CHAPTER 5

DISTRACTION! GET THOSE BELLS!

Ker pointed at the three that had distanced themselves from him. "Come on!" He shouted impatiently. "I'm waiting!"

Lynn clenched her fist, as she pulled out a long sword and positioned the point of the blade at Ker.

Spike's eyes widened at the sight of her sword, "Wha? Lynn, where'd you get that sword from?"

The pink cat formed a smirk towards Takashi, "Takashi made it for me."

Spike rose an eyebrow and turned to the hybrid, "You?"

The blue hybrid formed a sly smile towards the black hedgehog, "I'm the weapon expert remember?"

"Yeah I know, but still..." He turned to Lynn, "Aren't you afraid that you'll hurt someone with that thing?"

The cat shook her head, "Ker said to attack like we're meant to kill...and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Anything to get those silver bells."

Spike then watched her run towards Ker with her sword gripped tightly in her hands. He slapped his forehead and sighed, "You're Espio's daughter all right."

Ker directed his head towards Lynn as she began to approach him. He put the book he had in his in his hands away. 'Sounds like Lynn's coming at me with full speed. I don't think I can read right now...'

Lynn jumped over to the demon and struck the blade down at him with all of her power.

As the sword came down at him, Ker raised his arm and let the blade penetrate his arm.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Ker actually let her slice him in the arm. 'What? He...'

The demon formed an evil smirk as he raised his leg and kicked Lynn a great distance away from him.

Takashi's eyes widened at the sight and hoped that Ker wouldn't get too rough with her. "Lynn!"

The pink cat fell to the ground with a thud. When she looked up, she flinched and shut her eyes as she saw her own sword almost chop her neck off. She opened her eyes and saw the point of her sword stabbed in the ground beside her hand. Her heart raced as she looked back at Ker.

The demon swayed his arm beside his waist and let the cut from Lynn's sword drip with blood. "Very good, Lynn. You've gotten stronger. Your father has trained you well." He looked towards Spike and Takashi. "Next?"

Spike clenched his fists tightly, "He got me once, but he won't make a fool of me again." He kneeled down and placed his hands on the ground. "Chaos Assault!"

Ker watched as light blue spikes appeared from the ground and struck below him. Before the spikes could touch him from below, he quickly leapt into the air.

With a sly smile formed on his face, Spike raised his glowing light blue hand towards Ker. "Chaos Spikes!"

When Ker saw Spike's attack come towards him, he didn't have enough time to dodge it. The spikes struck him in his stomach with amazing power it seemed. As Spike's attack pierced him, he began to fall from the sky.

Suddenly, Spike leaped into the air and reached out towards the bells that were swaying from his waist.

Ker wasn't hit hard enough to let Spike get the bells so easily. He quickly snapped out of it and grabbed Spike's wrist as he saw Spike's fingers slip off of a bell.

The hedgehog flinched as his wrist was tightly grabbed by the demon. He was suddenly flung down onto the ground with force. As his body laid on the ground, he saw Ker place his foot on top of his chest. As the ebony hedgehog panted heavily, he looked up at the demon in exhaustion.

The pale white demon formed a warm smile as he looked down to him. "Well, I'll admit it. You did so much better than the last time." When he heard something click, Ker turned to Takashi.

Lynn looked as well and saw Takashi holding a strange giant looking rifle with a wide barrel at the end of it in his hands while he pointed it at Ker. 'It's Takashi's rifle cannon!'

Before Ker could do anything, he was suddenly shot in his left arm.

Spike's eyes widened as some of Ker's blood splattered onto his face. He could not take his eyes away from Ker's wound. The blast in Ker's arm was huge. He had lost a great amount of flesh from his arm. He turned to the hybrid in panic. "Wh-whoa! Takashi! That was overkill!"

The blue hybrid said nothing and quickly charged towards Ker before he had decided to attack again. Once he got close to Ker, he jumped up in a great distance and stomped the demon in his forehead with powerful force.

