4:26 PM, Somewhere in Paris, France

One up-and-coming photographer had thought he'd seen every crazy thing this world had to offer.

He's covered political debates, protests, and many more strange events lately.

But this... this definitely topped everything on his own personal weirdness scale.

What was he freaking out about, you ask?

Oh, just the simple matter of the Eiffel Tower, France's most famous landmark, covered in a strange, off-kilter blue light and slowly being lifted out of its foundations and into the air as if it were being abducted by aliens.

And even stranger was the tiny sphere of light flying around the Eiffel Tower as it lifted into the sky.

And... it was coming towards him.

Before he could think of what to do, that same blue light surrounded his body, telekinetically lifting him off the ground and face to face with the one who was abducting the Eiffel Tower.

It was a young woman with curly, short blue hair, currently glowing the same as the abducting light, piercing red eyes, and a revealing white jumpsuit.

"Tell me where these are," the woman stated calmly, a picture in her right hand, that of seven multi-colored gemstones.

"...m... museum..." he gasped, his speech obviously being inhibited by whatever she was doing to him. "...we... western... America..."

Despite his fears, the woman gently set him down, releasing her telekinetic hold on him. "Thank you for your cooperation."

She flew back into the sky, taking the Eiffel Tower with her as many citizens could only stand there and wonder what had just happened.

(Don't just sit there and waste your precious time. When you want to do something, do it right away. Do it when you can. It's the only way to live a life without regrets.)

Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger are proud to present:
Totally Spies!: Mental Maladies
Story Rated: T for Teen
Story Created: May 15th, 2020

Story Summary: The thirteenth joint project between Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger, collectively known as Totally Spies: The New Adventures. Nick is a pretty adept psychic, all things considered. But now, he may have just met his match. A strange new villain (yes, new, contain your shock) is abducting famous landmarks while on the hunt for something in particular, and, as usual, it's up to the spies to stop this new baddie. The only problem with this? Our villain du jour is also an adept psychic herself. Two people with very similar powers are about to clash, and it's anyone's guess what's going to happen...

Author's Notes from The Blue Time Ranger: At last, we've hit the season finale of Totally Spies: The New Adventures! Yes, I said "season" finale, not "series" finale. Mat and I still have ideas for more missions after this, but this is just the end of season one. And, ooh, boy, I've been wanting to get to this one for a while! All I can say without spoiling is prepare for shenanigans!

Author's Notes from Mat49324: Season finale is here?! My goodness! Despite a nine-year hiatus with Disillusioned Memories (which we again apologize about), I'm surprised that it's taken this long. Lucky #13 is here now. Our first season of Totally Spies: The New Adventures has been a fun one; the season may be ending here, but the fun to do joint fics for Totally Spies again is NEVER leaving. With that said, Nick and I should say that we are undecided about having the spy team advance to Mali-U, or remain in the beach house for season two. I guess we'll find out when we do cross that proverbial bridge. Oh, and you're NOT gonna want to miss the season two opener, which will be a WHOPPER; all I'll say is EVERYBODY will be put through the emotional wringers (some more than others). Anyway, here we go...

And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer: Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger do not own anything related to Totally Spies or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Marathon Media Group, Image Entertainment Corporation, Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, and David Michel. The only things of this story we DO own are any characters created by us truly for the story (in this case, Nick, Haruka, Bridget, May, Nozomi, Dawn, and Melissa on my side, and Mathew on his side). Any characters or things we don't own, we are just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of our readers. Besides, if we did own Totally Spies, which we don't, why would we be writing fiction on a fan site?

Episode 1: It's All in the Mind

6:55 PM, Beverly Hills – The Groove

"Have fun, you two!" Alex called out as she dashed the opposite way to rejoin the other spies.

May couldn't contain her smile as she gazed upon the majesty that The Groove had been transformed into. It almost looked like a concert venue for a popular band.

In fact, it looked like that because that's exactly what it had turned into. Tonight, The Groove was hosting a concert from Japanese pop band Idol Opportunity, which was, coincidentally, May's absolute favorite band. The spies had helped Idol Opportunity a while ago, and the band had stopped for a concert here in Beverly Hills as part of their recently announced Idol Travels World Tour.

Despite May's worries, Nick had been able to snatch up a pair of tickets a while back, and Nick and May had decided to make this the venue for their first date.

"It's beautiful..." May gasped.

"I take it you're excited?" Nick teased.

"It's just so hard to believe they're actually here in Beverly Hills," May quipped. "If I hadn't moved here, I might have just missed them on their tour, and I'd be kicking myself up and down 7th Street, like, fifty times."

