In the forest behind their backyard, Porter and Lily were playing a game of tag. Porter was in pursuit of Lily, who was using her ribbon whip to swing across the branches.
"Woo-hoo! I feel like Treasure Hunter Griff!" she exclaimed.
Porter, who was starting to tire out from all the running, begged for her to slow down as she was easily outpacing him.
"Sorry, big brother, but you know the rules when it comes to tag: no compromise, all chasing!" Lily teased.
She then swung over to another branch and perched down on it, looking down at Porter.
"Here, if you can climb up to where I am, I'll switch places with you, no questions asked," she taunted.
"And you can't use your ribbon to get a boost or catch me! I hate when you do that!" Porter added.
The branch Lily was sitting on was pretty high up. Porter spent several minutes attempting to parkour up the tree, only to accept that he can't do parkour. As he spent several more minutes trying to climb up the tree normally, Lily got comfortable and turned the branch she was sitting on into a hammock.
Eventually, Porter gave out and slid down the tree after another unsuccessful attempt, exhausted.
"You yield yet?" Lily asked, looking down at the ground.
"Never! I will catch you! Just as soon as I catch my breath..." Porter panted, falling asleep soon after.
As Lily looked up from Porter, she noticed a large, bulldozer-like machine barreling through the forest. It was approaching quickly towards them.
"Porter, watch out!" She exclaimed.
But the warning went unheard. In a flash, Porter was engulfed in a cloud of dust from the machine. The machine barely cleared the branch Lily was standing on, passing her ribbon like the lone brush in a car wash.
The machine had vanished just as fast as it appeared, and when Lily looked back at its trail, there was no sign of Porter anywhere.
"Porter..?" Lily asked, climbing down to the sight of where Porter last was.
Inspecting the site, she found no trace of her brother. She began to panic.
"Oh man, Porter! What do I do?"
She looked around, focusing on the large trail the machine made all the way to the clearing that led outside the forest.
"I need to tell the others! Hang in there, big brother!"
And just like that, she hurried as fast as she could to the house.
Meanwhile, Porter was completely unharmed as someone saved him in the nick of time. Waking up, he was staring into the eyes of the one who rescued him. His savior was a girl, around the same height as him, tan skin, brown eyes, and hair in a ponytail. She stared at him with curiosity in her eyes.
"Lily..?" Porter groaned.
The girl cocked her head and replied, "Lily? No Lily, me Selva. Me, jungle girl."
"So Selva's your name? I'm Porter."
Selva nodded and pointed at herself, then back at Porter, who stared back in confusion.
"Me Selva, you Porter," she stated. "Porter friend."
"Wow, uh, T-thank you!" Porter smiled. "I didn't think I'd ever be friends with a jungle girl. This is wild!"
Selva smiled back at him, then started to laugh.
"Yeah, it's crazy, ain't it?" she giggled, shocking Porter.
"Wait, you can speak normally?!" he shouted.
"Yep!" she nodded proudly. "Just thought I'd have a bit of fun with you when you got your bearings!"
"Oh..." Porter groaned, thinking he had met someone unfamiliar to the territory.
"Jokes aside, though, I really have no clue who this Lily is. Is she your friend?" Selva asked.
"Sister," he corrected, looking up at the trees. "And she left her ribbon again..." he added with a sigh.
"Sister? That's an odd name for a friend..."
"No, she-" Porter sighed before continuing. "She's my little sister. She's part of my family."
"Family..?" she questioned, cocking her head again.
"You don't know what a family is..?" Porter asked, to which Selva responded to with a shrug.
"Okay, uh, how do I explain this..."
After getting Lily's ribbon untangled from the tree, the two were also off to the house, Porter still explaining to Selva what a family is.
Siblings' House
"...So if they can make milkshakes, I know that diner is more than capable of making cheeseshakes!" Zaire shouted, pacing back and forth in the kitchen, as Bro and Amelia watched him.
"What are you talking about?" Bro replied in frustrated confusion.
The back door burst open, and Lily ran into the house, panting heavily.
"Guys, help! It's an emergency!" she yelled.
She tried to explain the problem, but she was speaking so fast the other siblings couldn't understand.
"Woah, slow down, sis!" Amelia responded, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Now, repeat that again, but slowly."
