Zatch Bell: Kolulu Story
By:CleruSonofShintetsu
[Chapter 7: Where in the World is Parco Folgore?]
The group makes their way through the city, chatting along the way. They had hours before Kiyo's father got off work, and could easily pass the time in any way they saw fit.
"You mean to tell me that your father sent him to you naked...!?" Lori said in shock.
"I'm half convinced he was goofy enough to lose his robes by himself, either that or he took a swim before arriving here somehow. Either way it was AWKWARD for everybody! At least for me it was..." he explained with an awkward look on his face.
Lori could only imagine the sweat graphic dripping down the side of her head if she were part of a cartoon, because she wondered what other mischief could have happened that day. "Ah, well...what about other...quirky moments with Zatch?" she said, smiling and returning to her usual sweet demmeanor.
"Oh right, we uhh...actually ended up fighting a few Mamodo before we met you. Specifically, we fought an ice boy named Reycom, and a plant boy named Sugino respectively, and their crooked book owners. We also had a run-in with some ginger-haired wind Mamodo and a very...intimidating team..." he said, remembering back to Brago and Sherry's visit.
"Intimidating...? In what way?" Lori asked.
"Oh," Kiyo began, "they were an extremely powerful duo with some sort of dark energy, gravity magic it seemed. I think the name of the Mamodo was...Brago."
Kolulu, who had overheard this, jumped in surprise, while her evil side sharpened her claws in anticipation. "...Did you say Brago?" Kolulu meekly asked.
Kiyo and Lori look down at her and nod. Kiyo explains further, "Yeah, they were really strong, and they had the nerve to demand my book! It seems they were right in a way...we weren't cut out for the battle after all..." he said, slightly pinched once again by guilt at losing his partner so soon.
Kolulu was too focused on the name of Brago. She had heard of him back home, but she never had a chance to meet him. All she knew was the fearsome reputation he built. Then she was snapped out of these thoughts when she spotted...another Mamodo, waving frantically to her from an alleyway.
"Hey guys...I think a Mamodo is waving at us from over there." Kolulu said, Kiyo and Lori turning to face Kanchome.
Kanchome, the duck-billed Mamodo child, sighed in relief at them approaching. "Please help me! You look super kind and sweet! I lost my book owner! He could by anywhere and I was distracted by candy and took my eyes off of him and-" he said, scrambling his words in a panic before Kolulu interrupted him.
"Woah woah woah...slow down, breathe..." she said with a smile, putting her hands on his shoulders. This got him to stop, his shaking slowing until his body was still, and he cooled down as instructed.
"Now then...tell us what's wrong, and we can help you." Kolulu offered, giggling a little.
Kanchome laughed a little, nodding in relief. "Then lets go! Come on, come on!" he said, before practically dragging Kolulu along and down the alleyway.
With a sigh, Kiyo followed suit, along with Lori, as the four proceeded to gallivant across the city in search of Folgore.
They would search everywhere, from parks, to cafes, to places he often frequented on England tours, but to no avail. It seemed as though every time they thought they had him, they were, in reality, one or two steps behind him. This got Kanchome rather upset, and he started whimpering as he flopped down on the grass under a tree.
"Dooooohhh I'm never gonna find him at this raaaaaaaate..." he said, sniffling as he was on the brink of sobbing.
Kolulu sat beside him and opened her bag, taking out a lifesaver mint and showing it to him. "Here...its not much, but I LOVE these, a nice sweet snack would get us back in shape I think." she said, offering it for him to take.
Kanchome looked at the little plastic wrapped candy in awe, having never really seen a breathmint like that before, and he slowly sat up, taking it and cracking the plastic wrap open. "T-thank you Kolulu, you're the best! The super-duper posi-tuper best! It's...not big and sugary...but...Folgore always tells me to appreciate every gift!" he said, before popping it in his mouth and savoring the mint with his tongue.
Kolulu giggled, popping another mint in her own mouth and savoring it likewise.
Lori giggled and tilted her head. "Aww...she's the sweetest thing..." she said, looking at Kiyo now.
