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Chapter 39: State of Mind

         "TALA!!!"

Tala groaned and numbly rolled to one side, staring at Hru, "H-Hru?"

Hru was beginning to feel very weak, but she was sure that she had managed to yelled out Tala's name.  //Psychic control isn't everything…state of mind…gotta stay strong…I can overcome this Psychic trash hold…//  She forced her arms to stay down, trying to open her fingers to drop her weapon.  //Come on…come on…please…no more…//  She could feel the Psychic Sorcerer's anger behind her coming at her in spasms.  Pain vibrated through her whole body, almost forcing her to obey.  "Tala!  Kill him…OW!  I can't move –"

"Hru!" Tala yelled, his blue eyes flickering around for solution, pain jolted from his wound.  Ignoring it, Tala hurled a raging twister at the Psychic Warlock, "DIE!"  He blasted out beams from his lazer gun, creating a total explosion all around the Psychic Warlock until it disintegrated to nothing.

Hru finally felt her body relax in freedom as shaking pain spread to all parts of her body.  "Oh…"

"Hru!" Tala reached out just in time to catch the collapsing girl, "Hru!  Are you okay???"

"Yeah…" Hru murmured weakly, "Just give me a moment to catch my breath…"

"What the hell happened to you??" Tala demanded, wincing as he tried to support her while also trying to feel his numb shoulder, "You nearly killed me!!!!"

"I didn't mean it!" Hru snapped, feeling nauseous, "I was being controlled, you dimwit."

"Well, how was I suppose to read your mind???" Tala growled, "If you haven't tried to stop it, I would've shot you."

The two glared angrily at each other before the anger slowly evaporated from their faces.  "Sorry," Tala muttered, looking away.

"Thanks…" Hru said gingerly, "For trying to help anyways and for not killing me at first sight…are you okay?"

Their eyes met and Tala smiled slightly, "Fine.  You're welcome, can you stand?  Let's go, we have to find the others!"

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         "Are we all okay???" Johnny demanded as everyone nodded.

"What is that????" Hru pointed to the baby phoenix hovering above Kai's head.

"My egg hatched," Kai told her hurriedly, "Explanation later."

"It saved my life!" Kailee exclaimed.

"Tala, Hru, you look pretty shaken," Johnny said, "You sure you're okay?"
"Uh-huh," Tala nodded, "Hru gave me a scare back there, gosh, I'll explain later.  Where's Carly?"

Johnny frowned, "After our fight, she tore off looking for Enrique, you know for someone's who's boiling mad at him, she sure does worry a lot about him."

"We should go help Enrique too!" Holly urged, "He might need it."

"Ray, your leg..." Cassandra said, "Can you walk???"
Ray gritted his teeth, Willow was supporting him, "I'll be fine, I'll go slowly, you guys go ahead first."

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         Enrique hated the Psychic Warlock's laugh and he could see him strolling away.  He battled the Orcs, but they had him surrounded.  The Psychic Warlock was getting too far, any further and he'd lose track of him!  Enrique groaned, there was no way he could catch the warlock after fighting these Orcs.  He gasped as an Orc smashed his axe at him, but before the Orc could hit him, an arrow pierced through its heart.  Enrique gaped at the silver arrow, "Carly?"

Carly flipped in the air and landed beside him, stringing another arrow and killing another Orc, "Enrique, go and catch the Psychic Warlock, hurry you have to get that Scepter!"

"B-but, b-but," Enrique stuttered, "I-I...what are you doing here???"

"What does it look like??" Carly demanded, blasting out ice crystals from her hand, "Take that you freaks!!!!"

"I-I thought you were mad at me," Enrique managed to say, staring numbly at her.

"I am," Carly said, shooting another arrow.  She turned to look at Enrique, her emerald eyes flickered sadly, "You're my friend Enrique, you're my best buddy, just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean that I feed you to the Orcs.  Friends look out for each other and you'll always be my friend, no matter how much of a jerk you act like.  Now GO!"

Enrique nodded, his face lighting with renewed courage, "Thanks Carly!"

"For what???" Carly demanded.

"For everything," Enrique said, "I think I understand now."

"Then shut up and get going moron!" Carly snapped, firing her arrows, her emerald eyes flashing.  Deep down she cared, and Enrique knew it.

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         "Back so soon?" the Psychic Warlock asked as Enrique approached him again, "I guess I underestimated you, doesn't matter, I'll finish you off right now."

"Think again!" Enrique swung his star mace at the Psychic Warlock, hitting his face.

