Minecraft: Woodsword Chronicles/DeepDive2CHP

Chapter 8: Scientific Success! Awkward Personal Moments!
In the real word, on a Monday afternoon at school, Theo and Harper’s coral had begun to grow at a very exceptional rate. Doc had explained for them to cut their single piece of coral into smaller pieces, saying that breaking the coral would make it grow faster. Out of the blue, after information is jotted down in the logbook, Theo asks Harper is she is gonna play Minecraft after school. Harper asks as to why, and he says that he saw her go into the computer lab all of last week because his locker was right next to it. Theo also says that he posts some of his Minecraft builds online and that she should check them out sometime. An awkward silence follows, so Harper exclaims that she forgot to refill Baron Sweetcheeks’ water. She went through with that task up until the bell rang. Theo had already left by the time Harper walked back to her table. She also notices that a piece of coral is missing from their aquarium, but would have to look into it tomorrow.

Chapter 9: Where’s the Referee? Because That Fashion Is Totally Out of Bounds!
Po was at basketball practice. He was part of a mixed ability team, meaning every player used a wheelchair during practice and games. Po was the star player, but also felt worried that he would let his teammates down if he took time away from basketball practice. As practice for the day ends, Po realizes that it’s too late once again for him to play Minecraft with his friends. As he looks over at his teammate, Ricky, Po notices that Ricky is wearing a necklace that appears to be a piece of coral from an aquarium. Po asks Ricky as to where he got the necklace, and Ricky says that he bought it from someone in math class. Po felt unsure, as it looked like a piece of coral from Doc’s basement lab. He tries to ask for information on the seller, but the necklace quickly draws attention from the other players. Ricky tells them that he can hook the players up on a discount for more necklaces, but Po’s stomach spurs at that thought, knowing that plucking coral from seawater and putting it on a string definitely isn’t a good idea for the environment.

Chapter 10: Under Water. Under Pressure. Under Attack!
The next day, Po is able to be with everyone else in Minecraft, wondering as to what they’ll find by the map’s destination. Everyone drinks a potion of water breathing, and soon they all find an ocean monument. Morgan double checks the map, quickly realizing that the X is leading them directly to the heart of the monument. A smaller structure nearby was home to a conduit, and everyone would need to stay close to it so they wouldn’t have to use water breathing potions or search around for bubble columns. Just then, a guardian attacks the group. Everyone begins to swim down toward the conduit, which is also able to injure any hostile mob that came close to it. Morgan looks back to check and realizes that the guardian is nowhere to be found, but he slams into Ash as the guardian ends up in front of them, blocking their path to the conduit. Morgan braces himself for the guardian’s attack, but the guardian ends up dying due to being too close to the conduit, dropping a prismarine shard as it dissipates. As Ash starts building a shelter close to the conduit, Morgan realizes that its getting late in the real world, so after disconnecting, he decides to check on their coral in the basement lab before leaving.

Chapter 11: Coral Is Trending. Friendships Are Ending!
In the real world, at lunch, Harper almost falls out of her seat when Po informs her about Ricky’s coral necklace. Despite that, she, Po, Jodi, Morgan, and Ash all discuss about their plan for exploring the ocean monument after school, but soon the conversation goes back to the coral necklace. Harper asks as to where Ricky got the coral from, and Po says that he bought it from another student, but that the coral looked like it was from the basement lab. Harper heads over to Theo on the far side of the cafeteria to warn him, while also noticing other students wearing coral on rings, headbands, and the like. A student named Giaco points out to Harper that there is a website where people can buy coral jewelry online, much to her dismay. Another student named Anna says that divers are searching for coral instead of pearls due to it becoming a popular trend. Harper tries to explain that what they are doing is damaging the environment, but it goes right over everyone’s heads.

