Chapter 34: Tee's Morals

Arle's POV

It was like any other day for us. Me and Carby enjoyed ourselves living a life without many worries. "Mmm. This is good… You like it too, Carby?" "Gugu!" We loved curry of all kinds, but nothing ever had beaten homemade. "Aaaaah… this is the life…" I cherished. "Gu gugu!" I smiled at my buddy. "Ah-! Damn. I guess this pain isn't gone yet. Ever since the day that girl possessed me… I've had this weird ache. It doesn't hurt so bad, but…" Then, Carby's ear started to twitch. "Gu?" He hopped down and approached the door. "Huh? What's wrong?" I asked the little guy. He looked back at me with a concerned look. "There must be something odd… do you know what is making you like this, Carby?" "Gu!" He ran out. "H-hey! Wait for me!" I followed him for a while, through the forest. I could've sworn that Schezo saw me run behind Carby… but I wasn't entirely sure. We ended up near Primp Magic School. "Woah… what is all that about?" I got curious. "Arle, what the hell is going on?" I heard Schezo's voice. "So, you DID follow me, Schezo! I knew that in some way, deep-down, you would." I said. "Tch. I didn't come to follow you, Arle… I just came to see what that was over there." He responded. "Hey… isn't that Ringo…?" I squinted. "What? It kind of looks like her, but she somehow has the power of Satan." He noticed. "The power of… Satan?" I was puzzled. "Anyway, I'm not getting anywhere near there. Ever since my sword broke, I can't use the dark magic that I'm known for. I'm powerless. You go on and do what you think you must do… This is none of my concern now, Arle." And just like that, he left on his own. "God… Schezo is just the weirdest guy…" I sighed to myself. I looked at the situation more closely and stumbled from shock. "! D-Dave and Ex are trapped! And, is that… Tee fighting Ringo? Gah! I'm so confused! What is going on here?!" I came to Amitie's side, wanting the info. "Amitie! What's happening?!" I requested an answer. "Arle…! This is bad, you need to know!" She told me everything, Tee was a bad guy in all of this. I couldn't believe what he had done. "Seriously, I don't understand boys…" I sighed. "We need to show him that it was all his own fault. Tee's thought process became warped and fueled with hatred." Amitie held on to me.

Ringo's POV

Me and Tee stared at each other for a while, watching movements. "Ringo, you getting in my way means that I will have to take you out too. I hope you realize what you're up against… because I'm not holding back." "Tee, you betrayed friendship and your position for this… I just want you back to how you were before." "You know that's not how things work… I intend on ripping Dave and my former captain apart, through and through. Nothing that you say or do will make me change my mind." "So be it... I WILL make you change, whether you want it or not!" I charged at him. "Lockdown!" Tee summoned a cube to entrap me. "Hey! Let me out of here!" I demanded. I thought it would be best to punch the cube to shatter it, but it didn't work. "Damn, it's not working. Let's see if it can stand up to this… Lightning Pulse!" I struck one side, then the electricity just reflected off until it faded. "Hey! A little help here, guys?!" I called out. "I'll get you out! Thrust!" Raffina jumped and smacked her hand against the cube, breaking it like glass. "Now, Lightning Strike!" I raised up on hand and swung it back down fast. Tee took a direct hit from that attack. "AGH-! Damn yoooooooou!" He crashed to the ground. "Why don't you just give it up, Tee?" "Never, bitch!" He got up close to me, figuring it would be the best way to avoid my magic. "I was told to never hit a girl, but now I don't give a shit about that common courtesy act. Yah!" Tee punched my face with the force of a deity. This fighting seemed to continue on as an eternal struggle. Neither of us would go down without harming the other. Then, the charge vial's boost had worn thin. I could also feel that the fusion was about to end. "Shit… I don't have much time…" I panted. "You're vulnerable! Teeeeeeee Striker!" I wasn't paying attention and he inflicted a direct blow. "Uuuuuwaaaaaah!" Falling to the dirt, I had split from Satan. We laid on the dusty ground, in shambles. And if that wasn't bleak enough, Dave and Ex were still trapped in Tee's aura.

