Chapter 5
written by Illuminet
DISCLAIMER: This is pointless, huh?
"..."-Indicate Speech
'...'-Indicate Thought
"Damn, I'm hungry. Where's that god damn cafeteria?"
Sol said rubbing his stomach. It growled loudly in response.
'Come to think of it, I haven't eaten in probably four days since I arrived at that checkpoint town. Damn, that's where all these problems started...'
Sol thought back to his day back in the bar, and had met up with Axl and Millia. After that, they got in a fight with the Robo Kys and had to travel down in the sewers, ending up in an unofficially owned territory held by The Jellyfish Pirates. Luckily for the three travelers, the May Ship had come to their rescue, much to Sol's annoyance. Sol walked down another set of hall ways, looking for the entrance to the cafeteria. He went deep in thought again, wondering when the next set of trouble would come, and what form it would take. He was tapped on the shoulder lightly, and he turned around. It was Millia, now dressed in an outfit very similar the pirates on board the air ship. She wore a large pirate hat on her head, and wore a white sailor shirt with a blue bandanna around her neck.
The shirt covered most of her chest, but left her waist bare, similar to Dizzy's shirt. She also wore cut off denim jeans. Sol looked at her questioning.
"What's wrong?"
He asked casually. Millia looked at him.
"You seem lost."
Sol nodded at her before speaking.
"Where's the cafeteria?"
She looked at him a bit pointedly, before pointing her finger to a double door room with the sign "Cafeteria" on it. Sol scratched the back of his head slightly.
"Never mind then. Where are you going?"
Sol asked as he turned towards the cafeteria. Millia smiled.
"Same way your going."
When they walked through the doors, Sol's eyes narrowed. The layout was a large white area, lined with many long tables, each one had seats going along side them. The floor was checker colored with black and white tiles. He heard a dripping sound and turned towards one particularly messy table with a packet of ketchup dripping down the edge of the table.
Sol's vision flashed white.
:::DREAM:::
140 years ago.
"Good evening, Frederick. Its time for your tests."
A young woman in a lab coat addressed to a grimy young man who laid in the corner of his dank cell. His muscular body was free of all forms of clothing, so he curled himself into a ball to keep warm. His long brown hair was matted to his back, as he looked up to the woman. His left eye gleamed gold as it hit the light of a ceiling lamp that was right outside his cell. The woman called his name again, or so he thought she was calling his name.
"Frederick..."
Some how he had escaped...and ran down narrow hall. everything was white except for the floor, which was black and white. His legs stained the ground red, leaving his red foot prints on the black and white tiles...
Sol...
Sol...?
SOL!
:::DREAM:::
"Sol?"
Sol opened his eyes. He was still in the cafeteria. Millia was waving her hands in front of his face. She looked concern.
"Are you all right?"
She asked. Sol averted his eyes.
"Its nothing. Let's just eat and get out of here."
Sol said gruffly, as he strode past her.
'I hate this place...'
Sol decided to eat out on the deck, so he wouldn't have to see the cafeteria again. It brought up painful memories of another time very long ago. After twenty seven hamburgers, eight backs of fries, and five sodas later, Sol belched loudly, seeing as no one was around, before grabbing a cigarette from his back pocket and lighting it with the heated blade of his Fire Seal.. Sol puffed a few smoke rings as he basked in the solitude of the deck, without no one to bother him.
'I remember those times as clearly as if they happened yesterday. I was nothing more than a guinea pig, wasn't I? Just a wounded animal who was prodded and poked until...'
His thought were interrupted by the sound of foot steps. Sol looked back as raised an eye brow towards the new person who came walking to his side. It was a short woman with bright reddish-pink hair, tied up in a high pony tail, her left eye had a vertical scar running along it, while she had a red tattoo over her right. She wore a traditional woman's kimono of white, with a thin black vest. The left sleeve was ripped and torn at the end. Her right hand held up a long pipe to her mouth, smoke trailing around the opening. had a katana strapped to her long thick belt. She stare at Sol for a moment.
"Why are you here, Badguy?"
Sol turned his head back towards the sky.
"That's my line, Miss Samurai."
The woman looked annoyed.
"Baiken. The name's Baiken."
Sol didn't turn around.
"Whatever...so why are you here? Unless you were getting chased down by those Kiske robots."
Baiken nodded her head, taking a long drag from her pipe. A thought then struck Sol.
"Is Fan Boy here?"
Sol asked with an annoyed tone. Baiken looked at him.
"Unfortunately, yes. He annoys you too, I see."
Sol groaned at the thought of the person he and Baiken were mentioning: Anji Mito. Like Baiken, he was a full Japanese. He usually wore a blue pair of hakama, and long matching sleeves, and had twin fans held in each of his hands. . He was always topless, with spiky brown hair that stood up in a similar fashion as Sol's, minus a long tail. It was usually bandaged with white strips of cloth. The man also wore small glasses on his nose.
'Dammit, how do I get myself into these things?'
Sol finished his cigarette and tossed it out the side of the ship, before turning towards the inside of the ship. Baiken looked at him.
"Where are you going?"
Sol turned his head back to her as he stood in the door way.
"I think I'm gonna take a shower. I smell like shit!"
With that said Sol went inside, leaving Baiken out on the deck. Sol made his way to the bottom of the ship, where the showers were located. The doors at the bottom split to the Men's and Woman's sections. Sol took the Men's door before he stood in front of a large closet area with hangers. Sol saw only a few articles of clothing on a single hanger. He recognized them as Axl's.
'Well, better with Low than the Fan Boy, right?'
Sol thought as he stripped himself of his clothing, making note of his very torn shirt which he wore against Dizzy, as he fought against her. Sol was now naked, except for his head set, which he kept on. As he entered the showers he noticed that he and Axl were the only ones there. Axl noticed Sol and waved slightly.
"Yo, Chief, come to take a shower?"
Sol simply nodded as he headed towards one on the opposite end of Axl. Before he turned it on, however, Axl spoke to him.
"Ya know, Chief, were the only ones here. You should take your head gear off. You wear it all the time. Your foreheads probably the dirtiest thing you got, anyway."
Sol thought for a moment as he put his hands on the metal plate. It was actually a suppression device Sol had created to hide his true nature and being from others.
"I already know your, a Gear, Chief. and Not just any Gear, either. Your the Proto-Type.