Harper then tries to warn Theo about what happened with the coral from their aquarium, but Theo basically admits that he took the piece of coral from the aquarium and sold it to Ricky, hoping that it would start a trend. Harper asks as to why he would do that, and Theo says that he thought that if he showed people how beautiful coral is, that others would pitch in to save coral reefs. Harper says that instead of that happening, people are instead supporting businesses that intend to do the exact opposite. Theo then asks if he can do anything to fix it, and Harper says that they don’t think they can, as some problems are too big to solve.

Chapter 12: A Monument to Wonder! To Splendor! To…Zombie Pigmen?
Back in Minecraft, everyone prepares themselves as they finally enter the ocean monument, but instead of going up against guardians, the monument is instead home to zombie pigmen. Morgan realizes that they don’t attack unless provoked, and he went out directly in view of the pigmen to show that they didn’t react. He also says that zombie pigmen generally spawn in the Nether, and quickly thinks that someone is messing with the game for them to be in here in the first place. Going through the rest of the monument reveals more zombie pigmen. The group also realize that the elder guardian had already been defeated, noting the prismarine shard that is on the ground of the monument. Harper feels lost in thought about the coral situation in the real world, thinking that it wouldn’t be possible to stop the trend, but Po mentions that trends die out all the time, with Morgan adding that real coral loses its color after being out of the water for too long. Harper begins to realize that they could just use fake coral instead, not only to keep the trend alive, but to make sure that no more coral reefs would be destroyed. Jodi explains that doing that would be a big help to raising awareness about coral reefs, but just then, Morgan shushes at her as a ghast hovers in the doorway of the monument.

Chapter 13: Pigmen, Pigmen Everywhere and Then the Ghast Did Blink
The ghast shoots a fireball at Jodi. Harper gets in front of her and deflects the fireball with her sword, but it hits some zombie pigmen, who start going after her. Everyone stays beside Harper as the ghast and zombie pigmen follow close behind. Going through the halls of the monument, they eventually come across a dead end, which was home to a portal that led to the Nether. Po suggests that it should be broken, but Harper states that the pigmen are after her, knowing that if she travels to the Nether that the pigmen would stop attacking her so the others could go up against the ghast. Everyone shouts their objection to that idea, but Harper stands her ground, realizing that its the only way. Ash decides to come along as well, while Po has an idea on how to take down the ghast.

Chapter 14: Greetings from the Nether! A Bad Place to Visit, a Terrible Place to Live!
Harper and Ash quickly go through the nether portal, making the zombie pigmen stop their pursuit. Po, Morgan, and Jodi then run over to a room with zombie pigmen, weaving around them as the ghast tries to attack them with a fireball. The fireball ends up hitting a zombie pigmen, so all of them start attacking the ghast. Po, Morgan, and Jodi all head back to the nether portal as the ghast succumbs to the attacks of the pigmen. Harper and Ash then appear from the portal telling the others to come see what they found. Reluctantly, they decide to do so, entering the Nether. Morgan notices a structure below a cliff, realizing that its a replica of Woodsword Middle School. He double-checks the map and quickly realizes that the map was leading them to the Nether all along. Of course, nobody is ready for the Nether just yet, so they head back through the portal to the Overworld, saving it for another day whilst also preparing to look for answers in the real world.

Chapter 15: Reduce. Reuse. Rejoice!
Harper feels victorious as she swims back out into the ocean, happy that a big problem had been solved. The next day, back in the real world, Ms. Minerva and Doc decide to have Harper, Morgan, Jodi, Po, and Ash all use the colored plastic lunch trays and reshape them into fake coral to use as jewelry, working through the entire afternoon. Doc also mentions that she got in contact with a coral research center, saying that they plan to transport the lab-grown coral from the school to a coral reef just off the coast of Florida. As Doc leaves the basement lab to check on something, Theo arrives, asking if he can join for Minecraft sometime. Harper says that they don’t have an extra spot open, and Theo says that he could really spoil their fun if he finds a way onto their Minecraft server. Morgan then realizes that Theo might actually be the Evoker King.