Dave's POV

"! RINGO! SATAN!" I yelled my lungs out. "Dammit, Tee!" Ex cursed him. We were both super pissed at the outcome pouring before us. "Ex, we're punching the crap out of this aura together! We can't let Tee do these heinous things anymore. If neither of us can get through to him, then who will?" "Yeah, Dave! As Captain of the Tetra, I need to set him straight!" We nodded and launched an all-out fist assault on that aura. "Hrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" The aura began to crack in small sections. "Ex! Crevices are beginning to show, don't slow down!" "Right!" This flurry lasted until the entire aura released us, then disappeared. "Tee, you'll no longer confine us to that… because I'm really pissed off and will stop you! Rrrrrrrrrrr-! ... Just because you think what you're doing is fine, doesn't mean that it actually is! You… see this? I'm turning into a dragon again. This time though… I'm in control… of myself, and my own resolve! Here is the completed dragon form of mine! *roar*" I was angry at the time, but at the same time, it felt awesome unleashing the power of a real dragon on my accord. Plus, my voice became deep and badass. "Incredible…! Is he seriously in control as a dragon?" Arle's voice rang out. "A-Arle...! You're here?" I noticed. "Yeah, Carby was acting weird and he led me over here. Amitie just gave me the lowdown, so I know everything. "Is that so? … Everyone, except for Ex... I still have this deadly aura. I'd suggest that you all run along before things get ugly. Oh, pick up Ringo and Satan as well. I don't want them to have a death so unnecessary." Everybody nodded to me and did just that. "… Tee, let's go!" I swiped at him with my claws, hoping to hit a slash. Tee however, was too fast and simply moved away. "What's wrong, aren't you supposed to be fast yourself?" He looked at me straight in the eye. We fought him for a while, I took the blows that Ex couldn't. "Tch. I knew this wasn't gonna be easy… but I didn't think things could ever get this difficult. … … Damn that celestial form of yours." I squeezed my eyelids closer to each other. "If you don't like this form, then you will REALLY hate this next attack. Holy Lightray!" This attack charged up and was fired at me. "Oooooooooough! Wh-what the hell was that?! This light burns!" Ex became concerned about my suffering. "Dave!" He flew to my side. "It's quite convenient that you are a demon of all things… otherwise, Holy Lightray would have been far less effective." "So then... are you actually an angel... like how it was originally thought?!" I pushed my pain away. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't one… but I'm not a tradition angel either." He answered. "What do you mean, Tee?" Ex flew in closer to him. "To be specific, I am an archangel." "! An archangel? It's no wonder how you can be so strong. It begs the question: What makes you not able to go into this celestial form while inside the Tetra?" He asked. "Ex, have you ever heard of Tetrium?" "Tetrium? … I think I remember what that is… *gasp* Of course! It's the primary power source for the starship itself. But... what does that have to do with anything?" "I see, so you don't know…" "Don't know what?" "... Tetrium is a very potent element, as you should know. It provides ships with enough power for years on end, but it's extremely rare. The stuff explodes with the strength