~Cole and Misty~

Cole and Misty were holding on for dear life, "Help! Someone help us! We're in serious trouble here! Please!" Cole cried out, he glanced down to check on Misty and was relieved to see she was still managing to hold onto him.

"Cole!" Misty cried as she tightened her grip.

"Okay, that's not working. I'll just hang real still until I come up with a plan. I just have to think. Think, Cole. Think!" He mumbled to himself, but then He spotted a skeleton. Hanging from a root it looked to be a dead explorer.

"Oh, great. Now I feel much better." He grumbled

"What is it?" Misty cried she had her eyes closed not daring to look.

"Ah, nothing to worry about, just keep hanging on," Cole grunted he then spotted a hook on the skeleton. "Hey, a hook! If I can get to it... hey, you don't mind if I borrow that, do ya?" He said the skeleton's skull leaned slightly to the side and Cole muttered, "I'll take that as a "no".

"Tightened your hold Misty, we're going on the move," Cole warned

"Okay," Misty yelped and Cole felt Misty tighten her arms around him and let out a quiet whimper just before

He swung to the skeleton but he missed and nearly fell. He just managed to grab hold of the skeleton's foot and was left hanging from it with Misty still clinging to his waist her eyes still screwed shut. "Oh, great. Now I'm hanging from a skeleton that's hanging from a root. And now I'm talking to myself again. Keep it together, pal. Just hold on." He muttered under his breath barely loud enough for even Misty to hear him. Cole managed to reach the hook and threw it upwards, but fell again in the process just in time the hook dug into a rock and Cole managed to grab the rope and started to climb upwards. Suddenly, the rock crumbled causing Cole to fall.

He was now holding onto the side of a cliff with Misty. "Help! Someone help! What am I doing? What if the Skull Sorcerer hears me? That would be terrible!"

"I'm not going to lie Cole he's the least of our concerns right now!" Misty squeaked out.

"You're right we don't really have a choice, do we? Help! Someone help us! Hello? Is-is someone down there?" Cole shouted into the darkness below.

Suddenly, a group of Dire Bats few out of nowhere. "Dire Bats?" Cole muttered

Misty's eyes now opened and saw a Bat flying straight at her. It grabbed her and yanked her away from Cole and took off with her.

"That's just perfect out of the pot and into the fire," Misty cried as she was being carried away by the bat.

"Misty! Misty don't worry!" Cole shouted he managed to free himself from two squabbling bats and grabbed onto the bat's foot as it flew after the one that had Misty.

"I'm not," Misty called over her shoulder to Cole she was dangling by the foot from the bat's claws as it flew.

"You could at least worry a little!" Cole shouted to her he looked back and saw other bats chasing after him. He used his Earth Punch to drop stalactites on the Bats chasing him, "Haha, yes!" he then looked ahead and saw he was about to crash into a stalagmite, Cole used his Earth Punch to break it, causing the bat to drop him. He lunged forward and managed to knock Misty out of the bat's grasp and the two tumbled into a tunnel. Cole pushed Misty behind him to protect her as the bat chased the two deeper in, and eventually cornered them inside.

Cole while standing in front of Misty activated his lava arm and the bat flew away, afraid. "Ha! Maybe you realized you were messing with the wrong ninja! Nice try, pal! Better luck next ti... " He trailed off when he heard Misty say nervously, "Uh Cole, look what we're standing on,"

He looked and realized that they were standing on sticky webs. "What-what is this stuff? Really sticky, almost like spider..." They then heard a sound and turned around to see a giant spider. It slammed one of its legs down. "Ah!" both of them screamed. The spider lunged at Cole, but missed, "Look, I'm getting really tired of things trying to eat me!" Cole cried

The spider then tried striking both him and Misty with its legs, but they dodge them. The spider grabbed onto Cole and knocked him back against the cave wall. Soon followed by Misty. Cole tried to activate his Lava Punch, but his hands are webbed by the spider. "Hey! Don't think about how gross this feels. Do not think about how gross this feels. I'm thinking about it. Ugh, I'm thinking about it." Cole cried

Misty eyes started glowing as she attempted to summon some crystal but Cole shouted, "Don't we don't know what will happen!"

Misty faltered and in her hesitation, the spider then struck Misty knocking her to the side causing her to get trapped on the sticky webbing on the ground beside Cole. The spider then struck Cole. He tried to fight back, but the spider-webbed his body. "I'm now willing to discuss the terms of your surrender," he said nervously. Suddenly, Vania landed in front of him and Misty. She struck at the spider with her naginata, but the arachnid dodged it. "Princess Vania?" Cole cried

"Back. Ugh!" Vania cried as she defended them from the spider.

"Oh, wow. Am I glad to see you!" Cole shouted

"Princess Vania! Thank goodness you couldn't have come at a better time!" Misty cried.

"I hate spiders, especially huge slobbering ones with fangs! Don't make me step on you! Chompy, help!" Vania cried out. Chompy which appeared to be a small white dragon flew toward the spider but was knocked down by it. "Okay, and now you've made me angry," Vania shouted and behind her in a flash of light Chompy grew into the Battle Dragon. The spider scurried off in fear of the dragon and Chompy reverted to his normal size.

"What? What just happened? Did you see that? Your dragon, he - he -" Cole stammered

"What?" Vania asked

"He-he just got bigger!" Cole shouted

"Chompy? Don't be silly. He just growls a bit sometimes, when he gets angry." Vania said

"Are you sure? 'Cause I could swear -" Cole said

"Oh, dear. Let's get you out of these." Vania said as she helped free him from the webbing. Vania and Cole then helped free Misty, "What in the world?" Misty muttered and she bent down and patted the little dragon's head.

