“Why can’t I hit you!” Rai said, swinging another miss. His back throbbed with pain, but he couldn't afford to lose. Jumping, he aimed a flying kick towards Aegis's head, but just as before, Aegis seemed to anticipate his every move, effortlessly dodging the attack and countering with a devastating uppercut.
Rai crashed to the ground, pain pulsing throughout. He struggled to push himself up, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “Dammit, he’s seriously kicking my ass.”
A mechanism within the collar on Rai’s neck made a clicking sound.
“What this?” Rai said, looking at the collar detach, falling to the floor.
“Is the boy's collar supposed to come off?” a lady lounging near Rena said.
Rena spit his wine out.
From the shadows, Eiji stated, “This should even things up some,” throwing the remote in a nearby trash.
“Would you look at that,” Rai said, viewing his clenched fists, “it looks like we can get this party started now.” Rai charged Aegis.
He’s much faster. Rai rapidly appeared before him, Aegis was now on the defensive and having a much tougher time evading Rai’s attacks.
Feinting a punch to the left, Rai quickly aimed another, colliding heavily against Aegis's cheek and hurling him across the arena.
“What!?” Rena said, standing from his seat.
“Huh?” Rai was as surprised as everyone else. “I hit him?”
Ethan watched carefully as the fight progressed. There’s no way a hit like that would be enough to take him down. Glancing at the clock, nearly a minute remained.
Aegis slowly rose from the ground, wiping the dust from his outfit. “So that’s what it feels like.”
“Felt like?” Rai replied.
“Your full strength. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to win with that level of power,” Aegis said.
“Well, the thing about punches, if you get hit with enough of them, eventually one’s gonna hurt,” Rai said, winding his arm around.
“Hey, stop playing with your food Aegis, I said I wanted a quick match, or need I remind you of the consequence of disobedience.”
Aegis nodded, now going on the offensive. Sidestepping effortlessly behind Rai, he swung a kick.
Rai, ducking, felt the wind of his opponent's attack brush past his face, however, using the momentum from the missed kick, Aegis spun around, instead delivering a powerful roundhouse to Rai’s ribs – a light crunching resonated.
Aegis tried to pull away, but he couldn’t budge from where he was. Using his elbow, he smashed it on top of Rai’s head, but Rai didn’t budge. Aegis felt pressure under his elbow from his opponent, slowly forcing his arm up, bit by bit, until Rai’s gaze lined up directly with his own; flickering behind his dark green eyes, a burning will to win.
Shaking his head, Ethan couldn’t help but smile. The boy needs to find a better method than using his body.
“Try this,” Rai said, tossing Aegis whose body collided heavily against the arena walls. Breathing heavily, Rai fell to a knee.
Rena scowling, shouted, “You better not lose!”
“What’s up with your cat?” one of the ladies in Rena’s special seating area said, circling her finger around its stubby tail.
“It's better off without the tail, doesn't brush against my face; which bothers me, not shut it or get lost!”
As the girls left upset, the timer sounded and the minute was officially up.
“Dammit,” Rena said. I didn’t prepare anything after an extraordinary event past the timer.
Rai, muscles screaming, forced himself to his feet. “Hate to burst your bubble, but you’re a minute past the deadline.”
“Hah! Deadline, good one - because he’s a phantom,” a voice spoke from the shadows.
“Eiji?” Rai said, staring into the shaded parts of the arena.
“Whoops,” Eiji said, sticking his head out from around the corner. “Hey, how’s it going,” Eiji casually hopped into the arena. It was easier to get in than it was to get out - for the average person that is.
“The intruder,” Rena muttered.
“Yeup, that’s me, I’m the intruder,” Eiji admitted.
“Just how long you were watching?” Rai asked.
“Hmm, since the beginning,” Eiji responded.
“And you didn’t think of jumping in at any time been nice!?”
“It’s complicated,” Eiji defended.
Across the floor, a mysterious purple haze, once more spread across the arena.
“Not these theatrics again,” Rai said.
“Uh, Rai,” Eiji said, tapping Rai on the shoulder, “I don’t think their theatrics.”
Rai, seeing Eiji pointing, turned to see that the haze was coming from Aegis.
Roots emerged from around his feet, glowing a dark purple, however, each one phasing in and out of existence.
Eiji and Rai raised their flux abilities to the max sensing a serious threat. Neither one of them dared to blink, straining their eyes to make sure it wouldn’t leave the man before them.
