After that conversation over the communicator they had with the other groups, Vanessa's group decided to make camp for the night. Now they seemed more relaxed, aside from Milo and Kristine who were both a bit exhausted from their training.
Guts let out a small yawn. "Nh... this has been a long day..."
"...and now it's over..." Nage groaned as she was lying on the ground and gazing up at the sky.
Jack simply looked up at the sky as well whilst sitting on his own.
Milo got up with a yawn, heading away from the group. "I'll be right back…"
"Alright; don't wander too far," Vanessa hummed.
"...later, then." Jack hummed with a slight nod to him.
Kristine just watched Milo walk away like that, and it was strange that no one questioned it. For a while, now, Milo had just wanted to be left alone…so maybe this would be the opportunity to talk to Milo.
So she got up and walked after Milo. "Me too…"
Vanessa watched her leave, and hummed. "…guess she's going to take that opportunity."
Striker looked at Vanessa wonderingly. "Opportunity for what?"
"...you'll see." Jack hummed.
Kristine ended up following Milo, until they were farther away from the group. "…where are you going?" she asked.
Milo turned around. "Nowhere in particular…just…well…wanted to be alone but you ended up following me…"
Kristine looked away with a grumble. "Sorry if I was just checking up on you…" she apologized with sarcasm.
Milo sighed. "…I didn't mean it like that…I just wanted to go somewhere to think, that's all."
"…oh…" Kristine muttered, looking around. "…you…never get surprised when someone follows you…and you always know when someone's around…why is that?"
"…the abilities I have," Milo said, looking away from her thoughtfully. "…I can see someone's spiritual energy…I tend to sense or see when someone is coming almost all the time."
"…that's convenient," Kristine hummed.
"…yeah…but just because I could see someone coming around, doesn't mean I could do anything about it if it ended up being an ambush," Milo mumbled. "…up until now, I wasn't a fighter…I just stood on the sidelines while everyone else did the fighting, and I was support…"
"…and to be honest…I hated it."
Kristine looked at Milo in astonishment. "You hated it? Why? I thought you'd be happy you didn't have to fight."
"…I had a lot of insecurities when I was smaller which I eventually grew out of when I got older…but it didn't change the fact that I felt useless compared to my friends," Milo muttered. "Ani has her telekinetic powers, Striker's gotten smart in robotics and he's still athletic, and even Jack…just look at him now…"
He sighed. "When all your friends can do that…and all you can do is just…see spirits."
"…sounds crummy," Kristine commented.
"…but now…I can actually do something…" Milo sighed with relief. "…and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get this technique down…it might even help Joy with Malice."
"…so all this for a little girl and an evil alter ego in her?" Kristine asked. "You guys are determined…"
"…that's because Joy didn't deserve any of this…" Milo muttered. "…Jill didn't deserve any of this…" Milo looked back at Kristine. "That little girl's been out there on her own running away in absolute fright at a force that can control her, and hurt her family and friends…she ran away from her mother, leaving her stuck in a security tight place where she can't escape, and her father's frantically trying to find her…"
"…when you put it that way…I guess I never realized that…" Kristine muttered. "…a little girl by herself and scared…" and she frowned. "…I don't like thinking about that."
"…that's been going on for a while now…for a few months actually…" Milo muttered.
Kristine gawked. "…you've really been looking for her for that long?"
Milo nodded.
"…I knew you guys told me about all this stuff…but geez…" Kristine rubbed her arm uneasily, while trying to really take that fact in.
"Still focused on training to beat Leoniels at the time, I take it?" Milo assumed.
Kristine pouted. "That's not the only thing I think about, okay?!"
"…seriously though; how come you're so determined to beat them?" Milo hummed. "So much that you want to learn their own technique just so you can?"
"Because they're a bunch of bossy assholes that run our town and I'm not gonna listen to them!" Kristine scoffed, folding her arms. "I'm not gonna put up with them just because everyone's scared of them and they think they can just take whatever they want. I got fired from a job because I tried to stop them, when my supervisor told me to let them do what they want. Chicken-shit he was…"
Milo sighed.
"What?" Kristine muttered, looking at Milo suspiciously.
"…well, you got spunk, I'll give you that," Milo said. "But I don't think you really comprehend how frightfully strong the Leoniels can be…"
"Oh not that again!" Kristine groaned. "Everyone's always talking about how scary they are, and how they could practically kill me with a flick of their finger, but I don't fucking care! That's no excuse!"
"It's true that they actually could kill you with a flick of a finger," Milo retorted. "But you're right. That's no excuse."
"Wait a minute!" Kristine got offended by that comment. "Are you saying that I can't…" and then she stopped for a minute. "…what did you say?"
Milo blinked. "…you're…right? That there's no excuse for them to act the way they do?"
"…wait…so…you're agreeing with me?" Kristine hummed.
"It's the same with the Corrupted; they have powers that can do so many different things, and so they act as though they can do what they want, since their powers can rip us apart from the inside out," Milo said. "But we all know that we're not gonna let that stop us from fighting them. We can't let them win, and even then, the powers don't make them superior. Corruption sometimes actually backfires on them. So it doesn't make them better than us."
Kristine just blinked at Milo. "…I still don't understand the Corruption thing…but…they're really just like the Leoniels…?"
Milo rolled his eyes with a groan. "Oh, you have no idea…"
Kristine was silent…
…and then she started laughing.
"…what's so funny?" Milo muttered.
"You guys already know what it's like to deal with a bunch of tyrants!" Kristine laughed. "I thought that I was totally alone on that…"
Milo just raised his eyebrow at Kristine, not entirely understanding her. Then Kristine took his hands. "In that case, I'm gonna help you fight those Corrupted then! Not just the Leoniels!"
"…what?" Milo was baffled on that, as well as the fact Kristine had grabbed his hands.
"Guys like those really piss me off, and it's gonna be my goal in life to make sure they get what's coming to them!" Kristine said. "It's not fair the nice guy finishes last; I'm gonna make a name of myself to help any people being oppressed by a bunch of tyrants like that!"
Then she jabbed a thumb to herself. "And that's my motivation to learn the technique!"
Milo was silent…then he just smiled with a hum, closing his eyes. "…I gotta admit…that's pretty admirable to want to do that…"
"I know, right?!" Kristine laughed. "Finally! Jack's right! You really are understanding!"
Milo actually blushed when Kristine said that, and turned his head away so she wouldn't notice it. Kristine did see him turn his head at least, and she blinked. "What's wrong?"
"…it's nothing…" Milo muttered uneasily.