"Porter- he's gone! A giant machine took him while we were playing tag in the forest!" she blubbered.
"What? Why are we sitting around here for, then? Let's go get him!" Zaire declared.
Before they were able to rush outside, Porter and Selva walked into the house.
"Hey, guys!" he greeted nonchalantly.
Confused, the three siblings looked back at Lily.
"But- But I saw it! This thing was going through the forest, and it took him, and..." she stammered.
"...Glad to see you're okay," she sighed, giving off a weak smile.
"Oh, who's that next to you, Porter?" Amelia asked.
"Me, Porter's friend," Selva replied on behalf of Porter.
"Uh, yeah, thanks. This is Selva Salvaje. I met her in the forest," Porter explained.
Hearing this, Lily ran up to Selva, thanking her for saving her brother.
"Oh yeah, and that's my little sister, Lily," he added.
"Lily also friend of Selva!" she giggled, hugging Lily back.
"Well, all's well that ends well, right Bro?" Zaire chuckled, putting an arm on his shoulder.
"Not quite," Bro frowned; not that he was smiling in the first place.
"What? But Porter is perfectly safe now!" Amelia reasoned.
"He's okay, sure, but I'm wondering why someone would take a machine through the forest," Bro replied.
"What do you mean?" Zaire questioned.
"I mean, going through the forest with a giant vehicle is a bad idea. It's full of cliffs and uneven terrain, not to mention several warnings that bring it up. If somebody were to bring a vehicle here, it would either be someone following orders from the town hall, or..."
Stopping mid-sentence, he figured the worst and asked Amelia and Zaire to follow him into the forest. Lily tried to follow them but was immediately blocked by Bro.
"Absolutely not. You're staying here and keeping an eye on Selva. We won't be gone for long."
And just like that, the three were off to the forest to investigate. Lily looked back at Porter, who was asking Selva if she understood what a family was.
"Speaking of, do you have a family, Selva?" Lily asked.
With a blank face, Selva looked over at Porter to reply for her.
"Well, we talked on the way here, and she comes from what she calls the Salvaje Tribe. An incident separated her from the rest of the tribe, and she's been looking for them, surviving in the woods ever since," he explained.
"And you got this much information from a girl who can't use words with more than three syllables?" Lily questioned, unaware of Selva's façade.
The room fell silent for a moment until Porter spoke up again.
"Hey, how about a game of hide-and-seek?" he proposed.
Lily agreed to play, seeing this as an opportunity to check on the other siblings. After teaching Selva how to play along, Porter and Lily hid in the girls' closet and under the kitchen sink respectively. Lily peeked out the door and slowly crawled out of her hiding space when she saw Selva walk into her room. Opening the door leading outside, she crept out and giggled when she heard the girlish screams of Porter echoing through the house.
In the forest, Bro, Zaire and Amelia were surveying where Porter and Lily last played. Other than the tread marks on the dirt and several fallen trees, not that much seemed out of the ordinary.
"Sheesh, who decided to plan a driving test out here?" Zaire joked, looking at the tread marks.
"The direction of these markings could point us anywhere! Where are supposed to go with this?!" Bro complained.
"Hey guys, over here!" Amelia shouted, pointing to more marks that led to a clearing. Beyond the clearing was an overlook and a beach with a large battleship right below. They peeked below the cliff and observed the site. Somewhere down the hill was the wreckage of the bulldozer machine.
"Well, now we know what was causing those markings," Bro concluded. "But why is there a large ship around here?"
"Bro, over here!" Zaire gasped, pointing to a specific spot on the beach.
Looking closer, the three spotted a group of Clones carrying crates into the ship. The Villain League was also there, monitoring the area. Also looking around was the colossal Clone, Big Boom, and another giant Clone, glowing and green.
"What do you think they're planning this time?" Amelia asked.
"Doesn't matter," Bro replied, "let's put a stop to their plans!"
"Should I get Porter and Lily?" Zaire questioned.
"That won't be necessary," A voice from behind said, catching the three off guard. Turning around, they saw Zetal and a duo of Clones behind him.
"So, how are my worst enemies doing? I see you're curious about what's going on. Would you like a closer look?" he asked, an evil grin on his face.
The three were knocked off the edge and slid to the bottom of the overlook, catching the attention of everyone near the battleship.
"INTRUDERS!!" one Clone shouted.