Sweating trickling down Rai’s forehead seeped into his eyes, causing him to blink for a moment - instantly, Aegis was before him with an ethereal blade of sorts at the throat of Rai.
Eiji, leaning back, barely had time to react.
“Wait!”
Stopping just short of lopping Rai’s head off, Aegis looked back at Lily entering behind two sliding doors. With her, a small child carrying Plu.
“Aegis!” the boy called out.
Aegis's eyes opened wide. “Yuta!”
“Yuta?” Lily said looking over at the boy, but to her surprise, the blindfolded man was already there beside him.
Rai, blinking, looked around, baffled as to where Aegis went.
“Shit, time to go,” Renna said, turning to leave.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Blood spewed from Renna’s mouth. Looking down, a purple blade extending from the arm of Aegis had pierced through his chest. The haze disappeared and Renna fell to the floor, a puddle of blood steadily forming.
“Did he have to go and kill him?” Lily said, walking up to Rai, covering the boy’s eyes.
“He was an evil man.”
Lily jolted forward, turning around quickly to see that it was Aegis. “Would you stop doing that!”
“How are you doing that?!” Eiji said, stumped. “It’s a root thing huh,” Eiji said.
“Aegis!” Yuta came running over, dropping Plu and giving his big brother a long hug.
Rai smiled. Seeing them reminded him of his sister.
“Plu,” the small stuffed animal spoke.
“Hey buddy, a little late,” Rai said, patting its head. “But you get an A for effort.” It jumped happily.
Around the arena, the rowdy guards were all watching in silence, first in awe of the earlier duel, but now questioning their fates since the untimely demise of Rena.
“You seem relaxed around someone who just tried to kill you,” Lily said to Rai.
“Yeah, but my guts are telling me, he’s not a bad guy,” Eiji replied, in Rai’s stead.
Rai nodding, added, “If he had wanted to, he could have killed me multiple times during our match. He was holding back.”
“Hey guys, hate to break up the family reunion, but look up!” Eiji shouted.
Staring at the panel where Renna would normally be sitting, he stood gasping for air.
“Bastards—planned it from the beginning. Cheaters, all of you!” Rena said, leaning against the control panel.
“Ever heard the phrase, what goes around comes around,” Rai responded.
“Ha. Haha. Hahaha! This is—this is the Underrena!” Rena shouted, gripping the green stone, opposite the red, both of which were needed to activate various games.
“Root modification, Umbrella Thorn Bush,” speakers rang out.
“He got it working again?!” Lily said.
A square shape, about a foot wide, blinked underneath Lily’s leg before a sudden enormous metal thorn burst out.
Lily closed her eyes as the metal thorn tore through the ground, but opening her eyes she realized she was in the arms of Aegis. She blushed, saying, “What just happened?”
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing,” Eiji said, marching over to confront the man holding Lily, but Aegis dropped her on the floor.
“Hey,” she uttered. “Little help here,” she said, reaching a hand out to Eiji.
“You were on the way to Yuta,” Aegis said.
“Thanks, I guess,” Lily responded.
“What’s he up to?” Rai said, peering at Renna.
Removing and tossing the luminite within the control panel, Renna dove his arm directly into the hole, before pulling out a black slimy substance squirming around like a small caged octopus. Dropping it into his mouth, he hunched over in pain.
“Ew,” Lily said.
From the shadows a small little bug watched. Its body is engraved in symbols resembling the markings located back at the doctor’s.
“Watch out, something’s coming,” Aegis said, gripping Yuta.
Black goo dripped from Rena’s eyes and nose, followed by his ears. He tittered to his left, collapsing over a table and knocking over a bowl of apples from where the girls had been sitting. “I got this as a precautionary gift from the doctor a while back.” Glancing at the group, Rena gripped an apple nearby, saying, “An apple a day,” Rena’s spine grew twice in size, “keep’s the doctor away.” The apple fell from his hand as his head bulged to three times its normal size, cracking the table he rested against. Rena tore out of his skin, expanding into a large two-legged monster made of black vines and tar.
“What the hell!?” Ethan watched in shock. He thought Renna was done for, that this nightmare was finally coming to an end, but now there was this monstrosity before them.
“Heads up guys, looks like this is going to be harder than we thought,” Rai said.
