The Hartman Chronicles Season 3 Chapter 3

"Mochi!" She exclaimed, "You could of killed me!"

I shrugged, "I was banking on the fact that you'd turn around."

The three of us demorphed.

"Let's just go home," Chris yawned, "I'm tired."

"Me too" I said.

The three of us began to walk home. This whole Mew thing is going to be awesome! I thought.

Alex nodded, "I could use some rest myself, seeing as the history classes are going on a field trip to the abandoned temple."

Chris laughed, "You're not scared are you?"

"No, I'm actually rather curious."

"Curious?"

"Yes, Dad told me that he spent some of his time in an abandoned temple and came across an interesting find. It was a dragon statue that had a lever behind its ear; Dad said he tried multiple times to open it. He did not succeed."

"So you plan on trying to pull the lever when you're on that trip?"

Alex nodded.

Chris sighed, "Just don't get yourself hurt Alex."

Alex nodded before smiling, "Anyways, let us head off, I hope to see you tomorrow Mochi,"

"Oh right…I'm going on that field trip too." I sighed, "Yeah see you in the morning Alex." I said before walking home. Upon arriving, I hopped into bed and slept peacefully.

It was morning now and I was in my class, waiting for assignments for the field trip when a kid with white skin, black hair, and brown eyes walked into the room. He was wearing a yellow T-shirt with a blue denim vest over it as well as blue jeans. He took a look at me and smiled before grabbing a seat next to me.

"You're Chris' friend aren't you?" He said in a British accent.

"Chris Carter?" I asked.

The kid nodded.

"Yes I am, why do you ask?"

"No reason, the name is Jason, just call me Arykh though."

"Why Arykh?"

"I like the name better than Jason."

"I see, well my name is Mochi."

"Hartman?"

"How did you know?"

"Well, my mom, who is a botanist sometimes mentions that one of her old friends, Adrian Hartman, had a daughter named Mochi."

"Interesting, may I ask for your last name?"

"Howe,"

"Do you know the Whos, The Whats, and the Whys?"

"Very funny,"

"I try to be,"

There was a brief pause.

"So what does your dad do for a living?" Arykh asked.

"He's a street fighter," I smiled.

"My dad is an Archeologist,"

"That's interesting what does he did up?"

"I don't really know but he does have a side project."

"What is it?"

Arykh sighed, "I'll tell you when we get to the old temple."

I nodded before the teacher addressed the class.

"We will now be splitting into groups of two for the field trip." The teacher said, "You may choose group members now."

Arykh grabbed my hand and smiled, "Partners?"

I nodded and prayed to God that Ken wouldn't get the wrong idea, "Partners."

A few hours later the bus arrived at the temple, both Arykh and I got off. Alex and Ken walked up next to us.

"Hey Mochi," Ken smiled.

"Hey Ken," I smiled back.

Alex looked at Arykh and gave him a glare.

"What did I do?" Arykh asked.

Alex went up to me and whispered in my ears, "Do you know who that guy is?"

"Who is he?" I whispered back.

"That guy has been trying to get on Chris' good side for a few months."

"Yeah, so?"

"You remember what happened when she broke up with Ken, right? She was in tears for a few good months."

I nodded.

"I don't want her to feel that way again," Alex said.

"And you think Arykh will do that to her?"

"I just get that vibe."

"Alright, just don't let it get in the way."

"Understood."

Alex walked back to Ken and smiled, "Well, it looks like we've got a long day ahead of us."

Ken handed each of us two worksheets, "These are for the students on the field trip."

"Fantastic," Arykh huffed.

"Get used to it you British exchange student!" Alex snapped.

"What is your problem?" Arykh sneered.

"Alex," Ken said, "Calm down, let's just go answer these questions, alright?"

"Alright," Alex sighed before walking off with Ken.

"That kid is weird," Arykh scoffed before looking back at me, "Shall we head into the temple?"

I nodded and followed him in. After a few hours Arykh noticed something out of place.

"Look here;" He said while approaching the wall, "This yellow line seems to run around the entire temple."

"What is so important about that?" I asked.

"I don't know but I have the sudden urge to follow it, let's go"

Arykh ran off, following the line. I sighed and kept up.

