Chapter 14
Red sat at the Cygnus Motel's check in desk watching the small television that sat on the counter. Hawk left for his "motel owner's convention" a few hours before and Red was getting very bored.
"I need to get out of here. Nothing will happen to the place if I leave…I hope…" thought Red.
Red pondered whether he should leave the motel or not. No guests were there and eventually he convinced himself that nothing bad would happen if he left for a few hours.
"Hawk wouldn't want me to die of boredom" thought Red as he got up from his seat.
Red reached for his blue jacket that was also on the counter and put it on. He stepped out into the street and locked the door to the motel behind him. It was dark outside and somewhat cool as a brisk wind blew moving his spiky almost cactus-like brown hair. Red proceeded to walk down the street with his hands in his coat pocket. Shuzer got away from him the other day and he had no more leads on where he could find him. He thought maybe he could get lucky and find some clues in the city but chances are Shuzer was in hiding by now.
"I was so close to getting him" said Red to himself as he walked along.
Red continued down the sidewalk when suddenly he heard a voice from an alley way he passed.
"Psst hey man…psst over here" said the voice.
Red stopped and looked in the alleyway.
"Come over here and check out what I have" said the voice from the dark alley.
Soon a wolf like creature stepped out of the shadows and into the small bit of light provided by a street lamp. The wolf creature had brown fur and a black leather trench coat. He looked up and down the street nervously then ushered Red closer. Red didn't move. He just stared at the wolf creature.
"Hey man they call me Lone Wolf and I have what you need check me out!" said Lone Wolf as he walked a little closer to Red.
Lone Wolf opened the left side of his coat and it was filled with several gold watches and jewelry that hung there.
"That's real gold too man! You'll have the ladies thinking you have some serious dough!" said Lone Wolf.
"Umm I'm really not interested…" Lone Wolf interrupted Red and showed him the contents of the right side of his coat.
"Well check this out! Look at this! I know you'll like this!" said Lone Wolf opening the right side of his coat.
Red looked at what Lone Wolf had in the right side of his coat….
"Thongs? Why do you have thongs in your jacket?" said Red as he scratched his head somewhat puzzled.
Lone Wolf looked to his right and sure enough several thongs were hanging there. They were in an assortment of colors too.
"Dang, I must have grabbed the wrong jacket. That side is supposed to have diamond necklaces…" said Lone Wolf.
"People actually buy thongs out of your jacket like that?" asked Red.
"Yeah, people like to be comfortable. This one guy bought a whole bunch from me the other day. White haired guy with a feather in his head…I forgot his name though…" said Lone Wolf
Lone Wolf looked up the street to his right and saw a blue and white police car that was patrolling the area.
"Uh oh the boys in blue be cool man…pretend like were talking about strawberries" said Lone Wolf.
"Strawberries?" asked Red even more confused.
"Yeah there's nothing suspicious about strawberries" said Lone Wolf closing his jacket.
"Whatever you say…" agreed Red.
The police car came down the street and passed the two.
"Yes kind sir I also like strawberries!" said Lone Wolf to Red as the police car passed.
He was trying to sound as if he was not up to anything.
"Ok they're gone. Hey man I know what you want. You're into the big time stuff I can tell. I have what you need right here!" said Lone Wolf reaching into his pant pocket. Lone Wolf pulled out a beautiful Golden Hairpin.
"You have a girlfriend? She'd love something like this" said Lone Wolf holding it up.
"I've been trying to tell you I'm not interested in buying anything. All that stuff is probably stolen anyway…even the thongs…" Red shuddered a bit as he thought about the stolen thongs and turned around to walk away.
Red got a few feet away from Lone Wolf. Lone Wolf was sort of upset that Red didn't buy anything but he had a reward anyway…
"Well fine then don't buy anything you cactus headed pansy! I already swiped your wallet anyway! Thanks for the money sucker!" yelled Lone Wolf as he held up a brown wallet.
Red stopped and turned around. He then patted his pants pocket searching for his wallet. Red didn't know how but somehow Lone Wolf had stolen his wallet.
"Hey!" yelled Red angrily.
Lone Wolf looked at Red for a second then took off running down the alleyway.
"Get back here you mutt! Gimme back my wallet" yelled Red as he ran after him.
Lone Wolf ran very fast. In fact as soon as Red got to where he was previously standing Lone Wolf was more than half way down the long alleyway. Red began chasing after Lone Wolf but he was already so far away.
"Dang that guy runs fast…it's Alkaiser time!"
Red stepped into the alleyway and looked around. No one was around so he morphed into Alkaiser. A bright gold light emanated from his body and Red transformed into Alkaiser. Radiant gold energy swirled around his golden body armor, the golden horn that protruded from his helmet and the small golden wings that were attached to his helmet. His white cape ruffled a bit as a small breeze blew.
"Time to catch a thief" said Alkaiser.
Meanwhile Lone Wolf had made it down the long dark alleyway. He stopped running and looked back to see that Red was not chasing him.
