CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
鏡、壁に鏡！方法1週間で男を失う…パート2
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall! How To Lose A Guy In One Week…Part 2
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Nick nervously tapped his pointer fingers together. "Eventually we've got to tell Lilo about us…"
Chopsuey folded his arms across his chest. "I dunno…" He mumbled.
The two of them were back in Nick's room and were trying to decide what to do about Lilo and Stitch. Nick believed that they should simply tell Lilo about his identity as a book owner, but Chopsuey wasn't too sure. He believed that he should only go to them when both were at their strongest…when both were equal.
But it wasn't just that. To be truthful, although Chopsuey had forgiven Stitch for usurping his position and for "taking Jumba away from him", he wasn't sure Stitch had forgiven him for HIS actions towards Stitch in the past. After all they'd had a very nasty fight…harsh words had been said. He'd almost KILLED Stitch, and Stitch had been forced to electrocute him, shutting Chopsuey down temporarily and therefore "proving his superiority".
Ironically it was only because of 621 that 626 hadn't been locked up. Jumba had been grabbed by the Galactic Federation and had been about to charge 626 up fully with power but before he'd been able to install all of it, troopers had busted in and taken Jumba off…
Their leader hadn't lasted long enough to tell the GFA of their capture, because 621 had almost eviscerated him, distracting the guards long enough for Jumba to set 626 free. So 626 and 621 had interlinked destinies, be they "ohana", enemies or "friendly rivals", as Nick hoped they could be someday.
But that wasn't what REALLY worried Chops. He was KIND of wondering what Stitch's ultimate goal as champion was, true, but he was MORE worried about Carmen and Jenny. He'd felt it…a sudden, strong desire to take the mirror piece. It had been from the deepest corners of their mind, he was sure of it. He didn't know how he knew…he just did…
"EVENTUALLY they'll figure it out. Lilo's a very clever girl!" Nick insisted. "Now, I'm not the kind of person who usually goes around telling people what they need to do, but-"
Chopsuey tilted his head to the side, thinking about previous statements Nick had made to others.
"Here's what you should do…"
"Here's the problem…"
"All you have to do is…"
"Look, I know you think we should tell Lilo…but you're wrong." Chopsuey said. "So wrong!"
"I am not." Nick said, crossing his arms.
"You're wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong…wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! You're wrooong! You're wroong! You're wrooooong!"
"I am NOT-" Nick began to say. Then as he rolled his eyes, he caught side of the calendar on the wall.
SFX: BOING!
His eyes widened. "AAA! I FORGOT! TODAY'S MONDAY! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE IN SCHOOOL!"
He screamed and ran out the door, grabbing his book and the mirror piece and stuffing them inside his backpack. Chopsuey slapped his face as Nick tore out of the house. "Behold…the mighty keeper of the "Garden Green" book…"
…
…
…
…Nick was running at top speed to school. He had no idea that today was not going to be a good day for him…or for Carmen and Jenny.
Yes, Carmen and Jenny. The two of them had decided to follow Nick wherever he went.
"Carmen…"
Jenny looked at Carmen. "I'm really…REALLY glad we're friends with them…I hope they can understand when…"
"What the?!"
Nick had entered the school to find it FILLED with pets. "What the heck is going on?!" He asked.
"It's Bring Your Pet To Work Day"!" Mr. White told him. He was holding onto a cute little blue creature that had little wings and stubby arms and legs. It only said "chow" over and over. "This is Blue. I named him that because he does this b—chin' dance to "I'm Blue, Ba-Ba-Dee-Ba-Bi-Da", you know that song?"
"Oh dear." Nick gaped when he saw people with horses, chameleons, cats, dogs and stuff in between. "They're EVERYWHERE!" He gasped.
"This is Stitch!" Lilo said, holding Stitch up. "He's an Ectoplasm Detection Dog!"
"Er…okay…" Nick mumbled as Stitch licked him in the face. "Aw, that tickles!" He then hugged Stitch tightly. "Show me the love, puppy!"
Stitch gasped. YIKES, the kid could bear-hug!
Jenny and Carmen, who were watching Nick's classroom from outside the window moaned together. "Great, Stitch is here!" Jenny moaned. "How are we supposed to get them to leave?"
Luckily something happened that forced them ALL to stop moving around. The PRINCIPAL walked in.
"…alright…if you're not part of this class…you have TEN SECONDS TO GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted.
"Uh oh." Jenny gulped.
KA-WHOOSH!
A stream of pets sailed out the first story window, trampling over Jenny and Carmen. After the dust had settled, the two had more animal tracks on them than you find in any wilderness guidebook.
"Madre con dios…" Carmen moaned out.
