In the previous chapter: When Eddy went on a trip with his business class, he began to hit it off with the mysterious Jack. Randy brought Double D back to his room to recover from the attack. The Evil Guardians released a stone monster to attack the school. With Marudo's help, Ed tapped into his power and became the Stone Guardian, before learning of the existence of one of the seventeen Elemental Stones.
Randy piled into Mister Hanton's room covered in cuts and bruises.
"Hello, Randy. What are you doing here? You graduated last semester! My, what happened to you?" Hanton asked.
"Crazy things," Randy replied exhaustedly. "I'm gonna tell you all about it. Just let me get comfy." Hanton set his pen down and watched as Randy attempted to relax. "Your couch sucks."
"That's my coffee table, Randy," said Hanton.
"Oh," Randy said, struggling but eventually making his way over to the couch.
"So what happened to you?" Hanton repeated.
"Alright, you want to know what happened," Randy interpreted. "It's a crazy story, of war, and crime, and death."
#10: RANDY RECALLS
Randy explained how he had helped Double D, the attack, the fire extinguisher, and helping him home.
"That doesn't explain the cuts," Hanton said. "What about the war? The death? Granted, that covers the crime."
"I'll get to that," Randy replied. "You just needed some background. Anyway..."
Just hours earlier, Randy walked through the school. He had just dealt with the revealing and eye-opening experience of the sockhead's ("You mean Edd?" "I don't know!") attack. That's when he heard it: Screaming. The fireman in Randy clicked, and he sprung into action. Rushing towards the sound, he felt himself getting closer and closer to both the terror and his lunch break ("You got any food, sir?").
Randy watched as Ed transformed into the Stone Guardian and pounded a stone behemoth into nothingness. It was a weird day that could only get weirder. As he watched the fight, he noticed a man coming. It was the familiar face of the attacker he had previously scared off with a fire extinguisher, and he was not alone. A large man and a small girl walked at his side. Quickly, Randy ducked into a nearby classroom and peeked out the door at the following conversation.
"Well fought, Stone Guardian," said the big one.
"Who are you?" asked the one who had just transformed into the rock golem and defeated the enemy. This exchange revealed to Randy the existence of an Elemental Stone somewhere in the school. As the three walked away, Randy was left to wonder. So he had gathered, there were two sets of Guardians, one good, one bad? And he had watched the bad lightning one attack the good water one?
Back in the present, Hanton asked, "So... What happened after that?"
"Well, Mister Hanton, I'll tell you," told Randy.
Randy waited in the classroom for a few more minutes, until he assumed it was safe to come out. By then, the 'good Stone Guardian' had long since vanished. Randy was confused by the recent events, and struggled to piece things together. There was no denying the truth to what he had heard, but sorting it all out was a struggle. As he walked down the halls towards the exit, he saw a kid with a large bald head walking towards him.
"Hey, have you seen Ed?" he asked.
"Who?"
"Ed?"
"Who?"
"Ed."
"Who?"
"My friend Ed?"
"Who?"
"Tall guy with a thin head, ginger hair, possibly flying a plane?"
"Um, maybe," Randy said. "There was this one guy. Is this Ed guy a... Guardian?"
"Yeah!"
"Oh, well," Randy began. "He was just here. I don't know where he went."
"Oh," Jonny said, slightly disappointed. "Thanks anyway!"
Here, in the present, Hanton stopped him, "So he just gave away the fact that his friend was a... Guardian?"
"Yeah, basically," Randy replied.
"Alright, what happened after that?"
"Well, I decided to follow him. He found his friend, and basically I just watched them walk around and look for this stone thing," Randy said.
"Did they find it?"
"Kind of," Randy said.
Ed and Jonny had checked every janitorial closet in the building. They'd gone to the commons, the lobby, just about everywhere they could go. Randy was anything but impatient. After all, it did give him time to think. He wondered if maybe he could be one of these Guardians.
