New allies

Jack, Brock, Rick, Wekin, Kriti, and the mythical creatures finally secured the beacon. As Jack held it up, he suddenly paused and asked, "Wait… how are we even breathing? We're literally underwater!"

Hipeon, the neon-powered hippo, let out a deep sigh. "That's because I'm here. I can allow some people to survive underwater using my powers… but it won't last forever. In a few minutes, you'll start drowning."

Wekin's eyes widened. "And you couldn't tell us this a little earlier?! Seriously?"

Before anyone could say anything else, the water around them darkened. A chilling presence sent shivers down their spines. Rising from the depths, Blizzare emerged, dragging something behind him. As he stepped forward, the crew saw what it was—Abyssora's lifeless body, its once-mighty form now limp and motionless.

"Nobody can stop me from killing you!" Blizzare roared, his icy breath sending a wave of frost across the water's surface.

The crew's hearts pounded. There was no time to think—they needed to get out!

They kicked off the seabed and swam upward, breaking the surface gasping for air. But as soon as they hit land, they realized their nightmare wasn't over.

With a massive splash, Blizzare erupted from the water like a monstrous force of nature. His eyes burned with vengeance as he landed on the shore, ice spreading beneath his feet. Without hesitation, he started charging after them.

"RUN!" Jack shouted, and without a second thought, the entire crew bolted, with Blizzare relentlessly chasing after them.

Everyone ran as fast as they could, their breath coming in short, panicked gasps. Behind them, Blizzare charged forward like an unstoppable avalanche, his massive paws pounding the ground with earth-shaking force. Trees splintered and fell in his wake, the very air turning icy as his cold rage spread like a blizzard.

Then, without warning, ice spikes erupted from the ground, sharp and deadly.

"He's throwing glaciers at us!" Brock yelled, diving to the side as a jagged chunk of ice nearly impaled him.

"I NOTICED!" Wekin shrieked, barely dodging another. The frozen spikes shot out unpredictably, crashing through the jungle and turning their escape into a desperate obstacle course.

Jack looked back just in time to see Blizzare raising one massive paw, his claws glowing with an eerie blue light. A crackling sound filled the air, and suddenly, he swiped—sending an enormous glacier flying straight at them.

"SCATTER!" Kriti screamed.

Everyone dived in different directions as the ice crashed down, splitting the ground beneath them.

For a moment, it seemed like they were managing to escape, but then—

A scream tore through the air.

They spun around.

Blizzare had grabbed Rick.

Rick dangled helplessly in the air, his arms flailing, his legs kicking wildly. His face had turned from its usual color to a pale, ghostly white as he stared into Blizzare's glowing, furious eyes. The bear's cold breath wrapped around him, sending chills down his spine—both literally and figuratively.

Rick gulped. "O-o-okay, l-let's not be hasty here…" he stammered, his voice cracking.

Blizzare only tightened his grip, and Rick let out the most undignified shriek possible.

"AaaAAHHH! HELP! HELP! HE'S GONNA EAT ME! JACK, BROCK, WEKIN, KRITI, DO SOMETHING! CALL AN EXORCIST! CALL A FIRE MAGE! CALL—CALL MY MOM!"

"Your mom can't save you now, buddy," Brock muttered.

Rick thrashed even harder. "LISTEN, BLIZZARE, I SWEAR IT WASN'T ME! I DIDN'T KILL GORREVIL! IT WAS GOLD HORN! IT WAS ALL GOLD HORN! I'M INNOCENT!"

Blizzare's eyes narrowed, but he didn't let go.

Rick's desperation reached new levels. "PLEASE, DON'T EAT ME! I'M NOT TASTY AT ALL! IN FACT, I'M THE MOST BRITTLE THING ON THE PLANET! LIKE, HONESTLY, AFTER WEKIN, I'M PROBABLY THE WEAKEST PERSON HERE!"

Wekin, who was still sprinting for his life, suddenly skidded to a stop. "HEY! EXCUSE ME?!"

Rick, still flailing in Blizzare's grasp, turned slightly. "WELL, IT'S TRUE! YOU'RE WEAK!"

Wekin's jaw dropped. "I'M LITERALLY RUNNING FOR MY LIFE RIGHT NOW! HOW AM I WEAK?!"