The very first one ever made..."
Axl was then interrupted by Sol.
"What if someone comes in here and finds out what I am? It wouldn't be a pretty sight."
Sol turned on the water, letting it run down his body, making a soft clanging sound as it hit Sol's head gear. Axl chuckled slightly.
"Did you know Anji and Baiken are on board?"
Sol grabbed a bar of soap, scrubbing his arm.
"Yeah, I saw Baiken having a smoke on deck."
Axl turned off his shower faucet, before grabbing a towel.
"When will we reach England?"
Sol looked at Axl.
"How should I know? Ask Johnny, he's the one driving this thing."
Axl nodded, before heading out to get his clothes.
'I'm tired...guess I'll go sleep after this.'
Once So was finished, he headed to the Captain's quarters. Johnny held a cup of coffee in his right hand, while his left was on the wheel. He turned his head towards Sol.
"What's up?
Sol put a hand to his hip.
"After you guys head to England, I need you to take me to Transylvania."
Johnny turned his head back to the wheel.
"What for? No, never mind. Just tell me where you want to be dropped off."
Sol scratched the back of his head as he thought of what to say.
"Let's just say that the place you'd be taking me technically doesn't exist."
Johnny raised his eye brow at the response, turning back to Sol.
"What do you mean technically doesn't exist?"
Sol yawned loudly before responding.
"You'll see it if you decide to take me. Well?"
Johnny looked skeptical at Sol.
"How am I suppose to take someone to a place that doesn't exist?"
Sol looked pointedly at the black clad man.
"If I remember correctly, your Secret Oasis doesn't exist, either..."
Johnny sweat dropped at the comment.
"Fine...I'll take you to this unofficial place in Transylvania, okay?"
Sol nodded at the answer before turning around and leaving the Captain's Quarters.
----
Sol was provided a small room to sleep in. It was fairly comfortable looking, with a thickly cushioned bed, a wooden dresser, and an orange colored rug. Sol laid on the thick bed, hanging the Fire Seal over the side, as he out his hands in back of his head and yawned loudly, closing his eyes and going to sleep. The man had been sleeping when a voice came over the intercom hidden in the wall.
"Attention, crew, we will be landing in fifteen minutes."
It was Johnny's voice. Sol lifted himself off the bed and stretched, as he yawned loudly.
'Damn, already, huh? I didn't even get to sleep that long. Oh well...'
As he came to the deck, he saw many pirates on the deck already. He noticed Axl talking to Anji. Sol decided to go to the railing and look down at the small forest landscape the Ship was heading towards.
"Hope I'm not noticed here by Fan Boy. He asks to many questions..."
Sol muttered to himself. No such luck. Someone tapped his shoulder and he turned around, face to face with Anji. The Japanese man smiled.
"Yo, Axl said you were here too, so I thought..."
Sol looked boredly at the other man.
"Still trying to find the meaning of life, amongst other things, eh, Fan Boy?"
Anji looked a bit hurt about the nick name he was given by Sol, but before he could say anything, the ship stopped. The bridge was lowered again, and Johnny, May and Dizzy got off first. The three were followed by Baiken, Millia, Anji, Axl and Sol as they left the deck of the May Ship. The first three waved off to the ship as it took to the skies again. Sol looked at Johnny.
"Where's it going?"
Johnny responded as he turned around to face Sol.
"They'll be back later on in the evening, then I'll take you to Transylvania."
Sol nodded at the answer as Axl spoke up.
"Hey Johnny, I thought we were going to London.."
Johnny looked towards the other man with an apologetic sigh.
"Nope. Sorry Axl, but I said I'd take Dizzy to see a friend she met on land.."
Anji asked the next question.
"Where are we, exactly?"
Dizzy answered the question..
"This forrest is called Verdant. My friend said the house is around here somewhere."
All of them, minus Sol, searched the area a bit. Millia looked up at Sol.
"Can't you help us? I'm sure your nose could track down the scent of that house."
Sol's left eye twitched slightly as he heard her. He scowled.
"You think I'm some kind of dog here or something..."
Before he could finish, he heard Anji screaming excitedly.
"Hey, I found it!"
The rest caught up with Anji as they looked at the large stone house surrounded by a field of flowers circling the entire house, while a small moat circled around the field.. Sol whistled out loud as he saw the structure.
"That ain't no house...its a fucking castle! Your friend must be pretty darn rich to live here."
Dizzy was already at the large wooden door of the front of the house. Johnny commented on the structure.
"This house has got to have about thirty rooms on each floor. Ten floors high...sheesh, that's at least three hundred floors total in that house..."
Dizzy and May both inspected a rather large door knocker on the front, right below the closed viewing window. May took it in her hands and banged on the door, waiting for a reply. Baiken and Millia, as well as the men slowly made their way towards the door, as it opened revealing a young woman about May's height with short blond hair, in a white dress with gold trim along its surface. Sol looked hard at the woman, finding something odd about her. And then it hit him.
'What the hell...is THAT a guy dressed in girl clothes?!'
Sol scratched his head after seeing the truth, wondering why the young boy was cross dressed as a woman.
'Who would fall for that?'
As if on cue, Anji ran to the small boy and held him in his own arms, unaware that it was actually a boy he was holding. Sol smirked at the sight.
'Guess he would.'
Sol bit his tongue to keep from laughing as Anji spoke.
"My, your such a cute little girl..."
Johnny was already rolling on the ground, laughing his heart out. Anji looked at the Pirate captain, oddly.
"What's so funny?"
Johnny tried to get himself under control but failed miserably. Dizzy decided to answer for him .
"Mr. Mito, she's a he."
Anji looked at her oddly before looking at the cross dresser carefully before it hit him.
"Hey, your that Bounty Hunter that got me three years ago...oh kami sama, you ARE a guy!."
Baiken covered her face in embarrassment, wishing she wasn't the same nationality as Anji for a moment. The young man, as it appeared to be, shook Dizzy's hand as he spoke to her.
"Its been a while since you visited me, Dizzy. I see you brought some new friends with you, too. Won't you introduce me to them?
The cross dressing boy's voice was almost as feminine as his features. His gaze turned towards Sol and looked at him for quite a while, making Sol uncomfortable.
'Why the hell is he staring at me like that?'
Dizzy pointed to Axl first.
"This man is Axl Low. He's English, just like you, Bridget."
