Stupid holes! by Truro

Disclaimer: Tales of Symphonia © Namco.
Special thanks to my friend Colin, who was a big help in the production of this chapter.

We catch up to our eight heroes as they are walking through Iselia forest.
Unfortunately they are stuck in the middle of the forest with the utmost dilemma.

"Are you sure you want to cook the lunch today?" asked Regal,

"Absolutely!" said Raine, "Okay, everyone! Soup's on!"

So the team began their lunch,

"It's certainly…interesting." Said Presea,

"It's really hot!" said Collette with her usual sweet smile,

"What kind of soup is it?" asked Zelos,

"Its gespatcho!" said Raine proudly folding her arms and lifting her nose to the sky.

Everyone spluttered.

"Gespatcho soup is meant to be served cold!" said Genis, the true chef of the Sage family.

"Why didn't you tell me!" yelled Raine.

"You're a teacher after all." Said Genis in a deadpan tone, "I thought you'd have the sense to ask." This was answered by a typical whack to Genis' head, from his cheesed off sister.

Later, the group was walking towards Dirk's house, when they found yet another problem.

"Where did all these holes come from?" said Lloyd as he scratched his head to the point when sparks appeared.

"I don't know but I think it may have happened when we blew up the Iselia ranch." Raine said as she pulled out a magnifying glass.

"Well I think we should go another wa-aaaaahhhhhhh" Collette said as she fell over.
She fell onto Lloyd and then they both rolled down one of the deep holes.

"Lloyd, are you alright?" shouted Regal.

"I'll be fine as soon as Collette gets off my back." Said Lloyd.

"I'm sorry, I should have looked where I was going. Hey is that a tunnel?" asked Collette as she was trying to change the subject.

"Hey you're right." Said Lloyd. "Hey guys, theres a tunnel down here, we'll see if it leads to a way out!" he shouted up to the others.

"Fine, we'll meet at Dirks house later-aaaahhhh" Zelos said as he also fell down another hole, dragging Sheena with him.

"Not him as well!" said Raine.

"Look on the bright side!" said Genis "At least we don't have to listen to Zelos' voice for a while."

"I heard that you little pipsqueak." Said Zelos, "Anyway there's a hole down here too, so we're going to follow that. You never know, we may run into Lloyd and Collette." And he set off, whilst dragging Sheena with him.

"Hold on to me tight, Genis," said Raine, "we don't want to…" but before she could finish, she found herself falling down yet another hole, taking her kid brother with her.

Presia then look at Regal. Then she starred. "Regal …look behind you." Regal turned around and found a big, mean, scary, bear, staring at him.

"Presia, get behind me and start backing up slowly." Regal said as he took a defensive pose. At that moment the bear reared up and started to race toward them. That is, before Regal and Presia fell down another hole.

Lloyd and Collette where walking through a dark tunnel,

"It's so creepy." Said Collette,

"I don't mind the dark." Said Lloyd, "It's not too bad."

"But I get scarred." Said Collette.

Lloyd just laughed, "You dork! Don't worry, Collette, I'll take care of you!"

"Thank you Lloyd." Said Collette, hugging Lloyds arm, with a sunny smile.

Unfortunately, Zelos and Sheena were not getting on so well,

"Aw, c'mon!" said Zelos, "I said I was sorry!"

"I'm not talking to you!" said Sheena "You dragged me with you on purpose!"

Zelos put his arm around her, "If you're scarred of the dark, I'll let you hold my hand…" he said

"Shove off!" yelled Sheena punching the idiot-chosen in the stomach,

"You know," wheezed the gasping Zelos, "they say, you always hurt the one you love." The was replied to by Sheena suddenly producing a large cooking pan out of thin air, and connecting it rather violently with Zelos' head. She was a ninja after all. They are masters of hammer space.

Meanwhile…

"How can you think that this is boring!" Raine demanded.

