AN: Hello, and welcome back to ROTLON! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
"What did we get then?" I ask Nick as he walks into the living room with a pile of mail. We had just gotten home from school along with Lucas and he had picked up the mail since Mom and Dad are most likely at work right now.
"Some junk mail, bills and-"
Suddenly he holds up three envelopes. "Whoa, are those invitations?" Lucas asks. "There's one for each of us!"
Nick hands us each one of the envelopes. I tear mine open and pull out a card with a picture of a roller skate. Inside it read: "You are invited to the pre-party hosted by Diane and Christopher Wakefield in celebration of the opening of the brand-new Venture Falls roller dome! The party will take place on Monday evening, preceding the opening celebration the following evening. Don't forget your skates!"
"So that's what Justin had in his backpack!" Lucas exclaims. "On my way here, I saw him with a bunch of envelopes. He must be delivering them to everyone in the class!"
Meanwhile Nick frowns. "Monday evening?" he says. "Isn't that when we're going to see-"
"-the new Mega Monster movie? Yeah." I finish for him. "Guess we won't be going then." I don't consider it too much of a tragedy, to be honest. I've only ever spoken to Justin a couple of times. All I know about him is that his parents are rich and he seems to have everything: brains, athleticism, popularity and charm. Despite his being the most popular guy in our year, he seems to be a decent guy.
I pick up the remote and switch the TV on. The three of us momentarily disagree on what to watch before settling on the Mega Monster cartoon that was being aired because of the new movie being released.
The rest of the weekend passes by fairly quickly. On Sunday evening, Nick and I are sat in the living room with Mom and Dad watching TV when the programme is interrupted by a news broadcast.
"We interrupt this programme to bring you breaking news!" the reporter says. "Early yesterday evening, a lorry was leaving town when the driver was forced to stop by a forest in the middle of the road! Scientists are still unsure of how this phenomenon could have occurred-"
I tune out the rest and turn to Nick. "Trees in the middle of the road?" I say. "Lucas'll have a field day!"
Sure enough, when we meet up with him the next day to go to school, the first thing he greets us with is, "Did you guys watch the news last night?"
We both nod as we walk onto the campus. "Trees in the middle of the highway - sounds like some kind of weird eco prank!" I say.
Lucas laughs. "That's my kind of humour! For once, trees replace the road instead of the other way around!"
Nick looks thoughtful before stating, "Not exactly something that can be set up overnight!" He comes to a stop while Lucas and I look at him blankly. "I'm thinking...there's trouble in Gorm!"
"Yep!" I say, winking at him. "Keep an eye peeled for Razzle! I bet he shows up any second!" I turn around, half expecting our lizard companion to be standing there, and my eyes widen at the sight before me. Judging by the gasps behind me, Nick and Lucas are equally surprised. "Whoa, check it out!" I exclaim.
Jessica approaches us wearing purple roller skates and pink skating gear. As she gets closer, she turns on her heels and sails past us backwards, hands on her hips while looking incredibly pleased with herself. The three of us gasp, not entirely sure what to make of this.
Apparently she's not too good at it, though, as she starts losing her balance and windmills her limbs about to try and stay upright. When she finally succeeds, she skates after Justin who just walked past, her face having almost lit up when she saw him. For some reason, this makes my stomach feel a bit weird. Why is she never that happy to see me?
I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. But, as we watch her rather one-sided exchange with him, all I can think about is how his nose looks too big or how his hair looks greasy as though he used too much hair gel or that if it were me she was talking to, I would be giving her my undivided attention, not just ignoring her, even if he is wearing an MP3 and can't hear a word she's saying. Yeesh, what is wrong with me today? How did I go from singing his praises to practically hating his guts?
"Nice talking to you!" she yells suddenly and I almost jump as I notice she's on the floor, having overbalanced apparently. I need a way to get these thoughts out of my head! But how...
We approach her as she manages to stand up, rubbing her arms. "I know, I know," she says before any of us have a chance to say anything. "I'm an Air Lord! I should be able to handle gravity!" I can't resist letting out a chuckle at this. She spins on her heel, gives me an intense glare and snaps through gritted teeth, "It's complicated!"
Deciding that I need to find a way to distract myself from the heavy, foreign feeling pressing on my chest, I say in a sing-song voice, "Ooh, I think someone has a crush on Justin!" Nick and Lucas laugh behind me but it's all I can do to force a grin on my face as I wait for her reaction, secretly hoping that she doesn't. Hang on, why do I even care if she likes him or not? Just because I might like her doesn't mean she has to feel the same way about me!
Jessica looks at me as though I've grown an extra head and exclaims in disgust, "Ew, so not!" I check her face for any tell-tale sign of embarrassment or that she's lying. To my relief, there's nothing and this seems to lift the weight off my chest. She doesn't fancy him! I almost feel like doing a happy dance but decide against it when she continues speaking, shifting her balance from one foot to another as she approaches us. "But, see, his mom and dad are opening the brand-new roller dome tomorrow night!"
"A-ha!" I exclaim, a little louder than I'd intended. "And you're trying to get invited to the oh-so-exclusive pre-party they're having tonight!"
"Precisely!" she responds, moving past us. I wait for her to register what I just said and mentally count down from three. Suddenly she whirls around on her heel behind us and asks, clearly confused, "Wait, how did you know about it?"
