Journey of the soul chapter 74

Not gonna lie Hunter, I don't wanna write this chapter.

Hunter: why not?

Because I have little to no interest in any of Rupert's development as a character and personally I think adding another chapter of fluff before the finals would be boring.

Hunter: that's…..honestly a good point. There is one way to make it interesting though.

And what's that?

Hunter: make it about ME.

Nah, I do that every time.

Hunter: well then what is the plan for this chapter?

I dunno, I'll probably just make stuff up as I go along.

Hunter: so it's just like every other chapter?

Don't question it. Well, strap in for a long one folks. Looks like the finals are today! Onto the chapter!

Large boats brought people back towards the caliosteo islands. Once the population of the islands had been restored, the resulting celebration was massive. The defeat of the Barebones Brigade almost marked the start of the caliosteo cup finals and there was a single soul who didn't have their television tuned into the caliosteo station for coverage of the entire tournament leading up to this final battle. Statistics where being displayed as to who would take it all. Rupert was the statistical favorite. He was a master fighter and an excellent tactician, not to mention Mapo King was one of the strongest Vivosaurs in existence. Those who believed Hunter would take the win often banked on the argument of elemental advantage with his Giga Spinax being wind and Mapo King being water.

Of course, what the finalists were actually doing was very different. Rupert was busy avoiding his father. There was no way he could do something as big as helping with the arrest of a major criminal organization and not receive a talk about "for the good of the company". Instead, he spent his time in the waiting room of the cranial island station, going over strategies.

"Hunter must be doing the same," He muttered to himself, "master fighter or not, he's still a formidable opponent."

…..

Hunter was asleep

He had just had possible the most stressful week of his life and was fully prepared to sleep the entire day away except for the finals. This was it. This was the shot he had been waiting for since he got here. If he won, he could avoid jail by setting the money from the park aside to pay bail. (hoorah for working corrupt systems in your favor). He needed to be as prepared as possible. So of course, he was sleeping. And also of course, he was having a nightmare.

"You shouldn't be the way you are." The voice in his head spoke. It wasn't murder voice, or Spinax sadly, or a dinaurian. He was standing in the same dark plateau where he he'd fought with murder voice. Hunter ignored it. There wasn't time for this.

"Oh hey, look who's back," this one was murder voice. The same shadow figure was sitting on the side of the plateau, his feet dangling off the edge.

"One of you will not leave alive." The other voice spoke again. Hunter didn't respond. Instead, he sat down next to the shadowy figure.

"Y'know. It's strange. A while ago we nearly killed each other, but now even when another voice is telling us to, nothing happens."

"Man, you're mind is one messed up place."

"Well, considering you and mr. kill each other are probably all parts of my mind, what does that say about you?" That question was never answered, because at that moment the world shifted into a new scene. Now Hunter was standing alone at the top of some kind of temple. Purple clouds swirled in the sky.

"Wait, I've had this dream before." As if on cue, a purple-black mass of energy appeared in front of him. Massive skeletal claws reached out from the shadow. At this point, Hunter would usually wake up. This time however, before the class could reach him, he noticed the clouds above spreading out. A beam of light shot down from the parted clouds. He didn't know why, but that terrified him. The light began to become brighter and brighter until it was blinding, engulfing everything along with it. Hunter heard himself scream.

And that was when he woke up, covered in sweat and another fluid. Hunter tore the blanket off himself and tried to stay calm. He peed himself. He had wet the bed like a damn child.

"What the hell was that?" Hunter let his thoughts wander as he showered off. At any rate, there was actually something he could do before the finals.

"Y'know, you're pretty dismissive of all the supernatural shit that happens to you."

"Oh, you saw that too?"

"Yep, didn't know a person could piss that much."

"Hahahahahahahahashutup. I guess I'm just used to this stuff by now."

"That sounds like an excuse."

"It is one. I'd rather focus on my own goals than the things trying to get in the way of them. Speaking of which…" Hunter changed into his regular clothes and left the fighters lodge. He knew exactly where he needed to go first.

Rupert walked out of the waiting room with anxiety written all over his face. Not necessarily about the finals, but about the fact that he hadn't seen his father all day. He knew something was coming, he just had to be ready for it.

"Rupert."

"Ah!" Yep, totally ready. It wasn't his father, it was Todd

"…did you just squeak?"

