Chapter 3: The Color of Unity

It's been a week since the last Dead-Color. Merle leaned her back against a tall, gnarled tree and let out a sigh. Even though her life was changing rapidly, it seemed like no one else was. The dorms in the morning were still the same; loud and full of people; the classes were the same; they dragged on and were boring, and she hadn't seen Clancy since she left after dinner. Merle bit into her lunch and carefully looked around. The blonde said she would stay in touch, but had yet to contact her again.

She wasn't keeping an eye out for Clancy only however, she was also looking for monitors. Like the rule of not going out before breakfast, the school rules also stated lunch to be eaten inside or in the benches out back. However, it was summer and the benches in the back had no shade making it hell to eat outside. Except, in the front of the dorm around the brick path were lots of shady trees. It wasn't like she'd get in too much trouble anyways, Merle mused; she was in dorm sight.

With one final bite, the lunch was gone. It was kind of peaceful eating outside. A certain stillness pressed comfortably all around her. The wind blew gently, swaying the tree branches. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, speckling light across her dark skin. Simply, she felt at peace. Merle's eyes slid shut as she soaked in the atmosphere.

"Hello."

Merle jolted against the tree bashing the back of her head against the bark. She winced and looked to who disturbed the peace. It was Clancy. The sun was behind her back, illuminating her already pale blonde hair.

"Clancy."

She sat on the ground cross legged. She was in a regular shirt today along with some khaki shorts that ended right above the knees. Merle looked around again, this time for Grif. Usually, the two were together.

"Grif is not with me," Clancy smiled. Merle redirected her attention back to the girl. She seemed happy to soak in the sun as she sat barely out of the shades reach. "What are you doing?"

Merle dug her hand through her bag, looking for some chips. Finally she found them, opened them, and waved the bag towards Clancy, offering a chip. Clancy reached for one, hesitated then dropped her hand.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Clancy asked, tugging at her shirt. Merle started to notice a trend with her clothing. Her shirts had frayed edges. She would tear at the clothing and work her fingers into the fabric.

"Lunch time," Merle replied eating a few chips. The two settled into silence. Unlike before, this time it pressed heavy. Merle wanted to say something, anything, to Clancy but, no questions came to mind. She seemed to have a hard time talking about her home, so that ruled that out. Merle looked up from her thoughts to Clancy. She was now lying stretched out on her back, basking in the sun like a cat.

"This warm weather is nice," she commented idly.

"Yeah, is the weather… cold where you're from?" Wait. The bag of chips fell from Merle's grasp. She repressed a groan. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she wasn't going to talk about her home! Clancy sat up slowly. She pulled at the grass, not meeting Merle's eyes. Great, she hated her. "Y-You don't have to answer." The words stumble out. "Just ignore the question." Ignore me. The one person she wanted to speak to, and she couldn't speak. The irony stabbed through Merle's heart.

"The Land of Canvases is mostly desert." Clancy's voice is clipped. "It's very hot, not like on Earth."

The silence returned. Merle shifted and rested her stiff back against the tree. This was worse than sitting alone at lunch. Actually, Merle thought, she would prefer that over this. At least when she was sitting alone she didn't have to come up with topics of conversation. All she had to do was smile at people who glanced her way.

"Merle, you don't have to try so hard." Her head snapped up at Clancy's words. A smile was set on Clancy's face. "We'll become better friends in due time. And until then," she reached over and placed a calloused hand on Merle's knee. "Feel free to be a little awkward around me." She punctuated the end with a laugh.

Merle's cheeks burned as she gave a shy shake of her head. She didn't feel like talking anymore. Any energy that had recharged for the rest of the school day was gone. But, Clancy still looked like she wanted to talk. Merle opted for the busy route and began to shovel handfuls of chips down her throat. Clancy sat back and gave a titter of laughter.

"You're going to choke if you eat like that!" Was she quoting Merle from last night? At dinner Clancy, who had never had French fries, shoveled them down her throat and almost choked. It nearly gave Merle a heart attack. Before she could counter, the school bell shrieked overhead.

"I will take that as my leave." Clancy rose to her feet. She gave a quick wave of goodbye then ran towards the direction of the school gates. Rising as well Merle brushed chip crumbs off her red uniform. Students were pouring out of the cafeteria now, a cacophony of chatter to shatter the awkward silence. They brushed past Merle with hurried paces. She walked more leisurely, trying to take in the last bit of sunlight. Like Clancy said, it felt nice.

