Sorry I haven't updated for so long! Now that my final exams are over, projects are piling up! Now that I'm free, here's chapter four!
Chapter Four: Angel, Fall In!
At that day of school, Marina woke up on a Saturday morning. The sun was bright and happy today. Starwing predicted it won't rain, not even a small drizzle. Marina predicted the same too. Since it a Saturday, Marina decided to try Starwing out in the layer for the very first time. If only Marina had someone to tutor her. She wished to ask her friends like Brigitte, but I heard today is her family day. Even her other friends are away for the day. So, Marina decided to try out on her own.
She ran out of her small house and into the busy streets. She did not know the way to the place where you practice so, she asked some of the passer-bys with strong Angel with them, "Oh! Just go straight and then left. There will be a T-junction. All you have to do is to go right and you're there, The Angel Practice Dome!" said a teenager. Marina thanked her before she left. After that, she ran to The Angel Practice Dome.
When she reached there, she found it crowded with people. The building was huge so, it's enough for everyone! As Marina went in, she found the first floor crowded so, she decided to take the lift to the other floors. She took the lift and arrived at floor two. But in there, it was full of people as well. Then, she went to the next floor. Over there, there is only one more place left. Quickly, Marina ran there and took the seat. A layer was built in front of her. She looked left and right to see how people start. A ten year old boy wore a gadget called, 'Headsets'. Then, "Angel, fall in!" he yelled as he threw her Angel in the layer. Marina was surprised on boy playing with 'dolls'. But it's just normal now that Angelic Layer came to Europe.
Marina too, tried to do the same. First, she put on a headset and said, "Angel, Fall In!" Marina said and threw Starwing into the layer. Starwing went into the layer and landed gracefully. Starwing spun her head and looked at Marina, "Well, what am I suppose to do now?" she asked.
Marina frowned and said asked, "What? You don't know?"
"Of course I don't. Angels aren't programmed to know what to do while fighting or competing in something, that would be cheating," answered Starwing.
"Oh, I see…" Marina said, "But how can you stand?" she asked.
"I don't know about that though. You have to ask the creator of Angelic Layer if you ask me," Starwing said, "Now, can you move me around now? I'm feeling a bit… stiff…"
"Oh, okay. But, how can I control you?" Marina asked as their both sweat-drop.
"Excuse me, miss," said a voice.
Marina turned around and saw a boy about the age of fourteen. He has brown hair that is not too bright, nor too dark. He has a pair of deep sea blue eyes. He wore a white shirt with long sleeves. He wasn't wearing his yellow jacket. Instead, the jacket was hanging on his shoulders and back. He has a pair of long black pants and a pair of black shoes to go with.
"Um… yes?" Marina asked nervously. She never was good at meeting people. But she tried anyway.
"May I sit here? All the places are full," said the boy.
Marina just nodded slowly as the boy thanked her. The boy sat down and said, "By the way, my name is Gailen, Gailen Sanders."
Marina smiled and said, "I'm Marina, Marina Saliman."
The boy just smiled back and turned to the layer. Then, he wore a headset and took out a small figure, but it was bigger than Starwing. The Angel has blond orange hair and a pair of black eyes. He wore a black, sleeveless suit with a black cape. He also wore a pair of black boots and gloves that shows out his fingers. A red jewel was sewed in the middle of his chest to match his costume. The odd thing about the Angel is that it wore a tall black hat with a sharp end point, "Angel, fall in!" yelled Gailen as he threw his Angel into the layer.
"His name is Hamel. What about you Angel?" Gailen asked Marina. Marina looked up and said, "Oh! Her name is Starwing."
"I see," Gailen said. One thing that made Starwing wonder is his hat. What IS under his hat! I must know… Could it be…That Hamel is bold! Starwing thought.
"Would you like me to tell you something about Angelic Layer if you haven't heard of it?" ask Gailen. Marin thought why Gailen would ask such a thing to someone he is not familiar with. But then, Marina was curious so, she accepted it.
Gailen looked at Hamel and said, "As soon as Angelic Layer came to Europe, one type of virus went into each Angel there is. When scientist found out, they never took it away. Because the virus is good since it lets Angels turn to others instead of Angels…"
"What? Instead of Angels?" Marina asked, puzzled.
"Yes, instead of an Angel turning into an Angel, it might just turn an Angel into a human-like reptile which can crawl on walls and do whatever they can do. But the bad thing is that they cause terrible damages…" Gailen said with a frown. Marina was still puzzled and a bit disgust, because an Angel turning into a human-like reptile is just too much!
"But the virus activates when it wants to. You can't be one with your Angel to activate it any longer. But I won't tell you a detailed one or else you won't understand anything. With that virus, your Angel can only turn into one thing, but no longer an Angel," Gailen said.