Kristine just blinked again, staring at him.
…then she remembered something she probably should ask him. "…hey Milo…what was your issue before, when we were arguing? Was it because I did something while we were drunk that I don't remember?"
Milo actually looked back at Kristine in amazement for that. "…why do you ask…?"
"I was talking to Vanessa and Jack and they suggested that instead of getting angry, I should just ask you why you were angry with me, and nothing else seemed to happen until we got drunk, so…" Kristine was finished, and she looked at Milo, awaiting an answer.
Frankly, Milo was honestly shocked that Kristine had realized what might've happened, and maybe even a little relieved that instead of getting angry with him, she was asking him what was wrong in a practical manner. The problem was, that he was much too embarrassed to tell her what happened, since he still remembered some of it and had no idea how she would react if he told her.
"… you'd…have to remember we were drunk…" Milo started off uneasily, rubbing his arms. "…and…I had no idea what I was doing…but…"
"…where are you going with this…?" Kristine muttered suspiciously.
Milo was getting very uncomfortable at this point, actually worrying what Kristine would think. Then he wondered why the hell he was so concerned about this; he just needed to tell her and get it over with. "…I remember us arguing and punching each other, but we had no idea what we were doing…we were so wasted…and…"
"…I…started kissing you, and we started touching each other and…" he sighed. "…that's…all I remember…"
"…what…?"
Kristine's response was very quiet. Milo looked at her, and naturally, he figured she'd be shocked by it. Something he noticed considerably though was that her spirit calmed tremendously from its usual activity, and he wondered if that was a bad thing or a good thing.
"…we did…what…?" Kristine repeated.
"…I know…" Milo muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "…and…even right now…I guess I'm not sure why I got so angry about it…I think it's because I thought you remembered and you just didn't care, or you were…y'know…"
"…oblivious…" Kristine assumed in understanding. "…I get it…you called me oblivious because I wasn't thinking about how you felt…"
Milo nodded, and looked away. "…yeah…that's why…but…I'm sorry I called you that anyway…it wasn't nice."
Kristine looked at the ground at that, feeling her heart flutter. This was new to her, and now that Milo finally told her, she actually started remembering bits and pieces from that night.
"…you just admitted that you liked me, you know that?"
Milo actually jumped at that and spun around, gawking at Kristine with a heavy blush. Kristine smirked at that then. "Yeah, it's pretty obvious now…I really don't know why I didn't see it before."
Milo looked away begrudgingly, but Kristine came up and put a hand on his shoulder, making him look back at her. "…I'm just sorry about the argument in general," Kristine admitted. "So let's try not to do that, right?"
"…r-right…" Milo answered.
Kristine nodded with a smile…and then she turned around to walk away.
"…wh…where are you going…?" Milo uttered, shocked.
Kristine stopped and looked at him wonderingly. "…I thought you said you wanted to be alone."
"…oh…yeah, that's right," Milo muttered sheepishly, and with that, Kristine was gone, leaving him be.
This left him to reflect on the reaction she had that he didn't suspect; he even swore that he sensed something…new in Kristine. That moment he told her sorry, he felt something from her…something amazing…
…but…he wondered she was even going to come around to it sooner or later. It seemed to him that Kristine was just interested in wanting to resolve their fight from earlier, rather than develop any feelings for him, but Milo knew what he felt for sure, and felt uneasy if Kristine might decide to reject him …especially since Kristine had figured out that he liked her.
He sighed worriedly, covering his face with a hand.
...well, well. About time you opened up like that.
Milo's hand slipped from his face with a scowl. …you're not gonna really leave me alone, are you?
Not a chance. Johnny chuckled. You're basically my new target, since Jack's pretty much off-bounds unless there's an emergency.
Milo sighed at that.
Hey, you don't have to be like that. I'm just pointing out that you've come a long way from how you've been doing regarding Kristine.
…I know, I know… Milo murmured.
...so, what are you planning on doing now?
That's what I've been thinking about... Milo hummed.
...maybe do some spiritual training on your own?
…you know…that's probably not a bad idea, Milo hummed again.
...whoa, really? Here I thought you were gonna blow that suggestion off...
Yeah, and not only that, but I had an idea on how to go about it, Milo thought. ...after all, I haven't done any astral projection in a while...
...clever. So, what do you think you'll do with this astral projection session?
...I want to see if I can fight with just my spirit alone... Milo answered; and YOU'RE gonna help me.
Ah, right. Brief silence. ...wait... why?
Because you're still able to fight, despite only being a ghost.
...right... but here's a different question; why would you want me to train you? I mean... haven't I bugged you to the extent where that wouldn't be a thought?
Not necessarily... Milo thought. ...you heard Vanessa; you're talented in that area. You're probably not the teaching type, but still.
...well, how do you expect me to teach you? Beat the snot outta your soul?
Milo sighed, knowing he was going to regret his answer.
...yeah.
...wait... you're serious?
...yep.
...huh. I never thought you'd be serious about this... Strangely enough, he seemed... hesitant. ...well... we could give it a shot, I guess. But remember; you asked for it.
Milo knew he was asking for trouble, but then he wouldn't know just how much potential he had until he tested just his own spirit. He even pulled out the Bear Talisman and looked at it wonderingly.
...well... on your own time. Tell me when you're ready.
Right... Milo responded, turning to walk back in the direction that his group was.
...and... just make sure that you're ready, alright?
Yeah...
Milo found his group, and they had all set up camp already, sitting around a fire.
"Oh, Milo, you're back!" Striker exclaimed.
"Welcome back, Milo!" Jack called with a wave and a wide smile.
"You're doing okay, right?" Ani asked.
"Yeah...I'm alright," Milo assured, coming around and sitting with his friends at the campfire.
"So, what have you been up to?" Nage inquired.
"I've been thinking about how I'd go about my spiritual training," Milo said. "…I think I'm gonna try astral projection with it."
"Not a bad idea," Vanessa agreed. "…then again, I wouldn't know what kind of effect astral projection would have if you tried to train. It is basically using your very spiritual energy of your soul as you are outside of your body…"
"...well, I'm sure that Milo has an idea in mind for this training." Jack noted with a smile.
"Yeah, I do," Milo answered. "For now, though, I think we should relax for a moment."
"Right; what he said!" Ani agreed.
"Yeah; relaxing would really be good right about now." Guts noted with a light sigh.
Snap, who had rarely any interaction with the group most of the time, looked around at them. Since it wasn't necessary for him to do the surveillance around the area, because Vanessa was much more alert than him, he proceeded to sit.
