Chapter 26 Crystal Clear
Author's Note: Soooooooorrrrryyyyyy! FORGIIIIIIVE MEEEEEE! This is WAAAAAAAY too late… 6 months late… I'm so sorry! I hope I still have people interested in reading the story and haven't given up on it for the lack of updates… I haven't forgotten about the story, but… I know, excuses, but I've been suuuper busy with school… Anyway, here it is! I planned this chapter out in what reads as a good way, ha ha, and I hope you all enjoy it! I felt like my description in my chapters as of late has been seriously lacking, so I tried suuuper duper hard to make this chapter especially descriptive! I hope it shows and amounts to my earlier chaps! Hugs and kisses! Well, maybe not those since right now I have a chest cold and maaaaan… if you've EVER seen the show The Nanny with Fran Drescher in it… I sound like her right now… ¬_¬ JUST. LIKE. HER. _ (sobs in corner)
Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell, but I did create my own charries, Sorella, Rita, Lance, yada yada.
Brago and Sherry were training in the yard of one of Sherry's country homes in the lovely country of France. The weather was warm, the sky blue, and of course neither Sherry nor Brago noticed. They were too caught up in their training.
They hadn't seen Sorella in months, and the Faudo incident had gone past without her even being involved. Sherry suspected that Sorella was training secretly somewhere and that she was so focused on improving herself, that all of the drama went on without her.
"For the better," Brago had said when Sherry brought it up. "She only would have gotten in the way, weak as she is…"
Sherry just shook her head. Whether Brago wanted to admit it or not, Sorella was strong and Sherry was actually excited to fight her someday and, no matter how much Brago tried to hide it, he was too. Sherry was hoping that Sorella would show up out of the blue someday soon considering how long she'd been away. They hadn't even seen that friend of hers that Brago absolutely refused to mention.
Brago would even refuse to be around when talk of that friend came up, Kumara was his name wasn't it…?
"A worthless piece of trash…" Brago would snarl and often slouch off somewhere to train without Sherry; training that usually resulted in the wreckage of a bulldozer or a grizzly bear.
It had been a while since the Faudo incident and Brago was determined that he would surpass everyone now more than ever. Of course, Brago being needed in the last minute and contributing to the reason they won didn't exactly provide him with a slice of humble pie. His ego, if anything, only inflated.
Sherry could tell that he was putting forth all his effort to remain one of the strongest mamodo in the entire competition. He was working her so hard that she felt like a mule plowing a farmer's field for days on end.
Brago even called her a dumb mule every now and again.
Mostly, though, Brago was his usually social butterfly self.
That was sarcasm. Brago was completely anti-social and even more grumpy than usual in his earnest to win and take his place as king of the mamodo world. Sherry would help him get there if it was the last thing she did. Brago and Sherry tried to isolate themselves as best as possible from the other competitors so they could focus on their training.
That day, however…
A competitor found them.
They were just beginning to move into hand-to-hand combat skill testing when an immensely strong magical pressure imposed upon them. A swirling black portal of sorts opened up a short distance away. Tensing immediately, Brago and Sherry put on their game faces. Brago glanced his book master's way and scoffed silently to himself. Why Sherry didn't trade her voluminous dresses for something more combat-suitable he never understood. Sherry thought the same of his furry pants and wondered how he could move so agilely with clothes that must weight a lot and be stifling in warm weather.
A leg stepped out of the portal, followed by the rest of the body. Sherry's eyes, blue as slices of the ocean, narrowed when a sense of terrible foreboding swarmed within her chest.
"Brago!" she snapped, nothing more needing to be said to alert her partner to the danger that was coming at them.
"Heh, that's an impressive entrance," Brago scoffed.
A girl with a massive amount of curly hair and sitting upon a mamodo that was tall, black, and resembled a flash drive with limbs emerged along with a thin young man.
"Hrm, looks like Gorm will actually have to try a little with this demon…" the girl said, irking Sherry.