"You'll pay for that!!!!" the warlock roared, looking angry now.  As they traded attacks for sometime, Carly arrived at the scene again, breathless from running and fighting those Orcs, but she was still in shape to fight.

"Enrique!!!" Carly squealed in fright as the huge axe came dangerously close to his shoulder, "Be careful!!!"

Enrique stumbled and narrowly missed the axe by rolling under the handle.  Carly could see that it was hard for him to control the star mace because he wasn't used to the weapon yet.

"Come back here!" the Psychic Warlock snarled, smashing his axe ruthlessly after Enrique.

"Cut that out!" Carly snapped, bring her bow up to meet the axe blade and deflect it while Enrique managed to get on his feet.  But before Carly could fire her Ice, the Psychic Warlock wasted no time putting his Psychic hold on her and spinning her in the air.  Carly didn't even have time to yell because the Psychic Warlock immediately smashed her downwards, creating a small explosion.

"CARLY!!!" Enrique yelled, horror written all over his face.

Carly was on the ground, her face twisted with pain and white as sheet.

"Carly!" Johnny rushed up with the others and dashed over to her, "Carly, what happened????"

"My leg...think it's broken..." Carly gasped, clutching her leg which was bent at a very strange angle, "He threw me on the ground...I can't move!"

"Don't try to move!" Johnny snapped, clutching her shoulder tightly, "You'll make it worse.  You could be dead, are you crazy, trying to fight the Psychic Warlock???"
"I wasn't crazy!" Carly retorted, grimacing in pain, her face was still white in pain, "Enrique needed help."

"Stop it Johnny," Holly exclaimed, "She's exerting herself to answer you, you're making her worse!"

"Enrique!" Kai yelled, "Get back here, he's too strong for you!"

"No," Enrique said calmly, "This is my fight."

"Are you crazy???" Tala hollered, "You'll get yourself killed!!!  Look what he did to Carly!"

"We're going to help you," Hru declared, frowning, "That maniac almost kill me with his Psychic Sorcerer!"

"No!" Enrique said stubbornly, "This is my fight, you guys stay out.  This is about me, it's me that should get the Psychic Scepter.  Ray and Willow both destroyed their enemies."

"But we did with the help of everyone!" Willow argued.

"Have you lost your mind???" Cassandra demanded.

"I know," Enrique said, "But I have something to prove.  You and Ray both did the finishing blow and you guys already helped enough, the rest of it is mine.  I've been nothing but a coward lately, I couldn't even stand up for Aquana.  It's my fault for hurting her, I should've stood up for her."  He faced the Psychic Warlock angrily, his eyes glinting.

"You HAVE lost your mind!" Holly cried, "Hurting Aquana is one thing, not that it's not important, but this is a matter of LIFE and DEATH!  You'll die, it's too dangerous!!!"

"He can do it," Carly gasped, the pain was clearly draining her now, "I know he can."

"Want a bet?" the Psychic Warlock leering, sending out a blast of Psychic power so strong that it knocked all of them down on their knees.  Kai's baby phoenix narrowly missed it as the explosion sent black smoke up in the air.

Enrique didn't flinch, the orange glow around him indicated that he called up a Psychic barrier just in time.

"Enrique!" Ray yelled, "Don't!  Such power, you can't match it!"

"Don't worry," Enrique said confidently, "I can't die yet, I won't die, at least not until I've said sorry to Aquana!"  He attacked, swinging his mace at the warlock.

"I'm going in," Holly said, clutching her sword, "He'll never survive."

"No," Kai said, holding out an arm to stop her, "Let him be.  It's his fight."
"You're crazy too!" Willow shrieked, "We're just going to stand here and watch him die???"
"He's...not...going to...DIE!" Carly yelled with as must strength as she could muster, almost causing her to collapse in pain.

"STOP IT!" Johnny hollered at her, his lilac eyes flickering angrily.

Enrique kept forcing the Psychic Warlock back, blocking every slash and cut with his mace and he kept pushing forward, even when the warlock was beginning to tire, Enrique showed no sign of wear.  Soon the Psychic Warlock was beginning to worry, no matter what he did, it came back in his face.  Enrique smashed his star mace into his armor, puncturing it, his eyes glittering maliciously.

"I'll kill YOU!" the Psychic Warlock roared in rage as Enrique managed to disarm him with a combination of Psychic and his weapon.