"Of course not, what makes you think me of all people would-"

"BOO!"

"…."

"Worth a shot"

"Ugh."

"Anyway, have you seen Hunter anywhere?"

"No, Do you not know where he is?" Th thought of winning by default because Hunter wouldn't arrive crossed Rupert's mind. It was unsatisfactory and he wouldn't accept it if that happened.

"Well, I saw him in bed this morning, but I haven't been back there since."

"I highly doubt he would remain in bed on a day such as this."

"True enough. I guess I'll go check just to be sure though." Todd started towards the exit, but stopped and looked back.

"By the way, good luck!"

"What?"

"Is it weird to wish someone luck?"

"I assumed you would be cheering for Hunter."

"That doesn't mean I can't wish you luck. Besides, I'll wish Hunter luck too. So then you'll be even." Rupert laughed, which was surprising.

"Thanks Todd." He nodded and left the station. Rupert planned on walking to the common room where he would wait. The finals began in an hour, yet the buzzing of the stadium could already be heard from anywhere on the island. As he steeled himself to enter and wait for the final battle, another voice stopped him.

"Rupert." This time, he didn't shout from anxiety. But this time, it WAS his father. He towered over Rupert as he turned around. He silently cursed himself for growing up shorter than most.

"Hello father. Is there something I can help you with?"

"There is, you can withdraw from the cup."

"Oh, I see….and why would I do that?" If Rupert's father was surprised by being challenged, he didn't show it.

"I've analyzed this 'Hunter' person you are meant to be fighting. The statistics show only a 50% chance of victory"

"As we are evenly matched then."

"Correct. I know not who this person is, but his skill level is comparable to a master fighter. These odds are not good enough Rupert. You must withdraw for the good of the-"

"I refuse."

"…Excuse me?"

"Apologies Father, but I will be participating in the finals. I wish to face Hunter as a fossil fighter, not your employee."

"That is entirely too selfish for someone of your standing Rupert. I expect better from you."

"You expect me to work for you. I'm your son, not your employee."

"You are valuable to both me AND the company."

"If you value me, then allow me to make my own decisions."

"….."

"Father, I know you want the best possible outcome for me and the company. You don't want me to lose, do you?"

"…..No Rupert, I don't want to see you lose."

"Losing is part of being a fossil fighter. I am willing to accept that, and you should too."

"….I….I'm sorry Rupert, I have not realized how much this means to you. Are you certain about this?"

"I am. More than anything."

"Then I shall see you in the stadium." His father smiled, a rare sight, before heading down the path towards the stands. Rupert bounced on his heels to prepare himself, then quickly realized that's something Hunter does.

"Curses," Rupert smiled to himself as he walked into the waiting room.

…..

Hunter was weeding through the crowd, trying to keep his face covered. The duffel bag he brought with him lagged behind him, but the major weight on him always the girl he was carrying on his back.

"Faster!" Lila shouted, "let's move!" She dug her heels into His sides, spurring him on.

"Ouch." He muttered, "C'mon Lila. Go easy on me."

"No way! You went on a cool undercover mission without me. I wanted to fight bad guys too!" She spurred him on again and he nearly fell over. In spite of himself, Hunter laughed.

"Tell you what Lila, I'll make it up to you." Hunter turned on a dime and started walking up the stairs.

"Hunter? The ticket says my seat is that way."

"I know, but I've got a better spot." Hunter walked to the very top of the bleachers, finally reaching a small podium where the announcer usually sat and did commentary.

"If anyone asks what you're doing up here, just say I let you up here and show them your ticket." Hunter scribbled his signature on Lila's ticket and lifted her onto the podium. He let Delta out of its Dino medal.

"Make sure she doesn't fall okay?"

"Won't you need delta for the fight?"

"For the fight? Probably. For what I plan on doing? I'll be okay. But above all that, I want you to have the best seat in the house for what's about to go down." Hunter waved as he turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Before he could move. Lila wrapped her arms around his neck from her elevated height on the podium, "good luck."

"Yeah yeah. Just watch me kid, this is gonna be a good one." Hunter walked a bit faster than usually so he could could wipe off the tear without Lila seeing. He had already nearly broke down in front of Todd when he wished him luck. Now isn't the time to get all emotional.

"Emotional? You? NEVER."

"Y'know murder voice. Why didn't you try and kill me? Aren't you the part of my subconscious that hates me?"