One Clone leapt toward the three and was immediately launched into next year by one of Zaire's kicks.
Another Clone ran towards them and got flattened by a pillar of light Bro created. To retaliate, Amelia tossed a heart at the line of crate-carrying Clones, causing them to drop their supplies. One crate broke, revealing jars of several plants.
"I see how it is," Zetal sighed, pulling out a walkie talkie. "Attention, all Clones: Interference in progress outside the ship. Capture the intruders and salvage the resources!" he announced.
With that, whatever Clone in the ship poured out like a flood, along with Ixin and Umbrish, who also hopped into the conflict.
"Brace yourself - it's a party, and we're the special guests!" Zaire chortled, drawing out his katana.
Down at the forest, Lily was headed for the others, but stopped when she overheard voices nearby. Peeking behind a tree, she saw two Clones in another one of those bulldozer machines, trying to move a tree out of their path. As she climbed onto the machine, she overheard the conversation below.
"..No, put it in N! N means 'Nudge', you moron!" one Clone argued.
"It clearly means 'No', idiot! Why else do you think the Rolldozer isn't moving?" the other Clone argued back. "Try another gear!"
"What other gears are there? We've tried P for 'Push', that did nothing, R for 'Run Over', all it did was send us backwards, and I don't think the Drive gear is gonna be much help here..."
"Hold on, what do these numbers do?" the second Clone asked, pointing to four numbers on the gearshift.
Before the other Clone could answer, Lily lassoed the two with her ribbon and tossed them off behind the machine. Hopping into the driver's seat, she took a look at the controls - the steering wheel, the gearshift, and a couple of levers.
"Here's to hoping I also impress Bro with my driving skills!" Lily said to herself.
Taking hold of the controls, she grabbed the gear and shifted to reverse, running over the two Clones behind her. The Rolldozer she was in barreled into the forest in the direction of the beach.
"You know, I have a feeling the 'R' does not mean 'Run Over'..." one of the Clones groaned.
The Rolldozer sped down the slope faster and faster, with Lily having less control of it by the second. Eventually, she jumped out and watched as it disappeared down the hillside. Back at the beach where everyone was fighting, Zetal was watching the siblings in combat, preparing a trick of his own.
Focusing his sight on one of the siblings, he charged up the laser blaster in his monocle and prepared to fire.
That is, until a stray Rolldozer drove off a nearby cliff and got into his sight as he fired, running over several Clones like bowling pins.
"Ugh," he groaned, "those idiots can't do anything right! I reckon that little girl can drive better than them!"
Meanwhile, the other siblings were growing more and more exhausted as the fight continued. The three stood their ground for as long as they could, but they knew the wave of Clones would overwhelm them if they stayed for too long.
"Zaire!" Amelia shouted, shaking a Clone off her leg. "Get us out of here!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Zaire replied, taking off into the sky, Amelia holding on to his legs.
"I'll hold them off for as long as I can!" Bro added from below.
Unfortunately for them, Casinoir and the green Clone were watching them from a distance, planning to intercept their escape.
"Alright bud, the target is getting away and the situation is dire. Waste not a single second more and FIRE!" Casinoir cheered, pointing at Zaire and Amelia.
The glowing green Clone looked over at him and asked something in an unintelligible gurgle. Upon a closer look, this Clone was slightly opaque and looked gelatinous.
"I just wanted to rhyme, okay?" Casinoir answered in a rather harsh tone. "Now hurry up and fire, they're getting away!"
Shrugging off Casinoir's response, the green Clone hurled a large ball of glowing goo which struck the two airborne escapees. They crashed onto the ground with a splat and struggled to climb out of the sticky mess.
"Ah, I see you've already gotten acquainted with Bilehazzard!" Zetal called from above. "He's a special one. He found something special in a mine that changed his form to make him bigger, stronger, and more aggressive!"
The green Clone gurgled something in protest, knowing that wasn't exactly the case...
Several Days Before, In a Mine
"Okay fellas, we're behind schedule. Again. So we're gonna have to put our efforts into overdrive!" the head of the mining operations announced.
"Sir, I don't feel well. Is it okay if I head to the infirmary and rest a bit?" one Clone sniffled. He looked pale compared to the other Clones in the mining troupe.
The leader put a hand to the Clone's head and replied, "You feel fine to me. Now stop slacking and get digging!"
