Chapter 13

Chapter 13 THEY SAY LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES THICE. BUT "THEY" DONFT HAVE A TRIDENT OF CHANNELING. When they returned to Minecraft, Po and the others had just a short way to go until they would arrive at the witch's hut. And the brown mooshroom she was expecting…was still red. Po had other things on his mind, though. "YOU GUYS…I THINK I WANT A GOLDFISH," he said. Morgan glared at him. "NOT NOW, PO." "But—" Morgan cleared his throat and inclined his head in Jodi's direction. She had been quiet ever since the incident in the park. Obviously, her own plan to get a pet was not going well.

"Sorry," said Po, realizing that he hadn't been thinking of Jodi's feelings. He moved to her side and pushed his blocky shoulder against hers. "Hey, cheer up, kid," he said. "I'M SURE YOU'LL GET A PET EVENTUALLY." Jodi frowned. "Baron Sweetcheeks is limping. And my brother sneezes every time he even looks at a dog." She shook her head sadly. "I think this is one dream I have to let go." "Well, Morgan's older than you, so he has to move out one day, right?" Po snickered, but Jodi didn't respond to his joke. "Seriously, though," said Po. "What happened to the Baron wasn't your fault." As soon as Po said that word, he realized something. "HEY. THE FAULT," he said. "I CAN'T SEE IT." "It's the storm clouds," said Jodi. "They sort of suit my mood today." Rain had already begun to fall. "Yeah, normally I hate stormy weather," Po said. "But today, it's just what we need." "This is perfect!" said Harper. "IT'S TIME TO CALL DOWN SOME LIGHTNING. Jodi, you shouldn't stand too close to Michael." "Can I do it, Harper?" asked Po. "CAN I THROW THE TRIDENT?"

Harper didn't seem too sure about that. "You know how important this is, right?" "Yes!" said Po. "I can be serious. You've seen me play basketball, right?" He crossed his chicken-wing arms. "I've got great aim, and I don't choke under pressure." Harper handed over the trident. It still glowed with magic. "Just don't throw it directly at the mooshroom," said Harper. "A block or two away from him will work fine." "Got it," said Po. "More like a lightning rod, less like a steak fork." As the rain fell harder, Po gripped the trident tight. He lined up the shot. He threw it…

…and he missed his target by several yards. "What was that?!" asked Morgan. "Sorry!" said Po. "I was distracted by that pig." They all turned to look. Po was right—a pig had wandered up to them. It saw the trident stuck in the ground nearby, and, curious, it approached the enchanted weapon and gave it a sniff. Just then, a great bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens.

Po turned away from the searing brightness. And when he turned back…the pig had been transformed. Standing where the cute little animal had been, there was now a strange creature that appeared half pig and half human…with its face partially melted away to reveal a gleaming skull. "PIGLIN!" he cried. He pulled his sword from his inventory. "It's a zombified piglin!"

"I thought they only spawned in the Nether," said Jodi. She hurried back to Michael's side, raising her shield. "Let's everybody stay calm," whispered Morgan. "They aren't hostile, remember? IF WE DON'T ATTACK IT, THEN IT WON'T ATTACK US." Po found that hard to believe. The mob looked dangerous. It was even holding a sword made of solid gold! But the zombified piglin sniffed again at the trident, looked around at the kids, and shuffled off into the storm. Po had a funny feeling they hadn't seen the last of it.