Me: Hello everyone!

Eli: New story, new events!

Me: And let us celebrate New Year with a new story!

Eli: Guess we should start, author.

Me: Start the disclaimer, Eli!

Eli: Silent Treecko does not own GC nor its official characters. He only owns his OCs and the others belong to their respective authors.

"Prince": He he he… looks like someone is excited.

Me: Anyway, start!

Ch. 1: A New Beginning

Three Years Later

Sieghart's POV

It has been quite peaceful for a while. We are getting light missions and such light errands lately and with the upcoming festival in Serdin will sure make people busy, but not us. We are actually doing the opposite. We are just relaxing here in our good old mansion. Even I found it peaceful. Some of the girls we are talking about the festival, the Harvest Festival if I can recall it right, next week. I guess I could eat many delicacies on the festival.

Lire's POV

It is spring again and many plants are already growing again. I am glad that winter is over and the upcoming festival was just making it better. I can see that Ryan was happily watering the plants. I wish that this time of the year would last longer.

Aira's POV

I was happily helping Ryan water his plants. Ryan did have many plants, especially this time of the year.

"Hey Aira, can you water these flowers for me?" Ryan said.

I replied with a positive answer and watered the plants using my own skills. The fragrant flowers were contributing to my happy mood.

"It was fun helping someone," I said to myself.

Elyce's POV

I yawned and stretched myself. It was nice to have some rest at quite a peaceful morning. Just then, Sieghart came and he gave me a glare. I glared back at him and after a while, he left. I sighed and smiled at myself.

'It's nice to be alone once in a while,' I thought.

Dio's POV

"Come on! Dio! Let's go to the shopping district!" Ley said with puppy dog eyes while she clung into my arm.

"For the last time… No!" I said.

"Please…" Ley said

"NO!" I shouted.

Then, I saw Blade who passed by and she giggled before she left. I really hate this.

"Why don't you just ask your butler?" I said.

"NO! I want YOU to be with me," Ley said.

I sighed, not happy at the situation at hand.

Brendan's POV

I was humming a tune as I was walking when I saw Aura who was walking down the stairs. Then, I noticed that one of the steps are wet and at the same time Aura was about to step on it. I rushed upstairs and stopped Aura. Aura did notice the wet spot and sighed.

"Thanks, Brendan," Aura said.

"You're welcome," I said.

Just then, a plate flied towards Aura and hit Aura at the head. Then, Aura fainted and I caught her. There, I noticed that Aura is a she.

"ELESIS!" I heard Arme shouted.

"Can't hit me, shortcake," Elesis said.

"NEVER call me THAT!" Arme shouted.

Just then, a lot of kitchenware flew in the air and one thing is… they flew towards us. I used Aura as a shield to block from the flying kitchenware.

"Arme! Stop it!" I shouted.

Just then, the army of kitchenware stopped from appearing and I sighed. Just then, I realized my mistake. I sighed and I brought Aura to the nearby couch.

"Sorry, Aura," I said to the unconscious Aura. "I should get Arme…"

Then, I went to the kitchen to face the two.

Eli's POV

'Ready… Fire!' I thought.

I stepped on a pad and I started firing the twenty tin cans placed five meters away from me. When all of the cans were down, I placed my pistols at my side and checked the nearby stop clock, which was Mari's invention. It read 9.35 seconds.

'Tch… not enough…' I thought.

I pressed a special button and twenty tin cans appeared at where the previous tin cans where. I replaced the magazine in my pistols and I took a deep breath before repeating the same process. This time, the clock read 9.30 seconds. I cursed myself and repeated the process repeatedly.

I drained the contents of the water bottle when I looked at the stop clock, which read 9.01 seconds. I went back to my position and repeated the process again. When I finished it, I checked the clock and it read 9.05 seconds.

"What?" I said, angry at the result.

I gripped the handle of my pistols as hard as possible. I was about to start again.

"Hey, take a break," someone said.

I turned around and saw Luxus.

"Get out! I won't take a break!" I shouted.

"Can you let me try it, at least?" Luxus asked.

I sighed and moved away from the platform where I stood.

