CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
"Professor?" Brick muttered, shaking the sleeping fox by the shoulder. Poor Tails seemed to have fallen asleep at his desk, and now that it was nighttime, Natal had taken the kids back to the Clubhouse while Brick remained here to look over Tails.
"Professor!" he called, trying to shake him awake.
"...ungh..." Tails groaned, as he let out a yawn, before glancing at Brick. "...oh... hi, Brick." he said drowsily.
"C'mon Professor," Brick said, giving Tails a light pat on the back to keep him awake. "Let's get you to bed."
"...yes, of course." Tails nodded, as he slowly moved away from his desk, before glancing at Brick. "The others have gone home?"
"Yep," Brick answered.
"Ah, I see..." Tails muttered, as he closed his eyes.
"I just wanted to make sure you were taken care of before I left," Brick said.
"Yes, of course..." Tails nodded, as he began walking towards his bedroom, waiting for Brick to follow him.
And Brick did follow, just to make sure that Tails made it to bed without collapsing in the middle of the hall. After all, he was old and he didn't have very much energy as it is. "Again...sorry about the hole in the wall..." Brick murmured, suddenly thinking about that.
"Like I said... don't worry about it." Tails replied, as he stopped by one door, which he opened, leading into his bedroom. "You, Proxy and Whisker can probably come by tomorrow and fix it up."
"Yeah..." Brick said, scratching his head. "...Professor, are you going to be okay? With the news I told you...you were pretty devastated."
"I still am." Tails replied, as he closed his eyes. "But... I know that Sonic... wouldn't want me to keep grieving over him."
Brick nodded silently in agreement. "...well, I'll see you in the morning then," he said. "I hope you sleep well."
"Same to you, Brick." Tails said with a slight smile, as he moved towards his bed, letting out another yawn.
Brick closed the door behind Tails after making sure that he had gotten into bed, and after checking up on some other things, Brick exited his shop and took off on his gear into the jungle to head back to the Clubhouse. For awhile he enjoyed a silent ride, while thinking about a various many things. The news he learned was very tragic, but to think that the same killer was still out there, waiting to be released from that black emerald...it was very disturbing for the bull to think.
He hoped that Jill wasn't under too much pressure, and that she was doing okay.
He sure missed her.
Suddenly, he was whacked off his Gear and he landed on his back harshly. The wind was knocked out of him, so he didn't get a chance to utter any curses while he discovered a katana pressed against his neck.
"Hello, Brick-head," growled Cal.
"Oh great, it's you," groaned Brick, barely regaining his ability to breathe. "What the hell do you want now?"
"I thought maybe I'd get a chance to get some payback," he said, opening his hand to show Brick a ball of suspended darkness.
Brick's eyes widened. "...is that Corruption?" he uttered. "How the hell did you get a hold of that?"
"You don't want to know; believe me," Cal murmured.
"Look, what are you going to gain from getting revenge on me?" Brick said, glaring at him. "You just can't let things go, can you? Whatever happened to 'keeping your feelings from interfering with your work,' huh?"
"...for some reason, I can't let it go," Cal uttered. "I just...I bear such hatred and jealousy against you because she's with you..." The ball of darkness above his palm began to pulse powerfully.
"That's understandable, but still," Brick said. "You're a freaken' cyborg! Didn't Metal turn you into that with the intention of getting rid of those feelings?"
"That's true Brick," said another voice, "but Metal didn't count on how Corruption would affect him." The monkey and the bull saw Callous walk out from the shady darkness of one of the trees. "After all, it brings out the worst in people."
"I suppose that for some people, that's a bad thing." another voice chuckled, as Johnny stepped out next to Callous, smirking. "But for others... it's a whole different story."
"...crap..." Brick uttered when he saw the two of them.
Cal took the katana that was up to Brick's neck and pointed it at the two newcomers instead. "What's your purpose here?" he asked.
"Why, we're here for you, Cal," Callous said. "But the Cowboy here's a bonus."