Axl gave Bridget a nod as he was introduced. Sol looked oddly at Bridget.
'Isn't that a girl's name?'
Dizzy then pointed to Millia.
"This is..."
Millia answered for her.
"We've already met once before."
Bridget nodded as he remembered.
"Oh yeah, your Millia Rage, The Blond Huntress."
Millia nodded before saying,
"I wish you wouldn't use that name."
Bridget apologized before looking towards Dizzy.
"I've already met Anji Mito and Baiken...but that man in red I don't know."
His gaze turned to Sol again, and Sol fought back the urge to flip the boy off.
'Stop staring, punk.'
The thought as Dizzy introduced him to Bridget.
"This man is Sol Badguy, a Bounty Hunter like yourself, Bridget."
Bridget smiled at Sol before bringing his hand forward.
"Nice to meet you Mr. Badguy. I thought it was you, you know, being a legendary Bounty Hunter and all."
Sol ignored the out stretched hand as his eyes narrowed.
"Legendary? Since when?"
Bridget looked confused.
"You know, don't you? Your the only one who was able to defeat the first, true, all-powerful Gear called Justice."
Sol's eyes narrowed even further.
'No one knew that. So how does this kid know?'
Sol pretended like he shrugged the thought off and shook hands with Bridget, while secretly vowing to find out how Bridget knew of his other wise secret victory over Justice.
----
The house was enormous, as Johnny had predicted it would be. It did house three hundred rooms, all well kept and furnished. Every one explored the whole house, seeing what they could do. A couple of times, everyone would play Hide-and-Seek, thought Sol and Baiken declined. Baiken just explored all the rooms without much interest, just wanting to walk around. Sol now was at the highest floor. He had been looking for anything that Bridget might have had to point out his knowledge of Justice being defeated by Sol. He was now in the Master Bedroom, where Bridget slept. The was a large bed in the left corner, all of its sheets and drapery were pure white. Sol guessed it to be silk. The rug was plush and soft, and was navy blue in color. In the right side was a desk. Sol went to it and looked around its drawers, flipping through some of the contents. Finding nothing of interest, Sol replaced the contents where they belonged as he looked for anything else. He noticed a doorway behind the desk and went through it, appearing on a stone balcony, behind the house. It had a nice view of the landscape, but Sol ignored it, looking around, for any more clues until his eyes fell on a ladder connected to the wall, besides the way he had entered from. Sol put his hand on his chin thinking.
'Must lead to the attic. Oh well, couldn't hurt to take a look...'
Sol made his way up the ladder. He opened a small door that looked just big enough to let a small kid through. Sol whistled at what he saw. The room looked more like a training area. The room was mostly bare, except for a small area on the wall to his left. It had a lot of Bounty lists on it. Sol walked over and took a closer look.
'Most of these are about a year old...except this one...What the...'
Sol saw a brand new list posted on the wall a tore it off looking at it closely, before reading it out loud softly.
"Wanted, Sol=Badguy, A.KA. The Corrupted Flame. Bounty=$1,000,000 World Dollars for capture. Necessary needed alive. The Corrupted Flame, as he is also called, was the victor over Justice, the first and most powerful Gear in existence. He uses a weapon of the Outrage set, in order to conjure up flames to burn his enemies to a crisp. Extreme caution advised."
Sol laughed at the list.
"What the hell is up with this copy? They make me sound like I'm some kind of magician or something. Heh, wonder what the Police version looks like..."
Although he was laughing, Sol took in the information seriously.
'Someone has just put a Bounty on my head for capture, which means...'
----
"Hey, where's Chief Sol?"
Axl asked himself as he laid down on a couch on the very bottom floor of the house. He eventually saw everyone else enter the small living room.
"You guys seen the Chief?"
Axl asked them. They all shook their heads.
"He's not here, huh?"
Bridget said looking at everyone else. He put a hand to his chin as he thought where Sol could be. Baiken sighed.
"Why don't we just look for him?"
She suggested. Bridget agreed, as all of them searched through the entire house, finally ending up on the top floor. After searching through all the normal rooms, they face the door leading to the Master Bedroom.
"This door seems different from the rest."
Millia commented, before Bridget spoke.
"This is my bedroom. I locked the door though..."
As he was talking, his hand went around the knob, turning it easily. Bridget's face showed confusion.
"...or maybe I didn't."
They all were about to go in when Bridget held up his hand.
"Its my room, let me check, you guys wait out here."
Bridget walked into his room checking the area. The door to the balcony was open, but other wise, everything seemed in order. Bridget walked out to the Balcony, and saw Sol with his back turned from the young boy, sword hefted on his right shoulder, as his left hand was at his side, holding on to a piece of paper. Bridget knew what it was, though:
The Bounty Hunter List. Sol kept his back turned as he spoke.
"Tell me, squirt, were you planning to catch me while everyone was playing around?"
Bridget looked carefully at the tall man's back, wondering if he would do anything.
"Not at all, Mr. Badguy. But..."
Sol turned his head slightly to see what Bridget was doing. The boy was twiddling his fingers as he stared at them as he continued to speak.
"...I was hoping I could challenge you to a fight, if that's okay?"
Sol raised an eye brow about what Bridget was proposing.
"Tell me something, kid. You don't sound all that interested in the money, but more in the fight. Now why would that be?"
Sol asked Bridget, as the boy thought of a good response.
"Well, I was never interested in money, probably because my family was rich. Anyway, the only reason I take up Bounties in the first place is to prove myself to them. You know, to show my family that I can take care if myself."
Sol kept his back turned as he thought of what Bridget was saying.
"So, you think by fighting me, your gonna prove to your family that you can take care of yourself?"
Bridget nodded. Sol groaned.
"That's got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Besides, I don't fight children."
Bridget looked upset at Sol.
"I'm not weak, dammit!"
Sol tapped the sword on his shoulder.
"I never said that. All I said was that I don't fight children. Sorry, but your out of luck."
A yo-yo swirled past his head, staying in the air. Sol looked at it.
"I must insist, Mr. Badguy. Just one fight, and that's all I ask."