"So? Where was it?" asked Hanton.
"Where was what?" asked Randy.
"The elemental stone," replied Hanton.
"The what?" asked Randy.
"You said there was an elemental stone to be found in the school," said Hanton. "Did you find it?"
"Oh! Yeah, that! It was in the dean's office," replied Randy. "As luck had it, the dean called them over the intercom to ask them why they locked a teacher out of her classroom. So I stuck around."
"You stuck around? How'd you get into the dean's office with them?"
"I didn't get in with them, exactly. Before they got there, I just kind of walked in and sat down," Randy explained.
"The dean didn't say anything to you?"
"Nope. I'm sneaky," said Randy, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Oh," Hanton replied. "Alright then. Continue. Where was this Elemental Stone?"
Randy continued the story. The door burst open, and in came the three Evil Guardians.
"Alright, Anderson! Give up the stone!" Gorndt shouted.
"You three have a lot of nerve to barge in like this!" shouted the dean, standing up. Gorndt grabbed him by the collar.
"Do you want to die, sir?"
"Do you want a 10 and a half soaring right up your ass?" spat the dean. Gorndt released Anderson and threw him onto the desk. Papers and pens scattered, and one of the legs of the desk gave out. Nero and the blonde girl began to join Gorndt in searching the desk.
"Aha!" the girl said, pulling out a glass case containing a figurine of some strange looking robot man.
"Hey! I'll have you know my sister gave that to me!" Anderson shouted. "Hand it over!" She did not listen. As soon as the glass hit the side of the desk, it shattered. The figurine was taken out and snapped in half.
"What is that thing?" he asked, as a glowing yellow stone fell out of the figure and perfectly into the girl's hand.
"This is the Electric Elemental Stone," she said. "The Electric Guardian's powers are increased when this is in his possession."
"You're mad," Anderson said.
"And you're furious," Nero joked.
"BOULDER TOSS!" A huge rock came flying across the room, taking out both Nero and the girl holding the stone. Ed rushed into the room and grabbed the stone.
"Let's go, Jonny!" he shouted. Randy stood up and followed them out as they rushed away. Anderson wobbled out of the office behind them.
Together, Ed, Jonny, and Randy ran from the pursuing Evil Guardians.
"Where's Eddy?" Jonny wondered.
"I don't know!" Ed replied. They arrived in the lobby of the school. A massive boulder flew towards the two of them. Ed and Jonny jumped out of the way and hit the ground with a thud.
"Hand over the stone or you will meet your fate!" Nero said. He held his hands out to the side and began to charge up electricity.
"No!" Ed retorted. "You're the bad guy!"
"You wanna see how much of a bad guy I- NOT AGAIN!" The electricity in his hands shorted out as Randy sprayed him down with the fire extinguisher.
"When did he get here?" Gorndt asked. Ed jumped up.
"Rock Shatter!" Quickly he threw a fist into Nero's stomach and sent him flying backwards, where he slid down the hall on his back.
"Stone Buckler!" Gorndt shouted, chucking the materializing disc at Ed and nailing him in the side of the face. Ed dropped the stone and hit the ground. The small girl dove for it. Randy attempted to spray her down with the fire extinguisher, but Gorndt rushed in and punched him in the stomach, clawing into him and beginning to brutally scratch him.
"WAVE!" Double D shouted from several feet away. He had just arrived with Marudo at his side, casting a wave that carried the Evil Guardians away from the stone and Randy's mangled body. Edd rushed in and slid towards the stone, picking it up. Nero swiftly hurled himself off of the ground and kicked Edd across the face, reaching for the stone.
"Rock Shatter!" Ed punched Nero out of the way, throwing him back and into the glass of the doorway, smashing right through. Outside, the children climbing off the school bus screamed as bits of glass flew towards them. Nero rolled over and rushed back into the fight, getting a good punch on Ed. Ed swung back, but Nero ducked under. At the same time, Gorndt punched Ed in the face, knocking him to the ground.