"Heh, he can't keep up with Lone Wolf! The greatest thief ever!" said Lone Wolf proudly.
There was a ladder to a fire escape near Lone Wolf. He climbed the ladder and began climbing the steps of the fire escape. Soon he was on the roof of a building. Lone Wolf then looked in Red's wallet to see exactly how much he had. He was thoroughly disappointed….
"2 gil! What does this guy do for a living clean toilets? Geez he should take up thieving it pays better…hmm maybe I can buy a sandwich with this…" said Lone Wolf as he looked down at the wallet.
"Cleaning toilets is honest work for honest pay unlike what you do!"
"What?" Lone Wolf looked up and saw Alkaiser standing a few feet in front of him.
"Lone Wolf your thieving days are over! Give back what you've stolen and pay for your crimes!" said Alkaiser.
"Ahh! You're that Alkaiser guy! Ah ok here take the stuff take the thongs and everything! Just don't hurt me!" yelled Lone Wolf.
"Uh…Just give me back the wallet you stole from that young man. Then I want you to go to the police and turn yourself in for all the things you've stolen…and don't think I won't know whether you turned yourself in or not. If you don't I'll come find you Lone Wolf" said Alkaiser as he pointed to Lone Wolf.
"Here take the cactus head kids wallet! I'll go turn myself in right away!" yelled Lone Wolf in terror.
Lone Wolf threw the wallet to Alkaiser and he caught it.
"I'm going to turn myself in now" said Lone Wolf.
"I'll have my eyes on you Lone Wolf" said Alkaiser.
"Gaah I'm going I'm going. Geez, how does he know my name?" said Lone Wolf as he ran back down the fire escape stairs to turn himself in to the police.
"My head doesn't really look like a cactus does it?" thought Alkaiser.
Alkaiser partially morphed his side to its normal state which revealed Red's jean pocket. He stuck the wallet in his pocket then morphed it back to its Alkaiser state.
"Well what am I gonna do now…. I wonder if that guy is really going to turn himself in to the police. I was only bluffing about watching him. Still maybe I scared him enough that he would" thought Alkaiser.
Alkaiser prepared to walk away when he heard a commotion coming from another alleyway.
"Leave me alone! Get away from me!" yelled a woman's voice.
Alkaiser ran to the opposite edge of the building and looked down. He saw a young woman with long green hair tied up in a ponytail. She sat on the ground and yelled as two men stood over her. The men's clothes were torn and ragged. They were bums.
"We're not trying to hurt you. We just want to help you why are you so afraid?" asked one of the bums.
"She acts like we want to kill her. If you're hungry we know a place you could get some food. They help people like us" said the other bum.
The two bums meant the young woman no harm at all but she seemed terrified of them as she sat in a fetal position on the ground. One of the bums tried to get closer to her again and she began screaming.
"Stay back! No don't hurt me!" yelled the woman.
The woman stood up and held her hands to her side. The look in her eyes was one of pure fear then suddenly a white light began to emanate from her body.
"What is this?" said one of the bums in fear.
"Get away now!" yelled the woman.
Her body was engulfed in a bright white light. Her skin turned into a white almost crystal-like form and her hair turned white as well.
"Run! She's some kind of fiend!" said one of the bums in terror.
The two bums began to run away but the woman grabbed them both from behind and threw them into a bunch of garbage cans. The bums went crashing into the group of cans and the woman rushed toward them as if she was going to attack them once again.
"What is she?" thought Alkaiser.
He jumped down from the building and sprang into action. He landed in the alleyway and stood in front of her blocking her way to the bums. The bums began getting up and brushing some of the garbage from their already tattered clothes.
"We were just trying to help her" said one of the bums.
"I know. I'll take care of her you two just get to a safe place" said Alkaiser as he continued to stare at the strange woman.
The two bums ran off and didn't look back. Alkaiser and the woman stood there facing each other. Her body radiated with a bright white light and Alkaiser's body with a gold one.
"I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help you…" the woman interrupted him.
"They sent you to take me back! I'm never going back! Tell them Terra is never going back!"
The woman now identified as Terra yelled and extended both of her hands out in front of her. She then cast a powerful fire spell that hit Alkaiser directly.
"Whoa!" Alkaiser was knocked back by the blast of the spell and crashed into the garbage cans.
Alkaiser got up but as soon as he did Terra cast the spell again and knocked him back into the wall with a powerful fire blast.
"It's like getting hit by a bulldozer!" thought Alkaiser as he hit the wall hard. Pieces of brick fell from the wall as Alkaiser left a dent in it.
Terra began to hover a bit then she flew up in the air trying to escape.
"I can't let her get away" thought Alkaiser.
He leapt and grabbed Terra's left foot. Terra kept flying higher and carried Alkaiser along with her. Soon they were above some small buildings.
"This isn't going to go well I can tell…" thought Alkaiser as he hung on to her leg.
