Chapter 3: Rooftop Run

Tsukune turned off his cell phone and turned to the Newspaper Club and Lina and her team. "Look's like we stuck here again."

"We figure out where we are, I guess." Lina shrugged. "Might as well get some answers too."

Newcomer to the Resistance turned Mercenaries, Ginei "Gin" Morioka, looked at all the passing girls with a grin. "Well, wherever we are, it must be paradise. Those girls are fine!"

"Damn perverted wolf." Kokoa huffed under her breath.

For Tsukune, Moka and their friends, it was summer vacation. The Newspaper Club were all dressed in casual clothing as opposed to their school clothing. They were about to relax in the human world when a huge black portal appeared and sucked them in. Same thing with Lina's group.

"From the looks of this place, I'd say it's a temple." Filia guessed as she looked around.

"No, it looks more like a human school." Ruby said. "Maybe we should take a peak?"

Everyone else silently agreed as the walked into the school grounds. After a short walk, they came across a door that they felt they should enter. So they went inside and found Professor Pickle working on some paperwork. As he heard the door, he looked up and smiled.

"Oh I remember you. Friends of Sonic, yes?"

"Konnichiwa, Professor Pickle." Moka smiled charmingly.

"So, what brings you children back to this world? Another crisis?" Pickle asked.

"You can say that." Mizore nodded. "Where exactly are we?"

"This is Spagonia, it's just of the coast of Spain. This school is known as Spagonia University."

"Oh yeah! Sonic told us about this place." Kokoa stated, she remembered Sonic talking about Spagonia during Erazor's attempted vendetta.

"But anyway, can you tell us what's going on?" Gin asked as he got out a pen and paper.

"Well ok. The other night, a guard reported that a book was found outside the university and one of the windows was broken at the same time. But that's not all, a groundskeeper reported that the graves of Manfred von Richthofen and his Flying Circus team were empty!" Pickle explained what happened.

"Manfred von Richthofen?" Gourry asked.

"Manfred von Richthofen, otherwise known as the Red Baron, is one of the infamous figures of World War I. He's a seemly invincible pilot for Germany till he was shot down by an unknown pilot from an opposing country. I learned that in my human middle school." Moka explained.

"And I have a theory that the Red Baron has been resurrected somehow. Oh this is not good at all." Pickle frowned.

"What do you think he plans to do?" Tsukune asked. "I mean, he will be unhappy when he finds out that his country lost the war."

"I think he already has." Zelgadis frowned.

"Don't you think it's a bit farfetched that some warrior from the past came back to life?" Lina said as she crossed her arms.

"Well, look at us. We happen to be demons. And we fought an ancient evil and a vengeful genie that turned out to be a space alien. I'd say anything's possible." Kurumu pointed out.

"You think we can go ask some people around, professor?" Amelia asked.

"Of course. I'm sure that some of the students here may know something. Good luck."

So the Mercenaries spent the next hour asking questions about on why the Red Baron has come back from the grave. They ask the students that they came across if they knew anything, but not much luck. After going around, they were outside.

"I got jack." Gin frowned.

"At least we know who's causing this." Yukari pointed out. "We'd better tell everyone else about this."

Kokoa noticed something in the sky.

"Oi!" She pointed to the sky, everyone looked up and saw planes appearing.

"What is that?!" Amelia gawked as she saw them.

"They don't look friendly." Kurumu frowned. And she was right.

The planes soon beamed down some strange looking robots and started shooting laser beams at the students. They all tried to run away as they screamed in terror, but some where hit and vanished in digital light.

"What's going on?!" Lina gasped as she saw this happen.

"From the looks of those planes, I'd say that Richthofen is making his move!" Tsukune shouted over the roars of the planes.

It wasn't long before the robots appeared near them and decided to make them disappear too. Luckily, Filia saw them coming.

"Get back, you tin can garbage! Flame Breath!" she cried as she released a fire breath attack to set some of them on fire.

"Goz Vu Rou!" Zelgadis chanted as he summoned a shadow to destroy the rest of the on coming robots. More robots appeared before them. This robots looked like robotic panthers. Now deciding that they were defiantly a threat, they fired the machine guns at them. As everyone jumped around to avoid getting hit, Tsukune tripped and fell backwards. His arms flailed around and his hand accidentally and conveniently grabbed hold of Moka's rosario. When he landed on his rear, he noticed the cross in his hand and blinked.

"Huh?"

A bright flash of demonic power appeared, followed by the sounds of metal getting torn and smashed. As it cleared, they now saw Vampire Moka standing before them her arms crossed. Around her feet were the destroyed robots.

"Che, are you girl scouts just gonna sit there or are we gonna find out what's going on?" Vampire Moka said with mild annoyance.

"Don't you start with that high and mighty garbage with me!" Lina frowned.

