Post Episode 25
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AN: I read a fanfic about a drunk Juggler, I liked the idea so much that I decided to incorporate it in this one-shot at length. It will be a little longer than the last one, let me know what you think. I hope you guys enjoy it! ;)
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Review!
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"Another round." Juggler spoke, placing a glass on the counter. The owner of the Black Star cafe looked at him.
"That was the fifth one, you sure you can handle it." He asked. Juggler looked up at him.
"Just get me another one." He slurred. Owner sighed and prepared another coffee that was mixed with a heavy dose of alcohol.
"It has been a week since that big battle, how are your injuries?" He asked. Juggler didn't reply, he simply just laid his head on the counter and groaned. Owner sighed as he set the coffee in front of the former criminal. Juggler didn't take it immediately, making Owner wonder if he fell asleep. Then an arm snaked its way to the cup and Juggler groggily lifted his head to down it all in one go. Owner whistled.
"Boy, you're a mess. What the heck happened during that battle?" He asked.
"Another round." Juggler spoke, slamming the cup down, his head close to the counter. Owner sighed and increased the dose of the next cup.
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Gai walked into the Black Star Cafe. Owner glanced at him. Gai raised his voice, but Owner simply pointed towards the end of the counter, where Juggler was unconscious. Gai muttered a quick thanks and went towards his friend. Juggler was haunches over the counter, his hand holding a cup of what looked like ale. Gai glanced at the owner, who shrugged.
"He wouldn't stop drinking my coffee, so I put some good ale in it, and after that didn't work, I just gave him the ale. You have to hand it to the Zettons, they may be a cruel race but they sure do know how to make good alcohol." He explained while cleaning a cup.
"Kid passed out after drinking 10 rounds, and that was after 3 rounds of really strong black coffee and then 5 rounds of mixed coffee and ale. You have to give him credit, a normal man, human or alien, would've passed out from the first round of pure ale." Gai shook his head then pried the half-empty cup out of Juggler's hand. Owner placed a piece of paper beside the two.
"You can pay Juggler's tab later, just get the poor sod out of here." He spoke, cleaning another glass. Gai quickly thanked him and pulled Juggler's unconscious body onto his shoulder, holding his friend by his arm, and left the alien Cafe, half carrying half dragging his friend. Juggler never stirred.
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Gai knocked three times on the SSP headquarters.
"Coming!" Came Naomi's muffled shout. Something crashed from within. Gai sighed, as a series of crashes and complaints made their way to him. On his shoulder, Juggler moaned, causing the disguised Ultra to look at him. Juggler showed no signs of stirring, but he was whimpering and moaning in his sleep. The door opened just as Juggler fell silent.
"Yes, hel- G-g-gai-Sa-a-a-n!" Naomi shouted with surprise as Gai hastily enters. Jetta and Shin looked up from computers to see what the commotion was about and had to move as Gai dragged Juggler in. Jetta quickly removed some papers from the couch and motioned for Gai to place the incapacitated Juggler down.
"What happened?"
"Isn't this the alien that attacked us then help Orb against Maga no Orochi?"
"Why is he here?"
"We should call VTL…"
"Boys!" Naomi finally shushed the two's constant questioning. She then turned to Gai, who draped a blanket over his unconscious friend.
"What happened?" She demanded. Gai took a seat beside Juggler and started explaining.
"The Black Star cafe reopened?!"
"Cap, can we visit some-"
"AHEM!" Naomi shushed her two comrades who were thinking about the other worldly coffee. She then glanced at the unconscious Juggler.
"Ne, Cap, what should we do?" Jetta asked as he too looked at the alien. Shin stepped in front of them and observed him.
"If he is like this because he is s=drunk, then the best thing to do is to call an expert on this sort of thing. Question is, who to call?"
"No, the question is, who do we call that we can trust a drunk alien to?" Jetta exploded. Naomi sighed.
"Well… I think we should call my uncle." She finally spoke. Her three friends stared at her as if she grew another head. Jetta and Shin paused in their fight with wide eyes and mouths, while Gai simply had a wide eyed questioning look.
"What? He is very knowledgeable about hangovers and stuff like that. He is incharge of several VTL personnel." She shrugged. The three glanced at each other, hoping it was a good idea to call a VTL officer, even if he was the boss's idiotic uncle.
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½ an hour later…..
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Shibukawa stood above the still unconscious Juggler. His brow furrowed and wearing an obvious frown, he thought for several minutes, causing the three members of SSP and Gai to worry.
"How long has he been asleep like this?" He finally asked. Gai walked up to him.
"Owner said he passed out an hour before I arrived, it has been about an hour since then." Gai explained. The VTL official finally shrugged.
"Well, might as well let him sleep it off. If he's still like this by tomorrow then call me again." He spoke, much to the surprise of Naomi and Jetta.
"Eh? That's it?" Jetta asked in surprise. Shibukawa nodded.
"I have no idea how effective that Zettonian Ale is," He nodded at Gai. "So it is probably healthier to leave him be. If he's still out cold, then I will initiate my Super Secret Hangover Recovery Plan." He proudly declared. Naomi's eyes widened and her mouth dropped.
