Disclaimer: Zatch Bell is copyrighted to Makoto Raiku (characters, series, and concepts). The only things I own that are currently revealed in the story are E, Nylon, Shine, Angelica Tsukoro, Curtis Herrakoro, Harumi Kisamaru. Izo Uramori, Myriam, and Mystrael.
Chapter 3: Make a Choice
Angelica was sitting at her desk in her room, her eyes drinking in the complex content of the study guide and notes before her. She knew if she did not memorize this stuff by heart by the time of her exams, she would not be able to gain entrance into the technical college she wanted to be in. These exams were already delayed once, as per her request, because of something in the past, so it would add insult to injury to the higher-ups if she were to not get the satisfying grade.
"E, quit breathing down my neck." Angelica commanded. E immediately created distance between him and his bookkeeper, "Sorry, Angelica. I was just curious as to what you were studying." Angelica responded, "Just things pertaining to psychology, and the sciences around it."
"Oh. Interesting."
"Oh, and E?"
"Yes?"
"You will please start calling me 'Ang!'"
Just then, Angelica's cell phone—which was on her bed—started ringing. "E, please answer that for me." Angelica requested as she flipped a page in her study guide. "Sure thing." E stated as he picked up the cellular device, pressed the button to accept the call, and put it on speakerphone so Angelica could hear too, "Tsukoro residence."
"Oh, hello, E," It was Izo on the other end of the line, "Is Ang there? I need to ask her something." E responded genteelly, "Angelica is busy studying at the moment, but I can—" Out of the blue, Angelica accidentally knocked E aside as she took the cell phone, "Hey there, Izo! What's up?"
Izo was outside his home in Odaiba that was thirty minutes from where the terrace Angelica lived in was located. It was fairly bad and possessed a large lawn of sod and some trees. He was standing against the iron fence surrounding his house near the mailbox. "Do you happen to have directions to the Tokyo Bayside Wind Power Plant?" He asked.
"The Tokyo Bayside Wind Power Plant?" Angelica echoed questioningly, "No, I don't. But I can look them up for you. May I ask what's going on?" Izo looked at the envelope and letter in his hand as he answered, "A letter addressed to me came in the mail this morning. Someone requests of my attendance there."
"Well, you are planning to become an environmentalist," Angelica mused, "Maybe someone's interested?" Izo lowered his eyelids thoughtfully, "Maybe…Well, just go ahead and email me those directions when you can. Thanks, Ang." Angelica nodded, "Anytime, Izo." With that, the two ended their call.
"You are aware that that letter is a challenge, Izo?"
The ash grey-haired student, as he pocketed the letter, looked at the person approaching him. "Doesn't take a genius to realize that, Nylon. A Mamodo is after us." They kept it secret from Angelica and E, but Izo was the bookkeeper of Nylon. They had their fair share of battling in the tournament and were going strong.
"If the Mamodo is near a power plant, I'd hate to imagine the reason why." Nylon said, carrying a kendo stick in his right hand that he been using for practice and his dark brown spellbook in the other hand. "Well, as soon as Ang gives me the directions, we're heading right over there." Izo declared as he started walking back to his house.
Nylon grinned as he followed his bookkeeper, "That is what a knight does; be the first one the scene."
"There! Izo should get that email in a matter of seconds!" Angelica announced as she stood up from the seat in front of the computer that was located in her apartment's living room.
E floated up to Angelica and extended out an envelope to her, "Mail call." Curiously, Angelica accepted the envelope, unsealed it, and read the contents of the letter which E reading it over her shoulder.
"Greetings, Angelica Tsukoro and E:
I am Doctor Riddles, the marvelous Doctor Riddles that knows everything. Zatch Bell and Kiyo Takamine told me about you two, and I am quite curious. Meet me at the Odaiba Liner Terminal in about twenty minutes after reading this letter. Call it an interview, if you will."