"Maybe I am. Honestly, I don't know anymore. What would killing you do? What could I do that would be better than you? Would people even prefer me over you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Wouldn't you like to know. I guess either way, I'd still be stuck in a world I hate."

"Preaching to the quire on that one. I'm not too fond of the world either."

"….why? You've got friends who adore you like some kind of puppy, that girl with the nice-"

"Don't finish that sentence."

"….smile, not to mention your pretty much in the clear if you win this fight."

"Well, that's debatable."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm tired of lying to everyone." The conversation ended there. Hunter had reached the waiting room. Rupert was already there as well, facing the doorway with steadfast determination in his eyes. Hunter walked up next to him, neither of them spoke for a bit.

"I sorted out my problems with my father."

"That's good. I sorted out my problems with most of my friends."

"That is also good, although I doubt either of our accomplishments will matter once the fight begins."

"Rupert, I'm sorry."

"Huh? For what?"

"A lot of things, but right now? I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. You might be insulted by my strategy in this fight, but I think you'll understand later. So for now, sorry."

"…I see. Well, I suppose no matter what, it will be a well fought battle."

"That's for sure." The doors opened to a roaring crowd. The two boys each took positions on the opposite side of the field. Hunter set his duffel bag down next to him. Rupert took. Note of it, but didn't say anything. The crowd roared with excitement as Joe came on the loud speakers.

"Well now, I'd say it's time to get to battlin' folks!" The din was deafening, "we got some o' the best fighters lined up to go head to head. Are y'all ready to see who's comin' out on top?"

Rupert's hand pulled three Dino medals out of his holder while Hunter gripped the one in his hand.

"Then let's get right to it! The moment y'all have been waiting for! LET THE FINALS BEGIN!"

"Mapo! Mapo King!" Rupert shouted the names of his vivosaurs. Each of the two Mapos were blood red due to wondrous fossil rocks. Mapo king, as usual, towered over the rest and gave a mighty roar for the crowd. Hunter looked at the metal in his hand.

"Just you wait," he said. He unzipped his duffel bag, but left it alone for now. After all, now was the time to fight.

"SPINAX! LET'S DO THIS!" Hunter beamed the medal through the air. Spinax appeared in a brilliant flash and skidded across the ground from the speed of the throw. He let out his own roar that matches Mapo's. Rupert scoffed.

"A bit cocky, aren't we? I assumed you would take this seriously."

"Rupert, I'm DEAD serious." Hunter tried to focus. This was about to hurt. A lot.

"Very well, Aqua cannon!" And thus, it began.

"Cyclonic breath!" Mapo's laser was met immediately with spinax's, which was much stronger. Mapo 1 was forced backwards, but mapo 2 rushed forward to meet Spinax head on. It reared down to attack his underbelly.

"Harden!" Mapo's jaws sparked against Spinax, but left no mark, "Now Spinax mega!" Mapo was then crushed under spinax's claw.

"Spinax Terra!" He followed up with a condensed shot of air at the other approaching Mapo, who had to stop its attack to dodge. The other Mapo freed itself from spinax's grasp and scrambled away. Mapo king silently oversees this entire clash from a distance.

"Double Conqueror Fang!" Both Mapo's charged at Spinax, their jaws glowing red. He wouldn't be able to block both. Hunter could feel his soul reaching out. That was when the pain started from the tips of his fingers. It wasn't enough, not yet.

"UP!" Tornadoes shot from spinax's feet as it launched itself into the air, avoiding the attack. The crowd let out a VERY audible gasp. Hunter looked towards where he knew Todd would be. Sure enough, Todd was there with a pure look of shock on his face. There was only one person who knew how to have Spinax fly.

"Spinax Mega!" Spinax came crashing down, leaving a sizable mark in the stadium ground. Both Mapos were shaken violently by the impact.

"Now! Spinax Giga!" Spinax grabbed the tail of a stunned Mapo in his jaws and bit down with wind enforces teeth. Mapo shrieked and blasted Spinax in the face with Aqua cannon. It didn't stop him though. Spinax threw Mapo into the other. Mapo king still didn't move.

"Conqueror special!" One Mapo recovered and cloaked itself in aquatic energy. It charged at Spinax and the two collided.

"Roll!" Spinax fell backwards and rolled across the ground with Mapo on top, it kicked Mapo backwards as it got up, sending it flying toward Mapo king.

