The Misadventures of Dave: Into the World of Puyo Puyo

by daveping243

The main character of this story, Dave, is found to be a discouraged individual in his world. One day, he sees a portal that transports him against his will to another world. This causes his own body to change in age and appearance before passing out. He discovers that he lies on grass from this said world, as well as a girl. {Rated M for major violence, strong language, and sex.}

27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: The Count's Vengeance

Schezo's POV

It was a dark and stormy night in the woods. I had just gotten back by my cave after slaying a few Puyos. There, I saw a mysterious figure attempting to go in the entrance. I called out the figure in anger. "Hey, who are you?! What do you think your doing, loitering about and going into my cave?!" The figure turned around, but did not reply to me. "Fine, if you are going to be like that… Light!" I cast a ball of light to see who this person was. "Wait… aren't you that vampire lord's subordinate?" It was at that moment, the guy finally spoke to me. "Yeah, I am. I remember you too… you're the dark mage from that day." "Wait, how do you know that?" "The count sensed the evil in you, that's what he told me." "Why are you here?" "I figured that I could find a hideout for the both of us. That cave would've done, with its size and all." "I hate to break it to you, but this is my home. Back off!" "Y'know, I don't think I like that tongue of yours. I'll just have to take it away from ya… by force!" "Try me, runt. I have a sword that can make mincemeat out of you." "I have a gun though, there'll be a bullet in your brain by the time ya try swingin' it." "Go right ahead then, let's see what happens." "Ya asked for death yourself, time to die!" *bang*

One bullet did not even faze me. "Heh. I think you need to check my body. As you can see... there isn't a gunshot wound on me." "Wha-? H-how's this possible?!" "Pipsqueak, I have a barrier that shields me of any man-made projectiles. In other words, your gun's bullets." "B-bullshit!" He continued firing round after round, but none were able to touch me. "I told you, I'm impervious to crap like that." "Sh-shit!" He was panicking and breathing heavily from this. "For trying to take my cave, you and that count, as well as trying so desperately to kill me… you'll be my next victim. Prepare to face retribution for the evil doing that you have done… while being a servant for both Dioge and Count Vyle!" "Ya knew that I was Dioge's-?!" "It's thanks to people like Dave that I know about these things happening." "You're acquainted with Dave...? … Daaaamn yooooou!" "I send death upon thee, DIE!" I lopped off the head from his body, like a sideways guillotine. Blood splattered everywhere in the vicinity of that cadaver, twitching before it fell to the ground. The head's face continuously looked at me, creepily. "Well, I wonder how Vyle will react to this… That's IF he finds out that is. *sigh* I guess I'll clean this blood up from my clothes and sword with rainwater. And, that'll be one less worry for Dave and his companions…" I went back in my cave to relax, and to look at some porn. "Meh. That doesn't turn me on…" This continued throughout the night, as I sat around in my underwear, cold.

Dave's POV

I went through most of next school week feeling bored. Me and my friends made the most of the mundane environment by chatting. Midterms were almost in sight to study for. During lunch, I worked on some of my work from calculus, as Lemres and Feli watched my frustration build up. "Damn these equations, they don't make any sense!" I spoke my mind. "That just looks like a bunch of gibberish to me." Lemres said. "Of course it does, Warlock Obvious. How the hell is a normal person supposed to know what all of this amounts to?!" I went. I was going crazy from those numbers and symbols. "Shit, I dunno what this is either… and I have some understanding of harder math." Feli told us. "Argh! This is almost as bad as the algebra II stuff I did back in my world! *sigh* Fuck it. I'll give up on this until Ringo can come around to be with me." I eased. "So… those midterms…" Lemres brought up. "Yeah, Lemres. We must prepare for those, even the subjects that we're complete garbage at. We worked hard all this time, failures in our classes will be a no-go. Our grades need to stay above the D range if we want to be in smooth sailing. If we get at least Cs all around the board... we'll be okay until final exams come at the end of the semester." I envisioned. "At least Cs, eh? Even I know it won't be easy." Lemres thought. "I think I'll be fine, but you two need to step things up in places." Feli remarked. "Once Ringo has me mentally ready for the calculus midterm, I'll be alright. Lemres, although you have improved substantially over this time... the best grades that you have received were of C minus. Considering your early grades were Fs in full, that's not good. You would need to ace all of your midterms if you want that C grade average. Keep in mind, that's IF you also get Bs at the very least on everything else leading up to the final exams." "Yeah, yeah… I got it Dave. I've been puddin' a lot more effort into this work. In any case, it would be best to have it stay that way, dude." Lemres nodded to me.