The Clone begged again to go the infirmary (or at least lay on the floor to rest), but his boss wasn't budging. He tried one more time, and his boss answered in a growl.
"Less taking, more mining, or else you're gonna feel even worse than before!" he warned, balling one of his hands into a fist.
Sighing, the sick Clone grabbed his pickaxe and hard hat and went to his work station. After a few swings into the walls, he uncovered a strange, glowing green ore. He'd never seen something like it before. Curious, he picked it up to inspect it further. He was instead blown back by an unknown force and crashed into a wall, completely unconscious. A large green mass of goo stuck to where he hit the wall.
His coworkers grouped around him to see what happened. His skin was slowly turning bright green and the goo stuck to him began to eat at the floor.
"Get me Zetal," his boss ordered.
The Clone woke up in what seemed like a bunker with Zetal standing in front of him.
"So, good news and bad news..." Zetal announced to the Clone. "The bad news is your body is heavily altered to the point you won't be able to work long periods without risking the safety of anyone. Because of this, you're no longer assigned to working in the mines, and I've sent you to the bottom of my tower to keep everyone safe."
The Clone tried to ask, "So, what's the good news?" but only heard muffled gurgles instead of his voice.
"Oh, and speaking of, that material you found triggered a mutation that distorted your voice in the process," Zetal added.
In disbelief, the Clone walked over to a corner of the room and started to cry, tears instantly being absorbed into his body.
"However," Zetal continued, "the good news is I see some potential in you and your newfound abilities, and that's why I want you to join my Clone Tier, where only the elite, hand-picked Clones join me in my conquest to take over the Seallium Realm, and most importantly, destroy those obnoxious siblings!"
Curious, the Clone looked over at Zetal as he gestured to follow him through the hall. Up a spiral staircase and after a corridor full of portraits, the two of them stopped in front of a large steel door.
"It may take you a while to get used to your new body and acquainted with your new allies, but I'm certain both of those issues will be nonexistent soon enough," Zetal mentioned, opening the door.
In the room were several other Clones, but they were unlike any the others in the city. These Clones had gone through several modifications, which made them all potential weapons of destruction. They all focused their gaze at Zetal and the glowing green Clone.
"Attention, Clone Tier!" Zetal announced. "We have a new recruit, and he's joining the ranks of you guys. I expect the morale of the Clone Tier will heighten with his addition."
"As long as he doesn't steal my lunch or interfere with my work, I could care less about what he does around here." A Clone with gigantic drills attached to his wrists got up from a table and approached the two.
"Now that I'm thinking about it, isn't he the poor sucker who found that ore and got unassigned from work?" he asked.
"He is," Zetal responded.
Hearing this, the Clone began to laugh hysterically to the point he was on the ground.
"Okay, Handidrill, it's not that funny. Heck, it wasn't even funny to begin with.." Another Clone, one with a large drill attached to his back, sighed.
"Hold on, just a few more seconds..." Handidrill wheezed before looking at the green Clone again.
"How's it feel to lose the one purpose you had, huh? To be even more useless in this state than you were before?" he cackled.
"You can stop now, Handidrill," Zetal sighed. "You still have work in the mines that you should be taking care of."
"Oh, I will," he replied, "as soon as I'm done telling this slimeball that he has no business fighting along the big dogs and he'd be better spending the rest of his life in a can of toy putty!" he added, pressing his finger in the glowing Clone's face.
"Stop! Handidrill mean to new recruit!" Big Boom roared, hanging from a pipe on the ceiling.
"Oh, boo hoo hoo!" Handidrill bawled in a mocking tone. "What do you expect here? I don't have to be nice to anyone, and I DEFINITELY don't have to be nice to Mr. Discount Swamp Monster just because of a sob story!"
Having enough of Handidrill's ridicule, the glowing Clone gave him a forceful slap that sent him flying across the room, his head stuck in a bubble of green goop.
"Okay, I deserved that," Handidrill muttered in a muffled mumble.
"Wow, you're a lot stronger than you look!" Zetal smiled, patting the Clone's back. "I have a feeling I won't regret bringing you here! Ah, but what am I going to name you..?"
By this point, Handidrill managed to get his head out of the bubble and couldn't believe what Zetal was saying.
