I decided that the last world in this story should be the one this whole story is inspired from! Play "Grunty's Castle" from Jiggies of Time!
World 6: Spiral Mountain
Robi and Jolene walked out of a similar blue house. They were in the end of a small canyon, looking up at the central spiral mountain and the witch's tower that loomed across from it. The "mountain" itself was only five stories tall and fairly narrow, much like the one in the lair. Unfortunately, the valley was glum with storm clouds and drills carving the landscape. The duo traveled up the first hill and were swarmed by a team of Guvnors, pink monsters in yellow workers' jumpsuits. Though the monsters were beaten by their earthbending, a Hag-Mini (small drill machine) approached them. The earthbenders stomped the ground to flip the digger upside-down, climbing onto its underbelly to Ground Pound enough to crush it. It seemed the path around Spiral Mountain itself was folded in, but the kids weren't able to pull it out just by getting close.
They first went to an area with tall trees with thick trunks. Tall machines were sawing the trees at different heights. Robi volunteered to go up himself, Flutter Jumping his way up the branches or indents of the trees and avoiding the saws. When on the last tree, he had to bounce off some Buzzbombs to reach footholds, but it eventually led him to an indent on the cliff. He felt a flow of chi and channeled his bending, able to stretch out part of the mountain path. He rejoined Jolene as they explored the waterfall basin, a trail leading toward the left side of it. The duo needed to do Rock Jumps to leap the platforms between the waterfalls—Chompas would lung out of the falls and try to gnash them, but Jolene could snatch them with her clay and yank them down. At one point, they had to jump into a secret cavern behind the waterfall and follow it upward, KOing the bats that swooped down to nip them and exiting behind another waterfall. They jumped to a platform and reached the top of the cliff, using another chi flow that would stretch another chunk of the mountain.
They returned to ground level and followed the cliff under Grunty's Lair, going to an even more desolate valley where Quarries were tumbling down a hill. The hill was too soily and slippery to run up, so Robi held Jolene's hand to do a Flutter Run. They used their free hands to channel bending and push the boulders away. Rockmen were the ones throwing the Quarries down, but there was an old lesson somewhere that said "Rockmen should never fight an earthbender." They found another spot where they could send their bending to stretch out the last chunk of the spiral path.
They used a Rock Jump to reach the base of the winding road, jogging straight to the top. A pair of Dark Gruntlings awaited them, guarding a cage holding a blonde, pigtailed girl. "Huh? What're those two?"
The Gruntlings were stronger than the normal varieties, and fighting on this tiny peak made it worse. The duo were knocked off the mountain a few times, but eventually the Gruntlings were sent falling. A helicopter was coming to collect the cage, but Jolene lifted and carried it down to ground level before smashing it open. "Phew! Thanks a bunch, you two!"
"Whoa!" Robi perked up after realizing what the girl was. "You're a bear!" She had a bear nose and bear feet, but she stood at their height like a humanoid girl. She wore a red tank-top with a yellow star and purple shorts, and she had brown fur.
"Of course I'm a bear! My name's Tooty. But what about you? Are you some kind of… butterfly boy?"
"My name's Robi and I'm a Nimbi. Jolene's a human. We're here to stop the witch, Gruntilda."
"You're enemies of Gruntilda, too?"
"You already know her?"
"You have no idea! Two years ago, she kidnapped me and tried to make me ugly! And not long ago, she showed up again and started doing all this to Spiral Mountain! She also kidnapped my big brother Banjo and his bird Kazooie!"
"Banjo…" That name sounded familiar to Robi. "Ahem, anyway, why don't we work together? Can you fight?"
"I can a little bit! Just let me grab my special backpack from my house."
"Is it that little blue house? You shouldn't go in through the door because it's kind of a portal."
"Well, no problem! I'll use the chimney!"
On the way back to her house, Jolene inputted, "If we bother the bear babies, will the mama and papa bears come and eat us?"
"We're not that kind of bear, silly!" Tooty said. "Besides, we lost our parents years ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry…"
Tooty jumped up some garbage cans beside her house, then performing a high flip to reach her roof. Her small frame allowed her to jump down the chimney. She opened the window from inside and jumped out with a light-purple flower backpack. "Perfect! A bear should never go out without her magic backpack! By the way, are you KND operatives, too?"
"Sure we are! I'm Numbuh 363rd and Jolene is Numbuh Miracle."
"Wow. Why did she choose that 'number'?"
"'Cause Mom and Dad call me their Miracle."
"Awe." Tooty smiled. There must've been something special behind that. "Well, I'm Numbuh Threeie."
"Numbuh Three?" Robi asked.
"No. Threeie. It's hard to explain why, but… that number has important meaning to us. It's something we hope will come someday."
"Then you can tell us about it after we beat Gruntilda!"
"Okay!"
"Threeie…" Even Jolene could feel the specialness of that number… or maybe it was just fun to say. However, the kids first decided to jump through the window into Tooty's house. It was very small with two beds, a thin kitchen wall, and a chair by the fireplace. Tooty showed them that, by Ground Pounding the chair, they could spring out through the chimney and collect some airborne Notes! The kitchen wall could also be pushed open into a secret room with an Extra Health Cookie!
"I was trying to get into Grunty's Lair before I was captured, but the entrance was locked. I have no idea where the key is."
"Then we better start searching."
Past the area with tall trees, there was a large metal door sealing a cave. There was a small opening in the lower-left. Tooty put the backpack over herself and shrank to half her height, the Earthlings awed as she walked under the gap with ease. Tooty snuck behind a row of rocks, hidden from the Gruntlings and Grublins. She jumped up some natural platform-steps, and from the top, she would have to jump across some far-apart platforms. Tooty could reach them by leaping and spinning, "Wheeeee!" as her pigtails helped her hover the wide gaps. Tooty pressed a switch that opened the gate for Robi and Jolene to enter. The monsters swarmed the kids, Tooty ecstatic as the earthbenders began their beatdown. She excitedly dropped to join them, bashing baddies with her backpack and flip-kicks!
"Boy, you're tough, Tooty!"
"You should see how tough my brother is! He isn't a bender, but he and Kazooie got skills like you wouldn't believe! Anyway, this tunnel leads to Jinjo Village. We should check on them."