Me, Lemres, and Feli left for Primp Magic and enter the potions class. Witch was teaching us the importance of finesse in potion making. "It's crucial that you keep a steady hand when adding ingredients, class. One wrong move, and it'll spell doom for you. Also, don't panic if mixtures react to things easily. The best thing to do is to stay calm and slowly bring the mix to a stable state." She demonstrated. "What about in the case objects being reactive, rather than the potion mix, Instructor?" A random student raised their hand. "Same procedure, but it's a little more manageable in that instance." She answered. Then, something happened that no one in the room, or even in the school would have predicted. *crash* "Wh-what was that?!" Witch jumped. We all saw the rubble coming down next to her from a wall. I looked closely at what was in the dust, and I was in shock. "*gasp* Damn, it's him! Instructor, run away!" I exclaimed. "D-Dave? What do mean, him?" She asked me. "He's part of the threat that I told you about! It's the vampire lord, Count Vyle!" I screeched. "Ah, it's you. I'll be honest with you, Demonic Dragon… I didn't expect you to be at a place like this. A school…? No matter. You are not the reason why I came. I wanted to know where my faithful servant has gone to." He spoke to me. "You mean Maguro…? Regardless, I know not of his movements." I told him. "Hmm... you don't seem to be lying… only just as clueless as I am with his whereabouts. Still, I could kill you right here in front of all these pupils. How would they be, knowing that you'll die by my hand? Would they scream of bloody murder... or will the death be so horrific that they will be standing there, unable to let out the smallest of squeaks?" Vyle proposed. "Why you-!" I tried staying calm. "Or, maybe I should just discard THEM in your stead… that should make you go ballistic. Or, maybe this little teacher over here. Kehehehe." He laughed.

After he said that, I lost my cool."Bastard! If you lay one finger on her, I'll send you to the coldest depths of the Puyo Underworld by my own hand! There, you will reside in solitude for all eternity! A person- No, a creature like yourself does not deserve a second chance or pity." I lost my mind. "H-hold on, Dave. Think about what you're saying, you are not someone who kills." Feli tried to stop me. "It doesn't matter right now, Feli. Vyle is no human, he's the vampire lord. Vampires are meant to be purged from the world!" I made my choice. "That's awfully prejudiced of you to say... and hypocritical as well. Think about it, you are no human either. You know it yourself, you are a demon." The count scoffed. "Shut up! I'm one thousand times more human than you ever were and will be, Count. My heart is not filled with evil, greed, or anything along those words. It's righteous, brave, and pure unlike your disgusting vampiric organ!" I argued. "You think that I should be purged because you fear me, not because I'm evil. You are starting to vex me with your idiocy and cowardice, Demonic Dragon. I'll take this young lady here as a consolation prize. If you want to take me down, come to the forest. I have a special plan waiting to hatch and unleash on you." He grabbed her. "H-hey! Unhand me you-!" Witch struggled. Count Vyle then vanished in a blink of an eye. "No, wait-! … Shit!" I threw out my hand. "The douche took the instructor hostage!" Lemres raised his voice sternly. "What did that guy do?!" A random student hollered. The whole class erupted in screams and unease. The cacophony of them was difficult to shut off. "Siiiiiiiilence!" I yelled. The other students zipped it from hearing my voice. "*sigh* Thank you. We can't sit here being scared of the unknown. That dick took our dear instructor and we need to get her back at all costs. I don't know about the lot of you, but I feel inclined to fight Vyle to save her. For the ones here who are brave enough to venture with us, join in this. I know that Lemres and Feli will be with me to the bitter end." I stood there, heroically. "Damn straight, Dave!" They agreed. "I must thank you, my friends… ... What about you guys? It's okay if you don't feel like you're ready. Not everyone associated with magic is fit for combat. But, if anyone here has the kind of valor that we have, it would be great if you can assist us. I'll be waiting here for a few minutes should any of you want to take part." I finished.