Brick grit his teeth while he turned angrily red. "...for the sake of humanity...I'm not a COWBOY!" After a sudden cackle of childish voices though, Brick found himself snatched up by Bloom and Gloom and held against a tree. Even if he struggled, he was pinned. Callous passed by him with a smirk.
"Say all you want," she said, with a finger under his chin. "I know that you won't lay a hand on me."
"...Brick, what is she talking about?" Cal asked.
Brick turned away shamefully, mumbling something.
"...what?" Cal didn't hear him.
"I said...I don't hit girls."
"...are you serious?" Cal grumbled in annoyance.
"How pitiful is that?" Callous mocked.
"So, guess that we outnumber you people." Johnny said with a chuckle, as he cracked his neck. "So, Callous... you can deal with the monkey, and we'll take care of the cowboy, alright?"
At that point, Cal'd pick up a very familiar signal, bolting towards their current position.
Cal glanced away when he felt this signal, which caused Callous to look curiously at him. "Now what?" she groaned.
"...leave Uncle Cal ALONE!" At that point, Tails Doll suddenly flew right in between Cal and Callous, glaring at the ewe with a look that was meant to be intimidating, but given what he is, it only came off as adorable. "I won't let you touch him!"
"...okay, what the hell is that?" Johnny uttered with a clueless look.
"Tails Doll?" Brick looked at the doll in questioning.
"THAT'S the doll that kept us from getting into the Clubhouse!" Bloom pointed out.
"Is that so?" Callous murmured. Once she looked Tails Doll over, she chuckled in amusement. "Kind of adorable if you ask me."
"I'll make you pay for wanting to hurt Uncle Cal!" Tails Doll said, as he suddenly glanced at Cal. "Uncle Cal, cover Brick and you! I'll use that to stop them!"
"...use what?" Johnny uttered, as he folded his arms. "Is the plushie really trying to come off as scary?"
"Who knows," Callous said with a shrug.
Cal looked at Tails Doll, and then at Brick. It was quiet, until he suddenly made a dash for Brick, making everyone act that instant.
"Oh no you don't!" Callous said, rushing at Cal as she shot Corruption at him.
Being ninja, Cal leaped over and ducked under each throw as he continued to make his way to Brick.
"You little..." Johnny grunted, as he rushed at Cal, reeling his fist back. "Why can't you just stay still?"
At that point, Cal'd hear a familiar message in his mind. TEMPORARY AUTOPILOT OF AGENT SNITCH: ACTIVATED. Before Cal could react, his own body leapt right over Johnny the moment he tried punching the monkey, before Cal successfully grabbed Brick by his face, covering his nose and mouth, whilst a mask covered Cal's face.
"Alright, we got him in one place!" Johnny said, as he glanced at Callous. "Come on, blast-"
"Prepare for reckoning!" Suddenly, the gem above Tails Doll popped open, as an orange-colored gas emerged from it, quickly covering everyone present, forcing them to inhale it, with the exception of Brick and Cal, who were covered up. "Now... let us see what you truly fear."
Bloom and Gloom no longer held Brick in place while they coughed.
"…big deal," Callous murmured, after she finished coughing. "I don't fear anything."
Johnny eventually stopped coughing as well. "...neither do I." he scoffed.
"Lies." Tails Doll uttered in a dark voice. "Every creation in the entire universe, organic or not, has something they fear." Then, a dark void began swallowing Callous, Johnny, Bloom and Gloom up. "They may not admit it... but it's the truth. Now, let us see what you fear."
At that point, the darkness consumed all of them, and when they'd realize what happened, they'd see that they were no longer in the woods. As it turned out, while Bloom and Gloom were together, both Johnny and Callous were completely alone, with none of their partners in sight.
With Bloom and Gloom, the two butterflies would eventually see a mystical red light in the distance. ...what do you fear? they'd hear some hypnotic voice ask them.
"S…spiders…" uttered Gloom, while Bloom refused to respond.
