Chapter III:

The drops that Double D had deposited on the surface under the microscope allowed him to see the increase in its brightness, something that could not be left out and that was the key for things to start going well in that war. He brought his gaze to the lens and checked that the composition he had with him was producing "Magic", however, the crucial issue was time, the duration of it and to see if that could be effective with his Peach Creek friends.

- "I'm going to need about 24 hours, at most, for the Magic glow to last. If it works, then I'll see its results and from there I'll develop the 'Serum' for the boys. Just have to be patient, that's all".- Thought Double D, as he left the workbench and went to sleep for a while. That day had been extremely exhausting and he needed to regain his strength.


Meanwhile, outside the HQ, Kevin and Nazz were in the company of Minna and Mio, taking the opportunity to walk through the English countryside, feel the fresh air caressing their faces and the sweet scent of the trees with the flowers of that European region. That could not be left aside, it was an ideal midday for a walk after exercising until the routine was over.

- We will stop here and then we will continue for a while.- Said the Major of Fuso, while the redhead and the blonde took a seat on the lawn.

- Ufff, finally, I couldn't stand my legs anymore.- Sighed Kevin, exhausted after the exercises.

- Heh, and where was the sportsmanship of the Peach Creek Team Captain?.- Asked the black-haired girl with that laugh that made itself felt and encouraged the others.- Come on, don't be a wimp, this is different from soccer.- She told him, giving him her moral support.

- Well, it's just that... sport is one thing, and then there are military exercises.- Said the boy on the bike.- Hey, Nazz, what do you think?

- It's okay, it's all right, for now you'd better take advantage of this moment to get your strength back. If everything goes well, Double D will have the "Serum" ready so you can use it and the "Magic" inside you.- Said Minna, while she leaned against the trees on the side of the road and stretched out.

- "Serum?"...Oh yes, yes, I remember. I hope it's not injectable, please," the redhead begged fearfully.

- Who knew? The neighborhood bully is afraid of needles.- The Commander of the "Witches" listened to him with an amused look.

- Hehehehehehe, he was always like that, even at school.- They heard Nazz, who laughed at the anecdote.

- Nazz, please, not now.- Asked the boy, but the blonde was not going to keep quiet.

- Come on, Kevin, we're all afraid of something, don't be like that.- The Cheerleader encouraged him, leaving him blushing a little and moving her right hand against his left shoulder, so he took a deep breath and sighed.

A person can be quite private with extremely delicate matters such as their greatest fears of things that are, absolutely, harmless and to avoid not being humiliated, they choose to form a "facade" of toughness, one that ends up collapsing just like a house of cards. For Kevin, that dread of needles was something he couldn't forget, but if he had to inject himself with the future "Serum" that Double D was going to develop, then he would have to bite the bullet and overcome that fear.

- Also, guys, remember to go train with Anna Ferrara by the time you've received that, it's very important. I've already been talking to her and she's willing.- Minna told them, leading the redhead and the blonde to look at each other, recognizing those words of determination.


While Mio and Minna stayed with Kevin and Sarah chatting in the English countryside, back at HQ, Trudie stayed with Sarah, continuing those lessons to make her a better person, especially with her brother.

- You have excelled in training today, Sarah. I think my words regarding your change of persona are having an effect.- Said the dark brunette.

- It's just a start, Miss Barkhorn.- Said the redhead, and that was true.

- Well, but still, be pleased with yourself: A beginning is the first step towards education.- Said the Witches' Officer, as they stopped and entered her office.

- Excuse me, but haven't you seen Jimmy?.- Sarah asked about her friend.- I haven't seen him since we finished the exercises.

- Don't worry, he went out with Perrine, I think they wanted to ride their bikes in the countryside.- Trudie told her, which made the girl look down and that caught her attention.

- It's just that...Jimmy, I see him spending more time with his "Guardian" than with me.- She gave her answer and that made the dark brunette raise an eyebrow in amazement.- Not that I'm jealous or anything, but...I miss having fun with him, when we played together and so on...sometimes I think she took him away from me.- The redhead's words made Trudie look at Trudie's face, and that made her look down and that caught her attention.

The redhead's words sounded loaded with sadness, who wouldn't feel that way when a friend of theirs goes off with someone else and leaves them adrift? For Sarah, seeing the albino having more fun with the girl from Gaul was destroying her heart. At that moment, Trudie walked up to her, placed her hand against Ed's younger sister's shoulders and looked at her closely.