"She's right though, we have to clear out the robots in the city." Xellos reasoned.

"Fine. Let's go!" Kurumu nodded as she switched into her succubus form. Mizore and Gin did likewise as Mizore turned into an abdominal snowlady and Gin into a werewolf. When all was set, the raced out of the university.

The Mercenaries ran through the town under siege, watching the planes fly over head as they did. Even though stopping the invasion was top priority, they couldn't help but enjoy the sites. As they got through the first part of the town, they encountered robots that looked like tanks.

"I wonder what will happen if I use this spell on them!" Amelia said as she prepared. "Megido Flare!" She unleashed a wave of light at the Heavy Blasters and they were destroyed on contact.

"Balus Rod!" Gourry yelled as he used a whip of light to cut the approaching Prowlers down to size.

"Ok, let's keep going!" Kokoa said.

They continued on their way by jumping on they roofs of the houses and buildings. Gin noticed some motorcycle like robots, Sideliners, speeding next to them on another roof. Grinning, he jumped up with great speed and used his claws to slice them to bits. As they continued to the clock tower, they ran into Surveillance Eyes, Glovers and Slash Solders. "Take this!" Mizore yelled as she launched ice kunis on the Surveillance Eyes.

"Save some for me, too!" Kurumu said as she slashed her claws at the Glovers and Slash Solders. As the continued to make their way up the clock tower, they say some strange mist at a building that was some miles away.

"There's a supernatural sent coming from that building over there..." Vampire Moka frowned.

"Wonder what's going on?" Gourry thought.

"We'd better go and see. Whatever is in that building may be the reason behind the invasion." Ruby said.

With that in mind, they went down the clock tower and raced to the building as they jumped on more roofs while dealing with more robots. After a good long time, they reached the building, which was a museum, and went inside.

Inside the museum, a lone figure approached an object cased in bullet-proof glass. It looked like Moka's rosario, but it was made out of gold and it was slightly bigger. "I've found it... the Soul of Nazareth..." the figured whispered in a German accent.

It wasn't long until the Mercenaries reached the area and found the figure there. "Hey! Who are you?" Kokoa demanded.

They figured turned around and reveled himself as non other than the Red Baron. "Hm? What are you little Japanese people doing here?"

"That's him. Manfred von Richthofen." Vampire Moka muttered with narrowed eyes. "The face is the same from the history books, if a little paler."

"We asked first." Mizore said with a chilling tone that was as cold as her hair. "Now, how did you escape the afterlife?"

"That is my business and my business alone. I have no need of answering to little people."

"What are trying to do?" Yukari asked as she aimed her wand at him.

"Why, I am just taking back what is rightful Germany's. What is so wrong with that?"

"Does it have to involve kidnapping people?" Ruby frowned.

"They are merely leverage, friend. I do not usually do harm to civilians but I will do what I must. Now if you excuse me..." He said as he turned to the Soul of Nazareth.

"Hold on! We aren't finished!" Xellos said as he ran up and grabbed his shoulder. In a microsecond, the Red Baron turned and punched Xellos in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Xellos!" Filia gasped in concern as she ran up to look at his bruise.

"And that is how we say goodbye in Germany, Mr. Xellos." He scolded before turned around and smashing his fist into the glass, grabbing the Soul of Nazareth and triggering the alarm as he did. With a ghostly leap, he jumped onto the ledge right over them and took out a radio. "I have the first of the 8 Wonders of the World! Release the Mos Grinder to cover our tracks!" "I copy!" a voice said on the other side. The Red Baron vanished in purple lighting.

"Is that how they all say goodbye in Germany?" Lina frowned with sarcasm dripping from her voice. Suddenly, they heard a loud rumble. They went up to the top to museum and saw a large flying ball with a red eye and ten tentacles firing attacks everywhere.

"They're gonna destroy the town!" Tsukune shouted.

"But what can we do? Not many of us can fly!" Gin protested.

Ruby looked around and found that the roof was another exhibit for other antiques. Retro planes actually. "Look at this! These are planes from the WWII era! Excellent flying capabilities with a nearly perfect weapons system. I doubt that they work now but with a simple spell, they should fly again."

"You know about these things, Ruby?" Amelia asked.

"Oh yes. Many many things have happened..."

"Oh boy..." Zelgadis frowned.

"There she goes again..." Kurumu sweatdropped.

"Yes... many many things have happened...." Ruby blushed with her hands on her face as her world was purple with pink sparkles.

When they finally brought her out of her daydream, she casted a spell to revive the ancient machines; seven of them. The Newspaper Club hopped on as Lina and her group didn't know how to use such machines yet. Of course, there was a short argument about who got to share a plane with Tsukune. It got resolved after drawing straws. Vampire Moka won and grinned in triumph as she took the seat behind Tsukune while he prepped the controls. The planes weren't that hard to control since they played video games before.