"Jinjos? We know those guys, we've been saving them! Huhu, we get to see where they live, Jolene!"
"I used to think my classmates all lived at school. But when I saw them in different houses, it was like… they were different people. Am I… a different girl at school?"
"Nope! You'll always be the Jolene we know and love!"
They followed the tunnel out to Jinjo Village, a town of two-floor, round houses distinguished by color. There seemed to be Jinjos innocently strolling about, whistling greetings at the visitors. "Hey, I wonder if any of the ones we saved are here?" Robi said, approaching a purple one. "Hello there! We're the-"
The Jinjo made sparky, whirring sounds as it charged and punched Robi in the jaw. "Rarrrr! I'm a Minjo, archenemy of the Jinjos!"
"MINJOS?!" Tooty gasped, running to bash the purple baddy. "Oh no, the village has been taken over! Where are all the Jinjos?!"
"We're right here!" The kids spun toward a sandy canyon, agape at the small army of Jinjos. "I didn't think we would meet again like this, friends!"
"The Jinjos we saved!" Robi exclaimed.
"We'll keep these Minjos busy! Take all the time you need to find those collectables!"
"WHEEEEEEEE!" The Jinjos kicked off the ground, colorful trails streaking the air as they rammed and stabbed the Minjos with their beaks. The trio decided to explore the sandy valley they came from; while it led to a dead end, several Jinjo were zooming left and right in slow fashions. "We'll be your platforms! Use us as much as you need!"
"They're kinda small and fast to jump on." Robi said.
"Then leave it to me!" Tooty jumped up the series of Jinjos… unfortunately, there weren't enough Jinjos to reach the cave near the top. "Uh-oh. If we had just two more Jinjos, I could make that." Tooty returned to ground as they explored the village. The houses were all locked, but the respective colored Jinjos could swoop around and let Tooty jump up to the roofs and collect notes. However, Robi noticed the wall behind the red house was cracked and was able to burst it open. There was a switch inside, but he wasn't sure what it opened.
"Tooty, what's this ruin here?" Robi acknowledged the pile of gray rubble between the black and green houses.
"Oh, that's the Gray Jinjo House. Gruntilda drove a digger through it and killed them."
"That's terrible."
"I know…"
The kids traveled up a hill to a small, dark palace. "This is King Jingaling's Palace." Tooty said as they entered. "But it looks like… Gruntilda's cursed him with zombification again."
"Oooooog…" Atop the stairs in the single-room palace, a large, gray, regal Jinjo wandered around a throne. King Jingaling eerily limped toward the kids, but outrunning him was easy as they searched the room. "…?" Robi was curious about the Jiggy-shaped crystal floor beneath the throne. He knelt down and felt it.
"I feel a chi similar to the Crystal Jiggies. I… wonder what's down here?"
"Robi, look out!" Tooty pulled Robi aside before Jingaling could grab him.
"Ooooo…I sealed my Jiggy… before the witch could curse me… Only with gray… can I be restored…ooooog…"
"Only with gray?"
"Let's get out of here!" Tooty ushered. "There's nothing we can do now!"
Across Jingaling's Palace was the Bottles House, belonging to a family of Mobian moles. It seemed the switch in the Red House opened its door. The underground home had thick beanstalks where lanterns hung. However, that wasn't a mole family eating at the dining table: they were Uggers with plump iron fists! "Remind me to apologize to the Bottles later!" Tooty said as the dining room became a small battlefield, the newly-soiled ground torn up by the earthbenders. They followed the right tunnel to Mrs. Bottles' room, a double-bed for her and the late Mr. Bottles. They did the mother a favor by popping the Mr. Circles jumping on the bed. "So long, Mr. Circle…" Jolene waved.
"Hey, I can feel three people under the bed." Robi said.
Tooty peeked under. "There's a metal hatch. It must be a panic room! I bet the Bottles are in there!" Tooty crawled above the hatch and banged it. "Guys! It's Tooty, Banjo's sister! We're here to help you!"
"Tooty?" a woman's muffled voice called. "Oh, you precious sweetheart! Did you defeat all the monsters?"
"Well, we haven't checked the kids' rooms."
"The kids won't come out until they're all gone. I'm sorry to trouble you, but could you?"
"It's no trouble, Mrs. B!" With that, Tooty jogged back through the dining room to a separate tunnel, which forked to separate rooms. The right tunnel led to Goggles' room, where several Chimpies were stationed on the beanstalk branches. They jumped around and threw oranges, but Jolene could catch and throw them back with her clay, knocking the Chimpies down so Tooty could bash them senseless. Afterwards, they walked to the opposite tunnel, leading to Speccy and Bottles, Jr.'s room. There was a Hothead flying circles by the high ceiling on a small plane. Tooty had to flip-jump onto a wardrobe, and from there a stairway of small planes on shelves. Once level with the Hothead, she jumped to grab its plane's wing before destroying the monster with a Pack Whack. Before jumping down, she flip-jumped to grab a Red Jinjo cage above one area.
The Bottles Family climbed out of the panic room. Mrs. Bottles had hair done up in curls, Speccy had a "7" cap, black shirt, and airplane toy, while Goggles had a Donkey Kong toy and pink shirt. "Oh! I see we have some new friends." The mother smiled.
"We sure do!" Tooty jumped. "And they're gonna help us beat Gruntilda!"
"That mean old witch is behind this again, huh? Then you'll probably need this." She gave them a Jiggy. "Now, stop that witch… so my son can rest in peace."
"We promise."
With that, the three kids shared a Jiggy Dance! Tooty played a flute while Robi pretended to play a banjo. Jolene wasn't sure what to do, so when the Jiggy was tossed to her, she banged it like a drum! Then she put it away. As the trio left the house, Tooty told a story. "Bottles, Jr. was a great friend of ours. He was a KND trainer while the oldest brother, Jamjars was a Drill Sergeant. Bottles taught Banjo and Kazooie everything they know. Well, some things. But half a year ago, Gruntilda killed him with magic."
"Grunty almost killed Jolene, and she has her parents trapped somewhere."
"She's taken so much from all of us. But we'll stop her together!" Tooty took Jolene's hands and jumped. "And we'll get your parents back!"
