Chapter 10: Resort
Exploration
Taking a look inside the resort, the interior design was refined and beautiful, so much so that it made me want to cry. The reception desk was large and lively with three receptionists working at a time. One of them notices Accord, and greets her. "Ah, Mistress Accord, how have things been for you lately?" She proceeds to talk to them before they say to us the know how. "Okay, students of Primp and Suzuran, as well as the few other guests… Mistress Accord has paid for all possible expenses, of course with the help of Miss Raffina's family. As she might have already told you, this is designed to help you loosen up and have fun while you're still young. Should you want any further assistance with unexpected issues, consult to these guys." The receptionist directs our attention to a group of four people, one of them, I know. "It is a pleasure to be with all of you for the next week. As the receptionist said, we have only the small task of monitoring things that may go awry. For those who don't know us, allow me to enlighten you. I am Suzuran High Student Council President Jace. The girl in the large lens glasses next to me is the vice president, Kassandra. The guy on the other side of me is the treasurer, Gilbert. Lastly, the troublingly bubbly girl behind us is our secretary, Mari." I couldn't believe my eyes, Jace was here with us. I didn't know why exactly, he had a job to maintain at the school. The one question the kept calling back to me was… "Why is Jace and the rest of Student Council here, aren't they supposed to be busy with other matters at hand?". I rose my hand. "Why, if it isn't, Dave… I haven't seen you in this group until now. You blended in and I thought that you skipped out on this whole thing for something rather arbitrary. Anyway, is there a question that you would like to ask?" "Yes, an important one, Jace. Why are you here and should you have more important things to do back at the school?" He pondered for a brief moment. "Hm yes, that is a good question. You see, the school hasn't had a huge problem since that scandal with Dioge Stanford. We figured that, as Student Council, the school will be fine without our supervision for a week. Also, this is a bit of an opportunity for us to have a little bit of fun and recreational spirit. It's only fair, since we work incredibly hard for all those students who remain unaware of our contributions…" "Fair enough Jace, I respect your mindset." I step back toward my friends as Jace continues. "Everyone if you can follow me, I will bring you to the set of rooms where each of you will reside in." We all did what he said, going through hallway after hallway.
"Alright everyone, this specific area is where all of your rooms are at. We took the time to reserve these for each of you. Of course, there's not enough for everybody to get their own rooms… We had to assign roommates to bunk up together. So here's how it'll go, two of you will be together in a room throughout the week. I'll read over the list that Ms. Accord has given to me…" As he goes through that list, my mind only catches onto five of the assigned pairs. "Dave, you will be with Ringo… Lemres alongside Schezo. Arle and Amitie, Raffina and Rulue, Feli and Lidelle…" He goes through the rest with me thinking of another thing. I was the only guy out of the entire group to be paired up with a girl for a room to share. I didn't know why exactly, but I'm sure that I was considered to be a trusted individual. After all, I did save Ringo a month prior. Accord might have done it so that I could be Ringo's bodyguard, most likely. By the off chance that things do go horribly wrong, I'd be there to protect her every step of the way. But whatever the reason may have been, I didn't think about it for too long before returning to reality. "Hey, Earth to Dave…" Ringo said, waving her hand in front of my face. "Oh sorry Ringo, my mind was off doing something else, my bad." I felt stupid for ignoring things that might have been important. "So Dave, I just got the key to our room from Jace, as did everyone else. C'mon, let's see our room *giggle*!" She unlocked the room door and grabbed my hand. "W-woah!" I exclaimed, and she pulled both of us in there with our stuff. "It's dark in here, I can't see a thing… Normally my eyes are built for darkness, but everything is pitch-black in here." "Lemme see if I can find the light switch, Dave… ah, this must be it." She flipped the switch and light filled the room. "That's much better, Ringo... I can see stuff past my face now. The room sure looks nice, everything tidied up and clean. Okay, let's get our things out of the suitcases…" Ringo nods as we begin and finish relatively fast. "Well, that didn't take as much time as I thought… so it looks like we have plenty of time today. What do you want to do? After all, it's ladies first when it comes to choices and paths to take." She ponders about that for a good five minutes or so before speaking again. "I got it, let's