"Really?! You're still going to allow this biohazard to work alongside us?!" he complained.
Zetal heard the complaint, but was too deep in thought with what he was going to name this mutant Clone...
Back to the Present
"Seems like a lot to work just to say a sick Clone touched a glowing rock and became a human glue trap," Zaire muttered. Bro was trying to get the two of them out of their sticky situation, but he couldn't try very hard, given how tired he was after fending off so many Clones.
Meanwhile, Lily made it to the cliff where Zetal was standing and snuck right behind him.
"That's right... Just stand right there..." he whispered as he charged up another laser.
Lily wasn't sure what he was looking at, but she made the choice to shove him off the cliff before he could fire. He tumbled down, landing face-first on the ground when he landed. Bro looked up and saw Lily standing over the edge.
"Lily, what are you doing?!" he shouted. "Get out of here!"
At that moment, he was knocked unconscious by Umbrish, and the two Clones on the cliff grabbed Lily. She struggled as hard as she could, but couldn't escape the grasp of her captors.
When Zetal came to, he saw Umbrish and Ixin standing in front of him.
"Well sir, the intruders have been subdued and we were able to recover most of the supplies. Shall we dispose of them now?" Ixin asked.
"No, no," Zetal responded. "Bring them on the ship. I've got plans for them."
Back at the house, Porter and Selva accepted that they couldn't find Lily and admitted defeat.
"Alright, Lily! You win! You can come out now!" Porter called. The house echoed with silence.
"Lily?" he called out again, with no response.
"Maybe she fell asleep in her hiding spot?" Selva reasoned with a chuckle.
"No, she wouldn't do that. Lily is the most energetic girl I know," Porter replied. "And the most reckless. She'd probably go off on her own and cause trouble if it wasn't for Bro keeping her in check- WAIT A MINUTE!"
Porter ran over to the kitchen and saw the door slightly open. He screamed in panic, assuming she snuck out while they were playing.
"Oh, man! She got away! Bro will wring my neck for this! Or better yet, he'll wring her neck first, then mine!" he yelled, running around the kitchen.
"Maybe if we catch her first, your big brother won't wring your necks!" she cheered. "Also, how can your brother wring your neck? It's too thick!"
The two of them ran through the forest and stopped near the cliff.
"Agh, where could she be?" Porter complained. "I know she couldn't have gotten far!"
Selva spotted a large ship on the water. It didn't look like it set sail that long ago, either.
"Hey, you think she's on that thing?" she asked, pointing at the ship.
Porter was about to deny the possibility of Lily being on the ship until something on it caught his eye- Zetal's emblem, a silver-rimmed, red-glassed monocle with a black Z in the center. The emblem was plastered all over the ship.
"I know she's on it," Porter replied. "Good goodness, Lily..."
The two made their way down the cliff and down the beach, where a single rowboat was on the shore.
"We need to hurry before the others get home and notice we're also gone!" Porter warned.
They set sail, with Selva rowing the boat and Porter paddling alongside her. After some time, their boat lined up with Zetal's battleship. Porter caught sight of a window and tried to jump to it, but couldn't get enough height to reach it.
"Hey Selva, I can't reach that window over there, mind giving me a boost?" he requested.
He did get a boost, but it didn't get him to the window; it sent him high into the air. At least it was high enough for him to land safely on the top of the ship.
The battleship was just about as large as a cruise ship. Clones roamed up and down the decks carrying out tasks as they sailed across the waters. Porter hid behind a sign and asked himself where his younger sister would be.
"C'mon Porter, think! If I were my reckless little sister on this ship, where would I be?" he whispered to himself.
A group of Clones caught a glimpse of him as they were walking past the sign. Frightened, Porter started to run.
"Intruder! Catch him and take him to the bottom of the ship with the others!" the leader ordered.
With a clue of where Lily was, Porter focused on reaching the bottom of the ship, the horde of Clones chasing after him.
"I feel like I said something wrong..." the Clone giving orders mumbled to himself.
Porter ran through the halls of the ship, barely outpacing the Clones after him. After several minutes, several turns, and resisting the urge to take an elevator, he was lost and surrounded.
"Ha! You've got nowhere to run now!" one Clone laughed. "Can't go through us and can't go around us. You're finished!"