"Huhu!" Jolene was compelled to bounce, too. She didn't know what it was, but Jolene really enjoyed being with Tooty. Perhaps because she looked like a cuddly teddy bear. Maybe there was a toy of Tooty somewhere? The trio came out facing Jingaling's Palace, but they traveled downhill on the right. Jolene used Clay Arms to pull them up a short ledge, leading to a trail through a forest. The Wooded Hollow had two large temples: the stone-gray Mayahem Temple entrance embedded in the cliff, as well as a gold and brown temple with familiar jigsaw symbols. "That's Jiggywiggy's Temple. It's the source of all Jiggies."
"You mean that's where they all come from?"
"Yup! Everyone on Isle o' Hags treasures the Jiggies as good luck charms. Unfortunately, they're also great magical items for Sealing Spells. Gruntilda likes to steal Jiggies and harness their powers for sealing parts of her lair and other areas. And only by collecting Jiggies can the spells be undone."
"But why doesn't Grunty keep all the Jiggies to herself? Instead of putting them where we can find them?"
"That's part of a counter-spell Jiggywiggy enchanted the Jiggies with. Depending on how many Jiggies are used to seal a door, there has to be an equal amount or more that can be found outside the sealed areas. Grunty can't keep too many with her if she's planning to hide behind so many of these doors. Even her Note Door spells work under the same pretense."
"I didn't think magic was that complicated."
"But you gotta make it fair so everyone has a chance to win." Jolene reasoned.
"Hehe! And I think you sure showed her that, Jolene!"
"It looks like the temple is completely sealed right now." Tooty observed. "But I doubt Grunty could hide her key in there."
There was a series of stairs and ledges that would lead up the cliff, but Tooty first called attention to the sign labeled Teddy Bears Picnic. Enticed by the inviting idea, the group traveled up that trail! (Play "Teddy Bear's Picnic"!)
An old-timey song played on a radio. The clouds above this forest were brighter, yet they still cast an eerie glow. …It was a garden of picnic blankets, tables, baskets… and teddy bears everywhere. Just about every bear was here. Robi and Jolene recognized the Berenstain Bears sharing tea with Winnie-the-Pooh. Po Panda was arm-wrestling Panda King, watched by The Grizz. There was a football field-like blanket full of teddies of the Chicago Bears. The Disney bears, Kenai, Koda, Baloo, and Little John were doing a dance.
"I feel like I heard this song somewhere…" Robi thought aloud.
"You must be thinking of Gruntilda's music." Tooty said. "She based her personal theme off this classic children's song. Except she has picnics with bears in a different way."
"If the bears aren't bothering you, don't bother them." Jolene said.
"You think we shouldn't touch the bears?" Robi asked. "Yeah, it looks like they're set up that way."
The friends Flutter Jumped or Ponytail Twirled to the safe spots between the bears' blankets. The Care Bears were eating Gummy Bears around a rainbow blanket, but there were small Snarebears in-between. Jolene threw clay into them for easy platforms, but there was an alternate route with farther, escalating Snarebears on platforms. "Wanna see another trick?" Tooty asked as she set her backpack down and jumped into it. The pack grew to fit her as she was able to bounce like a sack racer. She was able to make the tricky jumps and reach a Purple Jinjo!
The trio reached the football field, where several Dammers were blocking the way between the Chicago Bears. Jolene repeated her tactic from Peanutville, sticking the available football to the ground. Jolene kicked the football in whichever direction the Dammers were, and it would rubber band back for her to kick the others. The football packed the necessary force to shatter the rock walls, leaving none to impede their progress. Past the field, the group reached a small field littered with treasures. Surrounding them were desks occupied by the Brothers Bear from the Northern Kremisphere. "I think we need to give these items to the bears they belong to." Tooty said. "It looks like there are clues on each desk, but I can't read that language."
"We can!" Robi chirped. The clues were written in Egyptian, and they had explored enough of Egypt to find most of the necessary letters. They first gave the wrench to Björn, whose clue said he needed to repair a chairlift. They gave the present to Blue, which the bear opened to release a bowling ball. Said ball was actually meant for Bazooka, who wanted to shoot a cannon. They gave a mirror to Baffle, who needed to read some backwards text. The stopwatch was for Brash, to record his running time. They gave the box of chocolates to Bachelor, as a gift for his date. They gave the rose to Bramble, who needed to decorate his brambles. Once every bear had his share, the door opened over there.
They entered a restaurant called Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. "Oh boy." Robi said. Different kinds of Freddys were posed on stage, while the tables were occupied by Monokuma and his many sidekicks. The kids simply needed to smash a switch. A TV showed a Jiggy spawning by the trail's entrance. …So, with that, they turned to leave-
"AAAAAAAAAAA!" The Fazbears immediately stormed after them—Jolene quickly threw clay on the floor to stick and slow them, and Robi grabbed the girls to Flutter Run. After fleeing the restaurant, the Monokumas would join the chase, then the Brothers Bear. A faster, scarier version of song started to play! They dodged their way past the Chicago Bears, and the Care Bears had become Intensive Care Bears, bashing the Snarebears with iron pipes. They were too busy to notice the trio until after they ran past. Po and Panda King tried to attack them with kung-fu, Yogi and Boo-Boo tried to shoot them with guns, Smoky blew clouds of smog trying to blind them, Pooh and the Berenstains threw honey to try and trap them, but the friends still succeeded in seizing the Jiggy and escaping the trail!
"Show some love! Show some care! Don't stare, beware, nor dare the bears."
"Hmmm…" Tooty glared upward, only now noticing another toy bear: it was hanging from a branch by the neck, his dead red bird hanging out of his backpack. She wouldn't let that happen for real. (Resume "Grunty's Castle.")
To reach the first ledge ascending the cliff, Jolene applied clay so they could walk up a print trail. "Hey, this is just like one of Kazooie's skills!" Tooty commented. The first couple ledges were guarded by Mayan cat warriors called Moggies, swinging clubs with great ferocity, but REOWING loudly as they were sent falling. The third ledge had a Sput-Sput, a tall statue head that spat rapid darts. Jolene saw the curious yellow gem on its forehead, stomped out a small rock, and chucked it at the gem. It broke, causing the Sput to spin wildly before stopping dead. The two patted Jolene's back in congrats before climbing the ladder behind the Sput. Next, they had to cross a walkway full of thrusting spears, but this was easy with a little Sun Sand.