"Let go of me!" yelled the Terra as she tried to shake Alkaiser off.
"Don't think I can do that miss. You are obviously unstable. I can't let you go running around the city hurting innocent people" said Alkaiser as he continued to hang on.
Terra stopped flying and began charging up another fire blast to knock Alkaiser off.
"Al-blaster!" Alkaiser quickly shot a large blast of green energy from his free hand that hit Terra with a large amount of force.
Terra was knocked out and both she and Alkaiser fell from the sky. They both went crashing toward the roof of a building. Alkaiser landed safely then ran to catch the unconscious Terra before she went crashing into the roof. He caught her in his arms just in time. Terra stayed in Alkaiser's arms motionless but still breathing. Soon she was engulfed in a white light and the crystal skin that covered her before disappeared changing her back to her original form. Here hair was long, green and put up in a ponytail. Her skin was fair but her clothes seemed odd. They were red and looked more like a military uniform than what a girl from the city would normally wear.
"Wow she's beautiful…but dangerous" thought Alkaiser as he held her.
Her eyes stayed closed and she looked like she was taking a nap.
"What should I do…if I take her to a hospital then she'll probably burn the whole place down with everyone in it….if I take her to the motel, she destroys it then Hawk burns the whole place down with me in it…" thought Alkaiser as he looked at her.
He pondered what he should do next. He was curious as to what she was and what was going on with her. Maybe he could help her. She would probably be safer with him he reasoned.
"I'll take her back to the motel" thought Alkaiser.
(Next Scene)
Cloud rested in the top bed of the bunk while Zack slept beneath him. The barrack was filled with bunk beds aligned on both walls. As Cloud slept he had that same dream again.
(Cloud's Nightmare)
Cloud was face down in the dirt. He slowly picked himself up off the ground. He looked down and he was wearing a blue military uniform. He got up to see that he was in his hometown of Nibelhiem. His head hurt really badly as if he had been struck across the head with a blunt object.
"What the…"
Cloud looked around in shock. His entire village was burning down. Bodies of people he knew lay in the street.
"I'm glad to see you're still sane" said a voice coming from a building behind him.
Cloud looked and saw a well built dark haired man wearing a red cape.
"Zangan?" thought Cloud.
"You check that building over there for survivors" said Zangan as he ran off.
Cloud turned around to see that his own home was on fire.
"Mom!" yelled Cloud as he ran to the door.
As he ran to open the door a blast of fire burst out of the house nearly scorching Cloud.
"Mom no!" said Cloud falling back to the ground.
Cloud got up and looked in the distance. He could see a man with a large sword killing two villagers. When Cloud had this dream before he could not make out his face. This time the man turned around in front of several large pillars of flames and it was perfectly clear that it was Sephiroth. Sephiroth turned around and walked through the flames where he disappeared.
"WAKE UP YOU DUMB DROPS OF DAEVA DOO DOO! RISE AND SHINE!" the loud officer barged into the barracks and turned the light on suddenly waking Cloud from his dream. All of the recruits rushed to get out of their beds and stood at attention at the edge of the beds.
Cloud jumped off the top bunk and rushed to stand at attention. Zack was a little slower getting out of bed.
"Oh no it's Sergeant Poop" said Zack under his breath. He and Cloud gave the loud officer a nickname because it seemed he had an infatuation with poop.
Zack finally got up and stood at attention by his bunk. The loud officer paced back and forth down the center aisle. Everyone wondered how he could yell all the time and yet he never lost his voice.
"I HOPE YOU BABIES HAD A GOOD NIGHTS REST BECAUSE TODAY IS GOING TO BE EVEN HARDER. YESTERDAY WAS A WALK IN THE PARK. SOME OF YOU PASSED OUT ON YESTERDAYS EXERCISES. IF YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT YESTERDAY THEN YOU PROBABLY WON'T STAND A CHANCE TODAY!"
"I can't worry about that dream right now…I have to focus on this" thought Cloud"
(Next Scene)
Vincent stepped out of the house on the Chocobo Ranch with his duffel bag on his shoulder. He had a good nights rest and a nice home cooked meal there but now it was time to leave. He stepped on the grass that was still wet from the morning dew. Billy and Chole were right behind him.
"Do you really have to leave Mr. Vincent?" asked Billy.
"Yes it's time for me to leave" said Vincent.
"Where are you going?" asked Chole.
"I'll probably head south" said Vincent.
"Don't you have a home Mr. Vincent?" asked Billy.
"…no…I don't…" said Vincent as he looked down at the two innocent children.
"I hope you find a home soon. Mr. Vincent" smiled Chole.
Chocobo Bill walked up from the Chocobo pen carrying a hammer.
"Well I fixed the Chocobo pen. You leaving now Vincent?" asked Chocobo Bill.
"Yes I am" said Vincent.
"Well I wish you the best of luck. Thank you so much for you help" said Chocobo Bill.
He shook Vincent's hand.