Who in the world was that brat and whom did she think she was to talk down to them? Try a little, she said, try a little! Sherry grit her teeth and used all her training as a woman of the higher social class to control her emotions.
Before Sherry could utter a sound, even a breath, an enormously potent magical pressure swarmed around them like a whirlwind of choking dust. The young man stepped forward; similar to Brago's hair, this young man's… no, this mamodo's hair defied gravity. Helium must have been injected into every strand of hair so it would float upwards toward the sky in a bushy, teardrop shape. Thin and lanky, he could hardly be considered a threat if one didn't count the destructive energy about him. He was dressed in a simple thick-strapped tank top tucked into his faded, washed out blue jeans.
"Brago… that's your name right? Nice to meet you. My name is Clear," the young mamodo said.
His expression was vacant; even the haughty smirk upon his thin lips was empty of any true emotions. His eyes were crisp like the skin of a tart green apple and were long, narrow, and completely empty of anything honest.
"Clear Note," he finished introducing.
Brago and Sherry wore identical masks of disbelief. It was nearly comical the way that sweat gushed from their hairlines and dribbled down their foreheads and cheeks. Despite the young man's initial appearance as that of a weak human, Brago and Sherry suspected this was just the outer level of his dangerousness. The appearance Clear had made his enemies lower their guard until they sensed the dark magical energy, but by then it probably was too late and this mamodo annihilated his enemies.
Brago tensed even more than usual and growled softly, "Sherry…"
"I know," Sherry answered, sensing Brago's concern for her, or rather, concern for his book and his place in the competition.
I knew he wasn't normal the second I saw him! Sherry thought in a slight panic, trying to calm her nerves. But… what is… this power…? This… aura?
It was inhuman, even for mamodo who weren't human at all.
"Cleaaaaar!" the girl cried out in a high-pitched voice.
Brago grit his teeth in frustration, obviously wanting to smack the annoying human in her face. Sherry couldn't blame him.
"We can handle thiiiiiiis! Let Gorm-" she began to whine, but apparently Clear found her annoying as well and cast a scary, dark look her way.
Quickly and fluidly, while Clear was glaring at the young banshee, er... human, Brago and Sherry prepared themselves.
" Sherry!" Brago roared to Sherry's surprise.
She assumed he would want to attack in a sneaky fashion, but then Sherry understood. He wanted Sherry to understand that using anything relatively low level would get the both of them killed, and Brago wasn't about to have any of that.
This guy… Sherry thought, her eyes sliding over Clear's face. Just looking at him, I know using weak spells would be pointless!
"Gigano Reis!" Sherry cried out, brandishing the glowing black spell book as if it were a sword in one hand and her staff in the other.
The blast of violet energy shot out of Brago's palm and propelled through the air directly at Clear Note. Clear, without changing from his somewhat bored, vacant expression, lazily flicked a finger upward and repelled the spell with ease. Sherry blanched, completely blindsided with shock.
He… repelled it with just his finger…! Sherry's thought stuttered in her mind.
Brago glared at Sherry, cursing her mentally for having a brain lapse because Clear simply used a finger to deflect a spell. She needed to be more attentive; he couldn't keep watching out for her every moment and especially against such a dangerous opponent!
"SHERRY!" Brago yelled, his raspy voice erupting from his mouth. "Jump forward and to the right!"
Sherry obeyed blindly, her body moving despite her brain not fully working yet. Brago hissed between his teeth, a slight glimmer of worry passing in his beady red eyes when Clear suddenly appeared behind Sherry.
"It's dangerous… for a lady to swing this thing around…" Clear said to her, his voice like silky honey with a dash of minty coolness.
Sherry flinched when Clear suddenly took her staff. His empty eyes bore down into hers, locking her in a frozen position of terror. Brago's feet slammed into the grassy ground, pushing himself forward. Clear turned slightly towards Brago at the sound of the dark mamodo's throaty yell.