"Something like that actually happened to me once, and I'm regretting the decision I made that day," Nick stated. "So, let's get to the stage, and make our first date one for the history books."

May reached out to hold Nick's hand as they walked inside the Groove, already pushing their way through the crowds as they made their way towards the main stage.

May couldn't describe the feeling that holding hands with Nick gave her. She assumed Alex felt the same way when she did it, but it was mostly new to her.

As they continued to take in the sights of the Groove, May realized that she was incredibly lucky to have someone like Nick by her side.

Once they'd reached the main stage, May leaned over and kissed Nick on the cheek.

"I love you, Nick," May stated.

"I love you, too, May," Nick replied.

"I'm still in shock that I actually got to hook up with you, despite you already having a girlfriend," May admitted. "I mean, considering how much I freaked out about it..."

"It probably takes a while to set in, honestly," Nick responded. "Let's just focus on the now, okay?"

"You got it," May giggled.

"Well, well, should have figured you'd be here already."

Nick and May spun around just as Marnie, Idol Opportunity's lead vocalist, walked towards them.

"Oh, you know me, Marnie," May laughed. "I wouldn't miss this for the world! Nick actually bought our tickets practically the minute they went live!"

"Considering some of the horror stories I've heard about conventions around here, I figured I'd pounce on it when I had the chance," Nick quipped.

"Well, go take your seats, then, because the show's about to start," Marnie proclaimed. "Oh, and just between us, I'd keep an eye on Kanami tonight. Let's just say she's got a banger to show off."

"Ooh, I can hardly wait!" May squealed. "Come on, Nick, let's get going!"

Approximately five minutes later, the lights around the main stage darkened, and the crowd went silent with anticipation.

("Trouble Maker" by Masami Suzuki plays)

"W-wait, wait, I think I recognize this song," May gasped once the music began playing. She didn't have long to ponder, as the six members of Idol Opportunity emerged from the backstage area to thunderous applause.

"How's everybody doin' tonight?!" Marnie exclaimed, to the cheers of the crowd. "Good to hear! We've got a couple surprises for y'all tonight, along with some old favorites, so all we really have to say is kick back and enjoy the show! All right, girls, let's rock!"

Marnie raised her microphone up to her lips and began to sing, with the two large monitors to either side of the stage displaying a sort of music video of the song with the lyrics translated into English for the fans in the crowd who didn't speak Japanese.

"H-Holy crap, this is from Mischief Makers!" May gasped. "Remember that game, Nick?!"

"With all the times you played that game and I had to hear Marina going 'shake, shake, shake', there's no way I could forget it," Nick laughed.

All the while, May was singing along to the song, while Nick just swayed to the beat alongside May.

At the chorus, all six members of Idol Opportunity sung the chorus together.

Already, May was having the time of her life, and Nick could tell through her expressions.

Now he was really glad they'd decided to come here for their first date.

The concert went on in earnest, with Idol Opportunity mostly singing songs from their first studio album, as they were still working on their second album during the world tour.

One of the biggest hits so far was Kanami's new English version of "Dreamer's Ballad", a song she'd been working on until the car accident that had claimed her mother's life. Marnie's brother Piers had held on to the work she'd done until her return to Idol Opportunity after the attack by Phil Jenkins and T-Bone. The spies had helped her produce an English version of the song in order to thwart Phil's plans, and the fans had loved the song.

At the tail end of the show, Idol Opportunity all stepped backwards, allowing Kanami to take the forefront of the stage.

"Okay, everybody, we've got one last surprise for you all tonight!" Marnie proclaimed. "Kanami here has been brushing up on her English so she could sing a brand spankin' new song that she's been working on for the American branch of our world tour. And we feel like we're ready to premiere it right here for the wonderful fans here in Beverly Hills! All right, Kanami, make some magic!"

Kanami nodded, brushing down her dress before gazing out at the crowd and raising her microphone as the rest of the band began playing their instruments.

("Hero Too" by Chrissy Costanza plays)

"I'm so glad she's back with the band," May admitted. "A lot of fans were devastated when they heard what had happened."

"It's like that with any big event, even sports," Nick answered. "You have a favorite player and something horrible happens to them, and it hurts."

"Ooh, here comes the good part, I bet!" May exclaimed as the chorus began. She wasn't disappointed.

Deciding not to keep talking so they wouldn't ruin the moment, Nick and May focused on the song, swaying to the beat and even bopping along to the lyrics.

Once it was all over and the crowds were dispersing, Nick and May were coaxed by Marnie onto the main stage, most likely to get an informed opinion from their self-proclaimed "biggest fan".