Those words did scare Marina. Marina just hoped that her Angel won't turn into something disgusting like a human-like reptile. She frowned and asked, "Doesn't that mean the virus is bad?" Gailen couldn't answer that one. The only thing that can save him from this question is just to ask Marina, "Let's play Angelic Layer together, shall we?" Swiftly, Hamel reached up his hand as a bright flash of light appeared. When the light faded away, Hamel held a sharp black sword with a golden handle in his hands. He got into his position and charged towards Starwing.
Marina was about to yell out to Gailen that Starwing has never been into a layer before until he said, "Don't worry, beginners luck, remember?" Gailen said. Marina wondered how he knew. Marina quickly concentrates on Starwing's movements as she tried to avoid Hamel's sword that slashed here and there. As the sword slashed, Starwing heard the singing of the blade.
"You can't always run!" Hamel said. Quickly, Hamel lift up his leg and kick Starwing while spinning. Then, Starwing fell off the layer. She tumbled on the floor with bruises on her face. Marina quickly kneeled down and held her Angel in her hands, "Starwinsg! Are you okay?" Marina asked her Angel in a panicking voice. Starwing just smiled and fainted.
Gailen stood up and said, "I'm sorry on what Hamel did to your Angel. But Angelic Layer has to be like that."
Marina just giggled slowly and said, "It's okay. It was an exciting moment…"
"Glad you understand. Please heal your Angel with the machines you bought," Gailen said as he walked away. Marina was quiet as she quickly rushed home. She set the equipment she bought the other day and started healing Starwing, "So much for our first battle in the layer… Too bad it has to be a boy that likes to beat people up!" said Marina angrily, not knowing that she misjudged Gailen a little. While waiting for Starwing to heal, Marina thought what Gailen said about the virus. What will Starwing turned into? What will happen? Will she turn into something I like? Marina thought nervously.
After Starwing was fully healed, Marina asked her, "Are you alright, Starwing?" Starwing rubbed her head and said, "Yeah, I'm just fine," Marina smiled and looked at Starwing. She was nervous on when will the virus activate. She looked at the time and found the day still early. She thought maybe she could enter an Angelic Battle for the first time. Even though she might not be ready yet, but Starwing and her were so exciting to enter one. She found out how an Angelic Battle goes with Gailen and Hamel, what else could possibly happen?
Marina walked into the streets and looked left and right. She noticed that there are sign boards that tell you where the Angelic Layer Battle Stadium is. She followed the signs while running. Soon, she reached the Angelic Layer Battle Stadium just like the time she predicted. She went inside and walked to a table. A woman wearing a uniform that looks like the one in Piffle Princess said, "Good morning, miss. May I help you?"
Marina breathed in and asked, "Is this the place where I enter Angelic Battles?"
The woman nodded and said, "Why yes, it is. Would you like to enter one?" Marina nodded quickly without a single word, "Please give me your Angel Card," said the woman. Marina blinked and said, "What is an Angel Card?"
"Don't tell me you don't have one yet! If you don't, please go there and get one. After that, come back here to register a fight again," said the woman as she pointed to a table with another woman wearing the same uniform as hers. Marina nodded and walked there. At that time, there was no queue so, she quickly ran over and ask for an Angel Card. The woman nodded and said, "Please fill in this form first."
Marina held up a pen from the table and started filling up the form. After filling up the form, the woman started typing in her computer. It didn't take long, only about like three minutes to type everything. Soon, she started printing out everything and handed a red card to Marina as soon as it's done, "There, now you can enter Angelic Battles as many times as you want," said the woman.
"Thank you, ma'am!" Marina thanked. Then, she ran back to the same table and put her card down on the table, "May I enter an Angelic Battle, please," she said. Without another word, the woman typed a few things into the computer and scanned her card. Next, she gave the card back to Marina, "Okay, you're done. Please wait there and you opponent will find you. Remember, your fight is next," she said. Marin nodded as her heart pounded loudly. She head to the place the woman asked her to wait.
After five minutes or less, a girl about the age of thirteen looked left and right. She has brown hair with blue linings on them - tied into two ponytails behind her head. She must have dyed the blue lines on, you know people nowadays. Her eyes were also blue as well, but the blue was much lighter than the lines on her hair. She wore a black shirt and a pair of long brown pants. She looked left and right again and held out a piece of paper. She yelled out, "Is Marina Saliman here"
Marina stood up and walked to the girl and said, "That's me."
"Oh! I'm your next opponent so, be prepared," she said. Marina nodded as cold sweat dropped down her chin, "By the way, I'm Eliza," said the girl. Without another word to be said, she spun around and walked away. Marina was so excited that she was going to challenge someone in a real Angelic Fight! The only thing is making her wonder is Eliza's Angel. Has it turned into some mutated creature yet? Marina was overreacting with the word, 'Mutated Creature'.
