Chapter 6: Bentley's First Mission
The next day, Bentley found himself walking through the Evergreen Forest with Bairei, Ryuta, Mayumi, Chikaga, Shizuka, and Schaefer. Bairei was carrying the case that held Junichi's knife, intent on giving the bladed weapon to Bentley when the time came. As the group walked through the area, they spoke with each other.
"So, Chu-ya said that Bentley could come with us?" Schaefer asked.
"Yes, but he said that Bentley has a lot to learn before he officially becomes a member of the team." Chikaga answered.
"Don't worry," Bairei said, "our missions are educational for newcomers!"
"Besides, I'll stay out of as many battles as I can." Bentley added.
"Let's hope so." Mayumi said. "We wouldn't forgive ourselves if you got hurt or killed on our watch."
"Not to mention that you have a lot of responsibilities to gain by joining the team and becoming a warrior." Ryuta added.
"And you might need to study your enemies and find their weaknesses so that you can beat them." Shizuka stated.
"What's our first mission anyway?" Bentley asked.
"Our primary mission is to prevent the Ruby of Saturn from being stolen." Chikaga said. "But, to do that, we would need to defeat the Serpent Gang and the organizations they've seized control of."
"Sounds like fun." The young raccoon said.
"It's not as fun as it sounds." Ryuta warned. "When you're in battle, it's a life or death situation. If you get careless in a battle, you could die. I don't want to bury my nephew when this entire ordeal is over."
"Take his advice, Bentley." Mayumi warned. "You need to be vigilant in battle. Even if you have your father's weapon with you, there might be a situation where you're outnumbered and outmatched. Not to mention that -"
"Shhh!" Bairei hissed.
"What is it?" Shizuka asked.
"Do you hear that noise?" Bairei whispered.
The group put their hands near their ears. All of a sudden, there was an ethereal noise in the woods. In addition, there was a sound that sounded like burning wood.
"The Serpent Gang must have sent some of their magicians after us!" Chikaga whispered.
"Magicians?" Bentley asked.
"They're magic-users who know some of the deadliest spells in the world." Shizuka whispered.
"But where are they at?" Ryuta quietly asked.
"Sounds like they're over here." Bairei said as he took a peak through the trees. The others followed him, taking a look as well. In the woods, there were five foxes and seven badgers gathered around a fire.
"We need a plan to take them down." Chikaga quietly said.
"I've got an idea." Bairei whispered. "I'll cause a distraction while the rest of you ambush the magicians. Ryuta and Mayumi will tag team while Chikaga and Shizuka fight the magicians with the least dangerous magic. Schaefer, you'll take the more dangerous magicians while Bentley stays behind. Okay, let's go!"
Without warning, Bairei ran towards the magicians. They started to give chase, unaware that the rest of the team was going to ambush them. As soon as the magicians surrounded Bairei, Ryuta and Mayumi appeared out of nowhere and took one of them down. Schaefer then slashed another magician with his gauntlet. The other magicians were then prey to Chikaga and Shizuka's attacks. However, the magic-using villains were able to dodge them.
"Sebunhirō o kōgeki seyo!" One of the magicians cried.
Upon hearing that, Bairei, Ryuta, and Mayumi found themselves surrounded by the magicians. The three raccoons had a hard time fending them off, seeing as the magic-users were more durable than they looked. With no time to spare, Chikaga ran towards the magicians with his mace in an attempt to help his friends.
"Doragon no hi no bīmu!" A magician cried as he fired a stream of fire balls at Chikaga, who did his best to dodge them.
Chikaga and Shizuka were up against the magicians, who were using their magic to attack them. Schaefer rushed towards the magic-users, wanting to help his comrades beat them. However, one of the magicians bound him in a spell that forced green rings around him. The other magicians attempted to do this to the rest of the team, but they only succeeded in trapping Bairei. Ryuta, Mayumi, Chikaga, and Shizuka were now up against the magicians, being outnumbered by eight. It would appear that they would lose this battle.
"Koko made!" A voice called down from the trees. "Hey, up here!"
The magicians turned around and looked up, only to see Bentley in one of the trees. Before any of them could use their magic on him, Bentley dived towards them with a knife. The other Heroes realized that the knife was Junichi's, meaning that Bentley got it out of its case when they weren't looking.
"Ikari no daibingusuraisu!" Bentley shouted as he swung the knife at the magicians, slicing the throats of six of them. This freed Bairei and Schaefer, who took down the remaining magicians. After the magicians were taken care of, Bairei, Ryuta, Mayumi, Chikaga, Shizuka, and Schaefer looked at Bentley.
"I'm sorry if I didn't listen to you guys." Bentley looked down.
"You could have gotten hurt, Bentley!" Mayumi crossed her arms.
"But he saved us from the magicians, so he's okay." Bairei smiled.
"And he used one of his father's techniques from when he was a member." Chikaga added.
"You're kind of like your father, Bentley." Schaefer said. "I think that Chu-ya would be impressed to hear that you've inherited your father's warrior side."
"Thanks, guys." Bentley smiled.
"We should be thanking you, Bentley." Shizuka stated. "You saved us from those crazy wizards."
"Let's save our thanks for later." Chikaga said. "We've got to keep on moving so that we can stop the Serpent Gang."
"Right!" Everyone, sans Bentley and Chikaga, said as they began to walk out of the area, continuing on their path through the Evergreen Forest.
Meanwhile, Hirose was on the phone with one of his henchmen.
"Kuso!" Hirose growled. "You mean that the Seven Heroes' newest member took down the magicians we sent out?!"
"Yes!" A voice on the phone cried. "He also managed to use the knife of his father, Junichi Tanuki!"
"Forget about the kid, we can deal with him later." The panther said. "Has Yamashiro managed to approach the museum where the Ruby of Saturn is at?"
"Yes, and he said that he can pull of the heist without any problem." The voice on the other end of the line said.
"That's Yamashiro for you. Make sure that the Seven Heroes get nowhere near him. If they know better, those creeps won't set a foot near him."
"I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise that I'll make it out alive."
Hirose hung up the phone before sitting down, looking up at the map of Canada that was on the wall. The panther let out a sigh, hoping that the Serpent Gang's plans would be successful.
Note: Alright, Bentley's starting to prove himself as a warrior. Also, the Serpent Gang might change their plans now that Bentley has unofficially joined the team. Now that it's near the end of the chapter, I'm going to put the Japanese to English translations here.Sebunhirōzu o kōgeki seyo! = Attack the Seven Heroes!Doragon no hi no bīmu! = Dragon's Fire Beam!Koko made! = Up here!Ikari no daibingusuraisu! = Diving Slice of Fury!Kuso! = Damn!I hope that all of you are doing well. What did you guys think about this chapter? Let me know when you leave a review or give a constructive criticism stating what you like and what you don't like. Until next time guys, peace!