a hydrogen bomb when it collides with a solid mass hard enough. Besides that destructive downside though, as long as it has juice to use up... Tetrium is a suppressor of some supernatural abilities. Mine just so happens to fall into that category. That's why I was just my normal self inside the ship." I heard the two go back and forth. "Tetrium? Can't say that I've ever seen or heard it before. So this stuff didn't allow you to be an angel inside the Tetra?" "Correct… that element was an absolute thorn in my side. You should be thankful, Ex… it saved you from me wanting to kill you and Ess that night. Too bad it'll do jack-shit for you this time… we're nowhere near the ship." I stood silent as Ex lowered his head. "... Then we'll just have to drag your ass to the Tetra's interior so that you can't do anything." "And how will you do that? Your efforts are valiant, but just as useless. There's no way you can drag me all the way to it without a fight. Not even Dave as a dragon can hold me down… my Lightray demolishes his kind. So… what CAN you do? … Nothing, that's what. It doesn't matter if you have control, Dave… you cannot detain me." "You goddamn…!" I went in to grip Tee. "Gh-!" "I'll toss you in there if I have to... I don't give two shits if you have something I'm naturally weak to. Once I do so, me and Ex will tell the crew to restrain you on the spot! Any last words before I whisk you off there?" "Go to Hell! Demonic entities like yourself deserve nothing less severe than everlasting pain and torment. Release me this instant, you disgusting creature! Holy Lightray!" "Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh-!" Ex wanted me to let Tee go, so that I could escape, but I held him tight. "You'll die at this rate, Dave! Get away from him!" "Don't… fret, Ex… …My resolve is too strong for some holy force to bring down. Where's the ship? Take me there." He acknowledged my resolve and I followed his lead. "I don't understand, why won't you die?!" Tee appeared livid. "It's exactly what I said before, Tee. I would suggest that you pay attention to other people's words next time. I yield not to your power, because I have friends that I wish to protect." "There's the ship up ahead." Ex had me look "Hehehe… H-hey, let's just talk about this, guys. It doesn't have to be this way, you know?" "Too late, you're getting thrown in there, Tee. We want you to sit inside and truly think about what you have done wrong." I informed him of the obvious. "Ess, it's your papa… I came back a little earlier because of a certain someone causing trouble." "*sigh* I'll open the hatch, Papa and... what the hell...? Is that a dragon?" Ess opened the hatch for us. "Alright, in you go…!" "N-no, wait- Aaaaah!" I tossed Tee inside. I had shed myself of the dragon form and we flew inside. Ess closed the hatch behind us as Tee was just himself again. "Gee, what a fucking surprise… I surely didn't see this coming…" Ess sarcastically said, rolling her eyes. Ex alerted the rest of the crew with the Tetra's intercom. They all came running in and binded Tee in rope. "This is to ensure that you don't go off on your own, Tee." The captain said. "..." The guy didn't say anything, only standing with his head lowered. "Okay, you can all leave and go back to whatever you were doing." Ex told them. They nodded and did just that, leaving the cockpit with only me, Ex, Ess, and Tee.