"…so…um, what's the story with him?" Kristine hummed, pointing at Snap.
"Oh, Snap? I made him!" Striker announced with a proud smile.
"Yep!" Jack nodded with a wide smile. "Striker finished him two years ago!"
"Yeah! I took on to doing robotic stuff from the Professor!" Striker said. "That's not really his strong suit, but after battling Eggman, he figured out how some robots worked, and even figured out some stuff of his own. I'm the one that really dug into that research based on the files he had from Eggman's data and blueprints and stuff!"
"…wow…hearing you guys talk about that is strange…it's still really just like a fairy tale or a legend to me…" Kristine muttered.
"Not to us, nope!" Ani laughed. "We were practically raised on those stories! The boys more than me anyway…but when you talk to someone who's been through those experiences, you get used to believing them!"
"…Oh, I wasn't saying I didn't believe them," Kristine muttered. Then she smiled. "In fact, they're my inspiration!"
"Really now?" Vanessa hummed.
"You're inspired by the stories we were told?" Jack uttered with a tilted head.
"Yeah! They made me want to be…well, you know…" Kristine chuckled a little sheepishly when she looked at Milo.
Milo couldn't help but chuckle as well. "…they made you want to be the one to help the innocent and weak from people that'd take advantage of them, huh?"
Kristine nodded.
"Well, that's a really nice goal to aspire to!" Nage chimed in with a small smile.
"…and I wish I could get the bastard who offed Sonic the Hedgehog!" Kristine huffed, pounding her fist in her palm. "Sad that no one ever really solved that!"
Everyone stared at each other silently.
"…oh…if you guys are close to the Professor…then it's probably a touchy subject huh?" Kristine muttered in sudden realization.
"…well…it isn't just that," Snap replied. "We actually know who did it."
Kristine gawked at him. "WHAT?!" She jumped to her feet. "Then tell me! Tell me, who was it that killed him!"
"...uh... actually..." Jack remarked, as he rubbed his neck. "...he's... kinda been killed already. Like... twice, at least."
"…what…?" Kristine blinked at that.
"…basically…it was Deity Novagod…"
Kristine froze with a stare at Milo, as he looked at her solemnly. "…Patricia's uncle was the cause of this whole thing…and he was the one that killed Sonic the Hedgehog…"
When Kristine didn't respond, Milo continued. "He was the one who created Corruption in the first place, and he was a very powerful wielder of it. This whole problem has actually gone a couple generations…all up to Jill and then Joy…in fact…Joy was the one that really stopped him for good."
"...geez..." Guts uttered with wide eyes.
"…so…in the end…even Sonic had to die too…?"
Everyone looked at Kristine while she sunk back down in her seat, a look of slight hopelessness appearing on her face and dragging her down. "…and not only that…but it was Corruption that killed him…?"
"…we found this out seven years ago…" Striker threw in while he looked away. "…all while we were still kinda fighting Metal Sonic, though at this time, he wasn't really doing anything for world domination…he was just trying to find out information he might've needed for something; don't remember what…"
"…but we were there…" Ani added. "…Me, Striker, Jack, Milo, and…Brick…we were at that Gaia Temple when we were told the secret of Sonic's murder…"
Jack simply looked down at the ground. "...told to us by Light Gaia, no less..."
Kristine was silent, looking at the ground.
"…Deity was eliminating anyone who could oppose him…" Milo said. "…but…guess that stopped with all of us, and Jill and Joy and Metal Sonic…"
"…but this is still going on…" Ani huffed, getting frustrated and sad. "…this time, it's just his stupid niece! She decided that she was gonna follow in his footsteps!"
"...right..." Guts murmured, as he glanced at the ground as well.
"…you guys…really have been through a lot, haven't you?" Kristine asked, looking up at them.
Milo nodded. "…yeah…"
"…our lives were so different back then compared to now…" Ani sighed.
"...things weren't nearly as chaotic..." Jack mused.
"…at least until up to the final showdown where Jill and Metal went super anyway…" Striker added.
Kristine looked back down at the ground again.
Nage glanced at Kristine. "...a lot to take in, right?" she assumed.
"Yeah," Kristine answered.
"...I'll admit, it's kinda hard to believe, yeah..." Jack remarked, as he rubbed his neck.
"…but you guys are doing the same thing Sonic and his friends are doing…" Kristine said, looking up at them. "…you might just be doing this to help a little girl…but in reality, you're contributing to trying to save a lot of innocent people…"
Everyone looked at each other when Kristine said that.
...well, what do you know; she has a point. Milo heard in his head, as the others remained silent.
"…you know that if people know what you guys are doing, you'd be known all over, right? You'd all be heroes just like Sonic and his friends, right?" Kristine said. "So…why…just why haven't you guys told the public about all of what you did, and are doing?"
"…because we promised Jill…" Milo answered. "…heck, even GUN kept a lot of this stuff confidential. Jill didn't think she could handle the publicity…"
"...and given that this has been going on for the past seven years..." Jack murmured. "...it'd be even tougher to bring it up now, of all times..."
"…so…you're doing all these things…but you really don't want to get noticed…" Kristine muttered.
"...that's about right." Jack nodded.
"…that's…kinda weird…" Kristine uttered.
"...you think so?" Jack blinked.
"Yeah, I mean…anyone I've known has always wanted to help people just so they get noticed and famous and whatnot…" Kristine said. "…but then they end up getting greedy and selfish, and become the exact same kind of guys that need to be stopped from hurting people…"
She smiled. "…but…you guys aren't like that at all…you really, genuinely wanna help others."
Striker laughed. "Well, what was your first clue?"
"I can think of a couple of clues, actually." Guts noted with a slight laugh.
That ended up getting a few laughs out of the group.
...good that you're keeping spirits high. Johnny mused to Milo.
…it's the only thing we can do right now, Milo responded.
...hey, that's a good thing. It relieves tension... and you're gonna need it, kid.
Milo became silent at that, while everyone else finished laughing it up.
"Hoo..." Jack sighed, as he rubbed his neck. "...man... what time is it, anyway...?"
"Precisely 9:25," Snap answered.
"We got some time to ourselves!" Ani laughed. "No need to go to bed yet!"
"How about some stories then?" Vanessa suggested.
"Yeah!" Jack cheered.
"Anyone got some good stories to tell?" Nage called.
"Oh…I got some fun ones to tell…" Ani snickered. "Working at a bar, I see lotsa things at Safe Haven…some of which are absolutely hilarious!"
