Chapter 2
As the sun rise over the eastern field, many Pidgeys are either flying away or picking falling berries and many adults can be seen moving their stuff for working, two boy at a certain house in the south east of the area are preparing to go somewhere.
"Naegi, where is my shoes?", Ryu say, searching for his white shoes.
"Kid have those bring to your mother to wash this morning, so it must have been dry already." Naegi say as he is packing a bouquet of Zinnia and white Carnation for his friend visit.
"Should we make it as a wreath? It will only take a couple -"
"We won't make a wreath if you don't act like it." Naegi say seriously, obvious for his friend worries to meet her. He himself is already tired of all of his friend sister acts against her own brother, but he is useless to do anything except comfort his classmate.
"We won't meet her if we go now,", he reassure his friend while wearing his white scarf, "And, you can ask Sumisu for a date after that, boyfriend!"
"SHUT UP! We aren't a things yet!",Ryu yell while his cheeks blushing crazily. "And beside, she don't want a coward like me." He add, mopes at his coward.
"So I am able to date her, right?" Naegi ask, with a slight tease in his tone.
"NOO!", Ryu say, offended at his friend question.
"You say she will not date a pessimist like you, so she will come for an optimistic like me." Naegi add, pat his chest like he is proud of it, oblivious to his friend incoming attack. As he open his eyes, a pillows hit his face hard, cause him to lost balance and fall into his own make cake.
"Oi, what was that for! And look at it, you ruin his favorite cake." Naegi say furiously, pouted at his friend innocent eyes.
"He hate pineapple." Ryu add, "And yet you decide to make one for him? Tch, tch." and scold his friend which cause a smile on both of them.
After got up, Naegi pass Ryu's glasses and the bouquet to him, call both Elekid and Blue to get ready, before turn to him and say:
"If he haunt my dream and start to curse me, I will say you cause it."
At that sentence, Ryu give him a small smile. "Thanks.".
is cleaning the disks when she heard her son laughing upstair. His laugh make her happy, but it still worry her as he has become more isolated from other, and his own facade that he build by himself had start to become his only way to communicated to other, the way they want. Her thought are cut off by two sound of footsteps run down the stair.
"Boys, slow down, it still early in the morning." She yell, frightened the kids which result in them fall down.
"Ouch!" Naegi said, touching his head while Ryu immediately stand up and reach his hand "Naegi, okay?". He ask worriedly.
"Don't look down on the future treasure hunter, okay! " Naegi smile, instantly stand up. Ryu still look worries at his injuries. Naegi then ask, "Oh, that right, miss Atagi, where are Kid and Blue?"
"Them?", she said, realize that Naegi try to change the subject, "I let them play outside." Atagi pointed to the back yard.
"What?", Ryu now panicked over his mother words, "You know that Kid will attack Blue when no one watching him, and you still let him go!" Before he even manage to run out to the backyard, Naegi hold his hand and show him the bouquet, said: "Don't worried, I just see Kid play chase with Blue around the tree so don't worry. The thing we need to be worried about now is we going to be late.". Naegi then go outside, shout for both Pokemon to come in.
When see him go upstair, Naegi ask:"Where are you going?".
"I need to check on something. You can go there first.", Ryu said before Naegi cough, caught his attention. Naegi look at him angrily, "We will go now, Ryu."
"But Blue - ", Naegi show him a no injuries Blue, cut off Ryu sentence.
"The cake -"
"Will be fine without it. Like you say he hate it." Naegi answer, still wait for his classmate to come. With nothing to said more, Ryu start to run out of the house, tear run down on his face.
"RYUUU!". Naegi call, but the other boy ignore it. With a sigh, he go to Ryu's mom, kneel down and said, "Blue, Kid, come with Ryu, 'kay. I will catch on later.".
"Nido!".
"Kid!".
As the two little monster go through the door, a woman voice can be heard:"Worse than normal?", she ask, concern for both of the boy.
"Well, today is that day though." Naegi said, "And the fact that she coming back today to be precisely." Anger could be heard in his voice.
"She won't be a problem at are," Atagi reassure him, but still worries, "Ryu is the biggest one here. He still don't trust other, even with Egawa or Konda. And that mask of his,..." Atagi then sigh and went to the fridge.
"He start with both of you first right?" Naegi said, tried his best to lighted the tension. "That a start. And I do see he talk with Konda a week ago.".
"And why should I trust that story." she say, doubt about his story. "You never even go to the Pits, right?", a teasing tone can be heard in her voice, with a clear effect as Naegi look cutely when angry show on his face.
"I DID GO THERE," he said while stuffing cakes into his mouth. "I even have a Helix fossil. Here!", Naegi then show off the fossil to her with a glint in his eyes. She chuckle.