"Uncle, is this really ok?" She asked. Shin leaned towards her.
"Uh, Cap what is this Super Secret Hangover Recovery Plan?" He asked. Naomi turned to him as Shibukawa started explaining that his superiors let Juggler off the hook since he helped beat the final monster.
"You do not want to know." She told him simply, causing an eavesdropping Gai to worry about his friend.
"By the way Gai." The traveler turned.
"Could you take me to this Cafe?" Shibukawa asked. Naomi looked at her uncle
"Are you going to arrest owner?" She asked worriedly. He uncle shook his head.
"Nope, that place doesn't seem to be doing anything illegal, I just want to try exquisite alien beverages, maybe even that Zettonian ale, my shift did end an hour ago." He laughed, making everyone's sweat drop.
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The Next Day….
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Juggler woke to ice cold water being splashed all over him. He sat up instantly from the shock, only to turn to his side and throw up in a bucket. The world was spinning all around him and his head felt like it is about to burst. His stomach was obviously not that much better either.
"Bullseye."
"Wow, he really did go for the bucket." Voices spoke. Juggler ignored them and lied down back down, hoping to clear his head, only to be slashed by water again. He sat up again, but with a wave of drowsiness he collapsed forward. He was splashed for a third time. That done it.
"For the love of- I'm awake! I'm awake!" He grumbled loudly, he didn't have the energy to yell, as he hurriedly tried to stand. Five blurred figures surrounded him, then ten, then fifteen, then thirty, then…
Someone caught him before he collapsed again.
"Uncle, isn't this a little cruel." An all too familiar voice spoke. Juggler's vision cleared as he hind his head. He was at the SSP headquarters, in their garage, Gai was the one holding him up.
"Relax, there is nothing that can wake your senses up better than ice cold water. I was tempted to use a certain large water sample from a couple months back though." The VTL officer spoke. Juggler glared at him, only to bend over, throwing up in another bucket.
"Ah! He hit it again."
"Of course he did, Shibukawa moved it."
"Eh?" The noisy humans continued talking. Juggler rubbed his head and almost collapsed again, but he remembered the water and stayed upright. The VTL waved his arms.
"Alright, let's take him inside before he collapses on the pavement. Someone grab the bucket." He led everyone in. Juggler was dragged in by Gai, much to his annoyance.
"Why do I have to carry the bucket." One of the human boys-was his name Jetta?-asked as they walked in.
Juggler was immediately dragged to the couch, where he collapsed to his side. Then the Uncle began spraying ice cold water on him. He groggily sat up and glared at the man. The VTL officer smirked at him.
"Next time be careful what you drink." He spoke jokingly as put the spray bottle down. A boy with glasses nearly ran into him and sat down beside him on the couch.
"Suge! I never thought I would run into a drunk alien!" He took out a notepad and pen.
"How many drinks did you have? What kind of alcohol was it? From earth or another world? How do you feel right now? Why did you drink so much? Ho- Cap!" Natsumi at this time grabbed Shin by the ear and dragged him away from an annoyed Juggler. The girl's uncle nodded in approval then began sizing him up. What the heck, Juggler was feeling ill, he probably looked terrible, and all he wanted was to go back to sleep but couldn't with the threat of cold water being splashed on him… again. The VTL officer walked up to him.
"Now that you're awake, I have a very important question to ask you." Everyone glanced at him. From his expression alone, everyone could tell that whatever he wanted to know was deeply important and beyond serious to him.
"Who is Ultraman Orb?" Everyone collapsed. Juggler glanced at Gai and said nothing.
"Uncle, is now really the time to ask him that?" Naomi asked. Everyone stared at her uncle with questioning faces, causing him to sweat bullets.
"H-hey now, information gathering is my job, we've been trying to find Orb-san for months. Besides, I will get a really big promotion and an even bigger promotion if I found him." He quickly waved his hands in a defensive manner. Everyone sighed when suddenly, Shibukawa straightened up and got serious this time.
"Now then," everyone except Juggler looked up at him. "How are your injuries, alien?" Juggler looked up and glared at the human.
"The last time you were hit by Orb's Supreme Caliber, you had to have a large scale operation. It's hard to believe you got out of it unscathed now." The human explained. The other humans looked at him, causing him to turn away. Now that he thought of it, he didn't really feel any pain right now. Gai suddenly grabbed him by his shirt.
"What… are you…." Juggler slurred tiredly as Gai forced his shirt off of him exposing his bandages. His entire chest and stomach were covered, and a large purple bruise was evidently clear on the back of his left shoulder, half hidden in his bandages. Naomi, gasped and turned away, clearing worrying about something else that wasn't important, while the two idiots leaned in to get a closer look, only to get smacked on the back of the head by shibukawa.
"Quit that! Let him have his space!" He rebuked them. The two leaned back, Both rubbing their heads as they looked at the VTL officer. Juggler gave a small smirk in amusement.
