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Chapter 5: Goren Appears Again!

"Laila!" I shouted as I ran ahead.

"Who are you?" asked Laila as she stood up. Brian and Elisa caught up.

"We're... friends of Pamoon," I said. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"I'm just resting," said Laila. "I've been following Pamoon for the past few weeks. Do you know where he is?"

"Sure, just follow me," I said as I ran in the direction of Pamoon.

"Okay, so we found Laila," said Elisa. "What now?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" asked Laila, frightened. "Are you luring me into some sort of trap?"

"No, no! It's no that," I said as I waved my hands. "Elisa's just... a bit sarcastic."

"I don't trust you," muttered Laila. "I don't even know you, so I'm not going anywhere. If you really want to help me, bring Pamoon here." She sat back down next to a tree. I shrugged and continued north towards the highlands. All of a sudden, the earth shook. Explosions can be heard.

"It sounds like a battle," said Brian. He looked back and saw smoke.

"Let's go," I said, pulling Brian towards the smoke.

"I'd rather not get involved," said Elisa. "I'm just going to climb a hill to get a good view of the battle."

"I'm going too," said Brian as he ran followed. I had no choice but to follow. Eventually, we reached a cliff and looked into the distance. Next to an aqueduct was Pamoon, Shelby, Goren with his snake hair, and his cloaked book owner. Gelios was hiding behind some trees behind Pamoon. Apparently, Pamoon had told him to stay back.

Farus

Pamoon generated stars that floated in the sky. They shot laser beams at Goren. The Minotaur winced from the pain.

"What's the matter, Goren?" asked Pamoon. "Feeling shameful?" Goren just stood up and roared.

"The next spell will decide the battle," said Pamoon calmly as he carefully arranged his stars.

Laila's head jerked up. "That... sounds like Pamoon!"

Farga

The stars fired stronger, concentrated beams at Goren's head. Goren ducked and let the beams hit his back. He roared in agony and charged at Pamoon.

Dame Farga

The stars fired beams forming a grid-like pattern, and the wall of beams moved steadily toward the charging Minotaur. The beams gave Goren a laser bath and he roared. Goren's cloaked book keeper backed up, scared.

"Why won't you use your spells?" asked Pamoon. "Have your guilt taken away your ability to cast that spell? Shelby, get ready to cast the ultimate spell!"

"Pamoon," whispered Laila as she climbed the hill to look at the battle.

Farga

Goren was forced into a kneeling position by the beams.

"Heh, you were strong as well," said Pamoon. "But this is the end." He braces to attack. "The finish!"

Excelles Far-

"Stooop!"

"Wha-!?" exclaimed Pamoon. In Goren's hand was a little girl.

"What's going on," muttered Laila as soon as she reached the top of the hill.

"Oh, no!" I said. "He's using the child technique on Pamoon!"

"If you attack now, I'll die too," said the girl.

"A chi- child?" exclaimed Pamoon, shaking with fear.

"What on earth?" asked Shelby.

"NO!" said Brian. "Just attack! That girl's a fake!"

"ATTACK!" I screamed. Apparently, they couldn't hear us.

"Pamoon!" yelled Laila as she began to run towards him.

"No, stop!" I said as I grabbed her dress.

"Let go!" she screamed as she tore my arm away. I grabbed her heel and we both fell down.

"Pamoon... needs me."

"Please stop!" said Goren's book owner. "This child is my daughter. My daughter's been taken hostage and I've been forced to fight."

Pamoon looked doubtful. "Don't be fooled. Do it, Shelby."

"Alright," said Shelby.

Excell-

"NOOOOO!" said the girl.

"I... can't do it." said Shelby, closing his book.

" Shelby!" yelled Pamoon. "Huh?" He looked back and noticed that the little girl became a snake head on Goren's head.

"Too soft," said the girl. She wrapped herself around Pamoon's body, along with other strands of Goren's snake hair.

"Quickly, the spell!" said Pamoon, struggling. Shelby was also wrapped around by the snake hair. His mouth was covered by the snakes.

"She- Shelby!"

Dioga Gorgogeo

Goren's book owner had finally cast his spell. Goren held Pamoon in front of him and a green beam was shot at Pamoon from his chest. A few seconds later, a stone tablet fell on the ground.