"Oh boy." Guts hummed with a small chuckle. "Which year is this gonna be from, Ani?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Ani laughed.
"Hoo boy..." Guts laughed.
"Alright; tell it, Ani!" Nage called.
After a whole evening of telling stories all around, making each other laugh, the time finally came to rest. Everyone laid their heads down and went fast asleep, including Milo…
…though he waited a bit until everyone was asleep before he pulled out his charms to wear. He also glanced at the Bear Talisman, wondering if it might have any use for him for this. Either way, he meditated for a moment, before he finally fell asleep himself…
…and he was looking down on the group, including himself in a matter of minutes.
In that instant, though, Milo was suddenly punched straight in the gut.
"UGH!" Hurriedly, Milo backed away quickly, holding his gut in pain. …guess I should've seen this coming, he thought in agony, as he quickly flew away.
Swiftly, however, someone flew in front of him, and swung a kick at him.
"You should try and fight back, you know; I told you that you'd need to keep your spirits high!"
Milo growled in his pain, and threw a punch forward.
And the punch was grabbed in an insanely strong grip. "...so, what's the plan now?" Johnny hummed, as he simply looked at Milo in indifference.
"…uhm…" And Milo was at a loss right now.
"...wrong answer." And Johnny proceeded to head-butt Milo.
"Agh!" Milo yelped in pain at that, holding his head.
While he was distracted like that, Johnny simply kicked him. Milo finally dodged that kick, and threw one back.
"Hah!" Swiftly, Johnny grabbed the incoming kick. "You're learning!" And he tossed Milo ahead.
Milo stopped himself in the air and lunged at Johnny with a punch.
Johnny took that to the face and briefly staggered; though he shot a hand forward to grab Milo by the head, before hurling him down towards the ground. Milo hit the ground hard. Without waiting, Johnny flew down towards him and aimed a powerful punch at Milo. Milo rolled over quickly getting back up, and he threw his hand again to either slap or punch him; whichever one would hit him away. Johnny caught both of Milo's wrists, however, and swiftly threw a kick at Milo while he was caught like this.
"UGH!" Milo grunted in pain.
"C'mon; you're not getting anywhere if you're not retaliating!" Johnny growled in impatience.
…Milo then suddenly snarled, and lunged at Johnny with a vicious punch. The punch struck Johnny dead-on, and with a groan, he stumbled back, whilst glaring at Milo. Milo kept coming at him with punches, getting angrier and angrier. That actually began forcing Johnny somewhat on the defensive; his eyes narrowing as he blocked each punch Milo was throwing at him. "...so what's eating ya?"
"The fact that they're getting stronger and we're getting nowhere!" Milo yelled, continuing his onslaught.
"Weren't you one of those that wanted everyone to not worry about that?!" Johnny called back whilst remaining on the defensive.
"Yeah, I didn't want anyone to worry, but the more I thought about it, the more I can't figure out a solution!" Milo screamed. "I want to help Joy against Malice, and I want to be able to stop the Corrupted, but things are getting worse!"
"So now you're freaking out about it at the worst time possible!" Johnny growled as he kept deflecting his blows.
"Think of it as trying to work my anger out!" Milo said, throwing a kick this time.
"And that's gonna cost ya!" In that instant, Johnny moved past the kick, and threw a fierce punch straight at Milo's gut. It was a hard enough hit to actually cripple Milo for the moment, heaving over.
"...you could've avoided that if you'd just focus." Johnny growled. "But you can't, because you're so pissed right now..."
Milo just growled at him. And Johnny, in turn, merely glared back at him.
Milo roared then, and threw his hands. He didn't expect actual spiritual energy to shoot out from his palms, heading for Johnny. Johnny's eyes widened momentarily, and as the energy blasted against him, he rocketed straight into the woods.
Milo froze, then, and gawked at his hands, open mouthed. He had only been able to do that through dreams…not just with his spirit out here. Perhaps this whole spiritual training was actually helping him make some progress.
Then he wobbled a bit, feeling dizzy from that.
The instant he wobbled, though, a tremendous surge of energy rocketed out from the woods, and there, Johnny stood; eyes narrowed as he grit his teeth in trying to keep his boiling anger in check. Milo actually shuddered when he saw this, and then positioned in a ready stance in case he would come at him.
Then, with a thundering roar, Johnny rocketed towards Milo; throwing a punch even stronger than any one before it. Even if Milo tried to prepare for it, he still wasn't prepared. This shot Milo even farther than Johnny had been hit away. And, without even skipping a beat, Johnny shot directly after him with a fire blazing in his eyes.
Seeing him that angry, Milo tried to stop him with a few more shots of his spiritual energy. Now though, Johnny just smacked aside the shots as he snarled; glaring straight at Milo in contempt. Milo felt like panicking, seeing how fast that Johnny was heading toward him without any of his attacks knocking him away successfully, and he turned to fly away…
…only to find dizziness hit him again from the attacks.
Then, with a massive outcry, Johnny slammed his fist directly against Milo's back, with a thundering force behind it that sent Milo rocketing far ahead.
"AAAAAAAAGH!" That hit really hurt Milo, and it also sent him rocketing so fast he didn't have any time to react to the next thing.
Heading for a random stone wall.
Thankfully, he was just a spirit, and he actually phased through the wall, plopping down onto the ground roughly. And right after him, Johnny slammed onto the ground; glaring daggers at Milo.
Slowly, Milo got back up, heaving and catching his breath from that hit, and holding his back in agony. This was rougher than he anticipated.
Then he jolted and looked up at the building before him.
It was a magnificent temple…but it wasn't just any old temple. He recognized this temple from a photograph that Professor Tails had shown him and the other boys when he was telling his stories. It was a Gaia Temple.
…really? Had they been so close to a Gaia Temple without them knowing? This was so surprising for Milo that he literally forgot Johnny was standing right in front of him in his fury.
"Hey! Don't turn your back on me, you..." At that point, Johnny glanced behind Milo... and his eyes widened. "...well, goddamn." he uttered.
"…yeah…" Milo muttered with a gulp.
"...had no idea we were this close to that temple..." Johnny murmured.
Milo looked back at the wall he phased through, seeing that it was a large wall that stood around the temple itself. Then he looked back at the temple itself.
…suddenly, Milo froze.
He saw someone standing there at the entrance to the Gaia Temple. The figure was too far away to distinct clearly who it was, but there were some features about him that Milo recognized, and considering when he sensed his spirit…
His eyes widened.
"...what's wrong?" Johnny uttered.