Brago's fist punched towards Clear and he scoffed at the futile effort. To Brago, however, it was not futile because even if none of Brago's punches made contact with Clear's skin, they still distracted the gangly, humanoid mamodo from harming Sherry. Sherry, trapped in a state of disbelief, didn't realize that Brago was trying to buy her time to collect herself.
Brago's punches can send a bulldozer flying… But clear's handling them effortlessly…
She stayed in her stiff state until Brago snapped her out of it by snapping at her angrily.
"Sherry!" he snarled. "Collect yourself or go jump off of a cliff! The way you are right now is as useless to me as if you were dead! Get a hold of yourself or die!"
Sherry nodded and her face melted from traumatized to fierce. The spell book in her hand glowed with an increase in heart energy. She wouldn't let herself slip anymore than she already had! She'd already been a burden and she wouldn't be one for the rest of the battle! Too many times had Brago already had to bail her out of danger by calling her name! She called their Rioru Reis spell, but it was as effective as if she hadn't called the spell to begin with.
Brago's fists punched, his legs swung, his feet kicked, but it was all useless. Clear Note was swift, darting around Brago's attacks like the wind curving around a building; nothing could block it and nothing could hit it.
" Gigano Reis!" Sherry screamed, her throat scratching from the intensity of her yell.
Swirling energy of darkness carved a scoop into the ground like a spoon swipes at a fresh tub of ice cream. The ground was just as soft and thawed out compared to the hardness of Brago's spell. The blast of magic from Brago's palm sent Clear spinning through the air. Brago's face lit up with vindictive pleasure at seeing Clear's deceivingly frail looking body tossed into the air like a limp doll.
Got him! Brago thought, his lips curving into a cresent smile of fanged molars.
Sherry's eyes gleamed at the success she could practically taste in her mouth. Clear obviously had been lucky earlier, but now…
He won't be able to dodge while he's in midair!
Sherry inhaled deeply, filling her lungs and gathering an enormous amount of heart energy before calling, "Baberuga gravidon!"
Massive, crushing energy pushed downward upon Clear who had righted himself by that time. He lazily lifted one palm towards the sky as the spell crashed down.
A high-pitched voice wailed out, "Superflo!"
A type of magical energy from Clear's spell protected Clear in a circumfrance of space, allowing the rest of the ground surrounding him to be compressed into a massive canyon. Brago and Sherry looked on as their spell waned, fading away into useless nothingness.
Brago's lips were slightly parted in outrage and disbelief. Only the area around him… was unaffected by my spell? His spell… negated baberuga gravidon?
"That's right…" Clear said as if remembering something worth mentioning, brushing imaginary dust from his shirt. "Let me introduce you… this is my partner… Come on out, Vino."
Vino appeared like a car emerged from a fog, merely an infant in age. He was sitting in a bassonet cup with soft velvet cushions snuggling around him, he had light colored curls protruding from the cap of his micky-mouse eared hat, looking as if he'd just gone to Disney World and had the time fo his life. The baby in the cup-like chair was completely enveloped in a bubble of protective magical energy.
"Wh… what…?" Sherry gasped. "B… but he's only an infant! How can an infant possibly be a book master?"
"Outrageous…" Brago snarled, but not out of concern for the child's welfare of being in such a dangerous battle.
He was more concerned with the fact that such a helpless being could possibly be strong enough to be a book master to begin with.
"I don't want any harm to befall this child," Clear Note explained, seeing them eyeing the protective barrier as if devising how to destroy it (which they were doing). "Therefore, though it halves my power, I've created a barrier around him to protect him."
"Halves his power?" Sherry gasped. "He's that strong and he's only at half power?"
Brago cursed silently to himself, glaring at the book in the infant Vino's hands. How the hell could they burn Clear Note's spell book if it was entirely confined? Brago clenched his fist, his black claws slightly puncturing the skin on his palms. Blood warmed his fingers, but Brago made no move to attack just yet. He continued to glare at the infant, wondering how such a helpless, weak human child could be the book master of a mamodo with Clear Note's skill level.