"Merle, I couldn't help but notice you sitting outside." Sylvia bumped into Merle. She crossed her thin, pale arms and glared at her. "That's against the rules." Merle picked up the pace, but Sylvia pursued.

"Plus…" her voice wavered. "There was a strange girl with you." Her voice sounded weak, not like her at all. "Who was she? She was out of uniform!" Sylvia's head shot up, eyes meeting Merle's. Quickly shrugging, Merle looked away. They were entering the main building now. The glass doors were perpetually held open by the throngs of students entering.

Merle hoisted her bag higher to avoid looking at the dorm manager. She took her job way too seriously. Not only that, she was also on the student council and disciplinary committee. That sounded like too much responsibility for one person; or at least someone like herself. Then again she was just appointed a hero to save multiple worlds by a shiny rock, Merle thought sardonically. That was a lot of responsibility for once person as well; let alone someone like her.

"- not listening to me!" Sylvia shouted. Merle was dragged out of her thoughts. Where was she again? Lockers stood at each side of the small hall. Students mulled around in small groups talking amongst themselves. Sylvia gave an aggravated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine! Go off into your little world as always. I'm leaving." With a twist on her heel, the small girl stalked off.

"Sorry," Merle called out to her. She didn't know why she was apologizing, but she felt the need to.

Merle barely had the energy to lug herself to the dorm. Her feet dragged along the carpet as she drew nearer and nearer to salvation. She swung the door open. The room isn't empty like usual. Clancy sat on her bed talking to Grif. Like last week, they sat on Merle's chair.

"Merle," Clancy dipped her head in greeting. She tried to force a smile on her face, but it failed miraculously.

"Is this going to be… a daily occurrence?" Merle asked. Her shoulders drooped; her eyes were barely able to stay open. Dealing with a Dead-Color or Pretty Cure stuff would be out of the question. She rubbed at her sore eyes, "How… did you even get in?" A breeze gently rolled through the room. Looking up, she spotted the open window. This was the second floor.

"We have important things to discuss." Grif spoke. "First of all, I would like to begin this meeting with a formal apology for my behavior last time. It was unacceptable that I attacked you."

"It's fine." Merle shrugged.

Grif nodded, then continued. "I believe we should discuss a plan, or plans, to obtain the Pigments." Merle bended down and pulled a notebook from her bag. She flipped to an empty page and began to write. "Monochrome has stolen four of the seven Pigments, and to our knowledge has given two of them to his Generals: Tessur and Anneis." Merle jotted what the griffon said in large scribbles. Who knew, this could come in handy one day.

"Logically speaking, this means you both should go after the Generals, but…" the griffon stopped. They seemed to be looking down their nose, er beak, at the two girls. "Fighting them at your levels would be disastrous."

"Don't worry, we'll get stronger." Clancy was quick to quell their fears. She rose from the bed and crossed over to Merle. "We'll train." The smile she sent her was almost blinding. Merle quickly ducked her head and continued to scribble in her notebook. Fighting Monochrome… what had she got herself into?

Did she even want to fight for a lofty goal like that? The only reason she fought last time was because she didn't want to see Clancy, or anyone really, hurt. Merle's gaze stuck to the page. Her lungs seemed to squeeze and her heart shook. Thinking things like that again… you're terrible. Her hand formed a fist around the pen.

"We'll work together." Clancy's words sent daggers through Merle's heart. She gripped the pen harder, ink blots growing thicker, bigger, under her hand. Looking at them was more preferable than looking at Clancy. "Right Merle?" The girl in question thought back to last week, how she watched that hopeful smile die because she didn't want to fight. Merle looked up to meet Clancy's gaze. She looked closer, eyeing the dark bags beneath her eyes. Finally, Merle gave a short nod.

"That's good to hear. Pretty Cure need to work together, it is how they get stronger." Grif swooped off the chair and soared to the two. "The best teams in the past all drew their strength from teamwork." Their beak turns upwards. Teamwork, Merle didn't know about that. No one's ever wanted to be in a team with her.

"…Sounds fine." Merle's voice sounded strained. Clancy clasped her shoulder tightly.

"Great! We'll start immediately." What. No.

Clancy grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards the door. She was rattling off team exercises that Merle never even heard of and some that sounded down right fake. The closer they got to the door, the more dread she felt.