"Unless he uses the garbage chute behind him!" another Clone added. "B-But don't even think about using it! It won't take you anywhere but the bottom of the ship!"
Looking behind, he saw the chute and hopped into it before the Clones could grab him, screaming as he took the fastest way down.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have said that," the second Clone muttered.
"Oh, you THINK so?" the first Clone scolded, smacking his acquaintance on the back of the head.
Meanwhile, Porter was still falling down the garbage chute, his fall only being slowed by the partially slanted chute. Eventually, he reached the bottom, falling into a waste container.
After climbing out, he took the time to observe his surroundings; nothing but crates with plant names on them, a hangar with submarines inside, several doors with other locations on the ship labeled on them, and what looked like Zetal on an inspirational poster that read, "You can do it, and you better!"
Walking around, Porter found Lily (who was the first to see him) as well as the other siblings. They were in a cage, tied up to each other.
"Porter! Boy, are we glad to see you!" Lily smiled.
"Eh? Porter's here? Did he get captured too?" Zaire asked, as he was waking up from a post-capture nap.
"No, I'm fine! I'm here to rescue you guys!" Porter replied.
"Yeah! You go, little brother!" Amelia cheered.
"Well, make it quick," Bro added. "Get us out of here, and let's put a stop to Zetal's plans! Apparently when the ship sails gets back to Kleptopolis, he's going to experiment on the plants he collected to make them dangerous. After that, he'll plant them back at Seal Island where they'll either destroy all of the plant life or slowly turn everyone into mutated mindless monsters!"
"Wait, how do you know what Zetal plans to do with these plants?" Porter asked.
"He straight up told us after he captured us," Zaire explained. "He didn't think there'd be anyone to save us, but I don't think he realized that he hasn't caught everyone!"
A voice could be overheard from directly behind Porter. It was Big Boom, who retorted, "Not yet!"
Porter turned around in fear, staring at the mountain of a Clone.
"You run no longer! Big Boom catch you and make boss happy! Then Big Boom learn to speak properly!" he cackled.
"Porter! Big Boom has the keys on one of his belt loops! You need to think of a way to get it off him!" Zaire stated.
"And how do you suggest I do that?!" Porter reasoned.
"I dunno, but you better figure out a way before the Clones find you!" Bro warned again.
Big Boom let out a roar and began to chase Porter. Porter led him straight into a wall, the force so strong it caused the ship to tilt. While Big Boom was dazed, Porter climbed on his leg and reached for the keys. Still in a daze, Big Boom smacked Porter off him, causing him to slide across the floor.
Big Boom grabbed at Porter, constantly missing as he kept barely out of his reach. The other siblings could only watch as this rather underwhelming fight was going on.
"Hang in there, Porter! We'll be there soon to help you!" Amelia reassured.
"How do we get out, exactly? We're tied up and in a cage!" Lily complained.
"Maybe I can help!" A voice replied seemingly from right above the cage.
Peeking into sight was Selva, an enormous grin on her face.
"How long have you been standing on the cage?" Zaire asked.
"Enough to know where the keys are! Just hang tight!" she replied.
And just like that, she sprang into action to help Porter.
"Hold on a minute, She can talk normally?!" Bro exclaimed.
By this point, Big Boom had grabbed Porter and was about to slam him into the ground when he heard Selva's voice.
"Hey, caveman brain!" she shouted. "Why don't you go pick on someone your own size? Or are there no gorillas around for you to fight?"
Enraged, Big Boom dropped Porter and made a beeline straight toward Selva, ready to crush her. Surprisingly, she was strong enough to stop Big Boom's hands in their tracks.
While the two were trying to knock each other off their feet, Porter took the opportunity to swipe the keys from Big Boom and ran back to the cage to free the others.
"Buddy, I can defend myself just fine, but if you tried fighting me on my turf, the chieftain would've sent the whole Salvaje Tribe after you!" she warned.
After saying this, she slammed Big Boom's fists to the ground, stood on top of his hands and kicked him square in the face, sending him across the ship and rendering him unconscious.
"Hah! How do you like them mangoes?" she chuckled.
Just then, she was grabbed by the sticky hand of Bilehazzard, who dropped down from the ceiling after Selva launched Big Boom. He let out a garbled laugh and and swallowed her in one gulp.
By now, Porter had gotten the other siblings out of the cage and freed them of their bindings.