Sol was now getting irritated. He had a small conversation with Baiken earlier, and he remembered the woman saying that Bridget was a master fighter with yo-yos. He tapped his sword against his shoulder again, then launched the blade straight up in the air before catching it in his left hand as it came back down. Bridget lifted the white dress off his shoulders, revealing a thin, blue colored vest around his body. He wore tight black shorts and large platform shoes. From out of the dress he pulled a metal object, which looked like a giant hand cuff, and put it on his waist. He then pulled out what looked to be a Nun's hood the same color blue as his vest, with a golden cross adorned on the back of it.
Sol raised an eye brow.
'Okay...now I've seen EVERYTHING.'
Sol put the Fire Seal to his side as he looked at Bridget.
"Tell me...why do you dress up as a girl, anyway?"
Bridget stared a t the ground for a bit.
"Well...where I come from, its believed that a family is cursed if they have twin boys. Normally, the twin born after the first must be killed as a sacrifice to lift the curse, but rather than kill me, my parents decided to raise me like a girl in order to keep me alive..."
Sol laughed.
"So that's it...oh well, just had to know. Now, let's just get this over with."
The two stared down each other for a moment before Bridget attacked first, calling back his yo-yo from behind Sol, who turned around, only to duck, as the yo-yo came whirling past his head.
'What the fuck...?'
Sol brought his sword behind him as Bridget ran towards him, kicking outward with his foot, yo-yo extending as it struck the blade. As the yo-yo came back, Sol rushed over towards Bridget and tried to hit him with an over head slash, but Bridget quickly formed a cat's cradle with the stings of the yo-yo, bringing it forward to defend against the strike. Small sparks flew up as Sol's blade met with the strings.
"There metal strings..."
Sol commented as he brought his sword back. Bridget nodded.
"Of course they are. I couldn't defend myself very well if they weren't."
Sol cracked his neck.
"Yeah, that's true..."
Bridget extended the yo-yo again before attacking Sol again. He went in with a low sweep, but Sol easily jumped over the yo-yo, however, as it came back, Bridget made a full spin, bringing up the yo-yo and moving it behind him, before it came forward again, catching Sol in his jump.
"Do it, Roger!"
Bridget yelled as he cupped his mouth with his hands.
'Roger...'
Sol thoughts were interrupted as he felt multiple blows to his back, before falling to the ground. When he looked up , he saw Bridget holding a teddy bear in his arm. Sol raised an eye brow.
"What's with the stuffed bear?"
Bridget smiled as he hugged the stuffed toy.
"This is Roger. He was a present to me from my brother. He can think and act on his own when I order him to help me. Isn't he cute?"
Sol got back up as he shook his head.
"Are you sure your not really a girl? Your tastes sure seem alike..."
Before Bridget could respond to Sol, the older man started running at him, his speed picking up now, as he slashed vertically at Bridget's side. Bridget had to jump away from the attack, unable to defend it with his yo-yo strings. He was now feeling a bit nervous.
'He's moving very fast, now. Where did all this speed and power suddenly come from?'
Sol slashed upward, almost catching Bridget in the chin, as the boy jumped up, tossing his yo-yo behind him. Sol followed the boy in his leap, trying to kick the boy out of the air, but Bridget seemed to roll away from him, using the yo-yo string to move backwards. The two landed at the same time, before Bridget rushed at Sol, bringing his yo-yo forward, and smashing Sol in the face. He then followed up with a vertical strike, hitting Sol solidly in the chest, making the man stagger back.
"Here it comes..."
Bridget said slowly as he brought out a second yo-yo, twirling them, hitting Sol repeatedly in the face. Finally, Sol countered with a right hook, catching Bridget in the face, but as soon as he did, a giant Roger materialized and crushed Sol against the balcony.
"Was that it? My Loop-the-Loop finished him off so easily..."
Bridget sighed as he looked at the downed Sol Badguy. He sighed disappointedly at the fight.
"You couldn't have beat Justice with that kind of strength. What happened to that speed and power I saw before?"
As he turned to leave he heard Sol laugh at him.
"I never said you were going to see the power that defeated Justice, but this should suffice..."
Bridget turned around only to see the area that Sol was occupying empty.
"Wha..."
As Bridget turned back around he was struck hard in the stomach. Bridget's eyes extended to full size, his mouth opening wide, dripping saliva. His arms and legs dangled loosely, as he was carried on Sol's right fist. Sol grinned.
"See ya."
Sol then brought his left his forward, striking Bridget in the face. The boy flew off the balcony by the force put behind the punch. Sol grabbed the yo-yo in his left hand, to make sure Bridget didn't fall. Sol turned his head slightly.
"Guess he's had enough..."
He pulled the boy back up and carried him in his arms, walking back into the room, and placed the unconscious Bridget on the bed. He left the room and entered in the hall way, finding everyone leaning against the wall. Axl spoke up first.
"Hey, Chief, where were you?"
Sol yawned before scratching hi head.
"I was just..."
Sol stopped suddenly and looked at the door to Bridget's room, before rushing through it and heading towards the balcony as everyone stared at him. Anji looked towards Baiken.
"What's up with him, Sis?"
When Sol reached the side of the balcony, he stared down at the forest, as if searching for something. It was not long before he saw numerous amounts of Robo Kys walking into the clearing. However, they seemed different from the ones Sol fought previously. The heads seemed more solid and streamline, without nearly as much bolts sticking out every which way. The yellow eyes now glowed red, as the seemed slightly bigger than the previous ones. Sol clenched his teeth together.
'Shit, they look like they been upgraded. Better get the hell out of here...'
----
Room of Shadows.
"Our new models should prove more worthy a challenge to Sol Badguy."
A shadow appeared besides the other one.
"Where have they been sent?"
The other looked at him.
"Verdant."
----
Five minutes earlier.
Ky was posted on one of the trees near the edge of the forrest, the thick branch supporting him as he looked through a pair of binoculars.
'Sol entered this house with Dizzy, the second self reliant Gear. What are you planning Sol? Surely you must know about the Bounty put on your head by now. Are you hiding...'
Before Ky finished his thoughts, he heard a twig snap on the ground. Years of training had always taught Ky to follow his instincts. As he looked down, his eyes widened at the amount of robot duplicates of himself on the ground. Ky didn't dare stir, not wanting to make a sound. He looked as the groups of Robo Kys walked towards the edge of the forrest, looking at the large house.
'This is most definitely not good...'
Ky thought as he saw the swarm of Robots standing on the ground.
Note: Sorry for the delay, but this was a long chapter. For some reason, I don't really like the way this one turned out, but I hope it will work okay.
written by Illuminet
DISCLAIMER: This is pointless, huh?