"Hold on…" Merle stopped them. "I know you're both…" She paused, looking for the right word. "…Excited." At this, Clancy nodded. "But, I just got back from school and…" Wow, this just made her sound whiny. Sorry, can't workout with you today, I'm too tired!

"Of course, you just got back from you're classes." Tugging at her shirt, Clancy sheepishly looked up. "You take a break and I will work out a regiment."

"Just don't leave through the window." Merle pointed to the door. If someone saw her jumping out that would bring trouble to both of them.

"Oh, I thought I would write it here. As my partner you should have some say in it. At least, th-that's how we did it at ho-home." Clancy stumbled over her words. That was smart. Merle shrugged and picked up her backpack. She had homework and other things to work on as well. If they could tackle two things at once, that was fine by her.

"And it looked like you wanted to talk at lunch." Clancy shot a smile at Merle. "We can get to know each other more." Her voice tapered off at the end. She sounded afraid, like Merle would reject her. Again.

"Sure." How eloquent. Merle's cheeks burned. After that, the two set to work on their own projects. The silence was deafening. The homework mind numbing. Easy, but long. Each question had another section… and another… and another. She put down the pencil and looked towards Clancy. Grif and her were talking quietly. She hadn't once spoken to her about the regiment, she actually hadn't looked up once from it. Merle couldn't see through the blonde curtain of hair that covered her face, but if she could, she bet it would be set in concentration.

Placing her homework messily into her backpack, Merle cleared her throat. Clancy jumped at the noise and turned.

"Are you done? I'm just about done as well if you want to try it out." The page in her hand was filled with neat script and boxes. "I tried to make it fun?" She gave an awkward smile.

"If you want." Merle rose from the bed. It was a Thursday today meaning that the soccer fields were free game. The two exited towards the dorm halls. Only last week was she excited about. Only last week she was working on her robot. Only last week when Clancy came tearing through the field.

Speaking of Clancy, she was rattling off team exercises again. How did she even know so many? Unless-

"Did you have a team before?"

Clancy stopped walking, standing rigid in the middle of the hall. Merle called her name again, but the girl didn't seem to hear. Her fingers were wound in her shirt, tearing holes through the fabric. Crap, Merle walked towards her. She'd asked the wrong thing again.

"Yes," her voice is so quiet, Merle almost didn't catch it. Clancy shook. "I- I had a t-team."

"Clancy?" Even Grif sounded concerned. They drifted down and landed on her trembling shoulder. "Are you ok?"

"I'm sorry." Her head rose, but her eyes were dull and unfocused. What was she apologizing for? Merle took a step forward, hand reaching for one of hers. She untangled a tan, thin hand and grasped it. All she could offer was a squeeze. No words of comfort reached her lips. Why would she even want to speak anyways, Merle thought bitterly, she'd just say the wrong thing.

After a few more moments of silence, Clancy dropped her hand. Merle let it go with ease. She was still as still as a statue.

"Do you still want… to…" Merle couldn't finish the sentence.

"Yes," Clancy replied. Without warning she moved forward, almost pushing past Merle. "I have to become a better partner." The words sent a chill down Merle's spine. She turned, but all she could see was Clancy's retreating back.

In the bright sunlight, Clancy seemed to perk up. A smile formed on her face, but it looked forced. Merle was dimly reminded of her own forced smiles and for a fleeting moment wondered if it made Clancy feel sick like it did her. Pushing the thoughts aside, she kicked at the dirt, waiting for Clancy. Said girl was flattening out the teamwork regiment on her shorts. Back in the hall she had crumpled the paper. "Well, let's do this!" There was an edge to her voice.

Other people were on the fields. They were scattered here and there, but the fact people are there put a damper on Merle's mood. It truly was a lucky day that she met Clancy alone. The fact that people were here didn't deter Clancy however as she pushed onward. The happier persona she took on seemed to be becoming more real.

Grif shot off of Clancy's shoulder and raced towards the metal goal.

"Hey," a warning note crept into Merle's voice. She shot a glance to the other students. None of them seemed to care, but that could change in a second.

"Don't worry, I look like a bird." Grif tried to placate. Like hell you do, birds don't have four legs. Merle sighed. "You two get working on those teamwork exercises." They nestled onto the bar.

"First exercise- trust falls." Clancy dropped her paper and brought her arms up. As if beckoning Merle she motioned her hands towards her chest. "We'll do trust falls, and then with each one we can ask a question."