I try and fail to resist the urge to roll my eyes. She's being so adorably naïve right now - how does she not know that the whole class got invitations? Did I just think she was adorable? I did just think she was adorable.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my invitation and hold it up so she can see it. "Invitation!" I say casually. I don't even have to look at her to know how she'll react. First she'll blink in disbelief, then she'll stare longingly at the invitation. Finally she'll dash forward and snatch it out of my hands, just to confirm it's real.
When she does exactly that, I blink at her for a couple of seconds before recovering and asking, "Want it?" I figure if I'm not going to use it, she may as well since it would make her happy. She looks up at me and I continue, "We're going to the Mega Monster movie downtown!" Nick chuckles behind me - guess he's excited or something!
"Um, no!" Jessica exclaims after a few seconds, handing me the invitation back. "Unless I get my own invitation, I'm not really invited!" Why is she making such a big deal out of this? An invitation is an invitation - it doesn't matter who it's for!
As she begins backing away, we notice Razzle standing behind her. He clears his throat which startles her so much she falls over...again. Luckily Razzle had darted over to me before she landed on him. I can feel his claws clinging to my jeans as he says impatiently, "This is no time for sitting around! There's trouble in Gorm!"
"We'd better get going!" I say to the others.
"Hey, wait up!" Jessica yells as she stands up, only to nearly overbalance herself again. The three of us exchange looks - if Jessica keeps those skates on, we'll never make it back home!
"Um, Jess," Lucas begins. "No offence but you might wanna ditch the skates!"
"Yeah," Nick agrees. "You might hurt yourself and then you won't be able to help in Gorm!"
She stares at me for a moment and I shrug, letting her know that I agree with what they're saying. "Alright," she sighs. "I guess you guys are right." She removes the skates and all the safety gear before putting her ordinary boots on. Standing up, she runs past us, looking over her shoulder and saying cheerfully, "Race you guys there!"
"Hey, get back here!" the three of us yell as we chase after her, Razzle now clinging to my shoulder.
It takes us about ten minutes to get down to the Primal Pad. Once we're there, Razzle leaps onto the control panel. "It seems that Lavion is on the warpath again!" he begins. Well, what else is new? The screen shows Lavion holding a glowing sword and dressed in armour? Weird - I didn't think that was his style. "And he appears to be protected by some kind of strange armour!"
"Interesting!" Nick says, looking at the armour. "It looks old! Like old-old!"
Lucas, meanwhile, focuses his attention on the claw. "That's Lavion, alright. I'd recognize his claw arm anywhere!" he states. As an afterthought, he adds, "I don't see how someone wearing a tin suit in Gorm can rip a dimensional rift that puts trees on a freeway!"
I decide to point out the other strange thing they seem to have missed as I ask, "And what's the deal with that glowing sword?"
The image on the screen fades away, static replacing it. "Sorry, but that's all the information we've got!" Razzle says before looking serious. "Whatever Lavion is up to-"
"Our mission is to stop him!" Jessica finishes for him.
"Precisely!" Razzle agrees.
We run to stand around the Gorm Gate and cry out, "Elementals!"
"Earth!" Nick begins.
"Water!" I yell.
"Forest!" Lucas shouts.
"Air!" Jessica finishes.
"Reveal to us the Keeper and give to them your chair!"
The chair starts to spin around rapidly. When it starts to slow down, Razzle calls out, "And the Keeper is..." The chair stops, an orange icon with the Earth symbol glowing on the back, "...Earth!" Nick grins happily as Razzle says, "That's you, kid!"
Nick runs past Lucas who says, "Congrats!" while holding his hand up. The two of them high-five, grinning widely.
"You know it!" Nick responds as he runs over to the chair and jumps into it. It rises up, bringing him level with the control panel. After waving his hands over the crystals, he turns to look at us, saying, "Please keep your hands and arms inside the Gorm Gate at all times!"
The three of us, along with Razzle, jump into the Gorm Gate with this go-ahead, cheering happily. Eventually we land somewhere in the Forest Nation as Nick says, "And...touchdown!" He then informs us, "Okay, guys, Travel Tome says you should be in the forest!"
I look around. Trees as far as the eye can see? Yep, we're definitely in the forest! "Confirmed!" I tell him, before spotting someone approaching us and pointing in that direction. "And here comes Lavion!" Sure enough, Lavion is marching menacingly towards us, dressed in armour and still holding that weird sword.
"Stand by for full glow!" Nick tells us. After a few moments, he confirms, "You're good to glow!"
Together the three of us chant, "Elemental powers flow, Gormiti - Lords of Nature, go, go, go!"
"Powers of the Sea!" I yell as I transform.
Lavion seems to have been waiting for this because he says, "Ah, the Lords of Nature!" He raises the sword and hits his claw against it threateningly. "This should work out quite nicely!" He lets out a roar as he charges towards us. I'm not sure if it's the armour or if he just has a bad cold but his voice sounds strange for some reason. Oh, well, a battle against a Lava Gormiti is what we came here for!
"Split up! Flank him!" I tell the others as I charge towards Lavion.
Lucas remains in place, holding one hand to his head and the other out in front of him. "Biokinesis!" he yells as rings of light emit from him. Several large, strong brown vines burst out of the ground, forming a kind of barrier.
Unfortunately Lavion uses his claw to slice right through it. He charges towards Lucas who fires a bark-like fist at him. After managing to bat it away, he swings the sword at Lucas, connecting it with his fist. There is a bright, blue glow that lasts for a few seconds. When it clears, I notice that one of Lucas' bark-like hands seems to be missing. Instead he has a red, metal-like hand. He stares at it in confusion.