"And the line seems to stop here," Arykh said and put his hand on a dragon statue.

I suddenly remembered something, "Scratch behind its ear!"

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know! Just do it!"

Arykh nodded and scratched behind the dragons ears, he quickly pulled his and back. "That thing cut me!"

The dragon statue was still for second, by its eyes began to glow white as a door began to form next to it.

"Biscuits and Gravy!" Arykh exclaimed.

I looked at him oddly.

"Isn't that what you expect us British folks to say?" He asked.

"Not really," I replied.

"Oh, well then I change my previous statement to Holy crap!"

"Shall we head inside?"

Arykh nodded and walked into the room before I did. The room was filled with several oil paintings along with English scrawled underneath them.

"This is odd," Arykh said while inspecting the drawings, "I don't think that the Europeans would have been in China at the time these paintings were made,"

"I see," I replied.

Arykh glanced over most of the paintings until he came to one in particular. It showed a boy sitting down and facing forward with a dragon behind him. The boy had a strange dragon mark that started on his left shoulder, wrapped around his body several times, and ended in a tail on the lower right portion of his chest.

A look of shock hit Arykh's face before looking at the inscription below, "The Dragon will choose this boy as his Champion."

"What is wrong?" I asked him.

"I guess it is time to tell you about me dad's side project." Arykh said.

I nodded before Arykh took off his shirt, revealing a mark similar to the one the boy in the picture had.

"This mark, I was born with it. My dad has spent most of his waking moments either at a dig, or trying to uncover what this mark means." he pointed at the picture, "And, I just found the meaning."

Another thought suddenly hit me, "Then you're a Mew Mew?"

"A what now?" Arykh asked.

"A Mew Mew, you know someone who can have animal DNA infused with theirs."

"I guess it might be what this birthmark means,"

"I think so; once this field trip is over I'll take you to a friend who can help you."

Arykh nodded and we both exited the chamber. The rest of the trip was uneventful. That was until Alex found the chamber; I decided not to tell him who had actually opened because I thought it would start a fight between him and Arykh. Lord knows we can't have that happening.

After school Arykh met outside and we walked to the Mew Mew café.

"Is this seriously the place where your "friend" is?" He asked.

"Yes, it is." I replied, "I know, I hate the look too."

Arykh nodded before heading inside.

"Fumio!" I exclaimed, "Fumio are you here?"

"Yes, I am." He said and emerged out of the kitchen.

"I have someone who needs to see you."

"Arykh?"

I looked shocked, "How did you know?"

"His mom called me and told me all about the mark, she is a nice girl that Aki…"

"Oh…interesting."

Arykh looked at Fumio, "So what do we do?"

"You follow me," Fumio said, "Mochi; you're free to come along too."

Arykh and I followed Fumio into the room with the machine.

"Arykh stand right there," He said and pointed to a spot on the floor. The boy did as he was told. Fumio pulled the lever and a red beam shot out of machine. The next thing I knew I was in a huge cave on a snowy mountain top. Arykh was standing in front of some huge dragon that had blue scales and a yellow underbelly.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" Arykh said with disbelief.

"They do not; you are staring at a dragon." The creature smiled and said in a feminine voice, "But you are not staring at your Mew animal."

"Mew animal?"

"The animal you bond with to give you access to your Mew form."

"Oh I see"

A medium sized version of the dragon walked out from behind its mother.

"This is one, is the one that will bind with you."

"Okay, let's do this then."

The medium sized dragon walked up to Arykh and held out its claw.

"Touch it," The dragon said in a male voice.

Arykh did so and touched it. After he did I woke up in the café.

"You guys okay?" Fumio asked.

I nodded and looked at Arykh, who shrugged too.

"Good, you two should get to work on getting the café ready for the day!" Fumio smiled.

"Great…you never told me that I was going to have to do work!" Arykh whined.

I elbowed him in the stomach, "Shut your mouth and deal with it!"

Arykh cringed before saying, "I don't mind the work it is just that I would have liked a little bit of a heads up!"

"I forgot," Fumio said before taking out a carrot orange French maid uniform that had a pale orange apron, "This is for you Mochi."