"OK, you're cleared for take off!" Amelia shouted.

"Roger!" Tsukune nodded as the planes took off to stop the Mod Grinder.

MOD GRINDER (Theme: Boss Attack 1 from Star Fox Assault)

The six fighter planes flew towards the giant machine and fired machine guns as soon as they were in striking range. Detecting damage, the Mod Grinder fired missiles at them. Yukari locked on to them and fired missiles of her own and canceled out some of them. Mizore flew her fighter at one of the Mod Grinder's tentacles with the other missiles following her. She moved out of the way in time as the missiles hit, causing more damage. The Mod Grinder decided to change its tactics and used the tentacles to try and hit them. The fighter planes flew around the Mod Grinder as they avoid the tentacles. Yukari did a good job of evading the attacks, but a tentacle managed to hit her from behind. "Ahh! It's got me!" she screamed as she spun out of control. "Yukari! Hold on!" Ruby shouted. She pushed the boosters to the limit as she fired the machine guns at the tentacles that was still chasing Yukari. She did enough damage to push the tentacle out of the way and help Yukari stop spinning. "Are you alright, Yukari?" she asked the younger witch. "Uh huh. I am now." she smiled. "Hey! Watch out!" Gin shouted as the Mod Grinder started to fired lasers from its eye. "Move it or lose it!" Kokoa yelled as she and they other fighters barrel rolled from the laser shots. "Just a few more shots! We've almost got it!" Kumuru shouted as she fired the machine guns at the head of the steel beast. "It's taking to much damage! Just a little more!" Tsukune yelled as he add to the barrage. The Mod Grinder was now getting desperate as it spun around and fired laser shots from its tentecels. "That thing's lose grip. I think we should put it out of its misery." Vampire Moka said as she watched it go bezzerk. "OK, let's go!" Yukari said as she fired the missiles. Everyone else did the same. The missiles hit the traget and Mod Grinder suddenly stopped and made its tentecels droop. It made a few twiches and sparks for a few seconds. Then it caught fire. Finally, it exploded in a huge blinding flash.

After the distruction of the Mod Grinder, the Newspaper Club landed their planes near in the city with Lina and her group meeting up with them. Moka had her rosario back on, sealing her power again and changing her back to her pink haired self. The Mod Grinder still managed to do a lot of damage to Spagonia. That and a fact that their were now a lot of people missing. Without a doubt, the Red Baron took them.

"But why did the Red Baron take that golden rosario from the museum?" Moka questioned.

"He said something about the 8 Wonders of the World. Maybe that was one of them." Xellos said, still rubbing his sore chin.

"I wonder what they are..." Mizore wondered.

"Yeah, and why did he need leverage from kidnapping people? I'm not liking this." Amelia added.

"Whoa, look at this place!" They heard a voice cried. They turned to see Sonic, Silver, Marine and the Mew Mews walking closer, examining the damage. "They really did a number here!" Corina gawked.

"Hey, over here!" Filia waved to catch their attention.

"What happened here?" Silver asked.

"An invasion. It was a huge robot that tried to destroy the town. We managed to take care of it." Kurumu explained.

"And we know who's behind all of this too!" Yukari added.

"Who?" Renee asked.

"We'll talk about that in due time." Gin said as he somehow produced five bouquets of roses. "Name's Ginei Morioka. My friends call me Gin." He passed out the bouquets to the Mew Mews. "Wow, Tsukune wasn't kidding! You guys are a bunch of cuties!" The remark made them blush.

"Hey, where'd you get those bonzer planes?" Marine asked as she ran up to them.

"Those were the planes we used to fight that robot. They're really old though." Tsukune said.

"That won't be a problem mate. I can upgrade them for ya." Marine said as she grinned.

"You can do that?" Kokoa said with an arched eyebrow.

"Yep! I've been messing with boats, so planes should be fun to play with. I've also taken a peak at Tails' blueprints, so it should be too hard. By the way, if you find any useful junk, I can build more planes for ya!"

"That's really cool!" Sonic smiled. "The only planes we have so far are the Tornados I and II and the X-Tornado. I think we can use some more planes."

"So where to next?" Lina asked.

"We still have to make some more stops. Then we can see what were up against." Bridget explained.

"I bet where the other set of visitors are. Let's go to that place!" Marine suggested.

"Plus we have this really sweet flying simulation to play and train with." Zoey added.

"Sounds good! Next stop, Adventure!" Amelia smiled.

The Mercenaries got the new planes into the Hurricane and took off for the next area.

What are the 8 Wonders of the World? Looks like they both need the Chaos Emeralds and these mysterious 8 Wonders of the World to save the Earth!

TBC

Next time: Dragon Road