Talking among the random students began once again, on the topic of deciding what to do. Accord showed up through the wall, shocked. "! M-Ms. Accord! It's terrible, Count Vyle came here and kidnapped this class' instructor. I had these students decide what they wanted to do about this. We're going to need all magical power we can get." I told her. "Oh my goodness… then it's time to act and fight back. We must save that instructor and our school as well." She said. "Damn… this place is a wreck." Rulue popped in. "Ms. Rulue!" I saw her. "Ms. Rulue, the count came by and…" Accord spoke to her. "Say no more, I saw him flying high in the sky… carrying Witch. She looked so petrified..." Rulue mentioned. "If this was strictly an aerial battle, I would be the only one, besides Satan, who could fight with him in midair. But the issue is raised from those damn bats… A month ago, they electrocuted my arms and legs before I could do anything. It transformed me into a ragdoll with bacon for limbs in a matter of seconds. I can't afford to be hit by them a second time…" I covered one of my eyes with a hand and gritted my teeth. "Which is why I'm going to be with you as protection from that." A familiar voice spoke. "Huh? Wait… I know that voice… Yui...?" I assumed. "Yeah, it's me. My psychokinesis should help against those pint-sized assholes. I'll make sure that they never touch anyone." She promised. "Alright then, but Feli… what can you do? I've been with you for a while now, but I haven't really seen you fight too much." I wondered. "Relax, it'll be fine. You heard the rumors?" She grabbed my hand.

I nodded to Feli after she asked that. "Roughly. You look imposing to those who provoke you, right?" I recalled. "Not just look, but fight with intimidation too. You're quite lucky to never see me in that state. I'm sure you would be quivering like all the others." She finished. "Maybe he hasn't Feli, but you're badass in that way." Lemres patted her head. "As long as you can fight, we're in this thing together. And you guys... time to make a decision for yourselves. What is your stance in all this." I worded in a serious tone. "We'll protect the school, but that's all we'll do. Whatever that guy's deal is… he's your problem." One male student said to me. "*sigh* Fair enough, I suppose… I guess it leaves just us and the others." I turned to my friends and instructors, to which they nodded. "Let's go then, Dave. We do not have a lot of time here." Accord walked away. "Hey, wait for us!" I yelled and ran off after her. Lemres, Feli, Yui, and Rulue follow behind me. We came to Accord's classroom, but the others weren't around. "Your classmates are not here yet, Dave." She said. "Then where are they?" I asked. "Around the school somewhere, I'm certain… They will come running in here eventually with the chaos outside." She answered my concern. "Ms. Accord! What the heck is happening?! I don't understand what's going on!" Amitie ran in. "At ease, Amitie. We chose to gather here to get everyone caught up to speed." She calmed her down. "Dave!" A voice called out. "Ah-! Ringo! Thank God you're not hurt or anything!" I waved. I saw her come through with the rest of the ensemble, then hugged me. "Dave, this whole thing is scary…" She shivered in fear. "Ringo, we'll be undoing all of this, I promise. Most things will go back to how it was before today." I stroked her hair. "Kiddies, now that you are all here… I need to say that I neglected to tell you the full reason why I got Yui and Ringo as new students in this class. I mentioned the powerful foe and Dave's paralysis, but not the who or how." Accord spoke to my classmates.

My classmates spoke amongst themselves before one of them asked a question. "W-what reason could it be?" Klug wondered. "Well..." Accord told them about Count Vyle, his origin, and history with Rulue, and then how he zapped my limbs. Then she let on about the kidnapping of Witch. "This count sounds like an unruly king of not-so-spooky scum." Raffina felt annoyed. "H-he seems so terrible…" Lidelle shook. "He has no place in this world!" Tarutaru made a solid stance. "I agree with you, Tarutaru." Klug nodded to him. "We have to stop him, who knows what he might do to the school and eventually all of Primp Town..." Amitie stood up. "And the only way to stop him is to kill him for good. Remember that he isn't human, only a heartless monster. He said that he would be waiting in the forest to face us. Let's go before he get away with anything else." I continued for her. Everybody nodded to me as we all put our hands in the middle. "Guys, this battle will determine the fate of Primp as we know it. Let us stick together until the bitter end and triumph over the evil. I will ask this only once, who here is ready to risk their lives for this cause?" I established. "You should know, dude. We're all your irreplaceable buddies, through and through." Lemres smiled. "Heh, you're right on the nose there… well then. Let's head inside that forest and defeat Count Vyle." I finished. "Yeah!" Everyone went along. "Then, let's get the dark mage. We'll be in better shape if we have him." Lemres suggested. "Are you sure? He's still rather fickle…" Feli questioned him. "He is, but given the right twists… he could come with us on his own terms." I thought. The entire group and I went outside and deep in the woods to retrieve Schezo. "Okay, the cave should be here from what I remember… there it is!" I came to the realization. "Stand back fellas, I'm goin' in by myself." Lemres proclaimed. We waited for him to return.