After reading it, Angelica and E exchanged sketchy looks at each other. "An interview at the warehouses?" E said, "Not particularly inviting." Angelica cupped her chin contemplatively, "But if Dr. Riddles is an associate of Kiyo and Zatch, then it shouldn't be all that bad."
"I say bring the spellbook, if we're going, just in case." E suggested, "Simply for our own protection." Angelica nodded understandingly, "Alright. I'm curious myself to see what Dr. Riddles wants with us."
"D-Doctor, are you sure it was a good idea to bring those two here?" Kido questioned in trepidation, looking at the white-haired man who was sitting on a crate with legs crossed. "No, Kido," Dr. Riddles said dramatically, "Quite frankly, I'm just as scared as you are." Kido gulped nervously, "R-Really?" Suddenly, Dr. Riddles grinned as he announced, "Kid-ding!" Kido's nervous expression turned shock and photo-negative at the revelation.
This banter was cut short when they heard the warehouse door opening, the gears and chains creaking loudly as they gradually allowed the light of day to leak inside the moderately lit warehouse. Kido assumed his usual façade, in order to make his apprehension, while Dr. Riddles grinned alacritously, "So you have arrived."
Angelica—who opted to wear a black jacket in addition to her usual clothing—and E entered the warehouse as the gears and chains worked in reverse to close the metal door. "Dr. Riddles, I presume?" Angelica said after the metal door completely closed. "You presume correctly, Miss Tsukoro." Dr. Riddles responded as he stood from his seat. "And I'm Kido!" Kido introduced himself.
It was then each side took notice of something: neither Angelica nor Dr. Riddles tried to hide their respective spellbooks. "It was for protection." Angelica admitted sheepishly. "Hahaha!" Dr. Riddles chuckled heartily, "Great minds think alike!"
"But let's just cut to the chase, please." E spoke austerely, "Why have you summoned us?" D. Riddles replied seriously, "I'm more than certain Kiyo and Zatch mentioned a person by the name of Milordo-Z, right?" Angelica titled her head to the side in confusion; however, E responded, "Me, yes. Angelica is not aware."
Angelica decided to stay quiet, seeing as she would be enlightened to this information. "Milordo-Z is but a mere Mamodo himself who has an army of Ancient Mamodo that were sealed in stone by another Mamodo named Goren of the Stone. He released them and gathered humans to be their bookkeepers, most of them being mind-controlled. Now, he's stationed in Deboro Ruins in South America. Me, Kiyo, Zatch, Kido, and an array other companions are going to infiltrate these ruins and put an end to his plans before Milordo-Z can do anything else to the world with these Mamodo from one thousand years ago." Dr. Riddles explained.
"Hmm…You explained that a bit more intricately than Zatch did." E said contemplatively, "And it still pains me to hear fellow Mamodo have being used like that." Dr. Riddles smiled, "Ahh, is that so? Well, seeing as you're about one thousand-years-old yourself, that should be the case?" E looked at the doctor in disbelief, "Wha-What? How did you know that?" Kido grinned as he jumped on Dr. Riddles's shoulder, "He's Dr. Riddles! He knows everything!"
"I see that wasn't merely exaggeration." E said in an impressed tone. Angelica stared at the ground; this was some serious business that Dr. Riddles and Kido were trying to get them into, and she knew it. "What does that have to do with us?"
"I sense potential in both of you already." Dr. Riddles said and then requested, "So, we would like you two to join us in this fight. We need as much power as possible to win." Angelica rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Uhhh, as much I want to help out, E and I aren't that strong. We would probably be more of a burden…"
As Kido jumped off Dr. Riddles's shoulder, he responded, "Is that so?" Out of nowhere, they gray spellbook in Dr. Riddles's hand glowed, "Zegaruga!" The circular base of a cannon came out from Kido's mouth and unleashed a blue beam from it.