Then that someone turned around and entered the temple.
"W-wait!" Milo yelped, shooting for the entrance to the temple.
"Ah- Milo!" With an annoyed hiss, Johnny pursued Milo with a narrowed gaze.
Milo shot into the temple fast enough to witness the someone disappear within one of the walls on the far end of the temple, in a strange stone mural.
"Wait!" Milo yelped, though it was too late at this point when he stopped in front of the mural.
Johnny wasn't too far behind; making sure to run up to Milo before he'd do something that they'd all regret. "...geez... what's the deal, Milo?"
"…I…I thought I…" Milo was stuttering.
"...you thought what?" Johnny huffed.
"…I thought I saw Brick."
"...excuse me?" Johnny looked at Milo with a tilted head.
Milo looked back at him. "I thought I saw Brick…and he phased through this mural…"
Slowly, Milo looked back at the mural…and even reached to it. Johnny glanced at him with a narrowed gaze. "...hey, don't do something stupid." he uttered.
Milo stopped and looked at him.
"...you don't know what this thing can do." Johnny uttered. "If something happened to ya..."
"…em…you're probably right…" Milo spoke, pulling away from the mural cautiously.
"...good..." With a nod, Johnny rubbed his hands. "...now... we'd better get out of here if we want to keep training... I bet if you're really curious, we could come investigate with the rest in the morning. Right now, though, we'd better not do anything rash..."
"Right," Milo said with a nod, turning to follow Johnny…
…and then he noticed something glowing behind him. "…hm…?"
"...huh?" Johnny glanced behind him as well.
As it turned out, the mural was glowing, with a green light that pulsated throughout it.
"…uh…" Milo had no idea what to make of that.
"...ah, shit..." Groaning, Johnny looked from the mural to Milo. "...kid... we gotta get outta here..."
Milo looked nervous, and ready to go, "Uh, y-yeah-"
And then the mural blasted out a tremendous power, which knocked Johnny far. "GAH!" Crying out in actual pain, Johnny slammed to a brutal halt outside of the temple. "...shit...!" Growling, Johnny glared at the temple, before he swiftly got up on his feet and just charged for it. A barrier suddenly stopped him from getting into the temple, and when he started pounding on it, he suddenly realized something.
Milo was still in there.
Snarling, Johnny began relentlessly hammering his fists against the barrier. "Goddamn temple... you let him go! Youbetter let him go right the fuck now!" he roared, as he kept pounding his fists against it. "Goddamn it! MILO!"
The temple didn't listen. Instead, a bright green light started to shine from within the temple, shooting rays through the windows as the light intensified.
Still, Johnny persisted in hammering against the barrier. "Goddamn it all!"
Then when the light was at its brightest…
…the light died down within the Gaia Temple suddenly. The barrier disappeared, and all seemed to be at a calm…
…and before Johnny went rushing in, something came stumbling out from inside the temple.
…it was a figure, glowing in green.
Johnny blinked. "...the hell...?"
The thing was, this green, glowing figure…looked exactly like Milo. It didn't seem very aware of it's surroundings; it was just weakly ambling out of the temple…
…and it eventually collapsed to the ground.
"...ah, shit!" Quickly, Johnny ran up to the figure and grabbed it; eyes narrowed in worry. "Hey, is that you, kid? What happened?!"
"…Johnny…?"
It was Milo's voice alright, but it sounded more…otherworldly.
"...goddamn..." Johnny just shook his head. "...what happened in there? And... what's all this?" He lifted one of Milo's arms. "It looks like... like..."
And his eyes slowly widened in realization. "...no fucking way..."
Milo slowly got back up to look at himself, which Johnny noticed he had nothing but glowing white eyes…and Milo was silent.
"...shit..." Johnny uttered, before he got up to look back at the temple. "...alright... Goddess! Cainfield! If any of you are in there, tell us what the hell just happened!"
Milo just kept looking at himself, presumably in disbelief…
…soon, he produced a glowing ball of bright green energy above his palm…and grew even more amazed.
Johnny looked back at that. "...goddamn... that really is what I thought it was..."
Milo looked at Johnny for that…and then the ball of energy dispersed.
Then Milo suddenly took off into the woods. "Ah- goddamn it, WAIT!" Johnny called, before groaning. "Goddamn it all... could someone just explain to me what the fuck just happened?!"
"…just follow him, moron…" spoke a voice behind Johnny.
His eyes narrowed. "...moron?!" He spun around. "You're one to talk!"
Johnny ended up looking at another spirit. He folded his arms. "How so?"
"Well, come on! I'm talking to a literal bullhead; I think that goes to show who the bigger moron is!" Johnny yelled.
It turned out to be Brick, who just glared at Johnny. "…whatever…it's what you suspected anyway. Yes, we gave him the ability to use that power."
"Well, ain't that just peachy!" Johnny growled. "How about you just tell us in advance?! You scared the unlife outta me!"
"Oh, c'mon, you can take it," Brick scoffed. "Seriously, were you that scared for him?"
"I...!" As he realized what he had just said, he quickly glanced to the side with a hiss. "...don't get any funny ideas, Cainfield; I was just worried about taking any shit from the group if he had gotten hurt, is all..."
Brick just chuckled as he turned to walk away. "Sure thing, Leoniel…sure thing…"
With a huff, Johnny turned to look back at Brick. "...so what the hell have you been doing, anyway?"
Brick stopped and looked back at him. "We've been busy."
"Oh, busy, huh?" Johnny scoffed. "Would it kill you over again to give us a status update, if you've been so busy that you couldn't help us out before now?"
"Well, let's see…" Brick tapped his chin. "Chip heard that little complaint you made about 'not trying to do anything' so he was doing some thinking…and what just happened was the result of that."
"...oh." Johnny blinked. "...you're... telling me he actually considered something I said? Geez, pinch me; I must be dreaming."
Brick actually chuckled at that. "Yeah, tell me about it."
"...okay, okay, so..." Nodding, Johnny rubbed his neck. "...so, that mural exploded into light.. and now Milo can just spontaneously use it." He folded his arms. "Is this a one-off thing? Like, 'only he's bright enough to use it', that kinda crap?"
"…that's honestly something we've been trying to figure out for ourselves…" Brick muttered. "…yeah, we've been having a tough time finding other candidates, and so far, Milo's been the most ideal…but we're still trying to see if we can't have others use the same power…"
"…thing is, not many others go to a Gaia Temple these days…and…well, apparently there are so many complicated things about it I don't get," Brick grumbled.
Johnny hummed, as he rubbed his chin a bit.