- Hey, you shouldn't feel that way: Jimmy didn't leave you or replace you, quite the contrary, he's still your friend, he appreciates you a lot, what happens is that he's looking to be a person who can act on his own, answer for his actions like a man and not depend, always, on others. It's not bad that your friends help you, because we are not islands either, however, when you pass that limit, you don't want to become a burden. That's why he is spending that time with Perrine, because she is guiding him to be a good person in the future.- Explained the Officer to the other, leading her to look up and her eyes shining with tears could not escape from the attentive look.- Listen, I know you will tell me that I am hard, but I also have heart, I care about my friends and the same for you, as well as for the others, however, you also have to see things: Jimmy is your best friend, isn't he?

- Yes.- Sarah answered to that question with a broken voice.

- You've known each other for a long time, have you played together all summer.- She asked her again and she nodded.- Do you think he would leave you?

She didn't have time to answer because, all of a sudden, someone knocked on the door of Trudie's office. Trudie walked and turned the door handle to find a certain albino and her "Guardian" of Gaul.

- Sarah.- She heard the voice of her friend, who ran up to her and hugged her.

- Jimmy!.- She was happy to see, while Perrine looked at her and stood next to Trudie.

- Did you think your friend was going to leave you aside?.- Asked the girl with glasses, giggling softly.- You have a very good friend, despite what happened in Peach Creek, he loves you very much and would never leave you alone. Besides, there is no problem for you to join our meetings.- The girl pointed out calmly.

- Well, hehe, it's just that...hehe, I thought that...- She was about to say but the dark brunette looked at her and encouraged her to continue.- I thought wrong about you. Excuse me, Miss Clostermann.- She offered an apology but she raised her hand to calm the waters.

- There has been no affront of any kind or anything like that. It's all right, Sarah. No problem, no problem.- The other replied calmly and they took advantage of the afternoon to have fun.


- Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Boring, I've already seen it and the ending is lousy.- Said Erica Hartmann, who was watching TV with Ed, flipping through the channels to find something interesting to watch but nothing, just meaningless garbage. He lamented and from there he saw that his friend was taking out a box with a collection of DVD's that caught his attention.- Hey, Ed, what kind of movies do you have there?.- She asked, curious, placing her hands on the flaps of the box and looking inside.

- Go ahead, you can watch them and if you like one, let me know. There are many and I still have more in the other boxes that are in the room I share with you.- He answered to the Karlsland girl's questioning and she began to browse through them.

She stayed focused on her "work", while she went through those DVD'S, one by one, looking at their covers, synopsis of the movies, actors, which ones were good or bad, until she took out one that she really loved and held it in her hands.

- I'll be damned: you have "Dawn of the Dead" from 2004, I've been looking for it for years to see it!.- Exclaimed Erica with excitement in her voice, jumping with joy.

- Wait, you've never seen it? It's very good.- Ed was perplexed by this revelation, so she calmed down and sat back down in that armchair.

- Heh, sorry, I just got so excited.- She apologized, closed her eyes and, after analyzing the situation, moved to a calmer posture.- Yes, unfortunately, I never got to see it, they always said it was very scary because of the zombies, but, bah, what does it matter? It's not like she's a scaredy-cat," the girl said and turned to her roommate.- Can we see her? Please, Ed, please.- She asked, looking him in the eye.

- Mmmm, I don't know, Erica.- The boy feared there might be consequences if he reproduced her.- I should ask Commander Minna if she'll let me. No, I'd better ask Lieutenant Barkhorn.- He said and stood up but she went forward to the door.

- Bah, Trudie is such a party pooper, she's a very good friend but she's so bitter that she won't let anyone have fun. Come on, nothing will happen, I give you my word: I take full responsibility in case something happens.- Promised the blonde from Karsland, but the boy was still hesitating, he was looking towards the door and he had to go to talk to that Officer, however, Erica employed a new "strategy".- Please, Ed, I swear, nothing bad will happen. It may be the only chance I have to see her, what if they call me to fight the "Shadow Neuroi", I'll go, then I'll come back and you'll be gone.- She asked, giving him a look with puppy dog eyes, so the boy couldn't stand it and gave in, just like a city under siege by the enemy.

- Well.- He answered sincerely.- It's okay, no problem. Besides, maybe you're right and we won't have to regret the consequences.- He said and then turned on the TV next to the DVD player.

- Yes!.- Erica celebrated, as she took a seat next to him.- You have my word, nothing bad is going to happen with this movie and if I have to explain myself, I'll watch your back, assuming the responsibility.- She swore and once they were settled, the show began.


There was no one outside, all the HQ personnel were busy in their activities and duties, so, for Eddy, it was an ideal moment to clear his head, think, reflect and see what path he could take for the future after that war. Taking advantage of the good weather, the young man headed towards the boundaries of the base, finding himself quiet and analyzing all the things he had done in Peach Creek with his two friends, as well as separating them into achievements and failures.