They finally reached a tunnel leading into the cliff, taking them up to the high plateau. "When we came here, the world was labeled Spiral Mountain." Robi said. "But Spiral Mountain was just that one little area, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, this whole country is called Isle o' Hags. But Spiral Mountain is the most famous area."
The top of the plateau was full of coal piles and more excavating Hag-Minis, Googly Eyes possessing coal, along with muscular orange brutes called Corplet Punishers. "I never tried coalbending before!" Robi said. "Maybe I'll ask Santa some for Christmas." He and Jolene would use the coal to crush and KO all enemies in the area. Tooty suggested they go see Honey B, pointing up at the large beehive house atop a coal hill. They Flutter Ran up and entered the hive.
They approached a tall, Mobian bee woman standing at a shelf of gold honeycombs. "Tooty! How wonderful to see you!"
"Hi, Honey B! Meet Robi and Jolene! I don't suppose they could try your special honeycombs?"
"Certainly! Although… I would've liked you to try my special new cookies."
"Ooo, we love cookies!" Robi chirped, bobbing on his toes.
"That's the problem. Gruntilda stole my seven health cookies. She probably ate them all… and they're made from rare ingredients, so I can't just make more."
"Wait! They wouldn't be those cookies we've been finding, would they?"
"You've found them?!"
"Yeah! …Though, we already ate them. We even found one in Tooty's house."
"If you find the others, please tell me what you think! I worked very hard on them, I would much rather you have them than the witch's minions."
"We'll do our best to find the rest!"
In the meantime, the kids chowed down on golden honeycombs, replenishing their stamina! Left of the plateau was a tunnel leading to the Pine Grove. "There's Wumba's Wigwam!" Tooty jumped at the sight of the cone-shaped tent. "She's the best mage on the island! After Mumbo. Hey, Wumba!" Tooty jogged inside. "I brought some new… friends?"
"Oh! Hello, Tooty! Humba could use your help." Said the talking cactus.
"A talking cactus?" Robi asked.
"That isn't a cactus! That's Humba Wumba! Or at least it should be. What happened to you, Humba?"
"Witch has cursed Humba with powerful magic. Mumbo try to help with Anti-form Cauldron, but it not work. He made this Transformation Pool behind me, but it not work with normal Glowbo."
"Huh, it's like the pool Uncle Raymond uses." Robi noticed.
"To change Humba back, thinks she needs help of Mega-Glowbo."
"A Mega-Glowbo?! But that's one of the rarest creatures in the entire world!" Tooty exclaimed. "Heck, we'd have better luck finding one in a different world!"
"It Humba's only chance of turning back. Please, you must find it."
"If it can change you back," Robi said, "could we keep using it to change other people back?"
"Yes. Mega-Glowbo magic not go away quickly."
"Then if we can find it, we should bring that bully from Luca's world here!"
The kids walked outside and noticed the three stairways of pine cone-covered platforms, set on trees. Robi had to jump up one with Sun Sand, Jolene covered her set with clay to make safe jumping, and Tooty simply used Sack Pack to bounce up them. They had to press three switches at the same time, hearing a gate open back on the plateau. Before leaving, Robi found an Egyptian hint. "'The Jinjos can help with Wumba's problem.' Wait, since we found two more Jinjos here, let's go back to that cliff."
They returned to Jinjo Village as Tooty climbed the Jinjos up the cliff. Those two extra Jinjos were enough to reach the cave at the top. It led to a Mayan-like shrine with a large ruby. She went back to show it to them. "This was all that was up there. You guys know what it does?"
"No idea." Robi shrugged. "But we'll keep it."
Going back to the plateau, they went into the gate on the right. The tunnel behind it led up to the cliff, where the storm felt even more intense. The clouds were stirring wildly and the lightning was raging. "W-W-We should stay inside, in case a tornado comes…" Jolene stuttered.
"Why is it so scary here…?" Tooty wondered with a gulp.
Robi tried to view up the end of the cliffside trail. Against the violent, flashing lightning, he could only make out the shape of a birdlike woman. "I don't know… but I have a really bad feeling."
Bolts of lightning struck parts of the trail, the kids jumping the resulted gaps in the cliff. When the wall above them was struck, the earthbenders held back the debris that fell and threw it downward. The path ended and they would need to continue over a footprint trail. The trail branched different directions, but the "wrong" directions would be hit by lightning and crumble. Thankfully, they had enough time to realize this and run back before that trail crumbled. While following the "safe" trails, the benders still had to shield from falling rocks, but they saved a few to throw at the Gruntydactyls swooping to bite them. Before reaching the end, an alternate trail led up the cliff. It seemed to be a dead end, but from this height, Tooty could jump and Ponytail Twirl to another vertical trail. She repeated this a couple more times while climbing, barely setting her feet against the prints in time before descending. Furthermore, there were holes between each trail where Big Cluckers lurked, the birds trying to chomp her in their big beaks. At the top of this path, Tooty saved a Black Jinjo!
The team regrouped on the path leading to the yellow bird woman. "Howdy friends! I'm Canary Mary. Fancy a race on this clockwork mouse?" She gestured at the mechanical mouse beside her.
"Uh, I dunno. Do you have a Jiggy?" Robi asked.
"No, but that mountain witch gave me this cool-looking Ice Key!"
"An Ice Key?!" Tooty gasped. "That has to be what we need! Would you please give it to us? We need it to save our families."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but… I kind of like this key. It's pretty. But if you can beat me in a race, I guess I could part with it."
"Okay then." Robi said. "How does that mouse thing work?"
"You just gotta sit on and keep pressing the button. It's already got a set path to fly. So, if you can press it faster than I can flap, the key is all yours!"
"Hmm…Jolene, maybe you should sit in it. Those handles look kinda small, so you could hold onto it better. Plus, it should be pretty easy to tap fast, right? Here, try to tap my hand really fast."
Robi held his palm out. Jolene tapped it rapidly. "But if I do this too much, will I get a finger bruise? Then I won't be able to point at stuff…"
"Then stick clay on your finger for protection. It can even help you from missing the button."
"Okay…" Jolene locked her rump with the seat, her left hand on the handle, and readied her right index on the button.
"On your mark… get set… go!" (Play "Cloud Race" from Banjo-Tooie!)