"Again, I'm glad you found us!" Zaire sighed. "Who knows what could've happened if you weren't here?"
"Honestly, I was just looking for Lily," Porter chuckled. "I saw the kitchen door open and thought she ran off, then there was this ship, and me and Selva had to paddle this boat to catch up..."
"Speaking of Selva, where is she?" Amelia asked.
Bro pointed directly at her, floating inside the green, gelatinous Clone.
"You guys go rescue her. I've got something to do real quick," Bro ordered. After saying this, he turned into a ball of light and disappeared up a hatch.
Without a word to say, Porter, Zaire, Amelia and Lily looked over at Bilehazzard, who let out a bellowing yell. Gobs of goo flew out from his body as he yelled.
"Alright, you melted gummy bear! You're going down!" Zaire yelled, drawing out his katana and lunging toward the Clone. He slashed Bilehazzard's arm, cutting through it like a knife through butter. However, in seconds, the goo forming his arm receded into his body and out came another arm.
"Are you serious?" Zaire growled. "How are we supposed to get her out of there?"
"Don't worry, I've got this!" Amelia replied, ready to throw a heart at Bilehazzard before being stopped by Porter.
"Wait! If you throw that, you might hurt Selva too!" he warned.
"How do we get her out, then?"
"Like this!" Lily answered.
By now, she was standing behind Bilehazzard, ribbon in hand. With a strong and steady arm, she flicked the ribbon and sent it into his body. Sensing the ribbon wrap around her arm, Selva grabbed on and Lily began to pull.
"Hang in there, Selva!" Lily cried. "We've almost got you!"
She wasn't strong enough to pull Selva out by herself, so Porter ran alongside to help. Soon enough, they had gotten her out of the sticky situation.
"Thanks, guys! I've had my fair share of predicaments, but not floating green water," Selva sighed, wiping the goo off of her.
Lily couldn't get over the fact Selva could talk normally.
"So Porter, when were you going to tell us that Selva could speak normally, let alone speak in full sentences?" Lily asked, an angry look on her face.
Before Porter could answer, Zaire interrupted both of them.
"Can we continue this discussion when we're not on the ship? Look, Dummy Kong over there is just waking up from his un-beauty sleep!"
Indeed, Big Boom was back up, even madder than last time. Seemed like he was bent on not letting the siblings leave in one piece.
Amelia threw hearts while Zaire blew forceful gusts of wind, but it wasn't enough to stop Big Boom charging at them. They both jumped out of the way to avoid being stomped on.
Meanwhile, Porter, Lily, and Selva were near the submarine hangar, running from Bilehazzard as he had realized Selva escaped his grasp.
"I don't think we have a lot of time before the ship reaches the island!" Porter warned.
"How do we stop it before then?" Selva asked.
Lily looked over to where Big Boom was chasing Zaire and Amelia and said she had an idea. Instead of elaborating her plan though, she gave Porter her ribbon and jumped backwards into the grasp of Bilehazzard. He didn't chase the other two anymore. He just stood there confused yet content.
In his body though, she was speaking muffled orders and pointing in several directions. Neither Porter nor Selva understood what she was trying to say, and with a sigh, she pointed to Big Boom, then a nearby stack of crates, then herself. She mouthed something to the likes of "climb and swing" which Selva understood almost immediately.
She grabbed Porter and carried him up the pile of crates, and using Lily's ribbon, she attached it to one of the pipes on the ceiling. Afterwards, she held Porter as he squirmed in refusal.
"I don't wanna do this! I can't swing like Lily, this isn't a jungle!" Porter protested.
"What do you think my name means?" Selva chuckled.
And with that, they both jumped off the crates, Porter screaming until they crossed paths with Zaire, Amelia, and Big Boom chasing them. The two collided with Big Boom, the impact strong enough to launch him into Bilehazzard's body. Lily was ejected straight out of him as the two giant Clones were launched into the wall.
A giant hole was punctured in the ship because of them, which started to fill with water.
"What's all the noise down here?!" a Clone hollered as he walked into the room. He started to panic as he saw the hole on the side of the ship.
"Leak! There's a leak on the ship!" he exclaimed.
"Don't be ridiculous," another Clone who was also walking into the room replied, "we didn't bring any leeks onboard, and besides, we have plenty of leeks at home!"