In front of the sea, next to some cliffs that were there, the short boy took advantage of the moment to sit down, settled against the trunk and from there brought his hands to the back of his neck, contemplating the spectacle of the North Sea and that, a few hours ago, had been the scene of a tough battle against those enemy forces.

- Well, I have to admit, this is like being on vacation, even though it is a war, however, it was a good idea to meet that girl, Francesca. Agh, a few more seconds and we were the boyfriends of the Kankers.- He began to speak, to himself and, in a way, he was thanking the black-haired Italian for having saved them from the danger posed by the most feared sisters in Peach Creek. Despite all this, Eddy had that "stain", still, from what happened with Jimmy and it was expressed in the disdain that Yoshika, Lynne and Perrine had for him. Not in a contemptuous way, of wanting to hit him, but of applying the "Law of Ice" to him but in a moderate sense.- Come to think of it, I think I went way overboard with the "Chinese Panties" thing to Jimmy. God, that kid really thought of everything to get back at us, although, deep down, I would have preferred him to do it only with me and to forgive Double D and Ed for that.- He maintained and, in a sense, that it was his fault for the damage he did.

The memory of that revenge and the alliance that the albino had with the three sisters caused him astonishment, disgust, among other aspects. No one expected something like that and now that the Kankers were with a war of world conquest, they only had to be able to progress in training. Taking advantage of those moments of calm, the young man remained leaning against the trunk of the tree, closed his eyes and let himself be carried away by the silence that flowed through that place until, suddenly, from above the tree, he felt the treetops move, a rain of leaves fell from the branches and covered him until he noticed that someone was spying on him, looking at him from the front.

- AHHHH!.- Eddy shouted when he saw that the black-haired Italian woman had suddenly appeared and caused him to be startled.

- Hahahaha! Oops, I'm so sorry, are you all right? Come on, I didn't see you, I was taking a nap in that tree when I heard you talking to yourself.- Francesca apologized with a calmness in her voice and held out her hand for her to get up from the ground.

- Francesca.- Was the first thing the young man said and she put her arm around his neck.- Well, you scared me and all but... I have to admit that you are very good at stealth.

- Thanks for that.- She thanked him for that compliment. One day I must show you. Well, let's leave all that aside, let's enjoy this afternoon, don't you think so?.- The young woman proposed and from there they started to walk around the area.

- It wouldn't be bad for me.- Answered Eddy.- Hey, by the way, how did a girl like you become such a powerful "Witch"?

- Ahhh, are you interested?. Hehehe, well, to begin with, let's say that I am a "Witch" with a great power but... I don't like to be aware of obligations all the time, to have fun, to have a good time, although I can't leave it aside, I have a duty to the world and that is to protect it," she told him that story and he listened to her attentively. As I had told you, several times I got into trouble, mostly for not complying with the orders given by Trudie and Minna; like that time I went to Rome with my friends to go get supplies for the Headquarters and I saw a girl who was having trouble, not knowing that she was the Princess of the dynastic family that ruled over Italy and I fought against a "Neuroi" that was going to the Capital to destroy it. Obviously we won, but they punished me for that and I had to hold some buckets loaded with water, that hurts, I warn you.- She related with that calm, sincere air, in spite of having gotten into that inconvenience.- Although, in the end, the Princess recognized my actions and even congratulated me for having saved Rome from its destruction.

Eddy was surprised at the stories that the black hair had and could not formulate a single word without getting lost in that mental "lagoon" he had. He couldn't deny it, even though he also had good stories to tell, deep down, he didn't know whether to tell them or not, besides he was waiting for Francesca to tell him to add something to make the ride more entertaining.

- Hey, how about you? How have your adventures been?.- Asked the Italian, seeing the boy face to face with an extremely important "challenge".

- Well, how should I put it? Let's say that in Peach Creek, even before we met, my friends and I used to make scams to buy the "Jawbreakers", extremely big candies but we always ended up in trouble.- He started with his part and she listened to him - We have had many such attempts to fulfill our goal, once we tried to gain Kevin's trust, since he was distributing them among the neighborhood kids because his father worked in the candy factory.

- I see.- Francesca put her hand to her chin and remained thoughtful.- And tell me, how did it go with that.- She questioned, but the boy shrugged his shoulders.

- We couldn't even get them, we did everything necessary to befriend them but it failed. I suggested taking them by force but Double D said that was wrong and well, that's how we ended up.- He said and that made the black-haired girl laugh and pat him on the back.

- Hahahaha, aww, Eddy, that was the best anecdote I've ever heard in my whole life. But seriously, of course it's wrong to steal something that's not yours and mainly, if you want it, then you have to earn it like any good person: go a long way, go through the obstacles. I know it's difficult, I know, but you will see that, in the end, you will succeed.

