A/N: Probably-useful background: Duo, Shang, and E are the three Heroes of Planet Guling. They were friends with the five from Planet Xing, but then they were ordered by the king to kidnap Pudding, who was the mayor's daughter (there's more to it, but that's the basic story...) They defeated Xiao and Chu, and E led the remaining three into a trap...
And Then There Was One
They had fallen into the trap, a deep pit dug into the ground, and immediately the king's minions surrounded it, large boulders at the ready.
"Drop-" began their leader, but he was interrupted by Duo.
"E is still down there!" he exclaimed.
"The king only wants to get rid of those three. If one of you pieces of trash happens to be with them, well, that's too bad, isn't it?"
Duo, understandably, didn't like that response. That was his one of his only friends down there...
"What did you say?" he growled, throwing a fireball at the king's henchmen, and Shang quickly followed up with a water attack.
"Traitors!" shouted the leader. "Seize them!"
The four currently in the pit were making good progress getting out, Kai flying, Hua using electromagnetism, Tian on her bubble, and E climbing on the walls.
Or they were, until E slipped. Really, it was impressive that he managed to scale the wall at the same pace in the first place.
"Go!" shouted Tian to Kai and Hua. "Go rescue the mayor! I'll get E!"
The two looked at each other, nodded, and shot toward the top. Tian, meanwhile, raced back down.
The leader of the king's men grew more and more frustrated as he watched Duo and Shang easily defeat their enemies. Seeing Kai and Hua fly up and free the mayor that they had so painstakingly captured was the last straw.
He took a remote control from one of his assistants. It had originally been a backup plan, but now it would be put to use.
By the time the Heroes had noticed it, it was too late.
He pressed the button and the pit exploded.
Cries and shouts of anguish.
A tense moment of waiting, and then, out of the pit rose a silhouette. The smoke cleared and they could see the the trembling form of Tian on top of a bubble, with E inside of it.
E was fine. Tian's bubbles were pretty strong, after all.
Tian, however...
The bubble popped and Tian collapsed on the ground. Her body flashed with a bright light and then, the Pink Stone was laying on the ground.
"Tian!" Kai gingerly picked it up and held it, eyes watery. Beside him, Hua was also on the verge of tears.
"Your target is me!" shouted the mayor, watching them with sadness and anger. "Why do you have to hurt them?" Before he had time to continue, however, he was distracted by the arrival of a newcomer.
Hero Xiao. Exhausted, beaten, barely able to stand.
In his hand was a blue stone.
"Xiao! What happened? What happened to Chu?" Kai asked frantically, voice a higher pitch than normal.
It was suddenly so quiet. "We were... ambushed... Chu is already..."
His eyes found E's, and he got out, "It was them..."
Then, his body gave a shudder and the Black Stone joined the blue one on the ground.
E quietly said, "I... I purposely led you into the trap."
"Why?!" roared Hua.
"It was the only way to prove our strength..." Why did it sound like so much of an excuse now?
Hua charged toward him, left fist surrounded with a drill of electricity, but then a wall of fire blocked him. Duo and Shang helped E, and the three of them escaped.
Hua swore and punched the ground.
"Hua! We still have to rescue Pudding!" said Kai.
"We came here to find harmful energy sources, to protect the peace! And now, just to save her, we've lost so much! Is it worth it?"
"But isn't the only reason we're staying on Guling is to rescue Pudding?"
"If you want to save her then you can do it!" Hua grabbed the three stones from Kai and took off.
And just like that, Kai was all alone.
A/N: I'd wanted to do this for a while, but could never get it right...
Pudding still thinks the whole kidnapping thing is a game; she agreed to stage it so that the Heroes could stay a little longer. It's not a game anymore, clearly, but she doesn't know that...
And Hua was just overcome by grief, and dealt with it in his own way. For those who think he was a jerk for just leaving like that, he does come back to help/save Kai. (Then he goes down in one hit, but its the thought that counts, right?)