Understandings

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Chiro slowly stirred awake as his alarm clock blared loudly throughout the room. He heard the others moan and groan before sliding off their worn-out beds and began to get ready for the day.

As for Chiro, he didn't want to get up. He remembered how sore he was last time his back was after the treatment he received; and trust me; he didn't want to feel it again.

But as he slowly moved around, no pain came. Not even a single sting or burn, his back felt as it once did before.

Chiro shot up out of bad and ran to the mirror beside his bedside.

At first, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to see his abused back, but something kept making him feel calm and at ease.

He quickly lifts his shirt up to find no injury, scar, or scratch upon his smooth skin. Chiro's face paled and went into deep thought about why he didn't sustain that injury any more. That's when it hit him; the whole day's events played over in his head and froze at the memory of where he had collapsed on the floor.

'Could that energy I felt surge within me be behind all this?' He wondered.

"What are you looking at you wimp?!" A harsh voice yelled at Chiro.

He snapped back into reality and turned to see that everyone was starring at him with a disgusted look.

He quickly put his head down and began to get dressed.

A tall Burnett kid wearing a similar school outfit to Chiro's advanced forward.

"Hey! I was talking to you!"

All the other kids stayed silent and watched as the boy they called Jacky stop in front of Chiro; the outcast.

Chiro looked up to see Jacky smiling widely down to him with an evil little laugh tuning out of his fowl chapped lips.

"What?" Chiro asked innocently and stepped back for security.

"I said I was talking to you!"

Chiro just wanted to run out like he did every morning and escape to, well, at least go to school where he could learn new things. But something stirred within the young teen; he didn't know what, but it made him braver and more confident.

The raven haired boy looked up in the other's icy blue eyes to see the satisfaction Jacky had in scaring him.

"So, what does it matter anyway? It's not like you really wanted to talk to me."

Jacky froze and went pale in shock immediately. In fact, everyone including Chiro was shocked beyond any reasoning.

The silence filled the air for two more minutes before Jacky quickly walked away only to grab his backpack and leave.

The others followed his example and left Chiro to dwindle on his thoughts alone.

'What, did I just stick up for myself?' Chiro pondered as he starred after the others running off to school. The same feeling he felt earlier was still there but grew stronger as triumph was realized. 'I guess, I guess I did…….'

The teen glanced at the clock to see that it read 6:55. He grabbed his back pack and ran off to school, smiling for the first time that peculiar morning.

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Chiro made it to school with five minutes to spare and hadn't seen BT and Glenny all morning; this day must be the best one he has had yet! At least, that's what he told himself.

He began to run up the steps when he noticed that everyone looked at him not in disgust, but shock.

'The news of this mornings little event must have spread already.' He said to himself before entering the school building.

To his dismay, he saw Jackie talking to one of his friends on the football team and the athlete gave Chiro a cold stare.

He quickly looked down and dashed off to his first hour class.

The day went by and soon, lunch time came around. Chiro was actually eager for this as he wondered what else might happen.

But his attitude changed when he turned the corner to see the football player, Matt, looking around like a hawk.

Chiro quickly spun back around the corner in fear and didn't dare look back.

'Is he looking for me?' He asked himself before barley turning the corner.

Jacky walked up beside him with an evil smirk plastered upon his face.

'Of course, they're always waiting for me.' He said in dismay before dashing off around the school.

Jacky and Matt heard his rushing feet and took on after him at high speed.

Chiro looked back before seeing his persuaders and shutting his eyes tightly.

'I wish that BT and Glenny were chasing me instead of the all-star Matt!' Chiro continued to run with his 'friends' trailing right after him.

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"Have you got it running yet Otto?" Antauri asked the mechanic urgently.

Otto was under the control panel rearranging wires before crawling out.

His face and fur was covered in oil and dirt from head to toe and one could barley recognize him.

"All finished Antauri!" Otto began as he saluted Antauri. "All repairs are made! – At least, the ones we need the most at the moment."

Antauri nodded in appreciation before he began typing in coordinates into the control panel.

The screen above light up alive and they could see Shugazoom City clearly.

They all stared in aw as they saw buildings climbing the sky where they weren't before, no evil shadow laid upon it, and when they got an even closer view shot, they saw citizens walking around happily.

"Well, we now know that Shugazoom has not fallen and the inhabitants are still free." Antauri turned to the rest of his team.

He then began to type something else and a cord plugged itself into the back of Antauri's head. The image then changed from the city to see a boy with raven black hair running in a hallway in what looked like a high school.

The monkeys stared in shock as they noticed immediately that he was being perused.

When Chiro turned around, they saw the two boys running after them with vengeful eyes.

He then again looked forward and lost his footing and tripped. That's when the screen went black.

Everyone was silent as they didn't know what had happened.

Nova seemed to be the only one with something to say. "Is, is he alright?"

"I'm pretty sure as I don't feel his energy signal fading or anything in that criteria. But why those other kids were chasing him; I'm not sure why myself."

Everyone continued to stare at the screen ins shock except for one hot head who didn't want to believe any of this 'chosen one' stuff was real.

"But he's a human child Antauri! Humans don't exactly look after themselves you know! – There're worthless greedy beings!"

The team gave him an unsure look. They all knew that he was starting to sound like their former leader, but the point was made. Not only did humans have the act to count on someone else's protection but he was a kid; and no kid is ready to be faced with a dangerous destiny.