"Royal strike." In an instant, Mapo king rebounded Mapo with a lightning fast strike. Spinax retaliated and they played a deadly game of ping pong for a bit before Mapo faded away. Hunter felt his skin burn, but it only made him more determined. He could feel something blocking him. He just had to push past that.

"Spinax Peta!" Spinax looked at Hunter. It was a look that had a mix of emotions on it. Then he let out a massive roar as multiple tornadoes shot out in all directions. None of them went to Mapo king. Instead, they all converged on Mapo. The cyclones sent the much smaller vivosaurs up into the air.

"Up once again!" Spinax followed Mapo into the air. His crystals began glowing as he dodged the rapid flailing of Mapo. Hunter bit down on his mouth to stop himself from screaming in pain. He could feel the barrier weakening.

"CYCLONIC RAGE!" Once again, the audience gasped. Spinax struck Mapo in the stomach and let loose a massive explosion as they crashed back down to earth, Hunter felt his goggles fly off his head. He grabbed them before they could fly away, but didn't put them back on. Spinax let out a massive roar and the resulting wind pressure blew away the dust. Mapo was gone, only the king remained.

Lila didn't know what to say. Didn't Hunter want to keep himself a secret? Why was he trying to get caught. Even Delta, who had been given orders to stay, looked like it wanted to jump down there and stop him. Lila was so focused on the fight, she didn't notice the person appearing behind her until they tapped her shoulder.

"Hya!..." she shouted a bit, but even though her hair was blond and she was wearing much different clothing, Lila recognized the striking yellow eyes instantly.

"Duna!"

"Shh." Duna made signals to keep her voice down, "I'm surprised you recognized me."

"I'm surprised you're here….is that jacket-"

"Yes, but there are more important matters"

"CYCLONIC RAGE!" Duna was interrupted by Hunters attack. The two watched the explosion in silence for a bit before Duna continued.

"Where is Alvis?"

"I don't know. He left today earlier today and I haven't seen him."

"I knew it. Da-….darn." Duna gave Lila an odd look, "this is a problem, we must go quickly." She grabbed Lila's hand.

"What? Why?"

"Because Alvis is a dangerous man and we need to tell Hunter." The words echoed a bit.

"Alvis is not like you, humans, or dinaurians. He is something else entirely" Lila thought about it for a moment, who should she trust.

"Are you and Hunter…friends again?"

"I won't lie to you. I hated Hunter. But now I realize there may have been things outside of his control that contributed to my hate. Still, I can't say I don't carry a bit of resentment and I highly doubt he would do anything to change-" Duna stopped at that point, because Hunter was about to do something to change.

….

"I've noticed what you've been doing." Rupert had a complex look on his face.

"Well, then can you let me finish it before we finish this?" He gestured to the fight. To his surprise, Rupert smiled.

"Go ahead, It's good to know who you really are."

"Thanks." Hunter wanted to pass out, but he didn't stop.

"This is a message." He spoke over the crowd, which had fallen silent, "a message to all the people of the world. But most importantly, a message to myself."

"I've been lying to so many people for so long now. So, I think it's only fair that I come clean with it all. I couldn't say it before, but I have the strength to now. I guess I should start with my name, but I'll save that for last." Hunter reached into his bag and pulled out the only object he left in there. It was a visor. HIS visor. He fitted it on his head. The crowd didn't make a sound.

"I wore this visor on the day guhnash attacked earth. I fought with guhnash, and won. It was on my head the day I was found by the police for murdering a man 8 years ago. I was framed for the death of my parents, but that is false. I killed my parents murderer, and I don't regret it. I'm a half-human, half-dinaurian freak with strange abilities. I can talk to a vivosaur in my head. I wrote a letter that was found and went viral saying all of this. And for some strange reason, people thought I was dead. For the past year or so, I've been living a life of lies to keep this all a secret. Not anymore. My name is Hunter. More specifically, I AM HUNTER CLOUD!" With that, Soulflame roared to life. Surprisingly, so did the crowd. Spinax let out a roar of his own that dwarfed all others as his crystals turned to a flaming blue color. Hunter felt the barrier break, shattered into a million pieces.

"I'm proud of you kid."

"It's good to hear you again." Hunter let himself cry freely.