"...so apparently, from what you're saying, I could have everyone in the group head over here, make sure that the giant lightshow engulfs them, and they can use it too?" he inquired.
"…eh…well…" Brick looked away uneasily. "I don't think it would work like that…"
"...why not?" Johnny noted. "Isn't it kinda unfair that you can only teach away that power to one single person, while the Corrupted can do the same with ten thousand times the efficiency?"
"…look, I'm not sure if I remember who said this, but I remember somebody saying that 'it's much easier to be bad than good' or something like that…" Brick looked at Johnny. "It's just so much easier to Corrupt people than it is to teach them Purity, and granted, most of these guys are better suited to use Purity but…"
He sighed. "…Goddess keeps saying that it won't work…and goddamn it is that woman hard to talk to."
"...tell me about it." Johnny grunted with a light huff. "...actually... you know what? Fuck it. I'll be right back!" And suddenly, he shot off.
Brick just watched him fly off, and he sighed again.
Meanwhile, Milo had finally gotten back to his body, and one of the first things he noticed with a startle is his charms; they were all broken. Every charm was split in half…all except the Bear Talisman, that is; that stayed intact for some reason. Either way, Milo was able to sink into his body…
…and all of a sudden, Milo jolted awake with a gasp. Thankfully, this didn't wake up everyone, but he got right up to his feet, just staring at his charms and them himself.
…is it really true...? He thought.
Suddenly, Jack's body jolted up, wide awake... and he immediately looked towards Milo.
Milo jumped at that, since that just sort of happened, but then he realized who had the body, and he blinked. "…what are you doing…?"
He simply made a motion to where the temple was, before he began heading over there.
Milo's eyes widened at that. …Johnny…what are you…? To make sure he was as quiet as he possibly could, he snuck past the sleeping group to follow him…
…though to be honest, only one popped their eye open to glance over to see them run off. She sighed, getting up from where she was sleeping.
"…don't run too far off boys…" Vanessa sighed, figuring she'd stay awake to make sure they'd come back.
It didn't take too long for Johnny to finally stop by the temple; glaring straight ahead. "...alright, Cainfield... here goes nothing!" And he began running into the temple.
Milo finally saw what he was about to do, and he gasped. "Johnny, wait!"
Course, Milo didn't have to do anything, because a power knocked Johnny back out of the temple.
"GAH!" As he landed on the ground, he shook his head, before glaring at the temple. "...now what?"
There, standing in his way, was Goddess. Though she had the cloak on, she was in her Holy Form with her large, feathered wings, holding her staff threateningly against Johnny.
Milo quickly ran up to her. "Goddess, why?! He just wanted to see if Jack could use the same power!"
"...Milo." Johnny suddenly growled. "You're not gonna reason with her... her mind's made up." he growled, as he slowly got on his feet, "...unfortunately for her... so is mine."
"He's already been Corrupted once, and as worthy as he would seem to be able to use Purity, he won't be able to," Goddess said.
"Yeah? Well, you were gobbled up by both Deity and me in the past, and you look like you're in great shape still!" Johnny scoffed. "Now get outta my way!"
"I'm not about to let you just thrust everyone you know into the Temples!" Goddess snapped back at him. "Enough of them are getting destroyed by the Corrupted!"
"...what?" Milo was stopped at that. "What do you mean they're getting destroyed by the Corrupted?!"
Johnny merely narrowed his eyes.
"…Patricia and Bulk have figured out that the only places the Corrupted haven't been able to go to, are the Gaia Temples…" Goddess explained. "…anytime innocent people have felt to shelter themselves into the temples, the Corrupted have been restricted…and so…they…"
"…but Chip's power is much stronger; how could they destroy the temples?!" Milo wondered.
"…it's not…how powerful he is…it's how limited he is to do anything in this world," Goddess reasoned.
"...well, if they're pulling that kinda shit..." Johnny growled, "...then all the more reason to get more people who can actually stop those bastards! Or do you want everyone in the world to become Corrupted?!"
"I just said that he was limited on what he could do in this world…and it isn't us not wanting you to stop them, we want that…but…" Goddess grew silent on that matter, retracting her staff.
"...what, is it because there's no one in the world like Jill, huh?!" Johnny suddenly called. "That only the cream of the crop, some 'chosen end-all, be-all' people are privileged enough to handle Purity?!"
"…no…it's not that…" Goddess spoke. "…it's just that…Purity is just as easy to misuse, as Corruption…they are both very powerful forces, and though Corruption thrives on chaos, Purity is supposed to be controlled stability and order…which…no one could possibly be expected of…nor does anyone use in said manner…my daughter's power flourishes from her emotions of all things…"
"…what exactly are you trying to say…?" Milo muttered. "…are you saying that anyone could make the same amount of damage with Purity, as they are now with Corruption?"
"…in a sense…yes…" Goddess spoke. "…Purity is more connected to life and the world around us, because it is the force he uses to rebuild everything that Dark Gaia destroys…but if someone with ill intentions were to possess Purity…no longer would it be pure and controlled, but knowing what kind of power it is…those thoughts provoke selfish desires…"
She closed her eyes. "…it's not about who's worthy…it's more along the lines of who you would trust to reject those desires, and be able to use the power for its intended purpose…" and she looked away.
"…I knew I didn't deserve the power I was given…I had fully believed in my heart for the things I've done, the things I couldn't prevent, and for the feelings I had…I shouldn't have been the one to be allowed to use his power…I didn't even have the strength to give birth to my own daughter…and knowing that, all I could ask was that she be given my power instead, to carry on what I couldn't do…and that in itself, was the most selfish wish I could ask for…"
Johnny's eyes narrowed.
"...so that's it, then." he scoffed. "Just because you felt bad about having that kind of power, you think everyone is gonna end up like you, is that it?"
Goddess shocked a look at Johnny. "It's…it's not like that…"
"…I guess I could really see your argument," Milo said. "But Goddess…when the Corrupted have gone, so have their powers, and, for Jill at least as far as I've known, her power subsides and she can't use it; through Safe Haven she's had to rely on her own ability to fight through it, but I digress. It's not like they've still been able to use that power and take advantage of it, so I would think the same sort of thing would happen to anyone else with those powers. Metal's been still able to use them, but he's been able to use them responsibly."
Goddess looked at Milo.
"No one with those powers so far has misused them, as you say," Milo continued. "And…if they're going as far as destroying Gaia Temples, isn't it about time that we have to try something risky like giving other people this power? I can assure you that at least me and Jack will be able to use it for its intended purpose…"
And Goddess was silent then.