"Suit yourself," I said.

Luxus stepped on the platform and stepped on the pad. He pulled out his guns and started firing at different directions. Then, all of the tin cans were down and my jaw dropped when I looked at the time it took him to do that. It was 6.85 seconds.

"But how…" I said.

"Eli, use this…" Luxus said while pointing to his head.

"Maybe I'll use THESE to hit THAT," I said while I mentioned my pistols first then I mentioned his head next.

"Anyway, Eli, come with me if you want to become better," Luxus said and went outside.

I decided to follow him while he led the way. We went around the mansion and used the underground stairs, which I know that will lead to the newly installed training room, training room 9. Luxus turned the lights on and the lights lit the room. The large room, filled with obstacles and other things, ensures a strategic battle with each other. The room will deem useful for someone who has good thinking skills.

"How about a challenge? Me against you," Luxus said.

"Sure! I've never backed down on a challenge," I said.

"Okay. I have to randomize the obstacles and things," Luxus said.

He placed some commands on the nearby computer and after a while, a voice said that we should stand on the pads. I stood on the blue one and Luxus stood on the red one. Then, the computer asked if we were ready. Both of us replied "Ready!" before we were teleported to different spots in the room.

"Simulation start!" a voice echoed throughout the room.

I noticed a nearby door and opened it. The door that I opened was actually a closet's door and I saw one useful item, a flash bang.

'Lucky day…' I thought.

I grabbed it and traversed my way through the room. Boxes of all sorts were all around me while I walked with caution. Just then, the stacks of boxes started falling around me and I jumped.

Big mistake.

A rope caught me and pulled me to who-knows-where. I saw that Luxus was pulling me while I am in midair. When I was close, I grabbed the flash bang and threw it at him. I closed my eyes and counted three seconds before I opened my eyes again and freed myself from the rope. Then, I jumped to a place I am not familiar. There, I found some stones.

'What should I do with these?' I thought.

Then, an idea came to my mind. I threw the stones in midair, not caring where they will land. Just then, I heard an explosion.

"I hope Luxus was hit by that explosion," I thought.

Luxus' POV

'Damn that stone!' I thought.

The stone hit the button of a time bomb, which makes it detonate itself. It is a good thing there is a three-second delay before it will explode or else this simulation was over. I walked around with caution and I saw Eli through the glass window. I fired a shot but I realized that the shot did not even pass through the glass.

'Bulletproof,' I thought.

I walked around and found two things, a water gallon and oil can. I threw the gallon towards the air and punched some holes through it using my bullets to let water flow out of it.

'I hope it'll be useful later,' I thought.

I decided to keep the oilcan for later and walked around cautiously. Then, I noticed that there was a shadow below me and it was growing bigger. Then, I looked up and saw a big boulder. Quickly, I jumped out of harm's way.

'That was close…' I thought.

Then, I saw a warp pad and used it. I found myself in a room where I found a shoe. I just left it behind and opened a door, finding myself on scaffolding with walls and glass windows.

'So, I'm at a higher level now,' I thought.

I walked around trying to spot Eli or a useful item. There, I found one grenade-shaped object and when I looked at it closely, it was a smoke grenade. I took it and walked around, still keeping my guard up.

Eli's POV

I walked around when I found a ladder leading to the upper level. I took it and climbed it while I kept watch of my back. There, I found some handcuffs and kept it. I walked around for a while and then I saw Luxus. He also saw me and I fired for cover while I retreat. Then, I saw a light switch and turned it off, making everything around me so dark. I placed the night-vision goggles I found back then and I saw Luxus. I was about to fire at his leg when smoke came out of nowhere. I hissed and the smoke went near me. I coughed, trying to get it out of my lungs. Just then, the smoke was gone and everything went too bright suddenly. I removed the night-vision goggles and I felt a gun was pointing at me.

I took his hand and swiftly placed the handcuff on it. I tried to place it on his other hand but he placed his other hand on his back and he kept facing me. He fired at me while I tried to get the other handcuff on him. Then, I jumped above him and swiftly placed the other handcuff and I succeeded. Then, I noticed that the chain connecting the two handcuffs was broken. Then, Luxus pointed his gun at me. I tried to get away but I slipped, noticing that there was oil under me. I cursed myself.