Merle looked down at the smaller girl. Clancy was at least four inches shorter her. Would she be knocked over is she fell? Clancy beckoned again. Would she even be able to catch her? With a sigh, Merle turned around. Unsure, she looked at Clancy again. The shorter girl prepared, her arms open and legs planted on the ground, but Merle was still uneasy. As if sensing Merle's apprehension she reassured, "I'll catch you, don't worry."

Merle wanted to fall, but her body didn't move. She tried to tip backwards, but her feet moved beneath and stabilized. Finally, she let out a sigh and threw herself backwards. The world tilted from green to blue and white. Merle's head smacked against something and she stopped falling. Fingers were gripped into her upper arms. Blonde hair tickled her face.

"Told you I would catch you," Clancy's chest rumbled against the back of Merle's head. "But, try to fall, not throw yourself next time." She released her grip and Merle stood. "Now you can ask a question." Her voice grew small. Merle cringed, she really didn't want to.

"You ask." Merle looked down at her feet. With her track record, she'd probably just ruin everything again. Better to not speak. Clancy seemed to take it seriously. She crossed her arms and sent a shy glance towards Merle.

"Hobbies?" Hobbies. That was a good question. Merle wanted to smack herself in the face, why couldn't she think of that? Then Clancy wouldn't resent her for asking such stupid things.

"…Robots." Merle thought back to Mark ii the beautiful. Her sweet, sweet robot that wasn't actually all that broken after the first Dead-Color. Clancy mouthed the word and sent a look to Grif. They shrugged and hopped closer on the bar to them. Did they even know what robots were? Merle's cheeks burned. She's never really mentioned to anyone she did robotics and the first person she did didn't know what they were.

"I'm interested in the STEM field."

"STEM?"

"Science, technology, engineering, and math." Merle nervously picked at her Pigment.

"Oh, I'm interested in painting." Clancy laughed, more to herself, and looked up. "Obvious because I'm from the Land of Canvases." She dissolved into a fit of giggles. She mentioned that at dinner last night, at least Merle thought so.

"Why do you like painting?" It couldn't be just from living there, right? Clancy turned around and spread her arms out.

"I just do. It's nice to sit down and pour yourself into something." Without warning, she tipped backwards. Heart lodging in her throat, Merle threw herself behind the quickly falling girl. Clancy was light in her arms, her body barely thumped against her own. Compared to Merle's it was graceful.

"Yea," Merle let out a sigh of relief. She didn't drop her, she couldn't have another reason to hate her. Besides, she felt similar with her robots. Sitting down and seeing all your hard work amount to something, even if no one else did, was nice. Merle turned and prepared to fall. Knowing that Clancy would catch her, she fell easier. And of course, Clancy caught her with ease.

"How about… what do you hate?" Clancy let go of Merle.

"Average things." It was an odd question, but a good one too. Merle didn't have many pet peeves except people getting in her space, stupid rules, crowds of people, and people judging her. She voiced each of them except the last. Clancy grinned and turned.

"I figured. When we met you said you don't like stupid rules." Merle almost dropped her. Those words came back to bite her, she knew it would. She wanted to defend herself, but there was no point.

"Anyways," Merle tried to steer the conversation away from the embarrassing statement that Clancy should forget.

"I think you know what I hate," Clancy's tone was bitter. She crossed her arms, eyes burning holes into the ground. Monochrome and his group, it's obvious. "But, I also hate cowards." She pursed her lips and tugged at her shirt. Merle stopped. Cowards?

"..sure…" Her throat clenched, her insides twisted. Like she swallowed air, Merle's lungs felt pressed. Cowards.

"How ironic." A young woman's voice interrupted. Clancy's head shot up as she looked wildly around the area. Across the field standing directly over the painted mascot in the field was a tall woman. If she was tall with how far she was, Merle wondered how tall she really was. The woman looked like she could snap the two of them like twigs and her very presence seemed to dull the colors around. It was one of Monochrome's generals. She jabbed a finger towards us. Dull, broken bracelets clunk against each other.

"Tessur told me you were here on this planet." She laughed a booming laugh. "But, I thought he was joking!"

Clancy moved in front of Merle, one hand already on her Pigment. Other groups on the fields were taking notice now. One small group of kids were backing away, muttering to themselves. Good, they seemed to have common sense. On the other hand, and other side, another group were walking towards the gray woman.

"Excuse me miss, you don't belong here." Merle could barely hear their voices. Monochrome's general, whom she assumed was Anneis, grasped at her chest as if offended.