"Good to be heard…dear revival machine, is this conversation weird or what?" Hunter laughed his most genuine laugh in a while.

"Anyway, I do believe some ass-kicking is in order good sir."

"What happened to kicking tail?"

"I've been in solitary confinement for how long now? Let me have my fun."

"Fair enough," Hunter smiled.

"Ready Rupert?"

"Ready."

"Then Let's do this."

"ROYAL SPLASH!"

"SOULFIRE!" Tidal wave was met with a raging blast of blue flames. There was no steam, the two attacks simply canceled each other out.

"Royal strike! Go!" Mapo ruched up to Spinax and struck him directly in the face.

"Spinax Giga!" Spinax grabbed Mapo's arm and gritted his teeth, throwing the vivosaur backwards.

"Cyclonic breath!"

"Aqua cannon!" Once again, the two lasers were evenly matched. Thins time, both vivosaurs rushed at each other. Spinax reared back and swung his claw at Mapo, who did the same. The two slashed across each other's face, but Spinax grabbed onto Mapo's

"Up!" Fiery tornados exploded beneath Spinax as he shot upwards, slashing across Mapo's face again.

"Now Falling Star!" Engulfed in brilliant blue flames, Spinax crashed down on Mapo. Spinax pinned Mapo to the ground while avoiding its flailing claws.

"Royal buster!" Spinax made a sound that sounded remarkably like throwing up when Mapo shoved a foot into his stomach. Spinax recoiled backwards, allowing Mapo to get up and summon a tidal wave.

"Is it a problem that I can't really swim?"

"Probably, Soulfire!" Spinax let loose a massive amount of flames, punching a hole of steam straight through the tidal wave, but only temporarily.

"Harden!" Spinax still took most of the tidal wave head on, attempting to minimize damage. Mapo rode the tidal wave directly into Spinax and crashed into him. That's what they were waiting for. Spinax latched himself onto Mapo and his crystals began shining brilliantly.

"Royal Splash!" Mapo ran Spinax into the wall with another tidal wave. He braces a massive foot against the wall and a flaming tornado launched him back into Mapo.

"RAGING SOUL!" Spinax let out a roar as a fiery explosion consumed both vivosaurs. There was screaming in the crowd. People were scrambling to get away from the blast radius which was approaching the stands.

"Maybe time it down a bit?"

"Ugh. Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine." The explosion stopped short of the stands and slowly went up in smoke. Hunter quickly looked to where Lila was to make sure she was safe. His eyes widened.

"Well, well, well. Score one for turtle dove."

"I can believe you just said that."

"Why not? It's a classic." Duna was here. She saw him when he shouted his name. The self victory was short lived however, as when the smoke cleared both vivosaurs were still standing.

"This is it Hunter!" Rupert called, "I hope you're ready!"

"I'd worry more about yourself if I were you!" Spinax planted both feet firm on the grounds Mapo slowly raised both claws.

"DARK KING!" Hurricane like wind surrounded Mapo as its eyes glowed a deep crimson red. Hunter could see the massive black tidal wave rising up, just like with Todd.

"So what's the plan for this one coach?"

"To be honest, I was hoping raging soul would take him out and we wouldn't have to deal with this."

"…..shouldn't I have 4 different Soul attacks?" Spinax's Crystals began glowing again, as if there was fire inside them. The dark wave had blotted out the sun at this point. He could see red eyes a blue crystals through the dark. There were cracks forming along the crystals. A name came to Hunter. He smiled.

"SHINING SPIRIT!"

"Goddamnit that sounds lame." All of the crystals on Spinax shattered, their shards spreading in all directions. It looked as if they moved in slow motion.

And then the world was set alight.

Each crystal shard exploded in brilliant flash of blue flames and pure energy. Every single shard had the same power as Raging Soul. The wind force alone was enough to knock Hunter off his feet and into the door behind him. The tidal wave evaporated instantly from the sheer force of the attack. Hunter noticed that whenever the fire would get too close to the stands, it would flicker out. He let out a sigh of relief

"I think we won."

"I think I broke something."

"Shut up Spinax."

….

When Hunter left the rubble of the stadium, he was in a daze. Mapo king was nowhere to be found after shining spirit. Spinax, who now had tiny green nubs instead of crystals, was resting in his medal.

"Beauty sleep is a wonderful thing." He lamented.

"How long do you think it'll take to grow your crystals back?"