"..."-Indicate Speech
'...'-Indicate Thought
"Damn, I'm hungry. Where's that god damn cafeteria?"
Sol said rubbing his stomach. It growled loudly in response.
'Come to think of it, I haven't eaten in probably four days since I arrived at that checkpoint town. Damn, that's where all these problems started...'
Sol thought back to his day back in the bar, and had met up with Axl and Millia. After that, they got in a fight with the Robo Kys and had to travel down in the sewers, ending up in an unofficially owned territory held by The Jellyfish Pirates. Luckily for the three travelers, the May Ship had come to their rescue, much to Sol's annoyance. Sol walked down another set of hall ways, looking for the entrance to the cafeteria. He went deep in thought again, wondering when the next set of trouble would come, and what form it would take. He was tapped on the shoulder lightly, and he turned around. It was Millia, now dressed in an outfit very similar the pirates on board the air ship. She wore a large pirate hat on her head, and wore a white sailor shirt with a blue bandanna around her neck.
The shirt covered most of her chest, but left her waist bare, similar to Dizzy's shirt. She also wore cut off denim jeans. Sol looked at her questioning.
"What's wrong?"
He asked casually. Millia looked at him.
"You seem lost."
Sol nodded at her before speaking.
"Where's the cafeteria?"
She looked at him a bit pointedly, before pointing her finger to a double door room with the sign "Cafeteria" on it. Sol scratched the back of his head slightly.
"Never mind then. Where are you going?"
Sol asked as he turned towards the cafeteria. Millia smiled.
"Same way your going."
When they walked through the doors, Sol's eyes narrowed. The layout was a large white area, lined with many long tables, each one had seats going along side them. The floor was checker colored with black and white tiles. He heard a dripping sound and turned towards one particularly messy table with a packet of ketchup dripping down the edge of the table.
Sol's vision flashed white.
:::DREAM:::
140 years ago.
"Good evening, Frederick. Its time for your tests."
A young woman in a lab coat addressed to a grimy young man who laid in the corner of his dank cell. His muscular body was free of all forms of clothing, so he curled himself into a ball to keep warm. His long brown hair was matted to his back, as he looked up to the woman. His left eye gleamed gold as it hit the light of a ceiling lamp that was right outside his cell. The woman called his name again, or so he thought she was calling his name.
"Frederick..."
Some how he had escaped...and ran down narrow hall. everything was white except for the floor, which was black and white. His legs stained the ground red, leaving his red foot prints on the black and white tiles...
Sol...
Sol...?
SOL!
:::DREAM:::
"Sol?"
Sol opened his eyes. He was still in the cafeteria. Millia was waving her hands in front of his face. She looked concern.
"Are you all right?"
She asked. Sol averted his eyes.
"Its nothing. Let's just eat and get out of here."
Sol said gruffly, as he strode past her.
'I hate this place...'
Sol decided to eat out on the deck, so he wouldn't have to see the cafeteria again. It brought up painful memories of another time very long ago. After twenty seven hamburgers, eight backs of fries, and five sodas later, Sol belched loudly, seeing as no one was around, before grabbing a cigarette from his back pocket and lighting it with the heated blade of his Fire Seal.. Sol puffed a few smoke rings as he basked in the solitude of the deck, without no one to bother him.
'I remember those times as clearly as if they happened yesterday. I was nothing more than a guinea pig, wasn't I? Just a wounded animal who was prodded and poked until...'
His thought were interrupted by the sound of foot steps. Sol looked back as raised an eye brow towards the new person who came walking to his side. It was a short woman with bright reddish-pink hair, tied up in a high pony tail, her left eye had a vertical scar running along it, while she had a red tattoo over her right. She wore a traditional woman's kimono of white, with a thin black vest. The left sleeve was ripped and torn at the end. Her right hand held up a long pipe to her mouth, smoke trailing around the opening. had a katana strapped to her long thick belt. She stare at Sol for a moment.
"Why are you here, Badguy?"
Sol turned his head back towards the sky.
"That's my line, Miss Samurai."
The woman looked annoyed.
"Baiken. The name's Baiken."
Sol didn't turn around.
"Whatever...so why are you here? Unless you were getting chased down by those Kiske robots."
Baiken nodded her head, taking a long drag from her pipe. A thought then struck Sol.
"Is Fan Boy here?"
Sol asked with an annoyed tone. Baiken looked at him.
"Unfortunately, yes. He annoys you too, I see."
Sol groaned at the thought of the person he and Baiken were mentioning: Anji Mito. Like Baiken, he was a full Japanese. He usually wore a blue pair of hakama, and long matching sleeves, and had twin fans held in each of his hands. . He was always topless, with spiky brown hair that stood up in a similar fashion as Sol's, minus a long tail. It was usually bandaged with white strips of cloth. The man also wore small glasses on his nose.
'Dammit, how do I get myself into these things?'
Sol finished his cigarette and tossed it out the side of the ship, before turning towards the inside of the ship. Baiken looked at him.
"Where are you going?"
Sol turned his head back to her as he stood in the door way.
"I think I'm gonna take a shower. I smell like shit!"
With that said Sol went inside, leaving Baiken out on the deck. Sol made his way to the bottom of the ship, where the showers were located. The doors at the bottom split to the Men's and Woman's sections. Sol took the Men's door before he stood in front of a large closet area with hangers. Sol saw only a few articles of clothing on a single hanger. He recognized them as Axl's.
'Well, better with Low than the Fan Boy, right?'
Sol thought as he stripped himself of his clothing, making note of his very torn shirt which he wore against Dizzy, as he fought against her. Sol was now naked, except for his head set, which he kept on. As he entered the showers he noticed that he and Axl were the only ones there. Axl noticed Sol and waved slightly.
"Yo, Chief, come to take a shower?"
Sol simply nodded as he headed towards one on the opposite end of Axl. Before he turned it on, however, Axl spoke to him.
"Ya know, Chief, were the only ones here. You should take your head gear off. You wear it all the time. Your foreheads probably the dirtiest thing you got, anyway."
Sol thought for a moment as he put his hands on the metal plate. It was actually a suppression device Sol had created to hide his true nature and being from others.
"I already know your, a Gear, Chief. and Not just any Gear, either. Your the Proto-Type.
The very first one ever made..."