go see how the others are doing! Maybe they want to do things with us too!" I nod. "Sure Ringo, that sounds like a great idea. Although before we go, I have to wonder about something…" I needed to consult her about this oddity about me and her being together in a room. "So uuuum, don't you find it extremely bizarre that we are the only guy and girl pair to share a room? I asked her. "Huh… it didn't even occur to me, yeah that is weird… However, we already did live together back at home, so I don't see how this is THAT different." It looked like I had to explain things to her, straight. "Alright Ringo, I should probably put this into perspective then… So we are a guy and a girl, in a resort room, with no parents to oversee "stuff". People are going to think that we are not just lovebirds, but ones that are deep in love…! Now do you see what I mean?" She stood there silently, but then smiled. "*giggle* Oh, so that's what you mean, well I had kept a secret from you for the past month. I was wanting to tell you, but never got a solid chance to do so up until now. This is because I couldn't find a time that we two are alone for sure. But, this place presented one for me that I couldn't let slip by. Dave, I must confess something, I fell in love with you after you saved me from Maguro. I realized how emotionally driven you were to save me, you CARED for me and my safety with all your heart! So please, if you care about me so much, do you share the same feelings as I do?" Ringo blushed bright red as I considered my thoughts. "Ringo, I think I have fallen in love too… You have helped me a lot, just as I did for you. Always so kind and understanding, never doubting me for a second. I love you too, Ringo..." We hugged each other as a sign of affection, Ringo smirked and surprise-kissed me. I stood there in awe, a girl ACTUALLY kissed me. "*giggle* So, how did you like that first kiss?" she asked gingerly. "I'll admit, I enjoyed it very much so…!" She puts her finger on my lips. "Shh… I want this to be a secret for as long as possible, some of the the other girls may get jealous." She said while still smirking. "I… understand, I'll try to keep this as one, hehehe..."
We went to see our friends, but some were already outside of their rooms. Arle, Amitie, Lemres and Feli to be exact. "Well this is something, did you guys finish up quickly too?" I asked. "I figured that we were the first ones to do so..." Lemres answered my question. "Y'see Dave, we didn't start puttin' our things in place. All deciding that we should wait on that and have a lil' fun first." "Well, do you have something in mind, Lemres? Me and Ringo are now looking for entertaining things to do." Amitie enters the conversation. "Yes we do, it'll be super fun! If you're wondering what it is, it's trying out some mini golf!" My head perks up in interest. "What about it Ringo, does that sound fun to you? I think I'll enjoy a game of mini golf." I said. "Sure, *giggle* that does sound fun!" She said. "How about we play in two teams of three? Whichever team performs the least overall amount of putt shots is the winning team!" Arle suggested. "Great idea idea, Arle! You better prepare, Dave! I'll knock your putt skill out of the water!" Ringo taunted me. "Heh, so I guess that means it's you, Arle, and Amitie... against me, Lemres and Feli… I would be watchful if I were you, don't ever underestimate me." It was so weird, I never really exuded competitive spirit before, but I was full of it now. We went to the golf course, getting clubs and balls that were more "optimized" us. For instance, since me and Lemres were taller than the girls, we had to use longer clubs to better suit us. As for the golf course, we went with the eighteen holed one for a longer game. We ended up having a tie upon reaching the last hole. "Alright Ringo, get a hole-in-one!" Amitie cheered. Ringo had made her shot, but even she couldn't have fully calculated the trajectory. Her golf ball ended up hitting a rail that caused it to roll off course, and not fall in the hole. "No, c'mon! Why now?! We were just about to win for sure!" Ringo exclaimed. "Ringo it's okay, as long as Dave takes three or more shots for his ball to fall in, we'll still win!" Arle tried assuring her. "Alright, time to win this game!" I hollered. I studied the first shot that Ringo took on this hole. Trying to see where she went wrong and I found it. I aimed for the perfect area for the ball to ricochet and end up going in the hole. I made the shot for the hole-in-one. "Come on! You can do it ball!" It kept rolling on toward my target and as if I was gifted with victory… the ball went in. "YES! Wooo-hooo!" I celebrated. "Hey Ringo, that was one hell of a game, you guys kept up in the lead for a while. I'm proud that you were able to make this game unforgettable…" Ringo smiled despite losing after taunting me fiercely. "Hey guys, maybe we should get back, it's gettin' dark." Lemres pointed out. "Yeah you're right, let's go back guys." I agreed.