Is that so... the voice uttered, as the light grew stronger. ...anything else?
"That's-s all…" Gloom muttered, and Bloom still fought to respond.
...and you? Now, the light was glowing with an immense force. Do not be shy... impart your deepest fears onto me...
"…I'm afraid of…being laughed at…" Bloom gave in at the last minute.
...I see...
At that point, they'd hear something behind them; something that sounded like a swarm.
Gloom grabbed her sister insecurely. "W-w-what am I h-hearing?" she stuttered fearfully.
Below you.
At that point, the two would be able to see what was making that sound; a massive, never-ending swarm of spiders, surrounding the two. And if that wasn't enough, the spiders were making some form of other noise.
Laughter.
While Gloom clung to her sister for fear of the spiders, Bloom clung back at the fear of the laughter. They both screamed like the little girls they were.
The spiders continued to laugh, as they slowly began encircling the butterflies.
Yes... scream for me... let me taste your fear...
At that point, they'd also hear a booming laughter from behind them, as they heard something big approach them.
"Someone help us!" screamed Bloom, while Gloom began to cry hysterically.
No one is coming to help you...
At that point, they'd see what it was that was approaching them; a massive, demonic-looking spider, who let out a terrifying laughter, whilst advancing towards the butterflies, along with all the other spiders.
Now... SCREAM!
And the butterflies did scream. They screamed bloody murder like they never had before…
In another part of the void, Callous only looked around. "I don't see how this should scare me. I feel right at home in darkness like this…"
...believe me... you will be horrified...
Elsewhere in the void, Johnny looked around him with a bewildered expression, as he heard Bloom and Gloom's screams. "What the... what's going on?" he uttered, just as he saw a bright light ahead of him.
Tell me... what do you fear?
"...is that some trick question?" Johnny scoffed, as he glared at the light. "I told you; I don't fear anything!"
Do not delude yourself; you must fear something.
"I don't!" Johnny protested. "You know, I've been through hell on earth. What makes you think that there'd be anything left in this world to scare me?"
...well, why don't we take a look at that?
At that point, Johnny noticed several figures slowly lumbering towards him. And as it turned out, it was zombified versions of many of the people who died fifteen years ago, including Prowler, Sprinter, Bliss and Desperado.
However, Johnny only chuckled at this sight. "What, that's it? Old friends that I get to kill again? This is like a birthday gift!" he chuckled, as he prepared to move towards them...
...but he fell, unable to actually move. "What? Why can't I move my legs?"
You've killed many people... taken away their right to exist... but now that you can't defend yourself... they want revenge...
As the zombies continued to advance towards Johnny, he growled, as he desperately tried getting up, but to no avail. "Shit! Why is this happening now?" he cursed, as the zombies were only getting closer. "Damn freaks... get away!" he yelled, but to no avail. "I SAID GET AWAY!"
...they want revenge... and they will have it...
Hearing Johnny call out, Callous looked around for him, and Bloom and Gloom's scream weren't helping.
"Alright, that's a pretty good trick, I'll admit," Callous said, "but what makes you think it'll work on me?"
You'll soon find out... At that point, a bright, red light in the distance began glowing. Tell me... what do you fear...?
"Hello? I'm practically the Princess of Darkness here," Callous said, folding her arms as she was not amused by the things happening.
Do not avoid the question.
At that point, chains suddenly erupted around Callous, quickly encircling her so she was completely unable to move. And if that wasn't enough, the bright light only grew stronger.
What do you fear?
"Wha?" The chains had taken her by surprise, and she struggled to try and break free, but only to find them tightening.
"I'm not afraid of anything you stupid little doll!" Callous yelled, clearly ticked off.
Do not lie to yourself.
At that point, the chains suddenly moved so that Callous was forced into a kneeling position, tightening so she was absolutely stuck in that position.
Fear is a trait we all possess. We cannot deny it, no matter how much we want to.
At that point, the red light was suddenly swapped with a white, almost godly light, seemingly glowing brighter than the sun itself.