"No! Not Pamoon!" said Laila as she kicked my hand off and started running.

With a giant roar, Gelios charged into the battlefield, along with Johnny.

"Take this!" said Johnny, whipping out his spell book.

Akur

Gelios spat water from his mouth. The water just bounced harmlessly off Goren's body.

Degaruk

Gelios grew a longer horn and charged at Goren. He was immediately tangled in the snake hair.

Dioga Gorgogeo

Gelios was also turned into a stone tablet. As he fell to the ground, Shelby and Johnny fled.

"We have to go down!" I said, pulling Brian. "Laila's in trouble."

"No!" said Elisa as she pulled Brian's other arm.

"Ow, my arms!" said Brian, apparently being pulled from both sides. Suddenly, Elisa's hand slipped and Brian and I tumbled at high speed towards Goren.

"Laila!" I yelled as I ran towards the aqueduct. Laila was too busy hugging Pamoon to hear me.

"Pamoon, what should I do without you?" asked Laila, tears pouring down her eyes. Goren's shadow covered her as he advanced laughing.

Neshir

I held up my hands and blasted Goren's knee, forcing him to trip. He reached for me with his snake hair.

"B-Brian! Do something!"

Neshiruga

I quickly aimed at Goren's heart, blasting his chest and making him spin. "We had a new spell? Why didn't you tell me, Brian, you scoundrel."

"We have more than one," said Brian mischievously.

Ganjas Neshiruga

I furiously pounded the ground and made beams erupt from the ground, blasting Goren everywhere.

"It's no use, Goren," I said. "You won't win. As long as I don't go near your body, you can never reach me. I also know your little girl trick. Heheheh. Hey!" Goren had grabbed my mouth with his hair.

Neshiru-

Brian had also been immobilized by Goren's hair.

"This is the end," said Goren's book owner. "That's three down tonight. No, four, including that little girl." Goren reached for Laila and grabbed her by the collar.

"Let, me, go!" said Laila, kicking. She was still holding Pamoon's tablet and her spell book.

"Goren, put the together, so I can kill two birds with one stone," said Goren's book owner.

"No if I can help it," said a voice.

Neshiruga

Yes, Brian can speak, I thought as I blasted Goren away. He let all of us go and ran away.

"We'll take care of you someday," yelled Goren's book owner.

We watched Goren march away and saw Elisa running towards us, panting.

"You, Brian," she panted, jabbing her finger at Brian. "You stay away from me. I'm in no mood for adventures. From now on, we're going separate ways. If I'm going to stay with you, I'm going to have to experience every foolish thing you experience. So farewell!" With that, she walked away.

Brian and I looked at each other, and we shrugged, glad to get rid of her. It was then, that we noticed Laila looking at us with the utmost disdain.

"You," she muttered. "You are responsible of all this."

"I- what!?" I exclaimed, marching towards her.

"If you had let me go, Pamoon would still be here," she argued.

"I was trying to save you from your rash attitude!" I said.

"You won't know," said Laila, looking away. "Pamoon needed me. We shared a special bond. You were trying to separate us."

"I... don't understand," said Brian.

"I'm not surprised," retorted Laila as she tried dragging Pamoon's tablet away. her eyes flooded with tears a moment later. "The only one to blame is me. If I didn't stop to rest that soon, I would've found Pamoon, and we would have been turned to stone together."

"Laila, wait!" I said. Laila stopped and looked at me. "We're... sorry," I said softly.

"Pamoon and I made a promise," Laila said after a moment of silence. "We were to become bonded together forever. He would be king, and I would be queen. We vowed to become kind rulers, and to stop anybody evil."

We stared at her blankly.

"What kind of ruler are you going to be?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer she limped away, holding her spell book with one hand and dragging Pamoon's tablet with the other.

Brian and I were the only ones left, staring after Laila in wonder, even after she disappeared.

Note: Here is when Gentleman Jirachi's Toys come in. It's like a fork in a road. After reading this chapter, you can go ahead and read Toys, or you can just continue reading this story. Basically, I'm trying to make this story correspond to the Zatch Bell! anime and Gentleman Jirachi's Toys. Now review!