Clear, as if reading Brago's thoughts, said, "He is very level-headed for his age. Of course, he has no strength to speak of yet… but his heart power is an incredible thing to behold…"
Vino, in his comically high-pitched voice, yelled out, "Radisu!"
A white bubble suddenly encased brago's right arm. It seemed to suck out all of his muscle tone and left the limb like a quivering stick stuck to Brago's shoulder. Brago's arm now resembled a chicken leg that had been devoured with only a few scrawny scraps of meat left on it compared to the beefy mass of muscles that it had previously been.
Brago snarled and panted, his right arm quivering as sweat fell down his grey-toned face. Sherry inhaled sharply and wanted to rush to him, but didn't think it would be wise to draw attention to the fact that she was immensely worried for his condition. Brago would chew her out later with his pointed teeth if she gave any indication to her being worried about him; he would view it as a sign of weakness on his part, earning her worry.
"As I thought…" Clear stated as blandly as if making an obvious observation that interested him little. "That spell can't erase your body… You're tough. You have a good body. But… it's over…"
Clear lifted his hand again in a trademark gesture, stretching it before him. The same spell continued, hitting Brago's left arm and right leg. Brago braced himself, taking the blast full on and roaring defiantely at Clear as the spell eroded Brago's muscles.
Sherry's eyes widened at Brago's condition, unable to grasp how he had gone from more than capable to so… so pathetic looking… He was breathing heavily, the furry material on his right pant leg having been disintrigrated to reveal the now scrappy limb beneath. It was almost comical how asymetrical Brago's body was.
Clear calmly walked towards Brago, the sunlight highlighting his puffy hair. Clear Note's hand was outstretched, the palm facing upwards as if in a gesture of compassion. The other hand was tucked behind him lazily, like Clear didn't even consider that using his other hand was necessary to win the battle.
Sherry watched him slowly approach, thoughts blurring together and rushing through her mind in a dull haze.
It hasn't even been 20 minutes since Clear began is assault! Brago can't even stand anymore…
Sherry stared at Brago's scrawny limbs for a moment before looking towards the debris and damage left behind from the battle. Where Clear's spells had hit the ground, the rocks and grass were nearly erased, leaving behind no spare pebbles. His spells acted like whiteout to pen, wiping out whatever it touched.
Clear's spell type is probably annhiliation… the areas he pointed to were disintigrated… I can't read the trajectory of his attacks at all!
Brago refused to give up, refused to admit defeat. If he was going to lose, then it was going to be because he was dead, not because he had given up!
"Sheeerrrrry!" he roared, crouching.
"Dioga…" Sherry said breathlessly, beginning to lose hope. "Gravidon…!"
Brago leapt into the air with one leg curled into him and one outstretched like the position of a crane. His right arm was extended outwards, pushing the palm forward like a gun pointed at a target. A sphere of magical energy with a pitch black center, black outline, and slicing slivers of energy around the massive sphere exploded into the ground where Clear had been. However, Clear leapt over the ginormous attack and made to swipe at Brago. Brago smirked with fanged teeth, feeling a jolt in his chest.
Just as I predicted! My greatest chance to hit him is the moment he comes to finish me off!
Brago held both arms forward and connected his wrists together. His hands curved backwards slightly like they were cupping an invisible ball.
" Diborudo Jii Gravidon!" Sherry cried, also feeling hope in her heart when Clear fell for their trap.
A sphere of transparent magical energy encasing 10 cannon-like orbs of pitch-blackness trapped Clear in the middle. The force of the spell bent his spine, reduced his arm to a squiggle, and twisted his body like a pliable play-doh figurine.
It's over! Sherry thought. This is Brago's ultimate attack spell!
Brago and Sherry had devised their plan by only glancing at each other. With their hearts connected so strongly, there was no way that Clear could escape this attack or counter it! Brago and Sherry's visions were torn between watching Clear's body curving in tortuous ways to watching the spell book in Vino's hands, waiting for it to burst into colored flames.