“Lily, would you wait here with Yuta? I’ll take care of this,” Aegis said.
“Hey now, I can’t go letting you have all the fun,” Rai said, stepping beside Aegis.
“Diddo,” Eiji said, joining them.
“Plu,” Plu said, appearing beside Rai and the rest of the crew.
“That’s the spirit Plu!” Eiiji said. “Ahem, and, as cofounder of Plu’s legion, I nominate the blindfolded ninja to take the lead.”
Plu, however, stepped up instead, once again insinuating it wanted to lead.
“Huh? You sure buddy?” Rai asked.
Plu once again nodded confidently.
“Maybe Plu has some secret ability we don’t know about yet,” Lily pondered out loud.
Smashing the panel, the creature roared and jumped into the arena, but as it did, just as with Lily, the second it touched the ground, the floor flashed rapidly before a large spike emerged, rupturing through the foot of the creature. It wailed, gripping the spike that had pierced through its foot. Snapping it off, it hurled the 7-foot spike directly at a viewing quarter destroying an entire viewing station, including part of Ethan’s.
Seeing this, Plu turned around and positioned itself at the back instead of the front.
“Go!” Rai shouted, as they all split ways.
Prisoners that weren’t hi, began to escape from the gaping hole, ganging up on every guard in their way. Among those prisoners, Ethan emerged.
Ethan gazed at inmates escaping. Freedom…
Rena blasted a large sludge-like chunk from his arm, narrowly missing Rai.
The sludge evaporated, left behind a scorch mark in the same way a flame might.
“Ah!” Eiji shouted as another ball of black sludge flew over his head, landing directly on a guard behind him. It wrapped around their body, entangling him, his scream swiftly disappearing. When the sludge dispersed, the soldier was dead. “Yikes…” Eiji jumped avoiding another blast.
“Alright let’s try this again,” around the corner Rai focused his flux. “Remember that feeling from before…” Taking a deep breath, he softly exhaled before shouting, “Ikken!” But nothing came out.
Eiji pulled up behind Rai, “What’s the matter, still can’t figure it out?”
“Apparently,” Rai said, watching Aegis dart off ahead.
The creature that was Renna extended its arm, bringing it crashing down over Aegis.
“Haunting severance.,” Aegis said.
Whispers trickled through the air as a purple haze brushed past Renna, and before he knew it, Aegis was standing behind him.
In an instant both Renna’s monstrous arms fell to the floor, each severed in a moments notice.
Lily gazed around. Chaos was all around as guards and prisoners alike collided.
“Maybe like it’s going to be easier than I thought,” Rai said, seeing Aegis’s show of strength.
But then Renna’s arm suddenly regrew before shooting another blast of sludge at the small boy this time.
Swiftly appearing before Yuta, Aegis shoved him out of the way, taking the full impact of the attack.
Lily ran towards Aegis to help, but he shouted, “Careful!” causing her to stop in her tracks. The black sludge and vines worming around his body enveloped him completely, but right before it did, he yelled, “It seals flux!”
“Aegis!” Yuta shouted.
Rai and Eiji lunged forward rolling behind another spike that activated from them stepping on the trap.
“Renna hasn’t moved an inch?” Eiji said.
“He doesn’t want to move because of the booby-trapped floor,” Rai said.
“These floor traps aren’t helping at all…” Eiji said, tapping his foot lightly at the spot in front of him, though nothing happened.
“Charge!” a rowdy bunch of prisoners jumped into the arena. Some were immediately killed by the traps lying wait, but still, they ran head-on at the monster.
“Many of them hate Rena more than they could ever fear him or death,” Ethan said showing up beside Rai.
“Ethan?!” Rai said. “What’re you doing, now’s your chance to get out of here?”
“I already told you, I’m done running,” Ethan said. “Let’s take this bastard down, once and for all.”
“Plu,” Plu walked up to Rai.
“Not now Plu,” Rai said, focusing on the battle.
Plu however didn’t listen, tugging at Rai’s coat.
Lily, watching the ball of sludge Aegis was in, recognized a strange energy emitting from within it. “Aegis is still alive?”
Rai ran at the evolved Rena and everyone else followed.
Slapping many inmates away, Rena roared, shooting from its stomach a series of sludge bullets, tearing through the spikes.
Rai jumped away, but some still hit him, piercing his foot and shoulder.