Angelica's eyes widened immensely at how unexpected the attack was. "ANGELICA! A SPELL!" Angelica quickly swallowed the lump in her throat and closed her eyes as E's spellbook glowed purple, "Ieshun!" E released psychic energy in the form of a dark purple sphere with a pink outline around his body. Kido's Zegaruga came in contact with E's Ieshun. After an intense struggle between the two spells, they cancelled each other in a small explosion.
"Angelica, were your eyes closed?" E telepathically asked his bookkeeper as the dust started settling. "Y-Yeah, they were…" Angelica responded to E's call. "Great. Just make sure not to look every time you cast a spell of mine…Wouldn't want that happening." The psychic Mamodo stressed.
With newfound confidence, Kido boasted, "Ha! You guys barely managed to defend yourselves against that! Maybe you aren't all that, E the Alien!" E immediately shot a harsh glare to the scholarly child, and he silenced instantly. "I don't know, Kido…" Dr. Riddles objected thoughtfully, "It seems like they were holding back for some reason. One of them must be scared of something…No, both of them are responsible."
"Aruk! Sora Iera!"
In a quick flash of pink, E teleported directly in front of Kido—as per the effects of Aruk. Then, thanks to Sora Iera, whitish psychic energy surrounded E's arm that then formed into long whitish blades. "Doctor!" Kido alerted his partner. "Zeburuk!" Dr. Riddles recited as he jumped back to create distance from the two Mamodo. Kido's upper half suddenly detached from his lower half as E swung his blades, missing his target due to Zeburuk.
"Now for the follow-up!" Dr. Riddles declared as Kido's spellbook glowed more, "Am Zegar!" Kido's body reconnected just in time for his right hand to transform into a giant metal fist. E was unable to react as his face got punched by Am Zegar and sent into a wall.
Angelica's onyx eyes bore witness to the violent attack and they widened immensely as she screamed concernedly, "E!" Not paying attention to Dr. Riddles or Kido, she printed for her fallen partner. All the while, that punched Kido delivered unto E agitated her psyche, and something very similar from her memories flashed through her head. "G-Go away!" She mentally screamed to her memory banks.
As E regained his senses and resumed floating, Angelica knelt beside her and said consolingly, "A-Are you okay, E?" E nodded reassuringly, "Yeah. What about you? I sincerely hope you didn't see it…" Angelica bit her lip, and that gesture told the tale in itself. "Angelica…" E growled seriously.
"Well this is a rather interesting scenario." The voice of Dr. Riddles caused Angelica and E to turn their attention to him. "What was so bad about me punching E?" Kido asked. Angelica and E did not respond as they respectively stood or floated up.
"Ah-ah! Don't tell me!" Dr. Riddles said coyly, going with the flow, "When Kido used Am Zegar and scored a successful hit on E, did it incur something in your mind, dear Angelica?" Angelica's dilated in shock. This doctor was too smart for his own good.
"It seems that is the case." Dr. Riddles said as the grey spellbook glowed once more, "But I think I need to elicit a little something more out of you. Gigano Zegar!" Panels opened up on Kido's chest and then released a powerful blue blast toward both Angelica and E.
"Quickly, Angelica!" E alerted as he floated in front of her protectively. Angelica found herself almost paralyzed as the powered-up version of Zegar headed their way. Once again, the back of her mind brought about images from her past that she did not want to see anymore. It was affecting her, E, and the heart energy she was putting into the spellbook.
"Angelica!" E yelled desperately. "I-Ieruga!" Angelica finally, but shakily, recited. E's green lenses glowed white and then discharged a whitish beam toward the Gigano Zegar. The two spells connected but Kido's spell was already gaining the upper hand. "Blast! Ieruga is not as strong as it's supposed to be!"
Gigano Zegar then overpowered Ieruga and another explosion occurred that shook the warehouse for a second or two. "Whoa, Doctor, we didn't overdo, did we?" Kido asked apprehensively, seeing at how potent his spell was in comparison to E's. "Not at all, Kido." Dr. Riddles said reassuringly. As if on cue, E and Angelica returned in their field of vision via teleportation provided by Aruk.