Lynn watched in amazement as Ker fell to the ground with Takashi's hand reaching out to the bells. The pink cat clasped her hands together as she hoped that he would get a bell. "Come on, Takashi!"

Takashi shut his eyes tightly as he grabbed a bell and pulled it off of Ker. He gasped as he had surprised his own self.

Lynn formed a wide smile, "All right! He got one!"

As Takashi clenched the bell tightly in his grip, he watched Ker kick him off of his body. He was then sent flying towards Lynn and lied there on the ground panting heavily as he held the bell in his hand. He looked up at her with a smirk. "Guess what I got?"

She formed a warm smile towards him and helped him off of the ground. "Yeah I saw everything, you genius you."

They were then startled when they saw Spike getting tossed on the ground in front of them.

Lynn gasped and worry and began to aid Spike from the ground. "Spike!" She lifted his body from the ground and tried to help him stand correctly. "Are you okay?"

They ebony hedgehog held his throbbing head in pain as he winced. "Yeah...peachy."

"Impressive", an exhausted voice spoke.

They all looked over and saw Ker's arms slowly heal back to the way it was.

Spike's eyes widened at the sight, "Amazing!"

Lynn was practically speechless, "He can...regenerate?"

Takashi sighed in exhaustion as he thought the next bell would be even harder to get. 'Ker is just full of surprises.'

Ker clenched both of his fists tightly, "Do not think the second bell will be just as easy to get."

Takashi glared at the demon and stood in a fighting stance. "I'm practically drained but...I have one bell", he spoke quietly. "I'll get the other one too. Just watch me." Before he could make another move towards Ker, he was stopped by Spike's arm which was in his way. "Huh? Spike?"

"No, Takashi", Spike had spoke in a murmur. "You had your chance. It's my turn now."

The hybrid gave him a look that refused whatever Spike was going to do. "What? I'm not going to let you take him on! You're going to screw everything up! Then all of our hard work will be wasted!"

The hedgehog gave him an angry look. "I will not screw up! Just because I got careless at first, it doesn't mean I haven't learned anything! Just give me a chance!"

Takashi still didn't want Spike to go up against Ker, but he was really curious about how Spike would do after observing some of Ker's actions. He looked over to Lynn for her say in it and she made a small nod towards him. He sighed as he looked at Ker and back at Spike. "Fine, but don't screw up."

The hedgehog made a salute, "Heh, you know me!" He turned away from them and placed his glowing light blue hands on the ground, "Chaos Assault!"

Ker prepared himself as he felt the ground shake below him. "That trick again?" He did a back flip and dodged the spikes that came out of the ground below him.

"Chaos Assault!"

"Again?" As he did another back flip to dodge the same attack again, he was suddenly punched in the face and sent flying to the ground. Before he could make a move, he was stabbed multiple times in the chest by Spike's Chaos Spikes attack. With blood emerging from his body, he fell to the ground with barely any response from his injured body. As he lied there on the ground, Spike placed his glowing blue hand around the demon's neck and his other hand on the bell.

The hedgehog smiled in triumph, "It's over."

The demon was speechless for a moment and formed a small smile. "Much better, Spike." With no other option, he let Spike take the bell from him.

Lynn and Takashi ran over to him with Takashi and Spike holding up the two bells full of relief.

Lynn formed a small smile. "Looks like we pass the training."

Ker stood from the ground and reached out towards Spike.

The hedgehog made a grimaced look as Ker stroked the quills on his head with his fingers as if he were a child.

"Yes", he spoke softly. "Congratulations...team."

A/N:

Spike: Damn, Jas! You haven't updated in like ages!

Jasmine: I was busy! What else could I do?

Takashi: About time someone got to writing!

Jasmine: Grr! I will erase you both from existance!

Spike:...Can she do that?

Jasmine: *takes out a giant eraser*

Takashi:...Apparently she can.