Jolene mashed that button with all the speed her tiny finger could… and Mary was already 20 meters ahead of her. Jolene could barely make the curve around the cliff before, "Oh, come on, kid. You'll never beat me at that pace. Let's go back and start again."
They rewound the mouse back to start. The race started again, Jolene clicking the button with the same speed… and the race ending barely after five seconds again. "You're too slow, kid. Let's go back and try again."
"THIS IS DUMB!!" Robi stomped angrily. "Can't we have a Flight Pad or something?! That mouse doesn't work!"
"That mouse can fly 20 miles an hour if you push it fast enough. I can only fly 18 miles an hour. But you're barely managing eight."
"So, how many times do I gotta press it to make 20 miles?" Jolene rubbed her brain with both hands. "How many button presses are in a mile? Robi, my finger hurts…"
"You know, my brother raced this canary one time." Tooty remembered. "And, well… he told me his fingers hurt for ages. He tapped his claws on the button so hard that they quickly chipped off. And he DID have to go through all of them. But he still lost, so he needed to drink a potion to make them grow back faster."
"But we don't have claws! Is this…is this impossible?!"
"RAKAKAKAKAKA! I saved my greatest accomplice for last. You kids are sure to have a blast! Before you face me, a nightmare lingers. I'll make sure you lose your fingers!"
"There's gotta be a way to beat her! There's just gotta be!"
"HEY, kids! About time I found you!"
The trio gasped: Onari's uncle, Putaro came surfing the windy air on his bag. "Mr. Putaro! What're you doing here?"
"Me and Naridon were busy chasing this bony witch off Oni Mountain. I came here looking for Onari and she told me y'all were here."
"Hey, can you help us beat this canary in a race? She's cheating!"
"I am not! I'm flying fair and square!"
"I dunno if I can do much with this magic lightning gunnin' for me, but I reckon I'll join this race myself." Putaro winked.
"You heard him, Mary!" Robi smirked. "The race is back on!"
Mary gulped. "Uh-oh."
The three fliers took off again. Putaro quickly gained the lead on Mary… but he slowed down as his bag of winds pushed the bird back. Jolene was able to zoom ahead of them. "Hey! You're letting her get ahead on purpose!"
"I am not. This is as fast as I can go, chicken wings. WHOA!" Putaro was shot by a bolt.
"Keep mashing, Jolene! She's coming!" Tooty screamed.
With Mary threatening to reclaim the lead, Jolene worked to stay ahead until Putaro could recover and push Mary back. The mouse's predetermined route looped back around to the plateau and soared through the tunnel to the Pine Grove. It curved right and cut between many trees before going through a canyon. Jolene was awed by the valley of dinosaurs beneath her, but with Mary barely catching up, she remembered to focus on her mashing. The mouse left the valley and flew through the smoggy skies of Grunty Industries. It then crossed the ocean and over the twin, fiery and icy volcanoes of Hailfire Peaks. The mouse U-turned back to the main island, where Jolene could see the cliff in sight. Her two friends cheering her, the child was the first one to touch back on the cliff!
"Phew! Sorry, kids, but that race took the steam outta me." Putaro sighed, wrought with soot. "I'm heading to the hot spring. Later!"
"Well… a deal's a deal, I guess." Mary sighed. "The key is yours." She handed them a beautiful key made of ice.
"Haha! Thank you, Mary!"
"That exercise sure made me hungry! Time for dinner! See you later, friends!" She turned to fly to her Sky Island home… only to be struck by lightning and plummeting to the earth.
"I'm sure she'll be fine." Tooty shrugged.
Determination on their features, the friends journeyed back to Spiral Mountain. The Ice Key fit the keyhole to Gruntilda's Lair, allowing them entry into the tower. (Play "Gruntilda's Lair Medley" from Banjo-Kazooie!)
The first room had a tall, white stone slope and walls painted like the sky and forest. Left of them were some short platforms they could hop up, finding an area with a good chi flow. Robi stomped it and made platforms jut out of the stone slope, which was otherwise too slippery to run up. "Hey, it's a Warp Cauldron!" Tooty went to touch a sleeping gold cauldron, waking it up. "If we find another one of the same color, we can warp between them!"
"Wow! We sure could've used those in the other worlds." Robi said. After jumping up the slope, they entered a door to Makeshift Mumbo's Mountain, awestruck by the series of tall, rotating Juju totems, leading across an abyss. While jumping up the escalating, rotating totems, Congas would chuck oranges from trees. The Jujus led to a sealed, giant treasure chest on top. They skimmed the abyss for anything they missed and noticed a platform beneath the second-tallest Juju. Robi Ground Pounded it to squish the totem down. The platform had a Witch Switch, which opened the chest. Robi jumped on the Juju before it stretched back up.
The chest warped them onto a small, sandy island, observing a series of boxes that led across the sea to a huge arch-shaped mountain. "This one looks much easier!" Robi said as he splashed in the water.
"No, Robi!" Tooty yelled. "I think there's-"
"I-It's a shaaaark!" Jolene pointed. "…Ow." It still hurt.
A blue shark closed in on the Nimbi. "Mmmm…Snacker smells tasty redhead. Stay just there!"
"No!" Jolene jumped in and punched clay at the shark, dizzying him until all three could climb onto one of the crates. Losing their scent, Snacker swam away. They quickly swam to the next box, "Yippee! Snacker gets dessert, too!" Jolene would punch him back again until they made it. They tried to keep this up until they reached a safe ledge underneath the arch mountain. From there, they would need to Rock Jump their way up the ledges.
"Wait, look!" Tooty pointed underwater. "There's a bunch of gold bars down there! I wonder if there's a Jiggy among them?"
"Tooty, that's way too dangerous!"
"But I think I have a way to hide from Snacker. My Shack Pack doesn't just make me shorter." She put the pack over herself and compressed. The walking pack jumped in the water and sank to the very bottom, walking along as if there was no water resistance at all.
"Wow! That really is a cool backpack!"
Tooty walked around and scooped every gold bar she could into her air bubble, but was mindful to avoid the pursuing Snippets. She collected 10 bars before following an available staircase back to her friends. "Huff, huff…sorry, guys, no luck. But maybe we can give these bars to someone."