Rick ignored him and turned back to Blizzare, his voice growing more panicked. "ANYWAY! AS I WAS SAYING! YOU DON'T WANT TO EAT ME! IN FACT, YOU SHOULD JUST LET ME GO, AND WE CAN FORGET THIS EVER HAPPENED! NO HARD FEELINGS, RIGHT?"

Blizzare growled, his icy claws tightening. Frost started creeping up Rick's body, slowly encasing his arms and legs.

Rick let out a horrified squeak.

"OKAY, OKAY, MAYBE SOME HARD FEELINGS!" He thrashed harder. "B-BUT STILL! LET'S BE RATIONAL ABOUT THIS!"

Blizzare didn't look convinced.

Jack, Brock, Kriti, and Wekin exchanged frantic glances. If they didn't act now, Rick was about to become a frozen statue—possibly a very ugly one.

"Alright," Jack muttered. "We need a plan. And we need it NOW."

Blizzare let out a deafening roar, ice shards exploding from his body as he prepared to finish Rick off.

Blizzare stood in the middle of the destruction he had caused, his massive icy form radiating cold. His breath came out in freezing clouds, his sharp claws digging into the earth. He looked down at the lifeless body of Falder, who had lasted all of five seconds in what was supposed to be "the greatest fight."

Gold Horn, who had just seconds ago confidently declared, "We will defeat you together now!" was already sprinting in the opposite direction. His golden hooves barely touched the ground as he disappeared into the jungle at world-record speed.

Blizzare blinked.

"Really?" he muttered, watching Gold Horn vanish.

Then, he turned to finish off the rest.

Except—

There was no one there.

His glowing blue eyes narrowed. The jungle had suddenly become suspiciously quiet. Leaves rustled ever so slightly, the only indication that his prey hadn't simply evaporated into thin air.

Blizzare gritted his teeth. "Where did you all go?" he growled.

Little did he know—

They were ALL still there.

Hiding.

In the most questionable ways possible.

Rick had chosen what he thought was the perfect hiding spot—a big, solid tree right behind Blizzare. It was thick, strong, and offered great cover.

Except…

Jack and Kriti were already hiding on top of that tree.

So now, Rick was pressed against the base, eyes squeezed shut, praying to every jungle deity that Blizzare wouldn't notice him.

Meanwhile—

Hipeon had no time for this nonsense. Without a word, he dragged Brock and Wekin underwater. The three of them submerged into a nearby swamp, their heads barely peeking above the surface.

Zekrin had gone into full stealth mode, hiding in the bushes like a highly-trained ninja. His glowing blue stripes dimmed to avoid detection. His plan? Simple. Be the bush. Become the bush.

Giratus, on the other hand, had the best idea of them all—he camouflaged into the surrounding greenery. His entire body blended seamlessly with the grass and trees, making him nearly invisible.

Blizzare stood in the middle of all this, his eye twitching.

For a few moments, he didn't move. Just stood there, sniffing the air.

Then, suddenly—

With a frustrated growl, he swung his massive claws.

WHOOSH!

Blizzare picked up an entire tree and hurled it into the air like a toy.

Rick's eyes widened in slow motion.

"OH SH—"

Too late.

The tree he was hiding behind went flying.

And since Jack and Kriti were ON that tree—

They also went flying.

For about three glorious, cinematic seconds, Rick, Jack, and Kriti defied gravity, soaring through the sky in perfect synchronization.

Rick's arms flailed. "I REGRET EVERYTHINGGGGG—"

Jack was upside down. "I BLAME RICK FOR THIS!"

Kriti, completely calm: "This is why I don't trust trees."

They landed in the most embarrassing way possible.

Jack crashed into a bush, legs sticking out like a cartoon character. Kriti landed straight on her face, groaning. And Rick—

Well.

Rick landed directly in the swamp where Hipeon, Brock, and Wekin were hiding.

There was a loud, wet SPLASH.

For a moment, the swamp was completely still.

Then, Brock slowly rose from the water, wiping mud off his face.

"Rick," he said flatly. "I hate you."

Rick, now completely covered in mud, sat up. "WHY ME?!"

Before Brock could reply, Blizzare turned around at the sound of the splash. His blue eyes locked onto them.

Rick gasped. "NOPE—"

Blizzare charged.

The Panic Mode Activated

"SCATTER!" Jack shouted, yanking himself out of the bush.

And scatter they did.

Hipeon, who was 100% done with everyone, picked up Wekin with his mouth and yeeted him onto dry land.

"HEY! WARN ME BEFORE YOU THROW ME!" Wekin yelled, flailing like a ragdoll.