"Still not trust you," she said while he is pouted at her, "but you can give me that trust by giving this to Satake.", she said giving him a basket of sandwiches in their. The smell of roasted Dodou and grilled Tauros spread through the room, causing the taller boy to drool.
"I don't have a piece for you, Tomoyumi.", she said nonchalant, notice the exaggerate expression on the opposite face.
"Yes, ma'am." he said unwilling. But before he reach the entrance to Ryu's family field, a voice similar to an adult could be hear.
"NAEGI!" a big boy could be seen running toward him.
"Egawa,", oblivious to what he going to heard, " I'm not going to help you with Ihono again.".
"This is not about her!", the distress in his big friend voice cause him to worry. "Manaka -".
"Ega, don't tell me that ...".
"Manaka is here.", Egawa then proceed to lead him to the centre town, where an older girl is beating up a younger boy, couple of the adult had blood leak from their head, and a couple more have to tried to maintain a crazy Gyarados. Both Kid and Blue had been knock unconscious. A big rock can be seen hold up, despite for the yell from the adult, ready to hit the body beneath her.
'FUCK!'.
HALF A HOUR BEFORE NAEGI APPEAR AT THE TOWN CETRE
Ryu run out of the house, tear run down on his face, scare not because of his friend nor his mother, but of his sister, that Naegi will get hurt, that he will get hurt because he is coward, a loser, the one who never got past through the already crumbling wall. As he running directionless to a location, he bump into a teenager, wearing a leather jacket. At the sight of the piece of cloth, Ryu close his eyes and cover his head with his hands, shaking like waiting for something to hit him.
"Mop hair," a soft voice wake Ryu from his scare, "she not here yet, so look carefully before react, 'kay.". A chuckle can be heard from the devil-may-care tone of his.
"Konda?", Ryu said out loud, "What are you doing here near my field anyway?", he ask casually. After hearing the question, the teenager laugh hysterically before point him somewhere on the left, "Look again before ask that, kid!".
When he look around, he start to blush, from the fact that Sumisu stared at him bewildered and Konda sudden action of piggyback him, and start to gibberish:"letmedownineedtogohomeimnotakidanymorekondakonda". It continues for five more minutes, until they reach a small park and Konda put him down on a chair then decide to sit next to him.
"So, what did Naegi did to you this time?".
"Nothing.", Ryu answer back while cleaning the tear on his eyes, "Naegi just got angry though.".
"Because you try to fool him, right?", the teenager say without thinking, know full well of what the little boy friend angry at - His friend try to act run away from him and his sister.
"...Yes. He, well, just worry about stuff that he shouldn't care about.", Ryu say, try to sound unconcerned as much as possible. A hit on his head appeard from nowhere, result in Ryu fall down from the chair.
"Ouch!", Ryu scream, look at the other confuse, "What was that for?". When Ryu look at him, a you-know-why look pierce through his eyes, make him look down directly on the earth, hand twirling on the earth. "It true. He spend too much time try to help me instead of doing what he want.", the younger answer, full of guilt that himself is what halt his friend dream. There was a silence between the two, break by the sound of his and Naegi's Pokemon. Then Konda break the silence:
"Do you know why he still playing with you?". The questions does not shock Ryu, as he already know the meaning behind the question.
"But I just a broken pieces that he just tried to glued back.", Ryu said emotionless, "A dead man, that he just try to bring back. No matter how unimportant I am." Before he can even say a word, two hand suddenly slap his cheeks and hold him, eyes that full of seriousness look straight at him. "DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE TO INSULT NAEGI EFFORT!", Konda scream at him, "HE WORK HIS ASS BECAUSE HE KNOW HE CAN PIECE YOU BACK LIKE BEFORE, SO DON'T YOU DARE TO SPIT ON HIS WORK.", the sentence midly leave a crack on Ryu's emotional mask, an effort that tried to make him show his true self - a broken boy that want to cried, not a pessimistic nor an optimistic. An effort that does nothing as the smaller boy respond : "An effort from a funny idiots to an emotionless.", there is no energy, no soul in his respond, like he accept that this is true. Without nothing to say, the teenager sigh before release him from his capture, "You need to talk to someone, if not then as least talk to that blue bunny of your."
"What can she do?", he look at him, question the the older decision.
"Make you laugh.", as that moment, two shadow instantly knock Ryu down, and then start to tickle him, result in him laugh out loud.
"Give up! Give up!", Ryu squeal as the two Pokemon keep tackling him before Konda interrupted it.
"Fun?".
"Yeah!"
"Good, now go back to your house and say sorry to him, 'kay kid!", Konda have a do-it-now look that Ryu can't do anything but nod. He then proceed to lead both Blue and Kid to go home. But when he reach the centre, a pipe reach his face and knock him unconsciously.