"Cause it's just a bunch of stinking rocks!" said Genis, "The same kind of rocks we've been walking past for the last thirty minutes!"

"You have no respect!" said the older sibling.

"And you're obsessed with a load of dumb rocks!" said the younger,

"I'll whack you in a minute!" said Raine.

"Oh, grow up, Miss Gespatcho soup!"

"Miss what…?"

"i said, miss gespatcho soup!" Yelled Genis

"That's it!" said Raine, as they reached a junction, "You're on your own!" and she stomped off down one tunnel,

"Fine!" said Genis, "You couldn't last five minutes without me!"

"We'll see!" said Raine, "Anyone can boil their own toast!" They departed there own ways whilst Genis was heard chortling in the background, mocking her remark about boiling toast.

Meanwhile, with Regal and Presia… They were walking down the tunnel with not a word spoken between them.
Quickest scene yet!

"Hey, guys!" called Lloyd,

"Lloyd! Collette!" said Sheena happily.

"Yo." Said Zelos, raising his hand.

"How'd you get that black eye, Zelos?" asked Lloyd,

"You don't want to know." huffed Sheena, with her nose in the air.

"Poor thing." Said Collette.

So now, the four agreed to head for the exit, and wait for the others, meanwhile…

"I shouldn't have left him to his own devices." Said Raine to herself, "Genis doesn't know as much about the world as I do."

While she was pondering this, Genis was thinking as well,

"She may not be able to cook, but I can't just leave her alone. Raine doesn't know any heavy fighting magic, like me." So he turned a corner to look for Raine, but then…

"OOF!" They bumped into each other.

"Sis!" he called,

"Genis!" said Raine. They hugged, and then where joined by Regal and Presia.

Later, the team was all together again,

"It appears that we're all safe-.", But before Presia had chance to finish her sentence, it seemed that the bear had moved so that it was blocking the entrance. Lloyd, Zelos, Genis, and Collette all rushed at the bear launching an all out attack, but to their dismay, the bear just swiped at them and pushed them back.

"Have you forgotten that these things don't go down easily?" said a deep voice, from the other side of the animal.

"I'd recognise that voice anywhere. What are you doing here Kratos?" said Lloyd, with an angry look on his face. If looks could kill, Kratos would not be in the best of health at that moment.

"Rivalry has its place, but I'm just here to advise." said Kratos.

"I wouldn't take any advice off you, even if you wrote the Guinness book of records." said Lloyd, "C'mon! Let's get it!"

"Right on!" said Zelos, as he and Lloyd bravely charged at the huge monster.

Unfortunately, they missed, and where dragged into the shadows, by the bear's huge hands, where many noises could be heard, such as, "OW!" "MERCY!" "HELP ME!", and "MEDIC!"

"Oh Lloyd!" said Collette.

"Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark!" remarked Sheena.

Kratos gave an amused snigger.

"Kratos, you said you had some advice." Said Raine, "Is the offer still open?"

"I suppose." Said the swordsman, "You don't always have to fight, to get past obstacles." Then he vanished,

"How's that suppose to help?" asked Presea. A justified question, considering his rather cryptic advice. He may as well have just said "Get the Power! Nintendo Power!"

"Wait a minute!" said Regal, "I think I've got it!" then he whipped out a dish of casserole,

"Where'd you get that from?" asked Sheena, admiring Regal's own hammerspace skills.

"I'd been saving this for an emergency, like when it was Raine's turn to cook." Said Regal, "But I guess this counts as life threatening also."

Then he ran into the tunnel, where the cries of pain from the two swordsmen, where replace by satisfied humming noises. Then, the blue-haired wonder-chef came out, with the unconscious, Zelos and Lloyd arched over his shoulders.

When they finally got out, they where back on the path to Dirk's house,

"Wasn't it cute?" said Collette.

"Wasn't what cute?" asked Lloyd, who was being bandaged up, by Raine.

"That big teddy bear!" beamed Collette. Lloyd just sighed.

To be continued.