"It's over," Luxus said.

Luxus' POV

"It's over," I said.

Just then, I saw that Eli smiled and it gave me a suspicion. Just then, I heard something beeped and looked below, where I found a time bomb. I quickly jumped away to avoid being caught in the explosion. Smoke emerged from where the bomb exploded and after a while, it disappeared, revealing a hole on the floor, which led to the lower level. I looked at the hole and saw some footprints made of oil and I decided to go down as well.

"I'll hunt you down, Eli," I said. "I'll hunt you down."

Eli's POV

I walked around to what seemed to be a maze to me. Not a single thing that is useful or any ideas went into my mind. As I continued my walk, I found a puddle of water with an empty container nearby.

'I could use this to clean the oil off me,' I thought.

After I was finished, I heard light steps, which suggested someone is coming. Then, I kicked the empty container towards the source, which hit Luxus at his chest. I fired some from my pistols but he counterattacked by firing his own, the bullets colliding in midair. This continued while he threw the container in midair, stood up, and kicked the container back at me. I kicked it back at him while I continued to counter his bullets. Again, he kicked the container back in a different manner and I kicked it upwards using a summersault while I was still firing bullets. I made a quick reload in midair as I knocked the container down and landed on one foot. There, I fired many bullets. Even though he was preoccupied, he kicked back the container by doing a roundhouse kick but he was still able to keep firing.

This time, I dodged the incoming object by bending while I continued firing at him. Then, my pistols clicked, signaling that I ran out of bullets. I spun, made quick reload by dropping the empty magazines, throwing the new ones in the air and placing them in the pistol in a quick fashion while spinning. When I finished reloading, I noticed that Luxus was preparing something big and I had decided one thing to do…

Jump.

"Bullet Time!" he said.

He spun at a quick rate while firing his bullets. I dodged or countered some of the bullets before I found a cover behind a metal box. When I heard him stop, I brought out my rifle and fired overhead. When it ran out of bullets, I reloaded it with a new mag. Just then, I noticed that there was a trapdoor nearby and I took the secret pathway. It was dark but thanks to my night-vision goggles, it is not a problem at all. I found a small table where two of the rare objects in this training area are. These two are the spike grenade and the bind bomb. The spike grenade will scatter spikes on the ground, which is a real pain to the foot and slows you down. The bind bomb can bind anyone within range except for its user.

"I should be careful in using these…" I said. "These can end the game if used properly."

I explored around in this "underground room" to find an exit different from where I entered.

Luxus' POV

I checked behind the metal box where Eli hid herself but found no one.

'Where did she go?' I thought.

I walked around for a while before I decided one thing…

I will go for broke.

I jumped on to the center of the room, where a tall platform stood. I stood on the said platform and brought out my mini gun.

"Come out wherever you are, Eli," I shouted.

I kept check of things around me and after a while; I noticed something moving at my left and quickly pulverized that spot with my mini gun. Then, Eli came out of her hiding place and she ran all over the place. I tried to hit her with my mini gun while she fired back with her rifle. She kept running around while I kept firing at her. Then, the time came where my mini gun ran out of bullets and I would have to reload it. After I attached a new set of bullets, I looked around for Eli and I found her holding a sniper gun. She fires first before I fired. Then, she hid into the shadows.

"What was that shot for?" I said aloud.

Just then, I heard something making a "snapping" sound. I looked above me and the chandelier started falling towards me. I jumped out of the way and landed on a space where the space is very wide. Just then, Eli rushed towards me while she fired at me, I countered back. I noticed that she tried to close the gap between us and this made me feel that she is up to something.

I tried to keep her away but she kept pressing herself forward. She is even fast at countering my attacks. Then, I noticed that he was running in circles around me. 'Something is up,' I thought. With that, I brought out my shotgun and fired at every direction. Just then, I noticed she threw a metallic object towards me and when it landed, spikes were scattered everywhere.

'I've got to stay still,' I thought.