"So, did you guys have fun?" Ruri asked.

"Oh, this was a magical night!" May proclaimed. "What a first date this was!"

"Wait, 'first date'?" Sonia asked. "Does that mean you and Nick...?"

"Yup!" May giggled.

"It's a long story, let me tell you," Nick teased. "And we probably wouldn't want to keep you girls from enjoying nightlife in Beverly Hills. Let's just say that May's a lot braver than she gives herself credit for, and Alex is a very understanding girlfriend."

"Sounds like a story," Samui giggled.

"Make sure you give us all the details soon, got it?" Marnie replied.

"Consider that a deal!" May responded.

The walk back home was mostly uneventful, just Nick and May enjoying the early September weather, which had decided to be nice for once and strike a balance of warm during the day but reasonably cool at night.

"Mother nature finally threw us a bone after last winter, huh?" May quipped.

"It probably wasn't much better back in Japan, huh?" Nick teased. "Talk about a sucky summer when it comes to the weather, huh?"

"Hey, Nick?" May asked.

Before Nick could reply, May had spun him towards her and leaned in to kiss him, one that Nick returned in kind.

"Thank you so much for taking me to the concert, Nick," May giggled. "I had a wonderful first date."

"Then let's hope the next one, whenever that is, can live up to expectations," Nick replied.

As Nick and May walked down the street hand in hand, a nearby sewer cover slid off all by itself, and a large tube extended upwards from it.

"At least Jerry decided to wait until we were done before WOOHPing us," May quipped as Nick encased the two of them in a psychic bubble to guard against the suction from the tube. "If he'd abducted us during the concert, I would have been twenty kinds of cheesed off."

"I would have let him have it if he did," Nick replied. "And if he's only WOOHPing us, that must mean the others are already there waiting for us."

Once the suction stopped, Nick disengaged the bubble so he and May could hop into the tube, traveling through it like a water slide until they eventually found themselves in Jerry's office of W.O.O.H.P. Headquarters.

Sure enough, the other ten spies were already waiting for them.

"Good to see you again," Jerry proclaimed. "And yes, May, I figured I'd wait until you were finished with the concert before bringing you to our briefing. Wouldn't want to ruin your first date, after all."

"Thanks for being understanding, Jerry," May stated.

"All right, now that the gang's all here, who's our latest baddie that we have to send back to containment?" Sam wondered.

"Actually, that's the thing," Jerry replied.

"Oh, my lord, are we actually going to be taking on a new villain for once?" Bridget proclaimed. "Could the legends actually be true?"

Everyone stared at Bridget, causing her to laugh nervously. "A little... too over the top?"

Jerry pointed to the viewscreen behind him, which was displaying a video of the Eiffel Tower being covered in a blue light and lifted into the air, eventually disappearing into the clouds.

"Wait, hold on, did someone just abduct the Eiffel Tower?!" Nozomi gasped.

"Oh, boy, I hope we don't have to deal with evil aliens," Alex stated. "It was bad enough that one time miss Hawking ripoff tried to hijack the good aliens..."

"Recently, a number of famous world landmarks have been stolen, literally ripped from their foundations and vanished like they had never been there," Jerry explained. "I have reason to believe that this is not the work of extraterrestrials, but I would have all of you investigate these matters."

"Oh, yes, that means we're going to Paris again!" Clover squealed.

"Oy vey," Nick and May sighed in perfect unison, having expected that.

As the spies went to GLADIS to receive their gadgets, Nick couldn't help but glance back at the video footage of the Eiffel Tower being abducted.

The light surrounding it, while not the same color, looked very much like his psychic aura did.

Could that mean... we're dealing with another psychic here? Nick thought. Wait, better not jump to conclusions. I'll reserve judgment until we find the monument stealer. I still have a bad feeling about this...

"I'd be pretty fooled if Diminutive Smalls isn't behind this," Haruka stated.

"It is not, unfortunately," Jerry pointed out. "I just had a guard report to me to do a thorough check of Smalls' cell, and he is present and accounted for."

"Any idea who this could be?" Mat asked.

Nobody could give an answer because the spies were WOOHPed to the Skyskimmer and were bound for Paris.

"So, how was the concert?" Nozomi asked Nick and May.

"Oh, my god, it was magical!" May exclaimed. "You should have seen the effects alone!"

"They actually sang a lot of their lesser-known songs tonight, alongside some of their bigger hits, like, say, the ones we heard when we were in Japan," Nick stated. "They even did a cover of an old-school video game theme song. Gotta say, was not expecting that."