"Where do I go to change?" I asked Fumio.

"There should be a dressing room near the kitchen."

I nodded, went there, and changed into my work uniform. When I came out Arykh and Alex were at each other's necks.

"Alright!" I roared, "What is going on here?"

"This idiot got in my way when I tried to talk to Chris!" Arykh yelled.

"I would have been fine with it had you not make a crude sexual remark before approaching her!" Alex snapped back.

"Who are you? Her mother?" Arykh said before trying to jump at Alex, who dodged.

"I'm her brother!" Alex roared, "And it is my job to protect her!"

"Will you two shut up!" I yelled out of frustration.

I went over to both of the boys and slapped them, "Listen, we've got a mission. That mission is to take out the aliens who are invading Earth, NOT beating each other to a bloody pulp!"

Arykh sighed and got up, "Fine, just as long as this maniac doesn't touch me."

"I'm okay with that, just as long as this pervert doesn't get near my sister!" Alex snapped back.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but you two, go to a separate corner of the room. NOW!" I yelled.

"Yes mother," Arykh said and rolled his eyes before going to a table at the far end of the room.

"Okay Mochi," Alex said and went to another table.

Chris sighed, "Sometimes I just don't get Alex."

"What is there not to get?" I asked.

"He's been so protective of me since I broke up with Ken."

"Yeah, but it is the thought that counts right?"

"I wish it was," Chris sighed, "To be honest, I want to get to know that kid. I mean we've talked once or twice."

"Maybe you two could do it when Alex is gone?"

Chris thought for a second, "I'll consider it."

The grinding of gears was heard throughout the café.

"Looks like we've got trouble," I said just as Fumio walked out of "the room"

"Indeed we do Mochi, this time it is at one of those fantasy game shops." He said.

"Just wait for me to change and we'll get right one it, right Mew Mews?" I asked everyone.

"Yes, we will." The gang replied.

I quickly changed into my regular clothes we were soon on the road to the fantasy game shop. When we got there, we saw a huge robot that looked like a space marine from the Warhammer 40k games, only his human parts were replaced with more robotics.

"Mew Mochi Metamorphosis!" I exclaimed before going into my Mew form. Chris did the same thing.

Arykh gave her an odd look, "You just swapped genders…"

"Don't ask," Chris said, then turned to look at Alex, "Why aren't you changing?"

Alex looked at Chris and said, "I only intervene if you're going to get hurt."

Chris rolled her eyes and looked at Arykh, "You changing?"

Arykh blinked for a second before holding his hands up, "It's morphing time!"

"That's not how it works," I said.

"It was worth a shot." Arykh smiled before saying, "The Champion of Dragons has made himself known!"

Arykh's skin turned completely yellow before two dragon wings shot out of his back, ripping his shirt black, fingerless gloves appeared on his hands before two horns shot out of his skull. A yellow headband wrapped itself around his head as he held his right hand up. A longsword with a dark blue handle and a bright yellow blade appeared in his hand.

"Alright! I could get used to this!" He exclaimed, "Come on Alex, why don't you transform?"

"I told you," Alex scowled.

"Whatever, come on guys!" Arykh said before jumping at the robot who easily smacked him aside.

I looked at Chris, "Ready to blow this thing apart?"

Chris smiled, "You betcha!"

"Ribbon Mochi Rocket!" I exclaimed before firing a pink, heart shaped, rocket from my basoonka, yes I decided to call my weapon that.

"Dark Chocolate Shellshock!" Chris yelled and fired grenade at the robot. Both our attacks hit and cause maximum damage, but the robot was still on its feet.

"I guess this is the time where I use my move?" Arykh smiled, "Lightning Blitz!" Arykh's sword glowed with blue lighting before he dashed toward the robot. Upon reaching the robot he jabbed the sword into its back and jumped down before saying, "And it's over"

Just as he said that several thousand volts of electricity shot through the robot, overloading it and causing its head to explode.

"Nice," Arykh smiled, "Too bad little ol' Alex couldn't man up and face this monster."

Alex growled and turned away.

Just what I need, I thought, a rivalry