"You should say goodbye to the chocobos before you go!" yelled Chole.
Vincent walked over to the chocobo pen. The chocobos saw him walk up and seemed excited to see him. They ran around ruffling their feathers.
-Wark Wark Wark!-
"They like you Vincent. They remember you're the one that stopped that Chocobo Eater" said Billy.
One of the chocobos came to the side of the pen where Vincent stood. Vincent patted it on the beak.
-Waaaaaaaaaaarrrrrk!-
The chocobo really liked that. Suddenly something strange happened. Out of nowhere a melody began to play.
"What? Where is the music coming from?" asked Chocobo Bill as he looked around.
Billy and Chole looked around too. The strange song seemed to fill the air. The chocobos in the pen began doing a dance at the same time. They ruffled their feathers and then jumped up and down while swaying their heads from side to side.
"They're dancing?" asked Chole.
The chocobos continued their dance, lifting each of their legs up and swaying their heads from side to side. The chocobo near Vincent shook its feathers and out popped a red orb. Vincent picked up the orb as it rolled near his foot.
"A summon materia?"said Vincent as he looked at the red materia in his hand.
-Wark! Wark!-
The strange music stopped and the chocobos went back to running around the pen.
"That was random…" said Billy
"That must be a gift from the chocobos. Take care of it Vincent and take of yourself too" waved Chocobo Bill.
"Bye Mr. Vincent" waved Billy.
"Bye Mr. Vincent. I hope you finally find your home" waved Chole.
Vincent smiled. He pocketed the summon materia then he continued on his journey. He headed south of the ranch. Where he would end up he didn't know.
(Next Scene)
Tidus stepped into one of Oaka's many stores that morning to begin taking pictures and filming the commercial. In fact this was the very same store that Yuna stepped out of when she ran into Tidus…literally. As Tidus stepped in he saw that the store had been closed for business that day because several people carrying video cameras and photographers were setting up their equipment to get ready. Oaka walked up to Tidus and he was simply beaming with energy.
"There he is! The superstar blitzer! I can't say how excited I am to be doing business with you lad!" said Oaka as he shook Tidus' hand.
"Thanks Oaka. So what do you want me to do?" asked Tidus.
"Well you won't be doing this alone anymore lad. Some how I lucked out and got me self two super celebrities for me stores! With so many big names behind me Mr. Rin's stores won't be outselling me anymore! I don't know how it happened this way but I must have done something good in a past life to be receiving such good fortune" smiled Oaka.
"Oh Oaka you don't believe in past lives do you?" asked Tidus.
"Well anything is possible lad…" said Oaka
"Well who am I working with? Another blitzer?" asked Tidus.
"Hi"
Tidus heard a feminine voice behind him. He turned around and…
"Hi I'm Lenne"
Lenne stood there smiling. She had the most beautiful smile her brown hair was so long and flowing and her brown eyes gave Tidus a look that made him stand there a moment with his mouth wide open. He was in awe of her beauty.
"Lenne! You're Lenne! You're THE Lenne! I can't believe I get to do a commercial with Lenne!" said Tidus excitedly.
"I'm glad I got to meet you too. You're really great in the blitz sphere" smiled Lenne.
"Wow Lenne just said I was great!" said Tidus.
"Indeed she did lad. I think they are ready to start filming now" said Oaka as he walked away.
"Let's go Tidus" smiled Lenne.
Lenne grabbed Tidus' hand and locked her fingers together with his. She gave him another bright smile as she led him over to where they were filming. Tidus was still in shock at the whole situation.
"Lenne is actually touching me" thought Tidus.
(Next Scene)
Squall and Irvine walked down the street during their lunch break. They had finished eating now Squall wanted Irvine's help with something…
"So you been thinking about this for a while huh?" asked Irvine
"Yes. I've been thinking about it for a while now. I don't know when to do it or even if I should do it" said Squall.
"She loves you man" said Irvine.
"I know. I love her too" said Squall.
"Just feeling a little unsure?" asked Irvine.
"Yeah…" said Squall.
"I suppose I would be too" said Irvine.
Irvine and Squall got to an intersection and Fujin and Raijin were walking across the street toward them.
"Uh oh…wow it's odd not seeing Seifer with them" said Irvine as he stopped and looked at Fujin and Raijin approaching.
"I know. It really is odd. I bet they're lost without their leader" said Squall as he stopped at the corner too.
"Hey Squall and Irvine have you seen Seifer around? He just disappeared ya know?" asked Raijin. Raijin had a serious look of panic on his face.
"VANISHED" said Fujin.
"You sure he isn't drunk in a gutter someplace?" asked Squall.
"No Seifer always comes home when he goes out ya know? Something is wrong I know it! He never just leaves without telling us where he went and stuff ya know? We're a posse we stick together ya know?" Raijin looked seriously concerned about Seifer's whereabouts. He scratched his head and tried to think where else they should look.