"Boiling Water!" Double D shouted, hurling a stream of steaming liquid at Nero's face. Nero screamed in agony, and reached into his pocket. Out came a switchblade like the one Randy's dad had used to murder Ronnie ("Who is Ronnie?"). Jonny, the easiest target, was taken hostage.
"You want your friend to die? Back off!" Nero shouted. Gorndt picked up the Electric Elemental Stone and grinned. Double D stepped back and hung his head.
"And you!" Nero yelled, pointing at Randy. "Hand over the fire extinguisher. You spray it, I'll chop your arm off." Randy obliged and set the extinguisher at his feet, backing away to the wall. Things got quiet. Ed was on the ground, still as a mouse. Double D, Randy, and Marudo were standing still. Jonny was scared for his life, sweating profusely.
"Ah, what the hell?" Nero taunted. "Let's kill him anyway!" He quickly raised the knife and went straight for the neck.
"Nope." Nero felt himself being ripped off of Jonny and slammed against the wall.
"Big Bolt!" shouted his assailant, filling him with a few volts of electricity.
"Eddy! The stone!" Double D shouted, pointing for Gorndt. Eddy turned, saw Gorndt, and grinned.
"Electricity!" Eddy charged at Gorndt and viciously...
"Gave him a hug!" Randy recalled in the present. "He just gave the guy a hug!"
"A hug?"
"Yeah! He electrocuted him!"
"I see."
"I believe that's mine," Eddy said, taking the Electric Elemental Stone from Gorndt's hand. Gorndt was burnt to a crisp. He collapsed to the ground and did not move. Eddy walked over to Nero and grinned.
"Hi," he said simply. Nero's brow furrowed.
"Ah, hello there," he replied dryly.
"Wanna do us all a favor and GET OUT OF THIS SCHOOL?" Eddy shouted, pointing his fingers at waist height towards his counterpart. He winked.
"Lightning Shot," he said. Two small balls of electricity burst from his fingertips and made contact with Nero's skin. Nero took a nasty shock, but shook it off and pushed Eddy away. Seeing no other option, he ran out the door and disappeared from sight. Eddy turned around and noticed the other two Evil Guardians had slipped away, also.
"You did it, Eddy!" said Jonny. He ran to Eddy and hugged him. "Thanks for saving me, pal!"
"Yeah," Eddy replied. "You're... you're welcome, Jonny." Eddy tried to hide it, but he felt a certain warmth in his belly. He couldn't help but smile.
"Nice job," Randy said. Once Jonny released Eddy, Randy picked up the fire extinguisher and shook Eddy's hand.
"Who are you?" Eddy asked.
"Randy Stephens," he said. "I'm a big fan of yours."
"I'm a big fan of yours," Double D heard someone repeat. He turned and saw Mitsumi smiling at him. Slowly she moved forward and grew about four inches, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him the most pleasant kiss he had ever experienced.
"Guys," Eddy said. He helped Ed up off the ground. "Wanna go get some chow mein? I'm starving."
"I'm in," Randy said.
"Sure, invite yourself," Eddy said.
"Chow mein sounds nice," Double D approved.
"Wait, so... what about this death you mentioned?" Hanton asked.
"Oh," Randy said. "Well, at the Chinese place, that sockhead guy told me that a million skin cells on your body die every day!" Hanton threw his papers down on his desk and walked out of the room.
"Can I stay here?" Randy wondered. He looked at Hanton's unoccupied comfy chair and nodded to himself. "I think so."
TO BE CONTINUED
In the next chapter: The Evil Guardians have been quiet lately. As the Guardians try to settle down and finish the semester without any intervention from their enemies, Double D wants to be the one who paints the empty hallway's new mural.
A/N: Do you like the story? How should I improve? Let me know in a review! Also, see your dentist every now and then. And, delete your browsing history.