Callous' eyes widened when she saw this white glow, so she worked even harder to struggle out of the chains, closing her eyes to the light she didn't want to see.
However, smaller chains suddenly forced her eyes open, as her head was pulled up so she had no way of looking away from the light.
Your actions contradict your words... you really are afraid of something.
Slowly, the bright light was approaching Callous, and in the middle of the light was a figure she would have hoped never to look at like this.
Goddess.
"…no…" she uttered weakly.
Goddess was silent, as she simply looked at Callous with a scornful, yet pitying look at the same time, whilst she advanced towards the trapped ewe, the holy light slowly engulfing the dark void she traversed on.
...do not deny it. Go on, Callous; embrace your fear. Let it overtake your mind... let nothing but fear linger!
Callous trembled at the sight of Goddess. At first, it seemed like she would let her fear take over her…
…but something else arose in her that didn't arise in the twins or Johnny.
"…no," she said. "I won't let my fear overtake me…for you see, you little rag doll…"
Her green eyes changed with a red glow, as a small wicked grin began to crawl across her face.
"…I can not only learn how to conquer my fears," she chuckled. "…but I can turn the fear around…"
Let the darkness in your heart run amok… spoke an entirely different voice in the void; a male, raspy voice that was deep, and dark. Do not fear…but in fact, become that fear to use against others…
Darkness oozed from Callous' body, which surprisingly enough began to melt the chains that bound her.
"…Daddy's back…" Callous' cackled, with her voice changing in a demented fashion.
...what? The first dark voice uttered, as even Goddess looked around in bewilderment.
...no. The fear will consume you. Succumb, and drown in the abyss of your own mind!
At that point, Goddess' eyes gleamed with a dangerous green, as more chains began erupting around Callous; these ones, however, were glowing as brightly as she did, quickly ensnaring Callous.
But Callous just continued to grin at Goddess, as her efforts to chain her down were futile. The darkness only took onto those chains and continued to eat away, even for how brightly they were glowing.
And she laughed. "…I'm not afraid of you anymore…" Callous uttered. In order to get this powerful however, Callous had gone off the deep end and was looking at Goddess with a psychotic, murderous grin.
...okay, this didn't exactly go as planned... At that point, Goddess was looking at Callous with a concerned look.
...well, it provided a distraction, at least! GANGWAY!
At that point, everything around Callous shattered, and before she knew it, she, Johnny, Bloom and Gloom were back in the jungle.
"Ugh..." Johnny uttered, as he looked around. "What the hell was that?" he yelled, as he got to his feet. "Tsch... well, back to..." At that point, Johnny realized something else; Tails Doll, Cal and Brick were gone. "...damn... they bailed on us!"
Callous gripped her head in agony. Having gone that route, she allowed the Corruption to momentarily take over her, and that hurt. Having such a good control on it though, she managed to snap out of it once they were out of the void.
"…I…I-I-I was never so s-scared in my l-life!" This time, it was Bloom who did the stuttering, while she nearly choked Gloom with her hold. Shortly after, Gloom shoved her sister away, while looking at Callous worriedly.
"…a-are you…?" she tried to ask.
"…I'm fine," Callous grumbled. "I didn't want to do that though, and it pisses me off when someone pushes me that far."
"Ugh... how the hell can a doll possibly know how to do that?" Johnny uttered in anger, as he folded his arms. "Sheesh... any closer, and I'd have my ex rip my throat out..."
Callous couldn't stop from laughing out loud. "So, that was your fear huh?" Then she closed her eyes, smiling. "Well, I suppose I have to thank that doll. Now I'm not afraid of that damn woman anymore…"
"Hey, it wasn't just her, alright?" Johnny protested, before he folded his arms. "Apart from Bloom, Gloom and the renegades... just about everyone from those days went after me as zombies... and I couldn't attack them." Scoffing, he glanced at the butterflies. "Just what did the doll do to you two?"