Axl was then interrupted by Sol.
"What if someone comes in here and finds out what I am? It wouldn't be a pretty sight."
Sol turned on the water, letting it run down his body, making a soft clanging sound as it hit Sol's head gear. Axl chuckled slightly.
"Did you know Anji and Baiken are on board?"
Sol grabbed a bar of soap, scrubbing his arm.
"Yeah, I saw Baiken having a smoke on deck."
Axl turned off his shower faucet, before grabbing a towel.
"When will we reach England?"
Sol looked at Axl.
"How should I know? Ask Johnny, he's the one driving this thing."
Axl nodded, before heading out to get his clothes.
'I'm tired...guess I'll go sleep after this.'
Once So was finished, he headed to the Captain's quarters. Johnny held a cup of coffee in his right hand, while his left was on the wheel. He turned his head towards Sol.
"What's up?
Sol put a hand to his hip.
"After you guys head to England, I need you to take me to Transylvania."
Johnny turned his head back to the wheel.
"What for? No, never mind. Just tell me where you want to be dropped off."
Sol scratched the back of his head as he thought of what to say.
"Let's just say that the place you'd be taking me technically doesn't exist."
Johnny raised his eye brow at the response, turning back to Sol.
"What do you mean technically doesn't exist?"
Sol yawned loudly before responding.
"You'll see it if you decide to take me. Well?"
Johnny looked skeptical at Sol.
"How am I suppose to take someone to a place that doesn't exist?"
Sol looked pointedly at the black clad man.
"If I remember correctly, your Secret Oasis doesn't exist, either..."
Johnny sweat dropped at the comment.
"Fine...I'll take you to this unofficial place in Transylvania, okay?"
Sol nodded at the answer before turning around and leaving the Captain's Quarters.
----
Sol was provided a small room to sleep in. It was fairly comfortable looking, with a thickly cushioned bed, a wooden dresser, and an orange colored rug. Sol laid on the thick bed, hanging the Fire Seal over the side, as he out his hands in back of his head and yawned loudly, closing his eyes and going to sleep. The man had been sleeping when a voice came over the intercom hidden in the wall.
"Attention, crew, we will be landing in fifteen minutes."
It was Johnny's voice. Sol lifted himself off the bed and stretched, as he yawned loudly.
'Damn, already, huh? I didn't even get to sleep that long. Oh well...'
As he came to the deck, he saw many pirates on the deck already. He noticed Axl talking to Anji. Sol decided to go to the railing and look down at the small forest landscape the Ship was heading towards.
"Hope I'm not noticed here by Fan Boy. He asks to many questions..."
Sol muttered to himself. No such luck. Someone tapped his shoulder and he turned around, face to face with Anji. The Japanese man smiled.
"Yo, Axl said you were here too, so I thought..."
Sol looked boredly at the other man.
"Still trying to find the meaning of life, amongst other things, eh, Fan Boy?"
Anji looked a bit hurt about the nick name he was given by Sol, but before he could say anything, the ship stopped. The bridge was lowered again, and Johnny, May and Dizzy got off first. The three were followed by Baiken, Millia, Anji, Axl and Sol as they left the deck of the May Ship. The first three waved off to the ship as it took to the skies again. Sol looked at Johnny.
"Where's it going?"
Johnny responded as he turned around to face Sol.
"They'll be back later on in the evening, then I'll take you to Transylvania."
Sol nodded at the answer as Axl spoke up.
"Hey Johnny, I thought we were going to London.."
Johnny looked towards the other man with an apologetic sigh.
"Nope. Sorry Axl, but I said I'd take Dizzy to see a friend she met on land.."
Anji asked the next question.
"Where are we, exactly?"
Dizzy answered the question..
"This forrest is called Verdant. My friend said the house is around here somewhere."
All of them, minus Sol, searched the area a bit. Millia looked up at Sol.
"Can't you help us? I'm sure your nose could track down the scent of that house."
Sol's left eye twitched slightly as he heard her. He scowled.
"You think I'm some kind of dog here or something..."
Before he could finish, he heard Anji screaming excitedly.
"Hey, I found it!"
The rest caught up with Anji as they looked at the large stone house surrounded by a field of flowers circling the entire house, while a small moat circled around the field.. Sol whistled out loud as he saw the structure.
"That ain't no house...its a fucking castle! Your friend must be pretty darn rich to live here."
Dizzy was already at the large wooden door of the front of the house. Johnny commented on the structure.
"This house has got to have about thirty rooms on each floor. Ten floors high...sheesh, that's at least three hundred floors total in that house..."
Dizzy and May both inspected a rather large door knocker on the front, right below the closed viewing window. May took it in her hands and banged on the door, waiting for a reply. Baiken and Millia, as well as the men slowly made their way towards the door, as it opened revealing a young woman about May's height with short blond hair, in a white dress with gold trim along its surface. Sol looked hard at the woman, finding something odd about her. And then it hit him.
'What the hell...is THAT a guy dressed in girl clothes?!'
Sol scratched his head after seeing the truth, wondering why the young boy was cross dressed as a woman.
'Who would fall for that?'
As if on cue, Anji ran to the small boy and held him in his own arms, unaware that it was actually a boy he was holding. Sol smirked at the sight.
'Guess he would.'
Sol bit his tongue to keep from laughing as Anji spoke.
"My, your such a cute little girl..."
Johnny was already rolling on the ground, laughing his heart out. Anji looked at the Pirate captain, oddly.
"What's so funny?"
Johnny tried to get himself under control but failed miserably. Dizzy decided to answer for him .
"Mr. Mito, she's a he."
Anji looked at her oddly before looking at the cross dresser carefully before it hit him.
"Hey, your that Bounty Hunter that got me three years ago...oh kami sama, you ARE a guy!."
Baiken covered her face in embarrassment, wishing she wasn't the same nationality as Anji for a moment. The young man, as it appeared to be, shook Dizzy's hand as he spoke to her.
"Its been a while since you visited me, Dizzy. I see you brought some new friends with you, too. Won't you introduce me to them?
The cross dressing boy's voice was almost as feminine as his features. His gaze turned towards Sol and looked at him for quite a while, making Sol uncomfortable.
'Why the hell is he staring at me like that?'
Dizzy pointed to Axl first.
"This man is Axl Low. He's English, just like you, Bridget."