Then, she approached me and attacked by placing her foot in front of her. I grabbed her foot and prepared my other hand for the pistol.

Eli's POV

I used my other foot to kick his pistol away. It went to my left, where spikes guarded the weapon.

'One down, one more to go,' I thought.

I tried to kick him in the gut but he disappeared. I landed quickly and I readied my next surprise.

'I know this trick all too well,' I thought.

I dropped the bind bomb and I heard "Too sl…" before the bomb exploded. There, Luxus was rendered immobilized by some kind of binding magic and I grabbed his other pistol. Then, I pointed my pistol and said, "I win." He smiled and said "Okay. I give up."

"Simulation ended," the computer said. "Returning in five… four… three… two… one…"

Then, we found ourselves back to the entrance. I gave Luxus the pistol I grabbed from him and he picked the other one, which was just nearby.

"Great job, Eli," Luxus said.

"Thanks," I replied.

"Now go and resume that training of yours. You'll be able to accomplish your goal of five seconds with enough practice," Luxus said and left the room.

I walked back to the training room 3 and resumed my training. I would have to keep in mind to be open in any ideas that come to mind since it will help you to accomplish a goal. That is what Luxus was trying to get into me during the challenge. I stepped on the pad and tried a different technique in shooting down the cans and when I am finished, the clock read 7.96 seconds.

"Okay, keep that up, Eli," I talked to myself.

Arme's POV

Amy, Lire, Scarlet and I talked to each other about the upcoming festival. Just then, Amy tackled an interesting info.

"I've heard that in the upcoming festival, a faraway merchant will sell a rare fruit!" Amy said.

"What kind of rare fruit?" Lire, who was clearly curious about the fruit, asked.

"They say that its color is like a beautiful rainbow and just seeing it gives a comforting aura," Amy said. "And what's interesting is that it can heal any sickness in everyone if eaten."

"Wow! That's interesting!" Scarlet said.

"I'd have to agree," I said. "Maybe Mari can do an experiment on it so she can produce potions out of it."

"That would be sweet!" Amy said.

"Yeah. I can't wait for the upcoming festival!" Lire said.

"The festival will be a blast, I'll say," I said, excited about it.

Zeta's POV

"So, what do you think about the festival, Razer?" I asked.

'Meh, I don't care about it,' he replied. 'But you seem to be excited somehow.'

"I'm not!" I said.

"Zeta!" Selena shouted.

Selena ran towards me in a hurry.

"Zeta! I want you to see something!" she said. "Let's go!"

Then, she started dragging me to who-knows-where.

"Slow down a bit!" I shouted.

Nate's POV

I was walking around the mansion when Blade stopped near me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Just taking a run around Serdin," Blade said. "It seems that lots of people where entering the kingdom."

"I think it's because of the festival," I said.

"I think so," Blade said. "I've got to go for another run. Bye!"

Then, she quickly disappeared. A quick breeze hit me, signifying that she just left, and I proceeded to walk around the mansion.

? POV

I walked inside the kingdom of Serdin. Their security was tight and I am glad that I have sneaked through it by hiding below a big cart. I gazed at my surroundings as I tried to find a place for me to stay for a week.

'I hope this time I will find what I am looking for,' I thought.

Me: End of chapter.

Eli: 6.70 seconds! *grin*

Me: You are quite near to your goal.

Eli: *smiles*

"Prince": And I hate to burst your bubble but you are still 1.7 seconds away from your goal.

Eli: It will be a piece of cake.

Me: Speaking of cake, give me some of that!

I quickly took a slice out of the cake on the table.

"Prince": Me too…

Eli: Me three!

Me: Anyway, Happy New Year everyone! REVIEW!

Notes (A guideline for further understanding and for future chapters):

1. This happened three years after Chaos Begins.

2. There is an upcoming festival named the Harvest Festival.

3. The season is spring.

4. Poor Aura.

5. A continuation on Eli versus Luxus. Hope you like it!

6. Amy mentioned of a mysterious fruit.

7. Someone went through the Serdin's security for some unknown reason.

8. That someone was also looking for something.