Bloom was rocking back and forth in the fetal position. "…Spiders…they were…laughing at us…"
Callous looked at Gloom curiously. "Why aren't you as scared as her?"
Gloom shrugged. "I-I'm used to fear…I kn-now how to c-cope with it."
"…I'll never get the two of you…" Callous grumbled. Then something crossed her mind. "Oh…Daddy's back."
Bloom perked up from her traumatizing seizure and Gloom jolted in surprise. "He's back?" they both exclaimed simultaneously. "How do you know?"
"His voice reached me," Callous chuckled. "And that requires a very powerful use of Corruption…so it's likely that he's gotten strong enough to break free from his prison."
"...so he's back, eh?" Johnny chuckled. "Well, what do you know... do you think he's thinking of finding you?"
"Probably," Callous said. "But it might be easier for us to go see him…after all, I know where he is."
"Where?" both Bloom and Gloom asked.
"Why, Angel Island of course," she chuckled.
"Then let's go see him." Johnny chuckled. "It'll be interesting to finally meet him..."
-
"How did that happen? She actually broke through my fear-gas, Uncle Cal!" At the moment, Tails Doll and Cal were bolting it through the woods, with Cal carrying Brick over his shoulder, in spite of what Cal wanted to do to the bull.
"Yeah, that is pretty unnerving," Cal remarked.
"And that's not all..." Tails Doll continued. "There was this other voice that broke through my illusion! I'm supposed to be the only one who can make that dark voice when people inhale the gas; not even Big Bro can do that!"
"I'm willing to bet it's that Deity bastard," Brick growled.
"That's the most likely possibility," Cal said, surprisingly agreeing with Brick for once.
"But how? Big Bro placed him in a capsule with no button, and planted him on Angel Island!" Tails Doll said, as he glanced at Cal and Brick. "He can't have broken out, or anything! I mean, the capsule had no button! NO BUTTON!"
"Metal still considered the possibility that it could be broken open from the inside," Cal said. "And there's no clue how powerful Deity is. From the looks of it though, he could very well be strong enough to break it open by himself…"
"...even without a button!" Tails Doll uttered, as he looked ahead. "I have to let Big Bro know about this! Hang on a second..."
"And for the love of God, can you put me down?" Brick yelled.
"Fine," and once they stopped; Cal did so much as simply drop the bull onto the ground hard. That did not brighten Brick's mood one bit.
"...Uncle Cal..." Tails Doll uttered, as he looked up at the monkey. "...Big Bro wants to talk to you."
"Alright," Cal said, pressing his ear; or the device in his ear to tap into his internal communicator.
Cal here.
Calculate, Tails Doll just gave me the low-down. You're unharmed, right? Metal responded.
Yes, we're fine, Cal transmitted.
Brick glanced at Tails Doll. "Can you really tell what someone is afraid of?"
"Mhm." Tails Doll nodded. "That's what Daddy made me for; to try and take down Sonic and his buddies by exploiting their fears. But he was a bit scared of me, so he didn't use me too much..."
Good... Metal uttered, before he sighed. ...Goddamn it all... Callous is making these last few days a hell for me... and now you want me to believe that Novagod has been freed?
Unfortunately so, Cal responded, while observing Brick's rather surprised expression that he shot at Tails Doll.
Great... and Callous is still interested in you, for some reason... Metal grumbled. I'm sure that you're going to hate me for this... but I'm giving you new orders, for your own safety. You'll be staying with Jill's friends. I'll inform her of this as soon as possible.
"...is something wrong, Brick?" Tails Doll asked, as he innocently tilted his head.
"..nothing," Brick replied to Tails Doll. "Don't worry about me."
Cal sighed in disdain at the news. You sure that's for my own safety? I'm not exactly on good terms with them…especially the bull.
I'm sorry, but if Callous still wants you, then you're going to need someone to look after you. I know you can use Corruption, but you just found out about it, right? Metal said, before sighing. It's only temporary; once Jill defeats Callous, we'll head back to Westopolis and try to forget that any of this has happened.