The last thing his could she was a long blue dragon slap away his two Pokemon with ease, and infront of it was an older girl, wearing a black leather jacket and light blue hair. She smirked before said with disgust in her tone:
"Hello, brother."
AT TOWN CENTRE
'Fuck', Naegi thought at the sight before. Ryu, his friend, are knock down, cover with blood from every sides. 'Just like him'. And whenever he start to move a little, his sister just push him down with her foot, a sick joy can seen in her eyes.
"...gi", a voice cut through the taller boy thought, "NAEGI! What should we do now?", Egawa ask frantically, look worried at the young boy.
'The Gyarados already block the capable adult from reaching him, and she is the key here. If we can knock her down, then maybe we can take Ryu, and the other will be able to capture her and restrain the dragon.', Naegi then start to look around for anyone that can help him. Then Egawa suddenly ask him, "We need to distract Manaka, right?". The question startled him, surprise that the sentence come from the big boy mouth.
"Naegi"
"Yeah, and right now I need to find something that can hurt her enough for the Gyarados to be distract.".
"I can help you with that.", Egawa smile his cocky smile. 'Then why don't you try it before, hardboy.'.
"Your DeadlyString won't -",
"It Iron Shield, Naegi!", Egawa said proudly, cut the taller boy words.
"Shield?", Naegi said, oblivious about the name until it hit him, "She has evolve?". He yell surprise.
"Just a couple of day ago, but if we fast enough we can save Ryu and Blue and Kid.", Egawa said eyes look like have fire in it, with the face that morph into something ferocious.
"Okay,... I will distracted her while get close to both of them,", Naegi point to Blue and Kid. "While you tried to get Ryu and Shield to the adult side before she awake okay?".
"Do you need an answer?". The sentence and the way he say it already confirm his idea. After that, Naegi start to move around to the right, while Egawa hold a Metapod, look like going to throw it. When Manaka notice Naegi, she stop the violence act on her brother and stare at the boy.
"Clownboy,", she say while keep the smile, "what are you going to do to help him now?", she said while pushing Ryu down. As a second, a glint of anger can be seen, but later cover with his normal optimistic smile. A cover that Manaka see through, as she continued, "You must be tired, caring and helping a boy like this. And seeing how you smile when he is like this, I must doing a right work for you, right.". Naegi then counter with:"I just smile the fact that you have to call out a Pokemon just to keep a weak boy like him, wasting stuff like always ha, whore!". The nickname make the older girl blushing red crazily, the hold the rock and stretch it behind her before say "Goodbye to Kid, ki-". A scene that shock and stop the entire crowd, even the Pokemon - a Metapod that using Harden hit straight at Manaka head. The girl losing her balance before fall down, Naegi grab both Blue and Kid then run away as soon as possible. Then suddenly, a tower of water hit him, which result in him fly straight into the opposite building.
"Scyther, use Slash.", one of the adult scream, with a mantis Pokemon slash through the skin of the Gyarados, which anger the dragon and it start to attack the Scyther. A big boy can be seen pull the fallen kid and the Metapod away from the fighting scene.
"Wake up, Ryu.", Egawa yell at the boy, frightened about the giant Pokemon. A moment later, a rock fly straight to Egawa's belly, knock the boy over. A sadistic smile can be seen on her face, shudder the boy.
"That very brave of you there, willing to sacrifice her for this little shit here.", she say looking at the cocoon then at Ryu, "but too bad that yours is too weak to completely knock me down.". She then kick Metapod away, earn a yell from Egawa:"Stop that!". Manaka continued to kicked the Pokemon, ignore the plead from the boy. A thump can be heard, with a mantis drop down after that.
"Runaway, Egawa.", an adult yell at the kid, follow up with everybody else.
"Call Satake, Egawa. Hurry.".
"QUITE!", Manaka scream with anger in her tone, mute the surrounding. There was a moment of silence as Manaka taking out a pipe, and prepare to hit straight at Ryu's head, but she just stop there for a minute. When Ryu just start to move a little bit, and his eyes start to open, the pipe then when down at Ryu temple, when a scream could be heard from a falling building.
"Kid, Shock Wave.", Naegi scream, with a flash of light and spark hit directly at Manaka.
"Iron Shield, String Shot at Ryu then pull him here.", Egawa shout to Metapod, as she shoot a pinch of string at the boy, wrap it around him then pull him away before the electric transfer to him. At the sight of his master knock down, Gyarados start to attack Egawa when something big appear over it, cover the sunlight. When Gyarados just look up, two knuckle with lightning spark hit at it head to the ground, knock unconscious it.
After few moment of silence, a figure walk slowly to both of the boy sitting on the ground, then give the girl an intense look, before pick all three boys up and carried them to the hospital.