" Ba Supurifo!" Vino's voice sliced through the air, surprising Sherry and Brago.
Brago's spell shattered, the shards of the spell thrust outwards before disintigrating. Sherry and Brago flinched slightly, wearing equally dumbfounded looks.
Sherry's breathing became shallow and labored. Her mouth opened and closed multiple times, struggling to speak.
"No… no way…" she mumbled when she finally found her voice, though it was as quiet as a field mouse. "Our most powerful spell, the result of all our rigorous training… was shattered…"
Clear vanished for a split second before suddenly appearing before a shocked Brago. The normally vacant expression upon Clear's face slid away to reveal a smirk of arrogance.
"Heh… Too bad, Brago. Even at your strongest you're still too weak..." Clear Note nearly simpered.
The red of Brago's eyes vanished abruptled as rage colored his thought process. Clear didn't flinch and nor did his eyes widen when Brago launched himself at Clear Note. Brago's sharp, filed fangs clamped onto Clear Note's thin neck, though there was no blood. Not even Brago's teeth could leave a mark on Clear Note's skin.
"Impressive spirit…" Clear Note said, expression vacant and bored again. "Even now you haven't given up… But… it's futile…"
Clear put his hand in Brago's mouth to pry him from his neck, but even that didn't deter Brago. He just began to chomp on Clear's hand, gnashing his teeth on Clear's fingers and hand, one of Brago's hands gripping Clear's wrist. Clear sighed, extending his palm again.
Sherry recognized the gesture, blue eyes widening. She looked around wildely for her staff. She spotted it a few feet from her and she dug her heeled boots into the stiff earth. Dirt churned upwards from her heels as she sped towards the staff, reaching one of her delicate hands…
Vino's voice cried out, "Radisu!"
Destructive energy burst out of Clear's palm and would have evaporated Brago completely if Sherry hadn't acted fast. The emerald jewel connected to the thick, metal cord wrapped around Brago's torso. The jewel that was tethered to the staff by a cord yanked Brago back towards Sherry and out of the way of the spell.
Clear's expression emptied of any little emotion in it, but Sherry could see that a slight hint of frustration edged its way into Clear Note's eyes.
" Not yet, Brago!" Sherry said fiercely, now the one with the strength as Brago leaned into her, breathing heavily. "You can't lose yet! I swore to make you king!"
Brago nodded stiffly, irked that Sherry was giving him a pep talk. Brago's red eyes glared up at Clear, the puffy haired mamodo looking down at Brago with apparent disgust. The look in Clear's eyes as he looked downwards at Brago was colored with mild irritation, as if fighting Brago was a waste of Clear's own energy.
Brago snarled mentally and, by the expression on Brago's face, he was clearly not calling Clear Note a wonderful mamodo by any means. Brago's current mental word choice for Clear Note would make a seasoned sailor with twenty awards of foul language blush.
Looking down at me as if I were a worm… Brago thought, sucking in more air to catch his breath. You think I'll let you look down on me? You brat… You… think I'll let you… look down on me?
Brago clenched his sharp teeth tightly and his fists constricted so much that the veins popped out of his wrists. An outburst of light surged from Sherry and Brago's black spell. The gleaming writing reflected from Sherry's blue eyes as she quickly read the spell. A small smile wanted to tug at her lips, but now was not the time for jubilation.
It was the time for annihilation.
Sherry gripped the book tightly and threw one of Brago's arms across her shoulders to support him.
"Brago! Hold your hand out!" she ordered, disregarding the slight scowl he gave her because she ordered him around. "EAT THIS! Our new spell! Nyuuborutsu Ma Gravirei!"
Two black rings, one larger than the other, encircled Clear. The inner ring compressed and curled him into a tiny ball. The outer ring and inner ring worked together, an immensely strong field of gravity created around him to compress and crush all ensnared within it. Clear's puffy hair flattened against his skull from the pressure and he was struggling to release himself from the invisible force crushing him.
