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Chapter 15

The Day Before…

Alright. A week's passed and the Tournament's tomorrow. It's a good thing George gave me his Power Helmet Mk I. My goggles can fit under them too…neat. It'd be for the best to wear this since it'll be televised and if mom saw me in the Tournament, she'd freak.

I'm not sure what we'll practice today though…I mean, to be honest, I'm not feeling in the training mood. Guess I'm gonna have to push through it…

I then got a text. It was from Sarah.

4: Tim. Take the day off.

Octim: K

4: Also, you need a new screen name. One that screams, "You."

MusiclovR: How's this?

4: Nice! :D

MusiclovR: Thanks :)

Ahhh….Well, I can be lazy today…

Wonder why her screen name is 4 though…I guess I'll ask her some time.

Guess I'll hang out with friends. Wait…it's still early, so they must be asleep.

Guess I'll give mom a call.

I dialed my mom's number.

…

"Hi Tim!" Mom was happy to hear from me.

"Hey mom." I was happy to hear from her too.

"Glad you called." She let me know. "So what's up? You barely called this week."

"S-sorry mom, I was just hanging out with some new friends." I told her.

"Oh, you got new friends?" She was pleasantly surprised. "What're their names?"

"Well, there's Sarah from Cirrina." I named her. "She's pretty nice."

"Oh, Gerald's granddaughter?" She knew of her. "That's great to hear!"

"There's also Guyver." I named another. "He's pretty nice too. He's also Sarah's boyfriend."

"Oh, that's sweet!" She admired young love. "Hey, Gerald, Stanley, Sarah's got a sweetheart!"

"Oh, we're definitely going there now!" I heard Gerald in the background say. "Gotta check the lad out fer m'self!"

I then heard the phone being taken.

"Hello, Stanley here." He introduced himself. "This Guyver fellow…he's not doing anything too untoward with my daughter, is he?"

"Not that I'm aware of…" I told him. "I've seen them hug and kiss a few times, but that's it."

"Oh, that's good…" He sighed in relief. "Sorry I sprung this question on you. I just want to make sure my sweet little sea angel isn't getting herself into trouble."

"She isn't, sir." I assured him. "Can I please talk to my mom now?"

"Oh right, sorry…" He handed the phone back over.

"Well, any other friends?" Mom wondered.

"Oh, and Sylvia." I named the last one. "She kinda has this weird army getup going on and can be a bit much, but she's pretty nice too."

"Well that's good to hear." Mom said.

"So what's up with you?" I asked. "I haven't heard much from your end."

"Well, Gerald and Stanley are helping me go on an apology tour." She told me. "I'm trying to apologize to the people I've hurt due to my…hostile attitude."

Wow.

"How's it working out?" I wondered.

"Well, so far some are forgiving, most are hesitant, and more than a few times I've gotten food and rocks thrown at me." Oh Cod… "Well, can't please everyone…"

"I guess…" That still sounded bad. "Just be careful, mom."

"Hey, I'm supposed to tell you that!" She laughed.

I laughed too.

"…So, I heard something about coming here?" I remembered. "Is that true?"

"Oh yeah." She confirmed. "We're all planning on visiting soon. Probably sometime after the tournament so it'll be less busy."

"Well, that's great to hear!" I said. "It'll be great seeing you and gramps again. We could see a movie, or listen to my music friends practice, or uh…watch my other friends play Turf Wars…"

"You aren't playing, right?" She wanted to be sure.

"No, mom…" I sighed…and lied… "I heard exactly what you said…"

"Well, that's good." She said. "Too risky."

"Right, mom…" I sighed.

"Hey, you know I just want to keep you safe." She reminded me. "Speaking of which…"

"No, no one's seen my eyes." I knew what she'd ask. "What's wrong with them, anyway? Why do I have to hide them from Inklings? Why do I have to hide them from Octolings?"

"I…it's complicated…" She sounded unsure of what to do. "M-maybe some time I can tell you…just not now…for now though, just…please keep your goggles on…"

"Okay…" I reluctantly agreed.

The conversation went on for a little while before we finally hung up.

I decided to go out to eat.

Where though…

Hm…?

Oh, that sushi place just opened. Guess I'll try it out.

It was a nice place. The aesthetic was pretty interesting. Not sure what it was called though…

At the counter was…an Octoling…

"Hello!" The black-haired girl greeted me. "What can I get you?"

"Uuuuhhh…" I had no idea what any of this stuff was. "Any recommendations?"

"The Calamari fried rolls are popular now, but my favorite is the Cephola Spring rolls." She told me. "Cirrina styled sashimi is also good for the soul!"

"Is there a combo option?" I asked.

"Oh yeah!" She confirmed. "Would you like all three?"

"Sure!" I agreed and sat down at one of the counter chairs. "Oh, and with lemonade!"

"It'll be right out!" She told me.

"Hey, Tim!" I heard Lisa's voice. "You like the sushi?"

"I haven't tried it yet." I told her.

Soon enough, my food arrived. I then saw Ben come over.'

"Ooooh, good choice." He said. "Try it with some of the hot sauce."

I put some of the sauce on one.

"Eh, not hot…" I remarked.

"No, no, no." He shook his head. "Mine."

He took out a small bottle.

"You…carry that around with you?" I tilted my head.

"Dude, this is my dad's." He told me. "He mailed some to me. He makes his own."

"Okay…I'll try it." I agreed.

He sprinkled some on. I tried it.

"Hotter than the restaurant's sauce, but still pretty mild." I said.

He had a dumbfounded expression on his face. He then handed me the bottle.

"Drink the whole thing and I'll give you 10,000 coins." He dared me.

I looked at the small bottle for a second, grabbed it, and then downed it quickly.

"…Well, I kind of felt something there…" I admitted. "Can I have my coins now?"

He didn't respond. He just reached into his bag and gave me the amount before leaving without a word.

"Geez, weird kid." Liz was surprised too. "I've tried that stuff and burned my tongue!"

"Maybe I'm just immune to spice…" I guessed.

"No, no, no…" The Octoling lady at the counter shook her head. "He's just-uh…someone who's more resistant to it…try this."

I recognized this as wasabi.

I tried it. It had a nice amount of hotness to it. It was good.

"More please!" I requested.

She raised an eyebrow before going into the kitchen. She came out with a large, green wasabi stick.

"Try this…" She dared me. "See if you can eat it in under a minute."

I looked at it for a second before trying it. Wow! Now that's spice! I love it! I ate it as fast as I could.

I then took a sip of my lemonade.

"So, what's my time?" I asked.

"…27 seconds…" Her eyes were wide. "H-how…?"

"Uuuhhh…Benny, wait up!" Lisa ran out, seemingly freaked out.

"I-I could only manage 56 seconds…" The black-haired Octoling said. "…W-what are you…?"

I looked around and shrugged.

"Uhhh…y-your meal is on the house…" She backed away. "Just…wow…"

"Oh, thanks!" I smiled at her.

I soon finished my meal and left.

That was…interesting...but fun.

The rest of the day was nothing too eventful, but compared to some of the things I've had to deal with since coming here, that was a welcome thing.