"Bravo!" Dr. Riddles congratulated them, "I see potential in you two, but I also see something else, specifically within Angelica. Not only are you two holding something back, there seems to be a reason for you two holding back. Additionally, E, you seem very stern about Angelica keeping her eyes closed conveniently when we cast a spell on each other. When she didn't, it seemed to have an effect on the power of your spells." The doctor gave out his conjecture, which was right on the dot, as his mind replayed the certain scenes in this short battle that led to that conclusion.
E looked at Angelica who solemnly nodded to him. The psychic Mamodo turned to Kido and Dr. Riddles and began the story, "Bear with us. Our explanation is rather lengthy."
"We have time."
"Angelica here is the daughter of a successful lawyer of a mother, and a father that is a renowned physician. Their money allowed her to attend schools that upped her intelligence. She has always been known for being expressive and passionate. Once upon a time, however, her mother lost a very important case, and her father was legally robbed of his clinic. Their bosses and supervisor had to let them go, and they found comfort in drinking. Typically, they became monsters, mere shells of their former selves. One day, when Angelica was innocently coming home from, they were arguing again, and she was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time and…"
E paused when he heard Angelica sobbing softly behind him. It pained him to see this girl cry in these situations, but he continued on, "They lashed at her. She never was the same, especially when it happened in the future a couple more times. Angelica became a mere shell herself. She gave all her friends and peers the cold shoulder, and she no longer was expressive. For God's sake, that beautiful hair of hers that many loved her for had to be hidden. And it didn't stop there! The money that would help get her into the technical college she's been applying for was spent on their blasted alcohol!"
E could to pause himself to gather his bearings. Like Angelica, he was becoming an emotional wreck telling her story to Dr. Riddles and Kido—the former maintained expressionlessness while the latter was blowing his nose into a handkerchief. E couldn't believe it when Ang first told him the whole story, and he couldn't believe it now.
"But that wasn't until E came into my life." Angelica spoke out of nowhere, apparently having calmed down completely.
Angelica had left her classes early to avoid the constant questions from her friends that she did not answer. She walked stiffly up the stairs that would lead her to her apartment in the terrace. As the brisk afternoon wind swept through the corridors, she had to shoot a hand up to keep the white cloche hat that kept all her hair up in it from flying off her head.
"Ugh…I can hear those two yelling at each other from here." Angelica groaned disdainfully, already hearing her mother and father one floor up as she went up the stairs. As she continued her reluctant journey, she did not notice a pair of distinctive green eyes watching her every move, "Hm. She's so forlorn…let's hope that I don't spook her or anything."
Angelica stopped in front of the door to her apartment. She could hear the verbal violence between her mother and father, and she found it hard to believe none of the neighbors had called for possible domestic violence in their midst. She was hesitant to enter, fearing a repeat of that one time that led to her current state of depression. She started shaking at the very thought.
"You're going to have to do something."
Angelica, because her mind and nerves were already on the fritz, jumped and exclaimed at the sudden appearance of a floating creature nearing a trench coat and bell-shaped hat. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't startle you, did I?" E asked, titling his head to the side.
"Sorry, I'm a mess, little one," Angelica replied after calming herself, "But please run along." With that, Angelica opened the door and reluctantly the household. E, having telepathically read the girl's mind, knew just what was going on and followed her inside.
Just as she predicted, her blonde mother and brunette father were in a drunken rage. Some items, mostly bottles of booze, were on the floor as a result of the confrontation. The unexpected entrance of their daughter caused them, due to cloud psychological reasons, to divert all their violent to attention to her.
"Oh no…" Angelica squeaked fearfully. Whatever words they said to her were ignored. Besides, their drunken language was entirely foreign to the ears of the pure. And based on their glares, it was going to happen again. So, all she could do was brace herself.