They jumped their way partway up the arch before finding a stairwell to take them to the top of it, just beside a lighthouse going up into the ceiling. "Raaaah!" They were stunned by the five gold treasure chests jumping around the top. "We're so hungry! Somebody feed us!" Beaming at the sudden solution to this dilemma, the trio tossed two bars into each chest. "Mmmmm! Tastes salty! Thank you, youngsters! You can eat this last one as a reward. We couldn't figure out how to split it between us."
The lighthouse had two doors. The backdoor opened, revealing a Jiggy! After collecting it, they noticed a large arrow pointing down one of the sides of the arch, indicating a stairway that led down to a platform with a Witch Switch. This would open the other door in the lighthouse. Inside, they could climb a ladder to what seemed like a sewer tunnel, having to fight off bouncing Yum-yum clams inside. The tunnel would slope down into water, filthy, but good enough to swim in. They grew anxious as the tunnel grew darker…!!! Before they realized it, they were swallowed by an enormous, metal jaw!
There were lights inside the mouth, allowing them to see their way through the throat as they avoided the Whiplashes. They were able to surface for breath, facing a tunnel full of spinning blades. Robi shielded them with Sun Sand, the kids wincing as the blades grazed them; without this shield, they dreaded the idea of being chopped into bloody pieces. Beyond the tunnel, they climbed a ladder to the top of the giant whale, Clanker's back. Its vertical tailfin swayed and seemed level with a high platform. Robi balanced his way up the thin fin and jumped to the platform. He pressed a Witch Switch that would make Clanker's forehead bolt spring up to a ceiling hole. They waited for it to drop back down before standing on…
Except Jolene was more attracted to Clanker's bulbous eyes, which rolled to face her. "Jolene, what-" Robi couldn't finish his question before the bolt shot him and Tooty up. The curious girl poked Clanker's metal eyes. They stuck out a lot more than eyes should. Jolene used her Clay Hands to try and press the eyes in, but they wouldn't go. Instead, she grabbed and pulled the eyes clean out. The bolt came back down, so Jolene stood on. She held the eyes above her so they could fit well inside the hole above.
"JOLENE!" Robi yelped. "Why'd you rip his eyes out?!"
"His eyes didn't fit. We gotta get him new ones."
"I'm just glad it was a robot or that would be really gross!"
This new tunnel led to a large swamp chamber. Several giant leaves would float around the piranha-infested swamp in set paths. While jumping them, Tooty would Pack Whack the Lockjaws that jumped to nip them. The leaves led to a shore with a large, statue crocodile head, except something was missing. "'EY! Is someone there?! That mean old witch ripped out me eyes! I need to buy new ones, but I can't find my way to the eye store!"
"Don't worry, Mr. Croc! Jolene brought new eyes for you!" Tooty nodded at her friend, who climbed up to insert the eyes into the sockets.
"Ahhhh! That feels great! And I can see in more dimensions than before!" The bulbous eyes rotated several ways. They really didn't seem to match the croc at all. "Now, I suppose you'll be wanting money. Will this suffice?" The croc spat out a Jiggy.
"You bet it will!"
"Hey, Robi?" Jolene began. "If there's a eye store, how come blind people don't go there?"
"Because the eye store has to buy them from other people first."
"What planet are you two from?" Tooty cocked a brow. After the Jiggy Dance, they climbed the crocodile to the ledge above and faced a wooden maze full of swamp water. Tooty navigated this maze on her own, able to use Sack Pack to float over the water. Yellow Flibbits ambushed Tooty on the safe spots of land, and they needed a few solid Pack Whacks before going down. Tooty pressed a Witch Switch at the end, opening a door left of the maze. She rejoined her friends as they traveled up a stairwell. The air grew cold as the floor and walls were covered in snow… and they found their selves gazing up a giant snowman!
Withstanding the frostbite in their toes, "I sure wish we had Kent with us," they jumped platforms over the freezing water, going between the snowman's feet and Flutter Running up a hill behind it. After shattering a Chinker, they noticed the snowman's giant scarf sticking into the ground nearby. They could venture up the scarf, collecting a note on each yellow segment. Sir Slushes hurdled snowballs from their own safe platforms, but the trio evaded them on their way up the multi-angled scarf. They reached the area around the snowman's neck. A sled would slide down the opposite end of the scarf, which then curved up like a ramp that would smash through a window above the path they came from. "WHEEEEEE!" The ride was exciting and reckless, but it was a smash!
Before advancing upward, Robi could use an available Wing Pad to take flight inside the snowman's room. "Hey, I can fly to the top of him like this!"
"Robi, try to ram into the hats of the smaller snowmen!" Tooty pointed.
"There's a big 'X' on the big one's hat, too. Let's see what it does!" Robi aimed his feet and Meteor Bombed the giant hat! It fell right off and seemed to smash a small house on a cliff.
A man named Cleveland Brown was exposed in his bathtub. "No no no no NO NO!" The tub slid off the ruined house and shattered on the snowy earth. The Sir Slushes all pointed and laughed at his humiliation. The furious Cleveland grabbed a shotgun and blew all the snowmen's heads off.
"Uh…that was unexpected." Robi blushed. "Hey, there's a Jinjo there!" He flew to save the White Jinjo that was trapped in Cleveland's house. He flew to rejoin his friends up the stairs to the next floor. The air warmed up in this desert, Egyptian area. They were along a wide, round sandhill that poured down into a deep pit. There were no safe areas to their left, but they could Flutter Run right and rest on safe spots. Tooty helped whack the Scabbies that swooped down to nip them. One of the ledges had a bearded camel resting on it.
"Oh, no, not children." Gobi moaned. "I hope they don't jump on my humps."
"Why, are they bouncy?" Robi climbed on and Ground Pounded the humps.