"Owwwww…" Jenny groaned.
Mr. White suddenly stiffened. He felt a chill go through him. Something…
Something was calling to him.
He WOULD answer it. He'd track it down…
…
…
…
… "All right…desperate times call for desperate measures."
Jenny and Carmen had snuck into the school and were outside the boy's bathroom.
"He'll be alone when he goes to the bathroom." Jenny told Carmen. "So let's do this quickly!"
They rushed inside, opened the door and…
Soon found out that he wasn't using the stall for once…and that he wasn't alone.
"GAAAAAWWWWWW!!!" She gasped.
"…oooh." Carmen said, mouth forming a perfect "o".
They were out of there faster than you could say "whiz kid".
…
…
…
…Nick was doing push-ups outside in the field for Gym class. Jenny had dressed herself up in a standard school uniform and was now hiding in a nearby bush. "All I have to do is wait…" She thought.
And there it was. He put down his backpack and headed to the fountain. Yelling a battle cry, Jenny rushed forward, and then dove for the backpack!
…and she slid thirty feet along the ground on her stomach as Lilo picked up the pack and brought it back to Nick. "You dropped this!"
"Oh, thanks!"
"…owwwww…" Jenny mumbled. She stood up, holding her sore forehead, which now was all red. "Icepack…where's my icepack?"
…
…
…
…from far away he stirred, awakening from slumber.
He knew it…that pulsing feeling. He'd heard it whispering to him, calling to him.
He would answer it. The grey-furred experiment stood up and stretched, yawning and showing off sharp canines. He grinned, and then raced through the woods, his taloned feet propelling him through the air as he fairly flew.
…
…
…
… all else had failed…
They would have to use FORCE.
Jenny and Carmen appeared to Chopsuey when he was back in the garden. He looked up in surprise. "Carmen? Jenny? Why are you here?"
"…please…convince Nick to give us the mirror piece." Jenny asked quietly, holding onto the book.
"Wh-what?!" Chopsuey blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I need it…it's important to both of us." She insisted. "Now PLEASE! Promise us you'll give us the mirror piece when Nick gets back!"
"…Carmen, what's going on? I can't just give you-wait…you're not…you're not involved with those people from before, are you?" Chops asked.
"…I didn't wanna do this, but…"
Jenny opened up her book, biting her lip as she read a new spell. "Bailador!"
Carmen snapped her fingers, and a bolt of pink light shot out from the tips of her small antennae, striking Chopsuey right in the chest. Carmen then proceeded to get jiggy with her bad self, dancing around.
"Shake it fast! Watch yourself! Shake it fast! Show me whatcha workin' with!" Carmen sang out.
"What…is…going…on!?" Chops gasped as he repeated Carmen's dance moves perfectly, the two dancing in sync.
"New spell." Jenny told him happily. "This way you do exactly as Carmen does…and what she does is dance! Now then…" Her eyes narrowed. "Are you going to tell Nick to give us the mirror piece or do we have to get violent?" She demanded.
"Carmen…why are you doing this? Aren't we friends?" Chopsuey asked.
And Carmen stopped dancing, the attack wearing off. "I…I…" She looked down at the ground in shame and covered her face.
"Carmen…if we don't do this…" Jenny bit her lip.
Carmen nodded slowly. "I'm…sorry…" She whispered.
"BACHATAAA!" Jenny yelled. Carmen's body bulged, and right before Chopsuey's eyes she rose up, towering in the air. Her muscles strengthened as she grew taller, fangs and claws developed, and her eyes glinted with a deadly light. She was now a hulking BEHEMOTH!
Carmen raised her hand, her body quivering with a mixture of sorry and anger, and then slammed it down on Chopsuey, and began to crush him.
"AAA! CARMEN! STOP! PLEEEAAASE!" Chops begged, his muscles burning.
"IADEO!"
Chopsuey sent a quick fist blast that knocked Carmen back a few steps, and Jenny turned to see Nick was there…panting heavily.
"I KNEW you were following me!" He cried out. "Jenny, Carmen, why are you doing this!? Why are you attacking Chopsuey!? We're your FRIENDS!"
Jenny sank to her knees and began to cry. "Because…because…I have always felt so alone…and then Carmen came to me…she was the big sister I never had…and she brought light into my world again. She became a part of my family, and my mother and father loved her as much as I did…
And the adventures we had with you and the others…they were so wonderful. Fighting for the sake of the world…being good guys…it was like something from a comic book! But then…then after seeing Gunner get sent back, Carmen and I began to think about Pleakley's partner…he was sent back too! And Page…poor Page was sent back as well…
I realized that I didn't really care about the fight! I wanted Carmen to stay with me forever! To continue being my big sister! I can't face the idea of being separated from her! I CAN'T!"