"But the best part came near the end, when Kanami unveiled a brand new song, in English, and the crowd loved it!" May proclaimed. "Ooh, I can't wait until their next album comes out, I am buying that day freakin' one!"

"That was definitely one helluva first date," Melissa remarked.

"Where'd you guys go?" May asked the other ten spies.

"To a movie," Clover answered. "But things happened about halfway between a few of us."

"Oh?" Nick asked.

"Britney made a move on Mat," Alex pointed out.

"And the cat's out of the bag there," Britney groaned.

"Seriously, you don't know how many times I had to tell Sam that was the first I'd heard of this," Mat grumbled.

"Hel-lo..." Sam chastised. "Total bluff there."

"What did you want me to do, tell Britney to back off?!" Mat shot back. "I was just trying to be hospitable, and I kept my arm around you through the whole film, Sam."

"Sam, in Mat's own defense, Britney was going through rough times with Eugene Snit toying with her heart," Dawn pointed out.

"Plus, I was willing to share Nick with May, too," Alex added.

"I was just going to point out that we did go through something similar," Haruka reminded, backing up Alex's valid point.

"And furthermore, Sam, why would I throw our relationship away like yesterday's trash?" Mat pointed out to Sam. "We're staying together forever!"

"And believe me, I'm not trying to come between you," Britney added. "Just that Mat was there for me after what happened with Eugene Snit."

"Yeah, hot tub at home was no problem to me, and considering what happened to Brit of course," Sam stated.

"Besides, I don't want two girls fighting over me, flattering as it might be to an extent. I'd prefer a little civilized attitude here," Mat replied as he pulled Sam in a hug. "You remember what I said during our botched getaway, Sam? I'd totally kill to spend the rest of my life with you!"

"I remember," Sam stated.

"Then I rest my case," Mat remarked. "Besides, I don't want to know how Ricky Carmichael felt after the heat race at Anaheim 1 2003 where he tangled with Travis Pastrana and the crowd stood up and booed him after Travis caused the incident himself."

"I dread to think that," Alex quipped.

"Paris, ho!" Clover announced as she landed the Skyskimmer.

10:04 AM – Paris, France

"Feels like there's a big hole to fill in with the Eiffel Tower gone," Alex commented.

"Tell me about it," Mat replied. "Whomever this new enemy is, they better not think about Hawaii..."

"Something tells me you won't have to worry about that, Mat," Sam pointed out.

"Hey, um, what is that?" Bridget asked.

At first, Nick didn't know what to make of what he was seeing. It appeared to be a small sphere of blue light, much like the light that had taken the Eiffel Tower.

"Wait, don't tell me it's actually an alien?!" Clover shouted.

The light surrounding the figure finally faded out, allowing the spies to get a good look at their potential new foe. It was a young woman with curly, short blue hair, piercing red eyes, and a revealing white jumpsuit, her body glowing with the same blue light they'd seen earlier.

"Okay, I'm going to take a wild shot in the dark here and say that you're the one who stole the Eiffel Tower like it was a decoration?" Sam proclaimed.

The young woman glanced backwards towards the spot where the Eiffel Tower had been earlier this day.

"Ah, it seems my reputation precedes me," the woman laughed. "I didn't actually think anyone would attempt to stop me."

"Yeah, yeah, glowy lady, we've heard that shtick more than any teenager ever should," May quipped. "Now how about you tell us who you are before we decide to commence with the beatdowns?"

"Very well, then," the woman replied. "You have more courage than most, after all. I am known as Psykos, and I am searching for something that will help me out tremendously. Have you, by any chance, heard of seven mystical gems known as the Psy-Stones?"

That name put everyone on edge.

"And just what do you want with them?" Bridget growled.

"You know what, I'm not sticking around to find out," Nick proclaimed, his psychic aura exploding to life around him. "Time to put you in your place, lady!"

Nick raised both hands and unleashed a Final Shine Attack straight for Psykos, but to everyone's shock, she simply raised her right hand, which was now glowing blue, and batted the blast away like it was nothing.

"D-Did... did she just...?" Alex gasped.

Psykos smirked, her entire body glowing with a blue light that was very similar to Nick's own aura as she slowly floated into the air.

"She's a psychic!" Britney exclaimed.

"Precisely," Psykos proclaimed. "I was given my powers by the Psy-Stones, and now I seek them to enhance my powers. You seem to have been given your own psychic abilities by the same method, I assume, boy?"

"My name is Nick Kelly!" Nick shouted, his aura pulsing dangerously. "You'd better not treat me like a rookie just because you think you're better!"