He doesn't have time to be confused, though. Lavion tucks the sword behind his back and fires a bark-like fist at Lucas. Man, it must be weird to be attacked with your own power! The fist connects, sending him flying. When he hits the ground, he looks up at Lavion who steps forward, laughing menacingly as the fist grows back in place.
"Hey!" Jessica calls out suddenly while he is momentarily distracted by his evil laughing that I swear is a part of every bad guy's contract. She swoops down towards him but Lavion manages to hit her with the sword, too. Again there is a bright, blue glow that lasts for a short time. When it clears this time, however, I notice that her wings are missing. Having still been in the air, she immediately drops to the ground. Luckily she hadn't been too high or that could have really hurt! Like Lucas, she seems confused by what just happened, feeling for where her wings should be but realizing they're no longer there.
I look up at Lavion who is laughing as he rises into the air, Jessica's wings sprouting from his back. This is my chance! "Mighty Tentacles!" I yell as I wrap my tentacles around his ankle with the intent of pulling him down to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him swing the sword at me as I try to pull down to the ground.
A mere few seconds later, I feel a strange sensation. When it clears, my head feels weird, heavier than it usually does. Wait...don't tell me! I put my hands to where my head is and instead feel the coldness of metal. Immediately I try to pull it off, the overall sensation of it uncomfortable. "Get...this...off...of...me!" I yell as I continue to struggle with what I now know is the helmet Lavion had been wearing just a few moments before.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Lavion flings a tree trunk at us. Having all been distracted by the loss of our body parts, none of us were able to move out of the way before it hits us, sending us all flying into a rocky wall behind us before we slump to the ground.
"Heads up!" Nick warns. "It's gonna go!" At first I think he's making a terrible joke, because right now I don't even have my own head. Then I hear a loud rumbling sound from behind me. I think the others have noticed it too but, due to the pain and exhaustion, there's little we can do as we are buried by the debris from the collapsing rock wall.
While trapped, we can hear Lavion laughing as he says, "Is that all the Lords of Nature have?" He might have said something else after that but I don't catch it.
We begin trying to clear some of the debris. Luckily it wasn't as much as it had seemed when it buried us. "Well, that could have gone better!" Razzle comments. "And now Lavion got away!"
I manage to push upwards against the rock on top of me, finally able to see something other than rocks. The rock balances between the two horns on the helmet, which I tap with my fist as I say, "Yeah, because that weird armour has some kind of weird magic to it! It won't come off!" The tapping frees the rock which crashes to the ground with a thud. I can feel Razzle attempting to pull the helmet loose but, like me, his efforts are unsuccessful.
Nick projects his image beside us. "I found something!" he tells us. "That weird armour is actually a legendary piece of Gorm magic known as the Volc Armour! The glowing sword doesn't cut off a limb - it swaps it out with a piece of the armour!"
Is there really any point in that? "What's the use of that?" I ask him.
"It leaves your opponent encased in heavy armour piece by piece while you get to run off with all of their powers!" he explains.
"Like my wings!" Jessica exclaims, frowning.
"My head!" I add, already sick of the helmet being stuck to me.
"My fist!" Lucas joins us in complaining.
"My claw!"
Apparently we aren't the only ones who've fallen victim to Lavion today. We look around as we hear somebody groaning. "Someone's trapped!" I say to the others as we make our way over to the sounds.
Lucas and I lift up a log after spotting a red metal hand, similar to the one Lucas has instead of his fist. But the Gormiti underneath it is the last one any of us expected to see. "Lavion?" I exclaim, thoroughly confused. "I thought you just flew away! And where's your claw?"
"Stolen by Fiery Hammer and replaced with this hideous metal!" Lavion replies as we move the log away. He stands up and continues, "Although I certainly cannot blame him for taking my claw! Everyone wants the claw of Lavion!"
Everyone, huh? Last time I checked, I didn't want 'the claw of Lavion!'
"Fiery Hammer must have the Volc Armour!" Nick exclaims, projecting his image beside me.
"Ah, but now the Lords of Nature have come to my aid!" Lavion says. "To win me justice and bring back my claw! Together we shall reclaim the claw of Lavion!" This guy really likes the sound of his own voice, doesn't he?
I glance at Jessica and Lucas. "Might as well go with it!" I mutter.
"Yeah," Jessica responds, also unimpressed with Lavion's it's all about me attitude. "As long as he thinks it's all about him, he'll be on our side!"
"Follow me!" Lavion commands. Though none of us like the idea of taking orders from Lavion, it doesn't seem like we have any other choice right now. We exchange glances before Jessica shrugs and we fall into step behind him.
Lavion moves through the forest with purpose. "Where are you, my beautiful claw? Come to Lavion!" he keeps saying.
"You get the feeling he loves that claw a little too much?" I mutter to the others. Jessica laughs, then immediately claps her hand over her mouth, worried that Lavion might have heard her. Luckily he's too far ahead to hear anything we say.
Eventually we see him standing near the edge of the forest. He seems to be gazing up at the sky before looking around as he hears us approaching. "There!" he exclaims, pointing up into the sky.
Sure enough, Fiery Hammer is standing on one of the floating citadels of the Air Nation. "Ah, the Lords of Nature are back for another round, eh?" he says before leaping into the air. "Very well! I could always use more powers!"