The orange glow indicating Enrique's Psychic powers seemed to glow even brighter and stronger every second.  His eyes burned with fire, "Kill me???  I don't think so...you can't kill me yet.  I won't be satisfied until I've kill you.  You can't kill me, not until I've apologized.  But one of us has to go..."  Enrique slashed out mercilessly.

"I've never seen Enrique like this," Holly said, still frowning and ready to step in any moment.

"Yeah, he's creeping me out!" Willow remarked, still supporting Ray.

"He's hurt but he keeps going," Kailee said, shivering.

"And he better keep going," Hru said, not taking her eyes off the battle, and like Holly, she was ready to jump in anytime.

"I think he might pull it off," Cassandra remarked.

"I know you can do it Enrique," Carly whispered, "Come on buddy."

"Something's happening!!!!" Kai yelled.

"You really think it'll be this easy???" the Psychic Warlock hollered, laughing like a psychopath, "Prepare to feel all my power!!!!"  Suddenly the Force Field began to shake violently and there was orange glows everywhere.  The power from the Force Field began to slip into the warlock, charging him up heavily.

"Aaaah!!!!" Ray yelled, "All that power is overwhelming..."

Enrique's face darkened and the Psychic Warlock noticed why, the power of the Force Field was also draining into Enrique as well!

"NO!" the Psychic Warlock roared, "NO!!!  YOU CANNOT STEAL MY POWER!!!!"

"It isn't yours," Enrique said angrily, "The power is for anyone who can harness it!  Since Psychic is just a state of mind, I have to upper hand here, I've never felt so pumped for anything in my life!!!"  He gathered all his power into an orb of power and hurled it into the Psychic Warlock, reducing him to mere dust.  Enrique sank on his knees, the warrior spirit inside him fading as the Psychic Scepter rolled on the ground with a clang.

"You did it," Tala said in awe, breaking the silence, "I don't know how you pulled it off…but you did…"

"Well done Psychic Warrior," the Guardian said, appearing in front of them, "It's time to return..."

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         "She's going to be okay right?" Enrique and Johnny asked at the same time.

"Of course, minor injury, just a broken leg," the Guardian assured, "She's asleep right now, time to look at your leg Ray..."

"That's minor???" Holly asked in shock, "I hate to see what's severe!"

"You did it!" Max patted Enrique on the back, "That was awesome."
"Thanks," Enrique said weakly, sinking down on a chair, "To be honest I didn't know how I did it."

"You said it yourself," Holly said, "It's a state of mind."

"Uh-huh," Cassandra filled in, her mouth full of food, "That's right...mm...."

"Guess Carly's not mad at you anymore?" Hru asked Enrique.

"I dunno," Enrique said, "I don't think she was really that mad, it was just her way of knocking some sense into me, she'll be pleased to know that it worked.  You have never seen Carly mad before."

"Let's go.  Before Carly wakes up." Johnny said, standing by Carly's bedside, "Before she wakes up and says, 'What are YOU all staring at???'" Johnny mimicked, doing an accurate imitation of Carly's voice.

WHAM!!!!!!!

Johnny yelped in shock, rubbing his head and whirled around, turning to face Carly who was sitting up and holding a tray in her hand, "Carly!!!"

"You deserved it," Carly said stubbornly, as everyone laughed, "You were copying my voice and I HATE that!"

"You needn't smack me," Johnny muttered.

"What are you all staring at???" Carly snapped, "I haven't died you know!"  She tried to get up but Johnny pushed her back down.

"No Carly, you need to rest and let that broken leg heal," Johnny said, scowling at her.

"But I'm bored!" Carly whined.

"You just woke up," Holly told her.

"I'm still bored," Carly muttered, "When can I move?"

"The Guardian said that if you keep in bed for 5 hours, your leg will heal," Enrique told her.

"Excellent," Carly said, "I'll have to think of something to pass time though.  You guys go, I don't need to be gawked at!  Go eat or something."
"I already am." Cassandra commented, her mouth full of cookies, "Mmmmm..."

"Don't copy my voice," Carly warned Johnny, "I'm warning you McGregor..."

"Okay," Johnny grumbled, "It was pretty good though, you have to admit, I sounded quite like you..."  BANG!!!!!  "CUT IT OUT WITH THE TRAY ALREADY!!!!" Johnny yelled at Carly, snatching the tray from her and tossing it some place else.

Carly crossed her arms and looked away, "Hmph!"

"You know, I feel awfully sorry for whomever it is that you'll marry," Johnny remarked.

"The feeling's mutual McGregor!" Carly snapped.