It was then E stepped into the familial matters. He flew in front of Angelica while extending out his right hand. The parents stopped cold in their tracks as E locked onto their mentalities. E began removing the portions of their memories that led to their alcoholic depression and kept the parts that made them partial to positivity. Even though he hadn't manipulated someone's memories in so long, he worked this case like a pro. For Angelica's sake.
When he was done, Mr. and Mrs. Tsukoro fell to the ground unconscious. "There—" Just then, the collar and upper portions of his trench coat was gripped by two hands, and he was then lifted eye-level to Angelica's onyx eyes. "What did you do to them!" She screamed in demand, "Tell me now!"
Angelica found her grip diminishing as E remained completely silent. In under a minute of the two staring at each other—and Angelica hyperventilating, E was released from the sixteen-year-old's hold. "Get some sleep and see tomorrow." E suggested casually as he floated out of the room, closing the door behind him.
And with no other choice, Angelica could only sigh and head off to her room.
It took her time to sleep since she was trying to register on what just happened. And then she woke up early in strange anticipation for the morning. With a yawn, Angelica came down to the living room—in pink pajamas—via the stairs around 8:00 AM, the usual time she woke up on weekends.
Imagine how shocked she was to see the living room completely clean, and her parents acting normally, even filling applications for new jobs at the table.
"Oh good morning, Ang!" Mrs. Tsukoro greeted her daughter with a smile. "Had a nice sleep? We sure did." Mr. Tsukoro said, writing something down. Apparently, they were both oblivious to E's ministrations.
Angelica stood cemented in her spot. They were completely and utterly back to the good-hearted and great parents she knew them for. She pondered only for a second what kind of voodoo magic E performed on these two. She, smiling brightly and on the verge of shedding overjoyed tears, ran over to them and embraced them lovingly. "I slept wonderfully, too!" Angelica announced happily.
Mr. and Mrs. Tsukoro were felt in a state of confusion because their daughter was being more expressive than usually. Angelica released them from her loving hold and skipped merrily back upstairs to her room. Mr. and Mrs. Tsukoro wanted to dwell on what was with her, but they merely deemed it to be a hormonal issue and went back to business.
Angelica returned to her room, and the first thing she noticed was the psychic Mamodo that would it possible was floating right outside her open window. E waved at her and was about to say something until the onyx-eyed girl swiftly brought him into her room and hugged him tautly.
"GAH! AHH! TOO TIGHT!" E screamed breathlessly, feeling as if he was going to break under the girl's surprisingly powerful arms.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Angelica declared ecstatically. Momentarily, E's suffering was replaced with surprise. "Wait a minute…You have telepathy, too?" E asked her mentally. Angelica giggled and spoke aloud, "It's a gift. Though, I prefer no one knows about it."
"And I'm exception?" E asked in response. Angelica winked, "That's right. People like us stick together."
E smiled under those wraps of his; this was easier than he thought it would be. Well, now it was time to inform her of the Mamodo Fight. "Listen…Angelica, right? As you can probably infer, I'm not of this world; I am of a species called a Mamodo. I'm here on Earth to find a partner that can read my book in order to become Mamodo King—"
"Say no more, E." Angelica interrupted, embracing the psychic Mamodo again but more tenderly this time. "You saved me and my parents. If helping you become King is the only way I can repay you, then so be it."
"Hmm…" Dr. Riddles fingered his chin in thought as he let the story sink into his mind, "I see, but I can tell there is more for you to say. Am I right?" Kido chimed in childishly, "Doctor, you're always right! 'Course there's more!" E chuckled dryly, "Yes, indeed, and it entails the source of our ailment…when we participated in our first battle together."
"Hey there, E the extraterrestrial."
"Remember us? From that school?"
"You're going to pay for injuring us."
"Think you can take all five of us at the same time?"
"With our bookkeepers and spells to boot?"
How cruel fate could be. What started as a simple walk through the Odaiba district now became an encounter with five different Mamodo and their bookkeepers. To make matters worse, they were the same five from Nylon's school that approached E that day.