"I've actually longed to meet another psychic like you, boy," Psykos responded. "Here's hoping that, unlike the others, you'll actually give me a challenge."

"Oh, that's it!" Nick shouted, flying up into the air with Psykos not far behind, and the two psychics began to clash.

"Well, it looks like this is going to be interesting," Sam stated. "Anyone got an idea on how we can help out?"

"That seems like it's gonna be the tricky part," May quipped as she watched Nick and Psykos clash, their attacks bouncing off of each other and making them look like two flying streaks of light. "This is actually a new baddie, so we're dealing with a lot of unknowns here."

"Especially considering she's also a psychic like Nick," Mat replied. "We have no clue if her powers are exactly the same as Nick's, or if she's had more time to practice with them."

"Brace yourselves, here she comes!" Britney shouted as Psykos came barreling through the group, forcing them to scatter in different directions to avoid taking damage.

Psykos levitated into the air and eyed the group of spies. "Hmmm... which one of you deserves my undivided attention?" Psykos giggled even as she raised her hands to block another Final Shine Attack from Nick.

"You leave my friends out of this," Nick challenged. "This is between you and me."

"But you brought so many competitors to the party," Psykos laughed. "I have to at least try."

Nick advanced threateningly, only for Psykos to knock him back with a pulse wave, then fly back down towards May.

To Psykos' surprise, however, May swiftly activated her Emergency Gadget Transporter to summon, what else, her anchor and swing it hard enough to slam it into Psykos' chest as she got close enough, dazing her long enough for Nick to blast her away with a Final Shine Attack.

"I said, hands off of my friends!" Nick exclaimed, flying over to slam his right fist into Psykos' face and send her sprawling.

After picking herself up, Psykos glanced over the twelve spies and took a step backwards.

"Twelve on one is more than I care to handle at the moment," Psykos proclaimed. "So, for now, I will take my leave. Come after me if you must, but we all know how it will end once I get my hands on the Psy-Stones. So, consider the lot of you on probation."

Without waiting for an answer, Psykos concentrated, a blue aura surrounding her, before taking off into the air and flying away faster than any of them could catch up.

"...probation? For what?!" Nick shouted.

"You can relax now, Nick," Alex stated. "At least we drove her off for now."

"But that leaves the problem of crazy psychic lady going after the Psy-Stones," Clover stated. "Does she know they're at W.O.O.H.P.?"

"I don't think so, but I also don't think we should take that chance," Nick replied, reaching into his pocket to flip open his X-Powder and call Jerry.

"Mission update, spies?" Jerry asked.

"We've got a couple things to say, Jer," Nick responded. "One, we found the baddie responsible for abducting these landmarks. And she's a psychic like me. Got her powers from the same source, even."

"And I assume she wants to find the Psy-Stones as well?" Jerry replied.

"That's number two," Nick stated. "Can you make sure they're all where I left them?"

Jerry looked back to one of his agents, who did a quick scan, then nodded, before turning back to the screen. "Affirmative," Jerry answered. "The stones are safe. Remember, we programmed their case to only open up when it reads the signature of your psychic power."

"But how much do you wanna bet that if Psykos does figure it out, she's gonna trash W.O.O.H.P. like Terrence did?" Bridget proclaimed.

"That's why we wanted to call you, Jer," Alex stated. "Keep your eyes and ears out. If you see a blue-haired, red-eyed woman who's glowing a bright blue, watch out."

"Roger that, spies," Jerry proclaimed. "We'll keep our defenses up. In the meantime, I assume you'll be chasing miss Psykos?"

"That's the idea," Nick stated, his aura flaring around him.

"Any idea where to start?" asked Alex.

"Reference rules for villains, number thirty-one," Nick pointed out.

"Exactly," Haruka replied, remembering that rule back when the spies had to go after James.

"This might be Nick's toughest battle yet, so to speak," May remarked.

"That's a total understatement," Nick remarked.

"Tell that to Kevin Windham," Mat quipped. "The only guy to beat Ricky Carmichael straight up in Motocross in my book – and McGrath in Supercross (reference Tampa 1999)."

The others looked on for Mat to elaborate.

"Windham even said that when he's on, McGrath doesn't know if he can beat him; Carmichael's case was because he was on a 250 in Motocross while Windham was on a 450 in '03."

Bridget was the first to notice the back of Mat's red and white catsuit read "Windham 14" as well. "How ironic," she stated.

"Uh-huh," Alex quipped when she noticed, and eventually everyone else did.

"I think you can take this girl, Nick," Mat then stated.

"Thanks, bro," Nick replied.