Eiji quickly ducking behind a large spike, had bullet holes perfectly outlining the shape of his body. He scanned his body for an exit wound, but not a single was found. “Phew… That was close…”
”Plu…” Plu, stationed between Eiji's legs, shared the same scenario.
Ethan, however received a few puncture holes, one of which was in his stomach. Blood dripped down his mouth. “Look out!” he shouted at Rai who was standing up.
A giant arm collided with Rai sending him flying across the arena. The floor beneath him, started to blink rapidly. “Ugh!” A spike emerged from the ground but Ethan had appeared shoving Rai out of the way. It pierced Ethan, ripping through the left side of his stomach. Rai, looked up in shock.
Seeing the dilemma, Lily crouched over to Aegis’s little brother, saying, “Stay here Yuta, I’ll be right back.”
By this point, all the prisoners' and guards' scuffling had ended and the only ones remaining had a single goal in mind; taking down Renna.
“Come on!” more prisoners returned to attacking the monster, this time with flaming sticks.
“Some help I was,” Ethan said lying on the floor as Rai appeared before him.
“The hell you go and do that for?!” Rai said, looking over Ethan, regret in his eyes.
Upon catching Rai’s defeated gaze, Ethan gripped the kid’s shirt, saying, “Don’t let that fire… ever fizzle out! Don’t you ever… Now go!” Ethan said, shoving Rai away.
Nodding, “I’ll be back. Hang in their old man.”
Meanwhile, Eiji was among many prisoners swinging away at the creature.
Lily jumped in smashing her fist into the face of Renna but it didn’t do much before she was smacked away.
Rai stopped short. “How do we take this guy down?” That’s when Plu appeared, innocently staring up at him in the chaos. “What Plu? Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something?” Plu, to Rai’s surprise, poofed into a red apple. “What the-”
Eiji was sent flying backwards, landing next to Rai. “He’s not letting up,” he said slowly standing. “What’s with the apple?” Eiji said, gazing at Rai who had picked it up.
“It’s Plu...”
“What?! Plu’s an apple?!” Eiji said.
“Apparently…”
“Why don’t you try eating it?” Eiji suggested.
“I’m not eating Plu!” Rai barked back.
Renna ripped a spike pillar tossing it at Lily, but she dodged it. “You want thriw things?! Fine!” Lily said. She ran over to a 9-foot spike, snapping it in half. Jumping high into the air she launched the spike right through the belly of the creature, leaving a gaping hole.
The monster roared, extending its arm and slamming it into Lily, sending her flying into a viewing cell.
“Lily!” Eiji said, running to check on her.
“Eiji, we need you here!” Rai shouted. “Lily’s a Nefarian, she’s naturally sturdier than humans, she'll be okay; you know this.”
Eiji stopped, furrowing his brows, he turned to Rai, and asked, “What’re we supposed to do? This guy’s taking everything we’ve thrown at him,” he said.
“I’m not sure...”
Emerging from the rubble, Lily. “That hurt," she said.
“She’s okay,” Eiji sighed a breath of relief.
Seeing Lily charge back into the fray, Eiji turned to Rai, saying, “I don’t know much about Abminus, nor Links for that matter, but I do know that in Nefarian teachings, we trust in our bonds with one another. Trust Plu,” Eiji said before returning to the fight.
Looking at the apple, than back at everyone fighting for their lives, sweat raced down Rai's face. He fought back against the idea until finally shouting, “Fine! Plu you better not make me regret this!” Taking a large bite of the apple, he swallowed.
Roots emerged everywhere; not just under him like it would for normal Abminus. “Try ikken,” a voice whispered in Rai’s ear, prompting him to look around, but he saw no one. “Now I’m hearing things?” Placing his hands together, fingers intertwined, Rai focused on the flux within him.
At that moment, Renna, now an uncontrollable raging monster, felt an immediate threat. He drove its hands into the earth and from its body a wave of sludge gushed forth, pushing everyone back, but being that the vines and sludge were a part of its body, it was unable to push it too far before reabsorbing itself back.
At the same time, the captured Aegis tore through his prison.
“Brother!” Yuta said, running to his brother said.
“The attack drains flux, and locks it, but it can be beat…" Almost completely drained of flux, he was unable to help at all. “I had enough to overcome it…"
Renna launched attack after attack at Rai.
Rai ducked and weaved, jumping over black vines, all while avoiding pillars that emerges, sometimes using some as a means of defense when Renna launched sludge attacks.