He swoops down towards us. "Incoming!" I say warningly. Suddenly I look over as Lavion begins speaking again, my eyes widening in surprise at his attitude.
"Come, Lords of Nature! We shall fight together side by side and together defeat-" Fiery Hammer doesn't seem to like hearing Lavion's voice as he fires off Lucas' fist at him. All three of us flinch and duck as Lavion gets thrown backwards by the impact. That went well. I had no idea Lavion was so eager to be on our side - I guess he's that desperate for his claw back, he'd do anything!
We look around, hearing Fiery Hammer's laughter. The fist grows back, just as it does for Lucas. "Jungle Attack!" Lucas yells, stretching out brown vines. Fiery Hammer quickly flies upwards before they can wrap around him.
Jessica tries next, throwing sharp feather darts at him but he uses the sword to knock them back. They hit the ground in front of us. This is not going well at all!
Fiery Hammer lands on the ground, glaring at us. Suddenly he starts charging towards us, letting out an angry cry. This could be our chance! "Aqua Blast!" I shout, firing a jet of water at him, keeping him from getting closer. He slides backwards but remains standing.
I race forward, no real idea of what I'm doing, but eager to do something all the same. Unfortunately it's a huge mistake on my part. Fiery Hammer flips around, hitting my stomach with the sword.
"Wha-!" I exclaim as I look down, realizing that Fiery Hammer must have stolen another power from me. Well, that's just great! I let out a cry as Fiery Hammer hits me with my own attack, firing a stream of water at me. Though I manage to stay on my feet, it does push me back quite away.
Just as I feel ready to collapse, I see Lucas and Jessica running to stand in front of me to take the attack instead.
"Toby!" Lucas yells.
"Keep behind us!" Jessica shouts.
By this point, my legs have given way and I'm far too exhausted to do or say anything. All I can do is watch as they hold their arms up in front of them in a futile attempt to protect themselves from a continuous blast of water.
Suddenly I feel a familiar sensation above me. Nick's pulling us back? But why now? We haven't even stopped Fiery Hammer!
"By the orbs of Gorm!" the three of us say as we rise up out of the Gorm Gate. We walk over to Nick who is watching Fiery Hammer confront Lavion on the screen. When he finally looks around at us, I'm not sure if it's just me but he seems a bit nervous. It might be because we're all frowning at him, annoyed because we were pulled back before we had a chance to stop Fiery Hammer.
"Look, I know you're upset," he tells us. "But it was an emergency! You were just about to turn back to human!"
"Yeah, but Fiery Hammer's still using our powers!" Lucas points out angrily. "It's going to takeforever to charge up the orbs!"
"Maybe not!" I say, looking around at the shelves behind us. "Maybe there's something in the library that can help us!" Whoa, did I just suggest we do some reading? What is wrong with me? I'm a get in the thick of the action guy, not a sit around and read guy!
"Well, let's get to it!" Jessica says, stepping towards the shelves. Before she can get close, Lucas steps out in front of her, blocking her path.
"Not so fast, speedy!" he exclaims.
Jessica folds her arms and lets out an exasperated huff. "Wait, don't tell me I'm not invited!" she complains.
"To the library? Sure!" he says, grinning. "But you're running out of time!"
My eyes widen as I watch him hold up her skates. She lets out a questioning gasp before saying incredulously, "You can't be serious!"
"We've got things covered here!" Lucas assures her, putting his hand on her shoulder and gently pushing her in the direction of the stairs. "Go find Justin and get your invite!"
Though I'm smiling as she walks past, my mind is filled with turmoil. One part of me wants to encourage her to get the invite because it would make her happy. Another part, though, selfishly wants to figure out a way to make her stay.
"Do you know where he is?" Nick asks, causing her to stop in her tracks.
Please say no! Please say no! "No," she responds. Yes! "But Gina will!" she adds, brightening up again. And just like that, my hope crashes down again, making me feel even more awful than before. She heads up the stairs, taking the little hope I had left with her, before poking her head back around to look at us. "You're sure?" she asks.
"Go!" we say impatiently.
She looks in Nick's direction. "And you'll call me?" she asks frantically.
Nick sounds amused as he responds, "As soon as the orbs are charged, yes! Go already!"
"Thanks!" she calls before disappearing up the steps.
I stalk towards the shelves, still not understanding why this whole situation is making me feel as though a ton of bricks just got dropped on me.
While we look through the books, Nick and Lucas start talking. Though my mind is elsewhere, I can still hear what they're saying.
"What I don't understand is why Jessica didn't get invited!" Lucas says, puzzled.
"Actually...she did!" Nick admits sheepishly, causing Lucas to gasp. "But I believe I threw out her invitation with the junk mail!" After a pause, he adds defensively, "What? It looked like junk!"
I continue to look through the book, trying to think about anything other than Jessica wanting to go to Justin's party. The unpleasant feeling in my stomach returns, stronger than ever.
Luckily Nick and Lucas don't ask me for my opinion on what had happened with Jessica's invitation because I'm pretty sure I would have just started ranting about how much I hate the thought of her wanting to hang out with another guy that isn't Nick, Lucas or I.
Wait a minute...
Is that what's bothering me? Am I...jealous? Normally I would laugh myself silly at this thought but it frighteningly makes a lot of sense. I don't want to admit it but I have to face it - I am jealous.