"Well if we see him around we'll tell him you two are looking for him" said Irvine.
"Thank's a lot. Fujin let's go we gotta keep looking ya know?"
Raijin and Fujin went down the street in a hurry.
"Wow they are really lost without him" said Squall.
"Yeah, he's the only friend they have" said Irvine.
The two of them crossed the street. At the opposite corner they stopped and prepared to go into a building. On the glass door "Square City Jewelers" was printed.
"Thank's for coming to help me. I'd include Zell in this but you know how he blabs things sometimes" said Squall.
"No problem. We'll pick out a great one that we know she'll like" said Irvine as the two entered the jewelry store.
(Next Scene)
Terra slept on top of the covers of Red's bed. She had been sleeping since Red brought her in the night before and now it was the middle of the day. Red had his own room that was separate from the other rooms in the motel. It was smaller than the other rooms in the motel but Red was happy to have it. Red walked into the room with a plate of food. He made a few sandwiches for Terra to eat just in case she finally woke up. Red set the plate of food on a dresser by the bed then sat down in a chair that was near the right side of the bed. As he sat there he watched Terra. She slept so peacefully and looked so beautiful, it was hard to believe that she had such destructive power.
"Hmm mmm?"
Terra began to mumble a bit then she opened her eyes. She sat up in the bed and began looking around the room frantically.
"Please don't flip out! I'm not going to hurt you! Just please don't transform and tear the place up. Hawk will kill me!" said Red trying to calm her down.
"Hawk?" asked Terra calmly.
"Yeah, you're in the Cygnus Motel. Hawk is my friend and he owns this place but he isn't here now. I'm Red. You look like you could use some food" said Red as he pointed to the plate of food on the dresser.
Terra seemed to be a lot calmer now. She looked at the food on the dresser and picked up a sandwich. She began eating the sandwich really fast as if she hadn't eaten in days.
"Thanks. I'm Terra" said Terra as she ate the sandwich.
"It's no problem Terra" said Red.
Terra finished eating the sandwich then looked over at Red. She sensed a powerful energy within him. It was as if a different persona lived inside of him.
"You're the man in the gold armor that I fought….aren't you?" asked Terra
"…yeah" said Red reluctantly.
"I can sense it within you. Your power is strange. It's different from mine" said Terra
"Hmm I got a sample of your power last night…you really pack a punch" smiled Red.
"I'm sorry. I just lost control…" said Terra. Terra felt bad for attacking him and the bums. She held her head down a bit.
"Look's like we both have a lot of secrets. Terra I don't mean you any harm. I want to help you. It's sort of my job to help people since I was given these powers and all"
"You mean you weren't born with those powers?" asked Terra.
"No I wasn't born with them" said Red.
"Oh…I was born with mine…" said Terra slowly as she looked away.
"Well let's say we tell our stories to one another. If you want?" asked Red.
'Well…Ok…" said Terra. It seemed she really didn't want to tell her story.
"Ok well I'll go ahead and tell you about me and sort of break the ice a bit. If you feel comfortable talking to me after that then you can tell me your story. That sound ok with you?" asked Red.
"Yes" said Terra.
"Well as I said, I wasn't born with these powers. The power to change into Alkaiser was given to me about a year ago by another hero named Alkarl. It's sad when I think about it…the day these powers were given to me was the same day that everything was taken from me…"
(Red's Story)
Red drove his blue convertible down a mountain road where his father, mother, and younger sister lived. He had come to visit them for the weekend. Red's father, Dr. Okonogi was one of the most knowledgeable scientists in the field of biomechanics. He lived in a remote area in order to conduct his experiments in peace.
"I bet they'll be surprised to see me. I hope mom cooked today I could use a good home cooked meal" thought Red as he turned off the paved road and on to a dirt road.
Red drove down to the end of the dirt road and through a heavily wooded area where his family's home was. As he got closer the large white three story tall house that sat at the end of the road he noticed that it was engulfed in flames.
"Dad! Mom! Calle!" yelled Red as he jumped out of the car and ran toward the house.
The house was completed engulfed in flames that produced black smoke that rose up in the air like dark pillars. In front of the home Shuzer stood looking at the fire and beside him were three men in a strange uniform. The uniform was like a purple ninja outfit. They had masks that covered their entire face and on the front and back of the uniforms was the mark of a large black "X".
"We got what we were looking for, now I can get upgraded and get rid of this little flaw in my design. We'll be returning to Black X base shortly" said Shuzer talking on a radio that connected to his ear.
"Hey you! What the hell did you do to my family?" yelled Red.
Shuzer and his Black X cronies turned around and looked at Red.
"Hmm it's Okonogi's brat. Want to join your family?" laughed Shuzer.
"I'll kill you!" yelled Red as he rushed toward Shuzer in a fit of anger.
"Hmpf…" Shuzer reared back his right hand and slashed Red across the chest as her ran up.
Red fell to the ground with blood pouring from the slashes across his chest.
