Disclaimer: I don't own Professor Layton nor Rosa or Luke Triton since they both belong to Level-5 games and nobody else, in fact I own nobody of the professor layton franchise!
Down goes the apprentice.
Professor Layton made the Layton mobile dive down from the sky as he made the winged car go into a landing when they reached the top of a flat roof that acted as a nice, even landing platform and he still had that cross look on his face.
He fully intended to bring his sick apprentice home as quickly as possible since he was now mostly unconscious and his breathing was so raspy that it was hard to concentrate on anything else and his temperature kept going from burning hot to ice cold.
His deteriorating health was certainly something to worry about.
When the gentleman parked his car on the roof of a small building, he looked over to his side to find Luke was still breathing heavily and with huge effort. He appeared to have been sleeping deeply now since his mouth was open and his eyes clenched under his closed eyelids, unable to weakly toss and turn in his sleep due to the seatbelt fastening him to the passenger seat.
He gave a tired groan as he shivered suddenly. Clearly his temperature was dropping again.
Giving his apprentice a somber look, the professor shrugged off his brown coat and draped it over the young whelp so he could at least have a bit of warmth and he bundled him in the makeshift blankets. Why did this have to happen to Luke? he didn't deserve this at all. If anything he deserved all the best things coming his way and the utter rubbish that poured down on him like heavy drops of rain spitting down upon a canvas.
The top hat-wearing archeologist lain an assuring hand on Luke's head whilst wiping some loose strands of his blonde-brown hair out from underneath his ill-fitted cap with his thumb.
His heart ached for the poor boy, to put it loosely.
"Don't fear, my boy," He reassured Luke gently and softly "I will get you home and well again but you need to be strong for awhile longer."
If Luke heard that he didn't show it. He simply continued to just lie there with a comatose expression as he done nothing but breathe those long raspy breaths of exhaustion that gripped on to his currently weak immune system. The young whelp gasped a single breath before he let out a strange long wheeze that sounded akin to that of a rattlesnakes shaking tail in a sweltering desert.
He shivered in his seat and bundled himself up, nuzzling deeper into the warmth of the professor's brown coat that had been wrapped around him to shape into a cocoon-like mold. He couldn't sustain his own body heat much longer, all because Don Paolo failed to do the thing that would have made Luke's chances of survival much better:
Leave him be.
After giving a weak cough, Luke very weakly managed to worm an arm out from his hand-made cocoon and he very gently grasped the professor's saggy tangerine sleeve of his long wooly jumper and he sent him a silent look of a kicked puppy, mutedly begging him not to leave him alone again while that man chased them with a relentless pursuit of revenge.
Luke coughed a few more times.
The professor felt really sympathetic to be leaving poor Luke now. Each time the boy grabbed his sleeve in such an innocent, childish way; it always made a long-lasting impression on him and basically stamped his apprentice's innocent presence in his mind and it left an ever lasting tone of affection in his heart and soul.
He tried to give Luke a reassuring smile to tell him that everything would be fine -to assist Luke in his dark hour- but he couldn't lie to him by saying that all would be fine.
He gently patted Luke's weak hand to ease his concern instead.
"Shhh..." He shushed him while his hand gingerly patted Luke's recumbent spine as he stroked his small back until Luke's small coughing fits eased off "you'll be fine, Luke, I swear it."
The young companion of the professor didn't stay awake for much longer as he gave a small yawn before he blacked out and fell unconscious one again in a blinking second. The light taps of raindrops spilling against the window filled the otherwise empty background sounds and the professor stared at his apprentice for a lingering moment longer since he was seriously fearful for Luke.
He traced a finger along the back of Luke's sweaty forehead. Despite the dampness seeping through his ghostly complexion, the icy cold body heat was very much there. It was greatly troubling to say the least.
Giving a long sigh, the professor shuffled out of the front seat and side stepped on to the flat rooftop.
He glanced up at the dark grey skies above that rumbled through the pitch blackened skies above. Those clouds hovering overhead were dark with pure rage as the barely recognizable form of that hovering contraption could barely be made out behind such a thick web of storm clouds. His footing on the roof wasn't that great but he still managed to keep his posture widened and ready to defend Luke when necessary.