"...well? Are you gonna let me past, now?" Johnny grunted.
Goddess looked up at Johnny, still unsure looking.
Then she jolted and looked in another direction, tensing with her staff up.
Milo wasn't going to ask questions because he could sense it too. "Johnny, look!"
"Hn?!" Johnny immediately spun around to glare at whatever was coming this way.
Slowly but surely, something was coming…and that something was bringing a lot of darkness with it. It was almost as if it was blanketing the area. The figure coming their way looked like a jellyfish Mobian that could hover just a bit off the ground, and she was hovering toward them.
"...aah, shit..." Johnny growled. "...that's the Corrupted that destroyed the temples?"
Goddess nodded.
"…remove yourselves, or I will be forced to take you along with the temple…" The jellyfish spoke coldly.
"...Milo." Johnny uttered. "This would be a good moment to see if that power actually works."
Milo nodded, holding out his hand. At first, he wasn't sure if it would work now that he was in his body, but when a green energy suspended itself over his palm, he was relieved. He was able to use it.
Then he shot the energy at the jellyfish, and it definitely took the jellyfish by surprise, making her hiss and cower back when she got hit.
"...alright..." With a nod, Johnny looked back at Goddess. "...now let me in!"
Goddess looked down at Johnny, and she was about to open her mouth, but a shot of Corruption at her knocked her into the temple.
The jellyfish got back up, still hissing. "...where…where did you get that power…?"
Johnny glared back at the jellyfish with a snarl. "...damn...!"
Milo stood his ground. "Johnny, go in! I'm gonna hold her off!" as he conjured up more Purity energy in his hands.
"...fine!" With a nod, Johnny shot into the temple as well.
"…you…child…think you can hold me off?" The jellyfish chuckled.
"I'm not just a kid anymore…" Milo answered defiantly, running at the jellyfish.
Looking back at that, Johnny grit his teeth. ...right... it's just a matter of getting that mural to work again... Nodding, he ran straight for it; hands clenched as he felt prepared to do what he had to do.
"STOP!" Goddess flew up in his way with outstretched arms, stopping him.
Johnny screeched to a halt. "NOW what?!" he yelled.
"…I…don't trust you…" Goddess murmured. "…and how can you be sure this will work for him, since he had been Corrupted?"
"...oh, for..." With a snarl, Johnny began walking towards Goddess; eyes narrowed. "I do not have the time for this shit!"
Goddess looked at him, and then looked outside the temple worriedly. She heard Milo yelp out when the jellyfish attacked him.
"...Goddess!" At that point, Johnny charged right at her. "I'm gonna get this to work, even if I have to go straight through ya!"
Goddess was trembling…she wasn't sure what to do…
…finally, she moved out of the way of the mural, to head outside. "Fine! Have your way! I have to protect the temple!"
"...well, about time!" Without skipping a beat, Johnny rushed straight for the mural. C'mon, you son of a bitch, activate...!
Soon, the mural started to glow with a green light.
"Alright, here we go...!" Johnny uttered...
...but as the light grew brighter, he suddenly clutched his forehead in pain. "The hell?! Why am I...?!" And then, his eyes widened. ...no... it couldn't be because of me?! Don't tell me that the light's hurting me?!
When Goddess got outside the temple, she witnessed Milo getting beaten around by the jellyfish, having grown stingers of darkness all around that whacked him, but despite that, Milo was trying his best to fight, though he was getting breathless.
Goddess waved her staff and it knocked away the jellyfish with tremendous power.
Glancing outside, Johnny grit his teeth, as he looked back at the light. ...shit... if I'm inside the kid while this thing bursts, I might not make it... He closed his eyes. ...damn it all... I have to find some way to wake this kid up! But if I stay here too long... fucking hell...! He let out a pained snarl as the light grew brighter.
Goddess looked back, noticing Johnny was having trouble, but she knew Milo still couldn't face the jellyfish on his own…
…especially when he got snatched by the stingers, and jolted with Corruption to make him scream out.
Goddess waved her staff, slicing the stingers that held Milo, which sent him to the ground weakly.
Johnny growled, as he had to take a step back from the growing light. ...damn it all, why do I still have to be a rotten bastard even at a time like this?! At that point, though, he stood his ground. ...no. No, I gotta stay here... I gotta make sure that Jack's awake for this... even if this goddamn lightshow is gonna end up annihilating me!
"Hey! Think fast!"
Suddenly, something shot out from the mural, and grabbed Johnny…in a sense…
To be honest, the body stayed standing there, but Johnny's spirit was yanked right out of Jack's body suddenly.
Johnny's eyes widened. "The fuck?!" And he looked at the one who grabbed him.
Just as they got outside the temple, Johnny could see that it was Brick, and he dumped him right outside. Then he gave a salute and rushed inside, just as the temple exploded with that green light.
Johnny swiftly shielded himself as the light exploded from the temple. "...damn... that was close..."
The three others noticed this too, and turned to look when the light died out.
"…explain to me what that was, or I will beat the answers out of you…" the jellyfish threatened, raising the stingers.
Slowly, Johnny got on his feet, before shooting a glance at the jellyfish. "...you know what? Fuck you." he spat.
The jellyfish hissed and raised her stingers toward him. "You dare threaten me?!"
Milo breathed, while slowly trying to get back up on his feet.
"I dare to mock you." Johnny huffed. "So what's your story? Patricia wanted a pet, but they were out of goldfish or something?"
"Oh, what an original insult," the jellyfish scoffed bitterly; obviously, the insult affected her. Because she was so focused on Johnny, though, Milo was able to shoot a beam of Purity at her, which knocked her backward a bit.
Panting, Milo just glared at her. "…take…that…"
Seeing that, Johnny suddenly ran in front of Milo and glared at the jellyfish. "Hey, ignore the kid; if you want a real challenge, you're looking at something that's gonna blow you clear out of the sky!"
Suddenly, the jellyfish laughed.
"…with what power, spirit?"
And suddenly, there was an explosion of Corruption in the direction that Milo had knocked the jellyfish.
Goddess grew nervous, and decided to slip into the temple to check on Jack, since the light was gone. As she hurried into the temple, she would see a lone person still standing completely still, surrounded in that pale-green glow... looking like Jack.
"…Jack?" Goddess was amazed, since it looked like it worked, and she approached him with a hand on his shoulder.
He didn't move.
Goddess took him and shook him. "Jack?"
Still, he didn't move.