"You're either brave or just stupid to try and take me. You've gained a little respect from me before I gut you" said Shuzer as he walked over to Red to finish him.
"You…-cough-…can go to…hell…" said Red weakly as blood continued to pour from his wounds.
"Are those your last words?" asked Shuzer as he lifted his claw to finish Red off.
"Shining Kick!"
In a flash of bright blue light Shuzer was knocked down.
"Who did that?" asked Shuzer surprised as he got up from the ground.
Shuzer looked up to see a man in black armor. He wore a long black cape and a helmet with a black horn that protruded from it. The wings attached to his helmet were black.
"The names Alkarl" said the man now identified as Alkarl.
"Get him!" yelled Shuzer.
The three Black X fighters ran at Alkarl. The first one punched at him but Alkarl grabbed his arm and threw him into the next fighter. The two fighters collided with great force into each other and hit the ground hard. The last fighter jumped at Alkarl and kicked. Alkarl grabbed his leg and began twirling him around. He let him go and flung him into the trunk of a nearby tree. Red was fading in and out but he watched this Alkarl man fight.
"A Black X Emperor that can't fight his own battles?" taunted Alkarl.
"Grrr I'll show you!" Shuzer ran at Alkarl and slashed horizontally at Alkarl's head but as he attacked Alkarl vanished.
"Huh?" said Shuzer stunned.
Shuzer then felt someone tapping him on his shoulder. Shuzer turned around and…
"Bright Fist!"
A bright blue light emitted from Alkarl's right fist as he executed a Bright Fist attack directly into Shuzer's stomach. Shuzer fell back several feet and slid across the ground.
"Pathetic…" said Alkarl.
"I'm not at one hundred percent…I need repairing and some upgrades. Once I get some of Dr. Okonogi's technology inside of me we'll have a rematch and I'll trounce you!" said Shuzer angrily as got up from the ground.
"Trounce me? Trounce? That's not one you hear everyday…Anyway you're not going to get a chance to upgrade. I'm stopping you right here and right now" said Alkarl.
Suddenly a black helicopter began hovering over them.
"Here's my ride!" yelled Shuzer.
Shuzer leapt up high and hopped onto the helicopter. Alkarl was about to jump and pursue the helicopter when he remember Red on the ground losing consciousness.
"Hold on Red" said Alkarl as he rushed over to him.
Shuzer's helicopter flew higher into the air. He left Alkarl, Red, and even his three unconscious cohorts. Black X Fighters were brainwashed and expendable. Alkarl stood over Red who was on the ground holding his wounds. Blood was all over his clothes and hands.
"It's ok Red hang on" said Alkarl as he stretched his left hand out toward Red.
"-cough- how do you…know my name…" asked Red weakly.
"…It's not important" replied Alkarl.
A bright ball of gold energy began forming in his palm. The ball of energy began to grow until it was about the size of a blitz ball. Then it shot from his hand and landed on Red's chest.
"Ugh!"
Red groaned as the ball of gold energy forced its way inside his chest. In a flash of gold light Red changed into Alkaiser for the first time.
"Get up Alkaiser!" said Alkarl.
Alkaiser got up from the ground and looked down at the gold armor that he was now wearing. He felt a new powerful energy coursing through his body.
"What the….what's up with dressing me like you?" asked Alkaiser.
"I'm Alkarl and to save you I had to make you a hero like me…but are you worthy to be one? You are now Alkaiser" said Alkarl.
"So I have powers like you? I'm going to get Black X for what they've done!" said Alkaiser.
"Hold on Alkaiser. Make sure you always do the right thing with your powers. Burning with revenge could lead you down the wrong path. If you ever use your powers for anything other than justice and good then they will be taken away from you" said Alkarl.
"I see. There can't be anything more just than stopping Black X" said Alkaiser.
"Then do it because it's the right thing to do not because you burn with vengeance. Good luck Alkaiser" said Alkarl.
Alkarl ran with great speed and then vanished into a wooded area
(End Flashback)
"I haven't seen that Alkarl guy since that day but's that's pretty much the whole story on how I got my powers and I'm still looking for Black X. I've been able to help a few people along the way and that's been great. I found and fought Shuzer a few days ago but he got away again. He was stronger this time around. He used technology developed by my dad, Dr. Okonogi. He was one of Gaia's leading biomechanics specialists. He wanted to use the technology to help people that lost limbs or who were crippled at birth…but somehow Shuzer and Black X perversed it" said Red.
Terra looked at Red for a moment then tears began to stream down her face.
"Terra?"
"I'm no better than that Shuzer person. I've hurt people Red. I don't deserve your kindness" said Terra through her tears.
Red got up from his chair and sat beside Terra on the bed. He put his arm around her and held her.
"Terra are you sorry for whatever it is you've done in the past?" asked Red.
"…yes…I'm so sorry for what I've done…" said Terra.
"Listen to me" said Red as he looked at her.