Marina waited on the sofa beside the wall for her turn. After a few minutes, a woman with the same uniform as the others appeared. She called out for Marina, "Marina Saliman! Your fight is on." After hearing what the woman said, she jumped down from the sofa quickly and followed the woman to the Battle Arena.
Once she stepped into the big room, she saw a huge flat plat in the middle of the room called, 'The Layer'. It was glowing with the colour white. The wall of the flat plate was transparent. On top, were a few machines that Marina has never seen before. Last but not least, the cheering crowd. But she didn't know what to do next so, she saw Eliza walking in as well. Eliza walked to an Egg Shaped Chair and sat on it. There, she put on a head set beside the sit. Marina did the same too.
On a higher Egg Shaped Chair, was the announcer. He wore a poison purpled colour suit with a green bow tie, brown messy hair with a pair of sun glasses indoors. He held up his microphone and yelled out, "Today's battle is between two girls! The first one is Eliza Cadey and her Angel, Taelia! They've won six battles in a row, but can they beat this one?"
The crowd cheered loudly and whistled. Some even took up signs which say, 'Eliza, GO!'
"The other player is a new player named Marina Saliman and her Angel, Starwing!" yelled the announcer, "She is just a beginner so, I say she's follish to actually dared to battle Eliza and Taelia!" the announcer teased as the crowd laughed. That just annoyed Marina a lot. She wasn't even the one who picked this battle!
"Enough of this, let's begin! Today's layer…" said the announcer. Suddenly, instead of white glows into the layer, it turned into a scenery of a green house.
Eliza's Angel, Taelia, has poison purple hair. She wore a green suit with grey metals on them. Her eyes were the colour of dried leaves, "Taelia, Angel of Greens! Angel, fall in!" yelled Eliza as she threw Taelia into the layer. Taelia went into the layer and landed on her feet gracefully. Gladly, Marina thought of a line like Eliza's for this moment, "Starwing, fly with the shooting stars! Angel, fall in!" Marina yelled and threw Starwing into the layer as well. As soon as Starwing entered the layer, she opened her eyes and somersaulted. She reached her right hand up into the sky and finally landed.
"Angelic, fight!" yelled the announcer, excited.
"Perfect place, Taelia, come on!" Eliza yelled as she started to control Eliza. Then, Eliza jumped up and held up her hands. Marina thought Taelia was going to hit her so, she made Starwing move away. At that time, Starwing jumped up and was ready to kick Taelia's back. Instead, in Taelia's fingers, appear spikes! The spikes on her fingers were green in colour. The spikes swipe Starwing face as blood shot out! That gave Marina a shock, blood! How could that be! She thought.
"Blood… It's like that now…" said a fourteen year old boy standing on the second level of the building, "Ouch! Will you look at that! Taelia's poison spikes never fail!" yelled the announcer.
"Poison" Marina said to herself, frightened. As Starwing was scratched, she fell onto the dirt. Her head knocked against the wall which made the poison in Starwing's body spread here and there. Starwing rubbed the blood away form her face. She picked herself up and panted tiredly. She loosed lots of health points as well.
At the second level, the boy looked at Marina's worried face, "Don't worry, she won't leave," he said but Marina can't hear it.
Quickly, Starwing charged to Taelia and held up her fits. She started to punch Taelia. But she kept on missing, "You better give up, Starwing! Every move you make you're just wasting life!" Taelia laughed as she dodged Starwing's punching, it's a pity that humans can't hear the Angel's conversation in the layer.
"I won't give up so easily!" yelled Starwing as she kicked Taelia's stomach with her right knee. Taelia kneeled down and pressed her stomach with her hands painfully. Suddenly, she looked up and threw more poisonous spikes at Starwing. But this time, Starwing a prepared. She jumped up into the sky and headed for Taelia. She shot her right leg out and kicked Taelia's head. Taelia fell down and lost a lot of health points. Starwing, too, lost lots of health points. Both of them panted tiredly.
"Wow! Starwing's not bad for a beginner! It's like she has been trained by the champion! Amazing!" yelled the announcer. The crowd cheered loudly. Marina can also hear people talking, "If she wins this battle, I might be one of her fans!" But Marina left that aside for a while. Quickly, "Starwing, one more!" she yelled. Starwing panted as she picked up the poisonous spikes from the floor. She threw the needles at Taelia quickly. Before Taelia could dodge it, the spikes poked her left arm. She yelled out in pain and stood up, "Why you…" she was about to say a bad word about Starwing. She walked towards Starwing but as she walked, she fell down.
The crowd watched the machines on top of the layer which has Starwing and Taelia's hit points printed there. Not for long, Taelia's health points are all gone. There crowd up silent, but they cheered at the end. Eliza cluthed her fits tightly, "Damn it!" she yelled angrily. The fourteen year old boy clapped his hand a few times and walked away into the dark hall…
Okay, if I didn't add this battle in, the chapter would be really short. I hope you all like it