Lemres' POV

I made my way through the cave to find the dark mage. At last, I saw him lookin' through "you know what". "Jeez... I knew you were a predator for sexy things, but I assumed that it was just lil' part of you." I spoke. He jumped after hearin' my voice close to him. "Ah-! Comet Warlock! What brings you to my PRIVATE home?!" He screamed. "*sigh* 'Lax, Dark Mage. It's about that count dude, he's being runnin' amok. He'll be a threat to Primp Town if we don't stop him. This is why we need 'chu." I told him. "Pass. This concerns me not… Why should I risk my life for something that I was never involved with or cared for? Since I spoke my mind to you… how about you get the hell out of my sight?" He sneered at me. "I wasn't askin' you, Dark Mage… this is a demand." I said to him with a stern look. "Tch. You should know that I do not go through with demands... If you want me to come, then do so by force. I only do things that directly benefit me, do you understand?!" He angrily yelled. "Dammit, Schezo! This isn't the time to refuse! Look, I know that this isn't of your best interest… but still! Vyle could kill ya too when you're all alone. By that point, he would've destroyed the entirety of Primp and these woods… along with the deaths of thousands of people. Think about it like this: You weren't able to take out Dave and his armor, no matter how hard ya tried. This same dude didn't stand a chance against Vyle one month ago, when he first saw him. That's from what he told me anyway… You were there with Dave, so surely you must've seen it happen." I tried to convince him.

He was somewhat floored by my words at the time. "So… you have said my actual name for once. You said that he will murder me easily without help from you guys… Is that what you think will happen if I don't join? So be it, I would rather be killed with the little dignity I have left… than to fight against him with you lot!" He stubbornly insisted. "Schezooooo! Stop bein' such a baby! A real man doesn't fuckin' give in to death's bone-chillin' grip. Besides that, you'd be actually losin' all dignity if you won't help Dave. He helped you out from those ragin' Puyos... in his weakened state from back then! I don't give a shit if you are like this, at least return him the favor!" Those words might've meant somethin' to him, cuz he stood and geared up. "*sigh* Fine, you win. I'll come too." He said, pickin' up his sword. "Looks like ya finally chan-" I was interrupted. "Don't say anything, Comet Warlock. Just do not say a single solitary thing." He glared at me. We walked outside to see Dave and the others.

Dave's POV

Lemres came out of the cave with Schezo. "! You actually got him to come along?" I was shocked. "Yeah, it took a bit, but he chose it in the end." He told me. "We do not have the time to be talking, Comet Warlock. Speaking of the count, where is he?" Schezo got him back to the current event. "Well, Dave said that he was somewhere in these woods… but I guess Vyle never specified the where part." Lemres explained to him. "I have the power to sense powerful auras, let's see if I can feel his…" The dark mage concentrated. "... … … Hmm. Ah-! I-I found it! He's even more powerful than I could imagine! Follow me, but with extreme caution." Schezo ran. We followed after him, knowing to keep our distance. It took him a while, but he finally stopped. There, we saw a huge building going up high into the sky. "That's funny, how did we not see this structure from a distance?" I wondered. "It might have a barrier wrapped around, making it so that it cannot be seen in that way." Accord figured. "Anyway, there's no doubt that the count is inside!" Ringo itched for a fight. "Hold up, this sorry excuse for a hideout could be filled with booby traps, Ringo. Vyle doesn't seem to be somebody who would fight head-on, unless he has no choice." I stopped her.