Angelica gulped nervously as she gripped E's puce spellbook tightly. This was their first confrontation with Mamodo in the tournament, but she didn't expect for her and E to battle five simultaneously. "Calm yourself, Angelica," E reasoned as he glared at the quintet, "Just read my spell. We can't run."
Angelica nodded and opened up the spellbook. Only two nights back she had discovered E's first spell when she was leafing through the strange book. Now, she was given the chance to see its effects. Wondrously, she mumbled it, "Ieshun…"
Before the five Mamodo were given a chance to attack, since their bookkeepers were accumulating heart energy for particularly powerful spells, E released a strong, dark purple psychic field outlined by pink in the form of an expanding dome. The ground below E cratered, trees immediately hunched over in their foundation opposite of the attack's direction, and the five Mamodo were blasted by the Ieshun.
Angelica bored witness to the powerful spell, and she momentarily amazed by it. But then, when she took a look at the aftermath of the attack—the damages to the soundings and the injuries the five Mamodo (and two bookkeepers) sustained—something inside her mind triggered. Something related…to the trauma she endured with her parents.
All of it instantly began replaying in her mind at the sight of the graphic destruction of E's Ieshun. Tears instantly and uncontrollably fell from her eyes. She thought she was over with all this, but no. Fate had to make those events haunt her even until now.
E expressionlessly watched the five bookkeepers run away in fear. The five Mamodo were unconscious, but with their spellbooks are fire, they were slowly dissolving, going back to the Mamodo World and out of the tournament officially. "Mm…I guess practice is needed. I shouldn't have done that much damage to my surroundings." E noted casually, "But not bad for just our first battle, Angelica. Killed five birds with one stone."
When E turned around to see his bookkeeper on her knees traumatized and crying absentmindedly, he instantly was concerned and floated to her side. "Angelica! What's gotten into you? What happened?" E questioned her frenziedly.
"I saw…" Angelica squeaked; her voice was choking from her sobs, "I saw…flashbacks…of back then…" E was able to infer what she meant by "back then" and put the pieces together—that, and he simply read her mind—and embraced her apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Angelica…That won't happen again. I promise you on that."
"And I'm sorry for being a burden in your quest to become king, E…" Angelica telepathically told him. Even her mind was affected by her sorrow. "I could care less about burdens." E replied.
"So you're frightened." Dr. Riddles said, sounding more stern than sympathetic. "Yes, she is. Understand that I'm doing all that you've conjectured so far for her sake only." E responded.
Dr. Riddles exhaled sharply through his nostrils as he adjusted his hat. "How…ridiculous!" E, Ang, and even Kido were surprised by the vehement exclaim that came out of Dr. Riddles's mouth. "Sooner or later, Angelica Tsukoro and E, you two are going to confront Mamodo that won't show compassion or even regard your promises to each other! Angelica, what are you going to do then?"
Angelica finally stood back up but was unsure of what to say. "I...uh...I…" She stammered. Was she going to try and be brave for the tournament's sake? No, that was pushing their luck. She knew good and well that those flashbacks would crop up again eventually.
"You better think carefully before you answer me." Dr. Riddles advised her, "If you're going to fight, then you need to shape up in our battle. If you insist on dwelling on past endeavors that E rectified, then, as a good Samaritan who sympathizes with you, Kido and I will burn that book!"
When the doctor that knew everything threatened eliminating E from the battle and squashing his chances at becoming King, Angelica snapped—figuratively not literally, "No! I will not allow you to burn E's book! I promised that I would make him King! I'm in his debt for saving me and my parents from turmoil! I won't let you do that to him!" Then, she stepped straight in front of the psychic Mamodo, cradling the puce spellbook in her arms, "Never!"
"Then so be it…" Dr Riddles paused to adjust his monocle and then Kido's grey spellbook illuminated vigorously, "Raja Zerusen!" Kido extended out his tiny arms and, suddenly, they began morphing into a giant, blue rocket-like fist. It had at least thirty times the little guy's own size.