"Besides, if Kevin Windham can beat Carmichael and McGrath straight up, WE can take this chick!" Mat proclaimed.

"Mat's right," Britney declared.

Remembering villains like Terrance, the Great Kandinsky, and The Inventor (remember S4's Totally Busted) gave Sam, Clover, and Alex the right mindset; remembering Willard gave Britney the right mindset, too.

"Now let's go," Melissa replied. "I dread hearing that she used 'probation' on us."

"Totally," Clover remarked. "We're not the bad guys here after all!"

"Use that word around convicts or controversial sports athletes," Dawn quipped.

Nick used his psychic radar to detect where Psykos may have retreated to.

"Any idea where she went, bro?" Mat asked.

After a few seconds of checking his "radar", Nick glanced over towards their destination.

"It looks like she's headed towards Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport," Nick quipped.

"Well, let's get there!" Nozomi proclaimed.

The spies then got to the said location.

11:01 AM – Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

"Not sure where Psykos is, but this is where my psychic radar said she'd be at," Nick replied.

"Well, if this is it, we must be nearby," Bridget deduced.

Mat looked around in all directions. Nick was first to sense Psykos' presence nearby and fired a psychic shot, which took Psykos by surprise.

"So, someone's no rookie after all," Psykos remarked at the contact she had taken.

"No way," May remarked. "And Nick can take you any day!"

"Hmmm... is that a fact?" Psykos teased, raising her hand towards a nearby airplane and enveloping it in a blue glow.

"You wouldn't," Nick growled.

Psykos just laughed before thrusting her hand forward to send the plane flying towards them.

Nick reacted without thinking, raising both of his hands to catch the incoming plane in his psychic hold, though he visibly struggled with it, considering it was the largest object he'd ever tried to psychically grab without a big power boost of some sort.

Though after about ten seconds of effort, Nick was able to slow the plane enough so that he could place it back on the ground safely.

"There... there wasn't..." Sam started, afraid of what the answer would be.

"Thankfully, there wasn't anybody in that plane at all," Nick answered, to which Sam sighed in relief.

Nick looked back at Psykos, who still seemed pleased with herself. "Regardless, that was low."

"Ask me if I care," Psykos proclaimed.

"What was that?!" Nick shot back.

"Maybe we'll have to move this to some different conditions..." Psykos remarked.

With that, she used her psychic powers to teleport out, but unknown to her, Clover threw a tracking device on Psykos' backside.

"Nice move, Clover!" Sam remarked.

She checked her X-Powder and saw the location was Iceland.

"Iceland?" Sam asked. "Of all places, why there?!"

"Rules for villains, number eleven," Haruka quipped. "Go to a location where your foes can't stand the weather sometimes."

"That's a new one," Bridget stated.

As the spy team got to Iceland, Britney looked on at Mat.

"This reminds me too much of that one ski trip we took," Alex quipped.

"Oof, you're talking about the one where Dr. Gelee tried to get back at us?" Clover stated. "Yeah, I'm not sure who was worse, him or Mandy."

"I guess it's a good thing I decided to change my outfit," May giggled, referencing the outfit she'd preferred ever since going after Geraldine and Natalie, though now with the addition of snow pants to keep her legs from freezing. "Almost perfect for this kind of weather!"

Despite their preparations, Alex and May both decided to stay close to Nick for warmth, as did Sam and Mat with each other. Unseen by the other spies, Britney couldn't help but sigh in frustration, still unsure if she should even say anything.

"Any idea where little miss psychic is?" May quipped. "We should be getting close, right?"

"Yeah, I'd like to get out of this cold as soon as possible, if we can," Alex replied.

Clover opened up her X-Powder to check the tracker she'd thrown onto Psykos. "Um, you guys? She's headed this way!" Clover exclaimed.

Nick focused his thoughts until he could sense Psykos' approach, then unleashed a Final Shine Attack in her direction. She tried to dodge, but the blast still grazed her side and sent her crashing to the ground in a tumble.

"What, you losing your touch?" Nick taunted. "Last time I tried that, you just batted it away like it wasn't even there."

"Make your jokes while you can, boy," Psykos proclaimed as she floated back into the air. "You will regret every single one of them once I have what I came for."

Psykos moved her hands in patterns, and this caused the snow around her to start swirling through the air around her body.

"Who thinks this is going to be good?" Nozomi asked.

When enough snow had been gathered, Psykos thrust her hands forward, sending it all towards the spies in a localized blizzard.

Alex immediately opened up an All-Weather Umbrella to shield the spies from the blizzard, except for Bridget, who was walking into the blizzard.