"PYOO!" Gobi spat a gush of water down into the pit. "AAAAH! Go away, ugly kids!!" He galloped along the hill to the next platform. Across this next hill, Slappas popped up to slam them, but they evaded carefully and reached Gobi. "PYOOOO!" Robi squished his humps again, filling the pit with more water. "MUUU! LEAVE MY PRECIOUS WATER ALONE!" He galloped further away. The next sandhill was too steep to run on, but there were platforms slowly flowing down with Rock Jump spots. Robi made quick use of them to reach Gobi's final retreat and stomp him. "NOOOOOOOOO!" A great waterfall spewed into the pit, filling the dangerous deathtrap full of pure, refreshing water. "It took me since Candied Adventure to save all that wateeeeerrr…"
The kids went for a refreshing dip to recover from the heat, exchanging playful splashes with Tooty. A magic carpet lowered near the center of the pool, which would carry them up a series of carpets. Before that, they swam to the bottom of the pool. There was a Glowbo hopping around! It wasn't the Mega-Glowbo, but a normal one was still welcome. They rode and jumped the flying carpets up to the next stairwell, leaving the brightness of Gobi's Sandpit… to the darkness of a giant church. Large Tee-hees occupied the benches, but Robi could deal away with them with Sun Sand as they collected the notes on the benches.
Jolene stretched her arms to help them climb the escalating stools up to the organ keys. There was a huge, depressed ghost hand. "Boo hoo. Motzand cannot play his romantic song, until a pretty hand comes along…"
"Aww. That poor hand wants a girlfriend." Robi said in sympathy.
"But I don't know anyone who'd wanna take a big hand."
"Ohhhh…" Jolene wondered if there was a big hand to fit such a big, ghostly glove? Would it fit on her big Clay Hand? She molded one together to find out.
"Oooooo?!" Motzand perked up. "What a gorgeous, moldy hand! Has it come to see Motzand? Come, my dear. Come with me." He took Jolene's hand gently. "There is a beautiful place you have to see." And Motzand flew away with Jolene's clay in hand.
"Uhhhh…when are they coming back?" Robi wondered.
"We might just have to find them later." Tooty shrugged. For now, they climbed the organ's pipes and found a Flight Pad on the top one. They flew to the rafters, but the stairs to the next floor were locked. Robi used another pad to fly again and Meteor Bombed the stain glass Grunty window above the entrance. Behind it was the Witch Switch, which opened them. They heard the dinging of a lighthouse bell as they entered a chamber with a smoggy painted sky. There was a steamboat labeled Rusty Bucket… and Uncle Raymond laying weakened on the shore.
"Rakakakaka! Well, son of Harvey, you made a good fight, but I must be sailing off with this freight."
"Grunty!" Robi gasped. "…Wait, why does she look like that?" Her head was replaced with a skull in a jar.
"Because that's one of the time-traveling Gruntys!" Raymond said.
"I'm sorry to say you kids are too late. I'm all set to seal this man's fate." Nuts Grunty spun a cylinder around. There was a Life Clock attached, and inside was a skinny old man.
"P…Papa?" Jolene recognized his patterned shirt and bowtie well.
"I'd love to stay, but bon voyage! I'm rather late for my massage!" The boat roared a booming horn as it sailed through a pair of gates. It passed beyond a portal before the gate sealed.
"I changed into a raven and flew up this far." Raymond explained. "Luckily, Grunty left one of the windows open. As soon as I saw her dragging your dad onto that boat, I tried to fight her. You can guess how well that went…" He sighed and opened his right hand. "All I got was a few hairs from Dad's head."
"We gotta chase them!" Robi yelled. "How do we get those gates open?"
"Kid, even if you could chase that boat, ain't no way you can catch up to it."
"But look, there's a Flight Pad there! And we got a Glowbo! Can't we change into a giant boat ourselves?"
"That would be insane!" Tooty jumped. "Even Mumbo and Humba couldn't pull that off!"
"Kid, you wish I was that powerful."
"It's too bad I can't change into my dad." Jolene frowned. "Then I can use his picture power."
"Picture pow-…THAT'S IT!" the witch-doctor exclaimed. "But, wait… will that actually work? Screw it, let's try it! Quick, into my hat!" The doctor jumped into his hat, Robi and Jolene following. Tooty was awestruck by the event, screaming as she was sucked in after them.
"Just a little of this," he threw Jataro's hair in, "now add the Glowbo," Tooty threw it in, "now we're in business! Jolene, I want you to jump into it. Since you're Jataro's daughter, you should be able to inherit his camera power."
"Can she really?!" Robi gasped.
"I honestly don't know. Transforming into other people is one thing, inheriting their power is another. Even if Jolene can inherit the power, the spell won't last long. Only way to know though is to try."
Robi shared an assuring nod with his friend. Jolene jumped in the pool. The transformation contortions took place, but upon the final burst… Jolene's body was unchanged, only wearing her dad's tight brown overalls and patterned shirt. A camera appeared in her hands. "Huh…well, it kind of worked." Raymond shrugged. "Let's try it outside."
They left the hat as Jolene snapped a photo of the gates. She held the photo up and stuck her hand through. "WHOA!!" Tooty was agape when an enormous hand that looked like Jolene's appeared above the moat and pushed the gates open. (Play "Credits" from Banjo-Tooie!)
"IT WORKS!" Raymond exclaimed. "But it won't last long! Hurry and get flyin' after that freighter!"
Robi held Jolene under the shoulders so she could hold her camera. Tooty waved them good luck as they soared through the portal! The portal let out above, "Whuh?! Is this New York City?!" They were flying directly above Central Park. "I can see Tupu's house from here! …And there's the ship!" The Rusty Bucket was sailing out to New York Bay. "Jolene, snap a photo! Quick!"
She held her camera in position and snapped. But in this position, she could only hold the photo in one hand and camera in the other. So instead, Jolene held the photo by her foot and kicked through, repeatedly stomping the ship. "RAAAAAAK!" Nuts Grunty screamed. "What is that thing, it really smells! But I don't have nostrils, so I can't tell. Let's jump again, out of this bay! Nothing will stand in Grunty's way!" The ship vanished through another portal. Robi Meteored after it and went through. The violet expanse of nighttime Egypt cooled them, the Rusty sailing the Nile. Jolene took another picture and stuck her mouth through this time. She spat giant globs over the ship, soaking it all over.
"That spit's getting all in the chimneys! Let's go or it might sneeze!" It escaped through another portal, but the kids pursued over the seas of Portorosso. Grunty cast spells to splash huge waves. Jolene snapped a photo of a wave, but her giant foot couldn't kick beyond it. They waited for a lull between the waves, Jolene taking a successful photo. The spray of the sea tickled her nose. "Ah…ah…ACHOO!" She sneezed into the photo and globbed the Rusty up in snot.