Axl gave Bridget a nod as he was introduced. Sol looked oddly at Bridget.
'Isn't that a girl's name?'
Dizzy then pointed to Millia.
"This is..."
Millia answered for her.
"We've already met once before."
Bridget nodded as he remembered.
"Oh yeah, your Millia Rage, The Blond Huntress."
Millia nodded before saying,
"I wish you wouldn't use that name."
Bridget apologized before looking towards Dizzy.
"I've already met Anji Mito and Baiken...but that man in red I don't know."
His gaze turned to Sol again, and Sol fought back the urge to flip the boy off.
'Stop staring, punk.'
The thought as Dizzy introduced him to Bridget.
"This man is Sol Badguy, a Bounty Hunter like yourself, Bridget."
Bridget smiled at Sol before bringing his hand forward.
"Nice to meet you Mr. Badguy. I thought it was you, you know, being a legendary Bounty Hunter and all."
Sol ignored the out stretched hand as his eyes narrowed.
"Legendary? Since when?"
Bridget looked confused.
"You know, don't you? Your the only one who was able to defeat the first, true, all-powerful Gear called Justice."
Sol's eyes narrowed even further.
'No one knew that. So how does this kid know?'
Sol pretended like he shrugged the thought off and shook hands with Bridget, while secretly vowing to find out how Bridget knew of his other wise secret victory over Justice.
----
The house was enormous, as Johnny had predicted it would be. It did house three hundred rooms, all well kept and furnished. Every one explored the whole house, seeing what they could do. A couple of times, everyone would play Hide-and-Seek, thought Sol and Baiken declined. Baiken just explored all the rooms without much interest, just wanting to walk around. Sol now was at the highest floor. He had been looking for anything that Bridget might have had to point out his knowledge of Justice being defeated by Sol. He was now in the Master Bedroom, where Bridget slept. The was a large bed in the left corner, all of its sheets and drapery were pure white. Sol guessed it to be silk. The rug was plush and soft, and was navy blue in color. In the right side was a desk. Sol went to it and looked around its drawers, flipping through some of the contents. Finding nothing of interest, Sol replaced the contents where they belonged as he looked for anything else. He noticed a doorway behind the desk and went through it, appearing on a stone balcony, behind the house. It had a nice view of the landscape, but Sol ignored it, looking around, for any more clues until his eyes fell on a ladder connected to the wall, besides the way he had entered from. Sol put his hand on his chin thinking.
'Must lead to the attic. Oh well, couldn't hurt to take a look...'
Sol made his way up the ladder. He opened a small door that looked just big enough to let a small kid through. Sol whistled at what he saw. The room looked more like a training area. The room was mostly bare, except for a small area on the wall to his left. It had a lot of Bounty lists on it. Sol walked over and took a closer look.
'Most of these are about a year old...except this one...What the...'
Sol saw a brand new list posted on the wall a tore it off looking at it closely, before reading it out loud softly.
"Wanted, Sol=Badguy, A.KA. The Corrupted Flame. Bounty=$1,000,000 World Dollars for capture. Necessary needed alive. The Corrupted Flame, as he is also called, was the victor over Justice, the first and most powerful Gear in existence. He uses a weapon of the Outrage set, in order to conjure up flames to burn his enemies to a crisp. Extreme caution advised."
Sol laughed at the list.
"What the hell is up with this copy? They make me sound like I'm some kind of magician or something. Heh, wonder what the Police version looks like..."
Although he was laughing, Sol took in the information seriously.
'Someone has just put a Bounty on my head for capture, which means...'
----
"Hey, where's Chief Sol?"
Axl asked himself as he laid down on a couch on the very bottom floor of the house. He eventually saw everyone else enter the small living room.
"You guys seen the Chief?"
Axl asked them. They all shook their heads.
"He's not here, huh?"
Bridget said looking at everyone else. He put a hand to his chin as he thought where Sol could be. Baiken sighed.
"Why don't we just look for him?"
She suggested. Bridget agreed, as all of them searched through the entire house, finally ending up on the top floor. After searching through all the normal rooms, they face the door leading to the Master Bedroom.
"This door seems different from the rest."
Millia commented, before Bridget spoke.
"This is my bedroom. I locked the door though..."
As he was talking, his hand went around the knob, turning it easily. Bridget's face showed confusion.
"...or maybe I didn't."
They all were about to go in when Bridget held up his hand.
"Its my room, let me check, you guys wait out here."
Bridget walked into his room checking the area. The door to the balcony was open, but other wise, everything seemed in order. Bridget walked out to the Balcony, and saw Sol with his back turned from the young boy, sword hefted on his right shoulder, as his left hand was at his side, holding on to a piece of paper. Bridget knew what it was, though:
The Bounty Hunter List. Sol kept his back turned as he spoke.
"Tell me, squirt, were you planning to catch me while everyone was playing around?"
Bridget looked carefully at the tall man's back, wondering if he would do anything.
"Not at all, Mr. Badguy. But..."
Sol turned his head slightly to see what Bridget was doing. The boy was twiddling his fingers as he stared at them as he continued to speak.
"...I was hoping I could challenge you to a fight, if that's okay?"
Sol raised an eye brow about what Bridget was proposing.
"Tell me something, kid. You don't sound all that interested in the money, but more in the fight. Now why would that be?"
Sol asked Bridget, as the boy thought of a good response.
"Well, I was never interested in money, probably because my family was rich. Anyway, the only reason I take up Bounties in the first place is to prove myself to them. You know, to show my family that I can take care if myself."
Sol kept his back turned as he thought of what Bridget was saying.
"So, you think by fighting me, your gonna prove to your family that you can take care of yourself?"
Bridget nodded. Sol groaned.
"That's got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Besides, I don't fight children."
Bridget looked upset at Sol.
"I'm not weak, dammit!"
Sol tapped the sword on his shoulder.
"I never said that. All I said was that I don't fight children. Sorry, but your out of luck."
A yo-yo swirled past his head, staying in the air. Sol looked at it.
"I must insist, Mr. Badguy. Just one fight, and that's all I ask."