Goddess walked around to look at him face to face. And... it turned out that, in spite of everything, he was still fast asleep; slumbering peacefully with a smile on his face, even while standing up.
"…oh dear…" Goddess sighed.
Meanwhile, the darkness started to spread around more and more, surrounding the temple, Johnny and Milo.
"Guys!"
Suddenly, from within the darkness, their friends slipped through and got to Milo. The first thing they noticed, of course, was the building Corruption fog and the fact they were near a Gaia Temple.
"Milo, are you okay?!" Striker came over to him, and of course, Johnny was still a spirit, so they couldn't see him.
"Geez, what the hell's going on here?!" Guts uttered as he looked around in worry.
Seeing all of them, Johnny grit his teeth. "...Milo, get them the fuck out of here...!"
Hearing Johnny, Milo looked at all of them. "Guys, get out of here!"
"Oh, it's too late for you or your friends to escape…for I've trapped all of you!" echoed a voice with laughter, which belonged to the jellyfish.
Nage blinked. "...who's that?"
Snarling, Johnny glared around. "...hey! How about you try someone your own size?!"
Milo grit his teeth. Then he looked back at the Gaia Temple. "Everyone, get inside there! It's safe!" he yelled.
Johnny glanced back at the temple... and nodded. "...good idea! Get everyone in there, and I'll hold off squidface!"
"Uh, you sure Milo?!" Ani uttered.
"Just do it!" Milo wailed.
And everyone ran into the temple quickly, though when Kristine stopped and looked back, she noticed Milo wasn't running inside. "Wait, what about you?!"
To the others, it looked like Milo was looking away, but he looked at Johnny. "…I'm gonna stay and fight, whether you want me to or not."
Johnny glared back at Milo. "Look, if you really want to be of use, you can be the guard to the door... but leave this to me, alright?!" he yelled. "I'm not in the mood to quarrel about this, so just do as I say!"
Milo was going to argue, but he saw a large stinger come out from the fog to try and smack him. He jumped away just in time, staring at Johnny.
"Come on Milo! Just get inside!" Ani pestered. "You can't expect to take that thing by yourself!"
Johnny simply nodded at him. "...I'll be fine! Just go hide!" he called.
Slowly, but begrudgingly, Milo stepped back into the temple…and upon that, collapsed. Thankfully, Kristine was able to catch him before he hit the ground.
"Whoa, what's wrong?" Guts crouched down to look at Milo. "You look really out of it..."
"…I…tried to fight that thing…" Milo huffed. "…it took a lot out of me."
"Then take a break for a bit…" Ani suggested.
Meanwhile, Vanessa looked over, and stopped when she noticed the green glowing figure that was Jack, and Goddess, who blinked back at them silently. Still, it seemed like Jack was fast asleep, without a care in the world.
"…what have you done to my son?" Vanessa ran up to Goddess, and looked back and forth between him and her.
That got the others to look, and they, too, were shocked.
Nage blinked upon seeing this. "...is... is that supposed to be Jack?" she uttered.
"…yeah…it is…" Milo answered.
"…but how did that happen?!" Striker was baffled. "What really happened? I mean…" he was so confused he wasn't sure what to think.
Blinking, Guts wandered up to him and looked at him. "...and... is he sleeping? While standing up straight?"
Vanessa glared at Goddess. "Who are you, and what have you done to my son?"
"…please understand…no harm was done to him," Goddess answered.
"...that... doesn't answer anything." Nage remarked.
Goddess looked over at Jack. "…he…may be able to use Purity."
"WHAT?!" yelped everyone else in the room, besides Milo.
And yet, that somehow didn't wake Jack up.
"…huh…I'm surprised that didn't wake him up…" Ani mused.
Soon, everyone ran over to Jack, Kristine carrying Milo, and they all observed him. Even as he was surrounded by that glow, he remained completely stationary; eyes closed as he slept soundly and peacefully.
Striker poked at Jack. "He looks weird…"
With a hum, Nage glanced at Goddess. "...just what happened to him, anyway?"
"…the temple granted him the power of Purity…" Goddess answered.
Then there were more blasts outside, making the temple shake, and Goddess yelped out painfully, collapsing onto the ground weakly.
"G-Goddess!" Milo uttered.
"…the barrier…around the temple…" Goddess uttered, wincing. "…I'm trying to hold it up…but that Corruption is beating against it…"
At that point, something only Milo and Goddess could hear shot through the air...
...Johnny crying out in pain.
In that instant, though, Jack's eyes shot open, and he seemed startled.
"That was Johnny!" Milo uttered.
"Wait, what?!" Ani uttered. "You mean Johnny is fighting that thing out there?!"
Suddenly, Jack turned to look in horror towards the outside. "...no!" And he suddenly charged away from the others.
"Ah- Jack, wait!" Nage called, but he was already outside.
When Jack got outside, he could see Johnny's spirit, and the numerous stingers that were speared into him, oozing with painful Corruption, and it almost looked like it was sucking the life out of him.
Growling, Johnny tried fighting against it, but the many stingers were making it hard to move.
The surprising thing about this was that Jack, somehow, could actually see Johnny being tortured like this... and with a narrowed gaze, he looked around. "HEY! Leave him alone!" he called out.
Johnny winced, as he looked towards Jack. "...holy... it worked..."
"Oh, and who are you to stop me, child?" cackled the jellyfish's voice.
"...I'm his nephew!" he called. "And... and I don't like that you're bullying him!"
"Bullying him? Well, aren't you just a treat!" the jellyfish laughed.
And suddenly, stingers flew at Jack.
Seeing that, Johnny grit his teeth. "Dodge 'em!" he called.
However, Jack stood his ground... and as the stingers rocketed at him, he just grabbed them. "Let him go, already!"
And, subconsciously, the glow around him actually sent a surge of Purity rocketing up against the dark stingers, without Jack's knowledge. That caused pain for the jellyfish, making her roar in pain, and actually releasing Johnny from the stingers.
Dropping to the ground, Johnny just collapsed, as he breathed out. "...shit... must be getting old..."
"...you're a ghost; you can't age." Jack remarked, as he looked around. "...come out, you bully!"
"Why don't you try and find me yourself?" hissed the jellyfish.
"...fine, I will!" And Jack charged straight into the black mist.
Johnny's eyes widened. "...you idiot! That's where she wants you to go!"
But it was too late…Jack vanished within the mist.
Johnny's eyes widened, as he just gawked at this. "...shit... that Corruption is thick... is his Purity even gonna be strong enough...?"
We'll see Johnny...We'll see...