The three of them than did their best to navigate the mines and find their way out and they managed to find the exit just in time.

Cole struggled to open the covering of the hole leading back into the gardens. "Ugh, come on!" he grunted as he strained to open it.

"I can almost hear them now," Wu muttered to himself thoughtfully, He sipped some tea, only to then spit it out in shock when he noticed Cole, Misty, and Vania. "Misty? Cole? Princess Vania? What happened? Where are the others?" He cried

"You mean they're not back?" Cole asked

"Great, Go figure," Misty sighed and cast an uneasy look back toward the mine entrance.

"No. And you, Princess. You gave me your word that you wouldn't enter the mines!" Wu scolded

"Oh, did I? Did I actually give my word? I thought it was more of a...possibility." Vania said sheepishly

"It was most certainly not." Wu scowled

"I guess I'm not very good at doing what I'm told, " Vania said

"I'm beginning to see that. And whose dragon is this?" Wu asked as he jumped around on the old man's hat, they looked and saw Chompy chewing on some of the yellow blossoms from the garden.

"That's Chompy. He's mine." Vania said

"Is he a Shintaran Ridgeback?" Wu asked

"He's just Chompy. Chompy, will you quit eating the flowers? Ugh. You're just gonna barf." Vania scolded the little dragon.

"We've got bigger problems, guys. There's an evil sorcerer in the mines, and he's got this magic skull, and he commands an army of skeletons! We got separated and barely escaped. They must still be down there!" Cole cried in a rush and he nodded to Misty.

"How? How could all that be down there without anyone up here realizing it?" Wu cried

"I don't know, but we have to tell my father immediately!" Vania said

"The King needs to send his guards to stop this weirdo. If his skeleton army ever reaches the surface, all of Shintaro would be destroyed." Cole shouted

They rushed to the throne room to speak with King Vangelis with the hopes he would do something.

Vangelis was discussing with some of his guards, "And please ask the Accounting Department for a report on the latest shipment of Venge -"

Vania, Cole, Misty, and Wu burst into the throne room and Vania cried out, "Father, we must speak with you. It's an emergency!"

"Vania? Wu? What emergency? What's this all about?" Vangelis asked the guards were dismissed.

"The mines! They're not as empty as we all believed!" Vania cried

"You went underground?"

"I had to, father. Cole, Misty, and the other ninja were trapped!" Vania cried out

"It's true. She saved our lives," Cole said and he gently reached out and pulled Misty closer to him who nodded her head in agreement.

"We'd be dead if not for your daughter, or at least webbed up waiting to be eaten," She muttered.

"I told you never to go down there," Vangelis shouted

"Please, don't be angry, Father." Vania cried

"I'm not angry, just saddened. You have forced my hand."

"What do you mean?"

"I love you, child, but why don't you ever listen? I was trying to protect you!"

"I know, I'm sorry, but you need to understand. There's a dark evil down there called the Skull Sorcerer!"

"Yeah, and he's got this evil magic skull that glows red, and these two huge wings, and -" Cole said in a rush but was cut off when Vangelis asked

"Are you certain?"

"I saw him so did Misty!" Cole confirmed.

Vangelis's eyes narrowed and he said, "And you're certain it wasn't ..." He took out the Skull of Hazza D'ur. and said with a sneer, " green?" before their eyes, he transformed into the Skull Sorcerer.

"No!" Vania cried out in despair.

"You're the Skull Sorcerer?" Cole shouted and he pushed Misty behind him in an effort to protect her.

"Why?" Wu shouted

"Perfection, I'm afraid, has a cost. And the cost is Vengestone. It comes from the mines." Skull Sorcerer said

"From the mountain, from the earth." Hazza D'ur croaked out.

"The People of Shintaro may not realize it, but their magnificent city, the lives of bliss and joy that they lead, is paid for by Vengestone. Fortunately, I found a customer willing to pay dearly for it." Skull Sorcerer said

"I don't believe it. You-you wouldn't. You couldn't!" Vania sobbed out.

"Well, it ends now!" Cole shouted

"In that respect, sadly, you are correct." The Skull Sorcerer shouted and he attacked them with the Skull of Hazza D'ur. First striking Wu with it.

"Master Wu!" Cole cried and tried to run to his Master's aid only to be struck by the skull as well.

"No!" Vania cried and she stepped in front of Misty before she could be struck as well.

"The Skull. Get the Skull!" Wu shouted

"Chompy, go!" Vania cried the Skull Sorcerer struck Chompy to the ground. Misty rushed to Wu's and Cole's sides as they got to their feet. But the Skull Sorcerer dropped Cole, Misty, and Wu down a pit. "Cole! Wu! Misty!" Vania screamed she rushed and put on a pair of Shintaro wings.

"Vania! No! You'll never reach them in time!" The Skull Sorcerer shouted

"I have to try!" Vania cried and she ran to the edge of the pit.

"If you do this, you will be my daughter no longer! You will be nothing to me!" The Skull Sorcerer shouted

"Nothing, nothing, nothing!" Hazza D'ur chanted

Vania gazed at her father one last time with a heartbroken look then looked at Chompy who was struggling to get to his feet, before diving headfirst into the pit.

"No! You made your choice." The Skull Sorcerer snarled down at her.

As Misty tumbled through the air she felt someone grab her hand and saw it was Cole, "Thanks not sure that's going to do much," She said shakily.

"It'll keep us together," Cole said and he gave her hand a squeeze, "Wherever we're headed we'll get there together,"