The captain went out of his dragon armor, as I did the same. "Dave, follow me… we're taking him to a special place in the ship. I know that you haven't been here much, so you probably don't know about it or where it could be." "What does this special place have for Tee?" "Oh, you'll see…" Making our way to this location in the starship, we kept a grip on the rope. "A… cell…?" I saw. "Yes, Dave. This is where Tee will spend his days from now on, until the guilt inevitably consumes him." "Yeah right, Ex... Like that'll happen…" "Oh it will, I have already envisioned it. Now, go inside. We untied you of this rope, but that doesn't mean your free... not by a long-shot." Tee goes in the cell and Ex closes the door to lock it with a key. I looked at the time and jolted in shock. "School is about to end today... I must leave here and you need to pick up Yui." "Oh, really? Is it that time, already? I'll go to Ess, so that she can fly the ship back to Primp Magic School. Do me a solid and watch Tee for me." "Will do." He left me all alone with a former assistant captain that wanted to kill me. "I don't understand… why am I the villain of this story… and don't say anything, Dave. I'm sick of your preaching and stuff." "*sigh* Tee… I don't like the fact that you threw away your friendship with Ringo, wanting to lust for her. You were someone who she could rely on, but look at what happened when you wanted to change… Then… you lusted for Yui, even though you didn't know her outside of that possession ability. You just thought she was hot... and did not consider how she would feel with you splooging all over her image. Plus, she didn't know you at all before that-" "SHUT UP! … Just shut up… and save your breath. I don't want to listen to this crap anymore." "Okay, just remember… you had yourself come to this end, not me. Don't say that I didn't warn you." I waited around in silence for a few minutes, then Ex came back. "What's the lowdown?" "He didn't want to hear anymore of my preaching… so I just left him be." "I see. Well, the ship will be landing soon. I'd suggest that you come with me." "What about Tee? Who's gonna watch him?" "Don't worry, I brought O into this, he's coming here for that." "Good." I nodded and we left the cell for the cockpit. "Hey, there it is!" I noticed the school off in the distance. "I'm taking us down there… now." Ess announced. The ship floated to ground level and the hatch opened. I saw my wonderful friends, as well as Accord, Rulue, and Witch. "Yoooooo! Dave!" Lemres waved his hands to me. "L-Lemres!" I jumped with joy. "Thank God you're fine, Dave." Feli ran up to me, then squeezed my arm and smiled. "Hehehe… Say… where's Ringo at? And... Satan for that matter..." I wondered. "Satan has gone back to his domain. As for the girl…" Rulue mentioned, then turned her head to continue. "...she's lying on that tree trunk over there." I took one look at Ringo to see. Yep, still out like a busted light, I see… My mind assessed. I walked over to kneel next to her. All of her things laid out beside her. I touched her loose and delicate hands. I didn't had the chance to do so a lot in the past. The feeling therefore... was still rather new to me. Not exactly soft, but not too firm either. "The skin…" I commented softly. The school's bell clapped for the final time that day after I said that. I went to carry Ringo into the special vehicle after I said goodbye to everybody else. As I held on to her the whole way through, she still slept. We came back to Suzuran, and I continued carrying her towards home. A few minutes after that, she wakes up. "... H-huuuuuh? !" "Woooooah there… it's okay, Ringo. Everything's just dandy." "What... happened, Dave?" "You passed out with Satan after Tee hit you with that one attack. The fusion ceased just before you two hit the ground. Apparently, he came to a lot quicker than you turned out." "Where is Tee? Where's Ex?" "They're both back in the Tetra." "WHAT?! B-but-! Tee's gonna kill Ex!" "No, he won't… there's something inside the Tetra disabling his power. If that wasn't enough insurance, he's locked up in a cell. We won't need to worry about him now… This most recent event is over… but not the pain. Ringo… I'm sorry that your dad is gone." "W-why are you sorry? It wasn't your fault, even if Tee said it was because of you." "But… I led him to murdering the innocent man. Why does everything that we lose become so painful? Son of a bitch… … … *sigh* Let's… keeping going back, your mother is waiting for us." I put Ringo down and we staggered onward toward home. "We're back, mom." Ringo said, still somewhat depressed about that death. At the dinner table, I of all people begin a conversation. "Hey, it's not a good thing to continuously mourn for the dead… I know that it's your husband, Ms. Ando... but, people need to move on from the deaths of loved ones... to focus on their own life and the lives of others. Just sitting here, all depressed, will just eat away at your own time. I can tell you this, his soul is at peace. A good friend of mine told me this in truth." I said. "W-wait, what?" She reacted. "Dave, you knew how my dad was killed before me… Who sent you this message? I want to know." Before I could say anything, a figure appeared. "That... would be me, Ringo." It was Satan, he appeared in front of us, and this was the first time her mother saw him. "! What are you doing here?" I asked him. "I thought it would be best for me to say, Dave. I was the one who notified him about what went down in Mr. Ando's murder." He said. "M-murder… Uh, who are you?" Ms. Ando shook. "Oh, how rude of me. I am Satan, ruler of a… certain underworld. I can assure you though, I'm not evil. You have Dave to thank for changing me. Now, I'm more like his… guardian angel, or I guess guardian demon in this case. Whatever, it doesn't matter whether I am a demon or not. I'll need to explain everything to you, Ms. Ando… Dave, Ringo… I'd suggest you finish and leave. This will be an adult talk between the two of us." He made it clear. "Uh, okay…?" I stared in bewilderment. We ate the food and left Ms. Ando with Satan.