We returned to our rooms, me and Ringo entered, leaving the others outside. Waiting for dinner time to roll around at Le Puyior. "So Ringo, how much did you enjoy the game of mini golf? I had so much fun and we only just got here today. We still have the rest of the week to make something out of this resort." Ringo quickly blurts out. "I had a wonderful time with that game, even if I ended up losing in the end due to a miscalculation." She smiles sweetly at me after saying that.. More time passed and now was dinner at Le Puyoir. Everyone met at the big banquet table reserved for us. I had a special chair that was more comfortable than others to sit on. "Oh wow, this chair…! This certainly feels luxurious." I said. "This is only the beginning, Dave." Accord told me. "Alright everybody, take your seats and decide what to order before the waiters come in. In the meantime... I want this to be a celebration, as well as a thank you to Dave. Without him and his leadership, none of us would have been able to put Dioge Stanford away in prison. Let us take a moment of silence to give respect to Dave now…" Jace spoke. About a minute passes and he speaks again. "You may now go about with separate discussions among your peers as you wish." He finishes. My friends talk with one another after, some on the topic of dinner orders. "So Dave, what are you getting as your main course?" Arle asked. "Well… I haven't really decided that, this menu is quite extensive. It's so hard to choose from this large of a selection. Do you know what you are going to have, Arle?" I asked her. "It's curry of course! Let's just say that curry is my favorite thing to eat…" She said. "Let's see… Oh! There's fried mackerel, I always wanted to know how this fish tastes like. And, that would complement itself with a glass of lemonade so well..." I dreamed. From that point, I knew what I wanted by the time the waiters and waitresses came. They took everyone's orders, including mine and prepped to deliver the food to the table. It all came and looked amazing, I was just about to drool when I stopped myself. There it was... the fried mackerel, it appeared to be so succulent. I knew that I was going to enjoy eating this fish but before then, I signaled everyone to look at me first. "Everyone, I would like to say on behalf of this auspicious occasion, it's not just me who's around to be thanked. I thank you all for helping in my time of need when I was about die. Also, I am glad to have met each and every single one of you, for your kindness and caring about me the whole way through. Let us continue to support one another, live together as friends, and eat as proof of that. Before doing so however, I must call upon the girl that made my recovery in-battle possible. Draco, I give you my utmost gratitude, because of that dragon stone, you saved my life." She perked up with awe shimmering in her eyes and her mouth widened open in excitement. "Ahem, without any further adieu, let's eat." I finished. Taking my first bite, it was better than I had anticipated, this fried mackerel was fantastic. "Oh my God, this is Heaven… I have never sunk my teeth into a better fish than this one." I praised. "This curry is quite the stand out too!" Arle followed up. I saw Schezo looking rather bored and seemed downtrodden, despite the positivity in the air. Hey Schezo, is something the matter?" I asked him. "What? I don't know what you're talking about, I'm fine." He answered and Arle notices this. "*sigh* Come on Schezo, try to lighten up, you are part this celebration too. And don't think that we cannot see your misery, because we do. Look, you maybe a pervert, but at the end of the day you are still my friend that deserves comfort…" "H-Hey!" Schezo yells. "She's right, you need your own happiness much like anyone else, I know what will cheer you up. How about later tonight, we spar to see who's stronger? There's a sparring area that we can utilize for that, and you appear to be quite strong." He stared at me, dumbfounded. "Wha...? How the hell did you know that I liked to fight?" He asked me. "Well, I did see your sword when I first met you today, that was a bit of an obvious tell to me."