"I dunno. A day maybe?"

"So no more fighting today, got it."

"We can spend that time catching me up on all the shit that's gone down while I was AFK."

"1. How do you know what AFK means. 2. weren't you still there for everything?"

"Yes I was. For EVERYTHING.

"That means…you saw…."

"Guy pact, it didn't happen."

"Agreed." Hunter turned to Rupert, who had remained silent in the waiting room. They could both hear the crowd roaring outside.

"You seem pretty calm considering you're next to a murderer."

"The man who shot John Wilkes Booth was also a murderer and I'd be perfectly comfortable sitting next to him."

"True enough." Eventually, Joe walked in with some assistance from the staff members forcing back the crowd.

"Hunter!" "Hunter cloud!" "Murderer!" "Arrest him!" "I love you!" It was a mix of voices, but he got the gist of it.

"Well pard, gotta say I'm a little surprised." Joe scratched the back of his neck, "never expected this from ya'"

"Guess this means I won't be getting the prize huh?" Hunter sighed. After going over it in his head, jail time didn't seem to bad.

"Now who said anythin' about that?"

"….what?"

"That was the greatest battle I ever saw an' you think I'm just gonna let that go by unrewarded? Nosiree. This park's yours Hunter,"

"…..really?" This was unreal. He didn't know if Joe was crazy or just was really blown away by the battle. At this point, he didn't care.

"VICTORY!" Spinax shouted hoarsely.

"All ya gotta do is come up to my office. Congratulations Hunter. You truly are the chosen one." Weird wording aside, Hunter was too excited to care. All he was focused on now was getting to Joe's office. Rupert left with Joe as the crowd was forced back once more.

"Thank you for the battle Hunter. Good luck."

"Hopefully I won't ne-…..thanks." Hunter stayed in the room for a bit longer, trying to ignore the banging.

"We…..did it."

"We most certainly did."

"It's over. I can go back to my old life. I can be me again."

"C'mon kid, you already were you."

"Well yeah, but now I don't have to hide."

"You stopped hiding it out there."

"…I missed you buddy."

"The feelings mutual. Now all we have to do is beat the shit outta the guy who put up that mind barrier in the first place."

"Knowing me, we'll run into him soon enough." Hunter pressed a hand to the door and pushed.

Immediately, it was chaos. The staff tried their best to guide Hunter up the stairs, but it was five people with small blockers against hundreds of people swarming around. Hunter felt someone grab his shirt collar and yank him back. He was being grabbed and poked. Pretty sure someone had punched him too.

"I hate being famous." Spinax yawned.

"I hate being infamous." Suddenly, he heard two voices over the crowd.

"Hunter!"

"Hunter!" It was Todd, and behind him was Duna. Hunter tried to reach out to both of the , but only Todd could reach. With a shout, Hunter pulled Todd over the edge of the crowd. He tried to reach for Duna, but his hand kept getting battered by all the people.

"Hunter! Say away from a-"

"What? WHAT?!" He couldn't hear her. She was drowned out. He could see Lila behind her.

"We'll meet at Lila's apartment after this!" He shouted, "I'll be there! I promise!"

"Heard that one before." Spinax snorted.

"But this time, I won't let anything get in my way." The crowd was finally pushed back enough for Hunter and Todd to make it to the elevator.

"Why…ha….me?" Todd gasped, "isn't she your-"

"I have no idea, but we made a promise that one of us would win this thing, so I figured you might want to be there to see it happen." Todd smiled.

"Thanks Hunter."

"Thanks for not giving up on me. Although I understand if you'd want nothing to do with me now."

"You kidding?! My best friend saved the world! How cool is that!" The two boys laughed at each other on the elevator ride up. Everything was perfect.

"I do believe we have reached the end." Spinax sent a mental image of him nodding, satisfied. When they reached the top, Joe was there with a wide grin. When he saw Todd though, his smile disappeared.

"I see you brought Todd, we didn't talk about that."

"I know, but I want him to be here."

"I suppose it doesn't matter. At any rate, before I transfer my power to you, I shall tell you a story." Todd didn't know why, but he felt as if he heard Joe's voice before, but not from Joe.

"I want to tell the story of a great man, who ruled over these islands long ago before being defeated. I want to talk about Zongazonga."

"Red flag!" Spinax started rocking the edges of Hunter's mind. He knew it too, something was going on with Joe.

