"
"Psychicbenders?" Nigel asked, becoming more confused.
"They used to be all over the place." Kweeb mentioned.
"Grrrr!" Nigel gripped and shook his head. "Will someone PLEASE explain to me what the Jedi have to do with anything?!"
"He's not from this galaxy, is he?" Spyro asked.
"Not even close." Ava shook her head disbelievingly.
"That reminds me, I sure do miss Khryssa." Kweeb said with a frown.
"Ehh. She wast not the most fun." Luvbi stated simply.
"Uuuugh!" Nigel moaned in defeat, not going to bother to ask who that was. "Just forget about it!"
There was a tall, yellowish-white rabbit girl with blond hair and a purple cloak standing by an archway. "Hey, Bianca, is the portal ready?" Spyro asked the girl.
"It sure is! Check it out!" Bianca replied as she used some magic to project an image of a cave of magma in the archway. Some golden letters appeared in front of the portal to form the label, Dragon's Lair. "With this, you should be able to get to the cave where Ripto keeps his dragon."
"Great job, Bianca! You're really getting better with your magic!"
"Yeah, no thanks to that Sorceress. Now, while you and your friends go deal with Ripto, I have a date with Hunter!"
"I'll never understand why you two started going out."
"What? I can't help that he's funny."
Spyro sighed. "So, you guys ready to kick some Ripto rump?"
"Yeah! Let's-" Dib began, but was silenced when a baby grand piano fell from the sky and crushed him. He rose out of the piano with a dizzy expression and piano keys in his teeth. "Next time you get a fortune cookie, don't open it."
"Come on. Let's go." Nigel said. The five operatives, along with Spyro, headed into the portal, with Dib, who was shaped like an accordion due to being crushed, making accordion sounds with every step.
Next time, we'll hopefully reach the boss. The Star Fox Team, plus Corneria, comes from the Star Fox series (obviously), and Spyro and the residents of Avalar come from the Spyro series. The anchorman and anchorwoman were the same ones from Futurama, and you may recall Sizz-Lorr from Invader Zim. Why isn't Ava on the wanted list? Eh, probably a mistake. Later.