Rulue nodded to me after I said that. "Hm. Yes, deception does seem to be more of his element. Trust me, I fought against him in the past." She agreed with me. "No tricks of his are gonna ruin my new life." Yui commented. "This is like when we faced my father, Dioge… The bad guy hides deep in the forest and we beat him up. Wow... this has truly gone full-circle." Klug took in. "Yeah, exactly like that time…" Raffina came up to him. We saw the door to the place open up automatically. "Ah-! The door opened by itself!" Amitie freaked out. "Amitie, he's been expecting us… it's only natural that the door would open." Feli told her. "Brrgh… It must be cold in there…" I took note of. "Well, let's get in there and end this quickly." Schezo paced to the door. "Hold on, I need to call someone first, Schezo." I told him. He stopped and I took out my cell phone. I punched in his number and waited. "... … … Hello?" "Ex, it's me." "Ah, Dave. It's been about a month since we last-" "About that, Ex… he's made his move." "The count?!" "Yeah, he fled to Primp's forest after taking a… teacher of mine hostage." "Oh God, don't tell me… the hostage is Ms. Accord, isn't it?" "No, this is a different teacher from Primp Magic, Ex. Anyway, are you ready to come here and find us?" "I'll be good to go in a few minutes… the Tetra's been having minor setbacks lately. We can find you using the Tetra's bio-sensor." "Godspeed then, we don't have much time." "Yeah, Dave. I'll hang it up then." Our conversation ended.

Ex's POV

"Alright then…" I murmured. I came up to the cockpit of the Tetra. "All hands on deck, crew! We're making an immediate beeline to Primp Town's forest! Warp speed!" I announced. "What? Captain, why?" Tee wondered. "Yes, this does seem to be out of the blue… why would you want us to amble off to there?" Ai agreed. "A sudden neural change has taken shape in you, Captain. Are you alright?" Zed noticed. "Pipipi!" O scrambled. "That's odd…" Ess thought. "We want to know, Captain Ex." Jay and Elle both said. "It's because of Dave, guys… he's gotten himself in another jam. This is a very dangerous mission for me to partake in. For this reason… Tee, I want you to hold down the fort and keep the rest of the crew from being harmed. O, assist him in anyway possible. Zed, be a lookout for the exterior. Jay and Elle, you two are going to provide backup for Zed, should he be the target of an attack. Ai, keep the ship in good shape. Ess, provide an escape route if those three can't fend off from any attackers. Am I clear with my direct orders?" I waited for answers. "Yes, Captain!" Tee complied. "Pi pi!" O hollered. Everybody else nodded to my current orders. "Good, I'll be going soon… Ah, I see him. Open the hatch!" The hatch became loose and I looked back at the crew. "Stay safe, everyone." I waved to them, then jumped off of the Tetra.

Dave's POV

"Dave, wh-who did you call?" Ringo asked me. "Ex, that's who. I wasn't sure if Satan knows of what transpired today... and Ex was the only person I could think of who might match Vyle's strength. I know I still can't fight that fucking vampire head-on. Even though I've been training almost non-stop for this day… I know for a fact that it'll mean nothing against him. I haven't increased my limits in power and durability at all. The threshold is still beyond my reach… it's like my mind is refusing to have me tap into the last of that hidden power Satan mentioned before. Remember that, Ringo?" I elaborated. "Yeah, and it was partially shown when Draco got hit… you became so furious and boosted your armor to new heights." She recalled. "That must be the trigger, the catalyst. I see the near-tragedy of a person I cherish with all my heart. After that, I go through uncontrollable and unadulterated rage. I don't know how Satan knew of this ahead of time. Well, he IS the Puyo Underworld ruler, but that doesn't really explain things…" I paused for a minute. "H-hey! Isn't that?!" Amitie pointed to the sky. "Awesome, he's here!" I felt relieved. "Huh, that spaceship…" Lemres recognized. Ex popped out from the Tetra, then flew to the ground. "Ex!" I waved. "Looks like you have brought reinforcements, Dave." He said. "Of course, this is likely the toughest enemy that any of us are going to deal with, thus far. Let's hurry inside and take out that count." I spoke.