“Come on, remember what the old lady said. You got to find your way,” Rai said, lunging forward to avoid another attack. “I can do this, I can do this!” Running directly at the creature, hands still clasped, Rai closed the distance. Renna grew in size, taking unexpected space, making Rai vulnerable to a direct attack.
“Rai!” Lily shouted.
Suddenly, a giant root burst through the earth from beneath Rai’s feet, its tip driving his momentum forward into the air above Renna. “Wha-” Rai, surprised saw that it continued to extend, nearly reaching over the head of Renna. He bolted towards the edge of the root, leaping as Renna demolished the sturdy bridge rooted beneath him with a swipe of his arm. Fingers intertwined and arms cocked back, Rai slung them forward, his voice erupting, “Ikken!” A swirling energy exploded from Rai’s fist in the form of a strong gust of wind mixed with hints of flux force, annihilating Renna. Not a single trace was left, only a moderately sized crater.
“Whoa…” Eiji muttered.
Landing on the ground. “I did it,” Rai said, huffing
As the pandemonium subsided, walking over, Aegis bent a knee, looking up at Rai, “You and your friends saved my brother. I’m forever in your debt.”
Beside Aegis, Yuta knelt as well.
“Whoa, hey now guys. I appreciate the formality but we don’t do that around here,” Rai said. Aegis stood up, as did Yuta. “Friends?” Rai said holding out his hand.
Smiling, Aegis shook Rai’s hand.
“Meow.” Renna’s cat jumped into Yuta’s arms, purring.
“Looks like you got yourself a little sidekick,” Lily joked.
“Shoot I almost forgot! Plu, I ate him?!”
“You ate Plu?!” Lily said.
“It was Eiji’s idea! He turned into an apple...” Rai struggled to explain the situation.
“This is Eiji we're talking about,” Lily argued.
“Hey..” Eiji said.
“Family is where our roots lie,” Ethan muttered, recalling his wife as he stumbled over, collapsing on the ground.
Rai ran over. “Hey, you still with me old man?”
“Hardly,” Ethan stated, lifting his hands where the puncture holes were.
"Maybe we can find a doctor!" Lily shouted looking around.
"That's okay." Gazing at Rai, Ethan said, "Maybe what you’re searching for lies within,” Ethan tapped at the floor with his finger, "the earth."
Rai nodded, “Worth a try,” he placed his hand on the ground, infusing flux into it, and soon, a root emerged; from it an apple rapidly grew, until poof, Plu appeared.
“Plu!” Rai said, picking it up and tossing it into the air.
"Plu!" It said.
“Hey kid, think you could do me one last favor?” Ethan spoke up.
Outside of the arena, the stars shun brilliantly.
“Sorry it’s no fairy tale sunrise,” Rai said, his voice containing a sense of sorrow.
“This is good,” Ethan responded. Some prisoners who respected him had also stayed behind to bid their farewell. Staring at the moon, the reflection of his daughter, Emily flashes in his mind. Then of his wife Emma. Lastly, he saw another little girl with blue hair. “If there’s one thing I regret, it’s that I couldn’t save her,” Ethan said, a single tear fell from his face, however, seeing the caged girl from the arena match against Rai, he smiled. “Thank you, Rai,” the dying man rasped, his voice barely a whisper, “for granting this old man's final desire. You truly.. will become.. quite the hero.” Ethan’s voice left his body.
Sticking the shovel into the place where Ethan’s body had been buried, Rai's eye lingered there for a bit, before walking off into the night.
Lily followed, leaving the others to mourn.
“Rai, is everything okay?” Lily asked.
“What do you think!” Rai snapped. “Heroes are supposed to be there to save the day before the tragedy, not after. Some hero I am...”
“But you were there,” Aegis stated, “for everyone, including my younger brother Yuta.”
Lily and Eiji, walking beside him, placed an arm across Rai’s shoulder.
Eiji’s Manty, from Rick Rock Rope, also narrowed in, licking the back of Eiji's outfit.
“You’re not in this alone,” Lily said. “That’s what friends are for, to help each other when times get tough.”
“Yeah, we're in this together,” Eiji added.
Rai, seeing the warmth of those surrounding him, shook off his gloomy mood, smiling. “You’re right.” Reaching his fist to the sky, Rai screamed, “I’m never letting it die out! Do you hear me!? Never!”