Satan's POV

The two were finally gone, so I laid the groundwork of this talk. "So… how about some of this food as you explain to me?" She suggested to me. "Hmm… The aroma is astonishing. I suppose having some couldn't hurt anybody… … This is wonderful…! I wish the chefs back in my domain would be this good." "I'm… glad you enjoy it. This was made from the very fresh produce from family business." "Mhm. So I see... I've watched some of the ways you guys make up these rich fruits from afar, I do find it fascinating. Now…" I told her about how her husband died, as well as what led to it. "I'm… not sure how to take this in…" "Yes… I wasn't sure at first either… After all, Tee was a good friend of Ringo's. I had seen it in his eyes back then… it was a sight to behold. And then… that very sight deteriorated into this… He had a good future, but threw it away like garbage. Perhaps Ex can do something to lead him back on the right path. I'm not entirely certain right now, because I can only see what's happening to Dave from my place." "I… can tell. ... Satan, I just noticed… are you… hurt...?" "Huh? Oh yeah… I got dented in a fight with Tee before Ex and Dave took care of things." I wanted to tell her how I got like that, but at the same time, I didn't. Maybe I should- No, I can't tell her that I fused with her daughter. Who knows what she would think of that ordeal… "Well, I'm just glad that Ringo's safe, thanks you you guys." "O-oh… It was nothing, really…" I was a tad embarrassed. "My, you seem to be quite handsome…" "O-oh, really? Well, my looks are good indeed… I'm flattered, but I'm looking for another woman to love, Ms. Ando." "Have it your way. *chuckle*" We concluded our discussion and I had bid her a farewell.

Tee's POV

Being inside a cell sure is unfulfilling… but, I'm trapped in here, so there's not much I can do about it. About three hours have passed since I entered… God, time is never on anyone's side. My brain resented. I heard footsteps closing in on me, but I didn't know who came. My head was just facing the wall during this time. "Tee…" A voice called for me, and I now knew who it was. "... Yui, what are you doing here? I thought you resented me so much." I wondered in irritation. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I still hate you... for right now anyway." "What do you mean by "for right now anyway"?" "If you truly regret everything that you have done, I'll forgive you. When I first talked to you in the mechanical room, I saw good in you. It's still possible for you to be a good guy again." "What makes you say that, even after all the hate you threw my way?" "My father trusted you. He relied on you to get the job done whenever he couldn't. He enjoyed you helping him with missions in the past. See here: Had you just been like a normal lover-guy and asked me out on a date, instead of what you did on that night… I would've respected you. Trust me when I say this… You might've won me over with your looks, barring the tight jumpsuit." "Why does EVERYONE make note of this outfit and describe it like that when they first meet me…?" "That's because it stands out as painfully obvious and strange." We kept talking for a while, and then Yui brought this up. "At any rate, you have some charm… You could have kept your duty and been happy with trying to get a date from me. I don't want it… I'm not sure if I can take that responsibility, despite what the captain said to me." "So you would rather pass it along to someone else… Even if you do forgive me, and Ex for that matter... I still…" "Tee… girls don't like forced sexual awkwardness from boys. You need to know this so you don't get hate from them. I already know a guy that's kinda like that... and Dave still tries to get through to stop him, no matter how pointless it initially seems. This guy gets beaten up over the fact that we girls are violated by perversion. And then, you broke Ringo from inside out, from what I heard. She was a friend of yours for a few years, right? I felt her pain… she thought she knew you after doing many things together." "When Ex was the keeper… … … What have I done, Yui? I think the weight of this is getting to me at last… *sniff* Oh God... what have I done?! *sob* I… I was selfish, never considering the other side of things… I grossed you out, lost my job because of it, and I became a heartless monster. I fucking killed Ringo's dad without stopping to think! Then, Dave and Ex completely hated my guts for all the right reasons. I betrayed those two nice people, besides Ringo… and you. Yui, tell Ex this… I'm sorry for everything I've done! *continued sobbing* I won't do any more of this crap, and I'm willing to have my sentence be carried out for how long the captain see fits. I... I-I just want my job back… My life feels incomplete without it." "Understood, I'll make sure to tell him that you cried, groveling and regretting everything." Yui gestured me to come close, and she placed her hand on my cheek. I was left alone for a duration after that.