E's eyes widened from over Angelica's shoulder. Kido and Dr. Riddles were more than likely performing their strongest spell. "I'm sorry if you two will hate me from now," Dr. Riddles said in his mind—which was unread by either Ang or E, "But this is apart of my test…I need to show you two that you're stronger than you're giving yourselves credit for!"
Raja Zerusen was fired and was progressively heading toward both Angelica and E. Angelica, tears pouring out of her eyes, hugged the spellbook more tightly. The flashbacks were rewinding and fast-forwarding in her mind, but her devotion to E had precedence over those tormenting images. "Angelica! Cast a spell!" E yelled as he now positioned himself in front of Angelica and, thus, was the new target for Raja Zerusen.
Sadly, Angelica could not do her request. The whirlwind of emotions and thoughts inside her greatly compromised her heart energy. The book could not gather enough to even cast their most basic spell. "Angelica!" E yelled urgently to her. "I'm sorry, E…" Angelica said softly to him. It was at that time, E realized they were officially in hot water.
The psychic Mamodo faced the oncoming Raja Zerusen. Angelica was currently an emotional wreck, so spells were out of the question. But E knew he couldn't just stay there. The telepathic girl would get hurt along with him. Abandoning all rational thought, E jettisoned himself straight into the Raja Zerusen.
Angelica, Kido, and Dr. Riddles were all shocked by E's rash decision. "What's he doing?" Kido exclaimed in disbelief. Dr. Riddles, too, was temporarily shocked by the choice, but seeing this as the telepathic duo's opportunity to prove themselves, he watched on thoughtlessly.
"E-E…" Angelica spoke shakily, unable to comment on the sight before. E, using his whole body, was trying to push back the gigantic Raja Zerusen. He screamed in effort and pain as white energy surged through the warehouse. "I…" E managed to speak, "I…can't…let her…get hurt!" He knew that he couldn't deflect or push back the powerful spell, but he had to at least keep at it until the spell wore off.
Eventually, it ended. The heart energy put into Raja Zerusen wore off, and the rocket fist disappeared. E then motionlessly fell on the ground. His trench coat and hat were tattered and damaged considerably but remained intact. Angelica immediately ran over to the psychic Mamodo's side and picked him tenderly. "E…You…" She said solemnly. E was breathing heavily but he managed to drawl out, "What else…was I supposed to do…you silly child?" Angelica smiled weakly, "And you're still adorable even when tired…"
"And with that, this test is over."
Angelica and E—the latter weakly—looked to see Dr. Riddles and Kido before them, the gray spellbook nowhere in sight. "This whole battle was set up so I can test you two." Dr. Riddles revealed to them as he kneeled down, "You two are much stronger than you think, and E using himself as a shield against Kido's most powerful spell is proof of that." The doctor then placed a comforting hand on Ang's shoulder as he continued, "You two have potential and power deep in your souls that only you can unlock. Me, Kido, Zatch, Kiyo, and all of our allies heading to fight Zofis need power like that. So…I'll talk to Kiyo about this. Whether you show up late or early does not, just please come to South American and fight on our side. We'll be waiting for you."
"And prepare yourselves quickly." Kido advised as he jumped on Dr. Riddles's shoulder, "There are going to Mamodo there that will test you. So if you come, leave behind all that crybaby stuff."
With that said, the self-proclaimed ultimate combination turned heel and left the telepathic duo to ponder silently. "I can only hope that you will put that new spell to good use." Dr. Riddles thought, being the only person to notice the puce book glowing silently.
Author Notes
And here is the third chapter, and a small battle-and the first battle of the story-between Dr. Riddles/Kido (my favorite ZB characters) and Angelica/E. Though, there is mostly dialogue in this battle, but for good reason. The next chapter is where the REAL fun begins with Izo and Nylon!