We entered the door inside, then looked around. "I can't see anything in here…" Ringo squinted. "God, it's like the deep, empty void of space in here…" Ex compared. "So, Dave… who's that guy?" Yui asked me. "That's Ex, he's very powerful… our best weapon for killing Vyle. It's a great thing that us two are friends… we're alike in a lot of ways. This is why I've brought him here." I introduced her. "Ooooh~ Ex, I'm Yui. It's nice to meet you." She smiled at him. "Yui? You're a new face…" He stared at her. "I hate to be butting into introductions, but can that thing wait?" Schezo ended it. "So, you are here… Demonic Dragon." A voice echoed. "Ah-! Vyle!" I yelled. Lights came on from all over the room. "Oh God, it's so bright!" Rulue covered her eyes. It took some time for our eyes to adjust. We saw that the interior was that of a castle. "TH-THAT'S Vyle?!" Ex looked at him. "Hm? I don't believe I saw you before, the one in suspenders. Aaaah, your power seems to be overflowing. You would make a great opponent… however, I'm not going to risk it." Vyle looked back. "! V-Vyle, you craven!" I hollered. "And what so wrong with a sense of cowardice? Unlike your complete coward's back, I am just somewhat cautious. Anyway... I have other plans in mind, you cold-blooded demon." He glared into my soul. "Explain yourself!" Rulue demanded. "*sigh* This is precisely the problem with bothersome people like you… I'll make sure that all of my concerns are driven out. This room is special, you see. Behold, you powerless fleas...!" He snapped his fingers. "Wait, something doesn't feel right…" I sensed.

What would happen next is something that none of us never expected. "Ah-! What's happening to me?!" Amitie screamed. "! A-Amitie!" I called out. We saw it happen before our eyes, she was getting younger. "Wh-wh-what the hell?!" Klug jumped. "My goodness…" Accord covered her mouth. "A-Amitie's a little kid!" Ringo saw. "Ah-! N-no, not me too!" I pleaded. Everything started looking bigger in my eyes and I saw my hands. "... AAAAAH! I'm a stupid child agaaaain!" I whined. "*snicker* This room makes all of you younger by ten years." Vyle explained. "NO! I would hate to go back to being an eleven-year old! DAMMIT!" Schezo changed age. "Kyaaah! I-I'm becoming even shorter!" Lidelle panicked. "You won't get away with this, Count!" Rulue shook her fist while changing. "Impossible! I'm... changing too!" Ex winced. "M-me as well!" Feli followed with. "Sh-shit for frostin'!" Lemres swore. "N-nooooo… I feel like I'm losing those extra brain cells..." Ringo sulked. Every person in the group seemed to have aged backwards, but that's when I noticed Yui not getting younger at all. "Y-Yui! You're still the same?!" I reacted. "Yeah... how come she isn't changing?" Amitie tilted her head.. "G-Guys, it must be because her body was incarnated rather than naturally born to the world!" Feli figured. "What…? I was not anticipating this… I didn't see you before either, girl." The count was bewildered. "Ha! Get fucked, Vyle! As you can see, I am unaffected by this room's quirk." She smirked. "Incarnated body… that can only mean that Satan brought you into this world by a ritual… It matters not, you pose no concern to me. The rest of you aged backwards and that is a good enough result for me. … Just where is that Maguro? I still cannot find him around here…" He paused to look around. "If you're wondering where he is, Count… he's dead." Schezo told him. "What…? What do you mean "he's dead"?" Vyle asked. "I killed him last night, blood-for-brains." The dark mage revealed.

None of us knew of that event before he slipped the secret out. "What?!" We exclaimed. "What the actual hell, Schezo?! I thought I had gotten you to be a better person, but I guess I was wrong. I didn't want normal humans to be killed in all of this! Even as I did hate Maguro with my guts... he didn't deserve death, let alone one that wasn't humane. You heartless murderer!" I shook him violently with my seven-year old arms. "Get off of me, fool!" He shoved me to the ground. "Oof!" My voice cracked. "I didn't kill him because I wanted to, Dave. He found my cave and was going to use it as a hideout with that monster. I couldn't just let him take my home. Besides, the guy was so petty and foolish… do you think anyone like that deserves to live a full life? It seems pretty meaningless to keep people alive... when they commit the same sins over and over again! It's a never-ending cycle… I did the world a favor by ending his ass. If I didn't, it doesn't matter where he would have gone to. He would just cause trouble for the common people. Once you fully commit to doing the same shameless acts TWICE… there's no going back to the normal livelihood of a human! Maguro just couldn't be convinced to change by your words, I know evil when I see it." He yapped on about. "Still, I would have tried to change him, Schezo. It's unrealistic, I know... but he was still human, goddammit! We're all sinful, no matter how pure our thoughts are. We all give into temptation, whether it's from lust, gluttony, greed… we do things that we normally don't do because of things that are too good to pass up on." I disagreed. "Yes, we all fall into that pit trap… but others fall deeper. Don't you see, Dave?! That Maguro's good side was long-gone, there was no "saving" him. If there's no agreement with you, I might as well be your enemy!" He yelled.