I feel so stupid. She's perfectly entitled to hang out with whoever she wants. And, even though I know she said she didn't have a crush on him, a part of me can't help but feel that maybe she does.
"Any luck, you guys?" I call out, hoping that Nick and Lucas have been more successful than I have. I feel like I've searched the entire library - I haven't really - but I haven't found a thing. Nothing that's useful, anyway.
"No, nothing," they reply as I run over to them.
"Yeah, me neither," I tell them. "Shouldn't you let Jess know?" I remind Nick.
My brother nods and pulls his phone out of his pocket while glancing at the orbs. They seem to have charged up a bit in the time we've spent looking for information but they'll just keep draining if we don't find a way to get our powers back.
I hear the beeping of keys and a dial-tone before Nick says frantically, "Jess! Only five more minutes on the orbs! Get back here!"
About five minutes after Nick had called her, Jessica runs down the steps. I look at Lucas. "You tell her..." I say flatly.
"Tell me what?" she asks, her eyes darting from me to Lucas and back again.
"The library was a washout! We're stuck with what we've got!" Lucas exclaims. "As long as Fiery Hammer uses our powers, he'll be using our orbs!"
"Luckily," I say. "Nick has a plan!"
"It's simple," he begins as I grin at him. "Step one - we win fast before the orbs can drain!" I shrug while grinning widely. It's the best plan I've ever heard!
"Nice plan!" Jessica says sarcastically.
"I know!" I exclaim happily, choosing to ignore her sarcasm. "I love a one step plan!"
"We can't let Fiery Hammer land even one strike!" Nick continues as he stands up. "It's the Volc Armour that's causing the rift activity!"
"Ah, the forest on the freeway! I get it! Every time a piece gets swapped, some switcheroo happens here on Earth!" Jessica guesses.
Nick jumps back into the chair. "During that last battle, a mountain appeared in the desert, an iceberg ran aground in Hawaii and the United Nations filled with cacti!" he informs us.
"I get the point," Jessica says as she walks over to the control panel.
"So do they." Nick jokes. Wait, at least I think that was a joke. It sure sounded like one.
Lucas and I walk over too. "Look, there's no telling what might switch next," Lucas points out. "But the stronger Fiery Hammer gets..."
"The more likely it is that it's gonna be global and catastrophic!" I finish for him, looking up at the image of Earth on the screen which has several strange vortexes. I guess they must represent the areas affected by the rift so far.
Nick moves the crystals around to reopen the Gorm Gate. "Remember. Step one - win fast!" he reminds us before the three of us, along with Razzle, run and jump through the Gorm Gate. "And...touchdown! You're good to glow!"
"By the orbs of Gorm!" the three of us yelled together.
"Powers of the Sea!" I cry as I transform. It feels weird having that armour in place of my head. Hey, wait a minute, how did I have my head when I gated back to Earth? Shouldn't I have been headless?
Once we're all done transforming, I tell the others in a hushed voice, "Remember, hold your fire. We have limited ammo."
A groan and the sound of a rock moving behind us cuts me off. Jessica spins around, yelling, "Energy Blast!" as she shoots two blue funnels of energy at the rock pile, causing them to explode and whoever had made the groan to cry out.
When the smoke and dust clears, we see Lavion lying on the ground, looking a little worse for wear. "I said hold your fire!" I say to Jessica through gritted teeth.
"He startled me!" she exclaims defensively before turning to face Lavion. "You startled me!"
Lucas had helped Lavion into a sitting position. "Fiery Hammer thought I would not last to tell anyone!" he says weakly before coughing. "I fought bravely, of course, but my claw was simply too magnificent!" He lets out a groan of pain and adds, "He left to find Magmion!"
"Whoa... Fiery Hammer teaming up with Magmion? That's not good!" I say, looking over at Jessica. The last time we encountered Fiery Hammer, he double-crossed me in an attempt to get back into Magmion's good books. The idea of him wanting to team up with the Gormiti who banished him sounds a little strange to me.
"No, no, you misunderstand," Lavion tells me. "He has no interest in joining forces. He has gone to defeat Magmion!" He groans again and explains, "Revenge for his years spent banished in exile!"
"Uh, Nick?" Lucas calls out. "If Fiery Hammer uses the Volc Armour to steal a power from Magmion..."
"It's still gonna trigger a rift switcheroo, yep!" Nick confirms. "Uh-oh, I'm picking up a power signature. It's Magmion!"
"Where? Where?" Jessica asks frantically as the three of us tense up, looking around.
"Here!" Magmion steps forward. "Join with me and together we shall stop Fiery Hammer!"
What is it with the Lava Gormiti wanting to join forces with us today? "Join you? Ha!" I say incredulously. He doesn't actually expect us to take him seriously, does he?
Magmion slams his tail on the ground impatiently before walking towards us. The three of us prepare to attack, not trusting him one bit. "Fiery Hammer is already too powerful to defeat on my own!" he admits. "I need your help and you need mine!"
"No. We don't." Jessica says dryly.
"You do!" Magmion snaps angrily. "If you wish to keep your precious Earth safe!" He takes a couple of steps closer towards us.
Nick projects his image near us. "Whoa, back up, did he just say 'your Earth? ' How does he-" he asks, alarmed.
"One thing at a time!" I tell him. "We've gotta stop Fiery Hammer and get our powers back!"
"Magmion's right," Lucas chimes in. "For now, we're each other's best chance!"