Kiyo nodded with a smile, it was sweet to see, but he still felt some pain from losing Zatch, and his smile faded to a neutral expression quickly. "Yeah...I know, I know all too well...this tournament really does make sweet kids like them into trauma-ridden and broken-down shells I imagine..." he said, recalling how painful the transformation under the spell Zeruk always was, and he witnessed it a few more times after his own battle in the park.
"Honestly," he continued, "why can't they just get grown-ups to do this? It's bad enough as is, why do they put their children of all things through this stupid blood sport?" he asked, now getting an irritated expression on his face.
Lori sighed deeply, "I hate to guess like this...but remember how durable they are? Human children would probably be hospitalized in a few attacks at most...they must trust the abilities of their youth, but it's still wrong in my eyes regardless..." she said, putting a hand to her chest.
Kiyo shrugged, "Well...it is what it is, thats why we gotta be here for them. Anyways, we should probably get going, dad should be available in only an hour from now." he said, checking the time.
"Right, right...Kolulu, Kanchome!" Lori called, the two children running over to Kiyo and Lori with smiles on their faces. "We're about to head back out on our walk again. We'll help Kanchome look around for Folgore a little more, maybe another 10-20 minutes, stop for a rest, and then we'll head to Mr. Takamine's office, sound good?" she suggested.
"Okie-dokie Lori!" Kolulu said, swaying side to side in place, eager to keep moving.
[Meanwhile, elsewhere...]
Seitaro Takamine was finishing up a tutoring session with one of his students, a female one to be precise. The two were feeling quite satisfied at the long awaited progress they made, as she finally began to grasp the subject they had so thoroughly worked on together.
"I always knew you had it in you, I think you'll salvage this grade yet! I told you you'd be fine, young Maria." Seitaro said with a smile.
She thanked him, getting up to shake his hand before hearing screaming coming from outside. Seitaro jumped to his feet in concern and told her to stay put as he stepped outside to see what was going on.
"E-excuse me!" he said, reaching out to one of the fleeing townsfolk. "What exactly is all the screaming about?" he asked with worry.
"R-run, those rumors of ghostly knights were true! They've been kidnapping women from all over the country, like a fantasy book sprang to life and started taking would-be damsels in distress, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" the man said, before dashing off.
Seitaro reached out once more, "W-wait! Come back, I don't understand! Hey!" he called out, wanting to know more...and then he heard a window shatter behind him as his pupil screamed for help.
He bore witness to it, a big and heavily armored knight yanking the girl through the window, slightly cutting into her thigh from the glass as it did so, and lumbering off, completely unmoved by her protests and hitting and flailing around. Seitaro tried to pursue him, only to be blocked by two criminals wielding shivs.
"Oi, where are you going, foreigner?" one asked, keeping his knife to Seitaro's neck. "Knock this foreigner out cold, Brucie!" he ordered, before said criminal clocked Seitaro with the butt of his knife, knocking him out. Soon after, the bigger criminal lifted him over his shoulder, sheathing his knife and walking away.
"Good job Brucie! I think havin' a nerdy foreigner will be a novelty among the fine women we've helped take from this place!" the smaller crook said before cackling. "Long live our new overlords eh!?"
The invasion was likewise being overlooked by a peculiar pair from atop the hill outside of town. As the invasion reached it's conclusion only minutes later, the shorter figure spoke up, glancing up at his own larger companion, a masked giant, who was growling in glee at the sight.
"You see that, Kikuropu?" the gentleman began, "THAT is how you handle a raiding party; quick, simple, and efficient. One mark of being a gentleman is to always be curt and straightforward, while not necessarily being a sledgehammer about things. Sadly, that is the one flaw in this raid...too much brute force, I must have heard at least six different windows shatter before the knights left. Such a messy lot...but who can blame them for being soulless husks controlled by flowers eh?" the man asked, chortling into the sky.
His Mamodo partner began to cackle too in his own way, both amused deeply by the events of the raid.