The winged machine slowly floated down in front of the Layton mobile with its commandeer's face showing through a rough screen.
Don Paolo's sneer made the professor's blood curdle as a sudden protective instinct kicked into high gear and he glared back at the twisted scientist. His refined manners would have gone out the window weren't it for the voices of Claire's gentlemanly wishes whispering within his mind.
Those words poured confidence into his reluctant heart.
"Where do you think your going, Layton?" The voice of Lukes kidnapper's voice rang like an annoying choir of bells in his mind which was ear-numbingly loud as that voice scraped against his mind. Eyes were narrow readily whilst the professor dipped his top hat low beneath his innocent eyes to try and hide a menacing glare.
The professor gave a sigh to expand his lungs and calm himself. He just couldn't find it within him to forgive the scientist for putting his poor apprentice's life on the line as he protectively reached an arm towards one side in order to create a self made barrier and try a poorly attempt at shielding Luke from any attacks that maybe directed at him.
Chillingly, he gave an answer to that query.
"I am taking Luke home with me, I'm afraid." He narrowed his eyes threateningly "If you have any intent of bringing anymore harm to him than you would have to go through me."
He brought a sabre out in preparation for battle, making the enemy smirk in return.
The professor gave a small shiver of his body when a sudden gust of blustery weather picked up and made him a little bit cold. He couldn't begin to deny that the altitude from this height was not only good for people with phobias with perilous heights and therefore was supremely chilly up on the rooftop.
Slowly but certainly, Don Paolo walked out of his contraption and prepared to do battle on the wing as he too held a blade at the ready whilst it was pointed to his enemy. He wore a very self-confident, snide look on his face as his face twisted into the most insane and twitchiest of smug smirks. He rubbed the handle of his fencing sword with a thump as he looked directly into the hidden eyes of professor Hershel Layton.
The two shared a stilled stand off as they kept on the offence and defence in order to chase each other off if need be. Neither of them knew who would make the first move since whoever started this dual would determine the victor of this match.
"Are you ready to pay for what you have done, Layton?" The pre-battle taunt was asked.
The professor allowed a look of confusion to sweep against his face for a mere few moments as he tried to grasp the concept of this query. What did he do to Don Paolo to make such a somewhat bitter rivalry? It surely can't of been so bad that he would want to kill an innocent boy to go as far as his revenge here, that's for certain.
The professor growled lowly with the intent of protecting the boy at all costs. He knew that if Luke was well enough to see this then he would most definitely be cheering him on at the very least. He was going to defend Luke at all costs, even at the cost of his own life if it would bring him safety.
He nodded readily, brows narrowed and his own blade at the ready.
The gentleman said in a rough yet surprisingly suave tone of voice "Indeed, Don, are you prepared to begin battle?"
The mad scientist didn't even need to reply since he had already lunged forwards with his blade ready to fatally stab his opponent and the professor done the same as they intended to deliver some kind of blow as they now duelled on the right wing of the hovering contraption, their swords constantly clashing with metal "clangs" as they rapped against each other and sometimes worked in total harmony like another extension to each of the fighters.
Even the weather provided a dramatic atmosphere as rain poured down hard from the heavens and lightning flashed through the sky, loud enough to leave two geniuses surprised upon first hearing the sound but it also gave them a hard footing to keep on as it made for a very epic battle indeed.
The professor was ready. Luke just needed to try and stay alive a bit longer until he could get him the proper medical attention he deserves, could he do that?
A/N: The battle begins. Sorry about the gaps between chapters, I'm just trying to leave a bit of suspense for you all. Again it seems that Don Paolo is refusing to let his prey get away so easily from him and Luke is suffering because of it.
You will probably see a reference to "The last spectre" in here since I just find the moment when Luke grabbed on to the professor's sleeve just so cute. It must have made a long-lasting impression at least since it was so innocently cute.
Please review.
Who do you think will win this match?
-Chloemcg