I glance at Jessica and we both nod at one another before the three of us pile one of our hands on top of each other. We look at Magmion who hesitates for a moment before putting his blade-like hand on top of the pile.
Lavion suddenly lets out a groan. To be honest, I kind of forgot about him. He stands up, looking ridiculously happy as he says, "Now the Lords of Nature and Magmion have come to the aid of Lavion!" He walks a couple of steps and nearly falls over before standing up and yelling, "Reclaim the claw of Lavion!" After that, he falls flat on his back.
I look at the others. Even Magmion looks vaguely disturbed by what we just witnessed. With much less enthusiasm, I raise my arm in the air and say awkwardly, "Yeah...reclaim the claw of Lavion! Let's do it!"
We begin walking towards Volcano Mountain. Lavion lags a little way behind, probably because of his earlier fight with Fiery Hammer. He keeps on insisting that he's fine, though. Despite him collapsing a couple of times, he somehow manages to keep up.
None of us bother speaking. Just because we have to work with each other doesn't mean we have to like it. Eventually we reach Volcano Mountain and see Fiery Hammer standing on the path in front of us, facing the volcano.
"I'm back, Magmion!" he calls out. "Back from banishment! Come out, come out! What? Are you afraid of Fiery Hammer?"
"Hardly," Magmion says, unimpressed, as Fiery Hammer turns around.
"Magmion!" he says before noticing the three of us. "And...the Lords of Nature?"
Magmion lets out an angry growl and steps forward when Lavion suddenly leaps out in front of us. "Don't forget I, Lavion!" he yells. "We reclaim the claw of Lavion! Surrender now -"
Fiery Hammer apparently doesn't like listening to Lavion talking about his claw as he uses Lucas' vines to grab him and trap his head in a hole inside a rock. "Release Lavion!" Lavion cries repeatedly, punching his fist against the rock.
Magmion takes this opportunity to strike, rushing forward. "Welcome back, traitor!" he says menacingly. He swings his massive tail at Fiery Hammer who flies up into the air to avoid it, laughing mockingly.
"Careful, I've picked up a few new tricks since we last fought!" he yells. Yeah, those new tricks happen to be our powers! He fires off several water globes as well as a bark-like fist. Magmion lets out a cry as the fist hits first, sending him back a few feet but he remains standing.
"Oh no!" he shouts, moments before being hit with the barrage of water globes which send him crashing to the ground, nearly knocking the three of us over in the process.
"Get him!" Nick tells us, his image projected near us. "Come on! Make every shot count!"
Jessica is apparently ahead of Lucas and I on that front as she cries out, "Energy Blast!" releasing a funnel of blue energy from her hands. Fiery Hammer simply flies lower, however, and the attack misses its mark.
"Jungle Feet!" Lucas yells, stomping his foot as a thick, brown vine erupts from the ground but misses its mark.
"Claw of the Abyss!" I shout, my right hand transforming into a giant claw. Fiery Hammer swoops down and I attempt to clamp my claw around him but he remains frustratingly just out of reach. Then he gets a little too close and I manage to make contact. The blow sends him crashing down and I run forward, intent on finishing what I started.
Raising my claw, I find myself stopped as his hands emit a blue glow. I notice him reaching for his sword - if he steals another power from me, that'll be the third one and that's three too many! He starts to swing the sword down but, to my surprise, he completely misses.
"Hey!" Magmion yells, having gotten behind Fiery Hammer. He swings his massive tail at the traitorous Lava Gormiti who flies up to avoid the impact. A crack forms in the ground where the tail had hit.
Fiery Hammer reacts quickly, swinging the sword before Magmion has a chance to move away. The contact of sword against tail produces another blue glow as Magmion lets out a startled cry.
"Nice!" Fiery Hammer says appreciatively as Magmion's tail swings behind him. "I like that!" He hits Magmion with the tail, sending him flying.
"Uh-oh," Lucas says, worried. "He landed another armour switch!"
Nick projects his image beside us. "Whatever happens, don't let him do another!" he instructs.
"It's that dumb magic armour!" Jessica exclaims. "We've got to get rid of it!"
"That'll be step two," Nick states. "After you win, you gotta return the Volc Armour to its original tomb in the magma fields."
Hey, this is too much at once, here! "Whoa, slow down, bro!" I protest. "I thought this was a one step plan?"
Nick smirks at me. "I was keeping it simple." I honestly don't know whether I should be offended or not.
Suddenly we hear a cry and look over to see Fiery Hammer holding a limp Magmion above him. "It is done!" he cries triumphantly. "I have won! And now, Lord Magmion, I shall banish you! I have power, unlimited power! You tried to exclude me and now you will pay!"
Unlimited power? That doesn't sound right!
Jessica frowns. "Ew, now I see what Gina meant! It is an ugly and selfish attitude!"
Lucas holds his hand up to stop her. "Never mind that!" he exclaims. "Did he just say unlimited power?"
As one, the three of us cry out, "Fiery Hammer doesn't know!"
"Of course!" Nick says, probably feeling like he should be kicking himself right about now. "Quick, everybody! Forget about power saving! Go full blast! Full blast!"
"That's more like it!" I yell, not even bothering to hide the excitement in my voice. Holding back has never been something I enjoy doing.
"Energy Blast!" Jessica cries, releasing a funnel of energy from her hands.
"Mind over Water!" I yell, releasing several rings of energy.