"You'll probably drive your husband CRAZY!" Johnny said.

"I'm not getting married!" Carly shrieked, "Shut up Johnny, get out or do something useful!"

"Standing here and criticizing is useful," Johnny said.

Carly glared at the rest of them, "Someone.  Get him out.  Please."

"Let's go Johnny," Holly said, pushing him out, "Visiting hours are over, you can come later."

Everyone except Enrique followed, laughing as Johnny muttered his protests.

"Something for you?" Carly asked Enrique, eyeing him doubtfully.

"No, I - uh - just wanted to say, that - uh- I'm sorry for the way I acted," Enrique stammered, "I really miss being your friend and I hope you'll forgive me."  He looked at Carly pleadingly.

Carly sighed, "Enrique, you've never stopped being my friend, you're always my friend, even when you're a jerk.  I accept, but it's Aquana you have to apologize to, not me."

"I know," Enrique nodded fast, "I will.  Thanks for watching my back in the Psychic Kingdom."

"Welcome, you did the same for me," Carly retorted, trying to adjust her leg, "You did an awesome job with the Psychic Warlock, he deserved every piece of that.  Hmph.  I'm just glad you figured it out and everything, I can't stand being mad at you much longer.  Go get some rest, we'll see tomorrow."

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         "Thanks little bird," Kai said gingerly to his little phoenix, "For saving my sister."

Kailee hugged the phoenix tightly, "So cute!!!  Thank you SOOOOOOOO much!!!!"

The little phoenix chirped happily and perched on Kai's chair.

"Um..." Kai said uncertainly, "You can't live on my chair, I can-"

"I'll hug it to sleep," Kailee suggested, "It can sleep with me."  She started out the door.

Kai snatched the phoenix away, "No way Kailee, I've seen how tight you hug your stuffed animals.  This poor thing would be suffocating in a few minutes, it stays here.  It can perch on my bed stand of something for tonight."

"What are you going to name it?" Holly asked curiously.
"Name?" Kai asked blankly, "Argh, how about tomorrow?  Out, both of you girls!  I'm getting some shuteye."

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         "Who is it?" Carly called, covering her yawn, there was still another hour before she could move.

"Me," Johnny's voice floated through.

"Come in," Carly said dryly, trying not to laugh, she was mad at Johnny in sort of a friendly way but he always made her laugh.  "What?"

Johnny stepped it, "Sorry if I woke you, I just wanted to see if you wanted anything to eat or something."

"No thanks," Carly shook her head, "I'm not hungry."

"Uh, well, I'll be going then," Johnny said awkwardly, reaching for the knob again.
"No wait Johnny," Carly said, "Stay here for a minute, I'm so bored.  Hey Johnny, why are you always so nice to me?"

Johnny thanked the dark so Carly wasn't able to see him blush, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you put up with me," Carly said, laughing to herself, "Even when I hit you with trays!  I didn't mean it, honest, I was just kinda annoyed."
"It's okay," Johnny assured her, "It didn't hurt that much.  Plus, I'm more than used to it.  You're my best friend, that's why and you'll always be my friend."

"That's nice to know," Carly said thoughtfully, not sure what else to say, "Thanks again for catching me after I fell from that Psychic hold thing, I thought I was going to plunge into death for sure!"

Johnny said nothing, not sure of what to say either.

"Say Johnny?  Could you do me a favor and bring me my folder?  It has all my project information in it." Carly asked, "I'll be able to get some organization done."

"I'm not tired, I could stay and help you," Johnny offered.

Carly winked, "Awesome, I was hoping you'd say that, cool, thanks!"

In the dark, Johnny blushed again.

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         I'm so tired people, I'm not going to respond to you wonderful reviewers this chapter, I'm really tired and it's past midnight and I need sleep.  ;_;  Hope you liked the chapter, though!  Whew, Carly's FINALLY forgave Enrique!  Three cheers!!!  There was bit of Johnny/Carly in here, I feel like I've been leaving them out lately.  :P

HIHI!!: If you read this, I'll answer your question.  Yes, Emerald Star2 was me.  After my internet crashed for a few months, I lost interest in my stories so I just dropped them.  Sorry if you liked them.  ;_;  It's been so long ago, there's no possible way that I could pick up on them again.  After my computer problems were fixed, I made a new account here.  :P  Eeek!  A stalker!!!  XD 

a.c.  & Sandy11-1990:  I'll keep your suggestions/advice/constructive criticism/whatever-you-wanna-call-it in mind, thank you!  ^^