"A LEAK, acorn-brain!" the first Clone yelled, grabbing the second Clone and turning his face to where the hole was.
"A leak! We have a leak! Get the duct tape and rubber cement!" he yelled.
"We have a leak?" a third Clone asked. "Where? I wanna see!"
"There's a leak on the ship?" a fourth Clone added.
Soon enough, the hall leading to the room was crammed with Clones wanting to see the leak. They were soon knocked over like bowling pins by Bro, encased in a ball of light.
"There, that's done," he stated, dusting off his hands. "What happened here?"
"Me and Porter save Lily from big green monster!" Selva giggled.
"You can cut the jig, Sel," Lily coughed. "We all heard you, remember?"
"Right, sorry," she replied, giggling again.
Zetal and the Villain League burst through another door and saw the two fallen powerhouse Clones, the siblings, and the giant hole in the wall which had only grown larger at this point.
"WHAT ON-!" he screeched.
"Aaaand that's our cue to get out of here," Bro stated, gesturing to the submarine.
The six ran towards the hangar and squeezed into a submarine. In a few minutes, they deployed under the water and surfaced above where the sinking ship was visible.
"Hey Bro, you disappeared while we were fighting Big Boom and Bilehazzard. What did you do, exactly?" Zaire asked.
Just as he finished asking, Zetal's battleship exploded and caught fire in several places. Several Clones began to abandon ship, some tried putting out the fire (with gasoline, no less) and the rest were trying to patch up the ship with duct tape and rubber cement.
"Answer your question?" Bro replied.
"Yes, and no."
"Let's just say the Clones keep a lot of explosive and flammable items on them. Couple that with water and electrical fires and you have..."
Bro pointed back at the ship, where the fire was even more intense and most of the Clones had vanished.
"Big bad barge go boom!" Amelia laughed.
"Indeed. I think we can chalk this up to a win. Now, let's go home," Bro concluded.
As he sailed the submarine back to the beach, the others began to talk amongst themselves.
"Hey Selva, how did you get into the ship?" one of the siblings asked.
"I climbed through a window," Selva answered. "That's what you called them, right?"
On the other side of the wreckage of the ship, Zetal and and the Villain League were on a small boat- the same one Porter and Selva used to get to his battleship.
"Well, another plan ruined," Zetal sighed. "A few more nautical miles and we would've made it back to Kleptopolis.."
"It was our fault, sir," Ixin admitted, bowing in apology. "We left the cage unattended. Had that girl and the boy not arrived, your plan would've been successful. Me and my acquaintance will strive to do better next time."
Zetal let out another sigh and shook his head. "I know you'll do better next time. One of these days, the whole of Seallium Realm and all on it will fall to my knees, but for now, let's just get back to the island so I can start my next plot."
Umbrish and Casinoir nodded and began to paddle the boat to the shore, also tugging along a life raft with the unconscious bodies of Big Boom and Bilehazzard.
Siblings' House
"You sure you're gonna be fine out there?" Porter asked. "We could give you a bed, a-and you'll have plenty of food so you won't have to forage so much..."
It was nightfall now, and the siblings were saying goodbye to Selva, who opted to retreat back into the forest.
"I told you, I'll be fine," Selva smiled. "Don't forget what I said. I'm a lot stronger than I look, and besides..."
She looked over Porter's shoulder, with the others looking back at her.
"You've got your family, and I've got mine. I just need to find them. When I do, maybe we can go on some more adventures, just like this one."
She hugged Porter and waved to the others before running into the dark forest.
"Quite a wild girl," Bro admitted.
"Hey Porter, earlier Selva tried to pretend she couldn't speak in complete sentences," Zaire pointed out. "I have a feeling she opened up to you first."
Confused, Porter nodded.
"Now, how would you react to a girl who could speak normally, but revealed her goofy talk to you first?"
"What are you getting at, Zaire?" Bro questioned.
"All I'm saying is, I think Selva has a little crush on you," Zaire snickered, nudging Porter's side.
"Selva? Me? A c-crush?!"
Flustered and terrified of the notion, Porter ran into the house, screaming.
As Lily and Amelia watched Porter run off, Bro looked directly at Zaire, frowning.
"What? It's just a thought." he stated with a shrug and a smile.
"A wild thought, no less," Bro added, shaking his head.