Schezo sudden began to eat more energetically. "I accept your offer, Dave. I haven't had a good fight in a while. Furthermore, I sense a power deep inside you that I cannot resist." I felt awkward after he said that. "Uuuuuh yeah, I can see why people call you a pervert... a speech problem you have, that's for sure…" "Wh-what does that mean?! You mean to tell me that I "accidentally" blurt out sexual shit, and that points me to being a pervert?" Arle looking as awkward as me, tells Schezo the truth of it all. "Yes you do, far too much sometimes… *sigh*. I just wished that you realized that for yourself, ever tried listening to your own damn words?" She asked him. "N-no… maybe I really should try thinking before saying anything…" Schezo thought. "Besides that, I'm excited for our little test of strength." I said optimistically and he smiled. Every bit of main courses were consumed soon after, all of them being pleased by me and my friends. "So who wants a taste of our Puyo Gelatin?" One of the waitresses asked us. Several of us raised our hands, including me. I haven't had gelatin since I was a child, and was eager to try this out. Lemres was also stoked about it, I could tell from his gestures. I looked at the dessert menu to see what the five flavors of Puyo Gelatin. However, I noticed something that the voice in the transportation system did not tell us. You can get either a sweet or sour version of any flavor and I found out what those flavors were. Cherry, blue raspberry, lemon, green apple, and grape. Funny enough, I enjoyed all of these with other sweets. To me, it was tough trying to decide and finally I noticed the same waitress coming toward me. "So, you're the big hero that everyone was talking about, Dave." She said. "That's correct, Miss. All of my friends rooted for me in that battle… helping me and because of that I came out on top." I responded. "You must have some delightful peers to have pulled off something like that." I blushed from her comment, but soon realized one thing that eluded me. "Wait a minute though, are you… Kassandra? What are you doing as a waitress here?" She stumbled a little, knowing that I figured it out. I knew it was her due to her figure and blonde hair. I'll be blunt, she looked rather… voluptuous. "Oh this…? This is just a thing that I do on the side as a job. Anyway, we have something that we want to pitch over to you. You might be the first person to ever taste the hyped Rainbow Puyo Gelatin, since you're the hero, after all." My eyes widen. "A-are you serious? I mean, if it's there for me, I guess I could have it." I accepted the offer of being the first, ordering it as entirely sour.
Kassandra came back with Rainbow Puyo Gelatin, about the size of my head. It was certainly bigger than I thought, but gelatin tends not to take up too much space in the tummy. My friends all saw this one of a kind sweet, shocked. "Woah is that…? Lemres trailed off. I decided to bite into the cherry part first. "Oh my God, this is…! I don't even know what adjective to use and describe this… Absolutely delectable! The popping flavor, the sourness, and touch of tart really complement each other!" Before I knew it, I ate up the rest of squishy treat. "Well… that must be completely irresistible if HE likes it…" Schezo said. "I've never laid my eyes on a more beautiful sugar-filled treat before… Ah… this makes me wanna go marry one and…" Lemres dreams. "Comet Warlock, stop being weird!" Schezo yelled at him. Ringo looks at me being glad of my enjoyment. "Alright Schezo, let's get prepared to… What the fuck...?" I saw him manhandling Lemres, he probably wanted to bring him back to reality. "I'm seriously getting tired of these sugar-related wet dreams of yours!" He complained. "Uuuuh, Schezo?" I called out. "Don't worry Dave, I'll get his attention." Sig said, emotionless. He got close to Schezo's ear without being noticed. "Pervert." This startles Schezo so much, that he lets go of Lemres. "! WHAT THE?!" He almost fell from his seat and looked back to see no one right behind him. "Schezo, our duel?" "Oh, uh… of course! I'll deal with you later, Comet Warlock…!" He pointed at him We took our time going to the training grounds, and we finally stood facing against one another.
Author's Notes: Dave and his friends enjoy everything that the tropical resort has to offer. After eating a scrumptious meal and dessert, he is now trying his luck against the dark mage, Schezo. Just who is the stronger of the two? Next chapter, Chapter 11: Demonic Dragon Warrior Versus Dark Mage.