"As for you," Shibukawa turned to him. "Just what were you thinking, drinking while you were injured?" He asked with his hands his hips. Juggler frowned and stared at him, clearly not liking this. Shibukawa just shook his head and turned to Gai.
"Help me get him in the car, my Super Secret Hangover Recovery Plan doesn't normally do any harm, even with injuries, unless he is sick and I highly doubt that. Anyway, we better get him to HQ for a check up." The VTL officer explained. Gai nodded and grabbed for Juggler, who collapsed back onto the couch. Shibukawa sprayed him again, and he sat up straight, only throw up in the bucket again.
"Looks like we have to take the bucket." Shin commented.
"Shouldn't we clean it out first or replace?" Jetta asked.
"Not unless you want to be the one who does it." Shibukawa cut in before they started a long discussion on the bucket.
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2 hours later
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Juggler was worse after the car ride. Shibukawa said it was normal with any hangover. The former criminal wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. He threw up again, this time it was out the window as the bucket had to be dumped.
"How does he still have stuff to purge?" Jetta asked, to no one in particular. Shin didn't feel like answering that, as he was starting to feel sick watching Juggler. Gai had to help Juggler out of the car, practically dragging him through the door. Juggler was ready to collapse again, but the VTL officer kept spraying him with that cursed bottle of water. It wasn't ice cold any more, but it was still cold, and extremely annoying. He wanted so badly to harm the stupid human that kept spraying him, but his mind fogged up and before he knew it he was sitting down in a room with Gai holding him up. His head started spinning again, and now he really wanted to lay down but couldn't move. He felt sick again, he only needed to bend forwards to throw up a bit more in the bucket. For once today, he was grateful for the humans giving him the stupid thing.
After a while, a doctor came in and escorted the group to another room. Gai once again had to drag Juggler in order to get him to the intended designation. Juggler felt like purging again when he was made to sit down again. He looked up after the room wasn't spinning so much. The doctor looked familiar… where did he see him before?
"Good to see you again doc." Shibukawa spoke, shaking the doctor's hands. Juggler frowned. Naomi stood up.
"Eh, uncle you know him?" She asked in surprise. The three boys, excluding Juggler, glanced up. The VTL officer nodded.
"He performed Juggler-kun's operation." He said simply. A pin dropped.
"...Did I not tell you that Juggler had to go through an operation when he was captured?" He asked. A group nod. The VTL officer smiled sheepishly.
"Well… oops."
"Yeah, oops." Naomi repeated, glaring at her uncle. The doctor meanwhile, ignored the drama and went about his job, which was checking Juggler's injuries. It was pretty obvious that he was suffering from a hangover by the hunched position and the dark circles under his eyes, but that could be analyzed later. Juggler's shirt was never put back on, so the doctor had a full view of his bandaged body. He noted the large bruise, and approached Juggler.
"If you do not mind," The alien looked up at him. "I will need to remove your bandages to analyze the damage." Juggler frowned but allowed the doctor to remove said material. He winced when cold air met his injuries. A feminine gasp was heard, presumably from Naomi, and Juggler could feel several sets of eyes on him. He felt like throwing up again. The doctor's expression revealed no sort of reaction as he analyzed Juggler's injuries.
"Previous injuries from your fight with Orb have reopened, but are not serious, some will need stitching though. Large bruising around the back of the left shoulder, no sign of healing, will need to investigate that later. Minor alcohol poisoning, can be treated with some prescribed meds. How much did you drink?" The doctor asked upon concluding his survey. Juggler glared at him, not saying anything. The doctor merely turned away and beckoned Shibukawa.
"I will need to give him some minor stitches, help me get him into one of the back rooms." The VTL officer nodded and helped Gai lift Juggler up, much to the latter's annoyance.
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1 hour later
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"Eh! You want him to stay at our place!" The members of SSP yelled in shock together. Juggler cringed at the outburst. The doctor just finished sticking him and had determined his bruise to be part of a larger shoulder injury and that he should come back to have it looked at. At the moment, the doctor gave him a painkiller until then, not that he really needed it. The main question was for where he would stay until then. The stupid uncle said it was inappropriate to leave a patient in a cell at the VTOL HQ, which he was thankful for to a degree. What he wasn't thankful for was that Gai asked SSP for him to stay with them. That gave him a headache from thinking of it. He tuned out the conversation and tried to close his eyes. He had enough of everything, he needed a break.
When he opened them again, he was laying down on a couch with a blanket covering him. He must have fallen asleep at the hospital. He slowly sat up, bringing back the annoying headache. He heard movement, and soon enough, the annoying girl offered him a glass of water. He glanced at it, before lying back down. The girl huffed and placed it on a table beside him, and moved away. He sighed and glanced at it. Water, it did sound good, but he didn't feel like moving. He sighed again. He had no idea what to make of his current situation. He is under the roof of three humans, all of which he had tried to kill at one point or another, and he was being nursed by his rival's girl. That made his headache worse. What had he gotten himself into?
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Ah what the hell.
He sat up and reached for the glass. He needed a new purpose, so he might as well start somewhere, no matter how awkward it felt.