"I am Anneis of the Gray-Scaled Kingdom. I go wherever I feel. I do whatever I feel!" Her voice rose to a booming crescendo. She clapped her hands together, then rose them to the sky. "And I feel like raising a Dead-Color!"

"Strip away your soul!" Anneis' tied up gray hair began to move in an invisible wind. "Rise and be reborn! Dead-Color!"

Waves of gray blinded Merle. The wave of instability washed over her, then in an instant it's over. Yet, she still gasped for a breath and tried to not fall over. A stabling hand grabbed her forearm and dragged her upright.

"A Dead-Color." Clancy's persona has changed. Gone was the warm girl and replaced was the soldier. The paint sprayed on the grass began to bubble up. Anneis leapt out of the way, crossing the field to the bleachers. The metal bent beneath her jump cracking in the heavy air. She was superhuman like when we're Pretty Cure then. "Be prepared! This one will certainly take your heads!" Anneis threw out her hand and let out another booming laugh. Ugh… annoying.

The Dead-Color began to rise. Clumps of dirt exploded from the ground, a leg soon following. Next, appeared its head. It was certainly larger than the regular mascot, a boy in a suit, and more and more of it climbed out of its earthy prison. It was a large gray stallion. The Dead-Color flipped its head and gave out a distorted whinny. It echoed distantly across the gray campus followed by silence.

Where was the screaming? Across the field in loose groups, were all the kids. The color had seeped out of them just like the fields. The reds of the uniforms gone, replaced by dark, dull grays. The kids shivered and shifted as if haunted by something.

"What happened?"

"They're losing their emotions. You have to hurry." It was Grif who answered. They swooped down from the goal and fluttered nearby. "If you don't help them, they'll remain like that forever!" What. A shiver ran down Merle's spine.

"What?" She repeated the question aloud. Why would people lose their emotions? How?

"No time Merle, we need to fight!" Clancy reached for Merle's hand. "Let's do it together." Merle's heart rammed in her chest. They were going to fight again. Before the thoughts of why did I do this, I can't, took over her brain, Merle grasped the outstretched hand.

"Pretty Cure! Primer and Gloss!" The two spoke in unison.

The transformation felt different. Over her body, Aero could feel the rushing water, but her hand felt like it was burning. She looked over to Vermillion and saw energy bursting beneath her. The two moved simultaneously. With their free hands they pressed onto their chests. Aero's crop top burst forth in a bright, blue light. Vermillion's shirt in bright red. The skirts unfurled next.

Aero drifted in the bright transformation to face Vermillion. The girl lifted her other hand and she grasped it. Her body moved on autopilot like the last two times. The two girl's gloves unfurled from their clasped fingers. The cloth rolled backwards and burst into a ruffle for Vermillion. The crisscross pattern of Aero's formed as well. They pushed away from each other, letting their hands unclasp. Aero stumbled backwards, each step erupted her short boots into existence. Vermillion mirrored her, but with knee high boots.

Finally, Aero ran her fingers through her curly, black hair. It changed to a sky blue and folded itself into a braided wreath. Vermillion flipped her short hair up. It extended and bled red till it floated all around her. Finally, like with Aero's hair it folded in on itself and became the large braid that tumbled down her back.

"The Color of Retribution! Cure Vermillion!" Vermillion posed.

"The Color of the Unforgiving Earth! Cure Aero!" She posed as well.

"The Unifying Hues! Color Hex Pretty Cure!" The glittery and weightless feeling faded away. Suddenly, Aero was very aware of her own weight. She stumbled forward and dropped the pose. Vermillion, used to it probably, already had slid into a fighting position.

"Get ready," she warned. The Dead-Color horse snorted and ran its hoof over the grass. Vermillion rushed forward in a red blur. With a second of hesitation, Aero followed. Another discordant scream rumbled the ground. She stumbled, still not used to this body, and skidded over the grass. At least the pain didn't hurt as bad as usual. With a slight wince, Aero got back up.

By this time, Vermillion was already attacking. She spun and tried to land a kick on the equine looking Dead-Color. However, it reared up on its back hind legs, effectively dodging. It dropped its hooves and slammed into the area where Vermillion once stood. The ground tore in large torrents, the fractures running all along the field. Vermillion rolled beneath the Dead-Color. Now on her back, she flipped her legs up and kicked.