Carmen nodded. "I…don't want…my hermana taken from me…and then HE appeared…an experiment named Absolute…he said that if we found all of the pieces of the Trinity Mirror, then our wish could be granted…then we would be together forever!"
"So you want it to forgo this fight to decide the champion?" Nick asked.
"Si...we found one…" Carmen said, nodding. She pulled out something from her tutti-frutti hat and held it up. "See? So if we have the other one…"
"…why didn't you just SAY so?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.
Carmen blinked. "QUE?"
Jenny was surprised too. "But…it was your "treasure"…you fought off that OTHER guy for it!"
"But you're my FRIENDS…and you want to stay together!" Nick said. "I trust you guys…"
He reached into his backpack and brought it out. "So you know what? Let's go find "Absolute"…and make your wish come true!"
Carmen's body slowly shrunk back to normal…and then, sobbing with joy, Carmen and Jenny rushed forward, hugging their dear, dear friends tight.
…
…
…
…Carmen rubbed the back of her head. Jenny and Chopsuey were all sitting in Nick's living room while Nick was in the kitchen, making a snack for them. She was trying to work up the courage…
The courage to finally say what she had been wanting to say for so long.
She knew EXACTLY how it would go down.
"Chops…thank you for…for saving us. Now we can be together forever…and I hope that…that WE could be together forever too."
"Carmen…I love you."
It was gonna be so BEAUTIFUL, she thought. She took a deep breath, then stepped into the living room.
"Chops…thank you for-"
"Ta-daaaa!" Nick said, holding up a plate. "Soy sauce plus pudding equals "sea urchin" taste!" Nick laughed. "I got it from Dr. Rupert, it's one of his "world famous recipes"!"
"That was probably a lie." Chops mumbled.
"Well try it!" Nick said, holding the plate up and giving Chops a fork. Chops looked the squishy thing over, then took some on the fork and tasted it.
SFX: BOING!
"WOAH! This is goooood!" He complimented. "Gimme more!"
"Hey, I want some too!" Jenny insisted.
"Don't eat it all!" Nick said, snapping the plate away.
Carmen groaned. How was she going to get his attention NOW?
Then she thought back to an old medical show she'd seen.
"Hmm…these wounds look alright to me, but I'm going to keep checking on them."
"Thank you, doctor…you're so kind…"
Yes, THAT was it!
Quickly, Carmen ran into the bathroom, then came out with a Red Cross medical kit that Nick kept inside the closet. "Chops, let me help you. Choo still got lots of magulladuras on you from the fight we had!"
"Er…okay…" Chops said, blushing nervously.
She walked forward to try and help him, but accidentally tripped, and then…
KA-WHAM!
…
…
…
… "There you go. ALLL better." Jenny said as she put the last bandage around Carmen's sore head.
"….que maldito…"
Carmen had tripped, fallen, and had hit her head on the metallic box. Chopsuey and Nick had gone to buy an ice pack from the store.
"Chops…¿Cómo se supone que voy a decirle cómo me siento a este ritmo voy?" Carmen wondered out loud.
"You have to find a quiet place to tell him." Jenny recommended. "Somewhere private for only you and him!"
Carmen nodded, rubbing her sore head. "You sure, mi hermana?"
"Yeah." Jenny said. "That's how MY mom and dad did it!"
"We're back!"
They looked up to see Nick and Chops in the doorway. Jenny nodded. "Good to see you guys! Carmen has something she wants to say to you, Chops."
Chopsuey blinked. "Oh-oh?"
…
…
…
…it had grown late. The stars were twinkling in the sky as Carmen stood out in the backyard near a tree. Chopsuey stood behind her, looking a bit confused…and nervous.
"Er…Chopuey…I…I…" Carmen mumbled. "It always feels…like I…don't do enough. Back home…I felt weak…but when we fought against…those in the fanon line…when I fought alongside choo…I felt…strong…felt…happy…"
She bit her lip. "And I wanted to say that…that…"
Chops's eyes went wider and wider. It was like something from a Disney movie…any moment she would say-
Then Jenny stuck her head out and killed the romantic moment. "Carmen! He's calling! HE'S calling!"
Carmen gasped. But…but Chops…
"He says he'll be here in five minutes!" Jenny went on. "And he's bringing the piece!"
Five minutes?
In just five minutes, all of her wishes would come true…
But wait…she wanted to stay with Jenny forever, but she wanted to stay with Chopsuey as well…
But Chopsuey wanted to become the champion…he WANTED to go back to Jumba…
…what was she going to do NOW? Madre de dios!