"Bridget, get out of there! We'd rather you not turn into a popsicle!" Sam shouted.

"Don't worry, y'all, I've got this," Bridget quipped. "Sonic Mode, online!"

Once Bridget had transformed, she began running into the blizzard, her boosted speed allowing her to keep pace. Psykos increased the intensity of the blizzard, but this only caused Bridget to increase her own speed.

Eventually, Bridget leaped into the air when she was close enough and threw a right hook into Psykos' face, actually catching her off guard and sending her stumbling backwards, the blizzard ceasing immediately upon impact.

Bridget took advantage of this opportunity and rushed in to attack, zipping back and forth so Psykos couldn't catch her and landing a solid hit with each pass.

This gave Nick the time he needed to exit from the All-Weather Umbrella and fly into the air, giving him the perfect vantage point to blast Psykos with a Final Shine Attack.

"Now do you wanna give it up?!" Nick exclaimed. "I'm giving you a chance to surrender peacefully, like the good guys should."

In response, Psykos simply laughed. "I believe you already know what the answer to that is."

Nick just sighed and began to charge up a more powerful Final Shine Attack. "Well, I can't say I didn't give it a shot," Nick quipped.

Psykos quickly picked herself up, then raised a psychic barrier to deflect Nick's attack right back at him. And although he was able to dodge it, this gave Psykos the perfect moment to fly in close and ensnare him in her own psychic hold.

"Ugh... now I know how the other shoe feels," Nick stated, trying his best to break free before Psykos did something nasty to him.

When he felt something strange in his mind, Nick immediately let loose with a powerful pulse wave to knock Psykos away from him.

"You stay out of my head, freak show!" Nick growled.

"So... that's where they are," Psykos whispered. "Either that other man was lying to me, or he didn't know they'd been moved to another location recently... I would assume it's the latter, as I didn't sense any deceit in his mind..."

"What are you babbling about?!" Mat exclaimed.

"Simple. I have the information I needed," Psykos proclaimed. "And now, I must bid you pathetic excuses for spies adieu."

Before any of the spies could retort to that, Psykos had vanished.

"Ooh, that little tart!" Clover growled. "She just insulted every single one of us!"

"Clover, you have to admit, despite being spies, we often aren't very spy-like," Britney proclaimed.

"Girl's got a point," Alex giggled.

"Wait, what did she mean by 'the information she needed'?" May asked.

It only took a few seconds for the pieces to click together, and Nick's psychic aura flared dangerously in response.

"Oh, son of a bitch!" Nick shouted. "That's why she was trying to get in my head! She knows the Psy-Stones are at W.O.O.H.P.!"

Not wasting any time, Nick rose into the air and took off like lightning.

"Hey, Nick, wait for us!" Alex shouted.

"I don't think we have any time to waste!" Sam proclaimed. "Let's get back to the Skyskimmer and get back to Beverly Hills on the double!"

With that, the eleven remaining spies retreated back to the Skyskimmer so they could follow Nick back to their hometown and stop Psykos before anything went wrong.

1:13 PM – W.O.O.H.P. Headquarters, Jerry's Office

"What is it, GLADIS?" Jerry asked once he saw G.L.A.D.I.S.' arms waving frantically.

"UNKNOWN ANOMALY DETECTED, JERRY," G.L.A.D.I.S. proclaimed. "A LARGE AND VERY POWERFUL ENERGY SOURCE IS APPROACHING HEADQUARTERS RAPIDLY."

"It must be that Psykos lady the spies warned us about," Jerry stated, standing up from his seat. "G.L.A.D.I.S., prepare to go on full alert mode."

"I'm afraid that won't be necessary."

Jerry quickly shifted into a fighting stance as Psykos appeared in front of him, her body still glowing a bright blue.

"What do you want here, you little scoundrel?" Jerry proclaimed.

"Oh, please, old man, don't act like you have any hope of fighting me in your current state," Psykos laughed.

"I would advise against underestimating me," Jerry responded. "I may not be as young as I used to, but as my agents would say, I've still got the moves."

Psykos, in her overconfidence, didn't see Jerry leaping towards her until he'd already struck her with a flying spin kick.

"Hmph, so you do have some moves," Psykos admitted. "But you should consider yourself lucky I'm not here for you. I have something to claim, after all."

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE," G.L.A.D.I.S. proclaimed, multiple electrified tendrils extending outwards from her chassis to surround Psykos. "NOW PREPARE FOR SOME ELECTROSHOCK THERAPY, YOU LOONY!"