Brock tried to run but tripped over Rick, who was still trying to crawl out of the mud.

"BROCK, MOVE!" Rick yelled.

"YOU MOVE!" Brock yelled back.

"I'M STUCK—"

Before they could figure out their life choices, Blizzare's icy breath froze the swamp solid, trapping them in place.

Meanwhile—

Zekrin was still hiding in his bush.

Giratus was still camouflaged, watching this disaster unfold.

Jack and Kriti were sprinting through the jungle, dodging falling ice shards as Blizzare turned everything around him into a frozen wasteland.

"HOW IS HE THIS FAST?!" Kriti shouted.

Jack panted. "I DON'T KNOW! BUT I THINK HE HATES RICK THE MOST—"

As if to prove Jack's theory, Blizzare grabbed Rick AGAIN.

Rick screamed. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!?"

Blizzare lifted Rick over his head and said "because I want to kill the ugly one first".

Rick, officially in survival mode, did the only thing he could think of.

He punched Blizzare in the nose.

Silence.

Everyone froze.

Blizzare blinked.

Rick gulped. "Uh… truce?"

Blizzare yeeted him across the jungle.

Rick screamed as he flew through the air for the second time in five minutes.

Jack facepalmed. "He's having a bad day, huh?"

Kriti sighed. "Rick's life is a bad day."

The group had one chance to escape.

Giratus, who had stayed camouflaged this entire time, finally decided to be useful.

He used his vines to grab Rick mid-air, catching him before he hit another tree.

Rick, hanging upside down from the vines, panted. "Oh my god… I saw my life flash before my eyes…"

"And?" Brock asked.

"It was mostly disappointing."

Blizzare, enraged, sent out another wave of ice, freezing more of the jungle.

Jack made a split-second decision. "Giratus, cover us!"

Giratus grew massive vines and threw them all away from Blizzare, swinging them into the deeper parts of the jungle.

They all crashed into the ground in a messy heap—except for Wekin, who somehow landed perfectly on his feet.

"HOW DID YOU LAND SO PERFECTLY?" Rick asked, still lying on his face.

Wekin shrugged. "Skill."

Behind them, Blizzare roared in frustration. He had lost them again.

For now.

Final Thoughts

The group lay there for a moment, panting, catching their breath.

Jack finally sat up. "Alright. Let's NEVER do that again."

Brock groaned. "Agreed."

Kriti dusted herself off. "Also, we should consider replacing Rick with a less cursed human."

Rick raised a weak hand. "I support that idea."

Hipeon sighed. "We are so doomed."

Blizzare roared in fury, his icy breath freezing the ground beneath him as he charged forward again. The jungle trembled under his monstrous steps, trees shattering like glass as he closed in on the group. Just when it seemed like there was no escape—

BOOM!

A massive explosion tore through the sky as a private plane came crashing down, slamming directly into Blizzare with a deafening impact. Flames erupted in all directions, engulfing the ice-covered battlefield in an inferno of destruction.

Blizzare staggered backward, his piercing blue eyes widening in something no one had ever seen before—fear. His breath hitched, his body stiffened, and in a barely audible whisper, he muttered, "Fire..."

But no one heard him.

Because in that moment, everything was drowned out by the roaring flames.

For a few terrifying seconds, nothing moved. The only thing visible was the blinding glow of fire, consuming everything in its path. The trees crackled, the air thickened with heat, and a deathly silence hung over the battlefield.

Then, from the fiery sky, two figures descended with parachutes, their silhouettes cutting through the smoke.

As they landed, one of them smirked. Drevid.

Adjusting his jacket, he crossed his arms and smirked at the stunned group. "That's why I always keep a backup plan."

Before anyone could react, Nikki ran past him and threw herself into Jack's arms. Tears welled up in her eyes as she clung to him. "Brother!"

Jack, completely shocked, held her tightly. "Nikki? What are you doing here?!"

Before she could answer, a sudden high-pitched shriek cut through the air.

Rick.

Eyes wide, he pointed a trembling finger at Drevid, his entire body shaking. "I-It's him! This man almost killed us when we were at Gorrevil's cave!"

Without thinking, Rick jumped at Drevid.

Unfortunately, in his usual Rick-style miscalculation, he tripped over absolutely nothing and ended up tackling himself along with Brock to the ground.

A stunned silence followed.

Jack sighed. "Here we go again…"