"ICK! GET IT OFF! You'll make me sick! Child germs really make me tick!" Grunty escaped through another portal, the kids following her to Oni Mountain. This time, the ship was enveloped in a thunderhead, and many other thunderheads filled the cloud sea to deceive them. But it was easy to notice the one with twin smog clouds coming out. Jolene snapped its picture and stuck her pigtail through, using it to brush the cloud away. She then stuck her tongue in and blew a raspberry, hitting the ship with a saliva rainstorm. "Now you've really made me mad! Come after me, you giant cad!"
The last portal brought them back to Grunty's Lair, returning to the Rusty's original dock. Nuts Grunty mustered a powerful spell, growing larger to match whatever giant body part Jolene would throw. Jolene took a photo and peeped her eye through. As soon as Grunty saw the bulbous thing, she fired the spell… but not only did Jolene pull her eye back, but Robi had already flown them lower so she could miss.
"Give back PAPA!!" Robi chucked Jolene up and shifted belly-up, allowing Jolene to stand on him while keeping flight. Jolene stuck her hand through and crushed every part of the Rusty like a plastic toy. The chimneys were scrunched and burst trying to release smoke, and though Grunty used Protego to shield herself, she wound up being pushed under the ship, buried under rubble. Jolene saw her dad's cylinder and picked the tiny thing up, putting it on the shore. (End song.)
This was just in time for her clothes to change back to normal and the camera to vanish. Robi smiled in pride as he flew down to the shore. Jolene used the Crystal Jiggies to smash the Life Clock and the cylinder. Jataro fell out of the device, groaning as youth returned to the adult. Supporting himself with his hands, Jataro looked up at familiar little legs, going into a frilly white dress. "Ah…" He was never more glad to see his daughter's chubby cheeks. "Jolene…" He crawled closer and embraced her in a hug.
"Dad…" Jolene hugged him. "Me and Robi… found a lot of puzzle pieces…"
"Heheh…I just knew you would. You're the best… at collecting…nngh!"
"You okay there, man?" Raymond asked.
"That witch… tortured me a bit before I was locked in there. But I…I'll be fine."
"You sure will." Raymond helped him stand. "I'll take him downstairs. Y'all good to keep goin'?"
"After that performance, I'm more hyped than ever!" Tooty fist-pumped. "I'm sorry I didn't get to see the whole chase!"
"Huhu! I'm sure we can make it up to ya." Robi said.
"Don't leave without your reward." Jataro smiled, reaching into his overalls. "Managed to snag this when she wasn't looking." He pulled out a Jiggy! The friends exchanged the same dance… except Jolene ended it by hugging her daddy. (Play "Top of the Old Lair" from Banjo-Threeie.)
First, Robi was certain there would be something hidden under the poison water. In fact, there was a dolphin swimming around, a Blue Jinjo cage attached to its tail. They swam the opposite way to meet the dolphin around its loop, catching the cage.
The team climbed back on shore and jumped a stairway of crates to reach the stairs to the next chamber. They exited at the base of a towering tree, a pleasant spring rain drenching them. The tiny ungrown leaves were too small and far to jump up, but Tooty's high flips and Ponytail Twirls made it a synch. She had to avoid the Big Cluckers again before reaching a platform with an hourglass. Tooty kicked and flipped it over. The rain became sunny, grass turned yellow, and the leaves grew huge in the heat of summer! The earthbenders were able to jump the leaves better, catching up with Tooty and filling the upcoming Snarebears with clay to make them safe jumping. They reached a series of floating wooden pathways and were careful jumping the gaps.
They got to a long treehouse, but the inside practically had no floor except for small footholds along the right side. Tooty twirled across them and made it to the back-left corner, flipping another hourglass. Time sped up as the floor became fully completed, and autumn filled the outside. The trio had to jump up large, drifting autumn leaves, a tricky feat as one slipup would mean starting this course again. The Buzzbombs weren't making it any nicer, but they survived up to the carved walkway within the tree. They flipped another hourglass and converted the zone to winter.
Footprints were indented in the snowy side of the tree, requiring their Clay Prints. They simply needed to avoid falling mounds of snow before reaching the top. Before going up the stairs, Robi pressed a switch to activate a Flight Pad up here and on the bottom. There was a diving board leading directly above a frozen pond at the bottom. The kids jumped and Ground Pounded all the way down! They shattered the frozen pond and practically froze inside it! But with mustered breath, they swam toward a frozen Gnawty, a beaver holding a Jiggy. He would've tried to outswim them during the other seasons, but had no way to protect his treasure now. They stole it proudly.
But with that, they flew back to the top and marched upstairs. The corridor became dark. It bore the scent of malice. It was a real witch's lair. A Note Door stood above them: 710 it demanded. Luckily, the operatives had barely scrounged enough, so it opened. There was a golden cauldron. They touched it, activating the shortcut between here and the entrance. But then they proceeded…proceeded to the great oak door where Grunty waited. But it was sealed. And to their right… was a completely blank puzzle portrait.
"It's not over! Not just yet! You didn't expect that puzzle, I bet. Neglecting your collecting was a mistake. Oodles of Jiggies it will take! RAAAAAAAKAKAKAKAKAAAAAAA!"
They put whatever Jiggies they had in the frame. It seemed to be making a picture of Gruntilda… but they didn't have nearly enough. Judging by the amount of spaces… "We need 20 Jiggies. Hmmm…"
It was a quiet, but bitter defeat. They needed more Jiggies… They needed more Jiggies… They stood sulking for a while, letting this fact sink in. Comprehending that their victory, their happy ending, was yet denied. …Well, they noticed another room to the left. They walked in. All there was was a single Dark Gruntling… and two pods. "Huh…it's the machine… Grunty trapped me in once."
Tooty didn't have the energy to share the story though. Right now, she just wanted something to lift their spirits. …She noticed the right pod's door was slightly open. She could use Shack Pack to walk under it. There was a Green Jinjo inside! And by finding the last one, a Jiggy was rewarded. "Haha! That's one more down." Robi smiled. "Well, Jolene… how about we take a nap? Then we'll start hunting the last of those Jiggies."
"Yeah… I'm tired."
"Let's go sleep at my house." Tooty smiled. "Sigh…don't worry, Banjo. We'll save you. Just wait a little longer…"