Let's hope so… Cal replied.
All right... I'll impart this onto Jill. And in the meantime... try not to make a complete fool of yourself, Cal. Then, the line went dead.
Easy for you to say, Cal thought, while he turned to Brick and Tails Doll. "Metal ordered that I stay with you in your…Clubhouse."
"…say WHAT?" Brick bellowed, jumping to his feet. "Who the hell does Metal think he is? We don't need YOUR help!"
"It wasn't for YOUR safety!" Cal argued, while the two of them butt heads literally. "According to him, I'm the one in need of safety!"
"That's no excuse!" Brick barked, locking vicious eyes that transported a rivalry spark. "I don't want YOU around the kids AT ALL!"
"Well unfortunately you don't have a say in it!" Cal yelled. "Believe me, I would've agreed to ANYTHING else!"
"IT'S JUST YOUR FAULT THAT YOU'RE SUCH A WIMP, MONKEY-BREATH!"
"LOOK WHO'S TALKING! YOU JUST SAID YOU WOULDN'T HIT A GIRL, NOSE-RING!"
"GUUUUUYS!" Tails Doll suddenly yelled, as he fluttered in-between the two. "I do NOT want to see you two fighting each other! If Uncle Cal is staying, we're all going to be friends! GOT THAT?" After that little outburst, Tails Doll was quick to glare at both Brick and Cal.
Both of them turned their backs to each other and folded their arms in disapproval.
"We AREN'T going to be friends," Brick specified. "In fact, when we get to the Clubhouse, I refuse to be in the same room with him."
"Likewise," Cal added.
"...fine. You two don't need to be friends, but you two can act like grown-ups, alright?" Tails Doll said, as he fluttered above them. "I mean, for crying out loud, you guys make Striker and Jack look like the Professor and Big Bro in terms of maturity!"
Brick's eyes opened wide when he suddenly realized something. "…I left my gear back there!" He uttered, whirling around to take off.
Then Cal snatched Brick by his tail before he could get any farther. "I'm sure you can go get it in the morning when we're less susceptible to being kidnapped in the dark," he murmured, pulling Brick by the tail as they walked toward the direction of the Clubhouse.
"OW! Damn it! That HURTS!" Brick screamed.
"Would you rather I pulled you by your nose ring?"
"…point taken," Brick grumbled, yanking his tail out of Cal's hand while the two of them started walking onward.
Glancing at the two, Tails Doll let out a sigh. Big Bro, is this a good idea? Letting those two in the same building together?
As long as Proxy is on the ready in case Calculate is pulled into the dark, it is a good idea. Now make sure that they don't get in trouble.
...alright, Big Bro. Tails Doll nodded, as he fluttered after the two.
Jill was no longer in the cave. In fact, she found a perch above the mouth of the cave, and having transformed back into her Holy Form, she fluttered up there. She discovered that the cave was indented in the side of a cliff, and when she got to the top of it, she could see the entire woods from above the treetops. One glance at the full moon, and she was lost in a trance of content as she sat there.
For the longest time, she stared at that full moon on the night it came.
Even in the darkness…the moon shines bright, she thought. It shines so brightly that it lights up the night…
She never knew where that poetic thought came from, but that was why she felt calm. Even the dark times she wandered alone and hopelessly…she would look up at a full, round, silver moon in the sky, and suddenly everything would be okay.
"I was wondering where you went, Jill." she'd hear Metal say, as he appeared behind her, before glancing up at the full moon. "...quite a sight, isn't it?"
"It is," she agreed, with her eyes squinting thoughtfully as she stared at it. "…have you calmed down now?"
"Well... yes and no." Metal responded, as he sat down next to Jill, looking up at the moon. "I've calmed down about the fact that practically everyone knows that I'm training you... but there's something else that has me worried."
Jill didn't move; her eyes remained locked with the moon. "What is it?"