The attack landed squarely on the horse's underside, launching the monster into the air. It was as if she didn't need Aero, and Aero didn't really doubt that. She said she hated cowards, so why would she work with someone she hated? Aero tried to push the thought out of her head, no time to think like that on a battlefield. The Dead-Color maneuvered helpless in the air, desperately searching for ground it wouldn't find. By this time, Aero finally made it to Vermillion's side.

It was falling now. The horse's hooves lashed out wildly. Aero dodged one of the limbs, jumping backwards a foot. Her feet dug into the cracked earth, her fist was slung back. The Dead-Color was still disoriented as it stumbled up. A fist cracked into its muzzle. Its head snapped to the side. A loud crunch could be heard echoing.

Vermillion gave out a cry. Suddenly, the head snapped back towards Aero. She didn't move fast enough. The overly large head slammed into her. Dull pain blossomed from her forehead. Flipping through the air, Aero landed face first into the dirt. Blinking rapidly she tried to disperse the black dots that hovered in her vision. Her head spun and was splitting.

Clambering to her feet, she clutched her head. Vermillion was calling her name, but more than that she could hear Anneis guffawing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Vermillion sounded frantic. The pain was beginning to dull; much quicker than if she were a human. Taking a deep breath, Aero forced down the rest of the pain. Electricity flowed through her veins once again, her heart hammered against her chest.

"Let's finish the fight." Aero cringed at her voice. It came out angrier than intended. The ground shook beneath again. The two cures barely have time to move before the Dead-Color crashed past. It continued onward, its thundering hooves shaking the cracked earth. Vermillion ran after it, her body a blur.

The Dead-Color turned and headed towards her. It lowered its head and went even faster. Aero was moving now too. The beast was upon Vermillion in a matter of seconds. It flung its head up, barely missing the dodging cure. She compacted her body and dodged the beast by mere inches. Her knee slammed forward into the Dead-Color's throat. With her force, Vermillion's knee sunk inward. She wasn't done however, the moment her body started falling back she slung her other leg up. Her foot connected at the base of the Dead-Color's chin. Aero could hear the crunch from where she was. Its head snapped upward, its whole body leaving the ground. Again.

The Dead-Color tumbled over itself, but landed on its hooves a few feet away. The monster just wouldn't go down, no matter how many hits it took to the face. It shook its head and let out another distorted whinny. It reared up. The ground quaked, splitting asunder. The terrain was more uneven now. Great.

"It's weakened, just one final push." Vermillion sounded slightly out of breath. She began to run across the uneven earth, and this time with more hesitation, Aero followed. Even if her face didn't throb anymore didn't mean she forgot what happened. "I'm going to stop it, you cleanse it." Vermillion reached for her Pigment. The Dead-Color began to move as well, breaking into a full run across the field.

"The Pigment that blazes within the heart, Pretty Cure!" The red ring of paint was drawn through the air. "Vermillion Spiral!" The attack rushed past Aero. It bypassed the Dead-Color completely. Splashing against the gray grass a few feet away, the ribbons began to bubble up. The horse didn't have time to correct its course. It ran smack into the middle of Vermillion's attack. The ribbons wrapped around the horse, tying its legs together. With a loud crash, it fell to the ground.

"The Pigment that tranquilizes the heart!" Aero's hand snapped to the side and grabbed the large pencil. "Pretty Cure! Aero Recode!" The code burst from the tip and wrapped against the Dead-Color.

With one last discordant whinny, color seeped back into the school's mascot. The grays turned darker till it was a charcoal black. The horse expanded, fighting against the ribbons of Vermillion's attack. Paint splattered as it broke apart, dousing everything in a sticky liquid. Color began to seep into the quickly repairing area.

"Argh!" Anneis gave a loud yell. She pulled at her long hair and gave a stomp of her sandaled foot. "I can't believe this!" Her almost orange eyes were sharp as they glared down at the cures. "Next time I'll make an even stronger Dead-Color! And it'll absolutely DESTROY you!" She jumped from the bleachers, and like Tessur teleported mid jump. To where, who knew.

Aero's transformation pinged away. Falling to her knees, she surveyed the area. The students from earlier were now sitting up. Some were wiping at tears, other clutching at their chests. Clancy grabbed Merle's shoulder. "Let's leave before they start asking questions." Without words, Merle let her lead them away.

Afterword: My eyes hurt like always lmaoooo

Anyways, leave a comment, critique, or constructive criticism! I would love to hear from y'all and how to improve :)