"Zongazonga? The evil wizard guy that got sealed away? The one on the calio tablets?" Todd asked.

"Yeah," Hunter growled, "the guy who could invade people's minds and take over their body by forcing out their soul." He didn't know why Joe would bring that up now, but he definently didn't like it.

"Why bring this up now though?"

"Because the story does not end with the sealing. Zongazonga was sealed away in a jungle temple. Many years later, that temple was found by a man exploring the jungle. That man's curiosity got the better of him, and he walked into the central room of the temple. There was coffin in that room, which was opened. Though it was only for a brief second, Zongazonga was able to use his powers to claim that man's body. Shall I tell you his name? The wretched name of the man who has been a consistent thorn in my side?" The pieces began clicking into place.

"That man's name was Joe Wildwest."

"That's very interesting. No if you'll excuse us, I don't think I need the park after all." Hunter ushered Todd to leave, butt the elevator was gone. They both Ed turned towards the stairs, but noticed the massive metal lock on it.

"I see your feeble minds are beginning to piece it together." Joe laughed a high shrill laugh. Hunter's hand flew to his holder.

"I am not your foolish cowboy friend. I am Zongazonga! The greatest sorcerer to ever live!"

"Delta!" Hunter tried to throw a Dino medal, but found that his arm was stuck.

"I…can't move!" Todd shouted.

"Though this body is old and feeble, I still have power." Purple mist was expelling from Joe's, or rather, zongazonga's hand.

"Now Hunter, you have proven yourself as worthy of being my majestic vessel. I'm certain your power combined with my own will help me achieve my goals."

"Which is?" Spinax asked, "the bad guys never explain what they want until the end so can we just get this over with now?" Zongazonga grinned.

"My goal is complete domination of the world, starting here." Hunter froze. He could hear Spinax.

"I can do more than hear Hunter."

"…..you bastard."

"If you are under the assumption that I am responsible for placing the mental barrier between you and your pet lizard."

"I AM GOING TO KILL HIM."

"-then you'd be mistaken. However, that matters not once I have your body." Zongazonga approached with a devilish grin. Hunter didn't have any strength left from the fight with Rupert. Even if soulflame could break him free, he couldn't use it. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to.

The tower began to shake violently as a hole was punched through the side of the wall from the outside. A B-Ptera flew up to the side. Hunter tried to move enough to shield himself from flying rubble, but ended up getting hit anyway.

"Climb on! Both of ya!" He recognized the voice coming from the B-Ptera. Zongazonga laughed.

"Fool! You can't begin to hope to escape me now!"

"Damn it! C'mon boys!" The voice shouted. Hunter felt the tips of his fingers twitch. It was enough.

"Spinax, you think you have enough power left for a wind blast?" Spinax made a sound like a balloon deflating.

"Did that do anything?"

"No."

"Then I'm useless."

"….shit." Then, there it was. Hunter didn't know where it was coming from, but he had soulflame energy. His hand flew to his eye with no resistance, there was no fire.

"What?! How?!" Zongazonga, shocked that Hunter could move, rushed at him with dark mist spilling from his hands. Hunter rushed towards Todd and grabbed his hand, dragging him with him. Todd couldn't even speak because of the magic, but he could tell there was a lot he wanted to say. Hunter threw Todd into the B-Ptera. He'd take don boneyard over magic demon wizard any day.

"This seems strangely familiar." Hunter said to himself as he launched off the Wildwest tower onto the wing of Ptera. The vivosaur rocketed away from the tower. Hunter tried to look around for the source of the voice, but couldn't see. He collapsed on the back of the Ptera from exhaustion and felt his consciousness slip away.

"Well, I think I've found that great evil Alvis wanted us to fight." Spinax commented.

"Great, so how do we fight it?"

"No damn clue."

Done! And here's the longest chapter on this story to date.

Hunter: fitting, considering all the crap that went down.

Spinax: indeed. Crap did, in fact, go down

Oh hey, welcome back Spinax. How long were you hiding in that corner?

Hunter: Wait, what?

Spinax: about half a year, give or take a few weeks.

Hunter: wait, WHAT

Cool, let's get some drinks to celebrate. On me.

Spinax: don't worry, I'll pay with this wallet I found!

…that's my wallet.

Hunter: hiding in the corner….he's huge….how did he….

Thanks for reading!