Terra looked at him directly in his eyes. The way he comforted her was nothing like she ever felt in her entire life.
"If you have remorse then you're nothing like Shuzer. Shuzer continues to hurt people and he enjoys it still. You're nothing like him" said Red.
Terra's tears began to subside a bit.
"Terra, do you want to tell me what's going on with you? I know it's something hard for you to talk about so I won't rush you. Just know you can trust me" smiled Red.
For the first time Terra smiled. Though her face was covered in tears Red had managed to bring a smile to her face.
"It is hard to talk about but…I need a little bit of time to collect my thoughts. I can't remember it all at once. I was being controlled by the Gesthal Empire. They made me do bad things…they made me hurt people. My mind wasn't my own then and I can't remember it all. I just remember that I did bad things and that I was very scared" said Terra
"Your mind wasn't your own? Then you're definitely nothing like Shuzer. The Gesthal Empire…I haven't heard many good things about them lately. I remember hearing something about their hostility towards other countries" said Red.
"They are preparing for war and developing weapons that are magical in nature" said Terra.
"Magic eh? Terra your powers are magical?" asked Red.
"My mother was a human and my father….he was an esper" said Terra.
"An esper? Like those magical beings people summon?" asked Red.
"Yes…Espers are a tribe of spiritual beings that live in a world separate from this one much like Guardian Forces, Aeons and Eidolons. They general have less contact with humans and usually only aid them in their death through magicite ore. Being half human and half esper I am able to naturally use magic better than normal human beings with magical gifts" explained Terra.
"You mean mages?" asked Red.
"Yes. The empire captured me when I was young and trained me as a weapon…there is…there is a lot that I can't seem to remember right now but I know that they are preparing for something big…and that they were working with several other people…the organization you mentioned before sounds familiar to me " said Terra.
"Black X? What do you know about them?" asked Red.
"I…I just can't remember it all…" said Terra as she held her head.
"It's ok Terra. Maybe sometime it will come back to you. This means that there is a reason Black X has been working here in Square City. There is some sort of connection between them and the Gesthal Empire and it can't be good at all. I've got to get to the bottom of this…"said Red sort of trailing off into thought and talking to himself.
All of a sudden Terra wrapped her arms around Red's neck and buried her head into his shoulder. Red slowly hugged her back. He could feel a few cold wet tears stream from her face to his shirt. For once in her life Terra felt safe and unafraid. Red, a person who she had only known for a short time had managed to make her feel something that she had never genuinely felt.
"Everything is going to be ok Terra. We'll figure out a way to stop them" said Red as he hugged her.
"Thank you… I want to help people like you do Red" said Terra. She raised her head and looked at Red
"What? You mean like…team up?" asked Red.
"I guess. I've used my powers to hurt people now you've shown me that I could use them to help people" said Terra.
(Next Scene)
Tidus and Lenne were just finishing up the commercial and taking several pictures for Oaka's store. Tidus and Lenne had a great time filming the commercial together. They walked over to the side as many of the other workers began packing up their equipment.
"Hah ha Tidus you are so much fun!" chuckled Lenne.
"Yeah, you're really easy to talk to. How'd you managed to stay so down to earth after all your success?" asked Tidus.
"Well, I don't really know. I just sort of see myself as the same person I've always been" said Lenne.
"That's really cool" said Tidus.
"Tidus can I have your phone number? I'll give you mine too" asked Lenne.
"Wow umm…well uh…sure" Tidus stuttered and stammered. He couldn't believe that Lenne the famous singer was giving him her phone number and even asking for his. Lenne began writing on a scratch sheet of paper.
"I mean you seem really cool. I'd hate to lose touch with you" said Lenne as she tore the piece of paper off.
"Lenne, you have to forgive me I'm still a little star struck" said Tidus.
"I know…" Lenne smiled at Tidus. She placed her number in Tidus' pants pocket.
"Don't let that get out" smiled Lenne.
"Ok I won't" said Tidus.
Tidus began writing his number on a scratch sheet of paper and then handed it to Lenne.
"Thanks" smiled Lenne.
Tidus looked at his watch.
"Oh I have to go meet Yuna" said Tidus.
"Yuna is your girlfriend?" asked Lenne.
"Well…yeah she is" said Tidus. He realized that it was the first time that he actually called Yuna his girlfriend.
"Oh how long have you two been dating?" asked Lenne.
"Well it's been well over a month now. Almost two" said Tidus.
"I see…" said Lenne.
"Well Lenne it was nice meeting. I'll definitely try to keep in touch with you" said Tidus.
"Likewise" smiled Lenne.
Tidus smiled and began to leave the store. Lenne stood there and thought to herself.
"Yuna..."