"I see, what an unthinkable counter attack… I can't erase it with my previous spell…" Clear scoffed, his eyes sliding to sideways glare at his book master. "Vino."
"Amu Du Supirifo!" Vino said immediately.
Clear managed with slight difficulty to outstretch his hands to his sides. Massive mirror images of hands appeared behind him. The fingers curved to contain the miniscule ball of black gravity at Clear's stomach that was creating the outer two rings of the gravitational field.
Brago and Sherry's eyes widened; Sherry heard Brago let out a hiss between his teeth in rage and the skin that was touching hers was inflamed with heat.
Clear landed nimbly back down to Vino, the grace of a dancer in his every step. He ran a hand through his copious amounts of weightless hair, making sure it was back to normal.
"Now, let's finish them off, Vino. Make sure they won't be able to run away. Cast a slightly strong spell."
Clear lifted his hand and the book resting before Vino glowed with heart energy. Brago and Sherry grit their teeth together, both of them thinking in overdrive on what more they could do. They couldn't try to waste Vino's heart energy since Clear Note said in the beginning that the infant had a surplus of it. They couldn't call many more spells like the one they had just called because Sherry's heart energy was dangerously low.
What now? Sherry snarled to herself.
Vino was about to call the spell when Clear's eyes drifted away from Sherry and Brago to his left. The sound of hurried footsteps caught his attention and he turned his palm to block a fist aimed for his face.
"A slightly strong spell?" Sorella said, voice decorated with an exhilerated laugh. "That's kinda arrogant, don't you think?"
Sorella leapt away from Clear and strategically positioned herself in front of Brago and Sherry. Her golden eyes did a quick sweep of the area, taking note of the damage, the random curly haired book master with the mamodo that didn't seem to be doing anything other than diddly squat, and then finally to Brago and Sherry's condition.
"Pffffft, what the hell happened to you?" she sneered at Brago.
"Do you want to die?" Brago spat, the reds vanishing into the whites of his eyes in his rage. "That's what will happen to you if you mock me!"
Sorella waved a hand at him. "Okay, but I'm not the one that looks like a scrappy adolescent… oh wait, that's what you are anyway! You look like you always do!"
Brago hissed and Sherry cut him off before he could snap at Sorella again.
"Sorella, be careful! This mamodo is dangerous! You can't possibly defeat him! Look what he did to-" Sherry's sentence trailed off at the dangerous look Brago gave her. "Look…at what Clear Note did to the landscape! He erased everything in his path!"
Sorella's golden eyes gleamed as she turned back to Clear Note who was observing her with mild indifference. If this mamodo had managed to nearly wipe out Brago, then he must be beyond tough! She could really test her skills against him!
"I might even come close to the sink of death!" she squealed happily.
"Brink of death, Sorella! Brink of death!" Sherry sighed, unable to keep from correcting Sorella and looking worried as well as annoyed. "And this isn't a fight you can win!"
Sorella ignored Sherry and put a hand on her shoulder, rotating it until it cracked before withdrawing her own white spell book.
Looking excited as white energy rippled away from her spell book, Sorella asked, "Then this will be a fun fight, won't it?"
Author's Note again: There it was! I hope you liked it! It took me fooooorever to transfer the dialogue to word format… phew, but it was worth it updating for you guys! Just in time for the holidays, too! I celebrate Christmas, but for those of you who celebrate something else, Happy Holidays!
These were some of the notes I took while writing this chapter so I could remember Brago and Sherry's expressions or actions. I giggled a lot when writing the chapter whenever I came across these descriptions… :D
Brago and Sherry (when clear note first arrives): WHAAAAAAAAAAA? O_O
Brago and Sherry (when clear note brushes off their spells): WA WA WAAAAA…O_O
(Brago om nom chomps Clear's neck)