Chapter 9: Newfound Determination

There was something not right. I woke up (sleeping under the tree like I usually do), and the Longneck family wasn't there. Fact of the matter is I don't see anyone around. Getting up and planning to walk to the beach (as usual), I saw another thing that was out of the ordinary.

A battle was happening over in the distance.

Heading over to where it was happening, I grabbed another branch from a tree. If a battle was going on, I would need a weapon. As I approached, the figures became more clear, and I could tell who was in the battle. It was Grandma and Grandpa Longneck, and they are allied with Topps. They were facing several Fast Biters, all of whom were supposedly taking orders from someone.

The battle was an interesting one to see. Topps was the main figure of the conflict, holding back the Fast Biters effortlessly, with Grandma and Grandpa Longneck doing their share of the fighting. For a moment, I thought I wasn't needed. And then more Fast Biters showed up, so I decided to join in.

Smacking one of them upside the head with the branch, I was officially apart of the battle. I was only doing as much as I could without the Berserker's Mindset (I didn't feel like bringing that out). And that was still quite a bit. As the fight dragged on, less of the Fast Biters got back up, but one more figure appeared, his face covered by a hood (but I still could tell he was a Sharptooth).

As the last three Fast Biters were standing, the hooded figure gave a command, "Go for the one he cares for." And the Fast Biters went past the adults, and past me. Looking at where they were heading, it horrified me.

The gang was here!

The group tried their hardest, but to no avail. The Biters knocked them out cold, and started eating at them. This got me incredibly angry, but for some reason, I couldn't move. Then it hit me...

I couldn't go 'Berserk'!

I was paralyzed on the spot, with nothing I could do, as I watched them eat away at them. The only survivor was Ali, and she was crying. "What's wrong, Yuri," I heard the hooded figure say. "Can't access that same power you used against me." With that, he dropped his hood, and revealed himself to be the Sharptooth I beat. And I actually felt regret for not killing him.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance," he said, able to tell what I was thinking, "But you had your stupid Moral Code."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't play dumb, Yuri. You said it yourself: 'Berserker's Mindset or not. You're no killer'. And against a Sharptooth, that was the dumbest mistake you could make." After he was done laughing at me, he looked over to Ali, and then back to me, with a malevolent grin.

"No..."

"She's the one you protected. The one you seem to care about the most..."

"No!"

"I will have fun destroying her in front of you."

"NO!"

I bolted upright, drenched in cold sweat. Seeing the sleeping form of the Longnecks set me a bit at ease. 'Thank God,' I thought to myself 'It was just a dream.' Noticing that the Moon was going down, this meant that Dawn was nearing. I would have one more training session with Cera before I headed out.

As I headed on my way to the beach, I figured it'd be good for me to get a good breakfast. And maybe the sound of the waves will help me to relax. Getting down there, the first thing I noticed was a familiar yellow Threehorn practicing her punches and low kick.

"Hey Cera," I said once I was within hearing distance. "Hey Yuri," she said back, "Just practicing." It was evident to me that she was taking it very seriously. Once I was near her, she noticed the state I was in, and asked what was wrong.

"Bad Sleep Story," was my response (I have gotten very used to their vernacular), and she asked "What about?"

"... I'd rather not talk about it," I told her, and she backed off. Probably because she could tell that I REALLY didn't want to talk about it. So we just decided to train more, as this would be the last time for a week that we did.

Today's lesson was on the Back Kick. The technique was simple for her to learn, but it took her quite a while to get it down. But when she did (and I showed her the basic uses for it), she proved to be good at it.

"Nice work," I told her, "Keep up your training while I'm gone."

"I heard about your little trial, so I will," she said, then saying, "By the way, Ali said she wanted to see you by the Thundering Falls in a while."

And so, a little while later (after breakfast, which luckily only took a few minutes to catch and cook), I headed out to the Thundering Falls. Once there, I saw the same Purplish Longneck that I was expecting. Turning to see me, I walked over and said hi.

"Hey," she said, holding something with her left arm. "I heard you're leaving today."

"You heard right," I told her. Then she showed me the thing, revealing it to be a garb. It included a pair of trousers remniscent of the outfits worn by the guys in the valley, made of the same burgundy material, and with a vine belt, and vines for bracers.

"I made you this," Ali told me, "It's a Valley Garb." Then showing me over to the waterfall, she told me, "There's a cave behind the falls if you wanna try it on." And of course, I figured I would. Only a few minutes later, I came out wearing it, and it fit perfectly.

"I heard they wanted to accept you into the Valley," she explained, "So I was up most of last night making this for you. Forgive me if it's not very nice. My skill in weaving isn't that good..."

Tying the vine around my waist, I told her without hesitation "It's perfect." This put a smile on her face, and while I kept my cool on the ouside, it drove me wild on the inside. There was something about seeing her smile that just... got to me. "I'll wear it out while I'm out there."

"Do you really have to do this trial," she asked, sounding concerned for my safety. "I'm sorry," I told her, "But it's just a thing I must do." Understanding, she gave me a hug, and we parted ways. As I passed by the Longneck sleeping area, I grabbed my duffle bag back from under the tree, and started heading out. Along the way, I passed many of the adults, who wished me luck on my trial.

As soon as I was out of the valley, and a good distance away, I sighed, and set up a small base (at the base of a mountain near here). The next week would certainly be a challenge, but I had to do it.

And after the dream I had, I had a new determination. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that dream doesn't come to fruition.