Dear Boom Diary: A Skylanders Retelling

Waterfall Valley: Part 2

The Chieftess took over for Boom. "The Rampant Ruins are a part of the Ancient Flashfin's domain, so it should not take Night and Magna more than a few hours to fly there, spy on Kaos, and get back." She and her advisors then sat down, and indecipherable chatter flooded the Great Hollow.

Blast stood on top of his chair, cupped his hands over his mouth. "WHO WANTS A GOOD GRILL?"

Freeze waved his arms overhead as fast as he could from the center of the room. "DO IT OUTSIDE, BLAST! REMEMBER THE LAST TIME YOU TRIED GRILLING IN HERE?"

I elbowed him. "What happened last time with the grill?"

He was smirking from under his visor. "I tend to get carried away with my magic when I'm off-duty from the Swap Force and Skylands Bomb Squad. The last time I grilled someone's food, it was in here. You know what happens when wood is exposed to fire?"

Of course I knew the answer! Who doesn't? "It burns with the heat of a ship taking off."

He punched me in the shoulder. "Exactly!" He gestured to the cyan feline. "Freeze had to clean up the mess I made, and we had to explain my blunder to Rufus." The butler was busy talking with Woodburrow's leader, so the knight turned back to me with a slightly more serious expression. "That's my flaw. Even though I've learned that lesson several times, I still get a bit impulsive."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "And you're perfectly fine with that?"

He gave a curt nod. "Our flaws let us interact with others in ways that nobody can predict." He gestured to all of the conversations happening around us. "And isn't that the true meaning of life? To have as many crazy interactions as possible?"

My thoughts wandered back to the conversation I had with Stealth last night. "Perhaps? Stealth's also fine with not having perfect camouflage."

Blast rested a hand on my shoulder. "That's another thing. If all of us were perfect, like me with my impulses, there'd be nothing else for us to work towards. If you ask me, a life like that isn't the best." He gestured outside with his head. "Anyway, want to watch me grill?"

My eyes panned over to Boom, who had moved to the right side of the room. "I have my own reservations."

We went our separate ways, myself picking the path of least resistance to reach Boom. Once I was close enough, I waved to him. "How you doing there, Boom? Ready to see who the Best Pilot in Broken Clouds really is?"

A smug smile passed over him. "Given what Trap told me about your trophies, you won't stand a chance."

I gawked. Trap? Was he the purple panther from yesterday? I shook that moment of weakness off my face, hoping Boom didn't notice. As with crying, the best pilot in all of Skylands needs to put on a facade of confidence at all times. "He didn't look deep enough. Like an enchilada, I have layers."

He didn't seem moved in the slightest as he stood up. Dang it! That's another person I've accidentally revealed my secret to.

"We both share something in common."

I shook my head in confusion. "We're like enchiladas?"

"We both like to brag about how great we are." Boom jabbed a thumb at himself. "But I can back up my ego with my flying skills." He clapped his hands together. "Let's see if you've got what it takes! To the Airdocks!"

He must not have caught on to my secret after all!

We ran into Spy on our way to the Dread-Yacht. He nodded at Boom, looking slightly concerned. "I heard what happened at Cascade Glade."

My opponent looked at his face. "Spy, what's wrong?"

Now it was a Skylander's turn to look startled. He cleared his throat. "Uh, it's nothing to be worried about." He turned to me. "Flynn, I finished repairing the ship."

He scuttled past us, and I turned to Boom. "What in the Ancients was that for?"

He shrugged. "Probably another data quirk like the incident with Cluck at the Tower of Time."

We finished walking to the Dread-Yacht, and I led Boom into the cockpit. "So, where are we racing to?"

He pointed to the volcano. "To Mount Cloudbreak, around its vent, and back here. It doesn't matter what route you take."

I vaguely remembered someone mentioning a vent. "Uh, what exactly is a vent?"

He flashed an incredulous look. "You don't have many volcanoes where you're from, do you?" I shook my head. He formed a bowl with one hand and punched it from below with the other. "A volcano's vent is where magma leaves it, turning into lava."

Looking past the village and through the jungle, I could barely make out the hole I flew into on my first day. "Right." I smiled at Boom. "Tell you what, I'll give you a head start. It'll make your defeat all the more embarrassing!"

He laughed, bringing a blue and gold rocket surfboard out of nowhere. I've always wondered how Skylanders are able to do that. Do they lug 'em around in their clothing or something?

A glance at the dashboard said that Spy and Magna didn't make many adjustments when they were telling me about their visit to the Pile of Clocks. Every button was where I remembered it, including the one to power the ship on for all the world to see.

It coughed to life and began ascending. I looked up, and Boom had already surfed out of sight.

"Well, it's a good thing a real engine produces a lot more watts than a family of angry racoons." I began guiding the Dread-Yacht away from Woodburrow. I crashed it a few times in Boom Town when I was in flight school, and I had to ask Nort for help with paying the full price. I did not want Spy's repair costs to rack up from two accidents within days of each other.

Since my ship was far too bulky to maneuver through the trees, I flew over them. It was then a straight shot to Mount Broken Clouds! I surged forward and saw a silhouette tilting their ride to the side for a tighter turn around the vent.

I waved to Boom and put my ship into hover mode as he approached. "How can you drift with your surfboard like a kart?"

He laughed. "Lots of practice on something with better handling than a ship!" He saluted me and resumed flying. "¡Adiós!"

There was no way that I was gonna win against something that fast, so I played fair by taking an easy turn around the vent before speeding back to the village.

When I returned, a vampire was sobbing at the Airdocks. Boom was patting him on the shoulder. I turned the ship off and ran over. "Hey, why-"

Knight's eyes had daggers in them. Whatever was going on, it was something serious. I stopped the comment I was about to make and instead listened.

What happened at the Overgrown Remnants deserves a separate entry in this diary.

Yours Truly,

Flynn