Fiery Hammer tosses Magmion away from him as Lucas yells "Jungle Feet!" The vines erupt from the ground as we produce attack after attack.
"Keep it up! I can do this all day!" he brags. Uh, that's where you're wrong, pal!
Eventually I start to feel my powers fading as I drop to my knees, returning to human form. "We're out and so is he!" Lucas says.
A massive blue glow emits from Fiery Hammer, forcing us to shield our eyes. "No!" he yells in despair as the glow fades and he crashes to the ground right near Magmion, the sword skidding to a halt close by.
Magmion stands up, looking very imposing as Fiery Hammer backs away. Without the powers he stole, he no longer has any advantage and Magmion knows this. "S-Stay back!" Fiery Hammer yells desperately, grabbing the sword and attempting to swing it but Magmion simply bats it away with his hand. "No...no! Please, Lord Magmion, have mercy!"
Magmion apparently isn't interested in listening to Fiery Hammer's pleas as he begins removing the Volc Armour piece by piece, tossing each part as far as he can.
"Come on," Jessica says quietly as she makes her way over to pick up a piece of armour. Lucas and I follow suit."Step to it! We gotta get this back to its tomb!"
Suddenly she lets out a cry as the sword gets thrown at the ground in front of her. Any closer and, well, I don't really want to think about it.
"The Volc Armour is now mine!" Magmion declares. "Hands off!" I guess the alliance is over now, then.
Out of nowhere, Lavion - who I honestly forgot about - tackles him and starts yelling about his claw again. As the three Lava Gormiti begin fist-fighting, Jessica exclaims, "Now's our chance! Go! Go!"
Each of us carries as much armour as we can manage as we run down the hill, thankfully not being noticed.
"Okay, guys, I've looked it up and the cavern you need should be close by," Nick tells us. "Ah, yes, next left! Time for step two!"
We turn left and enter a cavern. Nick's mentioning of a step two reminds me of something. "You could have mentioned it was a plan with more than one step!" I complain. "I'm just saying - the beauty of a one step plan is its simplicity. As soon as you add a step two..."
"Tell you what," Nick interrupts. "Think of this as step one of a totally different task - returning the armour!"
I think about it for a moment before grinning. "Works for me!"
Eventually we reach the end of the cave where a featureless statue stands atop a stone podium. "This looks like it's gotta be the place!" I say to the others.
One by one, we attach each piece of armour to the statue. Every time we do so, the piece just attached glows a bright gold for a couple of seconds.
"Yep, readings show orb power is normalizing!" Nick confirms just before I place the helmet on the statue's head. This time, the whole thing glows brightly as we watch in awe. The only piece missing is the hand piece Lavion has. "And we've got retro rift activity. Everything's switching back! I think we did it, team!"
"Are we sure?" Jessica asks uncertainly.
"I know one way to find out!" Nick responds. "You're good to glow!"
"Elemental powers flow!" we yell together before transforming. To our delight, we all have our powers back! "Yeah!" we cheer as we high-five.
"Hey, guys, I hate to cut the celebration short but if I don't gate you back now, we're going to miss the film!" Nick tells us.
A few moments later, a portal forms above our heads and we rise up towards it, returning to human form once more as we find ourselves back in the Primal Pad.
As we head towards the stairs, Jessica stops and clears her throat. "Um. do you think I could, uh, use one of your invites for the party, please?" she asks a little awkwardly.
I fish around in my pockets for my invite which I had offered to let her use earlier. My fingers brush against the paper just as I notice Lucas handing her his own invite. A little put-out, I remove my hand from my pocket. Still, I don't suppose it really matters whose invite she uses.
We exit the Primal Pad and leave the house after making sure that we had enough money to pay for tickets and food. Jessica is carrying her skates in one hand and we all laugh and chat animatedly as we walk down the street.
Soon we come across a fairly modern-looking building. On the wall, a poster showing a roller-skater tells us that this must be the new roller dome. We stop in our tracks watching as several people walk up the steps to the doorway, all of them carrying skates. A boy stands at the entrance, clearly there to check if they had invites.
"I'm glad you decided to just go ahead and use my invite," Lucas tells Jessica.
She smiles, laughing sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess I was getting a bit ugly and selfish about it!" she admits. "After all, a party's a party!"
"And now that Magmion knows about Earth, we'd better enjoy some good times while we still can!" Nick points out, looking at me.
"That's the spirit!" Lucas exclaims cheerfully. "Well, we'll catch you later!" he says to Jessica.
I walk up beside him. "Come on, already!" I say, getting a little impatient as I drape my arm over his shoulder. "We've got a Mega Monster movie to see! Let's go!"
Nick joins us and the three of us walk away, laughing as we head further down the street to the cinema. We arrive quickly and walk up the steps. I pull open the door and hold it open for Nick and Lucas to walk through when I hear panting and the sound of running footsteps.
I look around to see Jessica standing at the foot of the stairs. "Guys, wait up!" She walks up the steps and looks at me as she shrugs. "I know where I wanna be included!" she says simply before leading the way in. The three of us smile before following her, the door swinging shut behind me.
As soon as we're all inside the building, Lucas cries out, "Group hug!" Jessica lets out a shriek as we hug her but hugs us back anyway.
"Guys, let me go!" Her protests don't sound too desperate as she struggles not to laugh.