The tendrils enveloped Psykos, only for her to unleash a pulse wave that ripped the tendrils off. Then, Psykos turned her attention to G.L.A.D.I.S., a look of annoyance on her face.

"That was a mistake," Psykos sighed, raising her hands and enveloping G.L.A.D.I.S. in a blue light. "One you will not live to repeat."

Psykos wrenched her hands apart, and G.L.A.D.I.S.' chassis was ripped asunder, her parts scattered every which way across the office. From the destroyed chassis, G.L.A.D.I.S.' black box rolled across the ground, which Psykos destroyed with one powerful stomp.

"Worthless automaton," Psykos proclaimed before flashing away to find what she came for.

Many agents attempted to deter Psykos from her goal, but she causally tossed them all aside one by one. Eventually, she came across a small room with seven differently-colored gemstones placed inside an oddly-shaped container.

"Ah, there you are," Psykos laughed. "Now that I have you, nothing will be able to stop me."

"Eyeballs off the gems, lady," Nick proclaimed, his own psychic aura flaring as he stepped into the room.

"And what will you do if I don't?" Psykos taunted.

"What do you think?!" Nick shouted, lunging for Psykos only for her to dodge the attack, then raise her hands to trap Nick in her psychic hold.

"According to the memories I read, this container will only open with a taste of your own power, for safety," Psykos stated. "How very convenient for me."

Psykos waved her arms like a puppeteer, forcing Nick to raise his own hand and aim for the container, covering it in a yellow glow and causing it to pop open so Psykos could take the Psy-Stones from within.

"You shouldn't have come back to stop me," Psykos reprimanded. "Because now you're all mine. Hmmm... as a matter of fact..."

With her free hand, Psykos levitated the Psy-Stones into the air and made them float around her, allowing her to absorb their power. Her psychic aura grew even larger and more powerful, much like Nick had done against Scam and Kandinsky.

"Ah, wonderful," Psykos laughed. "All the power I will ever need. And now, as for you, I could use my newfound power to just crush you like the insignificant ant that you are, but... I believe I know a much better use for my new puppet."

"W-what... what are you..." Nick gasped, only for his eyes to widen when he realized what Psykos planned to do to him.

Psykos clapped her hands together, and as her blue aura overwhelmed his vision, the last thing Nick saw before his senses shut down was a wicked grin on Psykos' face.

Meanwhile...

"Holy crapbaskets, Jerry, what happened here?!" Clover shouted as the rest of the spies entered Jerry's office, only to find it in shambles due to the destruction of G.L.A.D.I.S., though Jerry was otherwise unharmed. "And what exactly happened to G.L.A.D.I.S.?!"

"Sadly, Psykos destroyed her and her black box when she arrived here," Jerry explained. "Nick arrived not too long after and headed off to intercept her. Please, assist him in any way possible."

"That's why we're here, Jer!" Alex proclaimed as the spies moved out to find Psykos.

And thankfully, it didn't take them too long to find her floating in the air down a nearby hallway.

"All right, you, give it up if you know what's good for you!" Sam shouted.

"You're too late, spies," Psykos laughed. "The Psy-Stones are already mine, and I've used them to boost my power to unbelievable levels."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter how much of a boost you give yourself," Alex proclaimed. "Nick can still take you down once he finds you!"

A powerful pulse wave blasted forward to send all eleven spies crashing down to the ground.

"Okay, who's the wise guy with the cheap shot?!" May shouted, only to look upwards and see something that frightened her immensely. "Oh, no..."

It was Nick.

But something was very wrong.

His psychic aura, instead of its normal golden yellow color, was now stained a dark red, and his eyes were the same color.

It was almost as if...

"You didn't," Alex growled.

Psykos just smiled as Nick clenched his fists, a hardened expression highlighting his face.

To be continued...

Next time on Totally Spies: Mental Maladies...

Sam: Wait, wait, hold on, did... did she brainwash Nick or something?! Why is he attacking us?!

Psykos: His mind is mine now. Now do you realize that you shouldn't have challenged me?

Alex: Let him go...

Psykos: Oh? What was that?

Alex: I SAID LET MY BOYFRIEND GO, YOU BITCH!

May: Alex, focus! Just charging in blindly isn't going to get us anywhere! Besides, I'm going in there with you.

Alex: Yeah, let's mess her up for taking our boyfriend away from us!

May: Best idea I've heard all day! Well, readers, looks like madness is going down on the next episode of Totally Spies: Mental Maladies, "Dive Into the Heart"!

Britney: Wow, no puns this time.

Sam: Maybe because they know this a serious moment. We can pun all we want once we get Nick back!