Yui's POV

I walked off to go see my father after talking to Tee. I found him in the captain's quarters, sitting down. "Hey, Yui. What's got you smiling?" "Father, Tee regrets everything. The guilt got to him while we were talking. He says that he's willing to have his sentence carried out for how long you see fit." "R-really?! I didn't expect this at all, especially after he almost killed me and Dave. D-did he say anything else?" "He… wanted his duty back. And, I'm not opposed to that... Me being the assistant captain still sounds too daunting." "*sigh* Very well, if that's what he wants… I'll… have him carry out a sentence for a month and a half. This is with limited food and water, so he'll be hungry and dehydrated. I'll go tell him this, myself. You can go now…" I left the captain's quarters to be with Ess, for some sisterly time. "Yui, your mood seems to be different. What happened?" "Oh Ess, Tee had his guilty feelings come into play. He's sorry for everything." "Is he really? I doubt that…" "Have you ever seen him crying?" "... Is that what it boiled down to? Did he actually cry out tears?" "Yeah. He was groveling during his apology. It was genuine, I could tell." "Well, that's a new precedent I didn't see coming… either way though, I still hate him." "I understand, Ess. Tee was an issue to all of us. He was actually gonna kill you after he would've dealt with Father and Dave. He had a personal vendetta for you, as it had seemed. But, I guess my words also made him second-guess that." "I suppose terrible former assistant captains can change… Ugh… I still think he's a dick." "Fair enough, my dear sister." I squeezed her tight in my arms. "H-hey! What's with the sudden affection, Yui?" "I wanted us to know each other more as sisters. Ess, what do you like to do?" "Me…? Uuuuum… … … I like to make myself… look pretty." "... That's little girl stuff… I'm not sure how to feel about that…" "Hey! I didn't have much in the way of friends during my childhood, give me a break!" "Alright… Maybe shift that hobby to that of making yourself look like a mature woman. You've got the features to do so." "Yeah… but there'll guys giving me those creepy looks… That idea just seems to be a pervert magnet." "That's why we're sisters, we can protect each other from those kind of guys." "*sigh* Okay, what could you suggest for me to look… sexier?" "Well, I'm not too sure, I've only gotten into this recently. But, there is a guy I know that could help in being a major player." "Who is he?" "Oshare Bones, he runs a clothing store in Primp." "Hey, isn't that the town where the clueless girl lives?" "Uh, who?" "Uuuuum… Amitie! Yes, Amitie… that's her name." "Yeah, she lives there... why do you ask?" "Yui, I just hope that this "Bones" fellow isn't like her. That just seems to be how the majority of the people there are… a bunch of weird-jobs and crazy lunatics." "I can't make any promises, but I think he's down-to-earth enough." "Anyway, I'll need to get myself money before I can go through with purchasing beautiful clothes… and that requires a job that pays. Not convenient in the slightest…" The rest of the night came and went, just like that. Me and and Ess slept snugly together.


Author's Notes: Tee was at last, stopped by Dave and Ex after Ringo had passed out from the battle. He was sent to a cell to be confined for his actions. At first, he did not feel any guilt for the things that were done by his hand… but, like all most people, his heart changed. Yui brought him to that realization, as it came flooding into his mind. He broke down and apologized extensively for the misdeeds to her. Yui proceeded to leave Tee and tell Ex about the change in the former assistant captain. He's naturally shocked with this revelation playing out, considering what Tee said to him and Dave prior. Ex therefore makes up a sentence for him and leaves the situation like that. What will happen now that Tee's back on the right path? Will he actually take his life to a new and positive direction? How will this new series of events unfold? Next chapter, Chapter 35: Getting Technical.