Sol was now getting irritated. He had a small conversation with Baiken earlier, and he remembered the woman saying that Bridget was a master fighter with yo-yos. He tapped his sword against his shoulder again, then launched the blade straight up in the air before catching it in his left hand as it came back down. Bridget lifted the white dress off his shoulders, revealing a thin, blue colored vest around his body. He wore tight black shorts and large platform shoes. From out of the dress he pulled a metal object, which looked like a giant hand cuff, and put it on his waist. He then pulled out what looked to be a Nun's hood the same color blue as his vest, with a golden cross adorned on the back of it.
Sol raised an eye brow.
'Okay...now I've seen EVERYTHING.'
Sol put the Fire Seal to his side as he looked at Bridget.
"Tell me...why do you dress up as a girl, anyway?"
Bridget stared a t the ground for a bit.
"Well...where I come from, its believed that a family is cursed if they have twin boys. Normally, the twin born after the first must be killed as a sacrifice to lift the curse, but rather than kill me, my parents decided to raise me like a girl in order to keep me alive..."
Sol laughed.
"So that's it...oh well, just had to know. Now, let's just get this over with."
The two stared down each other for a moment before Bridget attacked first, calling back his yo-yo from behind Sol, who turned around, only to duck, as the yo-yo came whirling past his head.
'What the fuck...?'
Sol brought his sword behind him as Bridget ran towards him, kicking outward with his foot, yo-yo extending as it struck the blade. As the yo-yo came back, Sol rushed over towards Bridget and tried to hit him with an over head slash, but Bridget quickly formed a cat's cradle with the stings of the yo-yo, bringing it forward to defend against the strike. Small sparks flew up as Sol's blade met with the strings.
"There metal strings..."
Sol commented as he brought his sword back. Bridget nodded.
"Of course they are. I couldn't defend myself very well if they weren't."
Sol cracked his neck.
"Yeah, that's true..."
Bridget extended the yo-yo again before attacking Sol again. He went in with a low sweep, but Sol easily jumped over the yo-yo, however, as it came back, Bridget made a full spin, bringing up the yo-yo and moving it behind him, before it came forward again, catching Sol in his jump.
"Do it, Roger!"
Bridget yelled as he cupped his mouth with his hands.
'Roger...'
Sol thoughts were interrupted as he felt multiple blows to his back, before falling to the ground. When he looked up , he saw Bridget holding a teddy bear in his arm. Sol raised an eye brow.
"What's with the stuffed bear?"
Bridget smiled as he hugged the stuffed toy.
"This is Roger. He was a present to me from my brother. He can think and act on his own when I order him to help me. Isn't he cute?"
Sol got back up as he shook his head.
"Are you sure your not really a girl? Your tastes sure seem alike..."
Before Bridget could respond to Sol, the older man started running at him, his speed picking up now, as he slashed vertically at Bridget's side. Bridget had to jump away from the attack, unable to defend it with his yo-yo strings. He was now feeling a bit nervous.
'He's moving very fast, now. Where did all this speed and power suddenly come from?'
Sol slashed upward, almost catching Bridget in the chin, as the boy jumped up, tossing his yo-yo behind him. Sol followed the boy in his leap, trying to kick the boy out of the air, but Bridget seemed to roll away from him, using the yo-yo string to move backwards. The two landed at the same time, before Bridget rushed at Sol, bringing his yo-yo forward, and smashing Sol in the face. He then followed up with a vertical strike, hitting Sol solidly in the chest, making the man stagger back.
"Here it comes..."
Bridget said slowly as he brought out a second yo-yo, twirling them, hitting Sol repeatedly in the face. Finally, Sol countered with a right hook, catching Bridget in the face, but as soon as he did, a giant Roger materialized and crushed Sol against the balcony.
"Was that it? My Loop-the-Loop finished him off so easily..."
Bridget sighed as he looked at the downed Sol Badguy. He sighed disappointedly at the fight.
"You couldn't have beat Justice with that kind of strength. What happened to that speed and power I saw before?"
As he turned to leave he heard Sol laugh at him.
"I never said you were going to see the power that defeated Justice, but this should suffice..."
Bridget turned around only to see the area that Sol was occupying empty.
"Wha..."
As Bridget turned back around he was struck hard in the stomach. Bridget's eyes extended to full size, his mouth opening wide, dripping saliva. His arms and legs dangled loosely, as he was carried on Sol's right fist. Sol grinned.
"See ya."
Sol then brought his left his forward, striking Bridget in the face. The boy flew off the balcony by the force put behind the punch. Sol grabbed the yo-yo in his left hand, to make sure Bridget didn't fall. Sol turned his head slightly.
"Guess he's had enough..."
He pulled the boy back up and carried him in his arms, walking back into the room, and placed the unconscious Bridget on the bed. He left the room and entered in the hall way, finding everyone leaning against the wall. Axl spoke up first.
"Hey, Chief, where were you?"
Sol yawned before scratching hi head.
"I was just..."
Sol stopped suddenly and looked at the door to Bridget's room, before rushing through it and heading towards the balcony as everyone stared at him. Anji looked towards Baiken.
"What's up with him, Sis?"
When Sol reached the side of the balcony, he stared down at the forest, as if searching for something. It was not long before he saw numerous amounts of Robo Kys walking into the clearing. However, they seemed different from the ones Sol fought previously. The heads seemed more solid and streamline, without nearly as much bolts sticking out every which way. The yellow eyes now glowed red, as the seemed slightly bigger than the previous ones. Sol clenched his teeth together.
'Shit, they look like they been upgraded. Better get the hell out of here...'
----
Room of Shadows.
"Our new models should prove more worthy a challenge to Sol Badguy."
A shadow appeared besides the other one.
"Where have they been sent?"
The other looked at him.
"Verdant."
----
Five minutes earlier.
Ky was posted on one of the trees near the edge of the forrest, the thick branch supporting him as he looked through a pair of binoculars.
'Sol entered this house with Dizzy, the second self reliant Gear. What are you planning Sol? Surely you must know about the Bounty put on your head by now. Are you hiding...'
Before Ky finished his thoughts, he heard a twig snap on the ground. Years of training had always taught Ky to follow his instincts. As he looked down, his eyes widened at the amount of robot duplicates of himself on the ground. Ky didn't dare stir, not wanting to make a sound. He looked as the groups of Robo Kys walked towards the edge of the forrest, looking at the large house.
'This is most definitely not good...'
Ky thought as he saw the swarm of Robots standing on the ground.
Note: Sorry for the delay, but this was a long chapter. For some reason, I don't really like the way this one turned out, but I hope it will work okay.