- It's true.- Acknowledged the short boy, and they continued their walk.


- Hey, Yoshika.- Johnny turned to Fuso's sergeant, who turned to look at him.

- Yes, do you need something?.- The girl asked, but he shook his head.

- No, it's not that, but...do you know how to handle the "Magic" that your friends talk so much about?.- He asked the brunette, who closed her eyes to find the right words, "It's that...when it works on us, I'm very afraid of what kind of consequences it could bring us. I never thought I would use something like this.- He said and then he felt a hand on his shoulders and saw that it was Yoshika, who was encouraging him.

- There is nothing to be afraid of, it will not happen to you or your body. However, for you, who are receiving a hard physical training, you will have to put everything you have learned when you have this power with you. For that you will go with Anna Ferraro, who will be of great help for this.- He answered calmly, lowering the fears of the bald boy.

- Do you think so? It's not because I´m insecure, but because...I´m...- Johnny was about to say.

- Unknown?.- The brunette asked and he nodded his head.- Yes, he is. It's unknown to many, even I went through the same thing and believe me, at the beginning it was hard for me to even keep the flight for the fight against the "Neuroi" but then I progressed. This is not like in a movie where the hero becomes strong in one day and that's it, he defeats the villains and goes home with the girl he loves. No, on the contrary, once they receive the "Serum" that Double D is developing, a new part will come and it will be their training with Miss Ferrara Anna, after that...you know, they will be ready to go to the front line of combat.- Yoshika said calmly, calming the tensions and fears that the bald man was feeling at that moment.

- All right, I believe you, friend.- Said Johnny.

- There is nothing to be afraid of, but just one thing.- Asked Fuso's sergeant.

- What?.- The young man wanted to know.

- Never, but never separate from the "Central Line", that is, from us, we must fight together against the enemy. If you get separated, attack the "Shadow Neuroi" to make your way and come back to our side.- She left him with this "condition", so to speak, so he took note of it.


- Awwww, how refreshing, I haven't felt anything like this in a while.- Said Rolf, who was standing next to Lynne in a stream that ran pure and clear in the countryside and had his tucked into the water.

- I thought it would do you good to come here. Today was a little more intense than last time.- Explained the Brittania girl, lying back against the ground and looking up at the sky, when suddenly a female figure covered her in shadows. She wondered as she saw a certain Liberian redhead standing in front of her and her foreign friend.

- I see they are taking a break. That's fine, after you've had a lot of practice this day.- Said Charlotte.- You don't mind if I join you?. My feet feel like a boiler.- She asked to sit down next to him and cool off.

- Lynne.- Replied with sincerity and a smile on her face. Then, the American took off her boots, leaving them close to her, and put her feet in the water.

- Awwww, this is the life, yes.- Said the orange-haired girl, who leaned back against the ground and closed her eyes.

- Yes, friend Charlotte?.- The Nordic turned to look at the girl.

- Tell me something: Are you ready to move on to the next "Level"?.- Sh asked on that point in question.

- Because of the "Magic"? Of course I am: Rolf is ready for it, if my ancestors did it with that concoction, why not me.- He answered with determination in his voice.

- Look, these are extremely important exercises and also some of the most complicated because of the methodology Miss Ferrara uses.- Lynne explained.- It´s not for everyone, besides, she's quite cold and serious. She takes her work very seriously.- Added the Englishwoman.

- I know, and that's a bit worrying, but I can't leave it aside. We are already involved in this matter, now we have to continue.- Said the foreigner, who brought calm to those gathered at the stream.


Endless work, that was what Double D had with him as he was taking notes in his notebook, even the tiniest details ended up written on those pages. The last few hours had brought a real breakthrough and led to the boy deciding to get down to work, so he was developing the "Serum" that he and his friends would apply for future fights. However, it also represented a test, as there could be failures, something that was very common and would need improvements, so he hoped that those future inconveniences would not be serious. He did not want anyone to end up in a hospital or worse, being that eliminated from his head.

He had in front of him, on that glass, all a golden glow and after that he poured it into some syringes, keeping that color. He took a deep breath, looked at his work and said a prayer that everything would go well.

Once he had finished his duty, the young man in the black cap left the room and headed for where the others were.


[As I said, I wanted to develop, in this arc the first step, the friendship, between the Eds with Francesca, Erica, Eila, Sanya (then it will evolve but much later) and the same with the Peach Creek kids along with the other "Witches". On the other hand, in the next chapter will start a new "phase" for them in their trainings and many more things.

I hope you like it, friends.

I send greetings and thanks to all of you and I'll be seeing you.

Good start of the day Tuesday, Comrades].