However, Antauri was the only one that could see it. This boy was not normal and others around him could tell. He remembered the feeling he had when the boy was unconscious in the robot; it was even more powerful than his masters! Not only that, but the power primate was not even being used yet it was radiating so much energy. It shouldn't unless the user is using it.

"Human or not, we must go and find that boy now; I was hoping to use our scanners, but there are far too many humans to do a visual check on all of them. So we'll have to search the old fashion way."

Sprx smirked. He had to hand it to Antauri. Even though the bleak chance that this human child was the chosen one was so thin, he still believed and hoped that this boy was the chosen one; and that's why he respected him so much. "Things aren't starting off so easily, are they?" Sprx said as he finally decided to trust Antauri.

"No, but when do we want it easy!" Nova replied and crossed her arms.

"While on our search, it is vital that we are kept unseen by others unless absolutely necessary, understood?"

Everyone nodded in understanding with excitement apparent.

"Alright then, let's go!" Antauri finished before they all dashed out of the robot and began their search in Shugazoom City.

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Chiro looked back from the cold floor in which he laid at. The two boys were getting closer and closer with no hope in sight.

He quickly got up again, but had no urge to run. Instead he stayed and faced the two bullies as they stopped right in front of them.

"You giving my friend Jacky here problems Chango?!" Matt asked loudly and continued to stare at him with cold pale blue eyes.

Chiro gulped before finding the courage to speak up. "My name is Chiro, not Chango." He began in a rather soft and low voice. "And no, I'm not causing any problems besides being myself."

Chiro noticed immediately that these two guys were shocked at the sight of Chiro sticking up for himself. However, the football player really didn't seem to care and made a quick movement with his hand in attempt to punch Chiro in the stomach.

He didn't even think as his hand caught Matt's. It looked as if it was done naturally and that he had been trained, but of course he didn't know how as his hands began to tremble.

Matt and Jacky looked at each other before back at the trembling teen. They didn't know what was going on or why, and they really didn't want to find out.

Matt formed his hand into a fist and when the trembling shocked boy wasn't paying attention, he quickly knocked him out.

Chiro's body fell flat on the floor and was dragged to a place that was all too familiar with him.

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Antauri was looking over the top of a rather circular building when he felt the sudden decrease in the child's energy.

'Why does this keep on happening to this poor boy?' He asked himself before jumping down into an abandoned alley next to one of the only three high schools in that part of Shugazoom.

Sprx soon followed him down and swiftly moved behind him.

The others were placed into different groups; Otto was with Gibson, investigating Orange Star High School while Nova was investigating the Western Peaks High School.

He trusted Nova in going somewhere alone rather than being put with Otto, so he made Sprx come with him.

Antauri looked around to see no one around and quickly ran across the street to another ally where he could see the entrance and the right side of the school better. Sprx was to monitor the back and the left side of the school.

There they waited for any signs of the boy as the dark cloudy day continued by.

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It was about fifteen minutes later when Sprx finally saw the side doors of the school open and the two kids who were chasing the kid stepped out.

The one that seemed much more built was dragging someone. Sprx couldn't see clearly, but when they threw him out in the mud, he could recognize the kid.

The Two bullies laughed as they saw Chiro trembling as he tried to get up. He felt his rib began to hurt once more and dreaded the feeling of knowing that it was broken yet again.

"Oh come on little man! Why not give in yet?!" Sprx got a bit closer to plainly see that the child they were searching for was covered in bruises and blood ran down his check. His eyes went wide with sorrow as he couldn't bear to see even a human in such pain. "We've already broken one of you're ribs! Do you want us to break another?!"

Chiro looked up weakly to feel little droplets land on his frail face. "I'll never give into bullies like you! Even if you do knock me out, I'll never do whatever you say!" He hollered back.

He now remembered that Jacky had always wanted to use Chiro as a servant and when Chiro started to show signs of free will, Jacky wanted to break it.

"Oh, you will, trust me! – Just wait till you're late to get home again!" Jackie laughed and attempted to kick Chiro in the ribs. However, Chiro once again caught the blow and pushed the twit back into the ground.

Matt quickly kicked Chiro in the stomach when he wasn't paying attention and sent him to the ground in more pain.

Sprx watched as he felt an urge to help the poor boy. It was as if he was watching Gibson or even Nova getting hurt right in front of him. He wanted to do something, but he knew that Antauri forbad anyone from being seen.

So he just continued to watch and strained himself not to go and help as his anger rose within him.

Chiro coughed violently and his eyes shut tight. His rib was completely out of place again and he knew that these two weren't even done.

Matt helped Jacky up and they hovered over their prey like vultures.

They were about to finish him off when the bell finally rang and the fifth hour classes would start in one minute.

Matt looked at Chiro in disgust before kicking him one last time and spat on Chiro's mud filled hair.

"See you tonight! That is, if you survive!" Jacky gloated before him and his pal left.

The rain began to fall hard and Chiro still didn't move.

Sprx had contacted Antauri about five minutes ago and waited for his second in command to arrive.

He looked back to where the teen lay and sorrow filled up within; he felt a deep connection that he couldn't explain. It was as if he had known Chiro his whole life yet never talked to him; but they were close friends. This feeling was so strong that Sprx began to climb over the gate when Antauri stopped him.

"Sprx, I need you to get the others; I'm unable to contact them through this storm." Sprx looked at the teen with his now glossy eyes. Antauri smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay; I'll take care of him."

Sprx nodded and flew off to find the others.

Antauri quietly flew over the fence and slowly began to approach the injured child; one step at a time.

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