We break apart when we notice that the staff and people waiting in the queues are staring at us. "Um, I'll buy us the tickets, shall I?" Nick suggested, walking over to join the queue.
I glance around and spot the concessions stand on the other side. My eyes light up and I practically drag Lucas and Jessica over. "What's a movie without popcorn?" I point out.
We scan the boards above for the prices and check to make sure we have enough money before I step up to the counter and order four bags of popcorn and drinks from the bubblegum-chewing cashier who nods and rings up the purchase before walking away to collect the food. She returns a few moments later and hands us the bags and cups. "Enjoy the film," she says in a tone that clearly sounds like she is only saying it because she gets paid to.
Soon after, Nick joins us. "Got the tickets," he said. "Theatre four." I hand him his popcorn and drink, having already given Lucas and Jessica theirs. Then we head through the right side door to find theatre four. Once we have, we enter the room and find some seats in the middle row and sit down. The last of the adverts finishes playing and the movie begins.
After the movie ends, the four of us leave the cinema. It's pretty dark now and if we stay out any later, our parents will probably send out search parties to look for us. "Guess we'd better head home then!" Nick says to us.
A look of worry and disappointment flashes across Jessica's face before she gives us an obviously fake smile and says, "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow!" It seems as though she doesn't want to go home.
"Wait!" I exclaim, jogging after her and grabbing her hand. The contact almost makes me forget what I want to say. "I-I'll walk with you!"
"Y-you don't...why?" she stutters, looking nervous for some reason. I falter, not knowing how to explain. Instead, I look over my shoulder at Nick and Lucas who just look very confused.
"You guys don't mind, do you?" I ask and they shake their heads. "Thanks, well, I'll see you later!" Jessica echoes this sentiment before we start walking down the street in the opposite direction to Nick and Lucas.
The walk is silent as I try to think of how best to phrase what I want to say. The last thing I want to do is make her angry or hurt her feelings. Thinking things through isn't generally something I find easy.
"So, uh, you gonna tell me what today was all about?"
"What do you mean?"
I hold my hand up to stop her walking. By now, we can't be too far from her house. "Jess, I know you've never been interested in roller skating." A suspicious look crosses over my face. "Wait, you weren't lying about having a crush on Justin, were you?" I hope I don't sound too desperate here.
She glares at me, shaking her head. "Toby, read my lips: I do not have a crush on Justin! Happy now?"
"Very," I say without thinking. Oh man, She's bound to realize my... wait, she isn't saying anything. To my astonishment, my comment seems to have flown over her head. I let out a sigh of relief before adding, "So, why, then?"
She hangs her head, staring at the pavement below. "You're not gonna let me leave until I tell you, right?" Her voice is shaking slightly and I begin to wonder if this really was a good idea. But, before I can voice my concern, she continues.
"It's stupid, really, but I just... I just wanted to feel like I fitted in somewhere. I wanted to feel as if people other than you guys and Gina cared about me." In a whisper, she adds bitterly, "But who am I kidding? She was right - I don't deserve to be loved..."
The way she's acting makes me realize that I probably wasn't supposed to hear that last part. But I had...and I couldn't be angrier. Someone had said that to her! It couldn't be any further from the truth.
"Jess..." I say gently, stepping forward and wrapping my arms around her. The fact that she even allows this speaks volumes of the trust between us. "You are loved. Loads of people love you - like your parents," here she flinches slightly, "Nick, Lucas, Gina, my parents...and me. Don't think that you don't deserve to be cared about...because you do." I notice her reaction when I mention her parents but I choose not to say anything. It's too soon. The last thing I want to do right now is get into a potential argument with her - not when she's this upset.
She looks up at me, her eyes swimming with emotion. It's the closest to crying I've seen her since we were five. I hold her closer to me, as though trying to protect her. I've never seen her so vulnerable before and I want to help her in any way I can. When did I become so emotionally invested in her?
She isn't looking at me, seeming determined to not look me in the eye. I raise my hand and gently cup her face, tilting it up towards me before leaning in just as she turns her head.
It takes five seconds for me to realize that rather than kissing her cheek as I had intended, my lips had instead collided with hers. She lets out a squeak, and I open my eyes, unaware that I'd even closed them in the first place. I move away from her slightly, noting that my face feels like it's on fire.
I kissed her... I kissed Jessica. My best friend.
The atmosphere is now slightly awkward. I look at her, trying to gauge her reaction. Her cheeks are bright red and she looks slightly dazed. At least she isn't angry - I did just take her first kiss, after all (even if it was an accident).
"I-I'm sor..." I start to stutter. I can't even string together a single sentence now. One kiss and my nerves seem to have skyrocketed. What is wrong with me?
To my surprise, I feel her hugging me. "Thank you," she whispers, her cheeks still red. She pulls away from me and gives me a small yet radiant smile. "I should probably be going now."
I nod, smiling back. She turns and begins to walk in the opposite direction to me. I cannot help but look over my shoulder as I walk away from her. My eyes meet hers - she'd evidently looked over her shoulder as well - and I see the happiness and confusion in them. We break the contact between us as we turn our heads away and make our own way home.
As I start to walk home, a thought runs through my head. Despite how awkward and short-lived the kiss had been, a part of me wanted it to happen again.
Hardly any chance of that happening! Right?
AN: Wow,guys,it has been so long since I last updated this. I just want to let you guys know that I am not giving up on any of my fics. My updates are just very sporadic because I don't have a lot of free time. Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.