I lost it when Schezo shouted those words at me. "T-traitor…!" I called him. "Don't skew the perspective, Dave. I never betrayed you… I just decided to be on my own side and fight alone!" He continued. "Dumbass! You'll die from Vyle's mere thoughts!" Rulue sneered at him. "Schezo, you did betray me… YOU BETRAYED MY TRUST! I saved you from those rabid Puyos because I trusted you. I had faith that you would tread the path of a hero… That foolishness, Dark Mage… is going to be your downfall… the cost of your life. Please reconsider your choices at this moment. Is this what you REALLY want?" I laid it down on him. "*sigh* You really are a bother… I would rather die than be with you. … Vyle! You heard everything that was said, correct?" Schezo went ahead to ask. "Yes… so you killed Maguro… A shame really, I was going to turn him into a vampire. Now I am all alone... but, that is no longer a factor here. I am more powerful than most of you combined and I'm almost immortal." The count acknowledged and moved on. "Th-that's where you're wrong, Count. We've been training for a day such as this. Sure, individually speaking… most of us may not beat you on our own, but together… that's a whole other story." I talked down on him. "Wrong…? Then prove it. In fact, I implore you to go into that armor of yours." He smirked. "You won't be smiling after this! Yah! … …" I paused. "... … …" Silence had filled the room for a few seconds. "Hm? Why didn't it trigger?" I wondered. "What? Dave, it's not coming through?" Ex asked me. "N-no…" I answered. "*snicker*" Vyle let out.

I took offense to his snickering, and didn't think twice in demanding an answer out of him. "...! What's so funny?!" I hollered. "I thought this might have happened to you…" He said. ""Thought this might have happened"? What are you on about?!" I demanded an explanation. "When you bunch aged backwards from this room, it might have... taken away certain abilities of yours. If you didn't have your powers as a small child, then you don't have them now. Even if you had any from back then, they would be so much weaker. Of course, it's the prerogative of the weak to be weaker than the strong… that's how this logic goes, yes?" He explained. "! That son of a bitch! He didn't just made us look and feel younger, it's more like our bodies went back in time!" The thought came to Ex. "What?! But, that means…! I never had any powers when I was seven! So he stripped my powers as the Demonic Dragon Warrior AND my magic… that douchebag! Now I'm only a powerless child that isn't capable of fighting. This whole room was hell in disguise… But wait… if this has happened to me then… *gasp* Ringo! She must also be defenseless... Dammit!" I blamed myself for getting all of us to fall into this trap with such unawareness. "Ah, so you care for her more than anyone else?" He mocked me. "Hey asshat, she's one of a kind! Don't get any funny ideas involving her!" I became more volatile. "Like you can do much as you are right now… I might just take her too." He taunted. "Grr… don't you dare…!" I growled. There I saw it, the count nabbed her away from us like he did with Witch. "Gyaaah!" She screamed. "RINGO!" I held out my hand. It was too late, Vyle was really slick. My head boiled with rage, like a teapot ready to blow its top. My screaming became damn-near incomprehensible to everybody.

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Author's Notes: Dave and friends came to Vyle's hideout in order to thwart his rise to power. The count trapped the group inside of the place, in a room that causes people to become ten years younger. Upon finding out that he's reverted a human again, and a child at that, with no magic... Dave riles up. Vyle then hijacks Ringo to mess with newfound child. Growing from simply riling up, Dave throws a huge fit. He spouts unintelligible phrases, as to be expected from children. What is to be had for him and the rest of our heroes? What will be the fate of Ringo and Witch? And, how can the count be possibly defeated? Next chapter: Chapter 28: The Unrelenting and Cold-Blooded Demon.