(Next Scene)
In an unknown location Alkarl walked into a very dark place. A radiant blue energy swirled around his black armor. He advanced forward a few steps then stopped. As if on cue the lights in the place came on. Alkarl stood in the center of a circular building with white marble floors. There were three stone pillars that were aligned to the right and the left of the building. Above Alkarl was a long balcony and on that balcony five figures stood. They were heroes like Alkarl and Alkaiser and were clad in the same armor. Each of their armors were a different color. From left to right their colors were green, red, white, silver and blue. The heroes that had red and blue armors were female while the ones in green, silver, and white were males. Alkarl greeted them from left to right.
"Alkaz, Alkuni, Alkeo, Alkael, Alkaia it is good to see you all again. I hope things have been going well with your fight for justice" greeted Alkarl.
"Spare us the formalities Alkarl. We know why you have come" said Alkaia the female hero in blue as she pointed at Alkarl
"Your protégé Alkaiser has been parading his powers through Square City" said Alkaz the male hero in green as he folded his arms.
"But he is doing well. His intentions are pure and he still fights for justice!" defended Alkarl.
"Does he fight for justice or is it for the attention of the media?" asked Alkael the male hero in silver as he clenched his fists.
"He has nothing to do with how the media portrayed him" said Alkarl in an angry tone.
"He allowed himself to be filmed" said Alkuni the female hero in red as she put her hands on her hips.
"He saved a man from a falling billboard. Would you rather he let him die out of fear of being filmed?" asked Alkarl. His tone was becoming angrier.
"It was a billboard that would not have fallen if he had not gone out seeking Shuzer for revenge. His whole motivation is revenge. That is not our way. Our way is the way of secret justice not flashing our powers in front of the masses" said Alkeo the male hero in white as he held his right hand out in front of him.
"Secret justice….you know it wasn't until now that I realized what that was. It means we mind our own business and fight for what's right when it's convenient! As long as there are not many people that know we exist then we aren't accountable for anything right? Look at us! We have all this power yet organizations like Black X continue to prey on the innocent. Instead of fighting them we sit back and say we administer secret justice and that it's not our place. You're upset because Alkaiser is doing what we should have been doing from the very beginning and that is taking the fight to evil's doorstep! Alkeo if Alkaiser was so motivated by revenge don't you think he would have simply let the billboard fall and continue after Shuzer? He did what was right even then. His heart is pure and he knows more about being a hero than any of us…even myself…" Alkarl apparently had a lot to say on the matter.
"Alkarl I know he was your best friends son…you can't blame yourself for what happened" said Alkeo.
"I should blame myself! I could have saved his family and stopped Shuzer but I hesitated and got there too late. I actually had to think whether or not saving them was in accordance with this "secret justice" of ours when my best friend's family was under attack…I feel that because of that I aided in their deaths by not doing enough. I'm tired of standing by and doing nothing while evil runs rampant! When good men do nothing that is evil enough… "with that Alkarl began to glow with a dark blue light and prepared to transform into his original form.
He transformed into….Hawk.
"I'm going to teach him how to use his powers correctly. I'll teach him the secrets of our techniques so that he can finally destroy Black X and make them pay for what they've done" said Hawk. His tone was a lot calmer now.
Hawk smiled at the group of heroes and tipped his sailor hat to them. He then turned around and began walking away. The other heroes remained silent. Hawk didn't even look back at them as he walked away. He finally felt at peace with himself because he knew that now he would be doing the right thing.
(End Chapter 14)
Hey I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There was a lot about Alkaiser in this one because I figured it was time to drop some back story on him. We also have a new character in the story, Terra from FF6. Lone Wolf the thief from FF6 made a cameo appearance as well. Cloud and Zack are still getting called all different types of poop at SOLDIER camp and Squall and Irvine are visiting jewelry stores…hmm. Vincent is continuing on his journey and he's received a materia from the dancing chocobos. If you ever played ff7 then you know what it is. Fujin and Raijin are lost without their buddy Seifer who has just vanished. Lenne and Tidus are getting along it seems and we finally know Hawks secret. He is Alkarl the hero that gave Alkaiser his powers and he is not pleased with the other heroes. The other heroes, Alkaz, Alkuni, Alkeo, Alkael, Alkaia are my original characters. No other heroes besides Alkarl and Alkaiser were in the game Saga Frontier but it is implied in that game that there were other heroes. They are just my conception of what the other heroes would have been like.
Next chapter it's time for Tobli's play One Flew Over the Chocobo's Nest. I was going to cram the play into this chapter but I started thinking that maybe it would come out better if I put it in the next chapter rather than rushing it and cramming it into this one. I know that I've been hyping things like the play and Yuna's fight with Dona since the beginning of the story but I'm really just trying to pace myself and not rush. There are a lot of things going on in this story and if I try to cram everything together just to get it over with then I'm certain it will come out bad. thinks back to past fan fiction experiences….yeah it would come out bad. The chapters are longer now and so hopefully there is enough progression in the story with each chapter so that it doesn't feel like it's moving along at a slow crawl….hopefully. Besides I've been updating pretty quickly so it's not like you're waiting months for a new chapter. Well, take care and thanks for reading.