"...this might come as a shock to you, so don't say that I didn't warn you." Metal said with a sigh, before he glanced at Jill. "I spoke with Calculate earlier... and supposedly..." Then, he looked back at the moon. "...Novagod is free."
Jill shot Metal widened eyes, and she was speechless that moment.
"…how did he find out?" she finally uttered.
"...Callous and Johnny ambushed him, along with Brick." Metal began, as he closed his eyes. "Tails Doll was there, and attempted to take them down with his fear gas... but Callous conquered her fears. And supposedly, a dark voice pierced through Tails Doll's illusion." Then, he glanced at Jill. "Calculate deduced that it was Deity."
That sent shivers up Jill's spine. Remembering what she went through, it was bad to think that Callous conquered her fears as well.
That, and she grew very concerned about Brick.
"Are they okay?" She asked worriedly. "Callous and Johnny haven't done anything to Brick have they?"
"Don't worry; they're safe." Metal said. "Tails Doll and Calculate wisely got out of there when it seemed like Callous would break out of her illusion on her own." Then, he snapped his fingers. "That's right... since Callous wants Calculate for some reason, I decided... to have him stay at the Clubhouse."
Jill gave Metal a surprised look, and then sighed in exhaust. "That's going to cause more trouble than we're asking for…"
"Blame Callous; she's the one who doesn't intend on playing fair." Metal said with a huff, before looking back up at the moon. "...Jill. I... need you to promise me something again."
"What is it?" she asked.
"...when your fight with Callous comes up..." Metal began, as he closed his eyes. "...promise me that no matter what happens, you will not forfeit the match."
Jill looked at Metal long and hard, before she nodded. "I promise," she said.
"...thank you." Metal muttered, before he looked back at the moon. "Well... that took a load off my shoulders."
Jill looked at the moon again. "...two more days to train," she murmured. "And the third will be the battle..." "...actually, Jill, I want to try a different approach on our training when morning comes."
"Decent," She responded, with eyes locked on the moon again.
"We'll have to aim higher than decent." Metal noted, as he looked up at the moon as well. "You've probably always fought Deity and Callous with your holy blade... so imagine their surprise when you start thrashing them with your own body instead." At that, he couldn't help but chuckle.
Jill looked curiously at him. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing..." Metal chuckled. "I just... imagined you literally kicking Callous' ass."
"Heh," Jill let out a bit of a dry laugh and looked at the moon again. "She'll certainly have it coming..."
"Indeed she will..." Metal nodded, as he closed his eyes. ...and so will Novagod. he thought.
"...if I do defeat Callous, and she's eliminated from the competition, what should we do about Johnny, the twins, or even Deity?" Jill asked. "I haven't been able to successfully kill Deity before..."
"...you can leave that to me." Metal said, as he cracked his neck. "If you and Callous weren't sharing a soul, I'd have killed her myself... I'm sure I can do the same to Johnny and the twins." Then, he glanced at Jill. "Who knows; maybe we can gang up on Deity as well?"
"...I'd like that," Jill admitted.
Chuckling, Metal looked back at the moon. "...what irony. The one poised to take over the world... now saving it."
"Yeah, it is kind of ironic," Jill agreed. "But after this is all over...we'll be enemies again."
"...to be honest, it'd be a breath of fresh air, after what's happened in our lives." Metal mused. "Still... I have to admit, I'll probably miss this a bit."
"...me too," Jill murmured, looking away completely.
"Hey." At that point, Metal placed a hand on Jill's shoulder. "We've got two days of training left... so let's make the most out of them."
"Okay," Jill said, nodding. After one last glance at the moon, Jill stood up. "I should get some rest..." she murmured.
"You do that." Metal nodded, as he glanced at the moon as well. "I'll stay up for a while longer..."
"Good night Metal," Jill said, before she took a step off the cliff and floated back down slowly, entering back into the cave later on.
"...good night, Jill." Metal muttered, as he closed his eyes. Callous... I don't care if you have the ability to torture me... Jill is going to defeat you. And then... your daddy's next. he thought.
